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) On the Road hits theaters in limited release today. The film based on Jack Kerouac’s novel follows Sal Paradise, a young writer whose life changes when he meets free-spirited and fearless Dean Moriarty and Dean’s wife, Marylou. The group travels across the country in hopes of finding themselves. Find a showing in your area and watch the trailer below.
2) The 1984 Oscar-winning documentary The Times of Harvey Milk by Rob Epstein was chosen this year to be one of 25 films selected for preservation by the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry. The film chronicles Milk’s political career. Watch the trailer below.
3) Lee Hirsch’s documentary Bully, which takes an uncompromising look at the issue of bullying as it affects school children in the U.S. today, has been awarded the Producers Guild of America’s Stanley Kramer Award to recognize the film for raising public awareness on an important issue. The MPAA caused controversy earlier this year when they gave the film an R rating. Openly gay high school student Katy Butler traveled from Michigan to L.A. to hand deliver over 500,000 signatures from her Change.org petition asking for the rating to be lowered. Distributor The Weinstein Company decided to release it as unrated instead and Weinstein Company chairman Harvey Weinstein presented a special recognition award to Katy at the GLAAD Media Awards in New York.
4) HBO has ordered to pilot an untitled comedy from executive producers David Marshall Grant (Brothers and Sisters) and Sarah Condon (Bored to Death) about a group of three gay thirty-something friends living in San Francisco. The project will revolve around the trio as they deal with the complexities of life, love the modern gay experience.
5) Sean Hayes adds one more show to his already extensive list of currently airing series he produces (NBC’s Grimm, TV Land’s Hot in Cleveland and Soul Man) with the eight episode order for his new reality show. NBC has picked up the hour long game show, Hollywood Game Night, which features contestants playing games in a cocktail party atmosphere with celebrities. Hayes will also make his return to television acting as the star of an untitled NBC father-daughter comedy pilot.
6) A new Doctor Who Christmas minisode “Vastra Investigates” has been released from BBC America. The clip, set up as a prequel for Tuesday’s Christmas special “Snowmen,” shows Vastra and her partner Jenny assisting on a case for Scotland Yard, who shock the Victorian inspector when they reveal the true nature of their relationship. Watch “Vastra Investigates” below.
7) Lady Gaga announced Thursday that the Born Brave Bus Tour will be part of the U.S. leg of her upcoming Born This Way Ball Tour. The bus will provide a space for 13-to-25-year-olds to learn more about local resources for anti-bullying, suicide prevention and mental health services. Gaga’s own Born This Way Foundation will assist on the bus, as well as The Trevor Project, Campus Pride and the National Association of School Psychologists. The Born Brave Bus will be open a few hours before each show and participants do not have to have a show ticket to partake. The tour kicks off in Tacoma, WA. on January 14.
8) Cheyenne Jackson released the music video for his new single “Don’t Wanna Know” this week. The video features cameos from several of his Broadway friends including Nick Adams from Priscilla, Queen of the Desert. The single is available for purchase on iTunes, watch the video below.
9) Sistah Sinema, a monthly event dedicated to screening LGBTQ women of color cinema, is looking for funding help to create an LGBTQ women of color video on demand channel (Sistah Sinema-Online) on LGBT independent video website BuskFilms.com. The organization hopes that creating the portal channel will make these films easier to find and watch and allow the site to support those creators with film rental revenue. Learn more at Sistah Sinema’s indiegogo page and watch the creators below talking about the importance of LGBTQ women of color cinema and the need for an organized access system.