Best. Gay. Week. Ever. (January 25, 2008)
by Michael Jensen, Editor
January 25, 2008
NOW IT'S LIKE BOTH JACK AND ENNIS DIED. I know this is normally a humor column and I promise it won't be all about Heath, but like a lot of folks, I still haven't stopped pondering Heath's tragic death. Obviously the true tragedy lay with those who loved and knew him best — his family and friends. But for millions of gay men, Heath's death hit surprisingly close to home. TVGuide.com's Michael Ausiello writes about his reaction upon watching Brokeback Mountain the night Heath died and on Thursday I went on Michelangelo Signorile's radio show to discuss the news which has been a hot topic of conversation there.
And I already said most of what I had to say about why Heath's death hit me like a body blow, but then it occurred to me I was still missing something. Even though I am nothing like Jack and Ennis, having been born into very different circumstances, I strongly identified with those characters. And when Jack died, it hurt so much it was a physical pain. And seeing Ennis mourning Jack at the film's end managed to be even more devastating. So even though it makes no sense, Heath's death makes me feel like Ennis died as well, and a movie that was already nearly unbearable to watch feels like it will be downright impossible.
Share Me
Let's eat!
This month we cook a lot of dishes from Singapore and Malaysia. Singapore and Kuala Lumpur are a melting pot bubbling over with tourists, inhabitants and expatriates from all parts of the world, and these people naturally have diverse eating habits. Through the ages, the Chinese, Malay, Indians and the foreigners (westerners) have cast their influence on Singapore's food recipes and there is no doubt that Singapore is a food lovers' paradise. We are bringing the fantastic Singapore/Malay dishes to you and our friends who will be couchsurfing with us...Cheers! Tiger & Marlon
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Friday, January 25, 2008
Respect the classic.
Written by Ryan Field (BGB)
BGB, Wednesday, 23 January 2008
Although there was some controversy in the gay community with regards to the film "Brokeback Mountain", not to mention the mainstream, both the film and the short story are destined to become classics. Some of us didn't like the fact that two straight men got the leading roles when there are so many talented gay actors starving for gigs like that. But from an objective point of view, Heath Ledger worked hard and his performance made the character he portrayed believable and valid. His role didn't gain us any overnight civil rights, but it did bring us a few steps closer to crossing over into the mainstream as viable, talented Americans without the typical stereo types that the latest reality shows on TV seem so fond of these days. He took a chance as an actor, and he managed to pull it off very well. And, he made it all look so effortless while doing this. How he will be remembered best in the mainstream won't be clear for some time, but he'll most likely always be remembered as a classic in the gay community for his work in "Brokeback Mountain", and that deserves respect.
Ambrose Aban: I thought this might pick your interest. I posted about his passing too...gone, so young and so beautiful.
BGB, Wednesday, 23 January 2008
Although there was some controversy in the gay community with regards to the film "Brokeback Mountain", not to mention the mainstream, both the film and the short story are destined to become classics. Some of us didn't like the fact that two straight men got the leading roles when there are so many talented gay actors starving for gigs like that. But from an objective point of view, Heath Ledger worked hard and his performance made the character he portrayed believable and valid. His role didn't gain us any overnight civil rights, but it did bring us a few steps closer to crossing over into the mainstream as viable, talented Americans without the typical stereo types that the latest reality shows on TV seem so fond of these days. He took a chance as an actor, and he managed to pull it off very well. And, he made it all look so effortless while doing this. How he will be remembered best in the mainstream won't be clear for some time, but he'll most likely always be remembered as a classic in the gay community for his work in "Brokeback Mountain", and that deserves respect.
Ambrose Aban: I thought this might pick your interest. I posted about his passing too...gone, so young and so beautiful.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Are we being set up for another bubble economy?
Previously published on Americablog.com by Chris in Paris.
The next president needs to sack Bernanke after his wobbly kneed move yesterday. How could anyone see it as anything other than complete panic? Business leaders are chiming in with plenty of valid criticism. Even at rates of 3.5% (with more expected next week) cash is available for well under the rate of inflation which is at 4.1%. How is this not going to promote even more inflation? Inflation may not be an issue for the Wall Street wealthy but is sure is for everyone else.
“We have a market-friendly Fed possibly injecting a lot of liquidity in the system which will set us up for another bubble economy,” said Stephen Roach, head of Asia for U.S. investment bank Morgan Stanley (MS.N).
“I’m sort of worried that all they did yesterday was to hit the snooze button. (This is) excessive monetary accommodation that just takes us from bubble to bubble to bubble.”
Lawrence Summers, a former U.S. treasury chief, was critical too: “It’s hard to give a high grade (to central banks) for what’s happened in the last six months.”
Labels: Bernanke, Bush economy, recession
The next president needs to sack Bernanke after his wobbly kneed move yesterday. How could anyone see it as anything other than complete panic? Business leaders are chiming in with plenty of valid criticism. Even at rates of 3.5% (with more expected next week) cash is available for well under the rate of inflation which is at 4.1%. How is this not going to promote even more inflation? Inflation may not be an issue for the Wall Street wealthy but is sure is for everyone else.
“We have a market-friendly Fed possibly injecting a lot of liquidity in the system which will set us up for another bubble economy,” said Stephen Roach, head of Asia for U.S. investment bank Morgan Stanley (MS.N).
“I’m sort of worried that all they did yesterday was to hit the snooze button. (This is) excessive monetary accommodation that just takes us from bubble to bubble to bubble.”
