Arts & Entertainment
SPRING ARTS 2016: TV
‘O’Neals’ finds humor in coming-out journey
Noah Galvin, center, stars in ‘The Real O’Neals,’ a new gay-themed ABC sitcom. (Photo courtesy ABC)
Chelsea Handler’s documentary series dropped on Netflix Jan. 23. “Chelsea Does” has four 90-minute episodes that each address a different topic, including marriage, drugs, technology and race. In the marriage episode, Handler examines a broad spectrum of relationships, including gay partnerships, Vegas weddings and her own failed romances.
Shonda Rhimes continues to dominate Thursday night television on ABC with “Grey’s Anatomy” at 8 p.m., “Scandal” at 9 p.m., and “How To Get Away With Murder” at 10 p.m. Rhimes’ shows are known for their diverse casts and prominent LGBT actors, characters and plots.
The first season of “The Shannara Chronicles” ended March 1. The MTV fantasy drama is based on the Shannara series by Terry Brooks. Ivana Baquero, who is best known for playing Ofelia in Pan’s Labyrinth, stars as Eretria, who is bisexual.
Openly gay cast member Kate McKinnon continues to be one of the most memorable on “Saturday Night Live,” which airs Saturdays at 11:30 p.m. on NBC. She took over the role of Hillary Clinton, once played by Amy Poehler. Ariana Grande will pull double duty as the host and musical guest on March 12.
Season eight of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” kicks off on March 7 on LOGO. Michelle Visage, Ross Matthews and Carson Kressley all return to the judge’s table.
YouTube star Tyler Oakley is a contestant in season 28 of “The Amazing Race,” which airs Fridays at 8 p.m. on CBS. Oakley and his teammate have consistently been finishing each leg of the race in the top two. Each team this season is made up of at least one internet celebrity, including popular YouTube, Vine and Instagram stars.
Rachel Bloom stars in “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” Mondays at 8 p.m. on the CW. The characters White Josh and Darryl Whitefeather are gay and bisexual, respectively. Bloom recently won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for her role in the musical comedy.
Ken Jeong stars in “Dr. Ken,” a sitcom inspired by Jeong’s experience as a doctor before becoming a stand-up comedian. Openly gay actor Jonathan Slavin plays a supporting role in the show, which airs Fridays at 8:30 p.m. on ABC.
Martha Plimpton stars in “The Real O’Neals,” airing Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. on ABC. Openly gay actor Noah Galvin plays Plimpton’s son, who reveals to his Catholic family that he is gay. The Family Research Council has called for a boycott of the series, which is produced by Dan Savage.
“Legends of Tomorrow” airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. on the CW. Gay actors Victor Garber and Wentworth Miller star in the superhero show, which is a spinoff of “Arrow” and “The Flash.” The show includes the recurring “Arrow” character Sara Lance (Caity Lotz), who is bisexual.
Rob Lowe stars in “You, Me, and the Apocalypse,” which airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. on NBC. Several interwoven storylines connect an ensemble cast who attempt to stop a world-ending asteroid from hitting earth. Two of the main characters are in a gay partnership. The British-American series originally aired in the UK last fall.
Daniel Franzese stars in “Recovery Road” on Freeform, the new name for ABC Family. The show follows a teenage girl going through rehab in a sober living facility. It airs Mondays at 9 p.m.
“Shadowhunters” airs on Freeform on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. This fantasy series is based on “The Mortal Instruments” by Cassandra Clare. Matthew Daddario and Harry Shum, Jr.’s characters are gay and bisexual, respectively.
Jennifer Lopez stars in “Shades of Blue,” who plays an NYPD detective caught up in an anti-corruption probe. The show airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. on NBC and was renewed for a second season.
“Empire” returns to Fox on Wednesday, March 30 at 9 p.m. Lee Daniels, who is openly gay, created the series, which includes several LGBT cast members and characters. A central conflict of the show is the tension between homophobic patriarch Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard) and his gay son Jamal (Jussie Smollett, who is also gay).
“Live at 9:30” is an upcoming public access show, which will premiere in April. The music variety show will be filmed at the 9:30 Club and will feature performances by Tove Lo, Jess Glynne, Garbage and more.
Coming to Netflix:
Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright return to Netflix on March 4 in season four of “House of Cards.” Spacey plays the bisexual, Machiavellian president in the D.C.-based drama.
Season two of “Marvel’s Daredevil” drops on Netflix on March 18. Charlie Cox plays the title superhero, a blind vigilante who defends Hell’s Kitchen. Prominent LGBT ally Rosario Dawson plays a supporting role in the series.
Also entering its second season is “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.” The Tina Fey-created series stars her “30 Rock” co-star Jane Krakowski and Titus Burgess. Netflix renewed the show for a third season.
Season two of “Grace and Frankie” premieres on Netflix on May 6. Lily Tomlin and Jane Fonda star as two women who, despite decades of disliking each other, form a close friendship when their husbands (Sam Waterston and Martin Sheen) divorce them for each other.
