The day before the country observed Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday, Queerty released a list of eight Black queer documentaries that explore history, race, sexuality, and identity. Some of them include Paris Is Burning, which examines ballroom culture of 1980s New York City; The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson (available on Netflix); Marlon Riggs’ trailblazing 1989 film Tongues Untied; Mama Gloria, a 2020 documentary that celebrates Gloria Allen, a Black trans elder who lived in Chicago; and Kokomo City, a 2023 film that follows the lives of four Black trans women as they navigate sex work, love and identity.
Lady Gaga; Earth, Wind & Fire; Billie Eilish; Green Day; Stevie Nicks; Joni Mitchell; and a reunited No Doubt will help raise money for victims of the Los Angeles wildfires with two high-profile concerts, according to USA Today. The FireAid benefit will take place at 6 p.m. PT on Jan. 30, with performances taking place at the Intuit Dome and the nearby Kia Forum. Other performers include Pink, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Katy Perry, Jelly Roll, Rod Stewart and Sting. The fundraisers will be held simultaneously and are scheduled to be broadcast and streamed live on Apple Music, Apple TV app, Max, iHeartRadio, KTLA+, Netflix/Tudom, Paramount+, Prime Video, Amazon Music Channel on Twitch, SiriusXM (exclusively on the Life with John Mayer channel), SoundCloud, Veeps, YouTube and at select AMC Theatre locations in 70 markets.
On a related note, Beyoncé pledged to donate $2.5 million to help the wildfire-hit Black L.A. community of Altadena, per The Chicago Defender. Among Los Angeles County’s hardest-hit areas, the unincorporated San Gabriel Valley town—where 42,000 people live—had more than 1,000 structures destroyed, at least five lives lost and thousands displaced. Other celebrities and organizations are stepping up as well, and Meghan Markle recently visited.
The Santa Barbara Film Festival (taking place Feb. 4-15) revealed its entire program for its upcoming 40th edition, which includes 32 world premieres and 74 U.S. premieres from 60 countries, Deadline noted. Some of the other highlights include the Maltin Modern Master Award event honoring Angelina Jolie (Maria), with Leonard Malin moderating; the Arlington Artist of the Year Award presented by FIJI Water honoring Timothée Chalamet (A Complete Unknown); and the American Riviera Award presented by Lexus that will honor Zoe Saldaña (Emilia Pérez).
Out actors Lea DeLaria and Andrew Keenan-Bolger are joining the production Titanique, which recently celebrated its 1,000th performance off-Broadway, Playbill noted. Keenan-Bolger (Tuck Everlasting; Newsies) has stepped into the role of Victor Garber/Luigi while DeLaria (POTUS; On the Town) will take on the role of Ruth Dewitt Bukater starting Feb. 4. The cast of the irreverent send-up of the iconic film Titanic stars Dee Roscioli as Céline Dion, Max Jenkins as Jack Dawson, Callum Francis as Cal Hockley, Kyle Ramar Freeman as The Iceberg, Lisa Howard as Molly Brown, Anthony Murphy as Victor Garber, and Joel Waggoner as Ruth.
Producers Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley Jackson hosted “Concert for America,” a bicoastal Inauguration Day benefit that included musical and comedic performances for an event that aimed to promote freedom and justice for all, per a press release. The event—which featured live programming from NYC and LA—raised funds for the California Community Foundation, which supports wildfire recovery efforts to aid those most in need. Among the celebrities taking part were Judy Gold, Tiffany Haddish, Jason Ritter, Peppermint, Piper Perabo, Joel McHale, Cheyenne Jackson, Brian Stokes Mitchell and many others.
Celebrities were upset by several remarks made by President Donald Trump in his inaugural speech—particularly his declaration that “there are only two genders,” according to Out. RuPaul’s Drag Race judge Michelle Visage wrote, “You will not erase my child, you POS” while Cynthia Lee Fontaine posted, “Trash. But we will continue to ensure we will continue with our rights. We will NOT be silent.” One of Trump’s first executive orders will require federal agencies to define sex as strictly either male or female—barring individuals from updating gender markers on passports and other federal documents that currently allow for “X” gender markers. Janson Wu, the Trevor Project’s senior director of state advocacy and government affairs, warned about these anticipated orders’ harmful impact on queer youth, saying, “Supporting young people’s health and well-being transcends politics, and we urge all elected officials and the media to understand the dangers that anti-LGBTQ+ policies and rhetoric pose for LGBTQ+ youth across the country.”
