Quibi has greenlit Dishmantled—described as "a high-octane cooking competition that will literally blow your socks off," with Tituss Burgess ( Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt; 30 Rock ) set to host, Deadline reported. Hosted by Burgess, each episode starts with the cannon-blasting of a mystery food dish into the faces of two blindfolded chefs; they'll use their culinary abilities to identify the exploded dish and then race against the clock to re-create it.
IMDb announced that it will no longer deadname trans celebrities, LGBTQ Nation reported. The comprehensive website has received criticism from transgender professionals, who said that publishing a trans person's former name without consent—or "deadnaming" them—is a violation of privacy. The new policy gets more complicated if a professional was credited on-screen with their former name; in those cases, their deadname will be listed in parentheses on the page of the title where they were credited with that name.
Out singer Halsey had some sharp comebacks to haters who were attacking Miley Cyrus' pansexuality, LGBTQ Nation noted. After Cyrus announced that she was separating from her husband of less than a year, Liam Hemsworth, photos surfaced of Cyrus kissing Kaitlynn Carter, ex-wife of Brody Jenner. One Twitter user said, "Bi is greedy and never satisfied," to which Halsey posted, "Stop being afraid of women who aren't afraid to do what pleases them and not other people."
Late-night host Stephen Colbert recently mocked straight men in a recent study who admitted that they don't like recycling and using reusable cloth shopping bags for fear of being seen as gay, LGBTQ Nation noted. "Wait," Colbert said, "now straight men think the way they bag their groceries indicates their sexual orientation? Really, men? Really? Is there no limit to straight male fragility? This isn't just toxic masculinity. This is literally toxic." He added, "As a ruggedly heterosexual male, I feel the responsibility to convince my fellow hairy-chested man-men that caring for the environment is butch as hell."
The planned reboot of Queer as Folk—originally in development at Bravo—is now in development at the NBCUniversal streaming service, Variety noted. ( Variety exclusively reported the new show was in the works in December 2018. ) Stephen Dunn remains onboard to write the reboot. Original series creator Russell T. Davies will executive-produce along with Lee Eisenberg and Emily Brecht from Quantity Entertainment. UCP is the studio.
VH1 has renewed RuPaul's Drag Race for a 12th season while RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars has also been greenlit for additional seasons, Deadline reported. The news comes after the reality-competition series was nominated for a historic 14 Emmys. The franchise earned 14 nominations this year, including Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program as well as Outstanding Competition Program; this is the most for any TV series in VH1's history.
This Is Us actress Chrissy Metz sang at a gala for the Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angeles, the L.A. Times reported. "I'm super=grateful to be here to sing a beautiful song," she said. "It's a beautiful song ["I'm Standing with You"], written by Diane Warren, that is just perfect for any occasion. But for this occasion, the anniversaries of Stonewall and the Gay Men's Chorus of L.A., this all makes really great wonderful sense." The evening—which included a reception, concert and dinner—marked the organization's 40th anniversary as well as the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots.
Tom Ford is venturing into skin care with his latest line, Tom Ford Research, The Hollywood Reporter noted. The designer debuted the Tom Ford Research Cream Concentrate ( $450 ) and Tom Ford Research Serum Concentrate ( $350 ) online. It's heralded as science-based with advanced technology, using ingredients like white porcelain cacao, caffeine and gyokuro ( Japanese green tea ) to "support skin's natural energy." Other fashion houses to develop skin-care products include Chanel, Dolce and Gabbana, Marc Jacobs, Yves Saint Laurent and Dior.
Henri Belolo—who co-founded Village People and co-wrote the classic hits "YMCA," ''Macho Man" and "In the Navy"—has died at age 82, USA Today reported. Belolo was born in Casablanca, Morocco, on Nov. 27, 1936. With Jacques Morali and lead singer Victor Willis, Belolo founded the six-member Village People; the group's self-titled debut album was released in 1977.
At the 2019 Industry Dance Awards in Los Angeles, Olivia Newton-John gave an update on her health to ExtraTV.com . After a year of battling stage 4 breast cancer, she said, "I feel great. I am positive. I'm alive!" Newton-John—best known on the big screen for her role as Sandy in Grease, as well as hit songs like "Physical"—is battling cancer for the third time. She revealed that cannabis has been helping her wean off some of the medications.
Openly gay Grammy-nominated country singer/songwriter Ty Herndon has released a new track, "So Small"—a cover of the Carrie Underwood hit, a press release noted. Herndon's newest album, Got It Covered, will be released Aug. 23 through BFD/The Orchard. The 10-track album, is a compilation CD featuring reimagined hits and covers of some of Herndon's favorite songs; Herndon recently released the singles "Walking In Memphis," "Living In a Moment" and "What Mattered Most."
Michael Cimino ( Annabelle Comes Home; Training Day ) is set as the lead in Love, Simon—the Disney+ series inspired by the praised 2018 movie based on Becky Albertali's New York Times best-selling novel, Deadline reported. Cimino joins previously announced Ana Ortiz in the half-hour series that begins production this month in Los Angeles. Set in the world of the film, the series follows Victor ( Cimino )—a new student at Creekwood High School on his own journey of self-discovery, facing challenges at home, adjusting to a new city and struggling with his sexual orientation.
GLAAD announced that Emmy-nominated showrunner, writer, director, producer and actor Dan Levy will be honored with the Davidson/Valentini Award at the 2019 GLAAD Gala San Francisco on Saturday, Sept. 28, a press release noted. The GLAAD Gala San Francisco celebrates and features storytellers and tech innovators who accelerate LGBTQ acceptance and helps fund GLAAD's digital advocacy work to grow LGBTQ inclusion in digital and social media. Levy, who is openly gay, is best known for his work on the series Schitt's Creek, which he co-created with his father, Eugene Levy.
