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To celebrate the casting community and spotlight its members, The Casting Society and IMDbPro are collaborating to present a monthly series of interviews between casting directors and actors about their acting journey, the casting process, and how IMDbPro helps them advance their careers. This month, Elizabeth Berra, CSA interviewed Eva Reign.

Read the full interview here...

The made-for-tv movie was a programming staple for the broadcast networks in the 1970s and 1980s. While it fell out of favor in the 1990s and was even dropped as an Emmy Awards category for three years beginning in 2011, it has been on an upswing as of late. This year, a whopping 61 telefilms are in contention for the five nominations that will be revealed on July 12. Last year, there were only 48 options, compared to 41 in 2021 and 28 in 2020.

All 20,000 plus voting members of the TV academy have until June 26 to cast their 2023 Emmy Awards nominations ballots for their favorite TV movies. A new rule change will require each voter to make no more than five selections in this category, whereas there was previously no limit. As opposed to the Oscars, voters for the Emmys do not rank their choices and nominees are determined by a simple tally.

Just like on the limited series ballot,...

Michaela Jaé Rodriguez is not only “a boss” onscreen while portraying Sofia in “Loot” but offscreen as well.

In a new interview with Variety, the actress explains why the Apple TV+ comedy series doesn’t reveal whether her character is trans or cis.

Rodriguez, who is a proud member of the trans community, notes that the decision to exclude the detail from the series, which she stars in alongside Maya Rudolph, was something she “did” discuss with the series creators.

Read More: Michaela Jaé Rodriguez Responds To J.K. Rowling’s Controversial Comments About Trans Community: ‘I Would Love To Have A Conversation With Her’

“I didn’t want her to be trans or cis. I just wanted her to be a woman climbing up the ladder. I wanted to show every little girl around the world that you are capable of being a boss,” she shared. “You don’t need...

Emmy Award-winner Billy Porter directs Fox’s Accused season one episode five, “Robyn’s Story.” Written by Daniel Pearle, episode five will air on Tuesday, February 21, 2023 at 9pm Et/Pt.

“Robyn’s Story” stars J. Harrison Ghee as Kevin Milstead/Robyn, Chris Coy as Jamie Barnes, William Beli as Layla, Eva Reign as Megan, and Kiril Mitev as Trixie. Kristen Connolly plays Natalie Barnes, Nadine Whiteman Roden is Sylvia, Connor Michael McMahon is Mark, and Brandon McGibbon is Matty.

“Robyn’s Story” Plot: As a man, Kevin is shy and mild-mannered; onstage, she’s Robyn Banks, a fierce drag queen who’s all confidence and charisma. But when Kevin falls for a closeted guy secretly living a double life, their whirlwind affair leads to devastating consequences.

Season 1 Episode 1 “Scott’s Story” Preview Season 1 Episode 2 “Ava’s Story” Preview Season 1 Episode 3 “Danny’s Story” Preview Season 1 Episode 4 “Kendall’s Story” Preview J.

Photo: ‘Anything’s Possible’ Romantic Comedies and Me ‘Anything’s Possible’ is a romantic teen dramedy directed by actor/singer/songwriter Billy Porter in his directorial debut, and written by Ximeno García Lecuona. Lecuona’s script was originally on the 2020 Black List and was titled ‘What If?’. The story centers around trans teenage girl Kelsa (Eva Reign), who has started her final year at high school and is looking forward to moving up in life. One day, one of Kelsa’s friends Em (Courtnee Carter) gets her to pass a flirty note to Khal (Abubakr Ali), a boy Em has her eyes on. However, after Kelsa does so, Khal begins to develop feelings toward Kelsa instead, feelings that she begins to return. Naturally, this leads to tension and drama for everyone involved. Things to do: Subscribe to The Hollywood Insider’s YouTube Channel, by clicking here. Limited Time Offer – Free Subscription to...

Welcome to this week’s “Just for Variety.”

