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Just a few of the hundreds of Features by Steve Pride (as heard on THIS WAY OUT) GO
ASK ALICE - distributed 04/12/10 - - At the signing
ceremony for the Social Security Act of 1935, President Franklin D.
Roosevelt said, "We can never insure one hundred percent of the
population against one hundred percent of the hazards and vicissitudes
of life, but we have tried to frame a law which will give some measure
of protection to the average citizen and... family... against poverty-ridden
old age." As This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE reports, some excluded
"average citizens" are demanding their own equal measure
of that protection: 74-year-old ALICE HERMAN tells her story, and
U.S. REPRESENTATIVE LINDA SANCHEZ – a member of the House Subcommittee
on Social Security – promises legislative redress at an April
11th "Rock For Equality" rally in Hollywood, California
(includes music by THE O'NEILL BROTHERS and BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN). PRODIGAL
SONS - distributed 04/05/10 - - A former high
school quarterback, now a transgendered lesbian filmmaker, returns
home to a small town in MONTANA for her class reunion, also hoping
to reconcile with her long estranged adopted brother. But along the
way "PRODIGAL SONS" uncovers stunning revelations, including
a blood relationship with Hollywood royalty, violence, mental illness,
intense sibling rivalries, and unforeseeable twists of plot and gender.
"This Way Out's" STEVE PRIDE says producer/director KIMBERLY
REED dives headfirst into an unflinching portrait of her family that
is absolutely engrossing and marks her coming-out, in more ways than
one. He has clips from the film festival favorite that's now in U.S.
theatrical release, and talks with Reed about her work, her family,
and the quest for identity. [www.prodigalsonsfilm.com]. A
SINGLE MAN - distributed 03/22/10 - - Will George
Falconer's grief drive him to suicide? A day in George's life as depicted
by filmmaker TOM FORD in his adaptation of "A SINGLE MAN"
will answer that question. It also has a lot to say about the life
of Christopher Isherwood, who wrote the original story. The movie
has recently been released on DVD, and continues playing in select
theaters. Bringing clips from the film, our entertainment correspondent
STEVE PRIDE delved into its many layers with Ford, and with Oscar-nominated
lead actor COLIN FIRTH. OUT
WEST - distributed 02/01/10 - - A lonesome cowboy
caresses a pair of shirts near the end of the film "Brokeback
Mountain." Where are those shirts now? They're hanging in the
Gene Autry Museum of Western Heritage in Los Angeles. How they got
there is just part of this compelling campfire tale spun by This Way
Out's STEVE PRIDE (with comments by writer/filmmaker and historian
GREGORY HINTON; DIANA OSSANA, co-screenwriter/co-producer of "Brokeback
Mountain"; a reading from the original Annie Proulx short story
by actor CAMPBELL SCOTT; the late HEATH LEDGER; and music from "A
Cowboy Needs A Horse" from the venerable "Mickey Mouse Club"
TV show, and from "He Was A Friend of Mine" performed by
WILLIE NELSON from the "Brokeback Mountain" soundtrack)
[12:04]. [www.theautry.org]. HETRICK-MARTIN
- distributed 07/06/09 - - Since it was founded
in 1979, the HETRICK-MARTIN INSTITUTE, home of The HARVEY MILK HIGH
SCHOOL in NEW YORK CITY, has provided support and services to lesbian,
gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning youth from the ages of
12 to 21, and their families. This Way Out’s STEVE PRIDE sat
down with the Institute's EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR THOMAS KREVER to learn
about Hetrick-Martin [hmi.org], Harvey Milk High School, and the challenges
the nonprofit faces in these tough economic times [givethemhopenow.org]. THE
ART OF BEING STRAIGHT - distributed 06/29/09 -
- "THE ART OF BEING STRAIGHT" explores the too often strict
boundaries of being gay or straight from the perspective of today's
younger generatio n. "This Way Out's" STEVE PRIDE sat down
with writer/director/producer/star JESSE ROSEN to chat about his micro-budget
comedy and Rosen’s own shifting place on the Kinsien scale." ASK
NOT - distributed 06/08/09 - - Sexual orientation
will not be a bar to service unless manifested by homosexual conduct.
The military will discharge members who engage in homosexual conduct,
which is defined as a homosexual act, a statement that the member
is homosexual or bisexual, or a marriage or attempted marriage to
someone of the same gender." It's hard to believe that 16 years
have passed since Bill Clinton capitulated to right-wing attacks on
his proposal to allow gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military,
or that little has changed since. Screening in the U.S. on the PBS-TV
Series "Independent Lens" on June 16th, the documentary
"ASK NOT" from San Francisco filmmaker JOHNNY SYMONS provides
a vivid behind-the-scenes portrait of the movement to repeal "Don't
Ask, Don't Tell." JOSH
KILMER-PURCELL - distributed 05/11/09 - - English
poet William Blake once said that "The road of excess leads to
the palace of wisdom." And there is no better poster boy for
that adage than "Out" magazine columnist JOSH KILMER-PURCELL,
whose real life adventures were documented in "I AM NOT MYSELF
THESE DAYS: A MEMOIR". Although his truth was stranger than fiction,
he's turned to fiction with his novel "CANDY EVERYBODY WANTS".
Kilmer-Purcell chats with "This Way Out's" STEVE PRIDE about
his journey from being a drunken drag diva with a crack-addicted prostitute
boyfriend to a gentleman goat farmer living with Martha Stewart Vice
President of Healthy Living Dr. Brent Ridge. ANN
BANNON (PART 2) - distributed 04/27/09 - - Last
time on "This Way Out" we heard how conventional 1950s American
housewife Ann Weldy overcame her husband's concerns when she achieved
success as a lesbian paperback romance novelist. She became famous
as ANN BANNON... and ultimately came out herself. Starting with "ODD
GIRL OUT," Bannon wrote six lesbian-themed novels from 1957 to
1962 that became known as "THE BEEBO BRINKER CHRONICLES."
Our correspondent STEVE PRIDE's conversation with the iconic author
concludes this week as Bannon describes Beebo's birth, recalls life
in New York's Greenwich Village during that era, and responds to being
dubbed "the Queen of Lesbian Pulp Fiction" . ANN
BANNON (PART 1) - distributed 04/20/09 - - ANN
BANNON is the pen name of Ann Weldy, an American author who wrote
six lesbian pulp fiction novels from 1957 to 1962 known as THE BEEBO
BRINKER CHRONICLES. The books' enduring popularity and impact on lesbian
identity has earned her the title "Queen of Lesbian Pulp Fiction".
She chats with our STEVE PRIDE about being a "June Cleaver"
housewife with a secret life as a lesbian icon – long before
she came out herself (the first of a special 2-part feature interview.). ELEVEN
MINUTES - distributed 03/09/09 - - An ongoing
legal battle between Lifetime, Bravo and the Weinstein Company has
delayed the premiere of the sixth season of U.S. reality TV's "PROJECT
RUNWAY", so if you're a devotee of gay reality cat fights you
may be in serious withdrawal. But according to "This Way Out"
entertainment reporter STEVE PRIDE, the new documentary feature "ELEVEN
MINUTES," chronicling the hectic post-victory life of the show’s
first winner, JAY McCARROLL, might be just the interim fix you need.
Steve chats briefly with the film's producer/director MICHAEL SELDITCH
("Fixing Frank," "Project Jay," "Open Bar,"
"Queer Eye for the Straight Guy") – and at length
with the larger-than-life McCarroll himself, about fashion, sexuality,
and supermodels named Heidi . AVENUE
Q - distributed 04/13/09 - - An odd thing happened
when a young entertainment lawyer named JEFF MARX trolled for clients
by enrolling in a New York City songwriting workshop. His homework
changed the trajectory of his life and resulted in a Broadway phenomenon
called "AVENUE Q". The little puppet musical that began
as a class assignment has since spawned 2005 Las Vegas and 2006 West
End productions, along with other touring companies around the world.
On July 31st "Avenue Q" enters its seventh year on the Great
White Way. Marx won a Tony award and a Grammy nomination for his efforts,
and a new profession on his business card. He talks about his unexpected
journey with "This Way Out" correspondent STEVE PRIDE (with
music from the show). WERE
THE WORLD MINE - distributed 11/00/08 - - WERE THE WORLD
MINE, which director Tom Gustafson expanded from his short film Fairies,
takes the familiar scenarios of high school angst and adolescent crushes
and gives them a musical spin, complete with elaborate sets and choreography.
Borrowing from A Midsummer's Night Dream in ways Shakespeare could
have never imagined, the movie centers on Timothy (Tanner Cohen),
a gay student at a private school who harbors a secret crush on the
schools rugby star.. Steve Pride chatted up the film's hottie star
Tanner Cohen, director Tom Gustafson and his co-writer Cory Krueckeberg. MILK
- distributed 12/08/08 - - In 1977, HARVEY MILK was elected
to the SAN FRANCISCO Board of Supervisors, becoming the first openly
gay man to be elected to major public office in America. His victory
was not just a victory for LGBT rights; he forged coalitions across
the political spectrum. From senior citizens to union workers, Harvey
Milk changed the very nature of what it means to be a fighter for
human rights and became, before his untimely death in 1978, a hero
for everyone around the world. In the new film “MILK,”
Academy Award winner Sean Penn stars in the title role under the direction
of Academy Award nominee Gus Van Sant, filmed on location in San Francisco
from an original screenplay by Dustin Lance Black. STEVE PRIDE has
audio clips from the film, and comments by GUS VAN SANT, DUSTIN LANCE
BLACK, and actors EMILE HIRSCH, DIEGO LUNA, and JAMES FRANCO about
bringing Harvey’s story to the big screen. I
CAN’T THINK STRAIGHT about THE WORLD UNSEEN - IMRU
on 11/10/08 - - Shamim Sarif is the author of the acclaimed lesbian
novels: “Despite the Falling Snow” and “The World Unseen” as well
as the producer, writer and director of two new lesbian films: THE
WORLD UNSEEN which tackles apartheid in 1950's south africa and the
contemporary romantic comedy I CAN’T THINK STRAIGHT. She gave Steve
Pride the 411.
NOAH'S ARC: Jumping the Broom - distributed 10/27/08
- - Nearly two years after it filmed its last episode, "NOAH’S ARC,"
the landmark LOGO Network TV series, is hitting the big screen as
a feature length film. "NOAH’S ARC: JUMPING THE BROOM" brings the
ensemble cast back together for Noah’s Martha’s Vineyard wedding.
STEVE PRIDE boarded the Arc to chat with Noah himself, DARRYL STEPHENS,
about the series and the film (with a preview clip, and brief music
from the movie). A
JIHAD FOR LOVE - distributed 08/18/08 - - Homosexuality
isn't a choice, of course – but often, many forget, neither
is religion. Fourteen centuries after the revelation of the holy Qur'an
to the Prophet Muhammad, Islam today is the world's second largest
and fastest growing religion. Gay Muslim director and co-producer
PARVEZ SHARMA traveled the many worlds of this dynamic faith discovering
the stories of its most unlikely storytellers: lesbian and gay Muslims.
Filmed over 6 years, in 12 countries and 9 languages, "A JIHAD
FOR LOVE" comes from the heart of Islam. Looking beyond a hostile
and war-torn present, his film seeks to reclaim the Islamic concept
of a greater Jihad, which can mean "an inner struggle" or
"to strive in the path of God". In doing so, as This Way
Out's STEVE PRIDE discovers in conversation with Sharma, the film
hopes to move us beyond th e narrow concept of "Jihad" as
holy war by taking a close look at gays and lesbians living in often
sexually repressive Islamic societies.. JAMES
LECESNE: Absolute Brightness
- distributed 07/07/08 - - JAMES LECESNE is an
author, actor, and activist, whose film "TREVOR" won the
1994 Academy Award for Best Short Film. He co-founded the TREVOR HELPLINE,
a 24-hour suicide-prevention hotline for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender,
and questioning teens. His new novel, “ABSOLUTE BRIGHTNESS:
THE MYSTERY OF LEONARD PELKEY”, is the story of a boy who encounters
evil and whose magic isn't truly felt until he disappears. This Way
Out's STEVE PRIDE caught up with Lecesne at the recent Book Expo America
in Los Angeles [www.TheTrevorProject.org, 1-800-4-U-TREVOR] SORDID
LIVES: the Series - distributed 08/04/08 - -
In "SORDID LIVES: THE SERIES," the colorful folk in
a certain Texas town are back in action after having won an avid following
with the 1996 play and 2000 movie of the same name. For the 12-episode
half hour comedy playing on the U.S. LOGO cable network, creator-writer-director
DEL SHORES has reunited stars from his film, including Bonnie Bedelia,
Olivia Newton-John, Ann Walker, Beth Grant and Leslie Jordan, who
are joined by new recruits Rue McClanahan and Caroline Rhea. His larger
than life but not far from the truth small-town saga is imbued with
the Spirit, cigarette smoke and self-administered Valium; pecan pie,
whiskey shots at the local bar, sex, and an undying love of country
music superstar Tammy Wynette. "This Way Out" entertainment
correspondent STEVE PRIDE sets a spell with Shores and his producer/star/husband
JASON DOTTLEY to get caught up on all the goings on (with copious
audio clips from the show, and "None of My Business," music
from the series, performed by OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN). CHRIS
& DON: A Love Story - distributed 07/14/08
- - Have you ever wondered what happed to Sally Bowles' gay
boyfriend after he left Berlin at the end of "Cabaret"?
"CHRIS & DON: A LOVE STORY" is the true-life story of
the passionate three-decade relationship between British writer Christopher
Isherwood (whose autobiographical "Berlin Stories" was the
basis for the musical "Cabaret") and American portrait painter
DON BACHARDY, thirty years his junior. From Isherwood's Kit-Kat-Club
years in Weimar-era Germany to the couple's first meeting on the beaches
of 1950s Malibu, their against-all-odds saga is brought to dazzling
life in this critically acclaimed documentary. Award winning "This
Way Out" film guy STEVE PRIDE spoke with Bachardy, and filmmakers
TINA MASCARA and GUIDO SANTI . JAMES
LECESNE: Absolute Brightness
- distributed 07/07/08 - - JAMES LECESNE is an
author, actor, and activist, whose film "TREVOR" won the
1994 Academy Award for Best Short Film. He co-founded the TREVOR HELPLINE,
a 24-hour suicide-prevention hotline for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender,
and questioning teens. His new novel, “ABSOLUTE BRIGHTNESS:
THE MYSTERY OF LEONARD PELKEY”, is the story of a boy who encounters
evil and whose magic isn't truly felt until he disappears. This Way
Out's STEVE PRIDE caught up with Lecesne at the recent Book Expo America
in Los Angeles [www.TheTrevorProject.org, 1-800-4-U-TREVOR] BOB
SMITH : Selfish and Perverse - distributed 06/30/08
- - BOB SMITH has the distinction of being the first openly
gay comedian to appear on NBC's "The Tonight Show" and also
star in his own HBO Comedy Half-Hour stand-up special. Other TV appearances
include "Politically Incorrect" and Comedy Central's "Out
There". He's written for the MTV Video Awards, Dennis Miller,
Roseanne, was a staff writer for Fox's "MAD-TV", and is
a regular contributor to "Out" magazine. After two award-winning
nonfiction books (“Openly Bob” and “Way To Go, Smith!”)
he's published his first comic novel, set in Los Angeles and ALASKA,
that – according to "This Way Out" entertainment guru
STEVE PRIDE, who says he should know – is “SELFISH AND
PERVERSE” (Smith reads and excerpt and also discusses his trailblazing
career). EDMUND
WHITE: Hotel de Dream - distributed 05/12/08 -
- Every time someone releases a list of the "best gay
novels" or "the most influential queer authors of the last
century," there is invariably one name at or near the top: EDMUND
WHITE. His nonfiction includes "The Joy Of Gay Sex", "States
Of Desire: Travels In Gay America", and biographies of Jean Genet
and Marcel Proust. Among White's 19 novels, the best known are the
semi-autobiographical trilogy that included 1982's "A Boy's Own
Story", 1988's "The Beautiful Room Is Empty", and 1997's
"The Farewell Symphony". His latest book, "HOTEL DE
DREAM: A NEW YORK NOVEL", which draws on both genres, imagines
the final days of writer Stephen Crane ("The Red Badge of Courage")
and his great gay novel that never was. This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE
sits down with White to chat about Crane, gay life, and the "Hotel
de Dream". . Kiss
The Bride - distributed 04/21/08 - - The
latest feature from award-winning filmmaker C. Jay Cox ("Sweet
Home
SHELTER
- distributed 03/24/08 - - The first project showcased
under the U.S. here! cable network's indie film initiative, "SHELTER,"
centers on Zach (TREVOR WRIGHT), a young man in San Pedro, California
who gives up on his dream of art school in order to provide for his
family. But when his best friend's brother Shaun (BRAD ROWE) returns
to town, their casual surfing relationship turns into much more, setting
off a chain of events forcing Zach to choose between continuing to
put others first or fighting for what he wants for himself. After
winning awards at LGBT film festivals across North America, the "gay
surfer" movie has finally caught a slow wave into U.S. theatrical
release and will soon be available on DVD. With preview clips, "This
Way Out’s" STEVE PRIDE talks with the film’s neophyte
writer/director JONAH MARKOWITZ about hanging tough and hanging ten
(with intro/outro music from the soundtrack, "Lie to Me,"
performed by SHANE MACK). MEMOIRS
OF A BEAUTIFUL BOY - distributed 03/17/08 - -
ROBERT LELEUX was an east Texas sissy boy when his father left,
and his Mother began a desperate regimen of makeovers, plastic surgeries,
and hairpieces — all calculated to secure a wealthy new husband.
This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE poured a big glass of iced tea and sat
on the porch swing with Leleux – and his Mamma – to talk
about his hilarious new book from St. Martins Press, "THE MEMOIRS
OF A BEAUTIFUL BOY" (with Leleux reading excerpts, and intro/outro
music from "It Would Be So Great If You'd Just Die," music
and lyrics by Leleux's mother JESSICA WILSON, performed by NADIA ACKERMAN). TRANSAMERICAN
LOVE STORY - distributed 02/04/08 - - On
February 11th the U.S. queer LOGO cable channel debuts "TRANSAMERICAN
LOVE STORY". This groundbreaking elimination dating show features
transgender bachelorette CALPERNIA ADDAMS being wooed by eight dashing
men. With the help of her trans best friend ANDREA JAMES and a parade
of challenges and matchmaking dates, Calpernia whittles down her group
of eligibles in hopes of finding her Prince Charming. And unlike a
widely condemned "reality TV" predecessor, the suitors on
this show know that she’s a male-to-female transsexual. This
Way Out's STEVE PRIDE sits down with Calpernia and Andrea to get the
411 on the show, the perks of reality TV, and dating in Los Angeles
[www.logoonline.com; www.calpernia.com; www.andreajames.com; www.deepstealth.com].). PRIDE
ON SCREEN 2007 - distributed 12/31/07 - - Another
tumultuous year in the global struggle for LGBT equality was also
reflected in the movies and on television during the past 12 months.
