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.) Wendell & Wild, the new stop-motion film from Henry Selick and Jordan Peele, comes out on Netflix today, following a limited theatrical release last Friday. The film follows a pair of demon brothers who strike a deal with a punk rock teen to escape the underworld and live out their dreams above ground. One of the key supporting characters, Raul, is a trans man, and is voiced by trans actor Sam Zelaya. Be sure to catch the creepy film on Netflix before this spooky season is over!
2.) Amanda Kramer’s new musical drama Please Baby Please premieres today in theaters. The film follows a newlywed “straight” couple (Harry Melling and Andrea Riseborough) that witness a murder in 1950s New York City, and subsequently become the obsession of a gang of greasers. However, witnessing the murder leads to a sexual awakening of the main characters, and a campy, chaotic story ensues. Catch the film in theaters now, and watch the trailer below! In more film news, erotic horror film Alone at Night revealed a first look of bisexual Ashley Benson as protagonist and sex-worker Vicky.
3.) Out director Phyllis Nagy’s new movie Call Jane is out in theaters today! The film follows Virginia (Sigourney Weaver) leading an underground group of women providing abortions called the Jane Collective. In the film, Virginia is a lesbian, and is shown on screen with a girlfriend. Go see Call Jane in theaters now! A new poster for Netflix’s upcoming film Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery came out yesterday, featuring Janelle Monae in their full queer non-binary glory.
4.) The trailer for The New Yorker’s upcoming documentary short Holding Moses dropped this week. The award-winning short follows queer Broadway dancer Randi Rader as she learns to raise her disabled young son, Moses. Rader’s romantic partner, Rivkah Beth Medow, produced the film. Catch Holding Moses on The New Yorker’s streaming channels November 16, and watch the trailer below now. A first look at Prime Video’s holiday rom-com Something From Tiffany’s, which features queer actress Shay Mitchell, came out this week. The film follows two couples thrown into turmoil after a mishap with an engagement ring.
5.) In other Hollywood news, queer actresses Kiersey Clemons and Barbie Ferreira have been cast in upcoming drag king comedy The Young King. Clemons will play an aspiring drag king in Las Vegas, and Ferreira will play a dancer and Clemons’ love interest. Gay actor Austin Crute will co-star in The Greatest Hits, an upcoming romance film from Searchlight Pictures.
‘The Greatest Hits’: Austin Crute Joins Lucy Boynton, Justin H. Min In Ned Benson-Directed Searchlight Romance https://t.co/iAf8s8mIVJ
— Deadline Hollywood (@DEADLINE) October 25, 2022
6.) A sequel to Nickelodeon’s Monster High movie has been greenlit, just weeks after the film’s successful debut. The live-action musical fantasy follows Clawdeen Wolf (Miia Harris), a half-werewolf and half-human teen, who must navigate her identity at a new “monsters only” school with the help of classmates and best friends Frankie Stein and Draculaura. Frankie Stein is a non-binary student at Monster High who uses they/them pronouns, and is played by Ceci Balagot, a trans actor who uses he/they pronouns. Watch Monster High on Paramount+ and Nickelodeon now, or check out the trailer below! In more Monster High news this week, the Monster High animated tv series premieres today on Nickelodeon and Peacock. As Clawdeen Wolf arrives at Monster High, she learns to navigate the halls of the chaotic school alongside friends Frankie Stein and Draculaura. The show stars a bevy of out voice actors, including Courtney Lin as Draculaura, transmasculine non-binary performer iris menas as Frankie Stein, queer actress Kausar Mohammed as Cleo De Nile, and non-binary performer Valeria Rodriguez as Lagoona Blue. Frankie Stein is also a non-binary character, and uses they/them pronouns. Catch the series premiere now on Nickelodeon and Paramount+.
7.) Starz drama The Serpent Queen, a contemporary spin on the life of Catherine De Medici, has been renewed for a second season. The show features a queer relationship between supporting characters Aabis (Amrita Acharia) and Angelica (Ruby Bentall). Out comedian Wanda Sykes’ show The Upshaws was renewed for a third season. The show features Jermelle Simon as Bernard, a gay character.
