Movies Dearz

There will be more characters than usual roaming around the Disneyland Resort area this week, as the Anaheim Convention Center hosts the inaugural Anaheim Comic Con April 16-18. No doubt, a sizable number of GLBT comic book and pop culture fans will be among them.

One might think the massive Comic Con International held each summer in San Diego would have the southern California market cornered when it comes to superheroes, graphic novels, role-playing games and fantasy movies, as well as related toys and other memorabilia. Not so, according to the Anaheim event’s producer, Wizard Entertainment; as publisher of the pop culture magazine Wizard, the company knows well how keen interest is in more Comic Cons both locally and nationally. Wizard Entertainment presents several other such gatherings across the country each year.


Anaheim’s first Comic Con will be smaller than the San Diego event, but I welcome this as someone who has covered Comic Con International for several years now. Limited convention center space, parking and hotel rooms have made San Diego’s con increasingly difficult to attend. A formal proposal has been submitted to move Comic Con International to Anaheim in the future for at least one year, since the Anaheim Convention Center is a larger facility.

At press time, at least 150 celebrities and pop culture icons were confirmed to appear during the Anaheim Comic Con’s three days. They include Captain Kirk himself, William Shatner; Marvel Comics’ superhero creator, Stan Lee; Oscar-nominated actors Mary McDonnell (Battlestar Galactica and Independence Day) and Eric Roberts (The Dark Knight); The Empire Strikes Back director Irvin Kershner; and Ilya Salkind, producer of Superman: The Movie and its first two sequels.


Other celebrities of more specifically GLBT appeal set to attend are the fabulous Julie Newmar and Lee Meriwether, both of whom played Catwoman on the campy Batman TV series in the 1960’s (the late Eartha Kitt also served as the show’s feline femme fatale); Star Trek actress and GLBT supporter Nichelle Nichols; The Bionic Woman herself, Lindsay Wagner; Kathy Najimy of Sister Act and Hocus Pocus fame; sexy actor Kaj-Erik Eriksen (The 4400); pop music diva Taylor Dayne; and Linda Blair of The Exorcist, Roller Boogie and Chained Heat fame.

More than 400 exhibitor, celebrity and creator booths will be set up, giving attendees ample opportunity to peruse collectibles and pursue autographs. As at Comic Con International and other such conventions, guests are not only allowed but strongly encouraged to dress in costume as their favorite comic book, film, TV, game or other characters. There will be a costume contest on Saturday, April 17. Please note: There will be children present, so costumes must be kept “PG-13” with no nudity or anything too revealing. I anticipate there will be more than a few costumes inspired by Tim Burton’s current box office hit, Alice in Wonderland.


A feature unique to the Anaheim Comic Con will be a Horror Pavilion. Billed as “a celebration of all things gory and grisly,” the pavilion will feature writers, artists, actors and musicians who have contributed to the horror genre in comics, movies and TV. There are plenty of GLBT horror fans who will want to check the Horror Pavilion out … but don’t do so alone!

For complete information about the event and to purchase tickets, visit the official Anaheim Comic Con website.

Preview by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and the Orange County and Long Beach Blade.

A high school reunion in conservative Helena, Montana is the catalyst for huge revelations in Kimberly Reed’s amazing documentary, Prodigal Sons. Reed’s twentieth reunion marks the first time she has returned to her hometown since leaving and undergoing huge life changes. The film charts her journey reconnecting with her mother and two brothers and trying to reconcile with past rivalries and resentments. Reed does an incredible job of exploring her family’s struggles while shedding light on issues of sibling rivalry, nature vs. nurture, buried homophobia, self-acceptance and reinvention.

If someone wrote a story about the events that occur and secrets that are revealed, no one would believe it — it’s just too far-fetched. If you want to be surprised, read no further. Suffice it to say, Reed was a very different person in high school, the class valedictorian and captain of the football team, and her brother Marc resented her for her success. After suffering a severe head injury at 21, Marc has severe and violent mood swings, which adds a layer of danger to the film. On the other hand, Reed is afraid of how her classmates will react to the fact that she is transgender, and has a girlfriend. Their younger brother Todd moved away to San Diego and came out of the closet. Carol, their mother, is resilient and proud of her children, but she is faced with a terrible choice when Marc’s actions threaten the family.