Openly LGBTQ+ Oscar-nominated actor Colman Domingo (Rustin; Sing Sing; Euphoria) is joining the cast of out director Gus Van Sant’s hostage thriller Dead Man’s Wire after completing his scenes for Edgar Wright’s The Running Man, according to Deadline. Austin Kolodney’s original screenplay for Dead Man’s Wire is based on the story of Tony Kirtsis, who took Indianapolis mortgage broker Dick Hall hostage in February 1977. The movie co-stars Bill Skarsgard (It; Nosferatu). After Dead Man’s Wire, Domingo will move onto the third season of HBO’s Euphoria, shooting eight episodes with Zendaya, Jacob Elordi and Sydney Sweeney.
Queer actress Jasmine Savoy Brown will return as Mindy Meeks-Martin (the first LGBTQ+ character in the franchise) in Scream 7, Variety noted. Brown joins Mason Gooding, who plays Mindy’s brother, Chad, in this sequel. The movie is currently shooting in Atlanta, with out gay scribe Kevin Williamson directing. Scream veterans Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox have also returned as Sidney Prescott and Gale Weathers, respectively, and it was recently announced that Joel McHale is playing Prescott’s husband.
British actor Leo Woodall—best known for his scene in HBO’s The White Lotus in which he and his “uncle” (played by Tom Hollander) get very handsy with each other—now plays a queer math genius in the Apple TV+ series Prime Target, Instinct noted. Woodall plays Edward Brook, a brilliant math postgraduate on the verge of a groundbreaking discovery who’s being pursued by a shadowy enemy; in his personal life, Brook is in a relationship with Adam, played by Fra Fee (Lost Boys & Fairies). Woodall told Queerly, “For me, I’d never taken on a role like Ed. I’d previously played guys who were very outgoing and sociable and get into mischief and enjoy a bit of mischief and [were] very good with people, and Ed is none of those things.”
Out noted the passing of film director David Lynch at age 78, saying he was behind queer classics. Lynch earned an Oscar nod for Best Director for his work in 2001’s Mulholland Drive, which was featured on Out‘s list of 25 best queer movies of the century (so far). He also helmed the homoerotic film Blue Velvet as well as both iterations of the TV show Twin Peaks, which featured actor David Duchovny as trans character Denise Bryson. Lynch revealed in the September 2024 issue of Sight and Sound that he had been diagnosed with emphysema after smoking for most of his life.
Openly LGBTQ+ singer/actor Omar Apollo called out critics of his same-sex intimate scene in the movie Queer, Out noted. Apollo posted a barely censored screenshot of the sex scene with Daniel Craig on Instagram, captioning the image, “Queer available on streaming now for all the dLs that didn’t wanna go to theater.” After some people unfollowed Apollo, he posted, “Unfollow me if ur a homophobe. You’re not my target audience. I will never make myself ‘palatable.’ This isn’t my life, i AM life. Stupid.”
Longtime Phoenix Mercury player Brittney Griner is testing the free agent market for the first time in her career, according to ESPN. The All-Star center has had meetings with multiple teams, according to her agent; WNBA executives were in Miami for the opening of Unrivaled (a professional three-on-three women’s basketball league) to talk with Griner and other free agents. Griner has previously been a free agent; however, she always re-signed with the Mercury since she was first drafted by the franchise in 2013 as the No. 1 pick.
The romantic queer film Sex Love Venice, directed by Steve Balderson, will debut in select theaters on Friday, Feb.14 (Valentine’s Day), a press release noted. The film will also be available for streaming on Prime Video, Apple TV, Fandango at Home, Google Play, YouTube Movies and various cable platforms. Sex Love Venice (which stars Daniel Bateman and Alexander Ananasso, with Suzanna Akins and the iconic Mink Stole) is described thusly: “At the heart of the film is Michael, a man yearning for meaningful love beyond the fleeting nature of hookup culture. His journey takes him to Venice, where he meets Marco, a soulful and enigmatic local who challenges Michael’s perceptions of intimacy.”
