ABC Owned Television Stations announced that the first two-episodes of the Our America: Who I'm Meant to Be docuseries are now available on its 32 connected TV apps across streaming platforms Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV, Android TV and Roku, according to a press release. The first two episodes, available now, tell the stories of Honey Mahogany, one of the co-founders of the Transgender District in San Francisco and first transgender person elected to serve in the San Francisco Democratic Party; and Kaylee Harris, who struggled with gender dysphoria and was able to undergo gender hormone therapy during the pandemic in the privacy of her home. The full slate of Our America: Who I'm Meant to Be episodes will be made available for viewers beginning June 21 on the station group's connected TV apps.
Randy Rainbow hits the road with his new Pink Glasses Tour beginning Au. 27, in Clearwater, Florida, a press release noted. The tour will end Dec. 4 in Toronto, with stops in such cities as Seattle (Sept. 23); Charleston, South Carolina (Oct. 1); Chicago (Oct. 22); New York City (Oct. 30); and San Francisco (Nov. 20). Rainbow is a two-time Emmy-nominated comedian, producer, actor, singer, writer and satirist best known for his YouTube series The Randy Rainbow Show.
Melissa Etheridge and Heart's Nancy Wilson are among the headliners at Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp's first-ever women-only Rock Camp, slated for Jan. 27-30, 2022, a press item noted. In addition to the women headlining, the crew and staff working on the event will be composed of an entirely female workforce. In addition, the multidisciplinary guest speakers from the music and recording industry will be women led by Britt Lightning (Vixen), the musical director for the entire Rock Camp organization. See RockCamp.com/fantasy-camp-women-only.php.
The guest judges for RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars 6 have been revealed, out.com noted. They include Aisha Tyler, Big Freedia, Charli XCX, Emma Roberts, Jamal Sims, Justin Simien, Tia Mowry, Tina Knowles-Lawson (Beyonce's mother) and fashion designer Zaldy. There will also be special appearances from Alec Mapa, Angela Bassett, Cheyenne Jackson, Fortune Feimster, Jermaine Fowler, Miss Piggy and Tanya Tucker. The first two episodes of AS6 will premiere Thursday, June 24, on Paramount+.
VINCINT has released his debut album, There Will Be Tears, according to a press release. Collaborators include Alex Newell, Qveen Herby, Parson James, and Tegan and Sara. To celebrate the release, VINCINT will make his TV debut Tuesday, June 15, on the Today Show, performing "Getaway" with Tegan and Sara. On a new episode of the Talkhouse Podcast, VINCINT told Meghan Trainor, "I don't see pop stars who look like me—no one's as dark as me, no one's as gay as me. Well, THAT's not true, but, you know what I mean? I want people who are like me to see me and say, 'Damn, I can do that.'" The podcast is at www.talkhouse.com/meghan-trainor-talks-with-vincint-on-the-talkhouse-podcast/ .
Taylor Swift's Evermore returned to number one on the Billboard 200 chart for a fourth nonconsecutive week on top, with 202,000 equivalent album units earned in the country in the week ending June 3, Billboard noted. Of that sum, album sales accounted for 192,000 units—marking the biggest sales week of 2021. It surpassed the previous largest sales week of the year, when Swift's Fearless (Taylor's Version) sold 179,000 in its first week.
Two special guests showed up at Pose's FYC (For Your Consideration) panel at the Rose Bowl on June 5: Sir Elton John and his husband, David Furnish, Deadline noted. Series co-creator/executive producer Ryan Murphy described the duo as big fans of the show. John, who lived through the 1980s AIDS epidemic, spoke of creating his AIDS Foundation, which has raised $500 million to date. "My motto is no one gets left behind. No one should be left behind, no sex worker, no prisoner, to trans person, no intravenous drug user, no gay people. We have to embrace all of us, we have to embrace everybody. And this is exactly why I love this program so much," he said of FX's Pose during the drive-in event.
Poly People—a seven-episode mockumentary about the daily life of four people in a polyamorous relationship—is available to watch on YouTube, a press release noted. Last year, Brazilian writer/director/actor Thales Correa was a member of the Second City Writing Program, where he co-developed the series concept Poly People with a classmate, lesbian writer Melissa Girard. In Poly People, while each of the four main characters—non-binary-identifying Cuddelz (Correa), bisexual Abigail (Andrea Flowers), lesbian Lez (Ilona Kulinska), and hetero but curious Tucker (Anthony Moore)—have different sexual identities, they fall in love and take one another as lovers and partners, and form a domestic unit. In May, the series qualified for the 2021 Primetime Emmy Awards, eligible in Outstanding Short Form Comedy Series and Best Actor in a Short Form Comedy Series.
Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore are set to star in Rocket Science's May December for openly gay director Todd Haynes (Carol; Poison), according to Deadline. May December will see Moore and Haynes reunite for the sixth time, following previous collaborations including Far from Heaven.
Mario Cantone, David Eigenberg, Willie Garson and Evan Handler will reprise their Sex and the City roles on the new HBO Max series And Just Like That…, a press release noted. This new chapter of Sex and the City follows Carrie (Sarah Jessica Parker), Miranda (Cynthia Nixon) and Charlotte (Kristin Davis) as they navigate the journey from the complicated reality of life and friendship in their 30s to the even more complicated reality of life and friendship in their 50s. The 10-episode, half-hour series is scheduled to begin production in New York this summer.
When They See Us star Isis King just booked her next big project after being cast in With Love, a new romantic comedy series coming to Amazon, out.com noted. With Love follows the Diaz siblings, Lily and Jorge, played by Emeraude Tobia and Mark Indelicato, "who are on a mission to find love and purpose" as they "cross paths with seemingly unrelated residents during some of the most heightened days of the year: the holidays." King's character, Sol Perez, is Lily and Jorge's cousin on their mom's side. According to Deadline, "they are a trans nonbinary oncology resident who is finally opening themselves up to love with a handsome doctor they work with."
NBC opted not to give a third-season renewal to the musical dramedy Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist, according to Deadline. The show had then been shopped to Peacock, which declined to run it. The series—which co-stars Jane Levy, Alex Newell and Skylar Astin—earned choreographer Mandy Moore an Emmy award in 2020; earlier this year, Levy received a Golden Globe nomination for her work.
Grammy-winning artist Megan Thee Stallion released her summer anthem, "Thot Shit"—marking the return of her famed alter ego, Tina Snow, a press release noted. "Thot Shit" is Megan's first solo release in 2021, following her critically acclaimed 2020 debut album, Good News. The song is also accompanied by a video that a press release described as a "shocking statement" item.
Season of Pride 2021—the third annual streaming event celebrating LGBTQ+ diversity in gaming—will promote inclusivity and love 9 a.m. to midnight PT on July 1-31, a press release noted. Presented by MidBoss, developer of inclusive cyberpunk adventure 2064: Read Only Memories, Season of Pride will be hosted on the MidBoss Twitch Channel while also making appearances on the Twitch homepage throughout the month. Rebranded from Summer of Pride to Season of Pride for greater worldwide inclusivity, the event will once again seek to raise funds for LGBTQ+ organizations Trans Lifeline, Trevor Project and GaymerX. See seasonofpride.tv/ .
Queer Eye star Karamo Brown recently discussed some of the discrimination he said he faced while filming the upcoming sixth season of the reality series, USA Today noted. On a podcast, Brown said, "This is real conversations of coming across people who are very blatant about 'I don't interact with Black folks, I don't interact with brown folks, I don't interact with y'all gays.'" Texas, known for being conservative, lacks statewide anti-discrimination laws protecting LGBTQ people in virtually all areas, including employment, housing, education, adoption, state employees and more, 24/7 Wall St. reported.
Ricky Martin opened up about the lasting effects of a traumatizing interview with Barbara Walters, where the journalist asked him to address his sexuality on national television, according to a USA Today item that cited People Magazine. During the 2000 interview, Walters urged Martin to "stop these rumors" and define his sexuality. "When she dropped the question, I felt violated because I was just not ready to come out. I was very afraid," Martin said. The singer revealed that he suffers from PTSD because of the infamous interview with Walters.
Actor Ryan Reynolds said his three daughters helped him to speak out about his own mental-health struggles, according to people.com . In late May, he opened up about his "lifelong" struggles with anxiety in a candid Instagram post in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month. "Part of it is that I have three daughters at home and part of my job as a parent is to model behaviors and model what it's like to be sad and model what it's like to be anxious, or angry. That there's space for all these things," Reynolds told Entertainment Tonight.
Non-binary actor/musician Lex Mayson has been cast as Saff, one of Joe Exotic's employees at his famous independent zoo, in Kate McKinnon's upcoming Joe Exotic limited series, out.com noted. The series, which McKinnon is producing and starring in for Peacock, is based on the Wondery podcast of the same name. It follows big-cat enthusiast Carole Baskin (McKinnon), who crosses out gay big cat breeder Joe Exotic (John Cameron Mitchell) and ends up in an escalating rivalry with him.
