
A star was born.
It just wasn't Adam Lambert.
The American Idol alum was a guest this week on the "Brenda, Call Me!" podcast with Courtney Act and Vanity, where he revealed that he auditioned for the role of Ally's (Lady Gaga) best friend in the 2018 A Star is Born remake (h/t NME):
"It’s funny, I auditioned for that part in A Star Is Born? It was so funny to me, because they told me about it and they were like ‘She’s going to have like a gay best friend’ and I was like ‘Okay, that could be cute’ and then I got the script and it was like… he was a Latin American character, like he was a Latino character.
You know his name was Latino, a lot of the slang that he was using, he was calling her ‘Mami’ and all this stuff and I was like ‘Now how is this gonna work? Should I just not go to the audition? This is not my part.'"
The character's name is Ramon. The role went to Anthony Ramos, who has also starred on Broadway in Hamilton and will star in this summer's feature-length musical film In The Heights. In A Star is Born, Ally and Ramon work together at a catering hall before Ally catches the eye of rockstar Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper). Ramon is by Ally's side as their romance develops and her solo star rises.
The Cooper-directed film was nominated for eight Oscars, winning for best achievement in music written for motion pictures (original song) for "Shallow." Gaga became the first woman ever to claim an Oscar, Grammy, BAFTA and Golden Globe because of her leading role.
Lambert has been plenty successful on his own, though. The 39-year-old stepped in as the lead vocalist for Queen—touring together on five separate occasions though a studio album has not been put out by this version of the legendary rock band. As a solo artist, Lambert has released four albums—most recently Velvet last March—was nominated for a Grammy in 2011 ("Whataya Want From Me").
During his conversation on the podcast, the Broadway veteran discussed his experience touring with Queen and teased a musical he is in the process of writing.
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With Pro Bowl left guard Isaac Seumalo banged up heading into a Week 9 game against the Indianapolis Colts, the Pittsburgh Steelers have brought in some additional depth on the offensive line. Pittsburgh Signs Former Eagles OL The Steelers signed offensive lineman Jack Driscoll amidst a slew of practice squad moves earlier this week that also included adding safety Darrick Forrest and wide receiver John Rhys Plumlee, who had been a fan favorite during his initial tenure with the team last summer. Driscoll's Career After beginning his collegiate career at UMass and playing a combined 22 games there between the 2016 and 2017 seasons, Driscoll transferred to Auburn ahead of the 2018 campaign. After spending two years with the program and playing in 25 contests, Driscoll declared for the 2020 NFL Draft and was selected in the fourth round by the Philadelphia Eagles. He started four games as a rookie before starting all nine contests he suited up for in 2021 while both beginning and ending the year on the reserve/injured list. The Miami Dolphins signed Driscoll in March 2024, though he didn't make their 53-man roster and let go at final roster cuts. He ultimately landed back with the Eagles, first signing to their practice squad before joining the active roster. From 2022 to 2024, Driscoll played in 47 games for the Eagles and started five of them while logging a total of 636 offensive reps over that stretch. The 28-year-old didn't see the field throughout Philadelphia's playoff run last year, but he still came away with a Super Bowl ring after the team defeated the Kansas City Chiefs. Driscoll's Potential Role with Steelers The only other offensive linemen on Pittsburgh's practice squad are Dylan Cook and Steven Jones. Considering neither of them have ever appeared in a regular season game, Driscoll immediately becomes the most obvious elevation candidate among that trio. Seumalo has been listed as a non-participant on each of the Steelers' two injury reports so far this week. If he can't play against the Colts, it wouldn't come as a surprise if Driscoll were to be a part of the game day roster as a backup option along the offensive line. He's never played left guard in the NFL, as most of his time has come at right tackle and right guard with some left tackle reps sprinkled in. With Spencer Anderson in line to start at left guard if Seumalo is ruled out, however, Pittsburgh could also choose to use Driscoll as part of its jumbo package if he is in fact elevated and active for this week's contest.
