Category Archives: Art
Free Live Stream Paramodernities
Photo: Maria Baranova, Courtesy of New York Live Arts, March 2019.
NETTA YERUSHALMY PRESENTS THE LIVESTREAM PREMIERE OF HER
EPIC WORK PARAMODERNITIES.
THE SIX-PART ENCYCLOPEDIC SERIES DECONSTRUCTS HISTORIC DANCE WORKS BY ALVIN AILEY, GEORGE BALANCHINE, MERCE CUNNINGHAM, BOB FOSSE, MARTHA GRAHAM, AND VASLAV NIJINSKY.
EACH PERFORMANCE IS FOLLOWED BY A LIVE DISCUSSION WITH SPECIAL GUESTS AND AN INTERACTIVE CHAT WITH THE AUDIENCE.
MAY 4-9, 2020 @ 3-4PM DAILY
*Closed-Captioning provided for all performances.*
Trailer linked here.
“Take six classic dances. Chop them up. Then tear open the modern canon, with equal parts love and fury.” – Gia Kourlas, The New York Times
Netta Yerusalmy to present the week-long livestream event of Paramodernities Live, May 4-9, 2020, featuring 2019 performances at New York Live Arts with live “post-show” discussions with special guests and a chat feature for the audience. This event is directed by Jeremy Jacob and produced by Marc Crousillat, Jacob, and Yerushalmy.
The six-part encyclopedic series is a multidisciplinary work that weaves theory and performance into a marathon-style hybrid event. Yerushalmy and a cast of 20 dancers and scholars, ranging in age from 20 to 68, perform deconstructed installments of Vaslav Nijinsky’s Le Sacre du Printemps (1913), Martha Graham’s Night Journey (1947), Alvin Ailey’s Revelations (1960), a mix of Merce Cunningham works Rainforest, Sounddance, Points in Space, Beach Birds, and Ocean (1968-1990), dance numbers from the Bob Fosse’s 1969 film Sweet Charity, and a response to George Balanchine’s Agon (1957) that includes none of the original choreography.
Paramodernities boasts a radical and undefinable rethinking of the canon, involving virtually no music. Each section was created as an independent unit with a distinct creative process that features text, read live, by scholars and writers from various fields who place the dances within a larger context. The cast joins Yerushalmy in generating questions about the different paths taken by the modern tradition in dance and beyond. Within each installment, fundamental tenets of modernism are explored, such as sovereignty, spectacle, race, feminism and ableism.
The performances at New York Live Arts theater feature dancers Michael Blake, Gerald Casel, Marc Crousillat, Brittany Engel-Adams, Joyce Edwards, Stanley Gambucci, Taryn Griggs, Magdalena Jarkowiec, Nicholas Leichter, Jeremy Jae Neal, Hsiao-Jou Tang, Megan Williams, Netta Yerushalmy; and scholars/writers Thomas F. DeFrantz, Julia Foulkes, Georgina Kleege, David Kishik, Carol Ockman, Mara Mills, Claudia La Rocco, with lighting by Tim Cryan and costumes by Jarkowiec.
Each livestream performance will feature closed-captioning for the deaf and hard of hearing community.
Livestream events of Paramodernities take place at nettay.com from May 4th to May 9th at 3pm. This event will be live and free. The running time is approximately 1 hour.
Tuesday, May 5, 2020
PARAMODERNITIES #2: Trauma, Interdiction, and Agency in ‘The House of Pelvic Truth’
A response to Martha Graham’s Night Journey (1947)
Wednesday, May 6, 2020
PARAMODERNITIES #3: Revelations: The Afterlives of Slavery
A response to Alvin Ailey’s Revelations (1960)
Thursday, May 7, 2020
PARAMODERNITIES #4: An Inter-Body Event
with material from Merce Cunningham’s Rainforest, Sounddance, Points In Space, Beach Birds, and Ocean (1968-1990)
Friday, May 8, 2020
PARAMODERNITIES #5: All that Spectacle: Dance on Stage and Screens
A response to Bob Fosse’s Sweet Charity (1969 film)
Saturday, May 9, 2020
PARAMODERNITIES #6: The Choreography of Rehabilitation: Disability and Race in Balanchine’s Agon
A response to George Balanchine’s Agon (1957)
PARAMODERNITIES is made possible by the New England Foundation for the Arts’ National Dance Project, with lead funding from the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. PARAMODERNITIES is a National Performance Network (NPN) Creation Fund Project, commissioned by Jacob’s Pillow in partnership with New York Live Arts, HMD’s Bridge Project, and NPN. The Creation Fund is supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Arts (a federal agency).
For more information: www.npnweb.org.
Fairytale LGBT Foreign film from Italy with Filippo Timi
There is a crazy and colorful new Italian LGBTQ comedy-drama called FAIRYTALE.
