Ariana Grande, Lil Nas X, Lizzo at 62nd Grammy Awards (image via Instagram/lilnasx) It was a great night for LGBTQ artists and allies at the 62nd Grammy Awards Sunday night. Several out artists picked up awards including: Lil Nas X scored two trophies – Best Music Video and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for his mega-hit “Old Town Road” with Billy Ray Cyrus. The country rapper performed the song with all the artists who had been featured on “Old Town Road” remixes last year including BTS, Diplo, Mason Ramsey, and Cyrus.
Brandi Carlile, who came out in 2002, took home a Grammy as one of the songwriters of Tanya Tucker’s “Bring My Flowers Now” in the Best Country Song category. She also appeared in the broadcast performing the song with Tucker. DJ Tracy Young made history as the first woman and the first lesbian to win for Best Remixed Recording for her remix of Madonna’s “I Rise.” LGBTQ allies also had major moments throughout the night. Lady Gaga picked up Grammys in two categories – Best Song for Visual Media (“I’ll Never Love Again”) from the A Star Is Born soundtrack and Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media. Billie Eilish won in four big categories – Best New Artist, Album of the Year, Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Lizzo, the most nominated artist of the night with 8 nods, picked up trophies for Best Pop Solo Performance (“Truth Hurts”), Best Traditional R&B Performance (“Jerome”) and Best Urban Contemporary Album (Cuz I Love You). And there were performances that stole the show. Out singer Demi Lovato had one of the night’s most talked-about moments as she delivered a powerful performance of her song “Anyone.” The song immediately went to #1 on iTunes after the performance.
Pop diva and ally Ariana Grande, who didn’t go home with a Grammy, was a knockout performing a three-song medley of “Imagine,” “7 Rings,” and “Thank U, Next.”
Special shout-out to Darrion Gallegos, the male dancer in her corp who lived his best life dancing it out in heels and short shorts along with the other dancers. Back in December, as Grande’s tour came to an end, he thanked the powers that be for letting him “gender-bend the fak out of this” and contribute his part for the LGBTQIA+ community.
Anthony Ramos, GLAAD’s Head of Talent, spoke to Jojo, Rosalia, Victoria Monét, and Bebe Rexha about LGBTQ inclusion and the changing landscape of music:
Lil Nas X Lil Nas X won the first award presented today at the Grammy Awards as he and Billy Ray Cyrus scored for Best Music Video for “Old Town Road” marking his first win of the evening and his first win ever. “THANK U TO EVERYBODY!! I AM NOW GRAMMY AWARD WINNING ARTIST LIL NAS X !!!” he shared on Twitter. He also shared a thank you on Instagram, posting a snippet of the modern-day Western video and writing “GRAMMY AWARD WINNING ARTIST LIL NAS X!!!!” Shortly after that, the artist removed the social media posts out of respect for the loss of Koba Bryant. Billboard reports:
Lil Nas could be a six-time Grammy winner by the end of the night, as he’s one of this year’s most-nominated artists with six nods. “Old Town Road” is also up for record of the year and best pop duo/group performance, “Panini” is up for best rap/sung performance, 7 is up for album of the year, and Lil Nas X is up for best new artist.
didn’t mean any disrespect to kobe with that announcement. the news made me sad too! sending love to those grieving.
