It has been 8 years since Margaret Cho released her Grammy-nominated American Myth album. She’s back to the music scene with her new album, Lucky Gift, an 11-track collection of anthems and pop tunes, a tribute to Robin Williams, and a shout-out to non-binary and gender non-conforming people.

The album captures the whirlwind that is Margaret and all of the different facets of her talents that have made her a powerhouse in entertainment and a leader in activism. In Lucky Gift, she’s getting her point across while having fun and getting glam.

We caught up with the activist and artist to chat about her music, our political climate, and

Known for her comedy, acting and activism, she felt it was long overdue to get her music back out there too.

Cho shares some insight on her next moves:

“I make music often. It’s a part of my daily life, it’s a big part of my social life, and it’s just something that I just love to do for my own relaxation and fun. I had enough for an album and I wanted to finally put them out. I was just really proud of how it all sounded together,” shares Cho.

“It’s a power pop record. For me, the songs are really meaningful. They’re all in their own way love songs. I’m a big fan of my own music (laughs), I really like the way that I sound and it’s really special to do. People know me as a comedian, and I have also made music for a long time, but it’s sort of a side project, and so it was time to put more out again.”

Her album also includes a touching tribute to Robin Williams. The entertainment community is finally more comfortable talking about mental health more openly. When relating mental health to her own life, Margaret, in true Margaret form, quickly turned the conversation to reflect today’s political climate.

“I have to maintain a level of peace and quiet and sometimes maybe get away from the news, although that’s tough because I am obsessed. I want to know what is happening. I’m really worried for our community, especially the trans community.  I’m worried that this Administration is trying to separate T and the Q from the LGBTQIA, and it’s really frightening.”

As an elder, Cho says she has to also remember that we’ve been through this before and it’s actually been much worse. The LGBTQ+ community has been through a similar situation and at that point we were facing down a pandemic which was killing the community by the millions. Now, Cho says at least we don’t have to fight AIDS, as well as this onslaught of homophobia.

“We have fought for our rights, and we still have them, but we may not have them for long. So our mental health is very important to preserve now because we have to fight. The one thing to remember is they can’t do everything at once. They can’t take away trans rights, queer rights, gay rights, gay marriage, antidepressants (ha!) at the same time. So what we can do is just try to remain as calm as possible and fight as strongly as we can. But yeah, mental health is really vitally important right now.”

Cho’s long history of queer activism stands for itself. She does not shy away from current issues, she uses her platforms to incite, educate, and question. For Margaret, there is no time off from being an activist. She was born into it, so to speak, being raised in San Francisco in the 1970s, her parents the owners of a gay bookstore and their employees, followers of Harvey Milk.

“My activism is that I don’t have a choice. I’m going to be an activist no matter what. We’re doing this together, we’re going through this together. I will always be political. It’s just disheartening to see the ignorance of people and the lies that are being told that are believed.”

Lucky Gift comes at a perfect time when the queer community can come together over music. Cho looks at her album as a tool to empower an underdog community through the power of music.

“It’s the triumph of pop above all. We need to look to our pop divas above all. So now I’m more than ever, leaning on Madonna. Thank God for [Lady Gaga’s] “Abracadabra” because I think that things like that boost our community so much. When you can just get together and have a “brat summer,” that boosts our community so much in this togetherness, this explosion of excitement. I think Chappell Roan really ignited the pop capacity for healing. I love Lucky Gift because it is my stepping into a pop diva moment. Pop Divas should not be discounted for how important they are to our society and how much they lift us up.”

In addition to releasing her new album, Margaret will continue to hit the road this year with her Live and LIVID! Tour, celebrating over four decades of live stand-up shows. On this tour, she promises to rage about homophobia, sexism, racism, and the fight to stay alive. The five-time Grammy and Emmy-nominated performer is not holding back. According to her, the nation is not divided, just a little lost.

“We’re not divided. Everybody hates this. We all hate this. The fact is, the majority of the country does not want this. Unfortunately, a lot of people just didn’t vote because they just didn’t want to participate. That’s why we’re in the situation that we’re in. So to be on the road is a pleasure. And I rarely come against opposition. Every once in a while there’s something, but it’s something that we all handle. I think we all need a voice, a strong voice of reason to combat all of the hysteria.”

And her message to her fans?

“We’ll get through this. We’ll get through this with Pop Divas. “Abracadabra,” learn the choreography, you do it sitting down. At least we have pop music, I have my hat in the ring here. But at least we have each other and we’re going to be okay. It’s going to be a ride, it’s going to be intense, but we can do this. We’ve been through this before and we are going to be fine.”

