Now the 45-year-old mother of two is bringing her signature streetwise charm to ABC’s Dancing With the Stars, hoofing it alongside Maksim Chmerkovskiy to hawk her cooking show and new line of beauty products. Still recuperating from a minor neck injury she sustained during last Tuesday’s fox-trot, Mazar took a break from rehearsal to tell Advocate.com about her heavenly gay fans and why -- as sexy as Maks is -- she would’ve preferred a female partner.

??Advocate.com: The picture of you wearing a neck brace that you posted on Twitter was reposted on PerezHilton.com  last week. Are you hoping it wins you some sympathy votes?

Yeah, the comments on his site are notoriously negative.?

But Perez himself is actually kind of cool. He knows not to fuck with me and I don’t fuck with him. We’ve actually talked before, and he’s not as bad as people think. He once read me on his website for being sweaty when I was at a cancer benefit. I was wearing a fabulous Gucci dress and it was about 500 degrees out, but I don’t wear antiperspirant because I don’t believe in it -- if you’re going to sweat, you’re going to sweat -- so I was sweating and he dissed me. I told him, “Hon, I came before you and I’m a diva, so there’s no reason to be mean to me.” [Laughs] We giggled about it and now it’s all good.

I’m sure he doubles your gay vote.

DWTS irked me when Lance Bass was a contestant on season 7. I think they missed a great opportunity to give him a same-sex partner.

To read more about Mazar, including why she thinks her friendship with Madonna maintains, check out the full article on Advocate.com.

Over on a more youth-oriented network, the CW has the premiere of the ninth season of Smallville. This nerd-adored Superman TV series has the gorgeous Tom Welling in the hero’s role, but never the tights. As the young, hunky Clark edges closer and closer to his Man of Steel destiny, his relationships have to change because, you know, Superman has no friends.

Be sure to check out Real Time With Bill Maher tonight at 11 on HBO with guest John Waters. We're sure rousing political banter and social debate will reign supreme as usual, but with any luck there might be some information about a new Waters project. Times like these are just screaming for a cinematic interpretation through the unique perspective of a true cult filmmaker.

Tell us: Any Friday night programs among your favorites?
Bonus: What’s your favorite John Waters feature: Pink Flamingos, Desperate Living, Hairspray, Cry-Baby, Serial Mom, Cecil B. Demented, or A Dirty Shame?

by Lily

One of Hollywood's most successful filmmakers, Steven Spielberg, is bringing his talented eye to a project that concentrates on both the stage and the small screen. The prolific director and producer will chronicle a stage production from conception through script writing all the way until opening night. The program will air on Showtime and concentrate on a musical set to debut on Broadway, with a possible run in London's West End.

The Jurassic Park director has tapped Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman, who composed the score for Hairspray and also wrote the music and lyrics for a stage adaptation of the filmmaker's 2002 thriller Catch Me If You Can, to possibly develop a musical for the project.

Tell us: The legendary filmmaker has directed some of the biggest movies of our time, including Saving Private Ryan, Jurassic Park, Schindler’s List, The Color Purple, E.T., and Raiders of the Lost Ark. What’s your favorite Steven Spielberg movie?

by Lily

Fans of Kinsey should be very pleased. Director Bill Condon, who's been behind such award-winning films as Gods and Monsters and Dreamgirls, will be working with Laura Linney again.

Oscar-winner Condon has signed on to direct Linney, this time for the small screen, in a series called The C Word for Showtime. Linney will cowrite the series in addition to starring in it. The half-hour drama will follow a wife and mother who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. With two such high-caliber creative talents behind the show, it's a safe bet the result will be gripping television.

Image courtesy of Getty

by Lily

Fabulous. Equally well-executed was Kurt's (Chris Colfer) moment of truth -- he came out to his macho-man father, played to a tee by Mike O'Malley! Talk about #yayGay.

But Thursday is here. A new night brings a new DVR-desirable lineup, and there are plenty of funny ladies and sexy vamps cavorting on the small screen tonight.

