WHO DOESN'T LOVE INDEPENDENT HORROR FILMS?

I wrote in an earlier blog post (HERE) about how I loved horror movies as a kid, until I saw Friday the 13th in 1980 and was so traumatized I couldn't watch horror movies again until my boss at the video store I worked at threatened to fire me if I didn't get over my fear and start watching horror movies so I could make recommendations to customers. 

Well, I did get over it and in time I went on to have a hand in the production of many independent horror films. I can't remember if it was 2013 or 2014, but some horror blogger named me one of the top 35 hardest working women in horror. I thought that was neat. I never really thought about how many horror movies I'd helped out with until I saw that and really did some thinking. I lost track a long time ago of how many... and I really don't remember all of the titles either. 

Over the years I've gotten to know some really great independent film makers, many who specialize in the horror genre. The horror community has a camaraderie like no other. Everyone has a common love and their art is accepted, appreciated and supported as it's meant to be. 

Independent horror films are usually low, micro or no budget, meaning they were made with very little, if any money. They don't have the special effects you see with the big budget studio movies. When you keep an open mind and appreciate great story telling, then you will love independent films. 

My LGBT Film Spotlight page (HERE) has done so well, I thought I would start spotlighting some of the great independent horror films I enjoy. 

Over time, I will be adding to the page. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Click (HERE) to see the page, and thank you for stopping by.

WANT MORE QUALITY LGBT FILMS? THEN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

I know a lot of great independent film makers; many who specialize in LGBT films. Most of you who will come across this really have no idea just how difficult it is to get an LGBT film produced. There was a time when I didn't know either, but I've learned a lot over the years.

There isn't anyone waving a magic wand and POOF, suddenly a movie appears out of thin air. There is no shortage of great film ideas, scripts and talent... what there is a shortage of is MONEY. Evil, evil money. 

Major movie studios with billions of dollars rarely invest in LGBT themed films... and that is a shame. So, anyone wanting to produce an LGBT themed film must find the financing on their own, which is why the majority of LGBT films are independents. 

I personally have never heard of any rich people fully financing anybody's independent films. Wouldn't that be great if that happened? 

These days the most common way film makers try to raise the funds they need is through the crowd funding websites like Indiegogo, Kickstarter and GoFundMe. Most will be seeking less than $50,000 which is a very low budget in the film world, and of those, most won't even come close to hitting that goal because trying to get people to donate is like kicking a dead horse. The film maker will either have to scrap their film or try and produce it on the tiny amount of money the do get which makes for a lower quality production. 

Yet, people bitch and complain that there aren't enough good LGBT movies. 

For those lucky enough to produce a film on the small amount of money they get, even though their stories are fantastic, they then have to endure the negative comments and reviews on platforms like Amazon or Netflix, etc., bitching about the low quality. 

Bitch bitch bitch... all we ever do is bitch... but rarely does anybody step up to help. 

I'm connected to all of the film makers I know on one social media platform or another. Most of them have thousands of "friends" or "followers". Every time the film makers try to raise funds, if each of those people donated between $10 and $20, their production goals would be met and the films would be a much higher quality. But, again, kicking a dead horse.

What it boils down to is, we can't have it both ways. 

We can't expect film makers to just magically pull high quality films out of their butts. Film production is not cheap; the cast and crew, locations, permits, wardrobe, props, hair and makeup, craft services (food), editing, sound, lighting, color correction, music etc. 

The majority of film makers are not millionaires and depend on the support of donations, sponsors or major investors to do what they do... and all of that is difficult to come by. Many film makers go into major debt trying to produce their projects.

So, the next time you see a film maker trying to raise money for a project, make a donation... no matter how big or small... every dollar counts in independent film making. If you don't have the money to make a donation, then share the link to their crowd funding page on your social media and ask your "friends" and "followers" to donate. Do something! 

Also, the next time you feel the need to shred an LGBT film, or any independent film for that matter, in an online review, try to be a little more compassionate and keep in mind what the film maker had to go through in order to get that film made. In other words, try and be nice.   

BAY CITY ROLLERS DISAPPOINTMENT

I know my blog posts are normally film industry related, but tonight I'm going to go off topic for a moment. 

The other day, a woman I've known since I was 5 years old who used to live across the street from me, posted a Bay City Rollers video she came across to my Facebook page. The song was "I Only Want to Be With You". That made me smile. 

For anyone reading this who isn't familiar with the Bay City Rollers; they were a Scottish pop/rock band founded by Alan Longmuir (bass, piano) and his brother Derek Longmuir (drums). The group had other early members, but what's referred to now as "the classic lineup" includes Eric Faulkner (guitar, violin, mandolin), Stuart "Woody" Wood (guitar, bass, piano, saxophone) and Leslie MeKeown (lead singer). At the height of their fame in the mid to late 70s, they sold well over 100 million records. Their most popular song here in America was "Saturday Night", though a number of great songs were on the charts. Their fan base was mainly pre-teen and teen girls who could easily fall into mass hysteria of crying and screaming just at the mention of them. 

Over time there were a few other members like Ian Mitchell, Pat McGlynn and Duncan Faure. The group was most popular when Les McKeown was the lead singer, but musically, they were the best when Duncan Faure was the lead singer. 

The band members all hit hard times after the group disbanded because their money was so mismanaged, mishandled and moved around, they didn't have any. They spent years trying to get the millions they were owed. I'm not sure how that all turned out or if it's still ongoing. Last I heard they were still battling it out in the courts. I always felt bad for them that they had to go through that. 

Through the years, I've always kept up with what's happening with the guys as best as I can. There was a time long before the internet so we didn't have access to instant news and information. I've watched documentaries, read the books, bought the videos, CDs and DVDs. My playlists always include Bay City Rollers songs. 

Then along came the internet... and that evil bastard, social media. I've been following Les McKeown and Stuart Wood on Facebook for many years. Eric and Derek really aren't into it, though they do have people who update approved groups on their behalf and I never did follow Alan on social media. 

Les and Stuart have repeatedly let it be known through social media that they don't like each other. They have a long history of not liking each other going back to the 70's when they were still in the band. 

Les is the one who usually stirs the pot first when he posts something on social media. He's a typical self-absorbed bully. He was back then and he still is. He gets pleasure out of posting insults from the safety of his keyboard where he has an audience instead of dealing with people face to face. Stuart will then post something on Facebook in defense instead of letting it go or dealing with it offline.

I was shocked a few years ago when it was announced Les, Stuart and Alan were going to be touring for the Holidays. I even said out loud at the time "this isn't going to end well". Eric wasn't in it because he has been recovering from viral encephalitis and isn't able to travel and Derek wasn't involved. I suspect I know why, but I don't know for sure so I'll just keep that thought to myself. 

Just as I thought there would be, there was a bitter ending between Les and Stuart (you can Google about it to read the news stories). 

One item I read was Alan's and Stuart's wives got into a physical fight after one of the shows because one said something about the other's husband. Who does that? I don't know the details, I wasn't there. Mind you, the guys are all over 60 years old and I don't know how old the wives are but they've got to be well over 50 years old. Their behavior is just as bad, if not worse than 12 year old kids. 

Alan passed away last year. Eric is still recovering and doing much better playing small gigs here and there. Derek is still doing whatever it is he does. Les has a band and tours singing Bay City Rollers songs. Stuart started a New Generation Bay City Rollers band with younger musicians and himself. 

Les uses social media to make accusations against or insult Stuart... and of course Stuart responds in defense. 

Apparently this time it's all about who gets to use the Bay City Rollers name and how. I thought that had been settled in court years ago, apparently I'm wrong. 

