ticker: Celebs Rumors

Sam Smith – “Him”Smith avoided using specific pronouns on their debut album In The Lonely Hour, which may have helped tunes like “Stay With Me” become as massive as they did. The Grammy winner changed course on their sophomore set The Thrill Of It All, especially on the tune “Him.”The poignant ballad recounts the story of a young man revealing his love for another man to his father as he comes out of the closet.

The Lifespan of a Fact (★★★☆☆), an engaging drama by Jeremy Kareken, David Murrell, and Gordon Farrell, dives right into the abyss in search of what’s true within a soon-to-be-published, nonfiction essay that’s potentially full of fudged facts and fabrications.Either distinction falls over the line from plain old truth. Capable journalists, historians, and other writers of non-fiction are trusted to know the difference, and to practice something like a code of honor in keeping it real for their readers, who shouldn’t have to fact-check every detail.The play — making its D.C.

The world of Magic Mike movies moves fast and changes constantly. An unfettered life for Channing Tatum’s tender-hearted hunk of a stripper-promoter-construction worker-furniture designer-entrepreneur has meant a shifting stream of old and new friends, new loves, and new towns as he rides his “Pony” from film to film, starting with the 2012 hit Magic Mike and ending, presumably, with Magic Mike’s Last Dance (★★ ☆ ☆ ☆).The original — a good-vibes backstage melodrama directed by Steven Soderbergh, who also directed Last Dance — introduced enterprising exotic dancer Mike Lane (Tatum), his crew of dance-challenged stripper buddies, and his journey as a hardbodied, hard-working Florida lug who’s just looking for his shot.Produced for well under ten million dollars, the film went on to gross nearly $170 million worldwide, and of course begat a sequel, the 2015 road movie Magic Mike XXL, which was considerably less successful both at the box office and as a compelling story.That breezily entertaining follow-up, directed by Gregory Jacobs, showed the Magic Mike train already wobbling on its rails, burying the erotic appeal of hot guys stripping under a heap of treacly, trendy, self-help speak about making women feel like queens.Seemingly, the studio’s market research had divined Mike’s true purpose, not as a sexy single stud but as a fantasy boyfriend, who would patiently listen to his lady pour out her feelings, before flipping her onto a table and pounding her to ecstasy.

Harry Potter series author J.K. Rowling’s comments about transgender identity.The Hogwarts Legacy video game, which reimagines the Wizarding World universe created by Rowling in the novels as a 19th-century role-playing game, was released earlier today, Friday, Feb.

80 for Brady, which opened last week in theaters nationwide.The film is inspired by a true story of four octogenarian female football fans who travel to Houston for the 2017 Super Bowl to watch the New England Patriots play against the Atlanta Falcons.Since the film’s release, some critics have argued the film should have distinct appeal for LGBTQ viewers, primarily due to its quartet of leading ladies who are much beloved by the queer community — Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Rita Moreno, and Sally Field — and the inclusion of Billy Porter, who plays a halftime show choreographer.Gus Kenworthy, who makes a cameo in the 98-minute film, says that initially the script called for a shot of him “making out” with his on-screen boyfriend, portrayed by M3GAN actor Brian Jordan Alvarez.The kiss was subsequently cut from the film.The 31-year-old actor said he and Alvarez performed several takes of the kiss, which occur after the pair engage in a back-and-forth lover’s spat. “They used the script for one take, but then we did it like four or five times where we would just ad-lib insults at each other and then make out,” Kenworthy told Variety. “Some of them got raunchy.”He said he hopes at least one of the deleted kisses makes it into the director’s cut.“Release the tapes!” he joked.

challenging a similar law in Utah.Under the bill, doctors are prohibited from providing various forms of gender-affirming care, including puberty blockers, hormones, and surgical treatments, to minors. Supporters claim such restrictions are needed to protect children from pursuing irreversible transition-related treatments that they may later grow to regret.“We need to stand in the gap for vulnerable children and guide them towards true health and healing,” Sen.

The Voice of OC.“We, the City of Huntington Beach, are one community with many different cultures and people. All are equally valued members of our community, and none are to be treated differently or discriminated against,” Burns wrote in a memo explaining his proposal.