Tommy Chong says reuniting with the “That ’70s Show” cast for the upcoming “That ’90s Show” reboot felt like no time had passed. Chong reprises his role as Leo in the Netflix series, which also sees the return of Kurtwood Smith and Debra Jo Rupp as Red and Kitty Forman. “The minute Kitty knocked on the door and I opened the door and it was her, it could have been yesterday,” Chong tells me.

Original “’70s” cast members Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis, Topher Grace, Wilmer Valderrama and Laura Prepon are also expected to make appearances. Chong reveals he wasn’t sure if he would be asked back when he first learned a revival was in the works. “I heard they were going to reboot it, but I never got a call,” he says. “I was like, ‘What’s going on here?’ But then the call came,...

Billy Porter's directorial debut, the film "Anything's Possible," explores the life of Kelsa (Eva Reign), a high-school senior who loves animals, plans on going to college to study nature cinematography, and harbors a crush on Khal (Abubakr Ali), the cute, almost preternaturally kind boy in her art class. She is also transgender and spends her evenings making videos about her experiences navigating high school.

Adhering to the blueprint of a traditional rom-com, the movie follows Kelsa and Khal's relationship, beginning - in Gen Z fashion - with a Reddit post Khal makes expressing the nervousness and excitement he feels about asking out his classmate. Despite some drama, they eventually get together, and the movie traces their romance as it blossoms through damaged friendships and the looming question of postgraduation life. Peppered throughout with bright neon hues and eye-catching animal videos, the film - which premiered on July 15 at Outfest...

Image Source: YouTube user Prime Video

Eva Reign lights up the screen as Kelsa in "Anything's Possible," a teen rom-com filled with heart. The film, which is Billy Porter's directorial debut, follows Kelsa as she wins the heart of a sweet classmate named Khal, played by the charming Abubakr Ali, who makes a Reddit post expressing his nervousness about asking out a trans girl. (That aspect of the narrative was based on a real-life Reddit thread spotted by writer Ximena García Lecuona.) Khal and Kelsa eventually start dating, despite criticism from each of their best friends, and the film follows the pair as they handle their peers' biases and explore their relationship and themselves.

"Anything's Possible" is Kelsa's story, which means the movie is Reign's to carry, and she does so with a brightness that lasts from start to finish. Growing up, Reign was told she "wasn't the right archetype,...

In the age of TikTok, traditional media producers are scrambling to compete for younger audiences, and many are coming up short. An edgy show like “Euphoria” or the sweetly earnest “Sex Education” may be set in the world’s most adult high schools, but their real demographics skew toward Millennials and older Gen Z-ers. Actual teenagers rarely watch anything on a screen bigger than their phones, so it makes sense that the content geared toward them would be, well, somewhat slight. But that’s no reason to sacrifice quality, in fact the opposite will have to be true if we want to get kids back to the movies.

Brimming with heart and not much else, the new teen romance “Anything’s Possible” isn’t likely to create any converts to the unique magic of movies. The feature directorial debut of Emmy-winning “Pose” star Billy Porter, the story follows a transgender...

The Pose actor’s patchy directorial debut follows a black trans teenager in Pittsburgh as she strives to thrive, rather than just survive, senior year

Representation can be a double-edged sword. There’s undeniable power in seeing oneself reflected on screen, in normalizing marginalized identities, but an emphasis on visibility alone can reduce complex characters to one identity, one presentation, a checkbox on a list. This is the fine line walked by Anything’s Possible, a coming-of-age rom-com directed by Pose star Billy Porter, and in its smartest moments, the predominant internal dilemma for Kelsa (Eva Reign), a confident yet guarded Black, transgender teenager in Pittsburgh who, in her own words, wants to thrive in her senior year of high school rather than just survive.

Porter’s directorial debut, written by trans screenwriter Ximena García Lecuona, relies heavily on such hashtag parlance, which splits the 96-minute film, out on Amazon this week,...

In our Q&a series "Popsugar Crush," we get to know some of our favorite celebs' more intimate details - from their first celebrity crush to the best love advice they've ever received. This month, we're crushing on "Anything's Possible" star Abubakr Ali.