Gloria Gaynor (photo: Flickr/TJStamp – CC License) Forty years after receiving the only Grammy Award ever issued in the category for Best Disco Recording (the iconic “I Will Survive”), legendary diva Gloria Gaynor was honored with her second GRAMMY® Award win on Sunday night. Gaynor received a Best Roots Gospel Album GRAMMY for Testimony, her powerful new gospel album, as well as a Best Gospel Performance/Song Nomination for “Talkin’ ‘Bout Jesus,” a stirring gospel track featuring Yolanda Adams. Since its release last summer, Testimony has been drawing praise for its collection of original inspirational songs and soulful hymns – from Gaynor’s powerful take on “Amazing Grace” to “Man of Peace,” her cover of the Bob Dylan classic. “I am ecstatic and truly grateful to God for gifts and favor, to the Academy for this recognition and honor and to the Gaithers, Primary Wave and ‘Team Gaynor’ for their love, support, and expertise,” said Gaynor. “We are honored to represent this gospel release from Gloria,” stated Paul Sizelove, president of the label. “Not only did she make a stellar recording, she created a work of art that celebrated her journey of faith through trials and triumphs. It has been a joy to partner with her and her team to share these songs with the world.” In 2015, Gaynor was nominated for a Best Spoken Word Album Award for the audio recording of her motivational book We Will Survive: True Stories of Encouragement. (source: press release)
Sean Patrick Murray in ‘Bad Gay’ Sean Patrick Murray, co-creator of the Netflix series Westside, wants you to know he’s a ‘bad gay.’ Murray teamed up with Emmy Award-winning choreographer Travis Wall for this parody of the Billie Eilish hit, “Bad Guy.” In his take on the pop-bop, Murray wants to share that he’s “the bad type” of gay. You know, the ‘best friends with your mom type’ and ‘hates to stand at bars type.’ Fun video for a Saturday morning. Check it out below along with the parody lyrics:
Lyrics: Nice shirt and pants is that Jcrew I know just what you want to do Stay in, postmate cookies but you can’t seem to stay awake Barry’s Bootcamp at 6 am Too bad I hit the snooze again V Shape, Six Pack just won’t happen Hold please, my Samsung broke So you’re a fun gay Stay out way past one gay Never having kids gay Friends with Antoni gay Well Im the bad type Best friends with your mom type Never been to Spotlight Hate to stand at bars type I’m a bad gay DUH I like it when you take my whole family nosebleeds, Hollywood Bowl Lyft Pool to save just 3 bucks home You’re my gay Romeo Don’t want to join your dodgeball team Too much high school PTSD Won’t wear a jockstrap and jersey (Unless you’re Gus Kenworthy) So you’re a fun gay Stay out way past one gay Never having kids gay Friends with Antoni gay Well I’m the bad type Best friends with your mom type Never been to Spotlight Hate to stand at bars type I’m a bad gay DUH I’ll never call you Dad I know that you get mad when we’re alone You said you’re scared of me? I mean, I don’t see what you see, But let’s get just your mom on the phone I’m a bad gay I’m a bad gay
The 13 drag queens vying for the crown of Season 12 of RuPaul’s Drag Race were announced today. Start your engines because now we have an official cast. The new season of RuPaul’s Drag Race premieres Friday, February 28th at 8/7c on VH1!
NBC announced today that recording artist, actor, drag superstar, and Emmy Award-winner RuPaul will host the February 8 episode of Saturday Night Live with Justin Bieber as musical guest. This follows the January 10 premiere of RuPaul’s new scripted series for Netflix, AJ and the Queen, as well as VH1’s announcement that they would be bringing back RuPaul’s Drag Race for a 12th season. Plus, there’s an All-Stars 5 and a new Celebrity Drag Race edition on the way over the coming year. But wait – there’s more! We’ve also received an announcement of the first season of Canada’s Drag Race AND a 2nd season of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK in 2020. It’s a good time to be Ru, no? RuPaul’s SNL debut will air on NBC, Saturday, Feb. 8 at 11:30pm ET.
