Oh, it's magic time. A second non-Disney Zac Efron film in 2009? My heart is just aflutter. And doesn't this one look good? A critical darling when it made its film festival debut, Me and Orson Welles will have a limited release starting November 25th (and a wider release in December) and I just could not be more excited. Opening night? Forget homework, I will be there to take in every quivering lip, every piercing stare from those big watery blue eyes, and every moment of stillness as we wonder if our Boy Wonder might burst into song.
This could be the very film to launch Efron into adult drama -- if his character in the trailer doesn't give you little chills recalling Jack Dawson, you're lying to yourself. Titanic was the last of Leonardo DiCaprio's romantic roles, so before Zefron too quickly transforms into a cussing, bearded hunter of African diamonds, let's take look at some of his lesser-known dramatic roles that you may (or may not, frankly) want catch up on before you step into the theater to see Claire Danes snog another handsome leading man (seriously, between Leo, Jared Leto, and Hugh Dancy some girls just have all the luck!)
You know you’re just marking time in an “off” season of Project Runway when suddenly everyone watching the show in your living room starts wishing they’d bring back Suede. Remember him? Third person-talker? Lots of hair product? Annoying?
I know, narrow it down.
But that’s what you start craving when a season kicks off with promise and quickly turns lifeless. I can barely talk about it to friends this time around because they’ve all dropped out as viewers. But not me. I’m devoted.
And for my devotion I am rewarded in this final challenge episode with a shot of a hotel room full of female contestants, all stressed out and finally becoming aware of the vague dislike they feel for each other, halfheartedly and half-wittedly trying to verbally joust for the cameras when, in a perfect world, they’d have been full-on BattleBots-ing it by episode 3. It’s a limp exchange wherein they coyly assign dog behaviors to one another without naming names. Like, “Some quiet dogs are mean,” and “Some cute dogs will bite you,” and “Oh yeah, well you’re like that tiny dog that lives in Paris Hilton’s purse and is really adorable and eats fancy dinners and has a nice Louis Vuitton collar and… oh wait, am I supposed to be insulting someone right now? Line, please?”
Mostly I just want one of them to turn into Tyson the Skateboarding Bulldog. Because I need something, anything, to happen in the next week or two, before Irina goes home with the whole thing.
Our featured honoree of the day from the "School Days"–themed 2009 Out 100 -- this year's look at the 100 gay, lesbian, and trans people who made an impact in both gay and mainstream culture -- is Kelly McGillis.
McGillis’s coming out last April created an outsize media storm. The 52-year-old star of Top Gun and The Accusedrevealed she was a lesbian to SheWired.com, unleashing a torrent of support from around the globe. McGillis, who also starred on The L Word as a closeted army colonel trying a “don’t ask, don’t tell” case, emphatically said she is “done with the man thing.” A sexual icon for millions of straight boys who grew up in the 1980s, McGillis became another iconic example of the significance of sexual honesty later in life. This winter she will star in a U.K. tour of Terrence McNally’s Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune.
During the coming days we'll continue to roll out more honorees from the 2009 Out 100 -- shot by renowned photographer Jason Bell -- until the full portfolio is revealed in stores and online in mid-November. Keep checking back for a new honorees and in the meantime check out the 2008 Out 100 here.
Why is it so difficult for people to walk the walk and not just talk the talk? If you’re a politician trying to keep the gays down, shouldn’t you be, you know, NOT gay? If you preach Christianity, shouldn’t you be a good Christian? It wasn’t long after news broke that Carrie Prejean and the Miss California Organization had settled their lawsuits out of court that the reason for the sudden settlement made headlines. Seems the Queen of Christian Values had a sex tape, which she wanted to keep hush-hush, so she walked away from a million dollar claim with nothing. Sex tapes are no big deal, but if you’re going to come out in support of “traditional marriage,” shouldn’t that include sex only within said marriage? It’s not that you’re a plasticated whore, honey, it’s that you’re a hypocrite. The funny thing is, it appears there are no buyers for the tape. Surprisingly few people want to see a good girl going bad.