The Album. The LP is slated for a May 5 release, and it will reportedly be followed by a tour.This upcoming album will be the group’s sixth full-length, and it is expected to feature a blend of modernized ’70s pop and Americana elements.

The Hill, which viewed the letter, the university called the new group a “traditional Orthodox alternative to YU Pride Alliance.”The YU Pride Alliance, a student group, first sued YU last year after the university refused to recognize it. The Pride Alliance alleged that the college was violating the New York State Human Rights Law.On Sept.

When Time Got Louder (★★☆☆☆) provides a few basics in the guise of a sleekly-produced, low-impact drama delivered by a sincere cast. The bad news is that Cocchia, who wrote and directed, is light on story and heavy on characters who fail to ask key questions or explain things that would avoid a great deal of kerfuffle.When you add sets so bland they look staged by a realtor on a budget, teen bedrooms with less personality than a hotel room, and places with names like Bluewater, Whitestone, and Greenville, things feel a lot like a TV show that’s about to get canceled.

questionnaire, which surveys candidates about their stances on various issues prioritized by the LGBTQ political group.Issued every two years, the questionnaire grades mayoral, Council, and attorney general candidates — in both the primary and the general elections — on the depth and thoroughness of their answers, in addition to holding GLAA’s preferred positions on various issues. Candidates are rated on a scale of -10 to +10, with points awarded for answers that align with GLAA’s positions, as well as their record on LGBTQ rights.

C-SPAN.“Hey, just think about it: Pronoun? In our military?” he said to laughter from the crowd and those present at the event, including Republican Senators Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.). “How do you identify? In our military? These are war times.

An overlooked Pentagon report issued last year by the Joint Chiefs of Staff has debunked decades-old claims that integrating out LGBTQ soldiers into the ranks of the U.S. Armed Forces would harm military readiness and unit cohesion.The 2021 report, issued 10 years after the repeal of the Clinton-era “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” (DADT) policy prohibiting lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals from acknowledging their sexual orientation, examined the military’s response to out LGB service members during the period following repeal.

KFSM. “I didn’t have an answer for my son.”Their son said he had been wrestling and roughhousing with another boy, and that the teacher had encouraged the other student to use the slur against him.The Stepps had more questions about the incident, so they went to the Talihina Elementary School principal, the superintendent, and the teacher for answers.Amber Stepp says she recorded a phone conversation with the teacher in question, playing the recording for KFSM.In the recording, the teacher is heard saying, “Two of the boys were wrestling with each other, and one of them started yelling, saying, ‘He’s touching me, he’s touching me,’ and I said, ‘Yeah, when he does that, yell “f** alert.”‘”The Stepps say they were shocked by the teacher’s behavior.“I never expected it to happen to anyone, let alone my own child,” Jonathon Stepp said.

Turkish Minute.“Let us see what position he will take here,” Erdoğan told reporters, referring to Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, the head of the country’s largest left-wing opposition party, the Republican People’s Party (CHP).Erdoğan proposed the amendment in an attempt to counter the CHP’s decision to introduce an amendment to the constitution to enshrine into law a woman’s right to wear a headscarf. By introducing a larger amendment that attacks the LGBTQ community, the Turkish president is hoping not only to rally social conservatives to his side, but to force the left-wing CHP to either come out in favor of his proposed amendment or reveal their pro-LGBTQ sympathies and risk losing the votes of devout Muslims.Erdoğan’s political machinations come at a time when his Islamist-backed ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) is trailing narrowly behind the opposition bloc in polls ahead of next year’s elections, according to a recent survey from the Piar polling company.

