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Advocating…
22
April
Albert

April 20, 2009 (LOS ANGELES)–The Advocate and Advocate.com, the world’s leading multi-platform news provider directly targeting the LGBT audience, successfully implemented a new print and online strategy now accessing millions of gay and lesbian consumers globally. According to a recent article in “The Business Insider,” of 249 major magazines tracked by a Magazine Publishers of America study, The Advocate was one of only 28 titles to bring in more revenue in the first quarter of 2009 than it did in the first quarter of 2008. During the first quarter of 2009 The Advocate saw a 12.5% increase in revenue over first quarter 2008. In addition, The Advocate has seen an increase in ad pages, bucking an industry-wide trend. The website’s unique visitors and page views also continue to grow on a monthly basis.

“No other LGBT media company currently creates the vast array of original, award-winning content across a variety of platforms targeted exclusively to the gay and lesbian consumer,” said Stephen Macias, Executive Vice President and General Manager of The Advocate’s parent company, Regent Media. “Advertisers come to The Advocate confident their product is being associated with the best brand in gay media. We speak directly to our diverse community on a daily basis.”

In early 2008 The Advocate transitioned from a biweekly to a monthly format. The first monthly edition of The Advocate landed on newsstands in January 2009. The new monthly Advocate print publication, recently nominated by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) as Outstanding Magazine Overall Coverage for its 2009 Media Awards, inspires LGBT consumers to continue the conversation about the headlines most important to the community. Early retail sales figures for the January and February issues of The Advocate have seen a noted increase in bookstore sales, including Barnes & Noble.

As The Advocate moved to publishing monthly, Advocate.com quickly became the daily news source for the global gay and lesbian consumer. Nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Digital Journalism Article, Advocate.com reports up-to-the-minute news throughout the day, keeping consumers returning to the site throughout their day.

Keeping up with technology trends, the highly trafficked Advocate.com features professionally produced video content. Having spotlighted such diverse topics as the 2008 campaign for marriage equality in California and an exclusive interview with Olympic gold medalist Matthew Mitcham to in-depth travel guides for cities across the globe, these new video segments provide exciting opportunities for advertisers to reach the LGBT audience. Now, for the first time in the website’s history, Advocate.com offers pre-roll video to its clients. During the first two months of 2009 alone, Advocate.com’s video views have increased by 1000%. Additionally, page views on the website increased more than 35% over the past eight months.

As numbers grow both digitally and in print, the multi-platform sales strategies The Advocate team implements give advertisers direct access to the coveted LGBT audience. Recognizing the buying power of the gay consumer, an eclectic group of clients including The Campbell’s Soup Company, Kaiser Permanente, Subaru, and, most recently, Progressive Insurance have launched aggressive campaigns with The Advocate brands. Lifetime Television already reaped success from this new initiative with a successful multi-platform campaign for their critically acclaimed original film Prayers for Bobby, starring Sigourney Weaver.

These 360-degree campaigns bridge the various Advocate properties and offer advertising targeted exclusively to millions of LGBT homes in print, with online banners, and Web-based video. Additionally, advertisers benefit from added-value initiatives such as premium placement at LGBT-targeted consumer events, where the client’s products receive the undivided attention of a captivated, taste-making audience.

The Advocate is currently available to consumers as a monthly publication via subscription or by logging on to its award-winning website at www.advocate.com. The Advocate is sold in Barnes & Noble, Borders, Walden Books, and other major bookstore chains, as well as in major supermarket and drug store chains including Ralph’s, Safeway, Krogers, Target, and CVS.

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About The Advocate:
Celebrating over 40 years in print this year, The Advocate is the world’s leading gay publication of record. As of 2009, the magazine reports monthly on news, politics, business, medical issues, and arts & entertainment. Hailed by The Washington Post as the “standard of gay journalism,” The Advocate distributes almost four million copies each year. Please visit The Advocate.

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Take Up The IDAHO Challenge!
18
April
Albert

Category: Blogging, Data, Homosexuality, Hot Lists, News, Personal, Politics, Pop Culture, Relationships, Sexuality, Social Issues, The O List, Video, Workplace  Leave a Comment
More Stills From ‘Little Ashes’
23
March
Albert







Mr. Robert Pattinson & Mr. Javier Beltrán in Little Ashes

Category: Blogging, Film, Men, New Releases, Photography, Pop Culture, Relationships, Sexuality  Leave a Comment
The Informers
16
January
Albert

One of the films making its world premiere at this year’s edition of Sundance is ‘The Informers.’ The film is based on the oft-maligned and misunderstood 1994 book by Bret Easton Ellis (who co-writes the screenplay here). ‘The Informers’ was the 1994 follow-up to ‘American Psycho’–and as such, I suppose any let down that some readers felt was inevitable considering the cult-status achieved by ‘American Psycho.’ ‘The Informers,’ which was yet another of Ellis’ brutal dissections of the early-80’s drug and sex excess, was panned by critics because of its seemingly disjointed vignette stylization and the scatter shot character development, Quite frankly, I found it rather tedious to read at times–but well-worth the effort. If you were a fan of ‘Less Than Zero’, I think you can more easily relate to the Ellis’ rotating first-person narrative device.

As usual, Ellis is fascinated by the affectless, jaded pseudo-celebrity, family, class and the innate cruelties of human interaction when sex, drugs and alcohol are involved. How the source material translates to the big screen will be an interesting challenge and I look forward to seeing how it plays out. The film, which was directed by Gregor Jordan, will open in New York City and Los Angeles on April 10, 2009. ‘The Informers’ stars Billy Bob Thornton, Kim Basinger, Winona Ryder, John Foster, Amber Heard, Austin Nichols, Lou Taylor Pucci, Rhys Ifans, Chris Isaak, Brad Renfro and Mickey Rourke.

The book, ‘The Informers,’ will be reissued in paperback on February 24, 2009 via Vintage Contemporaries.

ABOUT THE STORY:

In such works as ‘Less Than Zero’ and ‘American Psycho’ Bret Easton Ellis brilliantly dissects contemporary American society, a culture in which too much is never enough. Now, adapting his own acclaimed novel for the screen, he returns to the Los Angeles of the early 1980’s with a multi-strand narrative that deftly balances a vast array of characters who represent both the top of the heap (a Hollywood dream merchant, a dissolute rock star, an aging newscaster) and the bottom (a voyeuristic doorman, an amoral ex-con). Connecting all his intertwining strands are the quintessential Ellis protagonists—a group of beautiful, blonde young men and women who sleep all day and party all night, doing drugs—and one another—with abandon, never realizing that they are dancing on the edge of a volcano. Filmed with uncommon glamour and grit by acclaimed Australian director Gregor Jordan (’Ned Kelly,’ ‘Buffalo Soldiers’), ‘The Informers’ is an alternately blistering and chilling portrait of hedonism run amuck.

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION:

With the publication of his first novel, ‘Less Than Zero,’ in 1985, Bret Easton Ellis was catapulted to fame and hailed as the voice of a generation. In the ensuing two decades, he has remained famous (with frequent forays into notoriety) but, more importantly, he has maintained and solidified his standing as unofficial poet laureate of disenchanted youth and crushed innocence. In a career that bridges the twilight of the twentieth century and the dawn of the twenty-first, Ellis continues to speak for every young person who is dissatisfied with the way things are; he also speaks for–and to–an ever-growing audience that has left youth behind, but still wants to feel connected to its various pains and pleasures.

Few writers are as “of the moment” as Ellis, and every one of his books succeeds as a time-capsule portrait of the era in which it was written. However, there is a timelessness to his work that makes it utterly contemporary. Though written or set in the past, his novels are always about “now,” and nothing underscores this quality more persuasively than the new film adapted from Ellis’ 1994 book, ‘The Informers.’ With a screenplay co-written by the author himself, the film, like the book, is set in Los Angeles in 1983. But, Ellis’ pitchperfect dissection of the Reagan years works every bit as effectively as a chronicle of Bush-era excess. ‘The Informers’ is set at a moment when America—a culture in which too much is never enough—wakes up after an extended spree with a very big hangover. An alternately blistering and chilling portrait of hedonism run amuck, the film is unmistakably about today.

‘The Informers’ is frequently referred to as a novel, although it is actually a collection of short fiction. The stories are only casually linked by occasional recurring characters, most of them college-age kids and/or their parents, and are all set in and around the most privileged sections of L.A., and. More importantly, they are all variations on the same theme, dealing in subtly different ways with the moral bankruptcy of the older generation, and its inevitable effect on the younger one. In Ellis’ universe, the adults are either unwilling or unable to set limits and, as a result, their children have none. Kids are constantly crossing thresholds in matters of sex, drugs, money, or violence, all the while waiting for someone to say “stop, you’ve gone too far.” But, that warning never comes.

