The Daily Sheet June, 2010

[Stilllearning]

Tuesday, June 1st, 2010

My Life as a Gay Officer

By Anonymous

As Obama closes in on a compromise on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," a Lt. Colonel speaks about keeping secrets while fighting a war, and the boyfriend waiting back home. You don't know me. I'm in my early 40s, a career army officer, born and raised in the South. For the last 10 years, I've been in a committed relationship. But revealing who I am would mean breaking the law and risking getting fired, despite 18 years of service to our country, three combat deployments, promotions and a presidential commission to lead troops. As I write this, it's just past 11 p.m. on Tuesday night in Afghanistan, a day that started like most other days. Yet, today was different. Today, I read that the White House struck a compromise with military leaders, gay advocacy groups and Congress in a deal that could—just might—make 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' a memory by Christmas. I had convinced myself that I could cure that gay thing through enough prayer and enough girlfriends. Problem was, the sex never really worked. Throughout the day, family and friends called and emailed to ask me how it felt. I didn't know what to say because I think that, on some level, I just felt numb. And here in Afghanistan, it was something I couldn't share with anyone, and so I just went back to work. When I joined the army as an ROTC cadet, I knew I was probably gay. I say "probably" because I had girlfriends on and off, and—to be honest—had convinced myself that I could cure that gay thing through enough prayer and enough girlfriends. Problem was, the sex never really worked. Never felt right. Never was right. So, I became good at other tricks. I was always "too drunk" or "had to get up early" or—pathetically—"was injured during rugby." The deceit, of course, exacted a toll. I was drinking too much, had anger issues, became estranged from the ones I loved. I had decided that celibacy was the way to go when I met a fellow combat arms officer, who was gay. We had similar backgrounds and similar career paths—both at the top of our respective battalions. We were quite alike, except for one small detail: This officer, a West Point graduate, lived an open life. "I'm a damn good infantry officer, a distinguished honor graduate from Ranger school, promoted early to Major," he'd say. "I believe in the Army's core values. And I don't want to lie." Read the rest of the blogpost.   Source: thedailybeast.com

Family Research Council: End Of DADT Means More Gay Rape In The Military

Here's how the Family Research Council envisions things going if Don't Ask, Don't Tell is repealed: first, more straight soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines will be fellated in their sleep against their will. Then, commanders afraid of being labeled homophobes will refuse to do anything about it. Eventually, the straight service members will quit out of fear. On a conference call with reporters today, FRC Senior Fellow for Policy Studies Peter Sprigg (shown at right) delivered the results of what he said was the first-ever study of "homosexual assault" in the military. Joined by several former military officers opposed to allowing gays and lesbians to serve openly in the armed forces, he warned Congress that the DADT repeal language currently under discussion with the agreement of the White House will turn the U.S. military into a terrifying free-rape zone where no heterosexual is safe. "We are today releasing an analysis of publicly available documents which show that homosexuals in the military are three times more likely to commit sexual assaults than heterosexuals are relative to their numbers," Sprigg said. "We believe this problem would only increase if the current law against homosexuality...were to be repealed." Read more.   Source: talkingpointsmemo.com

Via boyculture.typepad.com

Crossing Borders: DGA Interview with Ang Lee

“It’s a good day to do an interview,” says Ang Lee on a quiet morning in midtown Manhattan. The director is in a brief lull as he moves from one office to another before embarking on his latest cinematic adventure. So the space where we meet is relatively empty, and though Lee is low key and serene, it is his formidable presence that fills the room. Q: One of the most dramatic moments in all your work is the scene when Ennis Del Mar visits Jack Twist’s parents at the end of Brokeback Mountain. How did you go about setting the mood? A: Well, it goes much farther back from the point when you step on the set. And that scene is, as it happens, my favorite scene in the movie. It’s a very stoic scene, a scene about a person who’s not there but had been brought to life so vividly by Jake Gyllenhaal, who all of these characters have lost. For my visual inspiration I referred to Andrew Wyeth, and also the Danish painter Vilhelm Hammershoi, for those stark, white doors. So the first thing to do was find the right house, the right space, and of course that’s the task I brought to the production designer, Judy Becker. And to shoot that scene I used a style that I had worked with in Hulk. I shot with two cameras, capturing the actors from both sides, and then changing lenses and doing it again. It’s a very irregular way of coverage. When you edit it together, you can apply certain emphasis to certain reactions, emotions. Shooting this kind of coverage can confuse some actors. But of course it did not confuse Heath [Ledger], Peter [McRobbie], and Roberta [Maxwell], all of whom I just loved. It was a strange day. I wanted a lot of sunshine for that scene, and I got it, and I remember walking to the set and just feeling that this was going to be a great day. Still, a scene like that, it’s the actors and their faces, they make it all. Read the full interview.   Source: dgaquarterly.org

Vilhelm Hammershøi



A woman reading by a window, by Vilhelm Hammershøi

Source: trivials.egloos.com

Queer Questions Straight Talk 108 frank and provocative questions it's okay to ask your lesbian, gay, or bisexual loved one. About the Book: How many important questions go unasked because a straight loved one doesn’t know what to ask, doesn’t want to pry or judge – or just feels embarrassed? This book is a permission slip to go ahead and ask…to share those unspoken concerns and questions (and curiosity) about “the life.” Based on the idea that there are no stupid questions or wrong answers, Queer Questions Straight Talk helps start the conversation and get beyond the awkward silence – and into real communication. It’s not about getting everyone to agree, but simply to understand each other a little more – honestly and lovingly. About the Author: Abby Dees is a civil rights attorney who has worked for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights and awareness for 25 years. She and her partner are one of the 16,000 same-sex couples who married in California in 2008 Read more.   Source: ingrambook.com

"...I knew what the guy looked like, I knew the world that he was in, I knew about sixth century Persia, I knew that he was a fantastic athlete and I had the huge good fortune of having Jake Gyllenhaal, who was a good athlete but who worked his socks off. You can’t know how hard he worked to make himself the physical personification of that tiny little video game character. And there he is, he’s real and he can ride and he can fight and he can shoot and he’s a marvelous action hero as well as being the guy that we know from ‘Brokeback Mountain’, who’s a fabulous actor. I was very, very fortunate with Jake." -- Director Mike Newell on Prince Dastan and Jake Gyllenhaal Read more.   Source: slashfilm.com

Five Things You Need to Know About Prince of Persia

Seems pretty straightforward: Jake Gyllenhaal's a guy in leather garments fighting off mystical creatures and forces with the help of an attractive female lead. Sounds like it's been done before, and—right—it has. But we were surprised to discover Prince of Persia had a few noteworthy bits of information hanging out behind its glossy, buff, Bruckheimer exterior. And you need to know what they are: Read more.   Source: eonline.com

Persianesque: PoP is a Fun-tastic Visual Adventure

With a perfect mix of action, comedy, drama, suspense, and adventure–the Shahnameh and A Thousand and One Nights-inspired Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, delivers! The characters are built fast and smart. So don’t worry if you aren’t familiar with the video-game, you’ll have no problem understanding the connections and dynamics of the characters, or the plot in general. Gyllenhaal, whom we’ve added to our list of our “honorary-Persians”–which already includes Fardin lookalike, George Clooney–is a force amongst his peers: He’s hot and talented! (Maybe he’s got some kind of Persian blood in his ancestry? We can only hope!)

