Wednesday, August 14, 2013 at 8:00AM If you haven't yet seen All That Jazz (1979) or haven't yet loved it -- you better stop and change your ways, daddy! Joe Gideon deserves the kind of hallowed cinema rep that Michael Corleone and Charles Foster Kane enjoy.
Live this truth. Carry it with you today.
Friday, August 2, 2013 at 1:28PM 
Guess who's strapping in for another Oscar night adventure? Ellen Degeneres that's who! Just announced: the comedienne and talkshow host will do her second solo gig as Oscar Host this coming March 2nd, 2014. She first hosted, as you'll recall, for the 2006/2007 Oscar ceremony which saw The Departed crowned Best Picture.
I'm glad Ellen is back for round two. You?
Since we all know Ellen loves to dance I hope there's either a Mary Poppins/Saving Mr Banks inspired "Steppin' Time" number in which various movies are represented -- you know how that song keeps changing to mirror whatever it's celebratin' -- or she does a group dance with the cast of American Hustle since they're already getting their boogie on.
Any other proposals as to what Ellen should do on Oscar night?
Tuesday, July 23, 2013 at 7:18PM Andrew here with a eulogy. Nathaniel just can't.
You have heard by now that ABC Family has officially pulled the plug on the comedy musical series Bunheads. It’s been five months since the show aired the final episode of its first, and only season, ironically titled “Next”. Since then the network has failed to definitively address the issue of whether or not the show was done for good. The statement the network released Monday afternoon reads, thus:
“Bunheads is a wonderful series that we are very proud to have aired," ABC Family says in a statement. "The series had amazing storytelling, the most talented cast and a passionate and loyal fan base. Recognizing all of this, we took extra time to try and find ways to bring the series back for another season, but in the end it simply wasn’t possible. We wish the cast and crew the best in their future endeavors”
It’s difficult to speculate on the veracity of a claim like “we took extra time to try and find ways to bring the series back” but to the outside eye the line reeks of the disingenuous. [more...]
Monday, June 24, 2013 at 1:00PM Happy Gay Pride Week Everyone!
Dancin' Dan here to wish you all a Happy Gay Pride Month! When I think about the first gay person I ever saw on screen, I usually think of Rupert Everett in My Best Friend's Wedding, a performance I kind of love in a film that actually has a very gay sensibility. But just recently I realized that there was a much gayer mainstream Hollywood hit which came out the year before that Julia Roberts vehicle : The Birdcage.
Yes, in 1996, The Birdcage was a massive hit. It was also, oddly enough, a prestige comedy - based on a popular French play-turned hit crossover film, directed by Oscar winner Mike Nichols, starring Oscar nominee Robin Williams and Oscar winners Gene Hackman and Dianne Wiest (the cast, which also starred soon-to-be-Tony winner Nathan Lane, actually won the Best Ensemble SAG Award that year). It grossed over $100 million. And not only did a good percentage of the film take place in the titular drag club, its two main characters were gay. [more...]
Tuesday, April 16, 2013 at 7:55PM David here, with an interview from Private Romeo director Alan Brown on his latest film Five Dances, which opened this year's Fringe! Film Festival in London, a celebration of multiple queer films and artists.
Chip (Ryan Steele) and Theo (Reed Luplau)
‘I purposely wanted to test myself – I wanted to work in a freer environment. And it was terrifying - purposely so!’ Alan Brown laughs as he describes the genesis of his latest feature. Five Dances received its European premiere as the opening night of the third London Fringe! Film Festival, a volunteer-run festival that has quickly grown in stature since 2011.
Five Dances is Brown’s fourth feature, following the great success of his homo-Shakespeare adaptation Private Romeo, currently available to watch instantly on Netflix. Brown slides together dance and drama as he tells the story of Chip (Ryan Steele), a young dancer who’s moved from smalltown Kansas to the bright lights of New York and joins a small dance company rehearsing Anthony’s (Luke Murphy) new choreography. [more]
