Rage Monthly Magazine

There is a very good reason that Andy Bell has titled his newest solo effort Non-Stop, as the 46-year-old Erasure frontman is showing no signs of slowing down.

 

His latest offering is just as the title refers to, a non-stop ode to dance music, which is sure to get your body moving and your blood pumping upon its release on June 8.

 

During our conversation, Bell’s blood got to boiling (and rightfully so) as he lambasted everything from being seen (or rather heard, as the case may be) by radio stations as merely an artist from the 1980s,and the media frenzy surrounding much-speculated about music stars who come out to fanfare.

 

While he has been open about his sexuality from the get-go in his 25 years as a musician.

 

Ricky Martin may want to watch his back, so to speak, if he were ever to meet Bell in a dark alley, as it wouldn’t be a close encounter of that kind. Musically speaking, the falsetto-voiced phenomenon is already taken, as Bell has been betrothed to his partner-in-rhyme, Vince Clarke, since he answered a want ad for a singer in 1985.

 

“I think when you’re working with someone else, it’s as if you are in a kind of marriage, and it’s a collaboration,” he said. “You have a certain kind of respectfulness for them. I think when you’ve been with somebody for some time; you tend to bring more baggage along with you.”

 

Bell, who had previously packed light for his 2005 solo CD, Electric Blue, relayed that the creative process for joint ventures and personal ones alike aren’t too terribly different. “There’s nothing I wouldn’t write with Vince, really, that I wouldn’t write on my own,” Bell stated.

 

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It’s been over three years since celebrity model, television reality star and blonde bombshell Anna Nicole Smith tragically died of a drug overdose at 39 years old.

 

Some would say she died of a broken heart after the passing of her only son Daniel.

 

The tumultuous press that followed and the work of those in the medical field determined that friend and lover Larry Birkhead was the father of her second child Dannielynn—born shortly before Anna’s death.

 

Losing a loved one for anybody is one of the most difficult things to experience. Larry Birkhead knows this first hand but is now ready to let a bit of his physical attachment to Anna go. 

 

On June 26, Birkhead, along with Julien’s Auctions, is allowing Anna’s countless fans across the globe a chance to own a keepsake or possession of her’s at Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.

 

Speaking with Larry Birkhead during his press junket in New York, The Rage Monthly found him strong in remembering the important things—and also reveling in the joy of being a father to Dannielynn.

 

Larry Birkhead: Thank you. A lot of people don’t get it right. They think it’s just a fire sale of Anna Nicole memories. It’s not really that. That’s not what it is. It’s basically a long, thought-out process and a year in the planning.

 

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“Miss Vicki” is how Lawrence describes her stage persona while her alter ego Thelma Harper affectionately known as “Mama” takes center stage during her current touring show Vicki Lawrence and Mama: A Two Woman Show.

 

The comedian is no stranger to the spotlight as Lawrence endeared herself to the public on television as one of the stellar performers on the long-running The Carol Burnett Show.

 

Her countless antics opposite Carol and the cast truly created a cornucopia of laughter and memories in the annals of television history.

 

Lawrence then went on to add more merriment for her star turn in the television comedy Mama’s Family. Her natural humor, down-to-earth philosophy and true talent continue to shine bright.

 

The Rage Monthly had the great pleasure to talk with Vicki Lawrence and share a few laughs and memories.

 

Vicki Lawrence: When we put the show together, Harvey [Korman] and Tim [Conway] were on the road. They were doing really well with their show and their show was sketches…we used old sketches from the Burnett Show basically.

 

So, when I decided to put a show together, I decided I don’t want to go backward. I knew I had to bring Mama out of the closet because everybody loves her so much. But I really wanted to bring her into the new century and make her modern.

 

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Millions of television viewers were enthralled with Gale Harold, the handsome and magnetic star of the groundbreaking Showtime series called Queer As Folk.

 

The show ran six seasons and was a landmark in television history for it’s realistic, humorous and quite sexual look at the lifestyles and friendships of a group of gay men.

 

It’s been five years since Queer As Folk went off the air. Yet the show still retains its popularity to new audiences around the world.

 

For gay men everywhere, Harold still ranks as part of television’s favorite gay couple for his role as Brian opposite Randy Harrison as Justin in Queer As Folk.

 

Since 2006, Gale Harold has been managing a successful career as an actor who has done both television and film work while balancing important theatre roles in between.

 

The Rage Monthly wanted to shed new light on this intelligent, articulate and thoughtful actor and learn more about just what he’s been up to, his memories of the experience of being part of such a successful show and his thoughts on the acting profession as it relates to his craft.

 

Gale Harold along with Jennifer Beals are being honored for their contribution to the LGBT experience for their roles in Queer As Folk and The L Word on June 5 at The Center Orange County 2010 Gala Celebration.

 

Whether it is on the stage in recent productions of two plays by Tennessee Williams or guest starring on television in Desperate Housewives and CSI: New York, how does Harold feel that he has grown as an actor over the past few years?

 

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June is seriously bustin’ out all over for Sarah McLachlan. The multi-platinum and Grammy-winning singer and songwriter returns to the musical spotlight this month with her new CD titled Laws of Illusion set for release on June 15.

 

While June 27 marks the launch of Lilith Tour 2010, a revival of the all-female touring festival she co-founded in 1997. The Lilith Tour has raised more than $10 million for women’s causes during its three-year run.

 

The 42-year-old Vancouver resident, who performed at the Winter Olympics opening ceremony earlier this year, opens up about her current state of mind, a fresh take on Lilith Tour, closeted entertainers and her genderless outlook on the laws of attraction and love.

Sarah McLachlan: Loss. Illusions. Denial. Loss. (laughs) It’s about coming to terms with things not working out the way you think they will. It’s about how strong and powerful those illusions are, how we build our lives around them, and how when they’re taken away or they disintegrate, you’re left with an ugly, unpleasant reality.

 

Then you have to pick up the pieces and figure out how to move forward. For me, it’s been two years of huge, hard growth and change.

SM: Yes…very much so. That’s just the reality of what I’m going through. It’s a very autobiographical record, but there are also lighthearted, fun songs on there.

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