Of course, director Mike Newell also majorly contributes with his sharp cinematic skills. Newell manages to keep you partly-unhinged from your seat throughout the movie as you feel the action take you away, back in time, to…not quite Persia/Iran…but parts of the Persian Empire–which stretched from “all of what is now Iran” to Asia; as far as the Indus River, Greece, and North Africa including what is now Egypt and Libya. So, don’t get all “Oh no they didn’t” when you see the majority of extras not looking all pretty and Perr-zhie. Bear in mind the above, and focus on the main “Persian” characters; Dastan (Gyllenhaal), Prince Tus (Richard Coyle), Prince Garsiv (Toby Kebbell), and King Sharaman (Ronald Pickup). All easy on the eyes. Especially Dastan, whose name “has several meanings.” Says linguist/journalist Ebi Zaman. “Dastan [read: Dast-on] can mean: 1. tune, song 2. legendary, as in the legendary Rustam [Rustam of legend] رستم دستان  or 3. ruse, stratagem.” He tells us. Read more.   Source: persianesquemagazine.com

Persia Star Gemma Arterton Is No Longer 'A British Nobody'

It's one thing for Gemma Arterton to look glam for a movie premiere. It's a whole other thing to look glam while death-defyingly sliding under a large gate before it closes, Indiana Jones-style. The British actress never thought she could pull off being an action heroine in a movie, but all that stage fighting and stunt work she did at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art pays off in Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time. "I never imagined myself ending up in those roles," Arterton, 24, says of Tamina and Io, her character in the recent film Clash of the Titans. "Hollywood movies are quite hard to get into when you don't live in the States and you're just a British nobody. I always imagined myself doing period costume dramas in the British sense, or gritty kitchen sink dramas." Read more.   Source: usatoday.com

The Odd Pairing of Mike Newell and Jerry Bruckheimer on Prince of Persia

Reporting from London Mike Newell, the director of "Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time," the latest pyrotechnic display from producer Jerry Bruckheimer, is standing on a brick path in his English garden when he poses a question to his wife. "Darling, can I make green tea in this pot?" the 68-year-old filmmaker, clad in tissue-thin blue slacks and black slippers, asks in a lilting accent before popping through a door and into the kitchen. Several minutes later, he emerges with a pitcher of tea and two saucers, his 6-foot-3 frame ambling past the hanging ivy and tinkling fountain that adorn the backyard of his home near Primrose Hill in North London. If this domestic scene seems a little incongruous — more suited to a starchy British novel than the CG flash of a $200-million summer action movie — it's for good reason. It would be hard to find a stranger cinematic pairing than Newell, the filmmaking spirit guide behind intimate character studies such as "Four Weddings and a Funeral," "Donnie Brasco" and "Enchanted April," and Bruckheimer, the spirit guide behind such extravagant noisefests as "Armageddon" and "Pirates of the Caribbean."

Director Mike Newell

In fact, the director himself was a little perplexed by the matchup and questioned whether he might be the wrong man for the job after he took it. "I said to Jerry, 'I think you might have gotten the casting wrong,' " Newell recalls. That Newell had previously stewarded a franchise film, 2005's " Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," did little to relieve his concerns. "I felt comfortable with 'Harry Potter' because it was an English schoolboy story, and I knew that world well," Newell says as he takes a seat at a wooden table in the garden. "I didn't know ' Prince of Persia' at all.' " Read more.   Source: latimes.com

Harry Gregson-Williams Works for Ogres and Princes Alike Gregson-Williams, 48, is one of a handful of composers in high demand these days for their combination of classical training — which enables them to write for traditional orchestra — and their grasp of modern music technology, including the samplers, synthesizers and sequencers that are now an integral part of most music-making for Hollywood films. The English-born composer, a Los Angeles resident since 1997, has been responsible for several grand-scale symphonic scores in recent years, including two Chronicles of Narnia fantasies and Ridley Scott's Crusades epic Kingdom of Heaven. Prince of Persia, with its 80-piece orchestra and 40-voice choir, nearly matches them for size and outdoes them for sheer musical energy. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer — who has worked with Gregson-Williams on nine other projects for film and TV in the last 15 years — calls the Prince of Persia score "heroic, haunting and romantic, a throwback to Old Hollywood. It had to capture the majestic nature of the story, the characters and the landscape. I think it's some of his best work." The landscape, in particular, offered the composer a musical challenge: How to convey the atmosphere of the ancient Near East within the context of a big action-oriented movie score? Gregson-Williams wanted to reflect "the sounds, flavors and colors of a Persian city in ancient times" but found that Bruckheimer didn't want him to "go too far" in that respect. Read more.   Source: latimes.com

Caught In the Act! Jake Shows Up at Century City Screening

Well, that's better than popcorn! Jake Gyllenhaal surprised some fans at a screening of his new movie Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time at an AMC Theater in Century City, Calif. "The crowd went crazy when Jake entered," a source says, adding that the ladies sitting next to him seemed especially starstruck. Gyllenhaal thanked the fans for their support, then joked about a certain movie (starring Sarah Jessica Parker) that's opening the same weekend. "This," Gyllenhaal told his admirers as he pointed to his body, "is the real Sex and the City!" Source: people.com Prince of Persia is #1 Worldwide! Keeping track of the earnings for Jake's latest movie? Visit Box Office Mojo.

Fun Questions of the Week

This week’s Questions: Comic strips -- What is the National Cartoonist’s Society’s Cartoonist of the Year award also known as? And, in Peanuts, who is always falling asleep in class? Let us know your answer in the response thread.

Last week's question and answer: Going by time as we know it on Earth, a year on the planet Mercury lasts 88 days, how long is a day? foreverinawe explains it perfectly -- "Mercury takes 87.969 earth days to orbit the sun. By definition, one orbit means one year. However, in Mercury's case, TWO years (175.938 earth days) is highly significant. Why? Because Mercury only rotates 3 times in two years. A rotation means a day (like the Earth rotates once every 24 hours). It's hard to believe, but Mercury has only three Mercury days in two Mercury years. "So one Mercury day is a third of 175.938 earth days, or 58.646 earth days." And thanks to Lyle (Mooska) and BayCityJohn for joining in on the fun!

Post of the Day

By Tonkatodd in Gay Cinema

While I am at it I will do a little spring cleaning" of the gay films I have seen in the last few months: The Art of Being Straight - A rather tepid little tale of coming out after breaking up with a girl and moving to a new city. Pretty dismal. Breakfast with Scot - Slightly disappointing comedy about a former NHL hockey player (who is not completely comfortable with his homosexuality) and his partner must take care of a child who is showing rather "flamboyant" tendencies in his own personality which unnerves the hell out of the former jock. Fashion Victims - Really strange German film about a gay son having an affair with his father's business rival...yeah, strange, but not all bad. Lovely full frontal Make the Yuletide Gay - Funny little midwestern comedy of errors about coming out to your family at the holidays...the best joke (for me) is a visitor to Wisconsin saying to a man who tells him he is from Minnesota... "Isn't that the same thing?" We Were One Man - Very odd French film about a German soldier in love with a French peasant during WWII...warning...animal and human violence as well as scatological scenes make it hard to embrace this film. Shank - Pretty good urban, gritty London based story that shows that economics and class distinction still have a lot to do with who can and cannot come out in a community. Ciao - A Dallas man must meet the gay online love interest of his friend who has died suddenly in a car accident as he is arriving in America from Italy. It is a more than slightly odd premise that is overcome with quiet, truthful performances. and finally: Eyes Wide Open - A wonderful, heartbreaking, bittersweet tale of a orthodox Hasidic father of four in Jerusalem falling in love with the younger man he has hired as an apprentice in his butcher shop. This film is brilliant and needs to be seen by all.

Stills from Eyes Wide Open. For more information, check out the New York Times film review.

The Forum Image

Posted by Sason in Life Through The Lens 4

"Here are some pics from my recent Brokie train trip from Denver to Seattle.

"The Rockmount store in Denver, where some of the clothes for the movie were purchased.

"There was a nice tribute to our movie in the store."

Quote of the Day

“You could move.”

~ Abigail Van Buren, "Dear Abby," in response to a reader who complained
that a gay couple was moving in across the street and wanted to know
what he could do to improve the quality of the neighborhood.

Photo Caption of the Day

Posted by TwistandShout in Photo Captioning Fun 5

Pillows.
Jack's bitin' through pillows every couple of days . . .

Contributors: Marge Innavera, Tonkatodd, Sason, TwistandShout

Calendar of Events

If you have ideas about initiating a gathering, go to Start Your Own Threads
and get the ball rolling to plan a get-together near you.

Boston Brokie Bash - AIDS Walk
Boston, MA, June 4th-6th 2010

Fifth Anniversary Screening of Brokeback Mountain
and the staged reading of selections from Beyond Brokeback
Los Angeles, CA, December 11th, 2010

Let us know of any events you’d like listed here.

The Daily Sheet is a production of The Ultimate Brokeback Forum at www.davecullen.com/forum.

Today's edition by gnash

Fun Question of the Week compiled by Stilllearning

Researchers: BayCityJohn, Killersmom, Kittyhawk, Marge_Innavera, Stilllearning

Editors emeritae: CactusGal, Marge_Innavera, tellyouwhat, Stilllearning, MissYouSoMuch

We count on you to send us your news items, questions, and nominations for posts of the day.
If you have items you’d like to see published, send them to gnash.

