Politics, pop culture and entertainment news of interest to the LGBTQ community
Taron Egerton (photo: Gage Skidmore – CC license)Some news items you might have missed:
• ExtraTV: Taron Egerton passed out during the first performance of the stage play COCK in the West End on Saturday night. His understudy – Joel Harper Jackson – took over mid-show, but Egerton took to his Instagram to assure fans he was fine. The award-winning play explores sexual fluidity. Continue reading “News Round-Up: March 7, 2022”
Taron Egerton (Rocketman) and Jonathan Bailey (Bridgerton) have been announced to star in a play titled “Cock” in the West End. Continue reading “Taron Egerton & Jonathan Bailey To Star In West End Play ‘Cock’”
Kate McKinnon at the 77th Golden Globe Awards (screen capture)I enjoyed watching the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s 77th annual Golden Globe Awards last night, even though I had hopes that more LGBTQ artists’ work would be recognized.
First up – the good news.
SNL’s Kate McKinnon paying tribute to Ellen DeGeneres in advance of Ellen accepting the Carol Burnett Excellence in Television Award was easily the most touching LGBTQ moment of the night.
“In 1997, when Ellen’s sitcom was in the height of its popularity, I was in my mother’s basement lifting weights in front of the mirror and thinking, ‘Am I gay?’ And I was, and I still am,” McKinnon said. “But that’s a very scary thing to suddenly know about yourself. It’s sort of like doing 23andMe and discovering that you have alien DNA. And the only thing that made it less scary was seeing Ellen on TV.”
“She risked her entire life and her entire career in order to tell the truth, and she suffered greatly for it,” continued McKinnon. “Of course, attitudes change, but only because brave people like Ellen jump into the fire to make them change.”
“And if I hadn’t seen her on TV, I would have thought, ‘I could never be on TV. They don’t let LGBTQ people on TV.’ And more than that, I would have gone on thinking that I was an alien and that I maybe didn’t even have a right to be here. So thank you, Ellen, for giving me a shot. A shot at a good life, and thank you also for the sweater with a picture of the baby goat on it.”
Elton John and songwriting partner Bernie Taupin picked up the prize for Best Original Song (Motion Picture) with “I’m Gonna Love Me Again” from the musical fantasy biopic of John’s early life, Rocketman.
“It’s the first time I won an award with him. Ever,” said the pop music legend while accepting the award. “We never won a Grammy, we never did anything together except for this and I’m so happy, thank you very much.”
Taupin added, “This isn’t just a song we wrote for a movie – this is a song we wrote for a movie that deals with our relationship.”
And hunky Taron Egerton’s star turn as “Elton John” in the film won for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy). But the movie lost out in the top category of Best Motion Picture (Musical or Comedy) to Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood.
Taron Egerton wins Best Actor in a Motion Picture for his portrayal of Elton John in "Rocketman". #GoldenGlobes pic.twitter.com/wdFtD7wpSe
— NBC Entertainment (@nbc) January 6, 2020
Out actors Billy Porter (FX’s Pose) and Ben Platt (Netflix’s The Politician) were nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series in the Drama and Comedy categories, respectively. But the two Tony Award winners went home empty-handed as Porter watched Brian Cox accept the trophy in his category for HBO’s Succession, and writer/actor Ramy Youssef scored over Platt for his turn in Hulu’s Ramy.
Porter may not have won during the awards ceremony, but he certainly scored on the red carpet with his ‘vision in white’ feather-adorned tuxedo by Alex Vinash in collaboration with stylist Sam Ratelle.
Embellished with 4,000 Swarovski crystals and a six-foot train paired with a $2 million, 40-carat Tiffany & Co. diamond necklace, Porter was easily one of the fashion highlights of the evening.
Standing on the red carpet, Porter announced, “This is not a sitting outfit, this is a standing outfit!”
We don’t deserve Billy Porter. pic.twitter.com/1V2WkTv6hs
— Ben Yahr (@benyahr) January 6, 2020
Out actor Andrew Scott was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Television Series (Comedy) for his performance as ‘Hot Priest’ in Amazon’s Fleabag, but saw the trophy go to Russell Crowe for his performance as Roger Ailes in Showtime’s The Loudest Voice.