Also, there's a sense of competition between the two of who was better friends with Alan and each of them accusing the other of trying to profit from Alan's death. 

Really? Seriously! I didn't make any of that up... you can't make that up. They should be ashamed of themselves.

The sickening part is, now, because they choose to use social media to air their dirty laundry, it's uglier than ever and people are getting into it that have no business being in it. The wives are still fighting each other and posting about it on Facebook, the administrators of the Facebook group pages, Pat McGlynn... they've all put their two cents in when it's none of their business. I haven't seen anything from Ian or Duncan... not sure if they've said anything or not... hopefully they're smart enough to stay out of it. 

Worst of all are the "fans". These guys and their wives bickering through social media has drawn battle lines between the fans and many have fallen for it and chosen sides. A lot of the comments I see make me sick! Here in America we have the Democrats and Republicans constantly going at it because the big orange man keeps the country divided by drawing out everybody's hate. That's exactly what's happening now between the Les fans and the Woody fans. I hear it's even gotten to the point where some "fans" are making threats. 

I guarantee there is not one "fan" on this planet who knows the full story of what's going on between these guys. You have Les' social media version and you have Stuart's social media version... and common sense should tell you that the truth lies right in the middle. 

This is what needs to happen before it escalates to the point where someone is physically harmed: Les, Stuart and the wives (who are just as responsible for the fan division) need to go on social media and denounce the "fans" making threats of any kind! Then they need to apologize for their unprofessional behavior. 

If there are issues Les, Stuart or anybody else associated with them feel need to be resolved legally, then they need to hire lawyers to sort it out in court. They need to keep it offline and deal with it professionally and privately. 

If they don't want to go to court, then Les can tour with his band and Stuart can tour with his band... it's NOT A COMPETITION. There's a lot of people out there who would happily pay to see both bands. 

Also... let Alan rest in peace already. I'm sure he cared very much about everybody. 

To the "fans", the majority of whom are well over 50 or 60 years old too and will undoubtedly Google the Bay City Rollers and come across this one day: just because social media has comment features, that doesn't mean you have to use them. Stay out of people's personal fights... it doesn't matter who it is... it's none of your business so act your age, scroll past them and butt out. Stop feeding the hate. That's just plain common sense. If you're among those who have made threats, I hope you get prosecuted to the full extent of the law for it. 

I want to continue to enjoy ALL of the surviving members of The Bay City Rollers just as I have for the last 40+ years, no matter what they're doing. I enjoy reading about the concert tours, interviews and appearances and other work. 

Most of all, this world just needs people to be kind to each other. GROW UP and be nice! 

Music is supposed to be the one common love and bond among ALL people. To tear it apart over petty bullshit is a tragedy. 

I'm sure this is not the legacy any of the guys wants to leave behind, but it's up to them to make it right. 

As always with my blog page, I moderate all comments and negative or cruel comments won't be approved. If you have a different point of view than mine, great! Write about it in your own blog page. 

LGBT FILMS DESERVE RECOGNITION

I've written extensively about my love of independent films... and LGBT themed films are among those. 

I've been a major LGBT Ally most of my adult life and have witnessed the struggles and the triumphs of the LGBT people as they strive to gain the basic human rights everyone should have... especially in this 21st century when we should be more evolved and bigotry shouldn't even exist anymore. 

We are NOT going to debate that issue here though. If you want an argument, start your own blog page. As always with my page, I moderate all comments received before they are posted and will not publish any mean or negative comments. Instead, I am going to spotlight and celebrate many spectacular LGBT independent films. All positive and constructive feedback is welcome.  

I personally have been a part of helping many great film makers with their gay themed films... anywhere from donating money to full hands-on production and everything in between. 

Unfortunately, the LGBT themed films are the most difficult to get funded so most are produced on very low budgets. Just because they are low budget doesn't mean they aren't fantastic stories and very enjoyable. 

I have to admit though that I am not as educated on lesbian themed films as I am the gay themed films. I'll try my best to remedy that, but I will also welcome any guest contributors who would like to spotlight a film on the page. 

Over time, I will be adding to the page. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. Click HERE to see the page, and thank you for stopping by. 

MY SUPPORT OF INDEPENDENT FILMS!

My love of independent films goes back to when I worked in a mom & pop video store in Aurora Colorado called Movies on Call from 1986 - 1991. I wasn't familiar with the term "independent films" until I got that job. I'd seen several independent films over the years... just didn't know it. 

So many great films like Pink Flamingos, 1969, Papillon, Murder on the Orient Express, Straw Dogs, My Beautiful Launderette, Halloween, Alice, F/X, The Gods Must Be Crazy, Dirty Dancing, The Harrad Experiment, Sweet Alice, anything Andy Warhol or John Waters related, A Boy and His Dog... the list is endless.  

We were expected to watch as many movies as we possibly could so we could recommend movies to our customers or answer any questions they had. 

I had a major hurdle I had to overcome because I nearly lost that job in the first year. I loved horror movies when I was really young. In 1980, my friend Lisa and I talked my mom into taking us to see Friday the 13th and for some reason that movie just traumatized the hell out of me and from that point on I was scared to watch any horror movie and avoided them like the plague. I could still watch horror movies I'd seen in the 70s, but anything after that, I just couldn't.

One day the owner of the video store told me that I was going to have to get over my fear or she'd have to fire me. Mind you, this woman, who was my boss, is the mother of a girl I had been friends with since the 6th grade and was like a mother to me and here she is threatening to fire me from a job I was doing very well other than not watching horror movies. 

She told me she was going to give me a weekend off. We were normally allowed to take home up to 3 movies per day, but she would allow me to take 8 horror movies and watch all of them over the course of the weekend and she would quiz me about it on Monday. This was long before the internet existed so I wasn't able to fake it by looking up the plots in detail. 

I hesitantly looked through the horror section and picked some movies out all released after 1980: A Nightmare on Elm St., Graveyard Shift, Waxwork, Day of the Dead, Witchboard, Creepshow, Children of the Corn and My Bloody Valentine. 

I was 18 and still living at home with my parents at that time, but they were going out of town with the high school band my mom worked for on a band competition trip so I had the house to myself. 

I turned on every light in the house, stayed far away from the basement, set myself up in a chair with blankets and enough food and drinks so I'd only have to get up out of my safety cocoon long enough to change movies, use the restroom and let the dogs outside from time to time. I watched every one of those movies, and as time went on, I didn't have to hold the blanket over my face or peer though my fingers as my hands covered my eyes as much. 

I passed my boss' pop quiz on Monday with flying colors and was able to keep my job. I still had to watch horror movies, but at least I was able to pursue the love I had of the independent films by incorporating the independent horror movies into it. 

Most of the employees at the store concentrated on catching all of the popular blockbuster releases as they were released, but I preferred the films that most people had never heard of. My doing that came in handy a lot. Customers always came in asking for the new releases, but unless they reserved them, the first week or two it was impossible to get them. At that time we were the only video store for miles so it wasn't like they could just go to the next closest place. 

My recommendations of the independent films kept the majority of customers from leaving the store empty handed. I would often give them coupons to get movies at half price because some money was better than no money for the business. Not once did anyone ever say they hated the movies I recommended and in time, many of our regulars started asking for my recommendations. 

A Blockbuster Video store did open up across the street from us, and even though they always had more of the new releases, we had built such a bond with our customers, they kept coming to us and the store continued to make good money. Of course we had a porn section and Blockbuster didn't, which helped. 

