Quorum Forum Kicks Off With Museum/Loft Party

The Quorum Forum is a 10-day series of free arts-related events happening in Brooklyn and Queens, from January 14-23.  I heard about this from attending their kick-off event last Friday, The Pop of Museum of Queer History, which took place in a Bushwick loft packed with artwork, movies and performance.  This event was co-curated by queer artists Hugh Ryan and Buzz Slutzsky and was partially created in response to the removal of David Wojnarowicz's work from the National Portrait Gallery, which I've covered here on the blog.  It was packed with the hip/arty gays and turned out to be so much fun that even the police showed up!

Anyway, I wrote about my night at the museum (ha) for NEXT magazine's "The Nexus" blog and took some pictures too, including the shot above of the Stonewall Riot made out a gingerbread.  This is the sort of homemade creativity that the other Forum events will be encouraging this week: there'll be  some bookmaking, tarot card reading and, the final event, a "Hot Pink Mass" on Sunday.  Amen, Mary!  :) You can find all the details on their website.

Film Shot On iPhone To Screen At Berlin

Korean director Park Chan-wook, who brought us the bloody cinematic feast OLD BOY, has shot his latest movie entirely on the iPhone 4.  It's a 30 minute short that he made in Seoul last fall and is now starting to show in theatres there.  He used multiple iPhones shooting simultaneously to create a horror-fantasy-comedy film called PARAMANJANG which is about a man who catches a woman while fishing. The film will show in South Korean theaters starting January 27th and will get it's international premiere at the Berlin Film Festival next month.

So the question is why? "The new technology creates strange effects because it is new and because it is a medium the audience is used to," Park said.  It almost sounds to me like more of the growing trend of "branded entertainment", meaning the film was created as a promotion for the iPhone in Korea.  Apple is not officially involved and Chan-wook claims that he had no special iPhone made for the shoot.  He added that he made no changes to the existing model, except for the addition of lenses.  Not to be a stickler but I'd say that's a pretty big change as you don't see many people taping jury rigged Zeiss lenses on their phones.

Anyway, I'm curious to check it out.  Could it be the future of cinema?  Will Hollywood start making feature films on the iPhone?  Like all technological changes, it's still not going to make movies cost nothing.  The budget on this 30 minute short was $133,000.

Remembering MLK And The 1960s

When I was a junior at Boston College, I took a class called "Remembering the 1960's".  It was taught by a woman who lived the decade and knew the subject intimately.  In fact, she had attended Bob Dylan's bar mitzvah!  Anyway, it was an amazing class as she told the story of how the decade that changed this country actually began in the 1950's, most notably in the 1955 Montgomery, AL bus boycott organized by a young preacher named Martin Luther King.  As she told the story of Dr. King and his use of non-violence to change the hateful Jim Crow laws across the South, I was deeply moved and also somewhat inspired.  Dr. King's words and actions showed a great nation that it had forgotten one of its founding principles...that ALL men were created equal.

While many in my class bemoaned the fact that the 80's were not as interesting as the '60s and that there was nothing to fight against, I knew this was not true. The AIDS epidemic was killing the gay community and polarizing the straight world and, once again, there was the assumption that a certain group of people (gays and lesbians this time around) were not so equal as the rest of Americans.  I wondered why the nation viewed us as The Other?  I thought one reason was that this country hardly knew us, outside of what they'd gleaned from Elton John and episodes of SOAP.  And so I started writing openly and honestly about my experience as a gay man.  It began as short stories in a writing class that same year, then became films and books and even some plays.  But, looking back, I can trace the inspiration for all my writing back to that history class in which I learned about the civil rights movement and how one man raised his voice and made a difference.  Even though I was not a politician or a preacher, I thought I would do what I could to show people that we were not The Other.  We were human, just like everyone else, and wanted the same things that all Americans are promised; life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Anyway, as I reflect today on the the legacy of Martin Luther King, I can see that the struggle for equality and equal rights is not over.  Though we have certainly come a long ways since his death more than 40 years ago (we've got an African American President!), his remarkable dream is not quite complete.  Gays and lesbians still suffer from hate and discrimination and a lack of equality when it comes to some pretty basics rights, including the right to marry.  So in honor of Dr. King, I urge you to look around and do what you can to support the continuing struggle for equality for all.

My Brother's Photograph Is Part Of LIFE's Best Of 2010

I've linked a few times here on the blog to the newly reinvented, online version of LIFE magazine.  They've done some great photo essays over the past year and have released some historical photos too, like some never before seen shots of Hiroshima after the Bomb.

Yesterday, I found out that my brother, who is a photojournalist based in Washington with AFP, had one of his photos of President Obama selected for LIFE's Pictures Of The Year.  It's a shot of the very tall commander in chief being positioned for a summit photo by the hands of a hidden South Korean presdient.  It's a somewhat comic but also suprising pic as it's not often you seen the President of The United States being manhandled into position....except on healthcare.  Badump-chik! Thank you folks....I'm here all week and don't forget to tip your waitresses!  :)

But seriously folks, it's a great honor for my brother to be included in this compilation. And it's a stunning collection of photos in general.  To check out the whole visual recap of the year that was, it's on LIFE.com.

