a&e features
Neil Patrick Harris and hubby David Burtka celebrate home, family and entertaining
Memorable family photo shoots, outside-the-box gifts, fun entertaining twists enliven holidays for Hollywood power couple
David Burtka (left) and husband Neil Patrick Harris have created their own holiday traditions as a family. (Photo courtesy Capital One)
Neil Patrick Harris and David Burtka are maestros of multiple domains individually but put them together and it begs the question: what can’t these two do?
Harris is an actor, comedian, singer and, yes, a magician. Meanwhile, Burtka is an actor and professional chef. One of Harris’ many television projects, the hit Netflix show “A Series of Unfortunate Events,” streams its final season on Jan. 1. For Burtka, his cookbook “Life Is a Party: Deliciously Doable Recipes to Make Every Day a Celebration” becomes available April 16. The couple juggles all of these career endeavors while parenting their 8-year-old twins, Harper Grace Burtka-Harris and Gideon Scott Burtka-Harris, and still always seem ready to host the next party.
Harris and Burtka showed no signs of slowing down as they breezed into D.C. to celebrate Capital One’s new dining-and-entertainment Savor Rewards credit card, of which the couple are proud brand ambassadors. The dinner event, co-sponsored with restaurant and hospitality company Resy, took place at A Rake’s Progress in Adams Morgan’s swanky Line Hotel. Harris and Burtka aren’t shy about their love for good drinks and food making the Capital One Savor card a suitable marketing fit.
The event began with a cocktail hour where guests sipped crafted cocktails like Burtka’s special recipe for Spiced Cranberry Champagne Punch. Later in the evening, Burtka and Harris welcomed guests before everyone tucked into succulent slow-cooked beef short ribs, butterpat roasted trout, cheddar scalloped potatoes and country ham fried rice, to name a few of the savory dishes.
Burtka and Harris talked to the Blade about their favorite holiday drinks and treats, how to navigate tense dinner table conversations and fond memories of their first Christmas together.
WASHINGTON BLADE: You’ve become known for your family photos with your kids. What’s your secret for that perfect holiday photo?
DAVID BURTKA: Tasers.
NEIL PATRICK HARRIS: Yeah, it slows them down. I think with iPhone cameras being so effective we can pretty much take pictures of most everything. Before, you had to say “Stop,” get out a camera, take a photo, download it. Now, the quality of the camera is so good that we take pictures of our hotel room, our dinner, what we’re wearing. So the idea of taking pictures is sort of commonplace. If anything, the kids now at 8 years old are savvy enough to be playing us like fiddles with photography. So they’ll say, “You can take this picture but it can’t go on Instagram.”
BURTKA: It’s interesting, we never intended to be known for our family photos. We just really love showing and sharing with the world. Also, we have a strange world that we live in. There’s the paparazzi and I think that if you take the price off their heads and you sort of control the photo and are able to release what you want to release they’re not going to be hounding us as much.
HARRIS: That happened more in L.A. If you didn’t have any images of your newborn kids out there, then they would ask photographers to follow you around so they could be the people to have that photo. So, if we just posted our own photos the need for that lessens because we were providing photos, not to news organizations, but just to anyone who was interested in it. At the same time when you look at Instagram a vast majority of parents post pictures of their children because the kids are stupid adorable. So I don’t think we’re doing anything unusual, we just have to make sure that they’re well-shot pictures. I try to be discerning with our imagery.
BLADE: What’s your favorite Christmas present you’ve given each other?
BURTKA: I have two. They’re both art. The first are these really great portraits that he had of the kids done by Jill Greenberg. Those were amazing. Those made me cry.
HARRIS: He didn’t know I was doing it. I went and took the kids and didn’t tell him and did the photoshoot.
BURTKA: There was another piece of art that he had done that was flip art. So it was like one of those old-timey movies where the screens flip. But it was a story of Neil being a magician and coming into frame and the kids are sitting there. They were really small like 2 years old. And he takes a sheet and covers them up and uncovers them and they’re gone.
HARRIS: I got two empty chairs and I cover the empty chairs and then the kids are there and then we bow and they go back, reset.