TheWrap is hosting its signature Sundance Film Festival interview and portrait studio, presented by World of Hyatt, at The Gateway Center in Park City on Jan. 24–27, according to a release from the outlet. Among the talent confirmed to participate are out actor Bowen Yang, Carey Mulligan, Alison Brie, Questlove, Alia Shawkat, Dylan O’Brien, lesbian comedian/actress Tig Notaro, Rebecca Hall, Archie Madekwe, Kelly Marie Tran, out actor/reality star/model Nyle DiMarco, Juliette Lewis, Mamoudou Athie and many more. One of the highlights will take place on Friday, Jan. 24, when TheWrap will host a fireside chat titled “Reimagining Hollywood: A New Lens on Disability Inclusion.”
Speaking of Dylan O’Brien, he said he utilized out gay director James Sweeney’s so-called “gay scale” to play straight and gay twin brothers in the upcoming film Twinless, according to Variety. “Most of the time, [Sweeney would] be like, ‘You were too straight on that,’” O’Brien laughingly recalled. “I was happy for that permission … a sign of a great filmmaker is to always give you the permission to go into a direction or not.” O’Brien (who is straight) said his future plans include a reunion with Sweeney (“James and I are definitely going to partner up again on something”) and, he hoped, a distribution deal for Ponyboi, a film about an intersex sex worker co-starring intersex-rights activist River Gallo as well as LGBTQ+ actors Indya Moore and Murray Bartlett that first premiered at Sundance in 2024. (Deadline reported that Ponyboi is set to hit theaters June 27, during Pride Month.)
The non-binary star of the film I Saw the TV Glow has changed their name, according to Out. The actor formerly known as Brigette Lundy-Paine is changing their name to Jack Haven. A social media post noted that the name is a nod to a relative, Haven Gillespie, who co-wrote a popular holiday song: “Haven is after my great great uncle, Haven Gillespie who was a songwriter known for the xmas hit ‘Santa Clause [sic] is Coming to Town,’ which he wrote on the subway in 15 minutes. and first name Jack has stuck.” Haven, who is known for starring in the Netflix series Atypical, came out as non-binary and announced they use they/them pronouns in 2019.
Exteriors—a film that weaves together three interconnected stories of modern gay relationships—begins streaming on Gay Binge TV on March 3, per a press release. Starring Peter Stickles (Shortbus; Here TV’s The Lair) and former Disney Channel host-turned-out actor Fernando, the film’s director, Mark Schwab, drew inspiration for Exteriors from Ryûsuke Hamaguchi’s Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy. The film follows Wyatt (played by Christian Gabriel), Jason (Julian Goza) and Peter (Stickles)—three gay men dealing with life-changing emotional journeys. Schwab’s most recent achievements include writing and directing the feature film Shadows in Mind and the upcoming LGBTQ comedy Cutaways.
HBO has renewed The White Lotus for a fourth season, Deadline noted. This development regarding Mike White’s drama series is taking place ahead of the launch of season three (Feb. 16). The third season stars Leslie Bibb, Jason Isaacs, Michelle Monaghan, Carrie Coon, Parker Posey, Dom Hetrakul, Tayme Thapthimthong, Christian Friedel, Morgana O’Reilly, Lek Patravadi, Shalini Peiris, Walton Goggins, Aimee Lou Wood and Patrick Schwarzenegger, among others; the eight-episode series is set in an an exclusive Thai resort.
In celebration of Aaliyah‘s birthday, Barbie paid homage to the “princess of R&B” with a new doll, per Billboard. Part of Mattel‘s growing Music Collector series, the iconic doll brand honors the late singer’s influence on music and fashion that helped shape ’90s hip-hop culture. The Aaliyah Barbie doll is inspired by her iconic “One in a Million” music video, with the figure dressed in a black faux leather ensemble with accessories such as studded lace-up details, sleek black shades and her signature hairstyle, with hair swooping over one eye. The series also has dolls that are tributes to David Bowie, Elton John, Stevie Nicks and others.
