Open Thread

Variety reports: On Monday, the Los Angles County Department of Public Health announced it “strongly recommends everyone, regardless of vaccination status, wear masks indoors in public places as a precautionary measure” in light of the increasingly transmissible Delta variant. The precautionary recommendation comes just two weeks after the full reopening of California’s economy. Across the country, the Delta variant is …

Hip Hop DX reports: Queen Latifah was honored at the 2021 BET Awards with the Lifetime Achievement Award on Sunday night (June 27). After a tribute performance from her “Ladies First” collaborator Monie Love, Lil Kim, Rapsody and MC Lyte, the seasoned MC/actress took the stage alongside her father to deliver her acceptance speech. Then in a rare moment, the …

Deadline reports: Donald Trump’s latest rally was another greatest hits of media attacks, 2020 election falsehoods and long-held and more recent grievances, and while it drew a large in-person crowd in Wellington, Ohio, it did’t get an audience on the three major cable news networks. The reason: They didn’t carry it. C-SPAN carried the rally as part of its Road …

Broadway World reports: Pride is here and so is a new spin on a classic that’s taking the gay anthem to the next level. Watch below to check out an amazing dance version of “I Am What I Am” featuring J. Harrison Ghee and directed/produced by Jimmy Larkin. The just-released video includes appearances by Grey Henson, Ezra Menas, Gaby Gamache, …

The Hollywood Reporter reports: William White, who goes by @Whiteyy18 on TikTok, has signed with to IMG Models and WME as part of the Endeavor family. White rocketed to fame after lip-syncing famous ‘80s tunes on TikTok, where he quickly gained a following of self-described “cougars,” or middle-aged women who swooned over the 21-year-old from Niagara Falls, Ontario. Besides becoming …

Variety reports: Winston Marshall, the banjoist from folk rock band Mumford & Sons, has exited the group after becoming embroiled in a political controversy for praising a book by right-wing journalist Andy Ngo. In March, Marshall tweeted his thoughts on Ngo’s book, “Unmasked: Inside Antifa’s Radical Plan to Destroy Democracy,” writing “Finally had the time to read your important book. …

Variety reports: Three and a half years after Elton John announced his “Farewell Yellow Brick Road: The Final Tour,” after an unavoidable pandemic delay, he has finally unveiled the closing stadium dates of that tour. It will make a final lap across Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand next year after the conclusion of the arena dates rescheduled from …

Sports Illustrated reports: Raiders defensive lineman Carl Nassib now owns the top spot on the Fanatics’ jersey sales list over the last two days, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The surging popularity of Nassib’s No. 94 jersey comes after he became the NFL’s first openly gay active player Monday evening. Nassib made the announcement from his home in Pennsylvania. Nassib has …

Variety reports: Amblin Partners and Netflix have forged a partnership, one that will see the company headed by Steven Spielberg produce multiple new feature films for the streaming service every year. The move is surprising and a sign of the major changes taking place in Hollywood, in part because Spielberg has previously been seen as something of a Netflix skeptic. …

Variety reports: Las Vegas engagements, joint music, movies — Backstreet Boys members AJ McLean and Nick Carter and *NSYNC’s Joey Fatone and Lance Bass are touting “endless” possibilities following their sold out debut performance as “Back-Sync” at the Grove in Los Angeles on Friday night. The pop stars united for Bingo Under the Stars, an evening celebrating Pride and benefiting …

The Hollywood Reporter reports: Mark Hamill on Friday night celebrated the announcement that his space sister Carrie Fisher would finally be bestowed a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The late actress is among 38 honorees who will have their names forever enshrined along the popular Los Angeles landmark, including Francis Ford Coppola, Macaulay Culkin, Willem Dafoe, Salma Hayek, …

Variety reports: John Paragon, best known for his role as Jambi the Genie on the television series “Pee-wee’s Playhouse,” has died. He was 66. Paragon died in his residence in Palm Springs, Calif. on April 3, according to a press release from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. A representative for the Sheriff’s Department confirmed to Variety that Paragon’s cause of …

Variety reports: Hungary’s parliament passed a law on Tuesday that bans the dissemination to minors of content deemed to promote homosexuality and gender change — a move that has drawn condemnation from leading broadcasters and cast a shadow over one of the world’s top production hubs. The measure could put pressure on U.S. studios to rethink their business in Hungary …

Variety reports: “The Book of Mormon” is the latest long-running show to announce its return to Broadway. In another sign that the lights are flickering back on along the Great White Way, “The Book of Mormon” will return to the Eugene O’Neill Theatre on Friday, November 5, 2021. Tickets will go on sale on June 28. “The Book of Mormon” …

Deadline reports: President Joe Biden named Lina Khan as the next chair of the Federal Trade Commission, just hours after she won Senate confirmation for a vacancy on the commission. Khan is a major and outspoken critic of big tech conglomerates, and her confirmation in a 69-28 vote earlier on Tuesday was a reflection of the bipartisanship when it comes …

Deadline reports: California Governor Gavin Newsom said on Monday that he is prepared to issue an executive order later this week to immediately implement a loosening of work-site mask-wearing regulations if, that is, the state’s Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board approves them on Thursday. Under normal procedures, the board’s decision would have to be reviewed by state attorneys and …

Deadline reports: The man who revealed that former President Bill Clinton met with then-Attorney General Loretta Lynch during the investigation of Hillary Clinton’s email servers has died. Christopher Sign was 45 and apparently died from suicide, according to Al.com. Police responded to his home on Saturday morning and are investigating. The Dallas, Texas native was the anchor for the local …

Variety reports: “American Idol” alum David Archuleta has come out as part of the LGBTQIA+ community and is opening up about his experience balancing his Mormon faith with his sexuality. “I like to keep to myself but also thought this was important to share because I know so many other people from religious upbringings feel the same way,” Archuleta began …

Deadline Hollywood reports: In the Heights, which opens in theaters and on HBO Max today (though, we highly recommend that you watch it on the big screen if you’re comfortable), will most definitely change the game when it comes to Latinx representation in film, a community that is wildly underrepresented in Hollywood. The movie musical is set in the titular …

Gay City News reports: The new Netflix documentary on United Kingdom-based gay human rights activist Peter Tatchell is a breathless 90-minute trip through just some of the great man’s 54 years of fearless activism on behalf of LGBTQ people and all those oppressed by dictators and bigots. Tatchell is aided in telling his story by two gay national treasures: Ian …