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

Orange Is the New Black's Danielle Brooks ( Taystee on the show ) will play Sofia this November in the revival of The Color Purple alongside Jennifer Hudson and Cynthia Erivo, TheWrap reported. All three women will be making their Broadway debuts in the production. A graduate of The Juilliard School, Brooks rose to stardom with her role Tasha "Taystee" Jefferson in the hit Netflix series, also scoring roles on HBO's Girls and the upcoming Sony animated film Angry Birds. Previews will begin on Broadway at the Bernard B. Jacob's Theatre Nov. 9, with opening night set for Dec. 10.

Reese Witherspoon, Selma Blair and Sarah Michelle Gellar reunited for a showing of the "Cruel Intentions" musical in Los Angeles, Page Six reported. Witherspoon shared a snapshot before the show saying, "Best girls night of the year!!" However, even more happened: Blair and Gellar re-created their famous kiss, which, in the 1999 film, took place at New York City's Central Park.

Years before he beefed up for Guardians of the Galaxy and showed off his newly cut body, a less fit Chris Pratt stripped stark naked for one special Parks and Recreation scene, US Weekly reported. Amy Poehler, who played Leslie Knope on the show, was the one to get an eyeful of Pratt, who had worn skin-colored underwear in previous takes of the scene. "Her reaction was great!" Pratt told British talk-show host Graham Norton of the moment. "It was the take they used!"

Singer Hunter Hayes, who covered the title track of Sir Elton John's classic album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road for the record's 40th-anniversary re-release in 2013, recently got a phone call from his idol—and it came at just the right time, Rolling Stone reported. Hayes said, "He called me and he gave me not as much advice as encouragement. He spoke so much positivity and strength and encouragement that can come from someone like that—who's been through so much and is so brave." Hayes, 23, didn't want to get into specifics about the phone call, but stressed that John was "insanely encouraging."

James Franco, who says he's "gay in [his] art and straight in [his] life," is taking on yet another gay role, Out.com noted. The actor—who recently played Michael Glatze, a gay activist who rejected his homosexuality and became a Christian pastor, in the biopic I Am Michael—will share the screen with Robert Duvall and Josh Hartnett in the upcoming thriller Wild Horses. Franco will play Ben Briggs, the estranged gay son to Robert Duvall's Scott Briggs.

Out.com has listed seven queer TV shows to see this summer. They include ABC Family's transgender docuseries Becoming Us; Billy Eichner's scripted series Difficult People; Scream, MTV's adaptation of the movie franchise; Netflix thriller Sense8; Todrick Hall MTV docuseries, Todrick; current Fox series Wayward Pines; and Netflix's Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp.

The upcoming Vanity Fair cover with the woman formerly known as Bruce Jenner has been revealed—and it features the caption "Call Me Caitlyn. The picture, shot by the magazine's longtime star photographer, Annie Leibovitz, and the headline are the only things on the cover. Inside is an interview with Jenner by journalist Buzz Bissinger. Speaking publicly for the first time since completing gender transition, Caitlyn Jenner compares her emotional two-day photo shoot with Leibovitz to winning the gold medal for the decathlon at the 1976 Olympics.

Attorneys for Caitlyn Jenner have filed a new court document claiming that Jenner shouldn't have to financially compensate relatives of the woman who died in a car crash he was involved in, TheWrap noted. In an answer to a lawsuit filed by Dana Redmond and William Howe, the stepchildren of Kim Howe, the attorneys contend that Redmond and Howe were not financially dependent on Howe and, thus, are not entitled to damages. In their suit, filed a month ago, Howe and Redmond allege that Jenner was "careless and negligent" in the crash, which occurred in Malibu, California, in February.

Also, Caitlyn Jenner will receive this year's Arthur Ashe Award for Courage at the sports-focused ESPY Awards, which will be broadcast July 15 on ABC, The Washington Post noted. Past winners of the Arthur Ashe Courage Award include Michael Sam, Robin Roberts and Pat Summitt. Jenner, who was formerly known as Bruce Jenner, won the gold medal in the men's decathlon at the 1976 Olympics. The ESPYs event is being touted as Jenner's "first major public appearance."

Dr. Renee Richards—a former athlete who paved the way for transgender rights by fighting to play professional tennis after undergoing gender-reassignment surgery—doesn't think Bruce Jenner's sexual orientation will be affected by his female transition, according to TheWrap. Richards ( now a successful ophthalmologist ) told GQ, "He's been married a couple of times—he's basically a heterosexual man." Regarding herself, Richards said, "I just realized that my sexual orientation wasn't gonna be changed by my sex change."

While appearing on The View, veteran actress Susan Sarandon said she is "open" to embarking on a relationship with a woman, confessing it "increases your chances" of finding a suitable partner, Philly.com noted. The Thelma & Louise star, 68, has been single since splitting from Jonathan Bricklin, who is more than 30 years her junior, in March following a six-year romance. Sarandon said she is searching for a partner who can handle the pressures of her fame.