Our award-winning entertainment reporter STEVE PRIDE has consummate
clips, and comments by their creators, as he recalls some of the queer
moving images that moved him most during the past year in "PRIDE
ON SCREEN 2007." Part 1 covers television, and includes clips
from "Desperate Housewives," "Ugly Betty," "Dirty
Sexy Money," "Greek," "As The World Turns,"
and "Torchwood," with comments by "Torchwood"
creator Russell T. Davies; the much longer Part 2 covers Steve's Top
10 films of 2007: "East Side Story," with a clip and comments
by writer/director Carlos Portugal; a clip from the documentary "Camp
Out"; a clip from "Amnesia – The James Brighton Enigma,"
and comments by director Denis Langlois; "Fat Girls," with
a clip and comments by writer/director/producer/actor Ash Christian;
"Puccini for Beginners," with a clip and comments by writer/director
Maria Maggenti; "Colma: The Musical," with an excerpt from
one of its songs, "Maybe This Time" and comments by writer/star
H.P. Mendoza and director Richard Wong; "The Bubble," with
an excerpt from the film's "The Man I Love" and comments
by writer/director Eytan Fox; "Boy Culture," with a clip
and comments by writer/director Q. Allan Brocka; director Daniel Karslake's
"For the Bible Tells Me So," with a clip and comments by
co-writer/co-producer Helen Mendoza; and 1986's reissued "Parting
Glances," with clips and comments by the landmark film's opefnly
gay star Richard Ganoung. FAT
GIRLS - distributed 11/12/07 - - Born and
raised in the small town of Paris, Texas, ASH CHRISTIAN began his
journey as an entertainer in local community theater. At the age of
seventeen the gay actor left high school and moved, alone, to Los
Angeles, where he quickly began turning up on shows such as ABC's
"Ugly Betty", FOX's "Standoff", HBO’s “Six
Feet Under”, CBS’s “Cold Case”, WB’s
“Jack and Bobby”, Lifetime’s “The Division”
and FOX’s “Boston Public”. In 2005, at age twenty,
Ash directed, produced and starred in the indie feature film “FAT
GIRLS” alongside Jonathan Caouette (“Tarnation”)
and Robyn DeJesus (“Camp”). A hit at the 2006 Tribeca
Film Festival and at a number of LGBT film festivals last year, “Fat
Girls” is just now being released in theaters by Regent Entertainment.
This Way Out’s STEVE PRIDE sat down with the “wunder-gay“
to talk about his amazing journey and his inner “fat girl”
[www.ashchristian.com, www.fatgirls-themovie.com]. JUDGE
DAVID YOUNG - distributed 10/22/07 - - He's
fun, he's fair, and he's fabulous! JUDGE DAVID YOUNG has made history
in the new U.S. TV season by becoming the first out gay man to have
his own daytime show. Our own STEVE PRIDE put Judge Young on the stand
to learn more about the man under the robes [www.judgedavidyoung.com]. GAY
TRAVELS IN THE MUSLIM WORLD - distributed 10/15/07
- - Being queer in Salt Lake City is different than being
queer in San Francisco, just like there's a difference between LGBT
life in Tehran and Beirut. Travel writer MICHAEL LUONGO's "GAY
TRAVELS IN THE MUSLIM WORLD" explores the complexity and diversity
of that part of the planet, and he recently shared some of his findings
with This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE. COMMITED:
A RABBLE ROUSER'S MEMOIR - distributed 10/08/07
- - Growing up poor and gay gave DAN MATHEWS a wicked sense
of humor, a soft spot for the underdog, and a nose for controversy
- perfect preparation for his role as Vice President and campaign
chief with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA. This
year "OUT" magazine included him on its 2007 list of the
"50 Most Powerful Gay Men and Women in America". So, aside
from being the author of a new book called "COMMITTED: A RABBLE
ROUSER'S MEMOIR," who is this guy? For an enlightening bull session
with Mathews -- make that a bean session -- we're delighted to welcome
back This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE after an extended medical leave [www.peta.org].
MY STROKE 02/24/07 - Took time off to learn to walk and talk again. PUCCINI
FOR BEGINNERS - distributed 02/12/07 - - Twelve
years after the groundbreaking lesbian teen romance "The Incredibly
True Adventure of Two Girls in Love," writer/director MARIA MAGGENTI
tries her hand at a bisexual romantic triangle in "PUCCINI FOR
BEGINNERS" [Strand Releasing]. This "incredibly true adventure
of two girls (and a guy) in love," a hit at Sundance and LGBT
film festivals around the world in 2006, is finally opening at multiplexes
in selected North American cities this month. This Way Out's STEVE
PRIDE has a preview, and asks Maggenti what took her so long. PRIDEONSCREEN
2006 - distributed 01/01/07 - - Another
tumultuous year in the global struggle for LGBT equality was also
KEY
WEST: Part 2 - distributed 12/18/06 - - This
Way Out entertainment reporter STEVE PRIDE recently visited "The
Conch Republic" (a.k.a. KEY WEST, FLORIDA) and learned that he
can't take a voice recorder on vacation without using it. Steve shares
his Key West adventure through the words of the people he met there,
including (in the conclusion of his 2-part story) STEVE SMITH, the
Florida Keys Mosquito Control Commissioner who also handles the LGBT
market for the Monroe County Tourist Development Council; JAMES THOMPSON,
founder of the "One Human Family" campaign; KATHA SHEEHAN,
owner of The Chicken Store and leader of the Rooster Rescue Team,
a volunteer group devoted to saving the "street chickens"
of Key West; "BRAD," a "healing" nude dancer;
RICHARD DENNISON, a retired wig stylist and former Queen Mother of
Key West; and a few more words from CAROL SHAUGHNESSY, a writer who
moonlights in tourism public relations and is an expert on the history
of the Florida Keys; and NEIL CHAMBERLAIN, owner of PistolAndEnema.com,
a popular Key West travel and gossip Web site . KEY
WEST: Part 1- distributed 12/11/06 - - This
Way Out entertainment reporter STEVE PRIDE recently visited "The
Conch Republic" (a.k.a. KEY WEST, FLORIDA) and learned that he
can't take a voice recorder on vacation without using it. Steve shares
his Key West adventure through the words of the people he met there,
including (in the first of his 2-part story) CAROL SHAUGHNESSY, an
expert on the history of the Florida Keys; TOM OOSTERHOUDT, editor
of "Key West - The Newspaper," owner of the Pelican Poop
Shoppe, a former Key West City Councilman, founder of the Key West
Symphony, and owner of Casa Antigua, where Hemingway wrote "A
Farewell to Arms"; NEIL CHAMBERLAIN, owner of PistolAndEnema.com,
a popular Key West travel/gossip Web site; HEATHER CARRUTHERS, co-owner
of Pearl's Rainbow, the only lesbian guest house in Key West; GARY
WALKER, manager of The Equator Guest House; "PHILIPPE,"
manager of Alexander's Guest House; JERRY TINLIN, Manager of Oasis
Guest House; and lesbian realtor MARTHA ROBINSON (with music from
"Margaritaville" performed by the CARNIVAL STEEL DRUM BAND
and JIMMY BUFFET) . 3
NEEDLES - distributed 12/04/06 - - December
1st marked yet another World AIDS Day in the 25th year since the disease
was first identified. "3 NEEDLES," the latest film from
"out" Canadian gay writer/director THOM FITZGERALD, dramatizes
three different facets of the global AIDS crisis: in Montreal, a porn
actor schemes to pass his mandatory HIV blood test; a young nun makes
a personal sacrifice for the benefit of a South African village; and
a black market operative in rural China posing as a government-sanctioned
bloodmobile driver jeopardizes an entire village's safety. This Way
Out's STEVE PRIDE sat down with Fitzgerald (whose previous credits
include "The Event," "Beefcake," and "The
Hanging Garden") to talk about his remarkable motion picture
(from Wolfe Releasing) and the continuing challenges of this worldwide
pandemic (with preview clips and music from the film, and outro music
from "The Motion" written and performed by RICK KURCK) . THE
HISTORY BOYS - distributed 11/20/06 - - "THE
HISTORY BOYS" tells the story of an unruly class of bright, funny
history students in pursuit of an undergraduate place at Oxford or
Cambridge. Their journey becomes as much about how education works
as it is about where education leads. The big screen adaptation of
the five-time Tony award-winning play of the same name features the
same talent that originally brought the production to the Broadway
stage. With preview clips and music from the film, This Way Out's
STEVE PRIDE talks with "out" gay director NICHOLAS HYTNER,
actors SAMUEL BARNETT (who plays the gay student Posner), DOMINIC
COOPER (Dakin, the object of Posner's affections), and legendary British
actor RICHARD GRIFFITHS (Hector, the semi-closeted gay teacher) about
their collective place in history [www.foxsearchlight.com].
SHORTBUS
- distributed 10/16/06 - - A troubled gay male
couple, a bored bisexual dominatrix, a sexually frustrated sex therapist
-- they're just some of the characters who populate the controversial
new movie "SHORTBUS." Their various journeys intersect at
an exclusive New York private club, where they navigate the complicated
back roads of love and lust. This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE hitched a
ride on the "Shortbus" with writer/director JOHN CAMERON
MITCHELL to talk about cinematic sex and "all the colors in the
paint box" [www.shortbusthemovie.com]. JOHN
MORGAN WILSON - distributed 10/09/06 - - JOHN
MORGAN WILSON is the Edgar- and Lambda Literary Award-winning author
of the "BENJAMIN JUSTICE" mystery series, published by Doubleday/Bantam.
It follows the adventures of the title character, a brilliant but
disgraced newspaper reporter, haunted by his past, who now puts his
lost investigative skills to work solving L.A.’s most complex
and puzzling murders. Books in the series include "Simple Justice"
(1996), "Revision of Justice" (1997), "Justice at Risk"
(1999 Lambda Award Winner) and "The Limits of Justice" (2000
Lambda Award Winner), "Blind Eye" (2003 Lambda Award Winner),
"Moth and Flame" (2004), and "Rhapsody In Blood"
(2006). This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE donned his trench coat and best
"noir" voice to track down the gay man of mysteries, and
interrogate him about truth, Justice, and the WeHo way [www.johnmorganwilson.com]. RED
DOORS - distributed 09/25/06 - - In the
new film "RED DOORS," a Chinese-American retiree's sudden
disappearance spawns life-changing events in each of his three daughters.
This painfully real comedy, finally opening theatrically in the U.S.,
has captivated audiences, critics, and festival jurors en route to
winning awards at Tribeca, Cinevegas, and Outfest. Absurdly funny
and absolutely moving, says This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE, the film provides
a rare view of the modern Asian American family, and includes at its
center a lesbian daughter. He has preview clips featuring star MIA
RIVERTON, and comments from writer/director GEORGIA LEE about making
her first feature film [www.reddoorsmovie.com].
BROTHERS
OF THE HEAD - distributed 08/21/06 - - With
"BROTHERS OF THE HEAD," KEITH FULTON and LOUIS PEPE (the
acclaimed directors of "Lost in La Mancha") present their
much anticipated debut feature as writers/directors. A faux documentary
about a band that never was, "Brothers of the Head" is the
feverish, mind-bending odyssey of conjoined twins Barry and Tom Howe
(played by real life twins HARRY and LUKE TREADAWAY) who are plucked
from obscurity in the 1970's by a music promoter and groomed into
a bizarre boy band. Grappling with impossible love, artistic rivalry,
and a dark inner life, the twins embrace their freakishness and spit
it back in the form of searing punk rock. "This Way Out's"
STEVE PRIDE chats with collaborative "out" couple Fulton
and Pepe, and with the film's starring twin Treadaways (with music
from the film, "2-Way Romeo" and "My Friend,"
performed by Harry & Luke Treadaway as "Barry & Tom Howe")
[www.brothersofthehead.com]. QUINCEANERA
- distributed 08/07/06 - - Winner of both the
Audience Award and the Dramatic Grand Prize at this year's Sundance
Film Festival, "QUINCEAÑERA" is a reinvention of
"kitchen sink" drama, fueled by the racial, class, and sexual
THE
NIGHT LISTENER - distributed 07/31/06 - - Coming
soon to a silver screen near you, "THE NIGHT LISTENER" is
a psychological thriller based on the international best-selling novel
by ARMISTEAD MAUPIN that followed his wildly-popular "Tales of
the City". "The Night Listener" revolves around a celebrated
gay writer and popular late-night radio show host, Gabriel Noone (ROBIN
WILLIAMS), who develops an intense phone relationship with a young
listener named Pete (Rory Culkin) and his adoptive mother (Toni Collette)
just as his own domestic life is undergoing dramatic changes. When
troubling questions arise regarding the boy's identity, Gabriel's
ordered existence begins to spin wildly out of control as he sets
out on a harrowing journey to find the truth. This Way Out's entertainment
reporter STEVE PRIDE has preview clips and chats about the film with
Maupin and Williams.
SAY
UNCLE - distributed 06/12/06 - - Written,
directed and starring PETER PAIGE of "Queer as Folk" fame,
"SAY UNCLE" tells the story of gay artist Paul (Paige) whose
closest friends, the Fabers, move to Japan, taking Paul's two year-old
godson Morgan with them. So what's an "uncle" to do? In
Paul's desperate search to replace the lost relationship with his
godson he pursues opportunities that will bring him into contact with
children: working in a toy store, babysitting, and passing many hours
playing with kids at the local playground. But a single, childless
gay man at a playground? One child's mother, Maggie (KATHY NAJIMY),
thinks that Paul is up to no good and leads a neighborhood campaign
against him, which quickly careens out of control. This Way Out's
STEVE PRIDE talks with Paige and Najimy about their movie mix of comedy
and challenging questions (with clips from the film, and outro music
from "11:11", from the soundtrack, written and performed
by RUFUS WAINWRIGHT) [www.sayunclefilm.com]. HATE
CRIME - distributed 05/29/06 - - First
time filmmaker TOMMY STOVALL's thought-provoking new feature "HATE
CRIME" is the story of a long time gay couple planning a commitment
ceremony just as a bigoted Christian zealot moves in next door. As
the title suggests, the couple's happiness is shattered by violence.
This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE says "Hate Crime" is a truly
"independent film" but with a look that belies its low budget
origins. It's also both a complex suspense drama and a testament to
the damaging consequences of intolerance. With preview clips featuring
scenes including "neighborly" BRUCE DAVISON, Pride talks
with screenwriter/director Stovall and star SETH PETERSON about love,
hate, religion, and movie-making (with outro music from "Jesus
by 45" by EBONY TAY and members of the GAY MEN'S CHORUS OF LOS
ANGELES from the "Hate Crime" motion picture soundtrack)
[www.hatecrimemovie.com]. WILL
& GRACE Redeux - distributed 05/15/06 - -
Its first episode aired on September 21, 1998, early in the post-"Ellen"
era of American television. Queer characters were still a rarity,
and NBC's introduction of a gay character in the title role of a sitcom
was considered a bold move. But from the very start, "WILL &
GRACE" had "smash hit" written all over it -- a fact
that was clear to our STEVE PRIDE when he visited the set of the show
shortly after its maiden broadcast [with comments by SEAN P. HAYES
("Jack") and executive producers DAVID KOHAN & MAX MUTCHNICK,
and a scene from the pilot episode featuring Hayes and ERIC McCORMACK
as "Will". LEVI
KREIS - distributed 05/15/06 - - Growing
up in Eastern Tennessee, LEVI KREIS was playing the piano by the time
he was six years old. Within two years he was performing regularly
throughout the area, and by the time he turned twelve he'd already
begun writing his own songs. But his attraction to other boys led
him to the so-called "change therapy" of EXODUS INTERNATIONAL
and eventually derailed his burgeoning Christian music career. Since
then the now-openly gay Kreis has appeared in the national tour of
"Rent," played Matthew McConaughey's younger brother in
the film "Frailty," and been featured on "The Apprentice"
TV show. He released an album late last year called "ONE OF THE
ONES" under his own Leekus Peekus label that's been both critically
acclaimed and served as his official "coming out" recording.
With excerpts from that CD and from his as yet unreleased contribution
to the soundtrack of the upcoming film version of "Southern Baptist
Sissies," This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE chats with Kreis about his
life and his music [www.levikreis.com].. TOM
ATWOOD - distributed 05/06/06 - - Award-winning
photographer TOM ATWOOD proves the adage "a picture is worth
a thousand words" in his new book "KINGS IN THEIR CASTLES
- PHOTOGRAPHS OF QUEER MEN AT HOME." It's a collective portrait
of leading New York City gay artists, writers, filmmakers, composers,
musicians, and designers. Among the celebrities Atwood photographs
at home are Edward Albee, Todd Oldham, Ross Bleckner, Joel Schumacher,
Michael Cunningham, Simon Doonan, Andrew Solomon, Tommy Tune, Edmund
White, John Bartlett, Junior Vasquez, and John Waters, whose décor
is described in some detail. Atwood's lense also captures the lesswell-known
of an urban gay male community that is slowly disappearing. This Way
Out's STEVE PRIDE chats with Atwood about the book, the queer men
he chose - and their castles.].. ADAM
& STEVE - distributed 05/01/06 - - The
road to romance is no stroll through the Garden of Eden for "ADAM
& STEVE", the heroes of a new over the top romantic comedy.
Veteran indie actor and queer idol CRAIG CHESTER makes the leap to
the director's chair for the new film about two gay men whose relationship
blooms in the face of overwhelming odds. Chester brings preview clips,
and talks about his film, and being openly gay in Hollywood, with
This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE [www.AdamandSteveMovie.com, CraigChester.com]..
DEL
SHORES - distributed 03/06/06 - - The son
of a Southern Baptist preacher, playwright DEL SHORES was married
for nine years and had two daughters before he finally came out as
a gay man. That difficult journey informs his work, which is both
honest and hilarious. His plays "Daddy's Dyin'... Who's Got The
Will?" and "Sordid Lives" were made into successful
movies, and the film version of "SOUTHERN BAPTST SISSIES"
starts shooting in just a few months. But even if you've never seen
any of his plays or films, you've still probably encountered his work
as a writer on such TV shows as "Queer As Folk," "Dharma
& Greg," "Ned and Stacey," and even "Touched
By An Angel". This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE sat down with the prolific
Shores for a discussion about life, love, Southern Baptists, and sissies
(with premier outro music from "Stained Glass Window" by
LEVI KREIS, set to be a significant part of the "Southern Baptist
Sissies" soundtrack) [www.DelShores.net].. PRIDE
ON SCREEN 2005 - distributed 01/02/06 - - Dim
the house lights and pass the popcorn! From "Côte d'Azur",
"Unveiled", "Walk On Water", "Gay Sex In
The 70s", and "Loggerheads" to "The Dying Gaul", "Mysterious
Skin", "Transamerica", "Capote", and "Brokeback Mountain" -- and lots
more in between -- our award-winning entertainment reporter STEVE
PRIDE recalls some of the most memorable queer moments on big and
small screens during the past 12 months (with copious clips and comments
by many of the filmmakers themselves) in PRIDE ON SCREEN 2005. BROKEBACK
MOUNTAIN - distributed 12/19/05 - - From Academy
Award-winning filmmaker Ang Lee comes an epic American love story,
based on the short story by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Annie Proulx
and adapted for the screen by the team of Pulitzer Prize-winning author
Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana. Set against the sweeping vistas of
Wyoming and Texas, the film tells the story of two young men - a ranch-hand
and a rodeo cowboy - who meet in the summer of 1963 and unexpectedly
forge a lifelong connection, one whose complications, joys and tragedies
provide a testament to the endurance and power of love. The critically
acclaimed "BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN" is being hailed as the biggest
"gay" film since "Philadelphia", not just because
of the film itself, but because of the involvement of two of Hollywood's
hottest heterosexual stars in the leads. This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE
talks with director ANG LEE and stars JAKE GYLLENHAAL and HEATH LEDGER
about the heart-wrenching film and their much-ballyhooed "bravery"
(with preview clips and outro music from the movie's "He Was
A Friend of Mine" by WILLIE NELSON).. TRANSAMERICA
- distributed 12/12/05 - - Bree is highly educated, conservative,
and transsexual. She's living in a poor section of Los Angeles and
working two jobs to save money for her final sexual reassignment surgery,
when she receives a fateful phone call. It's Toby, a jailed teenage
hustler looking for his father -- and Bree is shocked to discover
that a heterosexual encounter during her life as a man resulted in
a son. Bree wants no part of Toby, but her therapist insists she must
confront her past and withholds legal permission for Bree' s final
operation until she has met the boy. Grudgingly Bree dips into her
precious operation fund and flies to New York to bail Toby out, and
they begin a "TRANSAMERICA" journey. Gay director DUNCAN
TUCKER's "Transamerica" stars FELICITY HUFFMAN ("Desperate
Housewives") and KEVIN ZEGERS ("Air Bud"). Along with
clips from the movie, This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE chats with the principals
about a road trip film that covers a lot more than geography..
