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

LGBT sprinter Sha'Carri Richardson is the subject of a new documentary short titled Sub Eleven Seconds, and it had its world premiere at the virtual 2022 Sundance Film Festival, The Dallas Morning News reported. Sundance describes Sub Eleven Seconds as "a rumination on time, loss, and hope" and "a poetic imagining" of Richardson's quest "to achieve her dream of qualifying for the Olympic Games." The 24-minute film's executive producer is Virgil Abloh—the U.S. fashion designer who created the label Off-White and headed Louis Vuitton's menswear collection before he died last November at 41.

Showtime's Work in Progress (featuring Abby McEnany) was canceled after two seasons—and its creators aren't happy, out.com noted. "Right before the Thanksgiving holiday, I got the extremely disappointing news from the execs at Showtime that Work in Progress was not going to be picked up for a third season. It was a major bummer," producer Lilly Wachowski tweeted. She continued, talking about how making the show during the pandemic was "extremely difficult" and felt "grim" and "antiseptic. She pointed out how the Chicago-set show has been making top-10 lists and was recently nominated for a GLAAD Award, but still, "that isn't enough to overcome the bottom line."

Cher shared a clip to her social media in which she sang an all-new cover of "Thank You for Being a Friend," the iconic theme song to the 1980s sitcom The Golden Girls, for a Betty White tribute, people.com noted. The singer gave the special performance on the original Golden Girls Stage 5 in Hollywood, where the long-running NBC series was taped. Celebrating Betty White: America's Golden Girl will air Jan. 31, with appearances from President Joe Biden, Drew Barrymore, Valerie Bertinelli, Bryan Cranston, Ted Danson, Ellen DeGeneres, Wendie Malick, Goldie Hawn, Jean Smart and more.

Bravo exec Andy Cohen spoke out about The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City co-star Jennie Nguyen's controversial social-media posts that have resurfaced—and called them "upsetting" and "disgusting," per Page Six. Over six months in 2020 amid the ongoing Black Lives Matter protests, Nguyen allegedly posted and reposted memes and photos, including ones that mentioned phrases like "BLM Thugs" and "Violent Gangs." Nearly all of Nguyen's co-stars—including Heather Gay, Whitney Rose, Meredith Marks and Jen Shah—have also publicly condemned her posts and unfollowed her on Instagram. Nguyen has been fired.

Speaking of Bravo, after spending nine seasons as a main cast member on Bravo's Million Dollar Listing New York and appearing on two seasons of its sister series Million Dollar Listing Los Angeles, realtor Fredrik Eklund is officially leaving the luxury real estate television banner, Variety reported. Bravo had also given Eklund his own spinoff series, alongside realtor Bethenny Frankel; Bethenny & Fredrik ran for one season in 2018, chronicling the two realtors' friendship and business partnership.

Spoiler Alert, a new feature led by out actor Jim Parsons that's from Focus Features, has added four stars to its ensemble cast, per Variety. They include Antoni Porowski (Queer Eye), Tony winner Nikki M. James (The Book of Mormon), Jeffery Self (Search Party) and Bill Irwin (Rachel Getting Married). The film is based on Michael Ausiello's best-selling memoir Spoiler Alert: The Hero Dies: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Other Four-Letter Words; it charts the emotionally turbulent 11-month journey of Ausiello's former partner, Kit, from his cancer diagnosis to his death.

To celebrate the 25th anniversary of their self-titled debut, the band Third Eye Blind has collaborated with Smith & Cult on a cruelty-free nail polish line inspired by songs from the album, per a press release. The colors are "Jumper," "London," "God of Wine," "Semi-Charmed" and "The Background." A portion of the proceeds from "Jumper" will benefit True Colors United in efforts to combat homelessness concerning LGBTQ youth. "Their mission goes to the core of 'Jumper's' simple message—that no one should be stigmatized for who they are. We have more understanding to give than we sometimes show," said lead singer Stephan Jenkins.

On a recent episode of The Young and the Restless (which first premiered in 1973), Mariah (played by Camryn Grimes) proposed to girlfriend Tessa (played by Cait Fairbanks)—marking the first time in the series' history there has been a same-sex engagement, according to an out.com item that cited Entertainment Weekly. "I had no clue there was a second proposal to be perfectly honest!" Fairbanks added. (Her character had already proposed to Mariah.) "Getting proposed to did make me more emotional because I didn't have to say anything and I could just absorb the speech Mariah gave! It was a special and beautiful moment."

