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

Gender non-conforming model Rain Dove, who is dating Rose McGowan, has spoken out about giving police text messages in which actress Asia Argento allegedly said she had sexual relations with a minor in 2013, People.com reported. In an interview with Today, the model denied leaking the texts to TMZ, saying, "I just wanted them to be a part of the legal process going forward. ... I'm not anti-Asia or anti-anything." Argento, 42, was accused by musician and actor Jimmy Bennett, 22, of having sexual relations with him when he was 17 in 2003—which she has denied.

Singer Justin Bieber recently tried to rent the luxury lakeside mansion of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy star Thom Filicia—but was rejected, Page Six reported. A rep for Filicia said, "Thom is good friends with the Baldwins [Bieber being engaged to Hailey Baldwin] and would have loved to have Justin and Hailey stay at his home. However, he was just coming off of a 16-week shooting schedule for a new design show that he's launching on Bravo with [fellow Queer Eye alum] Carson Kressley this October, and had planned to be in Skaneateles [where the mansion is] over that time." However, Bieber recently paid $5 million on 101-acre mansion in Ontario.

Kino Lorber has released the Blu-ray and DVD versions of Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami, the new film from director Sophie Fiennes ( Over Your Cities Grass Will Grow, The Pervert's Guide to Ideology ), a press release noted. Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami had it world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, and opened theatrically in New York and Los Angeles in April, followed by engagements in over 75 markets in the US and Canada including Austin, Chicago, San Francisco, D.C., Vancouver, Montreal and Toronto. The Blu-ray and DVD become available in mid-August, with a retail price of $34.95 for the Blu-ray and $29.95 for the DVD.

Kathy Griffin fired back at gay conservative provocateur Milo Yiannopoulos after he took a swipe at her in a self-authored press release, LGBTQ Nation noted. In part, he said, ""I guess I should get back on the American speaking circuit. Or I'll end up a broke-ass bitch like Kathy Griffin." Griffin responded on Twitter, "This morning, I woke up in my 13,000 sq foot Bel-Air mansion which I paid cash for," Griffin tweeted along with a photo of her extravagant home. "Unlike you, I'm not a flimsy superficial bitch…I saved my money."

Eminem has just dropped a song peppered with homophobic slurs, PinkNews noted. The rapper, who has repeatedly come under fire for anti-LGBT lyrics in the past, released the album Kamikaze—which features the song "Fall," which takes an anti-gay aim at musician Tyler, the Creator ( who has been open about dating men and referenced his sexuality on his 2017 album Flower Boy ). The track led to criticism of the rapper for resorting to anti-gay slurs that have been increasingly shunned by mainstream rappers over the past few years—and, now, Bon Iver singer Justin Vernon announced that he will try to "kill" this song, LGBTQ Nation noted. ( Vernon sings on the track. )

Brandon Johnson—who admitted giving Demi Lovato the drugs that may have caused her overdose in July—won't face criminal charges over the incident, Page Six noted. Johnson likely won't be investigated by the LAPD, TMZ reported, because Lovato's overdose was considered a medical emergency, not a crime. Johnson has denied ever selling her drugs.

Olivia Colman has said that having sex with Emma Stone on screen was "awfully fun," according to PinkNews. Stone agreed with Colman, who is set to take her bow in Netflix's third and fourth seasons of The Crown as Queen Elizabeth II, adding that their raunchy scenes in upcoming film The Favorite were "really fun." The movie is the latest in a series of lesbian films to come out in the past year, including Rafiki, which was banned in Nigeria because its director refused the censor's request for its gay characters to show remorse.

Carrie Underwood wants to tear down walls and bring America together with "Love Wins," the latest single off her upcoming sixth studio album, Cry Pretty, according to NewNowNext.com . "I really hope when people listen to it, they can feel inspired and feel hopeful," says the 35-year-old country star on social media. "It's so easy to get pulled down in negativity in this world, and I feel like there's just a lot of things that it's easy to get sad about or mad about."

Breaking Glass Pictures has acquired North American rights to the award-winning human-rights documentary Call Her Ganda, directed by PJ Raval, a press release noted. Call Her Ganda follows the brutal murder case of Filipino transgender woman Jennifer Laude by a U.S. Marine, and the obstacles faced in the pursuit of justice by three women intimately invested in the case. An activist attorney ( Virgie Suarez ), a transgender journalist ( Meredith Talusan ) and Jennifer's mother ( Julita "Nanay" Laude ) galvanize a political uprising, seeking justice and taking on U.S. imperialism in the Philippines. Breaking Glass will release the film theatrically beginning Sept. 21 in New York; Sept. 28 in Los Angeles; and Oct. 5 in San Francisco, followed by a national rollout throughout the fall.

