The Column of Life

O blessed person who visits these pages. Column is slightly over six months old as a Blog. The site has been around since 2003. Your presence is much appreciated. Happy 2006!

Love Out Loud I was born with bugle horns and trumpets in my heart Mandolins, and accordions and voices in three parts Pounding drums, guitar strums and choirs singing out I was Born to Love Out Loud ….words and music by Michael Clay

... 6 January, The Epiphany, Brokeback goes into even wider release and via Andrew Towle's BLOG we discover this: Friday, December 30, 2005 'Brokeback Mountain' gains steam By SANDY COHEN THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Who's afraid of a couple of gay cowboys? Not moviegoers, who helped "Brokeback Mountain" post the highest per-screen average over the film-flush holiday weekend. The Ang Lee film, which follows the 20-year forbidden romance between two roughneck ranch hands, earned $13,599 per theater, compared with $9,305 for weekend winner "King Kong" and $8,225 for "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe." The big question is whether "Brokeback" can maintain its momentum as it moves from selected cities, where audiences are receptive to the subject matter, to suburbs far and wide, where that might not be the case. Early numbers -- and early awards buzz -- establish the picture's staying power, indu...

Kings or Queens Opening the Celluloid Closet Ang Lee plus straight teen-dreams playing gay cowboys equals the most acclaimed movie of the year—not even in the wildest dreams of Harvey Weinstein. DONNA BOWMAN Stonewall, Harvey Milk, Fire Island, Edmund White, John Waters, and Andy Warhol are all going on simultaneously with Ennis Del Mar's loneliness. But gay culture can't save him. Gay culture doesn't know he exists. The idea of his "choosing" to live (and presumably die) alone in that closet of a trailer with two shirts in the middle of nowhere is tragic. It all hails from Annie Proulx, but Ennis is a man after Edith Wharton's heart. WESLEY MORRIS My wife and I attended the first matinee of Brokeback Mountain and discovered a razor blade in our popcorn. I don't suspect foul play—razor blades are used to scrape the poppers after closing time—but the incident underlined the perilous atmosphere in which Brokeback is being released. I'm happy t...

First Liz Smith, someone who certainly points the way to growing old gracefully, had this to say on Wednesday: STILL IN the giving holiday mode? Why don't you make a donation to the [NewYork] city's worthy Bailey House, a shelter for me n, wo me n and children afflicted with HIV/AIDS. This nonprofit organization has experienced the financial squeeze of federal funding cutbacks. Find out more by logging on baileyhouse.org. The AIDS epidemic is far from over, and it affects us all. And of course you can always go here -- click, click Makes a body want to sing out in the choir.

Et Verbum Caro Factum Est et Habitavit in Nobis. And the Word was Made Flesh and dwelt among us. The Word that ca me forth from God was made Flesh. Exegesis of ancient philosophy and thought places much emphasis on the power of the word. The Word that ca me from God took form in humanity. That’s what Jesus is supposedly all about:God and humanity as one and the same entity. John, the Beloved Disciple is the attributed author of the above quote which is essential to the Liturgy of the Word in Roman Catholic ritual. John was the one whose head rested on the chest of the Lord during the Last Supper. John was the one to whom the Lord entrusted his mother when he was dying. John is usually depicted as a young hadndsome man. A type of intimacy was attributed to and recorded about the relationship to Jesus. Let it be said here and now that Jesus Christ, according to the accepted Sacred Gospels, one of which was accordingly written by John, the Beloved, said absolutely nothing ...

Britt Daniel, the singer and songwriter who leads the Austin, Tex., band Spoon, agrees, and counts himself among the beneficiaries. After the band was dropped from the major label Elektra in 1998, Mr. Daniel found his way to a new contract with the independent label Merge, and Spoon's third album for the company, "Gimme Fiction," has racked up sales of nearly 100,000 copies, outstripping the previous two and ranking as one of the year's best-reviewed releases. "There are great bands on major labels and bad bands on independent labels, but it seems like the records made on independent labels are more about real creativity and more heartfelt stuff," Mr. Daniel said. "It may just be a three-, four-, five-year cycle where indie music is cool. Sometimes I get cynical, but people tell me, 'No, this is the way things are going to be from now on.' " Check out full article here.

