Gay Best Friend: Brandon (Dan Byrd) in "Easy A" (2010)

a series by Christopher James looking at the 'Gay Best Friend' trope    

Where would gay boys be without their beards?Looking back in the past for this column, it can be very easy to think homophobia in mainstream pop culture is a thing of the 90s. Obviously, the news reflects a much more grim reality, especially when it comes to racism and transphobia. However, it wasn’t long ago that Proposition 8 passed in California in 2008, banning same sex marriage. Though it would be overturned, this gives a good barometer how LGBTQ+ people were far from the mainstream well into the millennium. Even in 2010, it wasn’t easy to be openly gay, no matter how many “It Gets Better” videos people watched or “No H8” photo shoots were done.

This fact is central to the inciting incident of the Will Gluck 2010 comedy Easy A. The high school comedy and sleeper hit launched the A-list career of Emma Stone. Yet it's actually Dan Bryd’s Brandon who sets the plot into motion...

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Showbiz History: Founding of the Academy and two Golden Globe nights

7 random things that happened on this day, January 11th, in showbiz history

Hattie McDaniel in her younger years. Not sure what year in this photo, though.

1911  Hattie McDaniel, then just 17 years-old, marries her first husband. She was already a performer, and worked in carnivals, minstrel shows, and radio before hitting the movies in the early 1930s. She famously became the first African-American to be nominated for or to win an Oscar. There is, finally, a biopic happening and it will star Raven Goodwin (The Station Agent, Being Mary Jane). 

1927 The creation of AMPAS came (arguably) on this day at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles...

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Red Carpet Lineup: The Entire Actress Decade !!!

Mandatory Red Carpet Lineup Poll!

 

survey hosting

 

In case you've forgotten about our Oscar doll fantasy (You haven't, right?) the whole DECADE collection is embedded after the jump along with stats about the entire decade of Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress. You know you want to click for more...  

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Zombieland: Double Tap

by Michael Frank

Zombieland: Double Tap doesn’t waste time telling you that you’re watching a zombie movie. The Columbia Pictures logo comes to life, fighting off multiple would-be enemies, leading to a Deadpool-esque opening credits sequence. It’s not new by any means, but it reminds you why you like zombie movies in the first place: they’re fun as hell. 

The rest of the film follows its opening: an enjoyable movie-going experience with a lack of plot, a lack of originality, yet just enough movie stars, inside jokes, and heart to make it worthwhile. Double Tap follows our leads from a decade earlier, Tallahassee (Woody Harrelson), Columbus (Jesse Eisenberg), Wichita (Emma Stone), and Little Rock (Abigail Breslin), as they traverse the new-look world that’s still full of zombies. The actors themselves have aged nicely as well, with Harrelson, Eisenberg, Stone, and Breslin all maintaining prolific and award-winning careers. If anything, they’re more likeable than they were 10 years ago, an difficult feat for a cast to pull off. They bring their full arsenal of charisma to their roles in Double Tap, giving generous performances to a film that cares more about its world than its characters...

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National Ice Cream Month is Sweet Torture.

by Nathaniel R

You put that ice cream in your mouth and you are in very very very big trouble.

You guys. I recently gave up dairy for health reasons [insert huge hangry sigh]. Well, "gave up" in this case means severely cut down. An occassional piece of cheese is allowed and I also have two pints of Nina West endorsed ice cream still in the freezer which I'm veeery slowly metering out as rewards for the good behavior of not eating ice cream. But really --what is good about not eating ice cream? NOTHING. NOTHING AT ALL. 

So after the jump let's celebrate ice cream at the movies...

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