California runs the largest tribal casino market in the country, with more than seventy properties generating over nine billion dollars a year, plus licensed card rooms, the state lottery, and a racing calendar that still fills Santa Anita and Del Mar. What it has not had, until the rules were settled this year, is a clear answer on which casino-style games are fine to play from a phone in Los Angeles. As of 2026, that answer exists, and it points to one format.

Free slot tournaments, where entrants spin with contest credits and compete for a place on a leaderboard, fall outside what California law prohibits online. No stake, no payout, nothing to redeem: the two elements the law targets are absent, so the format sits outside the prohibition rather than being expressly permitted by it. For a reader who enjoys slots at Pechanga or Yaamava’ and wants that competitive edge at home, this is the format built for the state’s rules.

What AB 831 Changed for California Players

Assembly Bill 831, signed by Governor Newsom on 11 October 2025 and in force since 1 January, settled the online question. The bill defines a prohibited online sweepstakes game by its dual-currency structure, one coin for play and a second that converts to cash, and then adds a sentence that matters more to a casual player than the rest of the statute: the paragraph does not make unlawful a game that does not award cash prizes or cash equivalents.

That is where free tournaments sit. The best free online slot tournaments give every entrant a fixed number of spins, convert each result into points under a published scoring rule, and rank the field over a day or a week. There is one currency; it exists only inside the contest, and the reward is a standing on the board or free spins on the site itself. Every element of that format sits outside the prohibition the Legislature drew, which is why it has moved from a side feature on operator sites to the main event for California players.

A Regulated Real-Money Market Is Being Built Toward 2028

Real-money online casino, online poker and mobile sports betting have never been offered in California, and the path to them runs through the state’s tribes, who hold gaming exclusivity under their compacts. The California Nations Indian Gaming Association has set November 2028 as the target for a unified tribal initiative covering retail and online sports betting, a timetable the association has publicly supported. The 2022 experience, when tribal and commercial campaigns ran competing measures, is the reason the tribes are building one proposal this time rather than rushing a second attempt.

This November’s ballot is a busy one, and the political stakes heading into the midterms are real for readers of this paper, but gaming is not on it by design. In the meantime, the in-person market carries on at full strength, and the online side has a format that needs no ballot, no compact, and no license to enjoy. Free tournaments of this kind fall outside what current law prohibits, and the 2028 timetable gives the state two full seasons to get the larger framework right.

The Prize Table Tells You Everything About Whether a Tournament Fits California

Because the law turns on cash equivalents, the one thing worth checking before entering any tournament is what the winner receives. Contests that award leaderboard standing, badges or free spins on the site are the California version. Formats offered in other states sometimes pair free entry with a deposit option or pay cash to the top finishers, and those are a different product built for a different rulebook. A quick read of the prize table settles it, and a well-run tournament site puts that information on the entry page rather than in the terms.

The full text of AB 831 is short and worth ten minutes if a site’s terms are unclear. For a Californian who enjoys slots, the practical picture in 2026 is a strong in-person scene, a regulated online market taking shape for 2028, and a free tournament format available today that turns a favorite game into a competition with other players across the country. Help for problem gambling is available around the clock at 1-800-GAMBLER.

With the midterms fast approaching and Donald Trump’s malignant whimsy dictating the American agenda, many of us feel unsafe as scraps of hard economic and political news randomly swirl around our lives like debris in the swelling tornado outside Dorothy’s Wizard of Oz window. What’s happening? Will I get hit? Who can I trust to help me?

But all may not be what it seems. As America faces a reckoning with Trumpism and Trump’s cratering approval ratings, new leaders are emerging, standing in the breach to help reclaim our common humanity.

Anti-trans political spots blight the airwaves, for instance, driven by Elon Musk’s America PAC, “which has dropped $100 million on anti-transgender ads targeting Democrats,” trans columnist Erin Reed writes in her Erin in the Morning Substack.

The ads are proving largely ineffective. “Anti-trans ads may scare Democratic candidates, but among the general public, polls consistently show that voters rank transgender issues among the lowest-priority issues they care about and vote on, with less than 1% of respondents naming ‘wokeness/transgender issues’ as a top issue,” Reed notes.

However, by saturating the airwaves, trans people are constantly bombarded by “hateful messaging” that also hits unsuspecting viewers.

“They paint transgender people as predatory and disgusting to a national audience in a cheap attempt to win votes, and every viewing raises the temperature of the hate and abuse directed at a community that is already a target,” Reeds writes.

While trans people make conscious existential choices every day, many also live fulfilling lives and seek to be of service in unexpected ways and places.

Take the purple state of Wisconsin. Out lesbian Sen. Tammy Baldwin has won 17 general election races since 1986. Out trans candidate Dina Nina Martinez-Rutherford recently won her Democratic primary for a State Assembly seat representing the 76^th District in Madison. And TikTok star and New York Times best-selling author Mercury Stardust, an expert in home repair, also lives in Madison with her trans spouse.

“I was a burlesque and drag entertainer, and I was also a maintenance technician for a property management company and for various companies in tropical Madison, Wisconsin,” Stardust says during an interview while on a book tour for her second book, Lost and Found, A Compassionate Guide to Home Repair.

She became well known on the internet for helping strangers learn how to fix their pipes and drywall, helping a lot of renters – which led to her first book, Safe and Sound: A Renter-Friendly Guide to Home Repair.

Stardust now lives in a home in Madison with her “wonderful spouse, Mouse ZZ” to whom she has been married for 10 years. ZZ (Ari) was also born and raised in Wisconsin, went to Cleveland, Ohio, for their undergraduate college degree, and returned home to get their master’s degree at UW-Madison.

“My trans journey is a fairly small part of my entire journey as a content creator, but I have kind of been really public about me raising money for gender-affirming care and helping other trans people access gender-affirming care” through Point of Pride, Stardust says.

