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

And speaking of the Emmys, Deadline revealed its list of award snubs and surprises regarding the nominations. Snubs included Helen Mirren (left off the Best Actress-Drama list for her role in 1923), the Netflix docuseries Harry & Meghan, Selena Gomez (Only Murders in the Building) and the drama Yellowstone, among others. Surprises included Freevee show Jury Duty, Swarm actress Dominique Fishback, the David Bowie documentary Moonage Daydream and the Star Wars character Obi-Wan Kenobi.

Out chef Kristen Kish—who won the 10th season of Top Chef—will succeed Padma Lakshmi as the show's host, per Deadline. Kish will join head judge Tom Colicchio and Gail Simmons for the upcoming season of the award-winning series. Lakshmi formerly served as host for the last 19 seasons but decided to leave. The culinary competition will be in Wisconsin for season 21 as a new group of chefs from across the country battle for the coveted title.

Queer French pop/rock trio Hyphen Hyphen will begin their highly anticipated North American tour on Aug. 24 in Montreal, per a press release. The tour will make stops at Montreal, Edmonton, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Portland. After more than 500 concerts in Europe, Hyphen Hyphen performed before the American public at Summerstage Festival in New York City last year.

Legendary queer rapper Da Brat and wife Jesseca "Judy" Harris-Dupart have welcomed a baby boy named True Legend Harris-Dupart, Extra noted, citing People. Da Brat (real name: Shawntae Harris-Dupart) told People, "I can't BELIEVE he came out of me! Feels like a dream. He's PERFECT in every way." The couple wed in 2022, and the rapper previously told People she wanted "something special from the both of us that we can share and raise and love unconditionally."

A Transparent Musical—based on Amazon Prime Video's Emmy-winning series Transparent—is headed to Broadway in 2024, Variety noted. The show, the first stage play from Amazon Studios, premiered in Los Angeles at the Mark Taper Forum in May—and became the last show at the Taper, for now, as Center Theater Group has canceled all shows at the stage following the close of the musical on June 25. The series Transparent was created by Joey Soloway, who also wrote the book to the stage musical with MJ Kaufman; Faith Soloway wrote the music and lyrics to the musical.

Rugby champion/longtime LGBTQ+ ally Ben Cohen will make his acting debut this summer in a British LGBTQ+ comedy, per a release. Patterns is a British camp comedy in which each episode tells its own humorous and heartfelt story, but all episodes take place in the same queer universe so that a minor character in one episode may reappear as the lead in another and vice versa. Patterns—a new LGBTQ+ series acquired by TLA Releasing—will begin streaming exclusively on Dekkoo on July 27.

Openly gay Welsh actor Luke Evans will return to London's West End with his first theater role there in 16 years, in a new comedy entitled Backstairs Billy at the Duke of York's Theatre starting Oct. 27, per Queerty. Backstairs Billy was the nickname for William Tallon—a steward and member of the late queen mother's staff; Tallon's partner for 30 years was another member of the queen mother's staff, Reginald Wilcock.

Out director Todd Haynes' May December will open the New York Film Festival on Sept. 29, per Deadline. The film had its world premiere in Cannes and Netflix acquired its North American rights for $11 million after an all-night bidding war. Haynes and members of the cast, including Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore, are expected to be in attendance.

HBO has renewed the Emmy, Peabody and GLAAD award-winning unscripted drag series We're Here for a fourth season—with three new queens, per a press release. The series concluded its six-episode third season on Dec. 30, 2022 and will begin production on its fourth season later this month. Season four will follow three new renowned drag queens—Sasha Velour, Priyanka and Jaida Essence Hall—as they continue the goal of the series to spread love and connection through the art of drag across small-town America. Bob the Drag Queen, D.J. "Shangela" Pierce and Eureka O'Hara co-starred in the first three seasons.