Though published after ‘American Psycho,’ much of ‘The Informers’ was written ten years earlier, when Ellis was the precise age of his protagonists. As he recalls, “I was still at college during the early 80’s, traveling back and forth from Vermont to L.A., so a lot of the stories were about friends of mine and about the milieu I grew up in.” He goes on to say that “everyone always assumed that ‘Less Than Zero” was such an autobiographical novel. Understandably so, because it was a first novel and everyone thinks that a first novel is autobiographical.” But, in fact, he considers ‘The Informers’ his most personal book–“the one where I rid myself of a lot of autobiographical tendencies.” He also feels that, for this reason, he was able to successfully adapt the book to the screen. “I’ve done adaptations of my work for other directors that didn’t really pan out,” citing a script he did of ‘American Psycho’ for David Cronenberg that, by his own admission, “didn’t really work.” It was different with ‘The Informers,’ he says, “because I knew the material really well, and I knew these kids, knew these parents, knew these men and women. I think the other adaptations were less autobiographical, and maybe that’s why this one worked for me, and ended up as seamless as it ended up being.”

Despite his closeness to the material, it was not Ellis, but rather his co-writer, Nicholas Jarecki, who first had the idea of bringing ‘The Informers’ to the screen. Ellis recalls receiving “a phone call, followed up by an email, from someone who said, ‘I would really like to make this book into a movie; it’s one of my favorite books, and I would like you to work on the script with me.’” That someone was Jarecki, an NYU Film School graduate who had made a documentary about James Toback that Ellis had quite liked. More importantly, “he was very young—about 25 or 26 when he contacted me,” recalls Ellis, meaning that he was close to the age of the main characters, just as Ellis had been when creating them. “We sat around the Chateau during the summer of ‘04,” Ellis continues, (referring to the West Hollywood landmark, Chateau Marmont), “and started to piece together how we would take these 13 or 14 stories set in L.A., select which ones to use, choose characters we wanted to concentrate on, and make this into a movie that would flow.”

According to Ellis, “there were problems with getting the picture made,” and it languished for some time before finding its way to producer Marco Weber, whose critically acclaimed film, ‘Igby Goes Down,’ dealt with the same social class (albeit on the east coast), as well as very similar characters and crises. Nearly two years after starting his first draft of ‘The Informers,’ Ellis teamed with Weber, who then brought director Gregor Jordan on board, and the three of them refined the script until it was ready to shoot. Ellis, Weber and Jordan are all approximately the same age, and shared a perspectiveon what 1983 was like, having formed their adult sensibilities during that period. By the same token, they shared a sense of how relevant the story could be today.

As Jordan notes, ‘The Informers’ was shaped by things that happened 25 years ago to a young, unpublished author who began writing about his life, his friends, their parents, characters from popular culture at the time, as well as things from his imagination.
Three years ago, Bret, as a post forty-year-old, turned these stories from his life into a screenplay.” The result, notes Jordan, was a script that “had all of the insights into Los Angeles in 1983 that only someone who was there could have. But, it was filtered through a middle-aged man’s experiences. He continues: “There was a certain mood to Bret’s writing that I found unique—a sort of creeping miasma that really gripped me when I read the script, and then made me think about it for days afterwards. I thought that if we could somehow bring that mood out in the final film, then it would potentially be a very original piece.”

Given its multi-character, multi-generation nature, ‘The Informers’ is much less about plot than about mood, and Jordan acknowledges being influenced by at least one other L.A.-based “interlocking-lives” film. “I greatly admire Robert Altman’s “Short Cuts’” he says. “The stories are grim but completely compelling. It was a guide for me as to how to make a film with so many dark storylines palatable to a general audience.” Citing several other filmic influences, including De Sica’s ‘The Garden of the Finzi Continis’ and Antonioni’s ‘Blow Up,’ he says that “a film that inspired me, strangely enough, was ‘Lost in Translation.’ It is a movie that didn’t have a lot of story, but in my opinion worked because it had an interesting mood. To me, it is an example of how music and performance can help create a tone that carries an audience along more than a plot.”

Summarizing his approach to the material Jordan says, “as someone who was also a young man in 1983, my job as the film’s director was to interpret this story and somehow give it relevance to a contemporary audience. The themes of decadence, obsession with beauty, extravagance, emotional and physical cruelty, and hedonism seemed as pertinent to me, living through the Bush era, as they did to anyone in the Reagan era. It also seems as if the excesses of that period are being paid for now.”

A sprawling ensemble cast was assembled to give life to Ellis’ prismatic and populous portrait of an age, but if there is one “star” of ‘The Transformers,’ it is Los Angeles. As Jordan, a transplanted Australian who now resides there says, “I think Los Angeles has many essences, but the one of decadence and immorality is definitely conveyed in the book and film. The movie and music businesses are centered in Los Angeles, and their star systems are just so emblematic of this city. When you populate a city with people who have massive amounts of money and fame, combined with weak moral compasses, then decadence and excess is inevitable.” Weber, originally from Germany, though an L.A. resident for nearly two decades adds, “it can be an amazingly beautiful city, but on the other side it can be very brutal, cruel, and violent, especially if you are not successful. A lot of people forget that there are more than two standards by which you measure life; it’s not only about money and success.”

Unlike his collaborators, Ellis’ relationship with L.A. is life long, and for him it is more than a setting–to no small extent, it is his subject. As he says, “I grew up out here, and I’m a child of Los Angeles for better or for worse. Though I didn’t really behave as badly as my characters, I did see a fair amount of behavior that was a product of the city, and of the milieu of Beverly Hills and Bel Air. It was a kind of behavior that was very self-destructive, and seemed brought on by a kind of limitless freedom a lot of rich kids have. They have no boundaries, and so they actually start acting like adults, even though they’re not even fully formed people yet, they’re still teenagers. That’s why I’ve come back to L.A. a couple of times in my novels, because that’s a very interesting thing, something I really like exploring, and something I saw growing up.”

Weber notes that Ellis’ L.A. is, in fact divided. “We had two worlds we needed to film—the world of the adults in Los Angeles, and the world of their kids, which is a completely separate world.” In fact, the shooting schedule bore this out in that the older actors and the younger ones rarely worked together. “With the exception of the funeral and one dinner scene, it’s as if we have two casts on two different shoots, and they never seem to meet each other! On the one hand you have these really experienced actors like Kim, Billy Bob, Mickey and Winona, most of whom began their careers in the 80’s. On the other hand, you have these really great up-and-coming kids who have done excellent work, and who are all at an interesting point in their development.” But, the fractured nature of the contemporary American families depicted in the film dictate that these two generations of actors–and characters—share little screen time.

Ellis hastens to point out that this very issue is at the heart of ‘The Informers.’ “There’s a much more universal aspect to ‘The Informers,’” he says. “It really is a movie about fathers and sons, and husbands and wives, and friendships and all sorts of things my other books–and the movies made from them–aren’t about. Those works are all about one particular thing, like ‘Rules of Attraction’ is about acting out in college, and ‘American Psycho’ is about a serial killer on Wall Street. But, this has a much larger range to it, and I think the characters are far more relatable, and much more sympathetic than they have been in any of my other work that’s been adapted.”

Weber agrees with Ellis’ assessment, noting that a surprisingly broad audience might identify with ‘The Informers.’ “On one hand, it’s a movie for kids, because it is a film about a generation, about teenagers growing up. But, also, there are the older people who lived through the 80’s, people who were teenagers then, like Gregor and me.”

Whether one is talking about 1983 or today, ‘The Informers’ is still relevant. “I don’t think anything has changed,” says Weber “not with respect to how people deal with each other, how parents and kids misunderstand each other, and how parents are responsible for what kind of people their kids become—a responsibility that has not changed in the last 25 years. This may be a period piece, but it is probably the most modern period piece you could imagine.”

Jordan seconds this notion saying that, “now that Bush is gone” audiences should be eager for a film like ‘The Informers.’ “In a sense,” he observes, “this kind of film harks back to the 70’s, another reactionary, post-conservative era. It was a time that greatly influenced me as a person and a filmmaker, a time when films were not necessarily pleasant, but were challenging and thought-provoking. The appreciation of art, music, literature and film is definitely cyclical, and my hope is that this movie will tap into a new movement of expression that seems to have already started since the election.”

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Quote Of The Day: Mr. Eric Dane
12
January
Albert

In response to the following question from ELLE magazine:

“Have you ever been in a room with a man who possessed a sexual magnetism with which you couldn’t compete?”

