Movies: It's a Gay, Gay, Gay, Gay Weekend

NATHANIEL ROGERS

Nathaniel Rogers would live inside a movie theater but for the poor internet reception. He blogs daily at the Film Experience.

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When it rains, it pours. After months of gay-free movies, this weekend is curiously homo-saturated: Outfest began in Los Angeles, QFest began in Philadelphia and at least three of the week's new releases are touched by the gay.  I Love You, Beth Cooper, a new high school "comedy" -- that's in quotes because it sure ain't funny -- has a totally obnoxious running gag about whether or not the hero's best friend is gay. And the weekend has two highly discussable homo-adjacent movies. The big wide hyped release is of course Brüno, Sacha Baron Cohen's satire of homophobia or Sacha Baron Cohen's gay minstrel act depending on where your sense of humor lies. Brüno's gotten a lot of play here at Towleroad, with presumably more to come. Also worthy of discussion is the micro-indie Humpday, the story of straight best friends who decide to have sex for an "art project".

MORE after the jump

News: The P Word, Mrs. Furley, A Daytime Outing & "The" Funeral

A sandstorm that's injured many and stymied travel in Iraq may actually be the largest in modern history—it's even visible from space.

Perez Hilton is The Advocate's latest coverboy. The print edition was put to bed prior to his will.i.am "faggot" incident, but the online version of Benoit Denizet-Lewis's article contains updates, such as this nugget: "I thought about calling him the n word, but I thought the f word was even worse. I was so filled with hate at that moment because I was hated on so much, and I reacted in the worst way possible." The article is certainly no puff piece, but it takes the Perez phenomenon seriously.

According to records, Sarah Palin called Dick Cheney, Rudy Giuliani and Charlie Crist in the weeks before shocking everyone—even her own father-in-law—by announcing she was up and quitting.

Jackie O...Oh, Oh, Oh! Did President Kennedy's wife have an affair with his Attorney General brother, Bobby?

Too Much Time at the Regal Beagle: Three's Company alum Joyce DeWitt ("Janet"), 60, busted for DUI. Mug shot completes transformation into "Mr. Furley."

Margaret Cho's Web site gets a makeover.

Looks like today's the day on The Young & the Restless that "Phillip," played by openly gay (and openly hot) actor Thom Bierdz, comes out of the closet.

Michael Jackson's memorial in L.A. today (following last night's private service and an early-morning internment at the secretive Forest Lawn in the Hollywood Hills) is set to feature performances by Mariah Carey, Jennifer Hudson, Queen Latifah and Stevie Wonder, with appearances by Martin Luther King III, Brooke Shields and a host of others, including Shaheen Jafargholi...an adorable Britain's Got Talent contestant who's about 12 and fits the profile. Not going? Debbie Rowe, who doesn't want her attendance to "be an unnecessary distraction to an event that should focus exclusively on Michael's legacy."

The oddest photo of Michael Jackson ever to be published.

Eating Out 3: All You Can Eat is the surprise screening at Philadelphia's QFest on Sunday, July 19, at 7 p.m. The film continues the series' theme of sexual deception and stars Rebekah Kochan, Mink Stole, Leslie Jordan and six openly gay actors in lead roles. (Cast and crew pictured at left.)

Could the Boies-Olson Prop 8 lawsuit judge be gay? If so...does it matter?

Veteran actress Penny Fuller is perhaps best known for her turn as Eve Harrington on Broadway in Applause, but she was also in the original 1963 production of Neil Simon's Barefoot in the Park. She will join cast members of Ground UP Productions' intimate, Off Broadway revival of Barefoot in the Park after the Saturday, July 11, 8 p.m. show for a "Barefoot Flashback." If you've never attended this kind of thing with original stars, I always find them to be highly entertaining. Tickets are $25.

News: Dancing with the Gays, Caffeine Fix & a "Racebook" Scandal

Out.com launches Web series Show and Tell, featuring Bruno Tonioli, Robert Gant, Marissa Jaret Winokur, Lady Bunny and Chad Allen in short, instructional dance vignettes that end with same-sex professionals demonstrating proper technique. What would Nigel Lythgoe say? (Oh, right—nobody cares.)

The marriage-equality flag attracts some stars.

 Horrors! Is the horror community more accepting of zombies than of its gay roots and gay fans?

Filmmaker Ken Russell's favorite gay-friendly films of all time are his own—The Music Lovers, Women in Love and The Rainbow. His other picks are as diversified as Longtime Companion and Flawless (!).

