First reaction: Lady Gaga’s ‘Born This Way’ video

I feel like I just went on a psychedelic acid trip, yet I don’t remember taking any LSD.

I’m not even sure what to think about the new “Born This Way” video Lady Gaga released this morning. I always get a little squimish when it comes to the birthing process (I nearly fainted just from seeing what was produced when my sister’s water broke when she went into labor for her first baby), so all the gross birth scenes throughout was a bit much for me. I did like the dance scenes and I thought the beginning montage about a new race free of discrimination was clever. You can tell she worked really hard on the symbolism in this video and it’s obvious that it’s specifically targeted at her lgbt fans, so I can definitely appreciate the effort.

Overall, I was somewhat disappointed. I was hoping she’d forgo all the Gag eccentricities and go for a more visual representation of the gay community, our struggle, our triumphs, etc.  There wasn’t anything blatantly gay about the video. I was expecting maybe two guys kissing at a gay wedding, maybe footage of a gay rights march, or even a storyline like Pink did in her “Perfect” video but showcasing a gay kid being bullied and then maybe subsequently being saved by Gaga in the end.

This apparently is the first of two music videos Gaga plans to release for “Born This Way,” one of which will filter its proceeds to an organization that works to end anti-gay bullying. Maybe the second one will be more geared towards the gay rights movement or an anti-bully message somehow.

Here’s the full video. Tell me what you think in the comments below.

Oscars 2011: Gay Roundup

Winners Circle: Christian Bale, Natalie Portman, Melissa Leo, Colin Firth

Sadly, the only gay thing about the Oscars this year was a win for Iain Canning, one of the three producer of The King’s Speech, who thanked his boyfriend during his acceptance speech when the film took home Best Picture. Unless you also count Colin Firth thanking out gay director/designer Tom Ford when he won for the same film. And unfortunately, gay indie breakout The Kids Are All Right succumbed to defeat in every category in which they were nominated.

Best dressed? My picks were Sandra Bullock, Halle Berry, Hillary Swank and Jennifer Hudson.

Worst dressed? Definitely Nicole Kidman, Cate Blanchett, Melissa Leo and Scarlett Johansson

James & Anne? I feel so bad for James Franco and Anne Hathaway. I was really rooting for them. They had some good moments. I loved Anne’s little “On My Own” remake. (The girl can sing!) And I thought the opening Inception spoof was hilarious. But overall, instead of the the hosts coming off young and fresh, like the producer were hoping, they came off awkward and inexperienced. James looked rigid and Anne looked like she was trying too hard. Maybe next year the Oscar producers should just go back to comedians. (The stage and set designs were ridiculously brilliant though.)

The ensuing battle between of The King’s Speech and The Social Network ended with a win for the Brits, as The Social Network garnered three statutes to The King’s Speech‘s four. But The King’s Speech wasn’t the only big winner. Inception also took home four wins, tying for the most wins of the night.

Here’s a full list of the winners:

Best picture

• The King’s Speech

Best actor

• Colin Firth, The King’s Speech

Best actress

• Natalie Portman, Black Swan

Supporting actor

• Christian Bale, The Fighter

Supporting actress

• Melissa Leo, The Fighter
  

Director

• Tom Hooper, The King’s Speech

Animated feature

• Toy Story 3

Foreign language film

• In a Better World

Documentary feature

• Inside Job

Documentary short

• Strangers No More

Adapted screenplay

• The Social Network

Original screenplay

• The King’s Speech

Art direction

• Alice in Wonderland

Cinematography

• Inception

Costume design

• Alice in Wonderland

Makeup

• The Wolfman

Film editing

• The Social Network
  

Visual effects

• Inception
  

Original score

• The Social Network

Original song

• “We Belong Together” from Toy Story 3

Sound editing

• Inception

Sound mixing

• Inception

Animated short film

• The Lost Thing

Live action short film

• God of Love

Queer Film Spotlight: ‘Heartbeats’

Canadian filmmaker Xavier Dolan’s new French-Canadian film, Heartbeats, is making some big waves, not only in the independent film industry, but in the mainstream media as well.  Dolan, who wrote, directed and stars in the film, is only 21 years old and is being refereed to as a prodigy by critics.

