Fuse Media—a Latino-owned, multiplatform entertainment company—announced that in partnership with OUTtv, it is expanding its suite of DEI FAST channels with the launch of the channel OUTtv Proud, per a press release. Set for a 2023 launch, OUTtv Proud serves LGBTQ+ audiences with a blend of rising stars and top talent as well as original programming. The service will be developed with the support of former Logo executives. The new FAST channel will offer viewers an extensive collection of OUTtv's original series, documentaries, films and specials that are custom-made for global queer audiences.
Kevin Conroy, the openly gay actor known as the iconic voice of the animated Batman, has died at age 66 after battling cancer, Variety reported. Conroy's deep, gravelly Batman voice—displayed on the 1992-95 series Batman: The Animated Series—was widely acclaimed by critics and comic-book fans, with many regarding the actor as the definitive Caped Crusader. Conroy was so beloved for his Batman voice role that he continued with the character in various other DC projects, including the Batman: Arkham and Injustice video-games franchises. The 2019 Justice League animated film is Conroy's last credited feature as Batman, and his most recent video game credit as Batman is Warner Bros.' MultiVersus from earlier this year. He is survived by husband Vaughn C. Williams, sister Trisha Conroy and brother Tom Conroy.
Trans Jeopardy! Champion Amy Schneider said she keeps in touch with the contestant who ultimately broke her 40-game winning streak—the second longest in the show's history: Chicago librarian Rhone Talsma, The New York Post noted. "We went out for drinks and he's a delightful person," said Schneider, who is being honored at Out100, Out magazine's event celebrating LGBTQ+ groundbreakers, on Nov. 16 at Nebula. Schneider—who married new wife Genevieve Davis in May—has said she's also befriended former champ Mattea Roach.
Luke Evans doesn't agree with many prominent gay actors and creators on one issue, Out Magazine noted, citing The Daily Telegraph. "Gay people have definitely missed out on gay roles for sure. Russell [T Davies] spoke very powerfully, passionately, about this point. I get it, and I totally think that things do need to change." However, from Evans' perspective, "I wouldn't have had a career if gay people played gay roles and straight people played straight roles. I'd have played two roles out of the 36 projects I've worked on, or whatever [the number] is." Instead, Evans says he relies on "talent and ability, and a bit of luck and timing" to secure roles.
Chris Evans was crowned People's Sexiest Man Alive for 2022, Extra noted. The Captain America actor told the magazine, "My mom [Lisa] will be so happy. She's proud of everything I do but this is something she can really brag about." He added, "It's something that as I become old and saggy I can look back on and say 'I remember [when]…' " Evans also said he has marriage and fatherhood on his mind.
Scooby-Doo alum Linda Cardellini loves that the character of Velma is officially a lesbian, Entertainment Weekly noted. The Emmy-nominated star—who portrayed the beloved brainiac in the 2002 Scooby-Doo live-action and its 2004 sequel Monsters Unleashed—celebrated Velma's headline-making coming-out while in conversation about the third and final season of her Netflix dramedy Dead to Me (out Nov. 17). Cardellini also responded with a resounding "Oh God, yeah!" when asked if she would be open to reprising the role again. But "I'm probably too old," she said.
Bob Fosse's Dancin' is officially head to Broadway next year, according to Broadway World. The revival will begin previews at The Music Box Theatre on Thursday, March 2, 2023, with opening night set for Sunday, March 19. The production will be directed by Tony Award winner Wayne Cilento, one of the stars of the original Broadway production, and produced in cooperation with Nicole Fosse.
Out gay singer Tom Goss is releasing his first holiday album, per a press release. His new EP, Big Fat Gay Ass Christmas, is Christmas-themed, but with songs like "Santa Slay," "Put that Ass in Christmass," "Sassy Santa," and "Ho Ho Homo," it's not a traditional holiday album. Benjamin Koll, Big Daddy Karsten, Keith Lawrence, de ROCHE and more join him on the EP, out Nov. 18 on Apple Music, Spotify and all major digital platforms.
Singer Taylor Dayne ("Tell It To My Heart," "I'll Be Your Shelter") has revealed her recent cancer battle, per Extra. Talking about the colon-cancer battle with Good Morning America, she said, "Life is precious." Dayne eventually had 10 inches of her colon removed and was declared cancer-free. Her health struggles, however, were far from over because, as she explained, "I ended up staying in the hospital for about 15 days, 20 days, which is unusual because we had a complication and I developed an infection."
Actress Molly Bernard (TV's Younger) and wife Hannah Liberman are expecting their first child together, Extra noted. Molly showed off her baby bump on Instagram, and wrote, "Thrilled to share the very happy news that @liebhan and I are expecting our first gayby! We couldn't be more excited to start our parenthood journey!"
ABC and dick clark productions announced that legendary performer, musician, producer and American Idol judge Lionel Richie will be honored with the Icon Award at the 2022 American Music Awards—the world's largest fan-voted award show, a press release noted. This honor will make Richie the only artist in history to be featured on the AMAs stage in every decade since the show's inception. Hosted by Wayne Brady, the 2022 American Music Awards will air live from the Microsoft Theater on Sunday, Nov. 20.
The Prime Video fantasy-drama show Carnival Row—starring Orlando Bloom and Cara Delevingne—will end with its second season, which debuts in February, according to The Hollywood Reporter. There will be 10 episodes in the second season for the series, which last aired in August 2019.
Ting Poo will direct a new documentary about musician Christina Aguilera for Time Studios and Roc Nation, Deadline noted. The film on Aguilera will offer unprecedented access to her life story, opening her personal archive for a look into the past and present. Production on the Christina Aguilera doc has been quietly taking place over the last 18 months, with the filmmakers following the singer-songwriter through various travels, performances and life events.