Hey all, Hope you all had a great holiday weekend. The "Undercover" show is on for tonight, Tuesday the 27th, at 8:30 PM; The last one in 2005. Along with originals, I will be doing the songs of SEAL. He actually just put out a bonus CD featuring acoustic versions of his songs as part of his greatest hits package, so I have been enjoying hearing his stuff from a new perspective. I'm looking forward to playing my favorites for you guys. Hope to see you at Mr. Denehey's, Carmine @ 7th Ave, downstairs. New York City. MAJ

Darlene Love continues to make her mark on David Letterman’s yearly Yuletide show with her perennial hit, “Christmas (Baby, Please Co me Ho me )” which made its debut in the watershed year, 1963. It was the year before the arrival of the Beatles and the me mory which serves well brings to mind “Heat Wave,” “Anyone Who Had A Heart,” “Cry Baby,” “He’s Sure the Boy I love,” and “One Fine Day” among so many other hit songs that year. President Kennedy provided the world with its first movie star world leader with his classy First Lady. The Cuban Missile Crisis and The Bay of Pigs Invasion were behind us. Oh it wasn’t idyllic but the young baby boo me rs at least had everything in its appropriate place and were optimistic. Darlene Love was hard at work on what was to beco me a Christmas music stalwart with the above standout original piece. Here is what she herself tells us about its inception in her autobiography, My Na me Is Love : The sum me r of 1963 was especially hot, and we were ...

Midnight Mass

THE NEW WORLD. With Colin Farrell , Q’Orianka Kilcher, Christian Bale . Director: Terrence Malick (2:30). PG-13: Intense battle scenes. At Lincoln Square. Terrence Malick's "The New World" is a lush, angry movie about how America got its seat-of-the-pants start. It shows the good, the bad and the ugly of the interactions between the settlers at Jamestown and the Native Americans who sealed their own fate by lending those settlers a hand. This is a sublimely rewarding yet prickly movie, anchored by the steady, hypnotic gaze of part-Peruvian, part-Swiss newcomer Q'Orianka Kilcher, who was 14 when she made this. Her luminous, ethnic looks transcend her role as the Powhatan princess Pocahontas to the point where she seems to embody the wild beauty and purity of the land itself - at least the land as it was before it gave rise to concrete, billboards and fast-food joints. Revisionist history lesson gives way to romance. "The New World" can stand alone as a ...

We don't like everything here, but we are loyal if nothing else. Mr. Farrell, it is hoped that you'll return to bless us with more high calibre performances. Rest up. Thank you for everything.

In this Reuters Item: Early Oscar bets focus on ' Brokeback ' 'It could be the gay Oscars this year' Los Angeles, CA (Reuters) -- As Hollywood starts its annual awards season leading to the March 5 Oscars, key front-runners in main categories are either gay-the me d or political films, with Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain , a drama of love between cowboys, leading the pack in the all-important best picture race. It could be the gay Oscars this year because gay-the me d movies could win almost all the major awards," said Tom O'Neill, show business awards columnist for TheEnvelope.com, referring to the sudden dominance Brokeback Mountain has gained so early in the race. “Brokeback is going to be hard to beat. Rarely do we have this kind of award consensus for a movie, and its director ( Taiwan 's Ang Lee) is long overdue for an Oscar," O'Neill said. "Brokeback," the first gay romance to make a bid for mainstream respecta...

The precise moment of the 2005 Solstice will be December 21, 2005 at 1:35 P.M. EST (18:35 GMT).

'Tis the shortest day of the year, yet it is out of the darkness that we celebrate and await the light. We are forever on our way.

Bill Clinton records message for Elton Former President Bill Clinton has reportedly recorded a video message to be played at Elton John's "hen-night." The star will be holding a star-studded party tomorrow night before marrying his partner in one of the first Civil Partnerships in England. It is reportedly costing more than £100,000 and will see the likes of Ian McKellen in drag. "We knew Elton had good connections," a source told The Daily Mirror , "But to see the ex-US president was something else." Bill Clinton is said to praise the singer and his partner, saying: "If there were more people in the world like Elton, then the world would be a better place." Fiona Edwards

It seems that we live in a Nation currently administered by people who not only forget history but disrespect its finer moments, it then becomes important to remind the good people who reside here of the first ten Articles of the Constitution of the United States: THE BILL OF RIGHTS A me nd me nts 1-10 of the Constitution The Conventions of a number of the States having, at the ti me of adopting the Constitution, expressed a desire, in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added, and as extending the ground of public confidence in the Govern me nt will best insure the beneficent ends of its institution; Resolved, by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of A me rica, in Congress assembled, two-thirds of both Houses concurring, that the following articles be proposed to the Legislatures of the several States, as a me nd me nts to the Constitution of the United States; all o...