Reed began the film hoping to chronicle her adopted brother Marc’s experience as he learned of his connection to the immortal Orson Welles and the beautiful Rita Hayworth. She never intended to become a focus of the film, but her story was too insistent to be ignored. How a transgender person accepts her past and learns to embrace parts of her life that she never wanted to remember is so powerful, I wish that Reed could have spent even more time on it. Also, Todd’s story is not explored as fully as I would have liked. Still, Prodigal Sons packs more punch, drama and surprising optimism than most indie dramas could attempt, and you’ll never forget meeting Reed and her extraordinary family.

UPDATE: Prodigal Sons is now available on DVD from Amazon.com.

Review by Neil Cohen, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and Phoenix's Echo Magazine.

Perhaps it isn’t surprising that the man who plays the most loving figure in history is pretty friendly and caring himself, but it is refreshing. Ted Neeley, who came to prominence as the front man of his own band and starred in the original LA and NY productions of Hair (as Claude), first auditioned to play Judas in Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s then controversial show Jesus Christ Superstar. When Ben Vereen won that role, Neeley became the understudy for Jesus, and ultimately garnered the lead in the LA production, the 1973 Norman Jewison film and the current national tour. Billed as the "New A.D." tour, response has kept this production going strong for almost five years.

Jesus Christ Superstar takes the novel approach of showing Jesus as a man, flaws and all, and Judas as a tragic character. “My interpretation of the role has deepened so tremendously over the years, I wish honestly, I could turn back the clock and, shall we say, address it one more time,” Neeley explained. “When we first did this in 1971 in New York, we had little if any information to pull from to work this concept.” He relied on the book The Last Temptation of Christ to give him his only depiction of “Jesus as man.” Growing up and attending church regularly, Neeley admits, “Jesus was to me a stained glass window, always accessible through a spiritual context, but never accessible to touch and to sight.” Now, however, he says that there is an abundance of material that touches on the human side of Jesus.

“We deal with the last seven days in the life of the man, as seen through the eyes of his contemporaries. He wasn’t considered a deity until he passed on.” This made the show very controversial when it opened, and also very successful.

“We had no idea if we were going to make it past opening night, and suddenly there were lines around the building. It was really something to have to push through those picket lines,” he explained. When he would find out that the protesters had never seen the show (and didn’t intend to), he’d invite them in to see it as his guest. Those who took him up on his offer ended up loving the show.

“Now, this many years later, we’re doing the same show, the same concept, singing the same songs with the same lyrics, but we’re perceived as, and these are my words, as the spiritual Sesame Street. Completely harmless — completely educational. People tell me their children learned their spirituality from watching the movie.


Neeley recognizes the role that organized religion plays in dividing people. “Any religious organization that dictates to people what they can or cannot do and with whom, that has nothing to do with spirituality,” he explained. “That makes bigotry continue to grow. We were established as a free society, that’s what I’ve always heard. When you and I are elected, we’ll fix all of this, right?”

“This is not a Broadway show, this is a rock concert that has been misinterpreted since the time it was first done,” Neeley insisted. “So much so, that some people think of it as church, some people think of it as absolute blasphemy, and some people recognize it as a night of entertainment in a spiritual context.”

For more information on Jesus Christ Superstar, including future dates and locations, visit the tour's official website.

Interview by Neil Cohen, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and Phoenix's Echo Magazine.

They’re creepy, kooky, ooky and spooky. For decades, the amusingly macabre Addams Family has assumed a beloved spot in American pop culture via cartoons, a TV series and two big-screen capers. Tomorrow night they make their Broadway debut in a musical headlined by out actor Nathan Lane as the family’s wacky patriarch, Gomez, and the fabulous Bebe Neuwirth as his eternally devoted spouse, Morticia.

In other well-known roles, GLBT faves Kevin Chamberlin (of the movie Trick, and a Tony-nominee as Horton in Seussical: The Musical) and Jackie Hoffman (who was featured in the original Broadway casts of Hairspray and Xanadu) star as Uncle Fester and Grandmama, respectively. However, the Addams family wouldn’t be complete without its one non-biological member: Lurch, their seemingly undead butler/man-servant.

28-year old singer-actor Zachary James portrays Lurch in The Addams Family: A New Musical, and at 6’6” he more than fits the bill physically. The character of Lurch, though, isn’t exactly known for his vocal prowess. Traditionally, Lurch has been a man of few words, usually relying on painful-sounding moans and groans to express himself.


