The Breaking Glass Pictures film Bodyshop will be out on digital on Dec. 5, per a press release. The plot is described thusly: "The ghost of a young soldier sexually assaulted by his lieutenant says goodbye to his mother and travels the world to see his transgender sister. He is a charming ghost and by possessing living bodies, he meddles with romances of his unfaithful lovers along the way in Taiwan, Japan, Spain [and] Thailand. He meets a 'soulmate' amid the massive protests of today's Hong Kong. They take shelter in a disguised garage where human bodies are treated in a way beyond moral limits."
Beyonce captured Hollywood's attention on Nov. 25 as she held a world premiere of her concert movie, Renaissance: A Film by Beyonce, at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, Variety noted. (Lizzo, Tyler Perry, Janelle Monae, Laverne Cox and former Destiny's Child bandmates Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams were among the guests.) The movie, which documents her Renaissance World Tour, will be released in the U.S. on Dec. 1 via chains including AMC, Regal and Cinemark. Fans have noted that Dec. 1 also marks World AIDS Day; the singer dedicated her Renaissance album to her late cousin Johnny (calling him "Uncle Johnny"), who died of an AIDS-related illness.
Grammy winner Ani DiFranco will make her Broadway debut in the Tony-winning musical Hadestown at the Walter Kerr Theatre starting Feb. 9, 2024, Playbill revealed. DiFranco's history with Hadestown began in 2010 when she invited Tony-winning composer Anais Mitchell to release the original studio album of the hit musical on her label, Righteous Babe Records. In a statement, DiFranco said, "I could not be more thrilled to be joining the cast of Hadestown. It's like I get to rewind to my New York youth and follow the road not taken."
Lesbian tennis legend Billie Jean King turned "80 years young" on Nov. 22, and she said she has no plans to slow down, according to tennis.com . The legend, equality advocate and WTA founder wrote on social media, ""Relationships are everything. I am fortunate to have been surrounded by loved ones all my life. I look forward to each day. Having Ilana by my side is my best gift. Creating opportunities for others makes me so happy. And I'm not done yet!"
Apple TV+ unveiled the first images from The New Look, a 10-episode historical drama series led by an ensemble cast that features Emmy Award winner Ben Mendelsohn, Oscar winner Juliette Binoche, John Malkovich, Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones), Emily Mortimer and Claes Bang. The New Look—which will debut Feb. 14, 2024—centers on fashion designers Christian Dior, Coco Chanel and their contemporaries as they navigated the horrors of World War II and launched modern fashion.
Recently, the Museum of Broadway celebrated its one-year anniversary, per a press release. The evening included special remarks, pop-up musical performances, the unveiling of two windows designed exclusively for The Museum of Broadway by the Fashion Institute of Technology, and a very special presentation to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Museum co-founders Julie Boardman and Diane Nicoletti—with a little help from the stars of Here Lies Love, Arielle Jacobs and Jose Llana—presented a check of $100,000 to the organization, representative of the $1 pledged from every ticket sold.
LGBTQ+ star Keke Palmer hosted the 2023 Soul Train Awards that saw SZA lead the night taking home the most trophies including Best R&B/Soul Female Artist, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and The Ashford and Simpson Songwriter's Award, according to Deadline. Usher nabbed three trophies while Victoria Monet won two. Queer entertainer Janelle Monae took the Spirit of Soul Award while T-Pain was honored with the Legend Award.
Some fans were upset that Jimmy Fallon called trans actress Hunter Schafer "bud" during her recent appearance on his show, Out noted. "This is really cool!" Fallon told her during her appearance on the show. "Now you're in Hunger Games [the prequel The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes]! Congratulations, bud!" One individual on X (formerly Twitter) posted, "'Bud' is NOT gender-neutral. I have never heard anybody refer to a grown ass woman as 'bud' before. I hate Jimmy Fallon so much." However, others said that he has used the term "bud" for various guests, including cisgender women.
ABC announced that The Oscars will air live on Sunday, March 10 at 7 p.m. ET from the Dolby Theatre, according to a press release. Immediately following, ABC will air an original episode of the Emmy-winning comedy series Abbott Elementary. Late-night talk show host and producer Jimmy Kimmel will return to host the live show for the fourth time.