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Lucky Gift is now available on all major streaming platforms

‘The Lamb: A Novel’
By Lucy Rose
c.2025, Harper
$27.99/329 pages

What’s for lunch?

You probably know at breakfast what you’re having a few hours later. Maybe breast of chicken in tomato sauce. Barbecued ribs, perhaps? Leg of lamb, beef tongue, pickled pigs’ feet, liver and onions, the possibilities are just menus away. Or maybe, as in the new book, “The Lamb” by Lucy Rose, you’ll settle for a rump roast and a few lady fingers.

Margot was just four years old when she noticed the mold on the shower walls, and wondered what it might taste like. She also found fingers in the shower drain from the last “stray,” the nails painted purple, and she wondered why they hadn’t been nibbled, too.

Cooked right, fingers and rumps were the best parts.

Later, once Margot started school, Mama depended on her to bring strays from the woods to their cottage, and Mama would give them wine and warm them up. She didn’t often leave the house unless it was to bury clothing and bones, but she sometimes welcomed a gardener who was allowed to leave. There was a difference, you see, between strays and others.

But Eden? Margot couldn’t quite figure her out.

She actually liked Eden, who seemed like a stray but obviously wasn’t. Eden was pretty; she never yelled at Margot, although she did take Margot’s sleeping spot near Mama. Eden made Mama happy; Margot could hear them in the bedroom sometimes, making noises like Mama did when the gardener visited. Eden was a very good cook. She made Mama softer, and she made promises for better times.

And yet, things never got better. Margot was not supposed to call attention to herself, but she wanted friends and a real life. If she was honest, she didn’t want to eat strays anymore, either, she was tired of the pressure to bring home dinner, and things began to unravel. Maybe Mama didn’t love Margot anymore. Maybe she loved Eden better or maybe Mama just ached from hunger.

Because you know what they say: two’s company, three’s a meal.

Not a book to read at lunch? No, probably not – although once you become immersed in “The Lamb,” it’ll be easy to swallow and hard to put down.

For sure, author Lucy Rose presents a somewhat coming-of-age chiller with a gender-twisty plot line here, and while it’s occasionally a bit slow and definitely cringey, it’s also really quite compelling. Rose actually makes readers feel good about a character who indulges in something so entirely, repulsively taboo, which is a very surprising – but oddly satisfying – aspect of this unique tale. Readers, in fact, will be drawn to the character Margo’s innocence-turned-eyes-wide-open and it could make you grow a little protective of her as she matures over the pages. That feeling plays well inside the story and it makes the will-they-won’t-they ending positively shivery.

Bottom line, if you have a taste for the macabre with a side order of sympathy, then “The Lamb” is your book and don’t miss it. Fans of horror stories, this is a novel you’ll eat right up.

The Blade may receive commissions from qualifying purchases made via this post.

If any form of artistic expression can be called the “front line” in the seemingly eternal war between free speech and censorship, it’s pornography.

In the U.S., ever since a 1957 Supreme Court ruling (Roth v. U.S.) made the legal distinction between “pornography” (protected speech) and “obscenity” (not protected speech), the debate has continued to stymie judicial efforts to find a standard to define where that line is drawn in a way that doesn’t arguably encroach on First Amendment rights – but legality aside, it’s clearly a matter of personal interpretation. If something an artist creates features material that depicts sexual behavior in a way that offends us (or doesn’t, for that matter), no law is going to change our mind.

That’s OK, of course, everyone has a right to their own tastes, even when it comes to sex. But in an age when the conservative urge to censor has been weaponized against anything that runs counter to their repressive social agenda, it’s easy to see how labeling something as too “indecent” to be lawfully expressed can be used as a political tactic. History is full of authoritarian power structures for whom censorship was used to silence – or even eliminate – anyone who dares to oppose them. That’s why history is also full of radical artists who make it a point to push the boundaries of what is “acceptable” creative expression and what is not.

Indeed, some of these artists see such cultural boundaries as just another way for a ruling power to enforce social conformity on its citizens, and consider the breaking of them not just a shock tactic but a revolutionary act – and if you’re a fan of pioneering “queercore” filmmaker Bruce LaBruce, then you know that’s a description that fits him well.

