The animated character Aquaman was confirmed to be LGBT+ on the latest episode of Young Justice: Outsiders—the DC Universe's animated show about teenage superheroes, PinkNews reported. The latest episode, "Quiet Conversations," saw the iconic DC superhero exchange a kiss with Wynnde, an Atlantean man, while holding his hands. The series also features a non-binary Muslim hero, Halo.
ABC is in "active talks" about bringing another Marvel female superhero to the network, Deadline reported. The broadcaster is working with its Disney sibling on another comic book adaption. This comes as Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is set to finish after its upcoming seventh season.
Coming to digital and DVD in September from High Octane Pictures, The Power of Grayskull: The Definitive History of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe chronicles the beginnings and blockbuster-success of '80s toy sensation He-Man, a press release noted. The film features Dolph Lundgren, Frank Langella, Richard Edlund, J. Michael Straczynski, Alan Oppenheimer and many more.
Characters from Black Lightning will appear for the first time in The CW's superhero crossover event Crisis of Infinite Earths, Deadline noted. In addition to Black Lightning stars, Kevin Conroy, who voices Bruce Wayne in Batman: The Animated Series will be making a special appearance. The crossover event will take place over three nights in December and on one evening in January, involving episodes of Supergirl, The Flash, Arrow, Batwoman and DC's Legends of Tomorrow.
Supermodel Cara Delevingne and Pretty Little Liars actress Ashley Benson were reportedly married in a private ceremony in Las Vegas recently, according to an ExtraTV.com item that cited The New York Post. The outlet says they were joined in matrimony by an Elvis impersonator at the Little Vegas Chapel—and that both brides wore black. The Jonas Brothers, Sophie Turner and Charlize Theron were rumored to be guests at the wedding. (UPDATE: E! News contests this, reporting that no marriage license for the couple has been found in Las Vegas public records, although the pair had a friendship ceremony about a year ago.)
Chris Pine is attached to play iconic CBS newsman Walter Cronkite in the film Newsflash, Deadline reported. This is the Ben Jacoby-scripted drama that takes place Nov. 22, 1963—the day President John F Kennedy was assassinated in Texas. Mark Ruffalo is still attached to play Don Hewitt, who was Cronkite's producer and helped navigate the chaos in an unimaginably tragic day in America.
Pose cast & executives ( Steven Canals, Janet Mock, MJ Rodriguez, Indya Moore, Hailie Sahar, pop icons Tegan and Sara, pop star/activist Hayley Kiyoko, New Orleans artist/TV star Big Freedia, rapper ILOVEMAKONNEN and many more are slated to be at the first-ever Pride Summit on Aug. 8, a press release noted. The event, in conjunction with Billboard's annual Pride issue, will feature an array of panels and conversations. The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard will host the summit.
Vita & Virginia—a film co-written with Emmy and BAFTA-winning actress Dame Eileen Atkins—is set to be released Aug. 23 in New York, and Aug. 30 in L.A. and on VoD, a press release noted. Writer-director Chanya Button and Atkins draw from the correspondence between literary titans Vita Sackville-West ( Gemma Arterton ) and Virginia Woolf ( Elizabeth Debicki ) to turn the 1920s-set period-drama on its head with a passionate portrayal of their love affair, assisted by the melodic electro score from composer Isobel Waller-Bridge.
Natasha Lyonne is set to direct an episode of Comedy Central's as-yet-untitled Awkwafina project, Deadline noted. This immediately follows Lyonne's stint helming an episode of both Hulu's High Fidelity reboot series, and Shrill—the streamer's Aidy Bryant vehicle. It's been a busy summer for Lyonne, with her show Russian Doll renewed for a second season and nominated for 13 Emmys. High Fidelity—a reimagining of Nick Hornby's 1995 novel and the 2000 feature starring John Cusack—is reframed from a female point of view.
Joshua Rush—the first Disney Channel actor to say the words "I'm gay" on screen, on the show Andi Mack—has come out as bisexual, PinkNews noted. Rush played Cyrus Goodman, who came out as gay in a 2017 episode of the Disney Channel series. The character made history again in the July 2019 series finale, becoming part of the Disney Channel's first teenage same-sex couple with classmate TJ Kippen.
