THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

Author Stephen King has made his thoughts known about Indiana's law as well, Gay Star News noted. On Twitter, the Cujo writer posted, "Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration act is gay discrimination, pure and simple. You can frost a dog turd, but it's still a dog turd." King divided his time between Fort Worth, Indiana, and Connecticut as a child.

American Idol alum David Archuleta received backlash for a tweet some people are interpreting as his support for Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act, E! Online noted. Archuleta sparked controversy when he shared a quote from Mormon Church leader Boyd K. Packer. The singer later posted an apology statement after angering fans who thought his tweet was anti-gay. In March 2014, he completed a two-year Mormon mission in Chile.

Openly gay singer Matt Gold has written a song in response to Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act that's called "Let It Out," according to a press release. Gold said, "I felt I had to write a song about what was going on in the state I have lived in for the past 20 years. This is my way of hopefully helping the cause with positive reinforcement, sending a message of love, not hate." ABC News has reported that Indiana Gov. Mike Pence has said he mishandled the passage of the law, and now wants a piece of legislation to clarify that it does not give anyone the right to discriminate in the state.

NBC announced that The Wiz will be its next live musical performance—with Cirque du Soleil boarding the project with plans to bring the show to Broadway in 2016, The Hollywood Reporter noted. NBC's The Wiz, set for Thursday, Dec. 3, will again be executive produced by Sound of Music and Peter Pan duo Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, with Tony-winning director Kenny Leon attached to direct both the live event as well as the Broadway revival in 2016-17. The Wiz is a retelling of The Wizard of Oz in an African-American/multicultural context. It was adapted as a film in 1978 starring Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Lena Horne and Richard Pryor.

Jill Soloway, the director and executive producer of the trans-focused Amazon series Transparent, will be one of the at the annual Crystal + Lucy Awards, which will be held June 16 in Los Angeles, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Soloway will receive the 2015 Lucy Award for Excellence in Television. Others who will be honored include Nicole Kidman, Selma director Ava DuVernay, actress Kate Mara, Sue Kroll and Toni Howard.

Out singer Steve Grand's CD, All American Boy, has debuted at number three on the Billboard Independent Albums Chart and number 27 on the Billboard Top 200 chart. "Releasing my first album has been my dream since I was a little kid. I am so grateful for the support of my fans," Grand said in a statement. "I am blown away by how well this album has done in its first week." Fueled by donations from nearly 5,000 fans, Grand raised over $325,000 in what became the third most funded music project in Kickstarter history.

To kick off the premiere of the new series Cucumber and Banana ( April 13 ), Logo TV will air the second half of a marathon of the UK version of Queer As Folk on April 11. ( The first half aired April 4. ) The show ran for 10 episodes in the United Kingdom in 1999 and starred Sons of Anarchy hunk Charlie Hunnam as 15-year-old Nathan, a gay teen. Cucumber and Banana ( from Russell T Davies, the same man who created Queer As Folk ) will explore 21st-century gay life through the lenses of two disparate generations.

New Line has pre-emptively bought an untitled Mariah Carey Christmas pitch from RatPac Entertainment, writers David Diamond and David Weissman, and producer Jon Shestack, according to Deadline. The plan is for Carey to play a major role in the film. The yuletide season is special for Carey, who wrote and performed "All I Want for Christmas Is You," a tune that has sold more than 14 million copies globally.

Brad Pitt, Ryan Gosling and Christian Bale have arrived in New Orleans to film their new movie The Big Short," according to Page Six. The movie is based on a best-selling Wall Street exposé by Michael Lewis, and focuses on those who profited from the financial crash of 2007 and 2008. Pitt has deep ties to the city, having founded a charity to help rebuild after Hurricane Katrina.

