Morgan Spector’s daddy era, a reality crush gets thirsty & all the can’t-miss LGBTQ+ releases of the week

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

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• Fireworks — Now Available (VOD): A swooning young, gay love story set in Italy in the 1980s, based on a true and tragic story from the early days of the Italian Gay Rights movement.
• Maestro — Now Available (Netflix): Gunning for Oscars glory, Bradley Cooper writes, directs, and stars in this biopic of acclaimed queer conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein.
• Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire — Dec. 21 (Netflix): Justice Leaguedirector Zack Snyder shoots for the Star Wars with this sci-fi epic, featuring a prominent role for nonbinary star E. Duffy.
• All Of Us Strangers — Dec. 22 (Select Theaters): Andrew Scott romances Paul Mescal while visiting with the ghosts of his long-dead parents in this haunting, buzzy drama.
• The Color Purple — Dec. 22 (Theaters): The screen adaptation of the hit musical based on the acclaimed Alice Walker novel, with American Idol‘s Fantasia Barrino leading an all-star cast.
• The Crime Is Mine — Dec. 25 (Select Theaters): Queer French filmmaker François Ozon directs this sapphic crime farce, featuring a loony supporting turn from icon Isabelle Huppet.

Culture Catch-Up

STAKE THROUGH THE HEART: FX has announced that the upcoming sixth season of its beloved vampire comedy What We Do In The Shadows—which has been an incredible showcase for queer star Harvey Guillén and his recently out character Guillermo—will be its last. Do vampires cry? Because we are right now! [Variety]

PUMPING IRON & BLOOD: Kristen Stewart is a gym employee with a dark past and The Mandalorian star Katy O’Brien is the competitive bodybuilder she’s infatuated with in queer romantic thriller Love Lies Bleeding from A24 and Saint Maud director Rose Glass. Even this first trailer gets us hyped, so we can’t wait ’til March 8.

HEROES DON’T HAVE TO WEAR CAPES: While certain conservatives are working even harder to ban LGBTQ+ books, DC Comics is only doubling down, making their coterie of superheroes gayer than ever, from gender expansive Circuit Breaker to the son of Superman himself! [Read all about it on LGBTQNation]

DYNAMIC DUO: One of the hottest shows in New York this winter is rising comic Jes Tom‘s one-person show Less Lonely, produced by their good friend Elliot Page. The two got together for a super fun chat about some not-so-fun things, from the queer dating scene to the end of the world. [Read all about it on INTO]

MAKING THE YULETIDE GAY: This week, Netflix’s MOST said “Happy Holi-Gays!” with a special end-of-year event in Los Angeles, and Queerty got to join the fun, celebrating the LGBTQ+ talent who make their original movies and series pop. From Colman Domingo and Niecy Nash-Betts, to past interviewees Hunter Doohan and Godoy, to Trixie Mattel, Peppermint, and Monét X Change (drag queens, oh my!) it was a real who’s who of queer excellence. Check out some photos from Tommaso Boddi below, courtesy of Getty Images for Netflix.

INDIE SPIRIT: Queer star Aubrey Shea (Nashville) has been making waves in Hollywood, with some even bigger plans ahead—next up is Acceptance, a short film they’re writing and directing about their experiences growing up trans/nonbinary in Florida, and their powerful connection to their gay aunt who passed away. The inspiring project is at nearly half its goal on Kickstarter, and it’s not too late to be a part of bringing independent LGBTQ+ stories to life. [Kickstarter]

DADDY DU JOUR: HBO’s period drama The Gilded Age just wrapped up its second season and it’s high time you catch up—not just because it seems like every gay is watching, but also because it stars bearded hunk Morgan Spector and… well, forget a snack; that man is an entire meal. [Read all about it on Queerty]

AWARD-WORTHY: Winner of the Queer Palm at the Cannes Film Festival this spring, Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Monster is the story of a mother who goes searching for answers when her young son begins acting strangely. One of our most anticipated features of the year, the film’s now playing in U.S. theaters nationwide, and you check out a special preview clip below:

WE’RE SOLD: Gayest Episode Ever podcaster Drew Mackie recently stumbled on some vintage holiday menswear ads that can best be described as wholesome and homoerotic. So what we’re wondering is: What were they trying to sell us in the ’50s, exactly? [Read all about it on INTO]

GET REAL: Even if you missed Netflix’s extra ridiculous “reality” competition show Surviving Paradise when it premiered this past October, you might find it helpful to know that out gay cast member Alex Dourassof has no problem showing off his goods on Instagram. Consider this an early Christmas gift!

OH MY, OMAR: We nabbed an exclusive interview with Elite hottie Omar Ayuso who filled us in on the Netflix soap’s upcoming final season, coming of age in front of the camera, and why he’s “not very shy about nudity.” [Read all about it on Queerty]

CAROLING QUEENS: “Holiday classics” aren’t usually created overnight, but Cher‘s “DJ Play A Christmas Song” has already joined the pantheon of seasonal greats just a few months after its release—a fact that’s only been solidified by Kelly Clarkson’s barn-burner of a Kellyoke cover. This diva link-up is making us very merry.

The Final Hump

Everyone who’s ever lived in an apartment building knows the distinct annoyance of hearing your neighbors’ entire lives play out from the other side of your building’s very thin walls. In the hilarious short film Troy, writer-director Mike Donahue explores that peculiar “relationship” to amusing ends as a young New York couple (Adina Verson, Michael Braun) finds themselves caught up in the very loud, very active romantic life of the gay sex worker who lives next door (Florian Klein). We were lucky enough to catch the short—which features appearances from famous faces like Dylan Baker, Dana Delany, and gay actor Max Jenkins—at Outfest, where it was a real crowd pleaser. And now, you can see Troy for yourself via The New Yorker, which is extra exciting because, according to Screen Rant, it has a shot at becoming an Oscar nominee for Best Live Action Short.

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