Category Archives: Movies
Wentworth Miller is GAY!!!! And he Won’t go to Russia!
The sexy star of Prison Break actor Wentowrth Miller came out of the closet today in a letter to the St. Petersburg International Film Festival declining an invitation to appear there.
Wrote Miller in a letter published on GLAAD’s website:
Thank you for your kind invitation. As
someone who has enjoyed visiting Russia in the past and can also claim a
degree of Russian ancestry, it would make me happy to say yes.
However, as a gay man, I must decline.
I
am deeply troubled by the current attitude toward and treatment of gay
men and women by the Russian government. The situation is in no way
acceptable, and I cannot in good conscience participate in a celebratory
occasion hosted by a country where people like myself are being
systematically denied their basic right to live and love openly.
Perhaps, when and if circumstances improve, I’ll be free to make a different choice.
Said GLAAD spokesman Wilson Cruz: “Wentworth’s bold show of support
sends a powerful message to LGBT Russians: you are not alone. “As people
from across the globe continue to speak out against this horrific law,
more celebrities and corporations should follow his courageous lead in
openly condemning Russia’s anti-LGBT law.”
During his time acting on Prison Break, Miller repeatedly denied he was gay. He was also tied to actor Luke McFarlane.
HIDDEN HILLS Gay Comedy by Dan Steadman
relationships were the norm? And if mixed race couples where the ONLY
acceptable matches? Well, that’s the world of the new feature movie,
“Hidden Hills.” It’s a new 72-minute comedy from Circa 87 Productions
and Out Of The Closet Entertainment.
It’s camp. It’s fun. It’s
funny. And it addresses the real live current issues of diversity,
acceptance, same-sex marriage, and the ability to be who you really are
— but through fresh eyes and with a novel approach. The producers hope
to open the eyes and hearts of some, and to entertain everyone.
for the world premiere of “Hidden Hills.” If you plan to attend this
event ONLINE, please accept our invitation for you to JOIN US at this
online event!
Also, please invite all your friends
and family who you think might enjoy a romantic comedy that will
challenge their beliefs on issues like interracial marriage, ageism,
common body issue stereotypes, and GLBT issues, this feature
film will make them laugh and think.
There is no nudity. No
violence. No bad language. So, why watch? We believe you’ll be glad you
did. We also know your friends will think your amazing for having
recommended such an amazing film to them FOR FREE! Yep, no Netflix
account needed here.
Growing Old….Before You Know It
You never think about getting older, when you are younger. I think I was about 40 and it really started to hit me. My parents were senior citizens – and I was catching up!
are go-go booted bar-hoppers, love struck activists, troublemaking
baton twirlers, late night Internet cruisers, seasoned renegades and
bold adventurers. They are also among the estimated 2.4 million lesbian,
gay and bisexual Americans over the age of 55 in the United States,
many of whom face heightened levels of discrimination, neglect and
exclusion. But BEFORE is not a film about cold statistics and gloomy
realities, it’s a film about generational trailblazers who have
surmounted prejudice and defied expectation to form communities of
strength, renewal and camaraderie – whether these communities be affable
senior living facilities, lively activist enclaves or wacky queer bars
brimming with glittered trinkets and colorful drag queens.
Families are Forever – The journey of a Mormon Family to Accept their Gay Son
This movie trailer brought tears to my eyes. Imagine being brought up Mormon, and 13, knowing your church rejects you – and your family might also – thoughts turn to suicide.
Families are Forever which premieres at Frameline 37: the San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival on Saturday, June 22, 2013 chronicles the journey of a devout Mormon family living in a conservative community who attended Church every Sunday,
actively served in their ward, went door-to-door to stop same-sex
marriage in support of California’s Prop 8 and whose lives were turned
upside down when their 13-year-old son admitted he was gay.
On the cusp of becoming an Eagle Scout, 13-year-old Jordan hid his
sexual orientation for fear of rejection by his family and Church like
many adolescents from socially and religiously conservative families who
are told they’re “confused” or that “It’s just a phase.” Like other
LGBT Mormon children and adolescents he daily walked past yellow Prop 8
yard signs and internalized painful messages that reinforced feelings of
isolation and despair as he began to realize that his family was
rejecting people like him.
Called “riveting” by the Salt Lake Tribune, Families are Forever is a
powerhouse addition to the Family Acceptance Project’s inspiring family
education video series that is helping prevent suicide, HIV,
homelessness and other serious health risks by increasing family support
for LGBT youth – in the context of family, culture and faith
backgrounds. This new video adds to critical research-based educational
materials the Family Acceptance Project is producing for families with
LGBT children, including the first “Best Practice” resources for suicide
prevention for LGBT youth and young adults and the first for LGBT
Mormons in the Best Practices Registry for Suicide Prevention.
As with other family education materials and videos from the Family
Acceptance Project – an acclaimed research, education and family
intervention initiative at SF State University that helps diverse
families to support their LGBT children – Families are Forever is part
of a planned series of short documentaries that show the journey of
ethnically and religiously diverse families from struggle to support of
their LGBT children to give LGBT youth and families hope and to show how
diverse families learn to support their LGBT children. A collaboration
between Peabody award-winning documentary filmmaker, Vivian Kleiman, and
award-winning clinical social worker, Caitlin Ryan, these documentaries
are changing lives and building healthy futures for LGBT children and
adolescents.
