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WINDYCITYMEDIAGROUP

SHOWBIZ Viola Davis, Tyler Posey, Elton John, Tegan and Sara
by Andrew Davis, Windy City Times
2020-10-26


Ma Rainey's Black Bottom will premiere on Netflix on Dec. 18, a press release noted. The movie—based on the August Wilson play—will star Viola Davis, Chadwick Boseman, Glynn Turman and Colman Domingo. In the film and play, tensions and temperatures rise over the course of an afternoon recording session in 1920s Chicago as a band of musicians await trailblazing performer, the legendary "Mother of the Blues," Ma Rainey (Davis). Rainey is the only character in Wilson's 10-play cycle, chronicling the African American existence during the 20th century, who is based on a real person; she is also the only LGBTQ character.

Actor Tyler Posey (TV's Teen Wolf) recorded a candid video offering details about his sex life—most notably that he's "hooked up with guys," Queerty noted. Posey posted the video to his new (and nude) OnlyFans, which has since leaked to social media. "I haven't had sex with a man. We've blown each other—you know what I mean," Tyler said in the video. "But never had sex. So, yes, I have been with men before."

Two icons have come together, as Elton John has gotten his first-ever Barbie doll, Out.com noted. Mattel released a brand-new limited edition-Barbie doll styled after legendary musician and cultural touchstone. The Barbie doesn't look like the singer physically, but is styled like the fashion icon, complete with rainbows, glitter and giant pink statement sunglasses. Elton John talked to Rolling Stone about the doll, saying "Barbie is an icon in her own right, so having her pay tribute to my work and personal style is a real honor." The doll sells for $50 at Website Link Here .

IMDb TV has put in development High School—a coming-of-age comedy series based on the bestselling memoir by Grammy-nominated, platinum recording artists Tegan and Sara Quin, Deadline reported. The series is from Housebroken co-creator Clea DuVall, Plan B Entertainment and Amazon Studios, where Plan B is under a deal. Written by DuVall—who also will direct the pilot—High School is a story of first loves and first songs.

Niecy Nash (Claws; Scream Queens; Reno 911!) doesn't care if any fans were turned off that her recent surprise wedding was to a woman, Page Six reported. "If I lost a fan because of who I love, then that wasn't a real fan," said Nash—who wed Jessica Betts in August—while chatting with Instagram followers. The actress split from her second husband, Jay Tucker, in December.

Queen Latifah, Oscar winner Robert Duvall and Ben Foster will star opposite Adam Sandler in Hustle, the Netflix basketball feature which is being directed by Jeremiah Zagar, Deadline noted. Sandler stars as a down on his luck basketball scout who discovers a once-in-a-lifetime player with a rocky past abroad and takes it upon himself to bring the phenom to the States without his team's approval. Against the odds, they have one final shot to prove they have what it takes to make it in the NBA.

Jennifer Lopez faced backlash for her reference to herself as a "Black girl from the Bronx" in the song "Lonely," with Colombian singer Maluma, according to The Source. In the lyrics of the song, J. Lo sings "tu Negrita del Bronx," which in English says, "I'll always be your Black girl from the Bronx." However, some defended Lopez, saying "negrita" is also a term of endearment, The Metro noted.

On a recent episode of Facebook Watch's Red Table Talk: The Estefans, Gloria Estefan's queer daughter, Emily, did not hold back when talking about coming out to her family and her mother's negative response, according to Queerty. Gloria is a longtime LGBTQ ally—but when her own daughter said she was in love with another woman, the singer didn't take the news well. Recalled Emily: "I was like, 'Hey, I'm in love with this girl.' The first thing you said was, 'If you tell your grandma and she dies, her blood is on your hands.' I just wasn't ready for that." Gloria then said, "Just like you were in that turmoil of emotion, you're remembering things, as we all tend to do, in a different way."

Willie Garson played one of TV's most memorable gay characters on Sex and the City—but he never liked to talk about the fact that he was actually straight in real life, Page Six revealed. "For years I didn't talk about it because I found it to be offensive to gay people," Garson, who played Carrie's friend Stanford Blatch on the beloved series, said. However, Garson did admit that playing a gay character on such a popular show put a crimp on his dating life.

Comedian/acgtress Fortune Feimster and longtime girlfriend Jacquelyn Smith have wed, Page Six announced. Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the pair—who announced their engagement since January 2018—live-streamed the ceremony. Announcing the happy news on Instagram over the weekend, the comedian wrote that they will "celebrate with friends and family in a year when it's safer to do so."

