Arts & Entertainment

‘Pose’ scores six history-making Emmy nominations

‘RuPaul’s Drag Race,’ Schitt’s Creek’ also land noms

Published

7 years ago

July 16, 2019

gay events dc, gay news, Washington Blade — (Photo courtesy of FX)

“Pose” landed six Emmy nominations, including Outstanding Drama Series and a Best Actor nomination for Billy Porter, marking a historic milestone for the first television series to feature the largest cast of LGBTQ actors.

Porter, who portrays Pray Tell on “Pose,” is the first openly gay black man to be nominated for an Emmy.

“I just haven’t been breathing for the past day,” Porter told Deadline about his nomination. “So today, I was able to breathe — that was my first reaction!”

Other LGBTQ nominations include “RuPaul’s Drag Race” for Outstanding Competition Program and “RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked” for Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program. RuPaul also was nominated for Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program up against Ellen DeGeneres for “Ellen’s Game of Games.”

Laverne Cox is nominated for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for “Orange is the New Black” and Jane Lynch is nominated for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.”

Kate McKinnon was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for “Saturday Night Live” and Ben Whishaw is nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for “A Very English Scandal.”

“Schitt’s Creek,” which stars out actor Dan Levy, was nominated for Outstanding Comedy Series. “Queer Eye” was also nominated for Outstanding Structured Reality Program.

Outstanding Short Form Variety Series is full of gay nominees including “Billy on the Street,” “Gay of Thrones” and “The Randy Rainbow Show.”

“Game of Thrones” also made history with a total of 32 nominations, the most nominations received by a television series in one year.

The Emmys air on Sunday, Sept. 22 at 8 p.m. on FOX.

Check out more of the nominees below and the complete list here.

Outstanding Drama Series
“Better Call Saul”
“Bodyguard”
“Game of Thrones”
“Killing Eve”
“Ozark”
“Pose”
“Succession”
“This Is Us”

Outstanding Comedy Series
“Barry”
“Fleabag”
“Russian Doll”
“Schitt’s Creek”
“The Good Place”
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”
“Veep”

Outstanding Limited Series
“Chernobyl”
“Escape at Dannemora”
“Fosse/Verdon”
“Sharp Objects”
“When They See Us”

Outstanding Drama Actor
Bob Odenkirk (“Better Call Saul”)
Kit Harington (“Game of Thrones”)
Jason Bateman (“Ozark”)
Sterling K. Brown (“This Is Us”)
Milo Ventimiglia (“This Is Us”)
Billy Porter (“Pose”)

Outstanding Drama Actress
Emilia Clarke (“Game of Thrones”)
Robin Wright (“House of Cards”)
Viola Davis (“How To Get Away With Murder”)
Sandra Oh (“Killing Eve”)
Jodie Comer (“Killing Eve”)
Mandy Moore (“This Is Us”)
Laura Linney (“Ozark”)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Jonathan Banks (“Better Call Saul”)
Giancarlo Esposito (“Better Call Saul”)
Alfie Allen (“Game of Thrones”)
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (“Game of Thrones”)
Peter Dinklage (“Game of Thrones”)
Michael Kelly (“House of Cards”)
Chris Sullivan (“This Is Us”)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
Lena Headey (“Game of Thrones”)
Gwendoline Christine (“Game of Thrones”)
Sophie Turner (“Game of Thrones”)
Maisie Williams (“Game of Thrones”)
Fiona Shaw (“Killing Eve”)
Julia Garner (“Ozark”)

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
Michael McKean (“Better Call Saul”)
Glynn Turman (“How To Get Away With Murder)”
Kumail Nanjiani (“The Twilight Zone”)
Bradley Whitford (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)
Michael Angarano (“This Is Us”)
Ron Cephas Jones (“This Is Us”)

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series
Jessica Lange (“American Horror Story: Apocalypse”)
Carice van Houten (“Game of Thrones”)
Laverne Cox (“Orange Is The New Black”)
Cicely Tyson (“How To Get Away With Murder”)
Cherry Jones (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)
Phylicia Rashad (“This Is Us”)

Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series
Game of Thrones “The Last Of The Starks”
Game of Thrones “The Long Night”
Game of Thrones “The Iron Throne”
Killing Eve “Desperate Times”
Ozark “Reparations”
Succession “Celebration”
The Handmaid’s Tale “Holly”

Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series
Better Call Saul “Winner”
Bodyguard “Episode 1”
Game of Thrones “The Iron Throne”
Killing Eve “Nice And Neat”
Succession “Nobody Is Ever Missing”
The Handmaid’s Tale “Holly”

Outstanding Comedy Actor
Bill Hader (“Barry”)
Don Cheadle (“Black Monday”)
Anthony Anderson (“Black-ish”)
Eugene Levy (“Schitt’s Creek”)
Ted Danson (“The Good Place”)
Michael Douglas (“The Kominsky Method”)

Outstanding Comedy Actress
Christina Applegate (“Dead to Me”)
Phoebe Waller-Bridge (“Fleabag”)
Catherine O’Hara (“Schitt’s Creek”)
Natasha Lyonne (“Russian Doll”)
Rachel Brosnahan (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”)
Julia Louis-Dreyfus (“Veep)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Henry Winkler (“Barry”)
Anthony Carrigan (“Barry”)
Stephen Root (“Barry”)
Tony Hale (“Veep”)
Tony Shalhoub (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”)
Alan Arkin (“The Kominsky Method”)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Sarah Goldberg (“Barry”)
Sian Clifford (“Fleabag”)
Olivia Colman (“Fleabag”)
Betty Gilpin (“GLOW”)
Marin Hinkle (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”)
Kate McKinnon (“Saturday Night Live”)
Alex Borstein (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”)
Anna Chlumsky (“Veep”)

Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
Robert De Niro (“Saturday Night Live”)
John Mulaney (“Saturday Night Live”)
Adam Sandler (“Saturday Night Live”)
Matt Damon (“Saturday Night Live”)
Luke Kirby (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”)
Rufus Sewell (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”)
Peter MacNicol (“Veep”)

Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
Fiona Shaw (“Fleabag”)
Kristin Scott Thomas (“Fleabag”)
Emma Thompson (“Saturday Night Live”)
Sandra Oh (“Saturday Night Live”)
Maya Rudolph (“The Good Place”)
Jane Lynch (“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel”)

Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series
“Barry” (“The Audition”)
“Barry” (“ronny/lily”)
“Fleabag” (“Episode 1”)
“The Big Bang Theory” (“Stockholm Syndrome”)
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (“All Alone”)
“The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” (“We’re Going To The Catskills!”)

Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series
“Barry” (“ronny/lily”)
“Fleabag” (“Episode 1”)
“PEN15” (“Anna Ishii-Peters”)
“Russian Doll” (“Nothing In This World Is Easy”)
“Russian Doll” (“A Warm Body”)
“The Good Place” (“Janet(s)”)
“Veep” (“Veep”)

Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Series
Mahershala Ali (“True Detective”)
Hugh Grant (“A Very English Scandal”)
Benicio del Toro (“Escape At Dannemora”)
Sam Rockwell (“Fosse/Verdon”)
Jared Harris (“Chernobyl”)
Jharrel Jerome (“When They See Us”)

Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series
Amy Adams (“Sharp Objects”)
Patricia Arquette (“Escape At Dannemora”)
Michelle Williams (“Fosse/Verdon”)
Joey King (“The Act”)
Aunjanue Ellis (“When They See Us”)
Niecy Nash (“When They See Us”)

Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series
Ben Whishaw (“A Very English Scandal”)
Stellan Skarsgard (“Chernobyl”)
Paul Dano (“Escape at Dannemora”)
John Leguizamo (“When They See Us”)
Michael K. Williams (“When They See Us”)
Asante Black (“When They See Us”)

Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series
Emily Watson (“Chernobyl”)
Patricia Clarkson (“Sharp Objects”)
Marsha Stephanie Blake (“When They See Us”)
Vera Farmiga (“When They See Us”)
Patricia Arquette (“The Act”)
Margaret Qualley (“Fosse/Verdon”)

Outstanding Television Movie
“Bandersnatch (Black Mirror)”
“Brexit”
” King Lear”
“My Dinner with Hervé”

