Six months after Lil Nas X "gave birth" to his debut album, Montero, his "baby registry" fundraising has resulted in a lot of money raised, Queerty noted. Established in the weeks leading up to Montero's release, Nas X's baby registry (complete with pregnancy photo) has raised close to $500,000 to be distributed to 16 organizations—14 of which are associated with the COMPASS Initiative, a Gilead Sciences campaign working to address HIV/AIDS in the Southern United States. Among the organizations receiving a donation is the Normal Anomaly Initiative, which works to help Black queer people "overcome barriers, end [HIV/AIDS] stigma and problematic narratives to actualize a new normal."
Comedian Jerrod Carmichael—who hosted Saturday Night Live on April 2—came out in his new HBO special, per Variety. Rothaniel, which was taped in February at the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York City, weaves stories of Carmichael's family history with his own coming-out process. After a long silence, the audience claps—to Carmichael's visceral relief: "I'm accepting the love, I really appreciate the love. My ego wants to rebel against it." He created the canceled sitcom The Carmichael Show, which ran for three seasons on NBC, and was both topical and semi-autobiographical.
Queer Oscar winner Ariana DeBose (West Side Story) said she has reached out to Disney CEO Bob Chapek to talk about the studio's controversial reaction to the "Don't Say Gay" legislation that Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law, Variety noted. "Bob and I, we're gonna do the work," DeBose said. "I have [spoken to Chapek]. I'm a very hands-on type of person. And when I see something, I say something. And while I may not always put it on the internet, I do that. I reached out. And I will continue to reach out and Bob knows that."
Speaking of DeBose, she celebrated her big Oscar win for Best Supporting Actress by holding hands with her girlfriend, Sue Makkoo, at the Oscars After-Party, according to Hollywood Life. DeBose embodied diversity with her Academy win, becoming the first queer Afro-Latina to do so. Makkoo has a 25-year career as a costume designer; her profile at the Manhattan School of Music, where she serves as a professor in the musical-theater department, stated that she has worked at the Tony-winning theater La Jolla for the past 11 years.
White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch will debut on Netflix on Tuesday, April 19, according to a press release. Featuring interviews with dozens of former employees, executives and models, White Hot: The Rise & Fall Of Abercrombie & Fitch unravels the complex history of the iconic brand that influenced an entire generation. See www.netflix.com/whitehot.
NYC Pride announced that pop star Kim Petras will be this year's Pride Island headliner, per a press release. The first fully in-person Pride Island in three years will also move to a new location, as Play Lawn at Governors Island will be this year's Pride Island venue. Most recently, Petras released the sex-positive Slut Pop EP as a Valentine's Day surprise for her fans; she is now preparing for the release of her 2022 debut album on Republic Records. For more on NYC Pride, visit www.nycpride.org .
In New Jersey, Out Montclair will host its first-ever Montclair Pride festival in June—and announced Betty Who will be the featured musical artist to perform at The Montclair Pride Concert at the Wellmont Theater, with Fab the Duo as supporting artists, per a press release. Australian singer/songwriter Betty Who has had multiple hits, such as her breakout song "Somebody Loves You" as well as "All of You" and "All Things," her cover of Netflix show Queer Eye's opening number.
The legendary Swedish band ABBA is releasing career-spanning LP and CD collections along with a picture disc LP set and a lyric video series on May 27 and June 10, per a press release. In May, the band—known for hits like "Waterloo" and "Dancing Queen"—will release a 10-LP box set (pressed on 180g heavyweight vinyl) and 10-CD box set. The picture discs will be out in June; the collection is available as a discounted 8-LP bundle, and 9-LP bundle (including Voyage) for a limited time.
In a related matter, the digitally remastered ABBA: The Movie will return to U.S. and Canadian movie theaters on May 12 and 14, per a press release. Celebrating 50 years since the Swedish pop sensation was formed and 45 years since the film's original release, ABBA: The Movie-Fan Event will take attendees on a flashback journey to the 1970s. Presented by Trafalgar Releasing and Warner Bros., tickets for ABBA: The Movie-Fan Event go on sale on Wed., April 6, at 9 a.m. ET / 6 a.m. PT at www.AbbaMovie.com .
Singer Ariana Grande pledged to match all donations up to $1.5 million to donate to the Protect & Defend Trans Youth Fund, per Out Magazine. All of the money donated goes to organizations that protect and support trans youth. "Please join me in donating to this fund I've created to support organizations providing direct services and advocating for the rights of trans youth," Grande wrote on her Instagram. Those who wish to donate can visit https://www.pledge.to/protect-defend-trans-youth-fund.
