What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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T2 WHATS UP! June 24 - 30, 2018 BY KYLA BREWER TV Media A lot of television se- ries offer viewers typical slice-of-life stories, but TV also has the power to uplift, inspire and educate. One new drama is doing all three by exploring the history of the LGBTQ house ball subculture. In 1986 New York, LGBTQ performers face off in house ball competitions where they're judged on their outfits, attitude and dance skills in various categories in the new musical drama "Pose," airing Sunday, June 24, on FX. Set against a backdrop of the luxu- ry Trump era, the show also explores the personal lives of the performers as they cele- brate finding a space where they are accepted for who they really are, while also coping with rejection, discrimination, rivalries and more. "Pose" hails from modern- day TV dream team Ryan Mur- phy ("Glee") and Brad Falchuk ("Scream Queens"), along with up-and-coming writer Steven Canals ("Afeura," 2016). Murphy's commitment to sup- porting the community fea- tured in the show is more than just lip service. In May, he an- nounced via Twitter that he would be donating all profits from the series to trans and LGBTQ charitable organiza- tions, and went on to explain his actions to Variety. "We've entered this era of television as advocacy, and I've seen the difference you can make in people's lives by showing up for them, caring for them, and helping them in any way that you can," Murphy said. He also revealed he plans to hit up his bosses at 20th Cen- tury Fox and FX for donations, hopes to hold fundraisers and is even considering setting up scholarships for LGBTQ youth. "Pose" isn't only ground- breaking for raising awareness about the LGBTQ community, but also because the show boasts the largest cast of trans- gender actors in series regular roles. The show also features the largest recurring cast of LGBTQ actors ever for a scripted series. All in all, the production has employed more than 100 trans perform- ers and crew members. Rather than relying on big-name ac- tors with no personal connec- tion to the subject matter to draw viewers, "Pose" allows transgender performers to share a part of their communi- ty's history. The core cast includes sev- eral transgender women of color. Mj Rodriguez of "Nurse Jackie" and "Luke Cage" fame stars as Blanca Rodriguez, who leaves the House of Abun- dance to form her own house, House of Evangelista. Domi- nique Jackson ("Visible: The LGBTQ Caribbean Diaspora," 2018) plays Blanca's former house mother, Elektra Abun- dance. In 2016, thousands of TV viewers watched Jackson in Oxygen's six-episode reality TV series "Strut," which chronicled the lives of trans- gender models. Always at Elektra's side is Lulu Abundance (Hailie Sahar, "Transparent"), second-in- command at House Abun- dance. A dancer and singer, Sa- har has also been crowned Mj Rodriguez stars in "Pose" Strike a 'Pose' continued on page T10 TV FEATURE B/Health Initiatives Research 2 x 5 Have you or a loved one been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease? Agitation and insomnia are just two common symptoms associated with Alzheimer's disease. If you are interested in learning more about current research and the management of symptoms, please give us a call at 479-575-9600. Call Health Initiatives Research 479-575-9600 to talk to our staff about current trials and more learning opportunities. ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE OR MILD COGNITIVE IMPAIRMENT? NOW ENROLLING IN CLINICAL TRIALS! Help us discover new treatment options! You might be able to help with clinical research studies looking at potential treatments for mild-to-moderate Alzheimer's disease and Mild Cognitive Impairment.