And with confidence, you get to show up as all of who you are. “It’s like being a maintenance technician in those spaces, you know? And there is no joke there. It’s like, this is a real aspect of who I am,” Stardust says, “where I’m gonna show up as who I am and just live my life the way that anyone would, because I’m just a human being. There’s nothing necessarily uniquely special about that. It’s just the fact that I’m also a trans person who happens to be really good at maintenance and is also very good at educating people” on DIY home repairs.

But Mercury Stardust’s big laugh and positive attitude, teaching DIY as The Trans Handy Ma’am, is also quietly empowering, building confidence for vulnerable people that they can fix something and not have to rely on a landlord or strangers. And if the need for maintenance is greater than their capabilities, learning how to pick professional help is important, too.

Practicing self-confidence and showing up safely can also be developed as skills to help build community at this dangerously precarious time when more and more tornadoes, real and imagined, increasingly swirl around us.

The tornadoes are a shared common problem that supersedes petty divisiveness while at the same time elevating and listening to the intersectional experience of those hit the hardest.

Here are some scraps of hard news swirling around in today’s tornadoes, issues we all have to deal with now and whenever Trump crashes.

In the last two years, the Trump administration’s enforcement of Project 2025 has resulted in trans people receiving greater hostile visibility and political scapegoating, in addition to shared cold, hard healthcare issues, food insecurity, housing insecurity, and high home heating and gasoline prices.

Right now, it’s hard to know who’s telling the truth and who’s offering credible ideas and solutions.

Since his first term, Donald Trump’s Orwellian version of truth as “alternative facts” has poisoned the well of discourse and promoted cruelty and division. Journalists were finally forced to call him a liar, question his mental stability and acuity, and peg him as a wannabe dictator.

“We do now live in a country that has an authoritarian leader in charge. We have a consolidating dictatorship in our country,” out MSNBC anchor Rachel Maddow said Monday night, Aug. 4, 2025. “The question is no longer how to prepare for this risk or how to try to avert it, but rather how to fight it now that it is here and in effect.”

Just over a year later, Trump banned broadcast TV press pool coverage from the White House campus while his Justice Department essentially lied for him in court proceedings. Trump launched his own authoritarian-like Trump TV programing to try to control the narrative. On Sept. 24, a Trump-appointed judge issued a temporary restraining order requiring the restoration of press passes.

But with the specific issue of pool coverage still unresolved, the Oval Office meeting between Trump and China’s dictator Xi Jinping was covered by Chinese state media but not covered live by US cameras, with BBC reporters noting, “we’re not sure exactly what they spoke about.” Reminder: at a two-hour private meeting with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin in 2018, Trump told the press that he believed Putin over US Intelligence.

Vice President JD Vance’s announcement of the administration’s intention to remove 760,000 Affordable Care Act enrollees from public healthcare exchanges adds to the five million people who dropped their ACA insurance after Trump and the Republican Congress let premium prices skyrocket. “Give us another chance — or, give us another couple of years to continue to work on the amazing things that we’ve been doing for the past two years,” Vance said on the All In podcast.

Meanwhile, more than 4 million people lost access to critical food aid between last July and April — many of whom are children – because of cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP/food stamps), which the White House called “bloated.” More cuts are expected by the end of 2026, NPR reported last month.

Meanwhile, more than 160,000 pounds of raw meat with fake USDA inspection labels were recalled on Sept. 24; the CDC reports that as of September 17, 2026, 3,471 confirmed* measles cases were reported in the United States in 2026; and university scientists think outbreaks of infectious diseases like Ebola, hantavirus, bird flu and COVID-19 are on the rise.

And as Trump’s war of choice in Iran expands throughout the Middle East, home heating oil and gas and diesel prices continue to climb. An estimated 4 million to 5 million households use heating oil for homes during the winter, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Massachusetts is already reporting that for the week of Sept. 21, 2026, the average retail price for heating oil hit $6.15 per gallon. That’s a 74.7% jump compared to last year, or a $6,000 bill compared to previous years of maybe a $3,500 or $4,000 bill.

And what’s going to happen when the nor’easter storms hit the East Coast? California Gov. Gavin Newsom has already declared a state of emergency to prepare for being the epicenter for a predicted “historically intense El Niño,” according to a news release from the governor’s office. There’s a 75% chance this super storm will become the strongest since 1950, according to the latest reliable forecast.

While Trump is bored with the war and calls the affordability crisis a hoax, community grassroots organizations such as Indivisible help produce No Kings protests nationwide, and individuals like Mercury Stardust help empower people to show up as who they are where they live.

Maybe they will also show up and share common ground over a common issue and create a new kind of real equality-based intersectional democracy, a more perfect union, in the process.

This is a cross-post from Karen’s LGBTQ+ Freedom Fighters Substack.

“When the legend becomes fact, print the legend.”

That famously cynical quote from the 1962 Western movie “The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance” could easily have been the mission statement behind the latest season of Ryan Murphy’s controversial anthology series, “Monster,” which retells the story of America’s most famous axe murderer – Lizzie Borden, who, in 1892, “took an axe” to her father and stepmother at their family home in Fall River, Mass.

Except, officially, she didn’t. Borden was acquitted of the killings in a trial that was a national sensation; the crime remained unsolved, and despite rumors and theories that have proliferated over the last century, nobody really knows what actually happened nor who was responsible for it.

Yet in the popular imagination, Lizzie is still remembered as a killer who got away with one of the most notorious murders in American history. Though she walked free and lived a life of wealth and high social position for another three decades after her trial, she never truly escaped the scandal; she would be forever branded as guilty, her alleged crime even immortalized in a children’s schoolyard rhyme, and all but a few die-hard theorists assume, unequivocally, that she was the killer. In other words, the legend of Lizzie Borden, axe-murderer, has “become fact.”

“Monster: The Lizzie Borden Story,” like most other retellings of this gruesome crime saga, “prints” the legend – and indeed, goes even further to canonize her into something like a radical feminist saint.