Out actress Beanie Feldstein received a nod for her high school overachiever in the lauded comedy Booksmart, but the moment would go to Awkwafina in The Farewell, making history as the first Asian-American performer to win a Golden Globe in any lead actress film category.
I thought Antonio Banderas would score with his nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama) in Pedro Almodóvar’s Pain and Glory, but Joaquin Phoenix walked away with the Golden Globe for his terrific performance in The Joker.
Some might have been surprised by Renée Zellweger’s win for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture (Drama) in the Judy Garland biopic, Judy. But it’s a worthy, powerhouse performance in a moving film about the legendary gay icon.
Lesbian-centric Killing Eve lost in the Best Television Series (Drama) category to Succession. And Netflix’s gay-themed The Politician was nominated for Best Comedy Series, but the honor went to the Amazon hit, Fleabag.
Two queer films – Portrait of a Lady on Fire and Almodóvar’s Pain and Glory – were nominated for Best Foreign Language Film, but the award went to the widely-acclaimed South Korean thriller, Parasite.
While not LGBTQ in regards to the actors or content, I was thrilled that Michelle Williams’ incredible turn as legendary Broadway leading lady Gwen Verdon in the miniseries Fosse/Verdon scored. Months after viewing the series, I think it’s the best thing I saw on television all year.
In case you missed Michelle Williams' Golden Globes speech last night, here it is. I will also say Women-we are the largest demographic in America and if we vote in our self interest, like men do, the country will look like us.
Then everyone will win. pic.twitter.com/wc8MhUDBmy
— Amee Vanderpool (@girlsreallyrule) January 6, 2020
For a complete list of those who took home Golden Globes last night, click here.
The nominations for the 77th Golden Globe Awards were announced this morning, and Billy Porter received a nod for his star turn as Pray Tell in the groundbreaking FX series, Pose.
Porter was nominated for the same role last year but lost the trophy to Bodyguard’s Richard Madden.
He may have lost out on the GG, but he did take home the 2019 Primetime Emmy Award for ‘Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series,’ becoming the first openly gay black man to be nominated and win in any lead acting category at the Primetime Emmys.
SLAY, @theebillyporter. Congratulations on your #GoldenGlobes nomination. #PoseFX pic.twitter.com/dyU0KcucYU
— PoseFX (@PoseOnFX) December 9, 2019
Porter also received a nomination for Best Actor in a Drama Series from the Critic’s Choice Awards over the weekend. Pose picked up additional noms in the Best Drama Series and Best Actress in a Drama Series (MJ Rodriguez).
Plus, TV Guide declared Porter’s turn on Pose as the #1 performance on television this year.
Other LGBTQ-centric nominations for the 2020 Golden Globes include Taron Egerton for the Elton John musical fantasy biopic Rocketman, Ben Platt’s ambitious high school student in Netflix’s The Politician, and Jodie Comer homicidal Russian assassin in the BBC’s Killing Eve.
For those who like to count, the Hollywood Reporter writes that Marriage Story leads the film nominees with six nominations, followed by The Irishman and Once Upon a Time in Hollywood with five nods each. Joker and The Two Popes scored four noms each.
On the television side, Chernobyl, The Crown and Unbelievable received four nominations, while Barry, Big Little Lies, Fleabag, Fosse/Verdon, The Kominsky Method, The Morning Show and Succession all garnered three nominations each.
Don’t miss the 77th annual Golden Globes on January 5, 2020, with host Ricky Gervais.
