Carrie Bradshaw is swapping Sex And The City for another city… and her new location couldn’t be any more different from New York. Leaving Manhattan behind for a few weeks, SATC stars Sarah Jessica Parker and Cynthia Nixon were spotted filming the sequel in the bustling centre of Marrakech, Morocco today. In keeping with the Muslim country’s more modest dress code, Carrie has swapped her mini-skirts and strappy tops for a full-length skirt and a bolero over her shoulders. While Carrie has covered up for her Moroccan plotline, there’ll be no chance of her fading into the crowd with her distinctive style still evident. Carrie’s take on modest dressing sees her covering her shoulders, chest and legs in a full purple skirt, ‘J’Adore Dior’ T-shirt and a silver bolero. And as you’d expect, Carrie is still wearing her beloved heels. Meanwhile, her best pal Miranda has swapped her power dressing for a Death On The Nile-style white outfit and hat. The two women were spotted pavement pounding in their heels through old Marrakech’s main square Djemaa El Fna. Producers have remained tight-lipped about the plotlines and what exactly brings Carrie and co to Morocco. Some have speculated Carrie and new husband John Preston – aka Mr Big – travel to the north African country to adopt a child. Sex And The City costume designer Patricia Field told People magazine: ‘We’re shooting there for about six weeks. You’ll probably see belly dancers and Bedouins.’ As well as Marrakech, the SATC crew are expected to film in the Moroccan cities of Erfoud and Rabat.

Well, I’m happy to know that this time around they actually will film the location scenes on location … the Mexican resort scenes filmed for the first Sex and the City Movie were actually shot in Malibu, CA. I’m really trying to stay away from movie plot spoilers but this little bit of production location news is too interesting to not mention. Are any of y’all gonna dress up as the Sex and the City ladies for Hallowe’en tonight? If so, send me your pics (at pinkisthenewblog @ gmail.com) and I’ll be sure to post them on the blog!!

[Photo credit: Splash News, Source]

Tens of thousands of gay-rights activists marched Sunday in Washington to show President Obama and Congress that they are impatient with what they consider piecemeal progress and are ready to fight at the federal level for across-the-board equality, including for the right to marry and the right to serve in the military. Key votes on same-sex marriage are coming up in the District and Maine, and Obama reiterated his campaign promise Saturday to end the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that forces gay and lesbian members of the armed forces to keep their sexual orientation a secret. But organizers of the National Equality March and its participants said they want to shift the political effort toward seeking equality in all states, rather than accepting just local and state-level victories. “We’re not settling,” said Cleve Jones, co-chairman of the march and founder of the Names Project, the AIDS memorial quilt that recognizes Americans who have died from HIV- or AIDS-related causes. “There’s no such thing as a fraction of equality. We want equal protection under the law.” The march was coordinated by Equality Across America, a group formed this year. Organizers said they represent those who want immediate fundamental change in the legal status of gays, as opposed to those who think patience is needed as legal obstacles are overcome. Some in the latter group are political veterans, such as Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), the highest-ranking openly gay political figure in the United States. Last week, Frank said he thought the march was “useless,” a remark that was attacked at the rally. “How many more tears should be shed before some politicians in a backroom can decide it is convenient to join us and fight for our freedom?” asked David Mixner, a longtime activist who spoke at the rally. Attendees expressed complicated feelings about Obama. Nearly every person interviewed said he or she had voted for him, but many people said they were disappointed by what they see as a lack of action on key gay-rights issues, such as letting gays serve openly in the military. Thousands of people marched from McPherson Square, a few blocks from the White House, down Pennsylvania Avenue, chanting “President Obama: Let mama marry mama!” and “L, G, B, T — We demand equality!” Marchers carried signs reading “We Won’t Wait for Full Equality” and “Mind Your Own Marriage.” Spectators watched from the street and the roof of the Newseum, many cheering the participants. As the march ended about 2:30 p.m., people gathered on Capitol Hill for a rally. Many supporters identified themselves as heterosexual, carrying signs with such slogans as “I’m Not Queer But I’m Here.” Organizers seemed surprised by the turnout.