Gender non-conforming actor and model Nico Tortorella has won a lead role in the upcoming Walking Dead spin-off series, according to PinkNews. Tortorella will play Felix in the upcoming series, the third in the apocalyptic zombie franchise. The new, as-yet-unnamed series will not interfere with the actor's series regular role on Younger.
Batman has been celebrated throughout 2019 for his success his comic books, television, films and video games—and was recently inducted into the Comic-Con Character Hall of Fame as an idea, DCComics.com noted. "Batman is real in every person who summons the strength and resilience to keep going. That is a superpower. There's no other way to describe it," DC Publisher and Chief Creative Officer Jim Lee said, accepting on Batman's behalf as the Caped Crusader became the inaugural inductee to the Comic-Con Museum's Character Hall of Fame.
During Sara Gilbert's final episode of The Talk, she was moved by a surprise musical performance ( of the original song "Mama" ) from her wife, Grammy-nominated songwriter Linda Perry, and daughter Sawyer Gilbert Adler, NewNowNext.com noted. "I want everybody to know that this is a true, very inspiring human being here that is always trying to advance herself and everybody else around her," said Perry of her wife before inviting 12-year-old Sawyer to the stage. Gilbert, who created The Talk in 2010 and has also served as an executive producer, announced in April that she would be leaving the CBS show at the end of the ninth season.
Kelly McGillis will not be appearing in the 2020 film Top Gun: Maverick, NewNowNext.com noted. In an exclusive interview with Entertainment Tonight, the lesbian actress—who splashed onto the scene as Tom Cruise's bombshell love interest Charlie in the 1986 film—confirmed that she won't be involved in the Top Gun sequel. Notably, Cruise is on board to reprise his role of Maverick, the sequel's eponymous protagonist. According to Cruise, 48-year-old actress Jennifer Connelly has already been cast to play his new love interest.
Woodstock 50 ( slated to take place Aug. 16-18 ) is officially canceled, with organizers announcing they would no longer attempt to stage the event at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland, according to Billboard. The would-be event was plagued by a series of misfortunes, including the withdrawals of artists such as Jay-Z, Miley Cyrus, Santana and John Fogerty.
Drag performer/musician Eureka O'Hara shared her newest body-positive anthem, "Pretty Hot and Tasty," featuring Jiggly Caliente and Lardi B, a press release noted. The three artists—known collectively as the P.H.A.T. GURLZ—have teamed up with a mission to spread positivity and self-love among all body types, gender identities and races. "Pretty Hot and Tasty" is a follow-up to Eureka O'Hara's single "The Big Girl."
Taylor Swift took to social media to tease yet another big surprise, Page Six noted. It turns out she's set to perform a live concert Thursday, Aug. 22, in Central Park. Swift will follow in the footsteps of fellow pop divas Barbra Streisand and Diana Ross when she steps on the Central Park stage next month. Her show is taking place the day before her new album, Lover, goes on sale.
Showtime officially announced that deals are done for Wonder Woman star Gal Gadot to headline and executive produce a limited series about film actress and inventor Hedy Lamarr, Deadline reported. ( The outlet first reported news of this a year ago. ) Austrian-born Lamarr started her career in Czechoslovakia in the early 1930s before leaving her husband and moving to Paris; she then became an A-list Hollywood actress and even an inventor.
Chicago rapper Vic Mensa has released a political new music video for his Travis Barker-produced song "3 Years Sober," Rolling Stone noted. Directed by Mensa and Franc Fernandez, the "3 Years Sober" clip follows Mensa's previous release, "Camp America," in its political provocation. In "Sober," Mensa puts on lipstick and a dress blaring the Confederate flag design in sequins before getting into a tug-of-war with Vice President Mike Pence—infamous for his anti-LGBTQ attitudes and supportive stance toward conversion therapy.