You can find the full list of nominees below:
Best Motion Picture — Drama
1917
The Irishman
Joker
Marriage Story
The Two Popes
Best Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy
Dolemite Is My Name
Jojo Rabbit
Knives Out
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Rocketman
Best Foreign-Language Motion Picture
The Farewell
Les Misérables
Pain and Glory
Parasite
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Best Limited Series or TV Movie
Catch-22
Chernobyl
Fosse/Verdon
The Loudest Voice
Unbelievable
Best Television Series — Drama
Big Little Lies
The Crown
Killing Eve
The Morning Show
Succession
Best Comedy Series
Fleabag
Barry
The Kominsky Method
The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
The Politician
Best Motion Picture — Animated
Frozen II
How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
Missing Link
Toy Story 4
The Lion King
Best Director — Motion Picture
Bong Joon-ho, Parasite
Sam Mendes, 1917
Todd Phillips, Joker
Martin Scorsese, The Irishman
Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Best Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or Movie
Christopher Abbott, Catch-22
Sacha Baron Cohen, The Spy
Russell Crowe, The Loudest Voice
Jared Harris, Chernobyl
Sam Rockwell, Fosse/Verdon
Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or Movie
Kaitlyn Dever, Unbelievable
Joey King, The Act
Helen Mirren, Catherine the Great
Merritt Wever, Unbelievable
Michelle Williams, Fosse/Verdon
Best Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Series, Limited Series, or TV Movie
Alan Arkin, The Kominsky Method
Kieran Culkin, Succession
Andrew Scott, Fleabag
Stellan Skarsgård, Chernobyl
Henry Winkler, Barry
Best Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Series, Limited Series, or TV Movie
Patricia Arquette, The Act
Helena Bonham Carter, The Crown
Toni Collette, Unbelievable
Meryl Streep, Big Little Lies
Emily Watson, Chernobyl
Best Score for a Motion Picture
Little Women
Joker
Marriage Story
1917
Motherless Brooklyn
Best Original Song
“Beautiful Ghosts,” Cats
“(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again,” Rocketman
“Into the Unknown,” Frozen II
“Spirit,” The Lion King
“Stand Up,” Harriet
Best Performance by an Actor in a Comedy Series
Michael Douglas, The Kominsky Method
Bill Hader, Barry
Ben Platt, The Politician
Paul Rudd, Living With Yourself
Ramy Youssef, Ramy
Best Performance by an Actress in a Comedy Series
Christina Applegate, Dead to Me
Kirsten Dunst, On Becoming a God in Central Florida
Rachel Brosnahan, The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel
Natasha Lyonne, Russian Doll
Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Fleabag
Best Performance by an Actor in a Drama Series
Brian Cox, Succession
Kit Harington, Game of Thrones
Rami Malek, Mr. Robot
Tobias Menzies, The Crown
Billy Porter, Pose
Best Performance by an Actress in a Drama Series
Jennifer Aniston, The Morning Show
Jodie Comer, Killing Eve
Olivia Colman, The Crown
Nicole Kidman, Big Little Lies
Reese Witherspoon, The Morning Show
Best Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture
Tom Hanks, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Anthony Hopkins, The Two Popes
Al Pacino, The Irishman
Joe Pesci, The Irishman
Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Best Screenplay
Marriage Story
Parasite
The Two Popes
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
The Irishman
Best Performance by a Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture
Kathy Bates, Richard Jewell
Annette Bening, The Report
Laura Dern, Marriage Story
Jennifer Lopez, Hustlers
Margot Robbie, Bombshell
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy
Daniel Craig, Knives Out
Taron Egerton, Rocketman
Roman Griffin Davis, Jojo Rabbit
Eddie Murphy, Dolemite Is My Name
Leonardo DiCaprio, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood
Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture — Drama
Christian Bale, Ford v Ferrari
Antonio Banderas, Pain and Glory
Adam Driver, Marriage Story
Joaquin Phoenix, Joker
Jonathan Pryce, The Two Popes
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Musical or Comedy
Ana de Armas, Knives Out
Cate Blanchett, Where’d You Go, Bernadette
Beanie Feldstein, Booksmart
Emma Thompson, Late Night
Awkwafina, The Farewell
Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture — Drama
Cynthia Erivo, Harriet
Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story
Saoirse Ronan, Little Women
Charlize Theron, Bombshell
Renée Zellweger, Judy
International pop star Elton John teamed up with his big screen Rocketman doppelgänger, Taron Egerton, for a new song, “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again.”
The music video for the uptempo track is made up of a melange of psychedelic images from John’s decades-long career, scenes from the recording session for the song, and clips from the new ‘musical fantasy bio pic.’
Hit the play button below. Happy Saturday!
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| InstaHunk Joel Green |
Some news items you might have missed:
• InstaHunk Joel Green (above) shares his recipe for a successful Monday: “Dream. Plan. Do.”
• Donald Trump’s entire family tagged along on his recent state visit to the UK, and along the way sons Don Jr. and Eric went on an Irish pub crawl where they offered free rounds of drinks for the house but didn’t pony up when it was time to pay the bill.
• A gay bar manager in Dallas was fired for refusing to serve a transgender customer and her friends.
