More reviews of the freshly-premiered HBO Documentary Mapplethorpe: Look At The Pictures are coming in, and this one by Owen Gleiberman of BBC thoroughly discusses how the “beautiful and clear-eyed” documentary by Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey shows how the photographer Robert Mapplethorpe “turned obscenity into art.”

According to BBC:

Twenty-seven years ago, when Senator Jesse Helms took to the floor of the US Congress to denounce an exhibition of photographs by Robert Mapplethorpe, the dividing line in the culture war was clear. Those on the right found Mapplethorpe’s transgressive, S&M-flavoured imagery to be – in a word – obscene. Those on the left viewed it to be the cutting edge of free expression: a valid form of art. One of the most enticing aspects of Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures, Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato’s beautiful and clear-eyed documentary about the late art-world superstar, is that the movie, while it makes the case for Mapplethorpe as a fearless and important artist, never denies that a number of his photographs were obscene. They were scandalous, shocking, and illicit, with elements of pornography – a medium that Mapplethorpe had drawn on from his earliest days as an artist. The movie demonstrates that one of his central inspirations was to turn obscenity into art.

The battle over Mapplethorpe’s 1989 traveling exhibition was such a headline-grabbing standoff that to this day, the mere mention of his name in the US evokes that infamous controversy. The impulse behind Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures is to bring its subject out from that shadow by inviting us to experience the humanity that pulsated through even his most shocking images. And by letting us see that the shock value was just one arrow in his vast quiver. Mapplethorpe was a technical virtuoso who photographed flowers the same way he did men’s bodies and, especially, their sexual organs: by converting them, through the play of light and shadow, into eroticised sculptures of the natural world.

The film captures how all of this emerged from the man himself – a ‘50s suburban Catholic kid who grew up into a tall, wavy-haired glamourpuss who looked like Jon Bon Jovi as a skinny punk sheik. He moved into New York’s Chelsea Hotel, where he formed a bond with Patti Smith, and we see images of these two sexy wastrels united in their instinct for self-presentation – that is, their desire to be famous. Mapplethorpe may have looked like a high-cheekboned guttersnipe, but he was relentlessly ambitious, and we hear how this drove both his charming narcissism and his formal experiments. From gay-porn collages saturated with color, to Polaroids, and through classically framed images of the forbidden, he came up with ways to turn the most literal and superficial aspects of photography into a sleek new form of black-and-white pop. What Ansel Adams did for birch trees, Mapplethorpe did for latex bodysuits. His subject was the raw beauty of desire made flesh, only heightened by the primal power of fetishism.

Read the rest here!

The post BBC Review: ‘Beautiful and Clear-Eyed’ Mapplethorpe Documentary Shows How the Photographer ‘Turned Obscenity Into Art’ appeared first on World of Wonder.

Check out these photos of World of Wonder at the HBO Documentaries Sundance Film Festival! Last Friday, January 22, marked the world premiere of World of Wonder’s new HBO documentary Mapplethorpe: Look At The Pictures, co-directed by founders Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey at Sundance Film Festival!

And in case you missed some of the other photos, sashay over here and here!

World of a Wonder at the HBO Docs Sundance Party #MapplethorpeDoc #HBO #Documentary #Sundance #SundanceFilmFestival #HBODocs #WorldOfWonder @wowreport

A photo posted by @mapplethorpe_lookatthepictures on Jan 24, 2016 at 9:06pm PST

The post Photos of World of Wonder at the HBO Documentaries Sundance Film Festival Party! appeared first on World of Wonder.

Bill Horn
Michael Rourke
Alicia Keys
Ana Ortiz
China Kantner
Christine Lakin
Dean Jones
Dinah Manoff
Jenifer Lewis
Leiji Matsumoto
Mia Kirshner
Michael Trevino
The Honky Tonk Man

The post January 25: It’s YOUR Birthday, Bitch! appeared first on World of Wonder.

January 25, 1874– W. Somerset Maugham:

“At a dinner party one should eat wisely but not too well, & talk well but not too wisely.”

Maintaining the habit of writing for several hours each morning, Maugham produced 30 plays, 24 novels, & more than 100 magazine articles. With his cynical wit & straightforward style, he was more popular among masses than the literary set, & he always felt like an outsider to the establishment.

His best known novel is the semi-autobiographical Of Human Bondage (1915), which has never gone out of print since it was first published. The main female character in Of Human Bondage was actually based on a feckless young man who had humiliated Maugham over and over again in Paris and in London, breaking what there was of Maugham’s heart.

Born at the British Embassy in Paris, Maugham’s first language was French, and he was later teased for his bad English by his classmates. They also bullied him for being short, and Maugham developed a stammer that stayed with him his entire life.