CAPOTE
- distributed
10/17/05 - - It's not your typical "bio-pic" -- "CAPOTE"
covers just one five-and-a-half-year slice of Truman Capote's life:
that pivotal period during which he researched and wrote his groundbreaking
1966 classic, "In Cold Blood", a book that changed journalism
forever. Oscar buzz is already growing for PHILIP SEYMOUR HOFFMAN's
haunting performance in the title role. In fact, says "This Way
Out" media mogul STEVE PRIDE, Hoffman does such an astounding
job, it almost overshadows the other joys of the film: Catherine Keener's
nuanced performance as Capote's friend and "To Kill A Mocking
Bird" author Harper Lee, "Judging Amy" TV series actor
turned writer Dan Futterman's intelligent script, and Bennett ("The
Cruise") Miller's lyrical direction. Pride talks with star Hoffman
about making "Capote", and shares clips from what he calls
an "extraordinary film about an extraordinary but troubled gay
man." TRANSGENERATION
- distributed
10/19/05 - - "TRANSGENERATION" is a verite-style documentary,
currently airing as a weekly 8-part series in the U.S. on the Sundance
Channel, and screening in shorter form at GLBT film festivals. It
uniquely captures a year in the life of four transgender college students,
two male-to-females and two female-to-males, as they struggle to transition
from one gender to the other in the middle of a grueling school year.
This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE spent some time with "out" director
and supervising producer JEREMY SIMMONS and with T.J. and RACI, two
of the young students profiled. A
REALLY FINE PROM MESS - distributed
09/05/05 - - High comedy on the silver screen gave him his first
success, and he's since added award-winning playwright to his resume.
BRIAN SLOAN may be best known as the queer indie filmmaker behind
the screwball wedding comedy "I Think I Do" -- and now he's
turned novelist. This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE says Sloan's debut in
that genre, "A REALLY NICE PROM MESS" (Simon & Schuster)
hilariously skewers another heterosexual tradition (includes a brief
reading by Sloan from his book).
 RICH
MERRIT: SECRETS OF A GAY MARINE PORN STAR - distributed
06/20/05 - - The complex journey of Captain Rich Merritt is chronicled
in a just released memoir called SECRETS OF A GAY MARINE PORN STAR.
Not nearly as salacious as the title implies, the book has been been
called honest, inspiring, sexy, funny, and courageous by critics. Merritt's
story includes an intense fundamentalist Christian upbringing, a career
in the military, appearances in gay porn films, circuit parties, self-hatred,
drug addiction, a suicide attempt, coming out in a national magazine,
finding love and making it through law school. Steve Pride spoke with
Merritt about his book, his journey to happiness and... his secrets.
MYSTERIOUS SKIN - distributed 06/06/05 - - The summer I was eight years old, five hours disappeared from my life. Five hours, lost, gone without a trace..." These are the words of Brian Lackey, a troubled 18 year-old, growing up in the small town of Hutchinson, Kansas. Plagued by nightmares, Brian believes that he may have been the victim of an alien abduction. Local troublemaker Neil McCormick however, is the ultimate beautiful outsider. With a loving but promiscuous mother, Neil is wise beyond his years, having found what he perceived to be love from his Little League baseball coach. Now, ten years later, Neil is a teenage hustler and Brian is still obsessed with solving the riddles of his childhood. Based on the acclaimed novel by Scott Heim, the film version of "MYSTERIOUS SKIN" is both brilliant and difficult to watch. STEVE PRIDE has clips and comments by writer/director GREGG ARAKI, actor JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT (Neil) and author SCOTT HEIM about this beautiful journey into darkness, escaping Kansas and the demons of childhood. .
BROTHER TO BROTHER - distributed 05/30/05 - - Last year a small film about a gay Black man won the Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for four Independent Spirit Awards. Its dual and intersecting storylines explore the spiritual link between a contemporary Black gay New York artist and the queer trailblazers of the Harlem Renaissance. Just in time for Pride Month, "BROTHER TO BROTHER" enjoedy its broadcast television debut on PBS June 14th and simultaneous the DVDwas released in the U.S. STEVE PRIDE shares some clips from the film and chats with writer/director/producer RODNEY EVANS about his riveting first feature. .
 QUEER
AS FOLK: FAREWELL - distributed 04/18/05 - - The
actors have packed their belongings and scattered. The Toronto production
offices have shut down for good. And the new sign of the times for the
demise of a cultural icon has already appeared -- the props and costumes
are beginning
to pop up on eBay.
Although the fifth and final season has just begun to air on the Showtime
Cable Network, it's time to start bidding "QUEER AS FOLK"
adieu. STEVE PRIDE takes a fond look at the TV show's revolutionary
run (with music from the U.S. incarnation, clips from both the British
and U.S. versions, and comments by original British series creator RUSSEL
T. DAVIS, U.S. version creators RON COWEN & DANIEL LIPMAN, Showtime
Network Entertainment President ROBERT GREENBLATT, HAL
"Michael Novotny" SPARKS, HARRIS "Hunter Montgomery"
ALLAN, SHARON "Debbie Novotny" GLESS, THEA "Lindsay Peterson"
GILL, SCOTT "Ted Schmidt"
LOWELL, PETER "Emmett Honeycutt"
PAIGE, and ROBERT "Ben
Bruckner" GANT. .
PRIDE
ON SCREEN 2004 (TRT 26:05) - Program #875, distributed
1/3/05 - - In a year overflowing with wonderful queer images on
the big and small screens, award-winning "This Way Out"
entertainment reporter STEVE PRIDE first provides a brief history
of gays and lesbians in the movies, from the silent film era (some
of which are now available on DVD) through the 1960s to early 1980s,
with clips from "Victim", "The Children's Hour",
"Advise & Consent", "The Detective", "The
Boys in the Band", "Cabaret", "The Ritz",
and "Making Love", and then picks his favorites of the past
12 months in "PRIDE ON SCREEN 2004", including clips from
"Tarnation" (and comments by filmmaker Jonathan Caouette),
"Brother to Brother" (with comments by director/writer/producer
Rodney Evans), "Stage Beauty" (and comments by star Billy
Crudup), "Kinsey" (with comments by writer-director Bill
Condon), and Pedro Almodovarâ ™s "Bad Education"
(the choir boy-sung "Moon River" in the film, which also
serves as outro music for this segment); with additional clips from
the documentaries "Superstar in a Housedress" (with comments
by filmmaker Craig Highberger), "Key West: City of Colors",
and "Tying the Knot" (and comments by filmmaker Jim DeSeve);
clips from the mainstream Cole Porter biopic "De-Lovely"
and new queer film company Ariztical Entertainment's "Eating
Out"; plus TV show clips from "Will and Grace", "Jack
and Bobby", "Boston Legal" and "Malcolm in the
Middle"; and final comments by "Queer As Folk" actor
Robert Gant, HERE TV President Paul Colichman, "Mango Kiss"
director Sasha Rice, and groundbreaking openly gay writer-director
John Waters (with a :30 "TWO" voice collage I.D. and feature
re-intro at 15:20 into this segment/16:30 into the program). POLITICALLY
SPEAKING (TRT 06:50) - Program #869, distributed
11/22/04 - - There was the fall of New Jersey Governor James McGreevey,
then speculation about Virginia Congress member Ed Schrock, and hints
about California Congress member David Dreier. Such scandalous stories
have made the issues of privacy, hypocrisy, and sexual orientation
front-page news. But is it good journalism to cover a public figure's
sexuality because they support anti-queer legislation? Where does
"outing" stop and reporting begin? The Los Angeles Chapter
of the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association recently
held a community forum entitled "POLITICALLY SPEAKING: SHOULD
POLITICIANS BE 'OUTED' BY THE MEDIA?" They found the answer wasn't
an easy one. CHRISTOPHER LISOTTA ("TV Weekly," "The
Advocate") moderated an all-star panel of journalists that included
MARTHA FLORES ("Los Angeles Times"), MIKE LINDER (KNX 1070
Newsradio, Los Angeles), SIMON BOUIE (KCBS-TV/KCAL-TV, Los Angeles)
and SEAN SMITH ("Newsweek"). NLGJA Los Angles Chapter President
and "This Way Out" regular STEVE PRIDE produced this "highlights
reel" (with brief outro music from "Queers In The Closet"
by ROMANOVSKY & PHILLIPS). [www.nlgja-la.com]
TYING
THE KNOT- Part 1 - Program #864, distributed 10/18/04
- - The quest for marriage equality involves both a profoundly human
phenomenon and a powerful social institution. JIM DE SEVE's critically
acclaimed documentary "TYING THE KNOT" beautifully covers
both. Part 1 of this special 2-part feature produced by STEVE PRIDE
spotlighted the film's portraits of a lesbian and a gay man who suffered
unjust treatment after the tragic deaths of their long-term spouses.
In this week's conclusion, we follow de Seve through the halls of
academia to the corridors of the U.S. Congress to learn how the legal
rights of all couples became so... well, tied up in knots. A
HOME AT THE END OF THE WORLD
(TRT 07:30) - Program #861, distributed 09/27/04 - - What's
the sum of a Pulitzer Prize-winning gay novelist known for melancholy
fare, a Tony-winning gay director know for musical comedy, and a straight
Irish heart throb? Fill in the variables with the names Michael Cunningham,
MICHAEL MAYER and COLIN FARRELL and the answer is "A HOME AT
THE END OF THE WORLD." Mayer and Farrell chat with This Way Out's
STEVE PRIDE about the product of this remarkable creative team [includes
clips from the film]. JASON
AND DEMARCO
(TRT 09:30) - Program #854, distributed 08/09/04 - - It's
often difficult for gay, lesbian, bi and trans people to reconcile
their sexuality and gender identity with their religious backgrounds,
but the rising singing duo JASON AND DEMARCO seem to have done just
that by embracing a genre which could be called Out-of-the-Closet
Christian Music. Jason was being groomed as the next star of the Christian
music scene before he came out in 1998 and was "shown the door"
by that community, but after he met deMarco in 2001 a new musical
gateway opened for both of them. The twosome share their story, and
their music, with This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE (includes excerpts from
their breakthrough CD "Spirit Pop") [www.jasonanddemarco.com] A
WEDDING IN WEHO (TRT 10:04) - Program #845, distributed
06/07/04 - - Ever since San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom started
marrying same-gender couples in February, local officials across the
U.S. have been responding in their own way to the call for equal marriage
rights. Some municipalities and counties have issued marriage licenses
to same gender couples to test the existing statutes, while other
city officials have been demonstrating their support by joining lesbian
and gay partners in what everyone concedes are only symbolic unions.
A June 1st mass wedding in Southern California's queer mecca of WEST
HOLLYWOOD brought a hundred couples to the altar for such a ceremony.
Comedian MARGARET CHO was Mistress of Ceremonies, dance diva PEPPER
MASHAY and the GAY MEN'S CHORUS OF LOS ANGELES performed, and WEST
HOLLYWOOD MAYOR JOHN DURAN officiated. This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE
was a "guest" of all the brides and grooms -- he spoke with
several -- and calls his report "Scenes from a WeHo Wedding".
AUGUSTEN
BURROUGHS (TRT 14:40) -
Program #8, distributed 42 05/17/04 - - The memoirs of queer
writer AUGUSTEN BURROUGHS prove yet again that truth is much stranger
than fiction. His best-selling "RUNNING WITH SCISSORS" documents
a horrifying childhood, while the previously penned sequel "DRY",
named "Best Book of 2003" by "The Advocate", recounts
his descent into alcoholism. There are two big surprises. The first
is that Burroughs survived to write the books. The second is that
they're both hilarious. This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE chats with one
of the "25 Funniest People in America" (according to "Entertainment
Weekly") about his wild ride (with intro/outro music from "A
Little Better" by PAXTON, and a brief "TWO" I.D. and
re-intro at about 7:40 into this segment]. . [www.augusten.com]
ADORED:
Diary of a Male Porn Star (TRT 07:05) - Program #836,
distributed 04/05/04 - - Gay film festivals in Europe and the
U.S. have fallen in love with the ITALIAN film "A Little More
Than A Year Ago" ("Poco più di un anno fa").
Now writer/director/star MARCO FILIBERTI's comedy-drama is finally
ready for its close up, as the first film to be theatrically distributed
by Wolfe Video. It also has a new title: "ADORED: DIARY OF A
MALE PORN STAR." In one of the few U.S. interviews with Filiberti,
This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE asks the multi-tasking filmmaker about
the challenges of working both in front of and behind the camera,
his approach to the lead character he plays, and the crossover appeal
he hopes "Adored" will generate. [www.adoredthemovie.com]
AND
BABY (TRT 09:55) - Program #821, distributed 12/22/03
- - SEGMENT #3 - It may come as a surprise to fans and readers of
"AND BABY" that its publisher MICHELLE DARNE wasn't actually
a parent when she began the magazine. Since then Darne and her partner
have welcomed twin daughters -- and their periodical progeny was named
one of the "100 greatest gay & lesbian success stories of
2001" by "OUT" magazine. This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE
was tempted to ask the ultimate super-mom for milk and cookies, but
he was really there to talk with the lesbian media mogul about the
ins and outs -- and the politics -- of queer parenting. Among the
subjects discussed: a magazine borne of necessity, attracting mainstream
advertisers, non-queer readers, and Rosie O'Donnell. [www.andbabymag.com] PRIDE
ON SCREEN 2003 (TRT 26:10) - Program #818, distributed
12/01/03 - - "PRIDE ON SCREEN 2003" - This Way Out's
award-winning entertainment reporter STEVE PRIDE recalls some of the
memorable queer images on the big and small screens this year (including
DVD releases), with copious clips and insights from many of the filmmakers.
Included: "Chicago", "The Hours", "Camp",
"Girls Will Be Girls", "Die Mommie Die", "Mambo
Italiano", "Friends and Family", "AKA", "Nine
Dead Gay Guys", "The Event", "The Trip",
"Queer Eye For The Straight Guy", "A Minute With Stan
Hooper", "Daddy and Papa", "Flag Wars", "Brother
Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin", "Ruthie and Connie:
Every Room In The House", "Soldier's Girl", "Queer
As Folk", "Angels In America", "By Hook Or By
Crook", "The Business of Fancydancing", "The Fluffer",
"Circuit", "Trembling Before G-d", and "The
Wedding Video", with comments by JANE ANDERSON, BILL CONDON,
MICHAEL CUNNINGHAM, JULIANNE MOORE, TODD GRAFF, JACK ("EVIE HARRIS")
PLOTNICK, CLINTON ("COCO PERU") LEUPP, JEFFERY ("VARLA
JEAN MERMAN") ROBERSON, JASON PRIESTLY, JOSEPH TRIEBWASSER, DUNCAN
ROY, MILES SWAIN, JOHNNY SYMONS & WILLIAM ROGERS, LINDA GOODE
BRYANT & LAURA POITRAS, NANCY KATES, RUTH BERMAN & CONNIE
KURTZ, RON NYSWANER, CALPERNIA ADDAMS, RON COWEN & DANIEL LIPMAN,
SILAS HOWARD, SHERMAN ALEXIE, RICHARD GLATZER & WASH WESTMORELAND,
DIRK SHAFER, SANDI SIMCHA DUBOWSKI, NORM KORPI, FRANK DECARO, MIGUEL
ARTETA, BRUCE VILANCH, RANDAL KLEISER, DAVID MORETON, PAUL COLICHMAN,
and JEFFREY FRIEDMAN. DIE
MOMMIE DIE! (TRT ) - Program #815, distributed 11/10/03
- - "DIE MOMMIE DIE!" is a parody which draws from the same
well as last year's highly-regarded "Far From Heaven," but
it may have more in common with last month's delightfully droll "Girls
Will Be Girls." It was written by and stars drag diva Charles
Bush as Angela Arden, a "songstress fallen from fashion."
Directed by the openly-gay MARK RUCKER, "Die Mommie Die!"
would qualify as a gay film on its camp credentials alone -- but This
Way Out's STEVE PRIDE says "Beverly Hills 90210" graduate
JASON PREISTLY as Angela's bisexual lover and newcomer STARK SANDS
as her gay son steaming up the screen together pushes it onto the
"queer must see" list. He shares some preview clips and
chats with Priestly, Sands, and Rucker about their hilarious cinematic
homage. GIRLS
WILL BE GIRLS (TRT ) - Program #812, distributed 10/20/03
- - International film festival favorite "GIRLS WILL BE GIRLS"
has been hailed as the best 79 minute drag comedy of the last few
months. Some critics, however, have said that its story is two-dimensional
and vulgar, and that its characters are acid-tongued, shallow, and
bitchy... and of course they are absolutely right! This Way Out's
STEVE PRIDE met with the film's director RICHARD DAY and visited its
trio of stars -- COCO PERU, EVIE HARRIS and VARLA JEAN MERMAN -- to
separate the movie-making men from the "Girls," and says
he got the dirt (along with some of the flick's clips and music)...
and that it's time to get dirty![Note: Sound Quality Issue - This
is a dub of a dub.] OUTLAW (TRT ) - Program #809, distributed 09/29/03 - - His autobiographical debut novel about a lonely hustler drifting across the country, "CITY OF NIGHT," startled the literary world in 1963, and gay novelist John Rechy's powerful influence on American arts and letters ever since is undisputed. A recipient of Lifetime Achievement honors from both PEN-USA-WEST and the William Whitehead Awards, street hustler-cum-college professor Rechy has written twelve books, all of which could euphemistically be said to draw on his skill with the sword as well as the pen. This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE chats with biographer CHARLES CASILLO about and solicits a reading from "OUTLAW: THE LIVES AND CAREERS OF JOHN RECHY." WILLIAM
J. MANN (TRT ) - Program #805, distributed 09/01/03
- - He's gone "BEHIND THE SCREEN" to find "THE BIOGRAPH
GIRL" and a "WISECRACKER," and fictionalized "THE
MEN FROM THE BOYS". This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE talks with prolific
gay writer WILLIAM J. MANN about his latest novel, "WHERE THE
BOYS ARE," and about old Hollywood... and children's literature.
