cineQueer

A Night of LGBT (sort of) Shorts in PS

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 00:28:22 -0500

Over a hundred people in Palm Springs came out of the 110 degree heat and kicked off the 4th of July weekend with a night of what was billed as an evening of free LGBT short films. The 90-minute collection was to get folks primed for the Palm Springs International Short Fest, which takes place Aug. 21-27.

For the most part it did just that with five worthy shorts and one that was so misplaced that it had the audience buzzing/grousing/confused when the credits rolled. Here's my take:

Daddy -- A well executed and humorous short where a gay man finds out he's pregnant after a one-night stand. What was an original comedy a year ago when I initially saw it, the film takes on a different tenor in a post-Thomas Beattie universe.
Worst Case Edition: Butch Edition --In what is billed as a Super 8 film, this black and white parody of educational tutorials purports to teach butch women how to take care of their femme dates, answering questions like 'Who should go through the door first when you take your mom, girlfriend and your girlfriend's sister to brunch?" Answer: You hold the door and your mom goes first (and if your girlfriend thinks she should go first, it's time to reevaluate this relationship). Helpful!
Gay Zombie -- A somewhat sexy zombie is dealing with coming out of the closet while, well, being a zombie. Shot on location at WeHo gay bar Trunks, the zombie is met with the superficial discrimination Frankenstein might face in church. But after a nice guy feels sympathy for him while being oddly attracted to him, a sweet romance develops. This being a zombie movie, things can't end well.
Happenstance -- An old Jewish woman and a young neo-Nazi teen girl cross paths and apparently both die together after the credits roll. That's it. Nothing gay. Not sure why it was shown.
Signage -- A couple of looks-obsessed single 40-somethings head out to a bar as part of their weekly ritual. One of them (right) makes a connection with a deaf guy half his age and you assume it will go awry due to the age difference. Instead, the young guy breaks his heart because of the hearing-deaf divide. A bittersweet comedy that certainly resonated with the mostly 40+ demographic watching it in Palm Springs.
Waiting for Yvette -- A well-done comedy with Wendie Malick as someone on a journey from male to female. On the eve of her final surgery, she visits her non-smoking, gay man's, stag AA support group to say goodbye. The men (who each have issues of their own) have let Yvette stay in the group until now on a "technicality." But since she's losing her "technicality" the next day, this will be her final meeting. Or will it? The first time I saw this film, I thought the premise would make for a good Showtime or HBO comedy. A year later I still feel the same. It's time for a show with a transgender protagonist!

Despite the confusing inclusion of Happenstance, the person who introduced the films also said Waiting for Yvette starred his favorite actress, Christine Baranski (which it didn't). Still, the free evening was a great way to promote the art of short film and get us excited about the new shorts we'll see during the coming weeks at Outfest, Cinema Diverse and the Palm Springs International Short Fest. Check back here for updates from all three.

TV Gayed for the Week of July 4-July 11

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 18:09:45 -0500

New listings are up (a little early due to the holiday weekend). Highlights for next week include:

- A repeat broadcast of George Michael's most prominent guest appearance on last season's Eli Stone (Saturday, 10PM, ABC)

- A repeat broadcast of Bob and Lee's water sculpture disaster on Desperate Housewives (Sunday, 10PM, ABC)

- America's Got Talent (Tuesday, 9PM, NBC), which has already put through the gay dance company DC Cowboys and Britney Spears impersonator Derrick Barry

- The premiere of Greatest American Dog (Thursday, 8PM, CBS), which includes Ezzie, a Boston terrier (photo at right), whose owner Michael lives in LA and plays in the gay softball league

Click here for the full listings, and enjoy your holiday weekend!

THURS: As the World Turns

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:26:04 -0500

Don't forget to tune into daytime sudser As the World Turns tomorrow -- Cyndi Lauper will be paying a special visit to Oakdale, playing a role in bringing Jake and Noah back together!

Click here for TV Guide's Q & A with Cyndi about her part on ATWT.

Click here for AfterElton's coverage of the guest appearance.

Check your local listings for airtime...

Hancock's 'Homo' Blunder

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 15:02:16 -0500

Will Smith + July 4th weekend = box office success. Unfortunately, the millions of audience members who take their family to see Smith’s Hancock will have to hear the obnoxious, drunk anti-hero utter an anti-gay slur.

At approximately 24 minutes into the film, while Jason Bateman’s PR whiz works to rehabilitate the superhero’s tarnished image, he shows Hancock three comic book images in an effort to inspire him. But Hancock rejects the traditional image of costumed superheroes as he responds to each one: “Homo. Homo in red. Norwegian homo.”

