The Happy Prince
In The Happy Prince, gay actor Rupert Everett shows the downfall and death of Oscar Wilde -- the great Irish writer whose plays earned him fame and then infamy after his 1895 conviction for "gross indecency" under Britain's antigay laws. The film, which Everett also wrote and directed, depicts how Wilde was ridiculed by society for being gay until his sad death in 1900 at age 40.
"The film really came out of my feelings with my own relationship as a gay man to the world," Everett told The Advocate in a recent interview. "So I wanted to write a character whose life was defined by his kind of gay relationship to the world. So it's a very personal story to me. He's kind of a Christ figure in a way to me, half man, half god," Everett said, adding, "Like a Christian looks to Jesus, I carry my cross and look to Oscar Wilde."
Watch the trailer below and the film in select theaters this weekend.
Point Honors 2018
One of our favorite nonprofits -- the Point Foundation -- has its big fundraiser Saturday night in Los Angeles. The Point Honors Los Angeles 2018 highlights Point scholars -- deserving LGBTQ students, many of whom have been cut off financially by their families -- and raises money for future students. This weekend's gala is hosted by comedian Solomon Georgio and honors Will & Grace's Eric McCormack and Pose co-creator Steven Canals; musician Leona Lewis is performing for the crowd. Click here to get tickets and learn more about the cause.
Beautiful Boy
Timothee Chalamet, of Call Me by Your Name fame, returns to the big screen in Beautiful Boy, where he struggles with meth addiction and recovery. Directed by Felix Van Groeningen, the film also stars Steve Carell as his father as well as Maura Tierney and Amy Ryan. It draws in part from a memoir, Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction by David Sheff. Watch the trailer below and the film in theaters this weekend.
The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis
Author Michael Lewis, described by The New York Times as "the poet laureate of computer-driven data analysis," details in his new book how several federal government agencies are being run by people appointed by Donald Trump who are openly hostile to their missions. "Lewis believes that essential government functions like protecting nuclear waste (Department of Energy), food safety and feeding the poor (Agriculture) and predicting the weather (Commerce) are under threat," Joe Klein writes in his Times review. But the people who will save us from Trump minions like Energy Secretary Rick Perry, according to Lewis, are those oft-maligned "bureaucrats" -- career federal employees who are dedicated to making the government serve the public interest. Lewis writes "with refreshing clarity -- and a measured sense of outrage -- which makes this his most ambitious and important book," Klein reports. Order The Fifth Riskhere or visit your local bookstore.
Supergirl and Arrow
Super-producer Greg Berlanti and the CW continue to provide some of the most forward-thinking queer representation in television with the ever-growing list of LGBTQ characters on the superhero-themed shows. Season 2 of ;Supergirl saw Supergirl's sister Alex (Chyler Leigh) come out and fall in love with a woman. This season, the series introduces TV's first transgender superhero with Nia Nal, or Dreamer (played by trans actress Nicole Maines).
While LGBTQ ally Stephen Amell's oft-tormented Oliver is Arrow's main draw, don't miss one of the Arrow's fantastic sidekicks -- Echo Kellum's married gay superhero Mister Terrific!
Supergirl premieres Sunday at 8 p.m.; Arrow premieres Monday at 9 p.m.
Spirit Day
Spirit Day is, an event created by GLAAD where millions wear purple in support of LGBTQ youth facing bullying. The day serves as a visible way for allies to show solidarity with young queer people in the challenges they encounter in their homes, schools, and religious congregations. Why is it necessary? GLSEN reports that 85.2 percent of LGBTQ students have been verbally harassed, 63.5 percent have heard homophobic remarks from teachers and school staff, and 63.5 percent have reported an incident of bullying and said that their school did not act to protect them. By wearing purple, you signal that you will protect queer youth and hear them out.
Spirit Day is Thursday, October 18. Take the pledge to support LGBTQ youth at GLAAD.org.
Charmed
Fans of the '90s cult fave Charmed that starred Alyssa Milano, Holly Marie Combs, and Rose McGowan were wary when it was announced there would be a reboot. But fast-forward to 2018 and the witchy siblings for the 21st century, Macy, Mel, and Madison, are not only women of color but one of them is a lesbian.
Melonie Diaz, whose played queer before in Itty Bitty Titty Committee, stars as the lesbian witch Mel, while Madeleine Mantock plays Macy, and Sarah Jeffery is Madison. The three women discover their powers following the mysterious death of their mother. And now that their powers have been unleashed, forces from the underworld are out to get them.
