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!.

Upon meeting a legendary Hollywood personality it’s only fitting that we meet in a legendary Hollywood establishment. Musso and Frank Grill on Hollywood Boulevard. Since 1919, stars from Rudolph Valentino and Charlie Chaplin to Marilyn Monroe and Lauren Bacall have been sipping martinis in its old worn leather booths or throwing back scotch in its infamous back room – a watering hole for some of the finest writers including F. Scott Fitzgerald, William Faulkner, and Raymond Chandler. I arrive and Bruce Vilanch greets me as ‘Nick Hardcore’.

A regular here, Vilanch is instantly recognisable wearing his signature bright coloured glasses and a t-shirt with a cartoon image of Liam Neeson and the slogan ‘Carpe Liam’.

He has had a long and colorful history in show business and Hollywood. A six time Emmy winner, Bruce has also won a number of awards for his support of LGBTQI and HIV/AIDS charities.

He has written for the Oscars for 23 years as well as the Tonys, Emmys and Grammys. He has contributed to many Broadway shows including Peter Allen’s first, Up in One, and Priscilla Queen of the Desert the Musical. He is currently penning a new show based on the music of Petula Clark. He has been a long time gag writer for Bette Midler, Billy Crystal and Whoopi Goldberg, as well as having worked with the late and great Elizabeth Taylor, Robin Williams and Joan Rivers. Whether he set out to be or not, Bruce Vilanch has been a pioneering gay voice in the entertainment business.

A New Jersey native, Vilanch spent five years in Chicago where he wrote for the Chicago Tribune and occasionally did stand-up comedy. There he met Bette Midler in the mid ’70s. He thought that she was “funny and should talk more on stage” so he wrote some new material for the rising star and they’ve been working together ever since.

When he relocated to Los Angeles, his first gig was on a late night show called Midnight Special in 1978. There were many people who had appeared on TV before Bruce Vilanch who were gay of course, as well as gay characters in shows like All in the Family and even Australia’s Number 96, but you would be hard pressed to find an openly gay man who discussed his experiences on air before Vilanch did.

“I was completely open from the word go. It was very novel because it was one o’clock in the morning. But being openly gay on TV hadn’t become my schtick yet. I just never denied anything.”

“I was completely open from the word go. It was very novel but because it was one o’clock in the morning. But being openly gay on TV hadn’t become my schtick yet. I just never denied anything.”

Considering the cultural climate at the time, it was a bold move. In 1976 Elton John announced that he was bisexual in Rolling Stone and he was immediately removed from the playlists of many the major radio stations. “Those regional stations were where you broke records. So if some minister comes in to the local radio station in Kansas city and says you can’t play that cock sucker Elton John’s records anymore – you’d better believe he’s getting dropped off the playlist! Elton’s career was pretty much over there for a while – you can understand why it might have just been easier to say nothing.”

“So there was a lot at stake. Although no one ever told me that I couldn’t be out on TV. What they all did say was that I need to be sure. ‘Is this what you want to be known as? Because there are consequences – there will be no working with children and no big money endorsement deals and there certainly won’t be leading man parts because you can’t kiss the girl.’ But I got to be myself.”

At this point our conversation takes a slight deviation into ‘little people porn’ and ‘feeders’ but I assure him that the details are entirely off the record. I order another martini.

Vilanch’s mainstream profile rocketed when he became a regular panelist on the long-running game show ‘Hollywood Squares’ from 1998 – 2002, with his old friend and client Whoopi Goldberg. He says that this was the only time that he ever came under pressure about his sexuality on television.

“And that was only because I was graphic. I had to really fight to get some of my lines across,” he explained.

Producers would insist that there were other ways to get the laughs, and that Bruce should ‘go easy on the gay’.

“But this was coming from the same people who would say to Whoopi, ‘Go easy on the black. You don’t have to be so street’. The notes were always back-to-back. They never said to Gilbert [Gottfried] not to be so Jewish.”

At this time, Vilanch was becoming somewhat of a gay icon and it put him in a position to be able to counsel other LGBTQI people in the media. “I tell other famous people who come out that you really have no idea the affect you are having on young people who are unsure or conflicted – it gives them hope.”

He recalls a young man telling him that he used to watch Hollywood Squares with his grandmother and would be inspired, thinking, “Look at him – he’s so unafraid.”

Vilanch cites Ellen DeGeneres as another great example of that fearlessness in spite of the potential consequences. “When Ellen came out on her sitcom she was very courageous, but she was very smart. She said once she came out that they should cancel because now they would have to go in to storylines that the audience probably won’t like.

“The network thought the numbers were great, but sure enough the southern states cancelled the show and because she wasn’t being seen on the same amount of stations the numbers dropped and the show got cancelled. It took a while for Ellen to really come back from that.”

“I tell other famous people who come out that you really have no idea the affect you are having on young people who are unsure or conflicted – it gives them hope.”

But the landscape was starting to change, albeit, slowly. Will and Grace in particular became a huge hit. According to GLAAD, (formerly the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation), a US non-governmental media monitoring organisation, by the time the show had aired its final season in 2006 almost 2 per cent of regular characters on prime time broadcast TV were gay. While it was certainly not a fair representation of the population, it was a sign of positive change.

Now in 2016 more than 4 per cent of regular characters on prime time are identified as LGBTQI. Guest characters and LGBTQI personalities in non-scripted television are also starting to be represented in more significant numbers. In the last year alone the number of regular LGBTQI characters counted on cable increased from 64 to 84, while recurring characters increased from 41 to 58. In 2015 for the first time, GLAAD counted LGBTQI characters on original series that premiered on Amazon, Hulu, and Netflix and found 43 series regulars and 16 recurring queer characters across 23 series.