BURTKA: It was creative and so beautiful.
HARRIS: We collect contemporary art so that’s an easy one to do for David. And by easy I mean expensive. For me, I like experiential things. It’s not just Christmas, it’s pretty much all year long. I’m constantly seeing things that I want to buy. This new book came out, I’d love to have this new shaker for my bar, I’m always doing that. So it’s the experiences. David got me once two half-day classes with Bobby Flay.
BURTKA: That was your birthday.
HARRIS: …where I got to go to his house and he taught me how to barbecue. That was really special to get to see that and do that live. That’s kind of a once-in-a-lifetime situation. I love those.
BLADE: During the holidays, families get together and they might have different political opinions. What’s your advice for navigating difficult holiday table talk?
BURTKA: Booze.
HARRIS: Really?
BURTKA: Just kidding.
HARRIS: I think to make the meal a bit of a game. There’s something called Table Topics that are these cubes and inside of them are these cards and each card has a question. “If you were on a desert island and you could only bring two books what would you bring?” Or “What do you think is the most influential thing that’s happened in your life?” And we’ll usually at a formal meal put one of those cards under everyone’s plate or mix it with the napkin so that in the conversation, if there’s a lull or it gets contentious you can say, “Oh well, hey, I have a question. What was your favorite comic book hero growing up?” and then it keeps things kind of buoyant and quasi-frivolous.
BLADE: David, when the holidays come up do you let Neil take the lead so you can relax or do you like to handle it as the expert?
BURTKA: Because I’m a trained chef it just comes easy for me. I like to do it and I love being in the kitchen. If I had my druthers, I’d be there right now just cooking. Neil tends bar. That was a Christmas present I got you (Harris). I got you five, three-hour lessons with a bartender so he learned every single spirit. He tends to do the bar. I tend to do the food. I’ll have him help me out and give him tasks. He’s good at sous chefing and decorating pastries and things like that. Really good at rolling pasta.
HARRIS: I’m bad with timing and getting everything out at the same time. So if he tasked me with “Make this thing look a certain way,” I can bang that out like a robot person. But David is the mastermind. He’s the nucleus. I’m the electrons. I put the N in electron.
BLADE: Neil, what’s your signature holiday cocktail? And David, Christmas dinner isn’t complete for you unless you have what item on the table?
HARRIS: I don’t have a singular signature cocktail for the holidays. It’s always fun because you get to experiment with richer, deeper flavor palates. You get to deal with cranberry, cinnamon, cardamom and nutmeg. Things that you don’t get in the summer, spring and the fall. So I tend to angle toward punches because punch bowls are always fun and it looks great and everyone can serve themselves. And it’s historical. So I’ll usually experiment and come up with a new punch for a party because then you don’t have to stand there behind the bar and ask people what they want. People get to be self-sufficient. That said, I do like trying new tastes and flavors. And if I may swing it back to the Savor card, there’s value in going out and trying new things at restaurants because you save money when you do that with the Savor card not just on food but on beverages. So if you were into the hooch the Savor card is your friend.
BURTKA: For me, I think the one complete thing is, for the last probably 10 years, I’ve made this cookie. This really great chocolate, peppermint cookie. It’s just been a staple.
HARRIS: They’re so good.
BURTKA: Literally, they’re like crack cocaine to people. My kids are crazy for them. It’s like a doughy, fudgey cookie but inside has crushed peppermint candies.
HARRIS: They’re pretty flat. They don’t rise very much, maybe because of the crushed peppermint candy. I’m not sure what the science is. But they wind up being big and flat and relatively chewy cookies. The kids get to bang the peppermint.
BURTKA: We tend to do an old English Christmas a lot of years. Like standing rib roasts, popovers or a goose, that’s big. But we’re not doing that this year. We’re doing a fondue thing with the kids this year. That’ll be fun.
HARRIS: I hope it doesn’t turn into a fon-don’t.
BLADE: What was your first Christmas like together?