Arriving on DVD/VOD on May 12. BREAKING GLASS PICTURES.
FAIRYTALE (Favola) follows Mrs. Fairytale, a perfect housewife in 1950s America who becomes aware of her own unhappiness and embarks on a process of personal liberation. The costumes and the set are totally eye popping and stunning! The attention to detail is The cinematography is truly a feast for the eyes.
Crazy and Colorful!
In a surreal world of stuffed poodles (who seem to move about on their own), whiskey-infused teas, sinful mambo lessons (by one one of the sexy triplets!), and threats of alien invasion, Mr(s). Fairytale will begin to explore a world where anyone can finally be who they want to be, but behind which hides another upsetting reality.
The directing debut of Sebastiano Mauri, based on the stage play by Italian actor Filippo TImi who also stars in the titular role, FAIRYTALE is a tribute to 50s era America, winner of the Golden Ciak Award for Best Production Design, More Love Award at Festival Mix 2018, and Flaiano Prize for Best first work to Sebastiano Mauri.
For me, an American, I found it a little hard to follow at times. You are not always sure what is real – and what is not. It’s very surreal – but well worth watching!
GET A SNEAK PEAK!
Filippo Timi is an accomplished Italian actor, director and writer.
Timi is the author, actor and director of “Fairy Tail”, a comedy that was produced by “Teatro Franco Parenti” on stage of Giordano Theatre (Foggia, Italy) 2014/2015 season. It was made into a film in 2017 and now arrives in the United States.
What’s it All About??
To dig a little deeper into the storyline; The story tells about two girl mates, both married, and one of them is pregnant, who apparently live a normal and quiet life.(even if actually their husbands are not what they seem: one is violent and one other is probably homosexual.)
Something unreal is happening, which will change forever everyone’s life: a sort of genetic mutation, which will change relationships’ balance and behaviors’ interactions among characters.
Actually, this is an unrealistic tail about Mrs. Fairytale, the comedy’s main character played by Filippo Timi. He is an explosive actor and one of the most appreciated actors of the Italian motion picture industry and theatre -,whose name is composed by the word “tale” as a destiny, and about her friend, Mrs. Emerald (Lucia Mascino), two perfect (apparently) loved wives, whose secrets, one more upsetting than the other, are discovered during the comedy until the conclusion and the final overturning.
Everything happens under the eyes of the very sexy Luca Pignagnoli, who plays the triplets; Ted, Tim and Glenn Stewart.
There are a lot of movies quotes in the comedy: starting from Doris Day’s memory, the so called America fiancé, than the Fairtale’s whit, until Fairy’s violent husband whose name is Stan, abbreviation of Stanley, the cruel even fascinating Pole played by Marlon Brando in the movie “A Streetcar Named Desire”.
Go to Breaking Glass Pictures and Demand it Now!
Key West Joins WorldPride NYC Stonewall 50!
The Florida Keys & Key West tourism council and the Key West Business Guild plan to showcase the inclusive spirit of the subtropical LGBTQ visitor destination in New York City’s WorldPride March and PrideFest street festival slated for Sunday, June 30.
New York City’s 2019 Pride is to take place in conjunction with the first WorldPride celebration held in the United States, and millions ofrevelers are expected to attend. The 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising also is to be commemorated in the event known asWorldPride NYC/Stonewall 50, with activities scheduled throughout June.
The Pride March is to feature a Keys contingent carrying a 100-foot section of the 1.25-mile “sea-to-sea” pride flag fabricated by the late rainbow flag creator Gilbert Baker. Baker and his assistants spent three months in Key West in 2003 sewing about 17,600 linear yards of fabric into the rainbow banner that was unfurled along Key West’s Duval Street from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean on June 15, 2003. The event marked the 25th anniversary of his creation.
WorldPride march participants carrying the flag are to include current and former Keys residents, their friends and families from across the U.S.
“We look forward to showing that Key West is one of the leading destinations to visit by displaying one of the most iconic pieces of history to be created for the LGBTQ community,” said Alan Beaubien, president of the guild’s board of directors.
Welcoming some 300,000 LGBTQ visitors each year, Key West lies at the tip of the Florida Keys island chain and is renowned for its inclusive recognition that all people are created equal. The philosophy was epitomized by the famed One Human Family initiativecreated by local artist J.T. Thompson. After Key West city commissioners adopted the One Human Family motto for the city in 2000,Florida Keys officials embraced it for the entire 125-mile-long string of islands.
The PrideFest street festival is slated for 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday along Fourth Avenue from Union Square to Astor Place. The Florida Keys & Key West booth is to feature Keys giveaways and information on vacationing in the environmentally and culturally rich destination.