Former Fox & Friends co-host Abby Huntsman will join ABC's The View, TheWrap.com noted. Huntsman was named as the newest co-host for season 22, joining Whoopi Goldberg, Joy Behar, Sunny Hostin and Meghan McCain on set. She will replace Sara Haines, who exited the ABC talk show to join Michael Strahan on the upcoming third hour of Good Morning America, called GMA Day." With Huntsman's arrival, The View panel will have two conservative co-hosts—Huntsman and McCain—for the first time in its history.

Amazon's new series Jack Ryan has garnered criticism for using an anti-trans slur, LGBTQ Nation noted. In the third episode, a character is asking a coworker how he got a black eye. He doesn't want to explain it, so she says, "Did you accidentally pick up another tranny on Fremont Street?" "While the reality is that cisgender people use trans slurs and pick up violence affects trans women, Jack Ryan had an opportunity to confront this reality with a teachable moment," the Anti-Violence Project's Eliel Cruz tweeted.

Janet Jackson has released a new single and video for "Made For Now," in collaboration with reggaeton superstar Daddy Yankee, a press release noted. This marks her first new music since her 11th studio album and seventh number-one album, Unbreakable, released in October 2015. "Made For Now" is produced by Harmony Samuels, who has crafted tracks for Ariana Grande, Mary J. Blige, Maroon 5 and Jennifer Lopez.

Three months after stirring controversy with his "slavery was a choice" comment, Kanye West has tearfully apologized, People.com noted. "I don't know if I properly apologized for how the slavery comment made people feel," the rapper, 41, said during a radio interview with 107.5 WGCI Chicago. "I'm sorry for the one-two effect of the MAGA hat into the slave comment, and I'm sorry for people that felt let down by that moment," West continued in reference to his explosive interview on TMZ and his proclamation of love for Donald Trump.

TLC announced that its second annual Give a Little Awards—an extension of the network's national multiplatform campaign dedicated to empowering individuals to make a difference in the lives of those in need by giving a little time, support and compassion—will be held Sept. 20 in New York City, a press relesae noted. Presented in partnership with Redbook magazine and Love Is Louder, a project of The Jed Foundation, this event will honor advocates who work tirelessly to prevent bullying. TLC star Jazz Jennings, TV personality/host Kelly Osbourne and recording artist Jessie Chris are among those being honored this year.

America's Got Talent judge Mel B says her earlier comments about rehab were a little bit skewed, ExtraTV.com noted. In an interview with Lea Michele, who was guest-hosting oon The Ellen DeGeneres Show," Mel B said, "Now, I've been in therapy since my father got diagnosed with cancer nine years ago. … But you know, no, I'm not an alcoholic. No, I'm not a sex addict. ... The problem has never been about sex or alcohol—it is underneath all that."

Former Glee co-star Kevin McHale just underwent an incredible body transformation thanks to a 12-week plan with Ultimate Performance Fitness, Just Jared noted. McHale, 30, went from 140 pounds down to 133 pounds, lost more than 8 percent of body fat and gained five pounds of muscle. McHale's trainer geared workouts for him and came up with a diet plan that he followed throughout the three months.

The Miss America Organization and ABC announced that choreographer, host, Dancing with the Stars judge and dancer Carrie Ann Inaba will host The 2019 Miss America Competition, a press release noted. Joining Inaba as co-host for the evening will be television personality Ross Mathews when the competition airs live on ABC from Atlantic City's Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall on Sept. 9.

Vanessa Marquez—who recurred as nurse Wendy Goldman on early seasons of the 1990s hit medical drama ER and later accused co-star George Clooney of blacklisting her when she spoke out about alleged harassment on the show—died Aug. 30 in an officer-involved shooting at her South Pasadena home, Deadline reported. South Pasadena police officers were conducting a welfare check at Marquez's home when she allegedly pulled out a "BB-type" replica gun, causing an officer to open fire in response, according to police.

Ahead of Queen Sugar's third-season finale, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network has ordered a fourth season of Ava DuVernay's critically acclaimed drama, with writer-co-executive producer Anthony Sparks set as new showrunner/executive producer, Deadline noted. Following a creative initiative established at the series' outset, DuVernay assembled an all-female directing team that will continue in the new season.

Childish Gambino ( the musical alter ego of Donald Glover ) has made another video—this time for the song "Feels Like Summer"—that's generating buzz, Deadline noted. One of the most-talked-about cameos is a crying Kanye West in a "Make America Great Again" hat being comforted by Michelle Obama. There's also a glimpse of Beyonce donning a "RIP Fredo Santana" T shirt, honoring the young rapper that died earlier this year. A few of the others in the animated video include Oprah Winfrey, Will Smith, Frank Ocean, Janelle Monae and Tessa Thompson, Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston.

