FX’s new six-part documentary, PRIDE, premieres May 14 at 8pm on FX, next day on FX on Hulu.
From the official description:
Featuring little-known characters such as Madeleine Tress or 1980s videographer Nelson Sullivan who chronicled a vanishing downtown New York City during the AIDS epidemic, the series also features international figures such as Civil Rights pioneer Bayard Rustin, writer Audre Lorde and Senators Tammy Baldwin and Lester Hunt.
The evolution of trans rights and identities through the decades is charted through interviews and archival footage of pioneers including Christine Jorgensen, Flawless Sabrina, Ceyenne Doroshow, Susan Stryker, Kate Bornstein, Dean Spade and Raquel Willis.
There was a lot in 2020 that was just heinous and I’m happy to leave it behind. But I did want to take a pause to look at some of the good news and big moments of the past year in this ‘Best of 2020 – LGBTQ edition.’
In this episode, I’m going to revisit some of the best songs, movies, TV, and top LGBTQ news stories of the year (at least in my opinion).
I know folks like to make Top 10 lists, but one of the hallmarks of The Randy Report is supposed to be brevity. Plus, if I’m putting my name on a “Best of…” list I want to feel strongly about them. So I’m going to try to stick to Top 5’s in this show.
I won’t give it all away but I cover:
• The 2020 election cycle and how LGBTQ folks were impacted and took part
• The forward progress of LGBTQ rights around the world
• Celebrities and politicians standing up for transgender people
• LGBTQ movies like Uncle Frank,Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, and The Boys in the Band
Peter Porte and Juan Pablo Di Pace in Dashing in December (screen capture/Paramount)
This really is the year of the gay Christmas movie!
I’ve previously reported on several holiday romance flicks coming our way including the Sony Pictures film Happiest Season premiering on Hulu, as well as Lifetime’s The Christmas Setup and Hallmark’s The Christmas House.
And now, there’s a gay cowboy Christmas rom-com on the way –Dashing in December– that looks to be a cross between God’s Own Country and Brokeback Mountain but with a much lighter touch and a whole lot more tinsel.
Official synopsis: When Wyatt Burwall (Peter Porte) finally returns home for the holidays in an effort to convince his mother Deb (Andie MacDowell) to sell the family’s Colorado ranch, a romance unexpectedly ignites between Wyatt and their dashing new ranch hand Heath Ramos (Juan Pablo Di Pace), who dreams of saving the beloved property and the ranch’s magical Winter Wonderland attraction while reawakening the spirit of Christmas in Wyatt’s lonely heart.
Dashing in December, from MTV Studios, will debut on Paramount TV on December 13 with simulcasts on TV Land, Pop, and Logo.
• Remembering the life of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a fierce champion for LGBTQ rights, who died this week at the age of 87
• A Navy veteran sues the Veteran’s Administration claiming he tested positive for HIV over 20 years ago and his doctors never informed him of the diagnosis
• A sportscaster suspended for using a gay slur on-air says he’s ‘never said the word’ before that moment
• A woman denied Social Security survivor benefits after a 27-year relationship wins in federal court
• New data shows the number of same-sex households rising in the US
• Burger King lays a whopper on Ronald McDonald for LGBTQ Pride
• Academy Award winner Jane Fonda reminds us what an awesome ally she is
• TVLine: Blake Lee (Parks and Recreation, Mixology) and Ben Lewis (Arrow, Shadowhunters) – a married couple in real life (above) – have been announced to star in Lifetime’s first-ever holiday movie with an LGBTQ storyline, The Christmas Setup. Fran Drescher, of The Nanny fame, will play Lewis’s mother in the TV flick.
• Boy Culture: Madonna’s biopic has been fast-tracked by Universal, and today we learn not only is the Queen of Pop co-writing the script with Diablo Cody, but Madge will direct the film of her life as well.
• LGBTQ Nation: A city councilwoman in Minot, North Dakota, came out & delivered an epic smackdown to man complaining about a Pride flag. “So Mr. Walker, if you’re not aware, and I think a lot of people in this room are not aware and have come here just because this is a gay issue, I am proudly the first openly elected lesbian in North Dakota. So that is why I am not paying any heed to your crap.”
• Pew Research: A new 13-nation Pew Research Center survey indicates America’s reputation has declined among many key allies and partners since Donald Trump took office. In several countries, the share of the public with a favorable view of the U.S. is as low as it has been at any point since the Center began polling on this topic nearly two decades ago.