• I know, I know – no one wants to see a hunky, kilted Scot proposing to his boyfriend in the middle of a Pride parade, but if you did, hit the play button below:
— Finlay Wilson (@Scottishyogaboy) June 8, 2019
• New York Magazine has rounded up a ‘who’s who’ list of prominent drag queens, given them the photo shoot treatment and attempted to rank them.
• Scientists at the University of Toronto say being left-handed is one of three factors that could indicate a man is gay. Having an older brother is the second and having gay family members is the third.
• Taron Egerton, star of the musical biopic Rocketman, joined Elton John onstage for a duet of the pop star’s classic tune, “Your Song,” wearing a Pride t-shirt. #swoon
The upcoming ‘musical fantasy biopic,’ Rocketman, based on the life and career of pop music superstar Elton John, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival to rave reviews this past Thursday.
At the end of the screening, the audience – with John, star Taron Egerton and director Dexter Fletcher — reportedly burst into applause.
Egerton was seen tearing up at the response:
— Ramin Setoodeh (@RaminSetoodeh) May 16, 2019
The reviews so far have been strong, especially for Egerton:
“He (Egerton) doesn’t disappear into the role, exactly, but he accomplishes something nearly as remarkable, which is to locate subtle depths of feeling in a character we first see wearing a devil-horned chicken costume.” – Los Angeles Times
“It’s a biopic and a jukebox musical and a romance, and also a movie about addiction, all crammed into a frenetic, jewel-studded ecstasy of a movie.” – Vox
“All white men fortunate enough to commission big-screen versions of their own life stories should be so lucky as to have someone as casually adorable as Egerton play them on screen — not because he’s an especially strong actor but because even with various unflattering wigs and a gap-toothed bridge … Egerton has a hard time looking dumpy.” – Variety
And, of course, there are the inevitable comparisons to last year’s box office smash Bohemian Rhapsody, which focused on the life of Queen frontman Freddy Mercury, which many felt was straight-washed in terms of Mercury’s homosexuality.
“If Bohemian Rhapsody were the cheeseburger of music icon biopics, then Rocketman is the sirloin steak – with lobster on the side.” – The Sun
For those who can’t wait until May 31, there are special, limited Early Access screenings beginning today via Fandango.
The producers have also released a new song penned by Elton and partner Bernie Taupin for the end credits titled, “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again,” performed as a duet between John and Egerton.
In addition to creative expression, I’m sure it’s also Elton’s bid for another Oscar for “Best Original Song,” as catalog tunes don’t make the cut at the Academy Awards.
Check it out below.
Some news items you might have missed:
• InstaHunk JW says, “Be thankful for the hard times – they can only make you stronger.”
• Jake Bain, the Indiana State football player who came out while still in high school, has announced he will “step away from football and focus on academics.”
• In anticipation of the upcoming Rocketman, chronicling the life of music superstar Elton John, the producers have released an official music video of the title song sung by film’s star, Taron Egerton. The musical fantasy biopic lands in US theaters May 31.
• Out producer/director Greg Berlanti (Love, Simon; Riverdale; Supergirl) says the most egregious example of anti-LGBTQ bias he’s seen in Hollywood was “gay executives and gay casting people who were the least likely to let me cast an actor they knew was gay in a straight part. These were the individuals who knew how important it would be.”
• Far-right loons like Alex Jones and Milo Yiannopolous have been banned from Facebook and Instagram (finally) in an effort to reduce hate speech.
• When Channing Tatum loses, we all win. The ‘Magic Mike’ star lost a game of Jenga, and so he had to post a photo of girlfriend Jessie J’s choosing. She has good taste.
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| Taron Egerton covers Attitude Magazine’s June Issue |
“When I was 14 or 15, I had a period of thinking I might be gay and I spoke to my mother about it,” says the 29-year-old. “It was a part of a period in my life where my mind was figuring things out.”
There’s something many of us can relate to.
Blaming the confusion on teenage hormones, Egerton admits it’s a time when “you question everything.”
“It was a very real feeling to me, and I was very panicked and upset about how I would be perceived,” the Welsh actor told Attitude. “That is not the same as going through it for real, but there is some understanding of what it might be like, and I remember feeling that acutely.”
