Following her PINK Magazine cover feature, famed actress and comedienne Lily Tomlin appears as a guest judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race.
In previews of Season three’s episode three, themed “Queens in Space,” Tomlin is seen on the judges panel which rates the overall drag performances at the end of each episode. The episode is slated to air Monday, January 31, 2011 at 10/9 central p.m. on Logo.
Ex-Madam Kristin Davis, who ran for Governor last year as a protest candidate on a platform of decriminalizing prostitution, blasted the premiere of the Lifetime movie The Craigslist Killer, which aired on the cable network January 3, 2011. According to the Lifetime website, the movie follows the dark, mysterious life Philip Markoff conducted online while preparing for a promising future as a doctor and a life of happiness with his fiancée—beginning with his “alleged” April 14, 2009, first-degree murder of a masseuse who advertised her services on Craigslist.
“Lifetime did not even name the real victim. Her name is Julissa Brissman, and she was my friend and former employee. She was a sweet girl, albeit troubled but working through those troubles and trying to make a better life for herself. She did not deserve to die,” Davis writes on her blog.
Davis continued, expressing her disappointment in how Markoff was portrayed as an apparently sympathetic character while his victims were represented more so unjustly.
“Lifetime, whose goal is to promote empowerment to women, the portrayal of Phillip Markoff and his fiancé as sympathetic characters is a complete injustice to women everywhere,” Davis says. “…Phillip Markoff committed suicide, which robbed his victims and their families of any chance at justice. Lifetime has now robbed them of another chance at justice by not naming them and not accurately portraying Markoff.
“Although we kid ourselves that we live in a progressive society we are still quite closed minded. Lifetime did not give Julissa a name because society doesn’t place any value on the lives of sex workers. They are called whores, they are committing crimes so they are automatically deemed less valuable members of society.”
Kristin Davis is a former Manhattan Madam who went to jail for supplying Governor Eliot Spitzer with call girls and later ran for New York governor under the Anti-Prohibition Party (APP) in 2010. Read more on Davis in PINK’s 2010 summer issue.
Source: Press Release, www.manhattenmadam.com.
Actress “makes her mark” with Hollywood Girl web series
by Jason P Freeman
Courtney Zito is an actress in L.A. with the total package. Bubbly, charming, friendly, great smile and pretty face, with training in classical music, theater, film and television, she’s the kind of actress producers want to cast and fans love to idolize. Yet after almost ten years in the industry, with credits that include a spot on Sex in the City, two years with Nickelodeon, hosting the online Sportsbone Network and a spot on the (as of press time) unreleased feature film A Way with Murder, Zito’s mark on Hollywood isn’t exactly indelible.
So what’s a talented aspiring actress who has, as of yet, not gotten her big break to do? She forges her own big-breaking opportunity, of course. In Zito’s case, she launched, produces and stars in her own romantic-comedy web series, Hollywood Girl. The working concept of which is based on her personal and professional experiences in the entertainment industry.
“I got tired of waiting around for Hollywood,” the Long Island-to-L.A. transplant says of her decision to launch her own web series. “If they aren’t going to willingly open the door for me, then I am going to take a chainsaw and cut the door down … Hollywood Girl was a way to make that happen.”
Speaking of HG’s development, Zito continues, “I’ve been writing a book for a few years based on my dating experiences in L.A … Last January, I decided that I wanted to make it into a movie, but then realized that I wouldn’t be able to condense all of my stories into 2 hours, so I thought an episodic would be a better way to go. But rather then just shoot a pilot and shop it around, I then decided that if I made it a web series, I could get it accomplished without waiting for a network to pick it up.”
