Molly Meldrum Interviews Sir Elton John On His Son Zachary, Feud With Madonna

Sir Elton John Thanks Jay Z For Marriage Equality Support

Pink News UK reports:

Sir Elton John made a personal phone call to rapper Jay-Z to thank him for his support for marriage equality.
In May, Jay-Z announced he agreed with President Obama’s position on allowing gay couples to marry, saying: “What people do in their own homes is their business… It’s no different than discriminating against blacks. It’s discrimination plain and simple.”
Speaking to MSNBC, Sir Elton said: “Jay Z, who’s probably the most respected African-American artist, came out and said not only is it wrong to not have gay marriage, but any discrimination in life is wrong.
“It was an incredibly moving statement. I phoned him up in England and said, ‘You have no idea what you’ve just said, how powerful this is.”
He added: “The African-American society were a little apprehensive about this all along, and when you get someone who is a role model like Jay Z to come out and say this… I take my hat off to him and I respect him so much for doing that.”
The veteran singer added: “When I next see him I’m going to give him the biggest hug.”

Sir Elton John At AIDS 2012 Conference

Cyndi Lauper Hosts Online Celebrity Auction To Benefit LGBT Causes

Via Pres Release:

Long-time civil rights advocate and artist Cyndi Lauper has rallied an impressive list of stars from music and entertainment to help kick off the 2012 True Colors Summer Charity Auction to benefit the True Colors Fund’s work in support of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender equality. Elton John, Liza Minnelli, Lady Gaga, Anderson Cooper, Jason Mraz, Ricky Martin and many more celebrities have donated incredible experiences for the auction, open now through July 31st at leading online charity auction house Charitybuzz. Lauper founded the True Colors Fund to inspire and engage everyone, especially straight people, to become active participants in the advancement of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender equality. The organization also works to raise awareness about and bring an end to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth homelessness.

Some of the other celebrities that are up for auction are Lady Gaga, Peter Gabriel, Joan Rivers, Jason Mraz, Anderson Cooper, among others.

Elton John is in a Los Angles hospital being treated for a serious respiratory infection, CNN reports.

The 65-year-old entertainer became ill last weekend in Las Vegas while performing his “Million Dollar Piano” show at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. John returned to Los Angeles to undergo testing at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center on Wednesday.

“Those tests resulted in the attending Cedars-Sinai physician recommending that Elton not perform any concerts for approximately seven days with complete rest and antibiotic treatment to cure his respiratory infection and prevent any damage,” a statement from the publicist says.

Song Of The Day: Elton John - Rocket Man

Sir Elton John & Melanie Amaro For The Super Bowl Pepsi Commercial 

David Furnish, Mending Fences

Elton John’s Husband, David Furnish, Rips Madonna For Golden Globes Win

Right before the show, Carson Daly interviewed both Madonna & the couple (Elton John & David Furnish). Click here for the videoclip.

About Madonna’s take on Lady Gaga & what happened backstage after Madonna’s win, the US Magazine reports:

Last week, Madonna gave several interviews in the press accusing her pop queen successor Lady Gaga of ripping off her classic “Express Yourself” in “Born This Way,” calling the latter track “reductive.”

But, backstage at the Globes, Madonna was hopeful that her win wouldn’t irk John, 64. “I hope he speaks to me for the next couple of years,” she quipped. “He’s been known to get mad at me so I don’t know. He’s brilliant and I adore him so he’ll win another award. I don’t feel bad!”

Golden Globes Nomiate LGBT Films, Madonna, Chris Colfer

The Advocate reports:

LGBT-themed films such asAlbert Nobbs, Beginners,The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, and J. Edgar will compete for top honors at the 69th annual Golden Globes next month.

The nominees for best performance by an actress in a motion picture, drama include Glenn Close as the cross-dressing butler in Albert Nobbs and Rooney Mara as the bisexual computer hacker in The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Viola Davis is also nominated in this category for her performance as the stoic maid in The Help, from gay director Tate Taylor, and Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady by out director Phyllida Lloyd.

Leonardo DiCaprio’s acclaimed turn as the founder of the F.B.I. in J. Edgar is among the nominees for best performance by an actor in a motion picture, drama. Also nominated in this category is Michael Fassbender as the reckless sex addict who indulges in a same-sex encounter in Shame.

Janet McTeer, Close’s costar in Albert Nobbs, will compete for best performance by an actress in a supporting role in a motion picture. Among her competitors is Octavia Spencer as the spirited maid in Taylor’s The Help.

Veteran actor Christopher Plummer’s performance as an elderly man coming out as gay in Beginners is among the nominees for best performance by an actor in a supporting role in a motion picture.

Madonna’s latest directorial effort, the sweeping romance W.E., scored two nominations — one for best original score for composer Abel Korzeniowski and another for the song “Masterpiece,” written by Madonna, Julie Frost, and Jimmy Harry. Also competing for best song in a motion picture is Elton John, who, with Bernie Taupin, cowrote “Hello, Hello” for the animated Gnomeo and Juliet.

Nominees for best foreign language film include Angelina Jolie’s directorial debut, the harrowing war drama In the Land of Blood and Honey, and Pedro Almodovar’s haunting The Skin I Live In.

Both of Ryan Murphy’s hit series received nominations. American Horror Story is in the running for best television series - drama, and standout star Jessica Lange is up for best performance by an actress in a series - drama. Glee will compete for best television series - comedy or musical opposite another LGBT-inclusive sitcom Modern Family, which also scored a nomination for Eric Stonestreet as best performance by an actor in a supporting role. Notable inclusions this year are Glee stars Chris Colfer and Jane Lynch.

Competing for best miniseries or motion picture made for television are HBO’s Cinema Verite, a true story that documented Lance Loud’s coming out to his parents on camera in the early 1970s, and the Todd Haynes-directed Mildred Pierce.

The Golden Globes are voted on by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. The ceremony will be broadcast live on January 15 and will again be hosted by Ricky Gervais, who shocked many last year with his no-holds-barred humor.

David Furnish & Don Lemon To Address AIDS Conference 

The Advocate reports:

Elton John AIDS Foundation chairman David Furnish and out CNN anchor Don Lemon have joined the lineup of speakers at this year’s U.S. Conference on AIDS.

Furnish will deliver the keynote address at an opening plenary session at the event, hosted by the National Minority AIDS Council, taking place November 10-13 in Chicago. This year the plenary and the entire the conference will focus on gay men.

Lemon will also speak during the plenary, as will Arizona state senator Jack Jackson, a gay member of the Navajo tribe who was recently appointed to the President’s Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS; Mondo Guerra, a former Project Runway contestant who came out on the show as gay and HIV-positive; and Tony-winning Dreamgirls star Jennifer Holliday, a longtime LGBT ally and AIDS activist.

“We are extremely excited about this important session,” said Daniel C. Montoya, deputy executive director of the National Minority AIDS Council, in a press release. The conference’s focus on gay men is appropriate, he added, given “the devastating impact this epidemic continues to have on gay and bisexual men, especially gay men of color.”

For more information or to register for the conference, click here.

Song Of The Day: George Michael & Sir

Elton John - Don’t Let The Sun Go Down On Me 

Song Of The Day: Sir Elton John feat.

Anastacia - Saturday Night’s Alright