Abbott Elementary, created by and starring Quinta Brunson, received a fifth-season renewal—the first ABC series to secure its spot on the 2025-26 schedule, Deadline noted. The pickup follows Abbott Elementary‘s highly-rated winter return; the Jan. 8 crossover episode with FXX’s It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia hit series high in total viewership. Season four of Abbott Elementary airs Wednesdays on ABC, and streams next day on Hulu.
Grammy-winning artists Zac Brown, Stewart Copeland, Mick Fleetwood, Sammy Hagar, Bruce Hornsby, Norah Jones, Wynonna Judd, Dave Matthews, John Mayer and Maren Morris are among the artists slated to perform at the MusiCares Persons of the Year benefit gala honoring Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award 2007 recipients the Grateful Dead on Jan. 31, per a press release. Emmy- and Peabody Award-winning television personality and devoted Deadhead Andy Cohen will host, with comedian/podcaster Bert Kreischer joining as a presenter. Past MusiCares honorees include Smokey Robinson, Joni Mitchell, Barbra Streisand, Bruce Springsteen, Lionel Richie, Paul McCartney, Phil Collins, Stevie Wonder, Aretha Franklin, Sting and many others.
In anticipation of the season-two premiere of The Last of Us on HBO, Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment is releasing The Last of Us: The Complete First Season, which will be available for the first time ever in a 4K Ultra HD Steelbook Limited-Edition Collectible on March 18, a press release noted. The Last of Us takes place 20 years after modern civilization has been destroyed. Joel is hired to smuggle Ellie, a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone; what starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal and heartbreaking journey as they both must traverse the U.S. and depend on each other for survival.
Dance On Camera and Symphony Space are teaming to present the 53rd edition of the Dance On Camera Festival on Feb. 21-24 in NYC, per a press release. The longest-running dance film festival in the world, Dance On Camera received 200 submissions this year from 33 countries. Stéphane Carrel’s documentary Resilient Man—featuring celebrated Australian ballet dancer Steven McRae—will open the festival; closing the festival will be Mad Hot Ballroom, which has its 20th anniversary this year. Mad Hot Ballroom is Marilyn Agrelo’s documentary following the lives of NYC public school students learning the intricacies of ballroom dance through a competition sponsored by a local nonprofit.
Queer Eye co-host Antoni Porowski talked with the outlet Red about how the show’s “family has changed” following the exit of co-star Bobby Berk, Queerty noted. Porowski said that he’s “not really in touch” with Berk anymore; however, while “there isn’t too much communication,” he holds no “resentment or ill will” over his departure. (Berk, replaced by interior decorator Jeremiah Brent, said that he was ready to move on and didn’t renew his contract.) As for Brent, Porowski called him a “wonderful” addition, bringing “a different perspective into the chaos of the five of us” as a married father with two kids. (Brent is married to Nate Berkus.)
The Black Eyed Peas canceled its 15-show residency at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino’s PH Live that was set to launch Feb. 15, citing “current circumstances,” according to Deadline. “To our dearest Peabodies,” the trio of will.i.am, Apl.de.Ap and Taboo wrote on Instagram. “It is with a heavy heart that, in light of current circumstances, our Las Vegas shows will not be moving forward as planned.” The group has 10 Top 10 hits, including three chart-toppers with “Boom Boom Pow” and “I Gotta Feeling”—which combined to give the group a record 26 consecutive weeks at No. 1 in 2009—and “Imma Be” the following year.
The legal battle between Justin Baldoni and Blake Lively is continuing with a new suit from Baldoni alleging that Lively used Taylor Swift to pressure him, per Variety. In the suit, filed against Lively and her husband, actor-producer Ryan Reynolds, Baldoni—who’s seeking $400 million—claims the couple hijacked the film It Ends With Us and tried to wreck his public reputation with false allegations of sexual harassment. According to the filing, Lively summoned Baldoni to her NYC penthouse, where Reynolds and a “megacelebrity friend”—who appears to be Swift—praised Lively’s version of a rooftop scene. Lively had filed a lawsuit against Baldoni, producer Jamey Heath, and publicists Melissa Nathan and Jennifer Abel on Dec. 31, 2024, accusing Baldoni and others of orchestrating a smear campaign against her because she claimed she dealt with sexual harassment on the set of the film.