Lawrence Summers, a former U.S. treasury chief, was critical too: “It’s hard to give a high grade (to central banks) for what’s happened in the last six months.”
Labels: Bernanke, Bush economy, recession
Good News: a new drug creates a firewall around healthy cells that prevents HIV entry
Quality of Life, As Important As Life Itself
Las Vegas, NV – (January 23, 2008) -- Today, an HIV prognosis comes with an array of possible treatment choices rather than the death sentence it used to hold. While the word “treatment” is liberating to hear for HIV patients, the drugs that are used to combat this chronic disease are replete with a myriad of serious side effects such as kidney stones; nausea; vomiting; diarrhea; increased cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose; headaches; weakness; blurred vision; dizziness; rashes; low platelets; hair loss; and anemia.
According to a recent New York Times article, HIV patients who have been on a mixture of drugs are suddenly facing unexpected medical conditions. The article reported that a relatively young AIDS patient who was diagnosed two decades ago, suffers from complex health problems usually associated with advanced age such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, kidney failure, a bleeding ulcer, severe depression, cancer, and the lingering effects of a broken hip. Experts believe the immune system and organs of long-time survivors are aging and damaged from a combination of the disease and the toxicity of the drugs.
“HIV patients are living longer and we remain focused on saving lives,” says Dr. Greeson. “But we are increasingly aware that quality of life issues taken into consideration during drug development serve not only patients but companies as well.”
For more information, log on to www.samaritanpharma.com.
Las Vegas, NV – (January 23, 2008) -- Today, an HIV prognosis comes with an array of possible treatment choices rather than the death sentence it used to hold. While the word “treatment” is liberating to hear for HIV patients, the drugs that are used to combat this chronic disease are replete with a myriad of serious side effects such as kidney stones; nausea; vomiting; diarrhea; increased cholesterol, triglycerides and glucose; headaches; weakness; blurred vision; dizziness; rashes; low platelets; hair loss; and anemia.
According to a recent New York Times article, HIV patients who have been on a mixture of drugs are suddenly facing unexpected medical conditions. The article reported that a relatively young AIDS patient who was diagnosed two decades ago, suffers from complex health problems usually associated with advanced age such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, kidney failure, a bleeding ulcer, severe depression, cancer, and the lingering effects of a broken hip. Experts believe the immune system and organs of long-time survivors are aging and damaged from a combination of the disease and the toxicity of the drugs.
“HIV patients are living longer and we remain focused on saving lives,” says Dr. Greeson. “But we are increasingly aware that quality of life issues taken into consideration during drug development serve not only patients but companies as well.”
For more information, log on to www.samaritanpharma.com.
Who is queerer and gayer? The black or female one?
I feel I have a lot in common with Barack Obama. He's half white and half other, like many of you out there. In fact, his half-sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, is a racial mix: half white and half Asian. He's the closest to many of us in age among all the candidates. He, you and I spent a lot of time in Asia (and Hawaii in his case) growing up. We identify with him in many ways.
But we, the queer guys, feel we have a lot more in common with Hillary Clinton. She's a working mom and always was; you are working dad - most of you I know are working daddies - just like Hillary. She's raised a lovely, grounded young woman, and I am striving valiantly toward that goal. Her husband, like yours, plays a wind instrument, although ours with somewhat greater proficiency. We identify with her in many ways.
Herein lies a problem the media tells me I've been grappling with: in a presidential race now fraught with racial and gender politics, with whom does a minority woman identify? Oprah's involvement in Obama's campaign could draw our votes his way, huffed CNN.com. Foxnews.com swears "Clinton Faces Tough Scrutiny Among Women Voters."
There's little data as of yet. Among the teeny tiny sample of minority women living in New Hampshire, the Zogby poll found
minority women say they feel more compelled to support Hillary Clinton because she is a woman candidate than they are to vote for Barack Obama because he is a minority candidate.
Both Obama and Hillary have yet to say to us this: "We are going to give LGBT full rights to marriage and equality"
But we, the queer guys, feel we have a lot more in common with Hillary Clinton. She's a working mom and always was; you are working dad - most of you I know are working daddies - just like Hillary. She's raised a lovely, grounded young woman, and I am striving valiantly toward that goal. Her husband, like yours, plays a wind instrument, although ours with somewhat greater proficiency. We identify with her in many ways.
Herein lies a problem the media tells me I've been grappling with: in a presidential race now fraught with racial and gender politics, with whom does a minority woman identify? Oprah's involvement in Obama's campaign could draw our votes his way, huffed CNN.com. Foxnews.com swears "Clinton Faces Tough Scrutiny Among Women Voters."
There's little data as of yet. Among the teeny tiny sample of minority women living in New Hampshire, the Zogby poll found
minority women say they feel more compelled to support Hillary Clinton because she is a woman candidate than they are to vote for Barack Obama because he is a minority candidate.
Both Obama and Hillary have yet to say to us this: "We are going to give LGBT full rights to marriage and equality"
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Gone...so young and so beautiful
..."it ain't fair you died too young, like a story that had just begun but death tore the pages all away...God knows how we'll miss you and the hell that we'll go through, just knowing, no one can take your place..." - Kenny Chestney
Previously reported in Yahoo News -- Ledger, the Oscar-nominated star of gay cowboy drama "Brokeback Mountain," had recently completed filming on Warners' upcoming summer blockbuster "The Dark Knight," in which he plays Batman's arch-foe the Joker.
