Monday evening, gay men on Twitter took the media — especially gay-centric media like Out and The Advocate — to task for what they deemed a lack of inclusion and diversity regarding representation. The conversation began when black queer rapper Mykki Blanco retweeted Sony music songwriter Jesse Saint John. Many users called out the gay media for its criminal and tragic depiction of gay men of color.
Georgian dancers performing like warriors
THEY ARE NOW AT 14,191$!!!!! REPRESENTATION MATTERS !!!!!
Unhappily Ever After by Jeff Hong
New York animation artist Jeff Hong has created less-than-rosy portrayals of Disney characters as they might fare in today’s world. They are not cheery images, but they are poignant in their depictions of very real challenges, from animal testing and ocean pollution to drug addiction and teen suicide.
After a 20-minute flight over the city of New York, Stephen Wiltshire, diagnosed with autism, draws the whole town with only his memory.
Netflix has canceled Sense8 after two seasons. [x]
The streaming service confirmed on Thursday that it would not be moving forward with the sci-fi drama from The Wachowskis. “After 23 episodes, 16 cities and 13 countries, the story of the Sense8cluster is coming to an end,“ said Cindy Holland, Netflix’s vice president of original content.
“It is everything we and the fans dreamed it would be: bold, emotional, stunning, kick ass, and outright unforgettable,” she continued. “Never has there been a more truly global show with an equally diverse and international cast and crew, which is only mirrored by the connected community of deeply passionate fans all around the world. We thank Lana, Lilly, Joe and Grant for their vision, and the entire cast and crew for their craftsmanship and commitment.”
The decision to not order additional seasons of Sense8, which first debuted in 2015, comes a week after the streaming giant canceled The Get Down, its ambitious music drama from Baz Luhrmann, after only one season. The moves mark rare ones for the streamer, which has renewed the vast majority of its slate as part of an aggressive push into scripted originals. Other Netflix series to be canceled include Marco Polo, Lilyhammer, Hemlock Grove, Bloodline and A&E pickup Longmire.
Rumors of Sense8’s uncertain future loomed in the days before the announcement. Castmember Brian J. Smith helped get a #RenewSense8 hashtag trending on Twitter in an effort to keep the show alive.
Aretha Franklin, the undisputed Queen of Soul and a music legend who enjoyed a career longer than many of her successors, died Thursday. She was 76.
Her publicist, Gwendolyn Quinn, confirmed her death to BuzzFeed News in a statement, saying she died at her home in Detroit at 9:50 a.m. local time. The cause of death was advanced pancreatic cancer of the neuroendocrine type.
“In one of the darkest moments of our lives, we are not able to find the appropriate words to express the pain in our heart,“ her family said in a statement. “We have lost the matriarch and rock of our family.”
The family also said they had been "deeply touched” by the outpouring of love and support they had received in recent days, after word first emerged the singer had fallen ill.
“We have felt your love for Aretha and it brings us comfort to know that her legacy will live on,” they said.
No other vocalist has reached the heights Franklin did during her monumental career. She is the most charted female singer in Billboard history, the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the winner of 18 Grammy Awards, and the “greatest singer of all time,” according to Rolling Stone.