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Showing posts from March, 2006

Hello

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Not difficult at all to ...

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... call him 'Sir.' One Queen in England did it for the rest of us. Tom Jones is now a Knight of the Realm. The Supremes' Mary Wilson bestowed quite a few honours on him decades ago: "Suddenly he entered the room, and for a moment I felt like we were living out a scene ... with 'Some Enchanted Evening' playing in the background ... I could see instantly that Tom was like no man I had ever met. He was extremely down to earth and passionate ... I knew I was in love. " ...After that night I was consumed by thoughts about our next meeting ... I truly believed I had found my love at last." Well, just go on, Mary! ( from Dreamgirl: My Life as a Supreme)

Tower Records Lincoln Center

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This evening's performance showcases the creative and the innovative. Michael Winther will be performing starting at 6PM. Songs from an Unmade Bed features music by Debra Barsha, Mark Bennett, Peter Foley, Jenny Giering, Peter Golub, Jake Heggie, Stephen Hoffman, Lance Horne, Gihieh Lee, Steve Marzullo, Brendan Milburn, Chris Miller, Greg Pliska, Duncan Sheik, Jeffrey Stock and Joseph Thalken. Each composer contributed one song to the tuner and each song features lyrics by Mark Campbell. The tunes tell the story of a gay New Yorker's heartaches and triumphs in the big city. Michael Winther stars. This is a song cycle, a lieder that celebrates gay life in the Big Apple.

Bulgarian Lovers

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... is recommended. TLA Video has this to say: Eloy de la Iglesia’s ... latest film is an elegantly filmed and splashy return to cinematic prominence with this story of a love between a middle-aged Spanish gay man and a younger “straight” Bulgarian hunk. Daniel is a well-off accountant who welcomes Kyril into his bedroom and into his life. Kyril is a refugee from Bulgaria who has mysterious sources of income, but an incredible body and a charming smile. In Daniel’s social circle this type of relationship is common, one based on mutual needs rather than an equal partnership. There are two parallel stories - the thriller revolves around the mysterious contents of a bag Kyril stashes at Daniel’s parent’s house, a stolen car and mysterious bundles of money. While the thriller propels the film forward, under the surface is the love story between these two men and Kyril’s girlfriend who arrives to come between them. With terrific scenes in gay clubs, at a Bulgarian country wedding and at Dan

If Geppetto were his father,

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George would not be a real boy. Imagine if this George had chopped down a cherry tree. Today’s New York Times starts like so Bush Was Set on Path to War, British Memo Says By DON VAN NATTA Jr. Published: March 27, 2006 LONDON — In the weeks before the United States-led invasion of Iraq, as the United States and Britain pressed for a second United Nations resolution condemning Iraq, President Bush's public ultimatum to Saddam Hussein was blunt: Disarm or face war. But behind closed doors, the president was certain that war was inevitable. During a private two-hour meeting in the Oval Office on Jan. 31, 2003, he made clear to Prime Minister Tony Blair of Britain that he was determined to invade Iraq without the second resolution, or even if international arms inspectors failed to find unconventional weapons, said a confidential memo about the meeting written by Mr. Blair's top foreign policy adviser and reviewed by The New York Times... There’s more but you get it and just la

Emerald City Denizens

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HBO's Oz was a unique and intense series. Sometime soon by the way the sixth and final season will be released on DVD. The fondness held for Christopher Meloni on this site and BLOG is definitely no secret. He, too, is unique and, as OZ demonstrates, has his intense moments. Any OZ fan can tell you that OZ was more than Meloni and his predator alter ego, Chris Keller. Right there by his side quite often was Lee Tergesen. Meloni referred to their characters as the new Luke and Laura. There are many parallels. Other fine human beings and talented actors on the show were Dean Winters, Lauren Velez, Eamonn Walker, David Zayas, Granville Adams, Harold Perrineau, Seth Gilliam and Kirk Acevedo just to name a few. First and foremost among them for a lot of peoples' money was -- and still is -- the very grand and saucy Rita Moreno. As far as casts go, they don't come much better. The creative force behind the series was Tom Fontana who along with Chris Meloni is also a favourite a

