The LGBTQ+ military drama Eismayer (from Dark Star Pictures and Golden Girls Film) will be out in theaters on Oct. 6, and on DVD and Digital on Oct. 10, per a press release. The plot is described as follows: "Sergeant Eismayer [played by Gerhard Liebmann] is known and feared as the toughest training officer in the Austrian Armed Forces, ruthless with recruits and unwavering in his discipline, order and macho toughness. But when he starts to fall in love with Falak [played by Luka Dimic], a new recruit who unashamedly embraces his homosexuality, Eismayer's closeted existence is shaken to the core." A true story inspired this film.
Nonbinary singer/actor Janelle Monae is looking to hire Black women and nonbinary photographers and videographers to shoot shows on "The Age of Pleasure" tour, according to Ticket News. A new partnership with Wondaland, Live Nation, Black Women Photographers and Fem The Future is aiming to reach Black women and non-binary photographers and videographers in the world of music. Interested photographers and videographers must be local to one of the participating cities on the tour, which starts Sept. 2; to apply, visit https://blackwomenphotographers.com/age-of-pleasure.
Gen Z pop singer Conan Gray has released a new single, "Winner," via Republic Records, per a press release. Gray officially previewed the track recently at the Outside Lands Music Festival. It's his second release of 2023, following the "Never Ending Song," which has gathered nearly 40 million global streams in addition to nearly 5 million-plus YouTube views of the music video.
Dylan Mulvaney—the trans influencer/TikToker who began her career on Broadway, and whose name became known to many in light of a recent controversy involving Bud Light——is in talks to return to the Great White Way in one of the most iconic musical roles of all time: Cabaret's Sally Bowles, according to an Out item that cited Page Six. Bowles has been played by many iconic actresses, including Liza Minelli (who won an Oscar for the role), Judi Dench, Michelle Williams, Emma Stone and Sienna Miller. It's expected that Olivier winner Eddie Redmayne will continue his role as the Emcee.
Whoopi Goldberg opened up about her sexuality on former The View co-cast member Raven-Symone's podcast, The Best Podcast Ever, after Raven stated that Goldberg gave her "lesbian vibes," per WION. "I think this is a secret fantasy of Raven's!" Raven's wife and co-host, Miranda Maday joked. Goldberg admitted that there have been speculations about her sexuality for a long time—but added that she is not a lesbian.
Nonbinary Tony winner J. Harrison Ghee will be out of Broadway's Some Like It Hot for "at least" the next six weeks, according to an Instagram story the actor posted Aug. 30, Playbill related. Ghee said that the sudden departure is due to surgery the actor must undergo "to address some issues that have arisen," although he added that it's nothing major. Ghee won a 2023 Tony for their performance in Some Like It Hot, making history alongside Shucked's Alex Newell as the first openly nonbinary performers to win the top Broadway honor.
Tony-winning stage and screen actor Neil Patrick Harris will direct the upcoming Kennedy Center production of Jonathan Larson's tick, tick…BOOM!, per Playbill. The production was originally slated to open at the D.C. venue's Eisenhower Theater on Oct. 6, but will now open on Jan. 26, 2024, for a run scheduled through Feb. 4. Harris is an experienced director, having helmed productions such as Rent (at The Hollywood Bowl) and an episode of How I Met Your Mother (which Harris co-starred in), among other projects.
Barbie overtook Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 as the highest-grossing global release in the history of Warner Bros., Variety noted. Over last weekend, it earned $18.2 million to push its worldwide gross to a smashing $1.34 billion. And the Greta Gerwig-directed film is not done breaking records, as Barbie will soon bypass The Super Mario Bros. Movie as the top film of the year at the global box office.
In "Somebody's Daughter," his ballad about unattainable and momentarily rewarding sexual relationships, out artist John Duff turns the tables on so-called "gay-baiting" music artists, a press release noted. "Honestly, every artist today is gay baiting and LGBTQ+ media eats it up," Duff said. "Maluma took off his shirt; give it a grid post! As though every freaking gay isn't posting shirtless pictures every day. It's exhausting. That's why I'm going against the grain in my new song and video; I'm straight-baiting. Maybe, now, I can be fetishized, too." Duff's "Somebody's Daughter" is being distributed independently and will be available Friday, Sept. 1 on Apple Music, Spotify and all digital platforms; the video will be available on YouTube.