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When a new issue of TDS is posted, you will be notified by e-mail.

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[killersmom]

Tuesday, June 8th, 2010

Gay Identity, New Storytelling and the Media
Christopher Pullen (Palgrave Macmillan 2009)

By Marge Innavera

“When Kevin Keller enrolls at Riverdale High,” Miami Herald columnist Leonard Pitts wrote recently, “that’s a white flag running up the pole, enemy soldiers raising their hands.” Pitts was writing about the recent introduction of a gay classmate of comic book characters Archie, Betty, Veronica and Jughead.  Pitts was suggesting not that a gay character in a classic comic book series signals the end of homophobia and discrimination, but he singled it out as an example of the number one agent of change for gays in the past few decades: increasing visibility in everyday life. The 70-year-old teenagers of Riverdale exist only in the fictional Comicsverse; but scholar Christopher Pullen has published a detailed study of the stories and experiences of people both famous and obscure that define that visibility in real life. In Gay Identity, New Storytelling and the Media, Pullen looks at self-presentation and dissemination of stories and experiences of gays from the 1800s to the present, and has taken on an ambitious number of examples. The historical background in Gay Identity includes fictional storytelling in performance art, from the cues used in traditional theatre to get around censorship of presenting homosexual characters to contemporary TV shows such as Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. Pullen doesn’t hesitate to explore their contributions to, and reflections of, popular stereotypes. He sees Mordaunt Shairp’s play The Green Bay Tree as “highly influential in establishing ‘the stereotypical picture of the [male] homosexual as wealthy, effete and British” and notes how Queer Eye made gay identity a product for heterosexual viewers’ consumption.

Pullen compares and contrasts the historical background to more contemporary media: talk shows, films, documentaries and the Internet. Many of the personal stories in the book are of well-known people past and present, from Oscar Wilde, Quentin Crisp and Christopher Isherwood to k.d. Lang, George Michaels, Gore Vidal and Ellen Degeneres to name a few. Pullen believes that stars and celebrities have a cultural significant beyond the facile surface of pop culture, in that they embody fears, conflicts and aspirations of their audiences. He agrees with Richard Dyer that “stars . . . express the particular notion we hold of the person, of the ‘individual.’ “ Forum members gather in front of Ennis' truck, at the Estes Park meet-up in 2007. First row (left to right): maturben/Bob Harris, Dave Cullen, KittyHawk/Lydia Wells Sledge, jlm1/Jonathan Mortimer, neatfreak/Betty Greene Salwak, Boris/Jari Koskisuu, brokeback_1/Jack Schilling, paintedshoes/Jackie. Back row (left to right): LoveEmBoys/Monica and royandronnie/Charlotte S. Graham-Clark. However, the narrative also includes the necessarily anonymous voices, such as the 1965 BBC radio broadcast Male Homosexual and first-person accounts of the often dangerous struggles of gays in developing countries. Pullen makes a case for the history of Western colonization exacerbating homophobia in present-day developing countries.  The voices are those of people from widely diverse backgrounds, whose stories and viewpoints emerge via the Internet – including the Ultimate Brokeback Forum and the book Beyond Brokeback.   Pullen notes that the voluntary anonymity in Internet communities makes individual identification of the book’s contributors difficult, but he doesn’t consider that a major flaw.  The Internet has given gays opportunities to forum virtual communities, helping fill a gap for a group that, unlike other marginalized groups such as Jews and African-Americans, has no homeland nor religious and family resources of its own.  The narrative includes a brief history of Brokeback's initial impact on readers and viewers, and the development of the Forum from a high-traffic blog.

Queer Eye for the Straight Guy: marketing gay identity

Pullen comments that the storytelling in Beyond Brokeback reflected the efforts of real-life people to deal with “society’s failure to offer a safe place where lead characters Ennis and Jack may live together” in the story and film. Further, the Forum and its book project are an example of the democratic storytelling that the revolution in media has produced. In particular Pullen gives examples of the impacts on both gays and straights. He cites neatfreak’s (Betty Greene Salwak) letter to her pastor about her gay brother, “rejected by family and church”, and BrokenOkie’s (Glenn) narrative about “the murder of a friend and ex-lover who ‘was one of many innocent victims. The attack on him was similar to Jack’s.” Gay Identity is a challenging read. A reader regularly has to cut through dense thickets of academic language and abstract references such as “textual emergences”, “transgressive potential” and “subaltern discourse.” However, it’s a thorough and well-researched overview of how myths and archetypes have been transformed and re-created over time: in personal lives, in performance art, and in our own Internet community. Order Gay Identity, New Storytelling and the Media from the Forum's Ultimate Amazon Collection.

Famous Movie Locations: The Mountain from Brokeback Mountain

Location as Character: It's so much easier to fall in love when two people are isolated; they have almost no choice but to develop a connection. In this case, under the shadow of the mountains, not only are Ennis and Jack separated from everyone, they're also in an environment conducive to romance. Many folks will also attest that there's something evocative about cowboys, hats, boots, and the open plains. Historic Significance: "Kananaskis" is said to be an Indian word meaning "meeting of the waters." Before the arrival of first European explorers in the 19th century, Kananaskis Valley was considered home to the nomadic Stoney Indians, a mountain Sioux band. In 1854, James Sinclair, a university-educated settler, led an expedition from the north end of the valley to K-Country. Historical accounts of Sinclair's expedition are unconfirmed, but it is known that in 1848, he told British explorer Captain John Palliser of the route. The Kananaskis River and various passes were named by Palliser, who led a British scientific expedition through the area around the mid-1850s. Fun Facts: This area is something of a hot spot for film production. With such jaw-dropping scenery, it's no wonder. Besides 'Brokeback', other movies filmed near here include 'Legends of the Fall,' 'Superman III,' 'The Edge', 'X-Men 2: X-Men United,' and 'Shanghai Noon,' to name only a few. Read more.   Source: insidermovies.moviefone.com

Brokeback Kitty – A Story of Survival and Hope

You can meet me by e-mailing HCWS here: cats@hcws.org

My nickname is “Broke Back.”  Why you may ask?  Let me tell you . . I was abandoned in a trailer park when someone came across my frail body under a trailer. Although that person put out an old sheet for me and some dog food, they didn’t take me in. I think they were afraid I was dying and didn’t want to touch me. I can understand that, but it still left me alone, terribly frightened and very injured. But the Good Samaritan did call Heaven Can Wait Animal Society to rescue me! ... ... It took the gentle and skilled hands of Dr. David Henderson to determine that I was literally a mess! He diagnosed me with a broken back (hence the name), along with a broken pelvis and hip. ... Now here is the good news you should know. I am ready for adoption.  YEA! I limp a little, but, hey, I use the litter box, I roll over and I play with other cats. I am also great at purring! I perform the usual cat kneading trick. I cannot wait to be part of a loving home and back to living my life as it should be. ... Read more. Source: hcwsblog.org

Brokeback Campground

Iowa State Senator Merlin Bartz is very nervous that the WRONG KIND OF TENT POLES are going to be erected in Iowa’s campgrounds: "Senator Merlin Bartz, a Republican from Grafton, says it appears to him that the Department of Natural Resources wants to make gay couples eligible for family camping at state parks. “They’re citing the Supreme Court case and changing, you know, ‘husband and wife’ language to ’spouse,’” Bartz says. "The rates or fees for camp sites are the same, whether you’re a family or a non-family, but the state allows families to put up more than one tent on a camp site. “They’re changing their language even though the state legislature has not had a debate on this particular issue,” Bartz says. [...]

"Bartz says he wants to be “vigilant” and keep state agencies from writing rules that extend new benefits to gay couples. “A lot of the advocates of gay marriage in Iowa have said, ‘It doesn’t affect anything. Nothing has changed,’” Bartz says. “The reality of it is that everything is changing.”' Read more.   Source: tbogg.fireloglake.com

Movies With A View 11th Year! "Brokeback Mountain with Manhattan as a backdrop? Heaven." -- BayCityJohn Syfy will present Brooklyn Bridge Park's 11th Anniversary Season of Movies With A View summer 2010, this year on the newly opened Pier 1! Movies With A View is one of the city's premiere outdoor film series with an eclectic lineup of films and breathtaking views of the NYC waterfront. Thursday, August 5 Feature Film: Brokeback Mountain DJ: Soulstatic Read more.   Source: brooklynbridgepark.org

JUNE IS GAY PRIDE MONTH



Israeli men kiss before marching in the controversial annual Gay Pride parade in Jerusalem,
June 26, 2008. More than 3,000 people walked in the parade that was protected by
2,000 police and border police. (UPI Photo/Debbie Hill) Source: upi.com

Roderic Montrece: Are We There Yet?