In 2016, Vilanch says that it’s much more difficult to say if someone’s sexuality really affects their media career as much as it did in previous decades, as each case is individual. “There’s still no leading man action hero who has come out and said he’s gay. We’ve had a few pro sports people but no huge major figures. When that happens maybe things will really change because we’ll finally have an example where the audience will have to believe whether say, James Bond is still James Bond when the actor playing him is openly gay. Can they buy him shagging Pussy Galore when they know he wants Balls a Plenty? That hasn’t been demonstrated yet.

“We have people like Neil Patrick Harris, Lance Bass and Melissa Etheridge and Portia de Rossi, who are big stars doing great things – but it’s unlikely you’ll see them as action heroes.”

At this point Vilanch accidentally spills come creamy salad dressing right on Liam Neeson’s cartoon face on his t-shirt. Make of that what you will.

As talent, humour and fame can be powerful aphrodisiacs for some people, I finally ask Vilanch if he thinks that being on TV has increased his sex appeal.

“I was only ever a lust object for creepy people– chubby chasers,” he replies.

When I insist that humor is the sexiest quality in any person, he cuts to the chase, “I would love to say it’s the case… but I find that they’ll laugh with you, but they’ll go home and fuck someone else. But humour sustains in a way that physical beauty doesn’t… at least I still have my card to play. ‘Snap!’”

The post Hollywood History With Bruce Vilanch By Nick Hardcastle first appeared on We Got Bruce!.

PALM SPRINGS – White Party Palm Springs will recognize people whose achievements “embody the spirit” of the gay dance music festival with the first Icon Awards at this year’s 25th anniversary celebration.

The festival is April 25-28, with the awards bestowed April 26.

Among the 28 recipients are singer Cher in the artist category, songwriter Sir Elton John and husband David Furnish in the philanthropist category, actor Bruce Vilanch in the activist category, and BRAVO TV personality Andy Cohen in the pioneer category.

“We are thrilled to present our special Icon Awards to individuals who have exemplified White Party’s defining principles of unity and celebration, commitment to excellence and leading edge creativity,” Jeffrey Sanker, founder and producer, said in a statement. “I look forward to presenting those attending recipients their awards on the White Carpet.”

About a third of the honorees have tentatively committed to attending, according to organizers. Sanker promised elaborate video displays, Bent Collective’s live DJ performance debut, and that SiriusXM would broadcast live from the Palm Springs Convention Center.

Conceptual photographer Duke Shoman will create photographic tableaus throughout the weekend as part of a fundraising auction effort to benefit Desert AIDS project.

Uber, a ride-hailing service through your phone, will serve as the official transportation, with stations set up throughout the festival.

Information: www.jeffreysanker.com

Icon Award recipients

• ARTIST

Carmen Electra — artist, activist

Cher — pioneer for LGBT community, activist

Jai Rodriguez — actor, activist

Kathy Griffin — comedian, philanthropist, activist

Lady Gaga —pioneer for LGBT community, philanthropist, activist

Lance Bass — actor, activist

• PHILANTHROPIST

Aaron Walton — philanthropist, activist

Bryan Singer — director, activist

David Cooley — founder of Abbey, philanthropist

Fred Arens and Jason Duguay — philanthropists, activists

Roland Emmerich — director, philanthropist

Sir Elton John and David Furnish — philanthropists, activists

• ACTIVIST

Adam Bouska and Jeff Parshley — NoH8 Campaign, activists

Bruce Vilanch — actor, writer, activist

Lisa Vanderpump — reality star, activist

Paul Katami and Jeff Zarrillo — Prop 8 activists

Ron Oden — Former Palm Springs mayor, activist

Ronnie Kroell — activist

Todd Saporito — philanthropist, activist

PIONEER

Andy Cohen — BRAVO TV personality, activist

Candis Cayne — pioneer of LGBT community, activist

David Stern — former publisher of Frontiers, activist

DJ Abel Aguilera — deejay, activist

Reza Farahan — BRAVO TV personality, pioneer of LGBT community

The post Bruce Vilanch To Receive Icon Award April 26 first appeared on We Got Bruce!.

Theatermania
Carol Channing: Larger Than Life
Reviewed By: Leslie (Hoban) Blake · Apr 25, 2011 · New York

Dori Berinstein’s loving cinematic tribute, Carol Channing: Larger Than Life, now premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival, is a cornucopia of favorite moments from the nonagenarian’s 60-plus years in the spotlight, as well as a glimpse into her current personal life. In both cases, Berinstein shows just how smart, funny, and gracious the star is both on and offstage.

The film’s title has several meanings, from Channing’s height (at 5’9) to her gigantic smile, and outsized personality. She was literally too big for the screen, appearing in only a few films — including her Oscar-nominated role in Thoroughly Modern Millie — but she happily played to generations of theatergoers in such shows as Lend an Ear, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, and her own signature magnum opus, Hello Dolly.

Many of Channing’s co-stars and admirers show up in the film, most with illustrative footage. After Jerry Herman, Angela Lansbury, and Chita Rivera speak, there are scenes of the trio honoring Herman at the Kennedy Center in 2010. Lily Tomlin, Bruce Vilanch, Tommy Tune, Barbara Walters, and the late Betty Garrett also share their memories, while Debbie Reynolds commiserates as one wronged wife to another. (Channing’s third husband robbed and left her.)

But most of all, the film is a love story that wouldn’t be believed if it weren’t true. Channing and her fourth husband (and junior high school sweetheart) Harry Kullijian, married since 2003, are like a real-life Romeo and Juliet gone right, holding hands and smiling like the teenagers they were back in the 1930s.

And make sure you stay until the very end: the sublime outtakes during the final credits are not-to-be-missed.

The post Bruce Honors Carol Channing In Cinematic Tribute, “Larger Than Life” first appeared on We Got Bruce!.