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When Kit Williamson’s “EastSiders” premiered on YouTube in December 2012, Netflix had not yet debuted its first original series. A dozen years later, streaming has overtaken traditional television in the market — and Williamson is back with another LGBTQ+ slice of life show, this time in the form of “Unconventional” on Revry.

“I don’t know that anybody really predicted it becoming what it’s become,” the actor/creator/writer/director told TheWrap of the streaming boom. “I hope that there is an increasing demand for independently created television when we live in such a, let’s be honest, metric-driven world where algorithms are deciding whether or not stories get told or continued.”

“Will we have the same four-quadrant appeal as ‘7th Heaven’? No, we won’t. But that’s Ok,” Williamson explained. “We need specific stories that cater to our communities authentically and don’t pull their punches or try...

Unconventional is a series that follows two eccentric, queer siblings and their significant others as they try to start an unconventional family while navigating their 30s.

The show is set to launch on LGBTQ+ streamer Revry on February 11 and you can watch the first trailer for it above.

The trailer introduces Noah and Margot, two queer siblings played by Williamson and Aubrey Shea. Things take a turn when their estranged conservative father re-enters their lives—forcing them into an unexpected collision of ideals, activism, and family dysfunction.

The series comes from EastSiders’ Kit Williamson, who stars alongside James Bland, Aubrey Shea, Briana Venskus, Willam Belli, Dana Wheeler-Nicholson, Laith Ashley, James Urbaniak and Kathy Griffin.

Created by Williamson, who also writes and directs, it is exec produced by Miranda Bailey, Jason Beck, Christopher Miller, H. Shen, Erwin More, Ed Ruttenberg and Larissa James. Bland also produces.

Last year, Williamson brought the...

Kit Williamson, best known for creating and starring in the Emmy-nominated series “EastSiders,” is back with “Unconventional.”

Premiering on LGBTQ streaming platform Revry on Feb. 11, the TV comedy series stars Williamson as Noah, a queer millennial questioning the future of his 10-year marriage to his husband Dan (James Bland). At the same time, Noah becomes the sperm donor to his sister Margot’s wife, Eliza. Each episode follows a month of the pregnancy.

As Williamson first told me when I broke the news about the show’s Revry deal, “Unconventional” is “unapologetically queer.”

“I think we’re in a really interesting inflection point where I think we’re being told to quiet down, and I actually think that the opposite approach is what is needed,” Williamson says, alluding to the Trump administration’s anti-lgbtq policies and directives. “I’m not going to quiet down. I’m going to double down,...

Kit Williamson’s new scripted half-hour comedy series “Unconventional” has been acquired by LGBTQ streaming network Revry.

Williamson, a six-time Emmy nominee best known as the creator and star of “Eastsiders,” stars in “Unconventional” as Noah Guillory, a queer millennial struggling with his 10-year marriage, possibly starting a family, and the future of his PhD program while also acting as the sperm donor to his sister Margot’s wife, Eliza.

The nine-episode season – each episode follows a month of Eliza’s pregnancy — will premiere on Revry on Feb. 11.

“‘Unconventional’ comes at a time where stories about marginalized communities are more important than ever and ‘Unconventional’ is an unapologetically queer show,” Williamson said Thursday. “Unfortunately, LGBTQ representation has diminished considerably since ‘Eastsiders’ ended, and mainstream depictions often shy away from the complex realities of queer love. Revry is the perfect home for the series and I couldn’t be more excited about the acquisition.

So many stars stepped out to attend the Out100 Celebration at NeueHouse Hollywood on Wednesday night (December 11) in Hollywood, Calif.

The annual event honors those who are making strides within the LGBTQ+ community, and this year was no exception.

Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade attended with the basketball star’s daughter Zaya Wade, and they put on a stylish display.

Cynthia Erivo received the Icon of the Year Award, and Sheryl Lee Ralph was dubbed the Advocate of the Year. They got support from friends and costars, who joined them on the red carpet.

With so many stars in attendance, we pulled together photos of everyone so that you could easily see what they wore and who was there.

