WATCH: ANY DAY NOWAlan Cumming plays a drag queen who sets out to adopt a childPosted by Natalie Hope McDonald on 12/11/2012 at 9:30AM | No Comments
Set in the 1970s, Any Day Now is the story of a drag queen who sets out to adopt a child who’s been neglected in his apartment building. The film is based on true events – and it’s also been wooing audiences at film festivals around the country to thanks to Alan Cumming’s compelling, multi-layered performance. The film opens in theaters this week. Check it out: |
WHAT I’VE LEARNED FROM JANEANE GAROFALOThe actress/comedian is in town for the First Person Arts FestivalPosted by Natalie Hope McDonald on 11/15/2012 at 8:46AM | No Comments
 Photo by Pete Caldes
It was actually a great era for that – one that would usher in musicians like Liz Phair, launch all-female indie rock tours and would put, in Garofalo’s case, this insightful actress and spoken word performer on par with the men on the scene. Garofalo’s trajectory has been just as telling. She’s spent the last few years digging into independent film and television projects (24 and The West Wing), continuing her comedy and becoming a political pundit for the left – she was among the most talked-about hosts on Air America – thanks to her show “Majority Report.” In some ways, she was a predecessor to the talking heads we see now on MSNBC and The Daily Show. As this pint-size, tattoo aficionado gets ready to come to Philly this week (Nov. 16) for the First Person Arts Festival (it’s not her first time in PA – she lived in Orwigsburg for a few years as a kid and has been to the city often), we effortlessly pow-wowed about what she really fears about the GOP, why she won’t give up smoking and why people always seem to think she’s gay. |
WATCH: CHRIS COLFER IN STRUCK BY LIGHTENINGThe Glee star hits the big screen and we have a sneak peekPosted by Natalie Hope McDonald on 11/7/2012 at 11:22AM | No Comments
Chris Colfer makes his screenwriting debut with a new film in which he also stars called Struck By Lightening. Fans of Glee will likely appreciate Colfer’s funny new twist on the weird world of high school angst. And yep, that’s Christina Hendricks from Mad Men. Check it out: |
WATCH: ON THE ROADThe Kerouac classic is coming to theatersPosted by Natalie Hope McDonald on 10/29/2012 at 10:04AM | No Comments
The story of Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarity – a.k.a. Jack Kerouac and Neal Casssady – will be hitting theatres by the end of this year. We wanted to give you a taste of what we can expect from the new film, which stars Garrett Hedlund, Kristen Stewart and many others. The Walter Salles film tells the story of two young men traveling across country. And while we know from the letters, journals and stories that both Cassady and Kerouac shared a homoerotic brotherhood of sorts, we also catch a few glimpses of gay icons like William S. Burroughs (played by Viggo Mortensen) and the underbelly of sexual liberation long before it was a household name. We can’t wait for this one. Check it out: |
WEEKEND ROUNDUPA special Halloween editionPosted by Natalie Hope McDonald on 10/26/2012 at 9:18AM | No Comments
Friday, Oct. 26  Justin Bond plays the William Way on Friday (courtesy of the artist) William Way hosts the Queer Fear Costume Closet (6:30 p.m.) with great garb from Philly AIDS Thrift. ArtNUDE Philadelphia is presented by the James Oliver Gallery (7 p.m.) to benefit the Linda Creed Breast Cancer Foundation. The exhibit features 23 artists with performances by Katie Gould, DJ Mike Lowry and DJ Rich, among others. The Queer Fear Cabaret features none other than Justin Vivien Bond (7:30 p.m.) with the Bearded Ladies. Check out Bond’s amazing new album here. Play the Halloween Match Game (7:30 p.m.) at L’Etage with the Real Housewives of South Philly. The eXtreme Masquerade takes over the Top of the Tower (8 p.m.) with Ballet X and DJ Captain Ridiculous. Night of the Living Drag Queen comes to life at Rainbow Mountain Resort in East Stroudsburg (8 p.m.) with Scarlett Lettah and friends – and a dance party to follow. Peter Sterling hosts his Halloween Ball (9 p.m.) at D’Ignazio’s Towne House Bar in Media to benefit the Special Olympics. Look for a special appearance from Brittany Lynn and her Drag Mafia – and a costume contest with oodles of prizes. |
WEEKEND ROUNDUPThe Philadelphia Film Festival, AIDS Walk and so much more!Posted by Natalie Hope McDonald on 10/19/2012 at 9:03AM | No Comments
Friday, Oct. 19  Giovanni's Room hosts an evening of transgender authors on Friday (5:30 p.m.). The Philadelphia Film Festival runs through the weekend with a selection of LGBT-friendly screenings. Click here for details. “Crossroads” is a celebration of Latina artists (5:30 p.m.) at the Leeway Foundation. Join Topside Press for the release of The Collection, an anthology of transgender writing, with special readings from Madison Lynn McEvilly, Terence Diamond, Imogen Binnie, Rey Drew, Stephen Ira, Donna Ostrowsky, Red Durkin and Ryka Aoki at Giovanni’s Room (5:30 p.m.). It’s Guy’s Night Out at the Philadelphia Film Festival (6:45 p.m.) with a screening of Yossi at the Ritz East. Gayby (9:45 p.m.) is being screened at the Ritz East as part of the Philadelphia Film Festival with a special appearance by the director Jonathan Lisecki. Sisters pays tribute to the 90s with a dance party (10 p.m.) featuring Fame Lust and DJ Deejay. |