From the red carpet of the 2020 GayVNs The 2020 GayVN Awards were held Monday night at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas and it was quite the gay affair. Performers, directors, producers, and fans of adult entertainment came out to celebrate and hand out trophies at the event that’s been called “the Oscars of Gay Porn.” I’ve never attended an awards show for adult entertainment, so I was super curious as to how this would all go down (no pun intended). One thing I did learn – when picking up your credentials, don’t stand in the background while Cutler X is taking a photo because he will yell at you for “photo-bombing.” Now, the awards show did begin an hour late (is that called being on ‘gay time?’), but what followed was an impressive and well-produced event by ManyVids. Alec Mapa returned to hosting duties this year alongside new co-host comedienne/TV host Nicole Byer. Plus, there was musical entertainment by King Princess and a special performance by Alyssa Edwards. GayVN Awards co-hosts Nicole Byer & Alec Mapa At the event, Dallas Steele (nominated for Best Group Sex Scene and Favorite Daddy) told me he feels the event helps to de-stigmatize the industry. “You look around at all these beautiful, well-dressed people,” said Steele. “If my mom were still around I’d be proud to have her here. I think it’s incredibly positive about our industry.” Brian Davilla (nominated for Favorite Bear, also directed nominees in Best All Sex movie and Best Group scene) said his favorite aspect of the night was the sense of family among a group of people he warmly termed a ‘weird fraternity.’ “I’ve developed lifelong friendships that really transcend the work,” shared the woofy Davilla. Some history was made and a barrier broken as DeAngelo Jackson became the first Black performer to take home the trophy for Best Actor for his work in Blended Family:
Check out some of the attendees on the red carpet: ‘Best Actor’ winner DeAngelo JacksonL-R ‘Favorite Bear’ nominee Brian Davilla & John Hickey‘Best Group Scene’ & ‘Favorite Daddy’ nominee Dallas SteeleL-R Nic Sahara, Andrew Christian, Nick Masc I also got to meet the oh-so-handsome Matthew Camp, who was nominated for Best Actor for his performance in Camp Chaos. A year ago, I interviewed Camp about the then-upcoming project and I am happy to report Camp is even more impressive in person as he was warm, thoughtful and charming in our short conversation. Meeting Matthew Camp (Best Actor nominee for ‘Camp Chaos’) Here’s the interview with Camp in case you missed it:
Here is the full list of winners for the 2020 GayVN Awards: 2020 GayVN Hall of Fame inductee – Tim Valenti, NakedSword/Falcon Studios CEO Best Actor – DeAngelo Jackson, Blended Family, Icon Male/Mile High Best All-Sex Movie – Love and Lust in Montreal, Falcon Studios Best Bi Sex Scene – Natalie Mars, Ella Nova, Ricky Larkin & Wesley Woods; Free for All, WhyNotBi.com Best Director – Feature – Jake Jaxson & RJ Sebastian; Le Garçon Scandaleux, CockyBoys/PinkTV; Best Director – Non-Feature – Steve Cruz; Outta the Park!, Raging Stallion/Falcon Best Duo Sex Scene – Ashton Summers & Pheonix Fellington, Fellington’s Flip Fuck, HelixStudios.com Best Feature – Vegas Nights, HelixStudios.com Best Fetish Sex Scene – Alex Mecum & Michael DelRay; My Brother’s Discipline, Kink.com Best Group Sex Scene – Alam Wernik, Blake Ryder, Jay Dymel, Nic Sahara & Sean Duran; Five Brothers: The Takedown, NakedSword/Falcon Best Newcomer – Nic Sahara and Alex Riley (tie) Best Supporting Actor – Dante Colle, At Large, Raging Stallion/Falcon Best Three-Way Sex Scene – Jack Harrer, Peter Annaud & Marcel Gassion; Offensively Large 4, BelAmi/Pulse Performer of the Year – Cade Maddox GayVN 2020 Fan Awards: Favorite Bear – Teddy Torres Favorite Body – Blake Mitchell Favorite Bottom – Rourke Favorite Butt – Beaux Banks Favorite Cam Guy – Callum and Cole (joint page) Favorite Cock – Calvin Banks Favorite Daddy – Rocco Steele Favorite Dom – Austin Wolf Favorite FTM Star – Billy Vega Favorite Top – Zilv Gudel Favorite Twink – Joey Mills Hottest Newcomer – Rhyheim Shabazz Social Media Star – Armond Rizzo
Billy Porter on The View (screen capture) On Monday’s episode of The View, Whoopi Goldberg introduced the very well-spoken 14-year-old Harrison Fribush to help celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It seems the seventh-grader came across the viral video of Baltimore’s Cardinal Shehan School Community choir singing with Andra Day and Common on The View two years ago and was inspired. He approached his choir director at Krieger Schechter Day School (also in Baltimore) about uniting the two very different choirs through the power of music. The all-Black and all-Jewish middle school choirs met up and worked on a joint version of “This Is Me” from The Greatest Showman. Goldberg found out about the teamwork and invited them on The View to sing a medley of “Reach Out and Touch Somebody’s Hand” and “Imagine.” I love Whoopi’s smile as young Harrison Fribush shares his story The cherry on the top was a surprise performance by out Tony, Grammy and Emmy Award-winner Billy Porter joining the talented tykes for “Imagine.” You may have heard Mr. Porter sings a bit… The results were uplifting, powerful, magical, and a reminder that yes, children are the future. “Teach them well and let them lead the way…”
Posting the clip to Instagram, Porter wrote, “Did you all see @theviewabc yesterday? I was honored to join the Cardinal Shehan School Community and Krieger Schechter Day School choirs in a special surprise performance of ‘Reach Out and Touch (Somebody’s Hand)’ and ‘Imagine,’ honoring #MLKDay.” “These children are a beautiful example of our power to change hearts and minds through the arts,” added Porter. Take a second to feel good for a few minutes and hit the play button.