Saturday Beefcake

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Now there's someone that seems rather healthy and not too shabby for a main course. In keeping with that frame of mind may we suggest this rather healthy side dish. Sweet and Sour Coleslaw 1 head shredded cabbage -- red's the best 1 chopped medium bell pepper -- go for red or yellow, please 4 thinly sliced green onions Cooked corn kernels about 400 mg 2 large tablespoons rice or any white vinegar Sugar substitute to taste salt/pepper [add finely minced jalapeno and/or cilantro -- of course, you know it's optional as is so much of what we eat] Toss [It's for 8 people] 37 calories; 9 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 12 mg sodium; 0 fat

Lovin' Out Loud

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It's very easy to keep returning to Michael Clay's poignant yet joyful song "Love Out Loud" because its expression is just right. Once again it's our song of the week. As we kick off another AIDS Walk auction on EBAY with the participation of the iconic Christopher Meloni, loving out loud is more than appropriate. The effort this year is done in conjunction with Smart + Strong's POZ magazine. Therefore, donating to Giovanni's donor page is donating as well to the POZ team. Once again Christopher will be signing photographs and magazine covers for the winning bidder and to that bidders' specifications. The three items currently on the block are these three: 7603546851; 7603547395; and 7603547943. There are plans in the works for an event where there will be other interesting and generous New York denizens, one of which will be the multi-talented and ever beautiful Ilene Kristen. In the meantime, check out the auction, check out the donor page

Mark Mark Bo Bark

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Mark Aaron James' Name Game Hey, So, masturbation night was a real success at last weeks "Undercover" show. We really pulled it off. (My apologies to everyone who has heard me doing that joke all week). Things are back to normal for this coming week. Although, we are doing another genre instead of a songwriter. It will be "songs with names in them." So, join me, and Jolene, and Jack and Dianne, and G.L.O.R.I.A. and all of their friend for a cool night of music. Tonight, 8:30 PM at Mr. Denehey's, Carmine and 7th Ave., downstairs. Hope you can make it out. MAJ

Knock and It Shall Be Opened to You

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NY tabloids have not exactly been obsessed with Column favourite Mr. Colin Farrell but he has not been ignored either while working in these parts. He's not about to be ignored by this BLOG ever whether he is employed or unemployed. We'll always be here for him. Yesterday the second paragraph of Page Six's report went like this: "While shooting a scene for "Pride and Glory" last Friday morning under the Queensboro Bridge, he cracked up the crew when he walked to the entrance of Scores strip club, pretended to bang on the door and yelled, 'Let me in!' Alas, the club doesn't open until 7 p.m." Let it be said here and now that no matter the time of day the door will always be open to Mr. Farrell in these parts. All he need do is knock and ... well, you know the rest. Looking under the bed, one might find his shoes.

Pookie Says

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Brokeback ranks #2 on Amazon Canada for sales and it's only been announced today. Looks to be #1 on Amazon US. The societal impact, as expected, will be much greater with the DVD release.

Truly A Young Man's Fancy

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Gay Sex in the Seventies (from TLA) Bringing us right back the '70s, Joseph Lovett's superb documentary is a journey worth taking in the era of safe sex. Through vintage footage, interviews and rare photos, the film tracks a lost era where a night out might include the baths, the piers, a sex club and maybe an empty truck for a quickie. Those who were 'there' often look back on themselves as if they were someone else experiencing that life and time. There was , of course, both a down side and an up side. It gives new meaning to the words 'survivor' and 'boomer.' Check out the link to TLA Video in our store.

