Neil Patrick Harris

Neil Patrick Harris, a three-time Emmy Award–winning actor, singer, director, producer, and star of CBS-TV’s popular series How I Met Your Mother, has reached agreement with Crown Archetype, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group at Random House, Inc., to write his first book.
As yet untitled, Harris’s book will be a work of imaginative nonfiction that delivers an interactive, nonlinear reading experience that breaks the boundaries of conventional memoir. An accomplished amateur magician, Harris will draw upon his love of adventure and surprise in creating the book, as well as upon the many roles he has played in his life and career—from being a child star to coming out, and from acting on Broadway to becoming a proud father.
Harris’s book is scheduled for publication in spring 2014 and will be released simultaneously in the U.S. and Canada in print and digital formats. Tina Constable, Senior Vice President, Publisher, Crown Archetype, acquired world, audio, electronic book, and first-serial rights on exclusive from Laura Nolan of Paradigm. Suzanne O’Neill, Senior Editor for Crown Archetype, will edit the book.
“I’m excited to be writing a book of the observations and stories of my life,” said Harris. “I read with great fondness Tina Fey’s Bossypants, so my plan is just to reprint those exact stories but change the names to people that I knew. What editor would take issue with that?”
Said Tina Constable, “Neil Patrick Harris’s wildly creative, funny, and inventive vision for his book reflects his many talents and dimensions as an artist. We are certain his book will entertain, surprise, and delight not just his legions of fans but also all readers who love a good puzzle.”
from Press Release

Neil Patrick Harris

There’s still a celluloid closet in Hollywood.
Gay actors are far more open about their sexuality with friends and co-workers, than their agents, according to a new survey by the British trade union Equity.
Only 57 percent say that they are openly gay with their agents. Despite the success of gay and lesbian actors like Neil Patrick Harris, Jane Lynch and Ian McKellen, the indication seems to be that actors and actresses fear that their choice of roles will be affected if they come out of the closet publicly.
Rupert Everett, once eager to become the next James Bond, has for years spoken frankly the price he’s paid for being openly gay, lambasting Hollywood as “very, very conservative” in a late 2010 interview.
He said that he didn’t blame those who chose to remain in the closet, calling it “very sensible.”
McKellen, Lynch, Harris and others have made great strides for the gay community and frequently play straight people on television and in movies, but there are no A-list film stars who are openly gay. Rumors have swirled for years about the sexuality of major stars such as Jodie Foster, but so far the actress has avoided any explicit public declarations.
At this year’s Golden Globe awards, host Ricky Gervais riffed on the those rumors, and the title of Foster’s recent film, “The Beaver.”
“I haven’t seen it myself,” Gervais said. ‘I’ve spoken to a lot of guys — they haven’t seen it either, but that doesn’t mean it’s not good.”
Beyond a reticence to broadcast their sexuality, 35 percent the actors surveyed said they have experienced homophobia in their professional lives.
“I have never felt that being gay has worked against me but the finding in Equity’s own survey that just under half of all gay performers are not out to their agent in the U.K. is worrying,” Malcolm Sinclair, actor and president of Equity, said in a statement. “But then work is scarce and, whether sexuality is a barrier or not, people may just err on the side of caution. They don’t want to test the water to see if it’s all right.”
The same anxiety does not appear to exist among co-workers. Ninety four percent of those polled said they are honest about their sexuality with their fellow performers and 81 percent were out in their professional lives.
from Reuters

David Burtka

E! is adding Neil Patrick Harris’ long-time partner to its stable of talent.
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Neil Patrick Harris Talks Acting, Musical Theater and Receiving his Walk of Fame Star (Q&A)
The celebrity-centric network has locked David Burtka into a talent deal. Under the pact, he will serve as correspondent for E! News, as well as Live from the Red Carpet and other E! specials. He will begin his duties in January.
For E! News, Burtka will conduct celebrity interviews and cover pop culture events and breaking news. The latter is part of a growing intitiave under chairwoman Bonnie Hammer to be a bigger player in the competitive breaking news landscape.
Burtka brings with him an impressive colleciton of industry relationships, as well as a background in acting. The trained chef, who owns a Los Angeles based catering company, Gourmet M.D., has appeared in such shows as How I Met Your Mother, Steven Spielberg’s On The Lot, and Crossing Jordan. He made his Broadway debut in Edward Albee’s The Goat opposite Sally Field, followed by his acclaimed role as Tulsa in Sam Mendes’ Gypsy starring Bernadette Peters.
On Sunday, he performed with Harris at Trevor Live, a show benefiting the Trevor Project, which provides crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to the LGBT community under the age of 24.
from The Hollywood Reporter
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Kelly & Neil Patrick Harris