Metro Weekly last year.Dowland Dances, a new work from Farley, the recently appointed dean of the Trudl Zipper Dance Institute at Los Angeles’s Colburn School, showcases ancient music with a modern voice.The work features music by Shakespearean-era composer John Dowland as recorded by British singer Sting, inspired by the erstwhile rocker’s 2006 album Songs from the Labyrinth.“In this new work, Farley uses his gift of mesmerizing, powerful, and poetic movement to create an intimate and breathtaking performance that transcends time,” the official description reads.Genshaft’s All the Little Boxes, devised in collaboration with the company’s dancers, “explores the theme of today’s intertwined relationship between humanity and technology,” says the Moscow-born, San Francisco-based artist. All the Little Boxes will be performed to excerpts of music by Alva Noto, Dustin O’Halloran’s Quintett N.

the most recent bit of controversy she’s found herself embroiled in. And she’s not holding back.Earlier this week, musical duo Right Said Fred spoke to British tabloid The Sun about their inclusion in Beyoncé’s new album Renaissance.The brothers Fred and Richard Fairbrass (and their former bandmate Rob Manzoli) are all credited as songwriters on Bey’s song “Alien Superstar,” as the tune interpolates a part of their smash single “I’m Too Sexy.” That cut took over the world in 1991, and it remains the band’s biggest hit by far.In the interview, the brothers expressed how unhappy they were with their credits and the fact that something of theirs had been used on Renaissance saying, “She is such an arrogant person… She just had probably thought ‘come and get me’ so we heard about it after the fact…”Just days after the article went live, Beyoncé has not only spoken on the issue, but called Right Said Fred out.In a statement shared with Billboard, the Grammy winner claims that their version of what happened is not true, and she comes with specific details that counter their comments as well.“Permission was not only granted for its use, but they publicly spoke of their gratitude for being on the album,” she insisted via the statement.

Edgar Allan & Eddie Poe, a musical inspired by Poe’s youth and writing from Coldharts and a dance adaptation of Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart” by Ballet Embody.Sunday, Oct. 9, offers POE-etry in the Parlour, a production from the Half Light Theatre featuring adaptations of classic Poe stories and poems alongside original music; The Pit and the Pendulum, a dramatic recitation of Poe by Stephen Smith presented by Threedumb Theatre, and a concert by The Embalmers, a four-piece band focused on playing “spooky tunes.”Saturday, Oct.

Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo!, Velma not only falls for a woman, but she and her colleagues openly talk about her love.Originally shared by what appears to be one super fan on Twitter, a snippet shows the moment when Velma first lays eyes on Coco Diablo, and she is immediately infatuated.

walking date, where you can figure out if your date has any taste at all.”Gann and Taglauer are longtime friends and collaborators who, since 2019, have been co-directors of the 24-year-old juried annual arts show. The duo’s intuitive rapport and sense of camaraderie shines even during a half-hour chat over Zoom.Case in point: Gann immediately picks up on Taglauer’s subtle cue to improvise a worst-case date scene at the festival.“You like that?!?” Gann says, in an exaggeratedly dramatic fashion.

Guys and Dolls depicts life and love as a wild, scintillating game of chance.The quintessential Golden Age-era musical was built around Loesser’s immortal song standards, including “Adelaide’s Lament,” “Sit Down, You’re Rocking the Boat,” and “Luck Be a Lady.”The show was last seen on Broadway a dozen years ago, with a revival that was criticized for being somewhat dull and listless. It ultimately proved to be short-lived.More recently, the show became a direct pandemic casualty: Ford’s Theatre was forced to cancel all performances of its planned production a few days before previews were to start in mid-March of 2020.Fortunately, the Kennedy Center is now preparing its own staging of the show, as the opening production in the new season of Broadway Center Stage, the organization’s popular series of semi-staged, actor-centered productions.

Editor’s Note: This column has been modified slightly from the magazine edition.800 Key Highway Baltimore, Md. 410-244-1900 www.avam.orgThe Shops in Spring Valley 4300 Fordham Rd. NWwww.amykaslowgallery.com1238 Maryland Ave.

Metro Weekly cover star Dana Tai Soon Burgess.In October, Burgess and his DTSBDC artists bring sculpture and dance together with Surroundings: A Tribute to Maya Lin, premiering at the National Portrait Gallery, while the Kennedy Center hosts September’s annual ultimate dance get-together, National Dance Day.District audiences enjoy a wealth of options for just the right Nutcracker to tickle their fancy, and a few lucky chances to catch super troupes like Mark Morris Dance Group, American Ballet Theatre, and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre.But blink and you might miss singular treats like beloved twister-tumblers MOMIX, and Farruquito, the flamenco superstar from Seville, stomping through on a mini-tour that’s sure to leave fans swooning.Editor’s Note: This column has been modified slightly from the magazine edition.1333 H St. NE 202-399-7993www.atlasarts.org3443 Carlin Springs Rd. Falls Church, Va.

