Hugh Jackman will perform a series of 12 concerts at Radio City Music Hall next year beginning the weekend of Jan. 24, 2025, and continuing on select weekends in April, May, June, July and August, Deadline noted. Jackman announced the concert series with a social-media video co-starring Ryan Reynolds. The 12 concerts—under the title From New York, With Love—are being treated as a career retrospective, with songs from his Broadway and film musicals The Boy From Oz, The Greatest Showman and The Music Man, as well as other surprises. For more information, visit this link.
Max has ditched the show Velma after two seasons, Deadline noted. In a statement, Max said, “While we won’t be moving forward with another season of the series, we thank [Mindy Kaling and Charlie Grandy] for their compelling coming-of-age storytelling, unrivaled clues, and hilarious hijinks.” Besides Kaling, Velma also starred Constance Wu, Sam Richardson and Glenn Howerton in leading roles; guest actors included Jane Lynch, Wanda Sykes, Russell Peters, Melissa Fumero, Stephen Root and Gary Cole, among others.
Nonbinary actor Emma Corrin (The Crown; Deadpool & Wolverine) and Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Power of the Dog; Maria) will join Cate Blanchett in the new adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s The Seagull at London’s Barbican Theatre in 2025, per Deadline. Preview performances of The Seagull begin Feb. 26, with an official opening night set for March 6. The limited six-week season continues until April 5. Also, play mother and son in Alfonso Cuarón’s seven-part Apple TV+ drama Disclaimer, which premieres on the streamer on Oct. 11, 2024.
Rapper Lil Nas X has teased releases of a new song and an album, the latter entitled dreamboy, The Advocate noted. “GUESS WHOS FINALLY DROPPING NEW MUSIC NEXT MONTH ?!!” he wrote on social media. Following the performance of his song “JChrist” earlier this year, X’s previous album campaign disappeared; he later fired his team and then took some time to figure out what kind of artist he wanted to be.
Kylie Minogue announced the North American dates of her Global 2025 Tension Tour, per a press release. The North American leg will begin in Toronto on March 29 at Scotiabank Arena and go on to make stops in New York’s Madison Square Garden, Chicago/Rosemont’s Allstate Arena,x Austin’s Moody Center, Miami’s Kaseya Center, Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena and more. Tickets go on sale to the general public Friday, Oct. 11, at 10 a.m. local. Visit Kylie.com for all ‘Tension Tour’ dates. Tension II—a brand-new collection of 13 songs—will be released on Oct. 18 via BMG.
The criticism of straight actors playing gay roles is “absolutely valid,” actor Jeremy Strong (best known for his role on the TV series Succession) told the Los Angeles Times, according to EW. Strong, who’s straight, added, “While I don’t think that it’s necessary [for gay roles to be played by gay performers], I think that it would be good if that were given more weight.” Strong plays closeted lawyer/political fixer Roy Cohn in The Apprentice, Ali Abbasi’s Donald Trump biopic starring Sebastian Stan as the future 45th president
Writer/director Guy Guido is attempting to bring William Bast’s book Surviving James Dean to the big screen. Bast’s book alleges he had a gay love affair with the actor while in their late teens/early 20s. Despite Dean’s family confirming the duo were close friends, its contents have never been officially verified. Having written the script, Guido has begun meeting with potential producers and is trying to land the right cast for the key roles, per The Hollywood Reporter. Guido’s script is set from the first meeting between Bast and Dean to the actor’s violent death on Sept. 30, 1955, with this movie’s announcement timed to the anniversary of Dean’s passing. (Bast died in 2015 at age 84.)
Openly gay Tony winner Jonathan Groff will return to Broadway in a jukebox biomusical centered on the life and music of “Beyond the Sea” singer Bobby Darin, Playbill revealed. Titled Just in Time, the new musical will make its world premiere on the Main Stem this season, with previews beginning March 28, 2025, ahead of an official April 23 opening at the Circle in the Square Theatre. Groff won a Tony earlier this year for his performance in the Tony-winning revival of Merrily We Roll Along, and has also appeared on Broadway in Spring Awakening and Hamilton.
