I'm Intrigued and Impressed

Being a late-night blogger certainly has its disadvantages. Often, the things I want to talk about have been covered all day long by other bloggers and I'm left with little more than my own opinions about what others have already posted. Occasionally I'll post something before one of the more well-read guys, but those instances are few and far between. This is one of those cases where others have posted about something before I did. Still, I get to put my personal stamp on whatever it is I'm posting about, for whatever that's worth.

Tonight's post is about two things. First: something that intrigues me.

If you attended a screening of Iron Man 2 (I did not, but hope to, soon) this past weekend, then you saw this teaser for J.J. "Lost" Abrams' next feature, Super 8 (which may or may not be a prequel to Cloverfield, depending on which movie bloggers you choose to believe). Personally, your Uncle P doesn't care. I just know that it's produced by the 20th Century's most successful filmmaker and directed by one of the 21st Century's most interesting creative minds.

Here's the very interesting and enigmatic teaser (via):

Okay - Here are my questions: If whatever is inside that freight car can turn the wheel, why does it need to bash its way out, too? Why does the truck driver deliberately crash head-on into the train? Is he/she suicidal or merely attempting to stop it from transporting whatever is in side the freight car? Of course, making the audience ask questions is always the point of a teaser trailer, so I suppose this one is at least successful as far that goes.

Next; something which truly impresses me:

As someone who basically started his theatrical endeavors in Musical Theatre and a lover of most music (don't get me started on what kinds of music I don't like) and a recent convert to the Haus of Gaga, I am just blown away by this 13 year-old's live version of "Paparazzi." See for yourselves (via):

Damn! I may never sing again.

Tomorrow night we are shooting the JTMF promotional video for YouTube. I am very excited and can't wait to see the finished product. You can bet I'll be posting here and on the JTMF Facebook page.

More, anon.
Prospero

A Monday Night Quickie

Okay - so maybe it's already been done to death by a thousand gay bloggers, but I just had to weigh in on the whole George Rekers scandal.

Honestly, it just makes me sad. While I am always happy to see a hypocrite brought down, I still have to wonder about the emotional pain that goes along with such an event.

Rekers certainly caused emotional pain in the gay men he supposedly councils to become "straight." And I imagine his family must be experiencing some pain at the revelation that the man they thought they knew is not the man Rekers apparently is. And Rekers certainly has his own pain in dealing with his own repressed homosexuality.

If you live in a cave and haven't heard about this scandal, here's a report from Newsy.com:



I'm currently directing a production of Del Shore's hilarious play Sordid Lives for the annual JTMF AIDS fundraiser. In it, one scene involves a therapist who believes she can 'de-homosexualize' gay men through therapy. Of course, the American Psychiatric Association removed homosexuality from their list of recognized psychological disorders over 40 years ago. Still, folks like Mr. Rekers believe that therapy and prayer can turn gay people straight.

I'm happy (and sad for those who believe otherwise) to report that one CANNOT "Pray the Gay Away." Such so-called 'therapies' have proven again and again to do far more harm than good. And as evidenced by these recent events, lying to the world about yourself while publicly denouncing the very activities in which one engages, can only lead to more pain. As soon as the so-called "Religious Right" realizes that we (the LGBT community) are not only here to say, but aren't going to put up with their lies, the better. Of course, those who live by blind faith are doomed to live blindly. How many more George Rekers or Ted Haggards will it take before they realize the error of their ways? Sadly, I think they never will.

And here's Rachel Maddow's take on the whole thing:



I hope every person involved in the "ex-gay" movement takes a step back and re-analyzes their take on this subject. Unfortunately, I don't think they will.

More, anon.
Pospero

Mom

It's Mother's Day. I was going to post a picture of my mother, but she'd kill me and I wouldn't want to upset her on her day.

Seriously, my mother is pretty terrific. All she ever wanted to be was a mother. She married my father at 18 and had me just a few months before she turned 20. It would be another 6 years before my sister came along. When we were kids, Mom loved snow days, because she got to spend the whole day with us. And she was practically ecstatic when our school district went on strike one September. It meant almost another whole month we could stay home and play with her. We would play board games, color, do paint-by-numbers and crafts. In fact, one of my earliest memories is playing with Colorforms at our dining room table in the tiny house my parents rented in Trenton, before we moved to the tiny house I grew up in, in Levittown.

When I was in High School, I had an opportunity to travel to France with my French class. Mom took a part-time job as a Playground Monitor at a local elementary school, so she could afford to send me. She often went without so my sister and I could have the things we wanted, whether it was designer jeans; tickets to the latest show in town or my sister's wedding. She taught us the basics of housekeeping - how to cook a meal; how to sew on a button; how to remove a stain from the carpet and (best of all) how to find a bargain. I swear, that woman would make a deal with devil if it meant saving money.