"The studio is stunned and devastated by this tragic news," Warner Bros chief Alan Horn and Warner Bros Picture Group president Jeff Robinov said in a statement.
"The entertainment community has lost an enormous talent. Heath was a brilliant actor and an exceptional person. Our hearts go out to his family and friends."
Ledger was found dead in a New York residence earlier Tuesday. Police sources told US media that prescription pills were found near the body and that signs pointed to either an accidental overdose or suicide.
Previously reported in Yahoo News -- Ledger, the Oscar-nominated star of gay cowboy drama "Brokeback Mountain," had recently completed filming on Warners' upcoming summer blockbuster "The Dark Knight," in which he plays Batman's arch-foe the Joker.
"The studio is stunned and devastated by this tragic news," Warner Bros chief Alan Horn and Warner Bros Picture Group president Jeff Robinov said in a statement.
"The entertainment community has lost an enormous talent. Heath was a brilliant actor and an exceptional person. Our hearts go out to his family and friends."
Ledger was found dead in a New York residence earlier Tuesday. Police sources told US media that prescription pills were found near the body and that signs pointed to either an accidental overdose or suicide.
Outbreak II?
Bird flu hits India. Turkey and Indonesia detect cases. Is the next viral export may prove far deadlier?
The lesson China and the rest of Asia supposedly learned from the SARS or the bird flu epidemic was clear: honesty is the best policy when dealing with a dangerous epidemic -- share the news! Issue warnings. Save lives. As bird flu hits India's most densely populated state and spread to a seventh district today, cases are detected in Turkey and Indonesia. Tho it is nothing gay about bird flu, we have reasons to worry.
In 2003, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared SARS all but eliminated in China, the muffled news of another outbreak showed that the mainland have been treating health as a state secret. Southern China was suffering a severe outbreak of the deadly mosquito-borne disease Japanese encephalitis then and on the last day of of June that year, Guangdong, the worst-hit province, recorded its 287th cases, with 23 deaths, while Guanxi, Hainan and Hunan all reported a handful of additional cases.
Japanese encephalitis, a virus carried from pigs and birds to humans, has a death rate of up to 30%. It's not uncommon in the humid rural areas of southern China; the WHO says the country routinely sees up to 10,000 cases a year. More surprising, perhaps, is that despite post-SARS claims of cross-border openness, officials in neighboring Hong Kong weren't informed about the outbreak by their counterparts in Guangdong; instead they reportedly found out from the media.
Although Hong Kong itself has little to fear from Japanese encephalitis, many microbiologists are saying all countries in Asia should open up about its medical problems.
The lesson China and the rest of Asia supposedly learned from the SARS or the bird flu epidemic was clear: honesty is the best policy when dealing with a dangerous epidemic -- share the news! Issue warnings. Save lives. As bird flu hits India's most densely populated state and spread to a seventh district today, cases are detected in Turkey and Indonesia. Tho it is nothing gay about bird flu, we have reasons to worry.
In 2003, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared SARS all but eliminated in China, the muffled news of another outbreak showed that the mainland have been treating health as a state secret. Southern China was suffering a severe outbreak of the deadly mosquito-borne disease Japanese encephalitis then and on the last day of of June that year, Guangdong, the worst-hit province, recorded its 287th cases, with 23 deaths, while Guanxi, Hainan and Hunan all reported a handful of additional cases.
Japanese encephalitis, a virus carried from pigs and birds to humans, has a death rate of up to 30%. It's not uncommon in the humid rural areas of southern China; the WHO says the country routinely sees up to 10,000 cases a year. More surprising, perhaps, is that despite post-SARS claims of cross-border openness, officials in neighboring Hong Kong weren't informed about the outbreak by their counterparts in Guangdong; instead they reportedly found out from the media.
Although Hong Kong itself has little to fear from Japanese encephalitis, many microbiologists are saying all countries in Asia should open up about its medical problems.
Ido Kadman's predictions for Oscar
The nominations my dear fellow PR friend, Ido Kadman, is predicting are not alphabetical.
For each category, if a movie shows up at number 1, it means I am extremely certain it will get nominated. If it's at number 2, a little less, and so on. Below I listed movies that I think will miss out on a nomination in that category. It shows you how close (or how off) I will be. If a movie I put at number 5 doesn't get in, and a movie at number 6 makes it instead, it is not as bad if the movie I predicted at number 1 or 2 didn't make it in.
.