LaBruce, a Canadian who rose to underground prominence as a writer and editor of queer punk zines in the ‘80s before establishing himself as a photographer and filmmaker in the “Queercore” movement, has never been deterred by cultural boundaries. His movies – from the grit of his gay trick-turning comedy “Hustler White,” through the slick pornographic horror of “LA Zombie,” to the taboo-skewering sophistication of his twin-cest romance “St. Narcisse” – have unapologetically featured explicit depictions of what some might call “deviant” sex. Other films, like the radical queer terrorist saga “The Raspberry Reich” and the radical feminist terrorist saga “The Misandrists,” have been more overtly political, offering savagely ludicrous observations about extremist ideologies and the volatile power dynamics of sex and gender that operate without regard for ideologies at all. Through all of his work, a cinematic milieu has emerged that exists somewhere between the surreal iconoclasm of queer Italian provocateur Pier Paolo Pasolini and the monstrous camp sensibility of John Waters, tied together with an eye for arresting pop art visuals and a flair for showmanship that makes it all feel like a really trashy – and therefore really good – exploitation film.

In his latest work, he brings all those elements together for a reworking of Pasolini’s 1968 “Teorema,” in which an otherworldly stranger enters the life of an upper class Milanese family and seduces them, one by one. In “The Visitor,” Pasolini’s Milan becomes LaBruce’s London, and the stranger becomes an impressively beautiful, sexually fluid alien refugee (burlesque performer Bishop Black) who arrives in a suitcase floating on the Thames. Insinuating himself into the home of a wealthy family with the help of the maid (Luca Federici), who passes him off as her nephew, he exerts an electrifying magnetism that quickly fascinates everyone who lives there. Honing in on their repressed appetites, he has clandestine sex with each in turn – Maid, Mother (Amy Kingsmill), Daughter (Ray Filar), Son (Kurtis Lincoln), and Father (Macklin Kowal) – before engaging in a incestuous pansexual orgy with them all. When the houseguest departs as abruptly as he arrived, the household is left with its bourgeois pretensions shattered and its carnal desires exposed, each of them forced to deal with the consequences for themselves.

Marked perhaps more directly than LaBruce’s other work with direct nods to his influences, the film is dedicated to Pasolini himself, in addition to numerous visual references throughout which further underscore the “meta-ness” of paying homage to the director in a remake of one of his own films; there are just as many call-backs to Waters, most visibly in some of the costume choices and the gender-queered depiction of some of its characters, but just as obviously through the movie’s “guerilla filmmaking” style and its gleefully transgressive shock tactics – particularly a dinner banquet sequence early on which leisurely rubs our noses in a few particularly dank taboos. There are also glimpses and echoes of Hitchcock, Kubrick, Lynch, and other less controversial (but no less challenging) filmmakers whose works have pushed many of the same boundaries from behind the veneer of mainstream respectability.

Despite all of these tributes, however, “The Visitor” is pure LaBruce. Celebratory in its depravity and unflinching in its fully pornographic (and unsimulated) depictions of sex, from the blissfully erotic to grotesquely bestial, it seems determined to fight stigma with saturation – or at least, to push the buttons of any prudes who happen to wander into the theater by mistake – while mocking the fears and judgments that feed the stigmas in the first place.

That doesn’t mean it’s all fluid-drenched sex and unfettered perversion; like Pasolini and his other idols, LaBruce is a deeply intellectual filmmaker, and there’s a deeper thread that runs throughout to deliver an always-relevant message which feels especially relevant right now: the treatment of “otherness” in a society governed by homogeny, conformity, and xenophobia. “The Visitor” even opens with a voiceover radio announcer lamenting the influx of “brutes” into the country, as suitcases bearing identical immigrants (all played by Black) appear across London, and it is by connecting to the hidden “other” in each of his conquests that our de facto protagonist draws them in.

LaBruce doesn’t just make these observations, however; he also offers a solution (of sorts) that matches his fervor for revolution – one in which the corruption of the ruling class serves as an equalizing force. In each of the Visitor’s extended sexual episodes with the various family members, the director busts out yet another signature move by flashing propaganda-style slogans – “Give Peace of Ass a Chance,” “Go Homo,” and “Join the New Sexual World Order” are just a few colorful examples – that are as heartfelt as they are hilarious. In LaBruce’s revolution, the path to freedom is laid one fuck at a time, and it’s somehow beautiful – despite the inevitable existential gloom that hovers over it all.

Obviously, “The Visitor” is not for all tastes. But if you’re a Blade reader, chances are your interest will be piqued – and if that’s the case, then welcome to the revolution. We need all the soldiers we can get.

“The Visitor” is now playing in New York and debuts in Los Angeles March 14, and will screen at roadshow engagements in cities across the U.S. Information on dates, cities, and venues (along with tickets) is available at thevisitor.film/.

First off, let’s congratulate the winners — and no, we are not including Emilia Peréz in the official winners category — though the cast and crew did snag a few ‘wins.’ The real winners were actors and actresses who graced the Red Carpet with dashing and smashing looks and those who stunned us with their acceptance speeches. 

The Wizard of Oz intro to this year’s awards ceremony dazzled us all, as we were swept off our feet by Erivo and Grande’s dreamy and stunning Defying Gravity duet. 