CRAIG
CHESTER (TRT 08:30) – Program #802, distributed
08/18/03 - - A pioneering actor in the independent film world,
CRAIG CHESTER made his name in what's been called the Queer New Wave
Cinema of the 1990's. His role in the drama "Swoon" scored Chester
a 1993 Independent Spirit Award nomination, and he's also appeared
in such genre-defining films as "Grief," "Frisk," "David Searching,"
and "Kiss Me Guido." It's all chronicled in Chester's memoir, "WHY
THE LONG FACE: THE ADVENTURES OF A TRULY INDEPENDENT ACTOR," published
by St. Martin's Press. This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE chats with Chester
about his queer life, movie-making, and reconstructive surgery. CAMP
(TRT 08:30) – Program #802, distributed 08/11/03
- - The journey of the film "CAMP" began in 1974 when a fourteen
year old gay kid named TODD GRAFF spent his first summer at Stagedoor
Manor Theater Camp in Loch Sheldrake, New York. In the summer of 2002
writer/director Graff returned to make the motion picture "Camp" about
his experiences there. With a fresh and talented cast, a list of producers
including Danny DeVito and Christine Vachon, the award winning composer
Stephen Trask ("Hedwig and the Angry Inch") adding new music to his
mix of show tunes, and a pivotal cameo by Stephen Sondheim himself,
This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE says "Camp" is a queer must-see. He has
a preview, and comments about the film, gay kids, theater geeks and
outsiders from writer/director Graff and "Camp" stars DANIEL LETTERLE
(Vlad) and ROBIN DE JESUS (Michael). Don't be afraid to sing along. GAY
HOLLYWOOD (TRT 08:30) – Program #800, distributed
07/28/03 - - On August 11th U.S. cable's American Movie Classics
will debut "THE AMC PROJECT: GAY HOLLYWOOD," a documentary style look
at five young gay men climbing the Hollywood ladder. This Way Out's
STEVE PRIDE chats with four of the gay men profiled in this preview. SOLDIER'S
GIRL (TRT 8:00) – Program #791, distribute 05/26/03
- - It's been nearly four years since the horrendous gay-bashing murder
of PFC. BARRY WINCHELL stunned the U.S. public. Although Winchell's
tragic death was an indictment of the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy
that prevented him from reporting escalating harassment, there's been
no change in that policy. Winchell's parents have continued to hold
the military responsible in the case, and in mid-May they met with
leaders of the Senate Armed Services Committee to oppose the pending
promotion of Major General Robert T. Clark, their son's commanding
officer at Fort Campbell, Kentucky. So a Showtime cable network film
about Pfc. Winchell's life and death could not be more timely. Entitled
"SOLDIER'S GIRL", it's both a reminder of his horrific murder and
a celebration of his life. "Soldier's Girl" screenwriter RON NYSWANER
(Oscar-nominated for "Philadelphia") and Winchell's girlfriend CALPERNIA
ADDAMS share the art and the reality of the story with This Way Out's
STEVE PRIDE. DADDY & PAPA (TRT 06:35) - Program #790, distributed 05/19/03 - - As if the pressures of parenthood weren't enough, gays & lesbians with children face many unique challenges, including social prejudice and a frequently unfriendly legal system. The documentary "DADDY & PAPA" examines the lives of four families headed by gay fathers, a high-profile Florida household and three from California. A favorite at gay & lesbian film festivals around the world, the 60-minute film has won more than 10 major awards, and will enjoy its broadcast debut on U.S. public television stations in early June. This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE chats with filmmaker JOHNNY SYMONS and his partner WILLIAM ROGERS about "Daddy & Papa" -- and about their own journey to parenthood (includes an audio excerpt from the film featuring their young son Zachary, and with brief outro music from "Hush Little Baby" performed by BOBBY McFERRIN) [www.daddyandpapa.com] BILLY
BEAN (TRT 09:50) - Program #789, distributed 05/12/03
- - Baseball legend Ted Williams was fond of saying that hitting a
ball with a bat is the hardest thing to do in any sport. Judging from
the latest controversy involving anti-gay comments in baseball by
Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Todd Jones, coming out of the closet
as a pro ball player might be even harder. Even though the U.S. "national
pastime" was once a leader in racial integration, over fifty years
later there's still no openly gay player in the major leagues. One
player who's come out of retirement in the "out"field is BILLY BEAN,
who played major league baseball from 1987 through 1995. He broke
in with the Detroit Tigers where he tied a major league record with
4 hits in his first game, and went on to play for the Los Angeles
Dodgers and the San Diego Padres. After years of living secretly,
Bean came out publicly as a gay man in 1999 during an interview with
the "Miami Herald". He's now the author, with Chris Bull, of "GOING
THE OTHER WAY: LESSONS FROM A LIFE IN AND OUT OF MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL"
[Avalon Publishing Group]. This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE talked with
Bean about his torturous journey out of the closet for this "out of
the park" profile [includes an excerpt from Bean's controversial guest
appearance with star ROBERT WUHL on the HBO sports comedy series "ARLI$$"]
(intro music from "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" performed by CARLY
SIMON and outro music "Heart" from the motion picture version of "DAMN
YANKEES").[www.billybean.com] JOSEPH
OLSHAN (TRT 8:55) - Program #787, distributed
04/28/03 - - Novelist JOSEPH OLSHAN's new book "IN CLARA'S HANDS"
[Bloomsbury Press] unexpectedly unites two of his best known characters:
Clara Mayfield, the wise Jamaican housekeeper from "Clara's Heart",
and Will Kaplan, the troubled gay aquatics fan from "Nightswimmer".
This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE chats with the openly gay author about
the familial choices people make (with a brief scene from WHOOPI GOLDBERG
starring in the movie version of "Clara's Heart", Olshan reading from
"In Clara's Hands", and intro/outro music from "Moonlight Swim" performed
by ELVIS PRESLEY).
OUT ON VIDEO (TRT 05:05) - Program #784, distributed 04/07/03 - - With a new now-and-again feature, This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE previews a couple of queer films that are coming "OUT ON VIDEO". In Steve's clip-filled inaugural outing, openly gay director TODD HUGHES talks about "THE NEW WOMEN", his black & white sci-fi send-up starring cult fave Mary Woronov, and out writer/director DEL SHORES dishes about "SORDID LIVES", his campy, queer, white trash comedy starring Bonnie Belinda, Delta Burke, Leslie Jordon and OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN (who chimes in about her role) -- plus a few words about new releases "LAN YU" out of China and Italy's "HIS SECRET LIFE". TRT: 5:05 [these titles are variously available online at www.strandrel.com, www.wolfevideo.com, and www.tlavideo.com] ROD
McKUEN (TRT 10:15) - Program #782, distributed 03/24/03
- - Singer, songwriter, actor and poet ROD McKUEN was a voice for
peace and social justice throughout the 1950s, 60s and 70s. His books
have sold more than 75 million copies worldwide, and he's recorded
over 200 albums, 67 of which went platinum. Perhaps best known for
his songs "Seasons in the Sun" and "Jean" and his collaborations with
diverse artists ranging from Jacque Brel to Frank Sinatra, in his
work and activism McKuen has always championed gay rights. But in
1982 he fell into severe depression that led him to withdraw from
the public scene. McKuen returned on March 19th, 2003 at a star-packed
Hollywood party to announce his new "Prime of Your Life" concert tour
that kicks off at New York City's Carnegie Hall on April 30th. It
was an extraordinary gathering to celebrate a man of peace, ironically
on the opening night of the U.S.-led war on Iraq. This Way Out's STEVE
PRIDE was there to chat with McKuen, and with McKuen fans HARRY HAMLIN,
DOM DELUISE, BUDDY HACKETT, PHYLLIS DILLER, RED BUTTONS, SALLY KIRKLAND
and TOM TRUHE (with intro/outro music from McKuen's Anita Bryant-era
queer-supportive anthem "Don't Drink the Orange Juice" from his album
"Easy In") [www.mckuen.com] CHICAGO
(TRT 16:10)- Program #780, distributed 03/10/03 - - Without
a doubt the 75th Annual Academy Awards on March 23rd will be one of
the gayest Oscar nights in history. Almost every major category has
a nominated film that includes a gay or lesbian character, features
a gay actor, or is brought to life by a gay screenwriter, producer
or director. In the past few months This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE has
explored several of the Oscar nominated films, including "Frida",
"Far From Heaven" and "The Hours". So how can we forget the blockbuster
Miramax movie version of the famous Broadway musical "CHICAGO", scripted
by out gay screenwriter BILL CONDON? He previously took Oscar home
for his "Gods and Monsters" screenplay about the life of eccentric
gay movie director James Whale. Now, with clips from his latest triumph,
Condon chats with Pride about the "Velvet Mafia" behind "Chicago",
gay men and show tunes, his new movie project about sexologist Alfred
Kinsey -- and all that jazz (with re-intro and Condon "TWO" I.D. at
about 8:55 into the segment). ERIC
MARCUS is MAKING GAY HISTORY (TRT 08:35) - Program #779,
distributed 03/03/03 - - It's longer, delves deeper, and gets
better with age. Over ten years ago author ERIC MARCUS published "Making
History", the story of the gay rights movement as told by the people
who were there. In a "new and improved" edition, renamed "MAKING GAY
HISTORY", Marcus revises and expands the story of GLBT lives from
the early 1950's to post-9/11. This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE talked with
Marcus about his updated queer chronicle, the challenges the oral
historian faced separating fact from myth (such as accounts of the
Stonewall Riots), and how the past 50 years have shown that diversity
is one of the queer movement's strongest assets (with outro music
from "Pride" by JON GILBERT LEAVITT) [www.ericmarcus.com] THE
HOURS (TRT 08:30) - Program #775, distributed 02/03/03
- - "THE HOURS" by out gay novelist Michael Cunningham is a remarkable
book. As the winner of the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the
PEN/Faulkner Award one would expect no less. But what does surprise
is that a novel so many believed not cinematic has been turned into
one of the most acclaimed movies of the year. The Paramount Pictures
release draws on the life and work of novelist Virginia Woolf to tell
the story of three women during the course of one apparently unremarkable,
but in fact pivotal, day in their lives. All its main characters are
either lesbian or bisexual, and are portrayed by some of the best
actresses of our generation: Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep, Allison
Janney, and Julianne Moore. "The Hours"' recent Golden Globe win makes
it a sure a contender in the Oscar race, so This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE
is once again ahead of the curve with several clips, and comments
from original storyteller MICHAEL CUNNINGHAM and the film's JULIANNE
MOORE (with music from the motion picture soundtrack by PHILLIP GLASS)
[www.thehoursmovie.com] BEN
PATRICK JOHNSON (TRT 08:05) - Program #772, distributed
01/13/03 - - Although you may never have heard of BEN PATRICK
JOHNSON, you have almost certainly heard his voice. One of the busiest
voice-over artists in Hollywood, he's done trailers for countless
films and introduces many a popular television show (you'll hear a
montage of several examples). In his spare time Johnson is a record
producer, a beefcake calendar model, and now a novelist. His new book
"IN AND OUT IN HOLLYWOOD" [Parlari Press] mixes fact with fiction
to chronicle the unexpected prejudices the main character encounters
when he is hired as the original anchor of a well known entertainment
TV news program, only to be replaced when he comes out as a gay man
- not coincidentally, a close parallel to Johnson's own true story.
This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE chats with him about his book, and about
sexual politics in showbiz (with brief outro music from "Constant
Thing" by JESSE HULTBERG) [www.benpatrick.com] FAR
FROM HEAVEN (TRT 08:40) - Program #764, distributed
11/18/02 - - Everything old is new again in "FAR FROM HEAVEN"
[from Focus Features], the latest film from openly gay writer/director
Todd Haynes that pays homage to the Douglas Sirk domestic dramas of
the 1950s while exploring issues of race, sexuality and the hunger
for acceptance. Cathy and Frank Whitaker (Julianne Moore and Dennis
Quaid) live in a perfect split-level house on a perfect street awash
in a Technicolor palette of golden autumn colors. But Frank Whitaker
has a dark secret lurking in his closet and Cathy's world is about
to fall apart, sparking a controversial friendship with their African-American
gardener (Dennis Haysbert). This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE sips coffee
with TODD HAYNES at Hollywood's legendary Chateau Marmont and catches
up with DENNIS QUAID in Beverly Hills for a preview of this critically
lauded film. FRIDA
(TRT 08:10) - Program #760, distributed 10/21/02 - - Can the life
of a woman who was one of the most controversial sexual revolutionaries
of her day be successfully captured on film? Over the last 10 years
everyone from Jennifer Lopez to Madonna has announced plans to bring
Mexican artist FRIDA KAHLO's story to the big screen. Thanks to the
persistence of Mexico born producer/actress SALMA HAYEK, "FRIDA" (from
Miramax Films) is finally arriving at multiplexes across North America
this week. This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE has preview clips, and talks
with Hayek and the film's director JULIE TAYMOR about the life and
times of that remarkable political activist-artist (with music from
the motion picture soundtrack composed by ELLIOT GOLDENTHAL). 8
WOMEN (TRT 08:00) - Program #758, distributed 10/07/02
- - Mix an Agatha Christie-style drawing room murder mystery with
a cheesy 1960s musical. Stir in eight equal parts for France's finest
actresses, and add the decidedly queer sensibilities of openly gay
director FRANCOIS OZON ("Sitcom", "Under the Sand"). Lightly top with
plot twists and turns, including a lesbian lip lock between Fanny
Ardant and the iconic Catherine Deneuve. Let bake for 110 minutes,
and serve the resulting confection, "8 WOMEN", on a silver... screen.
This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE visits Ozon's "kitchen" for a closer look
at his recipe for success [with outro music from "Papa t'es plus dans
l'coup (Daddy, You Ain't With It)" performed by LUDIVINE SAGNIER in
the film] REALITY
GAYS (TRT 09:10) - Program #755, distributed 09/16/02 -
- Ever since Lance said it Loud on the ground-breaking PBS cinema
verite series "An American Family" nearly 20 years ago, lesbians and
gay men have become ubiquitous prime time participants in what is
now a booming "reality television" craze. But does this heightened
visibility signal progress, or is it merely entertainment? This Way
Out's STEVE PRIDE consults sociologist & Georgetown University
professor SUZANNA WALTERS ("All The Rage: The Story of Gay Visibility
in America") and some of the gay men who've been "KEEPING IT REAL":
JOE BALDASSARE & BILL BARTEK ("Team Guido" on "The Amazing Race"),
DANNY JIMENEZ & OSWALD MENDEZ ("The Amazing Race 2"), JOHN CARROLL
("Survivor 4"), and cartoonist JUDD WINICK (PEDRO ZAMORA's friend
& roommate on MTV's "The Real World 3: San Francisco") (with intro/outro
music from "Real Life" by BON JOVI and incidental music from "Ancient
Voices" ["Survivor" theme] by RUSS LANDAU) GAY
FILMS 2002 (TRT 15:55) - Program
#754, distributed 09/09/02 - - There will be over a hundred GAY AND
LESBIAN FILM FESTIVALS around the world this year. From Baltimore
to Buenos Aires, Tokyo to Tampa, the annual Film Festival has become
a much-anticipated event on the queer calendar. The largest is in
Los Angeles, and the thriving "OUTFEST" celebrated its 20th anniversary
in July with attendance of nearly 40,000 people. This Way Out's STEVE
PRIDE was on the scene and chats with some of the people behind the
screen of several films that may be coming soon to a festival near
you, including DUNCAN ROY ("AKA"), SHERMAN ALEXIE ("The Business of
Fancydancing"), JOHNNY SYMONS & WILLIAM ROGERS ("Daddy and Papa"),
Strand Releasing's MARCUS HU ("Lan Yu" and several others), EVERETT
LEWIS ("Luster"), LAURA NIX ("The Politics of Fur" and "Whether You
Like It Or Not: The Story of Hedwig"), RUTHIE BERMAN & CONNIE
KURTZ and director DEBORAH DIXON ("Ruthie and Connie: Every Room In
The House"), CHRISTIAN TAYLOR & LINDY HEYMANN ("Showboy"), and
MILES SWAIN ("The Trip"). He also samples a festival sidebar called
"PLATINUM OASIS", held at Hollywood's legendary Coral Sands Motel,
that brings together gay & lesbian performance artists from around
the world for an 18-hour orgy of edgy queer expression (with a re-intro+"TWO"
I.D. at 7:05-7:30 into this segment, and intro/outro music from "Tiny
Heroes" composed and conducted by ALAN WILLIAMS). THE
COCKETTES (TRT 08:40) - Program #749, distributed 08/05/02
- - At the dawn of gay liberation a handsome New York actor named
George Harris (already famous for being photographed inserting a flower
into a National Guardsman's rifle at a 1967 Vietnam War protest rally)
moved to San Francisco and was reborn in glitter as a missionary of
self-expression named Hibiscus. A new documentary recounts and celebrates
the true story of this lipstick impresario and his communal housemates
who -â€" long before "performance art" became a familiar
catch phrase -- took an unrehearsed show to the stage of a North Beach
movie theater and went on to become legendary as "THE COCKETTES".