MAIN CATEGORIES:
Best Picture:
1. No Country for Old Men
2. There Will Be Blood
3. Michael Clayton
4. Into the Wild
5. Atonement
6. The Diving Bell and Butterfly
7. Juno
8. American Gangster
Best Director:
1. Joel & Ethan Coen - No Country for Old Men
2. Julian Schnabel – The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
3. Paul Thomas Anderson - There Will Be Blood
4. Sean Penn – Into the Wild
5. Joe Wright – - Atonement
6. Sidney Lumet - Before the Devil
7. Tony Gilroy – Michael Clayton
8. David Cronenberg – Eastern Promises
Best Actor:
1. Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood
2. George Clooney – Michael Clayton
3. Viggo Mortensen – Eastern Promises
4. Emile Hirsch – Into the Wild
5. Johnny Depp – Sweeney Todd
6. James McAvoy – Atonement
7. Denzel Washington – American Gangster
8. Ryan Gosling – Lars and the Real Girl
9. Frank Langella - Starting Out in the Evening
10. Tommy Lee Jones - In the Valley of Elah
Best Actress:
1. Ellen Page – Juno
2. Julie Christie - Away from Her
3. Marion Cotillard - La Vie En Rose
4. Angelina Jolie – A Mighty Heart
5. Laura Linney – The Savages
6. Cate Blanchett – Elizabeth: The Golden Age
7. Keira Knightley - Atonement
8. Amy Adams - Enchanted
Best Supporting Actor:
1. Javier Bardem – No Country for Old Men
2. Casey Affleck – The Assassination of Jessie James
3. Hal Holbrook - Into the Wild
4. Tom Wilkinson – Michael Clayton
5. Tommy Lee Jones - No Country for Old Men
6. Philip Seymour Hoffman - Charlie Wilson’s War
7. Paul Dano – There Will Be Blood
8. Max Von Sidow – The Diving Bell and Butterfly
9. Ben Foster - 3:10 to Yuma
Best Supporting Actress:
1. Amy Ryan – Gone, Baby, Gone
2. Cate Blanchett – I’m Not There
3. Catherine Keener – Into the Wild
4. Tilda Swinton – Michael Clayton
5. Ruby Dee - American Gangster
6. Saiorse Ronan - Atonement
7. Jennifer Garner - Juno
8. Vanessa Redgrave – Atonement
Best Original Screenplay:
1. Juno - Diablo Cody
2. Michael Clayton - Tony Gilroy
3. Ratatouille - Brad Bird
4. The Savages - Tamara Jenkins
5. Knocked Up - Jud Apatow
6. Lars and the Real Girl (Nancy Oliver)
7. Eastern Promises (Steven Knight)
8. Before The Devil (Kelly Masterson)
9. American Gangster (Steven Zaillian)
Best Adapted Screenplay:
1. No Country for Old Men (Ethan and Joel Coen)
2. There Will Be Blood (Paul Thomas Anderson)
3. The Diving Bell & The Butterfly (Ronald Harwood)
4. Into the Wild (Sean Penn)
5. Zodiac (James Vanderbilt)
6. Atonement (Christopher Hampton)
7. Charlie Wilson’s War (Aaron Sorkin)
8. The Kite Runner (David Benioff)
9. Gone Baby Gone (Ben Affleck, Aaron Stockard)
10. Sweeney Todd (John Logan)
STAND ALONE CATEGORIES:
Best Foreign Film:
1. The Unknown (Italy)
2. The Counterfeiters (Austria)
3. The Year My Parents Went on Vacation (Brazil)
4. Days of Darkness (Canada)
5. 12 (Russia)
6. Beaufort (Israel)
7. The Trap (Serbia)
Best Animated Film:
1. Ratatouille
2. Persepolis
3. The Simpsons Movie
4. Beowulf
5. Surf’s Up
6. Bee Movie
Best Documentary:
1. No End in Sight
2. Sicko
3. Lake of Fire
4. Shadow of the Moon
5. Taxi to the Dark Side
6. Body of War
7. The Devil Came on Horseback
TECH CATEGORIES:
Best Editing:
1. No Country for Old Men – Roderick Jaynes
2. The Bourne Ultimatum – Christopher Rouse
3. There Will Be Blood – Dylan Tichenor
4. Into the Wild - Jay Cassidy
5. Michael Clayton – John Gilroy
6. Atonement – Paul Tothill
7. Sweeney Todd - Chris Lebenzon - (2 noms)
8. American Gangster – Pietro Scalia
9. Diving Bell - Juliette Welfing
Best Cinematography:
1. No Country for Old Men – Roger Deakins
2. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly – Janusz Kaminski
3. Atonement – Seamus McGarvey
4. There Will Be Blood – Robert Elswit
5. The Assassination of Jesse James – Roger Deakins
6. Zodiac - Harris Savides
7. American Gangster - Harris Savides
8. Into the Wild - Eric Gautier
9. Sweeney Todd - Dariusz Wolski
10. Lust, Caution - Rodrigo Prieto
Best Score:
1. Atonement – Dario Marianelli
2. Ratatouille – Michael Gianchino
3. Lust, Caution – Alexandre Desplat
4. The Kite Runner – Alberto Iglesias
5. Eastern Promises – Howard Shore
6. 3:10 to Yuma – Marco Beltrami
7. Golden Compass – Alexandre Desplat
8. The Unknown Woman - Ennio Morricone
9. Beowulf - Alan Silvestri
Best Art Direction:
1. Sweeney Todd – Dante Ferretti, Francesca Lo Schiavo
2. There Will Be Blood – David Crank, Jack Fisk
3. Atonement – Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer
4. Elizabeth: Golden Age – Guy Dyas; Richard Roberts
5. Pirates 3 - Rick Heinrichs; Cheryl Carasik
6. The Golden Compass - Dennis Gassner; Anna Pinnock
