Iconic singer Celine Dion criticized Donald Trump’s use of her 1997 signature song “My Heart Will Go On” at campaign rallies, Variety noted. While Trump has used the song at rallies in the past, in Montana recently he used a video of Dion singing the song as well—which involves legal issues beyond the standard use of a song at a rally. Dion disavowed any endorsement of his campaign and questioned the choice of the song. Trump has used counterintuitive songs at his rallies, from Neil Young’s cynical “Rockin’ in the Free World” to R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion” and Linkin Park’s “To the End.”
Production of Todd Haynes‘ gay romance movie is completely dead after lead Joaquin Phoenix stormed off the set of the movie which also starred Top Gun: Maverick‘s Danny Ramirez, per Deadline. Ramirez reportedly flew to San Diego for Comic-Con to promote Marvel Studios’ Captain America: Brave New World—not knowing if production would resume. The movie follows two men, one played by Phoenix, who have an intense relationship and leave California for Mexico. Haynes is openly gay and films—such as Poison, Velvet Goldmine, Carol and May December—often deal with LGBTQ+ themes. Next up for Phoenix is the press tour for Joker: Folie à Deux, which co-stars Lady Gaga.
In a related matter, producer Christine Vachon defended her production company, Killer Films, for casting Joaquin Phoenix in the Todd Haynes film despite him being a straight actor, according to TheWrap. “And PLEASE — if you are tempted to finger wag or admonish us that ‘that’s what you get for casting a straight actor’ –DON’T,” Vachon posted on Facebook. “This was HIS project that he brought to US– and Killer’s record on working with LGBTQ actors/crew/directors speaks for itself. (and for those of you who HAVE– know that you are making a terrible situation even worse).”
The 2024 New York Film Festival has set Luca Guadagnino‘s Queer as its Spotlight gala screening, with the U.S. premiere of the film adaptation of William S. Burroughs’ novel of the same name taking place Oct. 6, per The Hollywood Reporter. LGBTQ+ singer Omar Apollo recently confirmed that he’s starring in the movie alongside Daniel Craig, Jason Schwartzman, Lesley Manville and Drew Starkey. In the film (which features a score by Trent Reznor), Craig plays Burroughs’ alter ego—habitual heroin user William Lee, who, while spending time with gay U.S. expatriates in Mexico City in the late 1940s, falls in love and embarks on an affair with preppy ex-military Eugene Allerton (Starkey).
In the upcoming series NBC medical drama Brilliant Minds, out actor Zachary Quinto (Heroes; American Horror Story) will portray Dr. Oliver Wolf—who happens to be openly gay and who also suffers from prosopagnosia, which impairs his ability to recognize familiar faces, according to Queerty. Additionally, Wolf is based on a real person: the late, influential Dr. Oliver Sacks, whose work and research influenced how the medical world understands and treats neurological disorders. Sacks was celibate for about 35 years, and only came forward about his sexuality in his 2015 autobiography On The Move: A Life, published just a few months prior to his passing.
Queer musician Chappell Roan had little tolerance for the passive spectators in the VIP section during her hset during the last day of Outside Lands, The San Francisco Chronicle noted. “It’s so weird that VIP thinks they’re so way too cool to do this!” Roan told the crowd, who had paid hundreds of dollars extra for the privilege of standing near the Lands End Stage, as she introduced her hit “Hot To Go!” a few songs into her nearly hour-long set on Aug. 11. It seemed particularly annoying for Roan, who had just shared a special milestone with the audience: She noted she was wearing the same glittery blue leotard from her signature tune’s music video, which she said just marked its one-year anniversary. Allen Scott—president of concerts and festivals for Another Planet Entertainment, which produces Outside Lands—told the Chronicle he estimated 50,000 of the festival’s 75,000 attendees showed up for Roan alone that day.
The fashion documentary Happy Clothes: A Film About Patricia Field will debut in theaters on Sept. 20, per a press release. The movie is described as “a candid fly-on-the-wall glimpse into the creative process and the extraordinary life and career of costume designer Patricia Field, whose unique vision has impacted fashion and popular culture for nearly six decades. She opened a clothing store in New York City in the early 1960s—when as a gay, female, first-generation American, everything was lined up against her not to succeed.” As a two-time Emmy-winning costume designer, Field is best known for her work on the TV show Sex and the City. Parker, Vanessa Williams, Michael Urie and Kim Cattrall are just a few of the people featured in the film. The trailer is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bm5HEwk6nGI.
