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I’ve Loved You So Long is the new Kristin Scott Thomas film. Give her props, and English actress starring in a French film!

I’ve always loved Thomas, ever since The English Patient. She’s one of the least respected actresses out there. She has a coldness about her that could turn people off, but when she opens up on film, while maintaining that coldness, she has more emotional depth then ten Meryl Streep performances combined. This is so true in I’ve Loved You So Long.

It’s about Juliette (Thomas), who just got released from prison after serving 15 years for the murder of her 6 year old son. She’s released to her younger sister whom she’s had little contact over the years. Through out the film Juliette begins to build a new life for herself, while confronting the old one she used to lead.

The film can be slow to get going, and there’s a lot of quiet, reflection shots of Thomas, but it’s totally worth it. Thomas is the modern day Ingrid Bergman, let’s just hope she gets recognized for her greatness as much as Bergman did in her day (3 Oscars, not too shabby!).

Thomas is certainly in the mix for my list of potential 2008 Oscar nominee’s for Best Actress.

Have you heard about what’s happening in Nebraska? They have a child abandonment law that allows kids to be dropped off at emergency rooms up to the age of 17 without any legal consequences for the parent.  Apparently not one infant has been dropped off, the youngest being 5.

I guess the saying, “You better stop or I’ll turn this car around” carries a whole new meaning in Nebraska.

*****

Mike Huckabee said on “The View” the other day, “People who are homosexuals should have every right in terms of their civil rights, to be employed, to do anything they want. But that’s not really the issue. I know you talked about it and I think you got into it a little bit early on. But when we’re talking about a redefinition of an institution, that’s different than individual civil rights. We’re never going to convince each other…But here is the difference. Bull Connor was hosing people down in the streets of Alabama. John Lewis got his skull cracked on the Selma bridge.”

To Huckabee you’ve got to have the shit kicked out of you before you deserve to have the same rights as everybody else. Can you imagine what would have happened if he had said that when Rosie was on “The View”? Talk about a bitch slap!

*****

I loved when winter rolled in when I was fat.  Not just because of the clothes (layers are your friend if you’re a porker).

I’d meet a fella at the bar, have a few drinks, and then go home for a little tickle tickle.  Of course he wouldn’t realize til the next morning that I was a fat ass, thanks to the alcohol and layers from the night before.

Bears hibernate in winter, and I mate.

Of course things are better now.  It’s nice to be able to have sex outside of a 5 month time frame.

I am thrilled about this. Just thrilled!

*****

I am back in New York City and couldn’t be happier.  Los Angeles is lovely and I will miss the many people whom I love dearly there, but NYC is home.

Speaking of home, I officially have a new home!  I now call the Lower East Side of Manhattan home.  It’s not quite what the musical Rent portrayed it as, gentrification has taken hold, but I still fight the urge to break out into “Seasons of Love” as I walk down the street.

I’ve always been obsessed with award shows.  Any of them really, the Emmys, Golden Globes, even the Grammys (sort of).  But the one that takes the cake is the Academy Awards.

The moment I fell in love was while watching the 1993 Academy Awards.  I had fallen in love with Leonardo DiCaprio that year and wanted to watch him win for What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? I almost turned off the show when Tommy Lee Jones won instead (I’m still bitter about this).  But I kept watching, and in the process an obsession was born.

I studied every year, read whatever I could get my hands on, and most importantly, watched the movies.  Once my family got the internet, a whole new, and fantastic, way to research came into my life, in addition to an online community that was equally as obsessed as I was (am).

I checked Tom O’Neil’s Gold Derby website daily.  The Oscar website became my homepage.  Don’t get me started on the amount of time I spent in the Oscar AOL chat rooms.

Now I research the Oscars to relax, and there are so many avenues for me to do so.  Gold Derby is still fantastic!  Film Experience Blog has become a a frequent stop of mine, in addition to In Contention and Awards Daily.