In 1991, the owners of the store were burned out so they decided to sell the store. A man named Randy, who had been one of our customers for years, bought the store. He spent years working for the City of Aurora and had no idea how to run a business. His wife was an elementary school teacher and also had no idea how to run a business. 

They jumped in head first and immediately started making major changes to the store instead of taking baby steps so the customers wouldn't notice. They raised the rental rates and started to take steps to get rid of the porn since they were "Christians" (note: when he was a customer, he regularly rented the porn films but apparently his wife didn't know). We would butt heads over that because they were eliminating the two biggest reasons our customers didn't go across the street to Blockbusters. 

Finally things came to a head and he ended up firing me and another guy who had been there for a long time on the same day. I told him that day that he would run the business into the ground within the next 3 years. I was right, but it only took him less than 2 years to go out of business. I took great pleasure in going to the store after I heard about that to see the sign on the door that said the property management had locked them out because the rent hadn't been paid. 

In 1995, I was living in Houston Texas when an old acquaintance called me out of the blue. She was making a documentary film and was calling everyone she knew to see if they could chip in some money. I was dumbfounded by that. I was completely ignorant in what it took for film makers to produce all of those great independent films I loved so much. For some reason, I thought that films just got made. I mean, it's Hollywood right? 

She quickly schooled me on the process on independent film making. First you need an idea. Then you need a script. Then you need a realistic budget. Then you need to find talent. Then you need to find producers with money. Then you need to find locations. Then you need props and wardrobe. Then you need to find a crew, director, sound engineer, music composer (because you likely won't be able to afford the rights to use published music), cinematographer, editor, hair & makeup etc. who can work for what you can afford to pay... if you can afford to pay them... and it's hard to find people who will work for free. Then, it's common for the talent to drop out... and because of that, the investors pull their money out of it... and the whole process starts all over again. Many films take several years of this just to get to the point of real production... and many great scripts never get produced at all because of this.  

I had no idea. I did give her some money for her documentary. I couldn't afford much at the time but she was grateful for every penny she got. 

I decided then and there I was always going to do everything I could to help out, in any way I am capable of, to help independent film makers... and I would do it for free. If I was capable of doing something for free so the film maker could use the money for post-production where it was most needed, then that's what I do. 

For a long time I mainly focused on young, first time film makers who were just trying to get a foot in the door producing their films with almost no money. I did what my old acquaintance did... I would call people asking for money. I constantly had to network and meet new people because you can only ask the same people over and over for money before they start saying no. 

Most of the time I stay out of the production process and and leave that to the film maker and their producers. But I always pay attention. In time I learned quite a bit of how things worked and was able to offer a lot of insight, guidance and advice.  

Of course when I moved to California into the Los Angeles Country area, there was a lot more going on I could get involved in. I started going to a lot of film screenings and meeting people in the film and television industry. I always ask a lot of questions and always pass what I learn on to the young people. 

Sometimes the films make it onto the independent film festival circuit, most don't. Sometimes the films get picked up for distribution, most don't. Sometimes I get "thank you" credits or "producer" credits... sometimes I get no credit... it's up to the film maker depending on how hard they believe I work. I've never done it for the credits. The only demand I had was that I get to see the fished product. 

In December 2008, I lost the job I'd had for many years in a mass layoff right in the heart of that horrible recession. Life turned into a 3 year hell doing low paying temp jobs and trying to find full-time steady work that paid enough for me to live on. Life came to a grinding halt. Working on film projects was definitely out of the question since I usually spent some of my own money on them. I spent the majority of those 3 years completely alone and watched all of my savings and the life I'd built for myself draining away. I've still never recovered financially from it and probably never will. Three years in the film industry is a lifetime, and being away from it that long, I was way out of the loop. 

During my unemployment, I delved into social media for the first time in the hopes that someone I came across would help me find a job. That never happened, but I did find a lot of independent film makers on Twitter to follow and I kept up with the projects they were doing. I met some of the people who mean the most to me through Twitter.

By the time I was fully employed and able to function again, I started looking for projects to get involved with. 

The way film makers raised money for their projects changed dramatically in those 3 years. Gone are the days of calling and talking to people. Now we have crowd funding websites like GoFundMe, Indiegogo and Kickstarter. Film makers start a campaign and promote it on their social media and hopefully people will donate money to them. At first I thought this was a genius thing, but not so much anymore. I'll get back to that in a moment. 

I began to stray away from the young first timers and started to get involved with more seasoned film makers. It was a whole new world as everything was now on a different level. The projects were still being produced on a low budget, but they already had established themselves in the industry and had a reputation and a fan following. 

I had met many known actors over the years, especially when I went to film screenings. But now I was getting to work with them and it's been a complete honor. 

A small handful of the projects I've been involved in are listed on IMDb now, which is pretty cool. 

I was not only still working on independent films, I started to get involved in web series, music videos, music production and theater (which I hadn't done since high school). There's just so much to love about it all. 

Of course, in this universe, the good has to balance with the bad unfortunately. 

I have a tendency to make bad decisions from time to time. I'm far from perfect and am the first to admit it. I make mistakes but I've always had good intentions. I trust and care too much and it has cost me. 

Working with the young first time film makers, they're humble, full of dreams, open to ideas and eager to learn. Some of the more seasoned film makers have learned to play games they think they have to play to be successful. It's all about me me me. They learn to say whatever they have to say to get what they want. They want fame and fortune and don't care who they have to use and discard to get it. Some are master manipulators. Some are leeches who will use you just to get to the people you know like the directors and casting directors. Some have forgotten the meaning of gratitude and humility.  

The word "friend" gets thrown around way too much without real meaning. You're their best friend as long as you're of some use and when they don't have a use for you anymore, you're history.  

I found myself surrounded at one point by people who had absolutely nothing nice to say about others when they weren't around but kissed their asses in person and on social media. The people who publicly claim to be the most "spiritual" are the worst offenders. The pure phoniness became nauseating after a while.

I confronted one person I've worked with a lot about all of that and their response to me was "that's the game you have to play in Hollywood. You have to kiss the asses of people you don't' like to stay relevant". No you don't. Hollywood is a big place and there are many really good and successful people in the film industry who don't do any of that sleazy crap who are pure joy to be around and work with. I'm proud that I was strong enough to realize what was happening and step away from it. 

I mentioned before about how great I thought the crowd funding websites were, but I'm not so crazy about them anymore. I have contributed to way too many campaigns where the film maker collected a lot of money but didn't follow through with the project or return the donations. One collected over $30,000 and kept every penny of it without making the film. That should be illegal, but it isn't since the law hasn't caught up with the technology yet. Unfortunately, all of those projects I contribute to have actors in them I know well and really like so I have to pick my battles when creating waves to get money returned as to not damage the relationships with them and it's a horrible situation to be in. 

A couple of years ago I made the decision to dial it all back and do less for a while. There are some film makers and actors I would do anything for and will continue to support in any way I can, but I'm going to be very picky as to who I get involved with in the future. 

I would love to get back to working with the young first timers again. I know a lot more people in the industry now and have gained a lot more knowledge to share. 

While I don't expect everyone to get involved with independent films to the extreme I've been doing, it's my hope that more people will open their minds and at least go see these fantastic movies instead of the big money blockbusters for a change. Support the people who have great stories to tell but don't have millions of dollars to spend doing it. It's worth it! 

THEATER ETIQUETTE 101

Note: Picture from Google Images: Feel free to let me know if I need to credit someone for it and I will.

Today I overheard a couple of my coworkers talking about how they hate going movie theaters these days because there are always rude people talking, using their phones or bringing babies with them that cry constantly. 