It was a pretty fantastic day … being a part of it all … there are no words. As anyone who even remotely knows me, I’m not the kind of person who likes to get up at 5AM in order to walk around all day long — so it must’ve been a pretty important cause to get me active. But in all seriousness, I am so thankful that David pushed and planned for us to be at yesterday’s march. Walking the streets of Washington DC with so many other people united in the single push to demand equal treatment from our government was really an event I’ll remember for the rest of my life. After the jump, check out some of my personal photos and watch video of speakers Lady Gaga, Cynthia Nixon and Dustin Lance Black at the National Equality March yesterday …

David and I, in that massive sea of people, randomly ran into Pink readers Tamar and Jaryn who were carrying an amazing Pink is the new Equality sign … and we also ran into our friends Diana and Allen … here are some of our photos:

It was really an honor to be there … when the day comes that our US government does its duty and affords equal rights for ALL citizens, I will look back on yesterday and know that I was a part of their call of duty. Here are a few videos of some of the speeches that were given yesterday. While I may not be the biggest Lady Gaga fan musically, I couldn’t help but be impressed by her commitment to speaking out for GLBT rights. The woman has earned much respect in my book. Sex and the City’s Cynthia Nixon and Academy Award-winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black were also among the celebs who I admire and spoke at yesterday’s march:

OMG … I love these photos. I think pretty much everyone is in agreement that these scenes will be used in the film as flashback scenes, despite the fact that none of the ladies (who I love) look that much younger despite the outdated outfits they are wearing. Nonetheless, these 80’s flashback scenes look like they are going to be a hoot. If you think these photos of Carrie and Charlotte are fun, wait ’til you see what Miranda looked like in the 80’s — after the jump, find out …

LOL!! Poor Miranda! As you can see, she was a harried and lowly law clerk back in the 80’s with massive shoulder pads and heinous haircut in place. But, to offset Miranda’s insane geekiness, here are a couple photos of what she will look like in the fashionable present:

Seriously, I’m dying from all this Sex and the City-ness. Love, love, love that the sequel film is being made right now. I’ve been staying away from reading any spoilers about the plot so don’t expect to see them here (well, at least without a warning). Seeing these photos is one thing, reading about the movie plot is quite another.

[Photo credit: Splash News]

Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! At last, all four Sex and the City ladies are together again for the sequel film. It is really fantastic seeing them all together again … they look great!! But, as usual, Cattrall’s Samantha Jones character has to steal the spotlight. After the jump, check out a few photos of Kim Cattrall filming a funny scene for the movie …

She’s a spitfire, that Samantha Jones. I love seeing these photos from the set because the scenes they are filming are not too spoilery and, yet, they give just enough of that SaTC vibe to raise the excitement level for the film. It should go without saying that I’m SUPEREXCITED for this movie …

… however I’m gonna be able to wait until next May, I’ll never know. Woot!!

[Photo credit: Splash News]

Now, I’m assuming that Carrie is still married to John James Mr. Big Preston in this sequel and, well, little Brady must have the same first and last name now that Miranda and Steve Brady (Hobbes-Brady?) remain married … OY! Whatever the hell is going on and whatever their names are, I’m just glad to see them filming new scenes for the movie!! We’ve yet to see photos of Kristin Davis on set as Charlotte York-Goldenblatt … but I presume she’ll be along shortly … I mean, they can’t not have anal-retentive yet supercute Charlotte in the sequel, can they?

[Photo credit: Splash News]

Miranda, er, Cynthia looks good … it’s great to see her on set. I expect the other ladies (Kim Cattrall and Kristen Davis) will be joining the party soon … it’ll be really fun to see them all together again filming new scenes. I love the montage scenes of the ladies walking on the streets of NYC … I’m sure it shant be long now.

[Photo credit: INFdaily]

While rallying for gay rights in New York this weekend, Cynthia Nixon announced her engagement to girlfriend Christine Marinoni, the Sex and the City star’s rep confirms to E! News. The couple has been together since late 2003, shortly after Nixon split from her longtime companion Danny Mozes. The exes share custody of their two children, Samantha, 14, and Charles, 7. Nixon shared the news with audiences during the Love, Peace and Marriage Equality rally in New York City.