IS THIS AD TRANSPHOBIC?A joke sets off a debate about LGBT portrayals in advertisingPosted by Natalie Hope McDonald on 10/18/2012 at 8:59AM | No Comments
One of Ireland’s biggest cell phone providers is giving off what trans activists are calling a bad signal. In a new ad that’s being screened on television and in advance of films touting Meteor‘s wifi service, a young man goes to all lengths to get a single – even riding behind a bus and creeping around outside the neighbor’s house. But it’s the drag bar sequence that has some people seeing red. It’s used to convey where not to go just to get free wifi. And while it’s supposed to solicit a laugh, the Transgender Equality Network in Ireland (TENI) isn’t pleased with the portrayal. The group has criticized the ad for “encouraging a cheap laugh at the expense of trans people.” In a recent health survey, it’s estimated that 40 percent of trans people in Ireland have attempted suicide at least once. “The figures are shocking,” says TENI Director Broden Giambrone. And plenty of consumers seem to be agreeing with Giambrone as they voice condemnation for the commercial on social media sites like Twitter (#MeteorShame). “Trans people are among the most marginalised people in Ireland,” says Giambrone. “They are Irish residents and taxpayers, and are still not recognized by the state in their true gender. They are not accorded their basic human rights. Meteor’s ad makes fun of a vulnerable group of people and dehumanises them. It is unacceptable.” Meteor is defending the ad, which was recently broadcast during the evening news, saying they used “professional drag artists” who were not intended to cause offense. Tell us what you think: |
YOU COULD OWN DOROTHY’S DRESSThe famous Wizard of Oz costume is going up for auction next monthPosted by Natalie Hope McDonald on 10/9/2012 at 8:00AM | No Comments
A little too rich for your blood? As many as 800 items from Hollywood’s Golden Era are being auctioned off, including Steve McQueen’s jeans, Bryn Mawr alum Katherine Hepburn’s jacket from Desk Set, one of Phyllis Diller’s signature mini-dresses, and the marriage certificate from Elizabeth Taylor’s Vegas wedding to Eddie Fisher (they wed less than four hours after his divorce was finalized from Debbie Reynolds). Taylor’s Golden Globe from Suddenly, Last Summer is also on the auction block, along with a gown she wore in A Place in the Sun. Yep, it may just be the gayest auction yet. Click here to register to bid online or by phone, or to order the limited-edition print catalog. |
BEHIND THE SCENES: LIBERACE MOVIEVanity Fair shares a new photo of Michael Douglas and Matt DamonPosted by Natalie Hope McDonald on 10/2/2012 at 9:32AM | No Comments
Clad in glam attire that befits any 1970s superstar, Michael Douglas was photographed for Vanity Fair as he films his latest, hotly anticipated project for HBO – Behind the Candelabra. In it, he plays Liberace – the eccentric superstar who glimmered on stage while he spent his life very much in the closet (who he really ever fooled is anyone’s guess). And Matt Damon, also pictured in a brilliant blonde shag behind the scenes, stars as the maestro’s gay lover Scott Thorson whose book the film is based. Back in the day, Thorson, then a much younger “protege” of Liberace – they had a five-year affair and the superstar even used Thorson in his Las Vegas show – sued for palimony after the relationship ended. The lawsuit was stunning in 1982 as Liberace, despite his showiness and over-the-top personality – and having dodged rumors and gossip for years as he launched successful TV shows and live concerts – never publicly revealed that he was gay. While the two men eventually came to a quiet agreement (Thorson got the dogs and a few other demands), Liberace died from complications of AIDS by 1987 at the age of 67, though reports tried to hide this fact, suggesting that it was really anemia, heart disease and emphysema that extinguished Liberace’s extraordinary flame. The HBO film, directed by Steven Soderbergh and co-starring everyone from Rob Lowe and Cheyenne Jackson to Debbie Reynolds, is due out next year – and we can’t wait. Click here to check out the photo. And here’s a clip of Liberace’s more famous stage entrances in Las Vegas in 1981 – you can see inside his home during a video, as well as Thorson as the, um, chauffeur: |
WATCH: OUT IN THE OPENA new documentary touts famous gays, straight allies and the virtues of being outPosted by Natalie Hope McDonald on 9/17/2012 at 9:13AM | No Comments
Carson Kressley and Greg Louganis are just two of the celebrities featured in the new documentary Out in the Open, a film by Matthew Smith about the power of coming out. In addition to spotlighting famous men and women who have opened the closet door, the film also explores the value of straight allies in the celebrity world. The director, who’s also an actor, had struggled with coming out after losing work in film for many years, which led him to this latest project asking how people identify and came out. “I’m a big fat G [in LGBT],” says Kressley. “I’m as G as you can be.” Click here to watch the trailer. |
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