Madonna announced that in the wake of her medical emergency last month, the North American dates of her "Celebration" tour will be rescheduled to an unspecified future time and the tour will now begin in Europe in October, per Variety. "Thank you for your positive energy, prayers and words of healing and encouragement," the "Holiday" singer wrote. "I'm on the road to recovery and incredibly grateful for all the blessings in my life. My focus now is on my health and getting stronger and I assure you, I'll be back with you as soon as I can!" Madonna was allegedly revived with Narcan before she was admitted to the ICU last month, according to a Page Six item that cited Radar Online.

Out producer and American Horror Story co-creator Ryan Murphy threatened a member of the Writers Guild of America (WGA) with a lawsuit over accusations made regarding strike violations, per The Advocate, citing The Hollywood Reporter. In the now-deleted tweet, Warren Leight—an East Coast strike captain and Strike Rules Compliance Committee co-chair— claimed that crew members working on American Horror Story told him they would be "blackballed in Murphy-land" if they did not cross picket lines. A Murphy spokesperson denied the allegations.

The Wire co-creator/producer David Simon urged a Manhattan judge to show leniency in sentencing the 71-year-old man who sold the fentanyl that resulted in the 2021 death of Simon's friend, the Wire actor Michael K. Williams (who played gay drug dealer Omar on the show), per Deadline. In a three-page letter that The New York Times obtained, Simon asked Federal District Court Judge Ronnie Abrams to show mercy in the upcoming sentencing of Carlos Macci—one of four men who has pled guilty to possessing and distributing the narcotics that took the life of Williams on Sept. 6, 2021. In part, Simon wrote, "No possible good can come from incarcerating a 71-year-old soul, largely illiterate, who has himself struggled with a lifetime of addiction." Macci's sentencing—the first of the four defendants—is slated for later this month.

Jennifer Grant has said that her father, the late famed actor Cary Grant, was "not flirtatious with men," per The Independent. Speaking with The Guardian ahead of ITV's forthcoming drama Archie, a biopic series about Cary's life, the daughter denied that her father had relationships with men. Grant added that when she pushed back on the rumors previously in her 2011 memoir (Good Stuff: A Reminiscence of My Father, Cary Grant), she received hate mail "saying that I was anti-gay, which couldn't be further from the truth."

R&B singer/actress Jill Scott is blasting the country by changing the words to the national anthem, accusing the US of oppression against Black Americans, Deadline noted. Rewriting the national anthem when she was a teen, Scott has been performing the altered anthem during her tour, but her high-profile performance at the Essence Fest in New Orleans finally drew attention. For example, the song ends with a revised closing line, replacing "O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave" with "This is not the land of the free but the home of the slaves."

Following a plaque presentation by Today's Hoda Kotb at her sold-out Madison Square Garden show last night, Shania Twain announced the release of multiple expanded U.S. and International Diamond Editions of her all-time classic third studio album, 1997's Come On Over, per a press release. It's due for release on Aug. 25 via Mercury/UMe. Come On Over will be released in the following formats: 3CD Super Deluxe, 3LP Super Deluxe, 3LP International Super Deluxe, 2LP Deluxe, 2CD Deluxe, and Digital. The 2LP Deluxe Retail Exclusives will also be available in the United States. Items can be ordered at https://officialstore.shaniatwain.com/products/come-on-over-fan-pack-1.

Pentatonix baritone Scott Hoying married longtime partner Mark Manio, per The Advocate. The seaside ceremony took place at the Ritz-Carlton Bacara in Santa Barbara, California. In attendance was "Jar of Hearts" singer Christina Perri, who officiated, along with Colton Haynes, Randy Jackson, Betty Who and Hoying's Pentatonix bandmates.

The new Taylor Swift video for the song "I Can See You" stars one of her exes: Twilight's Taylor Lautner, Variety noted. (The video also has Joey King, Presley Cash and Swift herself.) All three co-stars made an appearance at Swift's show at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, letting the live audience see it right as it was going out into the wider world. Lautner said to Swift in front of the stadium audience: 'I respect you so much. Not just for the singer you are, the songwriter, the performer—but truly for the human you are."

