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Jessica Betts kisses Niecy Nash on the cheek + Janelle Monae smiles at the camera. Both photos are from the read carpet of the 2023 Critics Choice Awards.
Pop Culture Fix

Pop Culture Fix: Janelle Monáe, Niecy Nash-Betts Win Critics Choice Awards

Heather Hogan —
Jan 16, 2023

Feature image photo Michael Kovac/Getty Images + Steve Granitz/FilmMagic

Thank you all for your concern after I bought that smoky coffee last week! I’m back to my regular coffee now and feeling delightfully warm and caffeinated! I hope this Pop Culture Fix makes you feel the same way!

+ Janelle Monáe was honored with the SeeHer Award at last night’s Critics Choice Awards. They gave an amazing speech that included a nod to their queer identity. “To anyone out there like me watching right now, I just want you to know that I see you — but I challenge you to see you,” they said. In addition to Janelle, there was other queerness and queer-ish-ness. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery won Best Ensemble Acting and Best Comedy. Cate Blanchett won for Tár. Zendaya won for Euphoria. Abbott Elementary won for Best TV Comedy. Niecy Nash-Betts won for Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story. And Harley Quinn won for Best Animated Series. Natalie says Jessica Betts also won because she came and went home with:

+ Gotham Knights is coming to the CW on March 14th.

+ Riverdale and Nancy Drew are gearing up for their final seasons.

+ What the lesbian best friend trope leaves out.

+ Erin’s Guide to Kissing Girls looks too dang cute!

+ M3GAN was factory made to be an LGBTQ+ cult icon.

+ Paramount+ has renewed Criminal Minds: Evolution. Syfy and USA have renewed Chucky.

+ Aftersun writer-director Charlotte Wells on the ambiguity of her personal film.

+ Michaela Jaé Rodriguez will star in a new film called Wildfire. The summary from THR: “A  [person who is] mute from an abusive home, Lu slyly tricks Merribelle, a hardworking trans woman, into kidnapping her — sparking a beautifully unexpected bond with a devastating expiration date.”

+ Please enjoy these queer vibes between Kiersey Clemons and Alison Brie in the tailer for Somebody I Used to Know.

+ Christina Grace spotted Julianna Margulies back on the set of The Morning Show. GAY!

+ Seimone Augustus had a HUGE weekend at her alma mater, LSU. They unveiled a statue of her on campus! The crowd was enormous! (Just ignore Kim Mulkey in this photo, I know I will.)

+ And finally, Candace Parker on Celebrity Jeopardy is everything you’ve ever wanted.

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