This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE has some preview clips from this wonderful
slice of queer history, and chats with DAVID WEISSMAN and BILL WEBER
about their film, 1970's San Francisco hippies and communes, and those
amazing Cockettes (with intro music from "San Francisco (Be Sure To
Wear Some Flowers In Your Hair)" by SCOTT McKENZIE, and outro music
from a live performance of "Jaded Lady" by then-Cockette SYLVESTER
from the film soundtrack) [vwww.cockettes.com] NOTORIOUS
C.H.O. (TRT 09:10) - Program #746, distributed 07/15/02
- - After her U.S. TV sitcom "All American Girl" was cancelled in
1995, MARGARET CHO hit bottom with drugs and alcohol. It was a difficult
journey back, chronicled two years ago in her hilarious concert film
"I'm The One That I Want". America's favorite self-proclaimed "fag
hag diva" has returned with another critically acclaimed concert film
called "NOTORIOUS C.H.O.". This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE has a few brief
preview clips, and chats with Cho about the film, sexuality, and the
fascinating allure of "Star Trek" (with intro/transition/outro music
from "It's Margaret Cho" by SKANKIN' PICKLE) [www.MargaretCho.com] CIRCUIT
(TRT 06:50) - Program #741, distributed 06/10/02 - - They're "Red",
"White", and sometimes "Black & Blue". They welcome the good and
bad, but not the unattractive. Circuit parties are either gay male
primal celebrations of the tribe or narcotic narcissistic embarrassments
-- it depends on whom you ask. A new film called "CIRCUIT" (a Jour
De Fete release) takes the entire audience to the dance. But as one
reviewer put it, "the bottom line on 'Circuit' is that a strong plot
and well-developed characters were not invited to the party, but strong
thighs and well-developed pecs are all over the screen." This Way
Out’s STEVE PRIDE leaps into the fray (with preview clips &
music from the movie soundtrack, and comments by director/co-writer
DIRK SHAFER and actor/singer PAUL LEKAKIS, making his film debut)
[www.circuitmovie.com] 
OUT
IN THE COLD (TRT 16:30) - Program #738, distributed 05/20/02
- - Few milestones are as profound for a queer teen as coming out
to his or her parents, family, and friends. This experience and its
aftermath can be positive and affirming -- but all too often, kids
find themselves rejected by the very institutions they were raised
to believe in. An estimated 1.3 million American young people are
homeless, dying at a rate of 13 per day, and up to 40 percent of them
are homosexual, bisexual or transgender. Experts assert that within
48 hours of leaving home, 42 percent of these kids, straight or gay,
turn to prostitution to survive. "OUT IN THE COLD" is a riveting documentary
slowly making its way across North America in theaters, schools and
community centers that takes viewers on a journey into the lives of
some of these young people. Co-produced and co-directed by MARTIN
BEGODNE, director of the award winning documentaries "Journey to a
Hate Free Millennium" and "Making Babies: Gay and Lesbian Baby Boom",
and ERIC CRISWELL, Executive Director of the CIRE Foundation, "Out
in the Cold" was made possible by funding from the Matthew Shepard
Foundation. In this very special feature, This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE
leads Criswell, Begodne and the Shepard Foundation's JUDY SHEPARD
in a roundtable discussion about the over 500,000 queer kids who have
fallen through the cracks of American society. Topics include the
staggering magnitude of youth homelessness in the U.S.; the limited
options open to under-age kids on the street who can't legally work
and the factors that make it almost impossible for otherwise-eligible
homeless teens to find a job; the impact of increased media coverage
of GLBT people on teens coming out earlier; what motivates parents
to throw their queer kids out of the house; and the GLBT community's
historic reluctance to deal with youth problems based on fears of
homophobia-based "sexual predator" stereotypes (with music from the
acoustic version of "Smalltown Boy" by BRONSKI BEAT) [:35 re-intro+Judy
Shepard "TWO" I.D.+brief music break at 7:45 into this segment]. TREMBLING
BEFORE G-D (TRT 08:10) - Program #736, distributed 05/06/02
- - If the Orthodox and Hasidic strictly follow Jewish law, and Jewish
law explicitly condemns homosexuality, are differences of sexual orientation
and religion irreconcilable? "TREMBLING BEFORE G-D" is a surprisingly
lyrical film about the faith, sexuality, and religious life of Hasidic
and Orthodox gays and lesbians. The acclaimed documentary began its
journey at Sundance in 2001 and has since won awards at film festivals
from Chicago to Berlin. After playing for months in Los Angeles, San
Francisco and New York, "Trembling Before G-d" is finally finding
its way onto theater screens across North America, Great Britain,
Israel, Germany, France, and Switzerland. This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE
talks with DAVID SILVERSTEIN and MICHELLE MILLER, whose stories are
featured in the documentary, as well as the film's director SANDI
SIMCHA DUBOWSKI [intro/outro music from "Araber Tantz & To Rinaki
(Kalamata Dance)" performed by the BRANDEIS-BARDIN KLEZMER ENSEMBLE]
[www.TremblingBeforeGod.com] KISSING
JESSICA STEIN (TRT 08:45) - Program #731, distributed 04/01/02
- - Our STEVE PRIDE raves that the wide-release romantic comedy "KISSING
JESSICA STEIN" is a fabulous big screen lesbian lick lock. He has
some entertaining clips from one of the best-reviewed queer movies
of the year, and chats with the talented trio behind the film, openly-gay
director CHARLES HERMAN-WURMFELD and his two heterosexual producers/stars,
JENNIFER WESTFELDT (Jessica) and HEATHER JUERGENSEN (Helen) (intro/outro
music from "I Kissed A Girl" by JILL SOBULE) THE
MATTHEW SHEPARD STORY (TRT 08:55) - Program #728, distributed
03/11/02 - - On March 16th NBC will air "THE MATTHEW SHEPARD STORY",
based on the true story that shocked the world and devastated a family.
It stars NBC network standouts Stockard Channing of "The West Wing"
and Sam Waterston of "Law & Order" as Judy and Dennis Shepard.
Toronto-based SHANE MEIER plays Matthew. This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE
has preview clips, and talks with the young actor about his role and
with the real JUDY SHEPARD about her transformation into an activist
(intro/outro music from "What Matters" by RANDI DRISCOLL, which is
featured in the movie) www.matthewshepard.org] THE
FLUFFER (TRT 08:55) - Program #722, distributed 01/28/02
- - From Honolulu to Houston, Auckland to Dublin, a new film called
"THE FLUFFER" is heading toward a multiplex near you. Despite its
sexual themes and eye-catching promotion, "The Fluffer" is not a shallow
excuse to put naked men on screen -- and it's not about pillows! This
Way Out's STEVE PRIDE has some preview clips, and chats with life
partners RICHARD GLATZER and WASH WEST, the co-writers/co-directors
behind the film (intro/outro music from "Sex Is All I See" by the
JOHNNY DEPP CLONES). BY
HOOK OR BY CROOK (TRT 09:35) - Program #720, distributed
01/14/02 - - SILAS HOWARD (aka "Silas Flipper") is not only the lead
singer of the internationally-popular queer punk band TRIBE 8, she's
the co-writer, co-director and star of a new film that puts a gender-bending
butch lesbian spin on the "buddy movie". "BY HOOK OR BY CROOK", which
screens at the Sundance Film Festival this week, won top honors at
both the Seattle Gay and Lesbian Film Festival and L.A.'s Outfest
last year, and recently beat out 500 other films for a Horizons/Frameline
Completion Fund Grant. This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE chats with the multi-talented
Howard about her band, her film, and the illusion of gender (includes
a clip from the movie and an excerpt from Tribe 8's song "Frat Pig")
(with outro music from "Androgynous" by the CRASH TEST DUMMIES) PUNKS
(TRT 10:10) - Program #715, distributed 12/10/01 - - Even though
it's still hard to get a gay movie made and into the theaters, more
and more often these days boy does meet boy on the silver screen.
What sets writer/director PATRIK-IAN POLK's new film "PUNKS" (Urbanworld
Films) apart is that the men involved are both gay and black. It's
a snappy romantic comedy, but "Punks" plows new ground for queer and
African-American cinema. This Way Out's award-winning entertainment
reporter STEVE PRIDE chats with the multi-talented Polk about the
movie, racism and the writing process (with intro/outro music from
the film composed and performed by Polk). FELICE
PICANO (TRT 08:15) - Program #709, distributed 10/29/01
- - FELICE PICANO is the author of more than 20 books, including best-selling
novels like "The Lure", "Looking Glass Lives", and 1995's award-winning
"Like People in History", as well as nonfiction works like "The New
Joy of Gay Sex", and the literary memoir "Men Who Loved Me." This
Way Out's STEVE PRIDE had a chance to chat with Picano about his life's
work and gay life, including his most recent and semi-autobiographical
novel "Onyx", his contribution to the anthology "Loss Within Loss"
about his friend and fellow writer Robert Ferro, his membership in
the famed Violet Quill Club (which included Ferro and other renowned
writers like Edmund White and Andrew Holleran), and if he minds being
called a "gay writer" (brief intro/outro music from "Everyday I Write
The Book" by JALLEN RIX). L.I.E.
/ OUR LADY OF THE ASSASSINS (TRT 05:45) - Program #706,
distributed 10/08/01 - - Two movies about intergenerational love that
have stirred controversy at gay and lesbian film festivals across
North America are finally making their way into general release. This
Way Out's STEVE PRIDE previews a scene from "L.I.E." (featuring PAUL
FRANKLIN DANO as "Howie" and BRIAN COX as "Big John") and chats with
director MICHAEL CUESTA, and talks with Oscar-nominated "OUR LADY
OF THE ASSASSINS" director BARBET SCHROEDER about shooting on location
in Medellin, Colombia. ALL
OVER THE GUY (TRT 08:25) - Program #700, distributed 08/27/01
- - Boasting an impressive supporting cast that includes Andrea Martin,
Lisa Kudrow, Sasha Alexander, Adam Goldberg, Doris Roberts and Christina
Ricci, the new romantic comedy "ALL OVER THE GUY" (from Lions Gate
Films) is the latest offering from rising director Julie Davis and
executive producer Don Roos, the gay writer/director of "The Opposite
of Sex". The glue that really holds this snappy "boy meets boy" story
together, however, is its writer and star, DAN BUCATINSKY. This Way
Out's STEVE PRIDE has some preview clips, and is all over Bucatinsky
â€" who explains why he transformed his original
hetero couple one-act play "I Know You Are, But What Am I?" into this
mainstream audiences-targeted gay-themed film. Bucatinsky also discusses
his real-life long-term relationship with Roos and being out in Hollywood;
costar RICHARD RUCCOLO (probably best known for his role in the ABC-TV
sitcom "Two Guys and a Girl") also chats briefly about playing Bucatinsky's
love interest in the film (with outro music from "Every Kiss Is A
Revolution" by DAVID BROWN). GAY
FILMS 2001 (TRT 17:45) - Program #699, distributed 08/20/01
- - From Baltimore to Buenos Aires and Tokyo to Tampa, there will
be over 100 GAY AND LESBIAN FILM FESTIVALS this year around the globe.
The largest of these annual cinematic celebrations was July's "OUTFEST"
in Los Angeles. This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE attended that movie marathon
and prepared this special feature, which includes comments by the
filmmakers behind "Scout's Honor" (director TOM SHEPARD), "The New
Women" (director/co-writer TODD HUGHES), "Trembling Before G*d" (director
SANDI SIMCHA DUBOWSKI), "Kissing Jessica Stein" (director CHARLES
HERMAN-WUMFELD), "Friends And Family" (writer JOSEPH TRIEBWASSER),
"Chill Out" (director ANDREAS STRUCK), "By Hook Or By Crook" (co-writer/director/star
SILAS FLIPPER, who's also the lead singer of alternative punk dyke
band TRIBE 8), "Circuit" (director DIRK SHAFER, former "Playgirl"
magazine "Man Of the Year"), "My Life As A Troll" (writer/director/star
DOMINICK BRASCIA), "Play Dead" (writer/director JEFF JENKINS), and
"Gypsy 83" (writer/director TODD STEPHENS, who also wrote previous
favorite "The Edge of Seventeen") â€"- with additional
comments by writer/producer/director ROSE TROCHE ("Go Fish", "Bedrooms
and Hallways", and the upcoming Glenn Close-starring "The Safety of
Objects"), RANDAL KLEISER (director of "Grease", "It's My Party",
"Big Top Pee-Wee" and others) and DAN CASTLE (Jour De Fete Films)...
with a side trip to the "PLATINUM OASIS" performance space at the
historic Coral Sands Motel in Hollywood, presented as part of "Outfest"
for the first time this year, featuring brief comments by coordinating
programmer SHARI FRILOT and participants VAGINAL DAVIS (in her "Video
Room"), DIVINITY FUDGE (nail salon and "massages after midnight"),
porn photographer BRUCE LA BRUCE (writer/director of "Skin Flick"
and "Hustler White" among others) and visits to "Mommy's Diaper Room"
and the "Barbie Torture Playhouse" [with music from "Scout's Honor"
and "The New Women", and a "TWO" I.D. by "Circuit" star PAUL LEKAKIS
-- who's probably best known for singing "Boom Boom Boom Let's Go
Back To My Room" -- at about 7:10 into this segment]. HEDWIG
AND THE ANGRY INCH (TRT 09:40) - Program #698, distributed
08/13/01 - - With critics comparing it to "The Rocky Horror Picture
Show" and Pink Floyd's "The Wall", the movie version (from New Line
Cinema) of John Cameron Mitchell's hit off-Broadway musical "HEDWIG
AND THE ANGRY INCH" is now playing in theaters across America. The
queerly-compelling story of a struggling East German glam-rock-singing
victim of a botched sex change operation, "Hedwig" was the darling
of the Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award and
Mitchell was named Best Director. The film went on to take honors
at festivals in Berlin, San Francisco, and Seattle. This Way Out's
STEVE PRIDE "inches up" on writer/director/star JOHN CAMERON MITCHELL
to get a better feel for the man -- and the lady -- at the center
of it all [includes a brief "review" by Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning
actress CAMRYN MANHEIM ("Ellenor Frutt" on ABC-TVs "The Practice"),
and excerpted cuts from the "Hedwig" original motion picture soundtrack,
including "Angry Inch", "Wig In A Box", "Sugar Daddy", "Tear Me Down",
"Origin of Love", and "Midnight Radio"]. DON
BACHARDY (TRT 15:50) - Program #693, distributed 07/09/01
- - Portrait artist DON BACHARDY has few equals. The Santa Monica,
California resident's drawings and paintings are in the collections
of many major art museums, including the Metropolitan in New York
City and the Smithsonian in Washington, DC. He met Christopher Isherwood,
the famed author of "Berlin Stories" and a host of others, when he
was 18 and Isherwood was 48, and it was Isherwood who encouraged his
artistic career, and with whom he enjoyed friendships with many Hollywood
celebrities. Bachardy has published seven books of his drawings, and
he's the co-editor of "Where Joy Resides: A Christopher Isherwood
Reader". This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE chats with Bachardy about his
work, some of the silver screen's leading ladies who sat for him (Bette
Davis, Ginger Rogers and Vivian Leigh), the "dangers" of queer life
in the 1950's, and what he learned during the thirty-three years of
life and love he shared with Isherwood ["TWO" I.D./re-intro at 9:55
into this segment/21:30 into the program] (outro music from "To Love
and Be Loved" by DAVID BROWN; incidental music from the "Cabaret"
motion picture soundtrack by LIZA MINNELLI). ADVENTURES
OF FELIX (TRT 08:00) - Program #691, distributed 06/25/01
- - The filmmakers behind the 1998 gay musical "Jeanne et Le Garçon
Formidable" ("Jeanne et le garçon formidable") are back. This
time out the genre is the classic road film with a gay Gaelic twist
called " Drôle de Félix" or "ADVENTURES OF FELIX" (released
by Winstar Cinema), about an HIV-positive gay Arab man living in northern
France who, after losing his job, impulsively decides to bicycle along
the country's northern coast to find the father he never knew. Along
the way he meets a series of archetypal characters who become his
surrogate family. This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE chats with partnered
gay co-writers/co-directors OLIVIER DUCASTEL and JACQUES MARTINEAU
about both making films and a life together (intro and incidental
music from "Jeux d'Enfants" by RENE DUPERE from "Alegria: Cirque Du
Soleil"; outro music from "Comment Te Dire Adieu" performed by JIMMY
SOMERVILLE). MAJIC:
Mothers Against Jesse In Congress (TRT 10:05) - Program
#690, distributed 06/18/01 - - What would you do if your son died
from AIDS, and then you read in the local paper that your own U.S.
senator said people with AIDS "deserved" their fate? Two North Carolina
women faced with that question rose to the occasion with a ferocity
and determination that surprised even them, and in the process changed
hearts and minds across their state. This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE talks
with PATSY CLARKE and ELOISE VAUGHN, the remarkable matrons of MAJIC
(Mothers Against Jesse In Congress), about the genesis of their unique
political action committee formed to defeat Senator Helms' reelection
bid, and â€" despite failing to unseat the homophobic
Republican Senator - what their group accomplished (with intro music
from "Jesse Helms", written and performed by LAURA WETZLER, internal
music from "Dixie" [guitar version] performed by DANNY B. HARVEY,
"Dixie" [banjo version] performed by THE JAMISON BOYS, and "The Battle
Hymn Of The Republic" performed by DON WIGTON; the outro music choral
version is uncredited) Note: As mentioned during the outro of this
segment, a book by Clarke and Vaughn chronicling their story (written
with Nicole Brodeur) called "Keep Singing (Two Mothers, Two Sons,
and Their Fight Against Jesse Helms)" has been published by Alyson
Books. SIGNALS
(TRT 16:15) - Program #688, distributed 06/04/01 - - Twenty years
ago this week, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control first documented
the syndrome then identified as "Gay-Related Immune Deficiency". Today
the worldwide AIDS epidemic is clearly not a "gay disease" anymore,
although the CDC's latest figures -- figures disputed by some activists
-- indicate a rise in the infection rates among gay men, particularly
in younger African Americans. Statistics notwithstanding, there's
no debate about the impact of AIDS on gay culture. One of the most
recent examples is JOEL ROTHSCHILD's "SIGNALS", the true story of
two friends living with full-blown AIDS who made a pact that whoever
died first would attempt to contact the other from beyond. Since its
publication a year ago this "little book that could" has become a
phenomenon, embraced by fans as diverse as Deepak Chopra and Elizabeth
Taylor. This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE talks with Rothschild about the
genesis of his book and its themes of life, death, and the impressive
challenges of mortality (also featuring the music of Los Angeles songwriter
and long-term AIDS survivor STEVE SCHALCHLIN). KEEP
THE RIVER ON YOUR RIGHT (TRT 09:15) - Program #687, distributed
05/28/01 - - The "Stranger Than Fiction" prize at the Independent
Film Project's annual Spirit Awards this year went to "KEEP THE RIVER
ON YOUR RIGHT", a documentary which asks the question, "What would
prompt a gentle gay New Yorker to abandon his comfortable home, burgeoning
art career and circle of A-list friends?" If your answer is "to search
an unexplored region of the Amazon for a tribe of Indians rumored
to practice cannibalism", then you've either already heard of TOBIAS
SCHNEEBAUM, or you lead a very interesting life yourself. This Way
Out's STEVE PRIDE talks with the now-79-year old Schneebaum about
his experiences trekking alone through the jungle, his reaction to
the killing and cannibalism he witnessed (partaking in the latter),
the homosexuality Schneebaum discovered among the Amarakaire Indians
in the uncharted Madre de Dios rainforest of Peru, and the lover he
found living among the Asmat tribe of Indonesian New Guinea; also
includes comments by filmmakers DAVID and LAURIE GWEN SHAPIRO about
working with Schneebaum to make the documentary (with intro music
from "Tell If by Heart" performed by cellist JAMI SIEBER; incidental
music from "Fulani Chant" performed by SWEET HONEY IN THE ROCK; and
outro music from "Everything In Its Own Time" performed by THE INDIGO
GIRLS). KATE CLINTON 2001 (TRT 15:20) - Program #685, distributed 05/14/01 - - Former U.S. President Bill Clinton and lesbian "fumerist" KATE CLINTON have a lot in common. Both love politics, waking up next to a strong woman, and looking forward to a new president in 2004. But while Bill collects his pension, Kate is on a roll with her monthly columns for "The Progressive" and "The Advocate", continued appearances on ABC-TV's "Politically Incorrect" and CNN, an ambitious stand-up tour, and a new comedy CD, "Read These Lips". A recent press release touted her "conversion to faith-based comedy... designed to capture the imagination and funding of millions." Kate Clinton will no doubt capture your imagination in this conversation with "This Way Out"'s STEVE PRIDE about her 20 years on the road, her relationship with equally-traveled and outspoken spouse/activist Urvashi Vaid, and the political agony but comic ecstasy of the next four years with George W. Bush (also includes excerpts from her Publishing Mills audiobook "Don't Get Me Started", and outro music from "Big Ovaries, Baby", written and performed by GAYE ADEGBALOLA). [www.kateclinton.com] ARMISTEAD
MAUPIN (TRT 15:35) - Program #683, distributed 04/30/01
- - It's impossible to think of gay San Francisco without thinking
about ARMISTEAD MAUPIN. Nothing is more evocative of the city's freewheeling
lifestyle than the six-volume "TALES OF THE CITY" serial that began
as a column in the San Francisco Chronicle in the late 1970's. Even
his most recent book, the semi-autobiographical "THE NIGHT LISTENER",
is set just a rock's throw from the Castro. May 2001 marks both the
25th anniversary of the "Tales" debut and the premiere of a new Showtime
miniseries based on the third volume, "FURTHER TALES OF THE CITY".
