Politics, pop culture and entertainment news of interest to the LGBTQ community
(screen capture via Braun ad)Some news items you might have missed:
• LGBTQ Nation: Transphobes in the UK are losing their minds because a transgender man is included in a new ad spot for a Braun razor (above). Note: trans men do shave… Continue reading “Transphobes Freak Out Over Razor Ad + More News Items”
A scene from ‘Fellow Travelers’ (via Showtime)SHOWTIME shares this first look at the upcoming gay-themed limited series Fellow Travelers starring out actors Matt Bomer (Magic Mike) and Jonathan Bailey (Bridgerton). Continue reading “First Look At ‘Fellow Travelers’ With Matt Bomer & Jonathan Bailey”
Walk The Moon lead singer Nicholas Petricca (photo: Anna Lee)Some news items you might have missed:
• Global Pride 2020: More than 57 million people from more than 163 countries joined the 27-hour virtual event, Global Pride 2020, that took place on June 27. Major artists including Laverne Cox, Elton John, Adam Lambert, Olivia Newton-John, Kesha, and Pabllo Vittar appeared alongside world leaders including former US Vice President Joe Biden, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and openly gay Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar.
• Andrew Christian Blog: I’m not saying they’re sugar daddies but check out this list of the ‘6 Richest Gay Men in the World.’
• Instinct Magazine: On the last day of Pride Month, Nicholas Petricca (pictured above), lead singer of pop band Walk The Moon (‘Shut Up and Dance’), came out as bisexual on his Instagram page. Petricca posted a photo of a quote by Harvey Milk followed by a four-minute video where he started the video by saying, “Hi. My name is Nicholas. I’m the lead singer of a band called WALK THE MOON and I’m bisexual.”
• CinemaBlend: Matt Bomer explains why it’s been so important to tell the story of a gay superhero on DC Universe’s Doom Patrol. In his role as ‘Larry Trainor/Negative Man,’ Bomer says he gets to not only address the issue of coming out, but overcoming the guilt and shame many LGBTQ people feel in their journey.
• Heavy: Corey Hannon, who became infamous over the weekend for heading out to gay mecca Fire Island believing he was infected by the coronavirus, has been banned from all Fire Island bars and restaurants for his shenanigans.
• Pink News: Marvel star Tessa Thompson says her bisexual character, Valkyrie, will ‘push the bounds of’ queer representation in future films. Thompson has already told fans to expect a queer storyline in the upcoming Thor: Love and Thunder, teasing that as Asgard’s new king, “she needs to find her queen.”
• ABC News: About six-and-a-half years after criticizing then-President Barack Obama for doing the same, Donald Trump is weighing in on the controversial Redskins team name. The franchise put out a statement on Friday saying that it plans to “undergo a thorough review of the team’s name.” With a name change seeming all but certain for Washington’s NFL team, Trump tweeted his disapproval on Monday.
They name teams out of STRENGTH, not weakness, but now the Washington Redskins & Cleveland Indians, two fabled sports franchises, look like they are going to be changing their names in order to be politically correct. Indians, like Elizabeth Warren, must be very angry right now!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 6, 2020
President should not be telling the Washington Redskins to change their name-our country has far bigger problems! FOCUS on them,not nonsense
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 8, 2013
In this week’s podcast:
• Pharma giant Gilead will donate up PrEP medications for up to 200,000 American individuals in the effort to stop HIV
• Cuban gays stage an impromptu Pride march after the government cancels the annual parade
• A school in Indiana planned to deadname a transgender student at graduation
• Indya Moore becomes the first transgender woman to cover Elle Magazine
• And Matt Bomer plays a gay weatherman in the upcoming movie, ‘Papi Chulo’
All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report
Hit the play button below.
If you enjoy catching up on LGBTQ news in a quick podcast, I’d appreciate it if you would share The Randy Report with your friends.
I like to think of this podcast as the 60 Minutes of gay news —— only shorter 😉
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| Matt Bomer in ‘Papi Chulo’ (Blue Fox Ent.) |
Matt Bomer stars in the upcoming buddy comedy, Papi Chulo.
Bomer plays “Sean,” a gay weatherman who hits a rough patch of depression following a major breakup.
Written and directed by gay Irish filmmaker John Butler (Handsome Devil), Papi Chulo made its world premiere last fall at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival.