Out actor Van Hansis has returned to daytime as General Hospital recasts the role of Lucas Jones (who was previously played by Ryan Carnes), MSN noted. During 2005-2010, Hansis portrayed Luke Snyder on the now-defunct soap opera As the World Turns. While researching, Hansis told TV Insider that noticed that Lucas and Luke have similarities too. “When I got the part, I was looking up who the character was, and they both have the same dad stuff going on with their birth father being kind of a dirtbag because Luke had Damian [Paolo Seganti] and Lucas has Julian [William deVry] and then adopted fathers, so there are parallels.” Hansis also portrayed Thom in the award-winning queer web series EastSiders.
In partnership with the global release of Universal Pictures’ new movie Wicked, Republic Records and Verve Records announced that Wicked: The Soundtrack will be released via Republic Records/Verve Records on Nov. 22 to coincide with the film’s arrival in theaters, a press release noted. Wicked: The Soundtrack will include new versions of the iconic songs “Defying Gravity,” “Popular,” “Dancing Through Life,” “The Wizard And I,” and more. With music and lyrics by legendary Grammy- and Oscar-winning composer/lyricist Stephen Schwartz, the soundtrack includes songs performed by the film’s stars, Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande.
Out actress Sarah Paulson recently told Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts (who also happens to be part of the LGBTQ+ community) that she sees herself returning to American Horror Story, per Deadline. “I think there is a big chance that I will return to American Horror Story,” Paulson said. “I’ve got everything crossed. I would like to do it more than anything. It’s my home. It’s where I started.” Paulson’s last appearance in the American Horror Story anthology series was in 2021’s Double Feature, in which she played Tuberculosis Karen and Mamie Eisenhower in both halves of the show. She had previously starred in Asylum (2012), Coven (2013), Freak Show (2014), Hotel (2015), Roanoke (2016), Cult (2017) and Apocalypse (2018).
NewFest’s Executive Director David Hatkoff and Director of Programming Nick McCarthy announced that Colman Domingo will be honored with the NewFest36 Voice & Visibility Award during this year’s New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival, a press release noted. Recipients have played an active and essential role in empowering and advancing the LGBTQ+ community in the media. The award presentation will take place on Saturday, Oct. 12, at the SVA Theatre, with a conversation between Colman Domingo and Chris Murphy of Vanity Fair to immediately follow. The 36th Annual New York LGBTQ+ Film Festival will run through Oct. 22 in-person throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn, and streaming virtually throughout the United States.
Dolly Parton said she will make a personal donation of $1 million toward disaster-recovery efforts in the wake of Hurricane Helene, the BBC reported. Parton’s local commercial ventures (including the Dollywood amusement park) would also donate the same amount to the Mountain Ways Foundation, which is aiding those affected by flooding in the region. During her remarks, Parton broke into song, singing “Helene, Helene” to the tune of her 1973 hit “Jolene.” At least 225 people have died due to Helene, which tore through the southeast United States in late September.
Stage and screen legend Liza Minnelli has joined the producing team of off-Broadway’s Drag: The Musical, now in previews at New World Stages and headed toward an Oct. 21 opening night, per Playbill. The cast is led by co-writer and RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Alaska Thunderfuck; co-stars include fellow Drag Race alums Luxx Noir London, Jujubee and Jan Spot; singer Joey McIntyre; actor Nick Adams; and more. The production is directed and choreographed by Spencer Liff (Falsettos, Hedwig and the Angry Inch and TV’s So You Think You Can Dance). According to a press release, “In Drag: The Musical, two drag houses—both alike in indignity—vie for supremacy in a wig-snatching journey of fashion, family, and forgiveness. After a bitter split, two estranged queens bring their already simmering tensions to a boiling point when they open competing clubs.”
