LGBTQ news and entertainment
Happy Sunday! Some links I thought worth your time:
• Queerty: “Gentleman farmer” and out entrepreneur Matt Baumgartner (above) is the owner of the idyllic June Farms, cited as upstate New York’s premier wedding & events destination. Amazon Prime Video’s new reality series “June Farms” takes you behind the scenes of Baumgartner’s business. Continue reading “Amazon Video Reality Series ‘June Farms’ + More News”
Catchy up on the day’s headlines: • Calendar Season: You know what November means – calendar time! Check out this year’s edition of shirtless, hunky Australian Firefighters doing their part for charity. Continue reading “News Round-Up: November 11, 2021”
Theater fans – what to watch tonight? How about TV and Broadway star Michael Urie (Ugly Betty, Torch Song) recreating his award-winning performance in the one-man play Buyer & Cellar live from his living room? About the Show:
In the basement of a house on her Malibu estate, Barbra Streisand created a private fantasy world to display her accumulated tchotchkes: a narrow, cobblestoned “street” of boutiques, from an antique doll store and confectionery with its own taffy-making machine to a dress shop filled with favorite costumes from her films. In this one-man comedy, Urie plays Alex More, who is down on his luck after being recently fired from Disneyland. He lands a job curating the basement of Barbra Streisand.
Presented by Broadway.com, the livestream will serve as a benefit for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS’ COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Fund which is helping those onstage, backstage and behind the scenes receive urgent medical care and financial assistance during the pandemic and work shutdown. Hit the play button below at 8 PM ET/5 PM PT.
Ugly Betty writer/showrunner Silvio Horta (screen capture)
“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our dear brother and son, Silvio Horta. Through his friendships, his love and his work in TV and films, Silvio touched the lives of millions. Silvio had an ongoing struggle with addiction and depression, but through it all, he always found a way to turn his struggle into laughter. He was a kind and beautiful man. He may be gone but his light will shine on.”
Ugly Betty, which ran for four seasons from 2006 to 2010, was a smash-hit for the openly gay writer from the get-go. The series, an adaptation of the Colombian telenovela Yo soy Betty, la fea, chronicled the adventures (or misadventures) of fashion industry neophyte Betty Suarez, played by America Ferrera, as she made her way up the corporate ladder of the fictitious Mode Magazine. In addition to being stylish and witty, the show was recognized for being LGBTQ-inclusive with storylines that included the coming out of Betty’s teenage nephew Justin (Mark Indelicato), the hysterical fawning of queer fashion assistant Marc St. James (launching the career of Michael Urie into a new orbit), and transgender character Alexis Meade (Rebecca Romijn). The series also gave longtime LGBTQ ally Vanessa Williams the chance to shine as the over-the-top diva, creative director Wilhelmina Slater. The show landed with LGBTQ audiences not only for its fresh, undeniably queer slant but an empowering message of embracing our authentic selves. Over the course of its run, Ugly Betty scored three Emmy Awards including one for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and was nominated for four Golden Globe Awards, winning two – one for Ferrera and one for Best Television Series (Comedy). Numerous other honors came from organizations as diverse as the GLAAD Media Awards, the ALMA Awards, The Imagen Foundation Awards, and the NAACP Image Awards. Horta’s career breakthrough came in 1998 when he wrote the surprise horror film Urban Legend starring future Oscar winner Jared Leto (Dallas Buyer’s Club) and Alicia Witt (Dune). He also executive produced the 2001 series The Chronicle starring Octavia Spencer as well as UPN’s sci-fi series Jake 2.0 in 2003. IMDB lists his most recent credit as the made-for-TV film The Curse of the Fuentes Women in 2015. Horta’s Ugly Betty colleagues took to social media to express their condolences.