This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE has a preview, along with an entertaining
chat with Maupin about his latest book, the old books, the mini-series,
and the celebrated writer's very gay life [:15 re-intro/"TWO" I.D.
at 19:30 into program/7:40 into this segment] (intro/transition music
from "Theme from 'Tales of the City'" by JOHN ERIC KEANE; outro music
from "San Francisco" by THE VILLAGE PEOPLE). HIT
AND RUNWAY (TRT 06:30) - Program #679, distributed 04/02/01
- - When a testosterone-driven Greenwich Village dreamer teams up
with a socially-inept gay Jewish playwright to script an action movie,
there are bound to be "plot complications". That's the story line
of indie film festival favorite "HIT AND RUNWAY", which has finally
made it down the long and bumpy road to general release. Co-writer/director
CHRISTOPHER LIVINGTON's "odd couple" comedy stars MICHAEL PARDUCCI
("Alex") and PETER JACOBSON ("Elliot"), who join This Way Out's STEVE
PRIDE for some quips and preview clips (includes several scenes, including
one featuring "Dawson's Creek"'s KERR SMITH as the Jacobson character's
love interest, and music from the film written and performed by Livingston). MY GAY OSCARS (TRT 15:55) - Program #677, distributed 03/19/01 - - Andy Warhol once said that in the future everyone would have at least 15 minutes of fame. In these "Oscar"-frenzied times, it seems appropriate to spend at least that long reviewing the state of Queer Cinema. With comments by "Edge of 17" director DAVID MORETON, "The Next Best Thing" director JOHN SCHLESSINGER, "Before Night Falls" lead actor JAVIER BARDEM, "Urbania" writer/director JOHN SHEAR, "I'm The One That I Want" star MARGARET CHO, "The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me" writer/star DAVID DRAKE, "But I'm A Cheerleader" director JAMIE BABBIT, and "Chuck and Buck" director MIGUEL ARTETA, This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE unveils his picks for some of the top gay-themed films of Y2K (includes clips from "South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut", "Urbania", "Before Night Falls", "I'm The One That I Want", "But I'm A Cheerleader", and "The Broken Hearts Club"; TWO I.D.s by David Drake and prodigious openly-gay writer-director-producer CLIVE BARKER; and intro music from "That's Entertainment" by the BOSTON POPS, internal music from "The Queen Behind the Scenes" by MARC SHAIMAN, and outro music from "Who's Gay In Hollywood" from the original cast recording of "Forbidden Hollywood").
EDMUND
WHITE (TRT 16:10) - Program #672, distributed 02/12/01
- - Every time someone releases a list of the "best gay novels" or
"the most influential queer authors of the last century", there is
invariably one name at or near the top: EDMUND WHITE. His nonfiction
includes "The Joy Of Gay Sex", "States Of Desire: Travels In Gay America",
and biographies of Jean Genet and Marcel Proust. Among White's novels
and short-story collections are "Forgetting Elena", "Nocturnes For
The King Of Naples", "Caracole" and "Skinned Alive". His latest novel,
"The Married Man", returns White to the autobiographical themes first
raised in the trilogy that included 1982's "A Boy's Own Story", 1988's
"The Beautiful Room Is Empty", and 1997's "The Farewell Symphony".
This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE sat down with White recently to get his
perspective on the struggle for equality, and to chat about the literary
icon's successfully queer life and work [outro music from "White Wedding"
by BILLY IDOL]. VARLA
JEAN MERMAN (TRT 08:20) - Program #670, distributed
01/29/01 - - VARLA JEAN MERMAN (aka JEFFERY ROBERSON) has been described
as a cross between Ann-Margaret on steroids and a butch John Lithgow.
Much like a tornado looking for a trailer park, this diva on the cus
p of superstardom has sold out cabarets from Los Angeles to New York,
with mainstream critics calling her "hysterically funny", "tumultuously
talented" and simply "awesome". This Way Out’s
STEVE PRIDE gets up close and personal with both the lady and the
legend (with several excerpts from Ms. Merman’s
musical repertoire, including "The Windmills of My Mind", "Crying",
"Dream a Little Dream of Cheese", "Hardknock Life", "Those Were the
Happy Days" and "Sunday Morning Sidewalk"). [VarlaOnline.com] NEIL
MERON (TRT 08:50) - Program #668, distributed 01/15/01
- - To understand "WHAT MAKES A FAMILY" it takes a Lifetime -- the
U.S. cable network, that is. That's the title of Lifetime's new film
debuting on January 22nd, starring BROOKE SHIELDS, CHERRY JONES and
ANNE MEARA, based on the moving true story of a landmark Florida custody
case. This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE has 2 preview scenes from "What Makes
A Family", and catches up with one of the film's executive producers,
NEIL MERON, to learn more about it. Meron also discusses several other
projects with his Storyline Entertainment partner Craig Zadan, including
their forthcoming Judy Garland mini-series "Me and My Shadow" starring
Judy Davis, and a biopic of transsexual activist Dana Rivers (outro
music from "Different Ones" by MELANIE B). JOHN
RECHY (TRT 15:25) - Program #667, distributed 01/08/01
- - JOHN RECHY's 1963 debut novel "City of Night" has been ranked
as one of the 25 all time "Best Gay Novels" by the Publishing Triangle
in New York. His second book "The Sexual Outlaw: A Documentary" was
included by the San Francisco Chronicle Book Review as among the 100
Best Non-Fiction Books of the century. Rechy is also a winner of PEN
West's Lifetime Achievement Award. He followed "The Sexual Outlaw"
with 2 more odes to cruising -- "Numbers" and "Rushes" - before shifting
into the more mainstream with "The Miraculous Day of Amalia Gomez",
"Our Lady of Babylon", "The Fourth Angel", "The Vampires", "Bodies
and Souls", and "Marilyn's Daughter". His latest book promises to
match his highest standards. This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE got to spend
some time with the author and teacher to learn more about his new
best-seller, "THE COMING OF THE NIGHT", which returns Rechy to his
familiar territory of dark streets, buff bodies, gay bars and the
endless sexual hunt. The conversation also covers common misconceptions
Rechy says people have about him, the genesis of "City of Night",
his take on current issues such as the Boy Scouts ban, queer marriage,
and the new gay male image, as well as -- being both gay and a first
generation Mexican man - dealing with the "machismo" syndrome (outro
music from "Strangers In The Night" by FRANK SINATRA). BEFORE
NIGHT FALLS (TRT 08:10) - Program #665, distributed 12/25/00
- - "BEFORE NIGHT FALLS" is a new film about gay Cuban writer RENALDO
ARENAS, and the Oscar buzz is already building. It won the Grand Jury
Prize at the Venice International Film Festival, the National Board
of Review has named it one of the 10 Best Pictures of the Year, and
its star Javier Bardem has been nominated for a Golden Globe for his
breakthrough performance as Arenas. This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE has
a preview, and talks with director JULIAN SCHNABEL and actor JAVIER
BARDEM about the film, the persecution of gays in Cuba and elsewhere,
and the legacy of Renaldo Arenas.
PEDRO
AND ME: Friendship, Loss and What I Learned (TRT 08:05)
- Program #662, distributed 12/04/00 - - Many fans of MTV's "The Real
World" believe the "best" year featured the San Francisco cast. Long
before "Survivor", the 1994 season gave the "Big Brother" treatment
to Cory, Rachael, Mohammed, Pedro, Pam, Judd and Puck. But it was
the handsome, charismatic PEDRO ZAMORA who emerged as a fan favorite,
and it was Pedro who gave America an early look at a gay man battling
AIDS. JUDD WINICK, once the starving comic artist of the cast, has
spent the last 2 1/2 years crafting "Pedro and Me", a black-and-white
comic book that looks at not only his time with the young Cuban immigrant,
but also at what brought them and what kept them together through
Zamora's illness. This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE has audio clips from
the original 1994 telecasts, and talks with Winick and his fiancee,
former MTV housemate PAM LING, about friendship, loss and Zamora's
legacy (with outro music from "Out in this World" by SHAWN THOMAS). NORMAL,
OHIO (TRT 07:40) - Program #657, distributed 10/30/00 -
- It was probably inevitable that the success of "Will & Grace"
would bring more gay-themed TV sitcoms into America's living rooms.
However the odyssey of a show debuting on the Fox Network this week
proves that it may not be as easy as it looks. "NORMAL, OHIO" starring
JOHN GOODMAN (perhaps best known as "Dan Connor" on the old "Roseanne"
TV series) as a gay dad returning home to reconnect with his family,
has been through major changes since its inception. Some critics have
their doubts about the results, but BONNIE & TERRY TURNER, the
award-winning husband-and-wife writing & producing team behind
the hit shows "3rd Rock From The Sun" and "That 70's Show," talk with
This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE about why they revamped and re-cast the
show from its original Los Angeles locale to a rural family setting,
their plans for lead character "Butch" (Goodman) during the first
season, and why they're confident about the success of their latest
venture (with a couple of preview clips). THE
BROKEN HEARTS CLUB (TRT 07:40) - Program #654, distributed
10/09/00 - - A surprise hit at this year's Sundance Film Festival
may finally be "coming soon to a theater near you". The entertaining
ensemble comedy-drama about a group of gay West Hollywood friends
was written and directed by GREG BERLANTI, one of the producers of
TV's popular "Dawson's Creek", and boasts a cast of some of Hollywood's
hottest young actors. This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE had a chance to chat
with Berlanti and one of his stars -- TIMOTHY OLYPHANT of "Scream"
fame "- about membership in "THE BROKEN HEARTS CLUB" (with clips
from the film and outro music from "I Need A Man" by JULIET).
CHARLES BUSCH: Psycho Beach Party (TRT 07:10) - Program #652, distributed 09/25/00 - - CHARLES BUSCH is the playwright and cross-dressing star of such Off-Broadway classics as "Vampire Lesbians of Sodom," "Red Scare on Sunset," and "Theodora, She-Bitch of Byzantium." In his dubious spare time, this celebrated lady of the theatre authored the novel "Whores of Lost Atlantis." Busch appeared in the film "Addams Family Values" and has a recurring role on the popular HBO prison drama series "OZ," but now one of his earliest stage works, "PSYCHO BEACH PARTY", has morphed into a movie. This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE meets the gay cult icon to find out more about his checkered past, his bound-for-Broadway future, and his big screen beach blanket bloodbath (with music from "Psycho Beach Theme Song" by film composer BEN VAUGHN). MARGARET
CHO: I'm The One That I Want (TRT
07:45) - Program #648, distributed 08/28/00 - - MARGARET CHO's
1995 sitcom "All American Girl" was a first for all-American TV, where
the depictions of Asians and women are somewhat narrow, to say the
least. The show's demise sent Cho into a sex, drug and alcohol-induced
tailspin, but she's turned herself around and her comeback stage show
is a sell-out success. A lot of Cho's story is included in her hilarious
new performance film "I'm The One That I Want," but she also shared
some of it in conversation with This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE (with intro
music from "Margaret Cho", the original but rejected theme for her
TV sitcom performed by the Ska band "Skankin' Pickle", and outro music
from "The One That I Want" from the "Grease" movie soundtrack). CHUCK
AND BUCK (trt 08:10) - Program #644, distributed 07/31/00
- - Calling the controversial new film "CHUCK AND BUCK" a "gay stalker
romantic comedy" is definitely an oversimplification. Still, the latest
offering from some of the men behind the movie "American Pie" and
TV's critically praised "Freaks and Geeks" is certainly a film that
doesn't observe a politically correct protocol. "Chuck and Buck" stars
its screenwriter, MIKE WHITE (son of gay Soulforce activist Reverend
Mel White) as Buck, a clinging, emotionally stunted gay man bent on
renewing a childhood friendship. But wait -- there's a lot more to
it than that, as This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE found out from White,
his co-stars CHRIS WEITZ (Chuck) and PAUL WEITZ (Sam) and director
MIGUEL ARTETA (with dialog and music from the film, including excerpts
of "Freedom Of The Heart" by GWENDOLYN SANFORD and "I Will Follow
Him" by WHOOPI GOLDBERG). CLIVE
BARKER (TRT 11:30) - Program #639, distributed 06/26/00
- - The title "Renaissance Man" could have been coined for author,
playwright, artist, film producer, director, and screenwriter CLIVE
BARKER. With over forty books to his credit -- including the bestsellers
"Weaveworld," "Imajica," "Galilee" and "The Essential Clive Barker"
-- Barker has also scripted eleven films, including the "Hellraiser"
and "Candyman" series, and he directed "Lords Of Illusion" and "Nightbreed."
He was the executive producer of the Academy Award-winning "Gods and
Monsters," which depicted the life of another gay horror film director,
James Whale. In his spare time Barker is a book illustrator and a
critically acclaimed painter. "This Way Out's" STEVE PRIDE chats with
this multi-talented and multi-faceted man about his life and love,
whether or not there's such a thing as a "gay sensibility", being
an openly-gay artist ... and those things that go bump in the night
(with brief intro/outro music from "Thriller" by MICHAEL JACKSON). LOS
BELTRAN (TRT 08:05) - Program #637, distributed 06/12/00
- - Gay subplots are rare on Spanish-language television, and recurring
gay characters (unless they're over-the-top caricatures, villains,
or both) unheard of -- but the Telemundo sitcom "LOS BELTRAN" has
changed all that by introducing not one, but two realistic gay cast
members. About 1.3 million viewers watch the popular weekly sitcom
-- kind of a Cuban-American "All In The Family." Proud and opinionated
Cuban-American Manny Beltran has bought himself and his family a piece
of the American dream -- a duplex in the Los Angeles suburb of Burbank,
California. In addition to owning a successful bodega, Manny unwittingly
becomes landlord to a gay male couple. This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE
talks with "Los Beltran" writer/producer CARLOS BERMUDEZ and stars
EMILIANO DIEZ ("Manny Beltran"), JAMES C. LEARY (the non-Spanish-speaking
non-gay actor who plays gay character "Kevin") and PETE LEAL (the
openly-gay actor who plays the heterosexual "Gilberto") (outro music
from RICKY MARTIN's "Livin' La Vida Loca"). MARK
DOTY: Poet (TRT 08:00) - Program #636, distributed 06/05/00
- - Gay poet MARK DOTY's work has been praised for its passion, elegance
and empathy and has brought him numerous awards, including the U.S.
National Book Critics Circle Award and the Witter Bynner Prize for
Poetry, as well as grants from the National Endowment for the Arts
and the Guggenheim Foundation. In 1996, Doty published his first memoir,
"Heaven's Coast", which describes his six-year descent into grief
as his longtime partner succumbed to AIDS. His latest book, "Firebird",
is another prose memoir, but of an entirely different nature, reflecting
on the early years of his life and his evolving creativity. He talks
with This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE about his youthful discovery of poetry,
how a high school drama assignment led to his introduction to a nurturing
mentor, and why he's chosen prose over poetry for his most recent
works. OUR
HOUSE (TRT 06:20) - Program #635, distributed 05/29/00
- - "OUR HOUSE: A VERY REAL DOCUMENTARY ABOUT KIDS OF GAY AND LESBIAN
PARENTS" is an insightful video that's jumping from the queer film
festival circuit to the U.S. public airwaves of PBS during the next
few weeks. This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE chats with producer/director
MEEMA SPADOLA and has audio excerpts from the film (with music from
"Our House" by MADNESS and outro music from "We Are Family" by SISTER
SLEDGE) [online source mentioned for scheduled PBS TV station broadcast
dates and more info about Children Of Lesbians And Gays Everywhere:
http://www.colage.org] HOLLY
WOODLAWN TALKS TRASH (TRT 08:50) - Program #627, distributed
04/03/00 - - Long before Divine hit the big screen and RuPaul brought
drag into the TV homes of middle America, HOLLY WOODLAWN was staking
claim to that then-unexplored turf as a media star extraordinaire.
Her self-described "low life in high heels" was immortalized in Lou
Reed's classic rock song "Walk On The Wild Side" (which weaves throughout
this feature). This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE talks "TRASH" with Woodlawn
about being in pop icon Andy Warhol's inner circle, making movies
with Paul Morrisey, and the new Jour De Fete re-release in theaters,
video and DVD of the film then called "underground" that brought her
fame 30 years ago. THE
NEXT BEST THING (TRT 09:10) - Program #623, distributed
03/06/00 - - A highly anticipated new film from Paramount, "THE NEXT
BEST THING," combines the talents of a gay Academy Award-winning director,
a critically acclaimed gay leading man, and one of the biggest pop
stars on the planet, to tell the story of an accidental alternative
family. The serio-comic offering has been hailed by some as a sympathetic
look at gay parenting, but others see it as the proverbial train wreck
from which you just can't look away. This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE weighs
in with his opinion, and talks with JOHN SCHLESINGER, RUPERT EVERETT,
and MADONNA for their takes on it (with scenes and music from the
movie). PEOPLE FOR THE AMERICAN WAY (TRT 09:55) - Program #622, distributed 02/28/00 - - "HOSTILE CLIMATE 1999" is the latest edition of the PEOPLE FOR THE AMERICAN WAY FOUNDATION's annual report on anti-lesbian and gay discrimination. As state legislative sessions got under way in January, the Foundation launched an aggressive campaign to have regional activists hand-deliver the publication to their representatives. The report chronicles nearly 300 incidents in 47 states -- almost twice the number in the 1998 edition. Despite the sobering increase in documented incidents, there's progress on several fronts, according to the People For the American Way Foundation's new President RALPH G. NEAS. Before taking that post, he was for two decades the Executive Director of the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights. Neas talks about "Hostile Climate", and the political and educational challenges ahead for the LGBT community, with This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE (intro/outro music from "Freedom To Love" by FAITH NOLAN). AN ACTIVIST IS BORN (TRT 08:20) - Program #617, distributed 01/24/00 - - "An Activist is Born": Songwriter, musician, performer, and person with AIDS STEVE SCHALCHLIN (the writer and composer behind the off Broadway and Los Angeles hit musical "The Last Session") was one of the Soulforce 200 -- the group of gays, lesbians, bisexuals, transgenders and their supporters organized by Rev. Mel White under a banner of non-violent confrontation to meet with Rev. Jerry Falwell and his followers in Lynchburg, Virginia last October. Schalchlin brings his epiphanal experience to life in this excerpt from his on-line diary (mentioned in the outro tag as being at ww w.geocities.com/Broadway/1173, but now with a pointer to the relocated site at www.bonusround.com); produced for "This Way Out" by STEVE PRIDE (with excerpts from Falwell on his "Old Time Gospel Hour" TV program, and music from "Amazing Grace" performed by JUDY COLLINS). ALSO AIRED ON THE KPFK 90.7 MORNING SHOW. FINDING
THE BOYFRIEND WITHIN (TRT 08:35) - Program #614, distributed
01/03/00 - - Hey guys: when you were a child, did you have an imaginary
friend? Did you ever consider making love with him? STEVE PRIDE found
out that's not as weird as it may sound when he sat down with model-turned-author
BRAD GOOCH to discuss his latest book, "Finding The Boyfriend Within"
(published by Simon & Schuster) (intro/outro music from "Lookin'
For Mr. Right" by BILL FOLK). BOB
SMITH (TRT 08:25) - Program #612, distributed 12/20/99
- - BOB SMITH, the first openly gay comedian to star in his own HBO
special and appear on NBC-TV's "The Tonight Show", offers an unapologetic
take on growing up gay in his new book "Way To Go Smith", the follow-up
to his 1998 Lambda Literary Award-winning "Openly Bob". Smith has
also written for numerous TV shows, and as a stand-up comic tours
extensively, performing across the country. He recently sat down with
This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE to share his very original takes on life,
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness (includes Smith reading 2 excerpts
from "Way To Go Smith", and intro/outro music from "Constant Thing(I
Was Raised a Straight Boy)" by JESSE HULTBERG). LOLA
AND BILLY THE KID (TRT 08:20) - Program #609, distributed
11/29/99 - - After becoming an unprecedented hit at OutFest '99 in
Los Angeles and at the Berlin International Film Festival, "LOLA AND
BILLY THE KID" ("Lola Und Bilidikid") -- a Good Machine release --
opened recently in New York City, and is scheduled for wider distribution
in the weeks ahead. It centers on the expatriate Turkish community
in Germany and the life of Murat, a German-born Turkish teenager caught
between his family's tradition-based expectations and his secret queer
identity. Murat's search for himself becomes a murder mystery after
his long-lost brother -- to his surprise now the transvestite Lola
-- is killed. STEVE PRIDE talks with writer/director KUTLUG ATAMAN
and stars ERDAL YILDIZ ("Billy") and MURAT YILMAZ ("Iskender") about
the film and the conflicting cultures it explores (with music from
the movie soundtrack).