Colton Haynes (image via Depositphotos) Handsome Arrow star Colton Haynes has been announced to star in a new TV series titled I Run Hot. The series, being developed for AMC Studios by Broad City co-creator Ilana Glazer, will star the 31-year-old actor playing “a famous #instagay who can’t help but exemplify it.” Eliot Glazer (Broad City), brother of Ilana, co-stars as “a gay curmudgeon who never quite fit in with the community” as the series follows the duo’s unlikely friendship. Haynes posted the announcement on his social media writing, “Here we go!!! I am sooo excited to work with my boos @eliotglazer @ilana @amc_tv #IRunHot” Haynes returned to his role of “Roy Harper” on The CW’s Arrow this past fall as the show wraps up its 8th and final season. The final two episodes are set to air on January 21 and 28. In addition to Arrow, Haynes is well-known to TV audiences for his roles in Teen Wolf and American Horror Story: Cult. After publicly coming out in 2016, he famously married florist Jeff Leatham only to file for divorce six months later. In 2019, he seemingly emerged from a turbulent chapter in his life opening up about his issues with addiction in a candid interview in Attitude Magazine. Speaking to The Advocate last summer, he took responsibility for how the press and social media spun his life out to the masses saying he had “no one to blame but myself.” “I was posting every second of my life online. Every positive, every negative.” “Eventually I became click bait, eventually everything that we all joke about — how I could literally say something online and the trolls will pick it up and spin it into something, that ‘I’m spiraling out of control,” he added. “I did make myself [look] that way, not knowing I was doing that.” It looks like Haynes has turned the corner for himself and is heading towards a brighter future. Good on him! Haynes shared this photo to Instagram as he celebrated the new year
Ellen DeGeneres (screen capture) Apple TV+ will debut a powerful, new five-part documentary-series titled Visible: Out On Television on February 14 that will explore how the LGBTQ movement made its way onto the television landscape. Executive produced by out actors Wanda Sykes and Wilson Cruz, the docu-series will feature archival footage as well as interviews with prominent players from the screen and LGBTQ movement. Each hour-long episode will focus on a specific theme such as coming out in Hollywood, homophobia, invisibility and the evolution of LGBTQ characters on TV. Wilson Cruz, Neil Patrick Harris, Andy Cohen Narrated by Neil Patrick Harris, Lena Waithe, Janet Mock, Margaret Cho, and Asia Kate Dillon, Visible: Out On Television will also feature interviews with out actors and television personalities including Ellen DeGeneres, Anderson Cooper, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Billy Porter, Rachel Maddow, Don Lemon, Andy Cohen and more.
The trailer opens with DeGeneres explaining how she wanted to come out on her 1990s sitcom and the effect that had on so many lives: “It became bigger than any of us ever anticipated.” “The earliest representations were always people to be mocked,” recalls Cooper. Andy Cohen adds, “The truth is there was no LGBT presence on TV that I can remember.” On the importance of seeing LGBTQ people on TV, iconic talk show queen Oprah Winfrey drops, “When you see images that are reflective of your own life, it is a reminder that your own life matters.” And Lena Waithe shares this compelling epiphany, “I didn’t realize that I was the revolution that I was waiting for.” Boom. Visible: Out On Television premieres February 14 on Apple TV+.
