Every week, the GLAAD Wrap brings you LGBTQ-related entertainment news highlights, fresh stuff to watch out for, and fun diversions to help you kick off the weekend!
1) Academy Award and GLAAD Media Award-nominee A Fantastic Woman opens on Friday in New York and LA. This critically acclaimed Chilean film centers on Marina, a transgender woman portrayed by trans actress Daniela Vega, as she suffers a devastating loss. A Fantastic Woman follows her journey though heartbreak and discrimination, as she maintains her strength and resilience. To read more about the film, and Vega’s stunning performance, click here to read GLAAD’s own Nick Adams’ piece in The Hollywood Reporter. For those in New York and LA, A Fantastic Woman is in theaters now, and it will be opening in further cities throughout February and March. Click here for tickets!
2) The trailer for queer romantic drama Disobedience, from the director of A Fantastic Woman, was released on Thursday. Starring Rachel Weisz and Rachel McAdams, Disobedience follows a woman who returns home to her orthodox community after the death of her estranged rabbi father. Once back home, the passion is reignited between her and a childhood friend, who is now married to a man. The film will be released on April 27th, and the trailer is below!
3) Sundance hit The Miseducation of Cameron Post took home the Grand Jury Prize at the film festival’s award ceremony. The film, written and directed by out filmmaker Desiree Akhavan, is a coming-of-age drama about a young queer woman who is sent away to a so-called "conversion therapy" camp. When accepting the award, star Chloe Grace Moretz said, “We want to dedicate this award to the LGBTQ survivors of sexual conversion therapy.” In other news coming out of Sundance, IFC Films acquired A Kid Like Jake. Directed by trans director Silas Howard, this drama centers on a couple who tries to do right by their four-year-old son, Jake, who happens to prefer Disney princesses to G.I. Joe. Watch GLAAD’s interview with the cast and crew of A Kid Like Jake below.
4) Vox Media’s Eater has released their first documentary, Boystown in Chicago. The 23-minute documentary revolves around the Chicago neighborhood Boystown; covering the gentrification of the neighborhood, the closing of several gay bars, and how programs for LGBTQ homeless youth are being shuttered. Boystown in Chicago covers all this, as well as the grassroots activists trying to make sure the neighborhood remains a safe space for all queer people. Watch the documentary below.
5) Out director Todd Haynes has announced that he will be producing and directing The Velvet Underground, a documentary on the band of the same name. This will be Haynes first documentary after having directed several features including lesbian love story Carol, which received the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Film - Wide Release. In other film news, out actor Jim Parsons was just cast in Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil, and Vile, the upcoming film about serial killer Ted Bundy. Parsons will portray Larry Simpson, the prosecutor who eventually got Bundy convicted.
6) The first teaser trailer for Ryan Murphy’s new FX series Pose has been released. The show takes a look at Manhattan in the 1980s, and a large portion of it takes place in the legendary ball scene of that era. Pose will make history by having the largest transgender cast of a scripted U.S. series ever. The show also has trans talent in the writer’s room and directing the episodes. Click here for an in-depth look at the trans creatives in front of and behind the camera for Pose, and check out the trailer below!
7) The trailer for the Grey’s Anatomy firefighter spinoff, Station 19, was released on Thursday. The ensemble of this new drama includes Travis, an openly gay firefighter who is well-liked, funny, fun and always plays by the rules. Also announced this week is the casting of Candis Cayne for a multi-episode arc on Grey’s Anatomy as a transgender patient. The show additionally revealed earlier this month that one of this season’s interns, Casey, is a trans man. Watch GLAAD’s interview with actor Alex Blue Davis and executive producer Krista Vernoff here, and see the trailer for Station 19 below!
8) History’s new In Search Of docuseries has found its host in out actor Zachary Quinto, who will also executive produce. A continuation of the ‘70s and ‘80s docuseries hosted by Rod Sterling and then Leonard Nimoy, In Search Of examines unexplained phenomena such as UFOs and artificial intelligence. Quinto taking over as host from the late Nimoy is nod to both actors portraying Spock in the Star Trek franchise. In other TV news, The CW has ordered a pilot, Spencer, from out soccer player Robbie Rogers and his husband, producer and director Greg Berlanti. The pilot is inspired by the life of pro football player Spencer Paysinger, and follows a rising high school football player from South Central L.A. and the culture clash that follows after he is recruited to play for Beverly Hills High. The Chi, the drama about intertwining lives in Chicago from out producer, writer, and actress Lena Waithe has been renewed for a second season by Showtime. The show has also promoted writer Ayanna Floyd Davis to showrunner for the second season.
9) Out singer and musician Rostam has released a music video for his song “Bike Dream” off of his debut album Half-Light. The song has been hailed as being a beautiful queer love story in reviews, including this Pitchfork piece which states, “this song shows Rostam being as unabashedly personal and queer as he’s ever been in his music.” Half-Light is available to stream and download, and the music video for “Bike Dream” is below.
10) Singer/songwriter Matt Palmer has released the second track and music video, “Get Lost” off his visual EP of the same title. The out musician will release a music video every week until the full EP is available on March 9th. The “Get Lost” video stars Palmer and out model Max Emerson as two men with the potential to start a relationship. Click here to pre-order the album and stream “Get Lost,” and watch the music video below!
11) The stars of GLAAD Media Award-nominated drama series Nashville have announced a final concert and tour to celebrate the show ending. They will stage a concert at the Grand Ol’ Opry on March 25th, and continue on to a UK and Ireland tour. For tickets, dates, and more information, click here. Nashville is currently in its final season, and continues to tell the story of gay country singer Will Lexington, who is a key member of the ensemble.
12) Peppermint, the fan favorite finalist from season nine of RuPaul’s Drag Race, will make her Broadway debut this summer. She is set to be a cast member of Head Over Heels, the musical inspired by The Go-Go’s, which will premiere in San Francisco on April 16th, then head to Broadway with performances starting on June 23rd. With this show, Peppermint will be the first trans woman to originate a role on Broadway.
13) Trans musician Lenny Zenith is currently fundraising to make a full length album with his band Tenterhooks. Zenith has been performing throughout New York and New Orleans for many years and this would be his first album release for Tenterhooks. To find out more about how to support this power-pop album, click here!