BOYS
DON'T CRY (TRT 09:40) - Program #606, distributed 11/8/99
- - "BOYS DON'T CRY", from Fox Searchlight Pictures, is one of
the most critically acclaimed movies of the year -- gay or straight.
The tragic story of gender-bending Nebraska teenager Teena Brandon
is known to many since his 1993 hate murder became a cause celebre,
but This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE was bowled over by this account of
the story and the realism of the performances. He recently sat down
for a chat with lesbian first-time director KIMBERLY PIERCE, and with
HILARY SWANK, who plays the lead character to what some have called
Oscar-caliber perfection (includes a film clip featuring Hilary Swank
as Brandon and CHLOE SEVIGNY as his girlfriend Lana Tisdel; segment
intro music from "Baby Did A Bad Thing" by CHRIS ISAAK and outro music
from "Dress Code" by PHRANC). ANDREW
HOLLERAN (TRT 07:25) - Program #605, distributed 11/1/99
- - ANDREW HOLLERAN's debut novel "Dancer From The Dance" is Number
15 on the Publishing Triangle's list of the "Best Gay Books Of All
Time". He was one of several prominent gay writers to emerge after
the Stonewall Riots, and 1979's "Dancer From The Dance" helped to
legitimize queer fiction in mainstream literary circles. Holleran
spoke recently with This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE about his body of work,
specifically his latest, "In September, The Light Changes: The Stories
of Andrew Holleran", and discussed his evolving outlook on gay life
and growing older. BRUCE VILANCH (TRT 15:00) - Program #603, distributed 10/18/99 - - BRUCE VILANCH is one of the most sought after comedy writers in Hollywood. He's also head writer and a regular on the syndicated TV celebrity game show "Hollywood Squares", and the industry's "go-to guy" for every type of variety show imaginable, including the quadruple crown of award shows: The Oscars, The Emmys, The Tonys, and The Grammys. In fact, he co-wrote the last ten Academy Awards telecasts, winning consecutive Emmys for the Billy Crystal-hosted shows. A new documentary from Miramax called "Get Bruce" chronicles his exploits with plenty of the celebrities he's written for -- like Robin Williams, Whoopi Goldberg, Billy Crystal and Bette Midler -- piling on the praise. In an illuminating and entertaining interview, Vilanch talks with This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE about the film, his childhood, his career, and his life as a truly queer man: Vilanch Part 1 (5:45); Vilanch "TWO" I.D. (:15); "Hollywood Squares" parody (1:00); Vilanch Part 2 (8:00) [intro/outro music from "All Star" by SMASH MOUTH; transition music out of Part 1 from "Friends" by BETTE MIDLER]. WHEN
LOVE COMES (TRT 07:05) - Program #599, distributed 09/20/99
- - New Zealander GARTH MAXWELL, who's directed episodes of both the
"Xena" and "Hercules" TV series, made his feature film debut a few
years ago with the cult classic "Jack Be Nimble". He's back on U.S.
movie screens with his second film, the gay themed "WHEN LOVE COMES"
(a Jour De Fete release) starring fellow Kiwi SIMON PRAST. This Way
Out's STEVE PRIDE met with the duo for lunch and conversation, and
also has several clips from the film (intro/outro music from "Brand
New Start", written by Garth Maxwell and performed by LIZA LEE, from
the movie soundtrack). HEAD
ON (TRT 06:50) - Program #597, distributed 09/06/99 - -
"Head On" is not your typical coming out story -- This Way Out's STEVE
PRIDE says it's a rollercoaster ride that jams a lot into one high
velocity sweaty Melbourne night with a confused Greek-Australian gay
man. The hit film from Down Under has just opened in the U.S. to even
more critical acclaim than it received at home. Steve has a preview
clip (featuring ALEX DIMITRIADES as the central character "Ari") and
chats with the lesbian behind the camera of "Head On", director ANA
KOKKINOS (with music from the movie soundtrack by OLLIE OLSEN). BETTER
THAN CHOCOLATE (TRT 08:50) - Program #595, distributed
08/23/99 - - "BETTER THAN CHOCOLATE" has something for almost everyone:
a love-at-first-sight lesbian couple, a bisexual woman and a young
man, a transgender lesbian and her repressed heartthrob, and a divorcee
who meets a vibrator. It won the award for most popular film at this
year's London Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, Best Feature Film Audience
Award at Toronto's lesbian & gay film festival, and is now arriving
in theatres around the United States. "This Way Out"'s STEVE PRIDE
has some preview clips, and talks with screenwriter PEGGY THOMPSON,
director ANNE WHEELER, and "Chocolate"'s young stars, CHRISTINA COX
and KARYN DWYER about the pleasures and perils of making a lesbian
romantic sex comedy (with music throughout from the movie soundtrack). THE
ADVENTURES OF SEBASTIAN COLE (TRT 08:05) - Program #594,
distributed 08/16/99 - - Can a rebellious teenager find happiness
living with his transsexual step-parent? The 1999 Sundance Film Festival
gave a warm welcome to writer/director TOD WILLIAMS' "THE ADVENTURES
OF SEBASTIAN COLE", the story of a troubled teen in a small New York
town in the early 1980's whose family life is anything but average
and suburban. This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE has a flick clip, and talks
with Williams about his feature film-making debut, and with actor
CLARK GREGG about the challenges of portraying both a father and a
mother (outro music from "I Am Woman" by HELEN REDDY). OUTFEST '99 (TRT 16:10) - Program #593, distributed 08/09/99 - - Every year, the work of gay and lesbian filmmakers seems to surpass the year before in both quantity and quality. OutFest '99, the Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, was a good gauge of the current state of queer cinema worldwide. Over 250 offerings from the U.S., Britain, Turkey, Germany, Australia, and other countries far and wide were screened at the 17th annual event, as filmmakers and fans gathered to share their art and ideas. This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE was on the scene, and brings back some of the voices of OutFest '99, including BENJAMIN REDING, director Of "Oi! Warning"; BRUCE LA BRUCE, writer/director of "Skin Flick"; SARAH HARDING, director of "Queer As Folk"; LISA DANIEL, programmer for the Melbourne Queer Film and Video Festival; PENDRA, director of "Kore Cara Mia"; KATHERINE BROOKS, director/star of "OutTakes"; star TISHA CAMPBELL-MARTIN & director SIDRA SMITH of "Luv Tales"; BRUCE VILANCH, star of "Get Bruce"; DONNA CARTER, writer/director of "Tomboy"; KUTLUG ATAMAN, writer/director of "Lola And Billy The Kid"; KATHY BATES, star of "Baby Steps"; and director DAVID BRIGGS & star DAVID DRAKE of "The Trey Billings Show" [intro & outro music from "Constant Thing (I Was Raised A Straight Boy)" by JESSE HULTBERG] [16:10] TRICK
(TRT 09:05) - Program #591, distributed 07/26/99 - - They meet,
the chemistry is there ... so all the would-be couple-for-a-night
in the hit gay romantic comedy "TRICK" needs is a place to be alone
-- but if it were that easy, it wouldn't be as funny! This Way Out's
STEVE PRIDE shares some scenes from the Fineline-distributed mainstream-targeted
movie (which opened July 23 in New York, San Francisco & Los Angeles
and goes into wider U.S. distribution in August) and chats with director
JIM FALL and actors CHRISTIAN CAMPBELL ("Gabriel"), JOHN PAUL PITOC
("Mark"), TORI SPELLING ("Katherine") and CLINTON LEUPP ("Miss Coco
Peru") (intro music from "Enter You" performed by TORI SPELLING; outro
music from "Dreamweaver" performed by ERIN HAMILTON, both from the
"Trick" movie soundtrack). E.
LYNN HARRIS (TRT 06:40)
- Program #589, distributed 07/12/99 - - E. LYNN HARRIS is the best-selling
gay African-American writer whose books, including "Invisible Life",
"And This Too Shall Pass", "If This World Were Mine" and "Just As
I Am", have appealed to a diverse readership of men and women of all
colors and sexual orientations. This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE talks with
him about his "crossover" appeal, his career, and his latest offering,
"Abide With Me" (published by Doubleday; abridged audiocassette version
available from Bantam Books-Audio) (intro music from the instrumental
beginning of "Dream Weaver" by GARY WRIGHT; outro music from an updated
version of the same song by ERIN HAMILTON, from the "Trick" movie
soundtrack). JUSTIN
CHIN (TRT 07:05) - Program #586, distributed 06/21/99 -
- The celebration of gay/lesbian/bisexual/transgender pride during
the month of June can be a mixture of recalling past struggles, confronting
current issues and sharing hope for the future. For gay author and
performance artist JUSTIN CHIN, reflections on Stonewall bring fresh
insights -- and frustrations -- as he describes in his essay, "Q-Punk
Grammar" from his book "Mongrel" (author's reading produced by STEVE
PRIDE, with music from Gershwin's "Rhapsody In Blue") [7:05] [San
Francisco-based Justin Chin was born in Malaysia and grew up in Singapore.
He's also the author of "Bite Hard" (Manic D Press), which was a finalist
in the Firecracker Alternative Book Awards and the Lambda Literary
Awards. His solo performances have been performed nationally.] BETTY DEGENERES (TRT 10:10) - Program #584, distributed 06/07/99 - - If becoming an activist was a surprise for lesbian comedian Ellen DeGeneres, her mother Betty was in for even more of a shock when she herself took up the banner of lesbian and gay liberation. Now active with P-FLAG (Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians & Gays) and the National Coming Out Project spokesperson for the Human Rights Campaign, BETTY DEGENERES has been on tour promoting her new book ("Love, Ellen: A Mother/Daughter Journey", published by William Morrow & Company) and speaking to parents and other family members about accepting their lesbigay children. This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE chatted with one of America's most famous moms during her recent stopover in Los Angeles (intro/outro music from "Everybody Has To Have A Mother" by THE NEW MISS ALICE STONE LADIES SOCIETY ORCHESTRA). GET
REAL (TRT 05:50) - Program #579 ,distributed 05/03/99 -
- This Way Out`s STEVE PRIDE takes us behind the cameras to meet some
of the people who "GET REAL" in a well-reviewed British comedy about
gay youth and growing up, debuting this week on U.S. movie screens
-- includes copious clips, and comments by director SIMON SHORE, writer
PATRICK WILDE, and young star BEN SILVERSTONE (intro/outro music from
"Think" by ARETHA FRANKLIN).[Note: Sound Quality Issue - This is a
dub of a dub.] GLAAD
AWARDS (TRT 15:25) - Program #578 , distributed 04/26/99
- - In the second of a 3-city/3-event celebration, GLAAD -- The Gay
and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation -- handed out some of its
10th Annual Media Awards for "fair and accurate representation" of
the LGBT community at a sold-out Los Angeles gala on April 17th. WHOOPI
GOLDBERG, TOM HANKS, MELISSA ETHERIDGE and partner JULIE CYPHER, KATHY
NAJIMY ("Veronica`s Closet"), ELLEN DEGENERES, ERIC MCCORMICK ("Will
& Grace"), GLAMA and now GLAAD winner RUFUS WAINWRIGHT, LYNN REDGRAVE
("Gods & Monsters"), producer/ director GARY MARSHALL, and KERR
SMITH ("Dawson`s Creek") were among the presenters and honorees captured
on tape during the ceremonies and backstage by This Way Out`s STEVE
PRIDE (also includes remarks by Matthew Shepard friend Romaine Patterson). SISTERS
(TRT 08:30) - Program #575 , distributed 04/05/99 - - The SISTERS
OF PERPETUAL INDULGENCE celebrated their 20th anniversary with a street
fair in San Francisco`s heavily lesbigay Castro district on Easter
Sunday -- with an official 9-2 blessing from the Board of Supervisors,
despite a storm of protest from the Cathlic archdiocese that what
one reporter called "those wacky drag nuns" would make a mockery of
the faith on its holiest day. The whole uprorar sparked STEVE PRIDE`s
curiosity, so he set out to learn more about the satiric philanthropic
group -- and its 18 "houses" around the world -- from fan and aspiring
saint ALISON ARNGRIM ("Little House On The Prairie"`s Nellie Olson),
female SISTER VIBRATA ELEKTRA, and L.A. SISTER JUSTINA NICKOTIME (intro
music from "Sisters" by ROSEMARY CLOONEY and VERA-ELLEN from the "White
Christmas" movie soundtrack; outro music from "Sisters Are Doin` It
For Themselves" by THE EURYTHMICS).[Note: Sound Quality Issue - This
is a dub of a dub.] MY COUSIN JERRY (TRT 02:55) – Program #573, distributed 03/22/99 - - At about the same time that the outspokenly anti-gay Reverend Jerry Falwell was making headlines for warning parents that the Teletubbies` Tinky Winky is an insidious pro-gay icon, the televangelist`s second cousin BRETT BEASLEY was appearing nude in an issue of "Advocate Men". The story of Beasley`s coming out of the Falwell clan`s closet was quickly picked up by the National Enquirer and a number of both mainstream and gay publications. This Way Out`s STEVE PRIDE couldn`t resist the urge to phone the 37 year old Raleigh, North Carolina computer sales executive to ask him about his not-so- kissing cousin, his parents` reaction to his nude modeling, and his forecast for the next Falwell family reunion (with brief outro music from "Constant Thing" by JESSE HULTBERG). JOHN
WATERS` PECKER (TRT 07:55) - Program #570, distributed
03/01/99 - - Just released on home video, JOHN WATERS` latest movie,
"PECKER," is ... well, 100 percent John Waters. If you don`t know
what that means, if "Pink Flamingos" and "Hairspray" don`t ring a
bell, This Way Out`s STEVE PRIDE has comments by star EDWARD FURLONG,
a clip from the flick (featuring Furlong and LILI TAYLOR as the NYC
art dealer who discovers him), and a chat with Mr. Waters himself
to enlighten you.[Note: Sound Quality Issue - This is a dub of a dub.] CHASTITY BONO (TRT 08:50) - Program #567, distributed 02/08/99 - - CHASTITY BONO has written for the Advocate, sung in a rock band, and served as the Entertainment Media Director for GLAAD, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. Her new book, "Family Outing" (Little Brown Press) profiles her coming out story with several others. She talks with TWO`s STEVE PRIDE about coming out to her father Sonny at the age of 18, how her mother Cher learned the news a few months later (via Sonny), and how those events affected her subsequent relationship with each (intro music from "Chastity`s Song" by CHER; outro music from the "I Got You Babe" closing of a "Sonny & Cher" TV show). NEXT ON FOX: UNDERCOVER IN THE NIGHT! (TRT 05:05) - Program #565, distributed 01/25/99 - - Did you know that there are dangerous gay gangs roaming Los Angeles, that methamphetamines are given away free in New York`s queer sex clubs so that "patrons [can] have more sex for longer periods", or that Krazy Glue is commonly used in "bizarre procedures" by Miami transvestites, "who are neither gay nor lesbian"? The January 21, 1999 edition of the U.S. Fox TV network`s Fox Files featured a segment called "UNDERCOVER IN THE NIGHT", claiming to expose what the producers called a "gay underworld" of public drug- and alcohol-drenched unsafe deviant sex-addicted homosexual men, women and "sexually nomadic" transvestites. The program is being roundly condemned by activists, and is a sad reminder that sensationalism still sells. This Way Out`s STEVE PRIDE [with production assistance by CHRISTOPHER DAVID TRENTHAM] has excerpts from the broadcast [anchored by ARTHEL NEVILLE] and comments by WILLIAM HORN, Assistant Entertainment Media Director of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) (intro music from "We`re Here" from "The Ballad Of Little Mikey", written by Mark Savage and sung by MARK W. SMITH; outro music from the last verse of "Dirty Laundry" by DON HENLEY) QUENTIN
CRISP (TRT 08:35) - Program #564, distributed 01/18/99
- - There`s at least one gay male celebrity who has uniquely embodied
the stereotype, and in the process discovered that his vocation was
simply being himself. Professional bon vivant, occasional actor, and
author QUENTIN CRISP ("The Naked Civil Servant", "Resident Alien",
"How To Have A Lifestyle") just turned 90 on Christmas Day. He talks
with TWO`s STEVE PRIDE about growing up queer and living to tell about
it (intro/outro music from "An Englishman In New York" by STING). DEAR JESSE (TRT 08:25) - Program #563, distributed 01/11/99 - - "DEAR JESSE", a documentary that’s been a favorite at a number of gay and lesbian film festivals in the past several months, is making its debutt this month on the Cinemax TV cable channel. It’s subject JESSE HELMS, has served in the U.S. Senate since 1972, where his ignorant diatribes against everything from abortion to AIDS to arts funding and homosexuality have made him an icon of the far right. In a thought-provoking "letter" to his hometown Republican senator, gay filmmaker TIM KIRKMAN paints a portrait of Helms through interviews with family, friends and acquaintances whose lives have been affected by their elected representative. This Way Out’s STEVE PRIDE talks with Kirkman about his film, and provides a few preview clips. GODS
AND MONSTERS (TRT 12:25) - Program #559, distributed 12/14/98
- - The earliest honors of the 1998 U.S. movie awards season have
been announced, and a fictionalized account of the last days pf the
late openly gay director James Whale, starring openly gay Sir Ian
McKellen, is a surprise big winner. "GODS AND MONSTERS"
is the Best Film of the year according to the New York based National
Board of Review of Motion Pictures, and McKellen was named Best
Actor by both the NBR and the Los Angeles Film Critics Association.
