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

LGBTQ+ actor Rick Cosnett is joining the upcoming seventh season of 9-1-1 in a key recurring role, per Deadline. In its first season on ABC after its cancellation by Fox, the new season is set on a cruise ship. (Having boarded a cruise ship during the Season 6 finale for a secret honeymoon vacation, Athena (Angela Bassett) and Bobby (Peter Krause) are at the center of the action when terrorists take over their ship.) Cosnett guest-stars in a key arc as cruise director Julian Enes.

Grammy-winning artists Melissa Manchester and Dolly Parton joined forces to unveil the track "Midnight Blue," part of Manchester's 25th studio album, RE:VIEW, a press release noted. Released by Green Hill Productions, this latest offering is considered an ode to Manchester's 50-year career in the music industry, marked by such hits as "You Should Hear How She Talks About You" and "Don't Cry Out Loud," which are also on RE:VIEW.

Euphoria co-star Hunter Schafer, a trans actress, was arrested at a pro-Palestine protest during the taping of Joe Biden's Late Night with Seth Meyers appearance, Deadline noted, citing Vulture. Schafer was one of 33 arrested whilst protesting for Palestinian rights with the Jewish Voice for Peace group. Photos from the event show her wearing a shirt that calls for an immediate ceasefire and Reuters published an image of her being escorted out of 30 Rock by an NYPD officer with her hands restrained behind her back.

Mahershala Ali, Nicolas, Cage, Jamie Lee Curtis, Brendan Fraser, Jessica Lange, Matthew McConaughey, Lupita Nyong'o, Al Pacino, Michelle Pfeiffer, Ke Huy Quan, Sam Rockwell, Michelle Yeoh and Zendaya were announced as the first wave of presenters at the 96th Oscars, per an ABC press release. (Also, Variety revealed that Ryan Gosling, Oscar-nominated for his role in Barbie, will perform "I'm Just Ken.") The ceremony, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel will be held on Sunday, March 10, at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood, and will be televised live on ABC and in more than 200 territories worldwide.

Elizabeth Taylor's estate is launching a fashion line in the late actress' name, Page Six revealed. The House of Taylor collection features sweaters, hoodies and T-shirts with text and images inspired by the icon. Tim Mendelson, co-trustee of Taylor's estate and her executive assistant for more than 20 years, said, "While Elizabeth Taylor is probably best known for her glamorous red carpet style, we wanted to capture her more casual and playful side with [items] to be worn every day. As one of the world's most famous women in history, her name and likeness is globally recognized." Some of the proceeds raised will go to her AIDS foundation; see ElizabethTaylor.com .

Also regarding Elizabeth Taylor, her son will be interviewed on TV for the first time about his mother in the upcoming Kim Kardashian-produced documentary about her, Deadline noted. Executive producer Kari Lia revealed to Deadline that Chris Wilding—Taylor's son with her second husband, Michael Wilding—will speak after many decades. Lia said Wilding had been "shy" in the past to discuss his mother's legacy but, as what would have been her 92nd birthday approaches, he felt that "the right opportunity" is now. Kardashian was the last person to interview Taylor when she was alive.

Creator, writer, director and producer Ryan Murphy announced a new series on Instagram—a horror drama titled Grotesquerie, starring Niecy Nash-Betts, Courtney B. Vance and Lesley Manville, Deadline noted. He also dropped a teaser for the series, which is expected to start production soon for a fall premiere at FX. Nash-Betts is coming off her recent Emmy win for Outstanding Supporting Actress Series for her performance in Murphy's Dahmer-—Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story, on Netflix.

Lux Pascal—the trans sister of popular actor and LGBTQ+ ally Pedro Pascal—has been cast in the upcoming thriller Summer War, the website them noted, citing Screen Daily. This development marks her first feature film role since coming out as a trans woman in 2021. Summer War "will center on a U.S. champion of the board game Third Reich whose peaceful summer holiday in 1989 is shattered when a tourist mysteriously disappears at sea." The last feature film Lux appeared in was 2019's The Prince.

Winning the Independent Spirit Award for portraying gay character Bill on the HBO series The Last of Us, Nick Offerman had a message for homophobes, Out noted. After thanking HBO for "having the guts to participate in this storytelling tradition that is truly independent," Offerman said, "Stories with guts that when homophobic hate comes my way and says, 'Why did you have to make it a gay story?' we say, 'Because you ask questions like that. It's not a gay story—it's a love story, you asshole.'" When Offerman's episode of The Last of Us aired last year, he said he was "fascinated by how openly people will express hate and brand themselves as bigots," in response to the backlash to the plot.