When he was just 32 years old, Maugham had 4 plays running at the same time in London. When he turned 42 years old, he was world-famous, having produced 10 hit plays and ten bestselling novels. He was so prolific and successful that he became extremely wealthy from his books. Charming, cultivated and courtly, Maugham always dressed in tailored clothing of the highest order. He employed a chauffeur, cook & butler.

During WW1, he served with the Red Cross as an ambulance driver and the British Secret Intelligence. While driving an ambulance in Flanders he met 21 year old American Gerald Haxton, who became Maugham’s partner for the next 30 years. The couple traveled to India and Southeast Asia, experiences that are reflected in his Maugham’s books. They lived part-time on the island of Capri, a popular spot for gay men who pursued their artistic careers and one another.

Yet, somehow, Maugham carefully avoided homosexual themes and gay characters in his writing. Gay men of his generation lived in fear of the Oscar Wilde trial, which had taken place when Maugham was 21 years old. Haxton had been deported from England in 1919 after being caught having sex with a guy. In order to be together without risking jail, the men had to travel outside England. And travel they did.

“I was a 1/4 normal & 3/4 queer, but I tried to persuade myself it was the other way round. That was my greatest mistake.”

Knowing that being exposed as a gay man could ruin his chances of continued success; Maugham had a child with Syrie Wellcome, whose husband sued for divorce over their affair. He was already involved with Haxton and Maugham was reticent to actually marry Wellcome, who then tried to kill herself. They did end up get married shortly after her divorce in 1917. Syrie Maugham went on to become a very famous interior designer of high society clients. The couple had nothing in common in taste, temperament or sex.

She loved being “Mrs. Somerset Maugham,” but she eventually agreed to a divorce in 1929, finding her husband’s relationship with Haxton too tough to take. Syrie received the house in London and all its contents, a Rolls Royce, plus alimony and child support. Syrie never remarried and died in 1955. She was 76 years, and rich and famous when she left this world.

In the divorce, Maugham kept the couple’s 19th century villa on the French Riviera. While Maugham described the French Riviera as “a sunny place for shady people”, it was his home for most of the rest of his life, avoiding the taxes at home.

The villa was the scene of one of the greatest salons of the 1920s- 1930s. It was also the spot for all-male nude swim parties with plenty of cocaine and champagne. Guests were astonished at the degree of debauchery. I should have been there.

Maugham spent most of WW2 in Hollywood, where he worked writing scripts, becoming one of the first literary writers to make serious money from film adaptations.

Haxton lived with Maugham in California. But, he suffered from pneumonia and checked out from this life in 1944, at just 52 years old.

The grief stricken Maugham, in his 70s, took up with the much younger Alan Searle whom he had first met in 1928. A “rough trade” bloke, Searle had already been kept by older men. Friends described the difference between Haxton and Searle: “Gerald was vintage, Alan was vin ordinaire.” They had both been hired to be Maugham’s “secretary”, a charming euphemism of the times.

In 1962, Maugham sold a collection of 25 valuable paintings which had been purchased in his daughter Liza’s name as a valuable inheritance. Maugham was convinced that Liza only wanted money and property and Searle prevented Liza visiting her father during his final years. She sued her father for selling her paintings and won an enormous monetary judgment.

Maugham publicly disowned Liza, claiming she was not his biological daughter, since Syrie Maugham had been married to her former husband at the time of Liza’s birth. Maugham sued his daughter for the return of all the gifts he had ever given her. He then legally adopted Searle and changed his will making him the heir to his estate. Liza contested the will, won the case and had Searle’s adoption nullified by the French government. Searle encouraged Maugham to publish an additional volume of his memoirs, vilifying his former wife and daughter.

Maugham was shunned by even his best friends. His reputation was ruined, and he lived his last years tortured by guilt and remorse.

Maugham left this world in 1965, just weeks before his 92^nd birthday. He had been hospitalized in Nice after coming down with pneumonia. Searle stole the body and took it to the villa where he announced to the world that Maugham had passed away in his bed at home, avoiding the autopsy required by French law.

When Maugham’s will was read, it was revealed that Liza was to inherit the Villa, but not the contents. Reports in the press essentially outed Maugham after his death.

Searle still ended up with a fortune, the contents of the villa, Maugham’s manuscripts, and a lifetime of revenue from royalties. He lived out the rest of his life years wealthy and lonely, traveling from luxury hotel suite to luxury hotel suite with his own butler. He spent the money he had inherited on boys and clothes. On his deathbed in 1978, he confessed that he regretted having caused the trouble between Liza and her father. Liza lived a happy life, married well as a titled lady, the Baroness Glendevon. She died in 1996. In 2005, the villa was made into a luxury hotel.

Although Maugham’s highly acclaimed novels including Of Human Bondage, The Constant Wife (1927), and The Razor’s Edge (1944) made him the most famous & wealthiest author of his era, he never received the honor of a knighthood, probably because he was gay.

