If you’re a celebrity these days you really need to do your research. When Forrest Gump and CSI: New York star Gary Sinise signed up to make an appearance at a summit organised by the Catholic organisation Legatus, he probably thought it was a relatively innocuous gig.
However once his involvement was made public many – most notably Good As You – were quick to point out that Legatus has a long history of anti-gay actions, including continuing to insist same sex attractions as a ‘disorder’, promoting ex-gay therapies, publishing articles against any extension of gay rights, and supporting the president of the notoriously angry and homophobic, National Organisation For Marriage.
The furore has now caused Sinise to drop out of the Summit, issuing a statement saying, ‘For me, faith has been a catalyst for my mission to honor the men and women who serve in our nation’s military. When I accepted the invitation to speak at the Legatus conference on Veterans issues and share my story, I was unaware of the controversy surrounding some of the participants, and their views on personal matters. I don’t want my mission — which is designed to be unifying — to be disrupted by these, or any controversies, and therefore have decided to withdraw.’
He’s not the only one, as Fox News anchor Bret Baier has also dropped, with a spokeman saying, ‘Bret accepted the invitation to speak about his book, his faith, and his son’s congenital heart disease. He was unaware of these articles or the controversy surrounding them.’
New York’s Cardinal Dolan and Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal are both still due to attend, and seeing as neither of them exactly have great pro-gay credentials, they probably won’t bother to pull out.
It’s all star cast time, as 
David Fincher, Ben Affleck and writer Gillian Flynn must have had a great time working together on Gone Girl, as 
I’ve been keen to take a look at Spy even since it was announced (although back then it was known as Susan Cooper), as initial reports had compared it to Casino Royale, but then it was revealed it was a comedy with Melissa McCarthy set to star.
While GI Joe: The Rise Of Cobra was seen as a bit of a failure that many thought would doom he franchise before it started, the slightly belated follow-up, GI Joe: Retaliation, was better received (although to be honest, not massive more successful at the box office).
The new trailer for Avengers: Age Of Ultron may start out fairly quietly, but by the end of its running time it’s certainly upped the action, with plenty of explosions, fighting and perhaps most excitingly for fans, some hulkbusting.
The Golden Globes may be over and the Oscars may be a month away, but what is undoubtedly the most important gongs of the year have just announced their nominees – the Dorian Awards, as handed out by GALECA (Gay & Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association). And yes, part of the reason it’s the most important is that I’m a member, but of course that doesn’t sway my opinion of it at all.
Every year the Iris Prize Festival – the celebration of LGBT-themed short films which takes place in Cardiff each autumn – gets bigger and better, and this year that includes the main prize itself. Organisers of the Iris Prize have today confirmed that the Iris Prize, awarded to the best LGBT short film, has been increased from £25,000 to £30,000 thanks to the generous support of The Michael Bishop Foundation.
