In honor of Pride Month, Variety published "55 Queer Artists and Decision-Makers to Know in 2022." A few of those on the list include Bridgerton actor Jonathan Bailey; actor Sara Ramirez (And Just Like That…; Grey's Anatomy); asexual/aromantic writer Alice Oseman; Oscar winner Ariana DeBose; rappers Lil Nas X and Kevin Abstract; actor Kal Penn; Jeopardy! champion Amy Schneider; HBO/HBO Max chief content officer Casey Bloys; singer Tove Lo; chef Melissa King; RuPaul's Drag Race alum Willow (the first trans winner of the show); and comedian/writer Punkie Johnson.
Anything's Possible—Billy Porter's directorial feature debut—will start on Prime Video on July 22, a press release noted. The film is described as "a delightfully modern Gen Z coming-of-age story that follows Kelsa, a confident high school girl who is trans, as she navigates through senior year. When her classmate Khal gets a crush on her, he musters up the courage to ask her out, despite the drama he knows it could cause. What transpires is a romance that showcases the joy, tenderness, and pain of young love." The movie stars Eva Reign, Abubakr Ali and Renee Elise Goldsberry.
Speaking of Billy Porter, the Emmy winner (who starred on the FX show Pose) and Luke Evans have signed on to star in the drama Our Son, from director Bill Oliver, according to Deadline. The film, written by Oliver and Peter Nickowitz, will follow a divorcing couple fighting for custody of their 8-year-old son. Evans most recently starred in Hulu's most-watched original series, Nine Perfect Strangers, TNT's Emmy-nominated The Alienist and ITV's The Pembrokeshire Murders; on the big screen, he's been in Disney's 2017 live-action Beauty and the Beast film, The Raven and other projects.
Jamie Lee Curtis officiated the marriage of her transgender daughter, according to Page Six. Curtis watched as daughter Ruby Guest, who came out as transgender in 2020, and partner Kynthia said "I do" in a cosplay ceremony. Alongside a photo of her posing next to the couple posted on her Instagram account, Curtis wrote, "WIFE IS SWEET! Ruby and Kynthia," adding the wedding date: "5/29/2022."
In a new interview with the LGBTQ&A podcast, Janelle Monae opened up about being in a "celebratory space" and said that's being reflected in their music, per Out Magazine. Monae—who came out as pansexual in 2018 and last month shared with the public that she's non-binary—also said that when it comes to sharing details about her identity, "nobody tells me what to do."
Amazon Studios and Brad Pitt's Plan B Entertainment are developing a limited series based on The Deviant's War: The Homosexual vs. The United States of America—historian Eric Cervini's New York Times best-seller, Variety noted. The book tells the story of Frank Kameny, a Department of Defense astronomer in the 1950s who became a leading figure in the fight for LGBTQ civil rights when he sued the federal government after being fired because he was gay.
A Variety article examined Warner Bros. plans for The Flash in the wake of non-binary and queer actor Ezra Miller's recent arrests. Barring unforeseen developments, sources say, Warners is barreling ahead with the intention to give the superhero film the full blockbuster treatment. The Flash simply cost too much money to scrap the project entirely and it likely will not generate the revenues needed to turn a profit without playing in theaters. In recent months, Miller has been arrested or taken into custody several times for harassment, disorderly conduct and a traffic violation. Around the same time, two Hawaii residents filed a temporary restraining order against Miller (later dropped) after they allegedly broke into the couple's bedroom and tried to steal their passports and wallets.
Award-winning entertainer, author and entrepreneur Patti LaBelle will receive the Service to America Leadership Award from the National Association of Broadcasters Leadership Foundation (NABLF) during the Celebration of Service to America Awards on June 7 at The Anthem in Washington, D.C., per a press release. LaBelle joins chef and humanitarian José Andres as a recipient of this year's Service to America Leadership Award—NABLF's highest individual citation that is presented in recognition of honorees' commitment to advocacy and public service.
Mariah Carey and co-writer Walter Afansieff are named in the lawsuit by songwriter Andy Stone, who claims his "All I Want For Christmas Is You" by Vince Vance & the Valiants from 1989 is being infringed by Carey's very popular version, Deadline noted. Stone filed his papers in the US District Court in the Eastern District of Louisiana. Stone claims his song received extensive airplay during the 1993 holiday season. (Carey's song came out in 1994.) He is asking for $20 million in damages.
HBO Max has renewed the LGBTQ+-themed comedy series Our Flag Means Death for a second season, a press release noted. Season one was (very) loosely based on the true adventures of 18th-century would-be pirate Stede Bonnet, played by Rhys Darby. Struggling to earn the respect of his potentially mutinous crew, Stede's fortunes changed after a fateful run-in with the infamous Captain Blackbeard, played by Taika Waititi. To their surprise, the wildly different Stede and Blackbeard found more than friendship on the high seas—as they found love.
Anita Baker thanked Chance the Rapper during a recent show at the Venetian Theatre in Las Vegas after she said the Chicago MC helped her regain control of her master recordings, Billboard noted. Baker had been battling her former label for ownership of her recordings until last year, when she finally wrested them back and over the weekend she was in a mood to celebrate her victory.