Modern Family actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson revealed that his dermatologist found "a bit of skin cancer" during a check-up, EW.com noted. Sharing the update, Ferguson posted a photo of himself at a Los Angeles doctor's office with a bandage on his neck, below his right ear. Skin cancer is the abnormal growth of skin cells that typically develop on skin exposed to sunlight, namely the sun's UV rays, according to The Mayo Clinic.
A new documentary focused on the turning point in the AIDS pandemic will begin production in San Francisco, a press release noted. The Lazarus Lotteries is a documentary focused on a little-known chapter in the history of HIV/AIDS, when pharmaceutical companies, bowing to the pressure of AIDS activists, held lotteries to provide giveaways of the drugs known as protease inhibitors. Film producer-director Carly McCarthy and co-producer Malcom Gregory Scott (a writer-activist who took part in the drug lotteries) seek interviews with people whose lives were saved by these historic lotteries. For more information, or to connect with the filmmakers, visit www.lazaruslotteries.com or email info@lazaruslotteries.com .
The Eyes of Tammy Faye—an intimate look at the rise, fall and redemption of the late televangelist Tammy Faye Bakker—will be in theaters Sept. 17, a press release noted. In the 1970s and '80s, Tammy Faye (played by Jessica Chastain) and her husband, Jim Bakker (Andrew Garfield), rose from humble beginnings to create the world's largest religious broadcasting network and theme park, and were revered for their message of love, acceptance and prosperity. However, it wasn't long before financial improprieties, scheming rivals and scandal toppled their empire.
Nearly four years after New York Times reporters Megan Twohey and Jodi Kantor broke the bombshell Harvey Weinstein sex scandal report, Hollywood looks ready to tell the story, Deadline reported. Universal Pictures is prepping She Said, a new drama based on the New York Times bestseller She Said: Breaking the Sexual Harassment Story That Helped Ignite a Movement and is in negotiations with Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan to star as Twohey and Kantor. The film is set to begin production this summer and will be helmed by director Maria Schrader (Unorthodox).
Out100 honoree and The Good Place star Jameela Jamil has been cast as the villain in Disney Plus' upcoming She-Hulk series, according to out.com . The series stars Tatiana Maslany (from the series Orphan Black) as lawyer Jennifer Walters, a cousin of Bruce Banner who gets his Hulk powers after receiving a blood transfusion from him. Jamil is set to play the show's villain Titania, who in the comics has immense super strength and durability.
Bruce Springsteen will return to Broadway this summer for a limited run of Springsteen on Broadway at Jujamcyn's St. James Theatre, with shows running June 26-Sept. 4, Deadline noted. Tickets for Springsteen on Broadway will go on sale Thursday, June 10, and proceeds from Opening Night will be donated to a group of local New York and New Jersey charities, including Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS.
Jennifer Lopez's Nuyorican Productions signed a multi-year first look deal with Netflix, spanning feature films, TV series and unscripted content, with an emphasis on projects that support diverse female actors, writers and filmmakers, according to Deadline. Lopez already has two feature projects in the works at the streamer: the Niki Caro-directed The Mother (about a deadly female assassin who comes out of hiding to teach her daughter how to survive) and The Cipher.
Taraji P. Henson is set to play the villainous Miss Hannigan in Annie Live!, NBC's adaptation of the Tony-winning musical that airs in December, according to Deadline. The former Empire star, a three-time Emmy nominee and Oscar nominee, will take on the role of the unpleasant orphanage proprietor played by Carol Burnett in the 1982 movie version of Annie. It's the first casting for the production as NBC continues its search for the musical's young star.
As 2021 ACM Entertainer of the Year Luke Bryan gears up to hit the road for his "Proud To Be Right Here Tour" in July, the rural Georgia native is stated he is also bringing back his Farm Tour this fall, a press release noted. He will play on six farms Sept. 9-18, including spots in Marshall, Wisconsin; Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Chillicothe, Illinois; Kingman, Indiana; Baltimore, Ohio; and Fowlerville, Michigan. See https://www.cidentertainment.com/events/luke-bryan-farm-tour.
At the CMT Music Awards, singer Carrie Underwood took home the Video of the Year for "Hallelujah," with John Legend, a press release noted. Underwood is now the most awarded artist in the history of the CMT Music Awards with 23 wins, while this was Legend's first CMT honor. During her acceptance speech, Underwood said, "John Legend, thank you for sending me this incredible song and agreeing to sing with me on it and making this incredible video that I am so proud of."
