Arts & Entertainment
Gays galore
LGBT storylines, actors, characters and hosts pepper fall TV season
Wanda Sykes is hosting a set of election specials, “NewNowNext Vote with Wanda Sykes” on Logo. (Photo courtesy Logo)
Many summer series are wrapping up just in time for the fall series to premiere.
Perennial favorite “Glee,” started its fourth season on a new night, Thursday, with a few new faces and most of the original cast, including Blaine, Kurt, Brittany and Santana, Lima, Ohio’s resident gays. This season will include another Britney Spears tribute episode and some big guest stars such as Kate Hudson and Sarah Jessica Parker. The show will air Thursdays at 9 p.m. on Fox.
Ryan Murphy will be pretty busy this season. His new series, “The New Normal” started Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. on NBC. The show revolves around a single mother, her mother and daughter, and the gay couple, played by “The Hangover’s” Justin Bartha and Broadway’s Andrew Rannells, for whom she is acting as surrogate.
Another returning series is “Grey’s Anatomy.” When the eighth season ended, Callie Torres was at Seattle Grace, unaware her wife, Arizona Robbins, and others, including the father of her baby, had been in a plane crash on their way to another hospital. The ninth season premieres on ABC Sep. 27 at 9 p.m.
“Dancing with the Stars: All-Stars” premieres Sep. 24 at 8 p.m. featuring 13 returning contestants including boy band members Drew Lachey and Joey Fatone, Bristol Palin, Olympic gold medalist Shawn Johnson, actress Kirstie Alley and Pamela Anderson.
ABC also has the return of “Modern Family,” starring Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Eric Stonestreet. It premieres on Sep. 26 at 9 p.m. and a new series, “Last Resort,” starring Max Adler, best known as Dave Karofsky on “Glee.”
Look for gay actor Jonathan Croff on the second season of STARZ series “Boss” with Kelsey Grammer. It run through Oct. 19.
ABC Family’s “Pretty Little Liars” may have already aired its summer finale, but the series will have a special Halloween episode airing Oct. 23.
PBS is premiering “Love Free or Die” on Oct. 29 at 10 p.m. The documentary follows Gene Robinson, the first openly gay person to be elected bishop in the high church traditions of Christianity in 2003. He pushed for greater inclusion within his church and has become a standard bearer in the fight over the rights of LGBT people to receive full acceptance in church and state.
CBS’s “The Big Bang Theory,” starring out actor Jim Parsons, premieres Sep. 27 at 8 p.m. and “How I Met Your Mother,” starring Neil Patrick Harris and Alyson Hannigan, returns Sept. 24.
On the same network, “The Good Wife,” featuring Alan Cumming and bisexual character Kalinda, premieres Sept. 30 at 9 p.m. There will also be some big-name guest stars this season including Nathan Lane and Kristin Chenoweth, who will be returning after suffering a head injury last time she was on set.
Wanda Sykes has a new special, or actually, specials, “NewNowNext Vote with Wanda Sykes” for Logo, which premiered Monday at 10 p.m. The second special is slated to air Nov. 5, at 10:30 p.m. The specials will touch on topics such as gay marriage, Supreme Court appointments, the economy and health care. The first special included guest panelists Barney Frank, Thomas Roberts, Joe Solmonese and more.
The second season of “Be Good Johnny Weir” will return to Logo Sept. 17 at 10 p.m. This season is said to dive more into the gay figure skater’s work and personal life as well as show him branching out into various entertainment endeavors including releasing his first single, publishing a book and more.
The cable station will also be starting a new documentary series, “What!? Logo Documentaries” kicking off with the world premiere of “Loving Large” on Oct. 2 at 10 p.m. The series will also feature the Logo premieres of “Pedigree Dogs Exposed” and “The Most Hated Family in American” and the U.S. premieres of “Pink Ribbons, Inc.,” and “Super Tiny Animals.”
Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of Miami” premiere Thursday and will air weekly at 9 p.m. The show will feature returning housewives Lea Black, Adriana de Moura and Marysol Patton and newcomers Lisa Hochstein, Joanna Krupa, Ana Quincoces and Karent Sierra. Alexia Echevarria will also be returning in a recurring role.
Look for “The Girl” on HBO on Oct. 20 at 9 p.m., a dramatization of the sometimes-tense relationship between Tippi Hedren and Alfred Hitchcock.