“Many LGBT youth and families have never seen acceptance and support
expressed by parents and caregivers for their LGBT children.” said Dr.
Caitlin Ryan, Director of the Family Acceptance Project. “Our videos
show individual stories of family acceptance that speak to families from
a wide range of backgrounds and help them understand that how they
respond to their LGBT children has a powerful impact on their health,
mental health and survival.”
Mitch Mayne, an openly gay Mormon religious leader in the San Francisco
Bay Ward of the Mormon Church knows this firsthand: “Religiously
conservative families have little access to accurate information and
many believe they have to choose between their child and their faith. A
cornerstone of the Family Acceptance Project’s work is to integrate
research, culture and faith to inspire and educate diverse and very
conservative families on how to love their LGBT children. This video
will literally save lives.”
Families are Forever screens at the Victoria Theatre in a documentary shorts program at 3:30 pm. More information about the film at Frameline is available at:
http://ticketing.frameline.
Oy Vey My Son is Gay Fundraiser
OY VEY MY SON IS GAY!
Dear Friends please help us to bring this great, sweet, funny movie with important message of our days!
and contribute any amount that will not hurt your pocket, but will
make you feel good about becoming a part of something important for the
betterment of our society! Or choose the perk and get a great present,
which will remind you, on your act done by you for a good cause! Thank
you in advance!
At a time when many nations throughout the world
are experiencing challenging and troubling times, we feel that people
need to laugh, to feel inspired, and to realize that only through
acceptance and tolerance can we move forward in creating a better world
in which to live.
They often say that in a movie “the title says
it all,” but that is not exactly true – this movie is about love,
tolerance and acceptance in the family. Where old traditions meets
modern romance. It doesn’t matter whom your son is dating: a girl with
different color skin or mentality, a boy with a different ethnicity or
religion, maybe someone with Cancer or HIV; we are all human beings and
we are all equal! Behind the million of jokes in our movie and through
the midst of the stereotypes that are still among us today, the true
premise of love and acceptance is revealed in Oy Vey! My Son is Gay!
Most
of the movies on INDIEGOGO are just beginning their development. “Oy
Vey! My Son Is Gay!!” is a completed movie, ready to be launched in
movie theaters to reach a wider audience! ( www.oyveymovie.com )
So
take a break from your stressful life, and help us to spread the word
and bring more fun and joy into people’s hearts! Fill them with
unconditional love for each other, and at the same time enjoy this
hilarious family movie! Together we can change our society without any
fighting, pushing and yelling; simply through the great message hidden
behind the laugher of our amazing cast!
Your support is extremely
appreciated. Every dollar can make a difference! One of a kind rewards
are waiting for you! Thank you in advance for your contribution! www.oyveymovie.com
James Duke Mason, Belinda Carlisle’s Gay Son, Stars in new Gay Movie
James Duke Mason is the son of singer Belinda Carlisle and film producer Morgan Mason, and the grandson of the late British actor James Mason.
Mason was named in OUT magazine’s “Out 100” issue as one of the 100 most influential LGBT people in the world in 2011.
new film project “Disappear Here”. Major casting announcements are
forthcoming with the full feature set to be shot later this year. But in
the meantime, here’s a taste of what’s to come.
Shane Bitney Crones story BRIDEGROOM Movie Coming Soon
made by Shane Bitney Crone in response to the accidental death of his
boyfriend Tom Bridegroom. The video went viral. It was a tribute to their love chronicled what happened to
Shane after Tom’s sudden death has been viewed more than 3.6 million
times, and still climbing.
1986, my mother was diagnosed with AIDS, after receiving a contaminated
blood transfusion. This occurred just as the pilot for “Designing
Women” was getting underway. As I wrote much of the first season,
sitting beside my mom, I was witness to the incredible prejudice and
prevailing ignorance inflicted not just on her, but all the homosexual
men who shared her hospital floor. Because of this, I was honored to
write the Emmy nominated DW episode, “Killing all the Right People,”
which was television’s first scripted show to tackle the hateful
prejudice surrounding gays and AIDS.
Little did I
know that I would someday be provided with another opportunity to
address this same kind of bigotry. It all began when I attended a gay
wedding ceremony in Palm Springs, California. That night, a couple of
unforgettable, young men named Shane and Tom joined my table. I learned
they were “Designing Women” fans, madly in love and literally brimming
with all their big plans for an exciting life together. Sadly, that
possibility ended when Tom was killed in an accident last year. When I
heard the news, I was haunted by the sheer weight of Shane’s loss. Even
though I barely knew them, their good-hearted demeanors and earnest
love had made an indelible impression on me.
