Cyndi Lauper and Theresa Rebeck’s musical version of the 1988 film Working Girl will get a world premiere at California’s La Jolla Playhouse next year, with performances to run in November and December, Playbill noted. The musical has been in the works as far back as 2017, but much has changed since then. For example, Lauper previously stated she was collaborating on the score with longtime songwriting partner Rob Hyman, but now the credits for the production’s music and lyrics are attributed solely to Lauper. Directed for the screen by Mike Nichols, Working Girl (starring Melanie Griffith) premiered in 1988 and went on to receive the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture—Musical or Comedy and an Oscar nomination for Best Picture.
Out British journalist James Longman will release a book, The Inherited Mind, described as part memoir and part science, per Instinct Magazine. Longman’s depth of knowledge comes from a bachelor’s degree in Arabic from the School of Oriental and African studies and a master’s degree in comparative politics from the London School of Economics. Also, he has reported for major networks and news programs, including Good Morning America, Nightline, ABC News Live, the BBC and World News Tonight. With The Inherited Mind, Longman advocates for mental health, tackling the story of his father’s schizophrenia and eventual suicide. The book is slated to be released Jan. 7, 2025.
Megan Thee Stallion: In Her Words is now streaming on Prime Video, a press release noted. The release stated that the 112-minute work “offers unprecedented access to the multi-faceted woman behind the persona. Follow the Houston native’s journey on the road to stardom as she tenaciously navigates fame, grief, pressure and success. The documentary unpacks Megan’s most vulnerable moments in a powerful way that allows fans to meet the real Megan Pete.”
A public memorial celebration will be held for the late out actor Gavin Creel on Dec. 2 at Broadway’s St. James Theatre, Playbill noted. On the following day at 6:45 p.m., every Broadway theater will dim its lights in Creel’s honor. Creel was originally set to receive a partial dimming ceremony; however, after immense online outcry, including a petition that gathered more than 20,000 signatures, the Broadway League announced that Creel would receive a full dimming. Donations in Creel’s memory are suggested to be made to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
Various celebrities reacted in different ways to Donald Trump’s victory in the presidential election, per Deadline. For example, actress Viola Davis wrote on Instagram, “Thank you for your bravery @kamalaharris. Thank you for loving America’s promise. I am and will forever be proud.” “With deep admiration and profound respect I sincerely THANK YOU Madame Vice President @vp,” Grotesquerie actress Niecy Nash-Betts posted on Instagram. Singer-songwriter Billie Eilish went in another direction, stating, “It’s a war on women.” General Hospital actress Nancy Lee Grahn planned to delete all her social-media accounts while singer-actress Bette Midler and actor Jeffrey Wright seemed to have deleted their X accounts. And Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis posted a message on Instagram, predicting “a more restrictive, some fear draconian time” but adding, “For all those [vulnerable] people, there will be those who will help you—me included.”
On SNL, queer singer Chappell Roan surprised fans by going country in both look and sound for her second number of the show: the premiere of a brand-new lesbian-themed song, “The Giver,” according to NBC News. “All you country boys saying you know how to treat a woman right,” Roan said during a spoken word aside in the song, adding, “Well, only a woman knows how to treat a woman right. She gets the job done.” Although the song title was not known prior to its debut on SNL and fans were guessing from its chorus that it was called “She Gets the Job Done,” NBC posted a portion of the performance on social media afterward with a caption revealing that it is called “The Giver.”
Queer actors Cynthia Erivo and Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor are among those slated to be honored at the Critics Choice Association‘s seventh annual Celebration of Black Cinema & Television, which is set for Dec. 9 at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles, according to Deadline. Among those being recognized are stars of 2024’s most acclaimed and anticipated films including Regina King, John David Washington, Erivo, Ellis-Taylor, Jharrel Jerome and The Fire Inside star Ryan Destiny. In the world of TV, honorees include Natasha Rockwell, Wendell Pierce and Michael Rainey Jr. Filmmakers Steve McQueen and Malcolm D. Lee, among others, will also be receiving awards. Actor/filmmaker Tyler Perry will be honored with the Icon Award.