There are over 50 film and television adaptations of Maugham’s work, even into this new  21st century with the excellent The Painted Veil (2006), Being Julia (2004), Up At The Villa (2000). Try Of Human Bondage (1934) with Bette Davis or Rain (1932) with Joan Crawford.

The post #BornThisDay: Writer, W. Somerset Maugham appeared first on World of Wonder.

In 1983, wowlebrity Nelson Sullivan began videotaping his friends at clubs like Limelight, Danceteria, the Tunnel, the Pyramid Club, and Area. In addition to the clubs, he also recorded East Village art gallery opening, street protests, and parties in his own home, which was a Factory-esque meeting place for his burgeoning superstar friends like RuPaul, Lady Miss Kier, John Sex, and Dean Johnson. Upon his sudden death of a heart attack on July 4th, 1989, Michael Musto noted  “Thanks to his scrupulous attention, Nelson’s left behind a treasure trove of late-night videos that, even more than the Warhol diaries, trenchantly capture the party years in all their gleeful decadent fun.”

Over the years, interest in Nelson and his video collection has eponentially grown, through both the Internet and archival collections. You can find them in full at NelsonSullivan.tv and on YouTube at the 5 Ninth Ave Project.

Now, they’ve been indexed and sorted into categories, making searches for your favorite downtown superstar that much easier! Categories include: Club kids (“The Clubkids Spread Christmas Cheer”), CBGBs (“RuPaul at CBGBs 1985”), Larry Tee (“Th Opening Night of Love Machine”), Dee-Lite (“Dee-Lite at the World”), Lady Bunny (“Lady Bunny Needs Coke Money”), John Sex (“A Glamorous Cab Ride with John Sex”), and James St James (“Lis E Looks for James St James at the Limelight”)…

Check them all out here.

And watch a few BEYOND ICONIC moments he captured below.

From NelsonSullivan.com:

Beyond the confines of downtown New York Nelson Sullivan wasn’t particularly famous, but within its boundaries (from 14th Street to Houston Street and from 5th Avenue to Avenue D) everyone knew Nelson because almost every night he was going out and documenting his surroundings. During the last ten years of his life he shot over 1800 hours of tape, capturing himself and his friends in the glossy facade of Manhattan’s Downtown life that has been perpetuated in urban legend. Sullivan chronicled the rise and fall of many of his friends and peers including Michael Musto, RuPaul, Dean Johnson, Deee-lite, Ethyl Eichelberger, Sylvia Miles, Michael Alig and countless other denizens of a demimonde being ravaged by AIDS, heroin, and anomie. Nelson himself died tragically from a heart attack on July 4, 1989- only three days after quitting his full time to so that he could produce his own cable television show of his footage.

A prolific, yet relatively unknown videographer, Nelson Sullivan was a visionary. His revolutionary style is a combination of cinematic and in-camera editing techniques. Carrying the camera at arm’s length, he was able to gracefully move about his subjects, embracing them on tape. His technique is so fluid that viewers often see Nelson walk across the screen and wonder who’s pointing the camera. Nelson’s relationship with his audience is so synergetic at times as to simulate personal memory as opposed to dispense information.

Nelson Sullivan’s oeuvre is more than one man’s diary. It is a portrait of society’s misfits gathering to create something rich and strange from almost nothing and against all odds. Nelson knew he lived in interesting times, and he worked hard to capture more than a video freak-show. In addition to taping up-and-comers such as RuPaul and Michael Musto, Sullivan sought to tape New York’s outcasts, the wannabes, the has-beens, and the never-will-be’s. Whether his subjects were on the way up, or trapped in a downward spiral, Nelson strived to candidly capture life under the shadow of the Statue of Liberty. These videos were Sullivan’s labor of love; they provide a window to the past, and invite viewers to experience the lows and highs of an almost mythical era. It is the essence of the American dream, or as Nelson said, “The pravda of the matter.”

The post Nelson Sullivan’s Iconic Videos of ’80s Downtown New York – Now Arranged by Category! appeared first on World of Wonder.

The Four Weddings and a Funeral star took to social media to protest after being bumped down from first-class to economy. “AmericanAirlines HELP” she tweeted. “I paid for first class and they put me in tourist because of my dog that I pre-paid and booked for”

Twitter, of course, had something to say about THAT, because Heaven forfend that a CELEBRITY should share space with THE UNWASHED MASSES.

“1st world problems. Ugh,” one person wrote.
“God bless you for tolerating the peasants…” another person tweeted.

Here are some others:

Says E!

American Airlines’ pet policy states that up to seven pets, not including service animals, may travel on a domestic flight as a “carry-on” in the cabin of a plane if they meets certain age, size and health requirements and if they stay in its carrier under the seat in front of their owners’ for the duration of the flight.

MacDowell tweeted that she and her dog, a 7-pound rescue pooch named after actress Ava Gardner, were moved because the pet “couldn’t go under.” There is no seat in front of 1A.