Abubakr Ali takes playing a romantic lead very seriously. Maybe that's not surprising, since he's a graduate of the Yale School of Drama. And he loves a rom-com. "I'm the biggest simp," he tells Popsugar about his affection for the genre. But still, even he admits the way he prepared for his role as Khal, the romantic lead in Billy Porter's feature directorial debut, "Anything's Possible," was a little over the top.

"I spent a month, as silly as it is, listening to Disney music, listening to music that made me feel lanky and silly and open," he says. Ali, 31, wanted to get himself in the mindset of Khal,...

Click here to read the full article.

Kelsa, the protagonist of Billy Porter’s sweet and blazing film directorial debut Anything’s Possible, doesn’t want you to call her brave. As a Black trans girl growing up in Pittsburgh, she’s heard the adjective one too many times.

There’s indeed more to this charismatic and self-possessed high school senior, played by the magnetic Eva Reign. She loves fashion — her wardrobe (kusos to Pose alum Analucia McGorty’s costume designs) pops with bejeweled accessories, mini-skirts, funky shoes and colorful blouses. She has a YouTube vlog, where she details her transition, talks about growing up in Pittsburgh and waxes poetic about school, her mom and friendship.

But above all else, Kelsa adores animals. The film opens with the teen explaining her fondness for creatures whose names reflect their unique traits. The Pink fairy armadillo, the blue-footed booby, Scaptia beyonceae (or...

In the very fast-moving “Anything’s Possible,” a romantic comedy set in a Pittsburgh high school, there are scenes between the two leads, Kelsa (Eva Reign) and Khal, that feel fresh and realistic, and this is mainly due to the script by Ximena García Lecuona, which makes the youthful characters and their parents very sensitive and likable.

But this movie starts to go wrong, unfortunately, when the carefully delineated characters get shoehorned into a series of plot-and-issue confrontation scenes that feel very rushed and contrived after the ingratiating realism of the courtship scenes from the first third of the picture.

The first few minutes of “Anything’s Possible” are fairly rocky, as we get introduced to Kelsa and her friends and Kelsa’s divorced mother (Renée Elise Goldsberry of “Hamilton” and “Girls5eva”), who is raising Kelsa by herself. Kelsa has a YouTube channel where she talks about the animal kingdom...

The 40th edition of Outfest is underway in Los Angeles after a rousing opening night with Billy Porter, who unveiled his new film and teed off on the Supreme Court while accepting the Lgbtqia+ festival’s top honor.

“Fuck Scotus!” Porter declared to cheers from the audience at the Orpheum Theatre. Alluding to the Supreme Court’s recent decision overturning Roe v. Wade and the prospect the court might revisit other rulings that okayed same sex consensual sex and same sex marriage, Porter said, “We worked too hard for our progress and we ain’t going back.”

Calling that portion of his speech a “soapbox moment,” he also spotlighted the January 6 hearings examining former President Trump’s role in the Capital insurrection. “None of you Republicans who are coming forward in these hearings right now are heroes,” he remarked. “You agreed with everything he [Trump] did until January 6, until his cult followers came for ya’ll.

Click here to read the full article.

Billy Porter, who was honored with the Outfest Achievement Award on Thursday as part of the LGBTQ+ festival’s opening night, used his onstage time for “a soapbox moment,” taking on the Supreme Court and Republican politicians.

“Fuck Scotus,” Porter declared from the front of downtown L.A.’s Orpheum Theatre, following the Court’s recent strike down of Roe v. Wade: “We worked too hard for our progress and we ain’t going back.”

Amid the Jan. 6 hearings he also called out Republicans who are now testifying and going against Donald Trump, saying, “None of you Republicans who are coming forward in these hearings right now are heroes…you agreed with everything he did until Jan. 6, until his cult followers came for y’all. You are not heroes, fuck y’all too. No more reaching across the aisle to people who don’t want to be touched.