7. 300 - James D. Bissell; Paul Hotte
8. Harry Potter 5 - Stuart Craig; Stephanie McMillan
9. American Gangster – Arthur Max
Best Costume Design:
1. Elizabeth: The Golden Age – Alexandra Byrne
2. Sweeney Todd – Coleen Atwood
3. Atonement – Jacqueline Durran
4. 300 - Michael Wilkinson
5. La Vie En Rose - Marit Allen
6. 3:10 to Yuma – Arianne Phillips
7. The Golden Compass – Ruth Myers
8. Lust, Caution – Pan Lai
9. The Assassination of Jesse James – Patricia Norris
10. There Will Be Blood – Mark Bridges
Best Makeup:
1. La Vie En Rose
2. 300
3. Sweeney Todd
4. Diving Bell & Butterlfy
5. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
6. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
7. Norbit
Best Song
1. Into the Wild - "Guaranteed"
2. American Gangster - "Do You Feel Me"
3. Hairspray - "Come So Far (Got So Far to Go)"
4. Enchanted - "That's How You Know"
5. Ratatouille – “Le Festin”
6. Once – “Falling Slowly"
7. Into the Wild – “Society”
8. Enchanted – “So Close”
9. Beowulf - "A Hero Comes Home"
10. Once – “If You Want Me”
Best Sound Editing:
1. Transformers
2. Pirates of the Caribbean 3
3. 300
4. Beowulf
5. The Bourne Ultimatum
6. Ratatouille
7. 3:10 to Yuma
8. The Golden Compass
Best Sound Mixing:
1. The Bourne Ultimatum
2. Transformers
3. No Country For Old Men
4. 300
5. Into the Wild
6. Sweeney Todd
7. Pirates 3
Best Visual Effects:
1. Transformers
2. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
3. I Am Legend
4. The Golden Compass
5. 300
TOTALS:
No Country for Old Men: 9 nominations
Into the Wild: 8 nominations
There Will Be Blood: 7 nominations
Atonement: 6 nominations
Michael Clayton: 6 nominations
The Diving Bell & The Butterfly: 3 nominations
Juno: 2 nominations
Eastern Promises: 2 nominations
Sweeney Todd: 4 nominations
American Gangster: 2 nominations
Pirates of the Caribbean 3: 3 nominations
300: 3 nominations
The Bourne Ultimatum: 3 nominations
For each category, if a movie shows up at number 1, it means I am extremely certain it will get nominated. If it's at number 2, a little less, and so on. Below I listed movies that I think will miss out on a nomination in that category. It shows you how close (or how off) I will be. If a movie I put at number 5 doesn't get in, and a movie at number 6 makes it instead, it is not as bad if the movie I predicted at number 1 or 2 didn't make it in.
.
MAIN CATEGORIES:
Best Picture:
1. No Country for Old Men
2. There Will Be Blood
3. Michael Clayton
4. Into the Wild
5. Atonement
6. The Diving Bell and Butterfly
7. Juno
8. American Gangster
Best Director:
1. Joel & Ethan Coen - No Country for Old Men
2. Julian Schnabel – The Diving Bell and the Butterfly
3. Paul Thomas Anderson - There Will Be Blood
4. Sean Penn – Into the Wild
5. Joe Wright – - Atonement
6. Sidney Lumet - Before the Devil
7. Tony Gilroy – Michael Clayton
8. David Cronenberg – Eastern Promises
Best Actor:
1. Daniel Day-Lewis - There Will Be Blood
2. George Clooney – Michael Clayton
3. Viggo Mortensen – Eastern Promises
4. Emile Hirsch – Into the Wild
5. Johnny Depp – Sweeney Todd
6. James McAvoy – Atonement
7. Denzel Washington – American Gangster
8. Ryan Gosling – Lars and the Real Girl
9. Frank Langella - Starting Out in the Evening
10. Tommy Lee Jones - In the Valley of Elah
Best Actress:
1. Ellen Page – Juno
2. Julie Christie - Away from Her
3. Marion Cotillard - La Vie En Rose
4. Angelina Jolie – A Mighty Heart
5. Laura Linney – The Savages
6. Cate Blanchett – Elizabeth: The Golden Age
7. Keira Knightley - Atonement
8. Amy Adams - Enchanted
Best Supporting Actor:
1. Javier Bardem – No Country for Old Men
2. Casey Affleck – The Assassination of Jessie James
3. Hal Holbrook - Into the Wild
4. Tom Wilkinson – Michael Clayton
5. Tommy Lee Jones - No Country for Old Men
6. Philip Seymour Hoffman - Charlie Wilson’s War
7. Paul Dano – There Will Be Blood
8. Max Von Sidow – The Diving Bell and Butterfly
9. Ben Foster - 3:10 to Yuma
Best Supporting Actress:
1. Amy Ryan – Gone, Baby, Gone
2. Cate Blanchett – I’m Not There
3. Catherine Keener – Into the Wild
4. Tilda Swinton – Michael Clayton
5. Ruby Dee - American Gangster
6. Saiorse Ronan - Atonement
7. Jennifer Garner - Juno
8. Vanessa Redgrave – Atonement
Best Original Screenplay:
1. Juno - Diablo Cody
2. Michael Clayton - Tony Gilroy
3. Ratatouille - Brad Bird
4. The Savages - Tamara Jenkins
5. Knocked Up - Jud Apatow
6. Lars and the Real Girl (Nancy Oliver)
7. Eastern Promises (Steven Knight)
8. Before The Devil (Kelly Masterson)
9. American Gangster (Steven Zaillian)
Best Adapted Screenplay:
1. No Country for Old Men (Ethan and Joel Coen)