Bridgerton actor Luke Thompson (who plays Benedict) told Entertainment Weekly there is room to explore his character's sexuality, according to Out Magazine. "Benedict has such a lovely openness and fluidity about him generally, and that's really, really fun to play because it could go anywhere," Thompson said. "What I would say is that we're only in season 1 and just getting into season 2. People get very excited and they want everything to be explored in the first few seasons and every corner of sexuality, gender. Obviously, there's a way to go, so we'll see what happens with Benedict, but we're only on season 2, so there's lots of space for him to explore all sorts of things." Out actor Jonathan Bailey portrayed lead character Anthony on the show's second season.
New York University (NYU) will award singer Taylor Swift an honorary doctorate of fine arts May 18, and she will speak at commencement at Yankee Stadium, Variety noted. Swift will deliver her address and receive her honors from NYU along with the class of 2022 at the stadium on the morning of May 18. Swift has previously been associated with NYU, as the university has conducted a class in her work, although she played no direct role in that particular curriculum.
Florence + the Machine are set to play an extended run of headline dates later this year, kicking off Sept. 2 in Montreal, with other stops including New York's Madison Square Garden, Los Angeles' Hollywood Bowl, Chicago's Huntington Bank Pavilion and many more, per a press release. One dollar from every ticket sold will benefit Choose Love to aid refugees worldwide. Arlo Parks, Sam Fender, King Princess, Yves Tumor, Japanese Breakfast and Wet Leg will join as support on select dates throughout the tour.
Approximately 55 entertainment industry notables who passed away in 2022 made the Oscars' "In Memoriam" tribute on March 27, including Sidney Poitier, Olympia Dukakis, Betty White and Ivan Reitman—but many were outraged that Bob Saget wasn't included, TheWrap noted. Saget was a Student Academy Award winner for his 1977 black-and-white documentary (and his first-ever credited project) Through Adam's Eyes, and has 16 film acting credits. Others who were omitted included Norm MacDonald, Ed Asner, writer Anne Rice (Interview with the Vampire) and Louie Anderson.
Also, regarding the Oscars, Jim Carrey criticized Hollywood for giving Will Smith a standing ovation when it was announced at the Oscars that he won best actor for King Richard, per Variety. "I was sickened," Carrey told CBS' Gayle King (via HuffPost). "I was sickened by the standing ovation. Hollywood is just spineless en masse and it really felt like this is a really clear indication that we aren't the cool club anymore." Carrey said Smith "should've been" escorted out of the Oscars ceremony after he slapped presenter Chris Rock.
Also, Oscars co-hosts Wanda Sykes and Amy Schumer opened up about Smith's slap, CNN noted. On Ellen DeGeneres' daytime talk show, Sykes said, "I just felt so awful for my friend, Chris, and it was sickening." Sykes also expressed her frustration with Smith being allowed to stay in the theater and accept his award for best actor. Schumer took to Instagram to share her thoughts, saying she was still feeling "triggered and traumatized." She added, "I love my friend @chrisrock and believe he handled it like a pro. Stayed up there and gave an Oscar to his friend @questlove and the whole thing was so disturbing."
Ryan Murphy and Plan B have set the second installment of their FX anthology series Feud, per Deadline. Titled Capote's Women, the project will star two-time Oscar nominee Naomi Watts as Babe Paley, who ruled the glamorous world of New York society in the 1960s and '70s. Two-time Oscar nominee Gus Van Sant is set to direct all eight episodes. An adaptation of Laurence Leamer's best-selling book Capote's Women: A True Story of Love, Betrayal, and a Swan Song for an Era, the miniseries is set in the 1970s, and ends with Truman Capote's death in 1984.
After the first two seasons of Paramount+'s The Real World Homecoming reunited the casts from the New York and Los Angeles seasons, the new season will return to New Orleans, where the show took place in 2000, Out Magazine noted. One major storyline from the original show that looks like it will be addressed is castmate Danny Roberts' sexuality and boyfriend. In the new reunion, Danny talks about what it was like dating someone who wasn't even out to his friends or family, let alone in the military (as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was instituted back then).
Broadway will maintain its mask and vaccine requirements through April 30, Deadline noted. The Broadway League, which represents the owners and operators of the 41 Broadway venues, will meet again April 15 to determine whether to continue Broadway's Covid protocols after April 30. The April 30 date coincides with the end of the current 2021-22 Broadway season.
