U.S. of Gay - Queer Entertainment for All

Michael Orland, the Master Behind the Keyboard

What started as one day of work turned into 16 seasons as the pianist, arranger, vocal coach, and Associate Musical Director for American Idol. Not only has Michael Orland had a hand in the success of the leading names from Idol, he has also worked with a Rolodex of names that includes Kristen Bell, Sabrina Carpenter, Lynda Carter, Kristin Chenoweth, Ariana Grande, Marilu Henner, Jennifer Holliday, Roslyn Kind, Barry Manilow, Maureen McGovern, Idina Menzel, Patti LuPone, Bernadette Peters, Ann Miller, and the legendary Kaye Ballard, just to name a few. Even though he has been front and center on stage and on television, he remains humble, always in awe of the power of music. This month, he released his debut piano solo album, In My Life, a celebration of piano covers of songs that have played a key role in his life. In this episode, we talk about his early love for music, dropping out of school and heading to New York City, his early breaks in the business, getting onto American Idol, getting starstruck and working with the best, his open mic nights, his debut album In My Life, and so much more…check it out.   Hosted by Alexander Rodriguez @AlexanderisOnAir You can check out our in-depth chat with him at GEDMag.com

Kyle Chan is Shining Bright Like a Diamond

Kyle Chan is a dichotomy in the entertainment and fashion industry. Though humble and understated in nature, he has become a veritable force in the industry, earning him a spotlight from many different directions. On television, he’s been seen in Bling Empire and Vanderpump Rules, having a major presence on the latter this last season. And on A-list celebrities, his jewelry has been seen on Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Mariah Carey, Megan Thee Stallion, Paris Hilton, Shawn Mendes, Lil Nas X, and the list goes on and on. He also created designs for the award-winning film La La Land. All from learning how to make jewelry in high school. In this episode, we talk about his coming to the US, his love of fashion and glamour, working through life’s obstacles through creativity, his early time in the jewelry business, his celebrity experiences, being on reality TV, how he remains grounded, his love of whiskey, and so much more…check it out.   Hosted by Alexander Rodriguez @AlexanderisOnAir You can check out our in-depth chat with him as the cover of the current issue of GED Magazine now on newsstands or at GEDMag.com

Matt Cullen is Living Our Queer Life

Matt Cullen is a Los Angeles-based content creator who is using his platform to share the diversity that is the LGBTQ community. From a young age, he wanted to be in entertainment and knew he would end up in Hollywood or New York City. After moving to Los Angeles after studying acting in New York, his focus shifted. COVID gave him the silence to reflect on what was bringing him happiness. During that time, he decided to embark on his most ambitious, ongoing project. His series Our Queer Life has been diving into the queer community for a few years now, garnering hundreds of thousands of views and putting the realities of our community – the funny, the heartbreaking, the misunderstood – in the spotlight. In his series, he has interviewed everyone from celebrities, age gap couples, and gay cowboys, to the elderly, and, in an effort to fight the stigma regarding the queer sex community, has interviewed porn stars, escorts, and former streetwalkers. At the foundation of every one of his videos is his sincerity. Matt is not a flashy influencer, he listens, crafts his episodes with skill, and puts a lot of heart into his work. In this episode, we talk about it all. We talk about his inspiration to start his series, coming out, being a spokesperson for the LGBTQ community, going viral, what interviews have inspired him, how he balances personal life with influencer life, what he’s learned from the LGBTQ community, his message to the community this Pride season, and more. Hosted by Alexander Rodriguez @AlexanderisOnAir You can check out our in-depth chat with him in the current issue of GED Magazine now on newsstands or at GEDMag.com

Malachi McCaskill is Caught In A Strange Loop

This month, the Tony Award and Pulitzer-winning Strange Loop opened at the Ahmanson Theatre in Los Angeles. Written by Michael R. Jackson, this hard-hitting and provocative musical centers around Usher, a young, gay, Black writer who writes a musical about a young, gay, Black writer who is writing a musical about a young, gay, Black writer…thus a strange loop. Usher embarks on a journey of self-discovery covering the raw aspects of life, the good and the bad, while dealing with his Thoughts, personified by a unique cast of characters. Having just wrapped up a run at San Francisco’s ACT, this production highlights a fresh face to the scene via North Carolina, queer performer Malachi McCaskill as Usher. Like Usher, Malachi is finding his way through life and professional theatre as a young, queer, Black performer. In this episode, we talk about it all. We talk about finding his identity in high school, his relationship with religion, manifesting his role in Strange Loop, coming to the West Coast for his first time, his creative process as an actor, the realities of being a young, gay, Black men in entertainment, what the future holds in store, and his message to the LGBTQ community. Hosted by Alexander Rodriguez @AlexanderisOnAir You can check out our in-depth chat with him in the current issue of GED Magazine now on newsstands or at GEDMag.com

Danny Pintauro is Back and He’s the Boss

Actor Danny Pintauro first hit the big screen over four decades ago, in the disturbing film Cujo. Having played in dramatic themes at an even younger age for the soap opera As the World Turns, he was no stranger to giving it his all on set. Immediately following Cujo he was cast on one of the most popular sitcoms of the 80s, Who’s the Boss? For 8 seasons and 196 episodes, we saw Danny, as Jonathan Bower, literally grow up on our screens. Having difficulty finding acting work by leaving his sitcom personality behind, he entered public life that would only return to the media’s eye by way of a forced coming out, and coming out as HIV. But now he’s back, he’s reentering Hollywood with a renewed confidence, a mission, and a new body. In this episode we talk about being a child actor and the isolation that often came with it, living life beyond Hollywood, dealing with the stigma of being gay and having HIV at a different time, what it’s like to be back in showbiz, getting into shape, embracing his adulthood, and the stereotypes he must overcome to get back to his passion of acting. We talk about it all…check it out.   Hosted by Alexander Rodriguez @AlexanderisOnAir You can check out our in-depth chat with him in the current issue of GED Magazine now on newsstands or at GEDMag.com