THEGAYUK

Day: 13 November 2017

  • Who is going into the Jungle, full line up revealed ahead of launch show

    The lineup for I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here has been announced – and oh there’s some shockers!

    Amir Khan, Boxer

    Amir is a British professional boxer,  born and raised in Bolton, Greater Manchester, to a Punjabi Rajput family. He was born in 1986.  Khan has two sisters and one brother, Haroon “Harry” Khan, an undefeated professional boxer. He is the first cousin of English cricketer Sajid Mahmood, related through a paternal grandfather, Lal Khan Janjua, who moved to England after being discharged from the Pakistan Army.

    Jennie McAlpine, Actor

    33-year-old Jennie is most famous for her role as Fiz Brown in Coronation Street.

    Vanessa White, Singer

    White, 28, is a Britsh singer and songwriter and rose to fame in 2008 whilst in the girl band, The Saturdays. She had been dating stylist Gary Salter, but they separated in 2017.

    Jamie Lomas, Actor

    Soap actor Jamie Lomas rose to fame in EastEnders. He’s the former husband of Kym Marsh. They divorced in 2014.

    Georgia Toffolo, Reality Star

    Georgia is famous for appearing the Channel 4 reality show, Made In Chelsea.

    Rebekah Vardy, Footballer’s wife

    Rebekah is married to Jamie Vardy. They married in 2016 and together they have a daughter.

    Dennis Wise, Former Footballer

    Wise, 50 is a former Footballer and former Executive Director of Football at Newcastle United.

    Stanley Johnson, Boris’s Dad

    BoJo’s dad is going to the Celebrity Jungle.

    Shappi Khorsandi, Comedian

    Comedian Shappi, is the daughter of  Iranian satirist and poet Hadi Khorsandi, she left Iran as a child following the Islamic Revolution. In 2016 she became the president of the British Humanist Association (now known as Humanists UK)

    Jack Maynard, YouTuber

    Jack Maynard is the little brother of pop star Conor Maynard. He has 1.1 million subscribers.

     

    THEGAYUK analysis: Meh. Bring back Vorders and Joel Dommett.

  • Who is Daniel Franzese and What is he famous for?

    Daniel Franzese is an actor who has recently spoken out against harassment and body shaming, but who is he and what is he most famous for?

    Mean Girls

    In 2004, Daniel Franzese starred in Mean Girls as Damian. In 2014 he came out as gay, in an open letter published in indiewire. He also starred alongside Lisa Kudrow in her comedy, The Comeback. In 2016/17 he starred in Conviction a legal drama on ABC. He also appeared in the 2015 HBO series, Looking.

    Hollywood Criticism

    Previously Franzese has also spoken out against the “gay glass ceiling” revealing that after his role in Mean Girls (which was gay) he had been turned down by Hollywood casting directors who were looking for more ‘masculine’ actors.

    Engaged

    In 2016 Franzese revealed he was engaged to his boyfriend, Joseph Bradley Philips. Daniel proposed to Joseph in a North Hollywood, Starbucks.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | The Black Cat Cabaret, Leicester Square, London

    ★★★★★ | The Black Cat Cabaret, Leicester Square, London

    The Black Cat team are riding high with their unique brand of impish entertainment. They’ve got regular shows at Live at Zedel at Piccadilly and now they’ve invaded the cheesy Christmas market in Leicester Square and landed in the glamorous, mirrored 1920s Paradiso Spiegeltent. Move over wooden huts, mulled wine in a plastic cup and greasy sausages. The Black Cat has infiltrated and is throwing all tackiness aside in favour of subversive fun.

    The line-up is ever changing but you can expect circus, cabaret and burlesque. There’s also bound to be some testosterone pumped male torsos to liven up a chilly winter evening. Regular host Dusty Limits is a deadpan joy as he oozes cynicism and wit. It’s a well-curated blend of acts and one with an eye on intelligent parody rather than cheap thrills. Naturally and thankfully, there are also cheap thrills.

    The problem with cabaret and burlesque is that after a few visits it can feel like you’ve seen it all and you can be left thinking: Oh, another fire-eater. Oh, another hula hooper. Oh, another semi-naked man in a giant wheel type thing. The Black Cat is careful to only chose acts that have a bit more to add, acts that play with the form and respectfully make fun of it, as well as themselves. I was lucky enough to see the hilarious drag star Meth strutting her stuff as well as an array of dark circus acts, a bizarre string quartet and the most comically disaffected hula hoop act that I’ve ever seen.

