An upcoming Pixar animated TV series will no longer include a transgender teen after Disney removed dialogue that referenced the character’s gender identity, The Guardian noted, in a story that The Hollywood Reporter originally revealed. Win or Lose, which will begin on Disney+ in February, follows different members of a young mixed-gender softball team, the Pickles, as it heads to its championship game. Disney confirmed the change, saying, “When it comes to animated content for a younger audience, we recognize that many parents would prefer to discuss certain subjects with their children on their own terms and timeline.” Chanel Stewart— the 18-year-old transgender actor who voices the character—said she was “very disheartened” by Disney’s decision.
Theater icon Patti LuPone—who created the role of Norma Desmond in the London world premiere of Sunset Boulevard but was later denied the chance to reprise her work on Broadway—attended the current Broadway revival of Sunset Blvd. at the St. James Theatre and provided her own review, Playbill noted. “I saw Sunset Blvd. last night, and I went in with trepidation because I have strong feelings about the show, not what happened to me in the show, but the show period,” the multiple Tony winner said in a voice memo to theater writer Frank DiLella. “I loved this production! I thought Nicole [Scherzinger, who plays Norma] and Tom [Francis, who plays Joe Gillis] were stunning. I thought Nicole was unbelievable. She broke my heart. She is a force.”
The Costume Designers Guild unveiled nominations for the 27th CDGAs, with nominees including Wicked, Gladiator II, Challengers, Dune: Part Two, Emilia Pérez, The Substance and Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, Deadline noted. Among the TV nominees with multiple nods were Shōgun and Agatha All Along, with other nods going to Bridgerton, Dancing With the Stars, The Masked Singer, The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula and Emily In Paris. Winners will be revealed at the 27th annual CDG Awards on Feb. 6 at The Ebell of Los Angeles.
Wicked, Dune: Part Two and Emilia Pérez lead the list of honorees for the American Cinematheque‘s fourth annual Tribute to the Crafts, which will take place at AC’s Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood on Jan. 9, according to Deadline. Wicked is being honored for costume design, as well as for production design, set decoration and prop master; Dune: Part Two will be recognized for sound and visual effects, while Emilia Pérez is named for its choreography and editing. Other films being honored include Will & Harper, Saturday Night, Nickel Boys, The Fall Guy, The Substance and Challengers.
Frida and Will & Harper—the Netflix documentary about comedic actor Will Ferrell and his friendship with Harper Steele, who came out as trans—earned spots on the coveted Oscar documentary feature shortlist, Deadline noted. However, several notable docs did not make the cut, including Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story, about the late actor who was paralyzed in a horse-riding accident; Martha, about Martha Stewart; I Am: Celine Dion; Elton John: Never Too Late; Luther: Never Too Much, about the late singer-songwriter Luther Vandross; and Pharrell Williams’ Piece by Piece.
To commemorate 40 years of “Last Christmas,” WHAM!, George Michael Entertainment and Sony Music released a Last Christmas 40th Anniversary EP, per a press release. The hit has reached its highest-ever chart position in North America on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number three and notably reaching seven times RIAA Platinum. (It ranked #2 on Apple as of Dec. 19.) Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan recently duetted the song on Carpenter’s A Nonsense Christmas on Netflix. The Backstreet Boys also covered the song for the NBC special Christmas at Rockefeller Center, during which WHAM!’s Andrew Ridgeley joined host Kelly Clarkson.
Billboard ran an article titled “The Most Important Queer Music Moments of the 21st Century.” Some of the moments (listed chronologically) include Christina Aguilera’s inclusion of queer people in the video for “Beautiful”; former *NSYNC member Lance Bass, rocker Laura Jane Grace, musician Frank Ocean and country singer Chely Wright coming out as part of the LGBTQ+ community; Lady Gaga’s release of “Born This Way”; Macklemore, Ryan Lewis, Queen Latifah, Mary Lambert and Madonna helping to join 33 LGBTQ+ couples in matrimony at the 2014 Grammys; Sia paying tribute to the Pulse shooting victims in the video for “The Greatest”; Beyonce’s Renaissance album, which Billboard said “ was for Black queer people everywhere”; Sam Smith and Kim Petras making history as the first non-binary and out trans person, respectively, to win Grammys; and Lil Nas X making history with “Old Town Road.”