Emmy Rossum is walking away from Shameless after nine seasons on the Showtime series, TheWrap.com noted. "I know you will continue on without me, for now," the star wrote in a long open letter that was posted to her official Facebook page. "There is much more Gallagher story to be told. I will always be rooting for my family. Try not to think of me as gone, just think of me as moving down the block."

NBC News denied an accusation by a former producer that top executives tried to block Ronan Farrow's 2017 expose of Harvey Weinstein, calling the claim "an outright lie," TheWrap.com noted. Rich McHugh, a producer formerly of the NBC News investigative unit, told the New York Times that people at "the very highest levels of NBC" worked to quash the story at the network. Farrow left NBC in August 2017, taking the Weinstein story to The New Yorker, which would go on to publish an award-winning series of articles detailing accusations against the mogul of repeated sexual misconduct, including assault and rape. ( Weinstein has denied engaging in nonconsensual sex. )

Hilary Swank is the latest celebrity to weigh in on the recent controversial casting of Scarlett Johansson as a transgender man, Dante "Tex" Gill, in the film Rub & Tug, NewNowNext.com noted. Swank—who won her first Oscar for her playing murdered trans man Brandon Teena in the 1999 biopic Boys Don't Cry—told The Guardian there are people "who have said I shouldn't have done Boys Don't Cry." She added, What's hard is that not everyone is given an opportunity, and that's where I think the struggle is. Nobody knew who I was when I did Boys Don't Cry. I was a newcomer—and the movie did well."

Colton Underwood is getting another shot at love, Page Six noted. The former NFL star was announced as the 23rd "Bachelor" in franchise history, after finishing fourth on Becca Kufrin's season of The Bachelorette in July. Underwood, who split from Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman, in 2017 previously dated fellow Bachelor contestant Tia Booth, before vying for Kufrin's heart. The new Bachelor season will debut in January.

Once again, Big Brother contestant JC Mounduix is in trouble with his housemates and fans of the show—and, this time, it's for footage that shows him kissing another male houseguest, Tyler Crispen, while that person was sleeping, Deadline noted. Video footage shows him rubbing Crispen's face and arm, then kissing his armpits. Many fans called for Mounduix's removal from the show. In July, the live cam showed him using an ice cream scooper on several housemates, attempting to stimulate their genitalia and allegedly touching a female guest; he has also used racist language on the show. Big Brother executive producers Allison Grodner and Rich Meehan have said the other housemates "in no way way felt threatened, unsafe or sexually harassed," TheWrap.com added.

The DC Universe digital-subscription service finally has a launch date: Sept. 15, aka Batman Day, TheWrap.com noted. It was also announced that the original series Titans will debut on the service on Oct. 12; the 12-episode first season will air weekly on the platform. The announcement came during a live stream of "DC Daily," which itself will be aired on the new streaming platform; joining host Kevin Smith on the show will be Tiffany Smith as news anchor, John Barrowman, Samm Levine, Harley Quinn Smith, Sam Humphries, Hector Navarro, Clarke Wolfe, Brian Tong, Markeia McCarty, John Kourounis and Sam Humphries.

Roseanne Barr says she plans to be abroad when The Conners premieres without her this fall, CNN.com noted. "I have an opportunity to go to Israel for a few months and study with my favorite teachers over there," Barr told longtime friend Rabbi Shmuley Boteach. "And that's where I'm going to go and probably move somewhere there and study with my favorite teachers. I have saved a few pennies and I'm so lucky I can go. It's my great joy and privilege to be a Jewish woman."

Paris Hilton is setting the record straight about her wedding date, People.com noted. After reports that the star, 37, claimed Hilton and fiance Chris Zylka, 33, were pushing back their Nov. 11 wedding to next year, Hilton said she never actually intended on tying the knot on that day. Instead of trying for the Nov. 11 date, Hilton and Zylka purportedly decided they preferred to take their time planning to ensure they'd have their dream wedding.

Celebrity-news show Extra is celebrating its 25th year on the air with a reunion, Page Six noted. Leeza Gibbons, Mark McGrath, Libby Weaver, Dayna Devon, Samantha Harris, Jon Kelley, Tracey Edmonds, Charissa Thompson, David Rose, Wendy Walsh, Lauren Sanchez and Brad Goode, plus the show's original hosts David Nemeth and Arthel Neville, will all be back for the Sept. 10 episode. The show premiered in 1994.