Category: Entertainment

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Schitt’s Creek’s Dan Levy Brings The Funny On SNL

Schitt's Creek star Dan Levy hosts SNL

Schitt's Creek star Dan Levy hosts SNL
Schitt’s Creek star Dan Levy hosts SNL
What to do after your hit TV series Schitt’s Creek garners not only 5 Golden Globe nominations but 5 Screen Actors Guild Award nominations? If you’re Dan Levy, you host Saturday Night Live! Levy had a great outing last night in SNL including taking part in a clever skit involving out cast members Bowen Yang, Punkie Johnson, and Kate McKinnon that ‘celebrated’ the 10-year-old It Gets Better Project. Note: We all love the It Gets Better Project, so, don’t take any of this as bashing a great organization. It’s all just fun. It all begins quite upbeat as the four assure viewers that things do, indeed, ‘get better.’ But as the details of ‘better’ are explored, it seems ‘better’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘perfect.’
L-R Bowen Yang, Kate McKinnon, Punkie Johnson (screen captures)
Yang shares how, once he learned to love himself, he found he was no longer bullied…by straight people. “Then I pretty much immediately started getting tormented by gay people…for my taste in music.” “It’s scarier when gay people are mean because they are so organized,” laments Yang. “I tweeted one vague opinion about Chromatica and I had to move. Not just apartments but cities.” Levy’s character says he doesn’t get bullied anymore because he’s a very successful 30-year-old. But life’s problems weren’t completely solved. “You know what feels very similar to being shoved in a locker though? Income tax,” says Levy’s character. “I know that’s not what you guys do, but stuff about taxes would have been extremely helpful.” Emmy Award winner Kate McKinnon knocks it out of the park with her post-It Gets Better issue – her two kids’ iguana which now dominates her life. “It’s ruined my floors with its urine, and now there’s an evil dinosaur living in my house.”

And Punkie Johnson has real-life advice: “Don’t wear basketball shorts cause when you’re out with your girl, people are going to think YOU the one who fights.” Brian Wenke, executive director for It Gets Better Project, sent out an email embracing the humor:

Last night Saturday Night Live and its incredible cast of queer talent held up a mirror to the It Gets Better Project and made us laugh. I am sure you can imagine the flurry of calls, texts, and emails inspired by the skit. I am honored to be a part of an organization that continues to maintain relevance 10 years after the viral social media campaign that gave it life.”

Another sketch that landed also addressed how life changes when you get older. “Are you bored? Looking for something to spice up your life? You used to want sex – but you’re in your late 30s now,” say the sexy-voiced cast members. “You need something new, something exciting. I need a new fantasy.” And what better fantasy that scrolling through pictures and pictures of that house you can’t afford? “You need…Zillow.” The skit’s not only pretty spot-on but – bonus! – includes Levy as part of an aroused gay couple. “I’d never live in North Carolina,” says Levy before adding in an echoing sensual voice, “But if I did – I could buy a big, gross mansion.”

Let me know what you thought about Levy’s appearance last night. Score or snore?

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Randy Rainbow Skewers QAnon Rep Via Streisand’s ‘Evergreen’

Randy Rainbow skewers QAnon Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene in his latest parody song

Randy Rainbow skewers QAnon Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene in his latest parody song Donald Trump may be gone from the White House, but political satirist Randy Rainbow is NOT hanging up his microphone. With his thumb on the political pulse of Washington, he offers up his timely take on Barbra Streisand’s timeless, “Evergreen,” from her 1976 film A Star Is Born. Streisand and co-creator Paul Williams took home that year’s Oscar for Best Original Song. Babs also scored the Song Of The Year trophy at the Grammy Awards for the track. But in this parody, Rainbow skewers QAnon Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. You can find my past coverage of Rainbow’s clever musical musings on The Randy Report here.