Nothing Like A Pansy

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... following the Vernal Equinox to welcome Spring when a young man's fancy is just that

Huffingtonpost.com

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Christopher Durang is most assuredly one of the most entertaining recovering Catholics and part of his forum is over at Arianna Huffington's Web Log, but the post seems to have disappeared but we managed to save this. "As we know, Christ came down to earth to instruct us in the ways in which we must limit our sexual expression. He may have said the Beatitudes one stray weekend between appearances at the Knights of Columbus, He may have said startling things like "love thy enemy," "turn the other cheek," and "resist not the evil doer" - but He either meant those as quirky but meaningless bromides, or perhaps they've been mistranslated, and He actually said "God is my co-pilot, and whenever you go to war, know that God is right beside you, killing people too." The Huffington Post made news recently by parcing together some of George Clooney's quotes as if he'd posted it. Lo and behold Ms. Huffington apologized for the gaf. Aria

Some Things Bear Repeating: NY AIDS Walk 2006

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Living in Florence, Italy provides an opportunity to meet a wide variety of people. It was especially true in that threshold of time when the decadent 70s were over and the world was on the verge of what might very well be called the greatest health crisis of the 20th century. In that small pocket of time it seems, in retrospect, that there were some idyllic experiences in spite of living in the onslaught of the world according to Ronald Reagan. One of those happy times occurred when Timothy Scott arrived in the heart of Tuscany. He was a bundle of energy that simply wanted to enjoy everything around him. He was a dancer. He was a singer -- and that was only in his day to day life. He was also a professional performer. The happy days included literally dancing down the cobbled streets singing, "You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You" with the best spontaneous choreography fueled by not too much Vernaccia, one of the best of the dry white Tuscans. Tim said he wanted use th

Saturday Beefcake

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For more than a few years Jack Scalia has provided fuel for much fantasy life. All My Children made a mighty mistake letting him go, although according to imdb.com it seems that he has been busy. This shot is from his Dallas days. It's been said that Rock Hudson was smitten with him. So who wouldn't be smitten with a guy who speaks both Spanish and Italian? Remember the Devlin Connection? Anna Muffoletto's recipe for Polpettone , although not 100% beef seems approriate here, because it's mighty meaty. 1 small eggplant olive oil (150 ml) 500 gr ground beef 250 gr ground pork 250 gr ground veal bread crumbs 200 gr or so parmigiano -- grated 100 gr or so minced medium onion 3 eggs salt and ground black pepper Skin and dice the eggplant plant salt it and let it drain for about 20 minutes. Rinse, drain and dry and then saute with the olive oil and then set it aside. Combine the remaining ingredients, add the eggplant. Then pour into an oiled loaf pan and bake for about 90

Reinvention Sometimes Is Just Being Who You Really Are

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Just over a decade ago, Curtis Stigers was living the popstar dream that serves as the highest goal for many performers. A platinum album, hit singles, international tours with Elton John and Eric Clapton and featured spots on big studio soundtracks would seem to be the stuff of dreams, but while he's been very successfully marketed, Stigers was much more than a pop marketing phenomenon. He was, first and foremost, a musician, a veteran performer who had moved from Boise, Idaho bar bands (where he also fell under the tutelage of jazz great Gene Harris) to the lounges of Manhattan. Stardom was all well and good, but he had an artistic vision of his own, and the artistic talent to realize it. Problem was, his dreams weren't the kind the Arista Records bean counters were inclined to support; so he set about the task of tearing down the career they'd laid out for him and re-establishing himself as a jazz singer. With the release of his third album for Concord Records, You Inspi

Talk to the Hand

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Mark Aaron James says: "Don't Come Alone" Ok, so this is going to be the hardest email to write while remaining tactful. Hell, even that sentence had an unintended pun in it. Ya see, a few weeks back, I did a night of Green Day songs for the "Undercover Show." While performing "Longview," I mentioned that it was about...well...pleasuring one's self. I off-handedly (unintentional pun again) joked, "wouldn't it be funny if we did a whole night of songs about masturbation." Well, someone was paying attention and they nominated it for this week and it won. (You guys are a sick group and I love ya for it). So, this Thursday will be all about sharing what you should be doing on your own. Hopefully, I won't be "Dancing with Myself." Just to insure several people hear me attempt "She Bop" and "Beat It" on the acoustic guitar, there will a valuable prize for any repeat audience member who brings a new person t