Dolan’s 2009 film, I Killed My Mother, received rave reviews and quite a few awards at the Cannes International Film Festival. Heartbeats definitely seems like it’s heading in the same direction of success as it also won the youth award at Cannes and is also being lauded by critics. (Entertainment Weekly says, “Xavier Dolan…is back with another madly stylish Montreal-made delight , happily under the influence of Godard, Audrey Hepburn, and Wong Kar-wai.)

Heartbeats follows friends Marie (Monia Chokri) and Francis (Dolan) as they both fall for blond-haired beauty Nicolas (Niels Schneider). Stylistically shot though a slightly film noir set up, the movie intensely follows the love triangle’s journey as Nicolas dates both Marie and Francis at the same time.

It definitely looks like an interesting film about bisexuality and Dolan is emerging as the future of gay cinema, even with his pensions for old-school technique. Heartbeats is enjoying a limited release in theaters and is also available on cable via Video On Demand.

Here’s the trailer:

Queer Corner Quickie #5: Will Philips, DOMA, Gay Super Bowl, Darren Criss, Montana hate update

A quick roundup of this week’s gay happenings…

Video of the Week: In this week’s video we catch up with 12-year-old gay rights activist  Will Philips and his thoughts on DOMA and the conservative backlash. (I said it once, and I’ll say it again, if it was guaranteed my kid would turn out like him, I’d commit to reproducing.)

Speaking of DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act), that was definitely the biggest gay news item this week. Here’s Rachel Maddow’s coverage on the topic. And for a dose of funny here’s Jon Stewart’s take.

The Gay Super Bowl (Academy Awards) is Sunday. To help you get ready take a gander at Ellen and Neil Patrick Harris’ hilarious parody of the nominees.

Tennessee gets it wrong. Kentucky gets it right. (It being the solution to anti-gay bullying.)

In related news, a gay student in Florida is not only being bullied by his classmates, but by his teacher. Dan Savage has issued a call to action against the school.

Gay Bashing Report: Guilty verdict in bashing of lesbian couple near Toronto. Man arrested for hate crime vandalism in Long Beach.

A gay “preacher” and “Christian” zealot go head to head at Auburn University.

NoMoreDownLow.tv discovers curator of rare black gay historical record. (Start video at 4:20.)

Loving this Coming Out in the 1950s series, featuring gay young people interview gay seniors about the early gay rights movement.

Obama hires first openly gay male for White House social secretary.

Here’s an update on the hate brewing legally in Montana. Although, it’s all starting to make sense seeing as the state’s legislature only recently struck down a law that criminalized gay sex.

Israel appoints first gay judge. (If all judges looked like this I might get arrested more often. I mean consider becoming a lawyer.)

Gay sports magazine launches nationally.

Darren Criss (Blaine on Glee) recently appeared on Access Hollywood to chat about that controversial kiss.

For Your Consideration: Angry Old Man & Gay Teenage Runaway

Photo of the Week: Adidas recently rolled out the press campaign for their new line of underwear, modeled by German soccer star Lukas Podolski. (Why is this news? Because I said so. Just enjoy.)

Queer Film Spotlight: ‘Making the Boys’

One of the most influential gay themed plays is, without a doubt, Mart Crowley’s The Boys in the Band, an Off-Broadway production that was made into a 1970 movie, also written by Crowley and directed by William Friedkin, becoming the first portrayal of gay men on film. The new documentary  Making the Boys is a in depth look at how the play was created and the controversy behind the film’s initial release.

Filmmaker Crayton Robey puts together recent interviews with the people behind the play and the movie, interspersed with clips of the widespread protesting that took place during the shooting of the film. Making the Band is currently making it’s way through the film festival circuit, recently having it’s world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival. The movie will also see a limited release in March. It’s been getting some pretty good reviews so far.

I definitely can’t wait to see this documentary. The Boys in the Band has been widely criticized for perpetuating stereotypes and even being racist, but most critics recognize it as a major stepping stone for gay mainstream visibility in Hollywood and seeing the intimate details behind it’s inception, controversial release and the proceeding backlash, is a gay entertainment history lesson that’s too good to miss.

Here’s the trailer:

Ohio Queers: Legistlators reintroducing discrimination amendment in Ohio House

Ohio Queers is a new feature that will focus on lgbt-related legislation that is currently being debated at the Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio, and other gay-centric news happening in the state at large.

Reports are coming in that legislators Ross McGregor (R – Springfield) and Nickie Antonio (D – Lakewood) will be reintroducing the hotly contested Equal House and Employment Act into Ohio’s Congress in the coming months.