Neil Patrick Harris apologized today for using the word “tranny” during a segment of Thursday’s Live With Kelly. “Truly sorry for saying the word ‘tranny’ on Live this week. Twice!” tweeted Harris. “Should have been more thoughtful. Didn’t at all mean to offend.”
Guest-host Harris and Ripa had inhaled some sulfur hexafluoride, “helium’s evil twin,” during a science experiment that made their voices lower. Recognizing that he sounded very similar to Buffalo Bill, the killer from Silence of the Lambs, Harris drew laughs when he said, “Put the lotion in the basket.”
When the gas expired, Harris said, “I’ve never sounded more like a tranny in my life.”
GLAAD accepted Harris apology in a statement this afternoon. “It’s heartening to see a celebrity of Harris’ stature recognize and apologize for using the slur in such a timely manner, and for greater media attention being paid to its use. Many people do not realize that the word ‘tr*nny’ is one of the most hurtful and dehumanizing slurs that transgender people hear. Most transgender people associate that word with personal experiences of violence, hatred and derision.”
from Entertainment Weekly

David Burtka & Neil Patrick Harris

Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka may be the ideal picture of two gay men in a committed relationship raising children together, but do not call them role models.
“I sort of go out of my way not to be Soap Box Johnny,” Harris says.
We get that, but…
When we caught up with the two they were being honored at the 40th anniversary gala of the L.A. Gay & Lesbian Center.
“We’re super happy to lead by example, but even to define ourselves in any kind of leadership position I think is awkward,” Harris said. “I cringe when I hear people say they consider themselves role models.”
Burtka agreed, “We really don’t do anything. We take care of our kids. We’re in a relationship. We love each other, but we don’t go out of the way to stand on a soapbox, like Neil said.”
On a much bluer lighter note, Harris said he expects there to be a sequel to his summer blockbuster Smurfs movie.
“The thing made like 500 million bucks, so I’m sure that they’re clamoring to do something,” he said, before cracking, “I’m contractually obligated to do 14 more Smurf movies. So you’ll see me in one when I’m 70.”
No doubt he and Burtka will still be together then.
from E!