I met George Clooney at a Jeffrey Katzenberg party not too long ago. I didn’t want to fuck him, but it seemed like everybody else in the room did.–Mr. Eric Dane, ELLE, No.281, January 2009; pg. 170

Category: Blogging, E-Male, Film, Hollywood, Hot Lists, Men, Pop Culture, Quotes, Sexuality, Television  Leave a Comment
Quote Of The Day: Mr. Tom Ford
18
December
Albert

“There’s one indulgence every man should try in his lifetime. If your straight, sleep with a man at least once, and if you’re gay, don’t go through life without sleeping with a woman. Either way, you might be surprised at how natural it will feel if you can get past the mind-fuck of stereotypes. In the end, it’s just another person that you are relating to in a physical way.”

–Mr. Tom Ford, in Details (p. 104), December 2008 issue

Category: Blogging, Design, Fashion, Film, Hot Lists, Magazines, Men, Pop Culture, Quotes, Relationships, Sexuality  One Comment
Doubt
15
December
Albert

John Patrick Shanley’s seminal play ‘Doubt’ has finally been adapted for the big screen by the playwright himself. While several critics have taken Shanley to task (unfairly) for his adaptation and direction, I’m here to tell you that ‘Doubt’ is without doubt one of this year’s finest film experiences. Everything that was brilliant and relevant with the off-Broadway debut of ‘Doubt’ in 2004 is still as vital and electric as the stage production.

When your source material has won the New York Drama Critics Circle Award, the Lucille Lortel Award, the Outer Critics Circle Award, the Drama League Award, the Drama Desk, the Tony and the Pulitzer, it’s very hard to imagine it not making a successful transition to the big screen. In the hands of the man who created the bristling dialog and layered moral constructs of the drama’s carcass, it would seem virtually indestructable. Yet, Shanley has taken some risks. Transfering a dramatic piece specifically created for the stage to the open-ended world of film is a trickier task than some give Shanley credit for.

To that end, and with the expert eye of Director of Photography Roger Deakins, Shanley has infused the film version of his play with a dazzling use of color and the elements of Mother Nature. Nowhere is that dramatic intent as poignantly visible as during the “pillow sermon” which is later echoed by the stunning confrontation of Sister Aloysius and Mrs. Miller (more on that in a bit) and a whirl of autumn leaves. Scenes bookended with streaming sunlight, pitch blackness, pouring rain, splashes of unexpected color, open windows, drawn blinds–all serve as flawless and metaphoric punctuation to the performances of the actors and the exposition of the story.

At its very core, ‘Doubt’ is a story with not-so-pat answers to questions that have shadowed man from his creation. When is one man’s truth more correct than another? When do one’s beliefs and guiding principles blind us from the truths in front of us? Can truth ultimately be more dangerous than what one’s mind can concoct? These are but few of the questions that Shanley and ‘Doubt’ challenge us with. So when the first black student is accepted into St. Nicholas in the Bronx, a duel between Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman) and Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Meryl Streep) is sparked when the priest takes a special interest in Donald Miller’s education–an interest Sister Beauvier fears is unhealthy and inappropriate.

The moral dilemma is set into motion when a hapless innocent, Sister James (Amy Adams), hears and sees too much–or has she? Not quite sure of what to make of the situation, she naturally turns to Sister Aloysius for guidance. What results is a showdown between these three characters and their truths over young Donald Miller. While the obvious issues raised–including racism, homosexuality, pedophilia, religious dogma, religious hierarchy and politics–all provide jumping off points for the drama and the catharsis to follow, the real jolt to the system comes with the appearance of Donald Miller’s mother at the behest of Sister Aloysius.

In one superbly shot and brilliantly acted scene, Viola Davis (who appears only once in the film) gives a tour de force performance that will be talked about for ages. Not only does Davis bring an unexpected humanity and vulnerability to her character, but she basically upends the seeming conclusion the pathos was driving for with a bombshell revelation. So vital and heartwrenching is this scene, that it will literally take the audience aback and make them rethink any preconceived notions they may have fostered of our main players. In many ways, Mrs. Miller proves to be the one vulnerability in Sister Aloysius’ steely armor of truths. Viola Davis not only deserves an Academy-Award nomination as Best Supporting Actress, she deserves the prize with this unforgettable performance. (At a later date, I want to revisit the mechanics of this scene–and their consequences.)

To say that ‘Doubt’ is loaded with a talented cast is perhaps the understatement of the year. The indescribably brilliant Meryl Streep gives an assured and haunting performance as Sister Aloysius. Watching Streep’s eyes dart and chin tighten as she passes Sister Aloysius’ judgements is a study in acting on its own. She inhabits this character with such fervor and committment, it’s quite easy to forget that she is Meryl Streep, actress. Ms. Streep will rightly collect her fifteenth Oscar nomation. Philip Seymour Hoffman’s turn as Father Flynn is much more nuanced than Streep’s. His character is painted in broad strokes with careful shading (unlike Sister Aloysius). Hoffman’s Flynn is at his best when he’s locked one-on-one with Streep’s Beauvier. These scenes crackle with an intensity that literally makes your heart race faster. Amy Adams’ Sister James is the buffer to Flynn and Beauvier’s battle. She brings an innocence that is deeply needed in the murky clouds of suspicion. Together, with Ms. Davis, the quartet are assuredly the best film ensemble of the year.

‘Doubt’ will affect you on a very deep and personal level if you allow it to. There are no easy answers–and the questions themselves may be wrong. As a morality play, ‘Doubt’ is brilliant in its set-up and execution. It asks you to examine your truths and question your doubts. Neither Shanley nor the film answer the audience’s questions–and in doing so create the ultimate questions about faith and fate.

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SYNOPSIS:

John Patrick Shanley brings his play DOUBT to the screen, in a story about the
quest for truth, the forces of change, and the devastating consequences of blind justice in an age defined by moral conviction.

It’s 1964, St. Nicholas in the Bronx. A vibrant, charismatic priest, Father Flynn (Philip Seymour Hoffman), is trying to upend the school’s strict customs, which have long been fiercely guarded by Sister Aloysius Beauvier (Meryl Streep), the iron-gloved Principal who believes in the power of fear and discipline. The winds of political change are sweeping through the community, and, indeed, the school has just accepted its first black student, Donald Miller. But when Sister James (Amy Adams), a hopeful innocent, shares with Sister Aloysius her guilt-inducing suspicion that Father Flynn is paying too much personal attention to Donald, Sister Aloysius is galvanized to begin a crusade to both unearth the truth and expunge Flynn from the school. Now, without a shred of proof or evidence except her moral certainty, Sister Aloysius locks into a battle of wills with Father Flynn, a battle that threatens to tear apart the church and school with devastating consequences.

DOUBT was written for the screen and directed by John Patrick Shanley. The film stars Meryl Streep, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and Viola Davis. The film is produced by Scott Rudin and Mark Roybal, with Celia Costas as Executive Producer. Director of Photography is Roger Deakins, ASC, BSC; Production Designer is David Gropman; Editor is Dylan Tichenor, ACE; Costume Designer is Ann Roth; Music is by Howard Shore; Casting is by Ellen Chenoweth; Sound Mixing is by Danny Michael, CAS, Lee Dichter, CAS and Ron Bochar, CAS; Sound Editing is by Ron Bochar.

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION:

From the opening moments of John Patrick Shanley’s DOUBT to its powerful conclusion, uncertainty hangs in the air, drawing the audience into a provocative mystery in which two nuns, a priest, and the mother of a young boy – as well as the audience itself — are forced to confront their core beliefs as they struggle with judgment and verdict, conviction and doubt. In the battle of wills that ensues, DOUBT raises probing questions about the challenges of navigating a world increasingly confronted by sweeping changes and moral dilemmas.

It was the very word “doubt” that first inspired Shanley to write what would become the most acclaimed play of the last decade, and now, to adapt the story into a screenplay that enlarges the play’s world and uses the fluidity of cinema to plant new seeds of uncertainty. At the time he began writing, Shanley recalls vast numbers of polarized political pundits literally shouting at each other on television. “I felt surrounded by a society that seemed very certain about a lot of things. Everyone had a very entrenched opinion, but there was no real exchange, and if someone were to say ‘I don’t know,’ it was as if they would be put to death in the media coliseum. There was this mask of certainty in our society that I saw hardening to the point that it was developing a crack – and that crack was doubt,” Shanley explains.

