In honor of the vice presidential debate last night, I thought I would fan the political flame of interest a little further by drawing your attention to the newest voter awareness public service announcement.

A galaxy of stars turned out for a PSA that urges young people not to vote because, after all, who cares about Darfur, gay rights, terrorism, global warming? Ah, I can sense that a lot of hands are going up out there, and for that you are true patriots and our country thanks you. (Those who didn’t put their hands up can see me after class.)

So what kinds of stars are in this PSA? Probably just a few you may have heard of. You know, like: Halle Berry, Laura Linney, Jennifer Aniston, Eva Longoria, Ellen DeGeneres, Natalie Portman and Demi Moore. (Not to mention some of our favorite actors, like Leonardo DiCaprio, Forest Whitaker and Jamie Foxx.)

If you dare even to think about not voting in this upcoming election, think again. This star-studded cast clearly all have degrees in mind trickery because they are about to dazzle you with some serious reverse psychology. … continue reading

Well, it's here — the announcement you've all been anticipating. The Outer Critics Circle Award nominations have been announced! What? You you've never heard of the Outer Critics Circle Awards? Well, that puts you in stead with everyone else in the world that doesn't follow New York theater closely. These awards could really use a good PR campaign.

Laurie Metcalf in November

To clarify the confusion, these are the Golden Globes of the New York theater. Just as the Golden Globes are predictive of and broader (movies and television) than the Oscars, these are predictive of and broader (Broadway and Off-Broadway) than the Tony Awards. But they really need a catchier name. If the Golden Globes were called the Hollywood Foreign Press Association Awards, I don't think so many stars would show up and get publicly drunk at the ceremony. 

Given that I do follow New York theater somewhat closely, I care about the Outer Critics Circle Awards. And one good thing about this year's awards is how well women are represented in non-acting categories. Half of the nominees for Outstanding Director of a Play and Outstanding Choreographer are women. Half. Compare that to, say, the Academy Awards where there appears to be an unwritten rule against nominating women for Outstanding Achievement in Direction.

And there are some amazing women nominated for the acting awards, though there are not, to the best of my knowledge, any lesbians nominated. (Cherry Jones, Cynthia Nixon and Sarah Paulson didn't do theater this year, and director Leigh Silverman was working too far off Broadway.) However, there is one nomination for a lesbian character! (I know, it's sad to get to excited about that, but I need to grasp on to something.)

Let's take a quick look at some of the highlights, shall we? (And by highlights, I mean categories in which I know enough to have an opinion.)  … continue reading

It's still a year or two down the road, but a musical version of Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City is slated to head to Broadway — with a possible stop in San Francisco along the way.

The Tales of the City series, which spanned seven books and three miniseries, began as a serial in The San Francisco Chronicle in the '70s. It told the story of Mary Ann Singleton, a secretary who never returned to Cleveland after a vacation in San Francisco, and the “family” she found in her new digs at 28 Barbary Lane on Russian Hill. Her family members included Michael “Mouse” Tolliver, her gay best friend; Mona Ramsey, Michael's sometimes-lesbian roommate; Brian Hawkins, '70s straight guy on the prowl (and her future husband); and Anna Madrigal, the transgender “mother of them all” who grew pot in her garden and taped joints to apartment doors as gifts for her “children.”

The creative team certainly has the credentials to keep the show gay enough. Tony Award winner Jeff Whitty is slated to write the book. If you're not familiar with his work in Avenue Q, check out the opening number.

(Whitty didn't write the music and lyrics, but he clearly had a lot to do with the campy gay sensibility.) The musical team will consist of John Garden and Jason Sellards (Scissor Sisters), so it's likely that the show will have some era-appropriate disco influences.

The story has so many intricate story lines that some will clearly have to go. Obviously I hope the lesbian plot remains. (Mona's ex-lover, D'or — a white woman who's passing as black for the sake of her modeling career — moves back to the Bay Area to win back Mona.) Perhaps they can do without the story of the closeted gay husband of the socialite (pregnant by the Chinese deliveryman) hooking up with the socialite's gynecologist at the baths. Or maybe they'll downplay Brian's endless quest to get laid. But they have to keep Mary Ann's doomed romance with the vitamin salesman/private investigator/child pornographer. (I won't tell you how that ends.)

