Gay actor Marc Patton is returning to the big screen, as himself, with the documentary Scream, Queen: My Nightmare On Elm Street, The Washington Blade noted. The film tells the story of how his "big break" became a controversial flashpoint for Hollywood homophobia and drove him away from the industry for 30 years. Directed by Roman Chimienti and Tyler Jensen, it explores Patton's experiences while also examining how 1985's A Nightmare On Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge was branded as "the gayest horror movie ever made." Patton says he initiated the project because he felt it offered a valuable window on hidden gay history.
FX said that the third season of its award-winning limited series franchise American Crime Story will center on the sex scandal that rocked the Bill Clinton presidency, Deadline reported. Sarah Paulson—after winning an Emmy for her turn as Marcia Clark in American Crime Story: The People v. O.J. Simpson—will return to the anthology as Linda Tripp, while Booksmart's Beanie Feldstein will play Monica Lewinsky and Annaleigh Ashford will play Paula Jones. Production begins on the Fox 21 Television Studios/FX Production in February, with the season premiere set for Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020—about a month out from the next U.S. presidential election.
Veteran actor/artist Keith McDermott—known for roles in Without a Trace and in various stage productions—has talked about two gay icons: Tab Hunter and Anthony Perkins, according to Queerty. Talking with Michael Musto for Logo.com, McDermott said that he dated Hunter when the icon was 50 and McDermott was 24. Regarding Perkins, McDermott described the Psycho actor as frequently checking out men in the audience, and claims he married a woman so he could have a more "settled" life.
Lady Gaga plans to provide funding for 162 classrooms in Dayton, Ohio; El Paso, Texas and Gilroy, California—all sites of recent mass shootings, Page Six reported. She said she would donate through Donors Choose, an organization in which teachers can fundraise for classroom projects for their students. "My heart goes out to those who were taken from us too soon and to their families, loved ones, and communities who are left to grieve. Everyone has the right to laws that make them feel safe in their communities. In this moment, I want to channel my confusion, frustration, and fury into hope," she wrote on Facebook.
Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth are getting divorced under a year after they got married, BBC.com reported. The couple have had an on-off relationship; they briefly broke up in 2013 before getting back together again in 2015 and marrying in 2018. According to Yahoo! Lifestyle ( citing Entertainment Tonight ), Cyrus was photographed with Brody Jenner's ex, Kaitlynn Carter; the two were seen making out, cuddling, and taking dips in the water while enjoying the Mediterranean.
Queer Eye co-host Jonathan Van Ness is sharing his heartbreak after the death of his cat, Bug, USA Today noted. "At some point last night while I slept my baby Bug fell from an open window and passed away. I'm hurting so bad today I can't put it into words, for anyone else experiencing grief & loss, I'm with you," he wrote. His followers took to the comment section to send the star some love, including figure skater Michelle Kwan.
Missy Elliott will become the first female rapper to receive MTV's Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award when the 36th annual Video Music Awards are presented Aug. 26, Billboard noted. This has been a year of firsts for Elliott; on June 13, she became the first female rapper to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Elliott will be the fourth rap artist overall to receive the MTV honor, following LL Cool J ( 1997 ), Beastie Boys ( 1998 ) and Kanye West ( 2015 ).
Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Luke Bryan are returning for the new season of American Idol, which will premiere in spring 2020, Deadline noted. ABC renewed the musical talent competition in May for a third season on its network and the show's 18th season overall. In addition to auditioning in person, contestants can submit videos online or via social media.
Speaking of Perry, she returns with her second single of 2019, "Small Talk" —about the emotional distance that develops after a break-up, a press release noted. "Small Talk" follows Katy's summer hit, "Never Really Over," which marked her first new solo music since 2017. Also, Perry has been awarded a plaque commemorating 100 million RIAA song certifications. She is one of only five artists in history to have topped 100 million certified units with their digital singles.
However, Perry is also in the news for an entirely different reason: aA male model has accused her of sexual assault, Page Six revealed. Josh Kloss—who appeared as the love interest in Perry's 2010 "Teenage Dream" music video—claims the singer exposed his penis to a crowd of people at a party. Kloss wrote on Instagram, "[A]s I turned to introduce my friend [at a party], she pulled my Adidas sweats and underwear out as far as she could to show a couple of her guy friends and the crowd around us, my penis. Can you imagine how pathetic and embarrassed i felt?" He added that even though clips of the music video he starred in are constantly used by the star, Kloss was only paid $650.
Legally Blonde: The Musical lyricists Nell Benjamin and Laurence O'Keefe are in the works on an untitled comedy musical at Universal for which they will write the songs and screenplay, Deadline noted. Legally Blonde: The Musical received seven Tony nominations in 2007. Separately, Benjamin wrote the lyrics to Mean Girls: The Musical, for which she was Tony-nominated for Best Original Score with Jeff Richmond; O'Keefe has worked on such musicals as Heathers and Bat Boy.