“So I decided to write a play that celebrated the fact that you can never know anything for certain. I wanted to explore the idea that doubt has an infinite nature, that it allows for growth and change, whereas certainty is a dead-end. Where there is certainty, the conversation is over, and I’m interested in the conversation, especially because another word for that conversation is ‘life.’ We’ve got to learn to live with a measure of uncertainty. That’s the silence under the chatter of our time.”

For Shanley, the overriding challenge was incorporating not just the theme but also the very mechanism of doubt into the fabric of his story, unraveling facts and truths the audience might think are clear at the outset, and leaving the audience finally to explore these loose ends in their own way. Throughout, Shanley’s one incontrovertible dictum was to never lead the audience to any one individual conclusion. “What was always important to me,” he explains, “is that the sense of doubt belongs to the audience. I’m not going to tell them what’s right and wrong. I wanted to simply make them think and feel something, rather than tell them what to think and feel.”

Once Shanley knew he wanted to write about doubt and the necessity of weathering the inevitable challenges to one’s beliefs, he began to ponder the setting for such a tale. “I wanted to apply the way I see things to a situation that was very fraught and seemingly insoluble,” he says, “and this led to a parish priest accused of taking advantage of a member of his flock. I wasn’t interested in the church scandals themselves, but I was looking for a polarizing situation, one in which most people would brook no hesitation in condemning a person – and then throwing those assumptions back at the audience in a different light.”

Having decided on setting the story’s battleground issues of principle and compassion in a religious school, Shanley’s play took on a rich personal depth, transporting him back to his own childhood growing up in a strict Catholic school in a predominantly Irish Catholic workingclass Bronx neighborhood. “I knew those people,” he says. “Sister Aloysius is certainly based on nuns I experienced firsthand, and she is also someone I relate to – there is a certain sadness I share with her about things that are gone now from the world, like silence and ball point pens and students reading Plato.”

Drawing further on his resonant memories, Shanley set the clash between Sister Aloysius and Father Flynn against the volatile atmosphere of 1964, just after the Kennedy assassination and on the cusp of the civil rights movement of the late 60s. “That was a pivotal time of going from complete faith in establishments and hierarchies, to questioning those establishments and hierarchies — like the military, and organized religion,” he says.

It was also a time of sweeping changes for the Catholic Church. The establishment of Vatican II by Pope John XXIII in 1962 ushered in a series of considerable reforms designed to make the church more modern, more diverse and more accessible to a changing laity. By the mid-‘60s, the face of the church would be quite different, with nuns no longer required to wear the habit and with much less formality between priests and their parishioners.

“I wanted to capture something about that lost moment,” says Shanley. “Walking around the Bronx in 1964, you’d see nuns in their bonnets and habits, but you didn’t realize that within just a few years, they wouldn’t be wearing them anymore and that time would be gone forever. I also think that Father Flynn is very much a product of the early ‘60s in the way he is questioning institutions as they stand, while still working within the system. He wants to make the church that he loves viable in a changing world.”

Race, too, was woven into the story through the character of Donald Miller, the black child whose unusually close relationship with Father Flynn spurs Sister Aloysius’ crusade. Shanley has vivid memories of attending a school with just a single black student in the early, tension-filled days of school integration. “When you have only one black student in school, you really start to notice that person and think, what does it feel like to be that guy? It made me see myself and my social context in a more complex way and made me start to question those things on a deeper level,” he comments.

Throughout, Shanley avoided taking sides with any of his characters – and he admits that he relates to elements of both Father Flynn and Sister Aloysius. “I have a tendency to agree with every one of my characters while they are talking,” he confesses. “But that’s my experience of life. Human beings are contradictory and paradoxical and mysterious, and they remain that way.”

All of this builds to the story’s crucible moment, when Sister Aloysius finally admits she herself has – for the first time – doubts. Her certainty has been eroded by her growing compassion and even empathy for Donald Miller, his mother, the other students, and Sister James. She finds community in doubt, and thus is humanized and changed. The audience is left to reconcile what they just experienced in terms of their own beliefs and emotions. This was essential to Shanley’s vision for Doubt.

He says: “For more than a hundred years, filmmakers have tended to ask a question and at the end of the movie, they answer it. With Doubt, I wanted to leave the audience at the end not with an answer, but saying rather: ‘What a beautiful question.’ In that way, it becomes the audience’s story.”

Shanley’s play, given its world premiere off-Broadway in the fall of 2004, was swept onto Broadway via an avalanche of rave reviews. It opened at the Walter Kerr Theater in 2005 and remained there for a total of 25 previews and 525 performances, which then led to a lengthy national tour and numerous international productions.

In the wake of the play’s international success, Shanley came to believe that Doubt, with its ability to provoke and move audiences around the world, could inevitably do the same for movie audiences. Shanley had been writing screenplays for two decades, and had won an Oscar® for penning the romantic comedy “Moonstruck.” Adapting Doubt, he says, would be the most difficult screenwriting experience of all. The challenge at hand was to completely reenvision his play and allow it to become a different creature on the screen: more visceral, more dynamic, more open to the vibrant, burgeoning working class neighborhoods of 1960s New York.

“This story started with memories of growing up in the Bronx and then those memories became a play, and I used the stage and all the materials it had to offer to tell the story that way; and now, as a film, it has a profoundly different character,” Shanley says. “The kind of specificity you get in filmmaking — from the real air, the real buildings, the real things all around you — brings a verité to the story that the actors use to find a different level of performance. Theatre is very organized and real life is disorganized, so part of the process was shattering the story back into pieces and making it more like those original memories.”

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‘Doubt’ is 104 minutes, Rated PG-13 for Thematic Material
Release Date: December 12, 2008 Limited; Miramax Films

Category: Awards, Blogging, Culture, Film, Hollywood, Homosexuality, Hot Lists, Introspection, New Releases, Personal, Photography, Politics, Pop Culture, Production Notes, Relationships, Religion, Sexuality, Social Issues, Spoilers, The O List, Theatre  Leave a Comment
Project Spotlight: Little Ashes
11
November
Albert

[***PLEASE NOTE: This entry contains key plot information and behind-the-scenes production notes from the upcoming March 2009 film 'Little Ashes'. Some may consider this information "spoiler-ish".***]


Three rebels willing to take on the world. Two lovers risking it all. One story, untold until now.

Though the film ‘Little Ashes’ will not hit theatres in the United States until March 2009, the film is already stirring a wave of positive reaction and impressive word of the performances of the film’s trio of principals–Javier Beltrán, Robert Pattinson and Matthew McNulty. The three actors star in this period piece amidst the repression and political unrest of pre-Spanish Civil War.

SYNOPSIS:

Madrid 1922. A city wavering on the edge of change as traditional values are challenged by the dangerous new influences of Jazz, Freud and the avant-garde. Salvador Dalí (Pattinson) arrives at university at the age of 18 years old and determined to become a great artist. His bizarre blend of shyness and rampant exhibitionism attracts the attention of two of the university’s social elite – Federico García Lorca (Beltrán) and Luis Buñuel (McNulty).


Mr. Javier Beltrán

Salvador is absorbed into their decadent group and for a time Salvador, Luis and Federico becomes a formidable trio, the most ultra-modern group in Madrid. However, as time passes, Salvador feels an increasingly strong pull towards the charismatic Federico – who is himself oblivious of the attentions he is getting from his beautiful writer friend, Magdalena (Marina Gatell). Finally, in the face of his friends’ preoccupations – and Federico’s growing renown as a poet – Luis sets off for Paris in search of his own artistic success.


Mr. Robert Pattinson

Federico and Salvador spend the holiday in the sea-side town of Cadaqués. Both the idyllic surroundings and the warmth of the Dalí family sweep Federico off his feet. Salvador and he draw closer, sharing their deepest beliefs, inspirations and secrets, convinced that they have found a kind of friendship undreamt of by others. It is more than a meeting of the minds; it is a fusion of souls. And then one night, in the phosphorescent water, it becomes something else.

A seemingly innocent kiss throws Federico and Salvador into the realms of the taboo. In the world of Spanish Catholicism, homosexuality is an affront against God and man. On their return to Madrid the two embark on an unspoken, secret relationship. When Luis visits, he is appalled to realize that Federico is apparently in love with Salvador. He leaves the city in shock rather than confronting his one-time friend.


Mr. Matthew McNulty

Salvador visits Luis in Paris and returns determined to separate himself from both Federico and Madrid–Luis has convinced him that both are proving detrimental to his career. Federico, increasingly fearful of his emotions, now becomes terrified of the thought of losing Salvador. One fateful afternoon the situation escalates as, frustrated and manipulated, Federico has sex with Magdalena while Salvador watches. The episode leaves Federico distraught as Salvador becomes colder than ever, leaving for Paris.