With a production budget funded by way of Zito’s own wallet, Episode One was cast and filmed earlier this year, and ultimately aired by way of Facebook in October 2010. The ten-minute premiere introduces celebrity hopeful by day, waitress by night Quinn Monroe (Zito), her two supportive best friends and a possible love interest (met during an ATM bank debacle) while also establishing the show’s focus on Monroe’s life of superstar dreams and the waking nightmares of obstacles holding her back. The show’s instant popularity garnered the premise enough support to sponsor the production and airing of Episode Two (via www.hollywoodgirltv.com), a larger cast, and a production schedule for succeeding episodes during the first quarter of 2011.
And while Zito would love to see the show progress into more popular media, she’s actually more so eager at the prospect of the show reaching its full online potential—for now, at least.
“Nothing would thrill me more the to see this show on TV,” Zito affirms. “However, this show can still be wildly successful on the internet with a global audience. I would think that regardless of the medium it airs on, my biggest goal is to be able to take care of everyone involved in the show and to afford us higher budgets per episode so we can write them the way we really want to. I know if given the right budget, Hollywood Girl can be realized the way it’s always been inside my imagination.”
Episodes One and Two of Hollywood Girl can be seen on www.hollywoodgirltv.com. Episode Three is slated for January 2011. Full show synopsis, cast and additional information is also available on the show’s website.
In its latest incarnation, the game that revolutionized the video-play world returns to declare war. Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock enlists players to muster up a hardcore army in a battle to save rock from, what the game makers are calling, “the first-ever epic Quest Mode.” This version includes over 90 jams, from Queen to Megadeath, and features an option to expand set lists via downloads from the GH Music Store. Available for Xbox, PS3 and Wii, the game disc runs $59.99; the bundle set, with game disc and controller, $179.99. www.guitarhero.com.
Following up on the game’s award-winning launch in 2009, DJ Hero 2 continues to transform living-room gamers into nightclub mix masters. The sequel includes options allowing up to two mixers on the controller with one doing vocals on the microphone, as well as avatar DJs, party play mode, online competition capability and freestyling sections while mixing the hottest, current dance, pop and rap from the likes of Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Kanye West and more; $64.99-$129.99 depending on bundle and retailer. Shop for the best rates at www.djhero.com.
Other popular titles which recently hit the shelves: Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, Mass Effect 2, Dragon Age: Origins Ultimate Edition, Medal of Honor and Battlefield: Bad Company 2
Reeling 29: Chicago’s Lesbian and Gay International Film Festival takes its bow Saturday, November 13, 2010 at the Instituto Cervantes.
Starting at 7 p.m. with the theater screening of Undertow (Javier Fuentes-León; Peru/Columbia, 2009, 100 min.; Spanish with English subtitles), the film follows the life of Miguel whose wife is about to give birth to the couple’s first son. However, the untimely death of Miguel’s lover—the enigmatic painter Santiago—forces Miguel to choose between keeping Santiago in purgatory via his closeted straight life or come out to his community in order to grant the painter peace.
After the screening, viewers are invited to join Reeling and PINK for the Closing Night Party. This year’s soiree will be held at the Instituto’s swank space where guests will enjoy complimentary libations and food provided by PINK.
Serving dishes from: Barba Yanni Grecian Taverna, Joy’s Noodles, Las Mananitas, Rise Sushi & Saki Lounge and desserts by The Swedish Bakery.
Film (7:00 pm) & Reception: $20 ($18 members)
Special additional Film Only screening (9:00 pm): $12
Buy tickets here!
Having trouble choosing which films to screen during The Chicago Lesbian & Gay International Film Festival this year? That’s understandable considering all the stand-out, well-produced and star-studded LGBT-geared films being showcased at various venues all over the city at this year’s 29th annual Reeling, taking place November 4-13. There’s no possible way any gay movie buff could see all of the featured flicks at all of the different theaters. Is there?
Probably not.
But relax film-goer! Take a breath and get your priorities straight—just not that “straight.” Before you pick your flicks, make sure you got your parties planned out first, because you don’t want to be all the way up in Andersonville watching Across Lesbian Borders when the closing night feature Undertow is immediately followed by the PINK-sponsored Closing Night Reception downtown at the Instituto Cervantes.