Jake Gyllenhaal has revealed that his late co-star Heath Ledger consistently shut down attempts to make fun of Brokeback Mountain—the gay love story that earned both actors Oscar nominations in 2006, according to The Guardian. Speaking on The Today Show, Gyllenhaal said that Ledger hated when individuals made jokes at the film's expense, or lines of dialogue spoken by the pair—most notably, "I wish I knew how to quit you." Gyllenhaal also revealed the impact the role had on his career, revealing, "It opened tons of doors. It was crazy. It was amazing. It's defined my career in different ways."
Andy Cohen will host the 60th annual Clio Awards at the Manhattan Center in New York on Wed., Sept. 25, Page Six noted. The international awards competition honors the works and talents of professionals in creative businesses, including those in advertising, sports, fashion and music.
Jussie Smollett's career on Empire is officially over, People.com noted. During Fox's Television Critics Association tour, Charlie Collier, the network's CEO, confirmed that fans shouldn't expect to see Smollett return for the show's final season, which premieres next month. Smollett—who has played gay musician Jamal Lyon since the beginning—was indicted in March with 16 counts of disorderly conduct for allegedly filing a false report claiming two men attacked him in an alleged homophobic and racist hate crime in Chicago; the charges were later dropped under puzzling circumstances. In June, show creator Lee Daniels said that Smollett would not return for Empire's final season, revealing the scandal played into the decision to end the show after season six.
Mariah Carey met Bill and Hillary Clinton at Barbra Streisand's Madison Square Garden concert, tweeting photos of the couple with the tongue-in-cheek caption, "An honor to meet President Clinton and her husband, former President Bill Clinton! Thank you for everything you have done and continue to do for our country," Billboard noted. Hillary has returned the favor of Carey referring to her as "President Clinton" by calling Carey a queen, complete with a crown emoji.
Speaking of Streisand, she had a message for the president during her headlining performance at New York City's Madison Square Garden, Rolling Stone noted. The singer took the opportunity to unveil a rendition of "Send in the Clowns" targeted squarely at President Trump. Her new rendition of "Send in the Clowns," which Streisand originally covered for her The Broadway Album in 1985, opens with the line, "He says he's rich/ Maybe he's poor/ 'Til he reveals his returns/ Who can be sure?/ Who is this clown?"
On the heels of beating the Beatles' record for number of charted songs on the Billboard Hot 100 Top 10—hitting 35 to the Fab Four's 34—rapper Drake got a new tattoo depicting himself as the fifth Beatle, Page Six noted. The forearm ink depicts the Beatles' iconic Abbey Road album cover, which recently turned 50, but with Drake added ahead of John Lennon.
The company 101 Studios has optioned all rights to the book Skin Tight: The Bizarre Story of Guess vs. Jordache, which is slated to be developed into a series, a press release noted. The release stated, "In New York, the three Nakash brothers, founders of form-fitting Jordache jeans, decide to invest in an upstart California company named Guess, run by the two Marciano brothers. But what seems like an ordinary business deal soon becomes an all-out, unstoppable blood feud." Inaugural releases from the newly formed 101 Studios include Alfonso Gomez-Rejon's The Current War, featuring Benedict Cumberbatch and Michael Shannon; Burden, featuring Forest Whitaker and Garrett Hedlund; and Taylor Sheridan's modern-day Western series Yellowstone, starring Kevin Costner.
Tyler, The Creator announced the line-up for the eighth annual Camp Flog Gnaw Carnival, which will take place in L.A. on Nov. 5-6, a press release noted. Besides Tyler, some of the musicians slated to perform include Solange, YG, FKA Twigs, Juice WRLD and Brockhampton. Last year's festival featured Kids See Ghosts, SZA, Ms. Lauryn Hill, A$AP Rocky and Tyler.
Grammy-award winning musicians Ms. Lauryn Hill and H.E.R. have announced a special performance at the Hollywood Bowl on Wed., Oct. 16, Billboard reported. The concert will be a one-night only experience at the iconic venue in Los Angeles. Hill's solo career soared when The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill was released more than 20 years ago, and earned her five Grammy Awards; H.E.R. made her mark with two Grammy wins this year—for Best R&B Album ( H.E.R. ) and Best R&B Performance single ( "Best Part," featuring Daniel Caesar ).
Art Alexakis, the frontman of the multi-platinum rock band Everclear, has announced his debut solo album, Sun Songs, a press release noted. The album's due Friday, Oct. 11, via The End Records/BMG. In support, Alexakis will embark on a solo tour—including select U.S., U.K. and Ireland dates—this October ( including a stop at the Evanston, Illinois, venue Space on Oct. 8 ).
The Chicago White Sox and the New York Yankees will play a 2020 regular season Major League Baseball game at the site where Field of Dreams was filmed, TheWrap noted. Fox's "MLB at 'Field of Dreams'" event in Dyersville, Iowa, will not only be the first at the movie site turned tourist attraction, but it will actually be the first ever Major League game ever played in Iowa. The Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020, event will be considered a White Sox home game.
Broadway producer Ben Sprecher—the man behind the failed musical Rebecca—was arrested Aug. 13 on charges related to child pornography, The New York Post reported. Sprecher, 65, was picked up by the feds at his home in Harlem, which agents are in the process of searching.
