Wrangler: Anatomy of an Icon

The hot, new, fagtastic documentary hitting the gay film festival circuit this year is Jeffrey Schwarz's "Wrangler: Anatomy of an Icon" a portrait of the 70's gay porn icon Jack Wrangler and his transformation from gay porn king to heterosexual husband of legendary singer Margaret Whiting and a new career as a director of legitimate theater productions. If you're a gay man over say, 40 to 45, you're well aware of who Jack Wrangler is; he was his era's Jeff Styker/Ryan Idol/Francois Sagat.

I haven't seen any reviews of this film yet; it opens June 7th as part of NewFest, the New York LGBT Film Festival and is scheduled to play later in the month at the San Francisco LGBT Film Festival. Unless it gets a national release before October, which I doubt, I'm guessing it will be a feature presentation at the Seattle LGBT Festival in the fall. The film has an interesting line-up of talking heads: Wrangler's wife Margaret Whiting, Broadway composer Marc Shaiman, columnist Michael Musto, porn directors Chi Chi LaRue and Joe Gage, and porn stars Samantha Fox, Sharon Mitchell and Gloria Leonard. Sadly, the only co-stars who seem to be in this film are the few women he appeared with in a handful of straight films he made towards the end of his porno career, (Wrangler lost his hetero cherry on film). The majority of the male actors he worked with, died of AIDS, and the only commentators from his gay films seems to be two of the directors he worked with, Joe Gage and Jerry Douglas.

I'm sure at some point in the film we'll hear Margaret Whiting's classic response to Jack's question when their romance began to heat up:

Wrangler: But, Margaret honey, how can we have a relationship? I'm gay!

Whiting: Only on the edges, dear...

James McAvoy to strap on Bilbo for "The Hobbit"?

Rumours are swirling around the net that Scottish actor James McAvoy, best known for his roles in "Atonement", "The Last King of Scotland" and "The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe" is close to being signed for the leading role of Bilbo Baggins in "The Lord of the Rings" prequel to be directed by Guillermo del Toro. Both Ian McKellen and Andy Serkis have already been signed to reprise their roles of Gandalf and Gollum, respectively, and Ian Holm, who played the aged Bilbo in "The Lord of the Rings" will narrate the film. There's also reports that Viggo Mortensen is returning as Aragorn, a character that does NOT appear in "The Hobbit".

This is coming from the U.K. paper, The Daily Express, which isn't always the most accurate source for information of this kind, so it should probably be taken with a grain of salt until there's some sort of confirmation from more reliable sources or the studio itself. The mystery source also claims that Daniel Radcliffe and (urp) Jack Black were being considered for the role!!! Really? Bilbo to be played by a big, fat, dumb, untalented, cross-eyed and blessed with a touch of the Downs, American? Tolkien fans would flee their parent's basements and storm the streets outside their local comic book stores in protest...

As for McAvoy, I think it's a great idea. He's a gifted actor, he's built right for the part, (ie, tiny) AND he's far cuter than Elijah Wood. Since I actually LIKE "The Hobbit" (the book) and I adore McAvoy I might actually go see this in theatres. I only made it to part one of the Rings...it was too damn long and boring.

Diederick Kraaijeveld

This was on Juxtapoz today. This piece is made out of found wood the artist collects from junkyards and old buildings.

Due to acute laziness, I'm just going to quote the excellent text from Juxtapoz:

He passed along his most recent piece, titled Black Venus. This stunner is a whopping 51” tall, and like all his other pieces is made from found wood, using the original colors of the wood to create a cohesive piece. He uses no paint in his artistic process, which is pretty impressive considering how detailed his large pieces can get. Black Venus’ afro hair is done in planks he found in the city dump. The wood has been used under a tar roof, which has seeped into the wood over the years, giving it a stained, crystallized look we absolutely love.
See more of Kraaijeveld’s work at www.oudhout.com.

Pygar est mort!