With Ella Beatty (daughter of Hollywood royalty Warren Beatty and Annette Bening) in the title role, the show frames Lizzie as the repressed and disregarded adult child of wealthy businessman Andrew Borden (Charlie Hunnam) and stepmother Abigail (Rebecca Hall), who married her father after her mother’s death; both of them treat her – and indeed, almost everyone around them – with dismissive cruelty. Andrew is an alcoholic who openly disdains both wife and daughter, while Abigail takes out her own frustration with the marriage on Lizzie, whom she has branded as a “simple” child that she never wanted to have – and a difficult one at that.

The arrival of a new household maid — Bridget Sullivan (Vicki Krieps), who goes by the name “Maggie” — changes Lizzie’s outlook and her destiny. Well-traveled, worldly, and deeply independent, Maggie befriends her and becomes both her companion and mentor, introducing her to new ideas and cultivating her sense of self-worth; they become lovers, their bond deepened by a dissatisfaction with the cultural limits imposed upon them by their status as women. As conditions within the household grow increasingly unbearable, they formulate a gruesome plan which, if they can succeed, will liberate them from the patriarchal subjugation that relegates them to the level of chattel while puffing a pipe full of expensive tobacco.

From there, writer/creator Ian Brennan takes us through an effectively grisly re-enactment of the famous murders and onward through the trial in which Lizzie, ironically benefitting from stereotyped male assumptions about what women are or are not capable of doing, is ultimately acquitted of the gruesome crime she absolutely DID commit. It then follows her – and Bridget – into the aftermath of the scandal, where a kind of imprisonment awaits them both, anyway.

Boldly crafted with cinematic flourish (six episodes were directed by Max Winkler, the two others by Sarah Adina Smith) and continuing the series’ tradition of lavishly depicted violence, one can’t deny that it’s a wild ride. It flaunts its contemporary attitude through fiercely eclectic musical choices in the soundtrack, from the lushly romantic classical tones of its late 19th-century period to ferociously feminist ‘90s punk; it includes graphic sex both tender and aggressive, juxtaposed with scenes of pastoral beauty and genteel refinement; and, as always in Ryan Murphy’s “true story” productions, it plays fast-and-loose with the facts, choosing instead to lean into artistic license in order to expand on the “hotbed” themes woven into the narrative.

In this case, Brennan’s version of Lizzie’s tale mines the historical record to incorporate lesser-known factual details while veering into speculation to fill the blanks elsewhere; it creates incidents that didn’t happen, alters incidents that did, and embellishes what’s known of its characters’ private lives with details that no one could know; and, like other seasons of “Monster” have done, it finds a way to introduce extra real-life killers into the mix – blood-bathing 16th-century Countess Elizabeth Báthory (also played by Krieps) and hitchhiking 20th-century serial murderer Aileen Wournos (Sarah Paulson) – for good measure. The result, of course, is a work of complete fiction.

These are the things that have consistently made “Monster” one of Murphy’s most controversial television franchises. The excesses of gore and brutality, though they might seem gratuitous to some and are certainly hard to watch for many, is arguably justified by the show’s branding as a “horror” series; less easy to write off, however, is the criticism of many detractors that the series spreads false information and perpetuates myths, whether to “push” an agenda or in the name of “artistic interpretation.”

“The Lizzie Borden Story,” consequently, has already been met with such objections – though in today’s political climate, it’s hard to know if they are really about the blending of fact and fiction or the feminist social commentary that runs through the show like a vein of molten lava. Brennan’s vision of Lizzie’s presumed crime casts her as woman suffering from a life of psychological torment by her parents, and Bridget – who has experienced more than her own fair share of mistreatment at the hands of aggressively toxic men – as her savior; the act they concoct and execute together is a radical act of defiant rebellion against an ingrained system of patriarchal domination, and we are set up from the start to be completely on their side.

That radical feminist thread pops up everywhere: through Lizzie’s stepmother (despite her own monstrosity), who is granted a share of empathy for the sake of her own stifled existence; through famous actress Nance O’Neil (Jessica Barden), who steps in to become an ally at a crucial juncture of Lizzie’s trial; even through her estranged sister (Billie Lourd), who sets aside her own doubts to support Lizzie in sisterly solidarity. Brennan even imagines Lizzie as an activist in the fight for women’s suffrage.

Of course, if one is inclined to view “Monster” as a documentary crime series, occupied with discerning facts and providing an objective overview of the case, that’s a perfectly good reason not to watch its latest installment. For those who realize that it is instead a vehicle for artistic expression, a series devoted to finding the kind of truth that transcends facts and challenges viewers to examine the cultural conditions that create these “monsters” in the first place, this might be its best season yet.

Exquisitely realized, shrewdly written, and featuring outstanding performances across the board, it’s not really a crime story, nor really even horror: it’s an exhilarating, satisfying, and thoroughly transgressive fantasia on an American legend that puts the blame for the Borden family murder squarely where it belongs – on the oppressive cruelty that drives otherwise good-hearted women to commit unspeakable acts.

For most of history, performers have been forced to hide their queer identity to succeed — Rosslyn Luke is determined to do the exact opposite. 

The past few years have been a professional whirlwind for the actress; she just starred in NEON’s Paper Tiger alongside Scarlett Johansson, Adam Driver, and Miles Teller. This comes after almost a decade of Rosslyn making a name for herself in the indie filmmaking world. It’s promising to be the first in a new wave of large-scale features, with Luke being announced alongside Emma Roberts and Leslie Bibb for a new film focused on renowned advocate Hal Donaldson. 

It’s been amazing for Luke’s many longtime fans to see the actress finally receive the appreciation she deserves. And, especially for LGBTQ+ film-lovers, it’s so much better when viewers learn she’s doing all of this while being openly, proudly queer. 

“Getting the role in Paper Tiger was a dream come true,” raved Luke. “My first day on set, I was sitting at a kitchen table with Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver — my heart still kind of races when I think about it — and there was very much a feeling of, ‘Oh, I’ve done it.’” 

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It was a defining success for Rosslyn’s long career, with the actress joking about her first big role: starring in her Washington state elementary’s school’s Christmas play. Little Luke instantly fell in love with the versatility that acting entailed, a passion she still feels in every role today, saying, “I think it’s the exploration…I’m really curious about what makes everyone who they are. I really enjoy research and trying to figure out who my characters are, and all of the humanity that exposes me to. I think that is a huge gift.” 