Netflix has renewed the comedy series Grace and Frankie, with the second season debuting in 2016, Deadline noted. In the show, Jane Fonda ( Grace ) and Lily Tomlin ( Frankie ) star as two women whose lives are suddenly turned upside down when their husbands reveal they are gay and leave them for each other. Both sparring partners and partners-in-crime, they form an unlikely bond to face an uncertain future together and discover a new definition of "family."

The American Library Association ( ALA ) has designated June 2015 as GLBT Book Month™, a nationwide celebration of the authors and writings that reflect the lives and experiences of the LGBT community, a press release stated. Originally established in the early 1990s by The Publishing Triangle as National Lesbian and Gay Book Month, June 2015 will mark the first commemoration of GLBT Book Month™ to be held under ALA's auspices. GLBT Book Month will culminate with many related events and programs at ALA's 2015 Annual Conference in San Francisco on June 25-30.

Actress Tatum O'Neal ( who once was married to tennis icon John McEnroe ) has revealed that she's dating women, ABC News noted. "I definitely have been dating mostly women recently ... I'm not one or the other," she told People magazine. She added that she thinks women "are the most amazing creatures on Earth." Along with McEnroe, O'Neal also dated Michael Jackson in the 1970s. She has three adult children with McEnroe.

Taraji P. Henson has dropped a major bombshell by revealing the exact date when Empire will return to screens, Digital Spy noted. The actress —who plays Empire's scheming matriarch Cookie Lyon—revealed in an exchange with a Twitter follower that season two begins Wed., Sept. 23, on Fox. Empire is getting a super-sized order of 18 episodes next season, up from the 12 installments that aired earlier in the year.

Also, regarding Empire, co-creator and executive producer Lee Daniels said he and show star Jussie Smollett have received death threats for their depiction of a gay African-American male in hip-hop, according to TheWrap. Daniels made the startling revelation at the 2015 Produced By Conference in Los Angeles, where he was joined by the Fox series' producing team. "Homophobia is real. It exists… Jussie [who plays gay character Jamal] and I both get death threats. But we will continue to do our thing," Daniels said to applause from conference attendees on the Paramount Pictures lot.

In a video for the It Gets Better campaign, actor Andrew Rannells ( Girls; Broadway's The Book of Mormon ) said he realized his sexual orientation while watching Grease 2, according to a Queerty item. Rannells says, "It was just a very basic childlike attraction to certain people. The earliest memory I have of that was watching Grease 2 and being strangely drawn to Maxwell Caulfield. It was a realization that came very, very early for me, and I would assume was also quickly understood by my parents at that time."

The soundtrack to the a cappella comedy Pitch Perfect 2 recently moved 107,000 units in one week, giving the franchise its first Billboard chart-topper, The Boston Globe reported. Soundtracks to 50 Shades of Grey and Furious 7 were also in the top five—making them the most soundtracks accorded that honor since 2007, when the music for High School Musical 2, Hannah Montana 2 and Hairspray were in the top five.

Controversy surrounded ABC teasing a same-sex relationship between two of the contestants on its show The Bachelorette, People reported. Clint Arlis ( dubbed the "Brokeback Bachelor" ) teased he might have some feelings for fellow suitor JJ Lane in the 30-second spot. Following the backlash that erupted, Arlis posted, "Before I field any questions about Brokeback Bachelor rumors, I would like to just say that I am a proud, 30-year-old woman and it's 2015. You monsters." It was that tweet that had users accusing him of homophobia—not to mention similar criticism that ABC received for the promo.

Jeffrey Tambor added to his accolades by winning the award for best actor in a comedy ( for his groundbreaking role in the Netflix series Transparent ) at the fifth Critics' Choice Awards that took place May 31. Also, Empire actress Taraji P. Henson showed that she's just as unstoppable as her character, Cookie Lyon, as she won best actress in a drama. Bessie—the biopic about late blues singer Bessie Smith that stars Queen Latifah and Mo'Nique—won for best television movie.

Out comedian/actor Jason Stuart has been cast as slave owner Joseph Randall in the movie Birth of a Nation, a biopic of slave Nat Turner, according to a press release. The film stars Armie Hammer, Gabrielle Union, Jackie Earle Haley, Penelope Ann Miller, Roger Guenver Smith and Aja Naomi King. In 1831, Turner led a rebellion in Southampton County, Virginia, that led to the deaths of dozens of whites—and a violent retaliation.

Mariah Carey has called working on American Idol "the worst experience of my life," TheWrap noted. When asked if she would be open to returning for Idol's final episode, she responded, "Hell, no! Absolutely not." Carey reportedly earned $18 million for one season as a judge alongside Randy Jackson, Keith Urban and Nicki Minaj. Speaking about her "beef" with Minaj, Carey added, "It should've been about the contestants instead of some nonexistent feud that turned into even more ridiculousness."

