Celebrity Friday: Cheyenne Jackson Splits From Husband

38-year-old openly gay actor Cheyenne Jackson (Behind the Candelabra, 30 Rock and Glee) has separated from his physicist husband Monte Lapka after nearly 2 years of marriage, ending their 13-year relationship. People magazine reports the news:

"Cheyenne Jackson and his husband Monte Lapka have mutually decided to divorce. The couple have been together for 13 years and were married in N.Y. State two years ago. It is an amicable parting and, understandably, a private matter," a rep for the actor tells PEOPLE. 

Although this is sad news for the couple, I am happy to see that there is equally obnoxious reporting on the private lives of LGBT celebrities as there is for straight celebrities. Years ago this would have been called "outing" but it is yet another sign that the good guys are winning the kulturkampf when gay divorces are being reported as matter-of-factly as gay marriages. This is America, we're gonna have a lot of both!

Hat/tip to TowleRoad

Celebrity Friday: Jonathan Groff and Zachary Quinto Break Up?

Apparently one of Hollywood's power gay male couples has broken up. Zachary Quinto, who plays Spock in the latest Star Trek movies, and Jonathan Groff, who starred in Glee and Boss, had apparently been a well-known couple, known in the gossip rags as "Grinto"! Quinto, 36, and Groff, 28, were not able to spend much time together due to conflicting filming schedules.

US Magazine reports:

Quinto, 36, who is best known for his turn as Mr. Spock in two Star Trek films and terrifying turns in seasons one and two of American Horror Story, is currently preparing to make his Broadway debut in The Glass Menagerie this fall. As it happens, Groff has put aside any of his own heartache to console his close friend Lea Michele -- now grieving the death of her boyfriend, Cory Monteith. "He flew to be with her as soon as he heard," another pal says. "His heart is broken for her." 

He and Glee actor Groff, 28, first confirmed their relationship in September 2012, nearly a year after Quinto officially came out as a gay man in October 2011.

It's good to see that Hollywood is gossiping about the love lives of gay and lesbian celebrities just like they do with straight ones. That's what we mean by LGBT equality!

Celebrity Friday: 2 New Hunks Joining Glee

Dean Geyer (left) and Jacob Artist are joining Glee for Season 4

Apparently the producers of the hit television series Glee have figured out a way to keep interest in the show as many of the main characters graduated at the end of the 3rd season this past May. Next fall they will add two smoking hot new young hunks to the cast. Dean Geyer, 26, was one of the only reasons to watch the expensive, schizophrenic sci-fi mess that was Terra Nova this past fall before it was summarily cancelled. He played the boyfriend/crush object of the oldest sister who was also on the security team on that show. On Glee, he will be playing Brody West, an upperclassman who will have his eye on Rachel at New York Academy for the Dramatic Arts (NYADA). Also joining the cast is Jacob Artist, who will be the younger brother of Puck (Mark Salling), with a similar rebellious streak (though hopefully not the same hideous mohawk!)

Glee returns to television in its new Thursday 9pm time slot on September 13th.

Hat/tip to Wicked Gay Blog

Celebrity Friday: Paris Barclay, A Gay, Black A-list Director

Paris Barclay is a highly acclaimed, openly gay television director who has worked on many high-profile television series such as Lost, Glee, ER, House, Sons of Anarchy, The West Wing and Smash, among others. He is the most prominent openly gay, African-American person in Hollywood.

Karen Ocamb has posted an incredible profile of Barclay at her LGBTPOV blog:

But what makes Barclay so notable – more so than being prolific and fiscally reliable – is his determined, smart passion for justice and equality. That Glee Emmy nomination was for a Nov. 11, 2009 episode called “Wheels” that won him a DGA Award, a Peabody Award for excellence in broadcasting and the Visionary Leadership Award at the 2010 Shane’s Inspiration Gala for highlighting the abilities of people with disabilities. Glee creator Ryan Murphy called it “the turning point for the show.” And TV Guide named the “Hearts and Souls” episode of NYPD Blue (where Jimmy Smit’s character dies) and the “Three Stories” episode of House in their 100 Best Episodes of All Time.
[...]
But Paris Barclay doesn’t just integrate his passion for justice and equality in his craft: he lives it. In the Los Angeles LGBT and HIV/AIDS communities, he is known for his long commitment to improving the lives of others. He has raised funds for the Van Ness Recovery House, for Project Angel Food during the harrowing 1990s and the Black AIDS Institute, founded by his cousin, longtime HIV/AIDS activist Phill Wilson, among other HIV/AIDS and LGBT organizations. When Project Angel Food honored him with their Founders Award in 1998, Barclay said: “I consider my work for this organization my highest accomplishment….What’s the point of any success if you don’t give something back?”

That's why Paris Barclay is today's Celebrity Friday.

Glee does "I Will Always Love You"

Amber Riley from the hit Fox television show Glee covered Whitney Houston's "I Will Always Love You" in Tuesday's show, in a serendipitous turn of events less than a week after the songstress untimely death in Los Angeles on Saturday.

It's a very faithful rendition of the classic song, and Ms. Riley can clearly sing all the same notes that Whitney did but I still think that Jennifer Hudson's tribute on Sunday night was a more compelling version. Amber's version is almost too technically perfect without the sheer beauty and emotional resonance of Whitney's original.

It's interesting to see how many other singers will attempt The Song now that The Diva is no longer around to hear them.

Hat/tip to Rod 2.0