Let’s just say Cynthia Erivo and Arianna Grande blew us away so far into the sky with their performance, we defied gravity. 

Erivo’s partner Lena Waithe, creator of TV series The Chi, also made an appearance from the audience during many moments sprinkled throughout the Oscars broadcast. 

Though I’m sure Waithe looked at Erivo in awe and adoring admiration during her partner’s solo moment on stage, the way the cameras captured the adoring look Ari gave Erivo, just about melted our queer little hearts. 

It seems like this year we saw alarmingly low BIPOC and LGBTQ+ representation overall in nominees and winners.

This is painfully surprising considering that we are peaking nearly 100 years of Oscars Awards ceremonies. 

Still, the opening intro dazzled us all with Ari’s historically important Dorothy slippers clapping together in unison with the intro of the music.  

Before getting into the winners, can I also just quickly mention how cringe it was for the acceptance song, for the Emilia Peréz Academy Award for Best Original Song? I hope I’m someday able to wipe that from my memory.

Okay, now that I got that off my chest, let’s get into the awards. 

My biggest criticism about anyone at the Oscars this year is toward the Emilia Peréz cast and crew, whose silence spoke loudly when none of them thanked the trans community in any of their acceptance speeches.

They won Academy Awards for a storyline about the trans community and about the Mexican history of desaparecidos, but they did not acknowledge the community or the culture. Instead, I was expecting a shepherd’s cane to pull Camille Ducol backstage and off the mic. 

In my humble opinion, this film is not getting nearly enough criticism as it should be getting for being called a Mexican film — yet not starring a single Mexican actor. The film also just about the worst musical numbers I have ever heard. Zoe Saldaña won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, for her role as a singing lawyer who helps the cartel leader played by Karla Sofía Gascón, undergo gender-affirming care and begin the process of transitioning. 

The film featured a terribly choppy syntax not normally used in Spanish language, as well as accents and pronunciation that completely butchered the melody behind what maybe could have otherwise been somewhat palatable songs. 

I’m just going to say it one more time for those in the back — we could have done without that embarrassing sing-along for one of the few wins Emilia Peréz snagged. 

Many people across social media channels have tuned in to give their two cents on Emília Peréz. Most are calling for more disapproval of the film — and we couldn’t agree more. 

And no, we’re not even going to waste precious time going over every single controversy currently plaguing the Emília Peréz cast and crew. There just isn’t enough time. 

At the 97th Oscars ceremony, Paul Tazewell became the first out gay, Black man to win the Oscar for Best Costume Design for his work on the box-office hit, Wicked. In my humble opinion, it was a well-deserved win, but it’s also safe to say that it was tough competition as the other nominees designed the costumes for The Complete Unknown, Conclave, Gladiator II and Nosferatu.

Paul Tazewell, the celebrated costume designer who is renowned across Broadway, regional theatres and the big screen got his second nomination and his first win for his work and we are just over-the-moon about it. Wicked also took home the award for Best Production Design. Production designer Nathan Crowley and set decorator Lee Sandales, accepted the award and in Sandales’ acceptance speech, he thanked his husband. 

Queen Latifah made a grand appearance and stunned the audience with her tribute to the late Quincy Jones, who passed away in November and who left behind an immense legacy in the music industry. 

All in all, only two queer nominees took home awards. 

Now, let’s get into Conan’s non-funny jokes.

This isn’t necessarily a queer recap moment, but we as we queers at LA Blade, did have some queer thoughts about this issue. Conan hosted the 97th Academy Awards and we’re going to make a guestimation that 97 percent of his jokes did not hit. 

I think most of us were definitely expecting a joke or two about Garcón, but the two that Conan delivered, were at best mediocre. “Anora uses the F word 479 times, that’s only three more than the record set by Karla Sofía Gascón’s publicist,” said Conan on stage.  “And if you are going to tweet about the Oscars, remember, my name is Jimmy Kimmel.” 

At this point, I’m not even sure if it was really the audience laughing, or if it was some sort of button that plays 90s canned laughter when pressed by the show producers when the jokes aren’t funny and no one is actually laughing. 

So, who slayed with their fits and who didn’t at the Red Carpet and afterparty? 

It’s safe to say that Colman Domingo, Erivo and Grande were among the best dressed at this year’s Oscars at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. Every single one of their looks, ATE. 

What were some of your favorite looks? What were others who didn’t deliver? 

The Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles is bringing the glitz and the glamour to the stage
along with 200 Chorus members dedicated toward singing and dancing to the most
revolutionary hits in country music. Not that you need one, but this is the perfect excuse
to corral the gays and gals and throw on your rhinestone-studded fits for a night of gay
magic. We know you still have the perfect articles of clothing from Beyonce’s
Renaissance Tour to make a new fit and make an appearance at the Saban.

The Rhinestone Cowboys concert will feature music by Dolly, Reba McEntire, Shania
Twain, Johnny Cash, Chris Stapleton, Taylor Swift and more.

GMCLA will also feature music by the genre’s most beloved allies and queer artists
such as Beyoncé, Brandi Carlile, Shaboozey, Lil Nas X, and Chappell Roan.

Los Angeles Blade had a chance to sit with Lou Spisto, who is the Executive Director &
Producer of GMCLA and catch up on the latest.

“Whether we do Broadway, classical, pop or disco, [the production] is going to have a
sound based on who we are and how we do what we do,” said Spisto. “It’s also going to
have our sensibility and how we sass it up and spin with just a little bit of fairy dust.”

The Rhinestone Cowboys show will feature over 200 of their over 240 members, on
stage throughout various songs – everything from the Cash classics, to the new
Beyonce hits that earned her the Grammy for Best Country Album of the Year.

Spisto was brought on as Executive Director and Producer in early 2019 after the
organization was experiencing financial trouble and began to engage the community and the organization in a fiscal turnaround by going directly to the public, even from the
stage, asking for donations from community, subscribers and the corporate sector. The
turnaround was successfully completed by the end of 2019 and months later COVID-19
forced the shutdown that all the world experienced.

Shortly after GMCLA ‘righted the ship,’ Spisto said, “COVID-19 shut us down and
thankfully, by then, we had enough financial stability to withstand what we may not have
been able to do at that time.”

“Since 2019 and then after the pandemic again, we’ve grown much stronger ,” said
Spisto. “And then COVID-19 happened before the fourth production.” Spisto credits the LA Arts Recovery Fund for giving them the critical support to keep the
organization going through the shutdown and be able to bring the Chorus back.

Four years after the pandemic shut down, Broadway and non-profit theatres are still
struggling to see pre-pandemic attendance levels. Which means, GMCLA is beating the
odds and keeping productions running during times where audience shifts, soaring
prices on everyday items and other issues, limit attendance.

According to a broader arts industry analysis, ‘the last full season before the COVID-19
industry shutdown – the 2018 to 2019 season – saw historic highs in both earnings and
artist work weeks.’ By contrast and because of COVID-19, the ‘2020 to 2021 earnings
and total work weeks dropped to a historic low.’ The latest in the analysis of 2023 to
2024 shows the nation’s theatre productions just beginning to recover from the
pandemic drop in live performances and audience attendance.

GMCLA plans upcoming productions that take over 12 weeks each to rehearse and
produce while it also performs many free community events and school programs . “We
are financially stronger, and that means we have the ability to give back to the
community as well,” said Spisto.

GMCLA recently hosted an event at The Abbey Weho that brought together the community and raised over $7,000 dollars for those who were impacted by the fires that devastated neighborhoods in Los Angeles back in January.

This is just one of the many ways that the Chorus is giving back. GMCLA continues its
work on the current season’s remaining two sets of concerts, finalizing plans for the
2025 GALA in June, creating and developing an exciting season for next year and
keeping its eyes on the 50th season in 2028 and 2029.

Curators Steve Galindo and Jamison Edger have announced that they are bringing “Queering Digital” group artist exhibition to the West Hollywood Pacific Design Center. This installation will feature 13 visual artists using digital tools to create pieces created in response to anti-queer and anti-trans legislation.

“Queering Digital” will explore the effects of digital technology through the eyes of queer, trans, and non-binary Los Angeles artists. This is a technological update to traditional queer exhibitions.

With the rise of digital platforms over the past two decades, this exhibition explores how queer artists are using their digital ecosystems, introducing a range of technology, to explore their identity.

This exhibition will also celebrate the way that digital queerness helps to shape a broader social structure both online and in the real world. It will display how advances in digital art can amplify queer voices in an effort to resist damaging narratives put on our community.

The exhibition opens March 14th with an opening reception beginning at 3 PM. It will run until March 30th.

EXHIBITING ARTISTS
Amina CruzNat Decker
Edgar Fabian Frias
Duane Paul
Andres Payan
Ibuki Kuramochi
Martian
Thanos
Sammie Veeler
Devin Wilson
Kira Xonorika
Ruby Zarsky
Vita Kari

EXHIBITION DETAILS
Opening Reception: March 14, 2025, 3-5 PM
Exhibition Dates: March 14 – March 30
Location: Pacific Design Center: Blue Building
8687 Melrose Ave, West Hollywood, CA 90069

It’s no wonder the camera caught actress Michele Yeoh crying after watching queer singer Cynthia Erivo (nominated for best actress) and Ariana Grande (nominated for best supporting actress) perform one of the much-loved songs from “Wicked,” as they were simply magnificent. 