Also regarding Carey, she released the video for her latest song "Infinity" on Twitter following fanfare from its star, Empire actor Jussie Smollett, TheWrap noted. Wearing glasses and a bow tie, the actor plays an adorable geek wooing the diva with a little white puppy. Meanwhile, model Tyson Beckford—also wearing a bow tie and very little else—heats things up with his six-pack abs and a bouquet of roses. Smollett's Empire co-star Terrence Howard was recently featured in the video for Madonna's song "Ghost Town."

Focus Features has secured worldwide rights for Nocturnal Animals, Tom Ford's film followup to his debut A Single Man, Deadline reported. It was one of the biggest deals in Cannes Film Festival History, at approximately $20 million. Ford wrote the script, an adaptation of the 1993 Austin Wright book Tony And Susan. The film will star Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal, with Ford producing.

The winners of the 27th Annual Lambda Literary Awards ( the "Lammys" ) were announced June 1 in a gala ceremony hosted by comedienne Kate Clinton at The Great Hall at Cooper Union in New York City. The Lambda ceremony—occurring on the heels of BookExpo America—brought together more than 550 attendees, sponsors and celebrities to celebrate excellence in LGBT literature and 27 years of the literary awards. Among the many winners were Ana Castillo's Give It to Me ( Bisexual Fiction ) and Richard Blanco's The Prince of Los Cocuyos ( Gay Memoir ). Also, Rita Mae Brown and John Waters received awards.

Michael Sam has said his priority is helping the Montreal Alouettes win, not making history as the first openly gay player in the Canadian Football League ( CFL ), ABC News noted. The 25-year-old Sam came out publicly before last year's NFL draft. He was selected in the seventh round by the St. Louis Rams to become the first openly gay player chosen by an NFL team; the Rams and, later, the Dallas Cowboys released him. Alouettes general manager Jim Popp, who called Sam a "trailblazing athlete," said he believes the 6-foot-2, 260-pound player can excel as a pass rusher in the CFL.

The 69th Annual Tony Awards have some pretty big screen stars taking to the stage, TheWrap noted. Among the presenters at Radio City Music Hall on June 7 are Bradley Cooper, Bryan Cranston, Taylor Schilling, Jason Alexander, Larry David, Sutton Foster, Neil Patrick Harris, Joe Manganiello, Debra Messing and Jim Parsons. Tony winners Kristin Chenoweth and Alan Cumming will host the show, which honors theater professionals for distinguished achievement on Broadway.

Former The View co-host Sherri Shepherd returned to the show May 28 to discuss, among other things, the popular "dating" app Tinder, TheWrap noted. During the episode's Hot Topics segment, the subject of Tinder came up—in particular, a recent survey that found one-third of the app's users are married, and that women are more likely to cheat using it than men. When guest co-host Paula Faris said that women are just window-shopping, Shepherd countered, "Usually, when you window-shop you usually go into the store and eventually buy something."

Enrique Iglesias is recovering after his fingers were sliced during a mishap with a camera-carrying drone at a concert in Tijuana, Mexico, according to TheWrap. "During the show a drone is used to get crowd shots and some nights Enrique grabs the drone to give the audience a Point of View shot," a rep for the singer told People. "Something went wrong and he had an accident." Iglesias received treatment and continued the show for another 30 minutes despite the bleeding.

Chris Pine is nearing a deal to play Gal Gadot's love interest in Warner Bros forthcoming Wonder Woman, according to TheWrap. Gadot's Wonder Woman will be introduced in next year's Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. The solo Wonder Woman movie is slated to hit theaters in 2017.

Michael King—who, along with his brother Roger, was behind syndicating Dr. Phil and the Oprah Winfrey Show—has died at 66, Page Six noted. In his career as CEO of King World Productions, he acquired television rights to Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! CBS acquired King World Productions, which also helped launched Rachel Ray's show into stardom, in 2000.

While at the London premiere of his movie San Andreas, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson attempted to set the Guinness World Record for taking the most selfies in under three minutes—and succeeded, taking 105, according to Time. Guinness World Records adjudicator Mark McKinley was on hand to make sure official selfie rules were followed—including that the full face and neck of the participants are visible and that the images are focused.

Hulu appears to have removed 19 Kids and Counting following star Josh Duggar's admission that he acted "inexcusably" as a teenager in response to reports that he molested underage girls, including some of his sisters, according to TheWrap. Users of the streaming service were greeted with a "404" error message when they tried to access episodes. Several companies, including General Mills and Walgreens, have removed their advertising from the show in response to the scandal.

The Fox show So You Think You Can Dance has a new format, pitting classically trained stage dancers against freestyle street hoofers, TheWrap noted. Host Cat Deeley said, "I think viewers will … pick a side. What makes it much more interesting is the fact that we're not definitely losing a girl or a definitely losing a boy every week." The show also welcomes new judges Paula Abdul and Jason Derulo.

Rapper Iggy Azalea has formally cancelled her North American tour, TheWrap noted. Ticketmaster issued a statement saying, "The Iggy Azalea Great Escape Tour scheduled for this fall has been cancelled and refunds are available at point of purchase. There will be a new tour planned around Iggy's new record to be released in 2016 and we apologize for any inconvenience." The tour was cancelled amid reports of turmoil.