I can imagine lots about the show: a set featuring the Barbary Lane steps with the Golden Gate Bridge and Transamerica building in the background, an opening number about Cleveland, perhaps a song and dance number with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. But what I cannot picture is the casting. The original miniseries was so perfectly cast that I cannot fathom seeing others in the roles.

First, there was Laura Linney as Mary Ann. … continue reading

Doesn't it suck when things that seem so, so great end up going so, so horribly wrong? No, I'm not talking about Eliot Spitzer, though that certainly is disheartening. I'm talking about The Return of Jezebel James, the new series from Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino. It stars Parker Posey, Lauren Ambrose and Dianne Weist. The premiere is tonight at 8/7c on Fox.

But that litany of great names might add up to nothing. The reviews and promo clips are not pretty. Says the L.A. Times,

The problem is that from these folks you expect a fascinating female lead, but you get instead every uptight, cellphone-clenching, relationship-avoiding, food-issue-riven working woman you've ever seen (and never met).

Uh-oh. Plus, there's a laugh track, which ... why? The Boston Globe notes that the show's stars deserve better:

With her soft deadpan and her renegade vibe, [Ambrose] doesn't belong within a mile of a laugh track. ... Posey, so adept at being both ironic and sympathetic, is no better off in this unfunny mire.

Sigh. Still, I'll probably tune in, and maybe it will be better than it sounds. Or at least better than reading one more headline about Spitzer.

On Saturday, Lifetime offers the return of Alyssa Milano, in Wisegal. She plays a young widow who ascends to power in the mob. I dunno, Lifetime, that's not a very impressive title — why not something like Mother, May I Sleep With the Mob Now That My Husband Is Neither My Stepson nor My Lover?

Milano also produced the film. The Lifetime website has a gallery called "Alyssa Milano: Through the Years" to keep you entertained until Wisegal debuts. It includes this cute photo: … continue reading

Are George and Mary Bailey perennial guests at your holiday celebration?

Or is Ralphie Parker's quest for a Red Ryder BB gun a more relevant Christmas story?

That's the question posed by Time last week. In a 2006 poll, A Christmas Story was the favorite holiday movie among ages 18–41, while the older demographic picked It's a Wonderful Life or Miracle on 34th Street. Perhaps, speculates the article, Generations X and Y find Ralphie's memories a bit closer to their own. … continue reading

The Savages, a film written and directed by Tamara Jenkins, opens in a broader release today. And it is kicking up a critical dust storm.

It has been nine years since Jenkins last showcased her work on the screen with the release of The Slums of Beverly Hills, and from all indications, the long pause between films has been well worth the wait. Since female writer-directors are not the norm in Hollywood filmmaking, a watchful eye has been kept on Jenkins. In a recent interview about the new film, Jenkins discusses the difficulty of getting such a heavy topic made and distributed as a film. I mean really, who would think that a movie about two 40-year-old siblings grudgingly forced into trying to find a suitable nursing home for their aging demented parent could be something critics would encourage audiences to rush out and see? … continue reading

How do you get a bunch of actors to stop talking? Wait, wait: I know this one. Does it involve a pineapple, a screwdriver and a three-legged dog? Oh, sorry; you weren't joking? In all seriousness, the way to get a group of top-flight, big-name actors to finally stop speaking is to stop giving them scripts. A slew of A-list actors are appearing in the new Speechless campaign, a collaboration between the striking members of the Writers Guild of America and members of the Screen Actors Guild.

So far 14 black-and-white, mostly wordless spots have been released, with more on the way. Among the actors already appearing are Oscar winners like Holly Hunter, Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn and TV heavyweights like America Ferrera, Eva Longoria and Ed Asner. Even L Word alums like Rosanna Arquette and Alan Cumming joined in the silence. Here are some of my favorites so far. (For the entire list, check the Speechless channel on Brightcove.) … continue reading