“It is important to be present at this historic moment to remind everyone that our islands serve as a place free from judgment for LGBTQvisitors and residents alike,” said Guy Ross, the tourism council’s LGBTQ sales manager. “By participating in WorldPride 2019, we can showcase why we remain such a special, much-loved and much-celebrated destination.”
(The original flag, below)
Florida Keys & Key West visitor information: fla-keys.com/gay and fla-keys.com
Key West Business Guild: gaykeywestfl.com
Social: Facebook • Twitter • Instagram • Youtube • Keys Voices blog
Lady Bunny Holiday Sale
Need a last minute holiday gift!
Your friends WILL LOVE THESE!
and they are on SALE!! WHOO HOO!!
Lady Bunny t-shirts are now on sale for $20, including shipping! (This does not include PayPal charges, however.) 100% cotton in black only, with sizes S-3XL. Order right now to ensure delivery just in time to wrap them!
The shirts feature an eye-popping design by famed illustrator Michael Economy, who’s best known for his work for both designer Anna Sui and his own creations on iheartme.com. As a testament to his talent, he totally captured that demented look in my eyes and even made me look thinner!
To help you find your perfect fit, these tees are manufactured by Next Level Apparel. They aren’t the super-duper trim fit, but they are a trimmer fit than the boxy, oversized thick cotton type. (In other words, if you are usually in between sizes, you should probably select the larger of the two. No shade intended cuz I wear a 2XL myself!
Check them out here: http://ladybunny.net/team/
Tom of Finland Red Wine
Tom of Finland Wines (tomoffinlandwines.com), a new label created in tribute to the legacy and artwork of Tom of Finland (Touko Laaksonen, Finnish, 1920-1991), popularly known as Tom of Finland, is pleased to announce its inaugural release – the 2015 OUTstanding RED. Following a successful launch in Finland in 2016, Tom of Finland Wines is making its US debut, with the wine available exclusively direct-to-consumer on the website for $24 per bottle.
Tom of Finland Wines is made in partnership with the Tom of Finland Foundation, a non-profit started in 1984 by TOM and Durk Dehner. Though the Foundation’s original purpose was to preserve TOM’s vast catalog of work, today the Foundation has greatly expanded its efforts and exists to educate the public as to the cultural merits of erotic art and the promotion of healthier, more tolerant attitudes towards sexuality through experiential workshops, residencies and exhibitions.
Terry Miller, Official Tom of Finland “TOM’s Man” and spokesman for Tom of Finland Wines comments on the project: “Tom is about pleasure and enjoying life. A part of enjoying life involves indulging your sensual side and appreciating the finer things… self-expression, openness and freedom – that’s why wine is the perfect manifestation in honor of the legendary artist. As for the wine, OUTstanding RED is remarkably smooth, delicious and sexy. Tom of Finland’s work is the most recognizable and important gay iconography in the world, and it both warms and excites me to see it presented front and center on the bottle of OUTstanding RED.”
Tom of Finland Wines will host an official launch party for media, trade, and consumers on December 14th in at The Oasis in San Francisco. Guests can expect a meet-and-greet and photo opportunity with Terry Miller, and of course, plenty of OUTstanding RED. Additional details to be published at a later date. Learn more about Tom of Finland wines on the new website www.tomoffinlandwines.com, on Facebook at ‘Tom of Finland Wines’, on Instagram at @tomoffinlandwines, and on Twitter at @tofwines.
About Tom of Finland Wines:
Tom of Finland Wines is the first time Tom of Finland enters into the world of wine. Tom of Finland Wines first introduced the OUTstanding RED California red-blend in the artist’s native home of Finland in 2016. Now available in the U.S. market, Tom of Finland Wines offers a high-quality wine crafted with detail, passion and a desire to satisfy even the most discerning wine drinker – a true tribute to TOM and his significant contribution to contemporary art and popular culture. Learn more and purchase the wine at www.tomoffinlandwines.com
Grace Jones Documentary
“Listen to me! I’m human, man! I’m human,” Grace Jones says in the trailer for Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami, a documentary that premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.
We’ll just see about that, won’t we? Shot over the course of a decade, Bloodlight and Bami was directed by Sophie Fiennes and documents the extraordinary Jones’s life onstage and off.
“You get all different sides with this documentary – totally natural, no makeup, just improv, no rehearsals and no special lighting until we did the performances, which I was totally involved with,” Jones recently told Now Toronto. “It’s really the first time that I unmask, I guess you could say.”
Jones also said she gave Fiennes complete creative control, aside from “a couple of ideas in the editing.”
“I never watched any of the footage,” said Jones. “I just had total trust in her, which is how I usually work when I collaborate.”
“Grace had fiercely controlled her public image, but made the bold decision to unmask,” Fiennes says. “She never sought to control my shooting process, and I didn’t second-guess the narrative of the film as I was shooting. I just gathered evidence. The film is a deliberately present-tense experience; for me this is the thrill-ride of verité cinema.”
