An Amazing Roller Coaster And A Flying Nun

This week, the TIMES did a lovely video piece on the roller coaster out at Holiday World amusement park called The Voyage. This newer "woodie" is consistently ranked high on the list of best old school coasters in the country.  As many know, I am a roller coaster fanatic and would love to check this one out.  Unfortunately, it's in the middle of Indiana and I don't have a car. :(

Anyway, there's also an odd interview at the end of the piece with a nun who is also a bit of a coaster addict.  Sister Michelle Sinkhorn is a Benedictine who is something of a modern day flying nun, given the number of times she had ridden The Voyage (8 in one day once!). You can read more about Sister Michelle on the monastery's profile page -- thoroughly modern Sr. Michele!

AUGUST Is Now Available On iTunes

Last summer, I had a few posts about a feature film that I co-wrote/produced called AUGUST. It was directed by my friend Eldar Rappaport and is a steamy love triangle set in Los Angeles during a heatwave. Well, now that it's summer again and almost August, it seems the appropriate time for the film to get its commercial release.

This week, AUGUST is available for rental or purchase via iTunes; to rent its $4 and to buy its $14. For those who like to have an actual DVD, that will be available later this month via Amazon and Wolfe Video, our US distributor. So check it out this week because, as the temps rise, it's a great time to stay in the comfort of your own home and watch a hot new movie. Thanks for your support!  And stay tuned for more news on my new feature BEST SUMMER EVER....

Anderson Cooper Makes It Clear: "The Fact Is, I'm Gay."

After months of rumors that CNN anchor and talk show host Anderson Cooper was going to officially come out on TV, he did it today but not in a way anyone quite expected.  In response to a question from friend Andrew Sullivan regarding an EW piece about how coming out by public figures has changed, Cooper sent an email in which he states that he is gay and it's not something he has been trying to hide.  In fact, if you are a gay man living in NYC, this is not news as he is seen out and about and his boyfriend has run two popular gay bars in the East Village.  Then there's the whole Cathy Griffin thing too, of course! ;)

But, in the email to Sullivan, Cooper gives a somewhat reasonable explanation for his longtime public silence on the matter; the fact that as a journalist, the less a subject knows about you the better. Especially when you are in a war zone. These days though, Cooper is not traveling the globe as much so maybe he figured it was time to be crystal clear about the matter. Also, given all the attention to gay teen suicide and bullying, he says he wanted to people to know that being gay something he is happy about and not ashamed of. 

One thing for sure, I can tell you personally that people are obsessed with Cooper in general, especially on the Internets. The most popular post on my blog is about him and his mother with more than 200x the number of hits an average story gets. I'm sure this one will go through the roof too. But I think that's a good thing. And I have to say, I think his decision to come out via a thoughtful, eloquently worded letter to a good friend is really better than it being a very special episode of his talk show.  Congrats to Cooper for keeping it classy while also being out, loud and proud.

Welcome To The BEST SUMMER EVER--A New Movie!

I have some big news on the blog today....I'm working on a new feature film, BEST SUMMER EVER. It's the adaptation of my novel TALE OF TWO SUMMERS (Simon and Schuster) which I've been working on since last fall. I wrote the script based on the book and will be directing the film as well.  


In the book, two best friends spend their first summer apart from each other and, to keep in touch, start a blog...thus the title. The film is going to be the same story just told differently.  In BEST SUMMER EVER, Chuck and Hal send videos back and forth to each other to keep in touch. Of course, this is no ordinary summer (are they ever?!) and they both end up falling in love for the first time.  Awwwww. Hal meets a hot french teen at the mall and Chuck falls for one of his castmates at a summer theatre program.

I'm very excited about this project and getting another film going too.  Of course, all this costs money so today I am kicking-off the project with a little Kickstarter campaign, the oh-so-modern way for indies to raise funds these days.  Below is the cute little video I put together where we took the question "What's Your Best Summer Ever" to people here in NYC. We got some great answers about that and summer romance too, which is what BEST SUMMER EVER is all about.