Head inside to see all of the photos…

Keep scrolling to see all of the photos…

Gabrielle Union, Zaya Wade and Dwyane Wade

Fyi: Gabrielle is wearing Burberry. Zaya is wearing Ronny Kobo.

Can television have its own New Hollywood moment?

Much like movies such as Bonnie and Clyde, The Graduate, Rosemary’s Baby and Easy Rider took the late 1960s by storm, a group of writers and directors are hoping that their own independent TV projects can break through and find their way to the small screen amidst the current Hollywood contraction.

After a number of web series such as Issa Rae’s The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl, Broad City and High Maintenance were turned into TV series over the past decade, writers and directors hoped that this would lead to more.

However, the rise of streaming originals saw the business go the other way, with incredibly expensive dramas and comedies, often led by movie stars, taking over. This trend is now waning and a new generation of creators hopes that cost-conscious companies will now pay more attention to their projects instead.

“My Divorce Party” is a new comedy feature, written and directed by Heidi Weitzer starring Rumer Willis, Kimia Behpoornia, Michelle Meredith, Sarah Hollis, Desiree Staples, Dionne Gipson, Laith Ashley and Cap Peterson, releasing April 30, 2024:

“…on the weekend before finalizing her divorce, ‘Xan’ decides to gather her closest friends in Joshua Tree to relax, celebrate, and more appropriately, sulk.

“The gang arrives at an ‘Rv’ park , where they meet neighbours ‘Ezekiel’ and ‘Amara’. That evening, Xan drunkenly spirals out and reveals….

“…she’ll have to give up half of all of her assets to her soon-to-be ex in the divorce settlement come Monday, so she drained her bank account and brought $100K in cash to the desert…”

Click the images to enlarge…...

Exclusive: Gravitas Ventures has acquired North American rights to writer-director Heidi Weitzer’s comedy My Divorce Party, starring Rumer Willis, slating it for release on digital and cable VOD on April 30.

Pic watches as divorcee Xan (Desiree Staples) gathers her close friends to celebrate her impending split, only to reveal she intends to burn her divorce settlement money to start fresh. Chaos ensues as each friend has a wildly different opinion on what Xan should do.

Kimia Behpoornia, Michelle Meredith, Sarah Hollis, Desiree Staples, Dionne Gipson, Laith Ashley, and Cap Peterson also star. The film is produced by Adrienne Childress and Geenah Krisht. Gravitas Ventures’ VP of Acquisitions and International Sales, Danielle Gasher negotiated the deal with Film Mode Entertainment.

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Iqbal Theba

Exclusive: Iqbal Theba (Green Book) will star alongside Sylvia Hoeks, Holly Hunter, Mark Duplass and Nicholas Hamilton in the Anna Nicole Smith biopic Hurricanna.

Pic promises to chart...

Exclusive: Producer Miranda Bailey, known for movies such as Swiss Army Man, Don’t Think Twice and The Diary of a Teenage Girl, says that multiple studios and streamers shied away from acquiring her completed drama series Unconventional due to its queer themes.

Bailey, who declined to name the companies, is instead planning to release the series in 2024 on VOD through distribution label The Film Arcade, which has acquired U.S. rights to the nine-episode season.

Eastsiders creator Kit Williamson is behind the Sundance Lab-developed drama, which follows eccentric, queer siblings Noah and Margot Guillory and their significant others Daniel Charles and Eliza Slate as they try to start an unconventional family while navigating their thirties.

Williamson stars as Noah alongside James Bland (Insecure), Aubrey Peeples (Nashville), Briana Venskus (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Beau Bridges (Masters of Sex), Kathy Griffin (Search Party), Dana Wheeler-Nicholson (Friday Night Lights), Tuc Watkins (Uncoupled), Willam Belli...

GLAAD, the world’s largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) media advocacy organization, today announced that more than 250 LGBTQ and ally actors, notables, and other leaders signed a public letter created by GLAAD and the Human Rights Campaign (Hrc) calling on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Twitter to better enforce hate speech, harassment, misinformation, and other existing content policies aimed at protecting transgender, nonbinary, and gender non-conforming users and all LGBTQ people.

The full letter and list of signatories can be found here.

