• The Caftan Chronicles: Jon Kinnally, one of the main writers of “Will & Grace” from start to finish, shares with Tim Murphy the baby steps the iconic series had to take to fully come into its gayness. Great read.
• Them: Over the weekend, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth reposted and endorsed a CNN interview with his church’s pastor Doug Wilson, in which Wilson advocated for, among many things, the reinstatement of U.S. laws criminalizing same-sex relations. Wilson’s contempt for queer people comes at the 5:50 mark below. Continue reading “‘Will & Grace’ Writer On The Show’s Gay Baby Steps + More news”
Some news stories you might have missed: • NBC Out: Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA), the first gay immigrant elected to Congress, sashayed to the House floor on Wednesday to honor drag icon RuPaul Charles, as the centuries-old art form has become a political lightning rod in recent months. Continue reading “RuPaul In The House + Mike Pence Goes For Trump + More News”
Ricky Martin (screen capture via People) Some news items you might have missed: • PEOPLE: Shortly after denying allegations made against him in a domestic violence restraining order that was filed in Puerto Rico, Ricky Martin’s accuser has been revealed as his 21-year-old nephew, Dennis Yadiel Sanchez. Representatives for Martin told PEOPLE, “The allegations against Ricky Martin…are completely false and fabricated.” Continue reading “Ricky Martin’s Accuser Revealed To Be Nephew + More News”
L-R Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Sean Hayes, Megan Mullally (via Instagram) As NBC was preparing for the (second) series finale of Will & Grace this week, Will & Grace creators Max Mutchnick and David Kohan addressed the rumors of discord between series stars Debra Messing and Megan Mullally with Entertainment Weekly. You may recall Mullally quietly took a leave of absence during two episodes this season, and fans noticed she and Messing ‘unfollowed’ each other on social media. While Kohan and Mutchnick didn’t get into the details of the reported feud, they did acknowledge there were ‘tensions’ on set. Mutchnick said: “We always work under this kind of motto that everything’s about the work. It’s just about the work. And so if we stay true to that, then we just keep you guys out of whatever happened on the set this year because it would have done nothing but get in the way of the stories that we wanted to tell. It was not an easy year, but the permanent legacy of the show is much more important to us than any temporary squabble that would take place on the stage.” Mutchnick also shared that it was Messing’s “pain-in-the-ass” contract that forced producers to get to the series finale before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down Hollywood. “Oh my God, thank God. It would have been the most unfinished feeling to not get to the end of this season,” said Mutchnick laughingly. “Thank God Debra had it in her contract that we had to be done by Christmas. I finally found the silver lining in that really pain-in-the-ass clause.” Check out the full interview on EW here. I personally thought it felt a bit ‘by the numbers.’ Like something that had to be done, but there wasn’t the snap that once was there. I’m glad the series came back – we needed it after the election of 2016. But I also think the creative team and cast were wise to bring the curtain down at an appropriate junction. Who watched the finale? What did you think? Yay? Nay? Blase?
Canadian Idol winner Theo Tams (press photo)***Re-upping this post as it didn’t seem to post correctly last night*** Some news items you might have missed: • OutSports: Brock Weston, a 25-year-old college hockey player from Marion University in Font du Lac, Wisconsin, came out to his hockey team and was surprised by the reaction. “People I thought would disown me or become even more cruel were among the first to voice their acceptance.” • NBC News: A top Health and Human Services official who said he was transferred from his post for pushing back on “efforts to fund potentially dangerous drugs promoted by those with political connections” felt pressured to rush access to chloroquine treatments for coronavirus after President Donald Trump had a conversation about it with a mega-rich donor • Out Music: Canadian singer/songwriter and pianist Theo Tams (above) drops his new video “The Last Song” which features the Canadian Idol winner as a character chameleon of sorts, all in the name of self-love and care. “The song represents the moment you realize your own self-worth,” says Tams. “It’s about recognizing you are enough and letting go of the past. Finally.”
