Tag Archives: Nina West

Tomas Matos to Star in Tina Romero’s Horror Comedy “Queens of the Dead”

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Tomas Matos will be royally horrified…

The 26-year-old Latinx artist and social justice advocate will star in Queens of the Dead, a new horror comedy directed by Tina Romero, the daughter of legendary director George A. Romero.

Tomas MatosMatos will star alongside Katy O’Brian, Margaret Cho, Brigette Lundy-Paine, Cheyenne Jackson, Nina West, Jaquel Spivey, Quincy Dunn-Baker, Becca Blackwell, Shaunette Renée Wilson, Dominique Jackson, Riki Lindhome and Eve Lindley in the film.

Co-written by Erin Judge and Tina Romero, the film pays tribute to the zombies from the elder Romero’s classic zombie films with a fresh, contemporary and queer twist, promising to offer a genre-smashing, glam-gore thrill ride through the zombie apocalypse.

From Vanishing Angle, the film follows an eclectic group of drag queens, club kids, and frenemies who must put aside their personal dramas and use their unique skills to combat the brain-thirsty undead when a zombie apocalypse breaks out during their drag show in Brooklyn.

George A. Romero, often referred to as the “Godfather of Zombies,” revolutionized the horror genre with his groundbreaking films Night of the Living Dead and Dawn of the Dead, with his work influencing countless filmmakers and becoming a cornerstone of modern horror.

Following George’s 2017 passing, Tina Romero looks to carry the torch with a talent-rich film loaded with practical effects, jump scares, laughs, and lumbering zombies amassing on the streets of Brooklyn. Given its focus on the historically disenfranchised LGBTQ+ population, the film should fit in naturally with George A. Romero’s oeuvre, which used a zombie apocalypse to examine social injustice, among many other themes.

“This is the cast of my wildest dreams. In a movie about survival, you gotta love and root for the survival crew,” said Romero in a statement about the project. “Every single person in this ensemble brings such a special and specific flavor -both on and off screen. The result is truly a magic sauce.”

Matos’ previous credits include Fire Island and Fantasmas.

Jorgeous to Compete on Season Nine of Paramount+’s “RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars”

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Jorgeous is getting back in the race…

The 24-year-old Mexican American drag performer, whose real name is Jorge Meza, will compete on the ninth season of Paramount+’s RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars.

JorgeousJorgeous, who finished in 6th place on Season 14 of RuPaul’s Drag Race, will join seven other queens from past seasons to compete for a cash prize of $200,000 — but this time, all eight queens will be competing on behalf of a charity of their choice.

Jorgeous will compete for the National Alliance of Mental Illness.

But Jorgeous isn’t the only Latina drag artist set to compete.

Vanessa Vanjie Mateo, who competed on seasons 10 and 11, will compete for the ASPCA.

The other queens include: Angeria Paris VanMichaels (season 14), competing for the National Black Justice Collective; Gottmik (season 13), competing for Trans Lifeline;  Nina West (season 11), competing for The Trevor Project; Plastique Tiara (season 11), competing for The Asian American Foundation (TAAF); Roxxxy Andrews (season five, All Stars 2), competing for Miracle of Love; and Shannel (season one, All Stars 1), competing for  Anxiety and Depression Association of America.

This year’s $200,000 cash prize will be provided by The Palette Fund, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing grants and funding to the organizations supporting under-represented communities, including LGBTQ+ people.

All Stars 9 will mark the first time in the history of the Drag Race franchise in which queens will compete for charities.

The news comes on the heels of the finale of RuPaul’s Drag Race season 16, which aired Friday, April 19.

After a series of solo numbers and one final lip sync to Kylie Minogue’s “Padam Padam,” Nymphia Wind took home the grand prize, becoming the first Taiwanese-American queen to win in the history of the franchise.

RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 9 premieres with two new episodes on Friday, May 17, on Paramount+.

Bianca Del Rio to Co-Host the Daily News Show “NewsBeat”

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Bianca Del Rio is tacklin’ the news…

The 45-year-old Cuban and Honduran American drag queen, comedian, actor, and costume designer, whose real name is Roy Haylock, will speak the tea regarding the top headlines for NewsBeat, from Politicon and executive producer Clay Aiken.

NewsBeat

Del Rio, the winner of the sixth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race, will appear alongside fellow Drag Race alum.

NewsBeat, which will also feature Lady Bunny, Lyle and Delta Work as correspondents, seeks to provide a serious daily news show for the next generation of viewers. The program will center around hard news headline, political analysis presented by West and Del Rio.

Each episode will highlight two or three top news stories of the day. A guest panel of political pundits will join the anchors via satellite to discuss the biggest stories. Each episode will also feature a pre-taped field package with one of the correspondents interviewing a major newsmaker or politician.

The pilot episode will feature interviews with James Carville, Touré and Scottie Nell-Hughes.

“Staying informed and knowing what’s actually going on in the country and the world is really important, but I, and so many people I know,  finally just turned off the news over this past year. So we wanted to find a way to keep people really informed — give them important news and objective information — and still keep it entertaining and engaging,” Aiken said. “We wanted to make the news appointment TV again without needing to sensationalize it or scare or depress folks. NewsBeat is really about facts first, but it is also about making the news interesting again.”

Demi Lovato to Take Part in iHeartMedia & P&G’s “Can’t Cancel Pride” Virtual Benefit Concert

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Demi Lovato is celebrating Pride in a big way…

The 28-year-old half-Mexican American singer/actor will be taking part in iHeartMedia and P&G’s second annual “Can’t Cancel Pride,” a virtual benefit concert featuring some of the biggest LGBTQ names in music appearing to offer special performances, while also raising funds for nonprofit organizations dedicated to helping LGBTQ people around the world.

