The Los Angeles LGBT Center held their annual gala in downtown Los Angles Saturday night, where attendees gathered at the Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall for a dinner hosted by comedian Joel Kim Booster.
Wicked star Cynthia Erivo was presented with the Rand Schrader award in recognition of her achievements in entertainment and activism championing the LGBTQ+ community. The Emmy, Grammy and Tony award winner was introduced by actress Jada Pinkett Smith, who gushed about Erivo’s “immense talent and spirit” during her remarks.
“Beyond her artistic achievements, Cynthia is a steadfast advocate helping bring visibility to the intersection of black and queer identity,” Pinkett Smith told the crowd.
“She uses her platform to fight for justice, for love and acceptance, and empowered individuals to live their truth authentically and without fear,” she continued.
Erivo accepted the award to much applause, beginning what would be a moving speech by telling...
Wicked star Cynthia Erivo was presented with the Rand Schrader award in recognition of her achievements in entertainment and activism championing the LGBTQ+ community. The Emmy, Grammy and Tony award winner was introduced by actress Jada Pinkett Smith, who gushed about Erivo’s “immense talent and spirit” during her remarks.
“Beyond her artistic achievements, Cynthia is a steadfast advocate helping bring visibility to the intersection of black and queer identity,” Pinkett Smith told the crowd.
“She uses her platform to fight for justice, for love and acceptance, and empowered individuals to live their truth authentically and without fear,” she continued.
Erivo accepted the award to much applause, beginning what would be a moving speech by telling...
- 5/19/2024
- by Nicole Fell
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Naomi McPherson, a member of the pop group Muna, is taking their talents to the big screen!
The 31-year-old singer has been cast in Jason Reitman‘s SNL 1975, which will tell the origin story of the popular late night show.
Keep reading to find out more…
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Naomi will play Janis Ian, who was the musical guest on the premiere episode of SNL.
SNL 1975 will be Naomi‘s acting debut!
Other stars who have been cast in the film include Gabriel Labelle, Cooper Hoffman, Rachel Sennott, Dylan O’Brien, J.K. Simmons, Nicholas Braun, Kaia Gerber, Willem Dafoe, Ella Hunt, Finn Wolfhard, Andrew Barth Feldman, and more!
Naomi features in Muna alongside Katie Gavin and Josette Maskin. The group notably opened for Taylor Swift during the U.S. leg of her Eras Tour in 2023.
Find out which stars have host Saturday Night Live five or more times!
The 31-year-old singer has been cast in Jason Reitman‘s SNL 1975, which will tell the origin story of the popular late night show.
Keep reading to find out more…
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Naomi will play Janis Ian, who was the musical guest on the premiere episode of SNL.
SNL 1975 will be Naomi‘s acting debut!
Other stars who have been cast in the film include Gabriel Labelle, Cooper Hoffman, Rachel Sennott, Dylan O’Brien, J.K. Simmons, Nicholas Braun, Kaia Gerber, Willem Dafoe, Ella Hunt, Finn Wolfhard, Andrew Barth Feldman, and more!
Naomi features in Muna alongside Katie Gavin and Josette Maskin. The group notably opened for Taylor Swift during the U.S. leg of her Eras Tour in 2023.
Find out which stars have host Saturday Night Live five or more times!
- 4/13/2024
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
Musician Naomi McPherson is joining the star-packed cast of SNL 1975, Jason Reitman’s forthcoming film about the debut night of the long-running NBC sketch series Saturday Night Live.
McPherson, who uses they/them pronouns, will make their acting debut as singer-songwriter Janis Ian, a musical guest on the first episode of SNL that aired Oct. 11, 1975. Reitman is directing the Sony Pictures project that focuses on the behind-the-scenes moments leading up to that initial broadcast. The cast includes Gabriel Labelle as series creator Lorne Michaels, Cooper Hoffman as former NBC exec Dick Ebersol and Rachel Sennott as Michaels’ ex-wife and former SNL writer Rosie Shuster.
McPherson is a member of the Los Angeles-based band Muna and handles production duties for most of the group’s music. Muna has spent the past two years touring in support of the self-titled 2022 album that includes the single “Silk Chiffon” featuring Phoebe Bridgers. The band,...
McPherson, who uses they/them pronouns, will make their acting debut as singer-songwriter Janis Ian, a musical guest on the first episode of SNL that aired Oct. 11, 1975. Reitman is directing the Sony Pictures project that focuses on the behind-the-scenes moments leading up to that initial broadcast. The cast includes Gabriel Labelle as series creator Lorne Michaels, Cooper Hoffman as former NBC exec Dick Ebersol and Rachel Sennott as Michaels’ ex-wife and former SNL writer Rosie Shuster.