Song of the Week

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Love Me By Name (Gore / Weston) I tried so hard to be carefree Rolling out of someone's bed Into the sunshine But the sun, oh, coming up Doesn't always bring the light, oh And somehow, somehow I feel, oh It's just not right No, not for me Well it's been so long Since I've been loved by name, oh-ho Love me by name, ah Love me by name Come on, come on, ooh-hoo Love me Here I feel afraid, ooh And I don't know why You're surely not the first I've had, ah, oh Who held me gently, yeah Oh, who took the sweet time Just to ask me about me Well, well maybe this time Oh god, let it be Oh, it's such so, so, so long Since I've been loved, oh, by name Love me by name Ah, love me by name Come on and love me, oh baby Yes, love me, aah, aah Oh, love me by name, oh Why don't you love me, ah Come on, come on, ahh, ahh Sweet baby Oh won't you love me, yeah Love me by name

Cover Story, II POZ

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The ever changing face of an epidemic Editor's Letter-April 2006 by Regan Hofmann Truth Be Told Well, I finally did it. After threatening for four years (in my “Anonymous” column in the pages of this magazine) to disclose my status—I now stand before you. Please allow me to introduce myself: I’m your new HIV positive editor in chief (yes, that’s me on the cover). After living in secret for nearly a decade, I decided it was time to share my status and my story with you. Why now? Because there’s a real need for positive people to be visible—AIDS needs to be in the spotlight again. In his speech on World AIDS Day last December, POZ founder Sean Strub alerted us to the dangerous decline in our influence and voice, particularly within the AIDS service organizations (ASOs) founded by people with HIV to protect and serve us. (Missed his speech? Read it on POZ.com.) I’ve always had tremendous appreciation for the work of AIDS activists of the ’80s and ’90s. Lately, their good work is being

On the Cover of Rolling Stone

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Heath Ledger: Lonesome Cowboy He's a huge star and he's not happy about it When actors become movie stars, it puts a strain on everybody. Family members get phone-called with no adjustment for the time difference; paparazzi stake out a fresh address; the rest of us lift our eyes to another personality we're obliged to have an opinion about. This is a drag for Heath Ledger, who is twenty-six and has learned to keep his personality locked in the house -- where it whines at doors, tears up furniture, gets into the yard at just the worst moments. "In the past," he says, "I've tried so hard to withhold myself -- even down to giving a smile." The actor, who is Australian, speaks with a commonwealth accent that's both arch and street. "I didn't want to be people's opinions of who I am or what I said," he says. One day, his girlfriend, Michelle Williams, wrote a song title -- "Old Man River" -- on his forearm. Ledger got a tat

Sheep

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It's clear that the intended victims of all this GOP shock and awe are us. And so we whine about the unprecedented parade of immoral abominations and wonder why each new one isn't 'the one that brings them down.' We rub our eyes and spit, 'lying about a war?! Spying on our fellow citizens? Torture?!' in amazement that any single one of these near biblical catastrophes wasn't the straw that broke the camel's back. Finally, deflated, we pick up the remote and lay back on the couch and say to ourselves, 'I guess the world isn't what I thought it was. If everybody thinks these things are okay and I'm the only one that thinks the entire White House should be emptied, I guess I'm just out of touch with my countrymen. Maybe I'm just overreacting and I need to get with the program. Hmmmm. The Oscars are on.' This is from Tom Gilroy over at the Huffington Post. Go here

A Beast of A Niece

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Sophia Loren is arguably Italy's most luminous if not most notable actress and movie star. What makes her all that is that above and beyond her unique beauty she is an incomparable actress. Never more so than in 1977's Una Giornata Particolare ( 1977 ) (A Special Day), Ettore Scola's masterpiece, a movie that is a most subtle and beautiful critique on contemporary culture. The IMDB has two viewer comments. This one is the shorter and comes from Luxembourg: "This film literally took my breath away ! Both Mastroianni and Loren are fantastic actors, who can express a whole range of human feelings in just a look or a silence. This film is an unbelievable contrast : simplicity and sobriety in form but ultimate sophistication in content and in the actors' performance. I have never seen a film which raises so many questions at the same time : war, family, tolerance, women's condition, fanaticism, homosexuality, etc. Furthermore, it is a wonderful love story between tw