Guess who’s back? Excited to share #TheUpshaws has been renewed and new episodes are headed your way in early 2023 pic.twitter.com/1K3EfF68ee
— Strong Black Lead (@strongblacklead) October 26, 2022
8.) In music news this week, queer artist Ella Jane’s sophomore album Marginalia comes out today. Earlier this year Ella Jane’s song “nothing else I could do” featured in Netflix’s queer tv hit Heartstopper. Gay rapper Cakes da Killa drops his new album Svengali today, marking the artists second studio album. Queer artist and podcast host Zac Poor released his new single “Ghost Boy,” and queer band Walt Disco’s new cover of “Never Knew Love Like This Before” by Stephanie Mills is out now. Trans pop singer Mel 4Ever also released a new single this week called “I HATE U.”
okay marginalia what track r u claiming GO pic.twitter.com/F8fioQyhDH
— ella jane (@ellajanemusic) October 22, 2022
9.) Gay comedian Matt Rogers will have a filmed version of his comedy special Matt Rogers: Have You Heard of Christmas? come to Showtime on December 2. The special features a mix of original live holiday music and stand-up comedy. Gay comedians Bowen Yang, Josh Sharp, and Aaron Jackson will guest-star alongside Rogers. In Broadway casting news, gay actor Nathan Lane will return to the stage for Pictures From Home‘s premiere in January.
Matt Rogers Sets Debut Comedy Special at Showtime With Bowen Yang, Josh Sharp, Aaron Jackson as Guests https://t.co/3ZkACRLERI
— Variety (@Variety) October 26, 2022
10.) The nominations for the 2022 Gotham Awards were announced Tuesday. As the first major awards ceremony in the season, the awards are often seen as a bellwether for future award ceremonies. This year, psychological drama Tár, featuring a lesbian protagonist in the titular role, recieved the most nominations with five, including “Best Feature” and nominations for performers Cate Blanchett, Nina Hoss, and Noemie Merlant for playing queer roles in the film. Other LGBTQ-inclusive films and series recieving nominations are Dos Estaciones, Everything Everywhere All At Once, Abbott Elementary, The Andy Warhol Diaries, Rap Sh!t, Severance, Somebody Somewhere, Station Eleven, This is Going to Hurt, and Yellowjackets. Notable nominations for talent Aubrey Plaza for “Lead Performance in a Film” for Emily the Criminal, include queer trans-feminine actress Bilal Baig for “Outstanding Performance in a Series” for Sort Of, and gay actor Ben Whishaw as “Outstanding Supporting Performer” and “Outstanding Performance in a Series” for Women Talking and This is Going to Hurt, respectively. Lesbian actress Sue Ann Pien received a nomination in “Outstanding Performance in a Series” for As We See It. Out filmmaker Elegance Bratton was also nominated for “Bingham Ray Breakthrough Director Award” for The Inspection. It was also announced in September that Fire Island will be receiving the ensemble tribute at the awards. See the full list of nominees here!
11.) The twelfth annual Youtube Streamy award nominees were announced yesterday, featuring a number of queer performers and shows. Drag Queen’s Trixie Mattel and Katya Zamalodchikova’s WOWPresents show UNHhhh earned nominations for “Show of the Year,” “Unscripted Series,” and “Editing.” Pansexual TikTok and Youtube star KallMeKris earned nominations for “Breakout Creator,” “Comedy,” and “Collaboration.” Other queer nominees include trans creator NikkieTutorials and gay creator Brad Mondo for “Beauty,” gay creator The Fitness Marshall for “Health and Wellness,” and bisexual actress Lili Reinhart with Riverdale co-stars Camila Mendes and Madelaine Petsch for “Collaboration.” Aroac creator Jaiden Animations was nominated for “Animation” and Josh Helfgott’s Gay News was nominated for “News.” Finally, Tinder and our very own GLAAD picked up nominations for “Social Impact Campaign,” with Tinder’s for here!