This sense of exploration not only fuels Rosslyn’s love for acting but also helped her realize and embrace her truest self when she came out seven years ago. 

“I didn’t come out until I was 30,” the actress reminisced, thinking about the journey it took to understand her sexuality. “And the exploration it took to get there [is] a lot like the exploration I do through roles. I would take characters that weren’t necessarily gay and twist them to have queer backstories. And I think that was…my way of exploring in this safe world as an actor, before bringing it into the real world.”

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And since bringing it into the real world, Luke has refused to hide her sexuality. She remembers that moment at the table with Driver and Johansson and how invested each actor was in her upcoming nuptials, with Rosslyn laughing, “It was very present in the room, my queerness. They both asked a gazillion questions — Adam was extremely invested in my engagement and how I was going to do the proposal. Yeah, it was very sweet!”

Luke’s genuine excitement over being able to pursue these large roles as an out queer woman is refreshing within an entertainment industry that still struggles with homophobia. It’s a fact that may shock some viewers; we’ve been lucky to see many queer-centric projects in the last few years. But there is still a great stigma against LGBTQ+ performers and creatives, with these people not only facing immense hurdles, but outright discrimination when trying to get their art made while being open about who they are. These lingering stigmas are ones that Rosslyn knows well and refuses to put up with in this new phase of her career, stating, “It’s such a big part of my identity, being a queer woman. And I feel like every time it’s ignored, it’s kind of… it feels like this huge boulder that I have to go around as I’m talking about myself.”

“As a queer person now, you know, years after coming out, I’ve spent so much time rediscovering who I am. Re-finding bits of myself that I now understand better. And that just brings so much more clarity to each of my performances and each of my characters. Because I feel like the more that I understand myself. the more that I can understand the world around me, and hopefully represent it in a…more accessible way.”

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Luke’s deeper understanding and love for her sexuality clearly show in the powerful performances she’s offered in recent years, ones that are gaining her more attention than she’s ever had before. It’s clear that the actress is preparing for a whole new wave of big features like the ones she’s been proud to work on. And Rosslyn knows that not only do these projects mean so much to her, but also to the many viewers who want nothing more than to see an LGBTQ+ person winning today. 

To these fans, Rosslyn says, “I hope…I hope they feel seen. I hope that I can present an authentic version of myself as I go out into the world, as I move forward in my career. And I hope that having my performances be respected and grounded in reality will allow other girls to know that they can do whatever they want to do. Even if they’re gay, even if they’re from a small town in Washington where there’s not a lot of representation. You can do it…you can kind of be whatever you want to be.” 

And then, after thinking a moment, Rosslyn laughed and added, “You might have to get out of that town, though.”

At long last, Celia Rose Gooding can talk about the Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 4 finale. And it’s a finale that belongs almost exclusively to her.

In the finale episode, now available to stream on Paramount+, communications officer Nyota Uhura (Gooding) comes face-to-face with an older version of herself.

In order to save Scotty (Martin Quinn), Uhura must uncover a mystery and confront the leader she was always destined to be.

It’s one step closer to Strange New Worlds closing the gap between The Original Series, where fans were first introduced to Uhura through Nichelle Nichols’ iconic performance back in 1966.

“We see them confront each other and love each other in a way that can only breed more self-acceptance, self-understanding and self-actualization, which is what fans have been hungry for this whole time,” Gooding says of Uhura’s interaction between past and future self.

Gooding spoke with The Blade to break down the emotional final episode, why she was hesitant to pay homage to Nichelle Nichols’ beehive hairdo, and her hopes for the future of Black and queer representation on Star Trek amid the Paramount-Warner Bros. merger. This interview has been edited and condensed.

I know you’ve already finished filming the upcoming fifth and final season, so first of all, congratulations! This finale is such an exciting showcase for you. Can you break down this time travel twist and how you approached playing these two different versions of Uhura?

So much of what this episode meant to me was about honoring everything Uhura means — not just to me, but to Trekkies across the world, to people who’ve seen themselves in Uhura, and most importantly to Nichelle Nichols. I didn’t get the opportunity to meet her, although I’m desperate to have had that. But I think there’s something really special and unique about being able to have a conversation with a version of yourself that you no longer recognize in the past, and also a version of yourself that you do not recognize in the future. So much of the conversation between the two Uhuras in the beginning is filled with tension; they’re not super fond of each other just because they are so different. There’s so much growth and separation between their two mentalities. Given the stakes of the episode, Strange New Worlds is hearing things and is called on in a way that she does not understand. And so much of Uhura’s job, as a communications officer, is to understand — especially the things that she’s hearing, the conversations that are going on. When she is detached from that understanding, she’s left floating in this really uncomfortable space. The first thing that she can reach out and grab onto is something that should not be happening; she should not be able to speak to a version of herself that exists in the future. It breaks so many directives; she is breaking a lot of rules about time travel and temporal anomalies.

And then on the flip side, we have TOS [The Original Series] Uhura, who gets back on this mission, and something has gone terribly wrong. That tenacity, that perseverance, that reminiscent characteristic between both of these Uhuras is that they’re not going to give up. I love that in Uhura’s mind, if something doesn’t make sense to her, it’s because something is wrong. And not because she is incapable of understanding what’s happening; it’s that something has happened and it must be corrected. I love the confidence that we see in TOS Uhura of talking to her friends and crewmates and being like, “You aren’t listening to me. You need to listen to me!”

What was the most challenging part of playing these two parts?

The time jump between the two of them. Originally, it was three years, but now in the edit it’s just one. And playing Strange New Worlds Uhura, who knows all of this time has passed but doesn’t know what’s in it that makes her future self so unrecognizable — at first, I was trying really hard to make sense of that tension, trying to establish something. I kept coming up against the obstacle of, “How can I make this make sense?” Even when we only had 16 hours until shooting, I was down to the wire. I had conversations with director Chris Fisher, and he really implored me to not focus so hard on trying to make it make sense; the moment it makes sense is the moment we don’t have a story anymore. So much of the tension and conflict is that we don’t understand how this has happened; these two characters have to make it make sense together, and they do, because they always do! But it was a real challenge as an actor to live in that liminal, unknown, uncharted space and let that discomfort be the fuel for the engine that is the story. Even as I talk about it now, I fear that I’m not making any sense!