Outstanding Short Form Variety Series
“Billy On The Street”
“Carpool Karaoke: The Series”
“Gay Of Thrones”
“Honest Trailers”
“The Randy Rainbow Show”

Outstanding Competition Program
“American Ninja Warrior”
“RuPaul’s Drag Race”
“Nailed It!”
“The Amazing Race”
“The Voice”
“Top Chef”

Outstanding Host for a Reality or Competition Program
Ellen DeGeneres (“Ellen’s Game of Games”)
RuPaul (“RuPaul’s Drag Race”)
Amy Poehler and Nick Offerman (“Making It”)
James Corden (“The World’s Best”)
Marie Kondo (“Tidying Up With Marie Kondo”)

Outstanding Structured Reality Program
“Antiques Roadshow”
“Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives”
“Queer Eye”
“Shark Tank”
“Tidying Up With Marie Kondo”
“Who Do You Think You Are?”

Outstanding Unstructured Reality Program
“Born This Way”
“Deadliest Catch”
” Life Below Zero”
“RuPaul’s Drag Race: Untucked”
“Somebody Feed Phil”
“United Shades of America with W. Kamau Bell”

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Books

Bros + romance + fantasy = ‘Bromantasy.’

New book a romp full of humor, dragons, kings, and adventure

Published

1 hour ago

August 15, 2026

Terri Schlichenmeyer

(Book cover image courtesy of G.P. Putnam's Sons)

‘Bromantasy’
By Maire Roche
c.2026, G.P. Putnam’s Sons
$20/339 pages

“Danger” just happens to be your middle name.

Any fray, any tussle, anytime anybody needs help, they count on you to step in and save the day. You’re brave, smart and strategic, kind to old people, children, and small animals and, as in the new book “Bromantasy” by Maire Roche, dragons.

Of all the things there were to do – preserving food, keeping house for himself and his best friend Morningthall “Mo” Elmthorn, advanced skincare, and drinking at the local tavern down the road – the one thing Juniper O’Reilly couldn’t resist was a good brawl. It happened so often that Juniper honestly looked forward to it, though Mo wasn’t a fan.

Mo was more grown-up, calm, thoughtful, able, and Juniper loved him for it. He loved Mo, in fact, since they were little boys. He loved Mo in ways that they didn’t talk about, so they kept a wall between their bedrooms in their cottage.

Except for that one time.

They didn’t talk about that, either.

Instead, as they did often, on a warm fall night, Juniper and Mo went to the tavern, where mead was served and they could learn about the king’s weekly quests. There, Juniper could also find a good brawl, which is how he and Mo accidentally got into trouble: Juniper trounced one of the king’s men and was forced into a quest.

He didn’t want to fight dragons and he felt bad that Mo had been dragged along. He felt even worse leaving their farm, sleeping on the ground, wearing the same clothes every day, and not having enough skincare product along. A campfire added to the problem. A roving, lying prince, also in search of dragons, didn’t help. And though a quest was no place for a child, Juniper and Mo found a frightened little girl they had no choice but to protect.

A child with strange eyes, sharp teeth, and fire on her breath.

“And just like that, Juniper and Mo had a dragon.”

Bros + romance + fantasy = “Bromantasy.” It also could equal one of two other things: a romp full of humor, dragons, kings, princes, and adventure.

Or it could equal a whole lot of eye-rolling.

It’s a fact that this book is funny, in the way that a 1980s high school comedy movie is funny – meaning that it’s dippy, giddy, and very caricaturish but you’ll laugh quite often. The story contains everything you want in a fantasy romance (a “romantasy”), including human-like alternate species, a life-changing journey, and plenty of nudge-nudge-wink skirting around the attraction the two main characters have for one another. It’s a decent story, convoluted in just the right way. Purely, it’s an escape.

So why wouldn’t you want to read it? See above, and depending on your favorite reading genre. High-brow literature, this ain’t.

For the right reader, “Bromantasy” is a decent-enough vacation read, something not too taxing or hard on the brain. It’s for novel lovers, dragon hunters, king’s questers, princes, and romantics. For everyone else, this tale is just middling.