Glamour celebrated its 2024 Women of the Year honorees Oct. 8 at a ceremony at The Times Square EDITION Hotel in New York City, a media release announced. Honorees included actress/model/activist Pamela Anderson; Olympic gold medal gymnast Suni Lee; actor Taraji P. Henson; abortion activists Hadley Duvall and Kaitlyn Joshua; and “The Moms”—Donna Kelce (mother of Jason and Travis Kelce), Tina Knowles (mother of Beyoncé and Solange Knowles) and Maggie Baird (mother of Billie Eilish and Finneas). Allyson Felix—the most decorated track and field athlete in U.S. history—received of the Face of Change Award, presented by #SmartTox. Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Finneas, Demi Lovato, Kelsea Ballerini, Amber Ruffin, Bethenny Frankel, Ashlyn Harris and Sophia Bush, Brynn Whitfield, Chanel Iman and Gayle King were among the guests.
Madonna’s younger brother, Christopher Ciccone, passed away at 63 after a cancer battle, Yahoo! News noted. Christopher’s passing happened less than two weeks after the death of Madonna’s stepmother, Joan Clare Ciccone, who also had cancer. The pop superstar’s eldest brother, Anthony Ciccone, also passed away in February 2023 of respiratory failure and throat cancer at age 66. In his 2008 book, Life With My Sister Madonna, Christopher claimed that his famous sister outed him in a 1991 interview with The Advocate, saying, “My brother Christopher’s gay, and he and I have always been the closest members of my family.” (He later said the sibling rift had healed.) Per Deadline, Madonna posted on social media, “My brother Christopher is gone. He was the closest human to me for so long, … We took each other’s hands and we danced through the madness of our childhood.” Christopher married British hairdresser Ray Thacker in 2016.
Queer actress Keke Palmer will join Naomi Ackie, LaKeith Stanfield and Demi Moore in the Boots Riley film I Love Boosters, per Deadline. The film centers on a ring of enterprising boosters (also known as shoplifters) who take aim at a cutthroat fashion maven. Palmer most recently starred in Jordan Peele’s Nope, which earned her accolades for the performance.
A24 has bought U.S. distribution right to Pillion, a queer romance film starring Alexander Skarsgard and Harry Malling, Variety noted. The movie follows Colin (Melling), a wallflower letting life pass him by—until Ray (Skarsgård), the handsome leader of a motorbike club, takes him on as his submissive. Pillion marks the feature debut of Harry Lighton, whose short “Wren Boys” was nominated for best British short at the 2018 BAFTAs and had its U.S. premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.
Jersey Boys performer Michael Longoria will make his solo debut at NYC’s 54 Below with his holiday show, “A Very Broadway Kind of Christmas,” a press release noted. Scheduled for one night only on Sunday, Dec. 1, “this event promises to be a festive celebration that blends holiday cheer with the magic of Broadway,” the release stated. “A Very Broadway Kind of Christmas” will feature a mix of holiday songs—including selections from Longoria’s own Christmas album, Merry Christmas Darling—and Broadway favorites from his career.
In a sit-down interview with Entertainment Tonight seemingly done to promote his movie The Lost Holliday, Jussie Smollett again maintained his innocence, saying he’s still fighting for the truth of what happened to emerge, according to Yahoo! “I want to have all of these things in my life, and I don’t want to have a felony on my record for something that I didn’t do,” Smollett said. “It would be easier if I had in fact done this to say that I did it. I wouldn’t have spent almost $3 million of my own money. I wouldn’t have had a trial.” After Smollett was arrested in 2019 and accused of staging the attack, the charges against him were dropped and then refiled a year later; he was convicted in 2021 of five felony counts of disorderly conduct. He’s since appealed that conviction, with the case currently being reviewed by the Illinois Supreme Court.
Joker: Folie à Deux, a musical starring Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga, opened with a lower-than-expected $37.8 million over last weekend, per Deadline. Warner Bros let Todd Phillips make the movie he wanted, but at a much higher greenlight price of $190M+—171% above the original 2019 movie’s $70 million. Joker 2, in its final domestic release, will be greatly lower than the opening of the original movie, which continues to stand as an October domestic record with $96.2 million.