Finally, I think fans of Uhura have been so hungry for her to just inch closer and closer and close that gap, and I think while [the Season 4 finale] doesn’t completely close that gap all the way, we see them confront each other and love each other in a way that can only breed more self-acceptance, self-understanding, and self-actualization, which is what fans have been hungry for this whole time. 

And you get to pay homage to Nichelle Nichols with that iconic beehive hairdo.

Story-wise, it was important for us to give the audience a way to immediately recognize who was talking because they’re both me, with my face. And it wasn’t just my hair that established the timeline change — it was the lighting, color grading, and everyone else’s different looks and costume changes. But the conversation around that iconic beehive- at first, I was a little resistant. I’m not gonna lie to you. I didn’t love the idea of recreating this iconic hairstyle because I have such admiration for Nichelle Nichols. God, I owe her so much for this era of my career. It is all thanks to her and what she has done, and so it felt like blasphemy, sacrilege. I was like, “I don’t know if this is right, guys; I think some things are just meant to be precious.” And then I saw it on camera, and I was like, “You know what? Maybe there’s a reason why they’re the showrunner, and maybe I should just do my part and let everybody else do their part.” It’s so recognizable, iconic, and immediately present.

I’m just filled with pride. I’ve been holding on to this episode for so long. I’ve been dying to talk about this episode because we shot it a year and four months ago, in June 2025. And I’m just really excited for fans to see it. It was a labor of love. It is an ode to Nichelle, but it’s also an ode to the version of Celia that said yes to playing Uhura because she had no idea what she was fucking in for. She had no idea, and just as Uhura held her hands and said, “You’re doing great,” I just want to hug that version of myself who was so hard on themselves, the same way the Strange New Worlds Uhura is, and just tell her to exhale and be like, “Baby, you got it. The hard part is behind you now. You get to just show up, do your job, and learn the lessons day-by-day.

As we’re celebrating Star Trek’s 60th anniversary this year, it’s been a moment to recognize the show’s diversity and inclusion. There are, naturally, some fears about what the future of the show will look like considering where the industry is going amid the Paramount merger. As a queer person, how do you feel about the potential for the show to continue embracing diversity and perspective?

I know my publicist is holding her breath right now! I am really excited to be surprised about the future of Trek because right now, realistically, there is no Trek in production. We have another season of Starfleet Academy to release, and another season of Strange New Worlds to release, and then it gets quiet for live-action Star Trek. I know there’s a Nickelodeon show coming; there’s a lot of animated Trek happening, but when it comes to Gene Roddenberry’s vision, I don’t know what the future holds. The unknown can mean so many different things, and I am really excited about what I’ve been able to donate to this franchise. I’m so excited about what it means as a dark-skinned, Black queer individual to exist in Trek, to have my vessel that Uhura lives on in, and what it means for me and my community.

I can’t imagine that Strange New Worlds is going to be the last of Trek. I hope that is not the case because Trek has done so much for how people think about the future and how people embrace the future. There is so much positivity and diversity embraced in Trek, and the world is only going to get more diverse, despite what the powers that be want you to believe. We’re not going back, and I am excited for Star Trek to continue to be at the forefront of the stories that are told about how we do not go back, about how we move forward and embrace each other and embrace the unknown, embrace the diversity of opinion and experience. I’m just really excited to be surprised. I want to wake up one day and be like, “I could never have imagined this for Trek!”

Online personality Clavicular, whose real name is Braden Peters, has been accused of rape.

According to NBC, Aleksandra Vasilevna Mendoza, an 18-year-old influencer known online as Alorah or Alorah Ziva, accused Peters of sexual assault, and the case is making its way through the court system.

The alleged incident occurred on May 23, 2025, when Mendoza was 17.

According to a criminal complaint from the Chatham (Mass.) Police Department, Peters called her an Uber to his family’s home. Once there, he allegedly got her drunk on vodka while they livestreamed on Twitch and then raped her. His mother and grandmother were allegedly in the house.

The documents allege Clavicular committed rape, drugging a person for sexual intercourse, and procuring and providing liquor to a person under 21.

According to court documents acquired by NPR, Mendoza began communicating with Peters on Instagram, where he paid her to appear on his livestreams to help her “make her name known on social media.”

According to those documents, Peters arranged for the minor to come to Cape Cod home to participate in a videostream for his 437,000 followers on Kick, 1.2 million followers on TikTok, and more than 1 million followers on Instagram.

At his home, Peters allegedly instructed Mendoza to say she was 18 on his videostream and to claim the alcohol on camera was water instead of vodka. Mendoza said she felt peer-pressured to drink the spirit and that she became noticeably intoxicated after a couple of drinks.

The allegations go on to state that after stopping the stream, Peters and Mendoza kissed on a couch and then had sex in his bed without her consent. Mendoza said she did not receive a sexual assault forensic exam after the incident. NPR does not name alleged victims of sexual assault.

The charges come months after Mendoza sued Peters in Miami, accusing him of sexual battery in connection with the events of May 2025. The civil lawsuit also separately alleges that he injected her face with a non-FDA-approved fat-dissolving substance during a November livestream in Florida.

Peters is known for his “looksmaxxing” concept of vanity, which is at the core of his online presence. The “looksmaxxing” culture he has helped cultivate combines elements of incel culture and heterosexuality, with the stated goal of attracting the opposite sex. He has gone as far as to say he has undergone “bonesmashing,” or hitting his own face with a hammer; taken anabolic steroids to more rapidly grow muscle; and used crystal meth as an appetite suppressant.

At the same time, looksmaxxing has been described as having elements of homoeroticism, with “looksmaxxers” appearing more concerned with impressing other men than women. Peters has multiple times pointed to openly gay actor Matt Bomer as the gold standard for male facial aesthetics.