Bloodlight And Bami juxtaposes Jones’ avant-garde stage persona with the true off-screen identity we seldom see. “The performer out there takes the risk—it’s a lonely place,” Jones says in the trailer. “But it’s a fascinating lonely place.”
“She is gypsy, artist and partying hedonist, warm and funny but also a fierce and tenacious businesswoman,” the film’s press notes promise of its subject. “This is a Grace we have not seen before.” GET A PEAK!
Magnus Hastings WHY DRAG Book
WHAT A GORGEOUS BOOK! And for a coffee table art book, its very affordable at about $35! Why Drag?
224 pages of the biggest and most diverse queens across America and beyond, all answering the question, Why drag?
Everyone loves to gag over photographs of their favorite queens, and chances are, some of the photographs have been taken by talented drag queen photographer, Magnus Hastings. His popular Facebook page, Dragged Around the World, archives some of his best work.
This celebrated artist has been photographing drag queens for the past 10 years- and his artwork showcasing queens is taking the world by storm! LAST YEAR, Hastings’ first photo exhibition in New York, Why Drag?, ran during Pride, at the OUT HOTEL. The best part about this unique exhibition is that each queen he photographs explains why it is that they do drag (but you’ll have to the exhibit to see that!) – Now, you can get the book!
Magnus Hastings came up through the London Gay scene and quickly gained recognition as one of the forerunners of his type of the pop art photography. playing with campy ideas when it was not fashionable to do so and embracing drag queens as a subject and study. He says, a “child of drag,” prone to putting on his sister’s clothes and dancing around his childhood home. But he didn’t truly discover the drag world until much later, long after he himself had stopped dressing across gender lines.
He completely revamped the Gaydar franchise in 2009 and has been published worldwide in magazines such as Glamour (uk), GQ (uk), Cosmopolitan (Italy),People (usa) , US weekly (use), Attitude (uk) ,AXM (uk), Bent (uk), QX international (uk), Blue (australia), Boyz (uk), Nois (spain) to name a few.
In 2003, on a visit to Sydney, Hastings walked into the Arq nightclub and saw the drag queen Vanity Faire lip-syncing “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz in a flawless Dorothy outfit. The experience changed his life.
“I started shooting drag because it’s my home and my world and it feels like my family,” Hastings said.
Watching that performance connected Hastings to a part of himself that he’d abandoned due to social pressures as a child but that he still longed to explore.
With Vanity’s guidance, Hastings began photographing the city’s vibrant drag scene and developing a polished, dynamic style of portraiture reflecting his subjects’ creativity and humor.
As he traveled the world, he continued capturing local queens with a focus on those who best represented the art’s diversity and daring, from the bearded to the “fishy,” or ultrafeminine.
His images attracted a larger audience when he started posting his photos to his Facebook group, “Dragged Around the World.”
Magnus now lives in Los Angeles with his Jack Russell named George and is heavily involved in photographing the drag scene.
‘Why Drag?‘ with photographs by Magnus Hastings and a foreword by Boy George, was published in May by Chronicle Books. BUY THE BOOK!
Why Drag?
North Carolina and Mississippi Boycott Continues
It is truly amazing that SO MANY companies have stood up to North Carolina and Mississippi in recent weeks!
The rights holders of the musicals West Side Story and Footloose have quietly withdrawn permission for their musicals to be done in the states of North Carolina and Mississippi, apparently in reaction to laws passed in those states that discriminate against LGBT individuals.
Wicked ’s Stephen Schwartz Hopes Banning Shows from North Carolina Will Turn Anger Into Activism
Similarly, the Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization announced that the rights holders of the musical Footloose had also withdrawn permission for their show, described as one of the most popular in the R&H catalogue, to be done in the two states. They issued this statement:
To the residents of North Carolina and Mississippi:
In light of the recent passage in your states of heinous and discriminatory laws that severely curtails the rights of many minorities, the creators of “Footloose” are suspending the issuance of any license to present or produce their work until such time as the legislature and governor reverse their decision.
Among arts groups, Cirque du Soleil canceled engagements in North Carolina after the state passed HB2, a “religious freedom” bill that allows individuals and businesses to deny services to LGBT individuals based on personal religious beliefs.
Upcoming performances of Ovo in Greensboro (April 20-24) and Charlotte (July 6-10), as well as Toruk – Avatar in Raleigh (June 22-26), have all been canceled in the wake of the legislation. “Cirque du Soleil strongly believes in diversity and equality for every individual and is opposed to discrimination in any form. The new HB2 legislation passed in North Carolina is an important regression to ensuring human rights for all. We therefore choose to cancel our scheduled performances.”