After the dust had settled Andie tweeted:

(Photo: Pacific Coast News)

The post Andie McDowell Complains After Being Bumped from 1st Class to Coach – Twitter Responds in Twitter-Like Fashion appeared first on World of Wonder.

Hollywood and their whitewashing, amiright? In the past few years we’ve had to put up with Christian Bale as Moses, Benedict Cumberbatch as a villain of Indian descent in Star Trek: Out of Darkness, Russell Crowe as Noah, Jake Gyllenhaal as the Prince of Persia, Emma Stone as an Asian in Aloha, Rooney Mara playing the Native American Tiger Lily in Pan, Jennifer Lawrence as the decidedly non-white Katniss Everdeen, and a midwestern twink throwing the first brick at Stonewall. Don’t even get me started on The Last Airbender.

So it seems odd that in the midst of one of the biggest diversity uproars in Hollywood history, Legendary Studios would announce that blond-haired, blue-eyed English actor Charlie Hunnam would be playing real-life Mexican-American drug lord Edgar Valdez Villarreal in an upcoming biopic. But that’s exactly what they did. And that is “exactly what’s wrong with Hollywood,” screamed a headline from today’s LA Times.

However, it’s not QUITE as bad as every seems to be making it out. Maybe?

Explains Vanity Fair:

Valdez Villarreal is a Texas native who went on to become the only U.S. citizen to ever capture a high-ranking leadership position in the Mexican drug cartel. He was often known as “La Barbie” because his light skin, blue eyes and blond hair brought to mind a Barbie doll.

Hunnam will play the drug lord, who was arrested in 2010 and extradited to the United States after the escape of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, in the picture from Legendary Studios. The studio acquired rights to the 2011 Rolling Stone article “American Drug Lord,” which chronicled Valdez Villareal’s life and arrest, and have set “American Sniper” scribe Jason Hall to write the script, according to Deadline.

Here’s a picture of Villarreal:

And here’s Hunnam:

So maybe? Kinda? What do you think? Should they have at least AUDITIONED a few fair-skinned, blonde-haired Mexican actors for the role?

The post Here We Go Again: Blond-haired, Blue-eyed English Actor Charlie Hunnam to Play Real-Life Mexican-American Drug Lord Edgar Valdez Villarreal? appeared first on World of Wonder.

Condragulations to wowlebrity Danny Franzese on his TWO new shows: the family drama Recovery Road (where he plays an ex-go-go dancer who gets chubby when he stops doing coke – HA!) and a hosting gig on Gay Skit Happens, the new half hour, quarterly sketch comedy series on LOGO.

Recovery Road (and Danny!) got a great review in today’s Variety:

“Recovery Road” opens with Maddie (Jessica Sula) hitting bottom… and almost before she realizes what’s happening, the teen is ensconced in a sober living house and beginning to confront the addiction spiral that got her there. That descent may have started with the death of her father a few years earlier, though “Recovery Road” is smart enough to understand that addiction never has one clear-cut cause.

“Recovery Road” gains real traction over the course of its first three episodes as Maddie begins to face the extent of her dependency on drugs and alcohol, and as she gets to know the other residents of the house. There are the expected types — the brooding handsome guy, the quirky lady, the wannabe reality star — and not all of them made a distinct impression in early episodes, but Daniel Franzese (“Mean Girls”) brings real heart to his role as Vern, a gay man who serves as something of a ringleader and role model to newcomers.

Recovery Road debuts TONIGHT at 9PM on the Freeform Network (formerly ABCFamily)

Says LOGO of its new show Gay Skit Happens:

“Taped in front of a live studio audience, the celebrity-hosted show features a combination of traditional and music-based sketches, pop culture parodies and recurring characters by a cast of fresh, up-and-coming sketch comedy performers along with a few surprise cameos,” Logo said of the show.

Danny hosts the Valentine’s special which  premieres Feb. 8 at 10 p.m. Says Danny: “They’re letting me do my Italian Mom character – it’s the first installment in over two years!” Can’t wait!

Also: Skit Happens repeats on Monday, February 11, which means IT’S NATIONAL DANNY FRANZESE NIGHT, with Recovery Road at 9 and Gay Skit Happens at 10!

(bottom photo: Justin Hernandez)

The post Daniel Franzese Is Taking Over TV with TWO New Shows appeared first on World of Wonder.

I’m not sure if I’m supposed to admit this, but sometimes I find myself rolling around in bed during those wee hours of the morning, pressing buttons and scrolling incessantly—further and further into the seemingly endless Instagram oblivion. And every once in a while when that happens, I stumble upon someone’s profile that catches my interest, for one reason or another. Thus, I bring to you today on this fine 72-degree Monday here in Hollywood, California, the #ManCrushMonday we all need to appreciate in our lives: Mario Alberto. And if you don’t trust me yet, I’m about to serve up 10 reasons why.