Saturday Beefcake

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In order to lessen the confusion, here is a pilfered and doctored recipe for beefcake from the UK. Less you confuse it with tube steak: Spiced Beefcake Spiced beefcake is a traditional meat loaf recipe using minced beef. Ingredients: 400 g fairly finely minced lean beef -- about a pound 225 g minced bacon -- about a half pound 1 minced, medium-sized onion 75 g minced mushrooms (about a cup) handful of mixed powdered mace, cloves, cayenne, allspice, pepper sea salt to taste 750 ml red wine, port or sherry the whites of two eggs for binding 1. Mix all the ingredients together except the egg whites and let the mixture marinate an hour or two. Then mix in the whites. 2. Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F). Pack the mixture into a baking dish of any shape. Bake it, uncovered, in a bain-marie for two hours. This definition from busycooks.about.com -- "A bain marie is a utensil and a cooking technique. One container with food to be cooked is placed in another, larger pan containing water

Some Like It Hot. Some Are Just Stupid ...

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...The gay scuttlebutt about the movie Spartacus has to do with the harmless scene between Tony Curtis and Larry Olivier which was restored in recent reissues of the film: Marcus Licinius Crassus: Do you eat oysters? Antoninus: When I have them, master. Marcus Licinius Crassus: Do you eat snails? Antoninus: No, master. Marcus Licinius Crassus: Do you consider the eating of oysters to be moral and the eating of snails to be immoral? Antoninus: No, master. Marcus Licinius Crassus: Of course not. It is all a matter of taste, isn't it? Antoninus: Yes, master. Marcus Licinius Crassus: And taste is not the same as appetite, and therefore not a question of morals. Antoninus: It could be argued so, master. Marcus Licinius Crassus: My robe, Antoninus. My taste includes both snails and oysters. Tony Curtis' Antoninus would have been fodder for the gay fantasy mill even without that scene not to mention the high level of electricity between him and Kirk Douglas in the classic epic. Could

Song of the Week

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another from Ms. Laura -- Flim Flam Man Hands off the man The flim flam man His mind is up his sleeve And his talk is make believe Oh lord The man's a fraud He's a flim flam man Hands off the man The flim flam man He's the one in the Trojan horse Making out like he's Santa Claus Oh lord The man's a fraud He's a flim flam man He's a fox He's a flim flam man Everybody wants him The people and the police And all the pretty ladies disarm The beautiful gent You know he has hardly a cent He pays his monthly rent With daily charm Hands off the man The flim flam man His mind is up his sleeve And his talk is make believe Oh lord The man's a fraud He's a flim flam man He's so cagey He's an artist He's a fox He's a flim flam man Don't believe him He's a flim flam Ol' road runner

They Eat Their Own

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George Maharis' biography at imdb.com starts out: "A most handsome, virile, not to mention charismatic rebel in 60s Hollywood..." A product of Astoria, Queens where there is to this day no shortage of handsome, virile and charismatic descendants of Greek immigrants, George initially started as a singer and managed to record a few albums actually ending up as a guest on Judy Garland's show even after achieving fame as a television actor. Perhaps it was his virility and charisma along with more than adequate physical attributes that brought him into acting. After going some of the usual routes to get there, including off-Broadway, George became a household name when his TV show Route 66 made its way into the Nation's living rooms during the first third of the 1960s. From the Gay Fireside Companion (Leigh W. Rutledge): "Route 66 -- about two idealistic adventurers criss-crossing the country in a souped-up Corvette, in search of truth, jobs and girls ... it cat