Alone in Madrid, Federico struggles against his psyche, tortured by the damning implications of his own religious beliefs and the undeniable voice of his flesh. He is haunted by news of Salvador who is collaborating on a Surrealist film with Luis and has embarked on an affair with a married woman – Gala.
Finally, Magdalena forces Federico come to terms with his sexuality and carry on with his life.

By 1936, while Spain is teetering on the precipice of civil war, Federico, now a highly acclaimed and controversial playwright, receives an invitation to dinner from Salvador and Gala. But the hosts have a rather unusual agenda and the evening is a disaster. A week later, Salvador is hosting a party when he discovers that Federico has been assassinated in the outbreak of war. The walls of self-denial that surround the artist come crashing down as he realizes, too late, the depth of his love for Federico.


Mr. Javier Beltrán and Mr. Robert Pattinson

HISTORICAL CONTEXT:

By the 20th century, Spain had devolved from being one of the most powerful countries in the world, to a poor and backward country where corruption was rife. It had lost nearly all of its overseas territories such as Cuba and the Philippines and the extreme classes of wealth and poverty caused severe social tensions. Industry was limited and the power and wealth of the Catholic Church was greatly resented by many and seen as an enemy of change. Although the majority of Spaniards did not go to mass, the Church had a strong following in the countryside where religious devotion was strong and had a virtual monopoly on education.

With an army consisting of too many officers and poorly equipped soldiers, economic depression led to strikes and unrest and the emergence of a right-wing military dictatorship, but that too failed and King Alfonso XIII abdicated the following year. A republic was declared with Alcala Zamora as provisional prime minister. The Republican government brought in a series of anti-Church measures. The measures against the church alienated the right wing of Spanish society who saw the Catholic Church at the heart of Spanish civilization. Zamora resigned in protest and the new prime minister was the anti-clerical liberal, Manuel Azana.

These on-going polarizing measures led to the foundation of the right-wing and Catholic CEDA party led by Gil Robles. At the same time a fascist party led by the son of Primo de Rivera, Jose Antonio was set up. It was called the Falange (Phalanx). In 1934 a general strike opposing the government was called and an anarchist miners’ revolt was crushed by General Franco. Mass arrests followed and left wing newspapers were closed. the monarchist politician, Calvo Sotelo was assassinated by Republican police in revenge for the murder of one of their men by a Falangist. The military had found a reason to revolt. About half of the army remained loyal to the government and the revolt failed in Madrid, Valencia, Barcelona and the Basque country. Workers and peasants militias were formed to defend the government.

Crucially the elite army of Morocco supported the revolt, led by General Franco. By August the rebels held most of the North and North West while the government controlled the South and the North Coast.


Ms. Marina Gatell

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT:

For me, ‘Little Ashes’ is first and foremost a love story, moving and tender. This is a forbidden love between two men that moves from a silent, aching longing to one incandescent and glorious moment of promise, only to end in rejection and disillusionment. Lorca’s love for Dalí gives the movie its shape, its dramatic spine. This is first and foremost an actor’s movie, truthful and beautiful, intimate and spare. The performances dominate.

The audience, with Lorca, will fall in love with the shy and brilliant Dalí, and be captivated by his sensitivity and vulnerability, hidden behind his poses and charades. We admire and fear for him in his outrageousness. Later, we fear more for Lorca as we realize that Dalí’s masks have become his face; that he has begun to believe in his act, and that Lorca and his love are becoming the victims of Dalí’s narcissism and ambition.

So this is also a film about integrity. Encouraged by Magdalena, Lorca keeps faith with his beliefs, his roots, his work, and- eventually- his sexuality. Dalí chooses notoriety and success and a fantastic kind of elitism over deeper values. Dalí became an early exponent and manipulative genius of the culture of celebrity. Philippa’s screenplay is thus both of its time and incontrovertibly fresh and modern.

These are universal themes, which a wide audience can understand and identify with. This is a film about artists but not a film about art. It is beautiful, funny, moving and thoughtful, one which looks beyond an “art film” audience. Ironically, Dalí’s very notoriety, in America as well as in Europe, may help us to find this wider audience.

This is also a film about a moment in time, about a political and personal change in a period of upheaval and reaction. This generation of young artists- Buñuel, Lorca, Dalí- were viscerally in revolt against the forces of bourgeois conformism- church, state, army, landed aristocracy- that they were born into, and which surrealism aimed to subvert. They allied the wild joy and exuberance of youth to the transformative role of the artist and they worked alongside the tremor of the political and social movements sweeping through Spain. Their rebellion and the wider fight for freedom and justice that followed were eventually brutally crushed from without and subverted from within. The film follows this movement into freedom and back into repression. The film vibrates with the fun and humor and anarchic excitement of their early lives and moves with them to a deep kind of knowledge, despair, beauty, and eventually death; yet a legacy that lives on. The ending should not be without hope, for we know that Lorca’s poems live on.

The film is not a conventional period drama. The issues these men were confronting are incontestably modern.


Mr. Robert Pattinson

THE PRODUCTION:

We are excited about the new Hi-def Sony DVcam, which implies both an aesthetic and a way of working. It has exceptional flexibility and fluidity, and at the same time allows us a high-contrast “film” look, enabling us to achieve the deep shadows, bleached out highlights and acute and abnormal angles of vision found in Man Ray and other photographers of the time. Backgrounds are simple and plain: whitewashed walls; brickwork; stone; fabric; earth, cobbles, water. Like Lorca’s poetry, both simple and rich at the same time. This is a sensual film with luminous, magical and spacious landscapes, such as Dalí painted and Lorca wrote about and was rooted in.

Interspersed through the film is treated archive material and specially shot material which echoes the inner lives and obsessions of our characters, and which gives the movie breadth and space. The symbols of Lorca’s obsession: earth, moon, flowers, death, crucifixion. The images of a country in revolt: people swarming on the streets, flags, army, guns, blood. A kind of incidental imagery sparsely utilized that will feel as far as possible unconstructed. Shooting on DV gave us a much easier route to integrating this material in post-production. Modern editing systems and programs mean that simple compositing can be done in the edit suite.

Costumes were designed to be simple and stylish and reflect the uncluttered aesthetic of the film. We worked with a small crew and chose locations carefully to maintain the unfussy visual aesthetic without major construction or dressing, and minimize the number of sites to maintain a compact, focused way of working. Our lightweight crew also meant we could be mobile around more inaccessible locations, like the rocks at Cadaquès.

The fine screenplay shifts rapidly in tone from playful exuberance and fun, to longing, to tender beauty and to despair. The film follows these rapid movements of mood, yet is not overly intense; it felt important to retain a lightness of touch, not to overplay the fine hand we had been given, and let this wonderful story do the work.


Mr. Matthew McNulty and Mr. Javier Beltrán

ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Salvador Dalí:

Salvador Dalí was born in Catalonia, Spain in 1904. He was named after his father and deceased brother and was told by his parents that he was a reincarnation of his brother. Salvador worshipped his mother and was devastated when she died from breast cancer when he was 16.

He attended the Residencia de Estudiantes where he met poet Federico García Lorca and filmmaker Luis Buñuel. Although he and Buñuel would later go on to work on the film “Un Chien Andalou” together it was García Lorca that he was truly close to. They two maintained a special friendship that had many elements of passion the whole time they were students.

Dalí’s time at school ended when he was expelled for telling his professors that none of them were good enough to judge and grade him. He was thrown out of the university. However, Dalí’s growing fame in the artistic community inspired him to try new ventures, leaving his old friends behind. Soon, Dalí was caught up in the world of celebrity, especially after he met his wife, Gala. The two were the tabloid couple of their time.

Dalí continued to work and paint throughout his life, although he was shunned by the surrealists for his political views. However, this did not affect the flamboyant Dalí. In his opinion, he was the reason for the surrealist movement.

By the time he died in 1989, Salvador Dalí and his art were known the world over. He achieved great fame during his Surrealist period, during which he created some of his most well know works, including “Persistence of Memory” and “The Ghost of Vermeer of Delft Which Can Be Used as a Table.”

Dalí is often credited with being one of the most well known members of the surrealist movement, although it has been said that he is also the one that sought out fame the most.

Federico García Lorca:

Federico García Lorca was born to an upper class family in 1898. When García Lorca was a child, the family relocated to Granada, Andalusia and it was there that García Lorca became involved in the local artist community. By the time he began attending the Residencia de Estudiantes in Madrid in 1919 he had already published his first book, entitled “Impresiones y paisajes.”

