Out & Proud Indeed.

So in honor of Gay Pride month, WTTW Channel 11 aired a documentary tonight called "Out & Proud in Chicago." It traced the history of the gay movement from the earliest days of the city through the present.

If you didn't see it, you must see when it's going to be aired in your area, or order the dvd. I subscribed to Channel 11, mostly because I wanted the dvd of this film-- sans pledge breaks. With my subscription I also get the coffee table book and the baseball cap. I can't explain why I felt so proud.

It might have been the fact that transgender diva extraordinaire Alexandra Billings was interviewed. And was wonderful.

It might have been the fact that the community was portrayed in such an honest, historically relevent way. And was inspiring.

Or it might just have been that I really felt empowered by the legacy left by the trailblazers.

Find this documentary. Watch it. Then do something gay.

What Am I Sick Of?

Boyfriend and I are both ill with colds, so we were unable to go to the premiere of "Three Days of Rain" presented by the theatre group to which I belong. Sure, we'll have plenty more opportunities to see it, but tonight he was to meet, among other friends, AnnieGrace! I'm terribly bummed.


Feeling headachy and a little congested, I am in a pissy mood. So, I've decided to make a random list of things or people I have had enough of. Let's begin:







Baby-doll dresses and tops: they make everyone look pregnant. I abhor them.















Paris Hilton



Britney, her sister, her mom, her ex-, her boyfriend, her babies, her lawyers, et al



Commercials where "apply directly to forehead" is repeated several times-- or any other commercial lampooning this phrase repetition



Disrespectful middle-schoolers



The writers' strike



Reality shows-- with the exception of "Project Runway," "Dancing with the Stars," and "American Idol"
















Tom Cruise and his "wife"




Movies or tv shows featuring an African-American man playing many roles, among them an older, fat, African-American woman













Pop-up ads mimicing dialog boxes telling me to click for my prize, or any pop-up mortgage ad featuring a scary animated dancing person or creature



The View



Clay Aiken



Tattoos





Broadway musicals based on movies that were bad movies to begin with









Paper-wasting "neighborhood shopper" newspapers that are in my mailbox almost every day



The war, the administration, the impending election ads



Commercials for Washington Mutual (WaMu) featuring a nice young African-American man against a large group of fat old white male bankers




YouTube losers being touted as celebrities










Anything related to "High School Musical"-- sequels, stars, ice show incarnations, tours, amateur productions



















Spam email that assumes I have a small penis, trouble getting it up, or an interest in "teen barnyard sluts"


Will Farrell

Thanks for letting me rant. I feel ever so much better now.

Sweeney Todd: The Motion Picture.

I went with my three lesbian friends, Bonnie, Mary and Elbrey, to see the movie Sweeney Todd tonight. And one word to describe this film would be: phenomenal.

I went in with some concerns due to the brief clips I'd seen on tv. Johnny Depp's singing voice occasionally veers into pop style, and this score is operatic, really. He tends to oversing some high notes (particularly in the "Pretty Women" duet), giving them a sort of contemporary belt. Most of the time, however, his singing was moody and dark, appropriately. A small criticism of an otherwise brilliant performance. He is marvelous.

Helena Bonham-Carter plays Mrs. Lovett with a supreme understatement, making her much more real and much more sympathetic. Every stage production I've seen of Sweeney (including the Angela Lansbury tour) has featured an over-the-top Mrs. Lovett; I think it's the stage that forces it. Her first number, "The Worst Pies in London," has always seemed loud and artificial. Whether it was the decision of Ms. Bonham-Carter or her husband, director Tim Burton, the choice to hold back on that particular song and play it as somewhat defeated and pathetic makes it so much more real and accessible. The real cockroaches were also delightfully gross.

Another amazing performer: Ed Sanders as Toby. A real kid playing Toby! Not some 25-year-old elfin man with a freakishly high voice. This kid is fantastic, and makes the character that much more tragic. Beautiful.

I could go on and on about all the performers: Alan Rickman, Sacha Baron Cohen, etc. Not a weak link in the bunch. Tim Burton has done great justice to Stephen Sondheim's masterpiece. It's very interesting to see the artistic choices: much of the film seems black and white, or even sepia, with occasional bursts of vivid color (Joanna's yellow hair, Perelli's blue outfit, the red blood, etc.). It's magical and engrossing... evidenced by the high school age boys behind us, who were silent through the entire film, despite talking (profusely and profanely) through all the previews.

Oh, and the number "By the Sea"-- perfection. I love this musical, and I'm delighted the movie was so good. It will hopefully win lots of awards.

(A word of warning: there is lots of blood in the film. If you know the story, it comes as no surprise, but just be prepared. Elbrey and Bonnie didn't watch most of the throat-slitting, but Mary and I were looking at it more technically, I guess. I'm a bit de-sensitized to gore; I've seen both Hostel films and all the Saw films, too.)

The Four-Word Film Review

I love this website! The whole idea of the Four-Word Film Review is to describe or review a film in four words or less. The best ones are those that include some sort of play on words. For example, someone reviewed the film Basic Instinct with the four words: "Crossed, Uncrossed, HELLO!, Crossed." (Referring, of course, to the famous Sharon Stone interrogation scene.) Another great one is a review of Titanic : "Icy dead people." (A play on words from Haley Joel Osment's famous line from The Sixth Sense.)

One of my own is for the film Witness: "Crimes and Amish Demeanors."

It's great fun. To see more of my reviews, go the website, then click on the word "Search" to get an advanced search. Then click on the "Users" button and type in dovaj in the general "nickname includes" field. This will link you to all my reviews.

You can also play the guessing game by reading a review in the upper-right-hand corner of the screen (in a talk bubble) and then click the review to find out what film itis describing. It's fun!