At 8 p.m. you could invest in the adorable Amy Poehler, as NBC has for the full hour, in two different vehicles. There's the Saturday Night Live Weekend Update special first, followed by a new episode of Parks and Recreation. More likely than not, your eyes will be otherwise occupied. Like millions of other new viewers, you will probably be glued to the CW's Vampire Diaries during the 8 o'clock hour. Bloodsucker Stefan tries to have it all when he goes out for the football team and goes for it with Elena. You just know devilish Damon, played by the scorching-hot Ian Somerhalder, is going to ruin their night.

At 9 p.m. you could get into the alien conspiracies on Fox's Fringe or see how Pam and Jim's wedding plans are progressing over on NBC's The Office. But if you left your heart in Seattle Grace last season as George (played by out actor T.R. Knight) and Izzie's lives hung in the balance, you're already anticipating the two-hour, super-sad season premiere of Grey's Anatomy tonight. Fans of the medical melodrama will tune in to find out who will live, who will die, and what's going on with lady doctor lovers Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez) and Arizona Robbins (Jessica Capshaw).

Then at 10 o’clock wind down to the relaxing recreational activities of the ladies on The Real Housewives of Atlanta. In tonight's episode, "Precious Pocketbook," there's the exciting return of Kim Zolciak's mysterious money man Big Poppa, and NeNe Leakes confronts the "Tardy for the Party" singer for recording the actionable single without her. Something tells me these Housewives might get dramatic. Voices will rise, and maybe, just maybe, someone will flip a wig. If we’re lucky. In the same hour Lifetime's got a fresh episode of Project Runway.

Tell us: Which Thursday night shows thrill you?

Bonus: One more moment from last night we had to relive: Modern Family's Lion King bit was hilarious! Did you see!? What did you think?

by Lily

The silver fox of a newscaster Anderson Cooper has been known to fill in for Regis Philbin occasionally on the Live! With Regis and Kelly show. But Cooper told People magazine there's no plan for a permanent placement on the morning chat fest, The 360 host cleared up any misconceptions that he may be replacing Philbin. "Regis is the king," Cooper cooed. "He's not going anywhere!"
"It's completely made up. I have no idea where it came from," Cooper said of the rumor. "Regis is not retiring, and I'm very happy with what I'm doing. I occasionally fill in for Regis, which is maybe how this came about. I love filling in for him," Cooper added. "I love working with Kelly Ripa. … It's nice to exercise different muscles."

Tell us: Who's your favorite news host: Anderson Cooper, Matt Lauer, Brian Williams, Thomas Roberts or ...?

Image courtesy of Getty

by Lily

By Jenny Stewart, PlanetOut

You’ve had the fantasyas a teen: You’re in a room with your favorite rock star -- someone whose every hit you know by heart, whose voice made you close your bedroom door and turn the music up as you hold a hairbrush up to your mouth as a microphone and sing along with them. In the dream they’ll share their most intimate thoughts with you.
 
For me, that singer was Linda Ronstadt, who cut me to the quick with her heartbreaking “Different Drum,” roused me with her sexy, soulful “You’re No Good,” and, at 14, made me dread the heartbreak I had yet to experience with “Blue Bayou.”
 
This isn’t a dream, though it’s utterly surreal – 25 years later, Ronstadt and I are actually sitting in beach chairs in the otherwise empty master bedroom of her newly-purchased, still-unfurnished San Francisco home. We’re surrounded only by her freshly painted swatch samples on the walls, as the rest of the house is being renovated. 

Although I’m there to chat with her about her position as Artistic Director of the upcoming San Jose Mariachi and Mexican Heritage Festival, along the way we discuss her status as a rock goddess and Latin American icon, her YouTube obsessions, and her commitment to equality for gays and lesbians. 
 
As I discovered, over the course of our interview, unlike many big-time straight celebrities whose support for the gays seems insincere, Ronstadt’s commitment to our community is no mere lip service. In fact, the legendary singer may be doing more for gay rights than anyone in Hollywood – and nobody knows it.
 
So Linda, do you have any gay neighbors, and if so -- do they know Linda Ronstadt just moved in?

I haven’t met my neighbors yet. But I hope so.  I really do think that gays are the best urban pioneers, and they’re the best neighbors you can have.  People don’t seem to understand how good it is that if a gay couple moves into your neighborhood and starts restoring a house?  Hey – your property values are going up – and in the best way. 
 
Some of the strongest community that we know in this country is in the gay community, because they’ve had to band together to survive emotionally.   I’m not so sure this country understands or values that.  
 
