A Twitter Contest Celebrating 35th Anniversary of STAR WARS

Over at The New Yorker's website, they threw a Twitter contest to celebrate the 35th anniversary of the release of STAR WARS.  Yes, it was Memorial Day weekend 1977 when George Lucas' blockbuster sci-fi epic hit screens across the country and spawned lines around the block.  So to commemorate the occassion, the magazine asked readers to sum up the movie's plot in a Tweet.  That's right--140 characters to summarize a cultural touchstone and a legendary film.  Easy right?  :)

I'm actually not that crazy about the two winners, which you can read about in full here, but there were a few runners up that caught my attention.  

@fabiorojas: “Whiny, but gifted, teenager trashes spiffy new military base”   LOL!

@samanthaglavin: “In a galaxy far far away, witty robots save stupid humans from trouble over and over again, set to a dramatic musical score”  ROTFL!
And then my favorite for it's simplicity and honesty. How would you sum it all up? Put your tweet in the comment below....or just tweet it!

@mattyshaz: “‘Star Wars’ pretty much sums it up.”

President Obama's Remarkable Record On Equality

There has been a lot of cranky complaints from gay activists since President Obama took office; that he was not doing enough, that he was not moving quickly enough, and that he was just paying lip service to the support of the LGBT community and the cause of equality for all.  However, when you truly look at this president's record, it's remarkable what has actually been accomplished in less than four years.  I would go so far as to say it's astounding. His administration has made it clear over and over again that gay rights are civil rights. Nothing more and nothing less. And that is revolutionary.

This progress is made even clearer in a new video released by the Obama campaign today which summarizes the president's bona fides for the cause of equality.  Is there room for improvement? Certainly.  That's what a second term is for. People seriously need to start looking at how this glass is more than half-full and get to work on re-electing the LGBT community's greatest Oval Office advocate in history.

Get Ready For The Eyes Of T.J. Mecklenberg In 3D

Film geeks on the Internet are abuzz today with the release of the first full trailer for Baz Luhrman's epic reimagining of THE GREAT GATSBY.  And it is epic indeed.  It was also shot in 3D and the trailer has a few shots which indicate how this might work (i.e. glittery confetti falling at a party). It also has an anachronistic soundtrack which one would expect from Luhrman, who infused 70s disco into fin de siecle Paris.  But I'm not so sure about the rap and the Gatz mixing here. However, it is common these days for contemporary songs to be used in period trailers strictly for marketing purposes.

While this does look exciting (New York in the '20s...in color!), it also gave me a bit of a sinking feeling as I recalled another N.Y.C. early 20th century epic from another mad movie genius;  2005's KING KONG courtesy of Peter Jackson. That one was pretty to look at but ended up being a snooze.  We'll have to wait until Christmas Day to see if Luhrman's glitzy take on one of the great American novels has more to it than just pretty pictures.

MAD MEN Features New York's Own Hare Krishna's

This week's episode of MAD MEN featured a trip to the Hare Krishna's hangout on Second Avenue in the East Village.  The formerly kinda cute Paul (who I wrote about here a couple years ago) had shaved his head and started chanting with other hippies seeking enlightenment and love.

Over on The Bowery Boys website, their weekly MAD MEN-related history lesson provides some great background on all this.  The Krishna movement got its start in New York in 1966 when A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, a Hindu teacher and proponent of Gaudiya Vaishnavism, arrived from India and started gathering followers who believed in leaving their earthly possessions behind. One of their most famous early followers?  None other than Beat poet Allan Ginsberg.

The Krishnas hit the mainstream two years later in 1968 when they were featured in a number from the Broadway musical HAIR. Below is a clip of that number from the film version directed by Milos Forman that was released in 1979. I look forward to some reference to HAIR in the next season of MAD MEN.  OMG--Maybe Megan will audition for the show's off-bway version?!

SATURDAY SPECIAL: Mary J. Blige Rocks ROCK OF AGES

When I first saw the trailer for this movie, I have to admit I was excited.  First, there's all the great 80's pop/rock music from Journey, Pat Benatar, and Night Ranger.  But even more exciting to me as a filmmaker was knowing that this was all being directed by HAIRSPRAY helmer Adam Shankman.  The musical adaptation of the John Waters classic was one of my favorite movie musicals in a long time and I dragged a number of friends to see it in the theatre. I went 3 times that summer!