Located at the 31 West Ohio St., the evening begins with the screening at 7 p.m. and, at film’s end, flows into the Instituto’s elegantly contemporary space for the closing soiree. There, guests will enjoy casual, celluloid-inspired discourse over a wide selection of food and cocktails provided by PINK.
Tickets for the Closing Night Reception run $20 ($18 for members) and can be purchased here.
The industry’s premier LGBT International Film Festival, Chicago’s Reeling, makes its 29th incarnation Thursday night, November 4, 2010. The opening night feature and grand reception takes place at the ShowPlace Icon Theater (150 W. Roosevelt) which features state-of-the-art digital cinema projection and free indoor parking at its downtown location.
The evening opens with a screening of Children of God (Kareem Mortimer (Bahamas, 2009, 103 min.). The film focuses on Johnny—a slender painter with piercing blue eyes and a muted creative voice. Venturing off to the island of Eleuthera in search of artistic verve, he reunites with Romeo, an old classmate whose hidden sexual identity, giving rise to conflict as their trist meets with religion, passion and politics. View the trailer here.
After the screening, join Reeling in ShowPlace ICON’s sophisticated Lobby Lounge for a delectable Opening Night reception highlighted by decadent cupcakes from More (an Oprah favorite!) and savory Blue Moon.
Reeling 29 runs November 4-13, 2010 at select venues. For tickets, times, screenings, special events and other Reeling news, visit the festivals official website at www.reelingfilmfestival.org.
Following his 2008 performance as Harvey Milk’s lover in Milk, James Franco goes kind of gay again, this time as Allen Ginsberg—the famed bisexual Beat Generation poet who had the audacity to feature homosexuality in his epic work, Howl during the conservative ‘50s era. HOWL (the movie) is the story of how the young poet’s seminal work broke down societal barriers in the face of an infamous public obscenity trial. Interweaving three stories—the unfolding of the landmark 1957court case, an animated ride through the prophetic masterpiece and a personal portrait of the poet—the film also stars Jeff Daniels and Mary-Louise Parker. Watch for the national release following the San Francisco and New York openings September 24, 2010. Distributed by Oscilloscope; www.oscilloscope.net.
Celebrated by the Golden Globes®, The Screen Actor’s Guild, The People’s Choice Awards and The Emmys, the complete first season of Glee—TV’s first highly acclaimed musical comedy— hit shelves on DVD and Blu-ray September 14, 2010.
“The Gleek Edition” of the Blu-ray/DVD features all 22 episodes as well as over two hours of bonus material including sing-along karaoke, a behind-the-scenes look at the popular “Madonna” episode” and a Glee-dance tutorial.
The U.S. MSRP for the four-disc Blu-ray and seven-disc DVD sets are $69.99 and $59.98 respectively. However, Glee fans can enter for a chance to win their very own Gleek Edition DVD set from PINK Magazine just by emailing giveaways[at]pinkmag.com with the word “Glee” in the subject line, now through September 30, 2010.
In kind with ‘mo-loving Kathy Griffin and Margaret Cho stand up—only this time coming from an actual ‘mo—Leslie Jordan’s My Trip Down the PINK Carpet brings the Will & Grace-famed character’s memoir of the same name to the stage and small screen.
Intertwining his 30-years experience in the entertainment industry while recounting his personal gay coming-of-age story with poingnant hilarity, My Trip… is an annecdotal comedy show that examines Jordan’s personal take on LGBT life. Through drugs, codependency, internalized homophobia, famous co-stars, laughter and through his effeminately high-pithced southern drawl, Jordan shares how he “got here” while also offering his brethern non-judgmental support. It’s a DVD that every LGBT and LGBT-loving person will enjoy seeing, and probably should see.
My Trip Down the Pink Carpet drops September 7, 2010. www.breakingglasspictures.com