García Lorca befriended filmmaker Luis Buñuel and artist Salvador Dalí. The three remained close during school and García Lorca and Dalí began a romantic affair that would last throughout their years as students. However, García Lorca’s growing depression and angst about his homosexuality soon caused a riff between himself and his friends. The debut of Dalí and Buñuel’s film “Un Chien Andalou,” which García Lorca determined to be about him, marked the end of their closeness.

García Lorca’s fame continued to grow. He became an accomplished poet and playwright. However, the Spanish Civil War loomed on the horizon and the military government did not appreciate García Lorca’s liberal way of thinking.

García Lorca returned to his family’s home in Andalusia only three days before the Spanish Civil War broke out in 1936, despite the fact that the area was known for being one of the regions most conservative. He and his brother-in-law were soon captured by the new regime and executed. Their bodies were dumped in an unmarked grave.

Although no mention of García Lorca’s work was allowed in Spain until 1953, today García Lorca is one of the country’s most beloved poets. A statue of him stands in Madrid’s Plaza de Santa Ana.

Luis Buñuel:

Luis Buñuel was born in 1900 in Aragón, Spain. He attended Madrid’s Resedencia de Estudiantes, where he met Federico García Lorca and Salvador Dalí. The three became close, but it was with Dalí that Buñuel collaborated to make his famous film “Un Chien Andalou.” The film—known primarily for the opening scene that simulates a human eyeball being slit by a razor—was considered groundbreaking in that it put the Surrealist movement on film and exposed it to a wide audience.

After the Spanish Civil War, Buñuel was exiled from Spain and went to work in Hollywood for a short time. He also worked at the Manhattan Museum of Modern Art, but was fired from that job after Salvador Dalí revealed that Buñuel was a Communist and an atheist. Buñuel never forgave Dalí for this and rebuffed all attempts at reconciliation.

Buñuel eventually settled in Mexico, where he continued to direct films. He is considered one of the most influential filmmakers in history and Alfred Hitchcock called him “the best director ever.” Luis Buñuel died in 1983 in Mexico City.

BIOGRAPHIES:

Javier Beltrán:

Javier Beltrán makes his feature film debut with ‘Little Ashes.’ Javier Beltrán continues his growing career on the Spanish television series ‘Zoo’ starring with veteran Spanish actress Mónica López.

Robert Pattinson:

Heartthrob Robert Pattinson started acting on the stage at the age of 15. He first gained recognition as Cedric Diggory, the young man who woos the object of Harry Potter’s affection in the immensely popular ‘Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.’ From there he was cast as another literary cult figure, the iconic vampire Edward Cullen in ‘Twilight’, the movie based on the acclaimed best-selling book series. With ‘Little Ashes,’ Robert continues to prove he is an actor not fearful of challenge. Robert’s films also include the comedy ‘How to Be.’ In 2005, at the age of twenty, Robert was named the British Star of Tomorrow by Times Online.

Matthew McNulty:

British actor Matthew McNulty has had a very diverse career since coming on to the acting scene in 2001. He appeared in the films ‘Love + Hate,’ ‘Control,’ and ‘Mark of Cain’ before starring in the comedy series ‘Honest.’ Matthew can be seen in ‘The Shooting of Thomas Hurndall,’ heard as the voice of Alex in ‘A Fox’s Tale,’ and 2009 also sees Matthew starring in ‘Looking for Eric’ a drama based on the life of soccer legend Eric Cantona.

Marina Gatell:

Most famous in Spain for her work in the hit series ‘Majora Absoluta,’ based on her movie of the same name, Marina shared the small screen with Javier Beltrán in the Spanish television series ‘Zoo’ and starred in the series ‘Lalola.’ She can be seen in the feature films ‘The Perfect Witness,’ ‘God’s Forgetten Town,’ ‘The Ungodly,’ and ‘Nosotros.’

Paul Morrison (Director):

Paul Morrison has a distinguished track record as a film-maker. His first feature film, ‘Solomon and Gaenor,’ was nominated for an Oscar and his second film ‘Wondrous Oblivion’ was released widely across the UK to much critical acclaim in the Spring of 2004. His other work as a director includes ‘Without Walls,’ ‘The Night Show–A Midsummer Night’s Dream,’ ‘Degas and Pissaro Fall Out,’ ‘From Bitter Earth,’ and ‘Unstable Elements.’

‘Little Ashes’ — Credits:

Directed by Paul Morrison
Written by Philippa Goslett
Produced by Carlo Dusi, Jonny Persey and Jaume Vilalta
Co-Producers: Philippa Goslett, Stewart Le Maréchal
Executive Producers: Stephen P. Jarchow, Paul Colichman, Debra Stasson, Luke Montagu
Director of Photography: Adam Suschitzky
Editor: Rachel Tunnard
Original Music by Miguel Mera
Production Designer: Pere Francesch
Costume Designer: Antonio Bellart
Make-Up & Hair Designer: Patricia Reyes
Casting by Mercé Espelleta
Sound Recordist: Juame Meléndez
Line Producer: Fernando Bofill

Running Time: 112 min. – 35mm film, in color, country of Origin: UK, filming location: Spain, the film’s spoken language: English, Rated R for sexual content, language and a brief disturbing image

Category: Art, Blogging, Books, Culture, Film, Geektique, History, Homosexuality, Hot Lists, New Releases, Pop Culture, Production Notes, Quotes, Relationships, Religion, Sexuality, Social Issues, Spoilers, The O List  8 Comments
Write To Marry Day
29
October
Albert

“Marriage is the most enduring and important human institution, honored and encouraged in all cultures and by every religious faith. Ages of experience have taught us that the commitment of a husband and a wife to love and to serve one another promotes the welfare of children and the stability of society. Marriage cannot be cut off from its cultural, religious, and natural roots without weakening this good influence on society. Government, by recognizing and protecting marriage, serves the interests of all.”

“Unfortunately, activist judges and some local officials have made an aggressive attempt to redefine marriage in recent years. Since 2004, state courts in Washington, California, Maryland, and New York have overturned laws protecting marriage in those states. And in Nebraska, a federal judge overturned a state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.”

“An amendment to the Constitution is necessary because activist courts have left our Nation with no other choice.”—President George W. Bush, weekly radio address 2006

Imagine if you will a place and time: Continuing military invasion of Iraq, Financial Markets In Crises; Government Bailouts On A Bursting National Debt; Sarah Palin, The Greenhouse Effect, Poverty, Election Fraud, Socialism & Marxism As Political Fear Tactics, FEMA Failure, Arctic Drilling, Oil, U.S. Military Genocide, Border Fences, Immigration, Terrorism, Trade Imbalance, Inflation, Unemployment, Medicare Bureaucracy, Nuclear Proliferation, AIDS, Wiretapping, Racism, Hate Crimes and Proposition 8. I guess it’s not too hard to imagine since it’s a cursory look at a complex snapshot in time of our country at present.

On November 4th, not only will this country pick a new leader, but Californians will make a major statement about hate and discrimination against LGBT individuals when they cast their ballots on the fate of Proposition 8. A “yes” vote on Proposition 8 will basically eliminate a fundamental right of same-sex marriage.

Where do I even begin? I’ve said in the past that I personally do not have a strong stance on gay marriage as it applies to me. Some find that strange and others feel betrayed. Do I hope to find love? Do I want to spend the rest of my life with the right man? Most assuredly. Do I want to get married? I’m not so sure. However, I will fight for that right for any man or woman (regardless of sexual orientation) who wishes to recognize their union in such a manner. Love is love. If a man loves a woman or loves a man, it makes him no less of a man–and certainly no less of a human being. The same is true of women.

I’m completely prepared to accept the fact that there are people in this country who do not like me solely based on the fact that I am homosexual. Your right to hate is as legitimate as my right to be. How you choose to manifest that hate is a completely different proposition.

I am a gay man. I am a gay man who is a citizen of this wonderful, if flawed, country. With that citizenship and the power of the United States Constitution I am embued with certain rights. I have the freedom of conscience, religion, thought, belief and opinion. I have inherent dignity and the right to have my dignity respected and protected. I am to understand that everyone is equal before the law and has the right to equal protection and benefit of the law. I should be able to believe that the state may not unfairly discriminate directly or indirectly against anyone on one or more grounds, including race, gender, sex, pregnancy, marital status, ethnic or social origin, color, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, conscience, belief, culture, language and birth.

Is that really too much to ask for? Does who I love negate my rights? Does who I love diminish your rights? Does my homosexuality threaten the institution of marriage? If I were to ask a state for legal recognition of my love and partnership–something that wouldn’t raise an eyebrow if I were heterosexual–do I violate the ’sanctity’ of the institution of marriage?