In more renewal news, Netflix renewed “Orange Is the New Black” for three addition seasons beyond the upcoming fourth season, which premieres June 17. The series has been lauded for featuring a racially diverse cast and giving significant screen time to trans, lesbian and bisexual characters and actors.
Blog #1: I was excited about my trip even though Gate 1 Travel notified me there was a change in the itinerary. France decided to close the Burgundy canal for long overdue repairs, so we would be traveling on the C. du Rhone au Rhin. I boarded my Air France flight arriving in Paris on time. Contrary to what I was told to expect, customs went really smoothly.
Day 1: Because customs went quickly, I waited 45 minutes for my pre-arranged driver, to take me to the Gare de Lyon, where I boarded my fast-train to Lyon. A two-hour trip. In Lyon it was a long walk to the hotel, The Radisson Blu, but only because I exited the station on the wrong side. Finally got there, checked into a room on the 36th floor with a spectacular view of Lyon. Then took a stroll around the area, a short nap, and finally it was time for dinner and to meet the rest of the traveling party. There would only be 13 of us in the group. Five of us from D.C./Rehoboth, and eight others. I met our guide Patricia, who is from Portugal, and spoke fluent French and English. She is charming, and clearly very knowledgeable. She worked with Gate 1 for many years. We stayed at the hotel for our welcome dinner. It was a great meal, and over drinks, each of us was asked to introduce ourselves to the group. Aside from the five of us, there were three women traveling alone, one gentleman alone, and two couples. They were from New Jersey, New York, Florida, Houston, and Nebraska. I was sitting across from the woman from Nebraska. Conversation at dinner was pleasant but I quickly realized one person was apparently a MAGA. Wonder if you can guess where she was from, lol. But we also found if we didn’t talk politics, which we agreed not to do, things were fine. After dinner we all headed to our rooms for a good night’s sleep.
DAY 2: We woke to beautiful weather. I headed to the included breakfast at the hotel, which was really very good. After breakfast we boarded a bus for a tour of Lyon. We had a full-size bus for just the 13 of us. Our guide for the half day tour, was Vincent, and he is charming and young, and told us his fiancé lives in Lyon. He was incredibly knowledgeable. We began at the Basilica, which is being repaired on the outside, but the inside is, wow! Incredible stained glass, and there was a service going on in one of the smaller side chapels which I l listened to for a bit. The Basilica is high on the hill and the views of Lyon are spectacular from there. Then we headed to the old city and walked around for an hour, ending up at the smaller cathedral. Directly in front of it they had set up a great market, mostly food, which would be there for a week. Lyon is a foodie paradise, with, we were told, a restaurant, or at least coffee shop, for every 250 people. We then had a choice of staying in town, or going back to the hotel on the bus, which I did. The afternoon and evening were free time to do as we pleased. I headed to the Les Halles du Lyon Paul Bocuse, named after the famous chef, to take a look around. It is a large market with small restaurants connected to most of the stalls. It was charming. I then headed to the huge three-story mall across from our hotel and walked around for an hour. Then caught up on some emails, and writing, and met my friends, Paul and Martin, John and Dan, for dinner at 6. We went to a really nice Bistro, which John had found, two tram stops away from the hotel, and enjoyed some drinks and a relaxed dinner. The owner of the place found us a waitress who spoke great English, which made ordering really easy. After a two-hour great meal, we headed back to the hotel. Riding a tram in Lyon is easy, you just need to use your credit card. It is an honor system. Back at the hotel I headed to my room and packed, our luggage had to be outside the door by 8:00 am the next morning. I set my alarm for 6:30 so I had time to eat at the buffet breakfast. Then it was on the bus to head to our barge.
Baltimore
This John Waters interview has been edited for readability — but perhaps not human decency
Pope of Trash dishes on Trump, plane etiquette, last meal, and more
By WESLEY CASE | At 80 years old, John Waters is still the ideal dinner guest — incisively sharp, quick-witted and funny as hell.
The chic Baltimore native proved it again and again in a recent Zoom interview, calling from his summer home in Provincetown, Mass.
The occasion was the Blu-ray releases of two of his movies — the 1977 dark comedy “Desperate Living” and his enduring 1988 musical “Hairspray” — on June 23 by the Criterion Collection, which publishes restorations of films it deems culturally important. The Criterion stamp of approval has become the gold standard among cinephiles.
“It’s like getting an award,” said Waters, who wrote and directed both films.
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
The Washington Blade held the seventh annual Pride on the Pier at The Wharf DC on Saturday, June 13.
(Washington Blade photos by Landon Shackelford)
Obama Center opens with tributes to marriage equality, LGBTQ progress
Intersex teacher alleges Fla. school fired him over perceived trans identity
Washington Blade publishes ‘Queering America 250’
As we celebrate 250 years of America, let’s remember our elders
After years of progress, 21st century brings backlash, roll backs
PHOTOS: Lost River Pride
David Archuleta on Mormon faith, ‘Idol,’ more in new book
PHOTOS: Pride on the Pier
The advantages of owning your home