And speaking of Lance Bass, he appeared on the Politickin’ Podcast with Gavin Newsome, Marshawn Lynch and Doug Hendrickson to discuss what happened during his coming-out period in 2006, Instinct noted. Bass revealed that he was supposed to be in a CW pilot but the show didn’t go through because he had just come out in an exclusive cover story with People Magazine. After coming out in the interview, Bass said, “I lost everything,” with executives reportedly telling him, “I don’t know what we can do with you now.”
Non-binary Tony winner Alex Newell will take on the role of Audrey, opposite the previously announced Joel Kim Booster (Fire Island) and Shea Couleé (RuPaul’s Drag Race) in a one-night-only benefit concert performance of Little Shop of Horrors, according to Playbill. The performance is set for Jan. 17, 2025, at Los Angeles nightclub Catch One; proceeds from the event will benefit The Ali Forney Center and that organization’s work to support and provide shelter to homeless LGBTQ+ youth. Booster and Couleé will be reprising their performances from a 2006 production at Illinois community theater Only A Stage, with Booster playing Seymour and Couleé portraying Audrey II.
Queer Wicked co-star Cynthia Erivo and A Complete Unknown director James Mangold will be honored at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival Gala on Jan. 24 at Utah’s Grand Hyatt Deer Valley, per Deadline. Erivo, a Grammy and Tony winner, will be honored with the Visionary Award for her uncompromising work and contributions to the entertainment industry. Mangold is receiving the Trailblazer Award. The Sundance Film Festival will take place Jan. 23-Feb. 2, 2025, in person in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah, and online Jan. 30-Feb. 2.
Warner Bros. Discovery and the BBC have been accused of double standards on DEI initiatives after both organizations have stood by British Harry Potter writer J.K. Rowling amid her anti-trans rhetoric, per Deadline. Warner Bros. Discovery is working closely with Rowling on HBO’s Harry Potter series, while the BBC recently premiered season six of Strike, based on the author’s Robert Galbraith novels. The support for Rowling’s work has concerned members of the transgender community working in the media, who have noted how the writer’s language on trans issues has become more rougher over the past four years.
LGBTQ+ actors Anthony Rapp (Rent) and Wayne Brady are among those slated to take part in “The Broadway Cruise 3” on March 31-April 4, 2025, from Miami to Cozumel, Mexico. Some of the others scheduled to travel are Roger Bart, Laura Benanti, Adam Pascal, Eva Noblezada and Corey Cott. Also, legendary out fashion designer Bob Mackie will be among the creatives (along with Will Van Dyke and Jeffrey Seller) who are planning to be on the cruise.
And also regarding Bob Mackie, he shared a health update after taking a fall in New York City, per Parade. Mackie was on his way to see The Rockettes Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall when he tripped on a subway grate and fell on the ground, sustaining injuries to his face. Speaking with Newsweek, he said, “I have a few bruises; my nose is swollen, but I’m OK.” The publication also noted that he had cuts on his upper lip and over his right eye from the fall. Mackie has a documentary about his life and career coming out called Bob Mackie: Naked Illusion.
Jon M. Chu’s second Wicked film, previously known as Wicked Part 2, now has the title Wicked: For Good, per Deadline. The change references a highly anticipated song and duet between Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda (Ariana Grande) in which the pair sing about how their relationship has impacted their lives forever. The second film already has a release date of Nov. 21, 2025.
Taylor Swift made history at the 2024 Billboard Music Awards (BBMA) by becoming the most-decorated BBMA winner with a total of 49 career trophies, CNN noted. At the 2024 event, she won 10 awards including Top Artist, Top Female Artist, Top Billboard 200 Artist, Top Hot 100 Artist, Hot 100 Songwriter, Top Streaming Songs Artist and Top Billboard 200. Swift and Drake were tied at 39 wins going into the show; he took home three Billboard Awards, bringing his total up to 42 wins. The Billboard Music Awards aired on Fox with comedian/actor Michelle Buteau hosting; performers included Coldplay, Linkin Park, Jelly Roll, Shaboozey and more.
Liza Minnelli‘s memoir, set for spring 2026 via Grand Central Publishing, is also in the works as a TV series—and Warner Bros. TV and Magnolia Hill have partnered to option the project, according to Variety. Minnelli is writing the book alongside her longtime friend and collaborator Michael Feinstein as well as Josh Getlin and Heidi Evans. Along with her career in entertainment, the book and TV series will look at Minnelli’s experience with substance use disorder.
RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Trinity K. Bonet has come out as trans, according to Out. Fans started speculating about Trinity K. Bonet coming out as trans after the Drag Race alum shared a picture on X (formerly Twitter) on Dec. 15 with a caption that included three emojis, including a trans one. Out reached out for comment, and Bonet responded, “Hey, how are you doing? Yeah, I did come out. Lol but I’m not trying to do interviews and make a big deal about it. I’ve always been Trinity. I’m just keeping [my] wig on. Lol.”
GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis welcomed top donors, supporters and celebrities to celebrate the holiday season and provided a look into the forecast of GLAAD’s work leading into 2025, per a press release. Held at the home of longtime GLAAD supporter Kathy Hilton in Los Angeles, “GLAAD Tidings Presented by Delta” included hosts Hilton, Niecy Nash-Betts, Bruce Bozzi and Jessica Betts, GLAAD’s Anthony Allen Ramos and DaShawn Usher, along with special guests Joel Kim Booster, Heather and Terry Dubrow, Meredith Marks, Frankie Grande, David Archuleta, Laith Ashley, Dan Bucatinsky, August Getty,Dylan Mulvaney, and Rain Valdez, among others.
Freestyle Digital Media and Attic Box Productions announced the Jan. 3 VOD debut of Lady Like, the debut feature from filmmaker Luke Willis, per a press release. Lady Like tells the story of RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 14 runner-up Lady Camden; the movie made its world premiere as the closing night film of the BFI Flare London LGBTQIA+ Film Festival. The award-winning film about the British drag icon has screened around the world, including Frameline, NewFest NYC, Roze Filmdagen in Amsterdam, Miami Film Festival, QFilms Long Beach and the Khashish Pride Film Festival in Bombay.
The trailer for the queer film Elliot Loves (from Breaking Glass Pictures) has premiered, per a press release. The release calls the film “a heartwarming story about the adventures of Dominican American Elliot Ayende at two stages of his life: as a child trying to bond with his young, single mother, and as a 21-year-old gay man looking for love in New York City.” Quentin Araujo, Elena Goode, Fabio Costaprado, Judy Torres and Queer Eye’s Antoni Porowski star; Terracino directed the film.
Baz Luhrmann is directing and producing a new documentary about Elvis Presley, centered on never-before-seen footage and recordings of the iconic musician that he found while creating his film Elvis, Variety noted. That’s one of several projects in the works at Authentic Studios, which has sold 14 projects to various outlets. The output comes after the team at Authentic realized that they wanted to do more than just license their intellectual property, which includes everyone from Presley to Shaquille O’Neal, Marilyn Monroe, and brands like Sports Illustrated and Brooks Brothers.
Kraven the Hunter—the Marvel/Spider-Man Universe movie that stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson and queer Oscar winner Ariana DeBose—had the worst opening ever for a franchise movie ($11 million), per ScreenRant, citing Deadline. It earned the worst opening weekend of the entire franchise, coming in below the previous record-holder—Madame Web—which had a $15.3 million debut. Kraven the Hunter’s budget is estimated to be between $110 and $130 million, likely meaning that it would need to earn at least $275 million in order to break even; however, pundits are not sure if it will make $100 million globally. Worse, it has been critically dismantled, with a headline from The Verge reading “Kraven the Hunter is the flimsiest strand in Sony’s spider-free web.”
After some online controversy over the decision to cast cis man Park Sung-hoon as a trans woman in the forthcoming season of Netflix’s Squid Game, series creator/director Hwang Dong-hyuk has spoken out, the website Them noted. In a Dec. 17 interview with TV Guide, Hwang said that he anticipated “such discussions to arise from the first moment I began creating the character Hyun-ju.” However, he claimed, “There are close to no actors that are openly trans, let alone openly gay, because unfortunately in Korean society, currently the LGBTQ community is rather still marginalized and more neglected, which is heartbreaking.”
Oscar winner Jamie Lee Curtis is reportedly the top choice to star in the Murder, She Wrote movie coming together at Universal, per Deadline. If it happens, Curtis would play the Jessica Fletcher role popularized by Angela Lansbury in the hit series that ran from 1984 to 1996 on CBS. Curtis—who won the Best Supporting Actress Oscar for Everything, Everywhere, All At Once—currently stars alongside Pamela Anderson in the Gia Coppola-directed Vegas drama The Last Showgirl. She won the Emmy for her arc in The Bear, and also stars alongside Margo Martindale on Prime Video’s dark comedy The Sticky.