Darren Hayes has released his first new music in 10 years with the uptempo single "Let's Try Being in Love"—and the former Savage Garden frontman is putting his sexuality front and center as he makes out with actor Scott Evans in the track's video, Attitude noted. Directed by Andrew Putschoegl and written and art directed by Hayes, the newly-released visual sees the "Truly, Madly, Deeply" singer's character involved in an illicit tryst with a man played by Evans (the out and proud brother of Captain American star Chris Evans). Hayes—who was married to make-up artist Colby Taylor from 1994 to 2000—said the video was inspired by his own struggles with his sexuality.

Queen Latifah broke her silence about former her Equalizer co-star, Chris Noth, Deadline noted. "It's still surreal. It is such a dicey, delicate situation that requires a great deal of respect," she said on People (the TV Show!). "That's a personal thing that he's going to have to deal with. … And my feeling is justice has to prevail, regardless. I just want the right things to be done, you know?" Two woman recently accused Noth of rape; one alleged incident happened in LA in 2004, and the other New York City in 2015.

While supporters of Joe Exotic were hoping he would be released, a federal judge resentenced the star of Netflix's Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness to 21 years in prison—taking just one year off his original 22-year sentence for his participation in a murder-for-hire plot, Deadline noted. According to prosecutors, Exotic attempted to hire two men to kill rival tiger aficionado and animal welfare activist Carole Baskin. One of those he tried to hire was an undercover FBI agent.

Ahead of playing an arena show in Philadelphia, Kacey Musgraves surprised fans with an impromptu performance at a local gay bar, according to a USA Today item that cited Billboard. She popped into Tavern on Camac, a gay bar in the Philly area, according to a video posted by Instagram user @gayborhoodfamous. With a pianist by her side and surrounded by floating heart decorations, Musgraves sang a cover of the Fleetwood Mac hit "Dreams" to an enthusiastic crowd.

Ivory Aquino (When We Rise) has been cast in the HBO Max feature film Batgirl as Alysia Yeoh, the best friend of the titular superhero, a.k.a. Barbara Gordon (Leslie Grace), Variety noted. Both Aquino and Yeoh are transgender, marking the first time a live-action feature film adaptation of a DC Comics title will feature an openly trans character. There have been several strides in broadening LGBTQ+ representation in superhero adaptations over the past few years, especially on television, with shows such as Supergirl, Batwoman, Loki and the animated Harley Quinn.

On the Jan. 22 episode of Saturday Night Live, new featured player Sarah Sherman appeared alongside Colin Jost on the "Weekend Update" segment, LGBTQ Nation noted. Sherman dropped a number of bombshell allegations against Jost during her appearance, at one point hijacking the segment to announce, "Local sex bigot Colin Jost violently rejects radical act of queer interracial love." But even when Jost gives in and goes in to kiss co-host Michael Che, he's slammed again: "Breaking news: Queer-baiting Update anchor Colin Jost pretends to be gay for laughs!"

Game of Thrones actor Peter Dinklage slammed Disney's live-action Snow White remake, according to Entertainment Weekly. "Literally no offense to anyone, but I was a little taken aback when they were very proud to cast a Latina actress as Snow White, but you're still telling the story of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," Dinklage said. "Take a step back and look at what you're doing there. It makes no sense to me." He continued: "You're progressive in one way, but then you're still making that f—-ing [backward] story about seven dwarfs living in a cave together. What the f—- are you doing, man? Have I done nothing to advance the cause from my soapbox?"

The Broadway revival of Ntozake Shange's for colored girls who have considered suicide/ when the rainbow is enuf, directed and choreographed by Camille A. Brown, has been postponed, with performances now set to begin Friday, April 1, at the Booth Theatre, per Deadline. The official opening night is now Wed., April 20. The revival previously had been set to begin performances on March 4, with the opening night of March 24.

Billie Eilish is gearing up to head out on her Happier Than Ever tour next month, but some North American dates are being postponed, iHeart.com noted. The pop star revealed that a few of her dates had been postponed due to "local guidelines" and the Grammys' rescheduled date. Her stops in Toronto and Montreal in mid-February are being rescheduled "due to local guidelines and an abundance of caution;" however, new dates have not been revealed. Her second Phoenix date on April 3 was also rescheduled to the following night (April 4) because of the Grammys.

The iHeartRadio Music Awards are returning this March and will happen live from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, a release stated. Many artists received multiple nominations, including Drake, Lil Was X, Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa, Cardi B, H.E.R., All Time Low, twenty one pilots, Megan Thee Stallion, Imagine Dragons, Bad Bunny, Ed Sheehan and Justin Bieber, among others. Social voting will close on March 15 at 11:59pm PT for all categories; fans can vote on Twitter using the appropriate category and nominee hashtags or by visiting iHeartRadio.com/awards.