McPherson is a member of the Los Angeles-based band Muna and handles production duties for most of the group’s music. Muna has spent the past two years touring in support of the self-titled 2022 album that includes the single “Silk Chiffon” featuring Phoebe Bridgers. The band,...
- 4/12/2024
- by Ryan Gajewski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Orlando, Fla. — Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost’s (D-Fla.) MadSoul music festival was supposed to be a party for activists — a celebration of Central Florida’s progressive and queer community, in a hostile state. Frost wanted to show how far the community has come and its defiant rejection of Florida’s increasingly right-wing tilt, with a mix of music and community building featuring appearances from indie artists and progressive politicos, like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
But the festival would take an unexpected turn near the end, highlighting the mounting tensions between progressive...
But the festival would take an unexpected turn near the end, highlighting the mounting tensions between progressive...
- 3/4/2024
- by Michael Tedder
- Rollingstone.com
Empress Of has announced her fourth studio album: For Your Consideration, due March 22nd. Today, along with the announcement, she shared the single “What’s Love” featuring Muna.
For Your Consideration will be Empress Of’s first full-length release since 2020’s I’m Your Empress Of, and follows 2022’s Save Me EP. Spanning 11 tracks, the new record’s press release explains that it will be “a bi-lingual album that embraces camp and fantasy playing with the idea of Hollywood.”
In a statement, Empress Of’s Lorely Rodriguez explained that the title of the album is a reference to an ex-lover. “I was in love with a director and he was announcing his ‘For Your Consideration’ campaign for the Oscars,” she said. “He took me up on a hill and said he was emotionally unavailable and he kind of broke my heart. I went into the studio that day and we wrote...
For Your Consideration will be Empress Of’s first full-length release since 2020’s I’m Your Empress Of, and follows 2022’s Save Me EP. Spanning 11 tracks, the new record’s press release explains that it will be “a bi-lingual album that embraces camp and fantasy playing with the idea of Hollywood.”
In a statement, Empress Of’s Lorely Rodriguez explained that the title of the album is a reference to an ex-lover. “I was in love with a director and he was announcing his ‘For Your Consideration’ campaign for the Oscars,” she said. “He took me up on a hill and said he was emotionally unavailable and he kind of broke my heart. I went into the studio that day and we wrote...
- 1/24/2024
- by Jo Vito
- Consequence - Music
Muna and Boygenius formed the ultimate supergroup on Sunday evening when they joined forces to perform “Silk Chiffon” and “Salt in the Wound” during Boygenius’ headlining performance at London’s Gunnersbury Park.
During Muna’s set, Phoebe Bridgers stepped out first to assist on “Silk Chiffon,’ Muna’s first release on Bridgers’ Saddest Factory Records. She’s already a featured artist on the song, so the real surprise was Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker also joining in on the performance. For “Salt in the Wound,” which Boygenius shared on their 2018 self-titled debut EP,...
During Muna’s set, Phoebe Bridgers stepped out first to assist on “Silk Chiffon,’ Muna’s first release on Bridgers’ Saddest Factory Records. She’s already a featured artist on the song, so the real surprise was Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker also joining in on the performance. For “Salt in the Wound,” which Boygenius shared on their 2018 self-titled debut EP,...
- 8/21/2023
- by Larisha Paul
- Rollingstone.com
Muna have unveiled their latest single, a funky pop bop entitled “One That Got Away.” They initially debuted the song at Coachella this past weekend, and they’ve now released its cinematic music video. Watch below.
Grounded by a booming kick-snare beat and a pulsing electro bass line, the song becomes a vehicle for the trio’s dancey pop style. In a statement, the band’s Katie Gavin said: “This song is just rubbing your hot ass in the face of someone who messed up their chance of being with you. It’s a bit vengeful and mean, but also fun. Fuck it.”
Continuing, Gavin explained how she and her bandmates — Josette Maskin and Naomi McPherson — collaborated on the single: “Once I sent Naomi and Jo the demo, they really took the cockiness in the lyric and vocal performance and carried it to the extreme with the production of the track.
Grounded by a booming kick-snare beat and a pulsing electro bass line, the song becomes a vehicle for the trio’s dancey pop style. In a statement, the band’s Katie Gavin said: “This song is just rubbing your hot ass in the face of someone who messed up their chance of being with you. It’s a bit vengeful and mean, but also fun. Fuck it.”
Continuing, Gavin explained how she and her bandmates — Josette Maskin and Naomi McPherson — collaborated on the single: “Once I sent Naomi and Jo the demo, they really took the cockiness in the lyric and vocal performance and carried it to the extreme with the production of the track.