The official synopsis reads:
“After a newly-single TV weatherman is put on leave following an on-air meltdown, he directs his energy into home improvement and hires a middle-aged Latino day laborer named Ernesto (Alejandro Patiño) to help. Despite a language barrier and having nothing in common, the two men develop an unexpected but profound friendship in this darkly comedic reflection on class, ethnicity, and companionship in contemporary Los Angeles.”
“My ex has been gone for six months now and I have to admit I’m not good at being alone,” Sean tells Ernesto in the trailer. “I never have been.”
The film also features Elena Campbell-Martinez (The Big Bang Theory), Wendi McLendon-Covey (The Goldbergs, Bridesmaids), and D’Arcy Carden (The Good Place).
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| Matt Bomer and Alejandro Patiño (Blue Fox Ent.) |
Variety’s Joe Laydon praised the film in his review, describing Bomer’s Sean as “played with admirable fearlessness,” and the film as a whole as a “scrupulously low-key and unassumingly ingratiating dramedy.”
“A warm-hearted tale of emotional healing through an unlikely friendship.” – The Hollywood Reporter
“The film captures something universal and profound: the fleeting human connections that can change a life forever.” – Screen Daily
Bomer earned an Emmy nomination and Golden Globe Award for his performance in HBO’s The Normal Heart, and recently appeared on Will & Grace as news anchor McCoy Whitman, Will’s love interest.
The 41-year-old made his Broadway debut last year in the acclaimed revival of the groundbreaking gay drama, The Boys in the Band. Producer Ryan Murphy has announced he will produce a screen version of the production for Netflix.
The Magic Mike actor is currently starring in the DC Universe series Doom Patrol.
Papi Chulo hits theaters June 7.
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| Patti LuPone guest starring on ‘Will & Grace’ |
Over the 8 years of its original run (plus the two reboot/revival seasons), Will & Grace has given us not only lots of laughs from the ‘fearsome foursome,’ but tons of great guest stars.
Patti LuPone, Rosie O’Donnell, Blythe Danner, Ellen DeGeneres, David Schwimmer, Matt Bomer and Adam Rippon have all dropped by the hit NBC series to take part in the hilarity.
Plus, we’ve gotten cameo spots by music icons like Elton John, Janet Jackson, Madonna, JLo, Britney Spears and the one-and-only Cher.
With so many guest stars, the series has shared this awesome mash-up of celeb visitors over the years.
The comedy champ is still going strong having already been confirmed for a third revival season for fall of 2019.
The current second revival season returns on January 31, 2019.
Who is your favorite W&G guest star? I’ll go first – the fabulous Blythe Danner (as Will’s mother) always made us giggle. Totally brilliant.
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| The cast of ‘Will & Grace’ (image via Facebook) |
The fall television season is ramping up and as Will & Grace is prepping for reboot Season 2 (really the 10th season) of the NBC hit sitcom, and what we know so far is love is in the air for EVERYBODY:
• Will is the lucky guy who will get a new boyfriend in the form of hunky Matt Bomer who’s character is described as “a smooth-talking, self-satisfied TV news anchor. #Squee!
• Chelsea Handler is set to play a high-powered lesbian client of Grace who begins to date her sister.
• Grace gets some dating action as well with former Friends star David Schwimmer scheduled for a five-episode arc as a her new boyfriend
• Taking romance to another level is Jack who announced last season he planned on getting hitched to new boyfriend Estefan (Brian Jordan Alvarez).
• AND, Grace’s father (Martin Adler) and Will’s mother (the deliciously delightful Blythe Danner) shared their own plans to stroll down the aisle, which would effectively make besties Grace and Will sister and brother (awkward?).
• More guest stars! Self-declared “America’s sweetheart” and out Olympic bronze medalist Adam Rippon continues conquering hearts and minds as he’s set to cameo as a – you guessed it – figure skater.
• The brilliant Minnie Driver will return as Karen’s foe for life, Lorraine Finster.
• And co-creator Max Mutchnick has tweeted a tease of the return of ‘Anatasia Beaverhausen,’ Karen’s infamous alter-ego.
Anastasia Beaverhausen is in the haus!!! @MeganMullally @WillAndGrace #willandgrace pic.twitter.com/9SfCXAlVWM— Max Mutchnick (@MaxMutchnick) August 21, 2018
We’ll keep you posted on new developments as they’re announced.
The 10th season of Will & Grace premieres on NBC October 4.