The celebrities, influencers, and prominent public figures include: Alyssa Milano, Alan Cumming, Alok, Amber Ruffin, Amy Landecker, Amy Schumer, Angelica Ross, Annaleigh Ashford, Ariana Grande, Arisce Wanzer, Avan Jogia, Barbie Ferreira, Bebe Rexha, Bella Ramsey, Ben Barnes, Benito Skinner, Bethany Cosentino, Billy Eichner, Billy Porter, Bobby Berk, Bretman Rock, Brian Michael Smith, Busy Philipps, Camila Cabello, Cara Delevingne, Chella Man, Cheyenne Jackson, Christa Miller, Chris Perfetti,...

June is Gay Pride Month.

It’s a time for those who identify as LGBTQ and their supporters to not only celebrate, but also bring awareness to divisive legislation that seeks to strip individual freedoms and divide rather than unite.

Pride celebrations big and small will be held in cities around the world.

In Los Angeles, festivities will take place over two weekends. On Sunday, June 4, the city of West Hollywood, aka WeHo, held its famous Pride Parade. Transgender model Laith Ashley, Niecy Nash-Betts and Jessica Betts, Melissa McCarthy and “RuPaul’s Drag Race” were named WeHo Pride Parade Icons.

The following Sunday, June 11, was Los Angeles Pride, with Margaret Cho named Icon Grand Marshall, the late Leslie Jordan posthumously named Legacy Grand Marshall and the ACLU of Southern California named Community Grand Marshall.

Click through the photos to see all the Pride month festivities.

Here’s a look at this week’s biggest premieres, parties and openings in Los Angeles and New York, including red carpets for Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, Elemental and the start of the Tribeca Film Festival.

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts premiere

Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback, Tobe Nwigwe, Liza Koshy, Peter Dinklage, Luna Lauren Velez, Dean Scott Vazquez, Peter Cullen and Pete Davidson walked the red carpet in Brooklyn on Monday for the U.S. premiere of the latest Transformers flick.

Peter Dinklage, Lauren Vélez, Pete Davidson, Tobe Nwigwe, David Sobolov, Ron Perlman, Tongayi Chirisa, Steven Caple Jr., Peter Cullen, Cristo Fernández, Michaela Jaé Rodriguez, Dominique Fishback, Anthony Ramos and Liza Koshy Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback and Tobe Nwigwe

Tiny Beautiful Things FYC

The Tiny Beautiful Things team, including star Kathryn Hahn, attended an FYC event in Los Angeles on Wednesday.

Tanzyn Crawford, Ingrid Michaelson, Kathryn Hahn, Lauren Neustadter...

“Obviously, there’s a lot of parts of this country where people don’t feel safe so we have to band together to make people as safe as we can,” country music star Orville Peck told the audience at the WeHo Pride’s Outloud music festival on Saturday, referring to the wave of anti-trans and anti-drag legislation that is upending lives and spreading fear in states across the country, including Texas and Florida. But, noted Peck, a judge in Tennessee had just a day earlier ruled that the state’s recently passed law forbidding drag performances in public is unconstitutional, drawing cheers from the thousands in the crowd.

That scene, mixing politics, purpose and performance, was one of many similar ones that unfolded throughout the second annual WeHo Pride, held over the weekend of June 2-4 in West Hollywood, California.

On Sunday, at the WeHo Pride Parade, Melissa McCarthy topped...

Heidi Weitzer directed comedy starring Rumer Willis.

Clay Epstein’s Film Mode Entertainment is arriving on the Croisette with worldwide rights to comedy My Divorce Party and will be showing footage at the market.

Heidi Weitzer directed the film starring Rumer Willis, Michelle Meredith , Kimia Behpoornia, Sarah Hollis, and Desiree Staples.

My Divorce Party follows a woman as she gathers friends for a vacation to celebrate her impending break-up and gifts each of them $20,000 to spend so her soon-to-be ex cannot take her life savings.

The ensemble cast includes Dionne Gipson, Cap Peterson, and Laith Ashley. Adrienne Childress and Geenah Krisht...

March 31 is the Transgender Day of Visibility.