On the heels of Elton John's 75th birthday, the singer and AEG Presents unveiled the final North American dates of his "Farewell Yellow Brick Road The Final Tour," per Variety. The announcement promises that the 11 new dates "mark the final shows added to his North American tour." Elton John's final North American show—a return to the site of what is arguably his most iconic performance, Los Angeles' Dodger Stadium (where there will be three performances)—on Nov. 20 will be his 2,000th U.S. concert.
As shown in the latest Top Gun: Maverick trailer, arriving as Paramount now seems to have finally settled on a theatrical release for the movie on Friday, May 27, Tom Cruise's Pete "Maverick" Mitchell must gain the courage to face Miles Teller's Bradley Bradshaw, Entertainment Weekly noted. Bradley, who goes by the call sign Rooster, is the son of Nick Bradshaw, a.k.a. Goose—Maverick's former Radar Intercept Officer who died in the first movie after a competitive training mission went wrong. Top Gun: Maverick also features Jennifer Connelly, Glen Powell, Lewis Pullman and a returning Ed Harris, among others.
After not speaking for 13 years, Oscar-winning Precious star Mo'Nique has been set by that film's director, Lee Daniels, to replace Octavia Spencer in Demon House, an exorcism film package Netflix acquired, Deadline noted. Demon House reunites Daniels with Oscar-nominated The United States vs. Billie Holiday star Andra Day, who'll star with Glenn Close and Aunjanue Ellis, fresh from an Oscar nomination for King Richard.
Eddie Murphy is in early talks to play Parliament-Funkadelic leader George Clinton in an upcoming biopic, Deadline noted. Murphy also will serve as producer with Davis Entertainment's John Davis, Catherine Davis and John Fox. Murphy has a three-picture deal with Amazon that came after the success of Coming 2 America, and this is reportedly a passion project for him.
The Hulu Original Film Crush will debut Friday, April 29, a press release noted. When an aspiring young artist is forced to join her high school track team, she uses it as an opportunity to pursue the girl she's been harboring a long-time crush on. However, she soon finds herself falling for an unexpected teammate and discovers what real love feels like. The film stars Rowan Blanchard, Auli'i Cravalho and Isabella Ferreira.
Dan Levy's upcoming HBO Max cooking competition The Big Brunch has just found its judges, according to an Out Magazine item that cited Variety. The Schitt's Creek star and creator will be joined by chef Sohla El-Waylly and restaurateur Will Guidara as judges for the midday meal show. El-Waylly is best known for being one of the stars of Bon Appétit's popular Test Kitchen YouTube channel; Guidara is the author of four cookbooks and was the co-owner of the Make It Nice restaurant group.
Bruce Willis' family announced the Die Hard, Armageddon and Pulp Fiction star is "stepping away" from acting as a result of health issues, per Deadline. Chief among those is aphasia, a condition that, according to the Mayo Clinic, "that robs you of the ability to communicate." Willis has about a half-dozen projects either completed or in post but not yet released, including Paradise City, which reteams him with Pulp Fiction co-star John Travolta for the first time in nearly three decades.
CBS Media Ventures has canceled the syndicated shows The Doctors and DailyMailTV, per Deadline. The Doctors started in 2008 with ER physician Dr. Travis Stork along with co-hosts plastic surgeon Dr. Andrew Ordon, dermatologist Dr. Sonia Batra, psychologist Dr. Judy Ho and OB/GYN Dr. Nita Landry; only Ordon remained in its last season. DailyMailTV, which kicked off in 2017, featured top stories from DailyMail.com; Jesse Palmer was the original host, with Thomas Roberts succeeding him.
According to Out Magazine, Sherry Pie—the second queen in RuPaul's Drag Race history to be disqualified on the show—seems to be returning to drag. "Coming back to socials has me gagging," she wrote on a post; in it, Pie appears in drag as a clown (in line with April Fool's Day, when the post appeared) with hashtags like camp, comedy, rebirth, fresh, and mental health. After reports surfaced that Pie corresponded with at least eight up-and-coming actors and convinced them to send photos and videos—sometimes sexual in nature—as well as take steroids (under the fake name Allison Mossey), the competitor was disqualified and practically edited out of season 12 of the show.
Non-binary actor Ezra Miller (The Flash in Justice League as well as Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice) was arrested March 28 after an incident in a Hilo, Hawaii bar, Deadline noted. According to police, Miller, 29, "became agitated while patrons at the bar began singing karaoke." Miller then reportedly "began yelling obscenities and at one point grabbed the microphone from a 23-year-old woman singing karaoke…and later lunged at a 32-year-old man playing darts." Miller posted bail and was released.