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| Matt Bomer for the #EraseHate campaign |
Twenty years ago, in the aftermath of the horrific murder of 21-year-old college student Matthew Shepard outside Laramie, Wyoming, The Tectonic Theater Project traveled to the town to conduct interviews with the people of the town.
Those interviews evolved into The Laramie Project, which premiered in 2000 and has become one of the most performed contemporary plays in the world.
On September 24, 2018, the Matthew Shepard Foundation and Tectonic Theater Project will present a benefit reading of The Laramie Project to honor the progress made over the last two decades to erase hate.
As part of the company’s #EraseHate campaign, a stellar collection of stars came together to help create a new music video set to a new original song, “Love Is Love.”
Directed by Sue Kramer, the PSA features Matt Bomer, Billy Porter, Harvey Fierstein, Zachary Quinto, Michael Urie, Mary Louise Parker, Bridget Moynahan, Annaleigh Ashford and Michael Benjamin Washington.
Learn more by visiting laramiealegacy.org.
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| Tony Award-winner Billy Porter for the #EraseHate campaign |
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| (all images courtesy of The Boys in the Band Broadway revival) |
I recently wrote about Matt Bomer’s nearly naked mishap during the previews of the Broadway revival of The Boys In The Band, the iconic homocentric play by Mart Crowley.
To recap, Bomer forgot to check his props before a preview performance and after showering onstage realized he had no towel to cover himself with. But being the pro that he is, Bomer soldiered on through the scene wearing just his wet, tight white briefs.
Tonight, the 50th anniversary production premieres on The Great White Way. And the production has released several promo pics – including one of Bomer in those very tight, white briefs.
The Boys in the Band is rightfully considered a landmark as the first mainstream play to explore gay men’s lives onstage, without filter or judgement. Premiering off-Broadway in 1968 in New York City, this was all before the Stonewall riots which launched the gay rights movement.
The comic drama became an instant sell-out and ran for over 1,000 performances.
The movie adaptation, released in 1970 featuring the original stage cast, continues to be a milestone in queer cinema.
First produced in 1968, Crowley’s biting comedy drama is a groundbreaking work among pre-Stonewall depictions of LGBTQ characters, chronicling the fun and frictions that emerge when a group of gay male friends gather for a boozy birthday party in New York City. The play is loved and loathed to an equal extent, with some calling it a perpetuation of negative bitchy stereotypes and others hailing it as a breakthrough in its intimate exploration of the attitudes and behavior of gay men at a time when cultural representation was minimal.
With direction by Tony Award-winner Joe Mantello (Wicked, Assassins), the new production features an all-gay, star-studded cast led by Jim Parsons, Matt Bomer, Zachary Quinto and Andrew Rannells.
Also starring in the play are Charlie Carver, Michael Benjamin Washington, Brian Hutchison, Robin de Jesus, and Tuc Watkins.
The limited 15-week run of the production is being produced by Wicked’s David Stone and out TV producer Ryan Murphy (American Horror Story, GLEE)
Check out the newly-released pics below. Click here for the official website.
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| Matt Bomer (L), Jim Parsons (R) |
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| Foreground – Zachary Quinto (L), Charlie Carver (R) |
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| Zachary Quinto (background) |
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| Tuc Watkins, (L) Michael Benjamin Washington (center) Matt Bomer (R) |
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| Matt Bomer |
Magic Mike/White Collar star Matt Bomer dropped by The Tonight Show recently to chat on his Broadway debut in the revival of the gay-themed play, The Boys in the Band.
Bomer shared with Jimmy Fallon how during one of the performances of the play he didn’t check his props. That prop in question would be the towel he is supposed to wear after a shower onstage.
“My character takes a shower within the first five minutes of the play,” the handsome actor explained. “And I realized there was no towel for me when I got out of the shower.”
Bomer realized he had two options: either do the rest of the scene naked or put his underwear back on his soaking wet body.
Apparently, the wet underwear got the nod which means everyone won!
Bomer also shares that he’s taking his soon-to-be 13-year-old son Kit to the Tony Awards this year.
It’ll be the teen’s first awards show, but he assured his dad, “I know there’ll be a lot of people there but I don’t crack under pressure.”
In a sign Kit has been around show biz, he did add, “But, is someone going to do my hair?”
Clearly, the apple doesn’t fall very far from the tree…
Watch the segment below.