- 4/17/2023
- by Jo Vito
- Consequence - Music
Muna decided to really challenge themselves during their appearance on triple j’s “Like a Version” cover series. The trio performed their own reimagining of Céline Dion’s enduring Titanic anthem “My Heart Will Go On.”
Although taking on a song like “My Heart Will Go On” is a pretty daunting feat, the members of Muna certainly didn’t try to replicate Dion, instead turning the sweeping, melodramatic ballad into a slightly twangy indie-pop number. Rather than scrambling for those high notes, vocalist Katie Gavin brings things down an octave, letting bandmates Josette Maskin and Naomi McPherson fill out the sound with some gorgeous harmonies.
Complete with just the right amount of reverb, some nice piano arrangements, and a very sick slide-guitar solo near the song’s end, Muna turned “My Heart Will Go On” into something entirely their own. Watch their performance in the triple j studios below.
Muna...
Although taking on a song like “My Heart Will Go On” is a pretty daunting feat, the members of Muna certainly didn’t try to replicate Dion, instead turning the sweeping, melodramatic ballad into a slightly twangy indie-pop number. Rather than scrambling for those high notes, vocalist Katie Gavin brings things down an octave, letting bandmates Josette Maskin and Naomi McPherson fill out the sound with some gorgeous harmonies.
Complete with just the right amount of reverb, some nice piano arrangements, and a very sick slide-guitar solo near the song’s end, Muna turned “My Heart Will Go On” into something entirely their own. Watch their performance in the triple j studios below.
Muna...
- 3/24/2023
- by Abby Jones
- Consequence - Music
It’s giving Swiftie! On Wednesday, Muna released their Live at Electric Lady EP, which features none other than a cover of “August” by Taylor Swift.
In a statement, the band described the song as taking on “this very breathy, quiet quality that we hadn’t anticipated, but we just went with.”
“The whole environment at Electric Lady Studios is so supportive and open, it often leads to making new creative choices while you’re in the midst of recording,” Muna added.
The EP also features live performances of some...
In a statement, the band described the song as taking on “this very breathy, quiet quality that we hadn’t anticipated, but we just went with.”
“The whole environment at Electric Lady Studios is so supportive and open, it often leads to making new creative choices while you’re in the midst of recording,” Muna added.
The EP also features live performances of some...
- 10/12/2022
- by Tomás Mier
- Rollingstone.com
A night out drinking. Hooking up with the girl decked out in leather at the club. Dancing in the middle of the dance floor at a gay bar. It’s exactly what Muna wants — and they’re not afraid to get it.
The Los Angeles trio of vocalist Katie Gavin and multi-instrumentalists and producers Naomi McPherson and Josette Maskin marked the release of their third full-length, self-titled album with the release of single “What I Want” — a maximalist pop gem anchored by a pulsating bass line and accentuated with shimmery arpeggiating synth leads.
The Los Angeles trio of vocalist Katie Gavin and multi-instrumentalists and producers Naomi McPherson and Josette Maskin marked the release of their third full-length, self-titled album with the release of single “What I Want” — a maximalist pop gem anchored by a pulsating bass line and accentuated with shimmery arpeggiating synth leads.
- 6/24/2022
- by Kat Bouza
- Rollingstone.com
In our Q&a series Last Call, we get down to the bottom of every last thing with some of our favorite celebs - from the last time they were starstruck to the last song they listened to. This week, Brandon Flynn takes our call.
You might know Brandon Flynn from his role as Justin in "13 Reasons Why," but the actor's career is just getting started. Soon, he'll star in "The Parenting," a comedy for HBO Max with an all-star cast. He's also starring in the new version of the iconic horror film "Hellraiser."
"Being from Florida, there's an interesting duality that goes on. It's such a beautiful, expansive place with beautiful, expansive people, with unfortunate politics."
This Pride Month, Flynn is partnering with Bubly to promote its short film "Coming Home." The film is all about LGBTQ+ safe spaces and chosen families and features Naomi McPherson from Muna and drag queen Eureka O'Hara.
You might know Brandon Flynn from his role as Justin in "13 Reasons Why," but the actor's career is just getting started. Soon, he'll star in "The Parenting," a comedy for HBO Max with an all-star cast. He's also starring in the new version of the iconic horror film "Hellraiser."
"Being from Florida, there's an interesting duality that goes on. It's such a beautiful, expansive place with beautiful, expansive people, with unfortunate politics."
This Pride Month, Flynn is partnering with Bubly to promote its short film "Coming Home." The film is all about LGBTQ+ safe spaces and chosen families and features Naomi McPherson from Muna and drag queen Eureka O'Hara.
- 6/22/2022
- by Victoria Edel
- Popsugar.com
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.