They are right you know. This goes for movie theaters and live theaters. I'll get to that a little later, but listening to their conversation reminded me of my absolutely worst live theater experience, so I thought I'd share that with you first before we get to the etiquette part. 

This happened three years ago. There's a small theater in Los Angeles where I produced a couple of shows in 2015 and 2016. They were having a script reading festival in 2016 so writers could showcase their work in the hopes their plays would get produced. If you've never been to a live script reading, it's not a fully produced play. No sets, no costumes, no makeup. It's simply a group of actors reading from the script as the characters - usually in what's called a black box setting, which is a plain theater with black walls. I love going to live script readings because you're not distracted by anything and you can visualize in your mind the words that are being read. 

Two people who I really like, "Joe" and "Richard" (not their real names), who were a couple at the time, were in this festival. On Thursday night, there was a reading "Richard" directed, and on Friday night, there was a reading "Joe" was performing in. 

On Thursday night, the audience was seated... waiting... and waiting... and waiting... and waiting. 

Then, I see a guy come in who I'm going to refer to as "shithead" (not his real name, but close enough) with a friend of his. The person in charge of this festival made everybody wait for "shithead" to arrive before starting the reading. Who does that?

I never really cared much for "shithead". He's one of those people who is a master manipulator. Kind of like Paul Prenter was with Freddie Mercury and Sam Lufti was with Britney Spears if you're familiar with those stories. If not, Google them. "Shithead" loves to play people against each other. 

I couldn't stand to be around him because he would hug me, hard, which physically hurt. He doesn't know the meaning of the word "gentle". He did this thing where he would grab my head with both of his giant hands and put his mouth right at my ear and talk, not whisper, but talk in his deep loud Herman Munster voice, which also hurt. He never has anything nice to say about anybody but then kisses the asses of those same people he thinks can benefit him. Plus he complains non-stop and I got sick of hearing it. 

So anyways, the reading I saw that night that "Richard" directed was fantastic. 

The next day, "shithead" texted me. I don't recall giving him my phone number. I don't know if I gave it to him at some point for some reason I can't fathom or if that other person gave it to him. In the text he told me to "show up early for the reading so we can gossip". I had absolutely no intention of doing that. Since the show was scheduled to start at 8:00pm, I showed up at 7:45 like I always do. 

I was still walking up the street to the theater from where I parked when I see "shithead" running towards me. Naturally he had to give me one of those hugs that hurt my back but I got out of it pretty quick. Plus, I don't know what kind of cologne or lotion or whatever he was wearing, but he reeked of a rancid coconut odor that was overwhelming. The first words he said to me were "oh my god, why is "Joe" with "Richard"? Hes's so ugly". I told "shithead" that they were my friends I adore and asked him why he would say something like that to me. "Richard" is not ugly, he's a very handsome man. "Shithead" continued to talk about how gorgeous "Joe" was and I didn't want to hear it. I walked away from him and went to talk to "Richard" for some pleasant conversation. 

When the doors opened, "Richard" and I went in the theater and sat down next to each other in the back top row. A little while later, "shithead" comes in with a glass of wine in each hand, and yells from the bottom "I want to sit next to "Richard""... then proceeds to bound up the stairs towards us. He didn't give me an opportunity, or room, to stand up and move to let him by. He proceeds to climb over me, resulting in him spilling both glasses of wine on the floor and on the seats in front of us. He then yells really loud "god damn it Kerry"... like it was my fault... then he just sits down leaving the wine on the chairs. Since I had done work at that theater before, I knew where they kept paper towels, so I grabbed some and got one wet so I could clean off the chairs just in case anybody needed to sit there. 

The reading started, and "shithead" just wouldn't shut up. Mind you, this is a tiny theater that only seats anywhere between 40 - 50 people at the most. "Shithead" kept grabbing me by the arm, which hurt, and talking, loud, in the side of my head. I kept pulling away from him because I was trying to hear the dialog. He has no concept of talking quietly. He shouldn't have been talking at all. 

About 20 minutes into the reading, "shithead" grabs me by the arm and says "god this play is stupid", loud as usual. "Richard" and I both said, out loud, at the same time, "SHUT UP"... which disturbed everyone in the theater for a moment, but the actors were professional and got right back to it without delay. I felt horrible because the playwright was sitting near us and I know he heard that. Finally, "shithead" quit talking and we were able to enjoy the rest of the first act in silence. 

During intermission, "Richard" and I went outside... I don't know where "shithead" went. "Richard" said he had told "shithead" a few times to stop talking before our outburst. We set all that crap aside and talked about other pleasant things while we had the chance. 

When the lights started to flash to signal intermission was over, "Richard" and I went back inside. I still have no idea where "shithead" was. About 10 minutes into the second act, "shithead" walks in the door, again disturbing everyone in the theater. I saw "Richard" lean down and whisper to him, but I don't know what he said... I never asked. Whatever it was, "shithead" didn't sit with us during the second act, he sat in the front row by himself. Ahhh, peace! 

After the reading was over, I spoke to the playwright to let him know I really enjoyed his play and wished him well in getting it produced. "Shithead" also told him that he really enjoyed it... after previously blurting out that it was stupid... ass kissing as usual. 

I didn't talk to "shithead" again after the reading. "Richard" & I went and found "Joe" and we talked for a while and had a glass of wine before I went home. 

There were a few more times after that where "shithead" and I were at the same places, one ridiculous drama after another and it was beyond tiring. Since then, I have avoided him like the plague. I don't want anything to do with anybody like him. Unfortunately, I've also had to cut ties with people I really care about because of this idiot since he lingers around the majority of people I know, but sometimes that's the sacrifice you have to make to keep that kind of toxicity out of your life. I know other people feel the same way about him, but how they choose to deal with him is their business. To me, he's just not worth it. I don't care who he knows. 

So, that was my worst theater experience. 

Now lets talk about proper theater etiquette. 

The definition of "ETIQUETTE is: the customary code of polite behavior in society or among members of a particular profession or group. 

The definition of "POLITE is: having or showing behavior that is respectful and considerate of other people. 

There are far too many people out there on this planet who have never been taught the meaning of those words... obviously... so let me share some good common sense things you can do to make yours, and other people's theater experience pleasant.

RULE #1

When you go to the theater, whether it be a movie theater or live theater, be on time. When you come in late, it disturbs the other people. If you  have to come in late, do it quickly and quietly. I know the Arclight theaters here in Southern California won't let you in at all if you show up after the movie started, even if you have pre-paid tickets. If you're late to live theaters, it's common for the ushers to keep you in the lobby until there's a point in the play where you'll be the least disruptive before they let you in. 

RULE #2

No talking. If you really have to talk to somebody while a movie or play is in progress, keep it brief and whisper so you don't disturb other people. If it's a major issue, leave the theater. 

RULE #3

This is a big one. NO CELL PHONES!!! PERIOD!!! 

Theaters are dark for a reason. 

In movie theaters, when a cell phone lights up, it interferes with the movie projection display and disturbs everyone around you. 

In live theater, it needs to be dark so the actors aren't distracted and can concentrate on their performance. When a cell phone rings or lights up, it pulls the actor's attention away from their performance and all of their attention is now on you, and all the people around you, faces all lit up. It destroys the atmosphere they're trying to create and can cause them to forget their lines. If it's a play where something physical is happening, like dancing or fight scenes for example, it can distract the actors enough to where they can get hurt. Not to mention the fact that it disturbs everyone else in the audience trying to enjoy the show. 

