The Burma Chronicles

This past weekend I went to the Brooklyn Book Fair, where I picked up the new Guy Delisle graphic novel/memoir, The Burma Chronicles, from amazing publishers Drawn & Quarterly. It's great so far... Delisle is an artist/animator who has worked and lived in some pretty fascinating/repressive Asian countries and cities, most notably Pyongyang, North Korea. His Pyongyang memoir, of working amongst brainwashed North Koreans, is an absolute must and ranks amongst my top ten graphic novels ever.

They also serve as a contrast as to how much more repressive a government and society can be.... but these days, when people actually think Palin is a super duper candidate to be a likely president, well, you see how shit like that happens. And we're maybe inching closer to those situations. Except we have the internet and cable TV.

L

Lies, Mary

Thanks for the lies, "Maverick!"

What the hell. McCain and his ilk toss out actual lies and nobody in his party seems to do anything about it. Republicans need to start taking McCain and Palin to task as Democrats did Hillary when she talked crazy (the Bosnia thing). How can you respect your party when its leaders do this crap? Kick them to the curb, Republicans! Stop them from hoping Americans are too stupid to question this crap. It's insulting.

If you want me to respect the Republican party again, and consider voting Republican for that matter, then kick these shitheads TO THE CURB and CALL THEM ON THEIR SHIT.

L

Women Against Palin

She looks like Liz Lemon, and Hillary Clinton (or any other progressive, globally-aware/traveled) she isn't, a fact women are now voicing on a blog.

Thank you, women!

Meanwhile, please someone explain to me how having someone smarter, better-traveled, more intuitive, sage, and talented at leadership in public/government office is a BAD thing?

I'm waiting to overhear someone saying "Me as be am like Palin McCain, as they be us! Me was want us am be!"

L

Return of the Differently Abled 80s Videos pt. 2

OK, I love the 80s band Blue Zoo, seen here performing on Top of the Pops.

Watch the lead singer: Jake Shears meets Limahl. Or is it just me?

L

Return of the Differently Abled 80s Videos

Back in 1988, while shopping a record store in New Haven as I recall, I found a bunch of UK 7" singles. One was by a group called Personal Column, "Strictly Confidential." I like it. Total 80s pop. After doing a google to try and find the song again - since that 7" is missing - I found a fabulous website devoted to the band with a whole bunch of free songs to download, including "Strictly Confidential." To boot, I found a music video for it on YouTube. And boy, is it RIDICULOUS. Shall I count the ways? I might have to.

Meanwhile, go and lap up that fantastic, all-too-obscure UK 80s pop from Personal Column!

L

A Musical Break

L

McCain's Speech Fact Checked

Gosh, what a surprise that McCain's speech was riddled with lies, misinformation, misleading statements...

And the Repubs throw tantrums about the "liberal media" when this sort of thing gets brought to light.

My bile is rising.

L

Palin Fact Check

Some fact checks re: Palin's speech from Yahoo.

Please, people, check the facts. So far The Daily Show has been doing a good job catching the Republicans (and everyone else) when they make a hypocritical statement. Watch it!

L

Prop 8

Palin

I have had some conversations today with women, most of whom really liked Palin's speech last night - how she was on the attack and stood up. So, I asked, what do you think of her record in office and her stances on issues like guns, the environment, a woman's right to choose?

They didn't know anything about that.

A commentary by CNN's Hilary Rosen sums things up well for those who want to know Palin, the politician and what she will stand for, a little better.

Everyone should read it. Everyone!

L
PS - For the record, it sucks that McCain didn't choose a more progressive female VP. Then we'd have an exciting election and choice to think on. Now we just have another divisive culture war.

Sobering

Words from Michael Moore's blog about the whole Palin shebang - which you would think keeps getting "worse," what with the daughter being pregnant, a drinker, etc. - but only seems to make Americans love Palin more:

But before everyone gets all smug and self-righteous about the Palin selection, remember where you live. You live in a nation of gun owners and hunters. You live in a country where one out of three girls get pregnant before they are 20. You live in a nation of C students. Knocking Bush for being a C student only endeared him to the nation of C students. Knock Palin for having kids, for having a kid who's having a baby, for anything that is part of her normalness -- a normalness that looks very familiar to so many millions of Americans -- well, you do this at your own peril. Assuming she's still on the ticket two weeks from now, she will be a much tougher opponent than anyone expects. You live in a country that voted for Dan Quayle.