The most beautiful angel, EVER, died Tuesday at his home in Los Angeles. Actor John Phillip Law was 70.

Many fledging young homos were stirred by images of Law as Pygar in the ridiculous Barbarella. And we were all a bit disappointed that the fur loincloth he wore in the film was far too big for him and too high on the hips...sigh.

The adorable Steven Blum: Ex-Public Intern, is back online!

Poor Steven's blog was hijacked by nasty, str8 pornographers and he had to battle the Porno Beast of a Thousand Vajs to restore his right to blog about this kooky thing we call life in Seattle.

Welcome back...we missed you!

She's 86 and the tits are lookin' fine!

Happy 86th Bea! We love you!

Dead Duck at 35th and Stone Way

One of the Ride the Ducks vehicles seems to have bit the bullet and is stalled at the corner of 35th and Stone Way...Delighted barflies at the Pacific Inn immediately rushed out and pulled the frightened tourists off the amphibious vehicle and raped, killed and devoured them to the cheers of local residents and workers.

Ladies and Gentlemen: Mr and Mrs John James Preston..or not?

Fags and our hags are drooling in anticipation for this movie which opens nationwide on May 30th. We've been jonesing for a Carrie/Samantha/Miranda/Charlotte fix for the last 4 years and the opening weekend cocktail parties will be legion. Word on the street is that the movie is pretty good, a little long maybe, but packed with enough booze, beefcake, fashion, bitchery, pratfalls and tears to satisfy the most jaded SATC fan. Judging by the trailers and stills, they've done a brilliant job with the look of the film, and the soundtrack is already getting a lot of buzz as well. And, kudos for the publicity people at Warner Brothers. They've been marketing the hell out of this movie, making sure it gets non-stop attention in the media. I think it's pretty obvious that the whole, "Does Someone Die in the Movie?" rumor was planted by the studio to keep the publicity fires burning as we get closer to the premiere. (and it IS a rumor; the movie has opened in the UK and there has been numerous press screenings. No one dies, but there is plenty of relationship turmoil). And it's being rumored that Warner Brothers and writer/producer/director Michael Patrick King are already set to make two sequels, if this one is a hit. I don't see how it can not be. There's at least 10 million fans in this country alone, dying to see this fucker. If every one of those fans sees it once, that's a $100 million movie. I think we'll be seeing the antics of Carrie and the gang, until they're old enough to star in a remake of The Golden Girls...

From the About Time Department: Fraggle Rock comes to the big screen!

Variety reports that the Weinstein Company will team up with the Henson Company for a live-action musical adaptation of the beloved children's tv series, Fraggle Rock.

Pic will take the core characters Gobo, Wembley, Mokey, Boober and Red outside of their home in Fraggle Rock, where they interact with humans, which they think are aliens. The show premiered on HBO in 1983, ran five seasons and was broadcast in more than 80 countries. It posted strong sales recently when the first three seasons were released on DVD.

No word on when it will be released, or if they'll have room for Uncle Travelling Matt...

South Pacific cleans up with Tony nominations.

The Broadway revival of Rodgers & Hammerstein's South Pacific earned 11 Tony nominations today, including a nod for local boy, director Bartlett Sher, (his third lifetime nomination with no wins), and nominations for Best Revival of a Musical and Leading Actor and Actress, (Paul Szot and Kelli O'Hara). Sher's competition includes 90 year old Arthur Laurents for his direction of the Patti LuPone starring revival of Gypsy, which Laurents wrote the original book for, in 1959. The New Mel Brooks Musical Young Frankenstein, which garnered a huge amount of Drama Desk nominations earlier this month despite largely poor reviews for the show, didn't fare as well with Tony voters, only receiving three nominations, two of them for co-stars Christopher Fitzgerald and Andrea Martin. In The Heights, a hip-hop/salsa infused musical about immigrant life in the Washington Heights neighborhood of upper Manhattan led with 13 nominations total, followed by South Pacific. Tracy Letts Pulitzer Prize winning play, August: Osage County, dominated the play categories with 7 nominations including three for acting and one for Anna D Shapiro's direction.