For the final day of Asian American and Pacific Islanders Heritage Month, the Korean pop supergroup BTS stopped by the White House to speak with President Joe Biden about Asian inclusion and representation, per Variety. Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre introduced the group, and RM kicked off the press conference in English by introducing themselves and thanking the White House and Biden for the opportunity to speak on "the important issues of anti-Asian hate crimes, Asian inclusion and diversity."
Lil Nas X called out the BET Awards after he didn't receive any nominations, The Advocate noted, citing the L.A. Times. The queer rapper and singer released Montero in September 2021; it reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 albums, and two of its singles—"Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" and "Industry Baby"—topped the Billboard Hot 100. The album was also nominated for album of the year at the Grammy Awards. Lil Nas X tweeted; "thank you bet awards. an outstanding zero nominations again. black excellence!" He has since deleted all of the tweets regarding the BET Award nominations, and the network has yet to make any statements on the subject. Taraji P. Henson will host the ceremony on Sunday, June 26, on BET.
Melissa McCarthy, Morgan Freeman, John Legend, Kevin Bacon, Ethan Hawke, Jon Stewart, Hasan Minhaj, Riz Ahmed, LeVar Burton and H.E.R. will be among the presenters for this year's 82nd Annual Peabody Awards, Variety noted. Some of the other presenters will include Kevin Bacon, Amanda Seales, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and even U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Illinois). The Peabody Awards will announce winners every day between June 6 and 9.
HBO announced the Emmy-winning sketch comedy series A Black Lady Sketch Show has been renewed for a fourth season, per a press release. Created, written, executive-produced and starring Robin Thede, the six-episode third season concluded on May 13 on HBO, with all episodes available to stream on HBO Max.
Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Frank Ocean could be close to writing and directing his first feature film, according to an Out Magazine item that cited Discussing Film. Ocean is reportedly in talks with A24 and 2AM to produce and distribute the film, which has the working title Philly. Ocean does have some experience directing, as he directed and wrote Endless, a 2016 visual album.
Singer Todrick Hall has released the '80s-inspired album Algorhythm via frtyfve/AWAL, per a press release. The record features the singles "Breath," "Dance Forever" and "Pre-Madonna" plus "Skipping on Stars," the anthem "Gay Excellence" and other tracks. The album was written by Hall with Jeeve and Wiidope, the former having worked with Giorgio Moroder and Bruno Mars.
Tony winner Joe Mantegna and Emmy winner Gary Sinise returned as hosts for PBS' National Memorial Day Concert, premiering May 29 on PBS and streaming on YouTube, PBS.org, and the PBS Video App, Playbill noted. The national night of remembrance featured performances by Tony winners Lea Salonga (Miss Saigon) and Brian Stokes Mitchell (Kiss Me, Kate), Tony nominee Norm Lewis (The Gershwins' Porgy & Bess), country music singer-songwriter Craig Morgan, Grammy winner Rhiannon Giddens and American Idol alum Pia Toscano.
Ewan McGregor spoke out about the racist messages being sent to actress Moses Ingram, who plays Sith Inquisitor Reva Sevander on the new Disney+ series Obi-Wan Kenobi (in which McGregor plays the title character), Deadline reported. McGregor said, "Moses is a brilliant actor, she's a brilliant woman and she's absolutely amazing in this series. … I just want to say as the leading actor in the series, as the executive producer on the series, that we stand with Moses. We love Moses, and if you're sending her bullying messages, you're no Star Wars fan in my mind."
James Marsden—who starred in the first season of HBO's Westworld and recurred in its second season—is returning to the show, Variety noted. Marsden originally played Teddy Flood, "the new marksman in town." At the ATX Television Festival in Austin, producers were mum on how Marsden's return will play out on the show, and he didn't provide any hints.
Neil Patrick Harris sold his Harlem home for a record $7.1 million and has a domicile on a Colorado mountain edge, according to TopTenRealEstateDeals.com . Harris and husband David Burtka remained in Los Angeles Harris' show How I Met Your Mother concluded, moving with their twin sons to a five-story Harlem brownstone in 2013. Their home just sold for $7.1 million—setting a new record price for the historic neighborhood.
On the first day of Pride month, Rosie O'Donnell made it Instagram-official with her girlfriend Aimee, whose last name she has not revealed, Extra noted. A few weeks ago, O'Donnell posted a photo of two people's hands intertwined. Last year, Aimee (a mother of two) opened up about growing up Mormon in Boise, Idaho, while on the "Lesbian Speaking" podcast; she revealed that it took a long time for her to come out due to her religious upbringing.
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills co-star Kelly Dodd joked Harry Hamlin is "next" after Todd Chrisley's alleged gay affair was revealed during the reality star's recent federal fraud trial, Page Six noted. Chrisley's former business partner, Mark Braddock, recently testified that he and the Chrisley Knows Best star were intimate for about a year in the early 2000s and paid off a blackmailer to keep the alleged affair a secret. Later, speculation about Hamlin's sexual orientation surfaced after his wife, Lisa Rinna, got into an online feud with a man named Patrick Somers.
