10. TV: Hunted: The War Against Gays in Russia
If you've ever been curious about how bad things are for LGBT people in Russia, this documentary is a must-see. In the doc, which aired in the U.K. earlier this year, just before the start of the Olympics in Russia, filmmakers expose the gangs that entrap LGBT people and then subject them to violent abuse. Despite numerous stories out of Russia about intimidation, little has captured what it's like to live through it. The American version, narrated by Matt Bomer, will debut in the States on HBO Monday at 9 p.m. -- Michelle Garcia
9. EVENT: Gay Days AnaheimThe town with the Happiest Place on Earth might also be the Gayest Place pn Earth this weekend. Hordes of LGBT people and their families are flocking to Anaheim, Calif., for three days of pride at Disneyland. But if mouse ears aren't your thing, a special performance of
Buyer & Cellar starring Michael Urie and a big dance party at House of Blues Anaheim are also on the
schedule. Today through Sunday,
GayDaysAnaheim.com. --
Michelle Garcia8. BOOK: Facing the MusicAt the top of her career as a Christian music singer, Jennifer Knapp shocked her fans when she suddenly quit. She then surprised them again when she came out as a lesbian a few years later, in 2010, and announced her return to music as a rock artist. Now an advocate for LGBT equality in religion, Knapp tells the story of her amazing journey in her own words with her new memoir,
Facing the Music, which hits bookshelves Tuesday. Preorder your copy at
SimonAndSchuster.com.
-- Jase Peeples7. THEATER: Witches Among UsWitches often serve as a metaphor for LGBT folks, as they do in this world premiere musical by veteran gay journalist Rick Karlin and queer punk musician Scott Free, opening tonight in Chicago. In the show, set in the 1960s, "a witch who owns a nightclub that is a gathering place for witches and a detective who has been assigned to investigate her business fall in love," Karlin recently told news site
Chicago GoPride. "Her best friend, a rather flamboyant warlock, makes the detective's closeted gay partner uncomfortable. In the end, the witches fight back against the discrimination. Along the way, the New York City blackout of 1965 figures prominently." A production of New American Folk Theatre, it will be performed Friday evenings at Chicago nightclub the Call through November 7. Click
here for information and tickets. --
Trudy Ring6. MUSIC: "Last Reminder,"Â
Aiden JamesOut singer and songwriter Aiden James has a talent for telling stories with his music. In his new single, released on iTunes Wednesday, he says goodbye, a little unwillingly, to someone he loves. Inspired by a lost-and-found flier he spotted one day, James sings, "I've lost the last reminder / of this silly love affair / Call me if you find it / I'd pay to get it back / Oh I've lost this last reminder / and I'm not ready to forget." What did this person lose? It doesn't really matter. "It was a silly thing / hardly a wedding ring / but I held onto it anyway / because you gave it to me." Listen to the song in the video below, and purchase on
iTunes. --
Lucas Grindley5. THEATER: I Am Harvey MilkComposer-lyricist Andrew Lippa's oratorio
I Am Harvey Milk, which had its world premiere last year in San Francisco, makes its New York debut Monday night, featuring some star power and benefiting a most appropriate cause. A combination choral and theater piece,
I Am Harvey Milk chronicles Milk's life story from his boyhood to his political career to his assassination. Lippa will portray Milk in the one-night-only staging at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall, while Tony- and Emmy-winning singer-actress Kristin Chenoweth will be the soprano soloist. Also appearing will be the brand-new All-Star Broadway Gay Men's Chorus. Proceeds from the event will be used to create the Harvey Milk Arts Fund at the Hetrick-Martin Institute, which serves LGBT youth. The fund will provide arts education and resources to students at Hetrick-Martin's Harvey Milk High School and other at-risk young people who benefit from the institute's services. Get tickets
here. --
Trudy Ring4. BOOK: The Harlot's Guide to Classy CocktailsWho knows how to mix the martini better than a harlot? A drag queen harlot, that's who! Self-proclaimed "cocktail connoisseur" Jeza Belle has released
The Harlot's Guide to Classy Cocktails, a how-to guide for fruity spirits as well as a compendium of raucous stories from 27 internationally renowned drag performers, including Peppermint, Sherry Vine, Latrice Royale, Tyra Sanchez, Hope Springs, and more. Raise a glass as these girls dish in this must-have book with a delicious foreword by Lady Bunny, to be released Tuesday. Buy a copy
here. --
Daniel Reynolds3. TV: The FlashSpinning out of the superhero hit
Arrow,Â
The Flash will debut Tuesday at 8 p.m./7 Central on the CW. The series follows the adventures of DC Comics' fastest man alive and promises to offer enough LGBT points of interest to get the hearts of gay geeks racing. Staring Grant Gustin (best known for playing gay Warbler Sebastian on
Glee) as Barry Allen/the Flash, the superhero series will feature two gay characters before its first season crosses the finish line. One of them will be the Flash villain known as Pied Piper, who was one of the first characters to come out of the closet in the pages of a DC comic. The other will be David Singh (played by Patrick Sabongui), another gay DC Comics character who makes his appearance in the show's first episode. Their appearances will mark the first time gay male characters have been included in a mainstream superhero TV series. In addition to the show's gay inclusion, fans can look forward to the crossover event between
The Flash and
Arrow during the eighth episodes of each show. And as both series exist in the same universe, the creative minds behind the shows promise the crossover is only the first of many epic team-ups to come.
-- Jase Peeples
2. MUSIC: 24 Karat Gold: Songs From the Vault,Stevie NicksThe eighth studio album from Stevie Nicks features updated versions of previously unreleased demos that the legendary Fleetwood Mac vocalist (currently
on tour) recorded between 1969 and 1987. Be sure to read
Out magazine's exclusive
interview with Nicks, and watch the official video for "Lady" below.
24 Karat Gold: Songs From the Vault is available for download on
iTunes beginning Tuesday. --
Scott Ragan
1. TV: American Horror Story: FreakshowRyan Murphy's acclaimed FX horror show,
American Horror Story, returns with familiar faces and all-new freaks. Set in 1950s Florida, the show features
AHS regulars like Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Emma Roberts, Kathy Bates, Angela Bassett, and Gabourey Sidibe, who portray performers in one of the country's last freak shows. Expect killer clowns, bearded ladies, a two-headed Sarah Paulson, and other surprises in what looks to be the campiest season yet, which is also significant as Lange's swan song for the series. Watch the trailer below, and catch the premiere Wednesday on FX. --
Daniel Reynolds
Viral post saying Republicans 'have two daddies now' has MAGA hot and bothered