Animal advocate Carole Baskin—one of the breakout stars of the Netflix miniseries Tiger King and a recent contestant on Dancing with the Stars—said that she has "always considered [herself] to be bisexual," LGBTQ Nation noted. She told PinkNews that she was briefly engaged to a psychologist in the 1980s who worked with LGBTQ people, which helped broaden her awareness of her identity. Before that, she just saw herself as a "tomboy." Baskin added, "I have always considered myself to be bisexual. Even though I've never had a wife, I could just as easily have a wife as a husband. As far as the way I feel about us, I think we are all one and I just don't see us as being different genders or different colors or anything."

After Guardians of the Galaxy star Chris Pratt went viral as social media debated Hollywood's least desirable Chris, Robert Downey Jr. and Mark Ruffalo posted strong defenses of their Avengers co-star, while Pratt's wife, Katherine Schwarzenegger, called out the "mean" challenge, USA Today noted. "What a world ... The 'sinless' are casting stones at my brother, Chris Pratt," said Downey Jr. in part of a longer message. Many social-media users called out Pratt because of his conservative political beliefs and his membership in Hillsong, a megachurch that has been accused of anti-LGBTQ views. Queerty noted that Pratt follows Fox host Tucker Carlson and hate group Turning Points USA (among other conservative people and organizations) on social media.

Matthew McConaughey said in his new memoir that he was sexually abused multiple times as a teen, according to Page Six. "I was blackmailed into having sex for the first time when I was 15," the Oscar winner wrote in his newly released autobiography, Greenlights. He also revealed that he was "molested by a man when I was eighteen while knocked unconscious in the back of a van." McConaughey didn't give details about either case of abuse. However, he says he's never felt like a victim, as "I have a lot of proof that the world is conspiring to make me happy."

New York City stage manager Caskey Hunsader recently launched Stagedoor Candle Company—a line of home fragrance products inspired by characters from some of the most popular Broadway musicals, a press release noted. A portion of every sale is donated to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. See StageDoorCandles.com.

Jennifer Holliday, one of the original Dreamgirls, mused on "LGBTQ" while on Thomas Roberts' Gay Good News program, LGBTQ Nation mentioned. "They keep adding initials to the LGBTQ. We've got LGBTQIA, and then I heard somebody say D," she said. "If it's Atlanta, it means down low. There's a lot of people on the down-low in Atlanta."

Daddy Yankee and Bad Bunny were the ultimate winners at the 2020 Billboard Latin Music Awards in Sunrise, Florida, each taking home seven awards, Billboard announced. Yankee won six of his seven awards for his Snow-assisted hit "Con Calma," and Yankee, alongside Luis Fonsi, was awarded the Billboard Latin Song of the Decade award for "Despacito." Some of the other winners included Karol G, Mana, Sony Music Latin and Romeo Santos.

Three weeks after resuming production, filming on National Geographic's Genius: Aretha came to a halt after a background actor tested positive for COVID-19, Deadline noted. Genius: Aretha, about the legendary singer Aretha Franklin, had filmed five-and-a-half episodes of its eight-episode order when production shut down mid-March amid the escalating coronavirus outbreak. Two weeks later, Nat Geo delayed the premiere of the limited series, originally slated for May 25, for "later this year." An early 2021 debut is now considered a possibility.

Doom Patrol: The Complete Second Season will be out on Blu-ray and DVD on Jan. 26, 2021 from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, a press release noted. The set includes nine episodes from the second season of the original DC series, plus extra features including two behind-the-scenes featurettes. Doom Patrol: The Complete Second Season is priced at $29.98 SRP for the DVD ($39.99 in Canada) and $39.99 SRP for the Blu-ray ($44.98 in Canada), which includes a Digital Copy (U.S. only).

The Country Music Association revealed its 2020 Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award recipient: country-music star Charley Pride, a press release noted. Pride will accept the honor during 'The 54th Annual CMA Awards,' broadcasting live from Nashville's Music City Center on Wed., Nov. 11, on ABC. Previous recipients of the Willie Nelson Lifetime Achievement Award include Willie Nelson (2012), Kenny Rogers (2013), Johnny Cash (2015), Dolly Parton (2016), and Kris Kristofferson (2019).

