Windy City Media Group Frontpage News

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

home search facebook twitter join
Gay News Sponsor Windy City Times 2023-12-13
DOWNLOAD ISSUE
Donate

Sponsor
Sponsor
Sponsor

  WINDY CITY TIMES

SHOWBIZ Lilly Wachowski, Greg Berlanti, Audra McDonald, Pink
by Andrew Davis, Windy City Times
2019-01-29

This article shared 5819 times since Tue Jan 29, 2019
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email


Transgender Matrix franchise/Sense8 co-creator Lilly Wachowski has come on board to produce, co-write and co-direct a series to be based on Abby McEnany and Tim Mason's pilot, Work in Progress, which premiered in the Indie Episodic Section at the Sundance Film Festival on Jan. 29, Deadline noted. In Work in Progress, Abby is forced to re-evaluate her life choices, her dating options, and whether or not to confront the woman responsible for "ruining her life": SNL's Julia Sweeney. McEnany is a mainstay of the Chicago improvisational comedy scene where she has performed with The Second City National Touring company and regularly performs at iO Chicago.

Greg Berlanti will receive the Television Showman of the Year honor at the 56th annual ICG Publicists Guild Awards, set for Feb. 22 at the Beverly Hilton, Deadline noted. Berlanti has 15 series on the air at the moment, and at least one project with a big commitment at each of the five broadcast networks this season. Also, Jamie Lee Curtis will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award at the ceremony.

Audra McDonald and Michael Shannon will star in a Broadway revival this May of Terrence McNally's Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune, Deadline reported. The production will be directed by Obie Award winner Arin Arbus, in her Broadway debut. The 16-week revival, described as a strictly limited engagement, will begin previews in May at a Shubert Organization theater to be announced.

Pink sounded off against her critics with a lengthy Instagram post about standing up for her beliefs, US Weekly reported. "Throw up Thursday. I am the same girl I've always been," the three-time Grammy winner, 39, captioned a throwback shot Opens a New Window. of herself rocking short pink locks on Jan. 24. "I am mostly peace and love, with a little bit of go f—k yourself. So when you keyboard warriors ( anonymous toughguys ) threaten me? that middle finger is pointed at you. Again: the unfollow button is ( I think ) top right of your screen."

Out transgender actress Jen Richards is playing a cisgender character in NBC's drama series Blindspot, Advocate.com noted. The show follows the story of Jane Doe ( Jaimie Alexander ), a woman who was found in Times Square with no memory of how she got there—and with her only clues being mysterious tattoos on her body. Richards plays CIA agent Sabrina Larren, a recurring character.

Director Bryan Singer has responded to a report published by The Atlantic that includes multiple allegations that the filmmaker had sex with underage boys and one from a man who says he was fondled at age 13 by Singer on a film set, Deadline noted. In a message sent by a representative, the director said that Esquire magazine was set to run what he called a "homophobic smear piece" but that "after careful fact-checking and, in consideration of the lack of credible sources, Esquire chose not to publish this piece of vendetta journalism. That didn't stop this writer from selling it to The Atlantic." The magazine says it spent 12 months investigating allegations against the Bohemian Rhapsody and X-Men director, speaking to "more than 50 sources." ( He's still attached to direct Red Sonja, Variety noted. )

Speaking of Singer, GLAAD removed his film, Bohemian Rhapsody, from contention for a GLAAD Media Award in the Outstanding Film—Wide Release category this year, an organizational press release revealed. A statement said, "Singer's response to The Atlantic story wrongfully used 'homophobia' to deflect from sexual assault allegations, and GLAAD urges the media and the industry at large to not gloss over the fact that survivors of sexual assault should be put first," adding, "Other films that involve Singer now or in the future should take note of the backlash to The Atlantic story and other previous allegations."

U.S. figure-skating champion John Coughlin committed suicide Jan. 25—one day after being suspended from the sport over unspecified allegations, CBS News reported. The U.S. Center for SafeSport—a non-profit that works to prevent abuse in sports—announced in December that Coughlin's participation in figure skating was restricted as the organization looked into a matter involving him. Coughlin, 33, won a U.S. pairs title in 2011 with Caitlin Yankowskas and another in 2012 with Caydee Denney.

Kristen Bell has said her Good Place character, Eleanor Shellstrop, is "kind of bi," PinkNews noted. The NBC sitcom—in its third season—has repeatedly alluded to Kristen Bell's character Eleanor Shellstrop having a crush on Tahani Al-Jamil, played by Jameela Jamil. Bell said on Conan, Tahani is gorgeous, so she keeps mentioning it. Eleanor is kind of bi, and it's fine with me!"

