A musical based on Cher's life is slated to debut on Broadway in 2018, Rolling Stone reported. The singer confirmed the news on her Twitter account. "Just got off phone w/Writer & Director of musical," Cher wrote. "There will [be] performance in theatre with actors, dancers, singers!! It'll be on Broadway 2018." News of a possible musical production tracing Cher's life—and using Cher's portfolio of pop hits—surfaced in January, when the singer attended a read-through of the production.
Wanda Sykes and RuPaul are among the celebrities who will make guest appearances on season four of Broad City, On Top Magazine noted. Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer created and star in the Comedy Central show about their attempts to "make it" in New York City. Other celebrities seen in the trailer for the show ( which returns Aug. 23 ) include comedian-actor Hannibal Buress, actor Steve Buscemi and comedian-actress Jane Curtin.
Guardians of the Galaxy actor and semi-retired wrestler Dave Bautista has delivered a stern message to homophobes, NewNowNext.com noted. He responded to a pro-LGBT fan by tweeting, "Obviously no thnx necessary but I appreciate the acknowledgement. Proud son of a lesbian and anyone who has issue w/ that can suck my balls." In 2008, Bautista told Wrestling Deals that he "never had an issue with [his] mother's sexuality. ... She loved us, she cared for us and that's all that mattered."
Jason Matheson—the out host of Jason & Alexis in the Morning on MyTalk 107.1 in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota—has started The Jason Show in daytime syndication. The hour-long program is a daily entertainment talk show that featured actress/singer Vanessa Williams on its first program, which ran June 5. Matheson's show has a four-week trial in several cities, including Chicago and Orlando.
Judy Garland has been laid to rest in a mausoleum named for her at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Page Six noted. A spokeswoman for Garland's estate says her family and friends held a private memorial service for the actress on June 10, which would have been Garland's 95th birthday. Garland's children—Liza Minnelli, Lorna Luft and Joe Luft—attended the service, along with Garland's grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
GLAAD just premiered "SWERLK," a new song from the Scissor Sisters and MDNR on GLAAD's Facebook and Twitter, a press item noted. All proceeds from the song go to the Contigo Fund, an amazing organization that works with survivors of Pulse. The release said that "SWERLK celebrates individuality, diversity, freedom, and fierceness. See https://www.facebook.com/GLAAD/videos/vb.186319338839/10156163425343840/?type=2&theater.
In celebration of Pride Month, singer Miley Cyrus has released her new song "Inspired," a press release noted. Miley recently performed "Inspired" at the "One Love Manchester" benefit concert, and recorded the song in her hometown of Nashville. It will be on her forthcoming album due for release later this year. Miley will be making a donation to the Happy Hippie Foundation in honor of "Inspired."
In an interview with Page Six, out actress Cynthia Nixon said she wished she didn't get her first Emmy ( for playing Miranda Sex and the City ) from Donald Trump. Trump presented the award with Simon Cowell in 2004; when asked about it recently, Nixon said, "Do I wish I had gotten my Emmy from somebody else? Yes, I do. Absolutely I do. But, it's not like he picked me. He just passed off the trophy." Nixon has also won two Tonys ( including this year ) and a Grammy.
Grammy-nominated multi-platinum singer Halsey claimed the top spot on the Billboard Top 200 with her second full-length album, hopeless fountain kingdom [courtesy of Astralwerks], a press release noted. Halsey has announced a tour with openers Charli XCX and PARTYNEXTDOOR; stops will include Toronto, Pittsburgh, Dallas, Los Angeles, Vancouver and Rosemont, Illinois, among other stops.
Nonesuch Records releases The Natalie Merchant Collection—a deluxe 10-CD box set compiled by Merchant—on June 23, a press release noted. The set includes all eight of her solo studio albums from the past three decades, including Tigerlily and Motherland. A ninth disc, Butterfly, is a new studio set; the 10th disc is Rarities, a collection of 15 rare and previously unreleased tracks recorded between 1998 and 2017.
Gay adult-film actors Brent Corrigan and JJ Knight have revealed that they are engaged, Gay Times Magazine noted. Knight confirmed the news on social media. Corrigan's breakthrough into the world of gay porn was the inspiration behind the James Franco film King Cobra.
Tegan and Sara announced plans to mark the 10th anniversary of the release of their fifth studio album, The Con, with a special North American tour, a press release noted. They will perform acoustic and intimate arrangements of all 14 of the album's songs, followed by a selection of fan favorites. A portion of tour proceeds will benefit the Tegan and Sara Foundation, which fights for economic justice, health and representation of LGBTQ girls and women.
Glee alum Harry Shum Jr. is talking about playing a bisexual warlock on the Freeform series Shadowhunters, Out.com noted. Shum plays Magnus, the immortal leader of a supernatural coven in modern-day New York City who pursues both demons and his mortal boyfriend, Alec ( Matthew Daddario ). "Bisexuality isn't really talked about in the mainstream," Shum said. "It's like me being an Asian Latino American—there aren't many of us."
Kingdom returned for its third and final season last Wednesday and featured Nick Jonas' character, Nate, getting more comfortable with his sexuality, according to NewNowNext.com . The first two seasons found Nate closeted and struggling to accept being gay, with him eventually being outed on last year's season finale. In the season three premiere, however, Jonas' character is having fun with his new love interest, played by Jonathan Howard.
The terrifying creature from the 2014 Australian horror flick The Babadook is an LGBT icon—if one listens to what people on Tumblr and Twitter have to say, NewNowNext.com noted. According to Mashable, rumors of the Babadook's sexuality began last summer when some Netflix users reported seeing the film categorized as an LGBT movie on Netflix. However, there's no evidence in the film that the character is a member of the LGBT community.