As we enter another Gay Pride History Month, there will be a plethora of blogs and articles how far we in the GLBTQ have to go and when will change ever come. Blogs and articles on status of the repeal of DADT, when DOMA will be repealed the several marriage cases in court challenging the state laws against gay marriage. And while the articles do raise important and salient issues I urge my GLBTQ brothers and sisters to simply enjoy the ride. It is true that television shows such as "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy", "Will & Grace" and "Queer as Folk" or movies such as "Brokeback Mountain" have done a lot for the Gay Rights Movement. They are accidental by products. Their intent was not to show discontent or voice hope for the oppressed GLBTQ community, or to advocate gay rights. I remember several spring break road trips I would take with friends across the country; I would be the one sitting in the back asking "how much further?" "are we there yet?" and "why it taking so long." I just wanted to get there and have fun. What I wasn't doing was taking the views and sights of the places we were traveling through. Nor was I using that time to plan on what I was going to do when I got there. I just kept asking "are we there yet?" Read more.   Source: huffingtonpost.com

Chely Wright to Perform at the 2010 Michigan Pride Diversity Festival

The 2010 Michigan Pride Diversity Festival will welcome country artist Chely Wright to the Mainstage on June 12 at Burchard Park, Monique Goch, Outreach Director of Michigan Pride, announced that Wright will also be featured as the Grand Marshal of the Michigan Pride March and is to perform at the Capitol earlier in the day in downtown Lansing. Wright, whose hits include chart-toppers "Single White Female" and "Shut Up and Drive," has recently launched her seventh album, "Lifted Off the Ground," which coincided with the release of her autobiography, "Like Me: Confessions of a Heartland Country Singer." Wright appeared on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" to discuss her recent public "coming out" as a lesbian. She will also appear on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Thursday, May 27, 2010. Visit www.michiganpride.org for more info. Read more.  Source: outindetroit.com

Nothing Like a Pride Parade!



Millions gather for the 2004 Gay Pride Parade in São Paulo, Brazil.
In 2006, it was considered the biggest pride parade of the world by the
Guinness Book of World Records with an estimated 2.5 million participants.

Read more. Source: wikipedia.org

There were over 3 million participants in this year's parade,
where the theme was, “Vote against homophobia. Defend citizenship.”

For information on Pride Events near you, check the List of LGBT events.

Gay? Whatever, Dude

Last week, while many of us were distracted by the oil belching forth from the gulf floor and the president’s ham-handed attempts to demonstrate that he was sufficiently engaged and enraged, Gallup released a stunning, and little noticed, report on Americans’ evolving views of homosexuality. Allow me to enlighten: 1. For the first time, the percentage of Americans who perceive “gay and lesbian relations” as morally acceptable has crossed the 50 percent mark. (You have to love the fact that they still use the word “relations.” So quaint.) 2. Also for the first time, the percentage of men who hold that view is greater than the percentage of women who do. 3. This new alignment is being led by a dramatic change in attitudes among younger men, but older men’s perceptions also have eclipsed older women’s. While women’s views have stayed about the same over the past four years, the percentage of men ages 18 to 49 who perceived these “relations” as morally acceptable rose by 48 percent, and among men over 50, it rose by 26 percent. I warned you: stunning. There is no way to know for sure what’s driving such a radical change in men’s views on this issue because Gallup didn’t ask, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t speculate. Read more.  Source: nytimes.com

Ledger's Joker at Springfield Punx Dean says: Springfield Punx is a little pet project of mine. The idea of doing fan art parodying some of my favorite characters and stars in such a fun and simple style got me hooked immediately. Some of these guys and gals have appeared on the Simpsons and I could just work from that, but most I had to do from scratch. Being the Bat-fan that I am, I figured I'd do a week to feature characters from the Nolan Batman movies, including updated and re-colored versions of existing Punx and a few new ones that I've wanted to get done as well. I hope it'll put a *ssssmile* on your face. Read more.   Source: springfieldpunx.blogspot.com

Spooky Stuff on the Set of [Luke] Ledger's First Feature, Redback

The secluded set of a supernatural thriller being made in the Perth Hills is so spooky, some cast and crew are avoiding it at night. The old campsite is where Heath Ledger's cousin Luke Ledger is filming his first feature, in which the ghost of a girl murdered at the location warns other youngsters of the dangers of the correctional boot camp they have been sent to. First-time director Loren Johnson hopes audiences will leave the cinema covered in goosebumps after watching the scary movie – and it seems some of those working on the film are having their own real-life haunting experiences during the shoot. Johnson said he hoped to create a fear factor new to Australian film. Read more.   Source: smh.com.au

Gay McDonald's Ad Gets Mixed Reaction

A gay-themed McDonald's television advertisement is whipping up controversy around the world. A McDonald's Australia spokeswoman said the advertisement was one in a series of clips produced under the "come as you are" banner, which aims to "recognise the diversity of McDonald's customers in France". The company's Australian campaigns are produced in Australia and there are no plans to run a similar line here, the spokeswoman said.

Website Planet Homo questioned the value of depicting a "closeted boy who has not told his father about his sexuality", but added: "We do love his voice and accent." Australian Coalition for Equality spokesman Rodney Croome welcomed the ad's lack of judgment and stereotypes. "This is a refreshingly realistic depiction of a young man who's in a same-sex relationship, who isn't angst-ridden and who is in control of his life even as he faces the question all young gay people face: 'When do I tell my dad?' Watch the commercial and read more.  Source: smh.com.au

Riderless Australian Ghost Horse



Paul Compton, The Black Horse of Sutton
Ink, pencil and gouache on paper

A riderless horse known as the black horse of Sutton’s Forest.
It was regarded as a sign of coming disaster.
It has been known to pass right through houses.

(Source of information: warrenfahey.com)

The horse is also referenced in this 1891 poem by Henry Lawson, Talbragar

Source: redbubble.com

Post of the Day

By CellarDweller115 in The Forum Meetings/Reunion/Visits Pics Thread III

The Boston Brokie Bash was a success! Great times, good dinners, participating in the AIDS Walk,
(and for some, the AIDS Run!), and screenings of both BBM and PoP. What more could a Brokie ask for?



CellarDweller115 says: "Pics from the Boston Brokie Bash/AIDS Walk this past weekend.
Team Brokeback Mountain was successful, all walkers crossed the finish line!
We had a grand total of $1,627.00 raised in funds."



Gift bags were assembled for attendees, and the pic above shows
a sampling of the goodies. Click for more info in this post by Chuck.

Fun Question of the Week

This week’s Question: Where in North America are the White Mountains, The Black Hills, and Gray Mountain located? Let us know your answers in the response thread. Last week's question and answer: Comic strips -- What is the National Cartoonist’s Society’s Cartoonist of the Year award also known as? And, In Peanuts who is always falling asleep in class? Foum member kathy answered a question: "1) The "Peanuts" character Peppermint Patty is always falling asleep in class." and added, "2) I think Ang Lee is just wonderful!" We think so too! The National Cartoonist Society's highest honor is also known as the Reuben. Credit goes to Ennis Del Mark for answering correctly!

The Forum Image

Posted by dahlia in Life Through The Lens 4

"A trip to the mountains. A beautiful mist all around us."

Quote of the Day

“Gay and lesbian people fall in love. We settle down.
We commit our lives to one another. We raise our children.
We protect them. We try to be good citizens.”

~ California Sen. Sheila Kuehl ~

Photo Caption of the Day

Posted by doodler in Photo Captioning Fun 5

When Ennis finally made the trip to Texas, Jack wasted no time on stairs.

Contributors: Marge Innavera, BayCityJohn, CellarDweller115, dahlia, doodler

Calendar of Events If you have ideas about initiating a gathering, go to Start Your Own Threads and get the ball rolling to plan a get-together near you. Fifth Anniversary Screening of Brokeback Mountain and the staged reading of selections from Beyond Brokeback Los Angeles, CA, December 11th, 2010 Let us know of any events you’d like listed here.