Peters’s arraignment is scheduled for Oct. 14.

California has officially established September 25th as “Dolly Day” in honor of the iconic musician, actress, and philanthropist Dolly Parton. Here’s how West Hollywood bars are planning to celebrate this Friday.

Micky’s: Tribute Dolly Drag Show

Micky’s WeHo is turning their regularly programmed Cirque du So Gay Drag Show in a celebration of Dolly Parton’s life and legacy. The show starts and 8 pm and will feature drag queens each performing a Dolly tune. There are also specialty Dolly-themed drinks and cocktails to keep the crowd belting along to their favorite hits.

Gym Bar: All Day Screening of 9 to 5

The Gym Bar is screening Collin Higgin’s 1980 screwball comedy classic, 9 to 5, staring Dolly alongside Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. They are also sprucing up their food and beverage menu with Dolly inspired provisions such as the Dolly Rita and the Jolene.

Schmitty’s Bar: Dolly Photo Booth and Dress Up

Schmitty’s bar is putting on an all day celebration and is be encouraging patrons to dress up in their best Dolly-inspired attire. They’ll be playing the hits all day and will have a Dolly photo booth to capture everyone’s Parton pizazz.

V Wine Room: Film and Music Celebration

V Wine Room is blasting Dolly’s biggest hits all day while projecting her most memorable roles on the big screen.

If you’re a Dolly superfan, hit the streets in WeHo this Friday to celebrate!

Caleb Kaufman is a California Local News Fellow placed with the Los Angeles Blade. The California Local News Fellowship is a state-funded initiative to support and strengthen local news reporting. Learn more about it at fellowships.journalism.berkeley.edu/cafellows.

Making a name for yourself in Hollywood has become more challenging. You’re competing with influencers for starring roles, and many of the only available jobs are in verticals. And yet, there is an underlying culture of appreciating art and fostering creativity in Los Angeles that is unlike anywhere else in the world. Lucky for Ben Ubiñas, who is poised to star in a new role at the historic El Portal Theatre. 

Ubiñas is playing the villain in the world premiere of Crone Creed. Crone Creed is a supernatural drama that spans centuries through the eyes of Vita, a young woman whose life is shattered by religious violence and betrayal in medieval Europe. She takes a vow to help protect humanity from the corruption of religion and the elite as part of an ancient lineage of women known as the Crones. She is reborn throughout history, using her powers to battle a rival faction known as The Fallen. 

Ubiñas plays Yanni, her brother, who also gets reborn as a member of The Fallen and fights his sister throughout time. 

This production is the inaugural play of Theater4All’s collaboration with the El Portal Theatre to celebrate its 100th anniversary season. Theater4All is a nonprofit theatrical company dedicated to expanding access to live performance for audiences across Southern California. From their website, “the organization works to reduce financial and structural barriers through targeted, subsidized ticket programs, educational outreach, and dedicated student matinees.”

While his past credits sound like a very interesting poem, with roles in Dominate Me Please, Mafia King, Sneak Me In Your Closet: Lost in Deja Vu, Oops My Rich Husband is Faking Coma, and Virgin’s Bad Boy Roommate, it’s clear from speaking with Ubiñas that he has his eye on the prize and loves what he does. He took some time to tell us about his role and his love of acting. 

How would you describe Crone Creed? 

It’s bonkers. You have to show up ready for anything. Everything happens. There is legitimately very little that doesn’t happen in this play.

How about your character Yanni?

Yanni is one of those guys who gets access to power, lets it corrupt him immediately, and then just starts having fun. He’s like a little earthworm in a big suit of armor. I love playing villains. 

What is it like playing out a supernatural story on stage?

Fantasy on stage is so much fun. I feel like a child on a playground, except there’s this massive production bringing that play to life. Like this gigantic machine- lights, sound, everything- kicks into gear to help me live my delusion. 

How does it feel performing at the historic El Portal?

I’m really glad we’re in a bigger venue. It’s a big play, with big effects and big performances. I think it’ll fill the space. 

Can you tell me more about Theater4All?

The El Portal has this air of mystique around it. I know they want to make theater as accessible as possible to as many people as possible, and I’m happy to participate in furthering that goal. 

How does it feel starring in the first Theater4All Production?

It takes a lot of trust to hire an actor to originate a role, particularly in a company’s inaugural production. I feel that trust every day as we all work together to bring this play to life. It’s something I take very seriously, and something I really want to honor. 

What is your dream role?

English live-action Colonel Mustang [from the anime Fullmetal Alchemist]. Hopefully I’m old enough by the time they make it. 

What is fun about playing a supernatural character? 

It really is make-believe. It’s the adult version of playing Barbies, where no matter how fantastical the circumstances, you are still 100% committed to the reality of the situation. It’s much easier when you’re a kid, but it’s really a very similar task. 

What are your career goals? 

All I’ve ever wanted was to be a working actor. I always have this urge to keep moving the goalpost on myself and never be satisfied, but really I just want to be able to keep doing what I’m doing. That said, a soap opera, because of job security. 

What about LGBTQ culture are you currently obsessed with? 

I’m loving how loud the music is getting. I had Slayyyter “crank 2” as my alarm for a hot minute, but that had to stop. I was getting stressed. 

Crone Creed is written by Founding Producing Artistic Director John Epstein, Casey Morgan, and T. Theresa Scarano, and directed by Marc Morgenstern. It premieres September 30th at the El Portal Theater, running through October 17th. You can purchase discounted tickets and learn more about the organization at www.theater4all.org.

Everyone can feel like their ex is a demon, and the new film Scorch Marks explores just that. Brandon Shypkowski plays Beckett, a man just trying to survive the end of the world while being haunted by a demonic apparition of his abusive ex-husband (Eating Out‘s Chris Salvatore). It’s hard enough trying to survive a cataclysmic event, but it’s worse when dealing with your unresolved relationship issues and a demon infestation. 