Nafessa Williams—who plays TV's first Black lesbian superhero, Thunder, on the CW show Black Lightning—and Luke Cage's Mike Colter have joined star Naomie Harris in the cop thriller Black and Blue, Deadline noted. Frank Grillo, Reid Scott, Beau Knapp and Tyrese Gibson are also set to co-star.

Former NBA star Dennis Rodman had kind words for the late Penny Marshall —who was making a doc about him when she passed away, Page Six noted. "That was hard," he told us. "She was very close to me. I found out she died like three days later, and I was, like, 'What the f—k—she did what?' Damn, that was hard to take." Rodman was attending the Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park, near Miami.

Openly gay actor Jonathan Bennett ( Mean Girls ) was the first person voted out this season on Celebrity Big Brother. Talking with Entertainment Weekly, he said of his actions, "The reason I aligned with the girls [Tamar Braxton, Lolo Jones and a few others] is that they were the only three people who had uttered a word about gameplay. No one in the house had ever seen Big Brother or understands it." He added that he felt Dina Lohan ( mother of Mean Girls co-star Lindsay ) should win the competition.

Mo'Nique recently had some choice words about Whoopi Goldberg, according to Page Six. When Mo'Nique appeared on The View last year, Goldberg said at one point, "I said if you had called me I could've schooled you on what was expected." But No'Nique recently told Vulture, "But, how many things has Whoopi Goldberg executive produced? Whoopi Goldberg has always been the help, and I say that humbly. So what is it that you're going to school me on? I've been doing it for almost 30 years." Also, Mo'Nique claimed her intentions were to help other upcoming talents in Hollywood but Goldberg disagreed.

Britney Spears impersonator/RuPaul's Drag Race alumnus Derrick Barry celebrated the 10th anniversary of Spears' Circus album with an event in NYC's Lincoln Center, a press release noted. Tweener drag personality Desmond is Amazing made an appearance, and while DJ Ty Sunderland played Spears' hits.

"Bye bye," said Robert Redford at the Sundance Film Festival, exiting as the public face for the Utah gathering he founded decades ago, Deadline reported. Redford's exit from Sundance, after 34 years at the helm, followed his announcement last year that Fox Searchlight's The Old Man & The Gun would be his final on-screen performance.

The CW recently greenlit four pilots, all based on well-known titles—two spinoffs of existing CW series, Riverdale and Jane the Virgin, a Nancy Drew drama and The Lost Boys reboot, Deadline noted. They join the recently greenlit Batwoman pilot starring Ruby Rose. The spinoffs are the Riverdale spinoff Katy Keene, which follows four Archie Comics characters; and telenovela anthology series Jane the Novela. The first Riverdale spinoff is The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, which started at the CW before moving to Netflix, where it has been a breakout hit.

Wade Robson and James Safechuck—featured in Leaving Neverland, the movie featuring child sexual-abuse allegations about Michael Jackson—received a standing ovation from the almost entirely full Egyptian Theatre at the Sundance Film Festival, Deadline noted. With police and Sundance security close by as well as outside and in the lobby, Robson, Safechuck and director Dan Reed took often applause-interrupted questions about the film. Robson and Safechuck have claimed they were sexually abused by Jackson when they were ages 7 and 10, respectively. The Jackson estate has called the film "character assassination."

Watch What Happens Live ( WWHL ) host Andy Cohen was surrounded by nearly 50 Real Housewives from seven franchises at an extravagant baby shower, People.com noted. The bash took place at The Palm Beverly Hills, where Cohen's BFF ( and Radio Andy personality ) Bruce Bozzi Jr. is executive vice president. Original Housewives Kyle Richards ( Real Housewives of Beverly Hills ), Vicki Gunvalson ( Real Housewives of Orange County ), Ramona Singer ( Real Housewives of New York City ), NeNe Leakes ( Real Housewives of Atlanta ) and Teresa Giudice ( Real Housewives of New Jersey ) organized and hosted the event. Singer John Mayer and former Flipping Out star Jenni Pulos, who sings Cohen's WWHL theme song, also attended.

Kathy Griffin deleted a tweet after making a mistake while posting a picture of people that she claimed were kids from Covington Catholic High School—the Kentucky school involved in the controversial confrontation with a protester in D.C.—playing basketball, Page Six noted. "Covington's finest throwing up the new nazi sign," wrote Griffin—but she mistook the OK sign the players showed were flashing for something more right-wing. Griffin later said, "MSNBC's Chris Hayes was kind enough to reply and correct me, so I deleted the tweet."