Neil Patrick Harris

A colleague of mine at the Sun walked into the office the morning after last year’s Tony Awards saying, “Was that the gayest show ever?” He didn’t exactly sound pleased, either.
I can’t imagine what the poor guy will think after Sunday’s fabulous ceremony, which started with that fabulous Broadway’s-not-just-for-gays-anymore production number and went on to be peppered with many a gay reference or resonance. (I’ve attached a clip of that curtain-raiser below — I hope YouTube doesn’t pull it.)
Me, I thought it was terrific. Mind you, I don’t usually watch awards shows. Too many boring spots, too many commercials. But those three hours Sunday night, at least on TV, seemed to fly by and with far fewer hitches than “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark” has had. And, yes, it was awfully gay. That’s what gave it such a kick.
Neil Patrick Harris is too good to be true — cute, funny, a very competent singer and dancer, and a host who actually makes you believe he is welcoming everybody into his world. From the way he nailed the hilarious opening song (I can’t remember any Academy Awards show starting with something so witty, succinct and just plain fun) to the way he delivered the rushing rap at the close, Harris demonstrated a remarkable cool factor. (That not-for-gays-anymore song was written by David Javerbaum and Adam Schlesinger, creators of “Cry Baby.”)
As for the actual awards, there didn’t seem to be too many surprises or strange choices. It was a glorious night for those of the Mormon persuasion — nine Tonys for “The Book of Mormon” and some great references to a religion that is bound to come in for even more attention as the presidential race heats up.
I especially loved Trey Parker’s acceptance remarks, reminding folks who like the show that they will have to atone for it one day, and thanking “our co-writer who passed away, Joseph Smith.”
The “I Believe” number from the “The Book of Mormon” was …
a great choice for the awards broadcast, letting everybody at home know what the fuss is all about. Ticket sales probably had an uptick during last night’s TV performance. (If my editors knew what was good for me — I mean good for them — they’d send me to New York on a Broadway round-up story so I could report back to my faithful readers on “The Book of Mormon” and all the other must-sees.)
It was, well, heartening, to see Larry Kramer’s “The Normal Heart” receive a Tony for best revival of a play, 30 years after the world started keeping toll of deaths from a disease that seemed to be targeting gay men. Kramer’s acceptance speech must have driven some folks crazy, with its description of gays as “a special people” (I wondered if he added that as a riff on all the Mormon talk).
On a lighter note, there was cute little Daniel Radcliffe hoofing it up mightily in “The Brotherhood of Man” from “How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” (you gotta admire the guy for continuing to break out of his movie persona).
And we all got to hear a number from the cursed “Spider-Man,” the show that will finally open next week after, what, three years of previews? The song didn’t make me want to rush out and get a ticket, but it was nice to get a taste of what could still end up being one of Broadway’s monumental crashes.
The Tony show had an off-moment or two. Chris Rock was as needlessly vulgar as ever (couldn’t he learn by now that you don’t have to bend over a microphone to be heard?).
There were glitches, too, of course, including some professional actors who couldn’t read cue cards; the inevitably teary, over-the-top speeches (I’m still trying to understand Nikki M. James and the bumble bees — she’s pictured above in a Reuters photo); and some fashion oddities, including those from Whoopi Goldberg, wearing what looked like a cross between an 18th-century tricornered hat and a small building, and best actress winner Frances McDormand, who looked like she had just gotten out of bed and grabbed her previous day’s clothes off a chair before rushing to the Beacon Theatre.
In the end, though, I still say it was a great ceremony, celebrating the variety and considerable quality of this year’s theater scene. And, yes, it was the gayest show ever.
Fabulously so.
from The Baltimore Sun

Neil Patrick Harris & David Burtka

The people have spoken, and their Favorite TV Comedy Actor award goes to Neil Patrick Harris for his work on How I Met Your Mother. Kate Walsh and Taye Diggs presented NPH with this People’s Choice Award, his first since winning for what he called “The Doogie Howser Comedy Hour” back in 1990.
Prior to walking up onstage, Neil Patrick Harris kissed his partner David Burtka on the cheek. During his acceptance speech, he thanked Burke for being supportive and such a good father to their twins Gideon and Harper.
Other nominees for Favorite Comedy Actor at the 2011 People’s Choice Awards were Alec Baldwin, Steve Carrell, Matthew Morrison and Jim Parsons. How I Met Your Mother was also nominated for Favorite TV Comedy but lost to Glee.
from Gather

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Neil Patrick Harris & David Burtka

It’s double diaper duty and sleepless nights for How I Met Your Mother star Neil Patrick Harris and actor/chef David Burtka – but the couple wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Everyone says that it’s such a blur after it happens,” says Harris of becoming parents to fraternal twins Harper Grace and Gideon Scott, born Oct. 12 via surrogate. “I find myself constantly just trying to wrap my mind around it.”
After almost seven years together, Harris, 37, and Burtka, 35, began the surrogacy process and were “thrilled” to discover they were having fraternal twins.
“We inserted two eggs, one with my sperm, one with David’s sperm and they both took,” says Harris. Holding their children in the delivery room shortly after their birth was “just absolute joy,” says Burtka. “We had two babies that we made. With help.”
The family just moved into a “more kid-friendly” home in the Hollywood Hills and the twins have a new nursery with an old-school Disney theme park décor. “Harper has been fussy but Gideon is the easiest baby in the world,” says Burtka. “They’re just now starting to recognize us and smile.”
“I just love the way they smell. And we can use them as an excuse to get out of almost anything,” adds Harris, jokingly. “That’s cleared the calendar in a good way.”
from People Magazine
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