It's becoming more and more common for actors to stop their performance to confront people on their phones and they won't continue until that person or persons are ejected from the theater. Just ask Patti Lupone, Laura Benanti, Annaleigh Ashford, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hugh Jackman, Laurence Fishburne, Benedict Cumberbatch, Daniel Craig, Michael McIntyre, Richard Griffiths, James McAvoy. They stop being nice when people use phones during their performances, and I don't blame them one bit. 

Seriously, if you can't go 2 hours without looking at your phone, there's something terribly wrong with you. If you absolutely must look at your phone every couple of minutes, then don't go to a theater.

Be sure to completely silence your phone and don't put it on vibrate. That vibration sound can still be heard, especially in a live theater.

RULE #4

No heckling. If you don't like a movie or play, either sit there quietly until it's over or leave. A lot of people work very hard on those productions and you never know who is in the audience who will hear you insulting their work. It's rude. If you have to talk about how much you hated it, wait until you're away from the theater so no one associated with the production can hear you. 

RULE #5

Don't bring your babies to the theater. Movie theaters are way too loud for their sensitive ears so they'll definitely cry because of that and you'll likely damage their hearing. If you can't find a babysitter, don't go to a theater. 

Most live theaters won't allow children under 6 so that's not as big of a problem there. Be sure to teach your children how to behave in a theater long before you actually go.  

RULE #6

Always go to the restroom before the show starts to lessen the chance you'll have to go during the show and disturb the people around you. Sometimes you can't avoid it, some people have to go more often than others, but going before usually does the trick. 

RULE #7

Eating food is ok at a movie theater, but it's a definite no-no at a live theater. I have sinus issues which causes me to cough. When I go to the theater, I have a small cloth bag in my purse with un-wrapped cough drops so opening the wrapper won't disturb anyone. You'd be surprised at how far a little sound like that travels in a theater. 

RULE #8

Don't wear big, wide hats to a theater. The people behind you won't be able to see. I get self conscious sometimes because I'm 5'7 and I have extremely thick, long hair so I always ask the person sitting behind me if they can see ok. People always appreciate that. 

RULE #9

Don't fidget. Your constant movement also makes it difficult for the person sitting behind you to see. 

RULE #10

Don't show up to the theater intoxicated. Wait until after the show to do your drinking or whatever else it is you do. 

RULE #11

Don't wear heavy perfume or cologne and be sure to shower sometime the day of the show. Keep your shoes on and don't put your feet on other chairs. Especially in small live theaters, odors can be overwhelming to the audience and actors. 

RULE #12

Unless you're in the back row, your public displays of affection can be distracting... and in some cases nauseating... to the people around you. Try to control yourselves if you can. If you can't, go rent a room. 

RULE #13

Try not to fall asleep. In live theaters, especially if you're in the front couple of rows, the actors can see you if you fall asleep. Plus, if you have a tendency to snore, that will definitely be a distraction to everyone in the theater. I know it's common to see elderly people sleeping through shows, bless their hearts. 

RULE #14

I know these days a whole lot of people have animals with them at all times for emotional support, some need service animals like seeing eye dogs, etc, but there's also a lot of people who just carry their pets with them everywhere they go like any other accessory. Keep in mind that there are people who are allergic to animals. When you go to a theater, you're around a lot of people you don't know and you don't know what conditions they have. In a live theater, if someone tells you they are allergic to your animal, be nice about it and see if the ushers can make other seating arrangements for one of you. If you're in a movie theater, move someplace else. It's not fair to them to have to suffer because you have an animal with you. Service dogs are very well trained and will likely just sit and be silent, but untrained dogs will fidget making their tags jingle and some will bark, and always at the most inappropriate times so don't be surprised if you're asked to leave a theater because of that. 

RULE #15

Don't be mean to the staff working at theaters. It's their job to see that each person who paid money to be there has the best experience possible. If you're confronted by an employee of a theater, that means you're doing something you're not supposed to be doing, so stop it. The employees deserved to be treated with the utmost dignity and respect. If you feel an employee is out of line, respectfully and calmly talk to the manager.

IN CONCLUSION

People pay a lot of money to go to the theater and everyone deserves the best experience for that money. It's very simple to be polite and courteous.  

WHY DO I LIKE TO DO ACTOR MARATHONS?

We all know that one person who, no matter what you do and no matter what you enjoy, they will put you down for it. They say things like "you're crazy" when you enjoy doing something other people don't do. 

I actually ended a lifelong friendship maybe 5 years ago or so because I got tired of hearing that. I was always supportive of anything she did, but she was always critical of what I did. I figured out that I was getting way too old to be made to feel the way I felt when she put me down like that, so I walked away and never looked back. No regrets about it. 

You'll notice if you try to leave a comment on this blog page, it won't be posted until I approve it. I do that because I don't want mean comments about actors on my page. This is not TMZ, Instagram or Twitter. My page is not a democracy and freedom of speech doesn't apply to the comments section here. I will only allow comments that are kind and respectful. 

Still, I from time to time I get that one asshole who will try to post a nasty comment. Sometimes it's a comment about the actor, sometimes it's a cruel comment about me. 

I've been told "you're crazy" because I like to do actor marathons. 

So, just in case anyone else has anything nasty to say about why I like to do actor marathons, I'll tell you myself why I like to do actor marathons. 

Every single one of us has particular tastes when it comes to movies and television. We like particular genres and we stick to it. Most people don't even attempt to see movies or television shows that aren't in their favorite genres. 

Many years ago I worked in a mom & pop video store where I had no choice but to watch movies that weren't in my favorite genres. Watching movies so I could make recommendations to customers was my job. It's the best thing that could happen to a film lover. 

Many years later, I would still watch movies occasionally that weren't part of my favorite genres, but more often than not, I stayed in my comfort zone. That's a real shame because I was cheating myself out of getting to see some really great movies that are a huge part of cinematic history by limiting myself like that. 

After the IMDb website became more popular, I don't even remember how it started, but I would pick an actor and try to watch all of their credits that were listed. I used to have to depend on renting movies but as time has gone on, it's gotten easier because there are more online platforms to see movies.

Let's use the Tom Hanks marathon as an example. I'd seen a lot of his work over the years, but I hadn't seen it all. He had done some movies that fit into genres I don't normally want to watch when I have other options of things to see. War movies are difficult for me to watch, but if I hadn't done the Tom Hanks marathon, I never would have seen Saving Private Ryan, Band of Brothers or The Pacific... and it turns out they were all fantastic.

I know people who have never seen any movies made before 1990. How sad is that? There's a whole world of great entertainment history out there they're depriving themselves of.

Some people only watch the huge budget blockbuster studio movies with actors who make more than $20 million per movie when there's a whole world of FANTASTIC independent movies with budgets less than $100K and outstanding actors you may have never heard of. 

Some people refuse to see foreign films because they don't like to read. There are dozens of great foreign movies I would have missed if I had that attitude. Pierfrancesco Favino is among my favorite actors and most of his movies are Italian. You get used to reading the subtitles really fast so it's not as bad as some people make it sound. People who complain about them the most have probably never even tried to see one. 

I've been told I watch too many gay movies. My brain doesn't process movies as gay or straight... my brain sees "movie"... period. I watch movies with straight characters, I watch movies with gay character and I watch some movies that have straight and gay characters. As long as it's a great story, who cares what the sexual orientation of the characters are? 

I want to experience as much of the film industry from every genre out there. When I pick an actor and challenge myself to watch all of their acting credits, I get to see a whole lot of great films I would have passed on otherwise. What a shame that would be. 