Elliot Page told the media outlet them that he “felt such a surge of energy” when he announced his gender transition in 2020, per The Hollywood Reporter. “Sometimes I’m, like, ‘Oh my God, being trans is such a life hack,’” Page told them. “Because before, I was so miserable. And now you’re like, ‘What? This is great. I don’t mind. This is kind of cool.’ Like, what?!” Page came out as gay in 2014, and nearly seven years later announced he was transgender via an Instagram post that now has more than 3 million likes.
J.C. Lee is set to write the screenplay for TriStar Pictures’ Boy George biopic that is currently in development, per Deadline. Still in early development, the film will include music from Boy George and Culture Club, to which Primary Wave Music owns the rights. Lee will adapt the screenplay from Boy George’s autobiographies, Take It Like A Man, Straight and Karma and focus on the smash success years of Culture Club. Boy George rose to fame as lead singer of the iconic band Culture Club, scoring seven UK Top 10 singles and nine U.S. Top 10 singles, including “Karma Chameleon.”
Queer actress/director Clea DuVall is set to write and direct an adaptation of the Anna Dorn novel Perfume & Pain, Variety noted. The book is described as a “a sexy and twisted character drama following a hopelessly romantic and equally reckless sapphic novelist on the verge of superstardom and simultaneously total self-destruction – depending which way the wind blows and what pill she pops next. Astrid will need to write her own deliverance into healing, true love, and success… before she succumbs to the vices that threaten to tear her apart.” Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler will produce under their Killer Films banner.
Cuckoo actress Hunter Schafer is distancing herself from being labeled a transgender activist, arguing that she just happens to be “a tra**y who’s famous,” according to the UK outlet The Independent. “I just happen to be a person who’s part of a marginalized community in the public eye, and people love to call me an activist,” she told Rolling Stone. “It’s like, ‘No. I’m just a tra**y who’s famous,’ you know?” Schafer, who transitioned at 14, has previously called the conversations about her being trans “demeaning” and “reductive.” Schafer added that hopes that, someday, she and other queer and trans people won’t be defined by their gender or sexual identity.
The American Music Awards (AMAs) didn’t take place last year—and the event won’t happen this year, either, according to Variety. Instead, the next ceremony (called “the world’s largest fan-voted award show”) will take place in May 2025—shifting the AMAs to the spring for the first time. In its place this October, CBS will air a two-hour event, the American Music Awards 50th Anniversary Special, on Oct. 6.
Taylor Swift was the leading nominee for MTV’s Video Music Awards, collecting 10 nominations in the competition for the 2024 spacemen, according to Variety. Post Malone followed close behind with nine nods, primarily for sharing Swift’s “Fortnight” nominations, as her featured guest on that hit. Sabrina Carpenter, Eminem and Ariana Grande tied for third place with six nominations each, while SZA and Megan Thee Stallion each picked up five nominations. The VMAs will air live from UBS Arena on Sept. 10 at 8 p.m. ET/PT; it will be the first time the awards show will be based in that New York venue.
Beyonce recently teamed with the annual Bill Picket Rodeo and committed $500,000 in grants through her BeyGood foundation and its Black equestrian program, which supports programs that amplify Black cowboys, cowgirls and ranchers, USA Today noted. Now in its 40th year, the invitation rodeo is considered the longest running Black rodeo in the country and the leading event within Black equestrian culture. The BeyGood foundation has been traveling alongside the rodeo, and at some of those stops the charity has awarded thousands in grants and programming.
On Aug. 12, 12-inch vinyl editions of more than 50 classic trance tracks and albums went up for auction via Amplifyd, the online auction platforms that specializes in music collections and experiences and has previously hosted auctions for artists like Danny Tenaglia, Billboard noted. This latest auction includes classics like Tiesto’s 2004 remix of “Silence” by Delerium featuring Sarah McLachlan, Chicane’s 1999 hit “Saltwater,” several Armin van Buuren albums and other music by genre titans including Gouryella, BT, Ferry Corsten, Paul Oakenfold and System F. The auction is taking place through Sept. 8; the sale aims to raise $10,000, with proceeds going to organizations of the artists’ choosing, such as WWF, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital New York and The Cancer Research Institute of London all benefiting.