• Edge Media: An Italian man has been accused of killing his 18-year-old sister in a rage because she was dating a transgender man. The suspect told authorities that he “wanted to teach her a lesson.”
• CNBC: More on the death of civility – CNBC host Jim Cramer called House Speaker Nancy Pelosi “Crazy Nancy” to her face during an interview on Tuesday morning — a derogatory term usually used by Donald Trump. The Mad Money host was asking Pelosi about stalled negotiations on a 4th coronavirus stimulus package when the nickname popped out.
“What deal can we have, Crazy Nancy — I’m sorry, that was the president,” Cramer said, realizing the moment didn’t play as well as he’d planned in his head. “I have such reverence for the office, I would never use that term.” Pelosi (D-Calif.) stayed calm telling Cramer: “But you just did. But you just did.”
Beginning tonight – Playbill is proud to present Pride Plays 2020 in celebration of Pride month.
The festival, taking place throughout the month of June will feature four primetime live streams of key LGBTQIA+ plays and culminate in a musical celebration with Playbill’s Pride Spectacular June 28.
Honoring iconic LGBTQIA+ musicals, creators, and musical performers, the Spectacular will feature performances by Pulitzer Prize-winner Michael R. Jackson (A Strange Loop), Tony Award winner John Cameron Mitchell (Hedwig and the Angry Inch), Tony nominee Jenn Colella, Tony nominee Caitlin Kinnunen, Pose star Mj Rodriguez, Tony nominee Brandon Victor Dixon, Cheyenne Jackson, and more.
• InstaHunks: Woofy Joel Green (above) offers some good advice this Monday – ‘Do not give your past the power to define your future.’ Follow him on Instagram here.
• Amazon Prime: The streaming video platform has curated a collection of LGBTQ films, documentaries, and television series all in one place for you to peruse including Rocketman, The Handmaiden, The L Word, RuPaul’s Drag Race and more.
• Provincetown: The Massachusetts LGBTQ getaway is open for business just in time for Pride Month. The announcement by Governor Charlie Baker of Phase 2 of the reopening, effective today, allows lodging, restaurants, and retail to open under newly eased and specific guidelines mandated by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
• Out: Oregon State Head Coach Jonathan Smith dismissed sophomore football player Rocco Carley after learning he’d used racist and homophobic language in a recently discovered audio recording. Smith, along with the school’s Athletic Director Scott Barnes, agreed on booting Carley from the team saying what they heard was “entirely unacceptable, regardless of the circumstance or environment.” Carley has issued an apology saying – like just about everyone who finds themselves in this predicament – the recording doesn’t ‘represent’ who he is today.
• The Advocate: L.A. Pride organizers have stepped away from the previously announced Black solidarity march after the event came under fire for its involvement with law enforcement. Some activists noted that any partnership with cops is counterintuitive to the purpose of the protests taking place in response to the killing of George Floyd, police brutality, and race-based violence. Pride organizers say they are “in full support” of the new protest, which is now named the All Black Lives Matter March.
“They call me crazy, but crazy’s my new best friend.”
“’New Best Friend’ is about embracing the crazy that lives within all of us,” shared out frontman Tyler Glenn. “The nostalgic highs, the unflattering lows, and the beautiful messiness of being human. I’ve realized that there are memories with people that have come and gone in my life, and while I reminisce on those moments, ultimately at the end of the day I’m still left with myself.”
Get ready for all the feels with the official trailer for Hulu’s upcoming dramedy series Love, Victor, a spin-off of the groundbreaking feature film LOVE, SIMON.
Synopsis: Set in the world of the 2018 groundbreaking film Love, Simon which was inspired by Becky Albertalli’s acclaimed novel, Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda, the series follows Victor, a new student at Creekwood High School on his own journey of self-discovery, facing challenges at home, adjusting to a new city and exploring his sexual orientation. When it all seems too much, he reaches out to Simon to help him navigate the ups and downs of high school.
The series stars Michael Cimino (Anabelle Comes Home), Ana Ortiz (Whiskey Cavalier, Ugly Betty), James Martinez (One Day at a Time), and Isabella Ferreira (Orange is the New Black).
I loved the 2018 film, which was the first mainstream studio movie to feature a teen gay as the lead character. Critics praised the film leading to a 91% Fresh rating at movie fan site Rotten Tomatoes.
• Out singer/songwriter Clinton John’s new single “Cry” taps into those frustrating times when you realize you’re really not over that lost love. Link to download “Cry.”