In my mind, it seems so simple. Perhaps it is a self-indulgent myopia. But, I can’t help but think of the outrage my fellow citizens would have if Congress suddenly decided that a woman should no longer have the right to vote. Or Jews were no longer able to travel from state to state. Or if African Americans were no longer able to own property. Rights denied by the virtue of who the beholder is….be it sex, religion, race. Many will cry foul. They will say these examples are not the equivalent of the gay marriage issue. But, stop and ask yourself, what is the difference? The fact is that the woman, Jew, African American and homosexual are all human beings who simply wanted to be treated and afforded protections their fellow citizens take for granted.

I am alternately embarrassed and appalled that the country I live in so threatened by what happens in the privacy of my own bedroom and home. I only seek the respect I reserve for every single person I call fellow citizen. Nothing More. Nothing Less.

I will close with one last indulgence. If I may, for the moment, bastardize the words of William Shakespeare’s Shylock:

“I am a homosexual. Hath not a homosexual eyes? hath not a homosexual hands, organs, dimensions, senses, affections, passions? fed with the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject to the same diseases, healed by the same means, warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer, as a heterosexual is? If you prick us, do we not bleed? if you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you poison us, do we not die? and if you wrong us, shall we not revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will resemble you in that.”

===============

Please consider providing your monetary support to the effort to defeat Proposition 8 on the California ballot. It is an issue that affects us all–not just Californians. To defeat this push for legalized discrimation, the campaign against the proposition needs to give the facts to the voters of California via print, radio and television. That is where you can help. Please visit the Act Blue Page.

For those of you who vote in California: Don’t Stop at the Top! Propositions are at the bottom of the ballot; Also consider volunteering to help with Get Out The Vote efforts on the No On 8’s Netroots page.

Category: Blogging, Data, Homosexuality, Hot Lists, Introspection, Legal, News, Personal, Politics, Relationships, Religion, Sexuality, Social Issues, The O List, Workplace, Writing  2 Comments
MILK Premiere
29
October
Albert

Academy Award-nominated director Gus Van Sant’s ‘MILK’, starring Academy Award winner Sean Penn as gay rights icon Harvey Milk, had its world premiere at San Francisco’s historic Castro Theatre (at 429 Castro Street) last night. The evening benefited multiple charities supporting LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) youth. Dinner and dancing followed at City Hall.


Focus’ Mr. Andrew Karpen, Ms. Jennifer Siebel Newsom, San Francisco Mayor Mr. Gavin Newsom and Focus’ Mr. James Schamus

The city’s mayor, Gavin Newsom, and his wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom were honorary co-chairpersons of the event. All proceeds will benefit the Hetrick-Martin Institute, home of the Harvey Milk High School, in New York City; Larkin Street Youth Services, in San Francisco; The Point Foundation, the national scholarship-granting organization; and San Francisco’s LGBT Community Center.


Director Mr. Gus Van Sant, Mr. Sean Penn and Mr. Diego Luna

CEO of Focus Features James Schamus commented, “Tonight, as San Francisco remembers one of its heroes, we also honor his intention to give hope to new generations who aspire to make a difference in the world.”


Ms. Diane Lane and Mr. Josh Brolin

In addition to Mayor Newsom and his wife, Mr. Van Sant, and Mr. Penn and Mrs. Robin Wright Penn, attendees included ‘MILK’ stars Emile Hirsch, Josh Brolin, Diego Luna, Alison Pill, and James Franco; Joseph Cross, Stephen Spinella, Kelvin Yu, Brandon Boyce; ‘MILK’ screenwriter and executive producer Dustin Lance Black; ‘MILK’ producers Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen; ‘MILK’ executive producer Michael London; Harvey Milk’s friends and colleagues Cleve Jones, Anne Kronenberg, Danny Nicoletta, and Frank Robinson; Focus Features CEO James Schamus and president Andrew Karpen; Diane Lane; Casey Affleck; T.R. Knight; Lars Ulrich and Connie Nielsen; Diane Baker; Peter Coyote; David LaChapelle; Chris Columbus; Armistead Maupin; Stuart Milk; James Hormel, The Honorable Bevan Dufty, Senator Barbara Boxer, Assemblyman Mark Leno, Treasurer Jose Cisneros, and Supervisor Tom Ammiano; Oregon Gov. Ted Kulongoski; Universal Studios president and COO Ron Meyer; Universal Pictures chairman Marc Shmuger and co-chairman David Linde; Universal Pictures vice chairman and Universal Studios EVP Rick Finkelstein; Levi’s Strauss America president Robert Hanson, Levi’s Strauss & Co. president and CEO John Anderson, Levi’s Brand Marketing vice president Robert Cameron; and close to 1,400 San Franciscans.


Ms. Robin Wright Penn and Mr. Sean Penn

The benefit event was held in the city where Harvey Milk (1930-1978) lived, loved, and changed the very nature of what it means to be a fighter for human rights. ‘MILK’, a biographical drama, was filmed entirely on location in San Francisco earlier this year, including at the Castro movie house itself.

Mr. Milk was an activist and politician, and the first openly gay man to be elected to major public office in America; in 1977, he was voted to the city supervisors’ board of San Francisco, representing the Castro District.


Mr. James Franco

From an original screenplay by Dustin Lance Black, ‘MILK’ is produced by Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen, the Academy Award-winning producers of ‘American Beauty’, through The Jinks/Cohen Company. Groundswell Productions and Focus Features co-financed ‘MILK’, which is a Focus Features presentation in association with Axon Films of a Groundswell production and a Jinks/Cohen Company production. Executive producers of ‘MILK’ are Groundswell CEO Michael London (an Academy Award nominee for ‘Sideways’), Mr. Black, Groundswell’s Bruna Papandrea, Barbara Hall, and William Horberg.

‘MILK’ will be distributed worldwide by Focus; the film’s domestic theatrical run commences on Wednesday, November 26th in select cities (including New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco) before expanding in December 2008.

Category: Blogging, Crime, Culture, Exhibitions, Film, Gala, History, Hollywood, Homosexuality, Hot Lists, New Releases, News, Politics, Pop Culture, Relationships, Sexuality, Social Issues, The O List  Leave a Comment
Write To Marry…
24
October
Albert

(BOSTON, MA, OCTOBER 24, 2008): Bloggers around the country will participate in “Write to Marry Day” on October 29, 2008, posting on their blogs in support of marriage equality for same-sex couples and against California’s Proposition 8. Prop 8 is a measure on California’s November ballot that would take away the right of same-sex couples to marry.

The event will give bloggers a chance to voice their opposition to Prop 8 and highlight what they may have already done, online or off, to stop the measure. The campaign will also educate California voters of the need to “go all the way” down the ballot to vote on the proposition.

“Bloggers have proven themselves an effective political force,” said Mike Rogers, one of the event organizers, who runs the popular site PageOneQ and is Director of the National LGBT Blogger Initiative. “They have already helped raise awareness and money to stop Prop 8. In this last week before the election, they will play a crucial role in motivating others to take action.”

“Prop 8 is an unfair and unnecessary measure that would eliminate equal protections for same-sex couples and write discrimination into the California state Constitution,” adds co-organizer Dana Rudolph, founder of LGBT-parenting blog Mombian. “As marriage equality spreads throughout the country, people in all states have a vested interest in making sure this hard-won right is protected.”

To participate, bloggers should post on their own blogs against Prop 8 on or before October 29, 2008, then visit Mombian.com to submit the links to their posts. Links to people’s own videos on YouTube or other video sites are also accepted.

All bloggers who are against Prop 8 are welcome to contribute posts, regardless of where they live or whether they are LGBT or not. Mombian will showcase the full list of participants on October 29.

People can track this event by joining the Write to Marry event on Facebook or MySpace, or by following Mombian on Twitter.

Assistance with the event is being provided by Renna Communications and Witeck-Combs Communications, corporate sponsors of the program.

Category: Blogging, Data, Homosexuality, Hot Lists, Legal, News, Personal, Politics, Relationships, Sexuality, Social Issues, The O List, Video, Workplace, Writing  Leave a Comment
Love Honor Cherish
14
October
Albert

On Sunday, October 12, 2008, Love Honor Cherish, in association with Equality California, GLAAD, & the Courage Campaign presented “Heroes & History Makers,” a momentous evening to protect equality by defeating Proposition 8 at Sky Bar at the Hotel Mondrian in West Hollywood.


Mr. Chad Allen

Prop 8 seeks to eliminate the rights of same sex couples to marry. If it passes, this would be a huge step backwards in California’s long struggle to extend equal rights and opportunities to all of its citizens.


