Politics, pop culture and entertainment news of interest to the LGBTQ community
Andrew Scott (image via Depositphotos)The long-in-development Showtime series, Ripley, starring out actor Andrew Scott as the treacherous con man Tom Ripley, will now premiere on Netflix.
The series is based on queer author Patricia Highsmith’s novels about a man willing to do anything to attain wealth and prestige. Continue reading “Netflix Picks Up Gay-Themed ‘Ripley’ Series From Showtime”
Leslie JordanTMZ is reporting that Will & Grace star Leslie Jordan has died due to a car crash on Monday morning. Jordan was 67. Continue reading “Leslie Jordan Dead At 67”
Luke Evans (image via Instagram)Some news items you might have missed:
• Gayety: Out actor Luke Evans (Beauty and the Beast) has joined the cast of Dan Levy’s (Schitt’s Creek) upcoming feature film directorial debut, Good Grief. Continue reading “Luke Evans Teams Up With Dan Levy + More News”
UK actors Kris Mochrie and Max Parker, who have been dating since 2020, became engaged on Saturday after Mochrie popped the question during a quiet afternoon at the beach. Continue reading “‘Emmerdale’ Actors Engaged After Quiet Beach Proposal”
Hugh Sheridan (image via Instagram)Hunky Australian actor/singer Hugh Sheridan came out (again) over the weekend in a social media post sharing with the world they are non-binary.
Sheridan’s Instagram post highlighted the cover of DNA Magazine’s latest issue which features Sheridan with their fiancé Kurt Roberts.
“Given that’s it IS #pridemonth & I am beyond honored to share the most coveted DNA cover of 2021 with the greatest lover/HUMAN of all time,” wrote Sheridan referencing Roberts. “I understand why @dnamagazine chose LOVE over… another pic of a guy with a towel.”
“FYI,” Sheridan continued, “I AM still a human (nonbinary/bi/me/Hughman) but I’m in a monogamous relationship with another human, who I love. I don’t accept a label cause it limits me… if you want it; take it. I chose zero labels for no other reason except the exclusion, limitations, separation, I believe are all one, deeeeep down. &…who knows? Why chose?!! Be you. Be true. Be free: to BE, to JUST BE… you, a human, same as me.”
The 35-year-old closed their missive urging folks to “READ THE ARTICLE, you’ll laugh. I did.”
At this writing the post has received over 15K ‘Likes’ including a comment of fire emojis from Aussie pop-star/actress Natalie Imbruglia.
In an October 2020 essay for Stellar Magazine, Sheridan shared that they had been in relationships with both women and men in the past, but preferred not to put a label on their sexuality.
In the essay, the actor admitted they’d been bullied as a teenager for being gay, even though they were sexually attracted to the opposite sex at the time. It wasn’t until they moved to Sydney to attend the National Institute for Dramatic Arts, that they fell in love a man.
“I finally met a guy who I connected with emotionally, mentally and physically,” Sheridan wrote, saying they were “over the moon” because they realized they “could finally be what people always wanted me to be.”
But the relationship would eventually end, and they began dating a woman. Eschewing this or that sexual identity, Sheridan wrote, “I believe labels are for clothes, not people.”
On March 5, 2021, Sheridan proposed to now-fiancé Roberts (a former DNA Magazine cover model) at the opening night performance of their stage show Hughman.
A familiar face on Australian television, Sheridan starred in the long-running show Packed To The Rafters, winning four Logie Awards (Australia’s excellence in TV honors) for their work. They are currently working on a spin-off of the series, Back To The Rafters, set to debut this September on Amazon Prime Video.
Ricky Martin (screen capture via People)PEOPLE Magazine shares more of their Pride Month cover interview with international pop star Ricky Martin, this time focusing on that ‘other’ part of his career.
Some folks forget that after becoming a breakout star of the boy band Menudo, Martin shifted gears with some acting roles.
For two years, he was the frequently shirtless bartender Miguel Morez on the iconic soap opera General Hospital in the mid-90s.
He also scored on Broadway playing “Marius” in the mega-hit musical Les Miserables and returned to star as “Che” in the 2012 revival of Evita.
Martin returned to TV that same year to guest on the then-red-hot GLEE.
More from PEOPLE:
His next major acting gig, in 2018, was also a Ryan Murphy production, The Assassination of Gianni Versace. He scored an Emmy nomination for the role — and after the laudation was hoping for more prestige acting offers. He’s still waiting.
“I love acting,” he says. “I’m waiting for those scripts, for those great scripts. I can play gay, I can play straight, I can play a serial killer. I can play Latin, but I can also play European. I am ready. Just give it to me, man. Give it to me.”
A few years ago, Martin was told by a music label executive that he’d be selling more records if he’d never come out.
