- Openly gay actor Russell Tovey (Looking) has been cast as the gay superhero The Ray in CW's DC TV universe. Hopefully Tovey manages not to put his foot in his mouth regarding other gay men anytime soon.
Trans model/singer/nightlife icon Amanda Lepore
- A new promotional campaign for the upcoming Saw sequel Jigsaw takes on FDA rules that prohibit queer men from donating without a year or more of celibacy.
On Sunday, the studio’s chief brand officer, Tim Palen, began rolling out an online ad campaign called “All Types Welcome.” The campaign has eight social media stars with large gay, bisexual and transgender fan bases — including Shaun Ross, an openly gay model, and Amanda Lepore, the transgender night life diva — dressed as off-kilter nurses and encouraging people to donate blood in preparation for “Jigsaw.” The blood drive starts on Oct. 5 in New York and expands to 25 cities in the following weeks. (More details are available at JigsawSaves.com.)
- A mostly female cast led by Natalie Portman explores otherworldly terrain in the first trailer for Annihilation, an adaptation of author Jeff VanderMeer's acclaimed Southern Reach trilogy directed by Alex Garland (Ex Machina). The trailer doesn't show much of the actual plot, but suffice to say that if the book is anything to go by, you can expect a little more psychedelic horror (and much less exposition) than your typical alien-invasion tale.