Hollywood Reporter
Vilanch Will Kick Things Off May 22, 2019 With A Reading Of The Play “Dear Harvey” About Harvey Milk
By Seth Abramovitch
May 21, 2019

The Emmy-winning comedy writer and La La Land’s unofficial gay mascot kicks off a summer of free love with a live reading of “Dear Harvey,” a documentary-style play about Harvey Milk staged at WeHo’s City Council Chambers.

The City of West Hollywood is supersizing its LGBTQ Pride this year with 40 days of events and activities, culminating in the LA Pride Parade down Santa Monica Boulevard on June 9. To kick things off, a staged reading of Patricia Loughrey’s documentary-style play Dear Harvey — about Harvey Milk, California’s first openly gay elected official — will be held at WeHo City Council Chambers on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. It’s free to attend. Among the cast members are RuPaul’s Drag Race star Gia Gunn and Bruce Vilanch, the Emmy-winning comedy writer and La La Land’s unofficial gay mascot. The Hollywood Reporter caught up with Vilanch, who weighed in on those “hating” fundamentalists, the “adorable” Pete Buttigieg and the one celebrity he calls “the Statue of Liberty for gay people.”

Hello, Bruce! Happy Gay Pride season.

It’s starting earlier than ever.

What do you have in store this year?

I’m just doing the thing on Wednesday night at the West Hollywood City Council Chambers. We’re reading a play called Dear Harvey, which is the history of Harvey Milk, and it is mostly an oral history. His story is very compelling, obviously. I mean, Sean Penn won an Oscar for playing his story, so it’s a great history lesson.

It’s a nice way to kick off the whole Pride thing to remind people of the more recent history that eventually led to where we are now, with marriage equality and fighting the last bigots on the earth, the religious ones.

Just when you thought you were out, they pull you back in, or something.

Yeah, well, that’s the nature of religion. It’s like the world’s oldest profession. It’s always there and will never go away. It has to be dealt with. But when you look around you realize that it is the only voice left that is bleating in the wilderness and hating gay people. It’s only countries that are ruled by fundamentalists and fundamentalist factions elsewhere of religions that cause all this trouble, and I think a lot of that is surfacing again with the abortion argument.

They seem to have their sights set on overturning Roe v. Wade. Do you think the same-sex marriage ruling could be overturned as well?

I think that they probably have the same feelings about that, but Roe v. Wadeis more important to them. I mean, there are more women than there are gay people and they’ve been working on that one longer. It would be, I think, difficult to overturn marriage equality because, what is it? It’s become common and no one is getting hurt. With abortion, they frame it as surrogate murder as far as they’re concerned — and that’s powerful to people who don’t pay attention. So this is all lighthearted and fun.

You probably have a t-shirt for this occasion somewhere.

Yeah, or will be working on one. I mean, I’ll get those nuns with their darning needles. Get them started again. They make all my stuff.

What do you think of Pete Buttigieg?

I think he’s adorable. Actually aside from that, my own personal lusty feelings, I think he’s wonderful. He’s so smart and he has an answer for everything and it all makes sense and he also just doesn’t lose his cool. I mean, they come at him with all the usual stuff and he just kind of looks at them and says, “You’ve got to be kidding, let’s talk about what’s real,” and I love that.

Do you have other plans for this Pride season?

It’s tough for a gay icon because I have to go to lots of parades and wave and show up and remind people of the history of things. It’s just important to be out there. Visibility is the most important thing and that’s what Pride really is about. It’s about reminding people that the only way that we’ve secured our rights and the only way that we will maintain them is by being visible, and Pride is a physical manifestation of that.

You have been out there waving the rainbow flag a lot longer than most people.

Yeah, well, I’m a lot older than most people. But I have been from the beginning. I was never really in.

Over the years, did you find yourself trying to convince other people in show business to come out? 

I don’t know if I tried to convince them. I mean, I wanted to be there for them if they wanted to. I had always felt that what we didn’t need was a bunch of people who were terrified being forced out of the closet. Who needed to see another bitter, unhappy homosexual? So I would say if you feel that way stay in, and when you feel differently then come out when you’re ready to do it.

Have you seen Rocketman?

No, I haven’t. I’m looking forward to it.

Do you know Elton John?

I do and he had a rough time because when he first announced that he was bisexual back in the early ‘70s, he was dropped from a lot of radio stations and it was around the time that I forget the album, maybe Captain Fantastic[and the Brown Dirt Cowboy] came out. It was No. 1 and then suddenly it was off the charts because back then radio was how you got your songs played and a lot of those radio stations in smaller markets were run by people who were besieged by right-wingers and homophobes. And pastors of their churches say, “How can you play this guy’s music when he’s a sinner and all that?” And rather than fight that they just dropped his records, so he felt the brunt of all of that and that’s when he was forced into that marriage, which convinced nobody.

