I have to get up for Boy’s Shorts, I have to get up for Boy’s Shorts. Nope....I just couldn’t get down there in time. My friend Nic Wauters (writer/director award winning RYAN’S LIFE) kept texting me. I’m like, "give up my seat I shant be there". He texted me that it was a mad house and completely sold out. Wow.
So I made myself as pretty as I could, grabbed my badge, kissed the pooch goodbye and rushed down for the rest of the day’s events.
First thing was a meeting with Nic regarding an upcoming project. As I know you’ve heard, deals are always made at festivals. I think Nic is extremely talented and since making RYAN’S LIFE (and selling it as an episodic to the here! network), he has gone on to write episodes of MEDIUM, THE 4400 and is currently developing a project with Sean Hayes’s company, Hazy Mills. Honestly, I’m surprised he still talks to me here in the gay ghetto, but there it is.
We are talking shop, as they say. As opposed to shopping, which BELIEVE me is talked about at anywhere with thousands of gays.
I saw a few of my favorite producers in the lobby so I thought it would make a great photo op:
From left, Lisa Thrasher (producer ITTY BITTY TITTY COMMITTEE), Maureen Guffman (LOGO), Andrea Meyerson (who has two films in the festival LAUGHING MATTERS THE MEN and KATE CLINTON), Stacy Codikow (ED, Power-UP) and you know, me.
Stacy and I had one of our Rosie/Trump smack downs because she wouldn't be photographed without one of her models in front of her donning the ITTY BITTY logo, I guess for press purposes. I just wanted the power dykes without the press push, but whatever, I lost the battle.
Next was an absolutely outstanding panel on GAY STORYTELLING, THE LAST 25 YEARS. Kudos to Outfest and Patrick Connolly for putting it together. The panelists included Jane Anderson (who did that gut wrenching segment of IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK 2 with Vanessa Redgrave), Tommy O Haver (An American Crime, Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss). CJ Cox (KISS THE BRIDE, LATTER DAYS), Arthur Hiller (MAKING LOVE) and Paris Barclay moderated.
The panel not only covered the past, but the present and hopefully future. One of the funny things mentioned was "What happened to the expected boom of LGBT films after BROKEBACK was such a hit?" Tommy said, "People were clammering for gay scripts, but as usual, everyone got scared and chickened out" and Paris pointed out, "And all we got out of that was I NOW PRONOUNCE YOU CHUCK AND BOB" to which the audience GROANED.
After the panel, I had a good time chatting with Tommy and Jeff Mack, from OUTFEST.
I told Tommy I love the story he told on a writer's guild panel a few year's back about shooting BILLY'S HOLLYWOOD SCREEN KISS and some of the shots that are all one take. Especially the one that is just Sean Hayes's face in the living room when he is talking to Brad Rowe. When I have directors asking me for cranes, pyro, special effects, huge locations, I often reference that scene and just how brilliant it is - engaging and interesting - in it's simplicity. Then I say, "No, we can't afford a crane why don't you just use your creativity and tell a STORY which is what you're being paid for!". Tommy just screened his film AN AMERICAN CRIME at Sundance. It stars Catherine Keener and is just BRUTAL. My friends that saw it were just dazed for days. Look it up on IMDB, and catch the work of this great out director.
Also screening that day, which I missed, was ALEXIS ARQUETTE: SHE'S MY BROTHER. A friend said it started out a little joke-y,but as the film progressed it really showed how hard transitioning is and the toll it took on this celebrity.
The next stop for me was the Bravo party. Hosted by... yup...Bravo. So all the gays left the DGA, got dressed up, and headed over to Boulevard 3, which used to be part of the history 1920's Hollywood Athletic Club.
There, my friend Doria and I ran into our buddy, the out actor Michelle Wolff. Michelle had seen the video Doria and I made (see yesterday's post) so she was ALL OVER Doria. If you star in one of my films, you too will have one of the hottest and sexiest lesbian actresses all over you.
I also ran into my buddies Phillip Bartell and Allan Brocka. I produced EATING OUT 2 last year, which Allan produced and co wrote, and Phillip co wrote and directed. Phillip is also a brilliant editor, and he cut the opening night film SAVE ME as well.
Here I am with the star of SHELTER, Trevor Wright and his girlfriend Odette, who you may recognize from just being eatten by a car in TRANSFORMERS.
Doria and I ran off to surprise her cohost Frank Decaro, who was a judge at Dennis Hensley's HOME VIDEO GONG SHOW at the Village.
We had secretly made a scandelous video about the behind the scenes antics at SIRIUS'S Frank Decaro Show. Check out the video in Friday's post. We snuck it in amongst the other home videos and when it came up I think Frank turned ten shades of purple, he laughed so hard!
Dennis also has a short in the festival THE SCREENING PARTY, which I'm looking forward to seeing this weekend.
Well, as if the day wasn't long enough, there was yet another party. At this point it's 11 pm, and I dashed back to West Hollywood to go to the here! sponsored Outfest Film Maker party. This is where 600 people cram into a house that can probably only fit 200. As with last year, I stayed in the front yard and just watched as people just kept coming out of the house like clowns out of a tiny car. HOW DID THEY ALL FIT IN THERE!?! So, basically, absolutely everyone involved in the festival was at this party.
Here's Trevor Wright and Jonah Markowitz with Paul Colichman, CEO of here!
Paul was the one behind the entire thought of making SHELTER. He wanted to make a "gay positive" story, so he took a chance on a first time director and this really, really great script.
Here I am with Mark Reinhardt and Andrea, also from the here! family.
I can't even imagine what time it was when I left this party!!!!
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