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) Strand Releasing has acquired the US rights to the Sundance prize-winning film The Summer of Sangaile. The film tells the story of 17-year-old Sangaile and her budding relationship with Auste, a girl who encourages Sangaile to live life to the fullest. An official selection of this year's Berlin Film Festival, the coming-of-age drama also won the directing prize in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at Sundance. Strand plans to release The Summer of Sangaile late this summer.
2) HBO Films has recently released a short teaser of its upcoming biopic, Bessie. Starring Queen Latifah as the title character, Bessie follows the life and career of bisexual blues singer Bessie Smith. Written and directed by out filmmaker Dees Rees, the movie will examine Smith's relationships with her husband, Jack Gee (played by Michael Kenneth Williams), and Lucille (Tika Sumpter), Smith's love interest. Check out the short trailer below and tune in to its premiere on Saturday, May 16 at 8 PM (ET/PT) on HBO.
3) TV personality and producer Andy Cohen is headed to talk radio with his own Sirius XM radio channel. "Radio Andy" will feature content selected by Cohen, who will also host a weekly segment. Cohen's channel will be an extension of his "love for pop culture – everything high and low" and feature celebrities and pop culture fanatics as guests. Radio Andy is set to launch later this year.
4) Actress Debi Mazar talks to The Huffington Post about playing a lesbian character in her new TV Land show, Younger. In a live interview, Mazar says she "doesn't like playing caricatures of people" and simply views her character, Maggie, as someone "who happens to like chicks instead of guys." Younger chronicles the life of Liza (Sutton Foster), a 40-year-old recently single mother, who wants to pass herself off as a 26-year-old in order to get back into the working world. Mazar's character Maggie is Liza's best friend, who gives Liza the makeover she needs to appear younger. While the show is set to premiere on TV Land on Tuesday, March 31, the pilot is now available for early viewing on TV Land's website. View the trailer below, and head to the website for more clips and full episodes.
5) Out singer-songwriter Steve Grand is set to release his debut album All American Boy on March 24. After the music video for track "All American Boy" went viral in 2013, Grand launched a Kickstarter campaign that raised over $300,000 dollars to produce his first record. After much anticipation, the country musician now has his album available for pre-order on his website, including autographed and vinyl copies, and also on iTunes. Listen to the title track below:
6) Described as a story about "Roman lesbians kicking ass and taking names," Julius Caesar-inspired comic series Cassius is seeking help to complete funding for its first issue. Cassius takes place in the fictional Roman-esque world of Latium, where an ordinary young woman, Junia, learns she bears the mark of Cassius, giving her the power to determine the success or failure of the entire state. Cassius' Kickstarter campaign is now raising money to cover printing and shipping costs. To learn more about the project and how you can help, visit the Kickstarter page.