More than 20 years after she is rumored to have come to blows with Bikini Kill frontwoman Kathleen Hanna, Courtney Love is back to needling the iconic Riot Grrrl act about its upcoming reunion tour, Page Six noted. Responding to a Bust magazine Instagram post that mentioned the tour selling out "in seconds," Love commented, "Biggest hoax in the history of rock and roll." In an oral history of the tour published by the Washington Post in 2015, Hole guitarist Eric Erlandson and bassist Melissa Auf der Maur recounted an altercation between the two women after Love threw candy at Hanna.

Some Pretty Little Liars fans mistook Patrick Schwarzenegger for actor Drew Van Acker, who played Jason on the popular series, US Weekly noted. The model, 25, was a good sport about the incident when he shared the story on Twitter. ( "LOL these 4 girls came up to me with their cameras ready & go 'we love pretty little liars,'" he wrote. ) However, two Twitter users claiming to be the girls who approached Schwarzenegger chimed in to clarify that they never actually said they loved the drama, which went off the air in 2017.

Bebe Rexha took to social media to blast fashion designers for refusing to dress her for the Grammys, iHeart.com noted. According to a video from the "In The Name of Love" singer, multiple designers refused to design a gown for her because she's a size eight. According to screenshots shared by E!, Demi Lovato praised Bebe for her video. "F—king preach!!!" Demi commented. "Love this and you for speaking your mind and using your voice!!!"

Fatima Ali—whose Pakistani-influenced cooking earned her the "Fan Favorite" title in season 15 of Bravo's Top Chef—has died of bone cancer at age 29, Deadline reported. Ali was diagnosed in 2017 with Ewing's sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer. She underwent surgery and was cancer-free for a time but revealed last fall that it had returned, this time lodged in her left hip and femur.

Taylor Swift beat a lawsuit filed against her by a Manhattan real-estate broker who said the pop star stiffed her out of a $1.08-million commission for the purchase of her Tribeca townhouse, according to Page Six. A judge tossed the suit Jan. 24, saying real-estate agency Douglas Elliman never had "any formal agreement" with Swift.

GMA anchor Michael Strahan admitted he no longer talks to former Live! co-star Kelly Ripa after their fallout, Page Six revealed. The former Giants star's relationship with Ripa came to a halt after nearly four years on air together in May 2016. ABC asked Strahan to join GMA full time and Ripa told how she felt blindsided by the offer by network chiefs as well as her co-host. Strahan—who left the show months earlier than planned amid the row—told Time magazine: "I learned through all that went down with that, you can't convince people to like you." However, he credits Ripa for teaching him the tricks of TV presenting.


This article shared 5819 times since Tue Jan 29, 2019
facebook twitter pin it google +1 reddit email

Out and Aging
Presented By

  ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE

Gay News

Jamie Barton brings nuances of identity to her Lyric Opera 'Aida' performance
2024-03-18
Chicago's Lyric Opera is currently featuring a production of Giuseppe Verdi's Aida starring Michelle Bradley as Aida, Jamie Barton as Amneris and Russell Thomas as Radamès. The opera runs through April 7, 2024, with Francesca Zambello ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Lady Gaga, 'P-Valley,' Wendy Williams, Luke Evans, 'Queer Eye,' 'Transition'
2024-03-15
Lady Gaga came to the defense of Dylan Mulvaney after a post with the trans influencer/activist for International Women's Day received hateful responses, People Magazine noted. On Instagram, Gaga stated, "It's appalling to me that a ...


Gay News

House-music festival on Aug. 30-Sept. 1; icons, Idris Elba to be part of it
2024-03-13
The ARC Music Festival—an event celebrating house music—will take place Aug. 30-Sept. 1 at Chicago's Union Park, per WGN-TV. This will mark the fourth year that the festival will celebrate the genre at Union Park—less than ...


Gay News

COBRAH slithers into Chicago and brings Feminine Energy
2024-03-08
COBRAH snaked her way into Thalia Hall, 1807 S. Allport St., for two nights March 7 and 8 for her Succubus Tour. This Swedish-born talent has a way with naughty words and ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Jinkx Monsoon, Xavier Dolan, 'Frida,' Lena Waithe, out singer
2024-03-08
Two-time RuPaul's Drag Race winner Jinkx Monsoon is headed back to the New York stage, joining off-Broadway's Little Shop of Horrors as Audrey beginning April 2, according to Playbill. The casting makes Monsoon the first drag ...


Gay News

Queer Eye's Jai Rodriguez is set to slay at The Big Gay Cabaret
2024-03-05
Out and proud performer Jai Rodriguez is set to play at The Big Gay Cabaret this March for three days. Presented by RuPaul Drag Racer Ginger Minj, this monthly series highlights the wide world of cabaret ...