Then, a few weeks
ago, I saw Shane’s YouTube posting, along with his bone crushing grief
and the story of what happened to him after Tom’s death—and all because
they were never allowed to marry. Like so many others who saw this
video, I was deeply touched. And angered. I called Shane told him I
wanted to make a documentary that would tell his and Tom’s love story
from beginning to end. I have now seen all of Shane and Tom’s videos
and home movies. Like a lot of young people, they routinely documented
their lives—but this recorded history is so prolific, it almost seems as
though they had a premonition or unconscious fear of not getting to
live out something important.”
The kickstarter campaign went viral! With the incredible support from influential people like Brad and George
Takei and Neil Patrick Harris, Bridegroom was successfully funded on
July 19, 2012 by over 6,500 people on Kickstarter.com becoming the most
funded documentary in the history of crowd funding.
And now the movie has been made. Shane says, “”It has been said that sharing personal stories is one of the most
effective ways to change people’s hearts and minds. This is my story and
I hope you are inspired to share it with others.”
James Franco in the Gay Spotlight, Again
In 2011, filmmaker Travis Matthews came to NakedSword with an idea for
an unconventional film that would blend real people with real sex. That
film, I Want Your Love, has now toured festivals, been written up in the
New York Times, and been praised by filmmakers and audiences alike as a
landmark in gay cinema. In March 2013, it finally comes home – and to you. I Want Your Love will make its online debut exclusively at NakedSword!
man prepares to move back to his roots in the Midwest. During his last
weekend in town his friends, roommates and ex-lovers throw him a party
that brings his already bittersweet feelings about leaving into sharper
focus. Torn between his creative dreams and the reality of earning a
living, he’s forced to take responsibility by redefining what it means
to be an artist, a gay man, and an adult.
from an award-winning 2010 short film of the same name, I Want Your Love
dares to capture the uncensored zeitgeist of modern-day San Francisco
unlike any film before it.
Franco calls the Australian Classification Board’s decision to yank the film
from planned screenings at gay film festivals in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane “really silly” and “very short-sighted.”
Noting that “sex in films hasn’t had a chance to grow and become a sophisticated storytelling device,” Franco adds, “Frankly,
adults should be able to choose … I don’t know why in this day and age,
something like this…is being banned. It’s just embarrassing.”
Franco also collaborated with Travis Mathews on “Interior. Leather Bar,”In order to avoid an X rating, 40 minutes of gay S&M footage was
rumored to be cut and destroyed from the 1980 film, “Cruising.” Inspired
by the mythology of this controversial film, filmmakers James Franco
and Travis Mathews collaborate to imagine their own lost footage.
Amid the backdrop of a frenzied film set, actor Val Lauren
reluctantly agrees to take the lead in the film. Val is repeatedly
forced to negotiate his boundaries during scenes on and “off camera,” as
unsimulated gay sex happens around him. The film itself is constructed
as a play with boundaries remaining queer in subject and form. As much a
film about film-making as it is about an exploration of sexual and
creative freedom, “Interior. Leather Bar.” defies easy categorization.
Scrooge and Marley Gay Holiday Classic
Scrooge & Marley is a modern day variation on Charles Dickens’
classic story of the holidays, “A Christmas Carol.” On Christmas Eve,
Ben Scrooge, the man who hates the holidays, is given the chance to
begin again when he is visited by three spirits – the Ghosts of
Christmas Past, Present and Future. Revisiting the tragic missteps of
his life enables Scrooge to rediscover the joy of the holiday season and
make a journey back to love. Recounted from a gay sensibility with
heart, comedy and music, the magic of Dickens’ timeless tale comes alive
from a fresh perspective that will appeal to audiences of all
persuasions.
I urge you to support this wonderful independent film! It is very well done with excellent acting and SURE TO BRING A TEAR TO YOUR EYE! It is such an awesome cast loaded with great original music!
Ebenezer Scrooge- David
Pevsner
Jacob Marley’s Ghost – Tim
Kazurinsky
Freda – Rusty Schwimmer
Fezziwig – Bruce Vilanch
Terry, Ghost of Christmas Present – Megan Cavanagh
Colin – Richard Ganoung
Bob Cratchit – David
Moretti
Randy, Ghost of Christmas Past – Ronnie Kroell
Young Ebenezer Scrooge – Drew
Anderson
Young Jacob Marley – Nicholas
Bailey
PLAYING IT CITIES EVERYWHERE-
Dec. 5, Thursday, 8 p.m. The Seattle at The Rendezvous JewelBox Theatre (2322 2nd Ave., Seattle) will serve as host with proceeds benefiting Social Outreach Seattle (SOSea). This special screening is being presented by The Seattle Lesbian.