Actress Kathryn Kates, who appeared in hit TV series including Orange Is the New Black and Seinfeld, died at 73 of lung cancer, CNN.com noted. According to a biography on her own website, Kates moved from her native New York to Los Angeles in 1974 to pursue her acting career. There she was an influential figure in the local theater scene, becoming one of the founders of the Colony Theatre in Burbank, California.

On The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Andrew Garfield shared new details about his surprise appearance in the film Spider-Man: No Way Home, Just Jared noted. Among other things, Garfield said the only people he told about his cameo were his parents and brother—even lying to ex-girlfriend and former Spider-Man co-star Emma Stone.

Kim Kardashian's Skims' new capsule collection marks Team USA's ongoing partnership with her shapewear company, Variety noted. Team USA is partnering with Skims for the 2022 Winter Olympics, months after the company became the official undergarment outfitter for Team USA during the Summer 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Also, Skims' valuation has doubled its valuation to $3.2 billion after raising $240 million in new funds, Reuters reported. Launched in 2019, Skims sells bras, loungewear and shapewear directly to customers through its online store and at outlets owned by department store chains Nordstrom and Selfridges & Co.

Focus Features, Universal Pictures International and Carnival Films announced that global release dates will shift to late spring for the film sequel Downton Abbey: A New Era, a press release noted. The film, previously dated for a March 18 release, will now launch in theaters exclusively in the United Kingdom on April 29 and in the United States on May 20. The original principal cast have returned for the second film, along with new additions Hugh Dancy, Laura Haddock, Nathalie Baye and Dominic West.

Mary J. Blige shared what fans can expect from her addition to the Feb. 13 Super Bowl halftime show, which is expected to feature her, Dr. Dre, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and Snoop Dogg, according to HotNewHipHop.com . In a recent interview with Elle, Blige revealed that she's only able to choose one song from her extensive catalog. Of all of the hits she could pick from, Blige admitted she is leaning toward "Family Affair." The chart-topping single was produced by Dr. Dre and is said to be one of his favorites from the singer.

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones are splitting up after more than 30 years together, syracuse.com noted. The ska band told fans, "We have decided not to continue on as a band... Above all, we want to express our sincere gratitude to every single one of you who have supported us. We could not have done any of it without you." The band hit it big during the '90s swing revival with an appearance in the movie Clueless and the song "The Impression That I Get."

Multi-Grammy-winning superstar Michael Buble will release Higher, his 11th studio album on Warner Records/Reprise Records, on March 25, a press release noted. Songs on the new album include a magical duet with Willie Nelson of his song "Crazy"; his version of the Sir Paul McCartney penned song "My Valentine" (produced by McCartney); Buble's take on the Sam Cooke's classic "Bring It On Home To Me"; and a version of "Smile" accompanied by a gospel choir.

Howard Stern called on Meat Loaf's family to speak out on vaccines following the rock icon's death earlier this month, Variety noted. Meat Loaf died Jan. 20. TMZ reported at the time that the singer had been "seriously ill with COVID" and that "his condition quickly became critical." It's not known if the musician was vaccinated; he challenged COVID mandates in an August 2021 interview with The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, saying, "If I die, I die—but I'm not going to be controlled."

Spotify removed Neil Young's catalog of music from its service after the artist published—and took down—an open letter with an ultimatum: deal with the vaccine misinformation coming from Joe Rogan's podcast, or lose Young's music, The Hollywood Reporter noted. Rogan, who hosts the Spotify exclusive podcast The Joe Rogan Experience, has faced backlash for repeatedly sharing misinformation surrounding COVID vaccines on his podcast. In December, a group of 270 doctors and other medical professionals also wrote a letter calling on Spotify to "mitigate the spread of misinformation on its platform." Joni Mitchell announced she, too, will remove her music from Spotify because "irresponsible people are spreading lies that are costing people their lives," Deadline noted.

Evangeline Lilly—best known for her roles on TV's Lost and as Hope van Dyne/Wasp in the Marvel Cinematic Universe—took to social media to confirm her attendance at a Washington D.C. protest in support of "bodily sovereignty," Variety noted. The actress went on to explain that she stands in opposition to government-mandated vaccine policies. Lilly made headlines at the start of the COVID pandemic in March 2020 after she posted about refusing to social distance and quarantine; she faced backlash and eventually apologized.

"Katy Perry: PLAY," at Las Vegas' brand-new Resorts World Theatre, has added more show dates from May 27 to June 11, including Memorial Day Weekend, and July 29 to Aug. 13, a press release noted. Perry will return to American Idol for her fifth season, hosting with co-judges Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan; the Feb. 27 season premiere kicks off the show's 20th year.

