Shelley Morrison, the actress best-known for playing the stoic and cantankerous maid Rosario Salazar on Will & Grace, has died aged 83.
She died of heart failure on Sunday, December 1, at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Ms. Morrison starred in Will & Grace as the no-nonsense Salvadoran maid of socialite Karen Walker (Megan Mullally) in the original run of the series from 1999 – 2006.
In a biography, Morrison referred to Rosario as one of her “all-time favourite characters” and said she reminded her of her own mother, “who loved animals and children, but she would not suffer fools”.
“It is very significant to me that we were able to show an older, Hispanic woman who is bright and smart and can hold her own,” she added.
Another of Ms. Morrison’s memorable roles was as Sister Sixto on The Flying Nun opposite Sally Field in the Sixties.
In 1973, she met writer Walter Dominguez, whom she married. Together they adopted six children through a traditional Native American ceremony. She is survived by Dominguez, their children and grandchildren.
Megan Mullally shared a tribute to her former co-star upon hearing the news, tweeting: “Just got a bulletin on my phone that Shelley Morrison has passed. My heart is heavy. Putting Shelley, her beloved husband Walter and their children in the light.
“Thank you for your friendship and partnership. You accomplished wonderful things in this world. You will be missed.”
We think of the Will & Grace’ reboot episodes the way Karen Walker thinks of martinis – 51 is not enough, 53 is too many,” added executive producers Max Mutchnick, David Kohan and James Burrows. “That is why, after consulting with the cast, we all have decided this will be the final season of ‘Will & Grace.’
“In 2016, Bob Greenblatt came to us with the idea of doing a 10-episode reboot of ‘Will & Grace.’ They say you can’t go home again, but we did. And now, three seasons and 52 episodes later, we’re even more proud of something we never thought we’d get a chance to do again. We have had a once-in-a-lifetime experience twice. And for that, we owe a double debt of gratitude to NBC, this show’s supportive and caring home since day one.”
“It’s been the highlight of our careers to write for and direct four incredible artists who we consider to be the finest and funniest ensemble sitcom cast of all time – Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Megan Mullally, and Sean Hayes.
Have an opinion of Will & Grace and the decision to end the show AGAIN?
UK “Celebrity” Big Brother contestant Gary Busey got into an extremely homophobic confortation last night after asking a housemate if he likes getting “butt-fucked”.
According to the Daily Star, Busey made the remarks today to Strictly Come Dancing professional James Jordan, who happens to be straight.
The fight started after the former Strictly Come Dancing professional began camping it up with Leslie Jordan as they went through fake Duchess White Dee’s suitcase.
After Leslie dons a pair of white surgical gloves, James mimed taking his trousers down and said: “And assume the position.”
Walking into the room, Busy immediately questioned James’ sexuality, saying: “You are gay aren’t you?”
Jordan tried to clarify that he was comfortable with his sexuality, but Busey continued mocking him, asking him whether he w”to get butt-f**ked”. then things turned nasty when Gary refused to let the joke go and told the group that James had a “little Vaseline tube in every part of his luggage”.
Seeing red, James told Gary to listen to him, not interrupt him and look at him when he’s talking.
“You should be careful what you say, you might be seventy years old but be careful what you say,” James spat.
And now entering the Big Brother House homophobic UKIP candidate and boxing promoter Kellie (born Frank) Maloney
Celebrity Big Brother UK also features former homophobic UKIP candidate and boxing promoter Kellie (born Frank) Maloney, who revealed last Sunday that she is transgender, and has begun to transition. And who has been criticized for comments about lesbian and gay people when campaigning for London Mayor in 2004 explained that his (at that time) failure to campaign in Camden was because there were “too many gays”. Maloney later attempted to justify these remarks, telling the BBC “I don’t want to campaign around gays…I don’t think they do a lot for society…what I have a problem with is them openly flaunting their sexuality.”
The now she Maloneyy entered the Celebrity Big Brother house on Monday, with leaks suggesting she would be “one of the most highly paid contestants ever”, picking up a rumored £400,000 fee.
Maloney attracted criticism last week when she said: “I’m not homophobic, I have gay friends… I still don’t think that children should be brought up in same-sex marriages.”
Note:A clip of the altercation was not available at the time of this posting
Safm.com’s Scoopla Screen is reporting that Will & Grace (which some consider a cutting edge piece of prime time network LGBT programming while others blame it for harmful stereotyping) is returning to television for a a one off TV special.
The entire original cast (Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Megan Mullally and Sean Hayes) have all apparently agreed to come back and that. It will be filmed in the same lot that the original show was shot in. (WHAT! No Leslie Jordan?! GAY SACRILEGE!)
The 2006 series finale had Grace get back with her cheating ex-husband Leo, and had Will and Grace part ways long enough for both of them to have college-aged children before their reunion. (One of the Top Ten Worst Series Finales EVER!)