HARRIS: We were in Michigan. His family is so hilarious because they have a lot of Christmas traditions. They’re 100 percent Polish. So there was a meal, there was lots of appetizery things. There was chicken, kapustas, fried mozzarella. Lots of gift exchanges. His dad has this wonderful thing that he does, and still does every year, where instead of giving everyone individual gifts he wraps a gift for every person. His own white elephant gift exchange. So when it’s your turn to do your gift, everyone gets their gift but you go one at a time and pick a gift and then the next person goes and they can steal your gift and pick their own gift. There are lotto tickets and cash money and frozen foods and all kinds of weird things that might be unique to you. Reese’s peanut butter cups for me. That’s when I got to know your (Burtka’s) family and that was very, very exciting. They welcomed me. I believe I won $75 in the lotto. It’s a win-win. I got the guy and the money.
a&e features
Visible and unapologetic: MAL brings the kink this weekend
Busy lineup includes dances, pups, super heroes, and more
MLK Weekend in D.C. brings the annual Mid-Atlantic Leather (MAL) Weekend. Just a short walk from where Congress has been attacking queer Americans this year, MAL takes place at the Hyatt Regency Washington for several days of intrigue, excitement, leather, and kink.
The Centaur Motorcycle Club — one of several similar groups dedicated to leather in the country — has been hosting MAL in its current form for more than 40 years. Originally a small gathering of like-minded people interested in the leather lifestyle, MAL has grown to include a full four days of events, taking place onsite at the Hyatt Regency Washington (400 New Jersey Ave., N.W.). Select partner happenings take place each night, and many more non-affiliated events are scattered across the DMV in honor of and inspired by MAL.
MAL Weekend has become an internationally renowned event that celebrates fetish culture, yet it also raises funds for LGBTQ organizations, “reinforcing its legacy as both a cultural and philanthropic cornerstone of the global leather community,” according to MAL organizers.
During the day, MAL events at the Hyatt include workshops, social gatherings, shopping, and other in-person engagements for the community.
“The Hyatt underwent an extensive top to bottom renovation after last year’s event,” says Jeffrey LeGrand-Douglass, the event chair. The lobby, meeting spaces, guest rooms, and other areas have been updated, he notes, “so I am very excited for our guests to experience the new design and layout for the first time. And of course as with every year, we look forward to the contest on Sunday afternoon and seeing who will become our new Mr. MAL.”
In the evening, MAL hands the reins to partner KINETIC Presents, the D.C.-based nightlife production company. KINETIC will host four consecutive nights of high-production events that fuse cutting-edge music, immersive environments, and performance. This year, KINETIC is popping open doors to new-to-MAL venues, international collabs, play zones, and a diverse lineup.
According to KINETIC managing partner Zach Renovátes, 2026 is the most extensive MAL production to date. “The talent lineup is unreal: an all-star roster of international DJs, plus drag superstar performances at the Saturday main event,” he says.
Renovátes added that he’s “most excited about the collaborations happening all weekend — from bringing in MACHO from WE Party Madrid, to teaming up with local leather groups, to nonprofit partners, and Masc Diva [a queer nightlife collective].”
Official MAL events begin on Thursday with the Full Package/Three Day Pass Pick-Up from 5:30-8:30 p.m. at the Hyatt.
Thursday night is also the KINETIC kickoff party, called LUST. Running 10 p.m. – 3 a.m., it’s being held at District Eagle. DJ Jay Garcia holds it down on the first floor, while DJ Mitch Ferrino spins in the expansive upstairs. LUST features special performances from the performers including Serg Shepard, Arrow, Chase, and Masterpiece.
Renovátes notes that the LUST opening party at District Eagle coincides with the bar’s grand re-opening weekend. The bar will unveil its new permanent home on the renovated second floor. “it felt like the perfect place to start Mid-Atlantic Leather weekend — right in D.C.’s only dedicated home for kink communities,” he says.
After Thursday night, Friday is when daytime events begin at the Hyatt. The Exhibit Hall, on the ballroom level below the lobby, hosts upwards of 30 vendors, exhibitors, and booths with leather goods, fetish wear, clothes, toys, other accessories, providing hours of time to shop and connect with attendees and business owners. The Exhibit Hall will be open on Friday from 4-10 p.m., as well as on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
DC Health is once again back at MAL, to provide preventative health services. In the past, DC Health has provided MPox vaccines, Doxy PEP, HIV testing, Narcan kits, and fentanyl test strips. This booth will be open on Friday 4-10 p.m.