We celebrate trans artists and entertainers, from award-winning actors like Mj Rodriguez and Elliot Page, to social media pioneers like Gigi Gorgeous and Nikkie de Jager. In fashion, models like Valentina Sampaio and Laith Ashley are challenging and changing beauty standards.

Trans actors may play transgender, cisgender or non-binary characters. As long as these roles and the spaces for them are being created, there are talents to fill them.

Taylor Swift has given the Swifties an inside look at the making of the “Lavender Haze” music video.

The music video was written and directed by Swift. It featured Dominican-American model Laith Ashley as her love interest.

Taylor Swift on set for ‘Lavender Haze’ — Photo: Taylor Swift/YouTube

The behind-the-scenes footage shows the “Midnights” songstress meeting her love interest in the music video, Laith Ashley, for the first time while on set.

“You’re gonna do lots of fun stuff, but this is gonna be really boring,” explained Taylor while discussing the opening bedroom scene with Ashley.

Ashley later spoke glowing words of Swift, explaining that she didn’t treat him like a throwaway model while filming.

Read More: Selena Gomez Comments On Resurfaced Video Of Hailey Bieber Shading Taylor Swift

“I didn’t expect for her to share anything with me, ’cause I was just like, I’m just here for.

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission.

Taylor Swift has offered a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the psychedelic visual for her Midnights track “Lavender Haze.”

The video finds Swift pulling double duty as an actor and director in the video, starting with a conversation between her and co-star, Laith Ashley, about his role. Ashley even admits he was surprised by Swift’s instructions, quipping, “I didn’t expect for her to share anything with me.

Taylor Swift just wants to stay in the “Lavender Haze,” and now she has a choice between the original Midnights edition and the newly released remix with German DJ Felix Jaehn, whose remix of Omi’s “Cheerleader” track topped charts worldwide when released in 2015.

The new version of “Lavender Haze” opens with shimmering synths and catapulting beats, courtesy of the DJ, and fills the track with giddy electronic drops. Swift originally penned the song with Zoë Kravitz and producers Sounwave, Jahaan Sweet, and Sam Dew. Braxton Cook provided additional production.

Laith Ashley didn’t get much sleep last Thursday. That night, Taylor Swift dropped the long-awaited visuals for “Lavender Haze,” her third video from Midnights. In it, Ashley plays Swift’s love interest — and though the video came out around 9 p.m. his time in Los Angeles, he ended up staying awake until 5 a.m., watching the love from friends, family and millions of Swifties pour in.

A fan since 1989, Ashley was kind of prepared for an intense response since he considers himself a Swiftie as well. “It’s so crazy,...

Taylor Swift is living in a lavender haze.

On Friday, the music star released the newest music visual for her song “Lavender Haze,” from her latest Midnights album.

In the video, Swift dances around in a lavender dreamy world — which includes a maze of lavender, a field of flowers and large koi fish swimming behind the walls of her home — as she embraces being in love. Transgender model and artist Laith Ashley stars in the video as her love interest, who Swift has praised as being someone she “absolutely adored working with.”

In true Swift fashion, she sprinkled Easter eggs throughout, with moments giving nod to other songs from Midnights, including to “Mastermind,” “Karma” and “Maroon.” As she did in her “Bejeweled” visual, Swift also seemingly continued to tease her Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) album with the inclusion of koi fish, which was something notable on the guitar she...

Netflix and Blumhouse have parted ways with Lexi Alexander’s “Absolute Dominion,” a sci-fi martial arts film led by Patton Oswalt, Alex Winter and Julie Ann Emery.

An insider confirmed that Netflix will no longer distribute the film, while Blumhouse is no longer attached as a producer. Though the decision wasn’t easy, said the insider, they support Alexander finding another distributor.

Set in 2085, the movie centers on a futuristic martial arts tournament in which the victor wins absolute dominion for one religion. Greenlit by Netflix in April of this year, the Nevada shoot wrapped in August and the film is now in post-production.

Writer-director-producer Alexander did not directly comment on the decision. However, she retweeted the news with the message “Don’t worry, it’s not bad news. But here are the leads…” above images of four cast members.

Don't worry, it's not bad news. But here are the leads…...