Joseph Fiennes as Michael Jackson
Joseph Fiennes is cast as Michael Jackson in a TV programme for Sky Arts. (Sky Arts (formerly known as Artsworld) is an art-oriented television channel offering 24 hours a day of programmes dedicated to arts. including theatrical performances, movies, documentaries and music (such as opera performances and classical and jazz sessions). The channel is available via Sky, Virgin Media, and TalkTalk TV)
The actor plays the singer in the comedy about a supposed road trip taken by Jackson, Marlon Brando and Elizabeth Taylor after the 9/11 terror attacks.
Some fans have reacted angrily to the casting, but Fiennes said he thought Jackson was “probably closer to my colour than his original colour”. Fiennes said he believed Jackson – who died in 2009 – had a “pigmentation issue” with his skin, so the issue of race should not come into play. –
I AGREE.
“It’s a light comedy look. It’s not in any way malicious. It’s actually endearing. And the more I actually looked at Michael – it’s great, as an actor, to have so much to copy and look at in interviews – the more I kind of fell in love with him.”
Describing the plot of the 30-minute programme – titled Elizabeth, Michael and Marlon – Fiennes said: “Michael and two of his best buddies, Elizabeth Taylor and Marlon Brando, happened to be in New York the night before 9/11.
“I don’t know if this is an urban legend or if it’s true, but the three of them couldn’t get out because air space was shut down, so the three of them jumped in a car and went on a road trip.”
Stockard Channing, who is best known for her roles in TV drama The West Wing and musical film Grease, is playing Taylor in the comedy with Scottish actor Brian Cox starring as Brando.
Warwick Rowers 2016
The world’s most famous naked athletes, the Warwick Rowers, are back with their seventh calendar for 2016.
Take a peek behind the scenes at our naked photo shoots on glamorous locations in England and Spain, while they explain why the calendar means so much to us and why they are working to challenge homophobia in sport.
And visit Warwickrowers.org, where you will be able to find calendar, bonus downloads, films, book, posters, prints and a whole lot more! It’s for everyone. WATCH THE SNEAK PEAK
Gay Day of the Dead Art
Gay Day of the Dead: the art of José Antonio Madrazo
By Sebastián Sáenz
@sebastiaenz
History, traditions and folk culture have inspired artists for centuries in order to show the world their unique perspective. Human beings have developed a special need to express feelings, thoughts and facts though all kinds of materials such as clay, marble, wood, oil, installations, words and even their own body, but José Antonio Madrazo is a particular case. His original proposal shows one of the most popular Mexican celebrations with an unexpected twist: an LGBT version of The Day of the Dead.
Most of us are tired of bringing back home after any trip the same souvenirs: the cheap post card, the t-shirt that will lose all colors after the second wash, and the tacky fridge magnet. That is why José Antonio, located in the breathtakingly beautiful and LGBT friendly San Miguel de Allende (one of the most popular little towns of Mexico), got inspired by this important date in order to celebrate diverse love with his art crafts. The career of this artist started in the early 90s, he has worked with different forms of design, and his current proposal projects his identity, sensitivity, creative voice, humor and Mexican Culture, such as the Day of the Dead.
Mexico’s Day of the Dead is a very ancient tradition that mixes Pre-Colonial, Colonial and folk elements of the Mexican culture. The day of the Dead is an annual celebration to remember the life of the loved ones that are no longer with us. Mexicans build altars with flowers, candles, photographs and objects attached to the person that passed away. They also have hot chocolate, candy skulls and Bread of Dead, a sweet pastry with bone-shaped bread sticks on top. Some people dress as Catrinas, the quintessential character of this party: the grim reaper represented as a feminine skelleton, dressed in a colorful gown with flowers and even a huge hat with bright feathers. Some Mexicans even actually go to graveyards and spend the night of November 1st and 2nd in a huge celebration with music, food and laughter; their on way to make fun of Death, and to enjoy life.
No wonder why José Antonio, along with his team of artisans, have been so inspired. All of his pieces are one of a kind, manicured and can be custom made in order to satisfy every customer’s wishes. He mixes clay figurines with traditional crafting techniques, metal, vintage photographs, images of papers, magazines and board games, and even historic heroes and religious icons. Some of his contemporary, funny, pretty and affordable pieces can even portray same sex figures and jokes.
The world usually relates Mexico to lucha libre, Taco Bell, telenovelas and, in worst cases, Dora the Explorer. Of course these are stereotypes, and even though some of them are based on actual facts, it is well known that a whole country cannot be associated with just a few generalizations. Mexico is a country that offers so much more than what the world sees on news or in a five star resort in Cancun. It is rich in gastronomy, history, infrastructure, technology, science, academia, natural resources, art and cultural and social progress. Maybe its biggest artist is Frida Kahlo, however, there are obviously new artists such as José Antonio, with innovative, interesting, intricate and beautiful work that the world has to know and appreciate.