“That was something that really affected me. And I was like, ‘Am I really dealing with this? They’re not playing my music in this country because I’m gay? Is this really happening?’ We’re talking about four years ago. This executive doesn’t work for the record company anymore. He was fired. But I felt it. It hit me hard.”
“I don’t know if I’m not getting parts because I’m gay,” he admits. “But if that’s the case, it’s really sad. I’m going to keep working until life is different.”
Read more at PEOPLE.com.
Academy Award-winner Kevin SpaceyAcademy Award winner Kevin Spacey will play a ‘sex abuse investigator’ in his first acting role since sexual assault accusations derailed his career nearly four years ago.
The Oscar winner will appear in an Italian drama titled, The Man Who Drew God, which will also star Vanessa Redgrave.
Redgrave’s husband, Franco Nero, will direct the film as well as star as a blind artist falsely accused of sex abuse, according to The Independent.
Spacey will reportedly play a detective investigating the wrongfully accused artist.
“I’m very happy Kevin agreed to participate in my film,” Nero told ABC News. “I consider him a great actor, and I can’t wait to start the movie.”
Kevin Spacey ‘to play sex abuse investigator’ in acting comeback https://t.co/jdyLttrySq
— The Independent (@Independent) May 24, 2021
In the fall of 2017, Spacey experienced a slew of allegations of sexual misconduct which brought his career to an utter and complete halt.
Broadway and TV star Anthony Rapp (RENT, Star Trek: Discovery) claimed Spacey assaulted him at a party at Spacey’s New York City apartment in the 1980s when Rapp was 14-years-old.
Nearly 20 men accused Spacey of sexual misconduct during his time at London’s Old Vic Theatre between 1995 and 2013.
An anonymous massage therapist levels charges of sexual impropriety but the accuser died before a court could decide the matter.
And prosecutors in Massachusetts dropped charges against Spacey in 2019 in regard to allegations of groping an 18-year-old at a Nantucket bar in 2016. The case was dropped when the accuser invoked his 5th Amendment rights.
The 21-year-old man accusing Kevin Spacey of groping in a Nantucket bar in 2016 invoked his 5th Amendment rights while testifying Monday.
The alleged victim was in court over a missing cellphone that he claims captured the incident.
Here's Dean Reynolds https://t.co/GSmvVb7HY6 pic.twitter.com/YbxWxerkyT
— CBS Evening News (@CBSEveningNews) July 8, 2019
In response to the allegations, Spacey was dropped from his acclaimed Netflix series House of Cards. He was also replaced in the 2017 drama All the Time in the World. Christopher Plummer was tapped to reshoot all of Spacey’s scenes in the already-completed film and went on to score an Oscar nomination for his performance.
In a video message recorded last year, Spacey said experiencing his career coming to a “grinding, screeching halt” led him to ask himself, “If I can’t act, who am I?”
“I only valued and defined myself through work, that’s who I was,” said Spacey. “If that wasn’t going to be a possibility anymore then who am I? If all I’m left with is just me?”
Although he’s kept a low profile, for the past three years he has shared video messages on Christmas Eve, sometimes (perplexingly) in the persona of his House of Cards character.
According to IMDB, The Man Who Drew God will be released in Italy on October 5, 2021.
Let Me Be Frank https://t.co/OzVGsX6Xbz
— Kevin Spacey (@KevinSpacey) December 24, 2018
Juan Pablo Di Pace in “Te Sentí” (screen capture)Actor Juan Pablo Di Pace recently turned heads when he starred in this holiday season’s gay cowboy Christmas movie, Dashing in December, and found him totally charming.
So, I’m excited to learn the Fuller House star (who came out in 2019) is also an accomplished singer and dancer, and has released his first Spanish song, “Te Sentí.”
Described as a love letter to his heritage and to his identity as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, Di Pace co-wrote “Te Sentí” with Latin Grammy winner Paulina Aguirre.
The new song is from his upcoming EP Vascular scheduled for release later this year.
The music video for “Te Sentí” is a gorgeous, sensual affair playing light against shadows, sharing an inclusive story of desire and lost love.
I felt you / Understood love when I stared at you
And my poor heart beat so fast for you / Left me breathless
I died trying but in the end I lost you
“It’s important for me to showcase a strong musical style and stories that are honest and truthful to whatever is going on in my life at the time…” Di Pace says in a press statement. “With ‘Te Sentí,’ I was inspired by the feeling of losing someone, and that immobilizing pain you feel when you know it just cannot be.”
Whether you understand Spanish or not, you’ll understand what the dashing Juan Pablo Di Pace is singing about here.