After my father finally left (what she often says is "...the second best thing to happen to me, after you kids."), she went to work full-time as a switchboard operator in a local department store, quickly working her way up to HR Assistant. After that, she landed a job with with mob-owned garbage disposal company. Then she worked for a BMW dealer and finally spent 19 years as the Customer Service Manager for a Cadillac dealer before finally retiring this past fall. And she had herself a rather wild time time during her late 40's and early 50's, even dating a Russian hottie who was only a few years older than me at the time. And when I finally worked up the courage to come out to her, she simply said "I knew" and cried - not because I was gay, but because she thought I didn't trust her enough to tell her sooner.

Lately, she's had her share of health issues and has slowed down quite a bit, but she can still make the best mashed potatoes you've ever tasted (though she has yet to teach me how to make her legendary pie-crust). These days, she spends most of her time reading (I can't remember a time when she didn't have a book with her), watching Oprah and The View and generally enjoying herself (when she isn't complaining about how she can't do all the things she used to be able to do).

For Mother's Day this year, I treated her to breakfast yesterday and bought her the latest novel from one of her favorite authors, as well as a beautiful new cushion for her favorite reading chair; all of which she loved. She'd be mightily embarrassed if she knew I was extolling her virtues in such a public venue, but her innate distrust of the Internet ensures she'll never find out (unless one of my friends that know her rats me out).

I hope all of you, dear readers, have as wonderful Mom as I do. And if you don't, just remember.. it could be worse:

Or you could have a Wicked Stepmother...

...in which case, I'm very sorry.



What a bitch!

Happy Mother's Day to all you 'Mothers" out there. I just hope you're all as great as mine.

More, anon.
Prospero

Suckers

Please forgive your Uncle P if I'm covering a topic I've discussed before, but Vampires are really hot right now and I find myself inundated with promos for books, movies, TV shows and graphic novels that share this common theme.

To your right is a screen grab from the infamously gay (and very hot) video for Lady Gaga's "Teeth," directed by Sergio Cerrone. The original post has since been removed from TouTube, but I just watched it again here. And I've embedded another YouTube version below (though I can't guarantee how long it will be available for viewing). I imagine Gaga herself must have approved of this video. It's certainly in keeping with her style and philosophy.

I don't know exactly who is responsible for the recent rash of vampires in current media. I suspect that the insipid Stephanie Meyer Twilight series has something to do with it, though I have to mention Alan Ball's HBO series "True Blood" and the CW series "The Vampire Diaries" as contributors to the phenomenon. And recent vampire films such as Let the Right One In (and its soon-to-be released American remake Let Me In), Daybreakers and the upcoming Stakeland are also indicative of the trend. Hell - I've even written my own musical version Dracula, called "Children of the Night." I'm still looking for a composer for the show - my original composer bailed because she felt she wasn't up to the task, but the three or four melodies she did write were magnificent.*

Why are vampires so hot right now? I'm not sure. They've never really gone out of style, as far as I can tell. Vampires in modern times have come to be associated with sex, more than horror (and I'm not going to go into the whole psychological associations tonight - I've already done that, and probably will again). Bottom line: times are tough. People are losing their jobs, their homes and their investments. When times are tough, people turn to escapism. Modern vampires represent youth, sex and power - all the things that seem to be slipping away in these turbulent times. If we can hold onto those things forever - so much the better. And unlike their undead brethren, Zombies, Vampires don't seem to have the whole "rotting, stinking, green-blue flesh" thing going on.

Even traditional network TV has jumped on the bandwagon. ABC has a new show premiering next month called "The Gates," starring "Boston Legal" alum Rhona Mitra, about a community of Vampires, Werewolves, Witches and assorted supernatural beasties. Think of it as "Desperate Vampires." Here's a teaser preview:

ABC doesn't exactly have the best track record when it comes to genre shows - my guilty pleasure of last season, "Eastwick," is a prime example. And the teaser above certainly has a "cheese" factor that doesn't exactly bode well for more than a 12 episode summer run. Still - they may fool me. After all, "Dark Shadows" ran daily for 4 years on ABC Daytime in the late '60's (but don't get me started on the proposed Tim Burton/Johnny Depp movie version).

I suppose that as long as people fantasize about eternal youth, sex and power, vampires will remain a staple of popular culture. And honestly, I can't really imagine people not fantasizing about eternal youth, sex and power. It's only (in)human nature...

Finally, as promised, here's that gay vampire video for "Teeth:"

More, anon.
Prospero

*On a side note, if you know someone who might be interested in collaborating as a composer, please let me know.

The Flashiest Things You'll See This Week

By now, you know how much I love a well-organized and entertaining flashmob event. And no one seems to do them better than Australian drag queens. And Joyce Maynge seems to be the queen of drag queen flashmobs.

Joyce was the star of my favorite flashmob of all time, the Bondi Beach event promoting Sydney's Gay Mardi Gras. Well she's back, this time in a dance-off with Decoda Secret at the Sydney Harbor. It's like the drag version of the Jets and the Sharks, down under. Personally, I think Decoda is more successful in impersonating a woman, though Joyce has a certain charm. And Joyce's "posse" seems way gayer.