Quibi Holdings LLC is shutting down only six months after launching its streaming service—a crash landing for a once highly touted startup that attracted some of the biggest names in Hollywood and had looked to revolutionize how people consume entertainment, The Wall Street Journal reported. The streaming service—which served up shows in 5-to-10-minute "chapters" formatted to fit a smartphone screen—was plagued with problems since its April debut, facing lower-than-expected viewership and a patent lawsuit from hedge fund Elliott Management Corp. "Our failure was not for lack of trying," founder Jeffrey Katzenberg and Chief Executive Meg Whitman said in an open letter to employees and investors. "We've considered and exhausted every option available to us."

The original Legally Blonde cast got back together, two decades after they originally filmed the now-classic movie, Today.com noted. The cast—including Reese Witherspoon, Jennifer Coolidge, Selma Blair, Luke Wilson, Holland Taylor, Matthew Davis, Ali Larter, Alanna Ubach and Jessica Cauffiel—sat down to help raise funds for World Central Kitchen, a not-for-profit organization founded by celebrity chef Jose Andres that provides meals to people in need in the wake of natural disasters. Most agreed they had no idea what they'd gotten into when they were cast in the film 20 years ago, and it ws revealed that the iconic "bend and snap" scene was supposed to be a musical number.

Just off of a Tony nomination for his role in Jeremy O. Harris' Slave Play, actor James Cusati-Moyer is joining the all-star cast of Netflix's upcoming limited series Inventing Anna, which revolves around New York City con artist Anna Delvey, Out.com noted. Cusati-Moyer plays Val in the show, a stylist/fashion director who befriends Anna and gets to see the havoc she caused in person. Sorokin is currently serving a prison sentence of four to 12 years for her crimes. Cusati-Moyer and Slave Play co-star Ato Blankson-Wood were both nominated for Tonys for their roles as a gay couple.

Bethenny Frankel slammed Dancing with the Stars host Tyra Banks after a report from OK! Magazine claimed that Banks "made it clear that she didn't want any more 'Housewives' in her ballroom. … Tyra has never been a fan of the 'Housewives,' but the real reason she doesn't want them on her show is that Bethenny Frankel, NeNe Leakes and Teresa Giudice do not make headlines anymore," according to Page Six. In a now-deleted tweet, Frankel said, "Good to know @tyrabanks has clumped me in her no more housewives mandate on @DancingABC. Also good to know-their casting director Deena, who I [heart emoji] has asked me to be on that show multiple x in the last decade. I'm also no longer a housewife, but nobody is bigger than the game Tyra." Banks has called the rumor untrue, The Daily Mail noted.

Tamar Braxton blasted WeTV for using her suicide attempt to promote the network's show Braxton Family Values, Page Six noted. "After waking up to that disgusting trailer…F—K @wetv and whomever else participating for using my pain for their pleasure and ratings!!" Braxtonwrote alongside a photo promoting her upcoming appearance on Tamron Hall on Oct. 28. In the sneak peek of the season set to debut Nov. 5, Tamar's sister Toni Braxton is seen running out of a music studio after receiving a call about the news.

Happy Days alum Scott Baio didn't mince words about his former co-stars reuniting to raise funds for Wisconsin Democrats less than two weeks before the 2020 election, USA Today noted. "I'm not on board, obviously, because I don't believe in socialism and Marxism," Baio said on Fox Business. Cast members Henry Winkler ("Fonzie"), Ron Howard ("Richie Cunningham"), Don Most ("Ralph Malph"), Anson Williams ("Potsie Weber"), Marion Ross ("Marion Cunningham") and writer Lowell Ganz planned to reunite virtually Oct. 25 for the event. Baio—who spoke at the 2016 Republican National Convention in support of President Donald Trump—said he supports the president because he believes in "all things America."

The Right Girl—a new musical based on (and co-written by) the real-life story of former screenwriter Louisette Geiss and the sexual harassment by Harvey Weinstein she says ended her film career—will be presented in a film version to a live audience for the first time on Sunday, Nov. 1, Deadline reported. The production features music by 11-time Oscar nominee Diane Warren and is directed and choreographed by Tony Award winner Susan Stroman. The filmed performance will debut at the Barrington Stage Company in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.