Speaking of community, in tribute to your Mexican heritage, you have grown closer to the Hispanic community over the last couple of decades. You are currently serving as Artistic Director of the Mariachi and Mexican Heritage Festival, where you are responsible for entertainment for the seven-day event.  Since marriage equality is such a major issue in California right now, will any of your offerings deal with this hot-button issue?
 
Yes, but it’s something you have to take small steps with.  For instance, one of the most well-known Hispanic singers ever, Lucha Reyes was a lesbian – but no one knew it.
 
As we were doing her bio for the festival, we wanted to include the fact that Lucha was a lesbian.  We didn’t make a big deal about it, but we didn’t want it to be buried, either.  Being a lesbian was an important part of Lucha's life, and there was no reason why it should have been kept silent.   It was something she had to struggle with. 
 
And this year I notice that you’re screening the gay-themed “La Mission” as the centerpiece film.

 “La Mission” is a really interesting movie. It’s about a kid who’s coming of age who’s about to graduate high school.  His father is an ex-con who’s really trying hard to make it – the mother has died – and he’s a good guy who’s trying to raise his son on his own.  He’s had a problem with violence his whole life and he’s trying to get a handle on it and be a good person.  Then he finds out his son is gay and he becomes totally unglued and just beats the crap out of him.  It examines how the father is struggling with his violence, and his grief – because he really loves his kid. It’s a really good film.
 
That movie seems really timely right now given the recent Prop 8 result.  Something needs to be done to bridge the gay gap in the Hispanic community.

It’s an important bridge to gap.  I was a witness at the same-sex marriage of my good friend Marcela Davison Aviles [CEO of the Mexican Heritage Foundation] and I’ll never forget the hurt in her voice when Prop 8 [California’s anti-gay-marriage initiative] passed. It makes you feel bad when you’re dis-liked, it hurts your feelings in a terrible, terrible way. 
 
I know that one of the reasons it turned out the way it did was because a lot more Hispanics came out to vote that year, because they wanted to vote for Obama. But how can you have a full and authentic expression of who you are if you have to live that way and hide it? As long as you have to pretend, it’s like ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,’ – and who wants to live that way?
 
One of the things that we’re doing on Gay.com and PlanetOut.com is asking our LGBT Hispanic readers to share their own experiences within their community.

That sounds like it could be really interesting, and it will provide an insight into their culture.  There are singing Mexicans, dancing Mexicans, working Mexicans, and gay Mexicans – you know, they are all kinds of people.  Just like how all gays and lesbians aren’t defined just by their sexuality – we are all just people and we all need more acceptance.  I’d work with the African-American community on this, too, but [laughs], I’m not black! Gays need to know that they have a place to go and that there’s nothing wrong with them.  
 
Do you see things changing?

My son’s 15, and I think when he and his generation are in their 20’s and voting, we’re going to see that issue turn around, and I think it’s going to be a non-issue by then.  I want to make sure it is.  
 
Your kids are now teenagers. Have you talked to them about gay issues yet?

I had moved back to Tucson with my kids because I just thought it was quieter, and my family was there.  But Tucson has turned out to be a very conservative place, and I didn’t want my kids coming home from school saying things like ‘That’s so gay.’  So we moved back to San Francisco, and I sent my kids to a school that actively taught that homophobic remarks are just… not OK, and my kids’ attitudes have changed as a result of it. 
 
Look, my kids are going to be able to form their own ideas, but at least I wanted them to be able to question things.   My son is super pro-gay rights, and even though he has a girlfriend, I wanted him to know that as he emerged sexually, he’d be able to do whatever he wanted to do.  You know, that it’s not something you have a choice over.
 
That’s pretty amazing what you said about your son. I’m curious. What about you, growing up – when did you first learn about gays?

The 50’s and 60’s were extremely homophobic periods, even among the so-called ‘enlightened’ cultures.  I remember in the 60’s, we were all just discovering that there was racial discrimination, and trying to figure out what we could do about it, but the gay issues were just utterly left out of the conversation.
 
Then in the 70’s, the gay issues started to emerge at some of those early rallies that I attended or participated in – like “No Nukes” – and I remember thinking, ‘Well, what does this have to do with it?’ The labor issues would come up, civil rights issues would come up, and then the gay issue would come up, and I was like, “huh?’
 
