Rage Monthly Magazine

 

 

 

 

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Ronnie Kroell came upon the public’s attention as a contestant on Bravo’s Make Me a Super Model.

 

His down-to-earth appeal, intellect and humor caused a sensation on the first season. The openly gay man was really one of the first at the time to spark the term, “bromance.”

 

He had quite a crush and camaraderie with a straight and married contestant on the television show. Since then, Kroell has branched out into the world of runway modeling but has always been an interested party in the development of acceptance for LGBT people while also spreading the gospel on human rights for all.

 

Just last month, he appeared in his birthday suit for Playgirl magazine. It was his idea to cross boundaries with the spread with the hopes of creating dialogue about male nudity and sexuality in the process.

 

As he gets wet for our July editorial, The Rage Monthly wanted to dive in to learn more about his thoughts on posing in Playgirl, his passion for modeling and Political Science, plus the one thing he’s working on now to change within himself. Ronnie Kroell is a force of nature…both physically and mentally. Read on.

 

Ronnie has described his Playgirl spread as “an art project.” Here he elaborates on this description and his decision to pose nude in the magazine. “Playgirl contacted me about six months ago. In the beginning, I was a little hesitant.

 

I wasn’t sure if it was something I wanted to do. I also saw that it could be a really great opportunity to really be an artist and share some things that have been close to my heart for quite some time.

 

How I feel about American’s view of sexuality and how we have kind of demonized and made filthy the human body. As a model, I realized that the body could also be viewed as art and beautiful. At the end of the day, when we drop our labels both figuratively and literally, we’re all the same.”

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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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I am one of the many people who viewed Levi Kreis’s video for “Nothing at All” on MTV Music Online.

 

The handsome singer/actor made an impression because of his soulful, southern and spirited voice and intriguing good looks.

 

Levi has just released his third CD titled Where I Belong and while he was writing the songs for his latest collection, he also made the trek to Broadway with the musical Million Dollar Quartet in which he creates “great balls of fire” with his portrayal, singing and piano playing of Jerry Lee Lewis.

 

The Rage Monthly caught him in between curtain calls to find out more about this very talented and very out performer.

 

Levi Kreis: Yes, I’ve always been a big Stevie Wonder fan, and props to you for picking that up in my music. It’s amazing how varied people’s references can be when they listen to music.

 

LK: Good question. I suppose I only know what I’ve heard the most from people, and most of my life I’ve been told that people thought I was black when they hear my voice before they see me…probably because of the heavy gospel roots I have. I would suffice to say “passionate.”

 

I definitely learned my vocal and piano musicianship from the church where they teach you to “sing and play with conviction!” 

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by bill biss

In the history of filmmaking Allan Carr is not an instantly recognizable household name.

 

Yet, this openly gay man (when it was so not fashionable to be out) produced one of the top-grossing musicals of all time known as Grease starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John.

 

His marketing savvy and astoundingly over-the-top parties are well known and still remembered within the ranks of the Hollywood elite and the pretty people of a decade from 1975 to 1985.

 

Overweight, insecure and following his dream of being an important force to be reckoned with in the film and the­atre business, Carr also was the producing force behind the ground breaking Broadway musical called La Cage aux Folles. More notoriously, Carr also produced the devastatingly bad 1979 musical starring The Village People called Can’t Stop the Music.

 

His thumbprint also as a producer is on the 1989 Academy Award ceremony. One that will go down in the history books, as one of the most innovative for it’s time and most repulsive to those in the industry.

 

Enter Robert Hofler, Variety Senior Editor in L.A. and author of The Man Who Invented Rock Hudson. His creative skill to document Allan Carr’s life and his wild ride of sex, drugs and rock n’ roll, which swirled around Carr and a generation, is a fascinating read in his latest book Party Animals.

 

The Rage Monthly spoke with Hofler to discover how the book came to be, what intrigued the author most and why Carr deserves a resurrec­tion within the pages of Hofler’s biography.

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There are generations of people who will instantly remember the hit songs generated by Lisa Lisa and the Cult Jam.

 

Whether it is their song “Head To Toe” or numerous others such as “I Wonder If I Take You Home,” “Lost in Emotion” or “All Cried Out.”

 

The group’s distinctive blend of break dancing beats, music fueled by a mix of Latin and Pop sounds along with the sexy and sensational voice of lead singer, Lisa Lisa, are firmly entrenched in Pop music history and are still a staple today.

 

From 1985 through 1994, the group excelled at music to make you dance and sing along to. Fast forward to 2008. Lisa Lisa released a solo recording on an independent label called Life ‘n Love.

 

Hearing this recent recording, her voice is not only as good as it ever was…it’s better! Lisa Lisa will be performing at the House of Blues in Los Angeles on May 14 and at Viejas Casino in San Diego on May 15.

 

The Rage Monthly caught up with Lisa who is on a current tour doing what she does best…entertaining her legion of devoted fans. Lisa Lisa and the Cult Jam had such an incredible string of hits during the 1980s. Hearing Lisa’s range, tone and quality anew on her latest Life ‘n Love, it brought to mind another very popular performer Diana Ross.

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