Paul Mescal goes gay (again), an ‘SNL’ star flashes his cheeks & all the can’t-miss LGBTQ+ releases this 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

• Lisa Frankenstein — Feb. 27 (VOD): Diablo Cody pens this quirky horror-comedy ode to goth girls, about a high school loner who brings her long-dead crush back to life.
• Monster — Feb. 27 (VOD): Japanese auteur Kore-eda Hirokazu (Shoplifters) directs this drama about a mother and her increasingly distant son, which won the Queer Palm award at Cannes.
• Dead Hot — Mar. 1 (Amazon Prime Video): Sundance breakout Bilal Hasna & BAFTA nominee Vivienne Oparah star in this dark, queer comedy about a boyfriend gone missing.
• Dune: Part 2 — Mar. 1 (Theaters): The long-awaited sequel to Denis Villeneuve’s sci-fi epic, based on the Frank Herbert novel, starring Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya.
• Problemista — Mar. 1 (Select Theaters): Comedian Julio Torres makes his feature directorial debut with this magically surreal story about chasing your dreams in NYC. Co-starring Tilda Swinton.
• Silver Haze — Mar. 1 (Select Theaters): A British drama about a nurse, still traumatized by a fire that nearly claimed her life as a child, who unexpectedly falls for one of her patients.

Your daily dose of fabulousi-TEA

Subscribe to our daily newsletter for your front-row seat to all things entertainment with a sprinkle of everything else queer.

Culture Catch-Up

BRO-MANCE: Heartthrobs Paul Mescal (All Of Us Strangers) & Josh O’Connor (God’s Own Country) are set to play lovers in the period romance The History Of Sound from queer filmmaker Oliver Hermanus. We’ve been drooling over the thought since its first announcement in ’21, and now filming has finally begun. [Film Updates]

EGOT INCOMING: Another week, another major announcement from Queen of All Queens Jinkx Monsoon. Before she heads back to Chicago on Broadway, she’ll be making a stop over at the Little Shop Of Horrors, playing Audrey opposite High School Musical‘s Corbin Bleu. Utterly bewitching casting! [Broadway World]

BABYGIRL ERA: Well before he was the brooding action star we know (and love) today, Keanu Reeves cut his teeth in Canadian theater, including a queer play called Wolfboy where he got super close with his equally twinky co-star Carl Marotte—and we have the photos to prove it! [Read all about it on INTO]

JOCK JAMS: Queerties nominated E.R. Fightmaster (Grey’s Anatomy) has linked up with hilarious pals Tien Tran (How I Met Your Father) and Kate Kershaw (Fargo) for a new podcast called Jockular, taking a look at the wide world of sports through queer femme/trans/nonbinary gaze. [Variety]

MMM BEEF-Y: During his acceptance speech at the SAG Awards for Beef, Steven Yeun revealed one of his first paid acting gigs required him to “[wriggle] around in a Speedo,” so you know we had to do some internet sleuthing to dig that up! [Read all about it on Queerty]

ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS: By now we’re sure you’ve heard that balance has been returned to the universe and Queer Eye‘s Fab Five is once again a quintet, with designer Jeremiah Brent taking over for Bobby Berk. Well, we did a deep dive and found this sweet throwback of him sharing some wise words about coming out.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by JEREMIAH BRENT (@jeremiahbrent)

TALES OF THE COUNTRY: Acclaimed Tales Of The City scribe Armistead Maupin is weighing in on the state of the union—connecting dots between past “scumbags” like Richard Nixon & Anita Bryant to current villains like Trump & Boebert—ahead of his new novel, Mona Of The Manor. [Read all about it on LGBTQNation]

NO MORE DRAMA: The hilarious Benito “Benny Drama” Skinner has officially lined up original comedy series Overcompensating with streamer Amazon Prime Video, playing a closeted high school football star—loosely based on his own life!—featuring original music from Charli XCX. [Deadline]

SILVER SCREEN: In writer-director Sacha Polak’s fantastic queer indie gem Silver Haze (in select theaters Mar. 1, available on VOD Mar. 12), Vicky Knight plays a nurse still traumatized by the fire that nearly claimed her life as a child, who unexpectedly falls for a patient (Esme Creed-Miles) and finds a sense of belonging for the first time in years. Queerty is honored to share this exclusive clip, which shows how the women’s relationship puts them at odds with everyone around them.

A SORRY LOT: At last week’s BAFTAs, the BBC made a red carpet faux pas when it awkwardly grilled Andrew Scott about Barry Keoghan’s nude scene in Saltburn. Now, the news org is offering a half-hearted apology while trying to explain their line of questioning. [Read all about it on LGBTQNation]

DREAM TEAM?: Movie gossip blog World Of Reel recently reported that “pope of trash” John Waters would be teaming up with Aubrey Plaza for his first film in nearly 20 years, Liarmouth, set to begin production this summer However, Waters’ friend Peaches Christ is setting the record straight, sharing a note from the icon himself that says the film sadly doesn’t have a greenlight… yet! We’re holding out hope though! [Instagram]

CHEEKY: We understand if you skipped this past weekend’s SNL—hosted by fired almost-cast member Shane Gillis—but do yourself a favor and check out the “HR Meeting” sketch, if for no reason other than to see star Marcello Hernández flash some cakes in a sight gag involving ultra short shorts. You won’t be disappointed. [Read all about it on Queerty]

The Final Hump

If you were one of those queer kids who connected more with characters on your TV screen than the kids in your classroom, then I Saw The TV Glow is the movie you’ve been waiting for. Trans filmmaker Jane Schoenbrun follows up their lo-fi horror We’re All Going To The World’s Fair with this dark fantasy about two loner kids (Justice Smith, Brigette Lundy-Paine) who bond over their obsession with a Buffy-esque show called “The Pink Opaque” and begin to wonder if maybe its world is more real that the suburbs they feel so trapped in. From the show-within-the-movie to the killer soundtrack to some throwback TV cameos we won’t spoil here, this head-trip of a movie was the talk of Sundance, and it feels destined to be a queer cult favorite for years to come. A24 just dropped a new trailer, teasing its “coming soon”—but, frankly, that’s not soon enough!