Grande opened with Judy Garland’s  “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” and Erivo sang “Home” from “The Wiz.” That was one of the many bright spots in the 97th annual Academy Awards, which took place Sunday night at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood.

While the duo sadly didn’t take away any awards, the magical film did — gay costume designer Paul Tazewell won the Oscar for Best Costume Design.

“This is absolutely astounding,” Tazewell enthused onstage, in his acceptance speech. “Thank you Academy for this very significant honor. I’m the first Black man to receive a costume design award for my work on ‘Wicked.’ I’m so proud of this.” 

In the pressroom, Tazewell elaborated on his well deserved win.

“This is the pinnacle of my career. I’ve been designing costumes for over 35 years,” he said. “Much has been on Broadway and now into film, and the whole way through there was never a Black male designer that I saw that I could follow, that I could see as inspiration. And to realize that that’s actually me, it becomes a ‘Wizard of Oz’ moment, you know, it’s like no place like home. So to come back to the inspiration being inside of me was — is really remarkable.”

Tazewell said he achieved the award with the help of a lot of really amazing and talented costume artisans of all types and an amazing staff and assistants and crew.

“Because, you know, there’s no way for me to do it alone! And that also is my greatest joy — to be collaborating with other very talented artists, so I respect what that artistry is, and I share this with them because I value what their input is.”

The veteran costume designer knew the movie was going to be pretty spectacular, but he was “absolutely blown away,” because of their approach. 

“We were working on two films at the same time. It wasn’t until I actually saw a pretty complete cut that I actually experienced the journey that we have created for audiences. And so, to experience that –I was beside myself. And it defined why I do costume design, why I am a costume designer.”

“Wicked” also won the Oscar for Best Production Design.

“Emilia Pérez,” Netflix’s mesmerizing Spanish language, trans crime musical, had a whopping 13 nominations, with first-time nominee Karla Sofia Gascón making history as the first trans woman to be nominated for best actress. This would have been the most nominated foreign film in the history of the Academy Awards.

Unfortunately, after the controversy surrounding her past tweets, the film only won two awards: for best supporting actress (Zoe Saldaña) and best original song (“El Mal”).

While the U.S. is in an era of anti-trans political maneuvering, Sunday night’s broadcast included no mention of trans people.

In the pressroom, during an interview with “Emilia” composers Clément Ducol, Camille, and director Jacques Audiard, a journalist asked if anyone wanted to address what was happening. 

Speaking in French via a translator, Audiard said, “Since I didn’t win Best Film or Best Director, I didn’t have the opportunity to speak, but had I had that opportunity, I would have spoken up.”

Saldaña, who starred as Rita, a lawyer who gets enmeshed with the trans cartel leader’s transition, was thrilled to win.

“I am floored by this honor. Thank you to the Academy for recognizing the quiet heroism and the power in a woman like Rita. And talking about powerful women, my fellow nominees, the love and community that you have offered me is a true gift, and I will pay it forward. Thank you so much Jacques Audiard, you are forever a beloved character in my life. Thank you for taking the interest, thank you for being so curious about these women to tell this story to my cast and my crew of ‘Emilia Pérez.’”

Saldaña’s nephew is trans; a few weeks ago, while winning the best supporting actress at the BAFTAs, she told journalists that she was dedicating the award to him.

“I’m dedicating all of these awards and the film ‘Emilia Pérez’ to my nephew, Eli. He is the reason — they are the reason — I signed up to do this film in the first place,” she said. “So as the proud aunt of a trans life, I will always stand with my community of trans people.”

One of the highlights of the Palm Springs Film Festival was Joachim A. Lang’s beautiful German-language film, “John Cranko,” which tells the true story of the famed LGBTQ ballet choreographer. 

The film follows the South African-born Cranko, (played by Sam Riley) as he arrives in Stuttgart, Germany, in 1960, to be guest choreographer for the city’s ballet company after a very public scandal: his job at London’s Sadler’s Wells Ballet abruptly ended after he was prosecuted for committing a homosexual act in a public place. 

In the relaxed city of Stuttgart, Cranko is able to find refuge from his past and is embraced despite his unique lifestyle. He quickly rises to become the ballet director and a favorite of the audience, dedicating himself fully to his art and a vibrant social life. He engages in affairs, faces personal setbacks and deep crises, runs his office from the theater canteen, and affectionately refers to his company as “his children.”

