LOS ANGELES — Anderson Cooper has made it official: He’s gay.
The host of “AC360” and “Anderson” has never publicly confirmed that detail about his private life before, but he’s never denied it, either.
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Cooper’s sexual orientation has long been an open secret, but it took an Entertainment Weekly cover story about gay celebrities to prompt the newsman to finally come out.
Daily Beast blogger Andrew Sullivan, another openly gay newsman, wrote to Cooper asking for his reaction to the story and published the response on his blog, The Dish, on Monday.
In the email, Cooper says, “The fact is, I’m gay, always have been, always will be, and I couldn’t be any more happy, comfortable with myself, and proud.”
He also discusses his reasons for keeping these facts obscured for so long. He writes, “I’ve always believed that who a reporter votes for, what religion they are, who they love, should not be something they have to discuss publicly.”
But Cooper has rethought that stance and admitted that by keeping facts about his personal life private, he has inadvertently created a public perception that he’s “uncomfortable, ashamed or even afraid.”
By coming out, he’s hoping to dispel all those misperceptions, or as he says, “I’m not an activist, but I am a human being and I don’t give that up by being a journalist.”
As public acceptance of gays continues to rise, more and more celebrities are choosing to go public in low-key ways that are almost non-events. Earlier this year, “Big Bang Theory” star Jim Parsons went public with his sexual orientation as an aside, tossed off midway through a New York Times feature about his stage career.
Miami rapper might be heading for colder climate
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Miami rapper Pitbull might soon be chilling out in Alaska.
In a marketing deal, Walmart will send Pitbull, aka Armando Christian Perez, to the store that gets the most “likes” on its Facebook page.
Right now, the leading candidate is Kodiak, Alaska. A writer for The Boston Phoenix newspaper thought it would be funny to send Pitbull to the most remote Walmart possible, and is encouraging people to “like” the Walmart in Kodiak.
The Kodiak Walmart had more than 35,000 “likes” Monday, more than five times the town’s population.
Kodiak has a significant lead in the contest to land Pitbull, but actual numbers weren’t immediately available, Walmart spokeswoman Sarah Spencer said.
She said other Walmart shoppers have until July 16 to like their local stores and pull ahead of Kodiak.
“I know Pitbull is hoping his Miami Walmart shoppers start liking their Facebook page,” she said.
Baldwin tells Vanity Fair about his volatile personality
NEW YORK — If you see Alec Baldwin, better watch your step.
He has a volatile personality, the 54-year-old actor says in a Vanity Fair cover story.
And that leads him to behave “unreasonably” and “childishly,” he says, acknowledging that he often “gave the Heisman,” as he put it, to certain people in Hollywood.
In the story, he divulges gruesome fantasies for how he might have offed both his wife’s lawyer (“with a baseball bat”) and Harvey Levin, the TMZ producer who in 2007 exposed the voicemail Baldwin had left berating his young daughter.
Baldwin says of Levin: “I wanted to stick a knife in him and gut him and kill him, and I wanted him to die breathing his last breath looking into my eyes.”
Jon Bon Jovi will make ads for Avon fragrances
NEW YORK — Jon Bon Jovi is going Unplugged in a bottle.
Avon Products Inc. announced Monday that the 50-year-old rock star is the company’s newest celebrity fragrance partner. He’ll appear in ads for both Unplugged for Her and Unplugged for Him.
The company said the inspiration for both scents is the unique feeling one has listening to a favorite song. The goal is “an emotional connection.”
The women’s version, which will be available through Avon representatives and online in October, is a floral oriental perfume, and the men’s is a woody floral musk fragrance. It will go on sale in November.
Both Avon and Bon Jovi said admiration for each other’s involvement in philanthropy largely drew them together as partners.
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