THE VOICE OF CHICAGO'S GAY, LESBIAN, BI, TRANS AND QUEER COMMUNITY SINCE 1985

A&M/Virgin/UMe and Janet Jackson will see key entries in the artist's acclaimed canon reissued on vinyl, including A&M and Virgin albums, a press release touted. The reissue series commenced in full with the wide release of Jackson's mega-platinum-selling third album, Control, on single vinyl in two different color options: black and translucent red. Four other reissues have been timed to coincide with the second run of Jackson's Metamorphosis Las Vegas Residency on July 26, including 1989's Rhythm Nation 1814, 1993's janet., 1997's The Velvet Rope and 2001's All For You. Fans can preorder Jackson's reissued vinyl catalog at https://ume.lnk.to/JanetJacksonVinylPR.

Speaking of Jackson, she—along with 50 Cent, Tyga, Future and Chris Brown—took part in a concert in Saudi Arabia that Nicki Minaj pulled out of, Yahoo! Entertainment reported. Minaj backed out of performing in the country, after the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi; she also cited the treatment of women and LGBTQs in the country. The Human Rights Foundation has criticized artists for performing in Saudi Arabia, where gender segregation between single men and women is enforced in many restaurants, coffee shops, public schools and universities.

Out rapper Cazwell and drag personality Miss Peppermint have announced the launch of their new podcast, "It's a Mess," a press release noted. Produced with ForeverDog Entertainment, the podcast has been promoted as an advice show that also covers topics such as trans rights and gay adoption. The 45-minute show is recorded in Los Angeles and New York, with new episodes releasing every Thursday on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and at foreverdogproductions.com/fdpn/podcasts/its-a-mess/ .

Andy Cohen appeared on The Wendy Williams Show, for the first time in six years, on what happened to be Williams' 55th birthday, Page Six noted. Cohen started with a bang, telling Williams, "Your husband [Kevin Hunter] was not my biggest fan. I've been cheering you on for the last six years." Williams and Hunter are divorcing, and Williams added, "Life has really changed." Cohen also opened up about life as a dad to his baby boy and shared that he has a full-time night nurse who lives with him, whom he found through pal Kelly Ripa.

Max Minghella, who's in Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale, talked with NewNowNext.com about directing the directorial debut in Teen Spirit. As for the movie, he said, "I tried to squeeze all my favorite things into one 90-minute experience." Talking about his personal life, the son of director Anthony Minghella said, "I was raised almost entirely by gay men, so I'm not surprised we share similar taste in music. My godparents—who are actually the choreographers on Teen Spirit, Jonathan Lunn and Amir Hosseinpour—really were as present in my life growing up as both my parents."

In an interview with Fox Sports, NBA star Dwight Howard addressed allegations about his sexuality and how a slew of rumors begun in the fall of 2018 impacted his life, Instinct Magazine noted. Speaking to reporter Kristine Leahy, Howard simply said, "I'm not gay." However, Howard—who is currently on the Memphis Grizzlies roster—said the experience of gay rumors swirling around him gave him a new perspective in how he views gay athletes: "I think that liberated me because I saw how a lot of people would feel. Whether they're gay or they're straight [or] whether they have issues, people are afraid to be who they are."

Actress Bella Thorne came out as pansexual in an interview with Nightline, LGBTQ Nation noted. ( In 2016, she came out as bisexual on Twitter. ) "I realized recently I'm actually pansexual and I didn't know that," Thorne said during the interview. "Somebody explained to me really thoroughly what that is and I am pan." When asked what the difference is, she said, "You like beings. You like what you like. Doesn't have to be a girl or a guy or a he, a she, a they, or this, or that. It's literally you like personality. You just like a being."

The video for Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody"—the iconic 1975 single, not the 2018 feature film—became the first pre-1990s video to top 1 billion views on YouTube, AdWeek noted. YouTube said in a blog post that the "Bohemian Rhapsody" video is "generally recognized as the first-ever promotional music video." The song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2004, and Rolling Stone readers tapped the vocal performance by the late Freddie Mercury as the best in rock history.

Lady Bunny recently landed in hot water with Twitter, Gay Times Magazine noted. The legendary drag comedian took to Facebook to share with her followers that she'd been "first suspended and then permanently banned" from Twitter for violating the social media platform's rules against hateful conduct—for calling friend and Drag Race champion Bianca Del Rio a "lezzer."

Gossip Girl is officially back, Us Magazine noted. WarnerMedia's streaming service, HBO Max, has ordered 10 episodes of a reboot of the CW series, which originally aired for six seasons from 2007 to 2012. The show will take place eight years later, following a new generation of private school teens living in New York City. The dramatic 121 original episodes were based on the YA novel series by Cecily von Ziegesar and launched the careers of Blake Lively , Leighton Meester, Penn Badgley, Chace Crawford, Ed Westwick and Taylor Momsen.