Later, at 6 p.m., the Centaur MC is holding its welcome reception on the ballroom floor. After the Centaur’s Welcome Reception, the MIR Rubber Social is 8-11 p.m. A Recovery Meeting is scheduled at 10 p.m.
Many attendees enjoy visiting the guest room levels of the hotel. Note that to get in an elevator up to a hotel room, a staff member will check for a hotel room wristband. Non-registered guests can only access host hotel rooms if they are escorted by a registered guest with a valid wristband. Registered guests are permitted to escort only one non-registered guest at a time. Non-registered guests with a wristband who are already in the hotel before 10 p.m. may remain until midnight. However, non-registered guests without a wristband will not be admitted after registration closes.
Friday night, for the first time, KINETIC Presents is joining forces with WE Party to bring MACHO to Washington, D.C. This official MAL Friday event delivers two stages and two genres. On the UNCUT XXL stage, international Brazilian circuit superstars Erik Vilar and Anne Louise bring their signature high-energy sound. On the MACHO stage, Madrid’s Charly is joined by Chicago’s tech-house force, Karsten Sollors, for a blend of techno and tech house. UNCUT also features the XL Play Zone, a massive, immersive space exclusive to this event. The party takes place at the Berhta space from 10 p.m.-4 a.m..
“This year we’re bringing back the two-room format we debuted at WorldPride for both Friday and Saturday, so attendees can really tailor their experience — whether they’re in the mood for circuit or tech house.” says Renovátes.
Directly after Friday’s UNCUT XXL, UNDERWORLD Afters takes over District Eagle, from 3:30-8 a.m. International DJ Eliad Cohen commands the music.
Saturday, the Exhibit Hall opens earlier, at 11 a.m.. DC Health will also be back from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Saturday is also time for one of the most anticipated events, the Puppy Mosh, running from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. During the event, pup culture comes to life, when pups, handlers, and friends can enjoy an inclusive, safe pup zone. There is also a Recovery Meeting at 11 a.m., and the IML Judges Announcement takes place at noon.
The popular Super Hero Meet Up will be held 1:30 p.m. – 3 p.m., sponsored by One Magical Weekend, for cosplayers, comic enthusiasts, and their friends.
From 2-6 p.m., the Onyx Fashion Show will take place to showcase and highlight people of color in leather.
Finally, the Leather Cocktail Party – the original event of MAL – will be held 7-9 p.m. in the Ballroom. While this requires special tickets to attend, at 9 p.m. is the MAL cocktail party, which is open to wider attendees.
The last event of Saturday leaves the hotel, again a partnership with KINETIC. Kicking off at 10 p.m. and running until 4 a.m., it’s just the second time that KINETIC’s Saturday night party is an official MAL event and serves as the main weekend engagement.
Saturday night’s centerpiece is called KINK: Double Trouble. The night will feature a first-ever back-to-back set from international electronic music icons Nina Flowers and Alex Acosta on the Circuit/Tribal Stage. The other room – the Tech House Stage – curated by The Carry Nation and Rose, provides a darker, underground counterpoint, reinforcing the event’s musical depth and edge.
Beyond the DJs, KINETIC has called in the big shots for this party: “RuPaul’s Drag Race” legends Nymphia Wind and Plastique Tiara are set to headline. The party also takes place at Berhta.
Sunday, back at the hotel, there will be another Recovery Meeting at 10 a.m., and the Exhibit Hall opens again from 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
At 1 p.m., the anticipated and prestigious Mr. MAL Contest that celebrates the achievements of the leather community will be held in the Ballroom. This highly sought after title gives one man the power to become the Mid-Atlantic Leather man of the year. Sash and title winners must be (1) male, (2), a resident of North America, (3) At least 21 years of age; and (4) self-identify as gay. The first Mr. MAL was crowned in 1985. The Winner of Mr. MAL has the privilege of later competing in International Mr. Leather (IML) in Chicago on Memorial Day Weekend 2025.
