Born On This Day- July 27th... Carol Leifer

After graduating from Binghampton University with a degree in Theatre, Carol Leiferstarted in stand-up after accompanying her then boyfriend Paul Reiser to his gig at Catch A Raising Star. She enjoyed a successful career doing stand-up & appeared on Late Night with David Letterman more more that 25 times. She moved to writing & has won Emmys for her work on The Larry Sanders Show, SNL, Rules of Engagement (also executive producer), & most famously- Seinfeld(she has been dubbed- the real Elaine). She once opened for Frank Sinatra in Las Vegas.

In September 2007, Leifer won an auction for the handwritten notes used by Michael Vick during his apology for his role in dogfighting.

On her 40th birthday, Leifer had a revelation: "I suddenly had this really mad desire to have an affair with a woman, I was divorced. I was childless. I figured there's got to be one more way to really tick off my mom. I told Lori that I kind of had this crush on her, & she was, like: 'No way. I'm not going to be a science experiment for some straight girl!'"

"I used my patented line that I've used easily for the last 20 years—'Well, what would it hurt if we just made out?' Heard the song lyric- 'I kissed a girl & I liked it'? Well, I kissed a girl & my head spun around."

“When I first started talking about being gay onstage I felt it wasn't working. The audience was like, You seem straight & now you're talking about being gay, what? I just kind of gave it up. But now I think I wasn't completely owning it, because it works completely now. I talk about having been married, and then I met this woman & my life spun around & we've been together for almost 14 years. & the audience always still applauds when I say how long we've been together, which is pretty amazing for a comedy club. I own it so much now. It wasn't the audience. It was me.”

Leifer currently is a staff writer on Modern Family & is nominated for an Emmy this year. She lives in Santa Monica with her longtime partner- real estate developer Lori Wolf, Chihuahuas- Cagney & Mini Mo & their son. Love her.

Modern Family's Sarah Hyland talks about her kidney transplant

Matt Prokop and Sarah Hyland © Fame

Watching Modern Family we see actress Sarah Hyland as a gorgeous, sweet and healthy young woman. However, 21-year old Sarah talks to Seventeen on her lifelong battle with kidney dysplasia. A battle she's kept under wraps so far, until now. April 13th, 2012 Sarah went into surgery and got a new kidney. Her father was her donor. Sarah says, "I have a second change at life, not a lot of people get that." Her father was the source of that second chance, "You know that family is always going to be there for you, no matter what. My dad gave me a freakin' kidney! But it's also the families that you create outside of your family. And you really find out what kind of people you're friends with." Of the surgery she says, "It was just amazing, and it really opened my eyes to see who's there for me and who's not." The one person who was always there for her is her boyfriend, actor Matt Prokop, "He helps me with my medication and takes me to doctor appointments and all the stuff that I need to do to take care of myself. Any other 21-year old guy would not be there, I guarantee it. I am one of the luckiest people in the world to have him be there for me."

Happy Birthday, Jesse Tyler Ferguson

With True Blood over until next summer, & Mad Men not returning until summer 2012, I need to thank the TV gods for ABC’s Modern Family. This show is still fresh & very, very funny in its 3nd season. Modern Family won Emmys for writing, directing & Best Comedy Series, & Eric Overstreet last year &Ty Burrell this year, each has an Emmy for Best Supporting Actor for his mantle.

Eric Stonestreet is the flashy & affectionate Cameron, & his longtime partner is the tightly wound lawyer- Mitchell, perfectly played by Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Together, they make up the most high profile gay couple on prime time.

Jesse Tyler Ferguson graduated from high school in 1994 & attended The American Musical & Dramatic Academy in NYC. He worked mainly in off-Broadway & Broadway shows, including the Tony Award-winning The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, where he originated the role of Leaf Coneybear. Ferguson was also in George C. Wolfe's revival of On the Town & has performed in Off-Broadway productions of The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told, Newyorkers,The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Little Fish & the revivial of Hair, directed by Tony Award winner Kathleen Marshall. In the summer of 2007, Ferguson was in the Public Theatre's Shakespeare in the Park production of A Midsummer Night's Dream & at the same venue this summer, he was opposite Al Pacino in The Merchant of Venice.

Ferguson has spoken out about his terrifying experience as the victim of childhood bullying, insisting he "lived every day in fear." The openly gay actor was tormented by classmates over his sexuality & the teasing was so bad, he was eventually forced to switch to a new school. But Ferguson must be proud of how far he has come - his hit TV show was honored at the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network's Respect Awards for positive images of diversity & promoting tolerance.

Ferguson "I think bullying comes from fear & insecurity. I was friends with the more eccentric, granola type kids who got teased, too. But you know what? We're the movers & shakers of the world now. I lived every day in fear. I left school in the 8th grade & I went to a different school. It was hard. It was a horrible, horrible experience. I'm sure a lot of it was rooted in homophobia. I mean, I was an 'artistic' kid, which was AKA gay. I think a lot of people sensed that I was gay & were terrified of that."

With boyfriend Justin Mikita in Hawaii

I think he is very talented, & I have a bit of a thing for ginger, so Jesse… have your people call my people. We will do lunch. He turns 36 today.

Happy Birthday, Jesse Tyler Ferguson!