The audience is prompted to laugh and there is no response to or retribution for Hancock’s remarks. Bateman’s character, the father of a young son, could have easily spoken up instead of giving Hancock a pass

Better yet, would it have changed the story if that brief interaction had been left on the cutting room floor? No one would have missed the line if it wasn’t there, but an unfortunate choice was made to go for the cheap gay joke. In that moment, young gay people in the movie’s audience are put in the position of being ridiculed by a character they are expected to regard as a hero. People go to films to escape reality — or schoolyard taunts — not to pay ten bucks and be ridiculed some more, especially not by someone the Los Angeles Times calls “the most likable actor in the world.”

Rated PG-13, Hancock is being marketed to families, teens and young adults. This film certainly presents an opportunity for parents to explain to their kids that the usually entertaining character of Hancock is not modeling good behavior. But let’s get real: Hancock’s use of the slur sends a problematic message that it’s okay to discriminate using such hateful words. Every day, people — both gay and straight — are taunted and verbally harassed in their schools and in their communities with these kinds of words, creating an environment that’s hostile, uncomfortable, and often unsafe. To have a heroic character — and by extension actor Will Smith — use, and by implication approve of, this kind of language is simply unacceptable.

GLAAD understands that sometimes anti-gay language shows up in dramatic narrative to reveal a character’s true colors, or to convey a message. But there’s a big difference between using it to highlight a character’s anti-gay attitudes and making a cheap, unfunny shot at gay people.

Sundance Announces New Fellows

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:56:54 -0500

The Sundance Institute has announced its inaugural fellows for the Creating Producing Initiative - a program of support and development aimed at producers in all stages of production - and out producer Nekisa Cooper has been selected as one of the five honorees! The project she will be working on is Pariah, a film focused on the coming-of-age of a black lesbian teenager. Click here for an older blog posting that includes Cooper's comments on the film.

Alan T. Chan, a producer on LGBT-inclusive films Inner Circle Line (poster at right) and Half-Life, was also awarded a fellowship for Quari, a film which will explore "the trials of love and friendship among three young adults over the course of a summer spent in the idyllic countryside."

For more about the other three fellowship recipients, and about the Producers Lab program itself, click here.

George & Brad Show Some NY Pride

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:10:58 -0500

If you were among the thousands lining the route of New York City's Pride March on Sunday you might have got a glimpse of recently-engaged couple George Takei and Brad Altman.

George and Brad joined the GLAAD contingency at the parade and happily talked to the press about the California marriage decision, their upcoming nuptials, NY Governor Patterson, and about marriage for gay couples coming to the state of New York.

The couple rode in the parade in a decorated convertible and managed to weather some intense thundershowers while continuing to beam* with pride.

*Star Trek pun intended.

American Gladiators' First Out Contestant

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 15:21:43 -0500

American Gladiators will feature its first openly gay male contestant in the show’s 20 year history. Sean Heatherington, who hails from West Hollywood, Calif. will run, spar, and joust his way on NBC tonight (8PM ET). If you’ve never seen the original show in the early 1990s or its latest incarnation, American Gladiators pit big and buff men and women contestants against each other. The contestants also wage war against the Gladiators -- who are even bigger and buffer -- and come with names like Crush, Steel, Justice and Tor.

Not only is Sean the show’s first openly gay contestant, he’s got one heck of a back story. Until recently he was the quintessential couch potato. As a young gay male he grew up afraid of sports and took comfort in food. But in 2003 he overcame his fears of the gym and lost 100 pounds!

Sean’s story is not unique. There are many young gay men and women who feel like they can’t be athletes or are afraid to try because of their sexual orientation. So it’s exciting that tonight NBC will show millions of Americans, gay and straight, that LGBT people are incredible athletes and can rock the Gladiator arena.

For those in the Los Angeles Metropolitan area, head down to the Abbey in West Hollywood for a viewing party from 7 – 9 PM. The viewing party benefits Lifeworks mentoring, www.lifeworksmentoring.org.

YSL: "Fashion fades, style is eternal."

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 14:39:05 -0500

This Saturday, the Sundance Channel will honor out French designer Yves Saint Laurent’s life and illustrious career with two back-to-back documentaries from filmmaker David Teboul: Yves Saint Laurent: His Life and Times at 7 p.m. followed by Yves Saint Laurent: 5, Avenue Marceau, 75116, Paris,” at 8:20 p.m.

"Unlike today's glossy, craftily edited fashion reality shows, these films are straightforward, as Saint Laurent's story needs no false drama," writes Erin Weinger in the Los Angeles Times. "The sheer and simple beauty of a tortured genius at work engages more than any catfight or catchphrase ever could."

30 Days of Pride: What's on TV Tonight?

Mon, 30 Jun 2008 06:00:00 -0500

Sundance Channels' final DOCday in honor of June Pride is upon us. Wrap up the month with a celebratory, uplifting documentary!

Jam! (Sundance, 9 PM ET/PT) U.S. TELEVISION PREMIERE
Mark Woollen's highly acclaimed documentary follows an eccentric crew of former roller derby stars attempting to re-popularize the sport. Leading the group is Tim Patten, an HIV-positive San Franciscan who credits roller-derby with keeping him alive.