The wait for Frank Ocean's third album may end this summer, EW.com reported. In a photo posted on his website and Tumblr, Ocean is seated next to two magazines along with the message: "‰'I got two versions. I got twoooo versions.' #ISSUE1 #ALBUM3 #JULY2015 #BOYSDONTCRY." Ocean's second release—and his first full-length major-label album—channel ORANGE, was released in July 2012 to rave reception, netting a Grammy for Best Urban Contemporary Album.

Film company A24 is nearing a deal to acquire the Amy Winehouse documentary Amy, TheWrap noted. Directed by Asif Kapadia, the film chronicles Winehouse's life and career, including archive footage of the late British singer. It will also feature previously unheard tracks from Winehouse. Behind the scenes, Winehouse struggled with drug and alcohol addiction, dying from alcohol poisoning in July 2011.

In Grace and Frankie—an original comedy series Netflix commissioned—Jane Fonda ( Grace ) and Lily Tomlin ( Frankie ) star as two women whose lives are turned suddenly upside-down when their husbands reveal they are gay and leave them for each other, Variety noted. The project reunites Fonda and Tomlin, who co-starred with Dolly Parton in the 1980 feature hit 9 to 5. Grace and Frankie premieres on Netflix Friday, May 8, with all 13 episodes dropping at once in all territories the service is available.

Fuse television network has ordered a new docuseries, Transcendent, which will document the lives of a group of transgender cabaret performers in San Francisco, according to EW.com . Six episodes of the program, produced by World of Wonder Productions, have been ordered for a fall premiere. Transcendent joins an ongoing slate of reality shows about transgender people, young and old, following the success of Amazon's Transparent as well as Laverne Cox's character on Orange is the New Black.

David Mamet's acerbic 1988 stage play about Hollywood, Speed-The-Plow, is headed for the big screen, Deadline reported. Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films, Winkler Films & The Fyzz Facility have teamed to produce a film that Mamet himself will adapt based on his Tony-nominated play. The play was a Broadway hit ( its original cast starred Joe Mantegna, Ron Silver and Madonna ), and most recently had a successful run on London's West End.

It turns out the late singer Lesley Gore ( "It's My Party" ) left $50,000 to her longtime partner, Lois Sasson, according to Page Six. Her attorney confirmed the five-figure sum was all Gore had in her name when she died of lung cancer at age 68 in February. "She didn't understand money, she didn't understand business, but she was a great artist and a magnificent human being," Sasson said. The Brooklyn native, who came out as lesbian in 2005, left all of her money to her "beloved life partner," according to her five-page will that was filed in 2012.

Lady Gaga is looking to buy a penthouse apartment near her childhood home on Manhattan's Upper West Side, Page Six noted. The singer has been searching for properties in the $15-to-$20-million range, with outdoor space or a terrace, for herself and her fiance, Chicago Fire actor Taylor Kinney. Gaga, 29, has been renting a $22,000-a-month duplex in the city for a number of years, but now wants to buy her own place.

The producers of the movie Dallas Buyers Club have won a landmark anti-piracy test case in Australia's Federal Court against iiNet, Australia's third-largest Internet service provider, The Hollywood Reporter noted. The ruling, which iiNet can still appeal, forces the ISP to provide the producers with contact details of its customers alleged to have pirated the Oscar-winning film. Dallas Buyers Club LLC identified more than 4,700 customers of iiNet and its subsidiaries, alleging they used torrent sharing to illegally download the film

Rock band Against Me! and transgender frontwoman Laura Jane Grace are presenting "Killing Me Loudly, An Evening of Existential Dread, Fiending and Gender Dysphoria In The Brilliance of Life's Headlights," a press release stated. Solo shows featuring Grace, along with a few surprises and spoken-word performance, have been announced for Los Angeles on Friday, May 22, at the Masonic Lodge ( Hollywood Forever ) and New York City on Monday, May 25, at City Winery.

Paris Hilton agreed with a recent comment suggesting the Kardashian brand wouldn't exist today without her paving the way, Page Six noted. "It's nice to inspire people," the 34-year-old DJ told Yahoo! Style. "We've known each other since we were little girls; we've always been friends." Both women had sex tapes that exploded on the Internet, and both have gone to to create their own mini-empires.