Kelsa, the protagonist of Billy Porter’s “Anything’s Possible,” played by Eva Reign, has already dealt with most of the tough obstacles to claiming her identity as a trans girl: She admitted it to herself, she told her mom (a ferociously supportive Renée Elise Goldsberry), she took the blockers and the hormones, and she went back to the same school where people had previously known her as a boy. She doesn’t like it when people call her “brave”, but she had to be to do all that.

Now Kelsa just wants to blend in and be an “average” girl, even if the film she carries is a sparkling celebration of in-your-face individuality. The truth is, Kelsa’s denying herself a huge part of the average high school experience by avoiding things — like falling in love — that she anticipates being unusually complicated for someone in her position. So how...

In true Billy Porter fashion, the multi-hyphenate superstar didn’t hold back while delivering a politically-charged speech Thursday night at the opening of this year’s Outfest.

“Fuck Scotus!” he said while accepting the Outfest Achievement Award.

His words were met with applause and cheers from the crowd gathered at the Orpheum Theatre in downtown Los Angeles.

He condemned Republicans who testified against Donald Trump and his close aides during the Jan. 6 hearings. “None of you Republicans who are coming forward in these hearings right now are heroes,” Porter said. “You are not heroes.”

He blasted them for standing by Trump until the Capitol riot: “Fuck y’all, too!”

The “Pose” star said left-leaning voters got too comfortable before Trump was elected. “Our messaging has to change,” he said. “We thought we won something – the Democrats, the progressives – we got civil rights, we got Roe v. Wade, we got marriage equality,...

Click here to read the full article.

Billy Porter says his goal in making his new film Anything’s Possible — which marks his directorial debut — was to present a Gen Z coming-of-age story centered on a trans girl that hadn’t existed before, a romantic comedy for today’s generation that’s made in the spirit of a John Hughes film like Pretty in Pink or Sixteen Candles.

“It’s been a dream for a long time. I’ve been working towards it for a very long time,” says Porter, the Emmy-winning star of Pose (who’s also three quarters of the way towards Egot status, thanks to a Tony for the Broadway show Kinky Boots and a Grammy for its soundtrack).

With a Heartstopper-like sweetness, Anything’s Possible, due out July 22 on Amazon Prime Video, tells the story of Kelsa. Played by Eva Reign, Kelsa is a Black...

While Outfest has expanded its events to include exciting year-round programming supporting a variety of LGBTQ+ filmmakers, its flagship event will always be the summer film festival.

Based in Los Angeles, Outfest is one of the first pipelines into the industry for many queer filmmakers and talent, and it’s known as a friendly launching pad for those just starting out.

This year, the festival has attracted some of the biggest names in LGBTQ film, opening with Billy Porter’s directorial debut “Anything’s Possible” and celebrating the 20th anniversary of Todd Haynes’ Sirkian masterpiece “Far From Heaven” with a 35mm screening with Haynes, Julianne Moore, and Christine Vachon in attendance.

Beyond the flashy names and star-studded events, however, the curation team at Outfest always manages to spotlight a wide range of queer films from around the world. Whether hosting world premieres or giving a platform to titles that might...

Outfest has announced the complete lineup for its 40th-anniversary Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Film Festival, which will take place from July 14-24 at multiple locations throughout Los Angeles.

More than 200 films, representing 29 countries, will screen as part of this year’s lineup. 42 will make their world premieres, including the doc Stay on Board: The Leo Baker Story from Drew Barrymore’s Flower Films and Pulse Films; the UK feature Phea, starring Sherika Sherard; Mercedes Kane’s Art and Pep; and Scout Durwood’s Youtopia.

Outfest Los Angeles’ Episodics section will also feature a host of world premieres, including advanced looks at at Shudder’s forthcoming docuseries Queer for Fear; the comedy special Queer Riot, headlined by Margaret Cho; and writer-producer Des Moran’s series halfsies, as well as a free sneak peek screening of the upcoming Prime Video series A League of Their Own, starring Abbi Jacobson.

The fest’s Platinum section,...