Tickets are $10 general admission and $25 VIP. A limited number of
tickets will be available at the door. Doors open at 6 p.m., full bar
and food menu available. Brown Paper tickets: www.brownpapertickets.com Facebook event page: www.facebook.com
Dec. 6, Thursday, 8 p.m. Tampa International Gay & Lesbian Film festival special screening. Baywalk Muvico, 151 2nd Avenue North, St. Petersburg FL www.tiglff.com
Dec. 7, Friday, 8 p.m. Acorn Theatre, 107 Generations Drive, Three Oaks MI, 269-756-3879 www.acorntheater.com
Dec. 8, Saturday, 7:30 p.m. Wealthy Theatre, 1130 Wealthy Street SE, Grand Rapids MI 616-459-4788 www.grcmc.org tickets www.grcmc.org
Dec. 8, Saturday, 7 p.m. OUT
at the Movies at University of North Carolina School of the Arts/ACE
Theatre Complex, 1533 S. Main Street, Winston-Salem, NC; $7 ($6
seniors/students). Admission is $5 for anyone who brings a donation for
the food pantry of AIDS Care Service. Tickets on sale at 6:15 p.m. in
the ACE lobby. Advanced, reserved tickets can be purchased by calling
336-918-0902. www.OUTattheMoviesWinston.org
Dec. 9, Sunday, 2 p.m. Cinema Center, 437 East Berry St., Fort Wayne IN 260-426-3456 www.cinemacenter.org
Dec. 9, Sunday, 4:30 p.m. The Fleur Cinema, 4545 Fleur Drive, Des Moines, IA, 515-287-4545 www.fleurcinema.com
Dec. 13, Thursday, 7 p.m. Philadelphia Ritz East, 125 South Second Street, Philadelphia PA 215-925-7900 Direct ticket link
Dec. 13, Thursday, 7 p.m. Camelot Theatre, 2300 E. Baristo Rd., Palm Springs CA 760-325-6565, http://www.camelottheatres.com
Cast David Pevsner, Megan Cavanagh, Ronnie Kroell and David Moretti
will do a post-show talk-back. Benefit for Cinema Diverse: The Palm
Springs Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.
Dec. 16, Sunday, 3:30 p.m. Little Art Theatre, 247 Xenia Avenue, Yellow Springs, OH 937-767-7671 http://www.littleart.com
Dec. 16, Sunday, 3:15 p.m. Castro Theatre, 429 Castro Street, San Francisco CA In a double-header with “Hannah Free” starring Sharon Gless, 1 p.m., $8, “Scrooge & Marley” at 3:15 p.m., $10. Tickets available at the door prior to showtime www.castrotheatre.com
Dec. 17-18, Monday-Tuesday, 7 p.m. Tivoli Cinemas in Westport, 4050 Pennsylvania Avenue, Kansas City, MO, http://www.tivolikc.com/scroogemarley.html
Dec. 18, Tuesday, 7:00 p.m. $10, The Little Theatre, 240 East Ave., Rochester, NY tickets or www.thelittle.org
Dec. 20, Thursday, 5 p.m. Landmark Theatres Sunshine Cinema, 143 W. Houston St., New York NY 212-260-7289 www.landmarktheatres.com
Dec. 21, Friday, 8:15 p.m. Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State Street, Chicago, IL http://www.siskelfilmcenter.org
Dec. 22, Saturday at 7:45 p.m. Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State Street, Chicago, IL http://www.siskelfilmcenter.org
Dec. 27, Thursday, 7:45 p.m. Gene Siskel Film Center, 164 N. State Street, Chicago, IL http://www.siskelfilmcenter.org
You can even buy the DVD NOW!
HALF SHARE World Premiere and Benefit
Try to imagine The Golden Girls summering on Fantasy Island if it were run by Patsy & Edina! Then watch it for free! Half-Share is a 30-minute sitcom shot on location in Fire Island Pines featuring an all-star cast of fabulous gay comics including Alec Mapa, Jack Plotnick, Jesse Archer and Sam Pancake!
Hot on the heels of film festival success spanning three continents, Half-Share will debut its FREE worldwide streaming premiere at 10pm EST/7pm PST on Tuesday November 20th at www.half-share.com & Ustream.tv/channel/half-share.
GET A SNEAK PEAK NOW!
Through December 31st, 50% of all net profits on DVD and Amazon Instant Video sales will be donated to the Ali Forney Center in NYC
which provides homeless LGBT youth with shelter, food, and counseling.
Sandy left their offices underwater and they are in desperate need of
donations to continue their important work (Aliforneycenter.org).
What if You are Born into a Mormon Family…AND GAY?!
WHAT A GREAT MOVIE!
I just watched the preview version of THE FALLS! Awesome acting and a wonderful story about breaking away from your family wants for you – and following your heart!
Breaking Glass Pictures is proud to announce the December 4 DVD release of The Falls
(SRP $24.99, about $18 at Amazon). Reminiscent of The Seminarian and Latter Days, The Falls
is the story of two young Mormon men beginning to question just what it
means to be faithful to God while being true to themselves. Ultimately,
it illuminates one basic truth: that love is not a sin.
R.J. and Chris were born and raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints. Now known as Elder Smith (Nick Ferrucci) and Elder Merrill (Benjamin Farmer), both have
pretty girlfriends, were Eagle Scouts, and have perfect academic
records. Now, it’s their turn to serve a mission and experience the
Mormon rite of passage.
RJ travels to a small town in Oregon with Elder Merrill to serve their
mission and teach the words of Joseph Smith. Living together and sharing
the challenge of leaving home, the two men help each other discover
their strengths. They share a passion for their faith and learn to
express their feelings, risking the only community they have for a
forbidden intimacy.