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LGBTQ Projects Honored As 78th Golden Globe Nominations Announced

The Golden Globe Awards

The Golden Globe nominations were announced today
(image via The Golden Globe Awards)
The nominations were announced Wednesday morning for the 78th Annual Golden Globes with a lot of trophy love for LGBTQ-themed entertainment. Following its sweep at the Emmy Awards, Schitt’s Creek was nominated for Best Musical/Comedy Series. The comedy’s four stars – including out actor/producer Dan Levy, Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara, and Annie Murphy – were also honored with nominations. Ryan Murphy’s The Prom scored a nod for Best Picture – Musical/Comedy. The Prom scored only one nomination in the acting categories – James Corden for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy. Corden received some backlash as a straight actor serving up an over-the-top performance as a gay man in the movie musical. I wasn’t a fan of the performance. Netflix’s Ratched was nominated for Best TV Series – Drama with queer leads Sarah Paulson and Cynthia Nixon garnering nominations as well, for the lead role as Mildred Ratchet for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series, Drama, the supporting role of Gwendolyn Briggs in Best Supporting Actress – Television, respectively. HBO Max’s The Flight Attendant, which has two major gay characters (one played by out actor T.R. Knight), was nominated for Best Musical/Comedy series. In the Best Supporting Actor – Television category, Jim Parsons was recognized for his work in Hollywood. Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama will see two heavy-hitting LGBTQ-centric performances competing against each other. Viola Davis for her star-turn as Ma Rainey in Netflix’s adaptation of playwright August Wilson’s Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, and Andra Day’s richly-layered Billie Holiday in Hulu’s The United States vs. Billie Holiday. Both are worthy of the trophy. Onward, which featured Lena Waithe voicing a small queer role, was nominated for Best Picture – Animated. The Life Ahead and Two Of Us, both LGBTQ-themed movies, were nominated for Best Picture – Foreign Language. The Life Ahead, from Italy, features transgender actress Abril Zamora in a trans leading role. The French film Two of Us follows a love story between two older women. While not queer news, I applaud the history made in the Best Director — Motion Picture category.  For the first time, three women have been nominated – Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman), Chloé Zhao  Nomadland) and Regina King (for One Night in Miami). #Applause Additionally, Norman Lear will be honored with the Carol Burnett Award, and Jane Fonda will be awarded this year’s Cecil B. DeMille Award. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler will host the 78th Annual Golden Globe Awards airing live on Sunday, Feb. 28 from 8-11 p.m. ET/5-8 p.m. PT on NBC. You can find the full list of nominations at GoldenGlobes.com.

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Tony Bennett’s Family Shares Alzheimer’s Diagnosis

Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett

Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett
Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett (image via Depositphotos)
Legendary recording artist Tony Bennett has re-teamed with Lady Gaga for a second album of standards as a follow-up to the massive 2014 hit album, Cheek to Cheek. The album, recorded between 2018 and early 2020, is set for a spring release. In announcing the upcoming release, however, Bennett’s family has also shared a secret: that Bennett, now 94, was diagnosed with Alzheimers disease four years ago. From AARP:

Tony Bennett has Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of age-related dementia. Alzheimer’s is characterized by a progressive memory loss that robs its sufferers of many of the gifts that we all take for granted — speech, understanding, treasured memories, recognition of loved ones — and leaves them utterly dependent on caregivers.

Bennett, first diagnosed in 2016, has so far been spared the disorientation that can prompt patients to wander from home, as well as the episodes of terror, rage or depression that can accompany Alzheimer’s frightening detachment from reality; and, indeed, he might never develop these symptoms. But there was little doubt that the disease had progressed.

Early in the article, writer John Colapinto shares this brief moment from the recording sessions with Bennett and Lady Gaga:

The pain and sadness in Gaga’s face is clear at such moments — but never more so than in an extraordinarily moving sequence in which Tony (a man she calls “an incredible mentor, and friend, and father figure”) sings a solo passage of a love song. Gaga looks on, from behind her mic, her smile breaking into a quiver, her eyes brimming, before she puts her hands over her face and sobs.

AARP adds this ‘disclaimer’ in the article:

Eager for as many ears as possible to hear and enjoy what may very well be the last Tony Bennett record, they have jointly decided to break the silence around his condition, a decision they have, necessarily, had to make without Tony’s input, since he is, Susan said, incapable of understanding the disease, let alone making momentous decisions about whether to publicly disclose it.

Gayatri Devi, M.D., who diagnosed Bennett, said the singer has some “cognitive issues, but multiple other areas of his brain are still resilient and functioning well.” Read the full article at AARP.

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Out Music: Justin Utley ‘Underneath My Skin’

Justin Utley in his music video "Underneath My Skin"

Justin Utley in his music video "Underneath My Skin"
Award-winning singer/songwriter Justin Utley (screen capture)
Out artist Justin Utley’s new music video, “Underneath My Skin,” is a powerful, gut-wrenching musical paean to the end of a relationship. “It’s about deep heartache and betrayal; an experience I had that was so intense the only way to express how it felt was to embed it in this song,” says Utley. “It’s deeply personal and emotional, I think it resonates with anyone who has been at the difficult end of a relationship’s rope.” The piano-driven power ballad begins simply, but beat by beat, verse by verse, the passion in play build. By the time the military drums kick in, the song has become a visceral runaway train of emotion.