Nine Night (★★★☆☆) looks as lived-in as any house you’re likely to see onstage. Clearly, many lives connect under this roof, inside the comfy, middle-class London home of Jamaican matriarch Gloria.The deeply-built set of Gloria’s living room, kitchen, and foyer, designed by Tim Mackabee, is dense with detail and decorated to within an inch of its linoleum-floored life with mismatched furniture, family photos, plants, and knickknacks.It’s over-decorated, for sure, but we can well imagine that the abundance — clutter to some — is exactly as Gloria would have wanted it.

Tempest for the ages.We’re excited for almost every season offering, but the one thing that fills us with an embarrassment of joy? The return of the Broadway Center Stage series to the Kennedy Center. Prior to the pandemic, the series routinely blew the roof off the national arts center with its extraordinary staged concerts that, in some cases, felt Broadway-ready.Other highlights of the 2022-2023 season include the returns of Les Miserables, Chicago, Wicked and — why not? — Cats; an Olney Kinky Boots; a Bountiful moment with Nancy Robinette at Ford’s; the return of Michael Urie and husband Ryan Spahn to the (boldly, beautifully rebranded) Shakespeare Theatre; Arena Stage tackling Tony Kushner’s gay masterpiece Angels in America; and the long-anticipated “Till Trilogy” at Mosaic. Buy stock in Kleenex now.1524 Spring Hill Rd.

www.buenavidagastrolounge.com or call 703-888-1528.

poll from the Pew Research Center says that gay and bisexual men in the United States are more concerned about the recent monkeypox outbreak and are more critical of the U.S. government’s response to the crisis.The United States officially declared the monkeypox outbreak to be a national health emergency in early August.

Yeshiva University’s Pride Alliance offered to delay its efforts to gain university recognition on Wednesday, Sept. 21, after the school suspended all student activities rather than recognize the LGBTQ group.On Sept.

currently has three clinics offering the monkeypox vaccine: one in Ward 2, at 1900 I St NW, which is open from Sunday through Friday from 12-8 p.m.; one in Ward 4, at 7530 Georgia Ave NW, open from Sunday through Friday from 12-8 p.m.; and one in Ward 8, at 3640 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave SE, open from Monday through Saturday from 12-8 p.m.Vaccination doses will be subject to availability at each of the clinics.

This Book is Gay, by Juno Dawson, is one of seven that have been pulled from circulation by the Dearborn Public Schools system after parents objected to their content. Five of the titles deal with LGBTQ content or contain primary or secondary characters who are LGBTQ.

2021 law barring transgender athletes from competing on sports teams that align with their gender identity is unconstitutional. On Sept. 14, Gallatin County District Judge Rienne McElyea issued an injunction permanently barring the state from enforcing a provision in the law that prohibits transgender athletes from participating on collegiate-level women’s sports teams.McElyea found that, in passing the law, the state’s Republican-led Legislature infringed on the constitutional authority of the Montana Board of Regents, which is allowed to make its own policies governing college campuses.The ruling does not overturn part of the law prohibiting transgender athletes in grades K-12 from competing in sports that match their gender identity.In her ruling, McElyea rejected the state’s argument that the Board of Regents had no existing policies regarding athlete participation, finding that the board’s decision to comply with NCAA regulations on transgender participation was in itself a policy, reports the Helena Independent Record.“Contrary to the state’s characterization, the Board’s policy is not a delegation of the Board’s constitutional authority to a non-governmental body [NCAA], but an exercise of the Board’s authority to ensure the eligibility of Montana athletes and to protect the [Montana University System’s] substantial financial investment in its athletics programs,” she wrote.Current NCAA policy on transgender athletes allows each individual sports’ national governing body to determine its own criteria for eligibility.