LGBTQ+ film and media organization, NewFest, announced the inaugural recipients of the New Voices Filmmaker Grant, a new initiative in partnership with Netflix to support emerging LGBTQ+ filmmakers that will distribute a total of 100,000 in funds.

A cohort of four filmmakers who each receive a 25,000 grant to support professional development and create new work, and will have access to network-building opportunities through industry events and a mentorship track facilitated by NewFest. Netflix has pledged support for this program for two years.

“We were astounded and excited by the volume and strength of applications received,” said NewFest Executive Director David Hatkoff. “With the challenges emerging filmmakers face both in funding and creating their work, this opportunity to support and amplify underrepresented voices by providing resources and guided mentorships has the potential to change careers and lives. We are grateful to Netflix for their trust and support in making this possible on such a large scale.

Click here to read the full article.

Outfest is prepping to roll out the red carpet for a milestone 40th annual event next month, setting Billy Porter’s directorial debut Anything’s Possible to open, horror film They/Them to close, and appearances by Kevin Bacon, Theo Germaine, Julianne Moore, Todd Haynes, Clive Barker, Big Freedia and Christine Vachon, among others.

Presented by Warner Bros. Discover and IMDb, the fest runs July 14-24 at various Los Angeles venues. Opening night, held at Downtown L.A.’s historic Orpheum Theatre, will feature Porter’s Anything’s Possible from Prime Video Original. The high school set pic follows a young trans student and her love interest as they navigate a romance during their senior year and it stars Eva Reign, Abubakr Ali, Simone Joy Jones, Kelly Lamor Wilson and Broadway star Renée Elise Goldsberry.

Opening night is shaping up to be a big evening for Porter,...

Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Film Festival today announced a star-studded lineup of galas and centerpiece events that will punctuate its 40th anniversary, which will be celebrated from July 14-24 in venues around Los Angeles.

The 11-day festival will kick off at downtown L.A.’s Orpheum Theatre with the world premiere of Grammy-, Emmy- and Tony Award-winning artist Billy Porter’s directorial debut, Anything’s Possible. The Prime Video Original is an uplifting teenage romance about an unflappable trans girl and a charming cis boy navigating a senior year relationship. Porter will be present at the event to receive the 2022 Outfest Annual Achievement Award.

The festival will close at The Theater at the Ace Hotel on July 24 with the world premiere of Oscar-nominated screenwriter John Logan’s directorial debut, They/Them. The Blumhouse Production, to be released by Peacock, is a horror film set at an Lgbtqia+ conversion camp, in which...

Prime Video has debuted a new trailer for Billy Porter’s romantic coming-of-age drama ‘Anything’s Possible.’

A modern Gen Z coming-of-age story that follows Kelsa, a confident high school girl who is trans, as she navigates through senior year. When her classmate Khal gets a crush on her, he musters up the courage to ask her out, despite the drama he knows it could cause. What transpires is a romance that showcases the joy, tenderness, and pain of young love.

Directed by Billy Porter, the film stars Eva Reign, Abubakr Ali, and Renée Elise Goldsberry.

Also in trailers – Anya Taylor-Joy stars in teaser trailer for ‘The Menu’

The film hits Prime Video on July 22.

The post Trailer drops for Billy Porter’s ‘Anything’s Possible’ appeared first on HeyUGuys.

The official trailer for Billy Porter’s directorial feature debut, Anything’s Possible, has just been released, and you can see it right here! The film will be released on July 22nd exclusively on Prime Video and is rated PG-13 for strong language, thematic material, sexual material, and brief teen drinking.

Anything’s Possible is a delightfully modern Gen Z coming-of-age story that follows Kelsa, a confident high school girl who is trans, as she navigates through senior year. When her classmate Khal gets a crush on her, he musters up the courage to ask her out, despite the drama he knows it could cause. What transpires is a romance that showcases the joy, tenderness, and pain of young love.

About The Film Genre: Romance, Coming-of-Age Drama Cast: Eva Reign, Abubakr Ali, and Renée Elise Goldsberry Director: Billy Porter Screenplay: Ximena García Lecuona Producer: Christine Vachon, David Hinojosa, Andrew Lauren, D.J. Gugenheim...