The WNGBA (Women's National Gay Basketball Association) 2024 West Coast Classic will take place March 23-24 at the West Hollywood Aquatics and Recreation Center in West Hollywood, California, per the association's website. The WNGBA is a branch of the National Gay Basketball Association, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that was established in 2005. Those interested in registering should visit gaybasketball.regfox.com/weho-women. Regarding the NGBA, the East Coast qualifier just took place in Philadelphia; the national championships will take place in Kansas City on Oct. 11-12.

Showtime announced that director Daniel Peddle's Beyond The Aggressives: 25 Years Later documentary will debut on streaming and on-air for Paramount+ subscribers with the Paramount+ with Showtime plan on Saturday, March 30, and premiere that day on Showtime, Deadline noted. Beyond The Aggressives: 25 Years Later revisits Kisha, Trevon, Octavio and Chin—four of the original subjects from The Aggressives, a doc about transmasculine people of color who were assigned female at birth. A Windy City Times interview with Peddle (from December 2023) is at www.windycitytimes.com/lgbt/MOVIES-Director-Daniel-Peddle-on-the-sequel-to-the-classic-doc-The-Aggressives/76451.html .

The video game Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth has much more queer representation that the previous games in the series, according to The Gamer. There are several queer couples to find throughout the world—many with their own stories you can learn about through overheard dialogue. With LGBTQ+ characters included in Final Fantasy 16 as well, it seems that Japan-based entertainment conglomerate Square Enix is actively working on representing queer identities in its games.

Madonna removed Luther Vandross' picture from the AIDS tribute portion of her "Celebrations" tour at the request of his estate, Page Six noted. Throughout her latest tour, the pop icon has remembered friends and famous names who lost their lives to the condition with a photo montage during her performance of her 1986 song "Live to Tell," including Herb Ritts, Freddie Mercury, Keith Haring and Sylvester. However, Vandross' image was suddenly included during a stop in Sacramento, California—to the surprise of his estate. "Luther Vandross passed away in 2005 due to complications from a stroke suffered two years earlier," a rep for his estate told Page Six in a statement. "While we appreciate Madonna's recognition of those lives lost to AIDS, Luther was NEVER diagnosed with AIDS or [HIV]."

Donna Summer's estate is suing Kanye West for allegedly sampling her hit song "I Feel Love" after they denied his request to use the track, Page Six noted. According to court documents that TMZ obtained, the rapper allegedly asked to use part of the song on his album Vultures 1 in January, but was ultimately rejected. The estate, which still controls part of the copyright, claims it denied West's request because of his past controversies, per TMZ. However, despite being denied clearance, West still added an interpolation of Summer's song in his "Good (Don't Die)" track.

A male former employee has accused Sean "Diddy" Combs of sexual assault, Page Six noted, citing NBC News. In court documents that TMZ obtained, Rodney "Lil Rod" Jones, a former producer and videographer for Diddy, alleged that the music mogul repeatedly sexually assaulted him while he was working on his latest album from September 2022 to November 2023. The producer alleges that Diddy would grope his genitals and touch his anus to groom him into having sex, per the outlet.Jones also has claimed that he was forced to solicit sex workers and perform sex acts with them at the request of Combs, among other things. Several woman, including Combs' ex-girlfriend Cassie, have also accused him of sexual assault; the case with Cassie was settled although he had denied all of the allegations.

Justine Triet's LGBTQ+ film Anatomy of a Fall won Best Film and Best Director at the 49th edition of the French Cesar awards, per Deadline. Triet is only the second women to clinch the Best Director prize in the near 50-year history of the Cesars—after Tonie Marshall for Venus Beauty in 1976. Anatomy of a Fall also won Best Actress for Sandra Huller (who also co-headlines another Oscar-nominated film, The Zone of Interest), Original Screenplay for Triet and Arthur Harari, Editing for Laurent Sénéchal and Supporting Actor for Swann Arlaud. Christopher Nolan also put in an appearance to receive an Honorary Cesar alongside French director Agnes Jaoui, best known internationally for her 2001 hit The Taste of Others.

Wendy Williams spoke out for the first time following her recent primary progressive aphasia and frontotemporal dementia diagnosis (FTD), per The Hollywood Reporter. A representative for the former talk-show host shared a statement: "I want to say I have immense gratitude for the love and kind words I have received after sharing my diagnosis of Aphasia and Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD). Let me say, wow! Your response has been overwhelming. The messages shared with me have touched me, reminding me of the power of unity and the need for compassion. I hope that others with FTD may benefit from my story." Two days before the release of the documentary Where Is Wendy Williams?, Williams' court-appointed caregiver was publicly identified to be Sabrina Morrissey as she filed a lawsuit for injunctive relief against Lifetime parent company A+E Networks; however, the complaint was vacated.