Director Baz Luhrmann has found his Elvis. Deadline reported that he has set Austin Butler to play the starmaking role of Elvis Presley in the untitled drama that covers the seminal legend's growth from dirt poor singer to global icon. The film—with Tom Hanks as Presley's manager, Colonel Tom Parker—will shoot early next year in Queensland, Australia.

On a related note, former One Direction heartthrob Harry Styles lost out on a role to play Elvis in a Baz Luhrmann biopic on the King—but Styles looks to have landed a part in Chicago director Rob Marshall's live-action version of The Little Mermaid instead, Page Six noted, citing Deadline. The Little Mermaid stars Halle Bailey in the lead role.

Showtime has made a series commitment to an untitled musical drama series executive-produced by multiple Grammy winner Alicia Keys and the Oscar-, Tony- and Grammy-winning team of Benj Pasek and Justin Paul ( La La Land; Dear Evan Hansen; The Greatest Showman ), a network press release stated. Pasek and Paul will contribute music to the series. The project will span generations to tell a family story that interweaves modern-day and 1959 Detroit, centering on a mystery uncovered by a young musician who moves back to her childhood home.

Mark Hamill was awarded the 2019 Icon Award from Comic-Con International, according to Page Six. "Listen, I told you how lucky I feel to be able to do all the things I loved as a kid and get paid for it, so this just seems wildly excessive, but is much appreciated," Hamill said as the audience gave him a standing ovation during Netflix's "Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance" panel. George Lucas, Stan Lee and Ray Bradbury have been among past winners of the award.

Also at the San Diego Comic-Con, Danai Gurira announced that she's leaving The Walking Dead, Page Six noted. She teared up as she told the room that playing the role of Michonne on the AMC show was one of the "purest joys of my life."

In addition, The CW showed the pilot for its upcoming DC series at Comic-Con to much fan excitement—but the absence of leading star Ruby Rose was conspicuous, Variety noted. Rose, who plays the titular lesbian superhero, was scheduled to headline the panel but announced just a couple days before the panel via Instagram that she wasn't going to make it due to shooting demands on the series. Rose made her debut as Batwoman/Kate Kane in a DC Crossover episode that linked three storylines from CW's Supergirl, Flash and Arrow, and served as a trial run for the character. Batwoman is set to premiere Sunday, Oct. 6, on The CW.

Massachusetts prosecutors have dropped an indecent assault and battery case accusing Kevin Spacey of groping an 18-year-old man at a Nantucket bar in 2016, Deadline noted. The decision comes just days after the man accusing Spacey suddenly dropped his civil lawsuit against the Oscar winner. Spacey denied the allegations.

Margot Robbie channeled Sharon Tate in the film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood—with a little help from the late actress's own jewelry collection, Page Six noted. Tate's sister Deborah gave the film her blessing and provided the star with some of her sister's personal possessions. "It was sometimes very sad to be that closely connected with real-life Sharon," Robbie told NBC's Harry Smith. Tate was murdered by members of the Manson Family in 1969.

Shannen Doherty will guest-star on the season-four premiere of Riverdale, which will honor her late Beverly Hills, 90210 co-star Luke Perry, Page Six noted. Perry, who died at 52 following a massive stroke, became close friends with Doherty while filming the original 90210. The role Doherty is playing will honor their longtime friendship, Riverdale executive producer Aguirre-Sacasa told Entertainment Tonight.

The fourth season of Hulu/WBTV's Veronica Mars premiered July 19—a week earlier than expected, Deadline.com noted. Bell reprises her role as the super-sharp sleuth of Neptune Beach. The hourlong limited series from Rob Thomas follows a new mystery whereby spring breakers are being murdered in Neptune, thereby decimating the seaside town's lifeblood tourist industry.

Netflix's drama series 13 Reasons Why has cut one of its most controversial scenes, USA Today reported. Following years of backlash, the streaming service announced in a tweet Tuesday that the show's 17-year-old protagonist Hannah Baker, played by actress Katherine Langford, would no longer be shown taking her own life on-screen in the first-season finale. The edited scene now ends on a shot of Langford staring at herself in the mirror before her death happens off screen.

Rihanna was accused of cultural appropriation after she posed in traditional Chinese garb for a new magazine cover, Page Six noted. Harper's Bazaar China touted its cover as "[a] western style icon meets [an] eastern aesthetic," and shared the glam pics on Instagram. At the 2015 Met Gala, themed "China: Through the Looking Glass," Rihanna wore a gold gown by Chinese designer Guo Pei.