• NY Times: The Trump administration is considering cutting back on sharing intelligence with partner countries that criminalize homosexuality as part of a push by the acting director of national intelligence, Richard Grenell, to prod those nations to change their laws. • OUT: On April 26, the Schitt’s Creek cast will join other Canadian celebrities in a commercial-free 90-minute special to support front-line workers fighting the global pandemic. Titled Stronger Together, Tous Ensembles, the display will feature musical artists like Michael Buble and Justin Bieber, as well as Cirque Du Soleil and Avril Lavigne. • SiriusXM: Host Jess Cagle speaks to Eric McCormack, Sean Hayes, and Debra Messing about the pride they feel over their “goofy sitcom” and its cultural impact. The final episode of the series airs tonight at 9 pm ET on NBC. The finale is followed by a retrospective, “A Will & Graceful Goodbye,” at 9:30 p.m.
In this week’s podcast: • The FDA issues new guidelines regarding gay and bisexual men donating blood • A new report shows anti-LGBTQ hate groups are on the rise in the U.S. • Get ready to live-stream a global Pride celebration this June • Sean Hayes reflects on saying goodbye to Will & Gracea second time All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report
Max Emerson and friend (photo: Charlie Nunn) Some news items you might have missed: • InstaHunks: Cutie Max Emerson (above) offers this important public service announcement – “If you foster a doggo you don’t have to quarantine alone. Shelters need your help now more than ever, so if you’re one of the lucky people still financially stable please consider it.” • The Gaily Grind: A “traveling musical minister” who dismissed the COVID-19 threat as “mass hysteria” has just died from complications due to the virus. • Washington Blade: A cadre of 17 senators — including six former presidential hopefuls and one current candidate — are calling on the Food & Drug Administration to take another look at the ban prohibiting gay and bisexual men from donating blood amid the coronavirus crisis. • New Music: Pop sensation 5 Seconds of Summer drops their latest single, “Wildflower,” an 80s-inspired, upbeat power-pop bop. The band says they left out words from the chorus so that people can “make the chorus kind of a choose-your-own-adventure. Expect to hear “WildFlower” all over the place this spring and summer.
• Deadline: NBC has set 9 p.m. Thursday, April 23, for the series finale of Will & Graceand will precede it with a half-hour retrospective special hosted by Eric McCormack. The special will chronicle the series’ guest stars and its history-making moments from over the years, including the first male-to-male kiss on network television. Elton John and Norman Lear also will appear. • NewNowNext: In addition to her Las Vegas shows being postponed due to the coronavirus threat, Lady Gaga has announced she will also delay the release of her upcoming album, Chromatica, as well. “While I believe art is one of the strongest things we have to provide joy and healing to each other during times like this, it just doesn’t feel right to me to release this album with all that is going on during this global pandemic.” • Advocate: The gays asked for it, and #BeardEdgeEdge is here. During an Instagram Live session on Wednesday with Dr. Dara Krass, former Mayor Pete Buttigieg was looking pretty fur-tastic.
L-R Leslie Jordan and Megan Mullally (screen captures) As NBC’s hit sitcom Will & Grace begins its run down the final stretch of new episodes, the powers that be give us this supercut of hilarious moments between quintessential frenemies Karen Walker (Megan Mullally) and Beverley Leslie (Leslie Jordan) over the years. “Karen Walker – I thought I smelled gin…and regret.” “Shouldn’t you be in your tree making cookies?” “Well, well, well…”
Originally debuting in 1998, Will & Grace has been nominated for 91 Emmy Awards, winning 18 of them, including Outstanding Comedy Series. The series has also earned seven SAG Awards and the show is one of the few in TV history where each member of the cast has won an Emmy. Watch Will & Grace Thursdays 9/8c on NBC.
In this week’s podcast: • Marriage equality comes to Northern Ireland • A gay conservative student who led a drag queen protest was found dead of suicide just hours later • Blackmail forces a YouTube star to come out • The truth behind rumors of backstage fights at NBC’s ‘Will & Grace’ • And the Oscar nominations are out and pretty much without the gays All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report
Some news stories you might have missed: • 