From 4 p.m. to 12 a.m., MAL will hold its Game Night for the gaymers in attendance. There will also be a special screening of A24’s new film, “Pillion,” about a man who is swept off his feet when an enigmatic, impossibly handsome biker takes him on as his submissive.
Sunday closes with a community partner event produced by Masc Diva, featuring Horse Meat Disco with support from Coach Chris, at A.I. Warehouse in the Union Market district. It’s the same team that produced HMD during WorldPride at A.I. Warehouse.
Note that there are several types of passes for attendance to the hotel and parties. KINK VIP Weekend Passes include express entry, VIP areas, and enhanced amenities throughout the weekend, while MAL Full Weekend Package holders receive access to the official Sunday closing event.
At last year’s MAL events, KINETIC Presents raised more $150,000 for LGBTQ charities, and expects to match or exceed that impact in 2026.
Renovátes stated that “now more than ever, it’s important to create safe, affirming spaces for our community — but it’s just as important to be visible and unapologetic. We want to make it clear that the LGBTQ+ and leather communities aren’t going anywhere. We’ve fought too long and too hard to ever feel like we have to shrink ourselves again, no matter what the political climate looks like.”
In addition to the KINETIC events, various LGBTQ bars will hold parties celebrating the theme of the weekend. For example, Kiki, located on U Street NW, is hosting a party called KINKI, hosted by DJ Dez, on Saturday night. Sister bar Shakiki, on 9th Street NW, is hosting a party called Railed Out, a fetish-inspired party that features a play zone, on Thursday night. Flash, on U Street NW, will hold its infamous Flashy Sunday party to close out the weekend.
a&e features
Queer highlights of the 2026 Critics Choice Awards: Aunt Gladys, that ‘Heated Rivalry’ shoutout and more
Amy Madigan’s win in the supporting actress category puts her in serious contention to win the Oscar for ‘Weapons’
From Chelsea Handler shouting out Heated Rivalry in her opening monologue to Amy Madigan proving that horror performances can (and should) be taken seriously, the Critics Choice Awards provided plenty of iconic moments for queer movie fans to celebrate on the long road to Oscar night.
Handler kicked off the ceremony by recapping the biggest moments in pop culture last year, from Wicked: For Good to Sinners. She also made room to joke about the surprise hit TV sensation on everyone’s minds: “Shoutout to Heated Rivalry. Everyone loves it! Gay men love it, women love it, straight men who say they aren’t gay but work out at Equinox love it!”
The back-to-back wins for Jacob Elordi in Frankenstein and Amy Madigan in Weapons are notable, given the horror bias that awards voters typically have. Aunt Gladys instantly became a pop culture phenomenon within the LGBTQ+ community when Zach Cregger’s hit horror comedy released in August, but the thought that Madigan could be a serious awards contender for such a fun, out-there performance seemed improbable to most months ago. Now, considering the sheer amount of critics’ attention she’s received over the past month, there’s no denying she’s in the running for the Oscar.
“I really wasn’t expecting all of this because I thought people would like the movie, and I thought people would dig Gladys, but you love Gladys! I mean, it’s crazy,” Madigan said during her acceptance speech. “I get [sent] makeup tutorials and paintings. I even got one weird thing about how she’s a sex icon also, which I didn’t go too deep into that one.”
Over on the TV side, Rhea Seehorn won in the incredibly competitive best actress in a drama series category for her acclaimed performance as Carol in Pluribus, beating out the likes of Emmy winner Britt Lower for Severance, Carrie Coon for The White Lotus, and Bella Ramsey for The Last of Us. Pluribus, which was created by Breaking Bad’s showrunner Vince Gilligan, has been celebrated by audiences for its rich exploration of queer trauma and conversion therapy.
Jean Smart was Hack’s only win of the night, as Hannah Einbinder couldn’t repeat her Emmy victory in the supporting actress in a comedy series category against Janelle James, who nabbed a trophy for Abbott Elementary. Hacks lost the best comedy series award to The Studio, as it did at the Emmys in September. And in the limited series category, Erin Doherty repeated her Emmy success in supporting actress, joining in yet another Adolescence awards sweep.