So check out the video and click through to our Kickstarter home page and donate what you can. It's essential we make a strong start out of the gate, as it were, so that Kickstarter will feature us on their homepage and introduce the project to their larger crowd (the key to crowd-funding!).  Simply put, without your help, the movie will not be made. So help us make it happen! Like us on FB, follow us on Twitter, and check out our cool Tumblr too. Thanks for your support and here's wishing you the BEST SUMMER EVER! :)

4 World Trade Center Tops Out At 977 Feet

While all the focus on the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site has been on the massive 1 World Trade Center (formerly known as the Freedom Tower), another milestone was reached this week.  4 World Trade Center, a building that is on the southeastern corner of the site, topped out at 977 feet.  The building's design is not nearly as attention getting as number 1 and that was exactly the point.

The architects designed it to fade away into the sky and reflect the memorial and museum, which is located directly across from it's western entrance. There are some great pictures in the TIMES city blog where the building does almost become part of the sky as the panels are so sheer and reflective. It reminds me of another building in Boston, the Hancock tower, which also had the directive to disappear so as not to disrupt the city's historic skyline when it was built in the '70s.

Tired Of Destroying NYC, H'Wood Sets Sights On White House

Have you noticed the recent trend of superhero movies that always involve New York City bearing the brunt of some Hulk's (or alien's) destructive force?  Well, Hollywood is moving on to a new target to seek and destroy:  The White House.  

There is not one but two movies being prepped for next year that are DIE HARD-like scenarios set inside the White House as terrorists take over and/or destroy the President's stately home.  Though destroying the White House is not new (which was famously cheered on the INDEPENDENCE DAY trailer) setting a thriller inside of it is a novel twist, though given the fortress-like post-9/11 security perimeter which surrounds the Exeutive Mansion, highly implausible. Then again, it IS a movie....

Today, the Hollywood Reporter writes about the second of these films, called OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN, which will star Angela Bassett.  And no, she's not playing a Michelle Obama-like wife but the sexiest head of the Secret Service this country will ever see.  Anyway, the destruction of Washington will hit theatres in late 2013.

Bears Are The New Memes, Including Cub Stuck In Garage

Over the last few months, "bears in the 'burbs" have become a popular meme. It started with a bear in Colorado who was stuck in a tree and when he was tranquilized and fell, he was immortalized by an intrepid still photographer on the scene.  That photo went viral and since then there have been more.

Today, we have a very cute video from CNN of a bear cub that got stuck in someone's garage. The cub is a little alarmed at first, especially when the garage door starts opening.  But then he turns out to be quite smarter than the average cub, utilizing a ladder to make his escape.

On The 43rd Anniversary Of Her Death, Is Judyism Still Relevant

Today is the 43rd anniversary of the death of gay icon and entertainer extraordinaire Judy Garland.  Over at QUEERTY today, they pose the question about whether gay worship of Judy (aka Judyism) is still relevant these days.  It's an interesting debate to read on the eve of Pride Weekend here in NYC (where it all began back in the summer of '69 with the Stonewall Riots). There is even the theory that Garlands' death just a few days before the riots added fuel to the drag queens fire that night.  


Anyway, QUEERTY asks a good question and the comments are piling up....more than 60 at last count which is a lot.  Some say Judy will always be a part of the gay cultural history while others debate the wisdom of worshipping a woman who lived such a tragic and drug addled life.  Joint the debate...and have a happy Pride!

PIC OF THE DAY: Rockslide On The Hudson

A few weeks ago, a massive slab of the Palisades over in New Jersey fell and crumbled to the ground. It was such a large mass of rock that the event was actually recorded at Columbia University's seismic station just a mile south of the point on the river (near Alpine, NJ).  The TIMES has an article today about this rare geological event, the large of its kind in more than 25 years.  This, along with today's heat wave, is a simple reminder of the power of nature.

Behind The Scenes At Broadway Bares

Sunday night I got to check out Broadway Bares, the 22nd annual AIDS benefit where chorus boys and girls take the spotlight for one night and put on a bawdy burlesque. I'd seen the show a few times  but this year I had a unique perspective. I got access to cover the event backstage for NEXT magazine's nightlife blog, the Nexus, which I sometimes write for. Here's the link to the story and below are some additional pix that I took too.  It was a fun night and I'm still finding glitter on me! :)

 Splash's Musical Monday host Emily McNamara

Evil Queen Grasan Kingsberry

Pinnochio and Friend

A golden dude