British comedian, actor and trans activist Eddie Suzy Izzard will take the New York stage this winter for six weeks only, playing 23 characters in William Shakespeare's Hamlet, adapted by Mark Izzard and directed by Selena Cadell at off-Broadway's Greenwich House Theater on Jan. 25-March 3, Broadway World noted. Izzard returns to New York following last year's sold-out run of Charles Dickens' Great Expectations, which played to rave reviews at Greenwich House and in London's West End.
IMAX and Pathe Live, in partnership with Mercury Studios and Queen Films, announced that, for the very first time, one of the world's biggest bands will perform on cinema's biggest screens with the global release of Queen Rock Montreal exclusively in IMAX beginning Jan. 18, 2024, a press release stated. The film, showcasing Freddie Mercury, is from a live concert performed in 1981. Queen Rock Montreal will be released in more than 450 IMAX locations globally for four days beginning Jan. 18. Participating territories include the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, South Africa, Australia, Brazil and Mexico, to name a few. Tickets are on sale now; visit IMAX.com/queen.
RuPaul's Drag Race UK has crowned its season-five winner, a press release announced. Ginger Johnson edged Michael Marouli and Tomara Thomas for the title. At the end of the eventful episode (that included surprise reunions for the finalists with family members), Johnson said, "I'm not often lost for words but I am astounded. There is nothing bigger than this and to win is just everything. This is the perfect end to the perfect dream." The full season of RuPaul's Drag Race UK is now streaming on WOW Presents Plus in the U.S. and select territories worldwide.
Actor, writer and filmmaker Connor Jessup (Locke & Key; American Crime) is doing his part to make the world a safer, kinder place for other LGBTQ+ people with the new initiative Queer Was Always Here, CBC noted. Alongside close friend and fellow actor Sebastian Croft (Heartstopper), Jessup co-created Queer Was Always Here to help secure futures for LGBTQIA+ refugees and displaced people while at the same time creating a community dedicated to queer art, history and joy. The initiative centers on two gay orange dinosaurs named Dylan and Derek that Croft invented; the creatures lived "in a time before we had invented homophobia, because queerness long outdates bigotry," Jessup said.
Daniel Radcliffe won't be competing against his Merrily We Roll Along Broadway co-star Jonathan Groff for a Tony next June, as the awards administration committee ruled today that Radcliffe will be eligible in the featured performer category, apparently leaving the lead category to Groff, Deadline noted. Lindsay Mendez—who plays Mary Flynn, the musical's most prominent female character—will, like Radcliffe, be eligible in the featured performer category. This year's hit Maria Friedman-directed revival included the three stars' names above the title, leaving some wiggle room with regard to the category decisions.
Luke Prokop—the only publicly out gay athlete in men's professional hockey—was called up by the Milwaukee Admirals after a stellar start to the season with the Atlanta Gladiators, Outsports noted. He played in a game for the Admirals, making him the first publicly out gay player ever in the AHL, which is one step below the NHL. Currently, there are no publicly out gay men playing in any of the major North American pro sports leagues.
Jennifer Lopez's first studio album in a decade, This Is Me…Now, has been set for release on Feb. 16, 2024, Deadline revealed. There will also be a movie "inspired by the music" releasing on the same date. Amazon MGM Studios has acquired and will release Nuyorican Productions' This Is Me…Now: The Film on Prime Video worldwide. The release of This Is Me…Now celebrates the anniversary of its sister album, This is Me…Then, which was released 20 years ago.
Brothers Osbourne—a country-music duo consisting of brothers John and TJ (who's openly gay)—announced their 35-city "Might As Well Be Us Tour," with dates throughout 2024, per a press release. The Grammy-winning duo will perform in cities including Atlanta, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Las Vegas, Chicago and other cities, with various supporting acts. The band also recently appeared on CBS Mornings, joined by Anthony Mason at their homes in Nashville; John spoke candidly about his previous struggles with mental health and TJ touched on his journey since coming out.
