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

The Spice Girls will re-release their 2000 album Forever for the first time on vinyl on Friday, Nov. 20, via UMC, a press release noted. The platinum-selling album—which features tracks such as the UK number-one hit "Goodbye" as well as the double A-sided single "Holler," "Tell Me Why" and "Let Love Lead The Way"—will be released on 180g heavyweight vinyl. Forever was the Spice Girls' final studio album.

Rolling Stone released its list of the 500 greatest albums of all time—with Marvin Gaye's What's Going On topping the list. Some others in the top 10 include The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds ( #2 ), Joni Mitchell's Blue ( #3 ), Prince and the Revolution's Purple Rain ( #8 ) and Lauryn Hill's The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill ( #10 ). A few of the other albums on the list are Michael Jackson's Thriller ( #12 ), Patti Smith's Horses ( #26 ), Beyonce's self-titled work ( #81 ), R.E.M.'s Automatic for the People ( #96 ), Madonna's The Immaculate Collection ( #138 ), Blondie's Parallel Lines ( #146 ), Janet Jackson's Rhythm Nation 1814 ( #339 ) and Pet Shop Boys' Actually ( #435 ).

In the nontraditional film biopic The Glorias ( based on Gloria Steinem's own biography My Life on the Road ), the movie—with Julianne Moore, Alicia Vikander, Lulu Wilson and Ryan Keira Armstrong all as Steinem—traces Steinem's influential journey to prominence, a press release noted. The Glorias—out Sept. 30 on digital and streaming exclusively on Amazon Prime Video—includes a number of women who made profound contributions to the women's movement, including Dorothy Pitman Hughes ( played by Janelle Monae ), Flo Kennedy ( Lorraine Toussaint ), Bella Abzug ( Bette Midler ), Dolores Huerta ( Monica Sanchez ) and Wilma Mankiller ( Kimberly Guerrero ).

Dorian Electra ( pronouns: they/them/theirs ) announced that their new project, My Agenda, will be out Friday, Oct. 16, a press release noted. The follow up to their 2019 debut album Flamboyant, My Agenda—in which the title song features Pussy Riot and Village People—explores a deeper, darker, and even more political side.

Victor Willis—the heterosexual frontman for the Village People—said the iconic song "YMCA" is not about illicit gay sex, warning he's going to sue anyone who suggests otherwise, Out.com noted. "I will sue the next media organization, or anyone else, that falsely suggests Y.M.C.A. is somehow about illicit gay sex," Willis warned via Facebook, later adding "Get your mind out of the gutter, please!" Willis posted he "wrote 100% of the lyrics to Y.M.C.A." and declared "I ought to know what my song is about." He added, "I'm happy the gay community adopted it as their anthem; I have no qualms with that." Willis helped write over 30 of the songs performed by the group, including smash hits like "Macho Man," and "In The Navy."

For the Hallmark Channel's first holiday film that features an LGBTQ+ storyline, the network has cast Jonathan Bennett of Mean Girls fame as a lead, Out.com reported. In the project, The Christmas House, Bennett will play Brandon. The character has returned home with his husband, played by Brad Harder, while they "are anxiously awaiting a call about the adoption of their first child." The movie will join the annual "Countdown to Christmas" slate of projects that will begin airing Nov. 23.

The first queer global streaming TV network, Revry, honors National LGBT History Month in October with the premiere of the fifth annual QueerX festival, courtesy of Lexus ( Oct. 1—31 ), a media release noted. The 2020 event will revolve around the theme "Rise Up" and will drive political participation through its screenings, panels and activations. Revry will host all of the festival's "Official Selections," including international LGBTQ+ short films, digital series and music videos. See QueerX.com for tickets.

On The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Queer Eye star Karamo Brown said he has broken up with fiance Ian Jordan, Out.com noted. The two ended their engagement amicably a few months ago, Brown told guest host Stephen "Twitch" Boss. The two remain friends, and there was "no cheating," Brown said. "It's very nice when it's like, 'I still love you and support you,' and I want him to be happy; he wants me to be happy."

On her show's season opener that aired Sept. 21, Ellen DeGeneres spoke candidly about allegations of a toxic work environment that have plagued The Ellen DeGeneres Show since July—when a Buzzfeed report jumpstarted an intense dialogue among former staffers who accused top producers of harassment, intimidation and racism, Out.com noted. In part, DeGeneres said, "I learned that things happened here that never should have happened. I take that very seriously and I want to say I am so sorry to the people that were affected." However, not all were won over; a column in The Independent stated, in part, "While her apology seems to have its heart in the right place, there is a distancing effect in this careful, certainly legally-vetted word choice that separates Ellen from much accountability."