2. There Will Be Blood (Paul Thomas Anderson)
3. The Diving Bell & The Butterfly (Ronald Harwood)
4. Into the Wild (Sean Penn)
5. Zodiac (James Vanderbilt)
6. Atonement (Christopher Hampton)
7. Charlie Wilson’s War (Aaron Sorkin)
8. The Kite Runner (David Benioff)
9. Gone Baby Gone (Ben Affleck, Aaron Stockard)
10. Sweeney Todd (John Logan)
STAND ALONE CATEGORIES:
Best Foreign Film:
1. The Unknown (Italy)
2. The Counterfeiters (Austria)
3. The Year My Parents Went on Vacation (Brazil)
4. Days of Darkness (Canada)
5. 12 (Russia)
6. Beaufort (Israel)
7. The Trap (Serbia)
Best Animated Film:
1. Ratatouille
2. Persepolis
3. The Simpsons Movie
4. Beowulf
5. Surf’s Up
6. Bee Movie
Best Documentary:
1. No End in Sight
2. Sicko
3. Lake of Fire
4. Shadow of the Moon
5. Taxi to the Dark Side
6. Body of War
7. The Devil Came on Horseback
TECH CATEGORIES:
Best Editing:
1. No Country for Old Men – Roderick Jaynes
2. The Bourne Ultimatum – Christopher Rouse
3. There Will Be Blood – Dylan Tichenor
4. Into the Wild - Jay Cassidy
5. Michael Clayton – John Gilroy
6. Atonement – Paul Tothill
7. Sweeney Todd - Chris Lebenzon - (2 noms)
8. American Gangster – Pietro Scalia
9. Diving Bell - Juliette Welfing
Best Cinematography:
1. No Country for Old Men – Roger Deakins
2. The Diving Bell and the Butterfly – Janusz Kaminski
3. Atonement – Seamus McGarvey
4. There Will Be Blood – Robert Elswit
5. The Assassination of Jesse James – Roger Deakins
6. Zodiac - Harris Savides
7. American Gangster - Harris Savides
8. Into the Wild - Eric Gautier
9. Sweeney Todd - Dariusz Wolski
10. Lust, Caution - Rodrigo Prieto
Best Score:
1. Atonement – Dario Marianelli
2. Ratatouille – Michael Gianchino
3. Lust, Caution – Alexandre Desplat
4. The Kite Runner – Alberto Iglesias
5. Eastern Promises – Howard Shore
6. 3:10 to Yuma – Marco Beltrami
7. Golden Compass – Alexandre Desplat
8. The Unknown Woman - Ennio Morricone
9. Beowulf - Alan Silvestri
Best Art Direction:
1. Sweeney Todd – Dante Ferretti, Francesca Lo Schiavo
2. There Will Be Blood – David Crank, Jack Fisk
3. Atonement – Sarah Greenwood, Katie Spencer
4. Elizabeth: Golden Age – Guy Dyas; Richard Roberts
5. Pirates 3 - Rick Heinrichs; Cheryl Carasik
6. The Golden Compass - Dennis Gassner; Anna Pinnock
7. 300 - James D. Bissell; Paul Hotte
8. Harry Potter 5 - Stuart Craig; Stephanie McMillan
9. American Gangster – Arthur Max
Best Costume Design:
1. Elizabeth: The Golden Age – Alexandra Byrne
2. Sweeney Todd – Coleen Atwood
3. Atonement – Jacqueline Durran
4. 300 - Michael Wilkinson
5. La Vie En Rose - Marit Allen
6. 3:10 to Yuma – Arianne Phillips
7. The Golden Compass – Ruth Myers
8. Lust, Caution – Pan Lai
9. The Assassination of Jesse James – Patricia Norris
10. There Will Be Blood – Mark Bridges
Best Makeup:
1. La Vie En Rose
2. 300
3. Sweeney Todd
4. Diving Bell & Butterlfy
5. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
6. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
7. Norbit
Best Song
1. Into the Wild - "Guaranteed"
2. American Gangster - "Do You Feel Me"
3. Hairspray - "Come So Far (Got So Far to Go)"
4. Enchanted - "That's How You Know"
5. Ratatouille – “Le Festin”
6. Once – “Falling Slowly"
7. Into the Wild – “Society”
8. Enchanted – “So Close”
9. Beowulf - "A Hero Comes Home"
10. Once – “If You Want Me”
Best Sound Editing:
1. Transformers
2. Pirates of the Caribbean 3
3. 300
4. Beowulf
5. The Bourne Ultimatum
6. Ratatouille
7. 3:10 to Yuma
8. The Golden Compass
Best Sound Mixing:
1. The Bourne Ultimatum
2. Transformers
3. No Country For Old Men
4. 300
5. Into the Wild
6. Sweeney Todd
7. Pirates 3
Best Visual Effects:
1. Transformers
2. Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End
3. I Am Legend
4. The Golden Compass
5. 300
TOTALS:
No Country for Old Men: 9 nominations
Into the Wild: 8 nominations
There Will Be Blood: 7 nominations
Atonement: 6 nominations
Michael Clayton: 6 nominations
The Diving Bell & The Butterfly: 3 nominations
Juno: 2 nominations
Eastern Promises: 2 nominations
Sweeney Todd: 4 nominations
American Gangster: 2 nominations
Pirates of the Caribbean 3: 3 nominations
300: 3 nominations
The Bourne Ultimatum: 3 nominations
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
What's your new resolution?
Call it cliché, but there’s nothing like January 1st of every year to spur us queer folks into taking stock of our lives and wondering what we can do to improve ourselves. Because face it, just because we’re growing old doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be growing into better people as well.