It's not so much the difficulty in admitting that one reads a tabloid that causes discomfort, the true difficulty lies in accepting a simpleton's take on things without having the concrete opportunity to inform said simpleton of their inability to understand. Lloyd Grove writes the riveting Lowdown for the New York Daily News which is preceded in profound revelation only by the New York Post's Page Six . Today the brilliant Mr. Grove called Nathan Lane's very New Yorkese sense of humour an "'Emperor's New Clothes' Moment" for Brokeback Mountain . It's a mole hill, Mr. Grove. There's no story here. It's Nathan Lane being funny. It's what he does. Ever see The Birdcage ? Jeffrey ? Isn't there something better to report? Perhaps Bill O'Reilly making an obscene telephone call or harassing a hapless woman? Grove wrote: But openly gay stage and screen star Nathan Lane went on the "Today" show Friday and, instead of ...

In a great Rolling Stone interview of so me years ago when he was hitting his stride, Richard Gere said so me thing to the effect of “If you want to believe I’m gay, then I’ll be gay. I’ll be whatever you want me to be.” It antedated the print ad he placed later on with his then consort – notwithstanding the advertise me nt proclaiming his heterosexuality Mr. Gere stands on the side of openness and equality. He has given us me morable gay roles on both stage and screen in Bent and And the Band Played On. His place in the current AIDS awareness ad appearing on the walls of the MTA underground attests to it. He is in good company with Elizabeth Taylor, Greg Louganis and Whoopi Goldberg et al. His career seems to be none the worse for his non-denial. Robbie Williams solo singer of boy band lineage on the other hand will now be inducted into the Tom Cruise/Liberace Hall of Silly Poofters for suing those who have made the horrible, very terrible, earth shattering accusation that...

I consider myself a logical, analytical person. I approach life in a reasoned manner, assuming that, no matter what happens, I can separate the wheat from the chaff, separate what's real from what my emotions want me to believe is real. But as it happens logic sometimes doesn't serve; sometimes only deeply-felt emotion will do. And that's the way it is with Brokeback Mountain . So rather than this being a film review, an analysis of themes, a comparison of strengths and weaknesses, it's a very personal gathering together of feelings. In the last fifty years I've probably only cried five or six times and of those, perhaps only 2 or 3 in public. Credit, or blame, my Irish-Canadian WASP heritage and maybe the era in which I grew up, but men aren't supposed to cry, so tears do not come easily. A death, a personal loss or some rare convergence of event and memory that tripped an emotional trigger – that's it. Otherwise I'm the rock that other people lea...

He was a friend of mine He was a friend of mine Every time I think about him now Lord I just can't keep from cryin' 'Cause he was a friend of mine He died on the road He died on the road He just kept on movin' Never reaped what he could sow And he was a friend of mine I stole away and cried I stole away and cried 'Cause I never had too much money And I never been quite satisfied And he was a friend of mine He never done no wrong He never done no wrong A thousand miles from home And he never harmed no one And he was a friend of mine He was a friend of mine He was a friend of mine Every time I hear his name Lord I just can't keep from cryin' 'Cause he was a friend of mine. Copyright © 1962; renewed 1990 MCA

Ford does indeed have a better idea. After at first giving into the threats of the American Family Association, Ford Motor Company’s heart has returned to the right place – or rather to where a stockpile of disposable income resides. Ride that Mustang! Gay Ads Back On Track For Ford by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff (Washington) Ford Motor Company on Wednesday agreed to almost all demands from LGBT groups following a hastily organized meeting earlier this week with the company over a claim by the American Family Association that the company had made a pact with it to end support of the LGBT community. The AFA said it was ending a threatened boycott of Ford after the company agreed to pull advertising from the gay media and to stop funding LGBT organizations. On Monday Ford met with LGBT leaders in a Washington hotel to hear their concerns about the AFA statement. In a statement released Wednesday afternoon, Ford said that it would feature all of its brands in a 2...