Set to premiere on Dekkoo, an LGBTQ subscription streaming service, on October 1st, this film also features Peter Stickles (Shortbus), Tiffany Shepis (Star Trek: Picard), and the winner of Season 1 of Dragula, Vander Von Odd.

The two leads took some time to chat about dealing with ex drama, society’s obsession with the apocalypse, and how queer people can save the world. 

How would you describe Scorch Marks?

Chris Salvatore: Scorch Marks is like the queer horror Gerald’s Game set against the end of the world, with a haunting ex-lover from a very toxic relationship. At its core, it’s about this very human need to find people who make us feel seen, like we belong, and how that need can become dangerous when love starts to blur into control and isolation.

Brandon Shypkowski: The Notebook, but with more blood. Give or take an apocalypse.

What was it like playing out the end of the world?

Salvatore: Surprisingly fun! Obviously the circumstances in the movie are terrifying, but as an actor it gives you permission to go to these really heightened emotional places.

Shypkowski: It was so much fun. We had a stellar team and steadfast captain in [writer/director] Brendan Haley, so I felt like I could really go for it. And this film came at a really turbulent time in my life, so I poured it all into the film. I keep making the joke that filming Scorch Marks was cheaper than therapy and twice as effective. And, yeah, I’ll stand by that.

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Why do you think people are obsessed with apocalyptic movies?

Shypkowski: In this economy? They might as well be documentaries. I kid…sort of. I think people have always been fascinated with the end of days: the rapture, Y2K, the end of the Mayan calendar. I think people have a timeless and maybe morose fascination with the apocalypse. 

Salvatore: I think there’s something fascinating about imagining the “What if?” Especially now, when the world feels so wild. Who are you when there are no rules anymore? Who do you become when survival is the only thing that matters?

Chris, how did it feel playing a demonic ex?

Salvatore: Honestly, kind of liberating. Joel is obviously doing some pretty terrible things, but I never wanted to approach him as just “the demonic ex” or the villain. I had to find the part of him that genuinely believes he loves Beckett. I think what makes him disturbing is that love and control exist at the same time. He doesn’t necessarily see himself as the bad guy, which made him much more interesting to play.

You spent much of the film in makeup as a demonic character; what was that like?

Salvatore: It was definitely exciting. It was my first time wearing prosthetics. There were days where I spent a lot of time in the makeup chair before we even started shooting, but it was also really helpful because once I looked in the mirror and saw Joel transforming physically, it immediately helped me get into a different headspace.

So much of this movie hinges on your relationship. What was it like playing a toxic couple?

Shypkowski: Luckily, I had hands down the best scene partner. Chris and I spent a lot of time rehearsing and getting to know each other. We built this trust where I think we both felt free to try things, and that safely let me do my best work. We could really go all in because we cultivated this deep respect for each other. Chris is also insanely talented – that certainly helped. It was just sort of the perfect storm (pun intended), and I consider myself incredibly lucky.

Salvatore: It was intense, but that was also what made it so rewarding. I think toxic relationships are complicated because the person hurting you isn’t necessarily hurting you every second of the day. Sometimes they’re also the person making you feel the most loved or understood. Playing on that contradiction was probably one of the most interesting parts of the film for me.

How much of your real life experiences did you put into your portrayal?

Salvatore: I think you always bring pieces of yourself into a character, even when their circumstances are completely different from your own. You use memories of loving someone, losing someone, hurting someone, screwing up, being too harsh, being too soft. It’s all universal. The light and the darkness in all of us. The pain of shame lies just below Joel’s rough exterior. I think most gay men can relate to that even if it doesn’t turn you into an abusive demonic ex- husband.

Shypkowski: Pretty much the entire emotional life of my character comes from my experience. Obviously, I’ve not lived through the apocalypse haunted by visions of an ancient deity. But I certainly mined every past relationship in my life and used them to build my character. I think that specificity is the only way I can approach these characters. Specificity makes it feel alive and honest, and I can only hope that comes through on screen.

Is there any crazy ex-drama that you brought to the set?

Salvatore: Definitely. One ex in particular has informed this and many works of art in the past. Gotta redeem those trauma miles!

Shypkowski: Oh, I’m sure. And listen, my exes could probably make their own apocalypse films based on me. But I think the nuance of our worst moments in a relationship- the arguing, the bartering, the crying all add to an authentic portrayal of the very toxic relationship in this film.

So the film is set during an apocalyptic event; any thoughts on how the gay community can save the world?

Salvatore: No pressure! I think queer people have always been incredibly good at creating community and chosen family, especially when the world hasn’t necessarily made space for us. There’s something really powerful about that. If there’s anything the gay community can teach the world, maybe it’s that you don’t have to be related to somebody or even completely understand their experience to show up for them. We’ve survived a lot historically because people took care of each other. I think the world could always use more of that.

Shypkowski: Too many to count. Mostly involving infiltration of coffee shops and seizing maritime trade, so…halfway there, I guess. On a serious note, I think it all starts with being kind and embracing every letter in LGBTQIA+. Especially our trans family; they need our support most right now.

Are there any fun behind-the-scenes moments you’d like to share?

Shypkowski: Yes. I’d like to take this opportunity to formally apologize to Nick, our sound guy, for whispering absolutely vile things into the mic in between scenes to see if you could hear me. You could, and I’m sorry.

Salvatore: What’s funny is that we were making this incredibly dark, intense movie, but there was actually so much warmth and laughter behind the scenes. Credit to our director, Brendan Haley, for curating an amazing set. You almost need that when you’re working with material this heavy. Some of my favorite memories are honestly just the moments between takes when everyone would break character, and suddenly we were laughing about something completely ridiculous after filming this emotionally brutal scene. It created a really special atmosphere because I felt incredibly safe with the people I was working with, which allowed me to go much further emotionally when the cameras were rolling.

Why do you think queer people love horror?

Shypkowski: I think there is a lot of crossover between horror films and the experience of otherness. Feeling like you don’t belong or even just having to survive in a world that is unkind is something we all know to some degree. And I can’t speak for all queer people, but most of the queer people I know are well acquainted with themes like grief, shame, isolation – things that show up over and over again in horror.