So to anyone else out there who has anything nasty to say.... what the hell do you care what I do? Most of the people who read this page don't know me personally, some do, but most don't. What do you care about anything someone you don't know does? How sad does your life have to be to insult people you don't know over something like this? 

I'm doing something I enjoy and I'm sharing it just in case someone else might enjoy doing it. Nobody held a gun to your head and made you read anything on this blog page. If you don't like it, then don't read it. The internet is a huge place, go somewhere else. Simple. 

To those who want to leave mean comments, fuck off and get a life! They're not going to be approved and posted so you're wasting your time. 

To those of you who visit my page often and are supportive, I THANK YOU with all of my heart and I hope you continue to enjoy it!! 

Never let anyone insult you for doing things you enjoy. 

GODDESS GINA GERSHON

Yesterday was quite emotional watching the Golden Globe awards and seeing Rami Malek and Bohemian Rhapsody take home two of the top awards of the night. Not to mention the fact I finished the Rami Malek marathon yesterday as well. My Bohemian Rhapsody blog post has been updated to reflect that.  

I always feel a huge sense of satisfaction and accomplishment when I complete actor marathons. Not only do I learn more to love and appreciate about that actor, it opens me up to a whole lot of movies and TV shows I never would have watched without taking the challenge. As I've stepped outside of my comfort zone, my eyes have been opened to a whole world of cinematic history I never knew nor would have known if I didn't do this.

Today I begin my Gina Gershon Actor Marathon. I already love Gina Gershon as an actor, but going through her acting credits on IMDb, there are some I'm very familiar with, but even more I'm not. Movies and TV shows I didn't even know existed until now... and would have continued to not know about if I didn't do this.

I'm looking forward to this. Click HERE and follow along!!

A NEW RAMI MALEK FAN!

I'm a new Rami Malek fan. Not the obsessive type fan the young girls tend to be where they think they're going to marry him some day. I thought for a while there I was old enough to be his mother, but since I found out he's quite a bit older than I thought, I'm still old enough to be his mother if I had been a slutty teenager.

In all seriousness. I love what I've been seeing on the screen from him. There's a lot of wonderful actors out there, but every now and then one like Rami Malek comes along who is so believable in everything they do. So natural and flawless. Acting to them is like breathing to the rest of us. They were born to do it.

With some actors, you can tell that they're really trying, some a little too hard and it just falls flat. Even some actors who make millions aren't really that great, but for some reason they're popular and box office draws. Those are the actors I don't enjoy watching. 

I can tell Rami Malek takes each role seriously. I know people in the film industry and everyone loves working with him because he's nice to people and acts like a professional. He spends god only knows how many hours preparing and it shows. Every mannerism, expression, accent... you name it, he nails every detail. 

I decided that since I've seen quite a bit of his work recently, that he would be my next actor marathon. His IMDb credits list is a bit shorter at the moment than most actor marathons I do, but I have the feeling after Bohemian Rhapsody and Mr. Robot, his credits list is going to grow by leaps and bounds. 

I know nothing of his life other than what we all see on the internet. I just know that if he keeps his head about him, takes care of himself, stays humble and stays on the path he's on, he's going to be named along with all the greats in the future. He's too good not to.

Today I posted my Rami Malek marathon page and will be adding to it as I have with my other marathons. Enjoy! 

LIFE, QUEEN & BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY

*** JANUARY 27, 2019 SCROLL TO THE END FOR THE SAG AWARDS UPDATE ***

*** JANUARY 21, 2019 SCROLL TO THE END FOR THE OSCAR NOMINATIONS UPDATE ***

*** JANUARY 6, 2019 SCROLL TO THE END FOR THE GOLDEN GLOBES UPDATE ***

Welcome! This is the first feature item I've written since last year when I interviewed the cast of The Lair celebrating the 10th anniversary of that show for Gay Essential (click HERE for that piece). This is also the first feature item I've written for this new blog page. 

Just a quick little side story before I get to the real reason I'm writing this...

Since rent control ended in all L.A. Counties, the new owner of the apartment complex I live in raised my rent so much, I'm now spending more than half of my take home pay every month just to keep a roof over my head. I can't afford to do anything anymore, I certainly can't afford to take on any new film projects, so it's been quite lonely just going to work and coming home day in and day out. 

I've been occupying my time doing actor marathons. Just this year I did a complete Victor Garber marathon on social media, a complete Faye Dunaway marathon on this site and I'm currently in the middle of a Tom Hanks marathon on this site. 

Plus, the company I work for is shutting down the facility I work at and I'll be unemployed very soon so my anxiety is through the roof I'm paying way too much for. Fingers crossed I'll get hired to start a new job immediately after the New Year.

I finally got to do something fun recently and now I want to talk about it. So let's talk about it. 

Disclaimer: No money is made from this blog page. All of the photos from in this blog post are from Google Images. What is written here are my views and opinions. Negative comments submitted will not be approved and posted. 

SPOILER ALERT!! If you haven't seen the movie Bohemian Rhapsody, stop reading now.

I am one of those lifelong Queen fans... actually from around 1976 when I first heard "You're My Best Friend". I was very young but already taking many music lessons and performing. I was always very aware of most music of all genres long before and since then. Many groups and solo artists have been a huge inspiration in my life. Karen Carpenter was THE reason I wanted to be a musician and certainly Queen is right there at the top too. 

When MTV first premiered in 1981, there weren't very many music videos yet, so the small handful of videos they had were looped all day long and "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" was among them. It was so great to see the guys attached to the voices we'd been hearing on the radio up until that point.

Queen is one of the most innovative bands to have ever existed. They were never afraid to take risks such as combining genres like opera, rock, soul, heavy metal and pop etc or writing songs specifically for the audience. I was watching an interview with Freddie Mercury where he talked about how Bohemian Rhapsody was really three different songs he didn't know how to finish so he just combined them into one. Genius! 

I never got the chance to see Queen perform live and not seeing Freddie perform is one huge regret I'll always have. Money is so tight these days, unless I win the lottery, concerts for me I'm afraid are a thing of the past. I do love watching footage of Queen performing. Nobody could capture an entire arena the way Freddie Mercury did. Seriously! Freddie could make personal contact with every single person in a stadium all at the same time. Who else does that?

Next time you're at a concert, watch the performer. Watch where he or she looks. There have been some great showmen/women like Barry Manilow, Cher, Elton John, Madonna, the late George Michael but they have never made that same connection Freddie did. Most performers never look beyond the first 10 or 15 rows if even that. I don't think George Michael saw the audience at all, I think he looked through the audience. Freddie had a way of making eye contact with every single person, or at least seeming like he was. Nobody else has ever done that. 

The tabloids were brutal with Freddie about his sexuality. I felt bad for him. It always bothers me when most celebrities are harassed over topics they don't want to talk about that are really nobody's business. It didn't take a genius to figure out Freddie was bisexual or gay, but the tabloid "journalists" wouldn't leave him alone. 

There did come a time in the late 80's when I could tell he was sick and thought it was probably AIDS as sadly, that was too often what was happening during that era. He was so thin and gaunt. Instead of the tight jeans and tank tops or spandex, he was wearing very large, baggy suits with shoulder pads. Again, the tabloids were relentless.

A press release was made November 23, 1991 that Freddie did indeed have AIDS. At that point in time AIDS was a sure death sentence and, like millions of other people, I felt so heartbroken and helpless, followed by abrupt shock that the very next day it was all over the news that he had died.