Demi Lovato

Hosted by Elvis Duran and Bebe Rexha, the event will take place on June 4, and will feature appearances and performances from Lovato, Lil Nas X, Troye Sivan, Rexha, Brothers Osborne, Busy Phillips, Hayley Kiyoko, Jennifer Hudson, JoJo Siwa, Marshmello, MJ Rodriguez, Nina West, P!nk, Ricky Martin, Regard and Tate McRae.

Along with putting on a good show, iHeartMedia and P&G are also partnering with Greater Cincinatti Foundation to help distribute the funds raised from the event to six organizations supporting the LGBTQ community in 2021, including GLAAD, SAGE, The Trevor Project, the National Black Justice Coalition, CenterLink, and OutRight Action International.

“As the country is returning back to normal and we are slowly starting to gather again, LGBTQ+ communities around the world are still feeling the devastating effects of COVID-19,”  iHeartMedia’s chief  marketing officer Gayle Troberman said in a statement. “We look forward to once again celebrating the incredible voices and allies of the LGBTQ+ community with an amazing night of music that will honor Pride and the communities’ fight for equal rights, all while benefiting six remarkable nonprofits that make an everyday positive impact.”

“Can’t Cancel Pride” will take place on June 4th at 9:00 p.m. ET on iHeartRadio’s TikTok, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram TV pages, PrideRadio.com and Revry, while also being broadcast on iHeartMedia radio stations nationwide and on the iHeartRadio App.

Learn more about the upcoming event here.

Valentina to Make Guest Appearance on Season 13 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race”

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Valentina is headed back to the Race…

The 29-year-old Mexican American drag performer, actor, television personality and singer will make a guest appearance on Season 13 of RuPaul’s Drag Race.

Valentina

Valentina, who finished in 7th place on Season 9 of the acclaimed reality series and 7th place on the fourth season of RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars, and fellow Miss Congeniality winners from past seasons Nina West and Heidi N Closet will appear in future episodes. 

Cynthia Erivo, Nicole Byer, Loni Love, TS Madison and Jamal Sims are slated to join the RuPaul’s Drag Race judges panel this season alongside mainstays Michelle Visage, Carson Kressley, Ross Mathews and, Mama Ru (RuPaul Charles).

In addition, RuPaul’s Drag Race superfans Anne Hathaway and Scarlett Johansson will surprise queens later this season with interactive video master classes.

The 13 queens vying for the ultimate title of “America’s Next Drag Superstar” this season include Denali (Chicago), Elliott with 2 Ts (Las Vegas), Gottmik (Los Angeles), Joey Jay (Phoenix), Kahmora Hall (Chicago), Kandy Muse (New York), LaLa Ri (Atlanta), Olivia Lux (New York), Rosé (New York), Symone (Los Angeles), Tamisha Iman (Atlanta), Tina Burner (New York), and Utica Queen (Minneapolis).

Valentina to ‘Drag Out the Vote’ at Variety Show “Divas For Democracy: United We Slay”

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Valentina’s prepared to drag out the vote…

The 29-year-old Mexican American drag performer and former RuPaul’s Drag Race contestant will team up with some of her fellow queens and Broadway celebrities to get out the vote for November’s presidential election.

Valentina

Valentina and divas from the drag world and icons of the stage will come together for Divas For Democracy: United We Slay, a one-night-only variety show extravaganza promoting voter participation and key issues relating to the LGBTQIA+ community in the upcoming 2020 election.

Presented by the nonprofit voter engagement organization Drag Out the Vote and hosted by RuPaul’s Drag Race star Nina West and Entertainment Tonight‘s Keltie Knight, Divas for Democracy: United We Slay features scores of talent who’ll sing and lip-synch through dazzling performances of theater classics and pop songs.

Special segments will highlight LGBTQIA+ activists in a nonpartisan effort to shine a light on community participation in the political process, including celebrity appearances by Tony winner Cyndi Lauper, Drag Race panelist Michelle Visage, Harvey Fierstein, James Monroe Iglehart, Bianca Del Rio, Shangela, Cheyenne Jackson, Mila Jam, and Oscar-winning actress Allison Janney.

In addition to Valentina, other drag superstars slated to perform during the broadcast include Alaska, Jinkx Monsoon, Jujubee, Peppermint, Cynthia Lee Fontaine, Shuga Cain, Honey Davenport, and Drag Out the Vote’s national co-chairs Brita Filter, Marti Gould Cummings, and Pixie Aventura.

Broadway figures set to appear include legendary three-time Tony-winning actress Chita Rivera, as well as Tony winners Stephanie J. Block, Lea Salonga, Nikki M. James, Beth Leavel and Annaleigh Ashford. Also joining the program are stage stars Shoshana Bean, Eden Espinosa, Jenn Collela, Chilina Kennedy, Keala Settle, Tamika Lawrence, L Morgan Lee, and Our Lady J.

The presentation will be directed by Josh Rhodes and Lee Wilkins, whose joint careers include work choreographing Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella, First Date, It Shoulda Been You, and Bright Star on Broadway. Tony winner Stephen Oremus will serve as music supervisor.

“One in five LGBTQIA+ people is not registered to vote, and 100 million people did not vote in the 2016 election. We must fix this,” said Drag Out the Vote founder Jackie Huba in a press statement. “We are excited to bring together the worlds of Broadway and drag to inspire voters to sashay their way to the polls or their mailboxes.”

Divas for Democracy: United We Slay airs October 18 at 8:00 p.m. ET exclusively on StageIt. Tickets — available on a “donate-what-you-can” basis — go on sale Thursday at 10:00 a.m. ET at divasfordemocracy.com.