Salvatore: I think queer people understand what it feels like to be told there’s something about you that exists outside what society considers normal. Horror has always been fascinated with outsiders, transformation, secrecy, identity, and people trying to survive in worlds that don’t always understand them. There’s also something cathartic about horror. It takes fears that can be difficult to talk about and turns them into something physical that you can confront. And honestly, queer people also just have great taste. 

You can check out Scorch Marks on Dekkoo starting October 1st.

We can’t believe it’s been a week since LA Blade was on the scene, preparing for the Emmys in the best way we know how, by rubbing elbows with celebs and luxury products at the Sun Rose Hotel in West Hollywood.

Hollywood’s awards season energy was in full swing as television stars, nominees, presenters, and VIP talent gathered at the GBK Brand Bar Pre-TV Awards Lounge, an exclusive gifting experience celebrating the entertainment industry’s biggest night. Among those in attendance were Emmy® nominees Carols-Manuel Vegas, Supporting Actor nominee for Paradise; Dale Dickey, Supporting Actress nominee for Widows Bay; Hanelle Culpepper, Director nominee for Exodus; Jeff Kober, Guest Actor nominee for The Pitt; Lauren Weedman & Christopher MacDonald, both Guest Star nominees for Hacks; and Oscar Nunez, whose Miss You, Love You was nominated for a TV Movie along with Hacks star and EMMY® presenter Katy Sullivan. Stars from Emmy®-nominated shows included Aliyah Mastin, Krys Marshall, Percy Daggs IV, and Yolonda Ross from Paradise; Alexandra Metz and JB Tadena from The Pitt; Dan Bukatinskey from Hacks; Dani Brown, Dylan Aguilar, and Emma Miller from EMMY winning Love on the Spectrum; Arlan Ruf from DTF St. Louis; Lena Hall from Your Friends & Neighbors; Edwina Findley from The Residence; and Noah Fearnley from Love Story. The celebration also welcomed previous EMMY® winners & nominees Adina Porter, Anthony Anderson, Angela Bassett, Kardeem Hardison, Terrence Terrell, Tara Lipinski, and Obba Babatundé. Also gifted were EMMY® nominees Alan Cumming and Daymond John.

Additional celebrities in attendance included Alanna Ubach, Lela Rochon, Danielle Kennedy, Dylan Aguilar, Britani Bateman, Patrick Gallagher, Moe Jeudy-Lamour, Sandra Vergara, Kadeem Hardison, George Ferrier, Golnesa “GG” Gharachedaghi, Sophia Banks, Sarah Ann Mayer, Blake Kennedy, David Alan Grier, Karen Huger, Kapil Talwalkar, LaMonica Garrett, Felix Solis, Franco Lo Presti, Jonah Wharton, Joseph Yomtubian, Raphael Luce, Tom Sandoval, Wendy Braun, Nadége August, Rachel Stubington, and many others, who stopped by to enjoy the festivities, discover new brands, and experience an impressive selection of luxury products, travel opportunities, wellness offerings, beauty products, culinary treats and unique celebrity gifting experiences.

Among the most talked-about activations were 4 featured brands. Tequila Alto Canto showcased its premium tequila, crafted at 9,000 feet above sea level in the Sierra del Tigre mountains of Jalisco at the world’s highest tequila distillery, using traditional methods and wild fermentation. Mushroom Body Jewelry brought handcrafted luxury to the lounge with its family-owned, U.S.-made 14k and 18k gold body jewelry, gifting guests a handcrafted piece from its collection. Dr. Alyssia Benford, CPA, MGA gifted copies of Best Case Scenario, a forensic deep dive into leadership, empowerment and breaking barriers. Paradero Todos Santos offered guests a taste of its 160-acre, design-driven Baja California Sur property, with qualifying recipients receiving luxury accommodations in a One Bedroom Villa or Suite.

The lounge also featured an exciting mix of beauty, wellness, personal development, food, technology, fashion and lifestyle brands. Apex Regenerative showcased personalized regenerative medicine and longevity protocols, while Ann Sommer Coaching gifted exclusive fear and self-trust resources. Cheetah Ridge offered this year’s nominees an unforgettable luxury South African safari experience, and C.R.E.A.M Luxury Coffee gifted premium small-batch specialty coffees. David Corbin gifted his latest bestselling books, while Dr. Vanita Rattan showcased skincare created specifically for melanin-rich skin and DCM Beauty featured its luxury three-step skincare system. DJ Dazzler brought high-energy music and entertainment expertise to the lounge, while Eme’s Baked Goods showcased premium gluten-free and nut-free treats. HiFiMAN introduced its premium wireless audiophile technology, and Ike’s Love & Sandwiches and Hibachi House generously offered a $1,000 gift voucher. Jardins d’Arménie highlighted its 35-year-aged Armenian Royal Brandy, Jessica Wagstaff shared her personal-growth book, Manifest Who You Are, and Lorenzi Estate Wines showcased premium Temecula estate wines. Milena Los Angeles featured handcrafted eco-friendly luxury candles, Nuropod by Parasym showcased advanced wearable neuromodulation technology, Panama Blue Water offered luxury still and sparkling hydration, PHILIP B. gifted premium botanical hair, scalp and body bundles, Sailrock South Caicos offered an exclusive barefoot-luxury Caribbean escape, and Thyseed showcased innovative baby feeding products.

And what was one of our favorites? Well, starting off the day with three samples from Tequila Alto Canto was definitely a highlight. Getting to meet the owners and staff was a treat.

Philanthropy remained an important part of the GBK Brand Bar experience. Ministerios Buscando La Sonrisa De Un Niño highlighted its mission to provide a safe, nurturing home and educational opportunities for children in need in Mexico, while She Ready Foundation showcased its work providing resources and support to youth impacted by the foster care system.

Gavin Keilly, CEO of GBK Brand Bar, has helped raise and secure more than $10 million for over 50 charities since 2002, continuing GBK’s longstanding commitment to combining celebrity experiences with meaningful philanthropic initiatives.

See you next year!