LeBron James may be out due to sciatica, but Charles Barkley is not buying it. He thinks he knows what is really going on with the Los Angeles Lakers star. Barkley was goofing around during “Inside the NBA” on ESPN Wednesday and talked about the Lakers, who had several players out for their game at the Minnesota Timberwolves. James was listed as out due to sciatica, which is a nerve issue. Barkley thinks the sciatica injury is a cover for something else. “First of all, LeBron doesn’t have a sciatica. They just put ‘old.’ O-L-D, with an extra ‘D,’ too,” Barkley joked. An update on James’ condition came out this week, saying that the Lakers forward could return in a few weeks. The Lakers have seemed to suggest that there is no urgency to rush James into action. However, Luka Doncic also getting hurt recently may have changed things for the team. For now, the Lakers are 3-2 and have been relying on Austin Reaves to do plenty of scoring. He is averaging 34.2 points per game this season. James is 40 years old and entering his 23rd NBA season. He’s allowed to have “old” or sciatica as an injury issue. As Barkley knows and often says, Father Time is undefeated.
The Penn State Nittany Lions can likely scratch another candidate off their coaching wish list. On Thursday, ESPN "College GameDay" insider Pete Thamel reported Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule has signed a two-year contract extension with the program, which will run through the 2032 season. It includes a $15M buyout this season, which should prevent another school from poaching him. Why Matt Rhule was considered a strong candidate to replace recently fired Penn State HC James Franklin After Penn State fired Franklin on Oct. 12, Rhule was immediately linked to the job. As a teenager, the New York native moved to State College, where he became a walk-on linebacker for the Nittany Lions from 1994-97. He clearly still loves his alma mater. "I love Penn State, met my wife there, my alma mater," Rhule told the media shortly after Franklin was fired. "Fan since I was born, I think probably had a Penn State shirt when I was born. I really love [athletic director] Pat Kraft, and I'm sad to see coach Franklin go." While the AD for the Temple Owls, Kraft gave Rhule his first head-coaching job in 2013. Now that he has signed the extension, he can't turn to his old friend again and must explore other options. Where does Penn State go from here? The list of candidates in Penn State's head-coaching search is shrinking. The Indiana Hoosiers signed HC Curt Cignetti, another potential target, to an eight-year, $11.6M contract on Oct. 16. The Nittany Lions could attempt to court Ole Miss Rebels HC Lane Kiffin, who has his team in the thick of the national championship hunt after a 7-1 start. However, if he does leave Oxford, expect him to stay in the SEC rather than flocking to the Big Ten. Some believe Kiffin may be the next HC of the LSU Tigers and Florida Gators. And for any optimistic Penn State fans thinking they can lure ESPN analyst Nick Saban out of retirement, dream on. The former Alabama Crimson Tide HC has said there's "no way" he's returning to coaching. Don't bank on Penn State (3-4) promoting interim HC Terry Smith, especially after losing to the Iowa Hawkeyes, 25-24, in his first game. Instead, it may target HCs Mike Elko (Texas A M Aggies), Clark Lea (Vanderbilt Commodores) and Jeff Brohm (Louisville Cardinals). Penn State alumni may have welcomed a homecoming for Rhule. Now, it no longer looks like a possibility.
George Springer’s status for Game 6 of the World Series is becoming more clear. Springer has missed the last two games of the World Series after hurting his side on a swing in his Toronto Blue Jays’ 18-inning loss to the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 3. The Blue Jays were able to win Game 4 on Tuesday and Game 5 on Wednesday despite the outfielder’s absence. On Thursday, Blue Jays manager John Schneider said that Springer is physically ready to play in Game 6. “He’s checked every box physically so far,” Schneider said of Springer. Getting Springer back would be a nice boost to the Blue Jays’ lineup, which has performed well even without him. Springer went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts in Game 3 before leaving the game. He’s batting .246 with an .884 OPS this postseason and has mashed 6 doubles and 4 home runs in 57 at-bats. Springer went 1-for-3 in Game 2 against Yoshinobu Yamamoto, who is the Dodgers’ scheduled starter for Game 6. Springer’s double was the Blue Jays’ only extra-base hit of the game, and he scored their only run that contest. His presence would be a big help for Toronto.
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