A Bob Dylan biopic starring Timothee Chalamet as the iconic folk-rocker has reportedly been put on hold, Page Six noted. "I don't think it's dead, but it's a tough one to pull off in a COVID-era because it's all in small clubs with lots of extras in period costumes, so you've got lots of hair and makeup," cinematographer Phedon Papamichael told the film website Collider. "So our next project is Indiana Jones 5, actually. [Director James] Mangold's doing that."

RuPaul's Drag Race season-11 winner Miss Yvie Oddly released her debut album, Drag Trap, a press release announced. The 10-track album is available across streaming services including Spotify, Apple Music and more, now. Some of the songs include "Sick Bitch," "Watermelon Bubblegum," "Gigging" and the title tune.

Gary Barlow, Michael Buble and Sebastian Yatra unveiled the video for the Latin-pop fusion track "Elita," a press release noted. Directed by Vaughan Arnell, the video was filmed remotely with Barlow in London, Buble in Vancouver and Yatra in Miami. The video is at Website Link Here .

The Hilary Swank outer-space drama Away was reportedly canceled after one season, People.com noted. The series, which stars the Oscar winner as astronaut Emma Green, has not been picked up for a second season by Netflix, according to reports from Variety and The Hollywood Reporter. Away premiered Sept. 4.

In an announcement on AMC's website, the movie chain revealed it will be offering audiences the chance to rent out its theaters for private (and, presumably, COVID-safe) screenings, beginning at $99, according to People.com. Customers will be able to host gatherings of up to 20 people and can choose between 16 films, including Hocus Pocus, Shrek, Jurassic Park, Jumanji: The Next Level, Monster's Inc., The Nightmare Before Christmas, How to Train Your Dragon and The Conjuring. Five movies on the screenings list—Christopher Nolan's Tenet, The War with Grandpa, 2 Hearts, Honest Thief and The New Mutants—will come with an extra price tag, ranging from $149-$349. See Website Link Here .

Glee actress Amber Riley claimed in a furious Instagram post that a Donald Trump supporter spat on her car as she was trying to pull into a parking space, Page Six noted. "What does being a Trump supporter mean?" she wrote in the message. "Because I just drove into a parking lot and this older white man with a Trump hat on decided to jump in front of my f—ing car." Riley claimed the man repeatedly pointed at his pro-Trump hat as he attempted to block her from parking, which she ignored.

A judge ruled that actor Danny Masterson (That '70s Show) will face charges of rape, Deadline reported. Judge Eleanor Hunter rejected the defense stance that the case against Masterson should be tossed under the statute of limitations. Accused back in June of three counts of forcible rape, Masterson is out on a $3.3-million bail. If convicted as charged on assaulting the three women, he faces a possible maximum sentence of 45 years to life in state prison.

The central Fast and Furious franchise will come to a conclusion after the 10th and 11th films, Variety confirmed. Justin Lin—who directed the third, fourth, fifth, sixth and ninth films—will return to direct the final two installments and drive the franchise to the finish line after over two decades in theaters. However, this does not necessarily mean that the Fast and Furious cinematic universe is coming to an end.

Kim Kardashian settled a $6.1-million lawsuit with the security company that "failed to protect" her during her devastating robbery in Paris, according to Page Six, which cited The Sun. In October 2016, Kardashian was tied up and put in the bathtub of her hotel room by five armed robbers who had posed as cops to gain entry. They left with $10 million worth of jewelry, including a $5 million diamond ring from her husband, Kanye West.

Rapper/actor 50 Cent seemingly endorsed Donald Trump for president after voicing his concerns about proposed tax increases for top earners under Joe Biden, NME.com reported. Posting on Instagram, the rapper conceded that "Trump doesn't like Black people" and shared a screenshot from CNBC to illustrate his concern over apparent tax raises.

Drake is no longer following T.I. on Instagram following the Atlanta rapper's claim that his friend urinated on Drake during a movie screening, HotNewHipHop.com noted. Many had forgotten Meek Mill's claims that one of T.I.'s friends urinated on Drake but, recently, the topic was in the news again after T.I. seemingly confirmed the story on his new album, The L.I.B.R.A.

DJ Boof—who used to supply the music for The Wendy Williams Show—spoke out on social media about the talk-show host and why he's no longer on the show, Page Six stated. After a fan on Instagram called for Williams to "seriously get help," claiming her camp is simply "watching" her "spiral," another fan suggested that was why Boof left the show. "Yup exactly and it will all come out," Boof replied. "Y'all have no idea what's really going on and everyone there is afraid to speak up because they don't wanna lose their jobs."


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