But he kind of weathered the storm because he was Elton John and eventually, I mean, he became like the Statue of Liberty for gay people. I mean, he’s a symbol. I mean, he’s a Knight, for Christ’s sake! He sang at the Princess of Wales’ funeral and he runs a foundation for AIDS services and things like that. So he has obviously rebounded and he’s sort of symbolic of what happened. And that’s a great story.

The post Bruce Vilanch: This Pride Season, Be Prouder, Outer and Gayer Than Ever first appeared on We Got Bruce!.

Philanthropy and stellar entertainment take center stage as the Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation presents a special one-night-only benefit cabaret to raise funds to support local AIDS services. Don’t miss this evening of outrageous stand-up and musical comedy.

The Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation (REAF) presents a special One Night Only benefit show THE BIG GAY COMEDY SHOW- featuring Bruce Vilanch (Comedian & B’way. star),Marga Gomez, Shann Carr, Ali Mafi, Kitty Tapata, Shawn Ryan, Katya Smirnoff-Sky, B.O.OB.S! Sunday, April 13, 2014 – 7:30 pm.

At the Marines’ Memorial Theater – 609 Sutter St. (at Mason St.) San Francisco 94102. Tickets for this “One Night Only Cabaret” are: $75/VIP Orchestra – Performance & dessert party with cast. $50 Side Orchestra & Dress Circle $35/balcony. (VIP orchestra tix include wine & dessert party with the cast in theater lobby after show.) Tickets are available by phone by calling 415-273-1620 or online atwww.biggaycomedyshow.eventbrite.com.

The Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation has worked with over 35 touring casts to date to produce “One Night Only Cabaret” events. To date, REAF has distributed well over $3 million to AIDS service agencies.

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• Idina Menzel of ‘Glee,’ comedy writer Bruce Vilanch to perform on gay Atlantis cruise from Fort Lauderdale

The post Bruce Vilanch and More Set for THE BIG GAY COMEDY SHOW to Benefit REAF, 4/13 first appeared on We Got Bruce!.

Tony Award winner Tyne Daly (Gypsy) and The Book of Mormon Tony nominee Andrew Rannells are among the lineup of performers taking part in the 29th annual Southland Theatre Artists Goodwill Event (S.T.A.G.E.), Broadway, My Way, April 6 at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills.

The one-night-only performance benefits AIDS Project Los Angeles, one of the largest non-profit AIDS service organizations in the U.S. that provides bilingual direct services, prevention education and leadership on HIV/AIDS-related policy and legislation.

Scheduled to appear are Rannells (The Book of Mormon, Hairspray), Patrick Cassidy (42nd Street), Carole Cook (42nd Street), Karen Culliver (The Phantom of the Opera), Daly (Master Class), Davis Gaines (The Phantom of the Opera), Florence Henderson (The Girl Who Came to Supper), Shirley Jones (42nd Street), Jane Lanier (Guys and Dolls), Vicki Lewis (Chicago), Kimberly Locke (“American Idol”), Tom Lowe, Pat Marshall (The Pajama Game), Patricia Morison (The King and I), Janis Paige (Mame), Madison Claire Parks, Valarie Pettiford (Fosse), Bruce Vilanch (Hairspray), Jim Bailey, Mary Jo Catlett (The Pajama Game), Joely Fisher (Cabaret), Kathy Garrick, Gordon Goodman (Hear! Hear!), Marsha Kramer (Peter Pan), JoAnne Worley (The Drowsy Chaperone), The MuMos, Alex Newell (“Glee”), Michael Orland, Lisa Vroman (Aspects of Love), Lillias White (The Life) and Terri White (Follies).

George Gray is the celebrity auctioneer. The event is directed by David Galligan with music direction by John McDaniel.

Special guests at Broadway, My Way include Mackenzie Bourg (“The Voice”), Charo, Carolyn Hennesy (“True Blood”), Bret Lockett (NY Jets) and Jack McGee (“Rescue Me”).
The Saban Theatre is located at 8440 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills, CA. For more information and tickets, visit StageLA.com or APLA.org/Stage.

The post West Coast Broadway, My Way Benefit, With Tyne Daly, Andrew Rannells, Bruce Vilanch, Lillias White, Held April 6 first appeared on We Got Bruce!.