Tyler Perry is taking his iconic femme senior character Madea, who has grossed more than $1 billion at the box office, to Netflix with a 12th movie, A Madea Homecoming, Deadline noted. A 2022 drop date is planned. Perry reportedly said that Madea would be making her final appearance in the 2019 Lionsgate feature A Madea Family Funeral, which made $75 million at the global box office.
Patrick Schwarzenegger has joined the cast of The Staircase, HBO Max's limited series drama adaptation based on the true-crime docuseries, Deadline noted. Other cast members include Colin Firth, Toni Collette, Rosemarie DeWitt, Juliette Binoche, Parker Posey, Sophie Turner and Odessa Young. The eight-episode series, from Christine director Antonio Campos and American Crime Story writer Maggie Cohn, explores the life of Michael Peterson (Firth), his sprawling North Carolina family and the suspicious death of his wife, Kathleen (Collette); Schwarzenegger will play Todd Peterson, Michael's son.
Food Network personality Robert Irvine hosts the new five-episode culinary competition The Globe, streaming exclusively on discovery+ beginning Saturday, July 17, a press release noted. In each episode, four chefs compete across three rounds of culinary gameplay as they are transported to the greatest food destinations around the world via immersive LED screen backdrops that have the chefs traveling the globe without ever having to leave the arena.
Mariah Carey responded to the rumors that she and Jay-Z "had an explosive meeting" that led to her leaving Roc Nation, Billboard noted. "The only 'explosive' situation I'd ever 'get into' with Hov is a creative tangent, such as our #1 song 'Heartbreaker'!!" she wrote on her social-media accounts with a 45-second snippet of their music video. "To the people who make up these lies I say 'Poof! —Vamoose, sonofa*****'!'"
Tituss Burgess is sticking by his Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt co-star/friend Ellie Kemper after she came under fire for being named the queen of a ball with alleged ties to white supremacy when she was a teen, Page Six noted. "We're going to leave it at that," he said before adding, "My Ellie is doing wonderful. Ellie's great." Kemper offered a lengthy apology on Instagram after photos surfaced of her being crowned the queen of St. Louis' Veiled Prophet Ball back in 1999. She said that she didn't know the history of the debutante ball when she decided to participate but acknowledged that "ignorance is no excuse."
Call Me by Your Name star Armie Hammer is seeking help for drug, alcohol and sex issues, Page Six confirmed. Hammer flew to a treatment center outside of Orlando, Florida, and checked in May 31. Wife Elizabeth Chambers filed for divorce from the actor/scion in July 2020, months before his "cannibalism" scandal broke. Hammer has been embroiled in a sexual assault scandal since January, when various women, including exes Courtney Vucekovich and Paige Lorenze, came forward with claims of emotional and sexual abuse; he has denied all charges.
Cosmetic chemist Vincenzo (Vince) Spinnato, president/CEO of TurnKey Beauty, Inc., was chosen by Lorna Luft, Liza Minnelli and The Judy Garland Heirs Trust to develop a fine fragrance in honor of the late legendary actress, recording artist and entertainer Judy Garland, a press release noted. The unisex fragrance, called Judy: A Garland Fragrance by Vincenzo Spinnato, was released June 10, the 100th anniversary of Garland's birth.
HBO Max announced the upcoming 10=episode reality dating series FBoy Island, hosted by comedian.actress Nikki Glaser, a press release noted. Three women move to a tropical island where they're joined by 24 men—12 self-proclaimed "Nice Guys" looking for love, and 12 self-proclaimed "FBoys," who compete for cash. The women will navigate the dating pool together with the hope of finding a lasting love connection.
Kid Rock was filmed hurling a homophobic slur during an impromptu performance at a bar in Tennessee, NME.com noted. Footage obtained by TMZ shows the singer delivering a tirade against fans using their smartphones to record him. At one point, Rock screamed, "You fucking f*****s with your phones out," before the video gets cut off. (The New York Post reported that Rock repeated the slur in response to the uproar.) The clip was captured while Kid Rock was on stage at FishLipz Bar & Grill in Smithville, Tennessee.The latest controversy to engulf the country star comes after he previously launched a vicious on-stage rant against Oprah Winfrey in 2019.
Just hours after the 17th season of The Bachelorette debuted, longtime host Chris Harrison exited the romance franchise for good, Deadline noted. Harrison reportedly received a mid-range eight-figure payoff and promised to keep his mouth shut. Harrison was shoved aside from the franchise earlier this year after offering in an interview a pass and "compassion" to Bachelor contestant Rachael Kirkconnell over 2018 photos that surfaced of the season-25 contestant attending an Old South plantation-themed fraternity formal.