So it took me a little while to get it, and then I was like, ‘Duh’ – and I got it. I mean I really got it.  That was just before I started working on Broadway [for “Pirates of Penzance”] and then once I got there, I really got it. 
 
Editor’s Note: Ronstadt breaks from discussing gay rights to check the status of the drying paint on the walls. As she turns her head and I catch her in profile, I realize that she still bears an uncanny resemblance to the Linda on the album cover of “Hasten Down the Wind,” which sends my mind back to music. 
 
So where will you listen to music in your new house?

I almost never listen to recorded music.  But I listen to YouTube all the time.  And I’m sorry for myself that I’m listening on that shitty little computer speaker because that’s not really music!
 
Oh, you watch YouTube?!  What do you watch?

So I started listening to Amy Winehouse on YouTube and now I’m like an Amy Winehouse fanatic!”
 
Wait, have you seen the Amy Winehouse/Linda Ronstadt mashup on YouTube of “You Know I’m No Good”/”You’re No Good?”

Yes!  It makes no sense musically, but it’s interesting, and I thought it was funny. I’m just completely flattered to be in anything with Amy Winehouse.  If I believed in reincarnation, I would firmly believe that Amy Winehouse is the reincarnation of Maria Callas.  Maria Callas is such the ‘grand lady,’ and Amy is such a guttersnipe, and they both are so demonically talented.
 
Are you aware of how much of your stuff is on YouTube, and do you watch it?

No, and I would never look.
 
Well there is a lot.  It’s all there, even every single one of your TV appearances. It’s great.

[Ronstadt screams in mock horror and laughs.]  No! That’s not great!
 
Yes it is great!  Oh my God, the duet you did with Andy Williams?

Andy Williams?  I never sang with Andy Williams in my life!
 
You did.  He’s singing “Long Long Time” and then he walks over to you and you start singing “Ticket to Ride,” and you both duet.

[Laughs].  That could not have happened!  Oh my god, I don’t ever remember even meeting him!
 
You met him and you sang with him!  I’ll even bet you $500.  He’s wearing a bright blue suit, and the funniest part is that he walks towards you and you have this really terrified look on your face. 

Oh my God, I can’t believe that! Oh my God! I hated doing television so much and I remembered I’d do everything I could to get out of it.  And I remember thinking that every time I ever played on television, I’d walk away thinking that it was probably the worst performance I ever did.  So it’s just ironic that that’s the stuff that lives on and survives.
 
Anyway, it wouldn’t be a healthy thing for me to do and I don’t really want to know what people say in the comments.  It just isn’t natural to go back and watch that because I’ve gotten past that part of my life now.
 
Aside from YouTube, do you watch much TV? 

No, I read, mostly. Wait, before I forget, I have to tell you this really funny story about this really interesting book.

We were at a bookstore once when my kids were little.  My son made it very clear that he wanted to get a book on animals.  He picked one out and when we got home, I read it and it’s about homosexuality [laughing] across every species!  Walrus homosexuality, zebra homosexuality, whales, whatever, it’s all there. It’s called ‘Animal Exuberance.’ 
 
I’ve never heard of it?

The basic premise of the book is that homosexuality really helps family.  And you know, people say, ‘Well gays are anti-family, so I’m anti-gay’ which is just bullshit.  Because what homosexuality gives you is an unpaired female, or an unpaired male – who’s there with two extra hands to help you take care of the kids, which ensures the survival of the young ones.  That’s what it’s for.  And it is in every animal all through the biological world.  You really should read ‘Animal Exuberance,’ because it has careful science under it. And you’ll see that homophobia is anti-family values.  Period, end of story.

What’s Your Gay Latino/Hispanic Life Like?
For more information on the Festival -- ticket info, etc click here 
Buy Now: Linda Ronstadt on Amazon

Amy Winehouse/Linda Ronstadt: “You Know That You’re No Good”:

Here’s the Proof: Linda Duets with Andy Williams

Linda Ronstadt: “La Charreada”

Linda Ronstadt and Lola Beltran: "Hay Unos Ojos"

Linda Ronstadt: "Blue Bayou"

A decade later, Breuer's married with kids, has his own Sirius Satellite radio show and continues to thrive as a hugely popular stand up comic. But "the simple life" hasn't calmed him at all, as proven by "Let's Clear the Air," his latest Comedy Central special.