Speaking of the Kardashians, the family's TV empire is expanding once again, EW.com reported. E! has ordered a new reality series—this time mainly following the Kardashian sisters' employees. The network has picked up Dash Dolls, which goes behind the scenes of a boutique that Kim, Kourtney and Khloe own. Dash Dolls is planned for this fall.

After departing from the St. Louis Rams and the Dallas Cowboys last year, Michael Sam was voted off the ABC competition April 6 following consecutive weeks of low scores, TheWrap noted. The first openly gay player in the NFL and his dancing partner, Peta Murgatroyd, became the third casualties of season 20. Before being eliminated though, Sam did bring tears to many eyes as he recalled his difficult childhood after his father abandoned him. ( The night's theme was "the most memorable year of your life." )

ABC's General Hospital leads the field of the 42nd annual Daytime Emmy Awards with 28 nominations, The Hollywood Reporter noted. The outstanding talk-show nominees are The Talk ( with out personality Sara Gilbert ), The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Live! With Kelly and Michael, and The Wendy Williams Show. CBS earned the most Daytime Emmy nominations of any network, with 62. The Daytime Emmys will air on Sunday, April 26, on the Pop network.

On a related note, Logo's Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word received a nod for Outstanding Special Class Special, NewNowNext.com noted. Robin Roberts and the team at Good Morning America have been nominated for Outstanding Morning Program once again, while The Chew's openly gay ( and openly adorable ) co-host Clinton Kelly was nominated for Outstanding Informative Talk Show Host, along with co-stars Mario Batali, Carla Hall, Daphne Oz and Michael Symon. Also, out actress Meredith Baxter was nominated as Outstanding Special Guest Performer for her recurring role on The Young and the Restless.

The creators of All Because, a new charity for "disadvantaged youth," have allegedly been going around town claiming Lady Gaga and Elton John will team up and perform at Grand Central Terminal, according to Page Six. However, neither superstar knew of this supposed concert. One of All Because's creators, Lawrence Tonner, later back-pedaled, saying, "We never said Gaga and Elton John would be performing. It's not a concert. It's a weeklong expo in June in Vanderbilt Hall."

ABC News announced that Bruce Jenner: The Interview, a two-hour special with Diane Sawyer, will air Friday, April 24, E! Online noted. In December 2014, Bruce and wife Kris Jenner's divorce was finalized. The exes, who have two biological children together ( Kendall Jenner, 19, and Kylie Jenner, 17 ) reiterated what they've said since news of their separation first went public: They remain committed to the family life they've built together.

George Takei is coming to your computer screen in a new heightened reality series It Takeis Two with husband Brad Takei, a press release stated. The short-form web series is available for streaming select episodes on George Takei's YouTube channel.

A Full House spinoff is in consideration for a 13-episode series order at Netflix, TheWrap noted. Titled Fuller House, the multi-camera project would include Candace Cameron Bure reprising the role of D.J. 20 years after the original ABC series ended in 1995. Andrea Barber would also return to the role of D.J.'s best friend and Tanner Family annoyance, Kimmy, with TV uncles John Stamos as Jesse, Dave Coulier as Joey and Bob Saget as father Danny returning as guest stars.

Gwyneth Paltrow and Brad Falchuk made their big debut as a couple at Robert Downey Jr.'s star-studded 50th birthday party on April 4, Us Weekly noted. Paltrow and Glee producer Falchuk were among a group of about 250 people who gathered for the Avengers: Age of Ultron actor. Among some of the others present were Reese Witherspoon, Orlando Bloom, Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale, and Jennifer Aniston and Justin Theroux.

House of Cards will return to Netflix for its fourth season along with stars Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright, TheWrap reported. Production on the new season will begin in summer, with a 2016 premiere. David Fincher, Beau Willimon, Joshua Donen, Eric Roth, Kevin Spacey and Dana Brunetti are executive producers, along with Andrew Davies and Michael Dobbs from the eponymous BBC miniseries and novel.