Lang’s perspective

Cranko was a fascinating enigma to capture on screen, with a complicated, often manic, personality. Loved by his gifted dancers, he was extremely passionate about ballet, and creative in his artistry, yet cantankerous at times, often dealing with depression and a heavy alcohol intake.

Over the years, Lang had “intensive conversations” with companions and friends of Cranko, which greatly helped him with the script.

“I talked with Marcia Haydee, the great ballerina of the 20th century; Birgit Keil, equally famous; costume designer Jürgen Rose; and ballet dancer Vladimir Klos,” Lang told the Los Angeles Blade. “And especially ballet dancer Reid Anderson and administrator of the Stuttgart Ballet and holder of the rights to John Cranko’s ballets, Dieter Gräfe, both of whom lived with John Cranko.”

Many of them were on board when sadly, Cranko died somewhere over the Atlantic between America and Europe on the flight back from a guest performance of his ballet company in New York, in 1973, at the age of 45. 

For Lang, the biggest challenge was to realize his goal of making one of the first “real” ballet films. 

“A film that is really about this art–the film wants to be more than a biopic, it is an attempt to capture the soul of dance by portraying the life and work of this genius. It is a film about art and reality, it is about us humans, the time we have left and what drives us, it is about the great themes of being human, the longing for love, life and dying. It is a tribute to art and to the people who make it.”

Riley’s portrayal

Thefilm delves into the delicate nature of a lonely, fragile soul searching for love and recognition. It’s no wonder Riley, known for his mesmerizing role in “Control,” where he played Joy Division’s Ian Curtis, as well as “Rebecca” and “Maleficent,” is absolute perfection in the role.

“Sam Riley is one of the best actors,” acknowledged Lang. “I knew right away that only he could do it so well. I sent him the script. We met for an hour in a hotel in Berlin. It was clear then that we belonged together. He was world class. The greatest praise for him was when I showed the film to Cranko’s companions, they said: ‘John is back!’”

With so much archival footage, Riley was able to deeply immerse himself in the character.

“With John, there’s quite a lot of material, the (Stuttgart) Ballet had an archive of stuff, so I got all of his old performances with the original cast. And there was quite a lot of footage of him at work, choreographing and directing. I watched as much as they had. Rather than mimic it, you just try and absorb it somehow.”

Because ‘ballet is such a universal thing,” Riley really hopes the film can do well outside of Germany.

“What I found most inspirational about being in the film was something that I wasn’t really expecting. I think, like a lot of guys, I had grown up with a sort of unconscious prejudice against ballet. I’d never actually been to see one my whole life, until I went to be a part of this. I just assumed it was something not for me. I like rock and roll music and movies and things.” 

But it was in watching the young dancers rehearse that touched Riley’s heart.

“Realizing that they’ve been dedicating their lives to this art form since they were little children, the effort that they put into it every day, the work ethic, and that something that still exists today, just a pure dedication to something — that’s beautiful … They are performing for the love of it. And it moved me every day, really, watching them do it. Every scene, they really throw absolutely everything into it. They were completely exhausted. And it was really inspiring.”

Mama Ru is coming to Los Angeles on March 18th, 2025 to the The Ricardo Montalban Theatre on his House of Hidden Meanings Book Tour, and we have the ticket hookup for you!

Head to our Instagram @LosAngelesBlade and send us a one minute or less video telling us why you just HAVE to see RuPaul for this evening of spilling the tea and spiritual wisdom.

Global drag sensation RuPaul Charles personally invites you to a one-of-a-kind night filled with spiritual wisdom! As always, it’ll be fabulous, but this time it’s raw and vulnerable. Celebrating his highly-anticipated memoir and guide to life, The House of Hidden Meanings, this is an intimate and unscripted exploration of the mind, body and soul, telling RuPaul’s extraordinary story that goes far beyond glamour and fame.

You’ve heard the phrase We’re all born naked, and the rest is drag,’ but this is RuPaul stripped bare. RuPaul offers more than just a memoir; it’s a manual for living, a personal philosophy waiting to be shared that explores chosen family, celebrating your individuality, and the fearless power of self-discovery.

The pop culture icon shares life lessons that will uplift your spirits and foster a sense of belonging – because if you don’t love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else?

Get tickets here!

After more than a decade of representing local drag talent, Project Drag, helmed by SoCal socialite Tony Moore, is back bigger and better than ever. While the war on drag wages on in the political scene, our community is fighting the fight.

This year’s competition means that much more as we refuse to be silenced. Drag is such an integral part of our queer community and Los Angeles history, we aren’t going anywhere. More than ever, now is the time to celebrate those local figures that keep the drag legacy going.