Actress Chloe Grace Moretz officially came out as LGBTQ+ in an Instagram post after voting early for Kamala Harris. According to People, Moretz captioned the post, “I voted early and I voted for Kamala Harris. There is so much on the line this election.” The Carrie actress added, “I believe the government has no right over my body as a woman, and that the decisions over my body should come ONLY from myself and my doctor. Kamala Harris will protect that for us.” Moretz concluded her post with a call to action for her more than 24 million followers on the social-media platform, urging them to vote. Moretz has been romantically linked to model Kate Harrison since 2018, when they were seen sharing a kiss at Nobu in Malibu, California.
Grammy-winning singer, songwriter and actress Melissa Manchester released the get out-and-vote song “‘Til We Remember Who We Are,” a press release noted. Manchester said, “I hope this song underscores that every generation since 1776 has had to fight for and preserve democracy, and the consequence of losing our democracy will indeed make for a sun that’s setting.” Among her many other feats, in 1980, Manchester became the first recording artist in the history of the Academy Awards to have two nominated movie themes in a single year— “Through the Eyes of Love,” from Ice Castles; and “I’ll Never Say Goodbye,” from The Promise—and to perform them both on the Oscars telecast.
In a campaign ad, Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris talked about the “full-on attack on hard-fought freedoms,” as Aretha Franklin’s 1968 classic “Think” plays in the background—and she had the blessing of Franklin’s estate to use the song, per Billboard. The campaign fully embraced the idea for the get-out-the-vote ad, which ran on YouTube and other online outlets, as well as connected TV/premium streaming services. Franklin’s estate reached out to the Harris campaign after Harris expressed her love for the legendary singer at the Democratic National Convention.
My Lottery Dream Home will return with HGTV star David Bromstad on Dec. 6, per a press release. The out TV personality will travel the country to help his clients purchase fantasy homes with their newly attained fortunes. In the season premiere, Bromstad will meet a couple who want to spend their million-dollar lottery winnings on a mountain oasis in New Hampshire; however, despite their hefty budget, the lack of inventory will make for a challenging search. In a My Lottery Dream Home first, the pair will decide to purchase the perfect piece of land and build their dream lodge from scratch.
Luca Guadagnino—director of the Daniel Craig movie Queer—has been appointed jury president at the 21st Marrakech International Film Festival, replacing previously announced Thomas Vinterberg, who has cancelled his attendance for personal reasons, Deadline noted. Guadagnino will be joined by The Apprentice director Ali Abbasi, Indian director Zoya Akhtar, U.S. actor Patricia Arquette, Belgian actor Virginie Efira, Australian actor Jacob Elordi, British-American actor Andrew Garfield, Moroccan actor Nadia Kounda (Summer Days) and Argentine director Santiago Mitre.
During his press tour for Weekend In Taipei, Luke Evans revealed the bullying he endured as a child for being perceived as gay, Instinct Magazine noted. Taunted with nicknames like “Jovey Bender,” Evans recounted how his identity was attacked. Before finding happiness as an out gay man (with partner Fran Tomas), Evans endured much homophobic bullying during his younger days—and, as a Jehovah’s Witness, it was not acceptable for him to be gay.
Blonde—Frank Ocean’s second proper studio album—recently hit a milestone, according to Forbes. The full-length was on the Billboard 200 chart for 400 weeks. Both sales and streams play into where an effort lands on the list, if at all, and Blonde has been overperforming on platforms like Spotify and Apple Music ever since it arrived shy of a decade ago.
The Irish movie Kneecap—about the rise of a Belfast-based hip-hop trio of the same name—received 14 nominations in this year’s British Independent Film Awards (BIFA), including Best Director and Best Screenplay, according to Deadline. The lesbian-themed punk-rock movie Love Lies Bleeding, starring Katy O’Brian and Kristen Stewart, gathered 12 nods, including Best Joint Lead Performance and Best Director (Rose Glass). Winners will be revealed at the BIFA awards ceremony on Dec. 8, which has the event returning to the Roundhouse in Camden (in London).