When a musician dies young, like Freddie Mercury, Karen Carpenter, John Lennon, Andy Gibb and George Michael etc; I get selfishly angry because I feel cheated out of all the great music that could have been that I'm never going to hear. Because they were such a huge part of my life, I mourn them like any family member or friend I would lose and have to learn to live in a world without them. I'm glad Freddie Mercury found strength in creating and recording music as long as he could.

Many years ago I'd heard about a movie in the works about the life of Freddie Mercury from the legendary rock band Queen and I got all excited. Then I saw that Sacha Baron Cohen was set to star and my excitement went away. For whatever reason, I've just never liked him. He's obnoxious, quite cruel at times and I don't see what he does as comedy. In all fairness, I don't personally know him and he may be a great guy, it's just not what I see coming across in the work he does. I just felt that he would make an exaggerated clown out of Freddie by sensationalizing certain aspects of his life. Though Freddie was many things, he was never a clown and deserves the utmost respect. I had decided as long as he was set to star, I would never see the movie. A couple of years later I'd heard he dropped out of the project and didn't hear anymore about it for a long time. 

A couple of years ago, I believe it was in 2016, I'd heard that the movie was back in production and would star Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury. My interest was piqued again, but in all honesty, I had never heard of Rami Malek and had no idea who he was or what he had done. I'm at that age now where I can blame my age for not knowing certain things and get away with it so that's the story I'm sticking to in this instance.  

Just before Bohemian Rhapsody opened in theaters, I looked Rami Malek up on IMDb to see what he's done and what I might recognize him from. He was in Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 2. I had seen that once and I had to watch it again to see what part he had. If you're keeping up with my Tom Hanks marathon on this site, you'll see that Rami is in the movie Larry Crowne. I haven't gotten to The Pacific mini series yet, which he's in, but I will in the very near future as part of the Tom Hanks marathon. 

I just watched this wonderful independent film, Buster's Mal Heart. That's one of those films that really makes you think long after it's over, mainly because it can be interpreted a few different ways. Sort of like The Matrix meets Sybil. The film is well worth watching if you haven't seen it. 

Rami Malek is currently on a TV show called Mr. Robot, for which he won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series in 2016. I haven't had any television service for a number of years because I just can't afford it anymore so I don't know about most TV shows like I used to. I also can't remember the last time I got to watch an awards show. The only home entertainment I get these days is what I can find online and watch on my laptop. I did binge watch the first season of Mr. Robot last week and it is a fantastic show. That Emmy was very much deserved. I'm looking forward to watching the other seasons and getting caught up. 

Looking at Rami Malek, I was wondering how they were going to turn him...

Into him:

Except for that same strong jawline, I don't see Freddie at all and how would that be believable? 

I paid attention to the production as best as I could while it was happening. I'll always be disappointed Bryan Singer is attached to this project and still continues to get work when the opportunities he gets should go to people who are decent human beings. I wasn't on set so I don't know what is true and what are rumors, but I heard he was difficult and I do believe that 100%.

Then...

BEHOLD! The first photo of Rami Malek as Freddie Mercury was released and splashed all over social media...

MY GOD!!! At first I thought it was a photo of the real Freddie Mercury, then when I realized that was Rami Malek, I was completely blown away by that transformation and so excited I couldn't wait for the finished product. 

20th Century Fox started releasing trailers every couple of months...

The Teaser Trailer:

The Official Trailer:

The Final Trailer:

I was just so floored by what I was seeing. I couldn't wait for the movie to premier. 

The official opening date here was November 2, 2018, but there's a theater nearby that was airing it late in the evening on the 1st so you bet your ass I was there. I didn't want to see anything on social media to spoil the movie for me before I could see it. 

Let me just say WOW! I've seen many biopics over the years, but only a handful of them have moved me to that level of emotion. Most biopics don't even come close to getting the characters right. This Bohemian Rhapsody biopic got it all right. 

Let's start with the outstanding casting, wardrobe and makeup departments of this movie. They all really outdid themselves and found the perfect people for each role, flawless prosthetics & makeup and that perfectly detailed iconic wardrobe. Whatever those people were paid for working on this movie, it wasn't enough. 

Earlier I mentioned I was wondering how they would turn Rami Malek into Freddie Mercury... they pulled it off beyond anything I could have imagined. I recently saw a video where a woman with the film described his transformation using a slight prosthetic nose (that you can't notice no matter how hard you look), makeup shading and false teeth for the famous Freddie Mercury overbite he refused to fix because he was afraid it would mess up his four octave range.  

It's not just Rami Malek that took my breath away. This entire cast was phenomenal. 

Gwilym Lee as guitarist Brian May. It's so difficult to remember he's not really Brian May because he's so damn good. He and Brian May literally have the same face. Gwilym doesn't have to wonder what he's going to look like when he gets older. I don't know if he already knew how to play the guitar or not or if he was coached as the shoot went on, but he knew where the chords were:

Joseph Mazzello as bassist John Deacon. I read that he had his hair permed for real and it wasn't a wig for the mid 80's John Deacon. What a brave man. The perm I had in the 80's made my hair break off and fall out in clumps. Again, I don't know if he knew how to play the bass already or not, but he did it convincingly. I would have liked to have seen how John became part of Queen. He just magically appeared. I read that scene had been cut out of the final edit of the movie: 

Ben Hardy as drummer Roger Taylor. Every moment spot on. You would never know he's not really a drummer in real life because he hit every beat on time. I've taken music classes with people who couldn't keep a beat so what he did is even that much more impressive:

Lucy Boynton as Freddie's best friend and "common law wife" Mary Austin. From interviews I've seen of Mary in documentaries about Freddie Mercury, Lucy was right on the money: 

Aaron McCusker as Freddie's "husband" Jim Hutton. The only disappointment I had with the movie is how they skimmed over and past the Jim Hutton character and his relationship with Freddie too fast and should have spent a little more time on it. He's only the man who stayed with Freddie and nursed him through his illness until the day he died: 

For those of us who had a brain-chemical addiction to the PBS drama Downton Abbey, we are tickled to see Allen Leech as leech Paul Prenter... the man who wormed his way into Freddie's world, became his assistant/manager, kept him supplied with unlimited drugs, alienated him from the people who cared about him and then outed him to the tabloids when Freddie dumped him. Well done:

Then there's Mike Myers as the fictional EMI record executive Ray Foster who refused to release the song Bohemian Rhapsody because it was 6 minutes long. I didn't even know he was in the movie until I saw his name in the credits, then had to Google it when I got home to see who he was. I should have guessed when he said the line "we need a song teenagers can bang their heads to in a car." If you don't know that that means, watch the movie Wayne's World. 

It was wonderful to see that Adam Lambert was included in this epic film since he's one of the current front-men for Queen. You have to pay attention or you'll miss him in his role as the heavily made-up truck-stop truck driver implied bathroom hookup of Freddie's. 

Once I got past how everyone looked so perfect in their roles, I was blown away again by how hard each of them obviously worked to perfect every single little mannerism, posture, movement, gesture, glance, facial expression, accent, musical technique, choreography... you name it. They left no detail unchecked. I can't even begin to fathom the amount of time each of them spent being coached, researching, practicing and rehearsing. Their dedication is obvious and no one is a disappointment in their performances. 

Naturally the part that had me in tears from start to finish was the Live Aid finale scene. For those of us old enough to remember, Live Aid was a huge deal. There are documentaries that detail all of this on YouTube you can look up. 

The short story is, for those those who don't know, Bob Geldof was the lead singer of a British band called The Boomtown Rats and their popularity was coming to an end. A long story of events led to Bob and Midge Ure from the British band Ultravox teaming up to do a Christmas album called "Do They Know It's Christmas" featuring all the biggest British stars of that era to raise money to feed starving people in Ethiopia. 