Might caffeine slow the progress of—or even reverse—Alzheimer's?

President Obama is on track to be "the most successful Oval Office occupant in more than half a century when measured by his ability to get Congress to vote his way." How 'bout sprinkling some of that fairy dust on gay issues? Meanwhile, he can't see Russia from his house, but he's seeing eye to eye with President Medvedev.

 Get a $10 discount if you mention Towleroad at the box office of Ari Gold's brand-new show The Making of a Gay Pop Star tonight at 7 p.m. at Dixon Place, 161 Chrystie Street, New York City. Offer good in person and with cash only.

Audra Shay, vice chairperson of the Young Republicans and in the running to be its chairman soon, has a Facebook page that attracts racist goons. Perhaps unsurprisingly, she allowed the hate speech to happen unabated and even replied, "You tell em Eric! lol" to one poster who said we "need to take this country back from all these mad coons.......and illegals." Screengrabs and more context at the Daily Beast.

Movies: Public Enemies, Johnny Depp and Bette Davis

NATHANIEL ROGERS

Nathaniel Rogers would live inside a movie theater but for the poor internet reception. He blogs daily at the Film Experience.

It’s Fourth of July weekend at the movies. What better way to celebrate than with that most patriotic of film genres: the gangster movie. I kid, but it’s definitely true that disreputable types that you would never ever want to associate with in real life have never gone out of style as film heroes. Perhaps it’s the abstracting distance of reel life that makes them attractive?

TAKE ONE: Now Playing

Michael Mann, one of Hollywood’s most relentlessly masculine auteurs, has always been drawn to violent men. He brought us Hannibal Lecter’s debut in Manhunter (1986), colonial savagery in The Last of the Mohicans (1992), corporate thuggery in The Insider (1999) and the gun play of Miami Vice (2006) …it’s what he does. His new film PUBLIC ENEMIES, recounts the last year of John Dillinger’s life as a notorious bank robber during the Great Depression. It begins with a huge title card stating "1933". Not for Mann, any fears about today's audiences not (generally) flocking to period dramas. But with one of the most dependable superstars in the world headlining, why worry?

Johnny Depp plays this  "Public Enemy #1", and Mann surrounds the star with a huge cast of fine character actors as well as other dangerous famous beauties like Christian Bale, Billy Crudup, Stephen Dorff, Marion Cotillard and even Channing Tatum as "Pretty Boy Floyd". Don’t get excited about the latter… he isn’t long for this film’s world.

 Bang Bang. My Baby Bale shot him down.

Aside from the title card, costumes and the recurring use of the classic "Bye Bye Black Bird" song, there's not much that feels period about Public Enemies. Mann's swift footed digital camera work is jarring at first but once you’ve adapted, it reveals its own distinct harsh beauty, lending the film a strangely modern feel. Plus the antihero (and also Johnny Depp) hold timeless appeal.

MORE, AFTER THE JUMP...
...on Public Enemies, new lesbian films, gay superheroes and the enduring appeal of Bette Davis

School Principal Under Fire for Suggestive Bruno Football Shoot

A photo shoot for GQ in which Sacha Baron Cohen's Bruno played football with a Birmingham High School team while wearing shoulder pads and a glittery cup has landed the principal of that L.A.-area school in trouble:

"While parental consent was granted for the April 16 photo shoot, LAUSD Schools chief Ramon Cortines said the forms lacked 'specificity' about the nature of the photos. Cortines said 'appropriate personnel action' would be taken against Birmingham's principal, Marsha Coates, and athletic director, Richard Prizant. But he said personnel matters were confidential and he could not specify the disciplinary actions. 'Rules were broken. The principal is ultimately responsible, but I also hold accountable the athletic director, who is also the school's filming coordinator and was present when the pictures were taken,' Cortines said. 'I also want parents to know that this district will allow no one to take advantage of our students.' District officials said they did not know if Birmingham students will also appear in the "Bruno" film, due out July 10."

In related news. Movieline is reporting that the original ending of Bruno (cut from the final version) was a gay bashing played for laughs.

Conan O'Brien Gets a Whiff of Bruno's Kugelsack

 

Bruno made an appearance on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien last night. He also arrived at Grauman's Chinese Theater for the premiere last night in a disco tank. Seems like all the promotion is wearing thin (though I know for some of you it ran thin a long time ago).

A portion of the movie in which LaToya Jackson is duped by Bruno was cut for the premiere out of respect for the Jackson family. It's not known whether that scene will be cut or not for the American release on July 10.

Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...