Rock & Roll Hall of Famers and multi-platinum-selling Los Angeles rock band The Go-Go's announced newly rescheduled dates for their 2022 North American West Coast tour, a press release noted. The new live dates (spanning March 24-31) include rescheduled shows in San Francisco, Reno, Temecula, San Diego and Anaheim (new), with a special hometown show scheduled for Los Angeles to be announced at a later date. The Go-Go's rose to fame following the release of their 1981 debut album, Beauty and the Beat.

Ye (Kanye West) announced Donda 2 is set to be released Feb. 22, Variety noted. According to Just Jared, Donda, Kanye's 10th studio album, was released last August, and featured songs like "Hurricane," "Life of the Party," "Believe What I Say" and "Off the Grid." The album title is a tribute to his mother, Donda West.

Jason Momoa has joined the cast of F10, the next installment in the Fast & Furious series starring Vin Diesel, Deadline noted. Tyrese Gibson, Ludacris and Michelle Rodriguez are expected to return, with Justin Lin on board to direct.

A lawsuit accuses R&B singer Chris Brown of drugging and raping a woman on a yacht in 2020, NBC News noted. In the weeks following the alleged incident, Brown continued to reach out to the woman, according to the lawsuit. In one message, the singer allegedly "demanded" she take a pill to keep her from getting pregnant, which she took. Last January, after Brown contacted her again, the woman went to his house in California to listen to some music with him, his producer and another girl. She went to his house a second time in August while Brown was recording a song—and he allegedly became "became loud and irate" when she rejected his request to go upstairs to his bedroom.

Attorneys for Kevin Spacey are seeking to toss a $31-million arbitration award arising from his conduct on the set of House of Cards, saying his behavior was nothing more than "sexual innuendos" and "innocent horseplay," per Variety. The production company behind the Netflix show, MRC, argued Spacey owed them millions in lost profits because his misconduct forced them to remove him from the sixth season of the show, and it had to trim the season from 13 episodes to eight. Spacey was first accused of misconduct in a Buzzfeed article on Oct. 29, 2017, in which actor Anthony Rapp alleged Spacey had made a sexual advance in 1986, when Rapp was 14.

The live-action feature film adaptation of Masters of the Universe has its He-Man: rising actor Kyle Allen, Variety reported. Producer Mattel Studios and Netflix announced the actor (West Side Story; TV's American Horror Story) will portray the '80s icon in a film to be directed and co-written by The Nee Brothers. Allen will play an orphan named Adam who discovers he is a prince destined to be the savior of a faraway land. He must quickly learn of his power and the importance of saving his true home from an evil force.

At Dodger Stadium, Erik Braverman, the team's senior vice president of marketing communications and broadcasting, tied the knot with his fiance Jonathan Cottrell, out.com noted. Cottrell describes himself as a model, photographer and software engineer. The couple even have their own custom bobblehead dolls made for the special occasion.

Los Angeles-based alt-pop queer singer CLAY shared "Artery," the first offering from her upcoming project, Breathing Into Bloom, a press statement noted. CLAY said, "This song was probably one of the hardest songs I've ever had to write (I say had to because I don't choose what comes) because it contains such potent and deeply painful truths."

James Snyder, star of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, has been fired from the Broadway production following the conclusion of an investigation into a complaint regarding his conduct from castmate Diane Davis, Entertainment Weekly reported. Davis plays the role of Harry's wife, Ginny; both joined the cast in 2019. "At the conclusion of the investigation, the producers decided Mr. Snyder should not return to the production, and terminated his contract," a statement read. "Ms. Davis has made the personal decision to take a leave of absence." The play reopened on Broadway on Nov. 16, 2021—just three days before Davis' complaint.

Alf Clausen, the longtime Simpsons composer who was fired in 2017, dropped his wrongful termination lawsuit in which he accused Fox of age and disability discrimination, Variety reported. Clausen, 80, filed the suit in August 2019, alleging Fox and Gracie Films fired him because of his age and Parkinson's diagnosis. In August 2020, a judge dismissed part of the suit, ruling Clausen could proceed with the disability part; however—not wanting to pay Fox's attorney's fees if he lost—he dismissed the suit when it appeared he would lose.

On Celebrity Wheel of Fortune, viewers found out that host Pat Sajak is unaware of actor Benedict Cumberbatch, Yahoo! noted. In fact, even Fresh Prince of Bel Air star Tatyana Ali—who had solved the puzzle "Eggs Benedict Cumberbatch"—seemed a little unsure when Sajak asked her to explain for those who may not know. Sajak admitted that his "little host trick" was to pretend like he was familiar with Cumberbatch by throwing it to Ali to explain, when really he had no clue, which surprised viewers.

Actor Garrett Hedlund was arrested for public intoxication one day after splitting from actress girlfriend Emma Roberts, Page Six noted. The Friday Night Lights star, 37, was arrested and taken into custody in Franklin County with a bond set at $2,100.