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) The film Mala Mala opens in limited release this week. The documentary celebrates the trans and drag communities in Puerto Rico. Filmed over a three year period, the film portrays the communities' fight for acceptance and the beginning of a new transliberation movement in Puerto Rico. Directed by Antonio Santini and Dan Sickles, the film made its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival where it was universally praised. Follow the film on its Facebook page and watch the trailer below.
2) Jenny's Wedding has released its first trailer! The same-sex marriage dramedy follows Jenny Farrell (Katherine Heigl) as she decides to come out to her family and marry the love of her life Kitty (Alexis Bledel) who her family thinks is just her roommate. The film will have its world premiere at OutFest in Los Angeles on July 10 and will be open in theatres on July 31st. Follow the film on Jenny's Wedding Facebook page and check out the trailer below.
3) The first trailer for the film A Million Happy Nows has just been released. The film follows Lainey Allen (Crystal Chappell) as she retires from the entertainment business and moves in with her partner Eva Morales (Jessica Leccia) to their beach house. However, Lainey is soon diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's and the couple now must deal with this devastating disease, while enjoying their last moments together filled with love and humor. The film is still searching for distribution. Check out the trailer below.
4) The first official trailer for the Netflix series, Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, has been released. The star studded trailer is filled with all of our returning favorite camp members including Ben (Bradley Cooper) and McKinley (Michael Ian Black), who we see flirting with each other at the end of the video. The eight episode series that serves as a prequel for the 2001 cult classic, Wet Hot American Summer, is set to premiere on July 31st. Check out the trailer below.
5) The upcoming seventh season of The Vampire Diaries brings audiences three new vampires, including the show's first same-sex couple. Nora and Mary Louise are a dangerous couple who have been together in secret for over a century. Valerie is the other new vampire thrown into the drama of Mystic Falls. There is no casting news yet on the trio, but that doesn't make us any less excited for these new additions to the show. In other casting news, Marisa Tomei has signed on for a recurring role in the second season of the FOX hit Empire. Tomei will play a lesbian billionaire venture capitalist named Mimi Whiteman who finds herself getting involved with the Lyon family.
6) Fans of Degrassi were gifted with reunion photos of the original cast this week as cast members reunited to film the hour-long farewell special, It Goes There: Degrassi's Most Talked-About Moments. The long-running series has presented some of the most groundbreaking portrayals of LGBT teens and sadly it will finally come to an end on July 31st when the special along with the series finale will be aired. But, don't worry, the follow up series Degrassi: Next Class hits Netflix in 2016.
7) PBS Digital Studios LGBT-themed web series First Person has just released its latest episode, "Sexuality & Gender in Comics." Host Kristin Russo talks with artist and writer Phil Jimenez about gender and sexuality in the comic book world. Some of the questions answered in the episode include: Why have LGBT people always identified with comic book characters and stories? And how are queer artists changing the medium today by creating visibly LGBT characters and organizing LGBT comicons? Check out this episode below.
8) Lee Daniels, co-creator of the hit television show Empire, has just signed a multiyear deal with 20th Century Fox Television studio. Daniels will begin to develop, write, and direct new projects for the studio while continuing on as executive producer and director of Empire. Fox TV Group CEOs Dana Walden and Gary Newman stated, "Quite simply, we love working with this inspired storyteller, and this deal is about extending and deepening our relationship." Stay on the lookout for more projects from Daniels in the coming years.
9) Paris Barclay, the first African American and openly out president of the Directors Guild of America has just been re-elected to serve a second two-year term. Barclay, who has directed over a 150 episodes of television, including Glee, Manhattan, and The Good Wife said that he is "honored."
10) Actress and singer/songwriter Hayley Kiyoko released her new music video this week for the song "Girls Like Girls." The video follows two best friends as they realize that they have feelings for each other. Along with a shocking ending, the video sheds light on LGBT issues, which has fans thanking Kiyoko with tweets such as "I feel heard. I feel understood." To learn more about Kiyoko's thought process behind the video, read her interview with ELLE magazine and watch the video for "Girls like Girls" below.
11) Musician Big Freedia has a new memoir coming out that is now available for pre-order. The memoir, titled Big Freedia: God Save the Queen, tells Freedia's personal story of her path to fame and chronicles her life growing up in one of New Orlean's worst neighborhoods, surviving Hurricane Katrina, and becoming the "undisputed ambassador" of the New Orleans-based Bounce movement. Visit Amazon.com to pre-order the memoir, which will be released on July 7 and check out the book trailer below.
12) The film, FREE CeCe!, is looking for funding to help cover post-production costs. The film confronts violence against transgender women of color and tells the story of CeCe McDonald, who survived a transphobic and racist attack in Minneapolis in 2011. The story is told through the voices of Laverne Cox and CeCe McDonald. The funding will help creators of the film complete a rough cut by fall 2015 and release the film in 2016. Visit FREE CeCe!'s IndieGoGo page to donate and watch a sample of the film below.