CHATTER AWAY: Overnight Open Thread

Some gay show biz news to start you off:

One of Baltimore’s finest has gone international. Filmmaker, artist and author John Waters has been named an officer of the French Order of Arts and Letters (Ordre des Arts et des Lettres). The honor, announced Monday, is awarded to artists “who have contributed significantly to furthering the arts in France and throughout the world,” according to a news release from the French Embassy.

The honor is set be awarded to Waters during a ceremony May 7 in New York. Joining Waters will be New York-based film curator and critic Dennis Lim, director of programming at the Film Society of Lincoln Center. The Order of Arts and Letters was established in 1957 and is handed out three times annually. Previous American honorees have included Meryl Streep, Robert Redford, Uma Thurman, Marilyn Horne and director Jim Jarmusch.