Queer Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

Courtney Howard The best jukebox musicals, whether on stage or screen, weave together popular, pre-existing songs from an artist with a compelling story beating at its core. But not all that use chart-toppers go on to become hits themselves. For every “Mamma Mia!,” which harnessed the power of Abba’s pop bombast, there’s a “Good Vibrations,” which failed to deliver similar positive vibes from Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys’ music.

Queer Eye‘s “hometown heroes” are standing up for Jonathan Van Ness!

Christopher Vourlias Grasshopper Film has acquired North American distribution rights to “Holding Back the Tide,” Emily Packer’s meditation on New York’s oysters and their transformations in the face of an uncertain future. The film, which world premiered at DOC NYC last fall, plays this week at the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival.

Katcy Stephan “Nimona,” Netflix and Annapurna Animation’s Oscar-nominated film, is a compelling tale of passion, resilience and searching for community — both on and off the screen. When brave knight Ballister Boldheart (Riz Ahmed) is falsely accused of assassinating the queen, he teams up with the chaotic, shapeshifting teenager Nimona (Chloë Grace Moretz) in the hopes of clearing his name and bringing peace to the kingdom. Nimona and Ballister’s quest closely echoes the long journey of the film’s producers, who overcame seemingly insurmountable obstacles — not only to bring the film to screens, but all the way to the Academy Awards.

Christopher Vourlias As the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival embarks on its second quarter-century, with its 26th edition kicking off March 7, the event’s industry arm continues to look for ways to reinvent itself. “We are educating ourselves. We are asking the local and the regional industries and communities, ‘What do you need from us?’” says Angeliki Vergou, who heads the Agora industry program.

Netflix’s Queer Eye, with some producers describing Jonathan Van Ness as having “rage issues”.The eighth season of the makeover show arrived at the start of the year and marks interior designer Bobby Berk’s last season as part of the ‘Fab Five’, alongside Tan France, Antoni Porowski, Van Ness and Karamo Brown.Back in November, Berk confirmed that the upcoming season of Queer Eye would be his last, describing his decision to leave the show as a “necessary one”.And now, per a report in Rolling Stone, a number of the show’s production members and other sources have said that “petty disputes” and professional competitiveness had started to fracture the relationships between the five hosts.Furthermore, the report cites multiple sources describing hairstylist Van Ness’ behind-the-scenes behaviour as emotionally “abusive”, involving “rage issues”.Four production sources and three other of Van Ness’ colleagues were also quoted as using the words “monster”, “nightmare” and “demeaning” to describe the host, pointing to their tendency to lash out at crew members.“[There’s] a real emotion of fear around them when they get angry. It’s almost like a cartoon where it oozes out of them,” one source who worked with Van Ness said.

There’s yet ANOTHER Queer Eye controversy unfolding!

A shocking Rolling Stone article regarding the behind-the-scenes environment at Netflix’s Queer Eye is calling several of the show’s stars into question.

J. Kim Murphy A fitfully kooky 23andMe-gone-wrong scary story, “Amelia’s Children” follows an American couple in Portugal as they become entwined in an ancient bloodline of witchcraft. The horror project makes for an intriguing follow-up to Lisbon-based filmmaker Gabriel Abrantes’ much lighter 2018 feature “Diamantino” (that one co-directed with Daniel Schmidt), which lampooned soccer icon Cristiano Ronaldo’s patriotic celebrity with giant puppy dog daydream sequences and a prankish but tender queer romance.

Zoe Lister-Jones is coming out.

Designer Jeremiah Brent has joined Netflix‘s Queer Eye for Season 9, following Bobby Berk’s exit in November following 8 seasons. Production on Season 9 is set to begin in Las Vegas later this spring.

Queer Eye is getting a major shakeup!

K.J. Yossman Lil Nas X’s feature documentary has been acquired by Universal Pictures Content Group for international distribution. “Lil Nas X: Long Live Montero” is a fly-on-the-wall feature helmed by Oscar-nominated director Carlos López Estrada (“Billie Eilish: When the Party’s Over”) and filmmaker Zac Manuel.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent The Sundance queer drama “Sebastian,” directed by up-and-coming Finnish-British director Mikko Mäkelä, has been bought by Kino Lorber for U.S. distribution, along with a string of international buyers. Represented in international markets by LevelK, the film made its world premiere in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Adam McKay’s Hyperobject Industries has set up “Jockular,” a podcast from three queer best friends Katie Kershaw, Tien Tran and E.R. Fightmaster — who, along with their guests, will discuss all things queer, trans and women-forward in the world of sports. “Jockular” will dispense “equal doses of sports commentary, cultural criticism and light-hearted gossip,” per Hyperobject Industries, spanning sports including collegiate basketball, professional soccer and “power slapping” (which, weirdly, is an actual thing).

The Inside Out 2SLGBTQ+ Film Festival on Monday revealed 11 new recipients for its annual RE:Focus Fund, celebrating its fifth year of supporting filmmakers identifying as women, non-binary and/or trans. 