Watching the trailer is a must; It has made me a believer in the power of roller derby!

Two More Chances to Watch!

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 11:45:54 -0500

Did you miss the GLAAD Media Awards on Friday? Here are two more chances to watch on Bravo. Set your DVR!

Monday, June 30, 8am, Bravo
Tuesday, July 1, 11am, Bravo

And here's a little something to hold you over: Sex & the City's Jason Lewis backstage at the GLAAD Media Awards."We all want the same thing: love."

30 Days of Pride: What's on TV Tonight?

Sat, 28 Jun 2008 06:00:00 -0500

It's the last Saturday in June, and that means Sundance Channel's final gay-themed double feature in honor of Pride. Enjoy!

Being Julia (Sundance, 10 PM ET/PT)
Julia Lambert (Annette Bening) is a flamboyant American stage actress in 1938 London. Bruce Greenwood appears as Julia's endlessly supportive gay best friend.

Loggerheads (Sundance, 11:45 PM ET/PT)
Narrative involving three overlapping stories of estranged families in three regions of North Carolina, including a young gay man living with HIV and the mother who gave him up for adoption.

Here's the official trailer for Being Julia, a role for which the lovely Annette was nominated for an Academy Award.

Backstage with Janet Jackson

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 18:59:30 -0500

The show has begun on Bravo! Here's a look at Janet Jackson on the red carpet so you don't have to wait two hours until the end of the awards.

Media Awards Good Gig for Writing Couple

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 18:42:49 -0500

by David A. Lee & Daniel Vaillancourt
Originally appeared in Palm Springs' The Desert Sun

Sometimes you have to leave Los Angeles to have a peak Hollywood experience. Last August, we sold our West Hollywood duplex and relocated full-time to Palm Springs (where we met ten years ago), taking the film and TV projects we had in development with us. Weeks later, the writers strike hit. Though the work stoppage is behind us, we—and Tinseltown—have yet to fully recover.

That’s why we felt so fortunate to land one of the greatest gigs of our professional lives soon after an accord was reached between producers and the Writers Guild of America last February: We were hired by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation as the sole writers of the 19th Annual GLAAD Media Awards, to be broadcast tonight for the first time on Bravo, potentially reaching into 84 million homes across America.

GLAAD—whose mission is to promote and ensure fair, accurate, and inclusive portrayals of LGBT people and events in the media as a way of eliminating homophobia and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation—is definitely Hollywood. Each year, its increasingly star-studded GLAAD Media Awards honor those doing the right thing—online, in print, radio, TV, and film.

But for all its glamour, GLAAD is also definitely not Hollywood. For one, the people of GLAAD are kinder—and could teach Tinseltown powers-that-be a thing or two about the care and feeding of writers. We heard “Please” and “Thank you” from GLAAD infinitely more than we ever have on producer/director conference calls, at studio meetings, or in network TV writing rooms. We felt appreciated. Respected. Wow!

We can’t wait to relive it all tonight. We promise the show will be funny and moving—and hope you have as much fun watching it as we did writing it.

David A. Lee and Daniel Vaillancourt—who were married in Vancouver, Canada in 2004—serve as the co-vice chairs of the Gay & Lesbian Writers Committee of the Writers Guild of America.

TV Gayed for the Week of June 27-July 4

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 13:28:27 -0500

New TV Gayed listings are posted! Among the upcoming week's highlights:

- The 19th Annual GLAAD Media Awards air tonight on Bravo at 7 PM, followed by the basic cable premiere of Brokeback Mountain

- Groomer Has It's season finale airs tomorrow at 9 PM on Animal Planet, featuring Jai Rodriguez (Queer Eye) as the host and openly gay contestant Jonathan as one of the final two competing for the title "Groomer of the Year"

- Sunday night's rerun of Desperate Housewives is the episode from October when Bob and Lee moved into the neighborhood

- On Monday, be sure to catch American Gladiators, when Sean Hetherington becomes the first openly gay contender in the show's history

- Tuesday night brings us The Kinsey Sicks' audition on America's Got Talent (see our past blog post for more details), and Tila Tequila's A Shot at Love 2 season finale

- Wednesday, tune into Shear Genius on Bravo to see out competitors Charlie, Daniel, Paulo, and Dee prove their hairstyling talent

- On Thursday, don't miss As the World Turns, when Cyndi Lauper stops by to dole out some romantic advice to Luke

Click here for the full TV Gayed listings.

Backstage with South of Nowhere

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 11:35:56 -0500

On the red carpet at the 19th Annual GLAAD Media Awards with South of Nowhere's Gabrielle Christian and Maeve Quinlan. Gaby went on to present on stage with Degrassi's Adamo Ruggiero and GREEK's Paul James. South of Nowhere has been nominated for two GLAAD Media Awards and returns to The N this fall for its final season.