Director Bill Porter and actors Kelly Lamor Wilson and Eva Reign and on the set of their film Anything’S Possible An Orion Pictures Release Photo credit: Tony Rivetti © 2022 Orion Releasing LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Watch the trailer for Billy Porter’s directorial debut, Anything’S Possible, starring Eva Reign and Abubakr Ali, With Reneé Elise Goldsberry.

Anything’S Possible is a delightfully modern Gen Z coming-of-age story that follows Kelsa, a confident high school girl who is trans, as she navigates through senior year. When her classmate Khal gets a crush on her, he musters up the courage to ask her out, despite the drama he knows it could cause. What transpires is a romance that showcases the joy, tenderness, and pain of young love.

This looks super cute and the perfect movie for a summer release!

See the uplifting coming-of-age romance directed by Billy Porter and written by Ximena García Lecuona...

"We could live our own life, or spend the rest of our life wondering... what if?" Amazon's Prime Video has revealed an official trailer for an indie coming-of-age film titled Anything's Possible, marking the feature directorial debut of the iconic singer / actor Billy Porter. The film is debuting this July right in the middle of the summer season. A delightfully modern "Gen Z" coming-of-age story that follows Kelsa, a confident high school girl who is trans, as she navigates through senior year. When her classmate Khal gets a crush on her, he tries to get the courage to ask her out on a date. Eva Reign stars as Kelsa, with a main cast including Abubakr Ali, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Courtnee Carter, Kelly Lamor Wilson, Grant Reynolds, Caroline Travers, and Lav Raman. This looks charming and lively and funny, and not as "woke" as it may seem. It even calls out...

See out the first official images (below) from Billy Porter’s directorial feature debut, Anything’s Possible, starring Eva Reign, Abubakr Ali, and Renée Elise Goldsberry.

Anything’s Possible is a delightfully modern Gen Z coming-of-age story that follows Kelsa, a confident high school girl who is trans, as she navigates through senior year. When her classmate Khal gets a crush on her, he musters up the courage to ask her out, despite the drama he knows it could cause. What transpires is a romance that showcases the joy, tenderness, and pain of young love.

About The Film Genre: Romance, Coming-of-Age Drama Cast: Eva Reign, Abubakr Ali, and Renée Elise Goldsberry Director: Billy Porter Screenplay: Ximena García Lecuona Producer: Christine Vachon, David Hinojosa, Andrew Lauren, D.J. Gugenheim

Anything’S Possible is available exclusively on Prime Video on July 22, 2022!

For More Information, Please Visit:

Facebook / Instagram / #AnythingsPossible

The post Official Images from “Anything’s Possible” Released first appeared on CinemaNerdz.

Billy Porter is known for being in front of the camera — most famously as Pray Tell on “Pose” and recently delivering a gender-bending twist on everyone’s favorite fairy godmother in Amazon’s musical movie “Cinderella.”

Now, the Emmy-winning actor is stepping behind the camera to make his feature film directorial debut with “Anything’s Possible,” a John Hughes-esque coming-of-age dramedy about trans high school senior Kelsa (trans newcomer Eva Reign), who is navigating her first boyfriend, Khal (“Katy Keene” actor Abubakr Ali), friendship and family life with her single mom (Renée Elise Goldsberry).

“I ain’t Barbra Streisand yet,” Porter tells me, laughing. “It’s like, let me do one thing at a time. Let me direct something first. Then I’ll direct something and be in it too.”

In “Anything’s Possible,” the spotlight is on Reign, seen here in an exclusive first look at the film. A native of Missouri,...

LIl Nas X, the FX series “Pose,” and the children’s staple “Sesame Street” were all recognized Friday at the 33rd annual GLAAD Media Awards.

In addition, the LGBTQ+ organization honored “Power Rangers” in the kids & family category, and the Broadway productions “Company” and “Thoughts of a Colored Man.”