As the Manchester Pride parade made its way through the city centre some seven years ago, one of the people in attendance amongst the sea of floats, dancers, ambassadors and members of the LGBTQ+ community could barely believe what was happening.

For every queer person, coming out is a process. There is no one-and-done conversation that renders a queer person fully formed or comfortable, no singular reveal that instantly erases the internalized trauma that follows coming to terms with their identity.

A Manchester nightclub used as a filming location for hit 90s show Queer as Folk is to mark the 25th anniversary of the series by changing its name for one weekend only.

Celebs have made headlines over the years when they publicly talked about their sexual preferences in bed.

Gay men as old as me can truthfully say that in the last 50 years, our freedom to love has expanded far beyond what we imagined. We sat on the beds of our lovers as they died from AIDS while congressmen advocated corralling all of us into concentration camps. Indeed, it was still illegal to have sex with other men in most places. True, Bill Clinton allowed us to serve in the military but only as long as we stayed in the closet. Many people regarded the long-unthinkable notion of gay marriage as our priority.

Oprah Winfrey and Niecy Nash-Betts will be honored at the 35th GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles on March 14.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Music Box Films has acquired U.S. distribution rights to “Solo,” Sophie Dupuis’s queer love story of two rising drag performers starring Théodore Pellerin (“Beau Is Afraid) and Félix Maritaud (“120 BPM”). The edgy film — which is repped by SND and premiered at Toronto where it won best Canadian film — follows Simon, a rising star of Montreal drag queen scene, who falls in love with Olivier, the new recruit at the bar where he performs.

Marc Malkin Senior Editor, Culture and Events Oprah Winfrey and Niecy Nash-Betts will be honored at the GLAAD Media Awards in Los Angeles on March 14. Winfrey will be presented with the Vanguard Award for championing allyship and making a significant difference in promoting acceptance of LGBTQ people and issues.

Kristen Stewart voicing her thoughts on queer movies, and more!

Kristen Stewart is in Berlin this weekend for the international premiere of her lesbian crime-thriller Love Lies Bleeding.

Ellise Shafer At the Berlin Film Festival press conference for her new film “Love Lies Bleeding,” Kristen Stewart said she thinks the era of queer films “being so pointedly only that is done,” adding that it’s time for films to focus on “sidelined perspectives” while “not making it all about the reasons that they’re sidelined.” “Love Lies Bleeding” stars Stewart as reclusive gym manager Lou, who “falls hard for Jackie (Katy O’Brian), an ambitious bodybuilder headed through town to Las Vegas in pursuit of her dream,” the film’s synopsis reads. “But their love ignites violence, pulling them deep into the web of Lou’s criminal family.” When asked if filming the gory and twist-filled “Love Lies Bleeding” had changed her perspective on how queer stories are centered in cinema, Stewart sounded off on the topic.

Ellie (Ashley Johnson), left, and her girlfriend, Dina (Shannon Woodward), are two prominent queer characters in the acclaimed blockbuster game “The Last of Us Part II.” Approximately 17% of active video game players are LGBTQ+, but less than 2% of games on major consoles and personal computers include queer characters, according to a report from GLAAD. (Photo: Naughty Dog)

Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor has some criticism for her movie The Color Purple.

Celebrating the LGBTQ+ community is what the eagerly anticipated Gaydio Pride Awards encompasses at its core. A night to champion and honour the work of individuals, charities and organisations who better the lives of those in the community across the UK.

The Traitors has become a huge hit throughout it’s second season on Peacock, with tons of social media chatter!

Kristen Stewart is opening up more than ever.

Anna Tingley If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Emma Seligman‘s wild, gonzo, R-rated lesbian comedy “Bottoms” is finally available to stream on Prime Video.

J. Kim Murphy Lilly Wachowski is bound to direct “Trash Mountain,” a queer comedy-drama starring rising comedian and actor Caleb Hearon. The film follows a young gay man living in Chicago who returns to his hometown in Missouri following the death of his hoarder father.

4 min read The 31st Mardi Gras Film Festival (MGFF) is here, and it’s not just about popcorn and previews. This year, Queer Screen throws down the gauntlet, inviting audiences to engage in […]

Queer Eye cast mate Tan France.The eighth season of the popular Netflix makeover show landed on Wednesday (January 24) and marks interior designer Berk’s last season as part of the Fab Five alongside France, Antoni Porowski, Jonathan Van Ness and Karamo Brown.Berk confirmed the eighth season of Queer Eye would be his last in November. In a post on X announcing his departure, he described the decision to leave the show as a “necessary one”.It had been rumoured that a feud had emerged between Berk and France. A report on US Weekly claimed Berk was “asked to leave” the Netflix series “because he wasn’t vibing with the cast”.“There were many challenges with scheduling [and] there was a loss of interest from Bobby filming the show,” an insider told the outlet.