Memoirs of a Former Jenny Craig Spokeswoman
So Kirstie Alley is set to be in a reality show on A&E. About weight loss. No surprise there. Is there anything else she’s famous for anymore? But do people really want to spend time with this self-proclaimed "Fat Actress"? (I’d add "abrasive" to that too.) Do you care about her weight problems? Seriously, people. Discuss.
Rue the Day
Golden Girl Rue McClanahan was due to be feted next week in San Francisco, but had to pull out because of heart bypass surgery. Golden: A Gala Tribute to Rue McClanahan was set for November 14 at the Castro Theatre, with clips, a theme-song sing-along, and a look-a-like contest. The erstwhile Blanche Devereaux said she was devastated at having to pull out of the event, adding, “Trust me, I’d much rather be in San Francisco having fun and being adored by all of you.” I think she knows she’s adored wherever she is.
Maine Event
Some kid posted on YouTube this video of people lip synching to the Lily Allen song “Fuck You.” Heartened me after the defeat in Maine. Maybe it will hearten you too.
After playing two small acoustic sets and a taping a performance at Letterman, Florence had her first proper official gig at New York City's classic Bowery Ballroom (we adore the venue's wood floors!). Florence acoustic is nothing compared to Florence when she has The Machine with her and the freedom to play a full set.
Despite this being her first official New York appearance, the devotion of her fans is already so great that not even puking into their own coats before the set would induce them to leave the front. That's a fact. Blake Lively and Penn Badgley of Gossip Girl were even spotted at the show. Once Florence appeared in a floor-length see-through gown and began serenading us with "Between Two Lungs" accompanied by a harp -- and how often have you seen a harp at a rock club? Never, we bet, which is what makes it so f-in' rock n' roll -- you could see the reason behind the crowd's fervor. Whipping her long red hair around her and putting her all into each song, Florence had the pipes and the onstage persona to keep us positively riveted.
Bending almost double with the force of emotion, Florence raced through singles "Dog Days Are Over" and "Drumming Song," posing dramatically behind her mic stand, which was decorated with plastic flowers. Conspicuously missing was the lesbian-themed "Girl With One Eye," but Florence made up for it with the uplifting "You've Got The Love." There was a lot of love to go around and once the encore wrapped with "Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)," Florence was bowing and throwing air kisses at the cheering crowd. She promised to return, and after a performance like this one, it would be downright criminal if she didn't.
The Dallas Morning News amended a story about Out's parent company last week, after GLAAD called the reporter out on some problematic (and unstylish, even by the AP's standards) language usage. The original story called The Advocate and Out "alternative lifestyle magazines," but, as GLAAD's Rashad Robinson wrote in a letter to the editor the paper published Monday,"Out is a lifestyle magazine as are other lifestyle magazines like GQ or Marie Clare that mix news, features, fashion and celebrities. The Advocate is a news magazine."
> No Doubt has filed a lawsuit against Activision -- makers of the same Guitar Hero video game that famously riled Courtney Love a few months back -- because a new Band Hero game allows players to take too many liberties with the band members' avatars. Specific complaints include that the "the Character Manipulation Feature results in an unauthorized
performance by the Gwen Stefani avatar in a male voice boasting about
having sex with prostitutes," and that "bassist [Tony] Kanal’s likeness can be manipulated to
sing, in a female voice, one of No Doubt’s signature hits, 'Just a
Girl.' "
Instead of simply bitterly lamenting the fact that there wasn't a publication that catered to the FTM (female-to-male) trans guy community, Amos Mac and Rocco Kayiastos did something about it. In September the first issue of their new venture, Original Plumbing, was published and it sold out almost immediately. The quarterly magazine addresses issues in the FTM community through smokin' hot photo shoots, articles, interviews, and personal narratives. The duo and their contributors are currently shooting the next issue, "the hair issue," due out at the end of the year.
We caught up with Mac and Kayiastos a few weeks ago when they were in NYC to host the release party for the "bedroom issue" at Brooklyn's Sugarland (from what we heard the party was a huge success and hopefully the first of many to come) to chat about what Original Plumbing has to offer trans guys as well as everyone else.
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