Oz has always seemed to me to be one of those places where getting one's freak on was perfectly acceptable. Though what can one expect from a country founded by criminals? And that's not meant to be disrespectful to Australians in the least. I've known my share of folks from the land of koalas, wallabies and platypuses, and they've all been just lovely people. And I, for one, have nothing at all against getting your freak on. As long as those helping you to do so are in full agreement in the matter. So, without further ado, please enjoy Ms. Maynge's latest public display of affection (via):

And the "Glee" flashmob phenomena continues with this entry at OSU's Ohio Union:

And finally, there's this dance flashmob for the NJ Arts Council's ART MATTERS campaign, recently organized by my friend Jonathan at the Jersey Gardens Mall in Elizabeth, NJ:

How fun are these? I can't wait until I get to participate in an event like these.

More, anon.
Prospero

The Gayest Thing You'll See This Week

Before I get to the Gayest Thing, I just want to take a moment to memorialize one of film and theatre's treasures. As you probably know by now, the great Lynn Redgrave passed away this morning after a 7 year long battle with breast cancer.

I was literally a child when Georgy Girl was released in 1966, and didn't come to appreciate it until just a few years ago. Georgy Girl was Ms Redgrave's first big starring role but many theatre, TV and film appearances would follow.

Whether it was a role in a ridiculous Steve Martin special; a TV remake (Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?) or a lame TV series (Fantasy Island) Redgrave was always a professional.

Of course, it was her turn as James Whale's housekeeper Hannah in 1998's Gods and Monsters that made me realize what a treasure she truly was.

And so, on to gayer (and less sad) things...

On Al Gore's cable network Current, there's a feature called "That's Gay," where they poke fun at homophobia and politics. Here's their latest installment (via):

Things that make you say "Hmm," no?

I probably won't be posting here tomorrow, but make sure you check out the JTMF Blog for photos from our read-through and first rehearsal. If tonight's first real rehearsal is any indicator, I have a hell of a show on my hands with one of the most amazing casts I have been privileged to direct.

More, anon.
Prospero

Games People Play

My dear Stephen Rader and I seem to be on the same wavelength these days. Not that that's a bad thing - though I imagine if we weren't separated by a 1000 miles, there would be earthquakes, floods and mass destruction the likes of which have never been seen before. Of course, Stephen and I are often on the same wavelength - we love so many of the same things: Superheroes; Hot Men; Sex; Theatre; Movies; Game Shows... Yes, I said it. And I'm not ashamed. I love game shows. And you know you do, too.

Game shows have been around almost as long as television. They can be educational ("Jeopardy;" "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?"); entertaining ("Truth or Consequences;" "Beat the Clock"*) or just downright ridiculous ("You're in the Picture") Hell, even the great Groucho Marx had a game show - "You Bet Your Life" ran from 1950 to 1961 and featured a "Secret Word" that would net contestants $100 if they uttered it during the course of being interviewed by Groucho.

As a child of the '60's and '70s (yes, I'm old, OK? Get over it, already) the game shows I grew up with were just a tad more more risque that. And probably the most risque of all them was "The Match Game," starring Gene Rayburn, Brett Sommers, Richard Dawson and Charles Nelson Reilly. It was the first time I can remember hearing such scandalous words as "tinkle," "willy" and "boobs" on network TV. It would be many years before we all found out that the panelists (which often included America's beloved foul-mouthed grandma, Betty White) were drunk half the time. Recently, I came across this "Match Game" clip which I had to share with Stephen, given our mutual love of Batman and all things queer:

Personally, I think "Devine" is the funniest answer, even if "Queer" is the definitive one. Of course, what does one expect from the second gayest game show panelist in TV history (though I'm still not sure why "Lovers" and "Married" were not a match, while "Fairies" was - ah, the 70's)? And speaking of the second gayest panelist in game show history, I tried my best to find a 'Best of Paul Lynde' clip from "Hollywood Squares," but no one seems to have made one...

Anyway... Game shows are still with us. Drew Carey has taken over for Bob Barker on "The Price Is Right" and Food Network goofball Guy Fieri hosts the newest incarnation of "Beat the Clock;" NBC's "Minute to Win It,*" in which contestants have 60 seconds to complete an outrageous stunt. If they complete all 10 of the increasingly difficult stunts, they win a million dollars. Fieri, with his 80's hairstyle and over-the-top attitude is an affable host, at best. Though on the one or three episodes of the show I've seen, no one has even come close to winning.

Of course, the whole game show mentality eludes me. Uncle P actually auditioned for "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" While I passed the initial test (which included questions like "Where Does Winnie the Pooh Live?" - The Hundred Acre Wood - and "Who was the first First Lady to be born in a hospital?"- Rosiland Carter), I was ultimately rejected - I suspect because I wasn't a lunatic who got a massive boner over the prospect of meeting Meredith Viera. In other words, I was smart enough, just not dorky enough. Sigh.

Of course, my personal favorite game show moments are the ones in which anxious contestants give the most ridiculous answers possible:

Oh, dear. Is it any wonder I haven't won thousands of dollars?

On a side note - full rehearsals for the JTMF production of Sordid Lives start tomorrow, so my posts may be shorter than usual, if they're there at all. I promise I'll keep you up-to-date (as if ya'll really care).

More nonsense, anon.
Prospero