Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Terrorist threat to Sacha Baron Cohen over Brüno ridicule

I loved Borat. I have not yet seen Sacha Baron Cohen's follow-up mockumentary Brüno this summer. Although I have every intention of seeing on the big screen very soon (probably this weekend), after which I'll post my thoughts on it.

There has been decidedly less buzz about Brüno this year than Borat, I'm sure most will agree. Gone are the multiple threats to sue Cohen we saw following Borat's release. Instead we have threats against his life. Scary indeed. This is inspiration for me to get to the theatre as soon as possible to see it.

I suspect that Brüno's subject matter - chronicling an over-the-top gay Austrian fashionista, with multiple scenes of male frontal nudity - has turned off many of Cohen's heterosexual fans. They'll rush to the theatre to see Pamela Anderson forced into a sack, but they won't rush to see Cohen have fake sex with a male midget. Hmmmm....

Others have said it's simply a case of Brüno being less entertaining than Borat, or perhaps the shock value is gone and the stunt tactics Cohen uses in Brüno are becoming a little old hat.

Regardless of the reasons for Brüno's less than stellar box office, I'm looking forward to finding out for myself.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Toronto musical 'Bare' soars...


I had the chance to take in the great production of 'Bare, The Canadian Premiere' this weekend at University of Toronto's Hart House Theatre, which chronicles the secret affair between two closeted Catholic schoolboys. (FYI, despite its title and provocative poster, this musical features no nudity, nor does it need any.)

I'm proud to say the musical, first performed in Los Angeles in 2000, was exceptional, entertaining, sweet, romantic, tragic, touching and occasionally sexy. The musical nails all the hidden contradictions of Catholic youth, from the unnerving guilt to the wild and secret partying. My own Catholic public high school was very similar to the private one depicted on stage. I never had an affair with a hot schoolmate, mind you. My personal repression was so strong I never told anyone about my homosexuality until I was safely ensconced within a secular university.

While the musical hits many familiar notes often seen in gay melodrama (love triangle involving a sweet, but clueless girl, an unsupportive mother, etc.), there are still a few surprises. And the Toronto cast never fails to impress, bringing much zest to their roles, particularly the two leads, Wade Muir and Graham Parkhurst. Standouts among the ensemble include Nichola Lawrence as Sister Chantelle (the nun every Catholic gay boy wishes they knew in high school), Renee Stein as Claire, Muir's mother, Alison O'Neill as Ivy, Parkhurst's girlfriend, and Claire Rouleau as the particularly hilarious nerd Nadia.

Wade Muir has a great voice as Peter, the lead, but the better actor is Graham Parkhurst as Jason, his closeted lover. I wasn't impressed with Parkhurst's voice in Act One; luckily he seemed to be saving his energy for the more dramatic and tragic Act Two, in which he excels. Muir and Parkhurst make tender and believable lovers and they don't shy away from the script's considerable affections. Be prepared for many wet audience eyes after the curtain falls at the end.

The Canadian premiere is being produced by WatersEdge Productions Inc, and runs until this Saturday August 1st. If you have the chance to check it out before then, I highly recommend you do. Tickets are available here.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Isn't this discrimination based on sexual orientation?

It seems to me that this is pretty clearly a case of discrimination based on sexual orientation - the Harper government, in what seems to be a clear desire to appease its bigoted base, decided to stick it to the Montreal gay festival simply because it was gay.

Here are the facts: Diane Ablonczy gave Pride Toronto $400,000 from the $100 million Marquee Tourism Events Program. Two weeks later she lost the control over the program, it was handed to loyal Tony Clement. Then a backbencher from Saskatchewan bragged about how Ablonczy had lost the file because she gave money to Pride Toronto. Now suddenly Montreal's Pride festival Divers/Cite fails to receive any funding despite being a major international tourist attraction.

I hate the way many out there excuse this deliberate discrimination as somehow okay in modern Canada. As far as I'm concerned, the Harperites are guilty of discriminating based on sexual orientation, which is supposed to be illegal in this country.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

India decriminalizes homosexual sex

This is wonderful news!

Click here for some great reaction from pro-equality activists on the Indian court ruling today striking down the country's law against homosexual sex. This could be quite the tipping point in the developing world on the subject. I hope so.