Gay News

THEATER 'R & J' puts a female, queer spin on Shakespeare
2024-03-05
Romeo and Juliet is the theatrical gift that keeps on giving. It's been reworked for the masses numerous times, whether in direct adaptations or musicals such as West Side Story. Shakespeare's plotline points have even inspired ...


Gay News

THEATER When growth is paramount: Jim Corti helps fuel Aurora theater expansion
2024-03-01
Out actor/director/choreographer Jim Corti made his Broadway debut in 1974, in the ensemble of Leonard Bernstein's musical Candide. Director Harold Prince's acclaimed Tony Award-winning revival is often cited as a ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Queer actors, icons duet, Hunter Schafer, Oscars, Elizabeth Taylor
2024-03-01
Queer actor Kal Penn is set to star in Trust Me, I'm a Doctor—a film that chronicles the final days of actress/model Anna Nicole Smith, whose overdose death in 2007 at age 39 sparked a tabloid ...


Gay News

Dorian Film Awards: 'All of Us Strangers' takes top prizes
2024-02-27
February 26, 2024 - Los Angeles, Ca. - For its 15th Dorian Film Awards, GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics fully embraced All of Us Strangers, writer-director Andrew Haigh's fantastical and tear-inducing tale of two ...


Gay News

'Always Olivia' celebrates Olivia Newton-John at Raue Center
2024-02-26
From a press release: Always Olivia, a tribute to one of the most celebrated and beloved pop culture icons of all time, the late Olivia Newton-John comes to Raue Center in Crystal Lake on Saturday, May ...


Gay News

SAG Awards honor Streisand, few LGBTQ+ actors
2024-02-25
Queer entertainers made their mark—although not a major one—at the 2024 Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards, held Feb. 24 in Los Angeles. The event was live-streamed on Netflix for the first time. Indigenous and Two-Spirit actor ...


Gay News

Samuel Savoir-Faire Williams's violin stylings help COH mark Black History Month
2024-02-23
As part of its celebration of Black History Month, Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St., presented a solo jazz performance by violinist Samuel Savoir-Faire Williams on Feb. 21. The two-hour long performance presented a showcase ...


Gay News

WORLD Caribbean ruling, Pussy Riot, Russian raid, Canadian warning, anti-trans bar
2024-02-23
The top court in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines dismissed a challenge to colonial-era anti-gay laws, Reuters reported. Javin Johnson and Sean Macleish—two gay men who had pushed to decriminalize ...


Gay News

SHOWBIZ Kristen Stewart, Rock Hudson, Talia Keys, 'True Detective,' Marvel comic
2024-02-23
At the Berlin Film Festival, Kristen Stewart defended her photo shoot for a Rolling Stone magazine cover that went viral and divided audiences on social-media platforms, per The Hollywood Reporter. "The existence of a female body ...


 


Copyright © 2024 Windy City Media Group. All rights reserved.
Reprint by permission only. PDFs for back issues are downloadable from
our online archives.

Return postage must accompany all manuscripts, drawings, and
photographs submitted if they are to be returned, and no
responsibility may be assumed for unsolicited materials.

All rights to letters, art and photos sent to Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago
Gay and Lesbian News and Feature Publication) will be treated
as unconditionally assigned for publication purposes and as such,
subject to editing and comment. The opinions expressed by the
columnists, cartoonists, letter writers, and commentators are
their own and do not necessarily reflect the position of Nightspots
(Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay,
Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature Publication).

The appearance of a name, image or photo of a person or group in
Nightspots (Chicago GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times
(a Chicago Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender News and Feature
Publication) does not indicate the sexual orientation of such
individuals or groups. While we encourage readers to support the
advertisers who make this newspaper possible, Nightspots (Chicago
GLBT Nightlife News) and Windy City Times (a Chicago Gay, Lesbian
News and Feature Publication) cannot accept responsibility for
any advertising claims or promotions.

 
 

TRENDINGBREAKINGPHOTOS







Sponsor


 



Donate


About WCMG      Contact Us      Online Front  Page      Windy City  Times      Nightspots
Identity      BLACKlines      En La Vida      Archives      Advanced Search     
Windy City Queercast      Queercast Archives     
Press  Releases      Join WCMG  Email List      Email Blast      Blogs     
Upcoming Events      Todays Events      Ongoing Events      Bar Guide      Community Groups      In Memoriam     
Privacy Policy     

Windy City Media Group publishes Windy City Times,
The Bi-Weekly Voice of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Trans Community.
5315 N. Clark St. #192, Chicago, IL 60640-2113 • PH (773) 871-7610 • FAX (773) 871-7609.