The second Midnights visual has arrived — cue the shimmer. Taylor Swift is keeping the party going for her 10th studio album release with the music video for “Bejeweled,” a glimmering synth-pop tune about gassing yourself up.

In the video, Swift plays an unfortunate Cinderella bullied by her stepsisters, played by Haim, and Laura Dern (Big Little Lies) as the evil stepmother. Donning a bejeweled one-piece, Swift enters a talent show to win over the prince and even gets a lesson from the queen of Burlesque, Dita Von Teese, as her fairy godmother.

Click here to read the full article.

Taylor Swift’s insecurities and fears are coming to life in the music video, which Swift is calling a “music movie,” for her song “Anti-Hero,” from her new Midnights album.

In the video released to coincide with her new album, Swift can be seen running from the ghosts of her past as she is continuously confronted by what appears to be her Hollywood alter ego and a “giant monster-on-a-hill” persona. In varied moments, Swift could be seen wearing a “Vote for me, for everything” pin, stepping on a scale which reads “fat” and taking notes as her persona teaches her that “everyone will betray you.”

Later in the video, there’s a scene of Swift’s imagined funeral, in which a fictional daughter-in-law (portrayed by Mary Elizabeth Ellis) and sons (John Early and Mike Birbiglia) read her will.

“There’s probably a secret...

Updated: Taylor Swift has released “Anti-Hero,” the first music video from her new album Midnights that she teased last night on Thursday Night Football. In it, two doppelgängers take jabs at the singer’s fears and insecurities. Swift, who wrote and directed the video, tweeted “Watch my nightmare scenarios and intrusive thoughts play out in real time.” “Anti-Hero” is the first single from the album. You can watch the video above.

Previous, Thursday Pm: As Hank Williams Jr. says at the top, “Are you ready for some Taylor Swift?”

Well, Bocephus didn’t really say that. But Taylor Swift gave football fans a thrill by previewing video clips from her new album Midnights on Thursday Night Football.

During the football game’s third quarter on Amazon Prime, the singer shared a teaser trailer for the new album, which bows Friday.

“Those projects are the ‘Midnights’ music movies — the music videos...

Taylor Swift flashes forward to her funeral to watch her bratty kids bicker over her estate in the wild new music video for her Midnights track “Anti-Hero.”

The interstitial skit is just one facet of an endearingly goofy clip that, as Swift explained on Twitter, allowed her to let her “nightmare scenarios and intrusive thoughts play out in real time.” Swift also wrote and directed the music video.

The Anti-Hero video is Here, which I wrote and directed. Watch my nightmare scenarios and intrusive thoughts play out in real timehttps://t.

Click here to read the full article.

When the clock struck midnight, a new music era began for Taylor Swift as she debuted her 10th studio album, Midnights.

When announcing the album, Swift hinted that it would share more personal stories, something she moved away from with her Folklore and Evermore albums, and described it as “the stories of 13 sleepless nights scattered throughout my life.”

“This is a collection of music written in the middle of the night, a journey through terrors and sweet dreams,” Swift wrote. “The floors we pace and the demons we face. For all of us who have tossed and turned and decided to keep the lanterns lit and go searching — hoping that just maybe, when the clock strikes twelve…we’ll meet ourselves.”

Fans have been left wondering what direction and sounds the new era would bring following Swift’s last indie folk chapter, Folklore and Evermore.

Alex Winter (Bill & Ted Face the Music), Alok Vaid-Menon (Random Acts of Flyness), Andy Allo (Chicago Fire), Désiré Mia, Jennifer Jajeh (Transparent), Juliana Joel (American Gigolo), Julie Ann Emery (Better Call Saul), June Carryl (Y: The Last Man), Junes Zahdi (Counterpart), Laith Ashley (Pose), Mario D’Leon (Power), Nora Armani (The Blacklist: Redemption), Oluniké Adeliyi (The Expanse), Patton Oswalt (I Love My Dad), Reagan Gomez (Queen Sugar) and Shawn Mousavi (Echo 3) will star in the action-drama Absolute Dominion, which Lexi Alexander wrote and is directing for Netflix and Blumhouse Television.