The Ruderman Family Foundation, a national leader in disability inclusion, has called on Kylie Jenner and boyfriend Travis Scott to raise awareness for the importance of parking disability accessible parking, a press release noted. An Instagram post that that appeared to show the coupled parking in a spot reserved for people with disabilities has already garnered nearly 7.5 million likes. In a tweet to Jenner and Scott, Ruderman Family Foundation President Jay Ruderman asked the couple to "raise awareness for the importance of inclusion of people with disabilities in our society" and to "always keep their needs in mind."

After Gigi Gorgeous and Nats Getty tied the knot in a beachfront wedding at the Rosewood Miramar Beach in Montecito, California, they celebrated with friends during a relaxing beach day, People.com noted. Gorgeous married Getty on July 13 wearing a custom, strapless Michael Costello princess ball gown; the beauty influencer and LGBTQ+ activist worked closely with Costello on her dream dress. Getty wore a suit she designed from her own label, Strike Oil.

On a recent episode of The Hills: New Beginnings, Brody Jenner and his wife, Kaitlynn, claimed that Caitlyn ( Brody's parent ) skipped out on their wedding just a week before the Bali-based nuptials, Page Six noted. Brody later admitted, "Not having [Caitlyn] at the wedding, it was a bummer. Honestly, it really did hurt. I would have loved to have her there. But, you know, she had better things to do—apparently." The couple tied the knot in June 2018.

Grammy-winning country music singer and Grand Ole Opry member Crystal Gayle announced the release of her first new album in nearly 16 years, You Don't Know Me, a press release noted. Available everywhere Sept. 6, with a pre-sale beginning Aug. 9, the new album is being released by Southpaw Musical Productions, and distributed by BFD in partnership with The Orchard. You Don't Know Me is a collection that finds Gayle ( one of Loretta Lynn's sisters ) exploring the songs of such country legends as George Jones, Patsy Cline, Buck Owens and Eddy Arnold.

West Wing alumnus Bradley Whitford has married his former Transparent costar, Amy Landecker, People.com stated. "In a shocking, totally unearned plot twist, Commander Lawrence married Mrs. McKenzie today in Santa Barbara," the groom tweeted, referencing their Handmaid's Tale characters. Although they met in 2014, the actors didn't begin dating until the summer of 2015. Whitford was previously married to actress Jane Kaczmarek ( Malcolm in the Middle ) for 16 years; they ended their union in 2009.

Veteran Batman franchise producer Michael E. Uslan advised detractors upset with Robert Pattinson's casting in The Batman to trust the vision of director Matt Reeves, ComicBook.com noted. Uslan shepherded Batman blockbusters headlined by big-name movie stars Michael Keaton, George Clooney, Christian Bale and Ben Affleck. Reflecting on the casting of Mr. Mom and Beetlejuice funnyman Keaton as Burton's moody caped crusader, Uslan noted the decision famously ignited "an uproar like the world had never seen before."

A new comedic, animated adventure series The Rocketeer—inspired by the superhero comic books and Walt Disney Pictures feature film—follows Kit Secord after she learns she's secretly next in line to become The Rocketeer, a rocket pack-wearing superhero who can fly, a press release noted. The series will debut on Disney Channel and Disney Junior this fall with actor Billy Campbell, who starred as Cliff Secord in The Rocketeer film, as the voice of Dave Secord, Kit's father. Kathy Najimy ( Hocus Pocus ) will voice Kit's mother, Sareena Secord; Kitana Turnbull ( A Series of Unfortunate Events ) stars as Kit.

Sean "Diddy" Combs and MTV are reteaming to bring back the music-competition series Making The Band to premiere in 2020, Deadline noted. Making the Band first premiered on MTV in 2002, with Combs at the helm. Grammy-winning artist and business mogul Combs set off a social media firestorm by suggesting the idea of the show's return, prompting an outpouring of support by fans.

This year, the producers of the DC franchise on the CW are planning a big stunt involving one of DC's most recognizable superheroes, Superman. Two actors who have played the Man of Steel, Tyler Hoechlin and Brandon Routh, will both portray him in different time frames. Both Hoechlin and Routh are already members of the Arrowverse: Hoechlin recurs as Superman on Supergirl, while Routh plays Ray Palmer/The Atom on DC's Legends of Tomorrow. Routh—who played Superman in the 2006 Bryan Singer-directed feature Superman Returns—will portray both Clark Kent and his Legends of Tomorrow character.

Queer Eye food and wine guru Antoni Porowski spoke with Into the Gloss about his grooming routine—revealing, among other things, that he only washes his hair once every two weeks, Page Six noted. "I only wash my hair every 10 days to two weeks with shampoo because it gets poofy; usually, I just use hot water," he said. Porowski even tried to DIY his own salt spray using ocean water from the Rockaways—to terrifying results: "I didn't realize that ocean water goes bad!"