Interior designer Jeremiah Brent—the husband of fellow designer Nate Berkus—will succeed Bobby Berk on Queer Eye, Out noted. Berk announced he'd be leaving the show after season eight last November, saying that "Although my journey with Queer Eye is over, my journey with you is not." In 2020, Brent hosted the Netflix show Say I Do, a wedding spin on the Queer Eye format from the same producers; he was the design expert on that show.

Britney Spears recently showed her support for Janet Jackson, AOL noted. "Thank you to this beautiful lady for keeping my dreams and heart alive," Spears wrote via Instagram in a since-deleted post. "She's always been the deepest and brightest woman at the same time. She went through so much but I feel she is someone I will look up to for the rest of my life." The item was posted amid Spears' reignited feud with Justin Timberlake, and it seemingly referenced the controversy surrounding Jackson and Timberlake's Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show.

It seems that a seventh season of Downton Abbey may be happening, per Collider. A listing on Production Weekly—a resource for professionals working in the film and television industries that informs them of upcoming projects—noted that "DOWNTON ABBEY 07" was in the works. Also, Highclere Castle social-media accounts stated, "If you have to keep a secret, you must keep it secret that you have a secret to keep," accompanied by hashtags that included Downton Abbey, filming, behind the scenes, and various other production-related jargon. Highclere Castle served as the home on Downton Abbey.

The college-football comedy series Blue Mountain State is making a comeback, Deadline noted. A sequel to the 2010 comedy recently hit the TV marketplace, with Reacher's Alan Ritchson set to reprise his role as Kevin "Thad" Castle. The original series' co-leads—Darin Brooks (The Bold and the Beautiful) and Chris Romano—also are expected to be back for the follow-up. Funded by a Kickstarter campaign, a movie, Blue Mountain State: The Rise of Thadland, was released in 2016; Brooks, Ritchson and Roman reprised their roles.

Ricky Martin talked with GQ about his dating life and sexuality, among other things, Out noted. Martin came out in 2010, adding it was the best feeling in the world. "It felt amazing," he recalled. "Can you come out twice, three times? I wish I had done it before. Yesterday is forever beyond our control. There's nothing you can do about what we've lived." The singer also said that he's enjoying being single now for the first time in years (having divorced his husband of six years, Jwan Yosef, in 2023), and is even having fun meeting guys at parties—and even added that he has a foot fetish; however, he avoids dating apps like Grindr and Tinder.

CBS has renewed The Young and the Restless for four more seasons, which will take the daytime soap through the 2027-28 season, Variety noted. The show launched in 1973, making it CBS' longest running series. Centered on the residents of the fictional Midwestern town of Genoa City, the series follows romances and rivalries between the Newman, Winters and Abbott families. "Restless" has been the most-watched daytime drama for the 36th consecutive year.

The defending FIFA World Cup champion and top-ranked national team in the world Argentina will play two June games in in the United States prior to their participation in CONMEBOL Copa America 2024, per a press release. The Asociacion del Futbol Argentino (AFA) and Soccer United Marketing (SUM) announced that the South American side will take on continental rival Ecuador on Sunday, June 9 at Chicago's Soldier Field. On Friday, June 14, Argentina will take on Guatemala at FedExField in the greater D.C. metro area. See Ticketmaster (Chicago) and SeatGeek.com (D.C.) for passes.

American Psycho author Bret Easton Ellis revealed his longtime boyfriend was committed to a mental-health facility after being arrested for burglary, per Page Six. Ellis issued a lengthy statement on his website to "provide some clarification and perspective" after police said his partner, Todd Michael Schultz, entered a neighbor's apartment in West Hollywood, California, and ransacked her things. Ellis explained that Schultz had been struggling with his mental health and drug addiction "for the last decade," culminating in "a full blown drug-induced psychotic breakdown" that led to his Feb. 13 arrest. Ellis concluded the statement by saying, "I don't think it's too late for him and I hope to know that Todd I first met in 2010 again."

Gay British acting icon Sir Ian McKellen is reportedly single again after the end of a relationship with a younger actor, per Queerty. According to the Daily Mail, McKellen met Oscar Conlon-Morrey, 30, in late 2022. The two men were cast to play mother and son in the seasonal pantomime Mother Goose, which ended last April; the production toured the UK and McKellen took on the role of the pantomime dame. McKellen is about to make his debut in London as Falstaff in Player Kings—a reworking of Shakespeare's Henry IV parts 1 and 2.

Warner Bros Pictures' Wonka will debut on Max on March 8, per a press release. According to the release, "Starring Timothee Chalamet in the title role, this irresistibly vivid and inventive big screen spectacle will introduce audiences to a young Willy Wonka, as he becomes the world's greatest inventor, magician and chocolate-maker." Starring alongside Chalamet are Matt Lucas, Calah Lane, Olivia Colman, Keegan-Michael Key, Rowan Atkinson and Hugh Grant, among others.