Whether it’s living a healthier lifestyle, enhancing your looks, improving your relationships with other people, or just correcting a character flaw, there is no way to celebrate the New Year with a personal commitment to target perfection.
“A New Me Resolution” is the first step towards a perfect new you. Making one is easy-visualize yourself, but better, with all the qualities you love and none of those you dislike. What can you change or do better?
Whether it’s living a healthier lifestyle, enhancing your looks, improving your relationships with other people, or just correcting a character flaw, there is no way to celebrate the New Year with a personal commitment to target perfection.
“A New Me Resolution” is the first step towards a perfect new you. Making one is easy-visualize yourself, but better, with all the qualities you love and none of those you dislike. What can you change or do better?
Welcome to 2008! A great sensual massage for a brand new year
With a brand new PR job at a leading investor relations firm in downtown Manhattan, a series of unfinished writing projects screaming for attention, and a year full of great expectations from all around me, I thought a massage a way to go. Glad I did.
“There! Right There! Keep Going…”
I felt the palms rubbing my inner thighs, the fingers repeatedly grazing my skin. The sensation was driving me crazy—I was tempted to give in, but willed myself to get through it, concentrating on taking deep, steady breaths. But I suddenly started writhing—I just couldn’t take it anymore.
“You okay?” the male masseur asked, slightly alarmed.
“Um, nope,” I replied, somewhat embarrassed.
If there was any part about massages that I could do without, it would be the unintentional tickling. I can take the vigorous kneading, the merciless pounding, the excruciating muscle-molding; in fact, I even like it. I’m a bit of masochist that way. Haha. I’m OK with pain. I am just not OK with the tickles. Pain is fine; tickles, torture.
And it wasn’t any different during this massage. I was at a spa in the West Village. I had a GC that was about to expire, and it was the only night that I was free to go in six bloody months. (Hmm, that can’t be right…) My muscles still ached from two straight days of working out, plus a challenging evening at a salsa class. My body was crying out for some magic hands to revive it.
The masseur’s name was Jeff, and I must say, he made sweet music with his hands! He wasn’t the best I ever had, but this massage was memorable because I appreciated that it saved the best for last. Most spas (and I’ve been to over a dozen different spas over the years) would have you lie on your stomach first, then they would work their way from toes to head before asking you to turn over. So my favorite parts (feet and back), sadly, would come at the start. At this last massage, Jeff had me lie on my back first, then he started with my left side, working from toe to shoulder, before getting to work on my right side. Then I turned over. Ahhh. My shoulders appreciated the attention.
A gay man on a mission, Jeff seemed dead set on getting the knots out of me. Amidst the delicious pain, my mind wandered off and started thinking about massages past. There were those non-spa massages. At work someone once gave me a one-minute rubdown while I was busy working. It. Was. Divine. That guy has talent! He cringes as he feels these grainy bits in my muscle—what we can only guess as solidified stress—but I love how a sense of relief washes over me after each agonizing press.
Jeff nished by giving me some heavy, barbero-like chops on my shoulders. As he left, I lay on the futon and sighed contentedly. After catching my breath, I stood up and got dressed. A number of people have told me that they don’t like going to spas because the last thing they want to do after a massage is get out of bed. But I like it. I like how a spa is an escape, a sanctuary that lets me check all my worries at the door. I like lying still for a few minutes when it’s done, invigorated. Reborn. I like the ritual of getting up, putting my clothes on, ready to go back to reality. And I like stepping outside and feeling that, somehow—after the one hour when deadlines and stress are erased from my body—the world suddenly looks like a better place.
Queergam fans --- go get a massage now. It is good for the soul, good for the body, good for the people around you.
“There! Right There! Keep Going…”
I felt the palms rubbing my inner thighs, the fingers repeatedly grazing my skin. The sensation was driving me crazy—I was tempted to give in, but willed myself to get through it, concentrating on taking deep, steady breaths. But I suddenly started writhing—I just couldn’t take it anymore.
“You okay?” the male masseur asked, slightly alarmed.
“Um, nope,” I replied, somewhat embarrassed.
If there was any part about massages that I could do without, it would be the unintentional tickling. I can take the vigorous kneading, the merciless pounding, the excruciating muscle-molding; in fact, I even like it. I’m a bit of masochist that way. Haha. I’m OK with pain. I am just not OK with the tickles. Pain is fine; tickles, torture.
And it wasn’t any different during this massage. I was at a spa in the West Village. I had a GC that was about to expire, and it was the only night that I was free to go in six bloody months. (Hmm, that can’t be right…) My muscles still ached from two straight days of working out, plus a challenging evening at a salsa class. My body was crying out for some magic hands to revive it.
The masseur’s name was Jeff, and I must say, he made sweet music with his hands! He wasn’t the best I ever had, but this massage was memorable because I appreciated that it saved the best for last. Most spas (and I’ve been to over a dozen different spas over the years) would have you lie on your stomach first, then they would work their way from toes to head before asking you to turn over. So my favorite parts (feet and back), sadly, would come at the start. At this last massage, Jeff had me lie on my back first, then he started with my left side, working from toe to shoulder, before getting to work on my right side. Then I turned over. Ahhh. My shoulders appreciated the attention.
