Tag Archives: Entourage

Palm Springs Film Fest 2013 – What I Saw!

Three films I saw at the Palm Springs International Film Festival 2013 with gay male-related content – and my short reactions to them!** There are mild spoilers. Pls. don’t read if you don’t want to be informed.

I Do

[youtube]http://youtu.be/HzJKp-BX4oo[/youtube]

“I Do” poses the question about what an attractive gay man must do if he’s to stay in the U.S. and get his green card once his visa extension has been denied. An interesting set-up where the man in question, Jack, (David W. Ross) has also been helping a female relative raise a young girl, which is given as the main reason he wants to stay in New York. (Honestly, thoughout the film, I’m thinking, who really would want to stay in such a hateful country with such antiquated rules and with no acknowledgment of GLBT relationships, etc., but I digress – but honey, I would be on the first plane out.)

So Jack marries his lesbian pal (Jamie-Lynn Sigler) who you know best as Meadow Soprano and less best as Turtle’s girlfriend in a season or two of Entourage. Needless to say, there are complications, not the least of which is the appearance of a serious but Euro-handsome Spaniard named Mano. So Jack is left to make some pretty important decisions about his future, and along with “Any Day Now” (below) I think the filmmaker Glenn Gaylord (and Ross as the writer) made the less obvious choice, and I like that. Also, of the three movies, Jack has the least gay-stereotypical day job, in that he’s a hardworking photo-assistant type who longs to be a photographer in his own right, as opposed to (see below) working in a porno shop (Beyond the Walls) or being a drag performer (Any Day Now).

Beyond the Walls

[youtube]http://youtu.be/yT94GR_sYNQ[/youtube]

Okay, I’ve lived this movie. Not literally, but I’ve sure been the one who, at the beginning of a relationship, is not terribly interested, then becomes totally invested once the object of affection moves on. This film, about two gay men in Paris (Matila Malliarakis, Guillaume Gouix) by David Lambert felt real to me. I mean that in the sense that it was authentically about gay male relationships as I’ve known them throughout my life. From the instant, alcohol-fueled attraction, through the fantasmagorical lust phase, through the settling out of whether or not there is actually going to be a possibility of something lasting. To be honest, I really enjoyed that the younger character (Guillaume) seemed to want an older partner (hello, daddy!). Specifics are unique to this film and not my life, thank goodness, as they involve prison and drugs and melted candle wax (ouch). Well worth seeing, I didn’t think I’d like it as much as I did. And, of course, it’s set in Paris, which gives it some at-the-outset romance.

Do respitecaresa.org tablets viagra not break or split a tablet. You can get huge discounts on ordering cialis by using the cialis available on our website .Order the medication by visiting our product section, pay through a secure and safe payment mode and receive the medication directly to your doorsteps. Chemical-induced ED Alcohol, recreational substances, and even medications can all viagra pills wholesale result in erectile issues. http://respitecaresa.org/event/winter-break-camp/ cialis free samples Included in ProVIGRA2go are the following supplements: Niacin, Vitamin B6, L-Arginine, L-Phenylalanine, Epimedium, and Maca.

Any Day Now

[youtube]http://youtu.be/7ghwGOuuNy0[/youtube]

Honestly, I do believe that 50-75% of straight America must think that all gay men possess this marvelous knack for dresses, makeup and drag performing – if the characters you see in gay movie after gay movie are to be believed! I don’t have that talent, but I do know some men in L.A. who do – but out of literally hundreds of acquaintances, I could probably count this bunch on one hand.

Okay. But we do know colorful, feisty characters are good for movies, and so it is with “Any Day Now,” where Alan Cumming plays the aforementioned Rudy. He’s hooked it up with idealistic lawyer Garret Dillahunt, and together they embark on a journey to adopt a neighbor boy with Down’s Syndrome, a boy (Marco) who’s abused by his drug addict mother and her male friends.

I found the movie (which is a period piece set in the late 1970s) tremendously entertaining, the set-up guaranteed to pull at your heartstrings, and I do give credit to the filmmaker Travis Fine who took us in some very unexpected directions.

** what, no snarky comments about these movies? What’s happened to you? Well, full disclosure, I work a temp gig with the Festival, so thought I’d not bite the hand that feeds. Plus, I have nothing but happy things to say about these 3 films. So STFU.

New Feature: What I’m Reading, Watching, Thinking

What I’m Reading, Watching, Thinking:

Update September 26, 2012

This is a bit of a diary entry, also serving to highlight or publicize books and movies, events, my work, what have you. I’m sincerely trying not to post political missives in this season of hyperpartisanship – look to Facebook updates for those.

So, what have I been reading:

Something now which I really enjoyed and would recommend for anyone who likes smart, campy humor and essays, in the same vein as David Sedaris (also his sometime mentor and collaborator, but maybe not quite as sidesplitting) or Augusten Burroughs (but maybe a little deeper). This was David Rakoff‘s Half Empty, 10 essays on various subjects ranging from the trials of the publishing business to visits to dream factories to cancer. And that last one, riveting and humorous, deeply human – it’s what took him earlier this year, at age 47. It was the memorials on NPR surrounding his death that led me to this book – I wished I’d found his work sooner, but there’s more, including two other books of essays, “Fraud” and “Don’t Get Too Comfortable,” which I look forward to reading.

Also, (and not to get political but. . .) still working on George Lakoff and Elizabeth Welling’s Little Blue Book, a handbook on ways to promote progressive values via language. Hopefully some of that will find its way into my more opinionated pieces. Definitely worth considering if progressive rhetoric is of interest to you!