Now, a new clip from ROCK OF AGES has surfaced featuring Mary J. Blige giving her own spin to "Any Way You Want It".  Forget Tom Cruise singing...I can't wait to see more Mary J.!

Getting Close To The Top Of The World

Yesterday was a crystal-clear spring day in New York. When I was walking home for lunch, I turned onto my street and noticed a beam being raised into place a thousand feet in the air at the top of the new 1 World Trade Center building.  The clarity of the steel beams against the blue sky was remarkable, especially after a week when the tower was covered in clouds, fog and rain. So I snapped a few photos which I've posted below.

The pictures came out incredibly blue but that's not just due to the sky. I had just been shooting some video indoors with the same camera and had it on the incandescent setting.  But, in a way, it ended up as an interesting, if unintentional, stylistic choice.

Though there is a new controversy over what it's official height will be, construction workers are getting very close to the top of the structure.  The new WTC is set to top out next month. Yet already the new building has claimed its space in the downtown skyline, balancing out the lower end of the island while providing a new "due south" to help people get their bearings in the urban jungle of Manhattan.

The Queen Of Disco Is Dead, Long Live The Queen

Donna Summer, whose name was synonymous with disco, died today after a battle with cancer.  She was 63 years old.  I grew up with all her disco music and have fond memories of "Last Dance" from high school and beyond.  It seemed that was always the song that was played at the end of any dance or wedding for about 20 years, right?

However, in memory of Donna, I'm posting not one of her disco songs but one of my guilty pleasures; a sizable hit she had from the late 80's call "This Time I Know It's For Real." This song, more than any of hers, has a special personal memory, connected to a certain place and time and, well, even a certain person.  ;)  The video however is a crazy! A catalogue of the decades' music video memes: running in place dance...check, lots of fog...check, hand claps closups....check, big hair/earrings....double check!  But, in the end, the song is the thing, as is Donna's lovely voice. Which is now really gone....

ABC Goes South To NASHVILLE For A New Musical Show

This week, advertisers in New York get a sneak peek at all the networks' upcoming fall schedules.  It's called the "upfronts" and used to be strictly industry. But lately, the upfronts have become a venue for the broadcast networks to also titillate and tease their audience in general, as they put promo trailers for their new shows up on their websites and even on YouTube.

I watched a bunch of them today over at Videogum and one that stood out was ABC's NASHVILLE. It looks to be a musical show ala SMASH but set in the world of country music. The main thing that got my attention was that it stars Connie Britton from FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS and my favorite show last year AMERICAN HORROR STORY. It'll be interesting to see just how much music is actually in the show.

Randy Rainbow Chats With John Travolta About Massage

Randy Rainbow has a new video out making sport of the whole Travolta-kerfuffle regarding his alleged harassment of male masseurs.  Very funny stuff...especially the GREASE references.  Enjoy!

Tennessee Williams' Final Play IN MASKS OUTRAGEOUS & AUSTERE

This weekend, I had a chance to see the first production of Tennessee Williams' last play over at the Culture Project on Bleecker Street.  Williams spent the final four years of his life writing and rewriting (never to his complete satisfaction) this show about a Southern grand dame being held hostage at a mysterious beachfront home, popping pills and drinking Champagne with her gay husband and his young lover.

If the setup sounds somewhat familiar, it is a bit like Tennessee's greatest hits.  However, there was something strikingly modern about the language and the frank discussion of the sexuality of her husband. No hidden secrets and unspoken lies here....Williams lays it all out, going so far as to have the husband and his consort show their affection for each other right in front of Babe.  Written between 1979 and 1983, there is a blithe tone to the play's treatment of homosexuality and sexuality in general.  There is even a little Williams diatribe against "computers" which is surprisingly prescient. 

The show itself was beautifully produced with a surreal and somewhat hi-tech setting.  However, it ran a bit too long and could use some more strong editing.  This could be a very tight 1 1/2 hour show as opposed to a nearly 2 1/2 hour one. Shirley Knight (who was actually in a Tennessee Williams' movie, SWEET BIRD OF YOUTH) did a remarkable job playing Babe but the rest of the cast was a bit uneven.  Yet, overall, it seems like there is a lot of potential in this swan-song of a play.