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Hot Sheet: Openly Serving, Openly Loving

Hot Sheet: Openly Serving, Openly Loving

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Our top 10 entertainment and events highlights this week include gays in the military, Faking It, Space Station 76, and How to Get Away With Murder.

Hs140919-10_010. EVENT: Friend Movement: 2014 Stardust Soiree Event
Join Tim Gunn, Lisa Vanderpump, Rumer Willis, and Lance Bass Saturday at Madame Tussauds in Hollywood to help raise funds for the nationally renowned antibullying organization Friend Movement. The organization's founder Ronnie Kroell will host the event, which will also raise funds for Miracle for Kids, a group that aids children who have life-threatening illnesses by providing financial support, funding cutting edge research, and serving as an advocate and resource for these children fighting. More information here. -- Michelle Garcia

Hs140919-09_09. MUSIC: JHUD, Jennifer Hudson
It's hard to believe that it's been 10 years since powerhouse diva Jennifer Hudson rose to fame as a finalist on American Idol, then quickly proving she had acting chops to go along with that amazing voice in her award-winning role in 2006's Dreamgirls. Now the singer, actress, and LGBT ally is back with a new, upbeat album that's pure heart and soul, titled simply JHUD. Working with famed producers Timbaland, Pharrell Williams, and RedOne, she makes JHUD a well-balanced mix of classic R&B, pop, and dance grooves. You can listen to an exclusive preview now until the album is officially released on September 23. -- Scott Ragan

Hs140919-08_08. TV: Faking It
Helmed by gay executive producer Carter Covington, MTV's Faking It is a scripted show about Amy and Karma, two straight best friends who pretend to be lesbians to gain popularity at their high school. While one of them actually does begin to question her sexuality, the show also explores how other characters might be "faking" or hiding aspects of their identities for social gain. The show's second season opens Tuesday and promises to resolve a cliffhanger from the previous season in which Lauren, a stuck-up mean girl and a primary antagonist, was shown using unnamed pills. Viewers will learn(spoiler alert!) that she is taking hormones to treat her androgen insensitivity syndrome -- an intersex condition that saw her developing female biology despite having male chromosomes. It's a bold move to be one of the first mainstream TV shows to feature an intersex character and one of the many reasons (other than the adorable Michael J. Willett from G.B.F.) that we'll be tuning in. Watch the trailer below. -- Daniel Reynolds


Hs140919-07_07. EVENT: Outbeat Queer Jazz Fest
Jazz hasn't had the reputation of being an LGBT-friendly milieu, but as in the rest of society, that's changed a lot lately, as evidenced by Outbeat, billed as "America's first queer jazz festival," happening this weekend in Philadelphia. It will feature driving beats and mellow grooves from out performers such as Fred Hersch, Patricia Barber, Andy Bey, Teri Lyne Carington, and Bill Stewart, plus homages to pioneers including Billy Strayhorn (pictured), composer and arranger for Duke Ellington and the man behind the swing classic "Take the 'A' Train." Get the full schedule here. -- Trudy Ring

Hs140919-06_06. FILM: Space Station 76
Space Station 76, a fun, nostalgia-flavored romp through outer space, begins its trek across U.S. theater screens today. Actor Jack Plotnick (Girls Will Be Girls, Gods and Monsters) makes his directorial debut with this adaptation of the L.A. stage hit that perfectly blends the absurdist view of 1970s sci-fi with tragedy and farce. Boasting a galaxy-class cast that includes Matt Bomer, Liv Tyler, Patrick Wilson, and Marisa Coughlan, the story takes a hyperspace jump into hilarity when Jessica (Tyler) arrives on Space Station 76, unleashing numerous revelations among the crew, from the failing marriage of the outpost's mechanic whose wife is falling for a robot to the truth about the closeted captain (Wilson). -- Jase Peeples


Hs140919-05_05. THEATER: Women's Words Weekend
Chicago's LGBT-focused Pride Films and Plays highlights the L with its Women's Words Weekend of plays and readings. Tonight there'll be a staged reading of Patricia Kane's contemporary lesbian classic Pulp, followed by weekend productions of the four finalists in Pride's Women's Words playwriting contest: Kali Dances by Pat Montley, Creative Nonfiction by Laura Jones, The Girl Who Would Be King by Jan O'Connor, and Jack and the Box Store by Heidi FitzGerald. It all takes place at the Center on Halsted; get more info here. -- Trudy Ring

Hs140919-04_04. MUSIC: "Surrender,"Cash Cash
You may not have heard of New York-based dance trio Cash Cash, but if you're an avid fan of today's big room EDM sound, chances are you've heard their remixes for Kelly Clarkson, Katy Perry, Bruno Mars, and Icona Pop, plus they've been producing their own original chart-topping dance tracks over the past couple of years. Cash Cash's latest infectious single, "Surrender," features vocals from Julia Michaels. Listen here and download the new single at iTunes. -- Scott Ragan


Hs140919-03_03. EVENT: Vincent Cianni on Gays in the Military
From November 2009 to June 2013, documentary photographer Vincent Cianni traversed the United States several times documenting the lives of about 100 out U.S. military veterans and active duty service members, before, during, and after "don't ask, don't tell." Fifty of these portraits appear in the book Gays in the Military, where these service member share their stories and a glimpse into their lives. Cianni will talk about the project Tuesday at the Library of Congress, in a presentation sponsored by the library's LGBT employee group, GLOBE, in conjunction with the Senate GLASS Caucus and LGBT Congressional Staff Association. The event marks the third anniversary of the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell." -- Michelle Garcia

Hs140919-02_02. FILM: The Maze Runner
Based on the best-selling young-adult post-apocalyptic novel of the same name by James Dashner, The Maze Runner tells the tale of Thomas (played by Teen Wolf's Dylan O'Brien), who wakes up one day to find himself trapped with a group of other young boys in a place called the Glade with no memory of who he is or where he came from. He quickly learns he is the latest arrival to the Glade, which is surrounded by a gigantic maze where terrible mechanical creatures called the Grievers roam at night. But as foreign as the strange place feels, Thomas can't shake the feeling that he's been here before. Now playing. -- Jase Peeples

Hs140919-01_01. TV: How to Get Away With Murder
Scandal maker Shonda Rhimes's newest drama debuts this fall, and it looks to be one of the spiciest yet. How to Get Away With Murder stars Viola Davis as a law school professor who teaches a class of the same name. She's a tough prof who pits her students against one another for the opportunity to assist her in her real-world court cases. The competition leads her proteges to go above and beyond -- in one case, a male student seduces another man in order to solicit information, and their steamy sexy scene, which will be featured in the pilot, was teased in the promotional trailer. And Davis's character, Annalise Keating, is not locked away in an ivory tower either. The series is unafraid to show its lead female character as a sexual being, evidenced when her student Wes (Alfred Enoch) walks in on her with a muscle-bound man who is not her husband. See the drama unfold on Thursday at 10 p.m Eastern on ABC, and watch the trailer below. -- Daniel Reynolds

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