Many may remember EHEA’s fate in past years. The bill made it all the way through the House in 2009 but then died once it reached the Senate. McGregor and Antonio (Ohio’s first openly gay state level elected official) are hoping the recent strides Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and the popularity of gay republican groups GoProud and The Log Cabin Republicans will help push the measure through a Republican dominated Congress.

Here’s hoping the second time is a charm.

Hawaii becomes 7th state to legalize civil unions!

Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie made history today when he signed a law legalizing civil unions in his state. Hawaii becomes the seventh state to offer same-sex couples the full legal protections and rights as married heterosexual couples.

From the Star-Advertiser:

Less than a year after seeing the push for civil unions vetoed, gay rights advocates cheered as Gov. Neil Abercrombie signed into law a bill legalizing civil unions and making Hawaii the seventh state to grant such privileges to same-sex couples.

Abercrombie signed the legislation at a ceremony today at historic Washington Place.

“E Komo Mai: It means all are welcome,” Abercrombie said in remarks before signing the bill into law. “This signing today of this measure says to all of the world that they are welcome. That everyone is a brother or sister here in paradise.”

“The legalization of civil unions in Hawaii represents in my mind equal rights for all people,” he said.

The ceremony was broadcast live on television and the Internet as Abercrombie, a Democrat who campaigned on a promise to sign the bill if it reached his desk, reversed the decision made by his Republican predecessor.

White House declares DOMA unconstitutional

Today Attorney General Eric Holder released a statement from President Obama ordering the Justice Department to stop defending the constitutionality of the controversial Defense of Marriage Act, which states marriage is legally only between one man and one woman.

According to the release:

“The president has concluded that given a number of factors, including a documented history of discrimination, classifications based on sexual orientation should be subject to a more heightened standard of scrutiny.”

Two cases are currently going through the courts that are taking DOMA to task. This new order doesn’t mean that DOMA is no more, the government still has to enforce it, but the attorney general no longer has to defend the law in court. It’s slightly confusing, but just know that this is a big step for gay rights and will hopefully eventually lead to the full repeal of DOMA.

In the below video the White House Secretary addresses Obama’s decision on this issue and also states he is still “grappling” with his views on same-sex marriage. A statement he repeated back in December. However, in 1996 he’s on record saying he’s for same-sex marriage. Today his position is providing gays with “a strong civil union that provides them the protections and the legal rights that married couples have.”

Apparently Speaker John Boehner doesn’t think it’s the “appropriate time” to stop discriminating against gays. He had this to say about Obama’s declaration on DOMA:

“While Americans want Washington to focus on creating jobs and cutting spending, the President will have to explain why he thinks now is the appropriate time to stir up a controversial issue that sharply divides the nation.”

Also Fox News of course decided to interview homophobic Maggie Gallagher of the National Organization for Marriage. She claims Obama has “unilaterally declared that gay is like Black.” (I think that’s the smartest thing I’ve ever heard her say.) You can watch Fox give a platform for her venom below:

Glee-cap: ‘Blame It On the Alcohol’

This week was Alcohol Awareness week at McKinley High, so what does that mean? Lots of rebelious drinking of course. Rachel throws a party for the Glee kids in order to “live” so she can write more meaningful songs. The party includes Brittany stripping, Santana being sloppy and a spin-the-bottle session that features a kiss between Rachel and Blaine. A kiss that leads Blaine through an episode of questioning his sexuality. He and Rachel go on a date the next day to see if there really is chemistry, much to the chagrin of Kurt.

Meanwhile, Mr. Shu needs to blow off some steam (because of the divorce and being rejected by Emma), so Coach  Beiste takes him to a honky tonk bar where he proceeds to get wasted and jumps on stage to belt a somehow perfectly in tune vocal. When he gets home he keeps drinking while grading papers and even drunk-dials someone. We find out the next day it was Sue (instead of the intended Emma) who plays his message for everyone to hear on the school’s loud speaker.

Principal Figgins has Glee do a song for the Alcohol Awareness assembly where the kids do Ke$ha’s “Tik Tok” and end up throwing up all over each other on stage, as they’ve now brought their drinking habit to school grounds. However, Figgins thinks it was all a part of the show and rewards the club instead of punishing them.

Mr. Shu’s and the kids’ humiliation prompts him to have everyone sign a “no alcohol” agreement, but it only lasts until after regionals. Oh, yeah, and after kissing Rachel while sober Blaine realizes he’s totally gay. But Rachel’s O.K. with it because the drama is great fodder for her song writing.