I like 🙂
Remember him? (via 2016 Super Bowl)Some news items you might have missed:
• Super Bowl: So, I grew up watching tons of football because my dad was a sports writer. And I still enjoy it, so you can be sure I’ll be watching the big SportsBall game on Sunday for moments like the one above – remember the attention this ref (rightfully) received during the big game in 2016?
• Out: Florida Democrat and one-time candidate for governor Andrew Gillum has opened up with more details of that fateful night in Miami when he was found in a hotel room passed out with a male prostitute. “At this point I’m like, ‘This is set up.'”
• Kenneth-in-the-212: Don’t miss Kenneth’s weekly round-up of LGBTQ publications like Valentine’s hotties Franco & Roberto covering Hot Spots Magazine (below).
(cover image via Hot Spots Magazine)• The Advocate: A group of 185 actors came out in Germany to demand more LGBTQ+ diversity in film, television, and theater through a manifesto in a national newspaper. Among the issues raised is the fear of losing the opportunity to portray straight people due to biases in casting. “We are actors. We don’t have to be what we play. We act as though we were — that is our job.”
• LA Times: Fox News Media has canceled “Lou Dobbs Tonight,” the program hosted by one of Donald Trump’s staunchest supporters. The cancellation comes a day after voting software company Smartmatic filed a $2.7 billion defamation suit against Fox News and three of its hosts — Dobbs, Maria Bartiromo and Jeanine Pirro.
• AP News: Johnson & Johnson asked U.S. regulators Thursday to clear the world’s first single-dose COVID-19 vaccine, an easier-to-use option that could boost scarce supplies. The vaccine was 66% effective at preventing moderate to severe COVID-19, according to early findings from a study of 44,000 people, but it was 85% protective against the most serious symptoms.
• Deadline: Christopher Plummer, who starred in The Sound of Music, won an Oscar for Beginners and was nominated for All the Money in the World and The Last Station, died peacefully today at his home in Connecticut, his family confirmed. Along with becoming the oldest person to win an Oscar, Plummer also won a pair of Emmys and two Tonys during a nearly 70-year career.
BREAKING: Actor Christopher Plummer has died aged 91.
The Oscar Winner and Sound Of Music star passed away peacefully at his home in Connecticut.
More: https://t.co/g5ReGMj0eW pic.twitter.com/cSmEsG81OO
— Sky News (@SkyNews) February 5, 2021
Out actor Jonathan Bennett (photo: Sonny Tong)Making good on its promise, the Hallmark Channel has announced one of its upcoming holiday TV movies, “The Christmas House,” will feature a same-sex couple as part of its “Countdown to Christmas” lineup.
The film will premiere on November 22 (8 EST/PST) and star former Mean Girls actor Jonathan Bennett (above) as part of a gay couple hoping to adopt their first child.
The official synopsis for “The Christmas House” reads:
“Working through some difficult decisions, Mitchell family matriarch Phylis (Sharon Lawrence) and patriarch Bill (Treat Williams), have summoned their two grown sons — Mike (Robert Buckley) and Brandon (Bennett) — home for the holidays. It is their hope that bringing the family together to recreate the Christmas house will help them find resolution and make a memorable holiday for the entire family and community. As Brandon and his husband, Jake (Brad Harder), make the trip home, they are anxiously awaiting a call about the adoption of their first child. Meanwhile, Mike reconnects with Andi (Ana Ayora), his high school sweetheart.”
Hallmark Channel faced serious backlash last December when the network pulled a commercial that featured same-sex weddings. While the cable channel quickly reversed course and began airing the spot again, the criticism led to an announcement in July that the Hallmark Channel would be announcing “LGBTQ storylines, characters and actors” in upcoming projects.
In August, Hallmark aired “Wedding Every Weekend” that included a same-sex wedding.
Michelle Vicary, executive vice president of programming for Crown Media Family Network (Hallmark Channel’s parent company) said in a statement, “Our holiday table is bigger and more welcoming than ever.”
“This year’s movies reflect our most diverse representation of talent, narratives and families,” Vicary added. “Our movies are rooted in warmth and positivity, meaningful connections, family gatherings and seasonal traditions — a winning formula we hope will bring our millions of viewers much-needed levity and holiday cheer at the end of a tough year.”
“The Christmas House” will mark Bennett’s third original movie for the Hallmark Channel. In addition to acting gigs, the out 39-year-old out has been a staple on The Food Network handling hosting duties for Cake Wars and Halloween Wars.
He’s also jumped into some reality TV competing on the 2014 edition of Dancing with the Stars and Celebrity Big Brother in 2019.
Bennett and his boo, entertainment reporter and former host of The Chippendales, Jaymes Vaughan, frequently share their (often shirtless) shenanigans on Instagram.
While we’re on the subject, let’s check out some eye-candy action for Hump Day…