Michael Snell and Derrick Sorles, partners for 16 years, started collecting Day of Dead art in 2013. They found one of Jose Antiono’s gay themed nichos in 2014 and contacted him about making even more gay themed nichos exclusively for them and began importing them to the US. Gay Day of the Dead Art. Now with the passage of marriage equality growing at leaps and bounds, they hope to serve a whole new market of LGBT collectors.
Translation –
La mayor parte de nosotros estamos hartos de regresar a casa de cualquier viaje con los mismos souvenirs: la tarjeta postal barata, la playera que perderá sus colores después de lavarla dos veces y el imán de mal gusto para el refrigerador. Es por eso que José Antonio, ubicado en el maravillosamente bello y LGBT amigable San Miguel de Allende (uno de los pueblitos más populares de México), se inspiró en esta importante fecha para celebrar el amor diverso en sus artesanías. La carrera de este artista comenzó a principios de los 90s, ha trabajado con diferentes formas de diseño, y su propuesta actual refleja su identidad, sensibilidad, voz creativa, humor y cultura mexicana; como en el caso del Día de Muertos.
Esta fiesta anual es una antigua tradición que mezcla elementos prehispánicos, coloniales y folclóricos de la cultura mexicana. El día de muertos ayuda a recordar a la gente amada que ya no se encuentra presente. Los mexicanos crean altares con flores, velas, fotografías y objetos que los difuntos apreciaban. También toman chocolate caliente, calaveras de dulce y Pan de Muerto, pan dulce cubierto con palos de pan que semejan huesos. Algunas personas se visten como Catrinas, el personaje de esta celebración por excelencia: representa a la muerte como un esqueleto femenino, ataviado con un colorido vestido con flores e incluso un gran sombrero con brillantes plumas. Algunos mexicanos incluso visitan cementerios y pasan las noches del 1 y 2 de noviembre en una gran verbena con música, comida y risas; su manera única de burlarse de la muerte y de disfrutar la vida.
Es evidente por qué José Antonio, junto con su equipo de artesanos, se han inspirado tanto. Todas sus piezas son únicas, delicadamente construidas, y pueden personalizarse para satisfacer cada deseo de sus clientes. Combina figuras de arcilla y metal con técnicas artesanales típicas, viejas fotografías, imágenes de periódicos, revistas y juegos de mesa, y hasta personajes históricos e íconos religiosos. Y claro, algunas de sus piezas contemporáneas, divertidas, bonitas y accesibles pueden mostrar figuras del mismo sexo y chistes.
Converse Gay Pride Sneaker
Another Gay Tennis Shoe! First it was Adidas – now it’s Converse that steps out with a pride-related shoe line. (Converse is owned by Nike).
The Converse Pride Collection is honored to join the LGBT movement. Any crusade that hits the streets as loud and passionate as this one definitely needs sneakers to fit the occasion. We happily abide. The Converse Chuck Taylor All Star Pride hi-tops are adorned with stylish patterns and every color of the rainbow. Each color represents a special meaning to the community. Each step we take brings us closer to universal tolerance and equality.
Adidas Gay pride Shoe
WOW – this is pretty cool! Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Gay Pride!
Inspired by the unjust treatment of the gay and lesbian community in the 1960’s, adidas shows support for the community at-large with an admirable new release.
Outsole Independence Hall in Philadelphia on July 4, 1965 was the first ever LGBT picket.
The same year, adidas named its flagship tennis shoe the “Robert Haillet” after the French tennis pro. That shoe, of course, went on to become the Stan Smith following Haillet’s retirement from the game. It’s now the best selling adidas sneaker of all-time.
Crafted in a bold paint splatter aesthetic, a rainbow undertone is noted through the pack in honor of those affected years ago, and those still struggling for acceptance today. The inspired adidas “Pride” Pack drops on June 6 at select Three Stripes retailers.
I could not find the price yet…lets hope there are lot less than Kanye’s Yeezy’s which are $350!
#TheGaySweater Project
You’ve probably heard it, if not said it yourself, but you’ll be certain to think twice about using a phrase like “that sweater is so gay” after hearing this story. A one-of-a-kind, first-ever, truly ‘gay sweater’ will be unveiled today during Toronto Fashion Week. What makes it gay? It is custom knit from the donated hair of more than 100 LGBT people committed to changing the way the word “gay” is used in society today.
Debuting just in time, ahead of this summer’s upcoming Pride Week celebrations in Toronto, New York, San Francisco and London, The Gay Sweater was created by the Canadian Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity (CCGSD) to spark a rich dialogue on what makes something ‘gay’. Through #TheGaySweater project, they hope people will understand that it is incorrect and offensive to use language like ‘that’s so gay’ to negatively describe something.