1. There’s a lot to appreciate in this photo, but we need to come together and try our hardest to pay attention to all of it: Mario’s perfect fade, dark eyebrows, scruffy face, huge shoulders, and chest hair. Because, yeah.

#reflections #sun #afternoon #freshcut

A photo posted by MARIOALBERTO ❤️♋️ (@mario_4lberto) on Jan 25, 2016 at 1:58pm PST

2. He wears a mean necklace.

NÃO ME PERGUNTE SE SOU CAPAZ, APENAS ME DÊ A MISSÃO

A photo posted by MARIOALBERTO ❤️♋️ (@mario_4lberto) on Jan 19, 2016 at 6:05pm PST

3. He looks hot AF with an open shirt.

Morning face #workflow

A photo posted by MARIOALBERTO ❤️♋️ (@mario_4lberto) on Jan 15, 2016 at 8:53am PST

4. Oh, did I mention his chest? Because…

Haven’t been this exhausted in a bit.

A photo posted by MARIOALBERTO ❤️♋️ (@mario_4lberto) on Dec 3, 2015 at 6:52pm PST

5. He has the rare superpower to be able to wear a salmon tank-top better than anyone else ever.

This late workouts

A photo posted by MARIOALBERTO ❤️♋️ (@mario_4lberto) on Dec 30, 2015 at 9:06pm PST

6. I don’t think anything could get any more adorable than this right here.

Never get right a duck face

A photo posted by MARIOALBERTO ❤️♋️ (@mario_4lberto) on Jan 25, 2016 at 2:29pm PST

7. Mario also has the ability to take a really good gym selfie.

Haircut on point.

A photo posted by MARIOALBERTO ❤️♋️ (@mario_4lberto) on Aug 20, 2015 at 7:51pm PDT

8. You may think this is oddly specific, but those nipples tho.

#mma #day #man #huge #bears #swole #mass #comments #sweaty #chest #bestoftheday #new #selfie #instabeard #cute #tbtl #tagforlikes #newyork #kickboxing #girlsthatlift #swolemate #fitnessmom #instagramhub #newyorkcity #fymlife #picoftheday #fitnessgirls #nyc #mrmuzzles #makeupandmuscle

A photo posted by MARIOALBERTO ❤️♋️ (@mario_4lberto) on Sep 18, 2015 at 8:42am PDT

9. It’s a rare talent to look so rugged but so cuddly at the same time!

What a long week!!! Llego el domingo y no me quiero levantar. #sleepyhead #sundays #fundays

A photo posted by MARIOALBERTO ❤️♋️ (@mario_4lberto) on Oct 11, 2015 at 9:03am PDT

10. Sigh.

New cut with the very best @omar305barber #fresh #cut

A photo posted by MARIOALBERTO ❤️♋️ (@mario_4lberto) on Oct 2, 2015 at 6:42pm PDT

The post Mario Alberto Is The #ManCrushMonday That We All Completely Need In Our Lives appeared first on World of Wonder.

Talk about your VVVVVVIP experience! ‘Teledisko’, the world’s smallest – and chicest! – disco,  located in the Berlin’s trendy Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg district, is BEYOND exclusive. Made from a repurposed phone booth, the coin-operated nightclub fits only two people! Talk about a tight guest list!

Says Oddity Central:

Inside, Teledisko has all the trimmings of a proper nightclub – a smoke machine, stroboscope, light effects, a disco ball, dry ice, and a touchscreen that lets you select and play your favorite music. The cramped interiors might prevent you from taking selfies, but the booth comes with a built-in camera that takes pictures and records videos of your unforgettable night.

Deutsche Telekom originally repurposed just three phone booths into telediskos – two at fixed locations in Berlin and a third one that could be moved to any location you wanted to hold your party at – but it seems high demand has convinced them to create even more tiny nightclubs.

Yes, now you can buy your own miniature discotheque for just $380 (or the price of one drink in WeHo)! Of course, you’ll have to personally pick yours up from a ‘phone booth graveyard’ near Potsdam – but what a great souvenir to bring back from Germany!

Watch the video below.

The post #Teledisko: World’s Smallest Nightclub Can Only Fit Two People at a Time! appeared first on World of Wonder.

Daniel Blau Rogge
Anita Baker
Ann Jeffreys
Bob Uecker
Cameron Bright
Christopher Hampton
Christopher Massey
David Strathairn
Eddie Van Halen
Ellen Degeneres
Emily Hughes
Gilles Marini
Kirk Franklin
Lucinda Williams
Manti Te’o
Mimi Leder
Sara Rue
Scott Glenn
Wayne Gretzky

The post January 26: It’s YOUR Birthday, Bitch! appeared first on World of Wonder.