The Meet Group, Inc. is presenting actor Daniel Franzese's Teddy Talks on GROWLr Live, the in-app live video broadcasting feature on its gay dating mobile application, GROWLr, a press release announced. The talks started Sept. 25 and will continue on Oct. 2 ( "Stay Hungry, Never Thirsty" ) and Oct. 9 ( "Bear Cub Comedy Club" ). All three talks will be available for free on the GROWLr app.

The Billboard Music Awards nominated gay rapper/country star Lil Nas X for 13 awards, Out.com noted. Post Malone led the pack with 16 nods, and Billie Eilish and Khalid each scored 12. In response, Lil Nas X posted a celebratory tweet: "13 BILLBOARD AWARD NOMINATIONS!! LETS GOOOO!" Kelly Clarkson will once again host the 2020 ceremony, which will be broadcast live Oct. 14 on NBC from Los Angeles' Dolby Theatre.

With a global debut at the San Sebastian International Film Academy, Supernova has released its first trailer, Out.com noted. The film—a British drama revolving around two long-term gay partners that stars Stanley Tucci and Colin Firth—was written and directed by Harry Macqueen. The plot shows Tusker, played by Tucci, and Sam, played by Firth, taking a long road trip in their RV in the wake of Tusker's early-onset dementia diagnosis.

Miley Cyrus took the stage at the 2020 iHeartRadio Music Festival, and channelled two rock icons: Debbie Harry and Stevie Nicks, iHeart.com stated. Cyrus kicked off her set with a cover of Blondie's classic hit "Heart of Glass" before jumping into her recent Mark Ronson collaboration "Nothing Breaks Like a Heart." She then sang her songs "Who Owns My Heart" and her latest single, "Midnight Sky."

Almost a year after Gabrielle Union was fired as a judge from America's Got Talent after just one season, the LA's Finest star and NBC have come to a deal over her claims of misconduct and discrimination on the show and at the network, Deadline reported. Although neither party has said more publicly, Deadline learned that Union received "significant" compensation, as one source put it from the network.

Caitlyn Jenner and her manager/partner, Sophia Hutchins, could be coming to the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Out.com noted, citing Page Six. The news site said they were told that Caitlyn, 70, and Sophia, 24 "mutually decided to try the new reality show together, and Caitlyn is pushing for Hutchins to be cast" on the upcoming season of the show. The current RHOBH cast includes Kyle Richards, Dorit Kemsley, Lisa Rinna, Erika Girardi and Garcelle Beauvais; Denise Richards and Teddi Mellencamp have left the show.

The Tampa Bay International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival ( TIGLFF ) will go virtual Oct. 2-18, a press release noted. There will be 21 feature films, and six shorts programs with another 39 films—all representing 19 countries. A few of the movies include Dramarama, Breaking Fast, Making Sweet Tea ( featuring Northwestern University Dean E. Patrick Johnson ), Bare, Steelers: The World's First Gay Rugby Club and First Blush. See TIGLFF.com .

This October, Shout! Factory TV and Scream Factory will present "31 Nights of Horror," a press release noted. Each night of the stream will feature a genre favorite such as Witchboard, Bad Moon, Sleepaway Camp, The Exorcist III, Clive Barker's Nightbreed: Director's Cut and many more. The livestream can be viewed on ShoutFactoryTV.com; Shout! Factory TV's Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, and Android apps; and the following digital streaming platforms: Twitch, Samsung TV Plus, Comcast Xfinity, Xumo, Vizio, Redbox, IMDb TV and STIRR.

The 20th annual Screamfest Horror Film Festival announced its lineup of features and shorts, kicking off with a drive-in screening of Hulu's Books of Blood, a press release noted. Some of the films will include A Ghost Waits, Caveat, Initiation, Sanzaru, Facelift, Sweet River, Meat Lover and The History of Monsters. The festival, running Oct. 6-15, is the largest and longest-running horror film festival in the United States; it will move entirely to drive-in screenings with evenings showcasing a feature film paired with a number of shorts. See ScreamfestLA.com .

Linda and the Mockingbirds—a new documentary capturing Linda Ronstadt's 2019 journey to Mexico with a group of young students—will be released digitally Tuesday, Oct. 20, by Shout! Studios and PCH Films, a press release noted. From award-winning director and producer James Keach ( Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me ), who also produced the 2019 Linda Ronstadt documentary The Sound of My Voice, Linda and the Mockingbirds is the result of Ronstadt's introducing Keach to Los Cenzontles Cultural Arts Academy, for whom she has been a patron for 26 years.