A short film showcasing the inspiration behind this #TheGaySweater and the making of this unusual piece can be viewed here: thegaysweater.ccgsd-ccdgs.org
This is pretty cool!
Mario Testino Taschen Book SIR
A gallery of men from photography’s maestro
— Mario Testino
(ABOVE: Carlos Bokelman, London, V Magazine, 2000)
In this Limited Edition of 1,000 numbered copies, Mario Testino presents over 300 photographs in his search to define the allure of men.
Featuring an essay by Pierre Borhan, an interview with Patrick Kinmonth, and many previously unpublished works from Testino’s archive of thousands, the book traces the evolution of male identity over the past three decades. Costume, tradition, gender play, portraiture, photojournalism, and fashion collide as Testino observes masculinity in all its modern manifestations: through the dandy and the gentleman, the macho and the fey, the world-famous face to the unknown passerby.
(ABOVE: David Beckham & Orlando Bloom, Milan, 2009)
Mario Testino. SIR
Patrick Kinmonth, Pierre Borhan
Hardcover in metallic slipcase, with Swiss binding, and Japanese cloth,
12.7 x 16.4 in., 456 pages
$ 700
TASCHEN BOOKS
Edition: English
Fifty Shades of Frosting – Jamie Dornan Cake
At Graham Norton , An audience member has baked a life-size Christian Grey cake.
Guests Jamie Dornan has a taste of his abs! The cake took a team of 4 of 2.5 weeks to make. It is going to London for man international cake competition.
WATCH
BEZAR Cool Art and Design Stuff
Bezar connects people who design special things
with people who desire special things.
After a year of soul-searching, Fab cofounder and former creative director Bradford Shellhammer is back in the flash sales game with his forthcoming startup Bezar, an online short-term sales hub for designers who are hand picked by Shellhamm.
Sound familiar? Shellhammer admits that the site, when it launches this spring, will work a lot like the original Fab.
Although he’s not calling Bezar a flash sales site, but rather a collection of pop-up shops, “because it’s a little different from flash,” Shellhammer said. “This is not excess inventory.
What sets Bezar apart from Fab, Shellhammer says, is partnerships with more established brands, which will use the platform to sell designer collaborations and new collections.
The initiative has also collected an interesting crew of advisers and angel investors, including Whoopi Goldberg and the design guru Yves Behar. Shellhammer will act as CEO, a more operations-oriented role than he had at Fab; his founding team includes former private equity investor Justin Chen as CFO and former Fab employees Matt Baer (also of Quirky) and PieterJan Mattan as COO and creative director, respectively.
Check it out! JOIN NOW
FCKH8 Male Model Charity Calendar
Straight and Gay Hunks Get Naked Together, Lowering Their Underwear to Raise Awareness and Funds with 2015 HIV/AIDS Charity Calendar
FCKH8.com Teams Up with Photographer Justin Monroe to Create Sexy Poolside Photo Spread.
Hot on the heels of the massive viral success of their anti-sexism “Potty-Mouth Princesses” video that garnered almost 20 million views and raised $30,000 for charities promoting girls and women’s rights, FCKH8.com is campaigning to benefit HIV/AIDS charities with a sexy new 2015 benefit calendar that features straight and gay men getting naked together for a cause.
Lensed by renowned photographer Justin Monroe, and promoted by the gay social app Jack’d, the 12 month photo calendar features beefy straight and gay hotties stripped down to their bathing suits… or their birthday suits. The calendar, as well as the behind the scenes video that shows even more of the guys than the calendar does, were shot by the pool in the Hollywood hills in the hot California sun.
With a behind-the-scenes video on the FCKH8.com home page, the 9 inch x 12 inch glossy calendar is available for purchase for $9.99 on the FCKH8.com campaign website. To support the cause, 50% of all the money raised will go to HIV/AIDS charities that online supporters will be able to vote for on the campaign’s Facebook page.
The video and calendar shoot were made with the help of the guys at Jack’d, the fastest-growing gay social app in the world, who are promoting the cause to their audience of millions of gay and bi men to turn them on and turn up their support.
Behind the Scenes Video Can Be Seen HERE
Alex Minsky Nude Photos Leaked
I love this man!
GQ spoke with Marine-turned-model Alex Minsky, who overcame having his leg amputated to become something of a pinup for patriotic gay men everywhere.
“I love gay men,”
revealed Minsky, 25, “because if they like something, they’ll let everybody know.”
He’s less thrilled, though, about having his nude photos leaked last winter—months before the current crop of stars had their privacy invaded:
I went into freak-out mode,” he says. “I don’t have a team of people taking care of my Internet snafus.” Still: What does it mean when a soldier’s broken body becomes not an admonition about the horrors of war but, rather, a sex object? “Maybe I just like being naked,” he says. “Ever think of that?”