The Tony award ceremony is June 15th at Radio City Music Hall.

Criterion Collection goes Blu...

from the Digital Bits website:

There's more significant Blu-ray news to report this afternoon. The Criterion Collection has just officially revealed (in their latest newsletter) that they're going Blu later this year, and that their first dozen or so titles on the format will begin to arrive in stores in October. All will feature new high-def restorations and will include ALL of the extras from the DVD editions. They'll even be priced to match the DVDs. Among the first titles will be the likes of The Third Man, Bottle Rocket, Chungking Express, The Man Who Fell to Earth, The Last Emperor (available both as a special edition box set and standalone theatrical version, each on both Blu-ray and DVD), El Norte, The 400 Blows, Gimme Shelter, The Complete Monterey Pop, Contempt, Walkabout (an updated edition, also on both Blu-ray and standard DVD), For All Mankind and The Wages of Fear. Great news indeed!

There's links to both Digital Bits and Criterion over to your right.

Obama asks Clinton to be his running mate...

the funk community rejoices.

Sorry, I haven't been posting...I've been Grumpyboots

for the last few days. Our mediocre weather and the limbo state of my job, (we're waiting for them to finalize the contract) have left me crabby and unmotivated. And for those of you who personally know me, I will not respond to the charges that I am USUALLY crabby and unmotivated...

BUT, I can at least look forward to the weekend. On Saturday, I am triple booked with a Birthday gathering at 7pm, an album release party at 9pm, and Trannyshack at 11pm...I'm also guessing, I'll be comatose by 11:59pm...

Oh, and I'm working SIFF that afternoon, as well. The SIFF schedule announcement and opening day for SIFF members to buy advance tickets is TOMORROW, Thursday the 8th at the Pacific Place ticket counter, aka "Ticket Island" to use some insider jargon. It will be rather maddening the first day, so you might want to come by on Friday or Saturday. Non-members can start buying tickets on Sunday, the 11th. Oh, and I've got a little insider news for you: all the venues this year, are centrally located. There won't be any showings in the U-District or in Bellevue this year but there WILL be some screenings at the Uptown in Lower Queen Anne. If you want more info, go to the SIFF website and/or check out the Seattle Times tomorrow to get a copy of the 2008 guide.

That is all...for now.

Zexy but not Explicit!

But, what's up with those feet? Are they just dirty, or does this dude have a fungus?

And, 2Xist underwear is so 2002....

Another Beautiful DeKalb Morning by B.C. Maceachran

A serenely beautiful picture from Fecal Face.

http://www.fecalface.com/SF/

Separated at Birth, Part Deux

Jonah posted a Separated at Birth on the Slog featuring Seattle's fine mayor, Greg Nichols being compared to that fine actor, Robbie Coltrane.

I think Jonah missed the obvious comparison, though...

It's coming....

The 2008 Seattle International Film Festival is just around the corner...I have my first Box Office meeting tomorrow night, May 1st. The B.O. opens to members on May 8th and to the general public on May 11th. Opening night is May 22nd with the film, "Battle in Seattle" a narrative account of the WTO riots directed by the actor Stuart Townsend and starring Charlize Theron, Martin Henderson, Woody Harrelson, Ray Liotta, Michelle Rodriguez, Andre Benjamin, Channing Tatum and Connie Nielsen. It is expected that Townsend and his real-life partner Theron will be in attendance.

Go here for tickets to the Opening Gala and more info:
http://www.siff.net/presents/seriesDetail.aspx?FID=109

Little Britain invades Little America

David Walliams and Matt Lucas are in the U.S. to film an American installment of their cult hit sketch series, "Little Britain", to air on HBO. Here's Walliams as beloved transvestite, Emily Howard and Lucas in the background as a pasty cop. They're also set to reprise other favorite charactors like Vicki Pollard, fey Prime Ministerial assistant, Sebastian Love and Dafydd, "the only gay in the village" as well as create new characters, just for this series.