The Blade may receive commissions from qualifying purchases made via this post.

Theater

National tour of ‘The Notebook’ retains its tearjerking power

Talented queer actor Grace Rundberg joins cast fresh out of college

Published

2 hours ago

August 15, 2026

Patrick Folliard

Grace Ohwensadeyo Rundberg (Photo courtesy of National Theatre)

‘The Notebook’
Aug. 18-30
National Theatre
1321 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W.
$89-$197
Broadwayatthenational.com

When Grace Ohwensadeyo Rundberg first imagined a career in musical theater, she wasn’t sure exactly how she’d fit in. As a gay actor would she play queer characters? Outside of “Rent” and a few other shows, would there be lesbian parts coming her way?

Rundberg, 23, remembers an acting class in college. “I was doing a romantic scene opposite a male actor when the professor interrupted to say it was ‘unconvincing.’ Well, I’d never had the experience of what it’s like to be with a man, so I’m not surprised it looked a little awkward.”

But for Rundberg, being in the national tour of “The Notebook” has quelled those misgivings. Of course, booking the show straight out of college bolstered her confidence, and playing a woman whose love interests are men has put Rundberg in a place where she’s fine playing straight or gay.

Opening this week in D.C.’s National Theatre (Aug. 18-30), “The Notebook” is a genuine tearjerker (the book, the film, and the musical). It’s the decades long love story of Noah and Allie who despite vast differences, fall in love as teenagers. Over the years, their romance faces separation, societal pressures, the challenges of Alzheimer’s disease, yet somehow prevails.

Shortly after graduating from ⁠Pace University’s musical theater program in 2025, the upfront and buoyant Rundberg was signed to play ensemble member Georgie and understudy for Middle Allie (a young woman caught between youthful passion and reflective memory).

A mezze soprano mixed belter experienced with folk, pop, contemporary styles, she proves an ideal performer to sing Ingrid Michaelson score and act Bekah Brunstetter’s romantic libretto.

And when she understudies the role of Middle Allie, whether by scheduled design or insanely short notice, she sings the familiar tune “My Days,” a standout track from the musical that serves as the show-stopping “11 o’clock number.” Here, she captures the emotional climax when Middle Allie chooses the life and loves she desires.

During a musical childhood spent in Pittsford, N.Y, just seven miles outside of Rochester, Rundberg began music classes at four; she learned piano and belonged to choirs. And though, she says, the family was not really into theater, her mom was a Cher impersonator for a while.

Significantly, Rundberg (whose middle name Ohwensadeyo translates from Cayuga as “Beautiful Earth”) is a citizen of the ⁠Cayuga Nation, an Indigenous nation native to New York state.

Recently, she began learning the Cayuga language, a very important part of the culture, particularly since it’s almost exclusively a spoken language. Rundberg’s cousin, a professor at Cornell University where he teaches Cayuga language and culture, has been a great help. She feels fortunate: “Not everyone has access to their ancestry I’m blessed in this way.”

The Brooklyn-based actor’s ambitions are bold and varied. While landing a national tour was high on her bucket list, she longs to work on Broadway and auditions for TV and film. Being the first to create a character in a new work, especially a lesbian character, is a big goal. “That would tie a lot of things together,” she says. “That’s the ultimate dream.”

In the meantime, Rundberg is working professionally and seeing the country. But touring isn’t without its drawbacks. “I miss New York a lot,” she says. “My girlfriend is there; long distance is a challenge for sure. I’m always in a different place often with different time zones. Still, she has come to see me in San Francisco, Miami, Cleveland, and a few other stops. And I fly to New York when I can. We make it work.”

As a kid, Rundberg watched and rewatched the movie version of ‘The Notebook.’ She says, “It’s one of my favorites. It’s kind of a cliché, I know, but I’m a hopeless romantic.”

The show touches a lot of people; it’s evident at every performance. From the stage, the cast sees audience members crying. In fact, “The Notebook” sells branded souvenir tissue boxes at its merchandise stands for five dollars a pop.

“Beyond elements of sadness there’s also joy,” she adds. “There’s the never-ending devotion and getting through hard times together too. We do our best to send the audience home with hope and love.”