the hot sheet

Omar Rudberg’s emotional goodbye, Jake Gyllenhaal works up a sweat & all the can’t-miss LGBTQ+ releases this week

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Image Credits: ‘Palm Royale,’ AppleTV+ (left) | ‘Young Royals,’ Netflix (center) | ‘Femme,’ Utopia (right)

Need a boost to get over Hump Day? The Hot Sheet is Queerty’s midweek pop culture catch-up, highlighting the entertainment stories everyone’s talking about, the ones you might’ve missed, and the notable LGBTQ+ film & TV releases in the days ahead. Here’s everything you need to stay in-the-know:

What To Watch

  • The 12th Annual Queerties Awards — Now Available (WOW Presents Plus): Now you can stream the gayest night of the year, our annual celebration of the best of LGBTQ+ pop culture.
  • Young Royals, Series Finale — Now Available (Netflix): Are Prince Wilhelm and Simon really endgame? It all comes down to this, the final episode of the hit Swedish teen romance.
  • Stormy — Now Available (Peacock): Adult film star Stormy Daniels became an unlikely political lightning-rod after the presidential scandal, and this doc follows her journey toward reinvention.
  • Palm Royale — Now Available (AppleTV+): The story of social-climbers in 1960s Palm Beach, FL starring Kristen Wiig, Laura Dern, Allison Janney, Carol Burnett, & Ricky Martin—need we say more?
  • X-Men ’97 — Now Available (Disney+): ’90s kids rejoice! Your favorite animated superhero team is back—and gayer than ever—in this throwback series that picks up right where the action left off.
  • Road House — Mar. 21 (Amazon Prime Video): The homoerotic ’80s classic gets a big modern reboot with Jake Gyllenhaal filling in for Patrick Swayze (plus Lukas Gage is there, too!).
  • Anatomy Of A Fall — Mar. 22 (Hulu): This French Oscar-winning courtroom drama was one of the most talked about movies of awards season, and it’s finally arriving on streaming!
  • Femme — Mar. 22 (Select Theaters): A neon-soaked drag revenge tale following a queen (Nathan Stewart-Jarett) who goes de-glammed in order to get closer to her attacker (George MacKay).
  • Problemista — Mar. 22 (Theaters Everywhere): SNL writer and “Space Prince” Julio Torres writes, directs, and stars in this surreal New York City fairytale, co-starring the iconic Tilda Swinton.
  • Slay — Mar. 22 (Tubi): It’s Priscilla Queen Of The Desert meets From Dusk Til Dawn, with Drag Race alum playing queens stranded at a desert dive bar where they have to fend off vampires.

Culture Catch-Up

POOL BOY CHIC: In his revealing new Palm Royale role, Ricky Martin plays an eye-candy bartender at a chic social club in 1960s Florida, which he reveals means he is “almost naked” for most of the show. *drops everything and starts streaming Palm Royale immediately* [Read all about it on Queerty]

STREAM ON: It’s a big day for Netflix as the streamer announces the premiere date of its supernatural mystery series Dead Boy Detectives (adapted from the Neil Gaiman comics) on April 25—featuring plenty of ghostly gays—plus the return of some boys who are very much alive: Heartstopper‘s Charlie and Nick! In a new clip, Joe Locke and Kit Connor tease “sexual tension” in season three, which will drop on Netflix this October.

AWARDS MAGET: Niecy Nash is on top of the world right now, and her moment could not be more deserved. In a new interview, the LGBTQ+ icon reveals how she manifested success by writing an awards speech years ago. [The Gay Times]

A NEW HOPE: That galaxy far, far away looks gayer than ever in the upcoming Star Wars series The Acolyte from queer creator Leslye Headland (Russian Doll, Bachelorette). Now that the thrilling first trailer has dropped, here’s a look at all the LGBTQ+ talent on screen and behind the scenes. [Read all about it on INTO]

THE SWEETEST SWEDE: Now that we’re all cried out after watching the finale of Young Royals, star Omar Rudberg stopped by Queerty fave Tommy Didario’s podcast I’ve Never Said This Before to reflect on the series’ success and share a sweet farewell to the fans. (In other words, keep those tissues nearby!)

HOMO SUPERIOR: With the nostalgic X-Men ’97 now on Disney+, here’s a look back on why the original 1990s animated series—and the team of colorful super-powered mutants—was such a calling card for a generation if queer kids. And, no, it wasn’t all about the muscles and spandex. [Indiewire]

POP GOES THE QUEEN: Drag diva supreme Lagoona Bloo has been keeping us fed with a series of delectable dance-floor gems and her latest single, “Tunnel Vision” (watch the visualizer below), comes complete with news that her debut album Underwater Bubble Pop is dropping April 26. Our ears are ready!!

GO THE DISTANCE: Not only does Zane Phillips look like a live-action Hercules, but he’s got the vocal chops, too. When asked about his interest in a rumored Disney movie, the Fire Island star revealed he’s actually performed “Go The Distance” before—and a resourceful fan found video proof! [Read all about it on INTO]

SING IT!: Turns out American Idol still knows how to get us all up in our feelings. In an emotional audition, contestant Amari delivered a beautiful rendition of Sara Bareilles’ “She Used To Be Mine,” sharing what the song means to her as a trans woman and bringing the judges to tears. [Read all about it on LGBTQNation]

OOH, SAUCY: In her riotous Grindr podcast Who’s The A**hole?, Katya proves she has a way with words and always manages to get her guests spilling some piping hot tea. In the latest episode, rapper Saucy Santana stops by and shares the story of a hookup gone very, very wrong.

AHOY SAILOR: Influential director Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s highly homoerotic final film Querelle is finally coming to The Criterion Collection, but it’s super thirsty, Tom Of Finland-esque new cover art has cinephiles divided. [Read all about it on Queerty]

BODY BY JAKE: Somehow Jake Gyllenhaal got in even better shape for his bar-brawling new role in Road House, and Men’s Health magazine has an extremely up-close-and-personal new look at his sweat-filled workout routine. We certainly… don’t mind the view! [Men’s Health]

The Final Hump

The hottest and gayest streamer out there is… Tubi? After a recent brand makeover, the free service has become one of the top-rated streaming platforms available. As we note in our monthly streaming guides, Tubi maintains a pretty robust catalogue of new and old film favorites, but they’ve also really been upping their original content game of late—especially the queer stuff!

Take for example, the horror-comedy Slay (premiering Mar. 22), which features Drag Race alum Heidi N Closet, Trinity The Tuck, Crystal Methyd, and Cara Melle as a troupe of drag queens who gets stranded at an unfriendly desert dive bar and then end up having to fight for the lives against a blood-thirsty hordes of vampires. Seriously, what genius dreamed up this campy genre/gender-bender??

And then there’s Dead Hot, a queer, colorful British mystery series making its U.S. streaming premiere on Tubi on Mar. 27. It features rising star Bilal Hasna (Layla) and BAFTA-nominated Vivian Oparah (Rye Lane) as a pair of friends drawn into a dark web of conspiracies when a familiar face seemingly comes back from the dead. Considering Tubi is 100% free (truly!), there’s no excuse not to tune in.

Related:

WATCH: Jinkx Monsoon doesn’t hold back in her fiery, funny monologue from the 12th Annual Queerties

“I’m here, I’m queer, so get used to me talking a lot!” – your 2024 Queerties host, Jinkx Monsoon

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