In the martial arts pic currently in production, it’s 2085 A.D., and the world has been destroyed by religious warfare. Desperate to save humanity, global governing forces host a gripping, no-holds-barred, martial arts tournament. Last fighter standing wins Absolute Dominion for one faith.

Alexander, Jason Blum, John McKeown and Scott Putman are producing, with Chris McCumber and Jeremy Gold exec producing for Blumhouse Television.

Alex Winter (“Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure”) and Patton Oswalt (“Young Adult”) are set to appear in martial arts drama “Absolute Dominion” for Netflix.

“The Porter’s” Oluniké Adeliyi, “Better Call Saul’s” Julie Ann Emery and “Jerry Maguire’s” Reagan Gomez will also star in the project.

Helmed and written by stunt-woman turned director Lexi Alexander (“How to Get Away with Murder”), the high-octane sci-fi action film is co-produced by Blumhouse Television.

“It’s 2085 A.D. and the world has been destroyed by religious warfare,” reads the logline. “Desperate to save humanity, global governing forces host a gripping, no-holds-barred, martial arts tournament. Last fighter standing wins Absolute Dominion for one faith.”

Rounding out the cast are Alok Vaid-Menon, Andy Allo, Désiré Mia, Jennifer Jajeh, Juliana Joel, June Carryl, Junes Zahdi, Laith Ashley, Mario D’Leon, Nora Armani, Oluniké Adeliyi, and Shawn Mousavi.

Meanwhile martial arts expert Phil Tan has boarded...

Rumer Willis (Empire) and Michelle Meredith (The Morning Show) have joined Laith Ashley in My Divorce Party, the feature directorial debut of Heidi Weitzer.

The indie comedy, which has just wrapped production, chronicles future divorcee Xan, played by Desiree Staples, gathering her closest friends in Joshua Tree to celebrate her impending split, only to reveal she intends to burn her divorce settlement money to start fresh. Chaos ensues as each friend has a wildly different opinion on what Xan should do — blow it at a strip club, save it or use it for self-care.

The ensemble cast also includes Kimia Behpoornia,...

Rumer Willis and Michelle Meredith (The Morning Show) have joined Laith Ashley in My Divorce Party, the feature directorial debut for Heidi Weitzer.

Willis, who also starred in Once Upon A Time in Hollywood, played the recurring role of Tory Ash, a brilliant but volatile singer-songwriter, on Empire. The indie comedy, which has just wrapped production, captures future divorcee Xan, played by Desiree Staples, gathering her closest friends in Joshua Tree to celebrate her impending split, only to reveal she intends to burn her divorce settlement money to start fresh.

Chaos ensues as each friend has a wildly different opinion on what Xan should do ...

Exclusive: Filming has begun on EastSiders creator Kit Williamson’s dark comedy series Unconventional, whose cast is being led by Kit Williamson (Mad Men), Aubrey Peeples (Nashville), James Bland (Giants) and Briana Venskus (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.).

Developed at The Sundance Lab, the series follows eccentric, queer siblings Noah and Margot Guillory (Williamson and Peeples) and their significant others Dan Charles and Elisa Slate (Bland and Venskus) as they try to start an unconventional family while navigating their thirties, trying to stay sane in an unstable world and, most importantly, trying to hold onto the bonds they share.

Series regulars also include Willam Belli (EastSiders), Constantine Rousouli (Charmed) Laith Ashley (Pose) and Dana Wheeler-Nicholson (Friday Night Lights). Wheeler-Nicholson plays Carolyn Guillory, the conservative matriarch of the family who leaves her home state of Texas after an unexpected tragedy to join her children in the California desert, where she is thrust into...

In celebration of Transgender Awareness Week and the November 13 debut of the Sharon Liese-directed documentary Transhood, HBO Max is set to host the TRANSlation Summit. It will take place November 17-19 starting at 7 p.m. Et. The virtual three-day seminar will be available to watch on HBO’s YouTube channel.