And that’s what you missed on…GLEE!

Fave moment: That party was a mess and the actors pulled off heightening their characters’ already heightened personalities to the umptenth degree. I love every minute of it! I know everyone in the blogosphere is saying they thought this episode was a mess because it glorified teen drinking and was insulting to bisexuals, but I thought it was a very realistic portrayal. High-schoolers drink, that’s the reality and I appreciated Mr. Shu being realistic about it and not just waving a finger and saying “don’t drink.” As for Blaine, the writing of that storyline was a little off, but what gay dude doesn’t go through a “bi phase” and come out truly gay on the other side? I mean, I did.

Annoying moment: What principal would approve a Glee Club singing Ke$sha at a high school assembly on Alcohol Awareness? Really!? Also I thought it was hella annoying how Blaine chose to date one of Kurt’s friends right in front of him when he knows how Kurt feels about him. I’m starting to think Blaine’s not good enough for Kurt and it’s time for Ryan Murphy to introduce another option.

Fave quote: Santana – “…a Rachel Berry party is not something I can do sober.” Brittany – “But it’s Alcohol Awareness Week.” Santana – “Precisely, and I am aware of how much fun alcohol is.”

Fave song: The dance routine led by Brittany during “Tic Tok” was amazing (did you seem them splits!?), but “Blame It On the Alcohol” was my fave. Mercedes and Artie’s duet, the amazing lighting, the dance routine and the leather-tinged black outfits, all came together perfectly and was just too fun to ignore.

You can watch full episodes of Glee here

Queer Film Spotlight: ‘Y2GAY’

The short film Y2GAY is currently making its way around the gay blogosphere. A finalist at Tropfest 2011, the world’s largest short film festival that’s based in Australia, the six-minute movie follows the ill logic of a man who’s planning for the end of life as we know it once the gays are allowed to marry.

You can watch the full film below:

RuPaul Recap: ‘The Snatch Game’

This week RuPaul brought back The Snatch Game (my personal fave), where the queens had to do their best celebrity impersonations. The episode started with a game show style Q&A called “S–t RuPaul Says” that was won by Delta Work. She won a phone call home which she graciously gave to Shangela who was getting homesick for her grandmother.

Then came the lovely craziness of The Snatch Game featuring guest judges Amber Rose and Aisha Tyler. My favorites were Raja’s Tyra Banks, Stacy’s Monique and Alexis’ Alicia Keys (who were all also in the top three). I also loved Manila’s Imelda Marcos, she was hilarious.

Favorite Moment: I must admit I did tear up a little when Delta gave her phone call to Shangela. That was a nice sincere moment that showed it’s not all cat fights and drama when it comes to drag queens.

Runway Pick:I really thing RuPaul got it all wrong on the main stage this week. Mariah did not deserve to go home. She did flub the challenge but her runway outfit was fierce. I thought her look was the best. The rest of the girls’ looks (even Raja, I was not feeling that “We Are the World” ensemble) left me cold. And though I love my girl Stacy, and she definitely killed it in The Snatch Game her outfit was a mess. Personally, I thought Shangela and Yara should have been in the bottom two and Shangela should have went home. But I’m not sure who should have won the challenge instead of Stacy. No one really killed both the challenge and the runway this week.

My Top 3: Stacy, Manila, Raja

Untucked: Am I the only one loving the Raja versus Shangela and Delta versus Stacy showdown going on in Untucked? It’s juicy delicious right!? This new back story about Raja and Shangela is interesting. Bu I don’t think the competition is the reason for their falling out. I think it’s just Shangela’s hideous attitude. And Raja is right, the “I’m gon say it to yo face” routine is just an excuse to bring someone down so you can lift yourself up. And I’m LOVING the rise of Stacy and how its pissing the other girls off. I’ve been rooting for my girl Stacy from the beginning and its nice to see her really shine. I just hope the other girls take this as a lesson and finally begin to see that she really is a contender just the like the rest of them.

Missed the episode? You can catch full episodes of RuPaul’s Drag Race and the Untucked specials online at Logotv.com!

Ohio Queers: Equality Ohio holding protest against SB5 at Statehouse Tues.

Ohio Queers is a new feature that will focus on lgbt-related legislation that is currently being debated at the Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio, and other gay-centric news happening in the state at large.