The Daily Sheet is a production of The Ultimate Brokeback Forum at www.davecullen.com/forum.

Today's edition by gnash

Fun Question of the Week compiled by Stilllearning

Researchers: BayCityJohn, Killersmom, Kittyhawk, Marge_Innavera, Stilllearning

Editors emeritae: CactusGal, Marge_Innavera, tellyouwhat, Stilllearning, MissYouSoMuch

We count on you to send us your news items, questions, and nominations for posts of the day.
If you have items you’d like to see published, send them to gnash.

To subscribe to The Daily Sheet, click the “Notify” button at the top or bottom of the page.
When a new issue of TDS is posted, you will be notified by e-mail.

The Daily Sheet Archives
Respond to The Daily Sheet

[killersmom]

Tuesday, June 15th, 2010

Book Brahmin: Brando Skyhorse

Born and raised in Echo Park, Calif., Brando Skyhorse is a graduate of Stanford University and the MFA Writers' Workshop program at UC Irvine. He worked for 10 years as a book editor in New York. The Madonnas of Echo Park (Free Press, June 1, 2010) is his debut novel. His next book, also forthcoming from Free Press, is a memoir about growing up with five stepfathers. Favorite line from a book: Right now it's the last line of the story "Brokeback Mountain." I won't spoil it here if you haven't read it, but if you haven't read it, stop reading this and get a copy of Annie Proulx's Close Range right now. Seeing the movie doesn't count. That line is everything I'm trying to do when I sit down to write and 10 times out of 10 fail at. I keep trying because one day I might--might--get a line almost as good as that one. But I doubt it. Read more.  Source: news.shelf-awareness.com

20 Iconic Moments

Brokeback Mountain made the list over at Metrosource Magazine: 11 Cowboys taken away? Annie Proulx’s short story “Brokeback Mountain” turned out to be the beginning of a journey that would redefine the American cowboy. The film adaptation of Brokeback, released in December 2005, would win director Ang Lee an Oscar and make Ennis and Jack (as portrayed by Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal) one of cinema’s greatest tragic love stories. Read the rest of the list.  Source: metrosource.com

Kodak Focus: Rodrigo Prieto

2010 Los Angeles Film Festival -- Sunday, June 20th With over 20 years experience Oscar® nominated Rodrigo Prieto is one of the premiere cinematographers of our time, having worked all over the world collaborating and bringing to the screen the vision of directors such as Alejandro González Iñárritu, Oliver Stone, Spike Lee, Pedro Almodovar, and Ang Lee. His diverse list of credits include: Broken Embraces, Babel, State of Play, Brokeback Mountain, 21 Grams, 25th Hour, Frida, Amores Perros and many others. Prieto comes to the Festival to discuss and show film clips of his unconventional and innovative techniques with Kodak’s Chris Russo. Read more. Source: lafilmfest.com

Singer-songwriter Mary McBride brings "The Way Home Tour" to New Orleans

Singer and songwriter Mary McBride couldn’t have arrived in Louisiana at a more appropriate time to begin her “The Way Home Tour.”           This incomparable place we call home is in on our minds constantly, as we worry about the Gulf oil spill and the start of hurricane season.         “I have lots of family in New Orleans,” she said. “I always try to make it the first part of my tours.”         Her latest tour, which celebrates the release of her album “The Way Home” on June 22, is different. It brings her and her band to “places that people call home,” including homeless shelters, homes for people with mental and physical disabilities, a veterans hospital in California, a farm worker community in Washington State. McBride, who appeared in “Brokeback Mountain” and sang on the soundtrack of the movie, has performed with such music legends as Willie Nelson, Joe Cocker, Jerry Lee Lewis, Delbert McClinton, the Indigo Girls and the late Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown.         She has been recording since 2001 and touring since 2002. Her first album, “Everything Seems Alright,” was inspired by 9-11.         “I was living in New York for 9-11,” she said. “That album kind of wrote itself.” Read more.  Source: nola.com

Jake Gyllenhaal Makes Big Decisions in the Snack Food Aisle

Read more.  Source:  popsugar.com.

Hathaway Gets Cooking

Actress ANNE HATHAWAY's New Year's resolution is paying off - the BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN star is slowly becoming a better cook. The star promised herself cookery lessons in 2010 and she's already noticing a big difference in her catering skills. She tells WENN, "I am still new to it. One in five things is very good and everything else is a nice effort. I am working on the basics right now and trying to find my go-to chilli recipe. The other day I roasted a chicken that I have got to say was awesome. But I used a lot of butter and it's not hard to make chicken taste good when you use a lot of butter. "I am not a very imaginative cook; I follow recipes, but I really do enjoy it. That and baking. I used to be a vegetarian but obviously I am not a very committed vegetarian when you roast chicken. ..." Read more.  Source:  contactmusic.com

Cookbook: A Single Man's Guide to Cooking with Beer

For years, beer connoisseur Streeter McClure’s culinary repertoire, like many single men, consisted of boxed dinners and ramen noodles. After one particularly long night of debauchery, he opened the fridge and was faced with an onion, a tomato, a leftover cheeseburger, and two cans of beer. Frustrated and starving, he did what any guy in his situation would do: threw all of the ingredients together in a pan with the intention of feeding himself and his equally ravenous friends. To his total surprise, it was delicious! This realization, along with his love for beer and desire to impress the ladies, led him to create a cookbook that single men everywhere can incorporate into their everyday cooking. The Single Man’s Guide to Cooking with Beer includes such recipes as Spring Break Beer Fish, Brew Stew, No Date Saturday Night Beef Stroganoff, Beer Battered Onion Rings, and Man Slaw. Read more.   Source: phoenixbooksandaudio.com

Batty For Lashes

Oh, those eyes! Jake Gyllenhaal's secret weapons had the city aflutter You may have heard that Jake Gyllenhaal's abs are starring in a new movie, which as it happens, also happens to star Gyllenhaal's head, covered with what appears to be Billy Ray Cyrus's hair, and Gyllenhaal's tongue, in a lock-jawed British (by way of ancient Persia?!) accent. But enough about that. "Eyelashes like a pony," alerted, via tweet, the lucky makeup artist at MTV Canada assigned to do the actor's face before his scheduled celebrity cattle call. "Cuter in person" and "disarming smile," haiku-ed, furthermore, the camera-readier. To be honest, I had no idea the actor's longer, thicker ones had become a fetish item in the cultural sphere. During a quick prowl through Google, I found endless references to those secret weapons, and at the height of Brokeback Mountain madness some years back, there was even an online forum devoted to the guy's lashes! Five hundred and thirty-three pages of text, we gather. With 100,000 page views! So, yeah. Don't tell me I don't tell you anything. Read more.  Source: nationalpost.com

Prints of Persia

THE SUMMARY Now this is what traveling is about! A land truly like no other. A nation so fully regulated you cant even Google the word ‘kiss’, yet with the right contacts, can pretty much do anything you want. Fantastic food, friendly people, exotic women, hijab-raising driving habits. Jump onto the flying carpet! I learned a lot from my overly friendly colleagues and other befriended guides. For example, the easiest way to pick up a chick is to simply slip your number to her from your car window while you are in traffic along another car. Hordes of youngsters actually lap around the major highways all night doing this to build up a tally of numbers. Apparently, also, the girls are so incredibly forward that almost no effort is required and you are always guaranteed to get what ever result you are after. See the prints and read more.   Source: travbuddy.com

Runaway Riderless Horse



Edvard Munch, Galloping Horse, 1910-2
Oil on canvas  148 x 119.5 cm

This Week's Tech Tip

Posted by donna in Slash Discussion and Recommendations, Part 12

Ooops! Have you ever hit the "Post" button, only to realize you made a typo or wrote something that sounds like gibberish? No problem! Simply click on the "MODIFY" button in the upper right corner of your post. A screen containing your post will appear, in which you may make your corrections. When you are done, click the "Save" button in the lower left corner. After you make a post, you have one week, exactly, to change it.