Country-music star Ty Herndon tied the knot with Alex Schwartz in an outdoor ceremony in Chapmansboro, Tennessee, People Magazine noted. More than 300 people attended the event, including Kristin Chenoweth and fiance Josh Bryant, and Herndon's longtime friend Sally Struthers. The venue, Owen Farm, is next door to the property of the late Don Williams—who was Herndon's father's favorite country-music artist.
Taylor Swift has set yet another record, as she has become the first female artist in Spotify history to reach 100 million monthly listeners, Variety noted. The music streaming platform announced the news on social media, writing: "Queen behavior. On August 29th, Taylor Swift became the first female artist in Spotify history to reach 100 million monthly listeners." The Weeknd (whose show, The Idol, was recently cancelled) holds the top spot for most monthly listeners on the app, with more than 110 million people.
Legendary musician Elton John was discharged from the hospital after slipping at his home in France, per The Hollywood Reporter. "Elton visited the local hospital as a precautionary measure. Following check ups, he was immediately discharged this morning and is now back at home and in good health," a statement read. John, 76, ended his Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour last month in Stockholm; it began in 2018.
And during a recent concert at her "Weekends with Adele" residency in Las Vegas, Adele revealed that she once collapsed backstage because of her ongoing issues with sciatica, Extra noted. She told her fans, "They picked my whole body up off the floor." In February, she revealed that she had a disintegrated disc, stating, "Is anyone else kind of my age starting getting bad knees? I have got really bad sciatica in my left leg and my L5 disc is not f**ing there anymore. It's worn away."
Rapper/actor Jack Harlow—who has collaborated with Lil Nas X and Eminem, among others—has released the video for the song "Denver," from his third studio album, Jackman., per a press release. Also, the Kentucky native announced the first-of-its-kind, No Place Like Home: The Kentucky Tour. Produced by Live Nation and Production Simple, Harlow will take his 3rd annual hometown shows with a six-city tour, with stops across Kentucky on Nov. 24-Dec. 6.
A gay man has accused Da Baby—who has said anti-LGBTQ+ items in the past—of cutting him out of the rapper's new video, per AllHipHop. Mustang, a former adult-film actor, has claimed that he was involved in one of DaBaby's recent music video shoots for "Ghetto Girls," but was later removed from the production. Mustang said the internet started making noise regarding his sexual orientation as a gay man and an adult-film star.
Rocker Alice Cooper was dropped from an upcoming collaboration with Vampyre Cosmetics after he described most trans people as "a fad" in an interview with Stereogum, Attitude noted. Cooper said while he believes "there are cases of transgender [people]," he's "afraid that it's also a fad." He added, "I'm afraid there [are] a lot of people claiming to be this just because they want to be that." Vampyre stated, "We stand with all members of the LGBTQIA+ community and believe everyone should have access to healthcare. All pre-order sales will be refunded."
In the "no surprise" department, Billy Porter's invitation to the annual Met Gala has reportedly been rescinded after he called Vogue editor Anna Wintour a "bitch" in a recent interview, per Radar Online. The American Horror Story actor has repeatedly slammed Wintour after Vogue highlighted Harry Styles in genderfluid and nonbinary fashion outfits in 2020. "It's not Harry Styles' fault that he happens to be white and cute and straight and fit into the infrastructure that way," Porter told the Telegraph recently. "I call out the gatekeepers."
RuPaul's Drag Race alum Monica Beverly Hillz issued an official statement about her ex-boyfriend Josh Seiter—the bisexual former contestant on The Bachelorette who was presumed to be dead following a statement shared via his official Instagram account, Out revealed. "I'm happy to hear he's alive, but I'm so angry at the situation," Beverly Hills wrote. "It's infuriating that so many people who care about Josh have been deeply [affected] by this. Everyone deserves grace, but unfortunately, I can't help but think that he was able to pull this stunt as a cisgender white man—acting like he was dead—when so many of my sisters and trans women of color have been brutally murdered this year and the same love and support isn't show to them."
Out on Film, presented by GILEAD, announced the lineup of films and events for the 36th anniversary edition of the Atlanta-based LGBTQ+ film festival, The Georgia Voice noted. Taking place Sept. 21-Oct. 1, Out on Film will open with Bill Oliver's drama Our Son (starring Billy Porter and Luke Evans), and will close with Tom Gustafson's Glitter & Doom. Out On Film's lineup includes 44 features and 15 shorts programs with 151 films representing 27 countries; screenings will take place at the Landmark Midtown Art Cinema and Out Front Theatre Company.