A gay man on a mission, Jeff seemed dead set on getting the knots out of me. Amidst the delicious pain, my mind wandered off and started thinking about massages past. There were those non-spa massages. At work someone once gave me a one-minute rubdown while I was busy working. It. Was. Divine. That guy has talent! He cringes as he feels these grainy bits in my muscle—what we can only guess as solidified stress—but I love how a sense of relief washes over me after each agonizing press.
Jeff nished by giving me some heavy, barbero-like chops on my shoulders. As he left, I lay on the futon and sighed contentedly. After catching my breath, I stood up and got dressed. A number of people have told me that they don’t like going to spas because the last thing they want to do after a massage is get out of bed. But I like it. I like how a spa is an escape, a sanctuary that lets me check all my worries at the door. I like lying still for a few minutes when it’s done, invigorated. Reborn. I like the ritual of getting up, putting my clothes on, ready to go back to reality. And I like stepping outside and feeling that, somehow—after the one hour when deadlines and stress are erased from my body—the world suddenly looks like a better place.
Queergam fans --- go get a massage now. It is good for the soul, good for the body, good for the people around you.
Tuesday, January 1, 2008
Queergam's Top Gay News of 2007
Below is a list of headlines that we think are stories that have, sadly, been most covered and featured in both the mainstream and the LGBT media (both print, electronically, and online) and have impacted us negatively instead of telling what we as a community are doing to move ahead.
10) Gay Pride violence (what is new?)
9) Susan Stanton fired from her job as city manager of Largo Fla, after transitioning from a male to female.(when is ok to be a female or be a male - remember the Khajidah Farmer story?)
8) Elizabeth Edwards breaks with husbnad John Edwards and supports same sex marriage. (well, she has the rights to support same-sex marriage and her hubby shouldn't be punished for that)
7) Jerry Sanders, San Dieggo's Republican mayor, tearfully comes out in favor of our marriage rights - seems his daughter is a gay too. (who really really cares?)
6) The "Grey's Anatomy" drama-rama (first, Issiah Washington is nobody; second, he is not a good actor)
5) Gays are nonexistent in Iran, according to the country's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (Columbia University's chief executive is no match to the Iranian President who is smarter and firmer. someone in Columbia or in Washington should ask him to stop being stupid)
4) We're declared immoral by Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman, General Peter Pace. ( well, the military officer is the biggest loser to be perfectly honest).
3) The LOGO presidential forum (a great new beginning for us gays and human kind)
2) ENDA drama-rama-rama-rama (will be very hard-earned)
1) Larry Craig's toe-tapping (is he not the most stupid politician?)
When the media start focusing on the reality of our lives rather than focusing on how we're different, the story of who we are will finally be written. But the big story will come when there's no story at all -- when we will be considered equal to heterosexuals in all facets of our lives, and when being gay is a nonstory.
Will we be a nonstory in 2008?
10) Gay Pride violence (what is new?)
9) Susan Stanton fired from her job as city manager of Largo Fla, after transitioning from a male to female.(when is ok to be a female or be a male - remember the Khajidah Farmer story?)
8) Elizabeth Edwards breaks with husbnad John Edwards and supports same sex marriage. (well, she has the rights to support same-sex marriage and her hubby shouldn't be punished for that)
7) Jerry Sanders, San Dieggo's Republican mayor, tearfully comes out in favor of our marriage rights - seems his daughter is a gay too. (who really really cares?)
6) The "Grey's Anatomy" drama-rama (first, Issiah Washington is nobody; second, he is not a good actor)
5) Gays are nonexistent in Iran, according to the country's president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (Columbia University's chief executive is no match to the Iranian President who is smarter and firmer. someone in Columbia or in Washington should ask him to stop being stupid)
4) We're declared immoral by Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman, General Peter Pace. ( well, the military officer is the biggest loser to be perfectly honest).
3) The LOGO presidential forum (a great new beginning for us gays and human kind)
2) ENDA drama-rama-rama-rama (will be very hard-earned)
1) Larry Craig's toe-tapping (is he not the most stupid politician?)
When the media start focusing on the reality of our lives rather than focusing on how we're different, the story of who we are will finally be written. But the big story will come when there's no story at all -- when we will be considered equal to heterosexuals in all facets of our lives, and when being gay is a nonstory.
Will we be a nonstory in 2008?
ENDA will be hard-earned
The debate over the ENDA - Employment Non-Discrimination Act - reminded us all that there is an elephant in the middle of our community's room. We do not all agree about the "T" in the "LGBT" (Lesbian Gay Bisexual & Transgender)T=transgender. Some of us understand the value of incremental gain. Others seem to be missing the lesson that gender difference is a key driver of the discrimination we face everday. This lesson will carry over into 2008 and beyond, right?
Same-Sex Unions Recognized in N.H...
So, other than Dennis Kucinich, who else is going for same-sex marriage?
McCainn and Juliani are ok with the issue but have yet to scream from the top of their lungs that same sex must be recognized nationwide.
Romney, Huckabee are not going there and infact want same sex to be banned. Obama, Edwards, and even Clinton have not said it very loudly. Civil unions are now being recognized in N.H as the last minute effort to attract conversative/LGBT voters. What's new?
McCainn and Juliani are ok with the issue but have yet to scream from the top of their lungs that same sex must be recognized nationwide.
Romney, Huckabee are not going there and infact want same sex to be banned. Obama, Edwards, and even Clinton have not said it very loudly. Civil unions are now being recognized in N.H as the last minute effort to attract conversative/LGBT voters. What's new?
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