Fun Question of the Week

Here's a Brokeback Mountain movie question: In the road crew scene where the out-of-shape husband jokes about hard work keeping him fit, what is written across the front of Ennis's trucker cap? Let us know your answer in the Response Thread. Last week's question and answer: We asked about the locations of mountains, and  kathy and fritzkep answered correctly! The Black Hills are located in South Dakota (and they extend into Wyoming), the White Mountains are in New Hampshire. Gray Mountain is in Arizona. fritzkep said: There are quite a few Gray Mountains, maybe the one you're referring to is the highest one at 7038' in Coconino County, Arizona? (north of Flagstaff) Or do you mean the little molehill near San Diego where westbound I-8 climbs? We meant the one in Arizona! Shown: The Black Hills. Image source: johnlufkin.com

Post of the Day

By daliah in What are you listening to right now? Volume 4

daliah posted lyrics to this song and added their thoughts at the end: This could be our last good night together We may never pass this way again. Just let me enjoy it 'til it's over, or forever Please don't tell me how the story ends. See the way our shadows come together Softer than your fingers on my skin Someday these may be all we remember of each other Please don't tell me how the story ends. Never's just the echo of forever Lonesome as a love that might have been. Let me go on lovin' and believin' 'til it's over Please don't tell me how the story ends. "and it makes me think of BBM  "

The Forum Image

Posted by conny in Life Through The Lens 4

Quote of the Day

“I love the rumor I have a penis. I’m fascinated by it.”

~ Lady Gaga via advocate.com ~

Photo Caption of the Day

Posted by Tony5 in Photo Captioning Fun 5

 Jack: "And another thing.....you're dressing Wal-Mart, and I'm L.L. Bean."

 Ennis: "Huh?"

Contributors: donna, kathy, fritzkep, daliah, conny, Tony5

Calendar of Events

If you have ideas about initiating a gathering, go to Start Your Own Threads
and get the ball rolling to plan a get-together near you.

Fifth Anniversary Screening of Brokeback Mountain
and the staged reading of selections from Beyond Brokeback
Los Angeles, CA, December 11th, 2010

Let us know of any events you’d like listed here.

The Daily Sheet is a production of The Ultimate Brokeback Forum at www.davecullen.com/forum.

Today's edition by gnash

Researchers: BayCityJohn, Killersmom, Kittyhawk, Marge_Innavera, Stilllearning

Editors emeritae: CactusGal, Marge_Innavera, tellyouwhat, Stilllearning, MissYouSoMuch

We count on you to send us your news items, questions, and nominations for posts of the day.
If you have items you’d like to see published, send them to gnash.

To subscribe to The Daily Sheet, click the “Notify” button at the top or bottom of the page.
When a new issue of TDS is posted, you will be notified by e-mail.

The Daily Sheet Archives
Respond to The Daily Sheet

[killersmom]

Tuesday, June 22nd, 2010

Wolfe Still A Video Queen, 25 Years Later

Expect a "whooooooo" sound to emanate from the audience at select times during the Frameline34 festival. The long, wailing cry recognizes films brought to this year's festival by Wolfe Releasing - the largest and, at 25, oldest distributor of gay and lesbian movies in the world. The company's logo of a pack of colorful wolves will be familiar to many of those attending Frameline, and their howl is a kind of communal thumbs-up for a job well done. So is the Frameline Award being presented to Kathy Wolfe, CEO and founder of the San Jose company that bears her name.

"You have to remember what gay and lesbian entertainment looked like 25 years ago - essentially closeted - to get an idea of just how far the industry has come. Wolfe was one of our earliest pioneers," Lily Tomlin said in a statement. The 1991 film of Tomlin's stage show "The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe" was an early mainstream crossover for the distribution company. When Wolfe took out a business license in 1985, owning a VCR was still a luxury, and video stores were in their early years. She had videos she'd made of the 1982 San Francisco Gay Pride march and a series on female contractors teaching women basic skills of home repair, done for public-access television in Cupertino. With a burst of entrepreneurial spirit, Wolfe fired off a letter to lesbian and gay bookstores saying she had these videos and would they like to start a rental section to feature them. The response was tremendous. People said, "Of course. That sounds great. Send us what you have." Read more. Source: sfgate.com  Visit the Frameline Festival website.

"We Were Here": Film Moves Entire Festival Audience to Tears

Every year, at least one film in the San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival garners so much audience support and community spirit that I'm reminded not only of why I love film but also why I'm grateful to be a part of this eccentric and beautiful multi-lettered community. This year, one of those films was We Were Here: Voices from the AIDS Years in San Francisco, which previewed yesterday to a full house at the Castro Theater. Director David Weissman and his editor/codirector Bill Weber, the documentarians who brought us The Cockettes nine years ago, that dizzying paean to early '70s hippie genderqueer gay counterculture, have created an entirely different animal with We Were Here. While The Cockettes hinted at the epidemic to come—many of the Cockettes and their collaborators, like disco diva Sylvester, were felled by the disease—We Were Here is at times a eulogy to the decade that followed, looking at AIDS head-on. It's a perspective our community as a whole has been slow to adopt, but one that this film may well ready us for. Read more. Source: the-defribrallator.blogspot.com

Brokeback Mountain Musician for Dhobi Ghat

Kiran Rao has roped in two times Oscar-winner, Argentinian musician Gustavo Santaolalla for her directorial debut Dhobi Ghat, which stars husband Aamir Khan and actor Prateik Babbar in the lead. Gustavo, whose credits include Ang Lee's Brokeback Mountain, Brad Pitt starrer Babel, Motorcycle Diaries and Amores Perros, has been in Mumbai for the last four days and Rao has been playing host to the musician at her Bandra pad. The 57-year-old composer won the Academy Award for Original Music Score for Brokeback Mountain in 2005 and the Academy Award for Original Music Score for Babel. Rao, who has previously assisted Ashutosh Gowariker in Laagan and Swades, is leaving no stone unturned to make her film world class. Read more. Source: movies.ndtv.com

TUESDAY TOP 10: Most Overrated Films... Before you grab your pitchforks and light your torches, I want to clarify that some of these selections are not, in my opinion, bad films. To be overrated is not to be terrible by any means. Sometimes an overrated film might get awards over more deserving ones, sometimes they gain cultural or critical momentum and praise so much that they become attached to a stigma of greatness. Then again, sometimes they might just be crap that people overrate. Some of these are good films that are overrated, some of them are frustratingly bad. 1)  Crash – I blame the rise of Paul Haggis on the Bush Administration. As a nation we were dumber; we had to have things spoon-fed to us. Enter Paul Haggis, the king of everything non-subtle. Crash is such a heavy-handed, in-your-face study on race relations. The action takes place in some alternate universe where, apparently, everyone who exists speaks about other races in the most obvious, overbearing language imaginable. Nothing about Haggis’ film is internal, or thematic, or creative. It is all just laid out for the dumbest of filmgoers to absorb without having to really think about the actions or consequences. It is a shame that this piece of crap won Best Picture, and over Brokeback Mountain nonetheless. Read more. Source: themoviesnob.net

Visualizing the BP Oil Spill Disaster

An explosion on the BP operated Deepwater Horizon oil rig killed eleven crew members on April 20, 2010, sparking the greatest environmental disaster in United States history. In combination with the Texas City Refinery Explosion and the Prudohoe Bay Oil Spill, this marks the third serious incident involving BP in the United States in the last five years. Current estimates put the amount of oil being discharged from the broken well at above 1,050,000 US gallons per day! There are over 400 different species of animals living in the area affected by the spill. 330 sea turtles and 39 dolphins have been found dead within the spill area (NOAA). BP is operating oil skimmers and other cleanup tools to try to remove oil from the water and Louisiana is building oil containment berms to halt the spread of oil. Experts are uncertain what effect, if any, these efforts will have. What Can You Do? Talk. First, share this map with your friends so they can understand the impact as well. Next, write to your Representatives and Senators and share your feelings about this disaster. Read more. Source: ifitwasmyhome.com

Our Amazing Planet: Top to Bottom infographic

Designed by Karl Tate, Our Amazing Planet: Top to Bottom is a cool infographic that looks at the scale of things from the upper atmosphere to the deepest ocean depths. The infographic is HUGE (14,677 pixels tall), and that keeps it accurate to the scale.  It’s unreadable when the entire infographic is viewed on the screen, and that adds to the readers grasp of how big this scale really is. It’s also timely with recent events, showing the depth of the Deepwater Horizon oil rig spill, and drilling depth.  You can view the entire image on  OurAmazingPlanet.com. Read more. Source: coolinfograhics.com

Weddings for Everybody!