When Polar Bears Attack Video Cameras

Below is a video clip from a UK nature show in which polar bears, who are being secretly filmed by some very clever spy cams, get a little too curious about these strange objects that are following them around.  Apparently, more than any other animal they have filmed before using these stealthy cams, the polar bears not only take notice of their new "friends" but also get incredibly curious as well.

The bears are sorta playful but sorta scary, especially when they crack open these pieces of machinery with their bare paws as if they merely were just another walnut.  While polar bears may be cute, they are pretty damn strong too and best viewed from a distance....or a reinforced spy cam.

Walking In A Central Park Wonderland

I had a meeting up near Columbus Circle this morning so, after it was over, I felt inspired to take a stroll through a newly snowy Central Park.  Even though the big storm had stopped only a few hours before, after dumping more than a foot on the city, the Park wasn't exactly the pristine wonderland I was hoping for. There were plenty of tracks through the powder and lots kids sledding down the "mountains", as I overheard one group of toddlers call them.  But it was still a pretty beautiful and wintry wonderland.  And there were photographers everywhere!

Anyway, thought I'd share some of my pics from today. Enjoy!  :)

Astounding Photos Of Detroit In Ruins

Urban Exploration seems to be the theme of the week here on the blog.  I was checking out some of my favorite city blogs and found a link to these astounding photographs of Detroit. This city, which used to be a thriving industrial metropolis at the height of the American auto boom, is now a literal shell of it former self, its downtown littered with abandoned buildings left to rot.

A pair of 20-something photographers from the outskirts of Paris, Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre, set out to document the post-apocalyptic interiors of the city. Photos of the empty city library and an abandoned police station are especially haunting. Their work is viewable in a gallery on the Guardian UK's website and have also been collected into a book called "The Ruins of Detroit". Right now, it's only available in Europe but hopefully, as these pics get some stateside attention, the book will be available here.

Steve Duncan Goes Underground In This Amazing Film

Steve Duncan is a well-known 32-year old urban explorer who specializes in going where no man is supposed to go.  Legally, that is.  He leads late night expeditions into sewers and subways of around the world, to the tops of famous bridges and through forbidden underground tunnels.  And he is not just a thrill-seeker.  He is actually getting his PhD in urban history at the University of California.  You could say he's something of a modern day Indiana Jones, seeking not a crystal skull but a 300-year old sewer.

Steve recently was profiled in both the New York TIMES and also NPR as he went on a 25 mile adventure under and over the city of New York.  Also, on his website Under City, he recently posted an extraordinary video of some adventures made earlier in the year.  The video, beautifully shot by Andrew Wonder on a DSLR, is almost 30 minutes long but it is truly fascinating and edge-of-your seat stuff.   You will not believe some of the things he gets into....and on top of.  And the cinematography is stunning.

Earlier this year I posted about Shane Perez, a photographer I met in DUMBO who is also an urban explorer and has taken some amazing pictures from the Brooklyn Bridge. He has a cameo in this film, which in some ways seems like a pilot for a TV show about urban exploration.  It's also 100 times more interesting and exciting than most of the overcooked thrill-reality shows like ICE TRUCKERS.  Also, Steve is a knowledgeable and charming host too.  I hope to see more, either online or on the Discovery channel soon.


UNDERCITY from Andrew Wonder on Vimeo.

Huckleberry Finn Gets White-Washed

There has been a great deal of academic strum und drang this week over a new edition of "Huckleberry Finn" in which the N word is being replaced by "slave".  In today's TIMES, the queen bee of literary criticism Michiko Kakutani throws her critical hat in the ring while also trying to calm the tempest.

As she acutely points out, Mark Twain's seminal work seems to create a cultural firestorm on a semi-regular basis as people continue to debate the worth and meaning of this undeniably Great American Novel, one which doesn't quite suit our contemporary tastes.  Overall, she gives a concise history of the ancient and annoying human habit of trying to santizie everything from the Bible and Shakespeare to Normal Mailer, who famously used "fug" instead of the F word in his classic "The Naked And The Dead".

One fact she doesn't point out, perhaps because it's so obvious, is that the original author-approved version of "Huck Finn" will continue to be available in libraries and bookstores here and around the world.  It's really going to be a matter of choice and, frankly, I'd hope that most high school English teachers with something resembling a brain would refuse to teach this historically incorrect version of the story.  The fact is, though, that Twain's novel is in the public domain and has been for many decades, meaning that if you'd like to publish your own version of Huck with all the slow parts or endless digressions taken out (and there are a few!) you are free to do so.  As people sometimes forget, that uber-American principle of freedom of speech is a two-sided coin.

Josh Groban Is Kinda Cute Singing Kanye's Tweets

Since officially moving to New York last fall, classical singing superstar Josh Groban seems to be working on something of a personal makeover.  He's scruffier now, has shorter hair, a new wardrobe and even funky glasses on occasion.  And lately he loves to make fun of himself too....first with some appearances on GLEE and now with a comic bit from Jimmy Kimmel in which he sings the tweets of Kanye West.

It's funny stuff and is kinda like the reverse of long-ago TONIGHT SHOW host Steve Allens' schitck where he would read the lyrics of rock'n'roll songs as serious poetry.  Anyway, Josh is major trending topic on Twitter today so people seem to like the new sillier Groban. The question is will it sell more copies of his new album?