Nonbinary U.S. DJ and producer The Blessed Madonna criticized British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak after he used one of their songs in an Instagram post, PinkNews reported. Sunak's video is captioned "We go again," and is accompanied by the song "We've Lost Dancing," by Fred again… and The Blessed Madonna. On Instagram, the DJ wrote, "I just want to say, for the record, I'd rather hear my own death rattle echoing in my ears, as I plunge happily into the void than hear the sound of my voice in an ad for the Tories."
As Only Murders in the Building fans await a fourth season of the hit Hulu comedy, they can relive the show's first season via a broadcast run on ABC this January, Variety noted. As it prepares to start returning new episodes of its strike-delayed series starting in February, ABC will fill the January gap with episodes of "Only Murders" on Tuesdays. All 10 episodes of the first season will air back-to-back, starting with the first three episodes on Tuesday, Jan. 2.
Searchlight Pictures has partnered with the ASU Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) to present the Poor Things costume exhibit at the ASU FIDM Museum on Dec. 1-15, per a press release. The plot is described thusly: "From filmmaker Yorgos Lanthimos and producer Emma Stone comes the tale of the fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter (Stone), a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe). Hungry for the worldliness she is lacking, Bella runs off with Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo), a slick and debauched lawyer, on a whirlwind adventure across the continents. Free from the prejudices of her times, Bella grows steadfast in her purpose to stand for equality and liberation."
Eric McCormack (Will & Grace) and Janet Leigh Holden McCormack's marriage is coming to an end after she filed for divorce after 26 years together, Entertainment Tonight noted. Janet filed the divorce papers just one day before Thanksgiving in Los Angeles County Superior Court. In the court documents, Janet cites "irreconcilable differences" for the split.
Taylor Swift's Eras Tour concert film will begin streaming on Dec. 13—her birthday—and will include three additional songs not included in the theatrical release, Deadline noted. The extra songs are "Wildest Dreams," "The Archer" and "Long Live." Recently the film's box office grosses passed $232 million globally, AMC CEO Adam Aron said.
Kim Kardashian will lead the ensemble comedy movie The Fifth Wheel, which landed at Netflix, per The Hollywood Reporter. Paula Pell and Janine Brito are behind the screenplay. Plot details are being kept under wraps, but Kardashian will play the eponymous "fifth wheel" alongside a female ensemble cast.
Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Sebastian Stan—known for his work in the MCU and the Hulu miniseries Pam & Tommy—has been tapped for the role of a young Donald Trump in The Apprentice, a new film from Cannes prize-winning Iranian filmmaker Ali Abbasi, Deadline noted. Emmy and Golden Globe winner Jeremy Strong (Succession) and Oscar nominee Maria Bakalova (Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3) are also slated to be in the film. The Apprentice will examine Trump's efforts to build his real-estate business in New York in the '70s and '80s, and will also dig into his relationship with infamous attorney Roy Cohn.
Kelli Giddish is reportedly reprising her role as Detective Amanda Rollins for the season 25 premiere of NBC's Law & Order: SVU, People revealed. Giddish stepped away from the series midway through season 24 last December. However, she returned for a cameo in the season finale—part of a crossover with Law & Order and Law & Order: Organized Crime. In the episode, Rollins was pregnant and expecting her first child with Assistant District Attorney Dominick Carisi (Peter Scanavino).
A third woman reportedly came forward accusing Sean "Diddy" Combs and, in the latest suit, a friend of his with sexual assault and rape, Deadline reported. A lawsuit filed in New York by an anonymous Jane Doe alleges that Combs and a second man took turns raping Doe and her friend in 1990 or 1991, and that Combs physically assaulted Doe again days later. The second woman, Joi Dickerson-Neal, alleges that Combs drugged and sexually assaulted her in 1991 and later engaged in "revenge porn." Combs' reps said the allegations "are fabricated claims falsely alleging misconduct from over 30 years ago and filed at the last minute. This is nothing but a money grab."
It turns out that Daryl Hall initiated legal action in an attempt to block his longtime musical partner, John Oates, from selling his share in their joint venture to Primary Wave Music, Variety noted, citing the AP. Hall wants to block Oates' aim to sell his share of the duo's Whole Oats Enterprises to the investment firm, which already purchased a "significant" stake in their catalog rights 16 years ago. Hall has indicated that he regrets not owning all his publishing.