A two-time veteran of the long-running reality television show Big Brother— Paul Abrahamian—quitely updated their pronouns on social media, Out.com noted. While Abrahamain has updated their bio to reflect the change and confirmed to fans they are now using they/them pronouns, they have not spoken out about their gender identity. In seasons 18 and 19 of the show, Abrahamian advanced to the finals as the top contestant—but lost both times to the eventual winners.

Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford was once arrested in Venice Beach, California for cruising a bathroom in search of sex, LGBTQ Nation noted. "The police did me a favor by keeping it out of the press because it would have been big news. I always refer to that, slightly tongue in cheek, as my George Michael moment," Halford told NME during an interview about his new autobiography. Halford famously came out in an MTV interview in 1998—long before most celebrities gathered up the courage; he wasn't out when he was arrested in California. The same year Halford came out, singer George Michael was outed when he was arrested cruising a bathroom in Beverly Hills.

Drag artists BenDeLaCreme and Jinkx Monsoon will bring their camp with The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Special—a 60-minute musical special that is made for the screen, available via video on Oudemand this holiday season, a press release noted. The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Special is the story of two queens who set out to create a classic Christmas TV variety show, but just can't agree on how.

HBO Max announced an exclusive holiday special for the platform starring award-winning singer Carrie Underwood, a press statement noted. Underwood will be performing songs from her first ever full-length Christmas album, My Gift, which is available on CD and digital. The streamer will premiere the event this holiday season.

Days after dropping her new video for "911," which is based on her recent mental-health struggle, Lady Gaga released her new book—Channel Kindness: Stories of Kindness and Community, which turns the attention over to young people all around the world who've prevailed in their own battles, iHeart.com noted. The book is a collection of short stories from 51 young authors who've broken the barriers surrounding mental health stigma. To celebrate the release—which was a collaboration with the actress/singer's mother, Cynthia Germanotta, alongside their Born This Way Foundation—Gaga took to Instagram to pen a short note about the release.

One day after Schitt's Creek swept the comedy categories at this weekend's Emmys ceremony, Netflix revealed the 2020 fall premiere date for the show's final season on the streaming platform, EW.com noted. Schitt's Creek's sixth and final season will arrive on Netflix in the United States and Canada this Oct. 7, which is in line with when season five premiered on Netflix last October.

HBO Documentary Films acquired all North American rights to the feature length documentary The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend A Broken Heart—about the legendary band who wrote more than 1,000 songs, including 20 number-one hits throughout their career, according to a press statement. The film will debut on HBO later this year and will be available to stream on HBO Max.

Priyanka Chopra-Jonas and Oscar-winning actress Kate Winslet have joined Max Original A World of Calm, launching Thursday, Oct. 1, according to a press release. The 10-episode series is advertised as "a totally new type of television experience that combines mesmeric imagery with narration by A-list stars." Chopra-Jonas and Winslet join previously announced narrators Mahershala Ali, Idris Elba, Oscar Isaac, Nicole Kidman, Zoe Kravitz, Lucy Liu, Cillian Murphy and Keanu Reeves.

Dwayne Johnson recently endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden and his running mate, Kamala Harris, Deadline noted. Johnson not only spurned President Donald Trump with the endorsement, he does a whole interview with the Dems on his social media outlets.

Rapper Megan Thee Stallion has been announced as Saturday Night Live's musical guest alongside host Chris Rock airing Saturday, Oct. 3, a press release noted. She was nominated for Top Rap Female Artist at the Billboard Music Awards 2020 and has been honored by TIME in the TIME100, its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

An all-Black cast table read of an episode of the hit NBC series Friends toook place Sept. 22 as the second episode of "Zoom Where It Happens," which is billed as "a new live table read series presented by Black women artists to raise awareness, intention and activation around voting rights," CNN.com noted. She was joined by Uzo Aduba, Sterling K. Brown, Ryan Bathe, Aisha Hinds, Kendrick Sampson and Jeremy Pope to re-enact the Friends episode titled "The One Where No One's Read."

The CW and producers Warner Bros TV and Berlanti Productions announced that the show Supergirl will conclude with the upcoming sixth season, set for premiere on the CW in 2021, Deadline noted. It is the second series from the CW's DC Arrowverse to come to an end, following Arrow, which wrapped its eight-year run last season.

