On Feb. 22, the stars of WE tv's series Brat Loves Judy—Da Brat and Jesseca "Judy" Dupart—were married in a romantic wedding ceremony and reception in front of family and friends at Horse Mansion in Fairburn, Georgia, per a press release. In attendance at the nuptials were groomsman and longtime friend Jermaine Dupri, Eva Marcille and Michael Sterling, Porsha Williams, Kandi Burruss, comedian/radio personality Rickey Smiley, Supa Cent and Brat's sister LisaRaye McCoy (also a bridesmaid). The wedding will appear on a new season of Brat Loves Judy, premiering this June on WE tv.
The queer French comedy My Best Part is available on VOD nationwide from Altered Innocence, a press release noted. The dramedy stars actor-director Nicolas Maury as a young man who heads home to his mother (10-time Cesar Award nominee Nathalie Baye) amidst an existential crisis.
The sixth annual Blue Jacket Fashion Show combined the worlds of glamor and healthcare to raise awareness and funds for men diagnosed with prostate cancer, Variety noted. A wide array of celebrities and media icons showed up to support the event, including Wilson Cruz, Anna Wintour, Don Lemon, Nigel Barker and Al Roker. Fashion designer Frederick Anderson, who co-founded the charity event in 2017, paid tribute to fashion journalism icon Andre Leon Talley, who passed away last month at 73.
Niecy Nash and Jessica Betts became the first same-sex couple to appear on the cover of Essence magazine, for its Black Women in Hollywood Issue, out.com noted. "Thank you Essence for choosing the Betts as your FIRST same-sex couple to cover your magazine" Nash wrote on Instagram. The cover story—written by Demetria L. Lucas—talks about the couple's relationship, what it was like for Nash coming out, and what it's like for the couple to live their "Betts Life," as the couple loves to hashtag their regularly-posted PDA pics.
Openly gay American Idol alum David Hernandez will reveal body and soul this spring with the release of his provocative new EP, Don't @ Me, and its accompanying book of intimate photography, #NSFW, per a press release. "I definitely don't hold back on this project," said Hernandez. "I am more sensual and explicit, lyrically and visually, than I've ever been before." Hernandez is continuing his nude artistic journey on OnlyFans, releasing artistic nude photography to fans. The EP will be available March 11 on Apple Music, Spotify, TikTok, Amazon and all other major e-music retailers.
Queer, Mexican-American musician and composer FELIX III released his debut video and single, "After Hours," a press release announced. Of the song, FELIX III said, "The song is about giving into temptation that will ultimately destroy you. It calls to us after hours when darkness and the glowing light of our phones are all that keep us company." FELIX III is the official artist-in-residence for OUTsider Fest—an Austin-based transmedia nonprofit that supports the LGBTQ+ communities.
Bryan Fuller's Hannibal series almost had a gay ending, out.com noted. Showrunner Bryan Fuller, who is gay himself, told Entertainment Weekly, "It started out as kind of a fascination with how straight guys interact with each other in a romantic way that is not sexual. Initially, I didn't want to misrepresent Thomas Harris' characters because they clearly have heterosexual leanings in the source material, but as with the kids these days, that sexuality became much more fluid over the course of the series." Hannibal is currently streaming on Hulu.
Singer Lizzo recently announced the release date of her new reality TV show Watch Out for the Big Grrrls, per iHeart.com . The dance-competition series will be premiering on Prime Video on March 25. (The idea for this new reality series came forth due to Lizzo's dedication to hiring plus-size backup dancers for her shows.) She also has a new album in the works.
Pittsburgh has named the talent for its Pride on the Shore event that's taking place June 3 on the city's North Side, PGHCityPaper.com noted. On the main stage for the event will be Grammy-award nominee Jessie J. She will be supported by RAYE, Monique Heart, DJ Pennywild and VINCINT, a competitor from the 2018 season of The Four. There will also be an official after-party at Stage AE where drag queen, musician and entrepreneur Trixie Mattel will perform. See prideontheshorepgh.com .
Drag performer Eureka O'Hara has checked into rehab, out.com noted. O'Hara—best known for competing on seasons nine and ten as well as All Stars 6 of RuPaul's Drag Race and for co-hosting HBO's award-winning reality drag series We're Here—tweeted the news. "I'm in rehab," they wrote. "It was time for me to get my addiction and mental self under control. I made this decision and it's been really hard[,] to be honest about it. I'm embarrassed! These are some of my first steps. I love you all so much!"
Law & Order returned Feb. 24 with all-new episodes as well as a cast of new faces and returning fan favorites, EW.com noted. Original stars Sam Waterston and Anthony Anderson (last on ABC's black-ish) have returned alongside newcomers Hugh Dancy, Odelya Halevi, Jeffrey Donovan and Camryn Mannheim. The original Law & Order premiered in 1990 and became one of television's primetime staples; the show was eventually nominated for 50 Emmys, winning for Outstanding Drama Series in 1997. NBC abruptly canceled the show after its 20th season.
Rosie O'Donnell apologized to actress Priyanka Chopra for accidentally assuming that Deepak Chopra was her father, Page Six noted. O'Donnell went on TikTok to explain how she "embarrassed" herself in front of Priyanka and her husband Nick Jonas—as well as her son, his girlfriend and friend Fran Drescher—when she mistook Chopra for the daughter of self-help guru. The father of the Quantico actress, Dr. Ashok Chopra, died in June 2013. "If you want to make a public apology for a very awkward private encounter, I think probably best to take the time to [Google] my name before doing it, or even try to reach out directly," Chopra wrote, according to NBC News.