Photograph by Brian van der Brug

January 26, 1958- Ellen DeGeneres

From a commencement speech delivered by DeGeneres at Tulane University, in her hometown of New Orleans:

“I never really have a plan. My point is, by the time I was your age, I thought I knew who I was. But I had no idea. Like for example, when I was your age, I was dating men…. So, what I’m saying is, when you’re older, most of you will be gay! …. The way I ended up on this path, was from a very tragic event. I was, maybe, 19 years old, and my girlfriend at the time died in a car accident. And I passed the accident, and I didn’t know it was her, and I kept going…. I started this path of stand-up, and it was successful, and it was great but it was hard because I was trying to please everybody, and I had this secret that I was keeping that I was gay. And I thought that if people found out they wouldn’t like me, they wouldn’t laugh at me. Really, when I look back on it, I wouldn’t change a thing. I mean, it was so important for me to lose everything because I found out what the most important thing was to be true to yourself.”

In 1986, after years of being on the road playing comedy clubs all over the country, DeGeneres scored a spot on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.  She performed her “Phone Call With God” and then was invited by Carson to sit on the couch, the first female comedian to be called over to talk with host, the highest endorsement a comedian can achieve.

Two decades ago, DeGeneres was on top of the show biz world, with her own popular sitcom, club appearances, plus she was dipping her toes into feature films, and then came the Oprah confession (Winfrey would go on to play her therapist when DeGeneres came out of the closet in an episode of her own show), and the public was pulled into the drama of a Hollywood celebrity coming out, a revelation that was not as common as it is now.

The Puppy Episode was history making, one of the biggest moments for the LGBTQ community in television history. DeGeneres became the first lead character to come out of the closet, paving the way for shows like Will And Grace, Modern Family, and Glee. Her method of coming out was not the expected dramatic tearful, shame-ridden scene, but a funny, joyful moment. Guest stars Demi Moore, Billy Bob Thornton, Melissa Etheridge and Laura Dern appeared on the episode to show their support.

This episode won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing, a Peabody Award, and a GLAAD Media Award. It is probably the most influential gay moment on television.

Her coming out ignited a storm of controversy, prompting ABC to place a parental advisory at the beginning of each episode of her sitcom. Her ratings began to tank, and Ellen was cancelled in 1998. Pop culture pundits suggested that her public coming out and the heartfelt admission of her gayness on The Oprah Winfrey Show had killed her career.

DeGeneres returned to doing standup, and in 2001 she rebounded with The Ellen Show, a primetime sitcom where she played a lesbian named Ellen. The show lasted only a single season, and many dismissed it as a good try, but conservative America probably just wasn’t ready for a loud and proud lesbian television star. But, times did begin to change, and being openly gay slowly became less of an issue in the business we call Show.

In 2003, with her closet door thrown wide open, DeGeneres stepped out as the host of a crisp new, fun daytime talk show. The Ellen Show is not only a ratings winner but it has turned the comedienne into a much loved mainstream star. I adore the way she mentions her wife as a toss off. She is gentle. She never pushes.

The same year, DeGeneres supplied the voice for Dory in the Pixar animated film Finding Nemo. The family friendly movie earned critics’ praise, and grossed more than one billion dollars at the box-office.

For the first time ever, an openly gay person became a children’s hero. Her daytime show became true family friendly viewing, with segments featuring cute kids.

These days it seems that everybody loves DeGeneres. Her distinctive hip populism cuts across divergent demographics without dividing. As an interviewer, she is sweet and naturally funny, a perfect host who just happens to be gay. Middle America, to my surprise, embraces her uniqueness and today, DeGeneres has a bunch of Emmys, and she represents American Express & Cover Girl  Cosmetics in commercial campaigns. She hosted the Emmys in 2001 and twice hosted the Oscars in  2007 and 2014, the first openly gay person to do so.

DeGeneres has given passionate, persuasive and poignant voice to the position of gay people in this country, especially gay young people. DeGeneres does not apologize or shy away about being gay, joking and sharing details about her life with her wife Portia de Rossi. They legally married in a ceremony at their Beverly Hills home in 2008.

I have always found DeGeneres to be funny and original in her humor, and I think that she is a true hero to gay people. She looks smashingly good on her 58th birthday. I guess lots of money, a hit show, awards, a personal trainer, a personal chef, and a beautiful spouse is the secret to looking good after 50.

The times, they are a-changin’. These days it seems that everybody loves DeGeneres. I do. I am watching her show at this moment. She just had Zac Efron perform a shirtless dance. Thank you, Ellen! My only gripe is that her famous giveaways seem aimed at the straight women and families in her audience. She needs to toss something to an old, feeble, post-cancer homo in Portland, Oregon.

“We use 10% of our brains. Imagine how much we could accomplish if we used the other 60%.”

