Need a boost to get over Hump Day? The Hot Sheet is Queerty’s midweek pop culture catch-up, highlighting the entertainment stories everyone’s talking about, the ones you might’ve missed, and the notable LGBTQ+ film & TV releases in the days ahead. Here’s everything you need to stay in-the-know:
What To Watch This Week
- The Challenge: Cutthroat, Season 42 — Streaming (Paramount+): The MTV reality series brings back plenty of fan-favorite competitors, like out Cheer star Justin Hinsley again vying for the prize.
- The Dressing Room, Season 2 — Streaming (OUTtv): A comedy about the backstage life of fictional touring musical Balloon Boy, with cameos from Laura Bell Bundy, Eric McCormack & more.
- Rhythm Is A Dancer — Now Available (VOD): Lauren Caster writes, directs & stars in this dramedy about a woman raised by her lesbian mother who finally has a chance to meet her biological dad.
- The Shards — Streaming (Hulu): Ryan Murphy brings Bret Easton Ellis’s lurid mystery novel to the screen, the story of a killer stalking a group of spoiled teens in early 1980s Los Angeles.
- Sterling Point — Streaming (Amazon Prime Video): My Old Ass director Megan Park helms this coming-of-age melodrama about a young woman who inherits her grandfather’s island in Canada.
- Ted Lasso, Season 4 — Streaming (AppleTV+): The comedy returns with the titular coach (Jason Sudeikis) working for a women’s soccer team—maybe that means things will get a little gayer???
- The Big Cheese — Aug. 7 (NYC Theaters): A doc following American cheesemongers—including nonbinary ‘monger Lilith Spencer—as they prepare to compete in France’s “Olympics Of Cheese.”
- Teenage Sex And Death At Camp Miasma — Aug. 7 (Theaters): Hannah Einbinder & Gillian Anderson play a young director & her “Final Girl” muse in Jane Schoenbrun’s psychosexual drama.
Culture Catch-Up
MVP: In a striking new cover spread for WWD, the booked & busy François Arnaud opens up about what’s next, including the intriguing dark comedy Godstar and, yes, more Heated Rivalry: “I can tell you that there’s more of Scott [and Robbie G.K.’s Kip,] but I can’t tell you in what capacity,” he teases. [WWD]
TWO QUEENS: Madonna brought Club Confessions to Amsterdam World Pride, and it looks like there was an extra-special VIP on the guest lift: Kylie Minogue! The pop divas united to perform Confessions II track “Love Sensation,” and their link-up— dubbed the “Afterhours Mix”—will officially release this Thursday. [Queerty]
OOH, STEAMY!: In London, there’s a new production of dance piece The Car Man, which reimagines the classic opera Carmen into a sweat-and-grease covered queer romance set at a 1950s American auto shop. And if this shower scene teaser below is anything to go by, we need to book a flight across the pond, stat!
OH, BOW!: Meet your next First Lady, Bowen Yang! The SNL alum is set to make his Broadway stage debut in Cole Escola’s smash-hit comedy Oh, Mary! beginning Sep. 15, putting his own spin on the starring role of Mary Todd-Lincoln, which director Sam Pinkleton teases will be “viper”-like and “particularly intense” [Vulture]
GROWING PAINS: The queer film champions at Strand Releasing have picked up Mexican coming-of-age drama Six Months In A Pink And Blue Building for U.S. release. Set in the early ’90s, its the story of an 11-year-old boy coming to terms with his identity as his family grapples with his father’s HIV diagnosis. [Variety]
AXE TO GRIND: In first-look photos, Ryan Murphy’s next Monster season tackles another killer with a messy queer legacy, Lizzie Borden (Ella Beatty), who’s rumored to have had an affair with her family maid (Vicky Krieps) before axing her parents in 1892. Somehow Sarah Paulson-as-AIieen Wournos is involved, too?
SEPARATE WAYS: In a shocker to the sports world & beyond, WNBA star Brittney Griner has filed for divorce from her wife Cherelle citing their marriage is “irretrievably broken.” The two share a son and had been together for eight years, including the nearly 300 days Griner was held in a Russian prison. [Outsports]
GOING FOR THE GOLD: The theatrical release date of Los Javis‘ buzzy, gay Spanish epic La Bola Negra has moved up to Oct. 16, 46 days before arriving to Netflix on Dec. 4. That’s the longest theatrical window ever for one of the streamer’s films, which industry insiders predict is part of a big push for Oscars glory. [Deadline]
INDIE SPIRIT: Queer rom-com The Queerdos is set to make its world debut at Palm Springs’ Cinema Diverse this September. From filmmaker Jenifer Yeuroukis, it follows a gig worker who rents out her inherited LA home to an eclectic group of misfits, finding family—and love—in the process. Check out a Queerty exclusive clip!:
THE FUTURE OF FILM: The Sundance Institute has unveiled the names of the six young filmmakers participating in its 2027 Trans Possibilities Intensive. Now in its fifth year, the program is designed to guide & support trans creatives so they can grow in community as they develop their dream projects [Sundance]
A GAY OLD TIME: When Batman: The Movie premiered 60 years ago, it was one of the first superhero films brought to the big-screen. Ultra campy, slightly homoerotic, and featuring closeted actor Cesar Romero as The Joker, it’s a reminder that the cinematic origin story of the so-called Dark Knight was very, very gay. [Queerty]
HAMMER TIME: Through her sexy & thought-provoking work, filmmaker Barbara Hammer created a lesbian cinematic history at a time when the community’s stories were being ignored entirely. Brydie O’Connor’s stunning doc Barbara Forever takes a kaleidoscopic look back at the director’s trailblazing legacy.
The Final Hump
Two summers ago, Chappell Roan solidified her ascent to pop star status at the Lollapalooza music festival in Chicago where her mid-day set drew historic crowds. This year, another Midwest Princess (by way of St. Louis, MO) got her afternoon set bumped up to a bigger stage due to fan demand, proving why she’s one of the hottest rising stars today: Slayyyter, come get your crown! Exactly one year to the day after she released “BEAT UP CHANEL$”—the lead single off her acclaimed third album, Worst Girl In America—the out bi singer/songwriter blew the proverbial roof off the fest with the standout song, plus other viral tracks like “CRANK” and “DANCE.” But the highlight had to have been the live debut of newest single, “brand new chanel$”, a cathartic break-up anthem for the ages that had the crowd going wild. If this is just a taste of her follow-up companion album Worst Man In America, then it’s clear Slayyyter’s only just getting started.
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