Amazon MGM Studios and Blumhouse Productions will debut House of Spoils on Prime Video on Oct. 3, per a press release. Queer Oscar winner Ariana DeBose stars as “Chef” in this genre-bending thriller that explores the chaos she encounters both in and out of the kitchen that co-stars Barbie Ferreira (who’s also LGBTQ+), Arian Moayed, Amara Karan, Mikkel Bratt Silset and Marton Csokas. House of Spoils continues a collaboration forged by Amazon MGM Studios and Blumhouse Television in 2019
Surge of Power Enterprises announced that the Tarzana International Film Festival will host the Aug. 24 world premiere of Surge of Power: Where There’s Smoke, the latest feature in the 20-year groundbreaking franchise, per a press release. In showing a character who is reportedly cinema’s first out gay superhero, Surge (played by creator Vincent J. Roth) teams with guest hero The Smoke (former pro wrestler Eric Moran) to uncover a villainous plot of The Council. Others in the film include Star Trek’s Nichelle Nichols (in one of her final roles) as well as actors Robert Picardo, Bruce Vilanch and Sam J. Jones. The series started in 2004 with Surge of Power: The Stuff of Heroes.
On Sunday, Sept. 22, Jonathan Bennett (Mean Girls) returns to host the new season of Halloween Wars, in which eight teams of pumpkin carvers, cake bakers and sugar artists compete against each other to create mind-blowing monster themed displays, per a Food Network press release. Captained by former champions, each team must capture the essence of iconic and classic Halloween monsters with mouth-watering treats made to impress returning judges Shinmin Li and Aarti Sequeira. In the end, one team will be left standing and walk away with the Halloween Wars championship.
The queer horror film Deadly Dealings is arriving On Digital and On Demand on Aug. 20, per a press release. The plot is as follows: “Mary is plagued by haunting visions of her brother, who tragically passed away. Desperate to reconnect with him, she reluctantly turns to a spirit board for answers. However, her attempt to communicate with him unleashes a malevolent entity that begins to torment her, invading both her dreams and waking life.” The trailer is at https://youtu.be/bzHtQ8EVSoo?feature=shared.
Boston Red Sox outfielder Jarren Duran and the team apologized after he used a homophobic slur during a recent game against the Houston Astros, WCVB noted. The Sox centerfielder was up to bat when he was caught on a hot mic (saying, ”Shut up you [expletive, expletive]”) while responding to a fan’s heckling while in the middle of his at-bat. Duran said in a post-game statement, “During tonight’s game, I used a truly horrific word when responding to a fan. I feel awful knowing how many people I offended and disappointed. I apologize to the entire Red Sox organization, but more importantly to the entire LGBTQ community. Our young fans are supposed to be able to look up to me as a role model, but tonight I fell far short of that responsibility. I will use this opportunity to educate myself and my teammates and to grow as a person.” Duran was suspended for two games, per The Washington Blade.
Xena: Warrior Princess actress Lucy Lawless criticized former Hercules: The Legendary Journeys co-star Kevin Sorbo following a racist remark he made about Vice President Kamala Harris, according to EW. Sorbo went viral after he penned a post on X (formerly Twitter) that questioned the Democratic presidential candidate’s race, writing, “If Kamala really is black, have her say the N-word, let the people decide for themselves.” Sorbo’s post was quickly criticized online by multiple X users including Lawless, who chose to address the situation with an anecdote from their past. “In his defense, I personally witnessed a time when Kevin Sorbo stuck up for a Black man against white people,” she wrote. Previously, Lawless slammed Sorbo for quote-sharing a conspiracy theory that stated it was “leftist agitators” who broke into the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, not Trump supporters.
Prime Video is promoting production company Dynamo’s Pimpinero: Blood and Oil, directed by filmmaker Andrés Baiz (Griselda; Narcos), per a press release. The celebrated cast includes Alberto Guerra (Griselda), Alejandro Speitzer (La Cabeza de Joaquin Murrieta), Laura Osma (Goles en contra) and Grammy-winning artist Juanes. Pimpinero: Blood and Oil—set in the desert bordering Colombia and Venezuela, where gasoline smugglers known as “pimpineros” risk their lives transporting illegal fuel from one country to another—is officially selected to screen at the Toronto International Film Festival, with its world premiere on Sept. 9.