Profound sorrow at the loss of our dear Ugly Betty creator Silvio Horta
This is a deep loss for his family friends and our Ugly Betty family
Sending loving thoughts to all
May his soul rest now in peace— JudithLight (@JudithLight) January 8, 2020
If you are thinking about suicide or are feeling alone and need someone to talk to, please contact the Trevor Lifeline at 1-866-488-7386. It’s free, confidential, and available 24/7. Additionally, you can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
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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 |
In this week’s podcast:
• Harvey Fierstein’s iconic play Torch Song is heading back to Broadway
• California aims to make so-called “ex-gay therapy” illegal
• Georgia lawmakers are trying to legalize discrimination against same-sex couples wanting to adopt
• South Carolina looks to label same-sex marriage as “parody” marriage
• Defense Secretary James Mattis has given Donald Trump his recommendations for transgender soldiers
• The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals says Title VII of Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects LGBTs from workplace discrimination
• Anti-gay bakers in Oregon take their case to the state Supreme Court
• How many out LGBT Academy Award winners can you name?
All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report podcast.
Logo today announced that actor Michael Urie (“Ugly Betty”) and a group of his most pop culture-minded friends will serve up a new twist on classic films with “Cocktails & Classics,” a new film series premiering this Sunday, April 19 at 7pm ET/PT.
Each week Michael Urie and his guests will gather to dish about behind-the-scenes gossip during breaks of one of their favorite movies. Together they will re-watch iconic and hilarious scenes and reenact their most beloved quotes from classics including “Cabaret,” “Sunset Boulevard,” and “Valley of the Dolls.”
The series launches with a screening of “Steel Magnolias.” In the episode, “Steel Magnolias” star Olympia Dukakis and screenwriter Robert Harling share how Meg Ryan, Winona Ryder, Laura Dern and Julianne Moore were all in talks to play the iconic role of Shelby, the part which ultimately went to Julia Roberts.
“Cocktails & Classics” guests include actors like Lea DeLaria (“Orange is the New Black”), Olympia Dukakis (“Steel Magnolias”) and Joel Grey (“Cabaret”), as well as journalists Jess Cagle (People, Entertainment Weekly), Michael Musto (OUT), Jessica Shaw (Entertainment Weekly) and Michael Ausiello (TVLine).
Upcoming films include “Auntie Mame,” “Barbarella,” “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” and “Private Benjamin.”
“Everyone remembers the first time they saw and fell in love with these classic films,” said Chris McCarthy, General Manager of Logo. “We’re thrilled to bring them to a new generation with Michael Urie and a cast who share their own unique and hysterical perspectives on these iconic films and the Hollywood legends who starred in them.”
I love theatrical successes. And I really love it when it happens to completely deserving projects and artists.
Michael Urie (of Broadway and “Ugly Betty” fame) has had a big success with his new play “Buyer & Cellar” off-Broadway at the Barrow Street Theatre where the production has recouped it’s initial investment of $500,000 in only 9 weeks!
Urie stars in the the play as a struggling actor who goes to work for Barbra Streisand.
From the New York Times:
Few Off Broadway shows ever turn a profit, and even fewer do it this quickly. But “Buyer & Cellar” received strong reviews last spring in its first production at the 99-seat Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, then transferred to its current 199-seat house in late June. The show recouped in late August, according to the lead producer, Darren Bagert, and has grossed more than $1 million at Barrow Street, which has a strong track record of profitability.
Mr. Urie is set to perform “Buyer & Cellar” next year in Los Angeles and Chicago, the producers said, and talks are under way for productions in San Francisco, Toronto, and Dallas.
From Playbill: CBS has announced its new primetime lineup for the 2012-13 season. The new comedy “Partners,” starring Ugly Betty/How to Succeed‘s Michael Urie and David Krumholtz (Conversations with My Father), will air Monday nights at 8:30 PM ET.
Based on the lives of creators David Kohan and Max Mutchnick, “Partners,” according to CBS, is “about two life-long best friends and business partners whose ‘bromance’ is tested when one of them is engaged to be married. Joe (Krumholtz) is an accomplished architect who leads with his head and not his heart, especially in his love life. That’s in stark contrast to his gay co-worker, Louis (Urie), who is spontaneous, emotional and prone to exaggeration. Both have found joy in their love lives: Joe is newly engaged to Ali (Sophia Bush), a beautiful and sophisticated jewelry designer, while Louis is dating Wyatt (Brandon Routh), a vegan nurse who Louis insists is just a promotion away from becoming a doctor. As news of Joe’s engagement settles, time will tell if their business and personal bond can adapt to the addition of two other important relationships.” James Burrows directed the pilot.