With True Blood over until next summer, & Mad Men concluding last Sunday, I need to thank the TV gods for ABC’s Modern Family. This show is fresh & very, very funny in its 2nd season. Modern Family won Emmys for writing, directing & Best Comedy Series, & Eric Stonestreet has an Emmy for Best Supporting Actor for his mantle.



Eric Stonestreet is the flashy & affectionate Cameron, & his longtime partner is the tightly wound lawyer- Mitchell, perfectly played by Jesse Tyler Ferguson. Together, they make up the most high profile gay couples on prime time.

Jesse Tyler Ferguson graduated from high school in 1994 and attended The American Musical & Dramatic Academy in NYC. He worked mainly in off-Broadway and Broadway shows, including the Tony Award-winning The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, where he originated the role of Leaf Coneybear. Ferguson was also in George C. Wolfe's revival of On the Town & has performed in Off-Broadway productions of The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told, Newyorkers,The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Little Fish & Hair, directed by Tony Award winner Kathleen Marshall. In the summer of 2007, Ferguson was in the Public Theatre's Shakespeare in the Park production of A Midsummer Night's Dream & at the same venue this summer, he costarred opposite Al Pacino in The Merchant of Venice.

Ferguson has spoken out about his terrifying experience as the victim of childhood bullying, insisting he "lived every day in fear." The openly gay actor was tormented by classmates over his sexuality & the teasing was so bad, he was eventually forced to switch to a new school. But Ferguson is proud of how far he has come - his hit TV show was honored at the Gay, Lesbian & Straight Education Network's Respect Awards for positive images of diversity & promoting tolerance.


Ferguson "I think bullying comes from fear & insecurity. I was friends with the more eccentric, granola type kids who got teased, too. But you know what? We're the movers & shakers of the world now. I lived every day in fear. I left school in the 8th grade & I went to a different school. It was hard. It was a horrible, horrible experience. I'm sure a lot of it was rooted in homophobia. I mean, I was an 'artistic' kid, which was AKA gay. I think a lot of people sensed that I was gay &
were terrified of that."

I think he is very talented, & I have a bit of a thing for ginger, so Jesse… have your people call my people. We will do lunch. He turns 35 today.

How Gay Is My Emmy?

Over the weekend, I was swinging between a rattled repugnance while watching coverage of the Glenn Beck & Tea Baggers Concert at the Lincoln Memorial, & a state of sublime sentimentality & sanguine satisfaction while viewing the most gay-friendly Emmy Awards in history. I think the Emmys are now as gay as the Tony Awards. This country moves a little forward & a big step backwards on the issues surrounding acceptance of gay people & their civil rights. What better way to have a positive presence than in the world of TV, watched by nearly every household in the USA & seen by much of the rest of the world, thanks to the internet. I can’t help but reflect on how much has changed for those of us that chose to open that closet door.




A huge favorite at Post Apocalyptic Bohemia, no matter the project, out actor- Jane Lynch won for best supporting actress in a comedy for her role as coach Sue Sylvester on Glee. She kissed her wife upon hearing her name & thanked her & her "lord and creator," openly gay series creator producer Ryan Murphy. Cutie Murphy won for directing Glee, while Paris Barclay ( who’s brother Neil was one of my best friends in college), who is also out, was nominated in the same category. Murphy thanked "my great partner, Dick Miller", & stated: "Glee is about the importance of arts education, so I would like to dedicate this to all of my teachers, who taught me to sing & finger-paint." He also thanked Tom Ford for the tux. I would liked to have been a fly on the wall for that fitting.

Ryan Murphy in a Tom Ford Tux with Leah Michele... now that is gay!

Eric Stonestreet won for best supporting actor in a comedy for portraying half of a gay couple on my favorite new show- Modern Family; openly gay actors Jesse Tyler Ferguson ( the other half of the couple ) & Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother ) were also nominated. (Harris, who was also a presenter, did win an Emmy for his guest-starring role on Glee.) Modern Family went on to win Best Comedy Series for its 1st year run. Mad Men, which to me is the very definition of why TV is better than Film for artful, thoughtful entertainment, deservedly won for Best Drama. Now, if Mad Men could find a place for more storyline about closeted advertising Art Director- Sal, the greatest show on TV could be made even a bit greater.

Glee’s Lynch & Chris Colfer, who is openly gay, were part of the opening sequence featuring funny & cute host Jimmy Fallon & other TV regulars singing & dancing to Bruce Springsteen's Born to Run. Also, during his tribute to the series that had ended- 24, Law & Order & Lost, Fallon dressed as Sir Elton John & sang his own take of Candle in the Wind for 24.


Sexy Alexander Skarsgard, bisexual-Anna Paquin & Stephen Moyer, the stars of the pansexual True Blood presented an award (Paquin recently married Moyer.)  What a very hot 3some that would be!


This season on TV continues to feature gay story lines, out gay actors, straight actors playing gay, gay actors playing straight, a weekly show packed full of musical numbers, & a weekly dose of Jon Hamm. Progress. Baby Steps. Quality & comedy can help make this a better gay world.


Take a look at my friend- Bob’s fashion wrap up of last night’s awards. He always has an interesting take on all sorts of issues.

I think that Sofía Vergara is the most beautiful woman on TV, & she is wicked funny... a winning combo. After Modern Family won for Best Comedy Series there was one question on everyone's mind: When is Sofia Vergara going to run naked down Sunset Boulevard if her show won, as she promised on the red carpet before the show?