Unknown to them, serving a mission will not only open the doors to
strangers’ households – where they preach the Gospel and experience
point of views they never expected – but it will open up secrets in
their own lives – and feelings that they’ve long kept buried.
The Falls captures the lives of two young men struggling to make
sense of the conflict between their worlds, their desires, and each
other. What they ultimately discover is a challenge to them both, but
also an affirmation of the human spirit.
The Falls
has played at the Mix Mexico International Film
Festival, Outview, the Vancouver Queer Film Fest, and is scheduled to
play Seattle Gay and Lesbian Film Fest, Rochester Gay and Lesbian Film
Festival, Tampa Gay and Lesbian Festival, and Atlanta Gay and Lesbian
Festival before its DVD debut.
“Director Jon Garcia has crafted a quiet, intimate film that truly
expresses the love, desire and conflict between the two talented leads. The Falls
is an amazing, assured debut film,” said Richard Ross, Breaking Glass Co-President.
The DVD release will come complete with an exclusive behind-the-scenes
featurette showcasing the director and stars in their creative process
during the making of The Falls.
www.BreakingGlassPictures.com.
Ronnie Kroell Talks FRIEND Film with Teeco71
Friend is a story about two teens as they experience life as gay and transgender in small town America. Elliot London
wrote the original version of the movie but was inspired to travel
across the country in search of teens that were going through similar
situations.
is that Elliot incorporates the stories and opinions of the real teens
he met in his travels so that he transformed his idea into a work of
their stories.
Q: Tell me how you got involved with the Friend Film?
A: I met the writer/director of FRIEND thanks to a mutual friend,
John Nelson. Elliot D. London is one of the most passionate film-makers I
have ever met with a commitment to making a difference through his work
(some of your readers may know him from the “Wedding Dance” video.
Elliot and I instantly clicked and saw similarities in our artistic
goals – not to mention that we are both only children, both Aquarians,
and both from the Chicago-land area. The only difference is that he is a
Jew and I am a gentile, but I like to think that I am jew-”ish” being
that I went to Niles North in Skokie, Illinois. We make a great team! I
have joined the project not only as an actor, but as an Executive
Producer – I am committed to making this film a reality.
very being. As human beings we long to fit-in, to be part of something,
to be accepted and loved. But, when we are rejected, made fun of, and
told that we are different the consequences can be fatal. Thankfully, I
have a family that has embraced and accepted me for all that I am. I
never had the thought of suicide even cross my mind, but I know what it
is like to be bullied. I used to be called a “faggot” at school and beat
up on the way home by a group of kids that, for whatever reason,
decided it was OK to take out their aggression on me.
Looking back on those times, I have finally reached a point where I
can forgive them and find strength from those experiences. I have chosen
to redirect that pain and anger into more positive channels – artistic
projects that will help change hearts and minds. For others with similar
experiences, the outcome has not been so positive. Many victims of
bullying feel like they have no one to turn to or that there is no point
to living anymore – and take their own lives. When this happens, we are
all truly at a loss.
READ MORE at T71 and PLEASE,
GIVE WHAT YOU CAN, to this awesome film project.
Friend Film….Dealing with Sexuality, Gender Identity Issues and Bullying
Do you remember coming out?
Did you ever feel
different, unattractive, left out?
Do you ever ask yourself what is it
like to come out in 2012 or what it is like to be different from the
rest of the pact?
Is it easier? Is it harder?
Obviously, it is much
different than ten years ago…
by a bunch of writers in a Hollywood room, but rather by the very own
kids we see at the end of our streets.
PLEASE SHARE THIS MESSAGE WITH YOUR FRIENDS
Aeryn Gillern…Gay Man Missing….and still GONE
I watched this movie last night and had to tell everyone about it!
New York, just south of Syracuse.
researcher working at the United Nations Industrial Development
Organization in Vienna and a former Mr. Gay Austria.
2007, Kathy receives a call from the U.N. with distressing news: Aeryn
has disappeared. Upon arriving in Vienna, she learns that the police
have no interest in an investigation. Detectives tell Kathy that Aeryn
had been at the Kaiserbründl – an exclusive men’s sauna in downtown
Vienna – on the evening of October 29th when he suffered an extreme and
sudden emotional breakdown, fled the sauna wearing only a towel, ran
naked through the city streets, and jumped into the Danube Canal. (WHAT?! Can you imagine being told this?!)
her son’s disappearance has been ruled a suicide, Kathy suspects there
is more to the story. This riveting and haunting documentary seeks to
unravel the mystery of Aeryn’s whereabouts and uncover the true reasons
for the Viennese police’s failure to assist Kathy as she searches for
her son. By examining all of the known facts, one must assume foul play was involved. But to this day, Kathy still looks for answers and closure.
Next month will be 5 years since Aeryn’s disappearance.
local Syracuse, New York newspaper nearly ten months after he
disappeared in Vienna. We contacted his mother, Kathy, who lived only
thirty minutes from our home in New York, and asked if she would be
willing to be interviewed on camera. Our intention was to get a fuller
understanding of Aeryn’s case, since so little was written about it. We
were uncertain exactly what the story was, and whether or not we would
choose to pursue it.