The Kingsman star admits it’s not the same thing as coping with coming out himself, but “I guess there is a small kernel of that which I have experienced.”
Additionally, he shares that his roommate and bestie in drama school came out to him during that time, and he had a first-hand view of how the coming out process can impact a person.
“I’ve had someone cry in my arms about the fact that they were so terrified and at a loss at what to do,” he says.
When you add all that up, it’s not surprising that Egerton recently told GQ UK that he “always felt more at home in a gay club than at a football match.”
Still, Egerton is sympathetic that he landed a plum role that many gay actors would have relished.
“I completely understand why a gay actor would feel that this is an opportunity for which they would be better suited,” he acknowledged. “The way I feel about it is Elton asked me to play in a movie about his life. I am proud and privileged to be playing this person who happens to be gay.”
He also guarantees the film will not be ‘straight-washed,’ as many alleged the recent Bohemian Rhapsody hedged on the sexuality of Freddie Mercury.
“I would not have played this character if I didn’t think we could make a film the gay community would watch and feel a sense of ownership of,” he promises.
Check out Egerton’s full interview in Attitude’s June issue.
And check out more from his photo shoot below.
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| Taron Egerton (screen capture via YouTube) |
As Kingsman star Taron Egerton prepares for the release of his latest cinematic adventure – playing Elton John in the upcoming musical fantasy biopic Rocketman – the handsome actor makes an unexpected admission.
“Without ever wishing to seem ungrateful for the Kingsmanthing,” he tells GQ UK’s Chris Mandle for this month’s cover story, “as much as I love the films, especially the first, I will always feel like something of an imposter in that world.”
Imposter? What you talking about, Taron?
“The ‘guy’, the ‘bro’, the ‘stunt guy’,” says the 29-year-old actor, highlighting the phrases with air quotes. “I’ve never been that guy. I’m just not. I’m the guy who was playing Seymour in Little Shop Of Horrors when he was 17.”
When Mandle points out that it’s all acting anyway, Egerton conceded – a bit.
“Maybe,” said the handsome actor. “But I always felt more at home in a gay club than at a football match, far more at home.”
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| (photo: Gavin Bond) |
And speaking of “gay,” Egerton addresses the reports about a certain sex scene that was rumored to have been excised from the film, but then wasn’t.
“Well, the stuff we shot was pretty explicit,” Egerton shares. “I mean, that’s why I made the film. Those scenes are desperately -important when you have an icon of that magnitude, who means so much to one community.”
Calling Elton John “a standard bearer” for the LGBTQ community, Egerton felt it his responsibility to live up to that.
“For me, especially as a heterosexual actor, not to push the envelope as far as I can or try to make it a wholehearted celebration of being a gay man would be wrong,” he told GQ.
The Welsh actor has heard the stories about Bohemian Rhapsody being “straight-washed” for other countries where overt gay-isms don’t go over so well. He says banking box office bucks shouldn’t trump a film’s cinematic integrity.
“It’s a studio movie. It’s Elton John. We’ve got to own that. I don’t care how well the film does in Russia. It doesn’t matter. It can’t matter. What’s an extra $25 million at the box office? What are you willing to do for that? Sacrifice sleeping at night because you watered the whole thing down?”
What Egerton won’t ‘water down’ is the small amount of his life he shares on social media. Taron is going to be Taron.
Still somewhat new to Instagram, he posted a photo of a longtime friend last October, with the caption “Cutie. My boy.” Egerton learned how quickly people will read into a post and assume he was attempting to come out.
He clarified the situation in an interview, saying he’s straight, but shares the background of the post with GQ UK.
“I’ve known that guy since I was eleven,” he explained. “And he is a cutie. I call all my friend stuff like that. Anyone can tell you. [But] it doesn’t mean I want to f*ck any of them.”
In fact, Egerton isn’t all that fond of labels when it comes to how we view each other.
“I’m not someone who really subscribes to this binary view of male and female archetypes or ways of behaving,” he says. “And it’s only going to happen more and more. The lines are blurring. People are identifying and expressing themselves more fluidly. Our concept of what a straight man or gay man looks like or is expected to behave in 20 years will be nothing like it is now.”
Egerton’s GQ UK cover story (with gorgeous photography by Gavin Bond) is on newsstands now.
Rocketman hits theaters May 31.