Chris Colfer Rare Openly Gay (Young) Actor + Katharine McPhee: Golden Globes

Chris Colfer: One of Hollywood’s few openly gay actors on the Golden Globes Red Carpet.

Glee actor Chris Colfer at Golden Globes

Chris Colfer, who became known as one of stars of the television series Glee – he won a Golden Globe last year for his performance as Kurt Hummel – and one of the relatively rare openly gay actors in Hollywood, is seen above on the 2012 Golden Globes’ Red Carpet just outside the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, on Sunday, Jan. 15.

No Glee cast member was nominated for a Golden Globe this year. The series itself, however, was up for Best Television Series – Comedy or Musical.

Additionally, Glee star Jane Lynch was one of the presenters at the ceremony.

Chris Colfer movies

The number of Chris Colfer movies is quite small. In fact, Colfer’s sole listed film credits on the IMDb are:

• Terence Heuston’s short 2009 comedy Russel Fish: The Sausage and Eggs Incident.
• Colfer’s voice work on the 2010 animated feature Marmaduke, directed by Tom Dey.

There’s also the upcoming Struck by Lightning, written by Colfer himself and directed by Brian Dannelly. The comedy-drama about a high school student who blackmails his classmates into contributing to his literary magazine features the following:

Chris Colfer. Rebel Wilson. Allison Janney. Dermot Mulroney. Adam Kolkin. Kyle Burch. Scott Bailey. Sarah Hyland. Carter Jenkins. Robbie Amell. Roberto Aguire. Veteran Polly Bergen (Cape Fear, Kisses for My President).

Chris Colfer’s television career has been basically restricted to his appearances in Glee and related shows.

Chris Colfer among few openly gay actors

Not only does he play a gay character in Glee – the countertenor Kurt Hummel – but Chris Colfer is openly gay in real life as well, having publicly come out in late 2009.

Back then, Colfer stated that prior to coming out his answer to questions about his sexual orientation usually was “that I was straight as every other actor in Hollywood.”

In March 2012, he will be featured in a special Los Angeles stage production of Dustin Lance Black’s play 8, described as a reenactment of the federal trial that overturned California’s infamous Proposition 8, which (temporarily) banned same-sex marriage in that state.

See also: “Images of Al Pacino & Chris Colfer: Golden Globe Winners.”

2012 Golden Globes television winners

Glee‘s Golden Globes competition consisted of:

• Episodes.
• New Girl.
• Enlightened.
• Modern Family, the eventual winner.

The 2012 Golden Globes’ other television winners were:

• Homeland as Best Television Series – Drama.
• Downton Abbey as Best Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television.
• Kate Winslet as Best Actress in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television for Mildred Pierce (with Winslet in the old Oscar-winning Joan Crawford role).
• Claire Danes as Best Actress in a Television Series – Drama for Homeland.
• Laura Dern as Best Actress in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical for Enlightened.
• Jessica Lange as Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television for American Horror Story.
• Peter Dinklage as Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television for Game of Thrones.
• Matt LeBlanc as Best Actor in a Television Series – Comedy or Musical for Episodes.
• Kelsey Grammer as Best Actor in a Television Series – Drama for Boss.
• Idris Elba as Best Actor in a Mini-Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television for Luther.

Chris Colfer photo: Golden Globes 2012 © HFPA.

Kristen Wiig and Best Supporting Actress winner Octavia Spencer: Golden Globes.

Nominee Kristen Wiig and winner Octavia Spencer

Kristen Wiig and Octavia Spencer are pictured above at the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton hotel.

Wiig was a nominee in the Best Actress in a Motion Picture Comedy or Musical category for Paul Feig’s sleeper comedy hit Bridesmaids. Spencer won in the Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture category for Tate Taylor’s The Help. (Taylor can be seen sitting at the table, to Spencer’s right.)

Golden Globes competition

Kristen Wiig’s competition for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Comedy or Musical consisted of:

• Jodie Foster and Kate Winslet for Roman Polanski’s Carnage.
• Charlize Theron for Jason Reitman’s Young Adult.
• Eventual winner Michelle Williams for her portrayal of Marilyn Monroe during the making of Laurence Olivier’s The Prince and the Showgirl in Simon Curtis’ My Week with Marilyn.