Dixie Chicks frontwoman Natalie Maines slammed country-radio stations for supporting Donald Trump after his incendiary comments about Hillary Clinton at a recent North Carolina rally, HuffPost reported. Maines placed the backlash she faced in 2003 after publicly criticizing George W. Bush and the decision to invade Iraq in stark relief to the response to the GOP candidate's latest move. "I get banned for not liking Bush and now Trump can practically put a hit out on Hillary and he's still all over country radio! Hypocrites!" she wrote.
Arrow star Stephen Amell has booked a followup series lead role on the Starz wrestling drama Heels now that the CW superhero drama is filming its 10-episode eighth and final season, Deadline reported. Heels is about the men and women who chase their dreams in the world of small-town pro wrestling. Set in a close-knit Georgia community, it follows a family-owned wrestling promotion as two brothers and rivals—one of them played by Amell—war over their late father's legacy.
NFL star Odell Beckham Jr. was not having any of the homophobic nonsense currently being directed at him on social media, Queerty noted. The Cleveland Browns receiver shared a thirsty photo from his upcoming Calvin Klein underwear campaign to Instagram, along with the caption: "Here's a pic of me and a world class lamp." After receiving some anti-gay feedback, Beckham ( who described himself as "dumb straightttt" ) said he was "beyond" the criticism. In a recent interview with GQ, Beckham addressed speculation about his sexuality: "Honestly wasn't offended. … It was almost more funny to me. ... "I have no problem with anyone's sexual orientation. … Love is love."
Actress Faye Dunaway is being sued by former assistant Michael Rocha, who claimed she belittled him for being gay, LGBTQ Nation reported. Rocha was Dunaway's assistant for two months when she was preparing for the Broadway play Tea at Five until he was allegedly fired in retaliation for complaining about what he said was her unprofessional behavior. His lawsuit accuses Dunaway and several of the higher-ups at the show of anti-gay discrimination and retaliation; he is asking for lost wages, emotional damages, punitive damages, and attorney's fees.
Disney/Pixar's Toy Story 4 has grossed $1 billion, putting Disney in an atmosphere that no other major studio has ever touched: having five pics gross more than $1 billion each in a single year, Deadline reported. It is projected that Frozen 2 and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker later this year will bring that count to seven titles. The other pics to fly past $1 billion for Disney this year include Captain Marvel ( $1.1B ), Avengers: Endgame ( $2.795B ), The Lion King ( $1.3B ) and Aladdin ( $1.03B ).
The Netflix series Haunting of Hill House arrives on Blu-ray and DVD Tuesday, Oct. 15, from Paramount Home Entertainment, a press release noted. "Haunting" is the reimagining of Shirley Jackson's legendary novel about five siblings who grew up in the most famous haunted house in America; now adults, they're reunited by the suicide of their youngest sister, which forces them to finally confront the ghosts of their pasts. It has been renewed by Netflix as an anthology series, telling a new story each season.
Beauty and the Beast and Legion star Dan Stevens is joining Will Ferrell, Rachel McAdams and Pierce Brosnan in Netflix comedy Eurovision, Deadline noted. The spoof about the campy Euro singing contest reunites Ferrell with his Wedding Crashers director David Dobkin. Stevens will star as Alexander Lemtov, a Russian contestant. Ferrell and McAdams play aspiring Icelandic musicians Lars Erickssong and Sigrit Ericksdottir, with Brosnan as Erick Erickssong, Lars' father and "the most handsome man in Iceland."
It has been known as the the North Carolina Gay + Lesbian Film Festival for the past 24 years—but it will be the OutSouth Queer Film Festival starting next year, INDY reported. The four-day event is undergoing a name change to better reflect the communities it aims to reach and represent through its programming. It's the second-largest LGBTQ film festival in the Southeast; only Miami's OUTshine—which has undergone a similar rebranding in recent years—is larger.
The story behind one of the biggest sports controversies of 2018 has been revealed in the debut episode of Backstory—a new ESPN documentary series featuring the investigative reporting of three-time Pulitzer Prize winner Don Van Natta, Jr. Debuting Aug. 18, Backstory's debut episode was "Serena vs. The Umpire," which explores tennis superstar Serena Williams' intense clash with chair umpire Carlos Ramos during her loss to Naomi Osaka in the 2018 U.S. Open women's final.
Justin Timberlake shared a behind-the-scenes clip of himself in the studio with Lizzo, jamming out to what appears to be their new joint track, People.com noted. "… @Lizzo flames, brb," Timberlake captioned the clip, which shows him dancing as Lizzo, excitedly waves her arms up and down to the lyrics "Get back, get back" of the bouncy song. Lizzo is also set to perform at the 2019 MTV VMAs on Aug. 26.
Meadow Walker remembered her late father, the actor Paul Walker ( The Fast and the Furious franchise ) with a photo, according to People.com . The picture shows the late actor swimming alongside a pig, both looking at each other with big smiles. It has been nearly six years since the actor died in a tragic car accident; Paul died Nov. 30, 2013, at the age of 40.
A grand jury in Atlanta indicted Chrisley Knows Best stars Todd Chrisley and Julie Chrisley on federal tax-evasion charges, Deadline reported. Prosecutors said the husband and wife featured on USA Network's flagship reality series face multiple counts of conspiracy, bank fraud, wire fraud and tax evasion. The Justice Department said the Chrisleys' accountant, Peter Tarantino, also has been indicted on tax-related offenses.
Italian supermarket/eatery Eataly in New York's Flatiron district has officially severed ties with disgraced celebrity chef Mario Bataly, buying out his minority stake in the business, Page Six noted. The chef was one of the most prominent men brought down amid the MeToo movement in 2017 after four women came forward to accuse him of sexual misconduct, including multiple instances of groping.