Almost a year after Paula Abdul served American Idol executive producer/So You Think You Can Dance judge Nigel Lythgoe with a sexual assault and gender violence lawsuit, there has been a settlement, Deadline noted. “This has been a long and hard-fought personal battle,” Abdul said. “I hope my experience can serve to inspire other women, facing similar struggles, to overcome their own challenges with dignity and respect, so that they too can turn the page and begin a new chapter of their lives.” Although Abdul reached a deal with co-defendants FremantleMedia North America and American Idols Productions back in April, the matter with Lythgoe was scheduled to go to trial in August 2025.
Apparently, ex-Queer Eye co-host Bobby Berk (who was the home/design expert) is upset that Netflix has deleted his icon from its app, per Distractify. After Netflix unveiled the new Queer Eye icons, Berks wrote, “Wow… Y’all really went and erased my icon instead of just adding Jeremiah? D**n. I’m done.” (“Jeremiah” is Berk’s successor, Jeremiah Brent, who happens to be Nate Berkus’ husband—and is apparently beloved by critics and the public.) Berk left the show in 2023; however, in 2021, Berk talked with Distractify about feeling “burnt out” before the pandemic brought everything to a halt.
With little time left before 118th Congress disbands, heiress Paris Hilton urged House leaders to prioritize The Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act and bring it to the floor for a vote “immediately,” ABC News noted. The measure—a piece of legislation she’s tirelessly lobbied for over the past three years—recently passed the U.S. Senate with unanimous support. Hilton has been an outspoken, public advocate for reform in congregate care facilities and residential treatment programs for “troubled” minors, and she’s openly described her own traumatizing experience at Provo Canyon School in Utah when she was a teenager.
Briarcliff Entertainment has set a March 21 release for Magazine Dreams—a drama that was expected to put its star, Jonathan Majors, in the Best Actor race and a major star trajectory, Deadline noted. However, that was before Majors’ indiscretions with a former girlfriend cast an unsavory light on the emotionally troubled aspiring bodybuilder character he plays in the film; the actor was eventually found guilty of two misdemeanor counts of assault and harassment against ex-girlfriend Grace Jabbari.
After three seasons, the show Girls5Eva has been canceled for the second time—this time, by Netflix, per Variety. The first two seasons of the musical comedy—which starred Sara Bareilles, Busy Philipps, Paula Pell and Renée Elise Goldsberry—streamed on Peacock from 2021 to 2022; when Peacock decided not to move forward, Netflix came in to renew the series for a third season, which aired in March 2024.
Former talk-show host Wendy Williams was all smiles as she sat in the back seat of a black SUV while picking up an order from Sho’nuff Oysters in Fort Lauderdale, according to Page Six, citing an Instagram video from Antoine Edwards. It was the first time she was spotted since guardian Sabrina Morrissey claimed Williams was “permanently incapacitated” from early on-set dementia. The filing was submitted to support Morrissey’s lawsuit against A+E Networks for allegedly exploiting Williams in their Lifetime documentary Where Is Wendy Williams?, although she failed to stop the release of the four-part docuseries.
Three John Does have separately sued Sean “Diddy” Combs in New York State court, alleging he gave them booze and drugged them in hotel rooms or his Hamptons residence so he could attack them, according to Deadline. Detailing the rapes taking place between 2019 and 2022, the civil actions, with the trio all individually represented by attorney Thomas Giuffra, are seeking various damages and jury trials. The specifics in these three cases are similar to dozens of other accusations and suits against Combs, who was arrested on charges of racketeering, sex trafficking and transportation to engage in prostitution on Sept. 16. Combs is slated to go on trial May 5, 2025, and could spend the remainder of his life behind bars.
Twenty years after Janet Jackson’s Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction (with which Justin Timberlake was involved), Timberlake had his own mishap during a recent Nashville concert, according to Yahoo! In fan footage taken from his Nashville stop on his “Forget Tomorrow World Tour,” a harness prepped to take Timberlake airborne bunched a bit too tight around his crotch, ultimately giving fans an eyeful. Some social-media users made fun of the moment, with one person posting, “I think you saw Justin’s Timber.” This was the latest instance of bad luck regarding Timberlake’s “Forget Tomorrow World Tour,” which has had frequent cancellations due to illness and injury.