Bass-baritone James had to create a vocal and physical language for Lurch based on very little material. “I have the original cartoons (by the Addams Family’s creator and namesake, Charles Addams) all over my dressing room,” James told me during a recent telephone interview from New York. “They’ve been very helpful in developing a movement vocabulary for Lurch.” And yes, Lurch does sing in at least one of the show’s numbers.

“My first exposure to the characters was the 1991 movie (which featured actor Carel Struycken as Lurch, in addition to memorable performances by Anjelica Huston as Morticia and the late Raul Julia as Gomez),” James elaborated, “then I started watching the 1960’s TV series.”

He continued, regarding the stage musical: “We are drawing primarily from the original New Yorker cartoons, but we owe a debt to the TV series since it gave the characters names.” Charles Addams had originally refrained from identifying the members of his cartoon “family.”


James made his Broadway debut in Coram Boy a mere six months after he moved to New York. Prominent roles in the hit revival of South Pacific as well as regional productions of Stephen Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd and A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum followed. James’ hometown is Springs Hills, Florida, and he majored in musical theatre at Ithaca College. He is equally adept at opera, and past productions include La Boheme, Don Giovanni and Madama Butterfly.

“I’m having a lot of fun with Addams Family and creating a role; it’s very exciting to be a part of this show,” James said, while confessing his fondness for Sondheim’s works. “(The Addams Family) is my first new musical, and it has been a fascinating experience putting it together since the first reading two years ago.”

The Addams Family musical is written by the award-winning Jersey Boys team of Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice in collaboration with acclaimed Broadway songwriter Andrew Lippa. It has been designed and directed by the Shockheaded Peter team of Phelim McDermott and Julian Crouch, with an assist from musical-theatre veteran Jerry Zaks (Mame).


I asked James how The Addams Family was progressing prior to its New York premiere and following a successful run last fall in Chicago. “It’s going great,” he replied. “We had our first preview audience last night and it was very well-received; it’s very exciting to be part of this show.”

On working with his stellar, accomplished cast mates, James says, “It’s been just wonderful; it’s kind of like going to work with my heroes everyday, and everyone is a family.”

James recently made his television debut as well on the popular series 30 Rock. He shared the screen with Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin. “It was quite fantastic,” James enthused. “It was my first gig on-camera and I kept wondering ‘What am I doing here?”


I asked James pointedly why GLBT people should go and see The Addams Family musical. “Well, it’s musical theatre, and it’s a surprisingly thoughtful show about love, acceptance and family,” he answered. “The tagline for the show’s marketing is ‘A Family Not Much Unlike Your Own,’ and there are plenty of political jokes in the show.”

With advance ticket sales of $15 million, the $17 million production is shaping up to be a major hit. If you are planning a trip to NYC this summer or in the eventual future, be sure to pay a visit to The Addams Family.

Interview by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and the Orange County and Long Beach Blade.

“Sometimes being the person you’re not helps you learn to love the person you are.” So states the tagline for The Big Gay Musical. A big hit on the GLBT film festival circuit, including at January’s Palm Springs International Film Festival, the movie is due to be released on DVD tomorrow.

It is directed by Casper Andreas and Fred M. Caruso, who previously collaborated on the popular gay-themed film A Four Letter Word. The Big Gay Musical is a thoroughly silly, occasionally overbearing but ultimately entertaining tale of two gay actors who strive to overcome their personal issues while starring in an off-Broadway production of Adam & Steve: Just the Way God Made 'Em.


One of the men, Paul (played by Daniel Robinson), is constantly on the hunt for the perfect man with whom to share his life. Eventually disappointed one time too many, Paul decides to become a slut under the tutelage of the musical’s less-romantically inclined chorus boys. His new, more promiscuous approach leads Paul to encounters with numerous hotties, including an escort tenderly played by gay porn star Brent Corrigan.

Eddie, Paul’s co-star, is newly out to everyone but his conservative Christian parents, who are planning to attend the opening night of Adam & Steve but are unaware of the subject matter. Joey Dudding plays Eddie, and conveys well the young man’s struggle with his integrity. Eddie and Paul also endure a frightening ordeal involving possible infection with HIV.


The growing friendship between Paul and Eddie is touching and serves as a nice, contemporary counterpoint to the musical’s campy recounting of the not-quite-biblical story of Adam and “Steve.” Eddie tries to convince Paul to hold out for “Mr. Right” and not give in to the temptation of commitment-free sex, while Paul provides Eddie support and encouragement in coming out to his parents.