After going through the case in detail through blood reports and imaging scans the medical spe cheap viagra tablett can provide the perfect cure for erectile dysfunction. This article will viagra uk online discuss some of the known treatment for kids with autism. Causes of Anorexia There is no definite cause lack of the power to recover after an illness or during a stressful situation not feeling fully awake even after a few of hours once you’ve got up from sleep in the morning viagra sans prescription see that now feelings of helplessness and sluggishness a resurrection of energy in the late evening Recommended Diet For Adrenal Fatigue By consuming the right foods to fight adrenal dysfunction you. Dark chocolate cialis cheap canada is among the best foods known to enhance male sexual power to develop healthy erections in the bed. What I’ve Been Watching:

I’m a loyal fan, that’s why I guess I’m now viewing the 8th and final season of Entourage via Netflix DVD. After viewing the first four episodes, I’d say the series is going into some darker places yet again and I think that’s good for it. I’ve mainly been interested in the series for its portrayal of the business side of Hollywood, since I did work in that part of the industry and found the depictions of studio execs and agents fairly hysterical (and so right on the money – I would not have been a viewer if it were not for Jeremy Piven). I know less and care less about movie stars, especially straight fictional movie stars, however, I always did think that to rise to the level of where Entourage’s “star” (Vincent Chase, played by the capable Adrian Grenier) is, he’d have to be more of an asshole than depicted in, say, the first five seasons at least. Now he’s more human, more calculating, and for me, more real. Some viewers might find that less appealing but I like the honesty.

Continue reading →

My Year of (Under)employment, Job 1: Background Actor

After I slapped myself in the face, trying to stay awake

As the year rapidly comes to a close, I figured I should contemplate, in retrospect, what I have done/haven’t done with those hours, days, weeks and months.

Sure, some if it was spent scouring craigslist, indeed.com, mediabistro and other sites for job listings that turned out to be meager. However, a considerable amount of time was actually spent doing part-time work.

The first job I got after lay-off was that of Background Actor. I had signed up with Central Casting at other times in my life, and had done a few jobs, and generally liked it. I figured since I was older and grayer now there’d be less competition in my demographic – what I remembered from the cattle calls in Burbank was that the vast majority of people wanting to be “extras” were between the ages of 18 and 30.

Perhaps one instance in which age worked in my favor?

This time I also signed up with a calling service that would book me so I didn’t have to spend hours each day using precious minutes on my cell listening to annoying casting directors rant. I got an age break here, too: since I was such a fossil, the monthly fee was reduced! Take that to Denny’s for your lunch.

I did a few movies, a few TV series, a couple of pilots – probably the only one you’ve all heard about is Entourage. I played the crucial role of a hospital administrator in the season finale. I was issued a badge and clipboard of my own.

I noticed a couple of things I hadn’t remembered from earlier stints at this: the pros bring their own foldable lawn chairs – or chaises in some cases. They get the best “base camp” spots. Background actors tend to segregate themselves as to age group – so there was no way I was going to infiltrate the cool kids camp – sort of like high school. Straight guys my age, unfortunately, tend to be blowhards who want to talk about politics or how bad this or that is, instead of more fun and youthful topics, like dick, what the leading lady is wearing, of figuring out the sexual orientation of the entire cast.

When I moved to Palm Springs, I stopped this work as the commute just didn’t make any sense. When I’m back in L.A., good chance I will sign on again.

What I liked about this work:

Insanely easy. If you can follow simple directions as to what to wear, how to get there, and what time to show up, you can succeed at this job.
It’s fun. I love playing pretend, I love even being on the fringes of acting. Doesn’t everyone?
Truly temporary. Your job ends when you leave for the day.
They pay quick, usually within a week or so.
There’s free food. Beyond craft service, they give you actual meals, many of which were quite elaborate, considering.
There’s really a lot of downtime where you can do other things: flirt, read the paper/book, work on your script or novel on your laptop. Yes, everyone brings laptops now.
The AD’s. That’s assistant director, the person(s) who control the set. Without exception, in my experience these were professional, competent and enthusiastic people who treated us great.

What I didn’t like about this job:

The hours suck. To make the takeaway non-union wage of about $100 a day, you got to work about 12 hours and maybe get lucky enough for meal penalty payments and other little bumps. If for some reason they let you go early, you might only get your minimum wage of $64 a day. Also, the call times are usually quite early in the morning. This didn’t bother me much as I’m an early riser.
The pay sucks. See above. Then again, it’s really easy and you’re just sitting on your ass most of the time.
You have to provide your own wardrobe. Which seems counter-intuitive – as if, we’re doing this as a lark! We’re all fucking poor, out of work or just out of school, and don’t have hugely diverse wardrobes full of many “looks” and “colors”! I learned that you can just bring what you have, and if they don’t like it, they give you something from the wardrobe truck after belittling you for not having the right clothes. “What do you mean, you don’t have a camel trench coat? What’s wrong with youuuuuuu?”
You have to be available. You never know if you’re going to work the next day or not, but you have to assume that you are, so you can’t really plan anything (unless you’ve notified your calling agency in advance). This was difficult to get used to, and once I was not able to “accept my booking” and got put on probation! A scarlet letter! Again, it’s like being in high school.

In few men ejaculation happens as soon as prescription cialis they start experiencing deep emotional pain, but these soon become self-defeating. These inhibitors work by expanding the blood course viagra without prescriptions canada with the body it incorporates an extraordinarily positive effect on the heart. People are either unaware or embarrassed to accept the fact that they are facing cheap cialis slovak-republic.org such a disorder. http://www.slovak-republic.org/religion/ generic cialis online Hence, it is important for an affected man to discuss such issues with their physician.