Music for mortals: The Lavender Tube on Lady Gaga, 'Dead Boy Detectives' & more

  • by Victoria A. Brownworth
  • Saturday May 11, 2024
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Lady Gaga's 'Chromatica Ball' (photo: Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images for Live Nation)
Lady Gaga's 'Chromatica Ball' (photo: Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images for Live Nation)

Get ready, Little Monsters, Mother Monster is back to remind Taylor Swift and Beyoncé they aren't the only queens.

The HBO Original concert special "Gaga Chromatica Ball" debuts Saturday, May 25 at 8:00 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and will be available to stream on Max.


HBO says: "In front of a sold-out crowd of 52,000 people, 13-time Grammy, and Academy Award winner Lady Gaga delivers a career-defining performance at Los Angeles's Dodger Stadium during her 2022 Chromatica Ball Tour. It delivers breathtaking live performances of some of Gaga's biggest and most cherished hits, including 'Stupid Love,' 'Bad Romance,' 'Just Dance,' 'Poker Face,' 'Shallow,' 'Rain On Me' and more.

HBO effuses, "The film delivers huge show-stopping moments and intimate piano numbers, complete with heart-stopping choreography, intense pyrotechnics and an array of iconic outfit changes as only Gaga does. This is Lady Gaga as you've never seen her before."

George Rexstrew, Jayden Revri and Kassius Nelson in 'Dead Boy Detectives'  

Dead on
How can you not want to watch the new Netflix series, "Dead Boy Detectives?" The title alone is a lure. Plus, dear readers, it's queer AF. Based on the DC Comics series, "Dead Boy Detectives" by Neil Gaiman and Matt Wagner, the series follows the ghosts of Charles Rowland (Jayden Revri) and Edwin Payne (George Rexstrew) who decided not to enter the afterlife and instead stay on Earth to investigate crimes that involve the supernatural.


Edwin is a ghost detective who was killed in 1916 when his classmates performed a sacrifice ritual as a prank to scare him, inadvertently unleashing a demon (Sa'al) who took him to Hell. Charles is Edwin's partner who died in 1989 from hypothermia and internal bleeding.

Edwin and Charles are best friends, ghosts and the best detectives on the mortal plane. They will do anything to stick together — including escaping evil witches, Hell and Death (Kirby) herself. With the help of a clairvoyant named Crystal (Kassius Nelson) and her friend Niko (Yuyu Kitamura), they are able to crack some of the mortal realm's most mystifying paranormal cases.

Both Edwin and Charles are queer in the series, and representation of the LGBTQ+ community was something the show's creators wanted to put a focus on in this comic book adaptation. No spoilers, so you'll just have to watch to see how this story plays out.

The "Dead Boy Detectives" team talks the different types of love in the series:


Black @
So some of our closest friends in real life have also been significant voices on Black Twitter from whom we have learned oh-so-much, shared the nightmare of the Trump presidency and with whom we have also had so much fun.

Hulu has a new series chronicling how the phenomenon of Black Twitter is so strong, even the racist, migrant-hating nepo baby Elon Musk, who Black Twitter calls Apartheid Clyde, can't kill it. (Wired.)


"Black Twitter: A People's History" is based on Jason Parham's Wired article "A People's History of Black Twitter." Director Prentice Penny partnered with Parham, senior writer at Wired, to document the history of Black people shaping and dominating that social media space.

'Black Twitter: A People's History'  

This three-part docuseries charts the rise, the movements, the voices and the memes that made Black Twitter an influential and dominant force in nearly every aspect of American political and cultural life.

On MSNBC, Robyn Autry writes, "'A People's History' celebrates how Black people did with Twitter what Black people always do when confronted with the blandness of the mainstream: We transform it. 'Sure, it was created by someone else; it's embedded with the values of that creator,' media scholar Meredith Clark says on screen, 'but because my mind is expansive, I am going to disrupt, remix, and cut this up, and deliver it the way that I want it to go.'" Watch. It's fabulous.


Borders up
A new YouTube LGBTQ+ docuseries from SLlama Productions, "Beyond Borders," delves into the lives of queer and trans people around the globe. SLlama founder Samantha Luque tells the Bay Area Reporter, "'Beyond Borders,' sheds light on the diverse and vibrant LGBTQ+ communities across the globe.