As mentioned earlier in this post, Kate Winslet came out victorious in the Best Actress in a Television Movie or Miniseries for playing the titular character in Todd Haynes’ Mildred Pierce.

Jodie Foster, for her part, didn’t win anything, but she was the butt of Golden Globes ceremony host Ricky Gervais’ “beaver” jokes, referring to female genitalia, Foster’s sexual orientation, and her little-seen movie starring Mel Gibson (that’s The Beaver). Funny?

Octavia Spencer’s competitors for Best Supporting Actress were:

• Jessica Chastain for The Help.
• Bérénice Bejo for Michel Hazanavicius’ The Artist.
• Shailene Woodley for Alexander Payne’s The Descendants.
• Janet McTeer for Rodrigo García’s Albert Nobbs.

Spencer is currently the favorite to take home the Best Supporting Actress Oscar.

Kristen Wiig and Octavia Spencer (plus Tate Taylor) photo: Golden Globes 2012 © HFPA.

Ricky Gervais: Golden Globes host.

Ricky Gervais: Golden Globes host and (selected) celebrity roaster

Ricky Gervais, sporting a Ted Baker aubergine tux, is seen above while arriving at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills on Sunday, Jan. 15, ’12. Gervais was this year’s host of the Golden Globes ceremony, where he was expected to roast a selected elite among the Hollywood celebrities in attendance (and elsewhere), thus generating more media buzz for his himself and his barbs than for the nominees/winners.

Last year, Ricky Gervais’ hosting duties led to a series of both positive and negative comments after he made fun of, among others, Golden Globe nominee The Tourist and its two nominated stars, Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie; and (allegedly) gay Scientologists (no names were named, but Tom Cruise and John Travolta are two famous Scientologists who have been persistently followed by gay rumors).

Some found Gervais hilarious; others found him mean-spirited and vulgar. Whatever your take, television ratings were up. Unsurprisingly, Gervais was brought back this year.

Golden Globes presenters

As the Golden Globes host, Ricky Gervais presented some of the awards presenters. The extensive list included:

• Two-time Best Actress Academy Award winner Jane Fonda (Klute, 1971; Coming Home, 1978).
• Two-time Best Actor Academy Award winner Dustin Hoffman (Kramer vs. Kramer, 1979; Rain Man, 1988).
• Best Actress Academy Award winner Helen Mirren (The Queen, 2006).
• Best Actress Academy Award winner Nicole Kidman (The Hours, 2002).
• Best Supporting Actress Academy Award winner Angelina Jolie (Girl Interrupted, 1999).
• Best Actor Academy Award winner Colin Firth (The King’s Speech, 2010).
• Best Supporting Actor Academy Award winner George Clooney (Syriana, 2005).
• Best Actress Academy Award winner Natalie Portman (Black Swan, 2010).
• Best Actor Academy Award winner Sidney Poitier (Lilies of the Field, 1963).
• Best Actress Academy Award winner Reese Witherspoon (Walk the Line, 2005).

In addition to:

Michelle Pfeiffer. Jake Gyllenhaal. Jessica Biel. Tina Fey. Freida Pinto. Jessica Alba. Adam Levine. Brad Pitt. Jane Lynch. Harrison Ford. Mila Kunis. Clive Owen.

Melissa McCarthy. Salma Hayek. Antonio Banderas. Ashton Kutcher. Madonna. Mark Wahlberg. Seth Rogen. Jimmy Fallon. Rob Lowe. Robert Downey Jr.

Nominees range from Steven Spielberg’ War Horse to Martin Scorsese’s Hugo, from Madonna to Jean Dujardin.

Ricky Gervais movies

Best known for the television series The Office, Ricky Gervais has also been featured in several movies, usually in supporting roles. These include the following:

• Night at the Museum (2005).
  Director: Shawn Levy.
  Cast: Ben Stiller. Carla Gugino. Ricky Gervais.
• Stardust (2007).
  Director: Matthew Vaughn.
  Cast: Michelle Pfeiffer. Peter O’Toole. Henry Cavill. Sienna Miller.
• The Invention of Lying (2009).
  Director: Ricky Gervais. Matthew Robinson.
  Cast: Ricky Gervais. Jennifer Garner. Jonah Hill. Louis C.K.
• Cemetery Junction (2010).
  Director: Ricky Gervais. Stephen Merchant.
  Cast: Ricky Gervais. Ralph Fiennes. Matthew Goode.

