Elton John’s annual Oscar viewing party to benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation is a little more than a week away, and his interview with Parade magazine is certain to help put a spotlight on the event. But it’s not talk of his charitable work that will grab the attention, but his claim that Jesus was gay.
"I think Jesus was a compassionate, super-intelligent gay man who understood human problems,” he told Parade. “On the cross, he forgave the people who crucified him. Jesus wanted us to be loving and forgiving. I don't know what makes people so cruel. Try being a gay woman in the Middle East — you're as good as dead."
That quote appears only in the online version of the interview, and that’s also where you can find John’s take on being famous — he’s over it.
“Princess Diana, Gianni Versace, John Lennon, Michael Jackson, all dead,” John said. “Two of them shot outside their houses. None of this would have happened if they hadn't been famous. Fame attracts lunatics. I never had a bodyguard, ever, until Gianni died. I don’t like celebrity anymore."
No Elin at Tiger’s statement
Will Elin Nordegren stand by her man during Tiger Woods’ public reading of a statement Friday? As of this writing, it’s highly unlikely.
“This statement is about Tiger returning to golf. What goes on between Tiger and Elin is private,” said a source close to the couple.
The source said that the situation with the couple continues to be tenuous at best, but their marriage is not over yet.
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“They are working on things, they have been and they continue to be,” said the source.
Tracy Morgan has shed his light saber
“30 Rock” funnyman Tracy Morgan might indulge in the material trappings of the fast-paced celebrity lifestyle — he owns a BMW, a Jaguar and a Lamborghini and several pet sharks — but after his hard-partying habits led to the loss of his marriage and almost his foot, he settled down.
What did it take to get to sobriety? In the new Rolling Stone, Morgan explains he was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and when his alcohol-monitoring bracelet chafed his ankle to the point of infection, he risked having to have his foot amputated. He wasn’t able to save his marriage, but he did save his life by cutting out the partying.
Morgan said to Rolling Stone, “I don’t run down the street in my tighty whities with a light saber. I’m a little more stable than that. I’m a man. I make better choices, and I stick by them. I tell my sons, ‘Make your decisions and make them tough.’ ”
Weekend box office
There’s not much competition at the box office this weekend — “Shutter Island” is the only wide release hitting theaters. The film, which is the first pairing of Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese since they teamed up for “The Departed,” opens in 2,500 theaters, but that won’t be the reason for the film’s success over the weekend.
DiCaprio has literally traveled around the globe to do press for the film, and the studio, Paramount, snatched up valuable Super Bowl ad time for it.
The clip also features the most disturbed-looking, balding, crazy lady I’ve ever seen in a trailer. And for all these reasons, it will knock “Valentine’s Day” out of the No. 1 spot at the box office.
Courtney Hazlett delivers the Scoop Monday through Friday on msnbc.com. Follow Scoop on Twitter @courtneyatmsnbc.
