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. In solidarity with the members of SAG-AFTRA, GLAAD will not be reporting on news and projects from struck companies in the GLAAD Wrap until such time as a fair deal is reached between SAG-AFTRA and the AMPTP.
1.) Queer director, photographer and creative director Taylor James, wrapped production on his narrative debut, ILY BYE, earlier this year. The short film follows Siobhan (bisexual actress Megan Stalter), a quirky, socially anxious mess who can’t seem to keep a job. Thanks to the help of her best friend Gary (Kanoa Goo), she scores an interview with his boss, Mr. Litchfield (Rainn Wilson). But when her call to schedule the interview goes to voicemail, Siobhan panics and leaves a series of unhinged messages. Not wanting to lose the interview, she embarks on a chaotic mission to delete the voicemails herself. Follow the film’s instagram to stay up to date on premieres, awards, and more!
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2.) Canada’s Drag Race revealed their guest judges and trailer for Season 4, which premieres November 16 on WOW Presents Plus. The series features Canadian drag queens who showcase their charisma, uniqueness, nerve, and talent to become Canada’s First Drag Superstar and win the $100,000 grand prize. The star-studded judge selection includes, Nelly Furtado, Winnie Harlow, Luann de Lesseps, Tegan and Sara, Jaida Essence Hall, Ra’Jah O’Hara, Sarain Fox, Rêve, and Christian Allaire. The award-winning series returns for a nine-episode run Thursday, Nov. 16 at 9 p.m. ET in English and French on Crave, with new episodes dropping Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET. Watch the trailer below!
3.) NBC’s Saturday Night Live November 11 episode will feature musical guest boygenius, a queer indie supergroup composed of Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus. The performance will be Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker’s respective SNL debuts, but not Bridgers’ who made her own guitar-smashing solo debut in 2021, performing songs from her album Punisher. Earlier this year, Boygenius released their debut studio album, the record, which reached No. 4 on the Billboard 200 chart in April. In October, the trio released a shorter EP called the rest and made a TV appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on Oct. 13, where they performed their song “Cool About It” off of the record. Tune in to Season 49 Episode 4 of SNL (hosted by Timothée Chalamet) to watch the boygenius performance!
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4.) Lesbian pop artist Gia Woods released her EP Your Engine yesterday. Among the tracks is lead single, “Overdrive,” a liberating anthem featuring unapologetic lyrics. The EP marks the start of a new chapter for Gia, with the rising pop star leaning deeper into her Persian heritage for inspiration and reaching even greater emotional depths as she delivers seven sparkling, synth-laden, sapphic bops. Owning her identity as a proud lesbian and the daughter of first-generation immigrants is important to Gia, who feels as though her artist’s mission is to make history and act as a creative force that drives positive change in the world. Listen to Your Engine now!
Don’t stop keep going..
YOUR ENGINE
OUT EVERYWHERE NOWhttps://t.co/b4har20H82 pic.twitter.com/OpVUMpGv3b— GIA WOODS (@GIAWOODS) November 2, 2023
4.) “know that you’re not alone,” the newest single from queer breakout UK singer-songwriter Cat Burns, dropped Wednesday, November 1 via Sony Music UK/RCA Records. One of the biggest-selling British female artists of 2022 and three time 2023 BRIT Award nominee with a BBC Sound Poll 2023 shortlist induction, a Spotify’s Global RADAR artist campaign and a recent ‘Rising Star Award’ nom at this year’s Ivor Novello Awards, Burns is one to watch. Click here to watch the official lyric video for “know that you’re not alone”!
’know that you’re not alone!’ out next Wednesday 🙂 x https://t.co/rsss3RD4ES pic.twitter.com/N4LnlBw5wE
— Cat Burns (@catburns) October 25, 2023
5.) This week, boundary-breaking rap visionary and pansexual artist Baby Tate unveiled a striking new video for “Jersey,” a Justin Tranter produced standout from her recently-released EP, Baby Tate Presents – Sexploration: The Musical. As with her transformative project, the visual for “Jersey” is as inventive as it is engrossing. “Jersey” is the latest vignette of her “musical,” addressing the universality of heartbreak before rolling the curtains back for an intimate performance. Watch HERE via Warner Records.
Act 3: Jersey Official Music Video OUT NOW #Sexploration pic.twitter.com/27Ek4n85Dq
— bt (@imbabytate) November 1, 2023
8.) Thirsty Suitors is a fun and flirty action-packed adventure led by Jala, a heartbreaker on the road to self-discovery after she moves back home following a bad breakup. Players can cook, battle, and skateboard in this frenetic exploration of South Asian culture, familial expectations, and bisexuality. Outerloop Games brings players a refreshingly joyous take on mending fractured relationships, but doesn’t shy away from much needed catharses and difficult conversations. Thirsty Suitors is available for purchase now on Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch, and Steam. Play now!
Can Jala learn to love herself and heal the wounds of her past? Thirsty Suitors, our 2022 Tribeca Games Award Winner developed by @OuterloopGames and published by @A_I, is a stylish, story-driven adventure that unfolds through turn-based battles, skateboarding, and cooking.… pic.twitter.com/oQ1dvRayBT
— Tribeca (@Tribeca) November 2, 2023
9.) This Bed We Made is a third-person mystery game in which you play as a maid in a 1950s hotel and snoop around strangers’ rooms to uncover their deadly secrets, and as the protagonist Sophie, players will have the key to all of them. The neo-noir detective mystery game is an inquisitive exploration of queer identity and mental illness during a time where both were hidden behind closed doors. Play now on Steam to discover what links guests together in this tale of love, heartbreak, and murder!
10.) South Korean playwright and lesbian Hansol Jung’s military sex comedy, Merry Me, opened at New York Theatre Workshop October 11 and will have its final performance November 19, 2023. This 90 minute off-broadway play takes place on an island not far away from the vulnerable coasts of an enemy state where a mysterious blackout has left the Navy restless and itching for action. Lieutenant Shane Horne has occupied her time satisfying the libidinous needs of all the women on the base—including the jealous general’s wife. But her own merries will not come. Buy tickets now to watch a story of romantic scandal and a doomsday tale of epic proportions.
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11.) The British Independent Film Awards nominations are here and there are a handful of queer creators and stories being recognized for their success! Among them are films including Femme (Sam H Freeman, Ng Choon Ping), Pretty Red Dress (Dionne Edwards), All Of Us Strangers (Andrew Haigh), How to Have Sex (Molly Manning Walker), and Raine Allen-Miller’s debut feature Rye Lane which is leading this year’s BIFA nominations with 16 nods, including Best Director and Best British Independent Film.
WGA Awards are set for April 14, a month after the Oscars. This will allow for a full awards submission process to occur after the strike. The DGA Awards remain set for February 10, and the Producers Guild Awards will be presented about two weeks later on the 25th. Click here to see all the key dates for the 2024 Writers Guild Awards.
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