Superstar Janet Jackson told BBC’s Radio 2 Breakfast that she (as well as her family) is related to other celebrities, per E! News. Not only did she say that the family is related to the iconic musician/singer Stevie Wonder but she added that queer musician Tracy Chapman and actor Samuel L. Jackson are also relatives. It’s unclear just how direct the lineage is, although Jackson confirmed that the “Fast Car” singer and Hateful Eight actor are her cousins.
FX has set Sept. 25 as the premiere date for Ryan Murphy‘s new horror drama series Grotesquerie, Variety noted. The 10-episode series will debut on FX and stream the next day on Hulu; it will be available internationally on Disney+ at a later date. The cast includes Niecy Nash-Betts, Courtney B. Vance, Lesley Manville, Micaela Diamond, Nicholas Alexander Chavez, Raven Goodwin, and Travis Kelce.
Musician Elle King made headlines after an appearance on the Dumb Blonde Podcast hosted by Bunnie Xo, Instinct Magazine noted, citing Billboard. King, made scathing comments about her father, comedic actor Rob Schneider (Deuce Bigelow: Male Gigolo), who recently made derisive comments about the drag-queen tableau during the Paris Olympics’ opening ceremonies (which he mistakenly thought was taken from The Last Supper). King, who took on her mother’s maiden name, stated during the podcast appearance that Schneider was an absentee father, and she also took issue with her father’s stand on LGBTQ+ rights.
In a new interview with Out, actor Luke Evans gushed about partner Fran Tomas—whom he called “the best part of me”—and the life they’ve built since meeting three years ago, according to Queerty. “He’s a great human being,” Evans said, adding, “He’s kind, calm. He’s happy. He’s positive. He’s a hard worker. He literally makes me a better person. And he has to put up with my sh*t, which I can’t imagine what that would be like.” Evans, 45, and Tomas, a 34-year-old from Madrid who previously worked in construction, confirmed their relationship in December 2022 after attending a gala together.
Queer musician/reality-show figure JoJo Siwa shared people she would never invite on her podcast—and all people named Candace are out of luck, according to Yahoo! Entertainment. On the latest episode of her iHeartRadio podcast JoJo Siwa Now, she revealed that conservative pundit Candace Owens and right-wing actress/former The View co-host Candace Cameron Bure are definitely not on her wish list as far as guests. Bure and Siwa’s viral feud began in July 2022 as part of a TikTok challenge in what JoJo described as an “accident.” JoJo shared the “rudest celebrity” she’s ever met and named the Fuller House star.
Talking with Elle UK, Justin Baldoni alluded to “friction” on the set of his hit film It Ends With Us with co-star Blake Lively, per People. Lively and co-star/director Baldoni have been kept separate throughout the film’s press tour, and they didn’t pose together at the premiere; fueling the rumors of a rift is the fact that Lively, author Colleen Hoover and co-star Jenny Slate do not follow him back on Instagram. “There are all these things that happen every day on set, there’s always friction that happens when you make a movie like this,” he said. “Then at the end of the day, it’s that friction, I believe, that creates the beautiful art. Everything in life needs friction to grow.” In the film, Lively and Baldoni depict an abusive relationship. Baldoni has allegedly hired the PR crisis firm The Agency Group amid the rumors of infighting, Page Six noted.
Singer Liam Payne was criticized for making a supposedly shady comment toward his girlfriend, Kate Cassidy, in a recent TikTok video, Complex noted. Payne and Cassidy were getting ready for a sushi night out with friends while talking about what they were wearing—and Payne said of Cassidy, “You look good. Nice and covered up, for once,” while she laughed. “They could never make me like you Liam Payne 
,” wrote one person, while another posted, “Girl, blink twice if you’re in danger.”
Alyssa Milano (Who’s The Boss?; Project Runway All-Stars; Charmed) is set to make her Broadway debut this fall in the musical Chicago—adding her celebrity to a show that skewers celebrity culture, WANE reported. Milano will step into the role of Roxie Hart at the Ambassador Theatre beginning Sept. 16 for an eight-week engagement through Nov. 10. Set in the 1920s, Chicago is a scathing satire of how show business and the media make celebrities out of criminals.