OP-ED COLUMNIST MAUREEN DOWD Everything about the climax of the legal quest to overturn California’s ban on gay marriage was appropriately cinematic — even the month best to imagine two men atop a wedding cake or two women walking down the aisle. “It may be appropriate that the case is coming to closing argument now,” Chief Judge Vaughn Walker said with a twinkle. “June is, after all, the month for weddings.” The Federal District Court trial that seems tailored for a made-for-TV movie features the remarkable odd-couple pairing of two lawyers who have already been depicted in a made-for-TV movie, “Recount,” about their rivalry in another historic trial, Bush v. Gore. The conservative Ted Olson now prides himself on being “an honorary lesbian,” and the liberal David Boies now prides himself on upbraiding Barack Obama for not pushing to give gays the same shot at marital bliss — and misery — that people like the president’s parents got when interracial marriage was legalized. Read more. Source: nytimes.com

Apple Flip-Flops on Gay Kiss Censorship

Oscar Wilde graphic novel is back, with changes. Apple officials are so determined to keep porn off your iPad, they censored a graphic novel based on Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest." And now, they've changed their minds about it. "We made a mistake," said Apple spokesperson Trudy Miller. Read more. Source: chicagopride.com

Tony Peluso, Carpenters Guitarist and Motown Producer, Dead at 60

Tony Peluso, who played lead guitar with the Carpenters before becoming a successful producer, died on Saturday, June 5 in Los Angeles of heart disease, according to the Hollywood Reporter. Peluso, 60, was a four-time Grammy winner who made an impressive mark on the world of pop music, performing and producing on records that, in total, sold in excess of 150 million copies. Peluso got his start working with teen idol Bobby Sherman in the late '60s and played guitar with Paul Revere and the Raiders before joining the Carpenters in 1971 at the age of 21. Following the death of Karen Carpenter in 1983, Peluso signed on with Motown Records, where he was an A&R executive. He produced records by Smokey Robinson, Michael Jackson, the Temptations and the Four Tops in his 10 years with the label. He most recently worked on the Oscar-winning soundtrack to 'Brokeback Mountain.' Read more. Source: spinner.com

Two Spirits tells the story of Fred Martinez, a Navajo boy who was also a girl...

As part of the City of West Hollywood's One City, One Pride cultural series, Out West is pleased to present Lydia Nibley's acclaimed documentary, Two Spirits, in the Renberg Theater at The Village, 1125 N. McCadden Place, West Hollywood, 90038 on June 28th at 7PM,.A panel discussion and reception will follow. The film examines the lives of Fred Martinez, his friends and family and those in the larger community who were most affected by his murder. Directed by Lydia Nibley and produced by Say Yes Quickly. Admission is free. Reservations recommended. RSVP pbonds@weho.org  For more information, please call 323/848-6354 or visit weho.org/pride Watch the Two Spirits trailer on YouTube.

Original Plumbing: A New Trans 'Zine Enters the Market

The media world is melting faster than a witch soaked in water, but  it doesn’t mean their isn’t a market for the tried and true. Remember back in the day when ‘zines were sold and mailed everywhere? Those heady times have returned with Original Plumbing. Amos Mac, the publication’s editor-in-chief, says OP’s aim is “to shoot true diversity in the FTM community; in size, age, body, surgery, hormone use and non use, because it is our belief that surgery and hormones don’t necessarily make the man.” After the jump there are photos of models in OP’s winter edition (it’s all about hair), and an interview with Mac (pictured above). Go to the site and give it some love. You’ll have a good time. Read more.  Source: 365gay.com  Buy the latest issue now.

Gyllenhaal Gives Good Face



Check out Jake's Eyelashes Vol. 17 for more.

Shipping News: Brokeback PLATINUM A haunting series of images taken of the stranded and now quite visibly broken SS PLATINUM II (ex INDEPENDENCE, SEA LUCK I, OCEANIC INDEPENDENCE, OCEANIC) have been forwarded to MaritimeMatters by James Hood. Once we get the URL for the website, we will provide a link but thus far, the source is unknown. The above photo confirms what a misty, very distant shot taken in late March indicated — the ship has broken her back and will be scrapped on the spot, four to five miles off the coast of Gopnath, some 30 miles southwest of Alang on the coast of Gujarat. Read more.  Source: maritimematters.com

Fun Question of the Week

Who was the first U.S. president to adopt the informal version of his first name? Let us know your answer in the Response Thread. Last week's question and answer: What it written on Ennis's trucker cap in the road worker/laying asphalt scene?  Farmers State Bank, Pittsfield

Post of the Day

By janjo in Jake's Eyelashes - Volume 17

Today's post of the day is short and sweet and illustrates the continuing appeal of PoP: "We went to see "Prince of Persia," Jake had something pointy and magical down the front of his trousers. Ahhhhhhhhh yes, it was a dagger!"

Weigh in with your thoughts on the movie at the
Prince of Persia -- Spoilers Okay thread.

The Forum Image

Posted by coal615 in Cowboy Up! Favorite Cowboy Pics

Quote of the Day

“The Gulf of Mexico is a very big ocean. The amount of volume of oil and
dispersant we are putting into it is tiny in relation to the total water volume.”

~ Tony Hayward, CEO of BP, May 14, 2010 ~

Read more oil spill quotes. Photo: boston.com

Photo Caption of the Day

Posted by AZ.bbm in Photo Captioning Fun 5

"Yo, Jack, I got a question for ya..." "-Yeah, Ennis..?" "How do cowboys find them sheep in tall grass?" "Very satisfying, Ennis." Contributors: janjo, coal615, AZ.bbm, Calendar of Events If you have ideas about initiating a gathering, go to Start Your Own Threads and get the ball rolling to plan a get-together near you. Fifth Anniversary Screening of Brokeback Mountain and the staged reading of selections from Beyond Brokeback Los Angeles, CA, December 11th, 2010 Let us know of any events you’d like listed here. The Daily Sheet is a production of The Ultimate Brokeback Forum at www.davecullen.com/forum. Today's edition by gnash Researchers: BayCityJohn, Killersmom, Kittyhawk, Marge_Innavera, Stilllearning Editors emeritae: CactusGal, Marge_Innavera, tellyouwhat, Stilllearning, MissYouSoMuch We count on you to send us your news items, questions, and nominations for posts of the day. If you have items you’d like to see published, send them to gnash. To subscribe to The Daily Sheet, click the “Notify” button at the top or bottom of the page. When a new issue of TDS is posted, you will be notified by e-mail. The Daily Sheet Archives Respond to The Daily Sheet

[killersmom]

Tuesday, June 29th, 2010

Nation's High Court Upholds University Nondiscrimination Policy

The U.S. Supreme Court today rejected an appeal from the Christian Legal Society, which sued to get funding and recognition from the University of California's Hastings College of the Law. The college policy stipulates that no recognized campus groups may exclude people due to religious belief and sexual orientation, among other characteristics, a policy the Christian Legal Society did not fully abide by. The National Center for Lesbian Rights and Paul Smith of Jenner & Block LLP represent Outlaw, the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender student group that intervened to defend Hastings’ nondiscrimination policy. Statement by Rea Carey, Executive Director National Gay and Lesbian Task Force "The Supreme Court ruled correctly in rejecting the challenge from the Christian Legal Society, which sought school funding and recognition despite being in clear violation of the college's nondiscrimination policy. The court rightly found that the First Amendment rights of association, free speech and free exercise were not violated by Hastings' decision. It simply said the college did not have to fund a group that violated the school policy requiring all recognized student groups to be open to every student. Schools all across the country are working to create welcoming environments for all students. This ruling supports that important effort. No school group or organization should be given public money to discriminate against other students." To learn more about the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, follow us on Twitter: @TheTaskForce.  Source: thetaskforce.org

Assessing the Pros and Cons of Moving the Oscars to January

You might have to send out your Oscar party Facebook invites a tad bit earlier this year. Ever since Deadline.com reported that the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences was considering moving the Oscars ceremony to January, there has been a ton of discussion and debate (Deadline’s piece leans toward the “con” side, while Vulture has a nice list of the advantages to the move.) over whether or not this could work. And like most of you, we have a love-hate relationship with award ceremonies but watch them anyway. We also have some mixed feelings about this whole thing. So, we’ve decided to do what our friends always suggested we do when we wanted to break up with our significant others in high school: weigh the pros and cons! Read more. Source: pastemagazine.com