This Way Out’s STEVE PRIDE has some scenes from "GODS AND
MOSTERS" featuring McKellen, Brendan Fraser and Lynn Redgrave,
and talks with writer-director Bill Condon about his movie and the
man behind the classic "Frankenstein" movies.[Note: Sound
Quality Issue - This is a dub of a dub.] WILL
& GRACE (TRT 05:45) - Program #558, distributed 12/07/98
- - The NBC sitcom with its gay lead character ("Will")
and predominantly featured supporting character("Jack"),
is one of the few new series of the current TV season to enjoy both
critical praise and audience popularity. Can it fill the lesbigay
void left by the cancellation of "Ellen" – or should
it even try? We sent TWO’s STEVE PRIDE to the set of the show
to discuss all that with Sean P. Hayes ("Jack") and executive
producers Davis Kohan & Max Mutchnick (also includes a scene from
an early episode of the show featureing Hayes and Eric McCornack as
"Will"). LOVE
IS THE DEVIL (TRT 07:00) - Program #555, distributed 11/16/98
- - Derick Jacobi and Daniel Craig sizzle as famed gay painter Francis
Bacon and his suicidal boyfriend George Dyer in the award winning
"Love is the Devil". STEVE PRIDE has some scenes from the
film and chats with director John Maybury.[Note: Sound Quality Issue
- This is a dub of a dub.] KATE CLINTON (TRT 07:40) - Program #548, distributed 09/28/98 - - Performing, agitating, and now promoting her new book "Don’t Get Me Started", it’s hard to imagine that "fumorist" Kate Clinton ever stops. But "the other Clinton" – America’s "first lesbian" of feminist humor – does pause long enough to play some free association chapter name games with This Way Out’s STEVE PRIDE. HIGH
ART (TRT 05:35) - Program #546, distributed 09/14/98 -
- This year’s Sundance Film Festival bestowed its Waldo Salt
Screenwriting Award on a lesbian-themed feature that has much more
going on for it than its subsequent top billing at several major lesbigay
film festivals and the surprise casting of a former "Brat Pack"
teen star. The sometimes discomforting combination of drug abuse and
lesbian passion portrayed in Lisa Cholodenko’s "HIGH ART"
(distributed by October Films) generated mixed feelings, but ultimately
high praise, from This Way Out’s STEVE PRIDE, who has a review,
clips from the film and comments from stars Ally Sheedy & Radha
Mitchell. [Note: Sound Quality Issue - This is a dub of a dub.] BILLY`S
HOLLYWOOD SCREEN KISS (TRT 13:50) - Program #541, distributed
08/10/98 - - "BILLY`S HOLLYWOOD SCREEN KISS" has in the past few months
gone from Sundance Film Festival standout to a glitzy Tri-Mark Pictures
premiere in late July at the venerable Mann`s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood
-- the first gay-themed film to debut at that hallowed venue -- simultaneously
catapulting writer/director Tommy O'Haver from relative obscurity
to Tinseltown`s A-list. This Way Out`s STEVE PRIDE uses some entertaining
audio clips from the film to illustrate his review, Sean P. Hayes
(who portrays the title character) discusses the casting process and
his "butt-ugly" co-star Brad Rowe, and O`Haver talks about the many
challenges he faced in the filmmaking process (also includes music
from the movie soundtrack). NEVER
MET PICASSO (TRT 05:55) - Program #537, distributed 07/13/98
- - Writer/Director Stephen Kuak`s "NEVER MET PICASSO" (Turbulant
Arts), the toast of several lesbigay film festivals in the past several
months, centers on the relationship between creativity and queer lifestyles
-- and much more. This Way Out’s STEVE PRIDE did meet Kuak,
along with one of the film’s stars, MARGOT KIDDER, and provides
their comments, audio excerpts from the movie (featuring Kidder, ALEXIS
ARQUETTE, ALVIN EPSTEIN, and GEORGIA RAGSDALE), and his own analysis
[Note: Sound Quality Issue - This is a dub of a dub.] THE OPPOSITE OF SEX (TRT 06:20) - Program #533, distributed 06/15/98 - - One of the latest mainstream movies with lesbigay content to hit U.S. movie screens is writer/director Don Roos` "THE OPPOSITE OF SEX", which critics have generally greeted favorably. This Way Out’s STEVE PRIDE has his own observations about -- and clips from -- this dark screwball comedy, and comments from some of the lead actors (Christina Ricci, Martin Donovan and Johnny Galecki). WILDE
(TRT 10:20) - Program #529, distributed 05/18/98 - - Even
if it`s an "Oscar"-worthy role, not every actor would leap at the
chance to play the century`s most celebrated "sodomite," but, as This
Way Out`s STEVE PRIDE discovered, Stephen Fry, the star of the latest
screen incarnation of "Wilde", really relished playing the supremely-witty
title character. The noted actor discusses his and the audience`s
possible discomfort over the sex scenes in the movie (although for
different reasons), and sadly reflects on how Victorian attitudes
persist a hundred years after Wilde was imprisoned. [Note: Sound Quality
Issue - This is a dub of a dub.]. PATRICIA NELL WARREN (TRT 04:30) - Program #526, distributed 04/27/98 - - If there`s one book that left a powerful impression on the entire 70s generation of gays and lesbians, it`s Patricia Nell Warren`s "The Front Runner". For a new generation, Warren`s recently published "Billy`s Boy" is the second sequel (following "Harlan`s Race") to that landmark 1974 novel. This Way Out’s STEVE PRIDE visited with the author and queer youth advocate to discover the roots of her literary and athletic pursuits, and why she had teen consultants insure the youthful authenticity of "Billy`s Boy". Warren`s Wildcat Press compatriots Barbara Brown and Jacqueline Londé also comment on the indelible mark "The Front Runner" series has left on lesbigay literature (intro/outro music from Vangelis` "Chariots of Fire" theme, performed by JOHN WILLIAMS & THE BOSTON POPS ORCHESTRA). WISECRACKER: WILLIA HAINES (TRT 09:30) - Program #524, distributed 04/13/98 - - When the Roaring 20s crashed into the repressive 30s, the door slammed shut on Hollywood’s notorious sexual permissiveness -- and that slammed the closet doors shut as well. With his new biography called "Wisecracker", WILLIAM J. MANN introduces us to William Haines, a top MGM box office star who for a time surpassed Clark Gable and other contemporaries in popularity, but who was driven from the screen because he refused to "play it straight". With comments by author Mann and brief clips from Haines` movies, This Way Out`s STEVE PRIDE profiles the resilient life of this newly re-discovered late 1920s/early `30s-era movie star, and how he dealt with a devastating dilemma: being forced to choose between an exceedingly-successful film career and the love of his life (intro music from "That`s Entertainment", and outro music from "They Can`t Take That Away From Me", both performed by MICHAEL FEINSTEIN)
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Alabama"
and the queer film favorite "Latter Days") is called "KISS
THE BRIDE," and it will soon be heading down the aisle to a theater
near you. It's about Matt (Philipp Karner), a gay man who gets a wedding
invitation from his former high school boyfriend Ryan (James O'Shea).
When he discovers that the "Alex" his ex-flame is marrying
is an actual woman (Tori Spelling), Matt decides to attend the ceremony
and bring Ryan to his senses. Matt is instead forced to confront a
past he thought he had left behind, and feelings he thought were long
gone. STEVE PRIDE talks with the director (C. JAY COX), the bride
(TORI SPELLING), and the boys (PHILIPP KARNER and JAMES O'SHEA) to
find out if this marriage was made in cinematic heaven - or at least
has a solid prenup.
WORKOUT
- distributed 04/14/08 - - JESSE BRUNE, co-star
of U.S. cable television channel BRAVO's lesbian-led docudrama reality
show "WORKOUT," is a professional chef, personal trainer,
out gay man, and self proclaimed "happy living expert."
As the show launches its third season, This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE
chats with Jesse about weight issues, masculinity, celebrity, and
the sudden death of fellow gay trainer Doug Blasdell during the show's
previous season (with clips from the show) .
LOGO'S
JASON BELINI - distributed 11/13/06 - - From
1998 to 2005, JASON BELLINI worked as a field producer for CNN International.
He was in Kosovo to cover the NATO air strikes against Yugoslavia.
In New York City he spent months covering the aftermath of the September
11th terrorist attacks, then traveled to Central Asia to report on
the story from Afghanistan. He covered the Kashmir conflict from India
and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from the Holy Land. In 2003,
as one of CNN's 18 embedded journalists during "Operation Iraqi
Freedom," Bellini reported, often from the frontlines, from his
position with the U.S. Marines. But in 2005 Jason Bellini's career
took a sharp gay turn when he became the lead anchor for CBS News
on LOGO, the LGBT Cable Channel. The reporter becomes the subject
as This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE chats with Bellini about his journalistic
past, present and future [www.logoonline.com]..
INFAMOUS
- distributed 10/23/06 - - TRUMAN CAPOTE was the
author of the acclaimed first novel "Other Voices, Other Rooms"
and the novella "Breakfast at Tiffany's." But by any measure
Capote's 1966 nonfiction novel "In Cold Blood," a chilling
account of the senseless, brutal murder of a Kansas family, was his
finest work. Last year critics and Academy voters alike went wild
for "Capote," a film about the six-month period Truman Capote
spent writing his groundbreaking book. Now another film, "INFAMOUS,"
shot at roughly the same time, covering roughly the same period, is
arriving on movie screens and receiving much the same praise. What
was it about this diminutive gay man that made him big enough for
two movies? This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE searches for "the truth
about Tru" with "Infamous" with writer/director DOUGLAS
McGRATH and stars TOBY JONES and SANDRA BULLOCK (includes clips from
the film, and music from the soundtrack performed by GWYNETH PALTROW
and DANIEL CRAIG) [www.infamousmovie.com].
WTC
VIEW - distributed 09/11/06 - - The last
thing BRIAN SLOAN did on the evening of September 10th, 2001 was place
an online ad for a roommate in the "Village Voice." Stranger
than fiction, on the 12th he had a number of people calling who wanted
to look at his apartment, even though few could get downtown to see
it. This real life situation served as the jumping off point for his
first full-length play, "WTC VIEW," which later became a
movie, which became a favorite on the LGBT film festival circuit,
and which is now being released on DVD and screening on U.S. cable's
LOGO channel. "This Way Out's" STEVE PRIDE has preview clips,
and chats with Sloan -- also the author of "A "Really Fine
Prom Mess," "A Tale Of Two Summers" and the writer/director
of "I Think I Do" -- about his many "views" of
life after 9/11 (with music from the soundtrack, "Nicole,"
performed by TODD ALMOND and BILLY ALLETZHAUSER) [www.BrianSloan.com].
tensions
of a Latino neighborhood in transition. Magdalena (Emily Rios) is
the daughter of a Mexican-American family who runs a storefront church
in the ECHO PARK enclave of Los Angeles. With her fifteenth birthday
approaching, all she can think about is her boyfriend, her Quinceañera
dress, and the Hummer Limo she hopes will carry her on her special
day. But a few months before the celebration, Magdalena becomes pregnant.
Forced out of her home, she moves in with great-great uncle Tomas
(Chalo Gonzalez), an old man who makes his living selling champurrado
(a Mexican hot drink) in the street. Already living with him is Carlos
(Jesse Garcia), Magdalena's cousin, a tough cholo who was thrown out
by his parents for being gay. The back house rental where Tomas has
lived happily for many years is on a property recently purchased by
an affluent white gay couple, pioneers of gentrification in the neighborhood.
Worlds inevitably collide. This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE chats with out
gay filmmakers and life partners RICHARD GLATZER ("Grief,"
"America's Next Top Model") and WASH WESTMORELAND ("Gay
Republicans," "VH1 Totally Gay," "The Hole")
about their first movie together since "The Fluffer," and
with actor JESSE GARCIA ("Carlos") (with clips from the
film and music from the soundtrack including the title cut performed
by THE MULTI MUSIC STARS) [www.quinceaneramovie.com]. 
A
GIRL LIKE ME - distributed 06/26/06 - - "A
GIRL LIKE ME: THE GWEN ARAUJO STORY" recently began a run on
North America's Lifetime cable channel. This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE
says it's a very special movie, starring relative newcomer J.D. PARDO
as Gwen and Academy Award-winning actress MERCEDES RUEHL as her mother
Sylvia (with clips from the film and a narrative of Gwen's story by
Executive Producer GLORIA ALLRED, who also served as Sylvia's attorney
during the two murder trials and is the author of a new book, "Fight
Back and Win: My Thirty Year Fight Against Injustice and How You Can
Win Your Own Battles"; and intro/outro music from "If I
Should Die Tonight" by SAFFIRE, from her album "Ain't Gonna
Hush"). 
GAY
SEX IN THE 70'S - distributed 11/21/05 - - Between
the Stonewall Riots in 1969 and the first cases of AIDS in 1981, there
was a dozen years of unparalleled gay liberation in New York City
that included a sexual free-for-all among gay men. Sex was everywhere,
occurring openly in bars, bathhouses, parks, and piers. GAY SEX IN
THE 70's, a new documentary that chronicles gay culture in New York
City during this period, captures the stories of people who were there
and the fading memories of the sexual side of a sexual revolution.
Steve Pride spoke with producer director Joseph Lovett about the film,
the 1970's, sex and the city. 
IN
PURSUIT OF EQUALITY
D.E.B.S.
WALK
ON WATER
NAKED
FAME (TRT 07:40) - Program #884, distributed 3/7/05
- - When a middle-aged singer/songwriter gets famously naked, can
he ever shed that image, and don the hat -- and other clothing --
of a musician? Gay porn superstar COLTON FORD answers that question
under the glare of documentary cameras in the new film "NAKED
FAME" (Here! Films). STEVE PRIDE met with Ford (at his gym) to
get the inside story from the "bi-professional" entertainer
(with a film clip and music by Ford). [www.coltonfordmusic.com]
TOM
DOLBY (TRT 08:05) - Program #844, distributed 05/31/04
- - "THE TROUBLE BOY" (Kensington Press) has appeared
on the "San Francisco Chronicle" bestseller list and garnered
positive reviews in gay magazines across North America. It tells the
story of Toby Griffin, a recent Ivy League graduate who has a world
famous parent, reports on NYC nightlife for a webzine and spends too
many nights amid the hip boy scene of lower Manhattan. First-time
author TOM DOLBY is an Ivy League graduate with a world famous parent,
edited a webzine dedicated to NYC nightlife and -- well, you get the
idea. STEVE PRIDE chats with Dolby about life, literature and the
distance in between [includes Dolby reading an excerpt from his book,
and with brief intro/outro music from "Downtown" by PETULA
CLARK] [www.tomdolby.com] 
MUSEUM
OF TELEVISION & RADIO
MONSTER
The
Misadventures of DENNIS HENSLEY (TRT 07:10) - Program
#785, distributed 04/14/03 - - DENNIS HENSLEY is a "Renaissance
Man" in the truest sense of the word: he's an "Everyman" who seems
to be everywhere doing everything. In 1998 he turned a column he was
writing for "Detour" magazine into the novel "Misadventures In The
(213)", which landed him on the "Los Angeles Times" bestseller list.
Then came his debut as a singer/songwriter with his GLAMA nominated
CD "The Water's Fine" (from which "The Last Time" is briefly excerpted
here). Next he segued into filmmaking as co-writer, co-director and
co-star of the 13 minute film fest fave "Evie Harris: Shining Star".
Moving on to feature films, he co-wrote the screenplay for "Testosterone",
shot in Argentina with Antonio Sabato Jr., David Sutcliffe, Jennifer
Coolidge & Sonia Braga, and set for release in a few months. In
his dubious spare time Hensley has written "SCREENING PARTY", a new
novel from Alyson Publications that's been nominated for a Lambda
Book Award and turned into a Fluid Words audiobook featuring KATHY
GRIFFIN, ERIN QUILL, MARK SALZBERG and, of course, Dennis Hensley.
He makes his own Christmas cards and everyone who meets him claims
him as a best friend, including one of his newest, This Way Out's
STEVE PRIDE. [www.DennisHensley.com]
PARAGRAPH
175 (TRT 08:55) - Program #675, distributed 03/05/01 -
- Gay documentarians ROB EPSTEIN and JEFFREY FRIEDMAN have two Academy
Awards, multiple Emmy Awards, three Peabody Awards -- and a commitment
to stories not often told. Their latest offering, "PARAGRAPH 175",
is named for the nineteenth century German law prohibiting male homosexual
activity used by the Nazis during World War II, and enforced in both
East and West Germany until the late 1960s. The documentary has been
called "haunting", "heartening", "illuminating", and "brilliant".
This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE chats with filmmakers Epstein and Friedman
and shares some clips from the film. [www.tellingpix.com]
BOYS
LIFE 3 (TRT 08:25) - Program #663, distributed
12/11/00 - - Just reaching U.S. theaters, "Boys Life 3" is the latest
film in the record-breaking "Boys Life" collection of great gay short
subjects. This outing continues the series tradition of dealing cinematically
with coming out and the trials and tribulations of being gay. This
Way Out's STEVE PRIDE briefly reviews all 5 shorts and chats with
the gay men behind two of them: from "Just One Time", director/star
LANE JANGER (who also produced the feature films "I Like It Like That"
and the gay romantic comedy "I Think I Do") and his co-star GUILLERMO
DIAZ (previously seen in "Stonewall", "Nowhere", "Party Girl", and
"I Think I Do"); and from the Sarah Gilbert-starring "$30", director
GREGORY COOKE (remember the radio operator in "Titanic"?) and the
son of TV's favorite "Little House On The Prairie" dad Michael, screenwriter
CHRISTOPHER LANDON (probably best known for writing the screenplay
of "Another Day In Paradise") (with brief outro music from "Can't
Take My Eyes Off Of You" by JIMMY SOMERVILLE).
URBANIA
(TRT 06:40) - Program #653, distributed 10/02/00 - - Gay director
JON SHEAR's first film stars DAN FUTTERMAN (perhaps best known from
TV’s "Judging Amy" and as Robin Williams' screen
son in "The Birdcage") as a gay Everyman grieving over his ended relationship
and wading through a sea of strangers confronting their own urban
nightmares. This Way Out's STEVE PRIDE has several clips from the
movie and chats with Shear to get the story behind the stories in
"URBANIA" (not to be confused with openly-gay director John Ottman's
"Urban Legends: The Final Cut"). 
QUENTIN
CRISP (TRT 08:35) - Program #608, distributed 11/22/99
- - Professional bon vivant, occasional actor, and household-word
homosexual QUENTIN CRISP would have been 91 years old on Christmas
Day, but he passed away on November 20th in Manchester, England, where
he was set to launch a tour of his one-man show. The author of "The
Naked Civil Servant" was catapulted to fame by the Thames Television
production of his book -- as was its star, John Hurt -- and he remained
in the limelight after moving to New York City at the age of 74 and
writing other popular tomes, including "Resident Alien" and "How To
Have A Lifestyle". Crisp once said of his funeral arrangements, "Just
drop me into one of those black plastic bags and leave me by the trash
can" -- but we're going to do a bit more than that, as we revisit
STEVE PRIDE's conversation with him earlier this year, during which
the controversial Mr. Crisp discusses some of his life experiences
and his philosophy of life (intro/outro music from "An Englishman
In New York" by STING) [REPEAT BROADCAST]