Emmy Award-Winning Writer Bruce Vilanch to Host with Marlee Matlin and Pam Grier as Special Guests

LOS ANGELES — On Wednesday evening, November 14, Entertainment AIDS Alliance (EAA) will present its annual Visionary Awards to Chris Long, Senior Vice President, Entertainment & Production at DIRECTV and Dana Luthy, Category Leader for TV and Movies, who will be accepting the award on behalf of Amazon.com. The organization will also present its first-ever Lifetime Advocate Award to David Bishop, President Sony Pictures Home Entertainment. The event will be held at The Beverly Hilton and Emmy Award-winning writer Bruce Vilanch will host the evening. Award-winning actresses Marlee Matlin and Pam Grier will also be on hand to present the awards.

Now in its 15th year as one of EAA’s principal fundraisers, the Visionary Awards annually draws entertainment leaders and innovators whose support has made EAA the industry’s longest standing non-profit organization dedicated to AIDS research, prevention and services. Past Visionary honorees have included Academy Award-winning producer Steve Tisch (Forrest Gump, Pursuit of Happyness, American History X), Bill Mechanic (Pandemonium Films, former Chairman 20th Century Fox Films), Ted Sarandos (Chief Content Officer, Netflix), Bob Chapek (President, Disney Consumer Products), Dr. Peter Anton (UCLA AIDS Institute, Director of the Center for Prevention Research at UCLA, co-principal investigator of the Microbicide Trials Network), philanthropist Richard Foos (Co-founder of Rhino Records and Shout! Factory) and Henry McGee (President, HBO Home Entertainment and President of the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation) among others.

Sponsors of EAA’s 15th Annual Visionary Awards include: AGI-Shorewood; Anchor Bay Entertainment; CBS Corporation; Chartis Private Client Group; Deloitte; Dolby Laboratories; DreamWorks SKG; Entertainment One; Gaiam Vivendi Entertainment; HBO Home Entertainment; McKinsey & Company; Market Force; Multi Packaging Solutions; NBC Universal; Netflix; Paramount Home Entertainment; Redbox; RLJ Entertainment; Showtime Networks; Sony DADC; Sony Pictures Home Entertainment; Topaz Entertainment; Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment; Universal McCann; Versant Supply Chain; Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment; and Warner Home Video.

Tickets for the EAA Visionary Awards may be purchased online at http://www.entertainmentAIDSalliance.org. Inquiries regarding corporate sponsorship and major gifts should contact Kevin Mark Lodie at kml(at)diversifiedluxury(dot)com.

Entertainment AIDS Alliance (EAA) was founded as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in 1989 to rally the collective influence and funding of the entertainment industry to respond to the urgent need for HIV/AIDS research, prevention and services. Its ranks include the major studios, entertainment content producers, distributors and affiliated creative and business service industries. EAA maintains no corporate offices and nearly 80% of all funds it raises are distributed to over 150 carefully vetted and qualified beneficiaries, including standing beneficiaries such as UCLA AIDS Institute C.A.R.E. Center, AIDS Project Los Angeles, the Actor’s Fund AIDS Initiative, AIDS Research Alliance, AIDS Service Center, Common Ground and Los Angeles Jewish AIDS Services. For more information, visit http://www.entertainmentAIDSalliance.org

The post Emmy™ Award-Winning Writer Bruce Vilanch to Host with Marlee Matlin and Pam Grier as Special Guests For The 15th Annual Visionary Awards first appeared on We Got Bruce!.

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Comedian Bruce Vilanch Gets Teary Reminiscing About Elizabeth Taylor’s House Parties at Broadway Backwards 7

March 6, 2012

Bruce Vilanch, who was supposed to duet with Michael Urie but ended up coming onstage stag when Urie had to bow out for a pilot. “It’s for the Will & Grace producers—he has the Grace part!” he joked. Instead Vilanch presented a generous endowment of $50K to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS from sponsor Lifetime (officially no longer just “Television for Women”, but for us gays too!), who supported the evening for the second year in a row. Vilanch got shaky-voiced and teary-eyed over the loss of that biggest and brightest AIDS fundraiser, Elizabeth Taylor.

Later we wondered why he had gotten so choked up? “We were friendly…she got involved [in AIDS fundraising] in the very beginning and I began writing all the benefits. We did a lot of shows together and we gave a lot of people awards…She was great fun. The thing that nobody knows about her was…she was all about family. She had five kids and 112 grandchildren and every weekend she would throw the house open. It was full of friends and family.”

The post Bruce Vilanch Tears Up Talking About Elizabeth Taylor At Broadway Backwards first appeared on We Got Bruce!.