Christopher Meloni stripped down into nothing once again in a new ad campaign video for the apparel brand Tommie Copper, Instinct Magazine noted. The brand's Fourth of July campaign features the Law & Order actor in nothing except some fun and colorful socks. Prior to his Tommie Copper campaign, Meloni did an ad for Peloton where "he lifted weights, did yoga and even jogged while completely naked."

R&B singer Angie Stone recently released her 10th studio album, Love Language, per a press release. In part, she said, "Recording this album took me back to the creation of my sophomore album, Mahogany Soul, mainly because the music simply felt GOOD!" Also out is the latest visual for the song "Love the Feeling." The visual is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSmrShgiKWQ.

Oscar-, Golden Globe- and Grammy-winning Billie Eilish released "What Was I Made For?" (Darkroom/Interscope Records), taken from the feature-length film Barbie, per a press release. The intimate track was composed especially for the film by Eilish alongside her brother, Finneas, who produced the track at his home studio in Los Angeles. The official video is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cW8VLC9nnTo.

Carly Rae Jepsen is releasing The Loveliest Time—the companion piece to her 2022 release The Loneliest Time—on July 28, per a press release. It will be out via 604/Schoolboy/Interscope Records and features 12 new tracks, including the recently released single "Shy Boy."

HGTV will return with network star David Bromstad in My Lottery Dream Home on Aug. 11, per a press release. In the show, Bromstad will crisscross the country to help his clients find fantasy homes with their newly attained fortunes. With multiple winners scoring 2 million dollars or more this season, he will visit several states—including Florida, North Carolina, Vermont and Virginia—to search for properties that check off all the boxes on a lottery winner's wish list.

Duran Duran announced a special benefit concert for the UK-based charity The Cancer Awareness Trust, following news that their friend and former band member, guitarist Andy Taylor, had been diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer in 2018, per a press release. The benefit will take place on Saturday, Aug. 19, at The Guild Theatre in Menlo Park, California. The theater is a very intimate venue whose "Doing Good At the Guild" programming benefits a number of artist charities. Following the benefit, Duran Duran will commence the second leg of their North American Future Past Tour.

The band Princess Goes—consisting of drummer Peter Yanowitz, keyboardist Matt Katz-Bohen and Michael C. Hall (the actor/musician from the shows Dexter and Six Feet Under)—will release their sophomore album, Come of Age, on Sept. 15, per a press release. The band has also announced a very special NYC album release show on the Elsewhere Rooftop on Sept. 20 as well as a UK/EU headline tour that will kick off Sept. 26 in Manchester, England. Their debut album, Thanks for Coming, was released in 2021.

Pretty Little Liars alum Ashley Benson is engaged to oil heir Brandon Davis, per Extra. Benson previously dated G-Eazy and queer model/actress Cara Delevingne, while Davis—the grandson of oil tycoon Marvin Davis—has dated Mischa Barton and Paris Hilton.

Police said that Britney Spears' hand hit herself in the face when a security guard pushed it away when she approached the San Antonio Spurs' 7'5" rookie, Victor Wembanyama, ESPN noted. Spears had filed a police report, alleging battery and saying she was struck in the face by the security guard when she tried to approach Wembanyama in Las Vegas recently.

Animal-rights group PETA called out Paris Hilton for getting her new dog from a breeder instead of an animal shelter or adoption service, TMZ noted. A PETA rep said, "Paris Hilton has apparently been living under a rock for the past decade, because a day in an animal shelter would have shown her just how many Chihuahuas already need homes, and five minutes on Petfinder would turn up thousands more, including puppies."

Actor Nico Tortorella, who's a new father, recently opened up with People Magazine about the fertility struggles he and partner Bethany C. Meyers endured. Tortorella—who said he uses all pronouns but prefers he/him—stated, "For anyone that is experiencing any sort of infertility, we are trying to create life at a time when life is seemingly the most fragile, and it f——— sucks. It sucks and it hurts, until one day it doesn't." However, he added that since Meyers delivered daughter Kilmer Dove Meyers Tortorella, parenthood is "the greatest thing we've ever experienced."

