2 Great Looking People Over 50 Share A Birthday!

"I never really have a plan. My point is, by the time I was your age, I thought I knew who I was. But I had no idea. Like for example, when I was your age, I was dating men.... So, what I'm saying is, when you're older, most of you will be gay! .... The way I ended up on this path, was from a very tragic event. I was, maybe, 19, & my girlfriend at the time died in a car accident. & I passed the accident, & I didn't know it was her, & I kept going.... I started this path of stand-up, & it was successful, & it was great but it was hard because I was trying to please everybody, & I had this secret that I was keeping that I was gay. & I thought that if people found out they wouldn't like me, they wouldn't laugh at me.... Really, when I look back on it, I wouldn't change a thing. I mean, it was so important for me to lose everything because I found out what the most important thing was it to be true to yourself.''

From a commencement speech delivered by Ellen DeGeneres at Tulane University, in her hometown of New Orleans.

15 years ago, DeGeneres was on a fast track with a popular sitcom, club appearances, dipping her toes into feature films, & then came the Oprah confession (Winfrey would go on to play her therapist when DeGeneres came out herself in an episode of her own show), & the public was drawn to the drama of a Hollywood celebrity coming out, a revelation that was not as common or acceptable then as it is now. Her coming out ignited a storm of controversy, prompting ABC to place a parental advisory at the beginning of each episode of the show & then show took a dive in the ratings, & Ellen was cancelled in 1998. Pop culture pundits suggested that her public coming out, her heartfelt admission of her homosexuality on The Oprah Winfrey Show, had killed her career.


DeGeneres returned to standup &, in 2001, rebounded in prime time with The Ellen Show, a sitcom where she portrayed a lesbian. The show lasted only a year, & many dismissed it as a good try, but conservative middle America probably just wasn't ready for a loud & proud lesbian TV star. But, times did start to change, & sexuality became somewhat less of an issue in Show Biz.


In 2003,with the closet door wide open door, DeGeneres stepped out as the host of crisp new daytime talk show. The Ellen DeGeneres Show is not only a ratings winner but it has turned the comedienne into a beloved mainstream star. I adore the way she mentions her wife as a toss off. She never pushes.

These days it seems that everybody loves DeGeneres. Her distinctive hip populism cuts across divergent demographics without dividing. As an interviewer, she is sweet & naturally funny, a perfect host who just happens to be a lesbian. Middle America, to my surprise, embraced her uniqueness & today, DeGeneres has a bunch of Emmys, & represents American Express & Cover Girl in commercial campaigns. She hosted the Oscars, the 1st openly gay person to do so.

Degeneres' has given passionate, persuasive & poignant voice to the position of gay people, especially gay youth.of the show's appeal, of course, is that DeGeneres does not apologize or shy about being gay, joking & sharing details about her life with Portia de Rossi. They legally married in a ceremony at their Beverly Hills home in 2008.

I have always found DeGeneres to be funny & original, & think that she is a true hero to gay people. She looks smashingly good on her 53rd birthday! I guess lots of money, a hit show, awards, a personal trainer & a beautiful spouse is the secret to looking good after 50.

MGC circa 1974

Still sexy in his 50s

DeGeneres shares her birthday with someone special in my life. MGC has been my friend for 35+ years. We met when we were both undergrads at Loyola Marymount University in L.A. We attended 2 universities at the same time & we have lived in 3 different cities at the same time, not because of each other & without consulting each other; we kept ending up at the same spot. We worked on, in various capacities, several theatre projects together.

MGC has never been close to being my best friend, but we are good friends & honest friends. We lived together once & we have known each other for more than 3 decades, & we have never had a fight, a fuss, or an intrigue. We once had a flirtation, & that didn't even dent our friendship. We have gone a few years without seeing each other, but we always seem to find our way back again. When we are with each other, I enjoy his company so much that I always ask myself- "Why is it that I don't spend more time with this handsome, smart, strong, spiritual, sweet man?"

I asked Ellen DeGeneres to call MGC on their shared birthday. I hope she takes time out of her busy day to wish MGC a special "Happy Birthday!"