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Photographer Peter Hujar (1934-87) photographed all the most fabulous faces of the downtown art scene in the 1970s: Andy Warhol, Ethyl Eichelberger, Candy Darling (photographed on her death bed), Divine, David Wojnarowicz (his lover), John Waters, Divine, Edwin Denby, Susan Sontag, Fran Lebowitz, William Burroughs and more. Almost all of his subjects are gone now, but his glowing black-and-white portraits are still so immediate, so pulsing with life, you feel like you’re in your living room, just hangin’ with a group of old friends.

Writes biographer Stephen Koch:

“The Lower East Side between 1972 and 1985 – filled with artists, wannabe artists and hangers-on – was a community of the misbegotten gathered from every town in America and relocated in the mean streets between Broadway and the Bowery. That Downtown is forever gone. Time, gentrification, disease and death took their toll. But before it vanished, its extravagant cast sat for Peter Hujar’s camera – and is now alive again in front of our eyes.”

John Waters, 1975

Divine, 1975

Candy Darling on her deathbed, 1973

Susan Sontag, 1975

John Heys in Lana Turner Dress #1,1979

Larry Ree, 1973

Fran Lebowitz [at Home in Morristown],1974

Andy Warhol, 1975

David Wojnarowicz, 1981

From Flashbak:

Peter Hujar (1934 – 1987) was born in New Jersey and moved to Manhattan as a teenager. He studied at the High School of Art and Design, and shortly thereafter worked as a photographer’s assistant. Throughout the 1960s he served as an apprentice for a number of commercial photographers and did a large amount of fashion work for Harpers Bazaar. A single monograph, the arresting Portraits in Life and Death with an introduction by Susan Sontag, was the only book of his work published during his lifetime. Hujar died of AIDS at the age of 53.

To mark the occasion of the current Hugar exhibition at The Paul Kassim Gallery, Steidl is publishing Lost Downtown, with contributions by Vince Aletti and Stephen Koch, Director of the Peter Hujar Archive. All pictures © The Peter Hujar Archive LLC.

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Even though I can’t help but think of the idiotic droll that comes out of Candance Cameron-Bure‘s stupid mouth every time I think about DJ Tanner, I’m still anxiously awaiting the return of the Tanner’s on Netflix‘s Fuller House to be released on February 26. And today, Netflix released a featurette for Fuller House where we see behind-the-scenes footage, interviews with the cast, and clips for the show!

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NSFW: Look out, here comes The Chickening. This short is intended to be a fictitious theatrical trailer for Kubrick’s The Shining reimagined. Directed by Toronto-based filmmakers Nick DenBoer and Davy Force, it was just shown at Sundance. Scott Wampler of Birth Death Movies spoke with DenBoer about this amazing short,

How long did it take you to put this together?
Davy flew up to my studio in Toronto and we shot the shit for about a week, writing and rough editing to force our new narrative on the original film. We then parted ways and cranked on it for about 2 1/2 months; Davy from his studio in LA and me in Toronto. We collaborated remotely and I assembled it as it came together. This was intended to be a 22-minute piece, but we did this for zero budget in our spare time, so we did as much as we could until it worked as a balls-out trailer. If we made our 22-minute version as intended, the narrative would make a lot more sense, but I think it’s going to live as you see it and we are moving on to the next project.

Is there anything special you’d like to note about the short? Anything we might’ve missed the first time through, or any special behind-the-scenes goings-on that were particularly compelling?
There’s lots you probably missed the first time through. Maybe the pictures of ISIS on the wall behind Jack in the office, or the box of chicken-flavored condoms, or the pile of Tommy Wiseau references. This thing is loaded with Easter eggs and designed to be watched a bunch of times, so you’ll keep seeing new details. Kubrick was like that with all the details, too, and we think – although we sort of defaced his film – that we are still paying homage to a great piece of cinema. We wanted every still of this thing to have a WTF vibe.

This is sort of crazy-amazing. Share this far and wide. But first –WATCH! And then watch it again!

(T/Y, Greg; via Birth Movies Death)

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How much of The D do we need? Whoever designed this ad probably is needs a bit more!! #TheDeficiency

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YASSS QWEEN!!! Well, goddess damn… It took you guys long enough…LOL. If you haven’t seen Hey Qween! on theStream.tv, LAWWWD…you have NOT lived! The gayest talk show of all time returns for season 4 on February 15, hosted by the jubilantly perverse Jonny McGovern, and sextress sidekick Lady Red Couture. This is pretty much the show where all your fave gay celebs/qweens come and dish on other gay celebs/qweens (and sometimes a few soft serve niceties too!). This season, the show is getting a full body lift, including a new set, sound, and house band addition Adam Joseph and The Go To Bed Wig. Plus, expect more drag superstars kiki-ing and kackling…like past guests RuPaul, Adore Delano, Laganga Estranja, Candis Cayne, Daniel Franzese, Courtney Act, Alaska 5000, Latrice Royale, Our Lady J, Raven, Tyra Sanchez (must see!) and more!

