Fan Fare

Perez Hilton — does he deserve a second chance?

Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton turned from snarky observer of celebrities into a news topic in his own right on Wednesday when he appeared on “The Ellen DeGeneres” show (and spoke with Reuters) to declare he was ending his bullying of celebrities — gay and straight — after being labeled a hypocrite  by the gay community.

Hilton, 32,  said his change of heart was motivated primarily by his conflicting efforts to speak out against the rash of gay teen bullying, while enjoying a reputation as one of Hollywood’s most vicious gossips, and the man who helped “out” celebrities like Neil Patrick Harris and singer Lance Bass.

Hilton may be outspoken, but he is far from stupid — he admitted that he expected a lot of skepticism, and the loss of many readers,  now that his web site is less nasty than it used to be.

Hilton started out by apologizing via Twitter to Demi Moore — whose daughter Rumer has come in for more than her fair share of jibes from “Hollywood’s  most hated web site”.

“There’s too many to tell this to, but I thought I’d start with you. I’m sorry” Hilton said in a Tweet to Moore.

Good Charlotte” singer Joel Madden, also the boyfriend of Nicole Richie, was among the first celebrity to congratulate Hilton on his new positive stance. “way to be positive! Takes courage in a world filled with negativity”, Madden Tweeted.

New York gossip girl Kelly Will also congratulated Hilton on his “bold honorable choice.”

Wild child Adam Lambert sheds his family friendly “Idol” glow

“American Idol” runner-up Adam Lambert built a broad base of support during his run on the show this year. After all, “Idol” got to be the top-rated program on U.S. television by appealing to moms, dads, teens, doctors, lawyers, Indian chiefs and everyone in between.

So when he took the stage on Sunday night at the American Music Awards and simulated oral sex with a back-up dancer, kissed a male keybordist on the mouth and gestured to the audience with his middle finger, he was bound to lose some of that broad “Idol” audience. Lambert all but said as much when he told Rolling Stone magazine that if his performance “offends (people), then maybe I’m not for them.”

But was it right for Lambert to put on such a sexually charged performance at the AMAs on network television, shortly before 11 p.m. on the East and West Coast and before 10 p.m. Central Time, when some teens and younger viewers might still have been watching the show? Does Lambert bear a special responsibility to reign in his sexual provocation, since he presumably has many young fans from his “Idol” days?

ABC on Tuesday canceled Lambert’s scheduled appearance on its “Good Morning America” as a result of his performance at the AMAs, after it received more than 1,500 complaints about his stage antics, but the singer has other TV appearances lined up.

Of course, the fact that Lambert is openly gay plays a significant role in the controversy. Last week, Aaron Hicklin, the editor-in-chief of gay magazine “Out” posted an open letter to Lambert after the singer posed for a cover shot. In the letter, Hicklin said that Lambert’s record label and management insisted that the magazine “must avoid making (Lambert) look ‘too gay’” and that they insisted he only appear on the cover in a group shot, not by himself.

Hicklin also criticized Lambert’s appearance in the magazine Details, in which he was photographed cupping the breast of a statuesque, nude female model. Hicklin suggested it would have been more radical to pose with a guy.

Lambert responded to Hicklin’s criticism by telling Entertainment Weekly magazine that Hicklin “has his agenda and has his opinions, which I respect, but they’re not necessarily my opinions” and that the editor “really crossed a line” with his criticism.

Neil Patrick Harris, Portia de Rossi top gay and lesbian “hot” list

A lecherous womanizer is the hottest entertainer out there for gay audiences.        Or more precisely openly gay actor Neil Patrick Harris, who plays the character in question on the CBS sitcom “How I Met Your Mother,” has topped a “Hot 100″ list determined by an online poll at a Web site popular with gay and bisexual men.      There’s a separate list for the ladies, and the No. 1 spot went to Australian actress Portia de Rossi, the wife of comedienne Ellen DeGeneres.      Both were compiled for the third year by gay-oriented cable channel Logo, which polled visitors to its afterelton.com and afterellen.com Web sites.      Harris, who revealed he was gay in 2006, ends the two-year reign of Jake Gyllenhaal, who played a gay cowboy in “Brokeback Mountain” but otherwise prefers the girls, specifically actress Reese Witherspoon. Gyllenhaal dropped to No. 4 on the new list.      Indeed, one does not have to be gay or lesbian to make it into the Hot 100s. The picks should be “hot … in the physical sense,” Logo said, but “also command our respect and admiration.” That might explain why President Barack Obama made it to No. 39 on the gay Hot 100. But Michelle Obama is either less popular with lesbians or faces tougher competition. The first lady came in at No. 97 on their list.       Logo helpfully identified the “out” people on its lists. Actresses Jennifer Beals (“The L Word”) and Lena Headey (“Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles”), who are not, came in at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. Beals’ “L Word” co-star Leisha Hailey, who is, was No. 4. Yet another “L Word” alumna, Sarah Shahi, who also is not, was No. 5.      For the men, “out” actors John Barrowman (“Doctor Who”) and Luke MacFarlane (“Brothers and Sisters”) ranked at Nos. 2 and 3, respectively. Straight actor Jensen Ackles (“Supernatural”) came in behind Gyllenhaal at No. 5.