Gossip columnist 1930s through the 1950s, the two best-known - and competing - Hollywood gossip columnists were Hedda Hopper and Louella Parsons. Well-timed leaks about a star's purported romantic adventures helped the studios to create and sustain the public's interest in the studios' star actors. As well, the movie studios' publicity agents acted as unnamed "well-informed inside sources" who provided misinformation and rumors to counteract whispers about celebrity secrets — such as homosexuality or an out-of-wedlock child — that could have severely damaged not only the reputation of the movie star in question, but the movie star's box office viability. Having fallen
Hedda Lettuce Hedda Lettuce Hedda Lettuce is an American drag queen, comedian and singer who lives and works in New York City. The New York actor Steven Polito debuted his character Hedda Lettuce in 1991 on the Manhattan Cable TV show "The Brenda and Glennda Show". She is one of the few drag queens who actually sings live using her voice instead of lip syncing. Lettuce's appearances include MTV, Comedy Central, "The People's Court" and a cameo on "Sex and the City" as Samantha's ex-beau turned Bingo Drag impersonator. Lettuce's film appearances include "To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar"; "Cruise