The musical numbers are fun, the men are pretty, and the film’s good-natured attack on the Religious Right is timely. Its joyous and abundant spirit of gay self-affirmation is infectious. Gossip columnist Michael Musto has a funny cameo, as does Steve Hayes (who was memorable as Christian Campbell’s show tune-loving friend in Trick) as God in the show-within-a-show.


Writer and co-director Caruso told The Advocate, “So many gay people have been screwed up by religion, but gay shows and movies about religion always end up being so depressing. I wanted to create a show with a positive message about being gay and religion that was funny, campy and crazy.” Caruso, a former Roman Catholic, has actually said he considers The Big Gay Musical to be as “divinely inspired” as the Bible.

Caruso also co-wrote the film’s original songs with composer Rick Crom. They include “I’m Gonna Go Straight to Heaven,” “God Loves Gays,” Paul’s showstopper “I Wanna Be a Slut” and the clever “Musical Theatre Love Story.” Most of the musical numbers feature energetic choreography by Shea Sullivan and pleasingly minimal costumes by Tony Award-nominee Bobby Pearce. Some of the song lyrics are obvious while other songs go on a bit too long, but all are sufficiently entertaining.  (A soundtrack CD is also currently available.)


The religious commentary in the screenplay is similarly overdone at times and borders on being heavy-handed. However, it is so unrepentantly on the pro-gay side that it is easy to forgive such occasionally preachy excess after all the anti-gay sentiment our community has weathered from religious conservatives over the years.

The Big Gay Musical boasts a cast of stage veterans representing nearly 50 Broadway productions of the past decade, including the blockbusters Hairspray, Wicked, The Lion King and Mamma Mia! Caruso intentionally recruited experienced stage performers because he needed a cast of “triple threats” who could act, sing and dance. Their professionalism is obvious even while evoking a low-budget musical on a smaller, off-Broadway stage.


While buying or renting The Big Gay Musical, you might also want to check out several other “big gay musicals” I recommend:

A Chorus Line (1985): Generally reviled by fans of the stage production, the movie nonetheless includes two gay characters (fairly bold for a mid-80’s studio film), a then-attractive Michael Douglas, dynamic choreography and most of the original songs, plus the sexy, Oscar-nominated newcomer “Surprise, Surprise.”

Moulin Rouge! (2001): Exhibiting one of the gayest cinematic sensibilities ever, Aussie director Baz Luhrmann’s musical fantasia on the bohemian ideals of “truth, beauty, freedom and, above all things, love” is an unconventional delight. Nicole Kidman has never been more beautiful on screen, and you’ve got to love its all-male rendition of Madonna’s “Like a Virgin”!

Jesus Christ, Vampire Hunter (2002): I kid you not. This low-budget indie film is a mash-up of songs, transvestites, Mexican wrestlers, gory impalings, a vicious trio of lesbian vampires and the second coming of Christ. Not quite a camp or cult classic yet, but this imaginative spectacle deserves to be seen.


Rent (2005): While the film version of the Broadway smash about a group of friends struggling with poverty and AIDS in 1990’s New York City is overproduced, the score and the cast — most from the original Broadway production — are great and the gay love story at its heart remains endearing.

20 Centimeters (2006): A wacky comedy from Spain, written and directed by the talented Ramon Salazar, in which a narcoleptic transgender woman longing to complete her sex change procedure (despite her super-buff boyfriend’s protests) dreams up elaborate musical numbers in which she’s the star. Well worth tracking down on DVD.

Review by Rev. Chris Carpenter, resident film critic of Movie Dearest and the Orange County and Long Beach Blade.

With the recent crowning of The Hurt Locker as Oscar's Best Picture of 2009, it is time to look back at the 2000s to pick the best of the best.

Of the ten Academy Award winning Best Pictures since 2000, which movie is your favorite? Make your pick and place your vote in the MD Poll located in the right hand sidebar. The ultimate Best Picture of the 2000s will be revealed on May 8.

The Gleeks have spoken: your ultimate Glee crush object is none other than Will Schuester, played by Matthew Morrison.  But it wasn't an easy win, as he is followed closely in the voting by bad boy Noah "Puck" Puckerman (Mark Salling). Gay cutie Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer) rounds out the top three.

See the comments section below for the complete statistics for this MD Poll, and don't forget to tune in to Fox on April 13 for the much-anticipated return of Glee!