In May, Sean Hayes on Twitter denied that any of the stars had been contacted about a reunion show.
Should Will & Grace have a reunion show? Or should some books better off staying closed?
Will & Grace Reunion Special: Oy Vey or Yea!? Sound off!
People always want to analyze the constructs of any community and label each component. We all do in order to understand the unique complexities that structure a culture’s behaviors, customs, and even thought processes. Understanding the mechanics allows us to be able to understand why people are the way we are. And the gay community is no different. We have certain things about us that are a part of our daily lives that help us in one way or another. Often, when asked about what things are involved in our daily lives one thing always comes to mind that makes our experience as gay men truly unique.
Now this is the one accessory that nearly every gay man has in their possession. It serves as a calendar and journal that documents the inner workings of your life in just about every aspect. Most of us, at some point, reference to these record keepers as they are often the ones that help us analyze our lives. No matter how feminine or masculine any gay man claims to be, this is acquired in one way or another and is a part of your daily life. And it always comes in the form of a woman.
This woman does just about everything with you. From picking out clothes to going to night clubs together. Workout together. Eat together then obsess about your weight so you have to go workout together again. You have great movie marathons and dance parties to occupy the lonely nights or just because you love to dance. Road trips and music concerts become your freedom anthems. You cry together over breakups and laugh after your latest conquest in the arena of love. She defends your honor and stands by you
They are most likely one of the first people we tell that we’re gay, if not the first. And even though they have always known they quietly sit as you shed copious amounts of tears and console you, all the while allowing you to tell your story. Even though they will never completely understand what it’s like to be different they do everything in their power to make sure you don’t feel different around them. They let us know that it’s okay to be who we really are and let us know that there is always someone there no matter what anyone else thinks.
Often they are the voice of reason that talks us through the pained experiences that we encounter every day. Not only do they witness the trials we face as gay men when we are ridiculed and harassed, but also when we are facing that prolific battle of accepting ourselves internally. Because we all know that there is so much more than saying the words “I’m gay” when we come out. They stand there with us to lift our spirits and tend our wounded hearts and egos.
They will rally at our first gay pride parade and compare notes on deciding if the insanely hot guy that walked into the coffee shop plays on our team or team hetero and then have some of the most intricate dialogue to see who’s right. Throughout so many first steps that we take as gay men are greeted by the solace these women provide.
They will listen to you when you both attempt to decipher the biggest mistakes made in both past and current relationships. They will listen for hours on end to the endless mounds of exposition that you give on life because you do not understand why relationships have to be so damn complimented. They simply have a way of making everything in life a little more glamorous.
They grant us a smile just because they want to brighten our day. To assist in the most mundane of tasks to the wildest of adventures. From our resounding victories and conquests in love to the devastating life altering despair of ending relationships, they are there for us. To the casual outside observer, the dynamic of a gay man with a straight woman as best friends would resemble a tv sitcom. And maybe in some ways it is a little like Will & Grace. But it’s not all sunshine and smiles.
When we’ve done something wrong, they won’t let it slide.They will call you out on your crap faster than anyone else. They now when to coddle us and when to tell us to stop feeling sorry for ourselves, to pick up, dust off, and get back in there and fight for what we want. It is not asked for it is demanded because they often see the strength that we are unable to in our more fragile moments. They challenge us to challenge ourselves to be better men than we once believed.
By now you know who I’m referring to. They are referred as the hags of our communities. And I know there’s another word that goes before that. A word that we are called when we are bullied and beaten and threatened. A three letter word that can haunt some of us for our entire lives because it is associated with being weak. And we are not weak. And neither are the women that stand by us and as a result I refuse to say it, because for me it is a word of disrespect no matter the context.
See these women are not accessories. They are our friends. Too often we lose sight of that and treat these treasures like the latest fad that can be ditched at any time. They are not the sidekick to our superhero complex, there merely to provide some form of comic relief to our overdramatic lives. These women are in the thick of it right along with us. To many of us they become a never-ending source of strength when we are at some of the most vulnerable times in our lives. These women have a somewhat detailed account of the experiences we go through every day. They love us. So why would we ever degrade the magnitude if their significance by calling them a hag?
I know that most of us do not treat these exemplary women that are in our lives in such vapid fashion. But this is for the ones that do openly, or may not recognize that they do. I also know that it’s about semantics. I know that words only have the power that we allow them to possess. But it still needs to be said from time to time that these magnificent women are not to be the brunt of our jokes whenever we’re feeling vindictive or projecting our own insecurities upon. They do not exist to merely serve our purposes, both deep and superficial in nature. They are not and should never be at our beckon call. They are people just like us. They are not hags. They are our friends. One of the best kind.