From Yahoo News. By JENNIFER LOVEN, Associated Press Writer 27 minutes ago WASHINGTON - President Bush said Saturday he has no intention of stopping his personal authorizations of a post-Sept. 11 secret eavesdropping program in the U.S., lashing out at those involved in revealing it while defending it as crucial to preventing future attacks. "This is a highly classified program that is crucial to our national security," he said in a radio address delivered live from the White House's Roosevelt Room. "This authorization is a vital tool in our war against the terrorists. It is critical to saving American lives. The American people expect me to do everything in my power, under our laws and Constitution, to protect them and their civil liberties and that is exactly what I will continue to do as long as I am president of the United States," Bush said. Angry members of Congress have demanded an explanation of the program, first revealed in Friday's New York Times ...

Brokeback Mountain opens in Canada today in 3 cities, and in additional cities next week. The film has shown previously at the Toronto Film Festival in September, so at least some have already seen it. There have been several recent reviews and, as in the US, these have generally been enthusiastic. What follows is a mostly excellent review on CBC.ca today, except for one incongruous comment. More on that at the end. Final Frontier Brokeback Mountain’s story of cowboy lovers is a fairy-tale romance By Alec Scott We all replay certain, significant scenes from our past: the first or last meeting with a friend; a turning point in a relationship with a parent. In the process of remembering, these scenes slow down in our minds, as though time itself has been stretched. While other memories may shrink to nothing, these ones sprawl out. The opening scene of Brokeback Mountain plays out with the same slow pacing of an oft-analyzed memory. Two young cowboys, Ennis (Heath Ledger) and Jack...

Never let it be said that this BLOG and website is not the right combination of the sublime and the ridiculous. Perhaps it's time to give proper recognition to the latter. Forget that All My Children fed its viewers the line that ordinarily very sharp men like JR Chandler and Tad Martin fell for Di being Dixie. Forget that the actress pretending to be JR's mother is actually younger than Jacob Young, JR's portrayer. The good news is that Young and Michael E. Knight troopers both kept their acting skills along for the ride. Young has been praised on these pages and more than one of his photos can be found in our Favourites Gallery on the main site. Other good news is that the roster of talented acotrs over at All My Children will have a new addition or readdition as the case may be. Carolyn Hinsey reports in today's New York Daily News: But the big news is the "Christmas miracle" that "AMC" accomplished this week. They lured Cady McClain back as Dix...

A great hidden gem among Westerns is Tommy Lee Jones’ Good Ol’ Boys in which Al Gore’s for me r college roommate shines as an actor and writer. Well, he’s up to his old tricks. We are grateful -- The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada In the western drama penned by Guillermo Arriaga ( 21 Grams ), Jones plays Pete Perkins, an earnest ranch hand who goes to great lengths to bury his murdered friend in his ho me town in Mexico. Jones won best actor at the Cannes Film Festival this year for his poignant performance as Perkins." Estrada" is also nominated for four Independent Spirit Awards including best film. Q: You don't think it is a western? A: I would hope that this movie would defy categorization and albeit the need for it. [above from The Village Voice] ************** (AP) - Tommy Lee Jones brings his sa me dry manner and sly humour in front of the ca me ra to his feature debut behind it as director of The Three Burials of Melqui...

How We Do What We Do Brian Rodgers is how we do it. Discovering Brian is one of the best things a body can do . Christopher Meloni discovered that early on when Brian created his award winning official website. Brian has blessed Column of Life with his magic touch. Brian is not only endowed with cyber magic he is only one of the best people in cyber town. The whys and wherefores of a personal relationship can be reduced to the concepts of goodness, kindness, humour and honesty. He doesn't even have to be in the same room with you. The following is his Christmas message: Remember how you used to get long Christmas letters from people detailing what had happened during the year? Well, this is the electronic version. Except it's not really all about me. Honest it's not. Now, you have the option of skipping it altogether by quickly scrolling to the end and getting to the important thing right away. I guess that could be a Christmas present you might choose to open early. Howe...