As Oscar fans speculate on what these Critics Choice wins mean for future ceremonies, we have next week’s Golden Globes ceremony to look forward to on Jan. 11.
a&e features
Looking back at the 10 biggest A&E stories of 2025
‘Wicked,’ Lady Gaga’s new era, ‘Sexy’ Bailey and more
Although 2025 was a year marked by countless attacks on trans rights and political setbacks, the year also saw brilliant queer artists continuing to create art. From Cannes and Sundance Award winners now vying for Oscar consideration to pop icons entering new stages of their careers, queer people persevered to tell their stories through different media.
With the state of the world so uncertain, perhaps there’s no more vital time to celebrate our wins, as seen through some of this year’s top pop culture moments. While there’s no collection of 10 stories that fully encompass “the most important” news, here are some events that got the gays going:
10. ‘Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo’ wins big at Cannes
The Cannes Film Festival has become a crucial start for films hoping to make their way to the Oscars, and first-time director Diego Céspedes won the top Un Certain Regard prize for his intimate western “The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo.” The film is set in the ‘80s and is intended as an allegory for the AIDS epidemic. Seeing a film that unpacks vital queer history win one of the most coveted awards at Cannes has been a huge point of pride in the independent filmmaking community.
Since the film bowed at Cannes, it has been selected as Chile’s Oscar entry in the Best International Feature race. Speaking with The Blade during the film’s AFI Fest run in October, Céspedes said: At first, I was kind of scared to have this campaign position in the times that we’re living [in] here. But at the same time, I think the Oscars mean a huge platform — a huge platform for art and politics.”
9. ‘The Last of Us’ returns for an even gayer season 2
While the first season of The Last of Us gave us one of TV’s most heartbreaking queer love stories in the episode “Long, Long Time,” Season 2 doubled down on its commitment to queer storytelling with the blossoming relationship between Ellie (Bella Ramsey) and Dina (Isabela Merced). The show expanded on the pair’s relationship in the original video game, making it perhaps the central dynamic to the entire season. That unfortunately came with more homophobic backlash on the internet, but those who checked out all the episodes saw a tender relationship form amid the show’s post-apocalyptic, often violent backdrop. For their performance, Ramsey was once again nominated for an Emmy, but Merced deserved just as much awards attention.
8. ‘Emilia Pérez’ sparks controversy
Jacques Audiard’s genre-bending trans musical “Emilia Pérez” proved to be an awards season juggernaut this time last year, winning the Golden Globe for Best Musical/Comedy. But when the lead star Karla Sofia Gascón’s racist, sexist, and homophobic old tweets resurfaced, the film’s Oscar campaign became a tough sell, especially after Netflix had tried so hard to sell Emilia Pérez as the “progressive” film to vote for. Mind you, the film had already received significant backlash from LGBTQ+ audiences and the Mexican community for its stereotypical and reductive portrayals, but the Gascón controversy made what was originally just social media backlash impossible to ignore. The only person who seemed to come out of the whole debacle unscathed was Zoe Saldaña, who won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress over Ariana Grande.
7. ‘Sorry, Baby’ establishes Eva Victor as major talent
Back in January at the Sundance Film Festival, Eva Victor (known by many for her brand of sketch comedy) premiered their directorial debut “Sorry, Baby” to rave reviews, even winning the Waldo Salt Screening Award. Victor shadowed Jane Schoenbrun on the set of “I Saw the TV Glow,” and seeing Victor come into their own and establish such a strong voice immediately made them one of independent cinema’s most exciting new voices. A memorable scene in the film sees the main character, Agnes (played by Victor), struggling to check a box for male or female, just one example of how naturally queerness is woven into the fabric of the story.
Most recently, Victor was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance in the film, and she’s represented in a category alongside Jennifer Lawrence (“Die My Love”), Jessie Buckley (“Hamnet”), Julia Roberts (“After the Hunt”), Renate Reinsve (“Sentimental Value”) and Tessa Thompson (“Hedda”). The film also received four Independent Spirit Award nominations overall.