Rihanna criticized President Donald Trump's response in the aftermath of a pair of mass shootings in the United States that left 29 dead, Rolling Stone noted. "Um… Donald, you spelt "terrorism" wrong! Your country had 2 terrorist attacks back to back hours apart leaving almost 30 innocent people dead," Rihanna wrote. ( Trump described the El Paso shootings as "tragic" and "an act of cowardice" instead of terrorism. ) She then posted, in part, ""Imagine a world where it's easier to get an AK-47 than a VISA! Imagine a world where they build a wall to keep terrorists IN AMERICA!!!"
GLAAD announced that RuPaul's Drag Race alum and Broadway star Peppermint will host the 2019 GLAAD Gala San Francisco on Saturday, Sept. 28, a press release noted. The GLAAD Gala San Francisco celebrates and features storytellers and tech innovators who accelerate LGBTQ acceptance and helps fund GLAAD's digital-advocacy work to increase LGBTQ inclusion in digital and social media.
The horror film The Curse of La Llorona is now out on Blu-ray and DVD. From New Line Cinema and producer James Wan, the movie brings the Latin American legend to life. The film stars Linda Cardellini, Raymond Cruz and Patricia Velasquez.
Entertainment host Mario Lopez has walked back his recent controversial comments in which he implied that it's dangerous for parents to definitively label their young children as transgender, Variety.com reported. "The comments I made were ignorant and insensitive, and I now have a deeper understanding of how hurtful they were," Lopez said in a statement. "I have been and always will be an ardent supporter of the LGBTQ community, and I am going to use this opportunity to better educate myself. Moving forward, I will be more informed and thoughtful."
Wendy Williams got emotional as she closed out season 10 of her talk show, People.com noted. "This season has been, well, hell for me, in a weird way," admitted the host, who is going through a divorce from longtime husband Kevin Hunter Sr.; she also lived in a sober house for part of this year. However, TheGrio.com noted that has Williams has reportedly hired Hunter back on her team to handle some of her business ventures.
Former '90s kid actor Blake McIver has deleted every single one of his social media accounts after making an AIDS joke on Twitter, Queerty noted. McIver tweeted, "So is Pose just Glee with a viral load now?" Writer and longtime HIV/AIDS activist Mark S. King was quick to criticize McIver: "I have #HIV antibodies older than you, sir, and never in my life has punching down been hilarious—or a good career move." In January, he went on a Twitter tirade during Rent Live, and later blamed it on his mental state.
Actress Afton Williamson stated on Instagram that she will not return for the second season of the ABC cop drama The Rookie, accusing the show's hair department head of repeated instances of racial discrimination and sexual harassment, TheWrap reported. She also accused the show's executive producers of bullying her on set. ABC and Entertainment One said in separate statements that they take these types of claims "very seriously."
A.J. Calloway—the Extra host who was accused of sexual assault and other misconduct by several women—has now been severed from the company, Deadline reported. Calloway was suspended in February by Warner Bros pending further investigation of the allegations. Calloway originally was accused of sexual assault in June 2018 by writer Sil Lai Abrams; nothing happened then, but a subsequent incident in December 2018 prompted a closer look.
Nancy O'Dell is leaving Entertainment Tonight after nearly a decade with the syndicated entertainment newsmagazine, Deadline noted. The red-carpet veteran said she plans to continue working in the genre and will spend more time with her family.
Ariana Grande is apologizing to her fans after she made an insensitive joke about slain 6-year-old pageant princess JonBenét Ramsey, People.com noted. However, Grande is also in the news after reaching a settlement with a photographer to end her $50,000 legal battle, Yahoo! noted. Photographer Robert Barbera has dismissed all claims against Grande, officially ending his lawsuit.
Tyrese Gibson is angry all over again about the film Hobbs & Shaw, Page Six noted. The Fast and the Furious franchise spinoff—starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Jason Statham—launched worldwide with a $180-million debut, but Gibson wasn't impressed. In a since-deleted Instagram post, 40-year-old Gibson called out The Rock and the movie's earnings. Gibson has been taking jabs at The Rock since the spinoff movie was announced in 2017 and ultimately pushed the release of Fast 9 to 2020.