Golden Globes host Ricky Gervais photo: © Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA).

Kelly Osbourne.

Kelly Osbourne

Pictured above is Kelly Osbourne on the 2012 Golden Globes’ Red Carpet outside the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills.

The daughter of Ozzy Osbourne and Sharon Osbourne, Kelly Osbourne is best known for her appearance in a number of TV reality shows.

On the big screen, her voice can be heard in John Roecker’s Live Freaky Die Freaky (2006), also featuring the voices of Henry Rollins, Asia Argento, Travis Barker, Joel Madden, Benji Madden, and others.

Kelly Osbourne photo: Golden Globes Red Carpet 2012 © HFPA.

Christopher Plummer and wife Elaine Taylor.

Christopher Plummer and wife Elaine Taylor

Christopher Plummer and wife Elaine Taylor are seen above on the Golden Globes’ Red Carpet. A Golden Globe nominee as Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture for his performance as Ewan McGregor’s gay father in Mike Mills’ Beginners, Plummer turned out to be the (expected) winner in his category.

His competition consisted of:

• Kenneth Branagh for Simon Curtis’ My Week with Marilyn, in which Branagh plays Laurence Olivier directing and costarring opposite Marilyn Monroe (Golden Globe winner Michelle Williams) in The Prince and the Showgirl.
• Albert Brooks for Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive.
• Jonah Hill for Bennett Miller’s Moneyball.
• Viggo Mortensen for David Cronenberg’s A Dangerous Method, in which Mortensen plays Sigmund Freud, opposite Michael Fassbender as Carl Jung.

Christopher Plummer movies

The 82-year-old Christopher Plummer’s show business career goes back about six decades. His first movie was Sidney Lumet’s Stage Struck (1958), opposite Susan Strasberg in Katharine Hepburn’s old Oscar-winning role (in Morning Glory, 1933).

• The Last Station (2009) as Leon Tolstoy.
  Director: Michael Hoffman.
  Cast: Helen Mirren. James McAvoy. Christopher Plummer. Anne-Marie Duff. Paul Giamatti.
• The Insider (1999), as U.S. TV newscaster Mike Wallace.
  Director: Michael Mann.
  Cast: Al Pacino. Russell Crowe. Christopher Plummer.
• The Man Who Would Be King (1975).
  Director: John Huston.
  Cast: Sean Connery. Michael Caine. Christopher Plummer.
• The Sound of Music (1965).
  Director: Robert Wise.
  Cast: Julie Andrews. Christopher Plummer. Eleanor Parker.
• The Fall of the Roman Empire (1964).
  Director: Anthony Mann.
  Cast: Stephen Boyd. Sophia Loren. Alec Guinness.

Elaine Taylor movies

Christopher Plummer’s wife since 1974, Elaine Taylor was featured in a handful of movies in the late 1960s. Here are a couple of titles:

• The James Bond spoof Casino Royale (1967).
  Director: Ken Hughes. John Huston. Joseph McGrath. Robert Parrish.
  Cast: Peter Sellers. Ursula Andress. Orson Welles. Deborah Kerr. David Niven. Joanna Pettet. Dahlia Lavi. Woody Allen. William Holden. Charles Boyer. John Huston. George Raft. Kurt Kasznar. Jean-Paul Belmondo. Terence Cooper. Barbara Bouchet. Elaine Taylor. Jacqueline Bisset. Anna Quayle. Cameos and bits: Peter O’Toole. Mona Washbourne. Ian Hendry. Caroline Munro. John Le Mesurier. And reportedly Anjelica Huston and Geraldine Chaplin.
• The dark family comedy The Anniversary (1968).
  Director: Roy Ward Baker.
  Cast: Bette Davis. Sheila Hancock. Jack Hedley. Christian Roberts. James Cossins. Elaine Taylor. Timothy Bateson.

Christopher Plummer photo: Golden Globes 2012 Red Carpet © HFPA.