6. Paul Reubens comes out in posthumous doc
While Paul Reubens never publicly came out as gay before passing away in 2023, the two-part documentary “Pee-wee as Himself” premiered back in May on HBO Max, giving the legendary comedian a chance to posthumously open up to the world. Directed by Matt Wolf, the documentary explores how Reubens found his alter ego Pee-Wee Herman and why he kept his private life private.
The documentary won an Emmy in the Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special category and remains one of the most critically acclaimed titles of the year with a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score. Also worth noting, the National Geographic documentary Sally told the posthumous coming out story of Sally Ride through the help of her long-time partner, Tam O’Shaughnessy.
5. Lady Gaga releases ‘Mayhem’
Lady Gaga entered a new phase of her musical career with the release of Mayhem, her seventh album to date. From the frenzy-inducing pop hit Abracadabra to the memorable Bruno Mars duet featured on “Die With a Smile,” seeing Gaga return to her roots and make an album for the most die-hard of fans was especially rewarding after the underwhelming film releases of “House of Gucci” and “Joker: Folie à Deux.” Gaga has been touring with The Mayhem Ball since July, her first arena tour since 2018. She even extended her tour into 2026 with more North American dates, so the party isn’t stopping anytime soon. And Gaga is even set to make an appearance next May in “The Devil Wears Prada 2.”
4. Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande perform at the Oscars
While “Wicked: For Good” didn’t quite reach the heights of the first film, we will forever have Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande’s breathtaking live performance that opened the 97th Academy Awards. The pair sang a rendition of “Over the Rainbow,” “Home,” and “Defying Gravity,” paying proper homage to the original 1939 “Wizard of Oz.” Even non-Wicked fans can’t deny how magical and brilliantly staged this performance was. With both Erivo and Grande up for acting Oscars last year, they’re hoping to repeat success and make history with consecutive nominations. Either way, let’s hope there’s another live performance in the making, especially with two new original songs (The Girl in the Bubble and No Place Like Home) in the mix.
3. Indya Moore speaks out against Ryan Murphy
Indya Moore has consistently used social media as a platform for activism, and in September, posted a 30-minute Instagram live speaking out against “Pose” co-creator Ryan Murphy. Moore claimed that Murphy wasn’t being a true activist for trans people. “Ryan Murphy, we need you to do more. You need to address the racism, the violence, and the targeting of people on your productions, Ryan Murphy. You do need to make sure trans people are paid equally. Yes, Janet did the right thing,” Moore said. Murphy was also back in the headlines this year for the critically panned “All’s Fair” and the controversial “Monster: The Ed Gein Story” starring Laurie Metcalf and Charlie Hunnam.
2. Cole Escola wins Tony for Best Leading Actor
Few pop culture moments this year brought us together more than Cole Escola winning a Tony award for “Oh, Mary!” the Broadway show they created, wrote and starred in (we love a triple threat!) Escola made history by becoming the first nonbinary person to win a Tony in the leading actor category, and seeing them excitedly rush to the stage wearing a Bernadette Peters-inspired gown instantly became a viral social media moment.
The cherry on top of Escola’s major moment is the recent news that they are writing a Miss Piggy movie with Jennifer Lawrence and Emma Stone producing — news that also broke the internet for the better. We cannot wait!
1. Jonathan Bailey makes gay history as ‘Sexiest Man Alive’
The same year as his on-screen roles in blockbusters “Jurassic World Rebirth” and “Wicked: For Good,” Jonathan Bailey made history as the first openly gay man to be named People magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive.” The fact that it took 40 years for an openly gay man to earn the title is a signifier of how far we still have to go with queer representation, and seeing Bailey celebrated is just one small step in the right direction.
“There’s so many people that want to do brilliant stuff who feel like they can’t,” he told PEOPLE, “and I know the LGBT sector is under immense threat at the moment. So it’s been amazing to meet people who have the expertise and see potential that I could have only dreamed of.” In 2024, Bailey founded the charity titled The Shameless Fund, which raises money for LGBTQ+ organizations.
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Ford’s ‘First Look’ festival showcases three new productions
Mid-Atlantic Leather kicks off this week
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