Mr. Eric McCormack, Mr. Tom Watson (Founder) and Mr. Andrew Klayman

The event featured a silent auction and performance by Scottish singer/songwriter Horse. All of the evening’s proceeds will benefit “No on 8 – Equality California.”


Mr. Eduardo Xol, Ms. Dana Delany, Mr. Tom Watson and Mr. Andrew Klayman

Celebrity guests included: Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Carolyn Hennesy (“General Hospital”), Chad Allen (“Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman”), Charlie David (here! Networks’ “Dante’s Cove”), Bruce Vilanch (“Celebrity Fit Club”), Dana Delany (“Desperate Housewives”), Doug Spearman (Logo Networks’ “Noah’s Ark”), Eduardo Xol (“Extreme Makeover: Home Edition”), Eric McCormack (“Will and Grace”), Heather Tom (“One Life to Live”), Kathryn Joosten (“Desperate Housewives”), Kim Coles (“10 Items or Less”), Kristen Renton (“Days of Our Lives”), Loni Anderson (“WKRP in Cincinnati”), Marissa Jaret Winokur (Broadway’s “Hairspray”), Nia Vardalos (“My Big Fat Greek Wedding”), Patrick Sean Smith (Creator of “Greek”), Scott Michael Foster (“Greek”), Suzanne Whang (HGTV’s “House Hunters”), Thea Gill (“Queer as Folk”), Thomas Roberts (Former CNN Anchorman), Wilson Cruz (“Raising the Bar”) and many others.


Ms. Kathryn Joosten, Ms. Dana Delany and Ms. Heather Tom

Category: Blogging, Film, Gala, Hollywood, Homosexuality, Hot Lists, Legal, News, Personal, Photography, Politics, Pop Culture, Relationships, Sexuality, Social Issues, Television, The O List, Theatre  One Comment
Abating, Debating, Dating, Mating & Other Variations
08
October
Albert

Last night’s second Presidential debate was supposed to be a Town Hall forum by design. Somehow, apparently no one but Tom Brokaw was aware of that fact. I watched the debate on CNN and it was certainly a tale of two men. The odd thing is that this election is winding down with a decided lack of spark and crackle one would normally expect as the calendar winds down quickly to that fateful November day.

Senator Obama was on the whole just fine. No major stumbles or gaffes. I see a man who truly believes what he is saying–and for the most part, I find in what he is saying a necessary change that this country desperately needs. Eight years have proven what has gone wrong, and frankly, we can’t afford another (at least) four years of the same philosophies Senator McCain seems so entrenched in. Do I feel the same confidence in either man that I did when William Jefferson Clinton was elected. No. Sadly, no. But, with the choices as they are, it is clear to me that this country needs and Obama/Biden ticket to tackle the monsterous messes in Washington D.C.

Senator McCain came across as stodgy, cranky and quite disrespectful in his performance last night. You combine that with the Palin factor and I don’t see how any rational human (regardless of party affiliation) can possibly think these two people can lead this country anywhere but down the same road we’ve traveled on for far too long.

If I’m being completely honest, I think both tickets botched choices badly. But, hindsight will get you no where with political bedfellows. The beds are made. It’s time to pick one and hope you can sleep through that rough night. Perchance to dream…

==============

Dating is a curious thing. It’s such a perfunctory task (most of the time). I’ve been on enough blind dates to know that no matter how good someone’s intentions were…the result is usually a gamble of expectations.

The thing is, I’m finding myself at a place where I want (finally and again) the stability of a long-term relationship. This, of course, means that you open yourself up to the dating game and the possibilities of new people in your life. To say I’m rusty is an understatement. I’m talking full oil change, filter and lube job (not necessarily in that order). The result is what I want. The games are what we have to play.

Most of my friends (and many of the people in my life) seem to equate dating with some sort of mating ritual. Perhaps, I’ll buy the premise that a portion of the homosexual male population measure relationships with their dipsticks. But, let’s be honest. Gay, straight or otherwise, if your main objective is to get laid–it really isn’t that hard. (Okay, I hear the grumbling. Maybe I’m biased in that my trick jaw and exemplary oral skills give me a headstart. Not that I’m bragging or anything. Which I suppose is open to debate.) Leaving my silliness aside, I guess what I’m trying to say is that sure I miss the physical contact and intimacy. (If you read this blog with any regularity, you know of my on-going adventures in celibacy vs. the inner whore.) Maybe, I really do wish I could be a whore. No strings, no attachments. But, alas, I’m not that kind of guy.

I’m slowly coming to the conclusion (with a mountain of exculpatory anecdotes) that gay or straight, love in the twenty-first century is still a complicated beast. And like that lion in a circus cage, we silly mortals still want it to jump through hoops for our own entertainment.

So I’ve been on a few dates. I’ve had some lovely conversations and dinners–and a couple of uncomfortable “this is totally not working” moments. I love men. I loathe men. I like my sex drive. I loathe my sex drive. I love my standards. I loathe my standards.

I envy all of my friends who are in loving, committed relationships (most of them with just one person). Those Pet Shop Boys may sing that “Love Comes Quickly”, but I beg to differ. Men come quickly (often too quickly–but that another post for another day). Love comes when it damn well pleases.

I’m trying to be okay with the fact that I’m 43 and still waiting for its arrival. I’ve been fortunate to have love (or some semblance thereof) in the past. Then came a period where I just wasn’t having it (and it was the right decision for the time). Now, I’m past debating. Past waiting. Past feeling myself up (sorry for the mental scars). Yet, I’m a picky bastard.

I’m ready, willing and (surprisingly) able. But, damn, if my legs aren’t staying together until the right sailor comes along.

===============

Honestly, I’m not sure what that (the above section) was all about. I need to stop watching pornos called “Campus Pizza” before I try to go to bed. Or maybe, I need to order a pizza delivery guy…er, pizza.

As someone far, far wiser than I once exclaimed, “Fuck Me!”. Oh, vey….ain’t that the truth.

Category: Blogging, Humor, Introspection, Men, News, Personal, Politics, Porn, Relationships, Sexuality, Social Issues, Television, The O List, Writing  One Comment
Kiss Of The Spider Woman
01
October
Albert

On October 21, 2008, the Academy Award-winning film ‘Kiss Of The Spider Woman’ will be available for the first time at traditional retail outlets. (A special two-disc Collector’s Edition has been sold exclusively at Amazon.com since June.)

‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’ made its debut in 1985 and is based on the 1976 novel ‘El Beso de la Mujer Arana’ by Manuel Puig. The special Collector’s Edition features the never-before-seen documentary feature: “Tangled Web: Making Kiss of the Spider Woman.”

Sal Scamardo, President of City Lights Home Entertainment, said “‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’ has been one of the most sought after properties by major studios’ home video distribution divisions. As such, City Lights is especially thrilled to have been given the opportunity to market and distribute ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’ — initially via Amazon.com and now, beginning on October 21st, through traditional retail outlets.”

‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’ was the first independent movie ever to receive the top four Oscar® nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director for Hector Babenco. The film was adapted for the screen by Academy Award®-nominated screenwriter Leonard Schrader and produced by David Weisman from Manuel Puig’s novel of the same name.

Set in a non-specific Latin American country, the film takes a penetrating look at the role of sex and politics under an oppressive right-wing regime. The timeless story follows the complex relationship between two very different men, each with an opposite view of life; the drama builds to an emotionally powerful crescendo as the two men come together in a stunningly transcendental conclusion. William Hurt’s Oscar®-winning performance is a captivating tribute to the power of film and fantasy as means to escape inhumane conditions.

The DVD release features:

–Trivia Track in English and Spanish;
–Optional Subtitles in French and Spanish;
–Optional Dubbing in French and Spanish;
–Documentary: ‘Tangled Web: Making Kiss of the Spider Woman’;
–Manuel Puig Mini-Documentary: ‘The Submissive Woman’s Role’;
–’Spider Woman on Broadway’: a Mini-Documentary with Hal Prince, John Kander, Fred Ebb, Chita Rivera, Terrence McNally, Manuel Puig;
–Slide Show Commentary: Transition from Novel to Film;
–Photo Galleries: Over 150 Exquisite Images

=================

‘Kiss Of The Spider Woman’
Feature Running Time: 120 Minutes
Tangled Web Running Time: 108 Minutes
MPAA Rating: R (Feature) NR (Documentary)
DVD Pricing:
Standard Definition: $34.98
Blu-ray: $39.98

Category: Art, Awards, Blogging, Books, DVD, Film, Hollywood, Homosexuality, Hot Lists, New Releases, Politics, Pop Culture, Production Notes, Relationships, Sexuality, Social Issues, The O List, Theatre  One Comment
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