Fox News host Chris Wallace ( the son of the legendary journalist Mike Wallace ) has apologized for comments he made about singer Kelly Clarkson's weight, according to People.com . The 67-year-old Fox News anchor told People, "I sincerely apologize to Kelly Clarkson for my offensive comment. I admire her remarkable talent and that should have been the focus of any discussion about her." "She could stay off the deep dish pizza for a little while," Wallace initially said, triggering an Internet backlash.

Actor Isaiah Washington—who is in the gay-themed film Blackbird—has criticized the original version of Indiana's religious-freedom law, TheWrap noted. "For the religious right to circle the wagon and think they can do that, it's absurd," Washington said. "If you're not into the gay lifestyle, OK cool. But for businesses to do this, they will ultimately lose money." Washington exited the ABC medical drama Grey's Anatomy in 2007 amid reports that he shouted a gay slur at costar T.R. Knight during an alleged on-set dispute.

Hollywood will be invading Washington for the annual White House Correspondents' Association dinner on April 25, according to TheWrap. Among those slated to attend are Scandal actresses Darby Stanchfield and Bellamy Young; Modern Family cast members Julie Bowen, Ty Burrell, Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet; Selma director Ava DuVernay; black-ish leads Anthony Anderson and Tracee Ellis Ross; House of Card actor Michael Kelly; and Game of Thrones actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau.

The launch event for Jay Z's rebranded streaming music platform Tidal attracted a list of A-list performers—but only Alicia Keys and Tidal's chief investment officer, Vania Schlogel, got to speak, according to Page Six. Celebs such as Usher, Rihanna, Kanye West and Nicki Minaj stood in a line onstage, their only involvement being when they signed an artists' "declaration of independence" at a desk onstage. Only Madonna livened up the awkwardness by getting her entire thigh on the table while she inked her name, before asking, "What are we supposed to be doing now?"

The hit 1993 movie comedy Groundhog Day will turn up on Broadway in spring 2017, bowing in a new musical version from the creators of current Broadway draw Matilda, Variety reported. The plot follows a cocky weatherman who gets caught in a time loop that forces him to relive Groundhog Day again and again. The musical will begin previews Jan. 23, 2017, ahead of a March 9, 2017, opening at a Broadway venue to be announced. Casting has not been announced.

Robin Williams' family may be fighting over his personal property, but one thing they have no claim to are his rights of publicity, Page Six noted. The late comedian left his rights to his name, signature, photograph and likeness to the Windfall Foundation, a charitable organization set up by his lawyers. The move restricts the authorized use of Williams' image for 25 years following his death, meaning that people won't see the Mrs. Doubtfire star's visage used in a commercial, film or as a digital hologram until at least Aug. 11, 2039.

Iconic singer Joni Mitchell—who rose to fame with songs such as "Both Sides, Now" and "Big Yellow Taxi"—was hospitalized after responders arrived at her Los Angeles home, TheWrap noted. TMZ reported that Mitchell was in intensive care; however, it was not immediately apparent what prompted the medical emergency.

Fredric Brandt—a dermatologist whose patients included Madonna and model Stephanie Seymour—was found dead in his Coral Gables home, People reported. Brandt, 65, was reportedly suffering from depression after being "devastated" over comparisons to a character on Tina Fey's new Netflix series, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Brandt was one of the early proponents of Botox, championing the injectable drug from its conception nearly two decades ago.

Bruce Jenner's legal troubles could get worse in the coming months, according to Page Six. The stepchildren of Kim Howe—the woman who died during the horrific car accident involving Jenner, 65, back in February—may file a wrongful-death suit. However, Howe was reportedly estranged from her two stepchildren, who both live outside California. Shortly after the deadly crash, the Olympian reportedly blamed the wreck on Howe.