Another long story of events led to Bob organizing a benefit concert to be held on July 13, 1985 in dual venues in two different countries: Wembley Stadium in London England and John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia USA. Once word got out, other countries like Australia, Canada, Russia, Japan, Germany, etc had similar concerts for the same cause. Live Aid was seen by approximately 2 billion people and raised close to 40 million dollars just that day.  

When you think of Live Aid, what comes to your mind first? Queen right? I honestly can't remember any of the acts from the Philadelphia concert at all and would have to Google that. As for the Wembley Stadium acts, I have to think long and hard to remember who else was there besides Queen. I vaguely remember watching Bono wasting approximately 10 minutes of U2's set when he decided to suddenly switch careers from rock star to security detail, then left the stage to do crowd control while the rest of the band played the same refrain over and over. Other than that, Queen completely stole the show... and there were a lot of big names there like Paul McCartney, Sting, George Michael, David Bowie, Elton John, Paul Young, Status Quo, Spandau Ballet, Elvis Costello, The Who and Phil Collins among others.

The Queen Live Aid performance is among the most iconic performances of all time in music history. When I saw all 72,000 people at Wembley Stadium participating in "Radio Ga Ga" all in unison, I got goose bumps all over. Not to mention that famous "Note Heard Round the World". I phoned in my donation to Live Aid just after Queen finished. Here, watch for yourself and you'll see what I mean:

What really impressed me beyond words was the Live Aid scene in the movie was executed with such precision by everybody, it was just like watching the real thing on YouTube. It couldn't have been more perfect and I certainly appreciate all the hard work that went into that. 

  

  

I was sitting in this movie theater watching Bohemian Rhapsody, and at times it almost felt like The Rocky Horror Picture Show with as much audience participation that went on. We all sang along to the songs, did the "We Will Rock You' stomp stomp clap, did the "Radio Ga Ga" double praise double clap (I don't know what else to call that)... that in itself was a lot of fun for a full theater full of strangers brought together by a common love and to be celebrating Queen's legacy like that. 

I've read and heard some rough criticism about the movie. That's to be expected since there are some very unhappy people in the world who can't see the good in anything so they get jobs as film critics and some people simply think they're film critics because they own a computer. No matter how great a movie is, they'll look for something bad to say about it. What a sad way to live huh? The saying goes "those who act, do... those who can't, criticize". 

The "critics" say this movie isn't gay enough, or that Freddie Mercury's homosexuality wasn't addressed enough. Apparently we were watching two different movies because his homosexuality most certainly was addressed. No, Rami Malek didn't get down on his knees and suck anybody's dick, but as I mentioned earlier, there was an bathroom hookup at a truck stop. Freddie came out to Mary. There were scenes of his wild parties and visit to a leather bar. There was a kiss when Paul first hit on Freddie and a very tender moment with Jim. Anything more explicit and the movie would have gotten an R or NC-17 rating, which is what the Producers didn't want. 

They say his AIDS wasn't covered enough. Technically they didn't have to address his AIDS at all since the film ended with Live Aid set in the year 1985 when in real life Freddie wasn't diagnosed with AIDS until 1987. The way it was handled in this movie was just right. The subject was addressed and Freddie didn't want to dwell on it, just like he did in real life, he wanted to focus on the music.  

Look, there was so much to Freddie Mercury's life. Some events had to be re-arranged, timelines were altered to address certain subjects and some footage had to be left on the cutting room floor as they say. To be able to see every detail in chronological order would make a movie 4 or 5 hours long. Who knows? Maybe someday there will be a Director's Cut DVD with all the omitted footage.  

I've seen Bohemian Rhapsody compared to Lifetime TV movies, like that's a bad thing. I take offense to that because a very dear friend of mine produces a lot of those movies on Lifetime, Hallmark, SyFy, Ion, USA, etc. Other people I know write some of those movies, direct some of those movies, star in some of those movies and do voice work on some of those movies. A whole lot of people work very hard with long hours, are away from home for months at a time on location and work with small budgets to make new movies all year long and deserve nothing but respect just like anybody else. 

Bohemian Rhapsody deserves nothing but praise for accomplishing something so special that will live on forever. I see some very well deserved award nominations for this film in the very near future... hopefully an Oscar nomination for Rami Malek. 

I really shouldn't have because I really can't afford it, but I went back and saw Bohemian Rhapsody a second time the other day. Now I'll just impatiently wait for the DVD release and if I'm not homeless from being unemployed, I'll watch it a few dozen more times.  

My favorite quote from the movie is when the John Reid character said "What makes Queen any different from all the other wannabe rock stars I meet?" and Freddie replied "we're four misfits who don't belong together. We're playing for the other misfits. They're the outcasts at the back of the room. We're pretty sure they don't belong either. We belong to them." I don't know if Freddie really did say that in real life, but speaking as a misfit who has never truly belonged anywhere, those words make me smile.

I want to thank everybody involved with Bohemian Rhapsody for sharing with us a side of Freddie Mercury we never knew, but at the same time preserving the beautiful memories of the Freddie Mercury we all loved so much. 

January 6, 2019 

Golden Globe Awards

Tonight there was a whole lot of screams of happiness and tears of joy as we watched Rami Malek win the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Drama for his portrayal of the late, great Freddie Mercury of the legendary rock band Queen in the biopic Bohemian Rhapsody. 

  

We also got to scream and cry some more as we watched Bohemian Rhapsody win the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture - Drama.

 If you read this entire blog entry, I mentioned how everything about this movie was right... and I do mean everything. The work that went into making each character as authentic as possible is phenomenal for everyone in the cast and the crew. 

In my mind, when I think of "Best Actor" or "Best Actress", I look hard at the role and I try to imagine another actor in that role. If it's a role any other actor can play just as well, if not better, then I don't think it's award worthy. When I think of a role and I can't picture anybody else doing it, then it should win awards. 

If you recall, at first when I found out who Rami Malek was and that he was going to be playing Freddie Mercury, I couldn't see it, but I kept an open mind and couldn't wait to see the movie. Once I saw how well he nailed every tiny mannerism, accent, move and look, I was so blown away I can't think of anybody else who could have done that. His dedication and respect for Freddie Mercury shined. Rami Malek was born to play Freddie Mercury and I couldn't be happier he's getting such high accolades. 

We still have the Academy Awards coming up. I'm tempted to be cocky and say Rami Malek is going to win it, but I keep reminding myself of the time Colin Farrell won the Golden Globe for In Bruges, yet didn't even get nominated for an Oscar. The Academy folks seem to be a bit more snobby than the Hollywood Foreign Press so we'll just have to wait and see when the nominations are announced on January 22, 2019.  

Tonight, I know all of those involved with Bohemian Rhapsody are in the party mood and I'm sure Brian May and Roger Taylor are going to be posting a lot more pictures on their social media accounts. 

The greatest thing in the world is when good things happen to deserving people. 

January 21, 2019 

Academy Award Nominations

I love what I saw when I woke up this morning. Bohemian Rhapsody has 5 Academy Award nominations and deservedly so. Looking forward to Sunday February 24, 2019 to find out the results. Congratulations to everyone who worked on this amazing film. You're all already winners! 

January 27, 2019 

SAG Awards

I'm disappointed Bohemian Rhapsody didn't win the SAG (Screen Actor's Guild) Motion Picture of the Year, but I'm so happy Rami Malek won for Male Actor in a Leading Role. It's a great honor to win an award based on the votes of your peers. His star is shining bright this year and he's earned it and then some.