Every week, The GLAAD Wrap brings you LGBT-related entertainment news highlights, fresh stuff to watch out for, and fun diversions to help you kick off the weekend.
1) Janet Mock, author and transgender advocate, will be hosting a new show called So Popular! on MSNBC's new streaming service, Shift by MSNBC. The show will take a look at popular culture through a progressive lens. Out anchor Thomas Roberts will host Out There focusing on LGBT issues dominating the current news cycle and Josh Barro will cover the economy on Three Cents.
2)Logo will air two new interconnected shows from Russell T. Davies (Queer As Folk, Doctor Who) called Cucumber and Banana. Set in Manchester, England, Cucumber will follow the end of a nine-year relationship between Henry and Lance while Banana will follow the lives and loves of Henry's younger friends. The shows are part of a trio of new programs from the creator premiering first in the UK, which will also include a third program called Tofu.
3) Out actor Jonathan Groff will return to the stage for Encore! Off-Center. Groff will star in William Finn's New Brain for a five night run. New Brain is the autobiographical tale of writer William Finn's diagnosis of brain cancer. Groff's HBO series Looking returns for season two next month.
4) The trailer for the final season of Glee was released this week. Kurt and Rachel face off with Coach Sylvester over bringing back the glee club, Blaine dons his iconic Warblers blazer and new faces pop up in the choir room. Check out the full trailer of the two hour season premiere below.
5) Taiwanese pop star Jolin Tsai plays one half of a lesbian couple in the video for her song "We Are All Different, Yet The Same." Tsai kisses actress Ruby Lin as part of a retelling of the true story of a Taiwanese lesbian couple who have been together for 30 years. When one of the women was hospitalized and required surgery, her partner was unable to sign the consent form because she was not a legal spouse.
6) The video for Brandi Carlile's new song "The Eye" is out now. The stripped down single is from her forthcoming album The Firewatcher's Daughter which is set to be released on March 3, 2015.
7) Out country singer Kristen Merlin's EP Boomerang is now available for pre-order before its January 20 release. Best known for her season six stint on The Voice, Boomerang will be Merlin's first solo album. Head over to iTunes to pre-order.
8)Sistah Sinema - Online and IndieFlix have joined forces to stream indie films by and about queer women of color. The current collection has nine films available and there are plans to add five films per month for subscribers of service to enjoy. You can check out the collection and join IndieFlix now.
9) Director Meera Darji is raising funds to make a documentary about the transgender community in India called Transindia. The documentary looks into the history of the hijras before and after the Criminal Tribes Act of 1871 and the reality of life for transgender people in and around India. Visit Transindia's Indiegogo page for more information.