Los Angeles Blade is proud to serve as a media sponsor for this year’s festivities. We will be on hand during the competition providing ongoing coverage. Project Drag has extended submissions until Monday, March 3. The competition will begin on Monday, April 7 at Beaches Tropicana.

We caught up with Moore and asked him a few questions as he put the final touches on this year’s competition:

Q: How did Project Drag start?

A: Project Drag started in 2013.  When I was working at another bar in West Hollywood, we had HUGE success with our RuPaul’s DragRace Viewing Parties and the club wanted to continue having an earlier crowd before our main drag show, and asked what we could do.  I suggested a drag competition since there were so many queens who wanted to showcase their drag talents in hopes of being a part of our main show.

Q: What is the mission of Project Drag?

A: The mission of Project Drag is to give queens (whether they are just starting out or established) an opportunity to showcase themselves.  It allows them to learn (from our judges) what they can improve on to become dynamic performers. It also allows them to win prizes that will help with their drag career, including cash, custom costumes, drag accessories, photo shoots, exposure through interviews and social media, and more.

Q: You are moving it to a new venue, what can we expect from this new version?

A: YES!! I am so excited to bring Project Drag to Beaches Tropicana! It is a bigger stage and an opportunity to create theatrical-like performances.

Q: What are some of the fun challenges we can expect?

A: Some of the challenges in the past have been Future of Drag (where they perform a futuristic style of their drag), Prehistoric Drag (where they perform drag as in the beginning of time), TV MOMS, and Saturday Morning Cartoons. There have also been design and group challenges where they perform in the style of past decades.

Q: What do you look for most in picking your contestants?

A: I look for performers who LOVE the art form of drag and who have experience in performance and drag; those performers who are hungry to really take their drag career to another level and just need a competition that allows them to showcase that, all the while learning (from our judges) on how to improve their performances. 

Q: Why is it so important to represent local queens?

A: Our local performers feel overlooked because they haven’t been showcased on TV or a larger platform.  These queens work very hard to perform at various venues in the area and build up audiences who will come out to see them.  Many of them have made performing their livelihood and often don’t receive the pay that they should in order to survive.  They are not only performers, but they are hosts, promoters, graphic designers, and anything else they need to be in order to promote themselves and the venue they are performing at. So it’s important to attend local shows to support our local queens who are trying to make a name for themselves as well.

Q: What do you think are the biggest challenges facing the local drag community in Los Angeles?

A: Not being treated properly and respected because they haven’t been on your TV Screens.  They work hard to create amazing shows and drag isn’t cheap.  We have to support them as much as we support our well-known queens.

Q: How can the queer community best support the drag community?

A: When you see a flyer for a show, a brunch, a competition, or ANY drag show in your area, go support it.  Gather up your friends and go check out the show.  Clap, cheer, holler, and tip, that’s how you can support our local drag community. If you can’t go then tell a friend to go or share the information on your social media.  

Q: You have always been so supportive of the drag community. What was your first exposure to drag?

A: My best friend is a drag performer who goes by the name Lucious, from back home in South Carolina. She is an amazing performer and very versatile. She performed all genres of music, created her own costumes/wigs, and always gave 100% during any performance.   I learned a lot just by watching her.

Q: What is it about the drag community that you love so much?

A: As a performer myself, I always had an appreciation of the art form.  The hair, the costume, the shoes, and how it all came together for a dynamic performance. Seeing someone transform into their drag persona is amazing and entertaining.  

Q: Any funny stories from past competitions?

A: HA HA HA HA! In the beginning – and I never thought I would have to say this – but queens would not do their own makeup.  I had to make it a rule, even had to disqualify someone, for not doing their own makeup,  One season we decided to create a web show and show the behind-the-scenes of the competition and the girls would go into a confessional to talk about that night’s performance.  That was fun to watch!!! One time, the former club I worked at suddenly didn’t want us to film at the club so we had to shoot a scene at BLOCK PARTY WEHO…it was funny seeing all the contestants standing in between racks of clothes as I told them about the next challenge.

Q: What are some of the best outfits you remember from past competitions?

A: There are so many dynamic outfits and performances from past seasons.  The ones that come to mind are Kalista Stage in Project Drag 5 wearing an exact replica of Marge Simpson’s Balenciaga Gold Dress from The Simpsons,  Marta Beatchu from Project Drag 2 performing The Exorcist, and Deja Re in the first Project Drag performing a full rendition of Legally Blonde The Musical.

Q: What is your message to the LA drag community?

A: Always push yourself and never stop learning. 

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Local queens, want to submit? Submit a short bio, a photo of you in and out of drag, links to your social media, and videos or clips of your recent performances. Send to [email protected]