I close my eyes and count to ten, breathing out and breathing in Letting go of what we’ve been, and then I see your face again I’m not ok, I can’t pretend, it hurts too much to be your friend I can’t go back to where we’ve been, get out from underneath my skin

Justin Utley in his music video "Underneath My Skin"
Justin Utley (screen capture from ‘Underneath My Skin’)
“Underneath My Skin” is the fifth release from SCARS, Utley’s third studio album. The piano ballad is something of a departure from the rest of the album which lies primarily in a pop/rock sonic landscape. But versatility is a hallmark of Utley’s catalogue. From his early recordings with a modern country feel (“Stand For Something”) to his recent holiday release (“All Is Bright”) which had a Mumford & Sons sensibility, to his rock-centric action hero music video “American Hero.” “Underneath My Skin” and the rest of SCARS is available on iTunes and all digital download sites.

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Here’s The Hottie Cast To Star In ‘Nancy Drew’ Spinoff

Actor Tian Richards

Actor Tian Richards
Tian Richards [image via Instagram]
In an upcoming episode of the CW drama Nancy Drew, Tian Richards (Dumplin’) will debut in the role of ‘Tom Swift’ with plans for a new spinoff starring the character. From Deadline:

In the planted-spinoff episode of Nancy Drew, Tom Swift will crash into one of Nancy Drew’s (Kennedy McMann) investigations, an event that Nancy interprets as supernatural and Tom believes to be cosmically paranormal. (This is not a traditional backdoor pilot/planted spinoff as Tom Swift is developing a regular pilot script in addition to the title character appearing on Nancy Drew.)

Co-created by Nancy Drew’s Melinda Hsu Taylor and Noga Landau, with Cameron Johnson, Tom Swift will follow the serialized adventures of its titular Black, gay, billionaire inventor (Richards) who is thrust into a world of sci-fi conspiracy and unexplained phenomena after the shocking disappearance of his father.

Tom takes to the road on a quest to unravel the truth, leaving behind the comforts of his usual moneyed lifestyle, all while fighting to stay one step ahead of an Illuminati-scale group hell-bent on stopping him.

Tom’s missions will require his genius and flair for innovation guided by love, romance, friendship and the mysteries of the universe yet-unsolved.

 

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New Music: Ten City ‘Be Free’

Ten City releases its first new music in 25 years - Be Free Dance band Ten City shares its first new music in 25 years with their new single, “Be Free.” Byron Stingily (lead singer & songwriter) and electronic music producer Marshall Jefferson bop along to the disco beat as the track finds its groove with a funky bass guitar and dance-tastic horns. “’Be Free’ encompasses the spirit of Dance and House Music! Many times people focus on our differences but ‘Be Free’ speaks to how we are more alike than different,” says Stingily about the song. “It is a song about respecting and appreciating our differences!”

L-R Marshall Jefferson and Byron Stingily
L-R Marshall Jefferson and Byron Stingily
Having released their first album Foundation in 1989, Ten City are best known for their singles “Devotion,” “Right Back To You,” and “That’s The Way Love Is” which peaked at #8 in the 1989 UK charts and #1 in the US Billboard Charts. At a time when we can really use it, “Be Free” has an underlying message of inclusivity with lyrics that remind us we are all alike, that we all deserve freedom and we deserve to be respected. Hit play and bounce into the weekend like a boss. “Be Free” is available on all major download/streaming platforms.

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New LGBTQ Series ‘It’s A Sin’ Debuts To Rave Reviews

Promo photo for the new 5-part drama series 'It's A Sin'

The new 5-part drama series 'It's A Sin' debuts to rave reviews from the LGBTQ community The new 5-part drama series ‘It’s A Sin’ debuted last night on Channel 4 in the UK and the reaction from the LGBTQ community is overwhelmingly positive. The series – from Queer As Folk creator Russell T. Davies – chronicles the journey of four friends in London during a decade in which everything changed, including the rise of AIDS. Via Metro:

In episode one, Ritchie (Olly Alexander) moves to London to study law, during which time he embarks on sexual relationships with several individuals, including Ash (Nathaniel Curtis) and Roscoe (Omari Douglas).