The actress and Marinoni became engaged last month and are currently working to support the new gay-rights bill proposed by New York Gov. David Paterson. The goal is to achieve equality for same-sex unions. Access Hollywood first reported the engagement. Nixon and the rest of the Sex and the City gang are set to start filming the movie’s sequel this summer.

This is very happy news. I’m thrilled for Cynthia and Christine. The couple have been together for so long and have previously announced that they didn’t want to get “pretend married”. Now that there are 5 States in the US that have legalized same-sex marriage, with New Hampshire on the verge and NY working towards the same, I guess the time was finally right for the couple to start making plans for their nuptials. Much love and congrats to their entire family! I can’t wait until they’re finally able to get ‘er done.

[Photo credit: Wireimage; Source]

Sir Elton John: Get out your tutu. The Rocket Man’s musical Billy Elliot, about a British working-class boy’s desire to dance, scored an impressive 15 Tony nominations, including best musical, it was announced Tuesday morning. Billy will compete in the top category with Next to Normal, a brash musical about a mother’s nervous breakdown; the pop compendium Rock of Ages; and Shrek the Musical. Dolly Parton’s just-opened 9 to 5 was among those overlooked in the best musical category, though one of its stars, Allison Janney, received a nod in the leading actress race. Among dramas and comedies, the best play nominees are Horton Foote’s sly Dividing the Estate, about a money-strapped Texas family; the brittle God of Carnage, starring four Tony nominees (James Gandolfini, Jeff Daniels, Marcia Gay Harden and Hope Davis); Neal LaBute’s romantic drama Reasons To Be Pretty, and 33 Variations, which stars the nominated Jane Fonda as a dying musicologist. Winners will be announced Sunday, June 7, during a three-hour CBS telecast from Radio City Music Hall.

Having seen Billy Elliot myself, I am not surprised that it managed to garner so many nominations. The show is really pretty fantanstic, most especially since the young boys who play Billy are all so talented. I am thrilled that the three of them — David Alvarez, Trent Kowalik, and Kiril Kulish — will share in their Lead Actor in a Musical nomination, meaning if they win then they all win together. I am really very bummed that Equus didn’t so so well with the noms … particularly because I thought Daniel Radcliffe put on a phenomenal performance. The poor guy stripped bare nekkid and he still didn’t get a nomination. I was *sure* that he would get recognized for his performance. It’s a damn shame because he, IMHO, really deserved at the very least a nomination for his performance. After the jump, check out a couple pics of Cynthia Nixon and Lin-Manuel Miranda from this morning’s Tony Awards nominations announcement event and see a full list of the 27 categories (and 4 special categories) and nominees …

Best Play
Dividing the Estate Author: Horton Foote
God of Carnage Author: Yasmina Reza
Reasons to Be Pretty Author: Neil LaBute
33 Variations Author: Moisés Kaufman

Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre
Shirley Herz

Again, the Tony Awards will be handed out LIVE on CBS on June 7. What do you theater fans think … happy, sad, indifferent?

[Photo credit: Wireimage; Source, Source]

For the past decade, Yoplait has urged its customers to save the pink lids found on their yogurt bottles and send them back into the company who, in turn, converts those lids into a financial donation to breast cancer research. For each lid that they receive between September 1 and December 1, Yoplait will donate 10 cents to Susan G. Komen for the Cure through their Save Lids to Save Lives program. This is an amazing campaign that really shows that the company puts forth a great effort to encourage people to donate to breast cancer research. Last night’s event was a celebration of this campaign and hopefully inspires more people to save those lids and to send them in. You can click HERE for more information on the program.

[Photo credit: Splash News]

It’s curious that Kristin Davis would skip out on an event like this … she happily signed on to make the promo rounds for the SaTC Movie release in May and even hosted, with only director Michael Patrick King, the “LA Premiere” of the movie (which I was lucky enough to attend). Could there be behind the scenes turmoil running amok amongst the SaTC ladies again? Generally, I’m a fan of SJP’s red carpet looks (I didn’t even mind that ridiculous hat she wore to the UK premiere of the SaTC Movie) but I’m not a fan of the obvs Audrey Hepburn rip-off. I’m actually surprised she didn’t walk around with a really long cigarette holder to go with the outfit … originality, please.

[Photo credit: Splash News]