The first season focuses on the United States, with a spotlight on Florida, where the LGBTQ+ community confronts distinctive challenges amidst anti-gay legislation. Through riveting narratives, we peel back the layers to unveil the profound ways in which discriminatory laws impact the daily lives, rights, and freedoms of LGBTQ+ individuals."

Angelique Young in 'Beyond Borders'  

Luque added, "Our goal with 'Beyond Borders' is to raise awareness about the challenges faced by LGBTQ+ individuals, provoke discussion on important issues, and inspire change towards a more inclusive and accepting society. With compelling storytelling and remarkable insights from influential figures such as Angelique Young, Ericka PC (Aaron Perry-Cruz), Lilith Black, and many more. These powerhouses were crucial to the start of the Drag2Talle movement last year, and their stories serve as a testament to the resilience and vibrancy of the LGBTQ+ community in Florida."

The first episode is a deep dive into the personal journey of an Afro-Latina trans woman activist (Angelique Young) as she shares her experiences, challenges and triumphs in navigating her identity.

Luque said, "She talks about the transformative process of embracing her true self and reclaiming her authenticity and 'what it truly means to be a transwoman.' She discusses 'the nuances of gender identity, stereotypes and misconceptions while advocating for greater understanding and acceptance.'"


Joke's on
"Hacks" is back and it's about time! Season three begins with Deborah Vance (Jean Smart) as "a newly world-beating comedian operating solo" and Ava (Hannah Einbinder), her amanuensis working on a late-night comedy show trying to navigate her own career in L.A. after being let go as Deborah's writing partner at the end of Season 2.

Jean Smart and Hannah Einbinder in 'Hacks'  

You know how this is gonna go, right? Deborah's career takes off and she finally has the opportunity to do her own late-night show again and Ava loves being her submissive, so win-win for "Hacks" lovers.

According to Variety, season three finds Ava "alternately acting as mastermind, cheerleader and occasional best frenemy," a position that "gives this season its crackle and verve, and brings new life into a show that's been off the air for two years."

The five-time Emmy Award-winning Jean Smart chats with "GMA" about her leading role in the third season of the dark Max comedy series and it's fun.


Storm in
So whenever you think the GOP and their MAGA cohort can't sink deeper into the muck, they best themselves. Fox News's "The Five" co-hosts discussed Stormy Daniels' testimony which they deemed "salacious" like it wasn't about their guy Trump.

And yet. Greg Gutfeld called Trump a "sex god" who "truly screwed the brains out of" Stormy Daniels. Gutfeld then mocked Daniels for saying there was an "imbalance of power" between her and Trump. "That's how this transaction works when you are a porn star!"

Line up for the Silkwood shower here:


Shaun &
Shaun T is known for his intense "Insanity" workout. In a Daytime Exclusive, Shaun and his husband, soccer player Scott Blokker, open up about their surrogacy journey on "The Tamron Hall Show." Watch at ABC.com or Hulu.


Pet it
The three Law & Order shows on NBC are all set to continue, but although "Law & Order: Organized Crime" has been renewed for Season 5, the youngest of the franchise—and the lowest rated—is making the move to Peacock to become a streaming series next season.

Emmy-winning actress, producer, activist and philanthropist Mariska Hargitay was on ABC's "GMA" May 10 to talk about her new partnership with Purina's Purple Leash Project. Hargitay, star of the longest running scripted series on TV, "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," has spoken eloquently about how her role as NYPD Captain Olivia Benson has educated her and made her an activist for abused women.

Hargitay previously did a film on the backlog of rape kits called "I Am Evidence."


Now she's discovered that only 20% of domestic violence shelters take pets, so women are staying with abusive partners because they don't want to give up their pets or fear their abuser will kill that pet.
(www.goodmorningamerica.com)

Purina's Purple Leash Project  

Here's more on the Purple Leash Project at www.purina.com

Also, bisexual and trans women are among those reporting the highest rates of abuse. If you are experiencing domestic violence, National Domestic Violence Hotline is 800-799-7233 or resources for people experiencing gender-based violence in San Francisco:

For art imitating life and all things educational, you really must stay tuned.

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