Gay original Survivor winner Richard Hatch has returned to reality TV in the second season of House of Villains, per Instinct Magazine. Despite his legal troubles (serving jail time regarding tax evasion), Hatch has remained a staple in reality television. His co-starring appearances include Survivor: All Stars in 2004, Battle of the Network Reality Stars in 2005, Celebrity Apprentice 4 in 2011 and The Biggest Loser 17 in 2016. E’s House of Villains is a series that puts reality-television hotheads in a mansion, where they live together and compete for a cash prize of $200,000; some of this season’s other competitors include RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Kandy Muse, wrestler Jesse Godderz (Big Brother) and Teresa Giudice (Real Housewives of New Jersey).
Seventeen-time Grammy winner Sting and EGOT winner Jennifer Hudson will serve as mega-mentors on season 26 of the Emmy-winning musical competition series The Voice, a press release noted. Hudson will join Michael Bublé and Reba McEntire while Sting will join coaches Snoop Dogg and Gwen Stefani to mentor the remaining artists as each team prepares for the Knockouts, beginning Monday, Nov. 11.
Jeremy Jordan will play his final performance as Jay Gatsby in the new Broadway musical The Great Gatsby, on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025, according to Broadway World. The musical is now playing at The Broadway Theatre, with a new block of tickets on sale through September 7, 2025; it will also make its West End debut (in London) on April 24. The new Jay Gatsby will be announced soon. Jordan stars opposite two-time Tony Award Nominee Eva Noblezada as Daisy. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s iconic novel has landed on the Broadway musical stage for the first time ever in The Great Gatsby.
Out actor John Glover is slated to be among the stars of Smallville taking place in Cruiseville next year, per the Superman Homepage. Taking place June 15-22, the cruise is slated to visit the Bahamas; Puerto Costa Maya, Mexico; Roatan, Honduras; and Cozumel, Mexico after departing from Port Canaveral, Florida. Guests will have the opportunity to get photo ops, autographs and selfies with cast members Tom Welling, Michael Rosenbaum, Erica Durance and Laura Vandervoort as well as Glover.
The Indiana Fever hired Stephanie White as their new head coach, ESPN noted. White, who spent the past two seasons as head coach of the Connecticut Sun, takes over a franchise led by WNBA star Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston. White went 55-25 with consecutive semifinal appearances with the Sun, winning WNBA Coach of the Year in 2023.
Rapper and LGBTQ+ ally NLE Choppa co-directed and stars in the short film NLE Choppa Presents: The Wash, out now, per a press release. With the 45-minute short, the 21-year-old artist and co-director Ben Marc pay homage to the 2001 cult classic The Wash, co-starring Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg. In NLE Choppa Presents: The Wash, our hero—played by NLE Choppa—attempts to prevent his independent car wash from financially going underwater.
The daytime soap Days of Our Lives has been renewed for a 61st season, Deadline noted. Peacock says the series has consistently been a top 10 title since it moved to the streamer in 2023. On Dec. 2, Days of Our Lives will reach its 15,000th episode; it has also spawned two limited spinoffs dubbed Beyond Salem. Since the show premiered on Nov. 8, 1965, the drama has earned 62 Daytime Emmy Awards, including one this year for Dick Van Dyke’s guest-starring role.
Adam Lambert flaunted his 60-pound weight loss while visiting New York City, according to Page Six. His new physique comes after he confirmed to fans in an Instagram Live in March, per Heavy, that he had been taking Mounjaro—a type 2 diabetes and weight-loss medication—for about eight months. Lambert said the side effects from taking Ozempic (which he was originally prescribed to take) were too intense, so he switched to Mounjaro.
Jason Kelce was filmed smashing a Penn State University student’s phone to the ground after the heckler dissed his brother for dating Taylor Swift, calling Travis Kelce a “f——t,” per Page Six. “Kelce — how does it feel that your brother is a f—-t for dating Taylor Swift?” the troll could be heard yelling in several videos shared on social media. Immediately after, the former Philadelphia Eagles center turned around, grabbed the person’s phone and slammed it to the ground. In a separate video obtained by TMZ, Jason repeatedly asked the heckler, “Who’s the f—-t now?”