See them at New Now Next NSFW!!!
Tom of Finland Stamps
The legendary TOM OF FINLAND
now has his own stamps – but they are only available in Finland at the moment.
The late graphic artist Tom of Finland, born Touko Laaksonen, has become further cemented as an icon for his contributions to gay art and history thanks to a new a series of stamps. He is considered one of the most well-known Finnish artists around the world.
The work of Tom of Finland is both monumentally significant and long-standing.
“His emphatically masculine homoerotic drawings have attained iconic status in their genre and had an influence on, for instance, pop culture and fashion. In his works, Tom of Finland utilized the self-irony and humor typical of subcultures. During his career, Tom of Finland produced more than 3,500 drawings… The drawings on the stamp sheet represent strong and confident male figures typical of their designer.”
Here’s an interview with stamp’s designer Timo Berry in cooperation with the Tom of Finland Foundation‘s Finnish representative Susanna Luoto.
A petition demanding the stamp be called off has now launched, and has so far gathered over 2,000 signatures.
Stamps may be ordered here.
Mark MacKillop Photo Book RM. FOURTEEN
Mark MacKillop is a singer actor dancer. Originally from Vancouver he studied ballet in Vancouver with Li Yaming at Pacific DanceArts and spent summers training with the Boston Ballet and American Ballet Theater in New York, both on full scholarship. After three years dancing with the Atlanta Ballet Mark moved to New York to pursue musical theatre and just finished a year on tour playing Riff with the international production of West Side Story – which leads us to this story about Mark!
From Huffington Post: New York performer Mark MacKillop offers musical theater fans a provocative peek at the offstage life of a working actor in his coffee table book, Rm. XIV.
The new book comprises 80 black-and-white selfies of MacKillop in various stages of undress, shot in various hotel rooms around the world while he was in the midst of an international tour of “West Side Story” last year.
Though the steamy images will no doubt set pulses racing, MacKillop sees Rm. XIV as capturing “physicality, composition, reflection” as opposed to being intentionally scintillating.
“I had just finished a year touring all over Europe and Israel with the international production of West Side Story. During the course of my time abroad i started taking pictures of myself in each hotel room I stayed in. This quickly became a staple of my experience on tour.”
“ Surprisingly traveling around with 30 cast members and a 30 piece orchestra left me feeling incredibly isolated and at times lonely. I used the photos as a way of connecting with friends who I was separated from to give them a unique, intimate look at my life on the road,” MacKillop, who originally hails from Canada, told The Huffington Post. Noting that he shot all of the images on his iPhone with a self-timer app, he added, “I definitely wouldn’t call myself a photographer. I would just call myself an artist exploring in various mediums.”
MacKillop, who is openly gay, said the photos also represent a very personal journey, and were partly inspired by Tom of Finland in addition to his own ballet and modern dance training.
A very successful kickstarter campaign was launched and the book was printed!
(Photo Right : is from one of the MANY fashion shoots Mark has done. Photographer Walter Kurtz Emporio Armani Underwear. See more on Pinterest.)
Having performed in the 2014 installment of “Broadway Bares,” MacKillop will donate a portion of the proceeds from Rm. XIV to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA). In addition, the book will feature an introduction by Tony Award-winning “Kinky Boots” star Billy Porter and a foreword authored by New York artist Robert W. Richards.
You can read more about Rm. XIV here. BUY THE BOOK!
Sneak Peak Video on YouTube
Instagram @markmackillop
Twitter @mark_mackillop
markmackillop.net
Corpus Christi: Playing with Redemption on DVD
Corpus Christi: Playing with Redemption on DVD and VOD October 14, 2014
Terrence McNally’s ”Gay Jesus Play” Inspires Feature Documentary
What if Jesus was gay?
Breaking Glass Pictures will be releasing Corpus Christi: Playing with Redemption, a feature documentary focusing on Terrence McNally’s controversial off-Broadway play “Corpus Christi,” which imagines Jesus as a gay man living in Corpus Christi, Texas.
The documentary follows the troupe, Terrence, and audience around the world on a 5-year journey, where voices of protest and support collide on one of the central issues facing the LGBT community: religion.
The play originally opened at the Manhattan Theatre Club in 1998 to intense protest and bomb threats. Terrence McNally is a four-time Tony Award winning playwright, famous for Broadway hits Ragtime, Master Class, and Love! Valour! Compassion!
“Playing with Redemption and the I AM Love Campaign add a new dimension to the conversation that my play continues to provoke, and I look forward to CORPUS CHRISTI starting many more conversations around the country.” – Terrence McNally
Breaking Glass Pictures will release the documentary on DVD and VOD (iTunes, Comcast, Vubiquity) on October 14, 2014.