When the Broadway League announced that only select theaters would take part in the traditional light-dimming ceremony—11, representing one venue from each theater owner—the Broadway community was heartbroken and outraged that the late Gavin Creel wouldn’t be getting the full tribute with all venues taking part, Deadline noted. The Eugene O’Neill Theatre, where Creel had starred in The Book of Mormon, later announced that it, too, would take part in the tribute. And the Al Hirschfeld Theatre—which Creel loved—also parted with the League’s official roster by adding its participation in the tribute. The specific date of the tribute is being worked out by the league as well as Creel’s family members and friends.
Celine Dion turned back time to 1996 with one of her most iconic hits and a Super Bowl XXX sweatshirt as she made a surprise appearance during Sunday Night Football‘s opening sequence, with the game between the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers airing on NBC and streaming on Peacock, Deadline noted. “I think my favorite thing about this game is its power to connect who we are to who we were, to prove our most powerful memories, our most enduring loves can stay with us forever. You know what I’m talking about, right?,” she began as her 1996 hit “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” played. Dallas won the latest game in the teams’ storied history by a score of 20-17.
Starz has cancelled The Serpent Queen, starring Samantha Morton as Catherine de Medici, although the cast will be paid for the unproduced season-three episodes, per Deadline. Also, a spinoff centering on Queen Elizabeth The First is in the works from the same creative team—with Minnie Driver (who played the monarch on Serpent) slated to star. The cancellation decision comes a little over a month after season two of The Serpent Queen ended its run on Starz; both seasons have been well-received, scoring 100% on Rotten Tomatoes and landing on multiple Top 10 lists.
On the flip side, Prime Video has renewed the Alan Ritchson show Reacher for a fourth season—even though the third season won’t debut until later this year, Deadline noted. The news comes a week after the streamer also revealed it had given a series order to a Reacher spinoff starring Maria Sten, reprising her fan-favorite character of Frances Neagley from the original show. In the upcoming season, Reacher (Ritchson) must go undercover to rescue an informant held by a haunting foe from his past.
And the drama surrounding the Netflix true-crime anthology series Monsters and Lyle and Erik Menendez continues. According to Variety, a new court hearing for the brothers has been set for Nov. 29, more than 28 years after they were convicted of murdering their parents and two weeks after the series debuted. Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón made the announcement at a press conference, adding there has been new evidence discovered that the brothers were allegedly molested by their father, Jose Menendez. The new hearing could lead to a retrial or resentencing.
On a related note, after visiting Erik and Lyle Menendez in prison, Kim Kardashian wrote an essay demanding the brothers be freed, a separate Variety item noted. “We are all products of our experiences. They shape who we were, who we are, and who we will be. Physiologically and psychologically, time changes us, and I doubt anyone would claim to be the same person they were at 18. I know I’m not!” Kardashian wrote in an essay for NBC News. Kardashian’s essay came shortly after Gascón’s announcement—and Monsters producer Ryan Murphy has said that the brothers will be “out of prison by Christmas.” Rosie O’Connell believes they’ll be out sooner than that.
Donald Glover canceled the rest of his Childish Gambino concert tour in North America and Europe, saying he has surgery scheduled and needs “time out to heal,” Variety reported. The news comes after Glover previously postponed the remaining North American dates on the tour—which has been touted as the “final” Childish Gambino tour, as Glover plans to retire the moniker. On X, Glover did not disclose the reason for his hospitalization or the details of his planned surgery. While he specifically canceled the tour dates in North America, the U.K. and the rest of Europe, he did not mention if his concerts in New Zealand and Australia, in January and February 2025, would be affected.
Dom Perignon has launched a limited edition series of bottles of its 2015 vintage Brut Champagne sporting labels inspired by famed artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, according to The Drinks Business. Dom Perignon has represented the work through a series of three coffrets, or gift boxes that, when brought together, display Basquiat’s 1983 work In Italian in its entirety. This is, according to the LVMH-owned Champagne house, a nod to how the Champagne is made. As for the actual bottles, each label features Basquiat’s signature three-pointed crown—in yellow, blue or green—atop the Dom Pérignon shield; the coffrets cost $350. Previous collections have paid homage to Andy Warhol and Jeff Koons.