The TRANSlation Summit is a partnership between HBO Max, the Human Rights Campaign, Family Equality, and Pflag National that will bring people together for a series of informative, open-minded sessions and discussions. The summit will serve as an informed safe space for education and conversation around what it means to raise transgender children in America today. Each day will feature a keynote speaker followed by three moderated panel conversations. The summit will also lean into a different theme for each day: transitioning, growing up trans and advocacy.

Model, trans rights activist and singer-songwriter Laith Ashley will serve as host of the event.

Morgan Fairchild has been tapped to play the vindictive Vivian King in the new serialized half hour drama, Mélange. Using NYC as its backdrop, the show will center round the fight of ownership for a historic gay bar, Mélange, after its proprietor has suddenly and mysteriously died. The series will emulate the grand storytelling flair of 80’s primetime decadent dramas that pitted good vs. evil but in a contemporary, fast-paced style; exploring modern themes of sexuality, immigration, addiction, power, and inclusion. The ensemble cast of 17, lead by Morgan Fairchild, includes a roster of talent from television, Broadway, reality, and social media. Shooting for Mélange kicked off August 4th in New York City.

Scott Evans (One Life to Live) stars as Ryann Parker, the strikingly handsome young man whose once Utopian workplace has become infested with betrayal, corruption, and revenge. He fights to keep Mélange out of...

Morgan Fairchild has been tapped to play the lead role in a new serialized drama called “Mélange,” Variety learned exclusively.

The half-hour series will center on the fight over the ownership of an historic New York City gay bar, Mélange, after its proprietor has suddenly and mysteriously died. It will explore themes of sexuality, immigration, addiction, power, and inclusion.

The ensemble cast include talent from television, Broadway, reality TV, and social media. It will also mark the American TV debut of Omar Sharif Jr, grandson of the legendary Omar Sharif.

Robert Newman plays Syd Winchester, the deceased owner of Mélange. Scott Evans stars as Ryann Parker, the young man who fights to keep Mélange out of the claws of Syd’s wife, Vivian (Fairchild).

Rounding out the ensemble are: Anne Ramsay, Perez Hilton, Darnell Williams, Alex Newell, Diana DeGarmo, Mark Indelicato, Kristen Alderson, Laith Ashley, Ilene Kristen, Maya Days, Pamela Winslow Kashani,...

Hannah Hart is putting together a Pride Month bash that will support a noble cause. Hart, a notable member of YouTube's Lgbtq+ community and a GLAAD board member, will team up with GLAAD, YouTube Space La, BuzzFeed, and Into for Pride Live, a star-studded variety show that will aim to raise $50,000 for GLAAD initiatives.

Pride Live, which will air on GLAAD's YouTube channel between 3 and 6 Pm Et on June 29, will be styled like a live telethon. During the broadcast, viewers will be able to use YouTube's Super Chat feature to contribute donations. The goal is to raise $50,000, with all of the proceeds going to youth-focused GLAAD initiatives like Amplify Your Voice.

Some notable names from the YouTube community and beyond will join Hart for Pride Live, which will be hosted at YouTube Space La. Scheduled guests include Betty Who, DJ Flula, Mamrie Hart, Grace Helbig, Trace Lysette (Transparent), Laith Ashley...

Glsen, the leading education organization focused on ensuring safe and inclusive schools for all students hosted the annual Glsen Respect Awards – New York on Monday, May 21st at Cipriani 42nd Street.

Rosario Dawson at Glsen Respect Awards – New York

Credit/Copyright: Getty Images

The event honored Rosario Dawson, David Henry Jacobs, Hollister Co., Stephanie Byers & E.O. Green Junior High School.

Rosario Dawson received the Inspiration Award; Hollister Co., a brand of Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (NYSE: Anf), received the Corporate Ally Award; Stephanie Byers received Glsen’s Educator of the Year Award; E.O. Green Junior High School Gsa, Prism received Glsen’s Gsa of the Year.

Additional VIP attendees included Kerry Butler, Angelica Ross, Cheech Manohar, Isis King, Miss J Alexander, Laith Ashley, Nico Tortella, Molly Bernard, Tarana Burke, Kaia Burke, Valerie Smaldone and Desmond the Amazing

The Glsen Respect Awards were introduced in 2004 by Glsen, the leading...