“Hey Qween! is a place for gay stars and underground legends to come and tell their stories in a way they can’t on any other talk show,” explains host and executive producer, Jonny McGovern.  “We cut up, have a kiki and a gay ‘ol time.  Then, at the end of every show, the special guest gets a trophy and a lap dance from one of our in-house strippers!  It’s a half hour of pure merriment.”

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Leah Horwitz
Alan Cumming
Bridget Fonda
Daisy Lowe
Frank Miller
Jake Pavelka
James Cromwell
Josh Randall
Keith Olbermann
Lily Donaldson
Marc Forster
Mike Patton
Mikhail Baryshnikov
Mimi Rogers
Narciso Rodriguez
Patton Oswalt
Rosamund Pike
Tricky

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Alan Alda
Ariel Winter
Barbi Benton
DJ Muggs
Elijah Wood
Frank Darabont
J. Cole
Joey Fatone
Kathryn Morris
Keith Hamilton Cobb
Mo Rocca
Nick Carter
Nicolas Sarkozy
Rick Ross
Sarah McLachlan
Sheamus

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January 27, 1965– Alan Cumming

In spring 2014, I had an extended stay in the hospital when 5 months of aggressive chemotherapy left me without much of an immune system. I was kept in isolation. Doctors, nurses and visitors were required to wear a hazmat suit in order to enter my room in a wing that I had to myself on the Oncology floor. Not much was interesting to me as I studied the slow drip-drip of the Morphine IV. I turned on the television just as an episode of The Good Wife (2009-2016) was starting and by the time 3 more episodes had gone by, I was hooked on the series (and the narcotic). Why hadn’t I engaged this show before, with a cast filled with Broadway regulars, bringing their characters to life with smart, economic, wry writing? I was especially drawn to Alan Cumming’s blunt political strategist, Eli Gold. When I was back home, we watched 113 episodes in 30 days. I guess you could say that I am a fan.

The other evening while channel surfing, The Husband & I caught the film The Anniversary Party (2002), written, produced, directed and starring Jennifer Jason Leigh and  Cumming, and we decided to stay with it, although we had rented it years ago. I kept thinking about the career of Cumming. I was first became aware of Cumming in 1998 with his Tony winning turn as the emcee in the Sam Mendes/Rob Marshall revival of the landmark musical Cabaret. He certainly was a very arresting figure when I saw him on that Tony broadcast. I was intrigued. I wanted to know more.

Cumming studied at the Royal Scottish Academy Of Music And Drama. He was soon being celebrated in his homeland for both his work on Scottish television series and his stand-up act.

He has played roles with the Royal Shakespeare Company including Romeo, and at the National Theatre. His Hamlet at the Donmar Warehouse in London caused a sensation. In London and on Broadway, Cumming has performed in works by Euripedes, Noel Coward and Anton Chekov. He played in a one-person production of Macbeth to great acclaim in NYC & London in 2012.

In films he has worked as a superhero (X-2, 2002), a Bond villain (GoldenEye, 1995) and a Jane Austin character (Emma, 1996).

But, his main image seems to be: naughty impish scamp, a persona that holds my interest. Cumming has done nothing to discourage this, playing a variety of louche characters: Dionysus, Mack The Knife, The Devil. He has even played the Pope. He is a Tony and Olivier Award winner, and has been nominated for a Golden Globe, Emmy and SAG Award. Cumming is also the author of a semi-autobiographical novel Tommy’s Tale (2002) about a sex obsessed, drug ridden bisexual and an engaging, well written memoir Not My Father’s Son (2014) He has appeared in a provocative campaign promoting Cumming, his special scent.

I downloaded his rather good album Blue Car, with songs of love & loss by such songwriters as John Bucchino (A Catered Affair), William Finn (Falsettos) and Jimmy Webb, as well as originals by Cumming. I am impressed with his non-theatre singing & his surprisingly touching interpretations. Cumming is currently touring in his concert Alan Cumming Sings Sappy Songs, which features  some very special A-list surprise guest stars joining him in each city.

Cumming is an outspoken supporter/activist for Civil and LGBTQ Rights and Sex Education causes including AMFAR, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Human Rights Campaign, Planned Parenthood, The Matthew Shepard Foundation, GLAAD and The Trevor Project. His special passion is for Intact America/Norm-UK, an anti-circumcision campaign and education organization.

I can be so very juvenile, I still giggle as I type his last name. Cumming lives in the East Village in NYC  along with his husband, illustrator Grant Shaffer, and their dog Jerry.

He is supremely entertaining on talk shows & he gives good Tweets. I don’t know how I could possibly think that Cumming could be groovier, until I discovered that his portrait was hung in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in the spot previously occupied by Queen Elizabeth II.

“I have a healthy sexual appetite and a healthy imagination. I still define myself as a bisexual even though I have chosen to be with Grant. I’m sexually attracted to the female form even though I am with a man and I just feel that bisexuals have a bad rap.”

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