The Man Behind the Curtain

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When Robert Mitchum blew into Italy to film part of the mini-series Winds of War he was 64 years old. That didn't stop Anna, the Austrian wardrobe girl from falling in love with him. For all the good it did they ended up in bed according to Anna but Mitchum was unable to perform. Her English gay male counterpart in the wardrobe department declared that Anna's aim was off: the reason Bob couldn't perform was that he much more preferred boys. It wasn't too long afterwards at the Hotel Lido in Venice when Mitchum was noticed blowing kisses across the bar. He was almost unrecognizable at that point given his state, but it was most assuredly Mr. Mitchum as another member of the cast pointed out and eventually introductions were made. The display that ensued after that encounter did nothing but reinforce the notion that Bob did definitely prefer the company of men. It was especially funny later on while he made drunken faces and gestures behind his wife's love seat over

The Oscar that didn't go up the mountain

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Last night resulted in a few Oscars for "Brokeback Mountain" – most notably Ang Lee for Best Director – but the film failed to take the top honour. Should we be surprised? Not really. Despite its occasional dalliance with controversy, Hollywood is, at its base, conservative, non-risk-taking. For every "Midnight Cowboy" there are a dozen winning films that are neither interesting nor thought-provoking. "Crash", while certainly not firmly in the latter category, really says nothing new. At its core – race relations in Los Angeles. Ho hum. But, it is middle-America enough to be comfortable ground for the voters. So is that the problem with "Brokeback Mountain"? Yes, and no According to Larry McMurtry, who did win an Oscar for best adapted screenplay for Brokeback, "Perhaps the truth really is, Americans don't want cowboys to be gay." Rumours circulated for a few months among insiders that the film didn't stand much of a cha

An Oscar Winning Performance

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1969: Appearing on Johnny Carson's Tonight Show , Truman Capote disparaged Jacqueline Susann, author of Valley of the Dolls , as looking just "like a truck driver in drag." The remark ignited howls of laughter from the studio audience -- and sent Susann to her lawyer ... to file suit for libel. Although Susann eventually decided to let the matter drop. Capote continued in the offensive: he told audiences that she didn't sue him because he'd planned to bring a truck driver into court, put him in a dress, and let the jury see for themselves just exactly how much Susann did indeed look like a truck driver in drag. From Leigh W. Rutledge's The Gay Fireside Companion Also pictured: Truman Capote in drag >>

Time to take a deep breath ...

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... it's over. The highlight of the evening was Lily Tomlin and Meryl Streep. How thoroughly funny and real -- a perfect Altmanesque presentation.

Brokeback Mountain wins ...

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... in so many ways even if it's shut out of the Oscars. It has done every thing it was meant to do. First and foremost it has made money. It has made more money than expected. It was also given the same marketing push from its distributors as if it were a mainstream film and remained in the top ten for over two months. It was created with great care and given a noteworthy cinematographic treatment. It is Ang Lee's paean to American Culture in its struggle to become accepting and multi-dimensional. It is the story of star crossed lovers portrayed with bravura. Heath Ledger proved his mettle. Michele Williams' acting is full of nuance and crescendo. Jake Gyllenhaal is every man looking for freedom. Ann Hathaway's final scene in so many ways tells precisely the story of what the wife experiences. It portrays men loving men in all their attributes as sensual beings which is where it breaks ground for real. It is already a classic. It is already noteworthy. This is a grea

Love Is Gospel

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Listening to Laura Nyro through the haze of post-adolescent trauma that not only included sex and drugs with a man who was the rebellious product of a German Catholic household and nonetheless noncomital regarding his own sexuality but not the sexual act itself. Nyro's music and passion seemed the perfect accompaniment to the post-Stonewall personal turmoil that many newly committed gay people experienced. From Norman McKendrick in New Poets New Music , 1970: "Laura Nyro sings from velvet shadows, even when she sings of joy and and the beat is insistently happy. She has something to say, something to attend to. She is a little girl dressed up in her mother's clothes and her language is poetry. "... Her love comes in the end to the pain of incompatibles: god in a world; god in a man, god in all, in everything. But where is it found? On a trip. In love. In ups and downs. Can you hold it? "... She gropes, really she claws at an answer. To find your love in god, to h