We interviewed Kathy a few months later
in December 2008. We didn’t know it then, but this was the first time
she was revealing the full extent of her search for Aeryn. Even her
closest friends didn’t know. But even though we knew we were onto an
extraordinary story, we were unsure how to approach it. We thought we
were pursuing a narrative about a missing man, but after meeting Kathy,
what we realized was that GONE was really about a mother’s ongoing
struggle to find her son amidst a surreal tale of lies, intimidation and
cruelty.
And so, as we began to shoot GONE in
Central New York and Vienna, Austria, we were guided by a simple,
defining premise: to immerse viewers in Kathy’s mesmerizing, personal
quest for the truth.”
From Kathy: “I agreed to do this documentary as it provided an incredible opportunity to get my son’s story told.
Our hope is that it will help us get the factual information needed to find out what happened to Aeryn.
I am grateful that the
Producers, and all the others involved in this film, who invested their
time and money, felt that it was a story that needed to be told. They
have been able to make contacts that I would never have been able to on
my own, and have stepped beyond the role of Producers to become
advocates for Aeryn. They remain committed to helping us, Aeryn’s
family, and friends get the answers that we deserve, and making sure
Aeryn is not forgotten.
If you are considering purchasing the “GONE” DVD I ask that you do so from the official “GONE”
web site Purchasing directly from their site allows them
to continue to assist us in our search for
answers.
Thanks to all of you for your kindness
and encouragement.”
Also Visit Aeryn Gillern.com
Zac Efron is Flattered By His Gay Fans
By Shaun Knittel
Best Gay News Staff Writer
It’s not just millions of women around the world that love Zac Efron – and nobody knows that better
than Efron himself. Only, the 24-year-old actor who came to prominence in the Disney Channel’s High
School Musical, and stars in the upcoming southern thriller The Paperboy from director Lee Daniels, told the gay glossy The Advocate he doesn’t mind the attention at all.
“It’s very flattering,” he said, acknowledging his gay fan base in his first interview with an LGBT
publication.
“After High School Musical and Hairspray, I’ve always felt embraced by the gay community,” he continued. “And I feel incredibly grateful.”
“I think the gay audience related to my character Troy,” Efron said, referring to the character he played in the 2006 High School Musical film. “Because it really was a story of embracing who you are, no matter how different you might be, and not being afraid to show it. That’s a universal theme for everyone, but it specifically resonated with the gay community, and I felt very proud of that.”
Efron told The Advocate, “This is actually a very special interview for me. I’m extremely aware of the support I’ve gotten from you guys over the years and it’s amazing that it’s taken this long to sit down and actually discuss it, but please know that it hasn’t gone unappreciated. I’m so excited to be talking to you.”
In the interview, Efron recalls his time as a young musical theater kid and how being gay was never taboo in his social circles. “Being gay was just another way you can be. I never really had time to think about it or have any preconceived notions. I don’t judge anyone and I never have.”
“I might’ve been less aware of it back then,” he adds, “but without question I had gay role models.”
He says he would never take a role just for the sake of playing gay but is always looking for a role that’s challenging, different, and entails some risk, “so there’s no doubt in my mind that one of those characters will be gay at some point in the future.”
Efron, who identifies as straight, has had his sexual orientation questioned but maintains that he is not the least bit bothered by the rumors. “I don’t like to live in fear about things like rumors and backlash to begin with – that’s the way I was raised – but I just can’t see what’s so wrong about being gay.”
Efron even came out in support of same-sex marriage, telling The Advocate, “It’s an issue that affects so many people in my life – a lot of my close friends and some of the most influential people around me. I just want them all to be happy. It would make me so happy to see them able to live their lives and do what they want to do.”
Omar Sharif Jr in Max Makowski’s Paradise at Sundance
The grandson actor Omar Sharif “hesitantly confessed” in an article this past spring, that he is gay and half Jewish, and worried about being welcome in Egypt.
Back in the Spring, Omar Sharif Jr. wrote in The Advocate,
“I write this article in fear. Fear for my country, fear for my family,
and fear for myself. My parents will be shocked to read it, surely
preferring I stay in the shadows and keep silent, at least for the time
being. But I can’t.”
Sharif
expressed his disappointment at the recent parliamentary elections,
writing that the revolution gave him hope for a “more tolerant and equal
society,” but now he is not as hopeful.
“The
vision for a freer, more equal Egypt – a vision that many young
patriots gave their lives to see realized in Tahrir Square – has been
hijacked. The full spectrum of equal and human rights are now wedge
issues used by both the Supreme Council of the Egyptian Armed Forces and the Islamist parties, when they should be regarded as universal truths,” Sharif wrote.
“I write … for fear that Egypt’s Arab Spring may be moving us backward, not forward,” he wrote.
Sharif, an actor like his grandfather, left Egypt in January 2011, just
before the revolution. He now resides in the United States.