Carmen from this past spring.The opera will screen for free to all those amassed on the field, this year held in the state-of-the-art home stadium of Major League Soccer’s D.C. United.The 17th annual Opera on the Field focuses on Georges Bizet’s beloved, blockbuster tragedy, second only to Verdi’s La Traviata in a recent ranking of the world’s most performed operas.It comes to life with some of opera’s biggest stars, including Isabel Leonard, Vanessa Vasquez, Ryan Speedo Green, and Michael Fabiano.The production was a Washington National Opera debut for the openly gay Fabiano, one of opera’s most in-demand tenors.Fabiano plays Don José, the humble soldier who spurns everything and everyone else after becoming infatuated with the titular seductress, played by fellow opera superstar Leonard.“In light of the way the world is right now, Carmen could seem taboo for some people and some sensibilities, as a man basically violently murders a woman at the end of the opera,” Fabiano told Metro Weekly. “But we still today face huge problems with violence against women in our society, where men stalk women until they’re murdered.

RuPaul’s Drag Race brought drag into millions of homes, events like Miss’d America, which will hold its 31st pageant this weekend, put the spotlight on the drag community.Taking place in Atlantic City at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, the weekend will kick off at 9 p.m. on Friday, Sept 23, with drag bingo hosted by last year’s pageant winner, Amanda Pörq.Guests will have the chance to win cash and prizes and watch special performances by Sandy Beach, Morgan Wells, and Miss Elaine.On Saturday, eight contestants will take to the stage of Hard Rock’s Sound Waves Theater, starting at 7 p.m., for the chance to be crowned Miss’d America 2023.They’ll compete in the categories of swimsuit, talent, and evening gown, and will be interviewed by the judges.The evening promises to feature over-the-top productions, overseen by the pageant’s celebrity emcee Carson Kressley.Tickets for Miss’d America start at $25 and can be purchased online.VIP tickets are also available at $100 each, and include one complimentary drink and admission to an exclusive post-pageant meet and greet reception.

Just two months after President Joe Biden announced steps to increase federal protections for the LGBTQ community, it appears public schools in Louisiana will be refusing to implement policies protecting LGBTQ students that would comply with guidance from the U.S. Department of Education.As part of a larger executive order, Biden directed the Education Department to form a working group aimed at advancing pro-LGBTQ policies in schools, in the name of creating “safe and inclusive learning environments in which all students thrive.”The extent of those policies may vary, but will largely embrace the principle that LGBTQ students, especially transgender students, are protected from discrimination under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, a federal law prohibiting sex-based discriminatory practices in taxpayer-funded schools.Last year, Education Secretary Miguel Cardona, citing the legal logic underlying a landmark LGBTQ rights case from 2020, clarified that anti-LGBTQ discrimination is inherently a form of sex-based discrimination.In issuing his executive order, Biden noted that over 300 proposed anti-LGBTQ laws have been introduced over the past year, many of which specifically target transgender children and their parents “by banning access to medical care and support at school.” The order, and the formation of the working group focused on pro-LGBTQ policies, were intended to provide a framework with which to implement the principles previously outlined by Cardona.But many social conservatives, including Louisiana state officials, disagree with the premise that Title IX applies to any situation besides those explicitly dealing with a person’s assigned sex at birth.

named the receiver for the LGBTQ nonprofit and service provider Casa Ruby, advises the court that Casa Ruby should dissolve following alleged financial mismanagement.In a court-ordered report submitted on Sept. 13, Wanda Alston Foundation finds that, based on an ongoing examination of Casa Ruby’s financial records, the nonprofit’s current liabilities total more than $2 million and exceed any assets currently held by the nonprofit.Based on bills, invoices, and account statements from various creditors, the receiver’s report indicates that the organization’s debts include unpaid rent and utility bills at seven different properties: one location on Georgia Avenue NW; one location on Florida Avenue NW; one location on Connecticut Avenue NW; and four locations on W Street SE, which had been rented from Temple Baptist Church.

an earlier ruling he made in April that temporarily blocked a 2021 state law, signed into effect by Republican Gov. Greg Gianforte, prohibiting changes to gender markers on birth certificates unless an individual provides documentation attesting that they have undergone gender confirmation surgery.Under Moses’s April ruling, the state of Montana was supposed to be barred from enforcing the law until the dispute over the law’s constitutionality can be resolved in by the courts.