Several pop divas are slated for upcoming episodes of the rebooted VH1 show “Storytellers.” Look for Taylor Swift on Nov. 11, Alicia Keys Nov. 12 and Pink Nov. 13 (all at 11 p.m.).
Don’t forget all the talk shows featuring LGBT hosts. Ellen DeGeneres started the new season of her syndicate show on Monday. CBS’s “The Talk” features Sara Gilbert as one of its five hosts along with Sharon Osborne. And of course the finally out Anderson Cooper as well.
Cupid’s Undie Run, an annual fundraiser for neurofibromatosis (NF) research, was held at Union Stage and at The Wharf DC on Saturday, Feb. 21.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Sweat DC is officially expanding to Shaw, opening a new location at 1818 7th St., N.W., on Saturday, March 28 — and they’re kicking things off with a high-energy, community-first launch event.
To celebrate, Sweat DC is hosting Sweat Fest, a free community workout and social on Saturday, March 14, at 10 a.m. at the historic Howard Theatre. The event features a group fitness class, live DJ, local food and wellness partners, and a mission-driven partnership with the Open Goal Project, which works to expand access to youth soccer for players from marginalized communities.
For more details, visit Sweat DC’s website and reserve a spot on Eventbrite.
Friday, Feb. 20
Center Aging Monthly Luncheon with Yoga will be at noon at the D.C. LGBTQ+ Community Center. Email Mac at [email protected] if you require ASL interpreter assistance, have any dietary restrictions, or questions about this event.
Trans and Genderqueer Game Night will be at 7 p.m. at the D.C. Center. This will be a relaxing, laid-back evening of games and fun. All are welcome! We’ll have card and board games on hand. Feel free to bring your own games to share. For more details, visit the Center’s website.
Go Gay DC will host “First Friday LGBTQ+ Community Social” at 7 p.m. at Hotel Zena. This is a chance to relax, make new friends, and enjoy happy hour specials at this classic retro venue. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
Saturday, Feb. 21
Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Brunch” at 11 a.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant. This fun weekly event brings the DMV area LGBTQ community, including allies, together for delicious food and conversation. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
LGBTQ People of Color will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This peer support group is an outlet for LGBTQ People of Color to come together and talk about anything affecting them in a space that strives to be safe and judgement free. There are all sorts of activities like watching movies, poetry events, storytelling, and just hanging out with others. For more information and events, visit thedccenter.org/poc or facebook.com/centerpoc.
Sunday, Feb. 22
Queer Talk DC will host “The Black Gay Flea Market” at 1 p.m. at Doubles in Petworth. There will be more than 15 Black queer vendors from all over the DMV in one spot. The event’s organizers have reserved the large back patio for all vendors, and the speak easy for bar service, which will be serving curated cocktails made just for the event (cash bar.) DJ Fay and DJ Jam 2x will be spinning the entire event. For more details, visit Eventbrite.
Monday, Feb. 23
“Center Aging: Monday Coffee Klatch” will be at 10 a.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more information, contact Adam at [email protected].
Tuesday, Feb. 24
Coming Out Discussion Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a safe space to share experiences about coming out and discuss topics as it relates to doing so — by sharing struggles and victories the group allows those newly coming out and who have been out for a while to learn from others. For more details, visit the group’s Facebook.
Genderqueer DC will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a support group for people who identify outside of the gender binary, whether you’re bigender, agender, genderfluid, or just know that you’re not 100 percent cis. For more details, visit genderqueerdc.org or Facebook.
Wednesday, Feb. 25
Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom upon request. This is a weekly job support program to help job entrants and seekers, including the long-term unemployed, improve self-confidence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effective job searches and networking — allowing participants to move away from being merely “applicants” toward being “candidates.” For more information, email [email protected] or visit thedccenter.org/careers.
Asexual and Aromantic Group will meet at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This is a space where people who are questioning this aspect of their identity or those who identify as asexual and/or aromantic can come together, share stories and experiences, and discuss various topics. For more details, email [email protected].
Thursday, Feb. 26
The DC Center’s Fresh Produce Program will be held all day at the DC Center. To be more fair with who is receiving boxes, the program is moving to a lottery system. People will be informed on Wednesday at 5 p.m. if they are picked to receive a produce box. No proof of residency or income is required. For more information, email [email protected] or call 202-682-2245.
Virtual Yoga Class will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This free weekly class is a combination of yoga, breathwork and meditation that allows LGBTQ community members to continue their healing journey with somatic and mindfulness practices. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website.
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