Alan Moore, 'Zines and Reinvigorating the Queer Underground It's not very often that I buy an actual, real-life publication. Sure, I shell out for a New York Times from time-to-time, and stock up on men's fashion mags like V Man when I have a few bucks. Other than that, though, the bulk of my reading, like the rest of the world, goes on online. A few days ago, however, I came across news that got me up from my desk, out in the real world and searching for some actual paper. The news? Comic book author Alan Moore, perhaps best known for penning Watchmen and V for Vendetta, had launched a 'zine. Yes, a 'zine - those little upstart magazines that slowly, sadly succumbed to virtual versions. Though certainly Moore's involvement was enough to pique my interest in the new publication, Dodgem Logic, my initial interest came from this John Coulthart-designed cover of Dodgem's latest issue. In case you can't see, it's two men locking lips under the headline: "A Kiss Can Change the World." That was enough to get me up and out to find my very own copy. And, more notably, renew my faith in ink and paper's long-term relationship. Read more. Source: sfgate.com

Gay Young Adult Fiction Hits the Mainstream Will Grayson, Will Grayson" is rapidly becoming the "Twilight" of queer lit, but not everybody's happy about it When John Green and David Levithan's young adult novel "Will Grayson, Will Grayson" landed on the New York Times children's bestseller list this spring, it was unusual not just because there wasn't a single wizard or diary-keeping princess in the whole works. It also happened to be the first ever gay-themed young adult blockbuster. With protagonists who share the same name but different sexual orientations and a cast of characters that includes "the world’s largest person who is really, really gay, and also the world’s gayest person who is really, really large," the novel has become the "Twilight" of queer lit. Read more. Source: mobile.salon.com/books

Heath Ledger: An Actor and a Skateboarder Photographer and friend to Toy Machine team (check him out in the Bonus footage of "Suffer The Joy") Griffin Collins has got some great stories. The most recent issue of the Skatebook features Heath Ledger on the cover as well as some of Logan Kincade's (Grif's alter ego) photos of Heath inside. For his remaining days, Heath became good homies with Griffin and actually skated with him a bunch. We figure we'd talk to Griff about those experiences. I heard he was skating the pools with you. Oh yeah, for sure. He'd get in there and it didn't matter if his costume was flip-flops, he'd just be in wardrobe shredding the pool. He was down. He was just carving but he could definitely carve it better than any of the actors could do it. All the actors were pretty weak at it. They had no soul about it but you could tell Heath had a board growing up and he knew what he was up to. It made it a lot more believable. Are the photos in the new Skatebook from your time with him? A lot of the photos are from the set but we'd party at his house so I have a bunch of those. I have a Polaroid in the book of a bunch of people in a hammock and there is a girl spreading her legs. The guy next to her fell off the balcony right before this. I thought he was dead but he got right up. I shot it at Heath's house. And Natalie Portman might have been in that hammock too. It was always interesting hanging out with Heath off set. He was beyond humble with what he had. I got some good photos out of those parties. Read more. Source: espn.go.com  Buy the book.

The Trouble with Arizona

Larry McMurtry: On April 23, Governor Jan Brewer of Arizona signed into law what is probably the most stringent and least welcoming immigration law in the nation. Its intent is to have all law enforcement agencies in the state—Federal, state, and local—pool their muscle and get illegal immigrants out of the state of Arizona, pronto. Senate Bill 1070 may be cited as the “Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act.” Its passage immediately set off a chorus of indignation. The President at once expressed his dismay; an estimated 50,000 people marched in protest in Los Angeles, and the Phoenix Suns, fine in their unity, added “Los Suns” to their game uniforms. Even Rick Perry, the conservative governor of Texas, and a man who has a long and troublesome border to manage, allowed as how he wouldn’t go that far. Read more. Source: nybook.com/blogs

Anne Hathaway's Jewelry from Ex-boyfriend Up for Auction

The 'Devil Wears Prada' star will see a number of items - including a gold Rolex watch valued at $25,000, a silver Rolex worth $5,000, a five-strand pearl necklace and silver and diamond earrings - that she was given by ex-boyfriend Raffaello Follieri and were later seized by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as part of their investigation against him. Anne - who turned over around 12 items in April 2008 after the businessman was arrested on fraud charges - was offered the chance to bid exclusively on the necklaces, rings and other items, but declined, reports the New York Post newspaper. Read more. Source: azcentral.com

About Annie Proulx Lecture June 25th

Due to a problem with the visa -- not, it seems, by the Russians, but by the US people in Washington, DC -- Annie Proulx will not be coming to Moscow, so the lecture to ELE on June 25 has had to be cancelled. The host of ELE apologizes for any inconvenience, and/or dashed hopes. Source: elemowcow.net

Duncan Keith loses teeth, still looks a bit like Heath

Looks like we'll have to revise an observation we made in an earlier column about Heath Ledger look-alikes. In light of what happened during Game 4 of the NHL Western Conference final Sunday, May 23, in Chicago, it might be more accurate to say that Chicago Blackhawks defenseman Duncan Keith looks a bit like Heath Ledger might look...if he was missing seven teeth. After the team doctors numbed up his bloodied, battered and swollen mouth, he got right back out on the ice and played to the finish. In fact, he ended up logging a game high of 29 minutes, 2 seconds of ice time, and getting an assist on Dave Bolland's game-tying goal in the second period. So it would seem that Keith resembles Ledger in more than just looks.   We can't help but draw parallels between the guy who quietly, consistently (and without any showboating or swaggering) does whatever it takes to help his team win games, and the guy who quietly, consistently (and without any showboating or swaggering) did whatever it took to give the best performance he was capable of giving in every film he appeared in (and we firmly believe, and state with confidence, that Heath Ledger never gave a bad performance, even in a few movies that might've been pretty dismal without his presence.) Read more. Source: examiner.com

Brokeback Mountain Featured on Gay Piggy Bank

Forum member BayCityJohn is pleased to report he's won this one-of-a-kind Brokeback Mountain sculpture at the rickchris.com website: Materials: Various matboard and paper products, plastic, wood and reflective and holographic films. Theater "entrance" has glow-in-the-dark material. Painted, airbrushed and protected with numerous coats of acrylic varnish. Suede base so it is non skid and doesn't scratch surfaces. Interior is felt lined and bottom has "pillow" to silence coins dropping into bank. Description: Bank in the form of miniature building housing the Gay National Bank, Hot Eats Diner, and Pix Theater. Pix Theater is showing a double feature of "Brokeback Mountain" and "Latter Days". Coins can be dropped into bank through chimney on the roof. Section of roof with black handle lifts off to retrieve coins or put larger items into bank. Accented by shiny gold reflective film on bank along with glittering film to simulate electric signs. Two tiny rainbow flags dot the piece. Durable and very solidly built. Can survive falls with little or no damage.

Says Who?




Check out this short clip on YouTube.

Fun Question of the Week

This week's question: Burgers, subs, or chicken? Which of these popular fast food restaurants boasts the most outlets in North America -- McDonalds, Subway, or KFC? Let us know your answer in the Response Thread. Last week's question and answer: Who was the first U.S. president to adopt the informal version of his first name? According to most online sources, it's officially Jimmy Carter, but others have mentioned both Abraham "Abe" Lincoln and Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt. Thanks to royandronnie and kathy for playing along!

Post of the Day

By desertrat in Sharing joy and happy news

Happy News! Longtime Forum member Martina (DesertRat) just got married
to her longtime boyfriend (13 years, Florian) last weekend and she's posted pics!



Congratulations, Martina!

The Forum Image

Posted by ingmarnicebbmt in Life Through The Lens 4

Quote of the Day

Tweeted by Roger Ebert

Photo Caption of the Day

Posted by royandronnie in Photo Captioning Fun 5

"And I used a think him playin harmonica was a waste a time…"

Contributors: desertrat, CellarDweller115, ingmarnicebbmt, royandronnie

Calendar of Events

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and get the ball rolling to plan a get-together near you.

Fifth Anniversary Screening of Brokeback Mountain
and the staged reading of selections from Beyond Brokeback
Los Angeles, CA, December 11th, 2010

Let us know of any events you’d like listed here.

The Daily Sheet is a production of The Ultimate Brokeback Forum at www.davecullen.com/forum.

Today's edition by gnash

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