No word if Bubbles de Vere turns up...

I have two minds about this. Yes, these guys are funny and some of the characters are brilliant, but Little Britain is one of the worst perpetrators of the "Catchphrase School of Comedy", endlessly repeating the same characters in the same sketches saying the exact same catchphrases, over and over again. I'm guessing that the Little Britain duo of Walliams and Lucas has made about 10 times more money than the vastly more talented members of another British comedy team, The League of Gentlemen, whose plot based comedy doesn't lend itself as well to t-shirts and coffee mugs...

For more info, go here: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/showbiz/showbiznews.html?in_article_id=562917&in_page_id=1773&ito=1490

Quentin Crisp returns from the dead...

John Hurt is set to reprise his role as legendary, pioneer queer writer and bon vivant Quentin Crisp in the sequel to the acclaimed 1975 television production of "The Naked Civil Servant" which focused on the early years of Crisp living in Britain as a frank and open queer man. "An Englishman in New York" will focus on Crisp's life after the publication and fame of "The Naked Civil Servant" when he emigrated to New York and became a fixture of the downtown arts scene in the 1980's. Title of the show is from the Sting song which was written about the writer who acted with Sting in the film, "The Bride". Crisp died in New York in 1999 at the age of 90.

For anyone who ISN'T aware of Crisp and his writings, you're missing out on the work of a brilliant and fascinating literary stylist. Dryly witty and only slightly acerbic, he wrote several volumes of his memoirs and worked regularly as a movie reviewer in New York. His take on the films of the 80's and 90's is very, very funny and he isn't afraid to poke fun at movies he appears in, which is probably the healthiest way to look at the experience of making a film like "The Bride" with the likes of Sting and Jennifer Beals...

Filming for "Englishman" begins in August in London and New York.

Read more about it at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7373997.stm

A Public Apology...

to the Rocker/Hipster who boarded the #8 bus the other morning and who I silently berated for his apparent nasty, foul body odor. It was about 8:45am and somewhere around John and Broadway a number of people boarded the bus and headed for the back where I was seated. Tragic Rocker/Hipster guy with shaggy hair, excessive piercings and be-chained wallet sits next to me and I'm overwhelmed by a wave of body funk. I curse him, sotto voce, and wince and begin breathing through my mouth for the next 15 blocks when I can escape from his barrage of crotch odor at my designated stop on Dexter. I curse not so sotto when he, too, gets off at that stop and boards the #26 with me for a journey to Fremont, but I do not sit anywhere next to him. I pray that I never see, or smell him again.

Today, I'm sitting in nearly the same spot at the same stop where Stinky Rocker boarded the other day, when a number of people board the bus and file past me on their way to seats at the very back. All of sudden, I'm hit with a Proustian reminder of the previous malodorous trip, but it's not the scent of Madeleines that I smell. Only, this time, my Rock Nemesis is not anywhere in sight but there IS a familiar face from the previous journey: a middle aged man, neatly groomed in a trench coat and carrying a briefcase and a professorial air about him. He had been seated across from me on the previous journey, and today he was standing directly behind me and the stench of unwashed genitalia was wafting from the confines of his knock-off Burberry. It hadn't been the seemingly obvious culprit, Rockstar McHipster with the nasty hair and ratty denim jacket, but the well-combed, Professor Stinky McGaypants who had odorifically raped me with his manstench.

So, I apologize to my Linda's/ChaCha/Comet hanging out friend and instead will focus my hate and loathing to the old Grampa guy who can remember to comb his hair but can't seem to get the hang of using a little Axe bodywash to clean the cooties off his cooter.

NOTE: when you type in "Stinky" to Google Images, you will get some truly horrifying results...