State Bill 5, a bill that would completely overhaul collective bargaining and diminish the power of labor unions in this state, is currently heading through the Ohio Senate. If passed it would not only affect the pensions and wages of Ohio public employees (including schools and universities), but language in the bill would impact current and future domestic partner benefits for LGBT employees that exist because of collective bargaining.

Equality Ohio and may other labor unions have been protesting the bill across the state for the past few weeks and will be holding another big protest tomorrow at the Statehouse, 1 Capitol Square, Columbus, starting at 1 p.m. A committee hearing is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.

You can read more about the controversy surrounding State Bill 5 at the Columbus Dispatch.

Queer Film Spotlight: ‘Fright Flick’

Fright Flick is the latest offering from writer/director Israel Luna (Ticked Off Trannies With Knives). The movie is a gay parody of slasher flicks, while also trying to pay tribute to the best of the genre. The story follows a group of people on the set of a horror film where actual murders begin taking place that mirror the gruesome killings in the script.

The film just came out on DVD so it’s readily accessible on Netflix, or wherever you get your DVDs, but beware becasue the reviews haven’t exactly been kind. But reviewers aren’t typically kind to horror films in general anyway, so that shouldn’t phase the film’s core demographic.

Here’s the trailer:

Transgender model’s naked photo shocks Oprah audience

Friday’s episode of Oprah featured Italian transgender model Lea T. She’s the first ever transgender supermodel and is known for being the muse to famous Italian fashion designer Givenchy’s Ricardo Tisci. It was an extremely interesting interview where Lea talks about growing up in Italy with a famous soccer star dad and how she suffered as a child. She also talks candidly about her fears going into her upcoming gender reassignment surgery.

However, right before Lea comes on Oprah shows a nude photo of Lea (from a recent Vogue spread) and the audience acts as if they’ve just seen a bloody crime seen with guts still oozing from the victim.

I love that Oprah decided to do this show and feature Lea, but I was very disturbed by the audience reaction. Would they have had this reaction after seeing Jennifer Aniston posing nude or Jude Law? No, of course not. I just think Oprah did a great disservice to the transgender community by showing the photo in the first place knowing who her audience is.

You can watch Lea’s intro video from the show here (it has the audience’s cringe-worthy reaction to the photo) and below is Lea’s interview with Oprah.

Queer Corner Quickie #4: Lady Gaga, Zach Wahls, Bryan Safi, Valentine’s Day

A quick roundup of this week’s gay happenings…

Video of the Week: Good Morning America has been featuring a series called “America’s Real Modern Family,” and a recent segment featured the Berman-Cotlars. Two gay moms, a gay dad, a daughter, a straight step-dad and twins. Doesn’t get any more modern than that!

In related GMA news, Lady Gaga appeared on the show Thursday wearing latex to talk about safe sex.

In related Lady Gaga news, her new single “Born This Way” breaks iTunes record as the fastest selling No. 1 single and is Billboard’s 1,000th No. 1.

Keeping with the talk show theme, Zach Wahls recently appeared on Ellen to talk about his powerful speech before Iowa’s legislature about his two gay moms.

Gay Bashing Report: Man pleads guilty to hate crime at NYC gay bar. Figures show 28% rise in London anti-gay hate attacks. Case in point: Gay attack in London triggers police appeal. Derogatory words written on Massachusetts gay man’s door. Numbers of Jamaican gays appealing for refuge in the U.S. rising. Ex-gay teenager admits to gruesomely murdering gay roommate on 911 call.

The Pentagon unveils more details about their Don’t Ask Don’t Tell repeal plan.

Desiree Shelton appeared on MSNBC to talk about the ordeal that transpired when she wanted to walk with her girlfriend at a high school royalty event she and her girlfriend were voted into.

Speaking of high school royalty, a Michigan high school broke the mold when they recently instituted a gender-neutral prom court.

Comedian Bryan Safi unsuccessfully shows a colleague How to Pick Up Straight Girls in Gay Bars.

Nashville’s mayor plans to sign a new bill that expands the definition of workplace discrimination to include gays and lesbians.

Photo of the Week: Valentine’s Day was pretty eventful this year with protests taking place all over the country and around the world to remind Americans that not all gays can celebrate their love equally. Here’s a video of one such protest where gay couples crashed a mass V-day wedding in San Antonio, Texas. And below is a photo from another protest in a popular area of Beijing.