Also available on DVD, the manic genius of Breuer is in full force in the new show.  His impressions of Sylvester Stallone, Tracy Morgan, Dave Chappelle and Norm MacDonald are absolutely killer, but equally funny are the stories he tells about his home life, including what it's like to take care of his elderly parents.

For those not familiar with Breuer, "Let's Clear the Air" is a nice introduction.  While his explosive energy remains intact, he's not nearly as hyper as he was a decade ago.  I mention this because when it comes to Breuer, one thing he's been criticized for over the years is his habit of being almost too hyper.  Then again, that's a small price to pay for a man whose musical rendition of AC/DC covering "The Hokey Pokey" is simply one of the funniest bits in comic history.

Watch clips on Comedy Central

Watch Jim do AC/DC doing the Hokey Pokey by clicking here.

Image courtesy Getty

We all know Johnny Depp loves his outlandish roles -- the sympathetic scissor-handed humanoid, the antisocial chocolatier, the murderous barber, the eyeliner-loving pirate (just to name a few) -- but wouldn’t we all agree, considering his character choices over nearly two decades, that he might be getting just a tad bit, well, predictable? Look, put Edward Scissorhands, Willy Wonka, Sweeney Todd and Jack Sparrow in a lineup, and identifying one from another becomes almost as difficult as distinguishing between La Toya and Janet Jackson.

So what’s a bad boy and three-time Oscar nominee to do if he wants to up the ante and keep us on our toes? He announces that his “dream role” would be to play Carol Channing -- the wide-mouthed Broadway and screen legend (most famous for “Hello Dolly”) -- in a story about her life. And how did the now-88-year-old Channing react to Depp’s announcement? She gushed. “I think he is a gifted performer and I would be very proud, as well as interested in seeing what his vision of me would be.”

Depp is no stranger to gender bending (remember his turn as cross-dressing C-list director in “Ed Wood” and his scene-stealing role as prison tranny Bon-Bon in “Before Night Falls”), and we recognize his partiality to wigs and makeup. But we’re not talking about a guy doing drag here. We ain’t talkin’ “Tootsie” (or “Victor Victoria” or “Mrs. Doubtfire”). We’re talking about an undeniably hyper-talented actor who’s saying he's open to a role where he has to shift genders completely and capture the persona of one of our most celebrated personalities.

This kind of role isn’t entirely new to Hollywood. As recently as 2007, Cate Blanchett played Bob Dylan in “I’m Not There,” to critical acclaim. Could Johnny and Cate be setting a trend that Hollywood is willing to follow? You can almost imagine the light bulbs going off in the heads of all those studio execs: Who’s next? Jake Gyllenhaal as Cher? Adam Lambert as Liza Minnelli? How about Robert Pattinson as Lauren Bacall or Sean Penn as Barbara Streisand? Wouldn't Rihanna be great in a Prince biopic, and why not Lea DeLaria as Jackie Gleason?

Why don’t you tell us? Which young celebrity could successfully play the part of an entertainment legend of the opposite sex? We’ll consider all your suggestions and put the best into a poll so everyone can vote!

Paula Abdul is forever our girl, but it looks like her run on American Idol could be over. "Very sadly, it does not appear that she's going to be back on Idol," her manager David Sonenberg tells The Los Angeles Times.

Idol, which begins its ninth season in January, will begin auditioning singers in a couple of weeks, but the producers of the show have yet to reach out to Paula to discuss extending her contract, according to Sonenberg.

Meanwhile, Ryan Seacrest has already inked a deal that'll pay him $45 million to emcee Idol for three more years, and rumor has it that Simon Cowell, whose current contract expires next season, could soon extend his run with the show for nearly $150 million. Randy Jackson is a done deal, by the way—he has a contract that keeps him on Idol through 2011.

As for Kara DioGuardi, who joined the judges' table last year, she has also yet to sign a deal.

I like Kara, but I love Paula, and I can't imagine Idol without her. Sure, she's kooky, but isn't that why we love her?

Will you continue to watch Idol if Paula is no longer with the show? And if you think the producers should hold onto her, how much do you think Paula is worth?

(Images courtesy of Getty)