    Brighten up a winter night and stroke the pussy if you dare. The Black Cat can bite but he also entertains. Oh, wear a warm coat and knock a few Egg Nogs back too. It’s bloody freezing in that wooden tent.

    The Black Cat runs on Thu 30th Nov 7.30 PM, Sat 9th Dec 7.30pm, Sat 16th Dec 7.30 PM, Thu 28th Dec 7.30 PM, Sun 31st Dec 6.30 PM – 2 AM at Leicester Square

  • THEATRE REVIEW | The Tailor-Made Man, White Bear Theatre, London

    ★★★ | The Tailor-Made Man, White Bear Theatre, London

    Listen up! There’s a Hollywood film star who’s riding high with a string of hits. He’s handsome, suave and funny, bagging awards and melting hearts as he stares into the eyes of and kisses the faces off the hottest female stars around. The gossip is, though, he’s secretly gay: lacking in boundaries and groping handsome younger men on set, loitering in cruising grounds and having dalliances with fit sailors. The word is that he also has a sweet interior designer boyfriend waiting patiently at home. Oh, my is this about to come crashing down! You know this story from the internet gossip sites?

    Maybe you do, maybe you don’t but no, it’s not 2017 but the 1920s and the story of Billy Haines who’s films were consigned to the vaults after he refused to marry a ‘beard’ and was caught with his pants down once too often. It’s an interesting and prescient story and one that this play presents in technicolour glory.

    Handsome Mitchell Hunt (Mister Selfridge) heads up this universally strong cast and director Bryan Hodgson has tightened the occasionally clumsy script into something pacy (that’s pacy. Not Spacey). It’s not exactly deep and there’s minimal characterisation with it often feeling like a dramatised Wikipedia entry being put on show. The humour is the best aspect and hits more than it misses. None of that matters though with actors like these and the parade of stunning vintage costumes and props by set and costumes designer Mike Lees. There’s a mind boggling array of costume changes and some beautiful set pieces. It’s a joy to watch and an interesting story to witness unfold.

    The White Bear is a comfortable theatre space within a rather stylish and recently renovated pub and is only a short tube ride from Leicester Square. Head down to Kennington for a slice of gay history that has particular relevance today. Oh, those costumes too. You’ll be hard pressed not to want to sneak backstage and grab a few pairs of slacks and a jacket to take home.

    The Tailor-Made Man plays at the White Bear Theatre until 25th November 2017

  • Gaydar founder dies, just 51

    The founder of one of the world’s biggest gay chat sites, Gaydar, has died at the age of 51.

    Gaydar’s co-founder, Henry Badenhorst, has died in South Africa. He was just 51 at the time of his death. According to early reports, it appears as though Badenhorst took his own life on the 11th of November, Buzzfeed has reported.

    Close friends of the businessman confirmed his death.

    Local media in Johannesburg reported that a 51-year-old man was seen falling from the 23rd floor of Michaelangelo Towers.

    Gaydar was founded by Badenhorst along with his partner Gary Frisch in 1999 after a mutual friend of theirs spoke about how he was too busy to find a boyfriend. The pair created the website shortly after. Badenhorst and Frisch’s personal relationship ended in 2006, but they remained business partners until Frisch’s death.

    Both the co-founders of the iconic chat site are now dead.

    Frisch died after falling from a building balcony in 2007. The coroner recorded a verdict of misadventure at his inquest. A pathologist, Dr Peter Wilkins, said ketamine was found in Mr Frisch’s blood and liver.

    In 2007, Badenhorst was named in the Independent‘s now-defunct Pink List as the fourth most influential LGBT+ person in the UK.

    Editorial Analysis of Gaydar

    Founded in Cape Town, South Africa, Gaydar was revolutionary for the gay dating scene of 1999. Almost overnight it changed the way gay and bisexual men could meet and hang out online. No longer would guys have to go to gay bars and clubs to meet with other gay guys. They could do it from their homes. It was almost a decade before Grindr and other dating apps would venture onto the scene and again change the hookup rules.

    In its heydey, Gaydar had millions of accounts and would have tens of thousands of men on at any one time. It also had Gaydar Radio and two physical bar/cafe locations in central London. Both bars in London were closed in 2013 and Gaydar Radio was disbanded and all licenses were handed over to Gaydio. Although it is still popular in South Africa, the UK and Ireland Gaydar’s standing around the world has diminished.

    Gaydar was sold in May 2013 to Charlie Parsons, who created the Channel 4 show, The Big Breakfast.

    If you are affected by the reports in this article and need someone to talk to please call the Samaritans on 0845 790 9090