Katharine McPhee

Katharine McPhee photo at the Golden Globes (© HFPA)

Katharine McPhee attended the 2012 Golden Globes ceremony held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills on Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012. McPhee was one of the scheduled presenters at this year’s ceremony, alongside Dustin Hoffman, Tina Fey, Jane Lynch, Natalie Portman, Colin Firth, Jake Gyllenhaal, Reese Witherspoon, Michelle Pfeiffer, Madonna, Jane Fonda, and Harrison Ford.

In addition to: Mila Kunis, Melissa McCarthy, Nicole Kidman, Freida Pinto, Clive Owen, Salma Hayek, Antonio Banderas, Jimmy Fallon, Ashton Kutcher, Mark Wahlberg, Robert Downey Jr., Adam Levine, Rob Lowe, and Jessica Biel. This year’s Golden Globes ceremony was hosted by Ricky Gervais.

Among the 2012 Golden Globe winners were Alexander Payne’s The Descendants as Best Motion Picture – Drama; Michel Hazanavicius’ The Artist as Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical; Asghar Farhadi’s A Separation as Best Foreign Language Film; Best Actor George Clooney (drama) for The Descendants; Best Actor Jean Dujardin (comedy or musical) for The Artist; Best Actress Meryl Streep (drama) for Phyllida Lloyd’s The Iron Lady.

A few more: Best Actress Michelle Williams (comedy or musical) for My Week with Marilyn; Best Supporting Actor Christopher Plummer for Beginners; Best Supporting Actress Octavia Spencer for The Help; Best Director Martin Scorsese for Hugo; and Best Screenplay for Midnight in Paris, written by Woody Allen.

Katharine McPhee movies

Katharine McPhee’s film credits are few. According to the IMDb, McPhee has been featured in only five movies to date.

• Bruce Beresford’s Peace, Love, & Misunderstanding (2011), which has been screened at festivals, and features Catherine Keener, Elizabeth Olsen, Kyle MacLachlan, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and two-time Best Actress Academy Award winner Jane Fonda (Klute, 1971; Coming Home, 1978).
• David R. Elli’s Shark Night 3D (2011), with Sarah Paxton, Dustin Milligan, and Chris Carmack.
• Rob Hedden’s You May Not Kiss the Bride (2011), with Dave Annable, and Mena Suvari.
• Fred Wolf’s The House Bunny (2008), with Anna Faris, Colin Hanks, and Emma Stone.
• Rick Bieber’s Crazy (2008), with Waylon Payne and Ali Larter.

Among Katharine McPhee’s television credits is the series Smash.

Katharine McPhee photo: Golden Globes Red Carpet 2012 © Hollywood Foreign Press Association / HFPA.

Nicole Richie © HFPA

Nicole Richie arrives at the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills on Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012. Scheduled presenters this year include Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel, Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Dustin Hoffman, Jane Fonda, Harrison Ford, Natalie Portman, Colin Firth, Tina Fey, Jane Lynch, Sidney Poitier, Helen Mirren, Ashton Kutcher, and Jake Gyllenhaal. Nominees range from Michel Hazanavicius’ The Artist to Asghar Farhadi’s A Separation, from Madonna to Martin Scorsese.

Nicole Richie Photo: Golden Globes Red Carpet 2012 © HFPA

Judd Apatow

Judd Apatow, one of the producers of Best Picture – Comedy or Musical nominee Bridesmaids, attends the 69th Annual Golden Globes Awards at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, CA on Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012. Bridesmaids, starring Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph, was one of the year’s biggest hits.

Apatow recently made headlines because of his telling off Jerry Lewis at the Critics’ Choice Awards ceremony last week. Bridesmaids failed to win any Golden Globes, though presenters talked a lot about the film’s scene featuring defecation in a sink. Among Apatow’s movies as a producer are the Apatow-directed Knocked Up, with Paul Rudd, Katherine Heigl, Seth Rogen, and Leslie Mann; Nicholas Stoller’s Forgetting Sarah Marshall, with Kristen Bell, Jason Segel, and Mila Kunis; and the Apatow-directed Funny People, with Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann, Adam Sandler, and Eric Bana.

Judd Apatow Photo: Golden Globes 2012 Red Carpet © HFPA

Golden Globes website.