Florence + the Machine debuted a new song, "King," alongside a video by Autumn de Wilde. A press release stated that "King" is a meditation on womanhood, family, femininity and the subversion of expectations in which Florence Welch declares: "I am no mother, I am no bride—I am king." The striking video is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L62LtChAwww.
Four-time Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter Jewel announced Freewheelin' Woman, her first new studio album in seven years, will drop April 15 via her own Words Matter Music, per a press release. The Alaskan native also shared her brand new single "Dancing Slow," featuring Train, who she'll join on their recently announced North American Summer 2022 tour, which will stop in Tinley Park, Illinois, on July 15. (Blues Traveler will also join the tour.)
Reba McEntire is announcing a special CD & DVD pairing, per a press release. My Chains Are Gone, will be available March 25. The forthcoming releases feature McEntire performing some of the most beloved hymns of all time. The DVD offers fans a long-requested recording of Reba's 2017 first-ever solo headlining show at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, and features special guests Trisha Yearwood, Kelly Clarkson (McEntire now-former stepdaughter-in-law) and The Isaacs.
Hot on the heels of his loss on Celebrity Big Brother (losing to Miesha Tate seven votes to one) and fans raking him for his behavior on the show, singer Todrick Hall is now accused of even more bad behavior, per Queerty. Former assistant Tommy Italiano worked as Hall's assistant in 2017 during the filming of the documentary Behind the Curtain. In an interview with the podcast The Zen Blonde, he discussed what he said were years of exploitation and psychological abuse by the singer—including alleged threats by Hall to out Italiano's HIV status.
Sir Elton John had quite the ordeal when the private jet he was flying in suffered a hydraulic failure at 10,000 feet and was forced to make an emergency landing, Page Six noted. John was flying from the UK to New York, where he was slated to perform at Madison Square Garden; however, something went wrong only an hour into the and the pilot was forced to make a U-turn near the coast of southern Ireland. The "I'm Still Standing" singer was said to be shaken by the ordeal but didn't want to disappoint fans and boarded a later flight for his New York gig, part of his "Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour."
Britney Spears landed a massive publishing deal for a tell-all memoir, Variety confirmed. Publishing house Simon & Schuster and Spears have secured a deal for the pop star's memoir. The book will provide Spears' accounts of and commentary on her rise to fame, her music career and her relationship with her family. Page Six reported the agreement is worth as much as $15 million.
Ukrainian-born former Dancing with the Stars pro Maksim Chmerkovskiy shared multiple videos this morning from the center of Kyiv, where he's been filming a project called World of Dance UA, Deadline noted. "This is the reality," he said in one video as the vehicle rolls by, followed by an army truck. Also, Chmerkovskiy talked about his friends who live in Kyiv and their families who, unlike him, cannot escape to the United States.
Despite the controversy of his last special, The Closer, Dave Chappelle will produce and host a series of four specials on Netflix featuring stand-up comics he has handpicked, NBC News noted. The first comedian featured on "Chappelle's Home Team" will be Earthquake (also known as Nathaniel Martin Stroman), the streaming giant said. Earthquake: Legendary will debut Feb. 28. In 2021, The Closer was blasted for content that many critics called transphobic and anti-LGBTQ; Netflix employees staged a walkout in protest, but the company stood by Chappelle.
Coming 2 America led all films at the 9th annual Make-Up Artists and Hair Stylists Guild Awards, presented Feb. 19 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, TheWrap noted. The Eddie Murphy comedy in which makeup is used to transform Murphy and Arsenio Hall into an array of different characters won three awards in the five feature-film categories. The other two film awards went to Cruella, which won for period and/or character make-up; and Being the Ricardos, which won for period and/or character hairstyling.
Isaac Mizrahi said he's proud of former supermodel Linda Evangelista about her opening up to People Magazine about the CoolSculpting procedure that she alleges left her "brutally disfigured," Page Six noted. Mizrahi called her decision to speak out "amazing," told Page Six Style, adding, "Linda had been such a mystery to all of us. She had been this huge star and yet … even when she was at her peak, she was private." Evangelista claims several sessions of the "fat-freezing" procedure increased rather than decreased her fat cells.
In an intriguing bit of casting, Emmy Rossum (of TV's Shameless) has been tapped as a lead opposite Tom Holland and Amanda Seyfried in the Apple anthology The Crowded Room—and Rossum will play Holland's mother, per Deadline. Holland, who also co-executive-produces, plays the lead, Danny Sullivan, loosely based on Danny Milligan, the first person acquitted of a crime because of multiple-personality disorder (now known as dissociative identity disorder). Rossum is fewer than 10 years older than Holland.
NBC has renewed its espionage drama The Blacklist for a 10th season, The Hollywood Reporter noted. Star/executive producer James Spader announced the news during an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, a few days before the show's return from a month-long hiatus. The renewal will also take the series past the 200-episode mark early in the 2022-23 season.
As part of the network's Hip Hop 50 banner, Showtime announced that Cypress Hill: Insane in the Brain (w/t) will premiere Wed., April 20, per a press release. Chronicling the legendary L.A. rap group Cypress Hill, the documentary film will debut along with two new titles La Madrina: The Savage Life of Lorine Padilla, premiering Friday, April 15; and Bushwick Bill: Geto Boy, premiering Friday, April 29.