I'm so depressed.

Feeling French

Last night, for lack of anything to watch, I put on some music videos by Mylene Farmer, a sort of French Madonna/Kylie I have been into since 1993 or so, when I first heard her music in Paris. Watching this video, by director Luc Besson (and the Michael Jackson killed by a cross bit is so random!), I had a sort of flood of nostalgia. Back in the 1990s I became smitten with France, I was so attracted by its culture, men, food, film, the list goes on. I befriended any French transfer student I could at my college (which I had just graduated but had many friends still attending). Alas, now France is so expensive I haven't been back in about 3-4 years, plus my travel obsessions have taken me to Asia and other parts of the world. I don't go so crazy for France anymore, but in another life, coulda worked out well.

Funny enough, Mylene lived in NYC for a spell, and bathed in anonymity. She used to go to Moby's Teany shop. I spotted her once uptown in a restaurant but thought I was crazy: "what would Mylene be doing here???" Darn.

L

Religulous

I saw an advance screening of Bill Maher's RELIGULOUS tonight.

He's going to be in a loooottttt of trouble when it comes out.

And everyone should see it. It's almost too snarky in places, in fact it is (it's basically Borat meets Michael Moore), and unfair with the editing, but Bill really does challenge the folks he meets and his thesis - that organized religion leads intelligent people into illogical and dangerous/hateful behavior and decisions - is hard to argue with.

I'll be interviewing Bill next month and can't wait. There's a section of the film that addresses ex-gays....

L

Another Gay Sequel: The Clap!

Another Gay Sequel opens soon, and this music video from Perez Hilton - "The Clap" - is pretty darned funny (and looks great!). Perez has a role in the film, which is uber-outrageous. Meanwhile, check out his video!

L

BearCity in Philly!

The BearCity staged reading went over very well at the Philadelphia International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. Amazing to think it will be an actual film playing the festival a year from now (updates to that end soon!)...

Here is a link to photos from the reading, shot by Gail Kamenish.

Thanks again to the wonderful cast, stage director Fritz Brekeller, and everyone at PIGLFF and TLA!

L

Sex and the Sh*tty

My friends and I have been obsessed with this absurd commercial for a few years now. Clearly they were going for "Sex and the City," yet the dialogue is completely unfunny, not witty, so low rent. I picture the actors sitting around between shots going, "oh my god, you know, we're all so good we could totally be like another Sex and the City. Someone needs to do another show like that with US!" And then they fought over who gets to be Carrie, etc. This is some seriously funny/tragic low-rent stuff, and you have to watch it 100 times and quote every line. Look at how the "Charlotte" girl is going to America West air! And they are all sharing a single salad! Not even salads for all of them. Oh - and for the record, the car service ain't anything special. I recently was in a cab and we were being held up by a bad Carmel driver in front of us, the driver dangling his cigarette out the window as he smoked.

Amazing!

L

A Postcard from David Sedaris

I received a postcard today from David Sedaris. I interviewed him last month, and as always it was a delightful, funny chat. That I made him laugh hysterically imbued me with a sense of pride. I won't post what he wrote in the postcard, except to say it was pretty funny, too.

The interview I conducted is appearing in various edits across the country, amongst them NYC's HX and Chicago's Windy City Times, the latter of which is essentially uncut from my draft. Enjoy!

L

My Provincetown Story...

Last week/end I attended the Provincetown International Film Festival in Ptown, Mass. Wow is all i can say about this gorgeous resort town. OK, I can say more than just wow and in fact did on the Advocate's blog, Advocate Insider. Here's the story!

L
PS - Yes, that's Tarantino I photographed...

BearCity - the Movie

OK, the image you see here is the first logo/graphic for BearCity, a feature film in development with TLA Releasing. It's a romantic comedy set in NYC's Bear scene - think "Sex and the City" with fur!

I have co-written, and will be co-directing, the script with Doug Langway (Raising Heroes), and we are staging a public reading at the Philadelphia International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival on July 19th. Do check out the full PIGLFF program at www.phillyfests.com starting Monday, June 23rd.

Our Facebook fan page is up - please do join us!

Incidentally, we are currently holding auditions, so if you're a cub/bear/musclebear, or a boyish twink type who looks around 20 years old, drop a line to bearcity@sharpleft.com.

L

KL-O-Rama (and Borneo)

I'm back from Kuala Lumpur and Borneo... quite a trip. Here's a tiny taste!

L