Openly gay social-media influencers Nicky Champa and Pierre Boo are divorcing after being married since 2022, according to The Advocate, citing sibling publication Out. "With social media, it's a bit complicated. Our relationship became a brand," Champa said. Champa, 27, added that the nine-year age gap between him and Boo, 36, also put pressure on their relationship. On TikTok, Champa currently has 13.3 million followers while Boo has 13.7 million.

Starz's adventure-filled travel docuseries Men in Kilts: A Roadtrip with Sam and Graham will premiere on Aug. 11, per a press release. This is the second season for the show that features Sam Heughan and Graham McTavish, who co-star on the show Outlander, as they explore New Zealand. They will come face to face with apex predators, fall hundreds of feet in a swing, discover the vast history and culture of the Maori, and eat their way through the islands. For more, visit https://www.starz.com/us/en/series/men-in-kilts/60275.

Lisa Marie Presley's cause of death has been revealed, per Deadline. According to a report that CNN obtained, Presley passed due to "adhesions (or, scar tissue) that developed after bariatric surgery years ago. This is a known long term complication of this type of surgery." Deputy medical examiner Dr. Juan M. Carrillo also revealed autopsy toxicology results, which showed "therapeutic" levels of oxycodone in Presley's blood.

Chicago rap star G Herbo (real name: Herbert Wright III) was found with a loaded handgun during a traffic stop in Chicago's River North neighborhood, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Herbo was charged with a misdemeanor count of unlawful use of a weapon after prosecutors denied felony charges, according to an arrest report. He didn't face additional counts related to the almost 300 grams of cannabis that was allegedly recovered during the stop. Cook County court records show the rapper has been charged in a series of criminal cases since 2014—most of them involving drug and gun charges that have been dropped.

Drake defended his pink manicure after friend and fellow rapper Lil Yachty made a quip about his appearance on his Instagram post, per Page Six. "GET OUT MY COMMENTS YOU TOLD ME TO PAINT MY NAILS SO I STOP BITING THEM AND NOW THE WORLD IS BEING HOMOPHOBIC FOR THE 1st TIME SINCE 'RICH FLEX,'" the Canadian rapper wrote, referring to his hit collaboration with 21 Savage. Continuing to joke with Drake, Lil Yachty replied, "woo-sah brother, your [sic] not supposed to have these episodes in public, it's fine. They just don't get u bro #UDIFFERENTAF."

Rapper Blueface recently brought strippers into his home with his 6-year-old son present —and then questioned his child's sexuality when he ignored the dancers, per TMZ. After convincing the son that the correct answer was supposedly "no," Blueface gave the boy multiple high-fives. Some who saw the online video of what transpired said that Child Protective Services needed to get involved.

During a homophobic rant, Dog the Bounty Hunter said, "Jesus was not a sissy," per Page Six. In an interview with online Christian ministry founder Sharell Barrera, the reality star sat with his wife, Francie Frane, when he blamed people who don't "go out and be the church" for "kids changing their sexuality." He added, "We don't need no more sissy men […] We need men and women that are willing to stand up against evil and speak the word of God," as his wife and Barrera cheered. Dog also threatened violence against trans influencer Dylan Mulvaney—but two of his daughters have spoken out strongly against the views he expressed, The Advocate noted.

Harry Styles was hit in the eye by a thrown object while performing in Vienna, Austria—and again became part of a disturbing trend, per Deadline. The singer (who has been hit before) was hit as he was walking across the stage between songs; he bent over, covering his eyes with his hands and wincing in pain. Artists including Bebe Rexha, Pink, Drake, Kid Cudi, Steve Lacy, Kelsea Ballerini, Drake and Ava Max have also recently been victimized.

On a Twitter livestream, gay adult-film actor Roman Todd claimed he was clinically dead for five minutes after snorting a fentanyl-laced pill reportedly given to him by fellow porn star Ricky Larkin, according to The Advocate. Todd and friend Cliff Jensen made the accusations on July 4, with Todd saying, "I should not be here right now." Larkin responded to a tweet from Jensen, calling him a "dirt bag" and accusing him of being dishonest about his sobriety, although Larkin also reportedly indicated he was the source of the pill.