Judith Light received GLAAD’s Excellence in Media Award from recent Oscar winner Ariana DeBose, while “Star Trek: Discovery” star Wilson Cruz received the Vito Russo Award at the star-studded ceremony.

The New York ceremony was hosted by Peloton instructor Cody Rigsby and “RuPaul’s Drag Race” alum Peppermint. The event also featured special performances from Dove Cameron and Michael R. Jackson, who performed from his Pulitzer-Prize winning Broadway musical “A Strange Loop.”

Last month, an L.A. ceremony recognized additional winners, including the comedy series “Hacks” and the Disney/Marvel movie “Eternals.”

Here’s a complete list of Friday’s winners:...

The 33rd annual GLAAD Media Awards took place in New York City tonight celebrating LGBTQ+ excellence in Hollywood. Honorees include FX’s Pose and Lil Nas X. The event is a continuation of the Los Angeles celebration that took place on April 2.

The east coast ceremony was hosted by celebrity Peloton Instruction Cody Rigbsy and transgender recording artist, actress, GLAAD Board Member, and RuPaul’s Drag Race Alum Peppermint. The event also featured special performances from Dove Cameron and Michael R. Jackson.

A full list of winners can be found below.

Outstanding Broadway Production: (Tie) Company and Thoughts of a Colored Man

Outstanding Music Artist: Lil Nas X

Outstanding Breakthrough Music Artist: Lil Rose, Stronger Than I Am (Big Loud Records/Back Blocks Music/Republic Records)

Outstanding Variety or Talk Show Episode: “Elliot Page” The Oprah Conversation (Apple TV+)

Outstanding TV Journalism Segment: “HIV/AIDS: 40 Years Later” Today (NBC)

Outstanding...

Exclusive: Billy Porter’s What If? from Orion Pictures has set Eva Reign, Abubakr Ali and Renee Elise Goldsberry to star in Porter’s feature directorial debut, which begins production today in Pittsburgh. Courtnee Carter, Kelly Lamor Wilson and Grant Reynolds round out the cast.

The film’s global casting search was overseen by Alexa Fogel. Unfortunately, due to complications owing to backlogs during Covid that have impacted UK citizens coming to the U.S. for work, and after exhausting all avenues over several months’ time, the production was unable to secure a work visa in time for Yasmin Finney, the original actress cast.

The modern coming-of-age story follows Kelsa (Reign), a trans high school senior. After Khal (Ali) posts online about his school crush, the internet encourages him to go for it. What If? tells the story of Kelsa and Khal navigating a senior-year relationship that neither could have expected.

Vice World News is launching a news series about trans issues from around the world.

“Transnational” will feature trans correspondents reporting stories from Mexico, the United States and the United Kingdom. The show will premiere on June 24 on Vice’s YouTube channel and social platforms.

“When trans people watch this show, we want them to feel seen. Like they’re learning about all their siblings across the world — and about all the ways we struggle together against the same forces, sharing tactics and forms of resilience,” said Alyza Enriquez, producer of Vice’s innovation team, who also serves as a producer and correspondent on “Transnational.” “It’s so important that we see stories by us for us — that reflect our collective power.”

Correspondents also include Eva Reign and Freddy McConnell. The premiere season includes stories about efforts to curb violence against Black trans women in Detroit, a shelter in Mexico...

“Pose” star Mj Rodriguez is weighing in on Caitlyn Jenner after the Republican gubernatorial hopeful in California declared that she thinks allowing trans athletes to compete according to their gender identity in high school sports “just isn’t fair.” “It’s unfortunate that she’s one of our sisters saying these things,” Rodriguez tells me on the “Just for Variety” podcast. “But with that, I love her from a distance. I don’t want to spew any hate on her because she is human. But I do think there needs to probably be a learning curve…That’s something that she probably has to deal with. I think she’ll figure it out on her own when there’s a depletion of the community that probably just doesn’t want to deal with her.”

Rodriguez is still glowing from some of the best reviews of her career for her work...