Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem via Towleroad
We've been so busy around here, that we're catching up on our reading -- check out what's below and even more after the jump:
Did Oscar Producers Get 'Gay Panic' When Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem Kissed During the Telecast? (Towleroad)
"Josh Brolin and Javier Bardem exchanged a playful kiss and danced at the Oscars but viewers never saw the kiss and producers quickly cut away from the dance, which is a shame because the producers clearly needed
something in the telecast that was entertaining."
UPDATE: Oscar Producer Explains Cut-Away from Brolin - Bardem Kiss: 'No One Knew It Was Coming'.
Teddy Awards Announce Best in Queer Film (IndieWire)
"The 2011 Teddy Awards, a subprogram of the Berlinale that puts the spotlight on the fest’s LGBT/queer content, were announced tonight at a special “jubilee gala” at Tempelhof airport. Leading the pack were “Ausente” by Marco Berger, which won the best feature award, and best doc winner “The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye,” the story of the pansexual couple (one, member of the bands Psychic TV and Throbbing Gristle; the other, recently deceased) that underwent cosmetic surgery to look alike and to live as one. The Teddy jury is comprised of queer festival programmers from around the world."
Madonna Movie Poster Thought Too "Lesbian" (The Advocate)
"Rosefelt recalls that during the meeting for the film's ad campaign an agency was pitching a campaign that traded on the film's disillusioned housewife plot, with Arquette’s face on a toaster and Madonna’s face on a piece of toast. Thinking the images were terrible, Rosefelt pulled out photos from the Ritts session, causing a hush in the room."
Queer film fest: space for films and dialogue (The Hindu)
"What started as a small attempt to screen films on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) themes, has grown into a full-fledged film festival with a space for performance, discussion and dialogue on LGBT themes. The Bangalore Queer Film Festival (BQFF) enters its third year this February, and brings to audiences films from across the world: 53 films from 14 countries to be exact."
Fined for film screening (Star Observer)
"Melbourne Underground Film Festival director Richard Wolstencroft has been instructed to pay $750 to the Royal Children’s Hospital for showing Bruce LaBruce’s film LA Zombie to an audience last year."
Hu celebrates Teddy Jubilee at Berlin (Variety)
Oops, we've been sitting on this one for a while now -- congratulations to Marcus! "He's the openly gay distributor and producer of numerous landmark LGBT films, newly chosen to head the 25th Jubilee Teddy Awards jury of the world's top gay film kudos."
A Work In Progress: James Franco and Gus Van Sant’s “Unfinished” (IndieWire)
"In contrast to the media’s ubiquitous befuddlement over Franco’s career, “Unfinished” establishes a tantalizing thesis for the intersection of personality and artistic expression. As a cerebral companion piece to the media deconstruction of Franco’s “Three’s Company: The Drama,” which premiered in January at Sundance, it eschews straightforward analysis for an open-ended approach. The art reflects the artist: “Unfinished” positions the Franco effect as a constant work in progress."
“Welcome Home” Brings LGBT Issues to Rural Latino Households (GLAAD Blog)
“Welcome Home,” is what LGBT youth and adults—whether in cities, suburbs or rural areas—hope to hear from their families upon coming out. Unfortunately, for many, expecting acceptance is far from reality. A new
radionovela (or, radio soap opera) “Bienvenidos a Casa,” or “Welcome Home,” intends to break the silence about being gay in rural Latino households in California’s Central Valley, where thousands of agricultural workers listen to the radio during and after work."
Lisa Cholodenko to take on "The Abstinence Teacher" (AfterEllen)
"The 2007 best-seller is about Ruth Ramsey, sex education teacher in New Jersey who battles with a conservative school system and parents to teach teenagers the realities of sexual relationships. She ends up romancing a born-again Christian soccer coach, which makes things harder on her when it comes to small town politics."
Shining a spotlight on The City's myriad film festivals (SF Examiner)
"Have we got a film festival for you. Make that three dozen. Depending on how you count, there are at least that many festivals each year in San Francisco — and whether you’re gay, Jewish, Asian-American, an environmentalist or a silent-film buff, at least one was developed with you in mind."
The case that changed Obama’s mind on Defense of Marriage Act (Yahoo! News)
"Edith Windsor and Thea Spyer were together for more than 40 years when Spyer died in 2009. Not longer after her partner's death, Windsor received a $363,053 federal tax bill--a liability that she would not have faced had the federal government recognized their union." Remember Edie & Thea: A Very Long Engagement from Frameline33?