But while there is plenty of fun, levity and hilarity in the story, this is juxtaposed with moments of tragedy, as Neil Patrick Harris’ character Henry, a mentor to Colin (Callum Scott Howells), is depicted dying of AIDs in hospital.

Russell, who also created Queer of Folk and was responsible for the 2005 revival of Doctor Who, has been lauded for his ‘astonishing writing’, with one person saying that in their opinion, he is ‘one of our finest TV writers.’

‘It’s A Sin’ debuts in the US February 18 on HBO Max. Check out the first look clip below.

The reaction on the Twitterverse was off the charts

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New Music: Olivia Newton-John & Chloe Lattanzi ‘Window In The Wall’

Window in the Wall is the new single from four-time Grammy Award winner Olivia Newton-John
Chloe Lattanzi & Olivia Newton-John (photo: Michelle Day)
Four-time Grammy Award winner and international pop star Dame Olivia Newton-John released her latest single and music video, “Window in the Wall,” today. The track, a duet with her daughter, Chloe Lattanzi, is an uplifting piano-driven ballad. The optimistic lyrics address the distance and divides felt by many in these turbulent times:

Looking for a window in the wall / Maybe we can see the other side And find we’re not so different after all  / Looking for a window in the wall

The new ballad opens with Lattanzi’s pensive, sensitive vocals. She’s quickly joined by Newton-John whose rich artistry underscores (again) her rightful place in the pantheon of great pop singers. Check out the music video below. https://youtu.be/VmW-wumdBV4?si=og6SYRUwxvd4xc09 Produced by six-time Grammy Award-winner Dave Cobb, “Window in the Wall” is a breath of fresh air in these stormy, unsettled times. The music video clearly resonated with fans as it quickly hit #1 on the iTunes Music Video chart and stayed at the top spot for hours. You can follow Dame Olivia Newton-John on Facebook here, and follow Chloe Lattanzi on Instagram here. “Window in the Wall” is available now on Amazon and other digital download sites. This marks the second musical collaboration for the mother/daughter duo. In 2015, the two singers hit number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club chart with “You Have To Believe,” their reworking of Newton-John’s 1980 single “Magic” from the soundtrack to the film Xanadu. At the time, I interviewed Chloe about the collaboration and the achievement. Hit the play button below to hear our chat.

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News Round-Up: January 22, 2021

Haaz Sleiman and Michael Cassidy in 'Breaking Fast'

Haaz Sleiman and Michael Cassidy in 'Breaking Fast'
Haaz Sleiman and Michael Cassidy in ‘Breaking Fast’
Some news items you might have missed: • Pink News: First lady Dr Jill Biden is visiting an LGBTQ health center and HIV/AIDS clinic on her third day in the White House “to highlight and promote support services for cancer patients and caregivers, and hear about the impact of COVID on access to health care, including cancer screenings and prevention efforts.” • Queer Cinema: The gay-themed romantic comedy Breaking Fast, starring Haaz Sleiman and Michael Cassidy (lead image), gets released today on VOD and digital outlets. The acclaimed film offers rare visibility for gay Muslims. Set against the twinkling lights of West Hollywood, Breaking Fast is a romantic comedy that follows Mo, a practicing Muslim still reeling from heartbreak. When an All­-American guy named Kal offers to join him in his nightly Iftars­­ –the traditional meal eaten by Muslims during Ramadan­­– meal after meal, the two start to discover they have more in common than meets the eye.

• Boston Herald: Mark Sahady, 46, of Malden, and Suzanne Ianni, 59, – organizer’s of Boston’s so-called ‘Straight Pride’ event – were arrested for taking part in the violent invasion of the U.S. Capitol building on January 6. Because of course. • Kenneth-in-the-212: Check out Kenneth’s weekly round-up of the what’s what in LGBTQ publications like Michigan’s BTL featuring Brian Michael Smith (below). Transman Brian Michael Smith covers Michigan's BTL • The Nation: Rep. Madison Cawthorn (R-NC) has misled the public about training for the Paralympics, just as he misrepresented his education and business history. After saying he “had an opportunity” for the Paralympics with hopes of breaking the 100-meter dash, journalists took a deep dive and couldn’t find any evidence he’d ever competed anywhere. • Instinct Magazine: YouTube star Jojo Siwa (Dance Moms, Nickelodeon) came out via a photo on Twitter.