You may remember the Oscars of 2011? That tall young man in a tuxedo who delivered the Oscar to Douglas, then had a mock fight over his cane, was Omar Sharif Jr. and the next day, HAD EVERYONE ASKING, “Who was that handsome guy??”
Omar Jr. has been a busy guy this year! “I’ve been booking speaking engagements since that Advocate article, traveling all over to talk
and meet with rights groups. Receiving awards and accolades.” he told us today.
“I played my
first gay character (a lead role) in director Max Makowski’s Thriller Paradise,
which was filmed in the Philippines and is premiering at Sundance…
It’s been crazy!”
Paradise synopsis: A top fashion-photographer and music-video Director, his Production
team, and five super models head to a five-star beach hotel to shoot a
video diary and commercial spot to promote the resort’s grand opening.
With the entire place to themselves, the young group live it up like
kings and queens. But strange things begin to happen. And what should be
the trip of a lifetime becomes a frantic struggle to survive…
James Franco in gay Cruising Remake…Sort of
Staging graphic scenes inspired by the
notorious 1980 Al Pacino film is just the latest effort from a star
preoccupied with same-sex themes.
Detailed in a new piece from Indiewire, sees the star of the upcoming Oz: The Great and Powerful working with Travis Mathews,
an erotic art-film director. Franco approached Mathews to oversee a
project that would attempt to re-create 40 minutes of lost footage from Cruising — a 1980 William Friedkin film starring Al Pacino as an NYPD officer who goes deep undercover into the gay leather scene to catch a serial killer. (Friedkin tweeted today
that Franco had called him “about this 2 days ago,” adding, “I have no
idea what he has in mind, but he has no remake rights,” which is true.
The “lost footage” angle is an attempt at exploiting a legal loophole.)
The notorious movie, which featured real S&M participants as
extras and explicit depictions of public gay sex, is considered
shockingly graphic even by today’s standards. The result of this latest
collaboration — James Franco’s Cruising — was filmed over a
period of two days. The first cut features “real gay sex in it,” Travis
says, just as Franco, who plays himself in the film, had instructed.
James Franco’s Cruising may mark a significant leap ahead in
just how far its star is looking to push the envelope. Here then are
five efforts of a similar vein that led to its inception at Hollywood reporter.
Zac Efron in Underwear for The Paperboy
ok – I knew that would get your attention!
THE PAPERBOY is a new film starring Matthew McConaughey, Zac Efron, John Cusack and Nicole Kidman. Directed by Lee Daniels, (PRECIOUS) it is based on the 1995 novel The Paperboy by American author Pete Dexter. The film competed for the Palme d’Or at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival.
“The Paperboy” is the enthralling story of two brothers (Matthew
McConaughey and Zac Efron) investigating a case involving a death row
inmate (John Cusack). Convinced by a mysterious woman
(Nicole Kidman – who looks great in this!! )
that the inmate is innocent, the brothers embark on a journey that is
filled with betrayal. “The Paperboy” also costars David Oyelowo (Rise of
the Planet of the Apes, The Help), Macy Gray (For Colored Girls) and
Scott Glenn (Bourne Legacy).
IT LOOKS GREAT! WATCH NOW
Matt Damon and Michael Douglas on Liberace Set
Did you know, the Liberace went through life believing that everyone thought he was really straight?
Liberace thought he kept his gayness carefully concealed from his public.
True, there was no paparazzi in those days – to expose his gay pool parties and male companions…but come on….straight? really?!
Next year HBO airs the movie Behind the Candelabra, now filming with a cast-against-type Michael Douglas as the gilded showman and Matt Damon as his much-younger lover, Scott Thorson – who exposed his life with Lee in a tell-all book and also sued for $113 million in palimony.
“He thought his personal life was nobody’s business,” the real-life Thorson told PEOPLE in 1987, when Liberace, 67, died from AIDS.
Oscar winner Steven Soderbergh (Traffic, Ocean’s 11 and Magic Mike),
directs the HBO production, whose title comes from the elaborate décor
with which Liberace surrounded himself, including his trademark
candelabra on the piano. Also in the cast: Rob Lowe, Debbie Reynolds,
Dan Aykroyd, Scott Bakula and Cheyenne Jackson.
WHAT A CAST!!
And HE LOVED TO SHOP and Spend money! As described by PEOPLE in 1982:
“He has realized the dreams of a most common man. His Las Vegas act,
concert tours and records (60 million sold to date) have brought him an
average gross income of $5 million for each of the last 30 years, and he
has worked his bejeweled tails off to make it so. In his portfolio are
many mansions (three in Las Vegas alone), pianos (18 at latest count,
including Chopin’s and Gershwin’s), cars (20, two of them Rollses), gems
(he wears about $3 million worth onstage and has one $35,000 Tiffany
watch that plays his theme song, “I’ll Be Seeing You”), furs (including a
$150,000 black diamond mink coat lined with Austrian rhinestones),
antiques (don’t ask) and real estate.
FABULOUS!!