Musician Luke Combs was named Entertainer of the Year at the 56th Annual CMA (Country Music Association) Awards, a press release noted. Brothers Osborne (a duo with one gay member) was named Vocal Duo of the Year while some of the other winners included Lainey Wilson (Female Vocalist of the Year and New Artist of the Year), Chris Stapleton (Male Vocalist of the Year) and Cody Johnson (Music Video and Single of the Year, for "Til You Can't"). Miranda Lambert, Reba McEntire and Carrie Underwood sang a tribute to the late country-music icon Loretta Lynn. Also, Dierks Bentley, Jon Pardi, Lainey Wilson and Underwood honored the 2022 CMA Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Alan Jackson.
Michael Butler—the Tony-winning producer who brought Hair to Broadway in 1968 and later produced the film adaptation and many other productions of the show—died in Santa Barbara at age 95, Deadline noted. Hair won the Best Musical Tony Award for Butler in 1969 along with six other Tonys, and its cast album spent 13 weeks atop the Billboard 200, winning the Grammy for Best Cast Album and spawning four smash singles (including The Fifth Dimension's medley of "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In").
Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown's Georgia house is on the market, per Page Six. The 8,022-square-foot Alpharetta, Georgia, mansion where Brown's 2005 reality show was filmed is going for $1.9 million. The luxurious home, built in 2001, features a library, billiard and media rooms, a terrace and a mahogany bar, along with vast closets, according to realtor.com .
More details were released about the death of singer Aaron Carter, who was 34, Extra noted, citing TMZ. Reportedly, cans of compressed air were found in his bedroom and bathroom, along with prescription pills. Law-enforcement sources said that police performed a welfare check at the house around 2 a.m. on the morning of Nov. 4; Carter's live-in housekeeper opened the door for the officers, but the singer asked them to leave. Brother Nick Carter (of the Backstreet Boys) wrote on Instagram, "My heart has been broken today. Even though my brother and I have had a complicated relationship, my love for him has never ever faded. I have always held onto the hope, that he would somehow, someday want to walk a healthy path and eventually find the help that he so desperately needed."
Rainn Wilson (TV's The Office) has changed his name to Rainnfall Heat Wave Extreme Winter Wilson to raise awareness about the environmental crisis and rapid warming of the Arctic region, Deadline noted. Wilson made the change to support a campaign being run by climate change awareness body Arctic Basecamp, of which he is a board member, to coincide with the United Nation's COP 27 meeting which is currently taking place in Egypt.
Canadian filmmaker Paul Haggis (Million Dollar Baby; Casino Royale) lost his civil rape trial after a New York jury found the Oscar-winning director liable on charges that he sexually assaulted a former film publicist after a movie premiere nearly a decade ago, Variety reported. Haggis was found liable on all three counts of rape and sexual abuse. The jury deliberated for nearly six hours and the unanimous jury of four men and two women awarded the plaintiff Haleigh Breest $7.5 million in compensation and recommended punitive damages, which will be decided Nov. 14.
A Louisiana woman filed a "look back" sexual-abuse lawsuit in Los Angeles against an unnamed but "renowned" Hollywood actor and producer—who seemingly fits the description of Warren Beatty ("Defendant Doe had acted in television and several Hollywood films, including portraying Clyde in 'Bonnie and Clyde'")—accusing him of coercing her into sex nearly 50 years ago, when she was 14 and he was in his mid-30s, USA Today noted. Kristina Charlotte Hirsch is seeking damages for alleged sexual battery, sexual assault and molestation of a child under 18, from "Defendant Doe" and a group of 50 other Defendant Does. Hirsch claims these other defendants helped the alleged assailant although she doesn't explain how.
Cracking down on impersonator accounts, Twitter suspended comedian/actress Kathy Griffin for mocking new CEO Elon Musk, per The Hollywood Reporter. Griffin was permanently from Twitter after she had changed her name and picture to match Musk's and tweeted about the midterm elections. Griffin, as Musk, tweeted, "After much spirited discussion with the females in my life. I've decided that voting blue for their choice is only right (They're also sexy females, btw.) #VoteBlueToProtectWomen." Others then accused the billionaire (who later mocked Griffin) of impeding free speech and being thin-skinned. Griffin returned using the account of her late mother, Maggie Griffin, which Griffin operated prior to Maggie's death in 2020, Entertainment Weekly noted.
JoJo Siwa surprised her new girlfriend, Avery Cyrus, with a beach picnic to celebrate their one-month anniversary, Page Six noted. The Dance Moms alum told Cyrus (who's not related to singer Miley Cyrus) that they were going on a "normal beach date," which the latter believed until she got closer to the extravagant setup. The dancer confirmed her relationship with the TikTok star on Sept. 14, and the pair made their red-carpet debut as a couple the following day.
Modern Family actress Julie Bowen revealed that she once fell in love with a woman, despite identifying as straight, per LGBTQ Nation. "I was in love with a woman for a while, but she did not love me back," Bowen said during an episode of her podcast Quitters, which she hosts with Chad Sanders. "She liked women, but she did not like me in that way. But it never really took off, so I never really had to challenge my concept of my sexuality." Bowens' comments took place during an interview with former Bachelor contestant Becca Tilley, who is now dating singer Hayley Kiyoko.
A professor at a Kansas' Washburn College who dressed as Michael Jackson for Halloween has come under fire with some accusing her of cultural appropriation, Page Six noted. Holly O'Neil, who is white, is now also the subject of an investigation. O'Neil dressed as The King of Pop at the English Department's annual Halloween Party where she danced to his classic song "Thriller," according to the Washburn Review.