Apple will be releasing R.J. Cutler's documentary feature Billie Eilish: The World's A Little Blurry on its streaming service, Apple TV+ and in theaters this February, Deadline noted. Eilish released her debut album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, last year; she won Best New Artist, Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album at this year's 62nd Grammy Awards in January. Earlier this year before the pandemic, the teen dropped the No Time to Die title theme song to the upcoming MGM/Eon James Bond movie.

American Humane's inaugural feature-length documentary—Escape From Extinction, narrated by Helen Mirren—will open in 120 theaters across the U.S. on Oct. 16 through Concert Films, Deadline reported. The nonfiction feature, produced and directed by Matthew R. Brady of MRB Productions, explores what scientists are calling a "sixth mass extinction."

Fox's Family Guy has recast the role of Cleveland Brown with Arif Zahir, Deadline noted. Mike Henry, who had voiced Brown since the show's inception in 1999, announced in June that he was stepping down from the role. "I love this character, but persons of color should play characters of color," Henry, who is white, said in his announcement about playing Cleveland, who is Black. Henry will continue to play Bruce the Performance Artist and other ancillary roles.

In a similar vein, actor Alex Desert replaced Hank Azaria as the voice of Homer's workmate Carl Carlson in the first episode of the new season of The Simpsons, the BBC noted. The move comes after the show's producers said white actors would no longer voice non-white characters. The show had fielded criticism about the portrayal of Indian convenience store owner Apu Nahasapeempeaotiln, who had also been voiced by Azaria, who has also provided the voices for black police officer Lou and the Mexican-American Bumblebee Man.

Netflix has its cast for Spiderhead, landing Chris Hemsworth, Miles Teller and Lovecraft Country's Jurnee Smollett to star in the Joseph Kosinski-directed adaptation of the George Saunders short story, Deadline reported. Spiderhead is set in the near future, when convicts are offered the chance to volunteer as medical subjects in hopes of shortening their sentences.

Director Jan de Bont's thriller The Haunting arrives on Blu-ray as part of the Paramount Presents line on Tuesday, Oct. 20, from Paramount Home Entertainment, a press release announced. Widely regarded as one of the finest and most frightening ghost stories ever written, Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House is the source material for this movie starring Liam Neeson, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Lili Taylor, Owen Wilson and Bruce Dern.

Bravo announced that Season 18 of its show "Top Chef" will be filmed in Portland and will feature a local chef and former contestant as one of its rotating judges, KATU.com noted. Gregory Gourdet—executive chef at Departure in Portland and Top Chef runner-up on season 12—made the announcement on his instagram saying he's "honored to be on the other side of the Judge's Table with some very special friends for what will truly be a very special season of @bravotopchef." Bravo said season 18 will air in 2021.

Wendy Williams showed off her recent weight loss as she returned to the air Sept. 21 to kick off her 12th season of The Wendy Williams Show, TooFab.com noted. She began to speak about her recent weight loss as she opened up about looking for "the comfort of a man," adding that the weight loss happened because "food became disgusting to [her]."

Shark Tank adds two brand-new guest Sharks for its 12th season, premiering Friday, Oct. 16, on ABC, a press release noted. Blake Mycoskie, founder of TOMS and co-founder of Madefor; and Kendra Scott, founder and CEO, Kendra Scott, LLC, and one of only 16 women to found a $1 billion company, will appear individually alongside Sharks Mark Cuban, Barbara Corcoran, Lori Greiner, Robert Herjavec, Daymond John and Kevin O'Leary in various episodes during the 2020-21 season. Alex Rodriguez, legendary baseball player and founder and CEO of A-Rod Corp; and Daniel Lubetzky, founder and executive chairman of KIND, also return for the show's new season, which was filmed in Las Vegas.

Singer Jaguar Wright took to social media to apologize to Tiffany Haddish, who is currently dating Wright's ex-boyfriend, Common, MadameNoire.com noted. Wright's apology—delivered via an Instagram video—comes months after she accused Common of sexually assaulting her in the past. In essence, the singer wanted to clear the air and let it be known that despite the allegations that she has lodged against Common, she has "nothing but respect" for Haddish.

Former Love Island contestant Noah Purvis broke his silence after being dumped from the show, Queerty noted. On Instagram, Purvis posted an illustration of a crowd of multiracial figures. The accompanying caption read, "OHANA means family… FAMILY means no one gets left behind or forgotten. All of you out here have made me feel this and I can't express how loved I feel for the first time in my life." Purvis' caption did not address the reasons why he had been axed from the show—and did not confirm or deny his previous, alleged work as an adult film star.