TV personality/dance-music artist Erika Jayne launched her new Las Vegas residency, "Bet It All on Blonde," at House of Blues Las Vegas at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, per a press release. Jayne has racked up nine number-one singles on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play chart throughout her career. Her residency is scheduled to run through Dec. 16.
Also regarding Erika Jayne, designer Christopher Psaila—who co-owns the Hollywood costume firm Marco Marco—has filed a lawsuit against her, two of her assistants, current and former US Secret Service agents and American Express, alleging that they tried to extort money from him, per Page Six. Psaila is claiming the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star and her estranged husband, Tom Girardi, "weaponized the Secret Service to maliciously prosecute" him in 2017 in order to acquire a nearly $800,000 refund from American Express.
The Rebel Wilson feature Bride Hard, directed by Simon West, has rounded out its cast, which includes Anna Camp, Justin Hartley, Anna Chlumsky, Stephen Dorff, Gigi Zumbado and Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Deadline noted. Bride Hard—which was cleared for a SAG interim agreement—stars Wilson as a secret agent who is a force to be reckoned with when a mercenary group takes hostage her best friend's lavish wedding.
Less than week after another letter from lawyers for Real Housewives alum Bethenny Frankel went to NBCU brass over claims of sexual violence, booze and the "grotesque and depraved mistreatment of the reality stars and crew members," Bravo (the home of Vanderpump Rules and the Real Housewives franchise) said that non-disclosure agreements have never stopped series participants from talking about illegal activity, Deadline reported. In accordance with its Respect in the Workplace policy, NBCU is re-emphasizing to third-party producers like Evolution Media (which is behind Vanderpump Rules) that they must give the cast and crews of reality TV series multiple avenues to report misconduct.
Rosario Dawson, Grimes and "Call Her Daddy" podcast host Alex Cooper are among those unveiled as South by Southwest's initial lineup of featured speakers for its 2024 conference, Variety noted. The 38th annual edition of the SXSW conference consists of 24 programming tracks celebrating the convergence of film, television, music and technology; other speakers include How to Be an Antiracist author Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, ChatGPT head Peter Deng and Think co-founder Radha Agrawal.
CrossFit star Alec Smith is partnering with American Eagle to show off its 24/7 line, which features jeans, flannel tops and casual clothes made for athletes—or, as Smith puts it, "guys with big thighs," Queerty noted. Also, Smith is participating in photo shoots with his fiance, Riley Hedstrom—and the couple linked with the company last winter to model its Holiday brand.
Simone Biles eased her way to a historic eighth national title at the 2023 U.S. Gymnastics Championships in San Jose, California, per olympics.com . Biles was competing in just her second competition since withdrawing from the women's team final and four subsequent individual finals to prioritize her mental health at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo. She defeated 2022 world all-around silver medalist Shilese Jones, while 2021 world all-around silver medalist Leanne Wong won the bronze medal.
The off-Broadway revival of Little Shop of Horrors announced that Golden Globe nominee Constance Wu (Crazy Rich Asians; Hustlers) and stage/screen star Corbin Bleu (High School Musical franchise; Kiss Me, Kate) will step into the roles of Audrey and Seymour, respectively, beginning Sept. 26, per Playbill. The Howard Ashman-Alan Menken musical revival continues its run at the Westside Theatre. The cast currently features Jeremy Jordan (Newsies; Bonnie and Clyde) as Seymour and Joy Woods (Six: The Musical; The Notebook) as Audrey.
Grammy winner Meghan Trainor has received the Streamys Rolling Stone Sound of the Year award for her smash multi-platinum single, "Made You Look," per a press release. This brand-new category celebrates songs that played a prominent role in content creation on social media and made a significant impact on pop culture.
Liam Payne had to postpone his tour after being diagnosed with a "serious" medical condition, iHeart noted. In an Instagram video, Payne explains that he's been "a little bit unwell" and ended up being hospitalized with a kidney infection and has now been advised to reschedule the tour to give him the time to recover.
Six years after Fyre Festival became synonymous with epic disaster, founder Billy McFarland (who served prison time in connection with the event) announced he's relaunching the failed music and camping retreat—and its first round of tickets have already sold out, per NBC News. The first drop of 100 presale tickets for Fyre Festival II went on sale for $499 each and sold out within a day, according to the festival's website. Lawsuits followed after the cancelled 2017 festival, and McFarland was sentenced to six years in jail in October 2018 for fraud and ordered to pay $26 million in restitution; he was released from jail early and moved to a halfway house in May 2022.