On The Hollywood Reporter's "Awards Chatter" podcast, Oprah Winfrey addressed rumors that she will enter a political race, Time.com noted. "I will never run for public office," Winfrey said. "That's a pretty definitive thing." Asked whether she thought she could pull off a victory over President Donald Trump if he ran for a second term, Winfrey said it didn't matter. Trump famously said in 2015 that Winfrey ( a Hillary Clinton supporter ) would be his ideal running mate, predicting that the hypothetical ticket would "win easily."
Queer skateboarder Lacey Baker is honoring Pride month with a print, photographed by Samuel McGuire, to benefit the onePULSE Foundation, Out.com reported. The image features Baker mid-skate, holding a handmade flag of rainbow smoke flares, inspired by Gilbert Baker's original design. The prints are $10-$100 each; visit http://pushwithpride.bigcartel.com/product/lacey-baker-rainbow-push.
Out saxophonist Dave Koz has announced his "Side by Side" tour with Larry Graham Jr., longtime bassist for Sly & The Family Stone and founding member of Graham Central Station, a press release noted. The tour will kick off July 21 at One World Theatre in Austin, Texas, and include a show at NYCB Theatre in Westbury, New York ( July 29 ), a two-night stand at The Foundry at SLS in Las Vegas ( Aug. 18-19 ) and a concert at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles ( Aug. 20 ).
A budding Michigan music star penned a blog, opening up about his struggle with sexuality, ClickOnDetroit.com noted. GRiZ, a 26-year-old musician from Southfield, posted the blog in The Huffington Post and came out as gay for the first time. GRiZ, a fast-rising electronic music artist, is partnering with his Detroit-based label All Good Records to help bring music programs to Detroit Public Schools.
Jaelene Hinkle, a member of the U.S. women's soccer team, reportedly skipped a match because players were expected to don special Pride-themed jerseys, according to NewNowNext.com . Hinkle cited "personal reasons" when explaining why she didn't play the scheduled games in Sweden and Norway; however, the 24-year-old defender has been an outspoken opponent of LGBT equality. The head coach, Jill Ellis, is openly gay and lives with her wife, Betsy Stephenson, and their daughter, Lily.
A pastry chef at Mario Batali's Babbo restaurant in Manhattan filed a suit, saying that he was wrongfully fired after he complained about being called a "stupid Mexican" and a "faggot," LGBTQ Nation noted. Isaac Franco Nava is Mexican and gay; he had been working at a different restaurant owned by Batali and Joseph Bastianic, until he was switched to Babbo in November 2015. Franco is seeking unspecified damages.
Two days before what would have been George Michael's 54th birthday, former Spice Girls member Geri Horner ( née Halliwell ) will pay homage to the late pop icon with her first global music release in 12 years, "Angels in Chains," Billboard.com noted. The single, produced by longtime Michael collaborator Chris Porter, will be available on June 23 through East West Records; profits from its sale will go to Michael's charity of choice, Child Line.
Janet Jackson will reportedly open closed doors for a new reality series on Netflix, Out.com noted. "The show will run as a ten-part documentary and will feature recording -sessions in the studio, co-parenting her child with Wissam and preparing for the European and Asian legs of her tour," a source told The Sun. "Netflix are negotiating a big sum for the rights to the show as they expect it to perform well."
Josh Brolin is showing fans that he is taking his duties as Cable in the upcoming Deadpool 2 quite seriously, The Hollywood Reporter noted. The actor, who is usually pretty slender with a full head of hair, posted pictures and video of himself working out over the weekend with a new hairstyle akin to what his Marvel character would sport. Deadpool 2, starring Ryan Reynolds, has a June 1, 2018, release date.
Bioware had updated the latest edition of Mass Effect with a patch that adds more same-sex romance options for hero Scott Ryder, NewNowNext.com noted. In Mass Effect: Andromeda, Ryder can now pursue Jaal, a male squad mate and member of the Angara race. Previously, Ryder could hook up with two minor human characters, but LGBT gamers complained the scenes paled in comparison to the game's opposite-sex affairs.
Eric Stonestreet has said that the gay character he plays on the ABC hit sitcom Modern Family isn't defined by his sexuality, On Top Magazine noted. When Larry King asked the actor if playing a gay role has changed how he feels about the LGBT community and its struggles for equality, Stonestreet said, "[W]hen I started doing theater I got to know tons of gay people—and it's really one of the reasons I became an actor. ... I always wanted Cam to be [a] person first and their sexual orientation somehow shuffled down the list of what defines him."
ABC announced that multi-platinum Grammy-winning producer Timbaland will be the third architect on the upcoming music competition series Boy Band, which premieres June 22, a press release noted. Timbaland joins previously announced architects Nick Carter ( Backstreet Boys ) and Emma Bunton ( Spice Girls ). On the show, thousands of singers audition for one of 18 spots in three bands, and will need to impress the architects in hopes of evading elimination.
Variety reported that actress Mischa Barton's "revenge porn" lawsuit has ended in "victory," according to her lawyer, Lisa Bloom. Bloom—the daughter of famed attorney Gloria Allred—tweeted, "COURT VICTORY today with Mischa Barton. Distribution of the explicit images banned, ex stays 100 yards away forever." Reports had emerged that a sex tape involving Barton was being shopped to porn outlets, and the former O.C. actress filed a lawsuit against Jon Zacharias, her ex-boyfriend and one of the alleged peddlers of the tape.