BrideGroom Will be a Movie by Linda Bloodworth Thomason
We blogged about this young man several months ago. Then Linda Bloodwoth Thomason heard his story and wanted to make a movie to share it with the world, as a wake up call. A Kickstarter campaign was started trying to raise $300,000. They raised $380,000! So the movie WILL BE MADE!!
BRIDEGROOM, will tell the emotional journey of Shane Bitney Crone and Tom Bridegroom, two young men in a loving and committed relationship – a relationship that was cut tragically short by a misstep off the side of a roof. The story of what happened after this accidental death– of how people without the legal protections of marriage can find themselves completely shut out and ostracized– is poignant, enraging and opens a window onto the issue of marriage equality like no speech or lecture ever will.
The YouTube video was shared widely on social media sites and posted by
prominent celebrities, including: Neil Patrick Harris, Sara Gilbert,
Fran Dresher, Denise Richards and Piers Morgan. The video also grabbed
the attention of Designing Women creator and Man from Hope
director, Linda Bloodworth Thomason, who contacted Shane to bring his
and Tom’s story to the large screen. Shane and Tom’s story resonated
strongly with Bloodworth Thomason. “The prejudice and bigotry that Shane
and Tom experienced was not unlike what I witnessed in 1986 when my
mother died of transfused AIDS,” she said. To date the video has more
than 3,000,000 views.
PLEASE SHARE THE VIDEO.
Kellan Lutz is a Big Hot Straight Bullied Man in “Love is All You Need?”
Imagine a world where gays were 90% and the straight were 10%?!
If a straight person could do that for a day, walk a mile in our shoes, maybe then the right wingers would get it!
The plot for Kim Rocco Shields’ new indie drama Love Is All You Need? has the story taking place in a world where
homosexuality is considered the norm and a plot that involves a man and a
woman engaging in a secret romance. Hiding in the closet!
Twilight star and major hottie Kellan Lutz has reportedly signed on for a role in the WingSpan Pictures drama.
The Hollywood Reporter posted the news, stating that Lutz has joined Love Is All You Need?,
along with Camilla Belle (who is in final negotiations).
Based on a
short by Shields with the feature script co-written by David Tillman,
the film, which follows several storylines set in a world where
homosexuality is considered the norm (from the short film’s website,
the tagline is “…Where ‘gay’ was ‘straight’ – and ‘straight’ was
‘gay’”), will have Lutz and Belle playing an aspiring journalist and a
popular star quarterback respectively.
They apparently form a secret,
romantic relationship which eventually goes public, resulting in them
being bullied.
The trailer, shows a young straight girl being bullied by a bunch of gays. The gays paint GOD HATES STRAIGHTS on someones garage; they write HETERO on the young girls forehead; and she wonders, why she was born that way, and not Gay, where everything would be normal!
It’s a wonderful concept! I can not wait!!
Greg Louganis Olympics 2012 Documentary
Award-winning filmmakers, director Cheryl Furjanic (Sync or Swim) and producer Will Sweeney (The Royal Tenenbaums), today announced they will film Olympic legend Greg Louganis in London during the 2012 Olympic Games to continue documenting his return to the sport of diving after a twenty-year absence.
This footage will become part of a feature-length independent documentary titled BACK ON BOARD GREG LOUGANIS about the diving champion’s inspiring personal story, due to be released in 2013.
The film reveals Louganis’ evolution from childhood diving prodigy to Olympic champion, and from pioneering openly gay athlete with HIV to a sometimes forgotten sports icon. BACK ON BOARD GREG LOUGANIS is an engrossing story about an American hero on the cusp of a comeback. His recent return to the sport (once synonymous with his name) as a mentor to USA Diving’s current Olympic team provides an exciting new chapter to his life-story.
“Greg’s story is so inspiring and his life is really extraordinary. As a gay filmmaker, I’ve always admired Greg and I saw this film as an opportunity to reintroduce a true pioneer to the American public. He has seen life’s high highs and low lows — we can all learn a lot from Greg’s story,” said director Cheryl Furjanic.
“His story is connected to so many important moments in American history including the Olympics, the AIDS epidemic, the gay rights movement, and even the recent housing crisis ” said producer Will Sweeney. “Greg’s return to diving after feeling unwelcome for so long gave us a natural way to tell his unique story and explore his enduring legacy.”
Louganis’ legacy will become even more powerful as this film travels throughout the world affecting the lives of the next generation. While most people remember the four-time Olympic champion for winning one of his gold medals after hitting his head on the board at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, few realize how many of today’s important social issues have affected him: LGBT rights; HIV/AIDS; bullying; dyslexia; adoption; depression; domestic violence; and the housing crisis, to name a few. The filmmakers are committed to using this film to do educational outreach in connection with the distribution of the film.
“What the public has seen is pretty powerful. But, what goes on behind the scenes, I think was even more incredible,” said Greg Louganis.
The filmmakers are utilizing the innovative crowd-funding website Kickstarter to help finance the production of BACK ON BOARD GREG LOUGANIS. Kickstarter connects the general public with filmmakers to provide maximum creative freedom by directly engaging with their audience during the production.
KICKSTARTER Campaign
For more information about BACK ON BOARD visit:
Web: LouganisDoc.com
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