My interest in the Oscars as a child made up for my shyness, it became my friend.  I’m not so shy anymore, so now it’s like I’m just visiting with an old friend.  That and it’s always fun to tape the show and then pause the video to get the reaction shots of the losers.  Best so far, Burt Reynolds losing to Robin Williams.  Ouch!

Tonight is my farewell dinner.  I chose Fred 62’s in Los Feliz because they serve a banana milkshake.  In the land of the H, there are no limits when it comes to anything banana or pumpkin.  I will eat (and in this case, drink) the shit out of it.  Calories don’t matter.  Fat content is a none issue.  Processed is fine.  

I love diner’s, always have.  As a foodie type person, there’s a certain amount of shame in admitting that I love diner’s.  There’s something uniquely American about a diner.  It’s trashy, yes, but the simplicity of it is what makes it fantastic.  And they typically serve breakfast all day.  Done, I’m sold!

I shall offer a full report on the yummy goodness tomorrow.

Packing stresses me out.  It’s not like I have a lot of things.  I have a fair amount, certainly not a small amount, but it’s pretty average for a bi-coastal fella (everytime I say “bi-coastal,” I snicker).

It’s just that, this is my life I’m looking at.  Everything that I own (which isn’t very much), is laid out in front of me.  I am made of H & M clothes, used books and way too many DVD’s.  Of course I am worth more than that, but to literally see all of my possessions in one pile, more mound I suppose, it’s overwhelming.

I found an amazing apartment (I haven’t seen it yet, but my new roomie is fantastic, and my friend Bryan has seen it, so I feel pretty safe in saying it’s amazing).

I get to start over now.  A new location.  A new friend.  A new bed.  It’s moments like this in life that typically just float on by, it’s greatness missed on the stress of the situation.  I often say, whenever I’m nervous about a performance or something, that it wouldn’t be real if I weren’t nervous.  The anxiety is part of what makes stand-up comedy great.  The same goes for this situation.

I am so happy.

I went to see Raging Bull last night. Imagine my surprise when I learned it was a documentary about the McCain campaign.

I should have learned my lesson from before. I was so thrilled to see a truthful, accurate documentary made about George W. Bush, but thoroughly disappointed when Dumb & Dumber turned out to be a silly Jim Carrey movie.

Whatever!

I want to marry Harvey Fierstein.  Unfortunately I can no longer do that in California.  Instead I’ll settle for his brilliance. 

Historic for Some, Same Old Shit for the Rest of Us

by Harvey Fierstein

While we dance in the streets and pat ourselves on the back for being a nation great enough to reach beyond racial divides to elect our first African-American president let us not forget that we remain a nation still proudly practicing prejudice.

I have heard this day described as one of transcendence where Americans came together to prove that we are, above all, a nation of fairness. World witnesses wrote that we rose above ideology, politics and bigotry to achieve a great moment for America. Meanwhile, on this same Election Day, we great Americans passed laws as heinous as any Jim Crow legislation. We great Americans reached out and willfully put our name to language that denies an entire minority group their equal rights.

Of course I am referring to the states of Florida, Arizona and California passing legislation to specifically deny gay people from entering into the contract of marriage. Actually, that’s not true. We can still get married, just not to each other. Yes my friends, Florida and California have now made it legal for gay men and lesbians to marry as long as we don’t marry our partners. How much sense does that make?

Now, before you rise up on your high horse to holler, “We’re not against Civil Unions, just Gay Marriage”, let me once again explain that THE SUPREME COURT HAS STATED THAT SEPARATE BUT EQUAL IS NOT EQUAL. And even if it were, civil unions are simply not equal to marriage.

Let me give you a simple example that anyone can follow. John and Jim are registered as domestic partners and so, just like a married couple; Jim is covered by John’s employee health care. That’s really nice. BUT… since the IRS does not recognize civil unions or domestic partnership Jim has to pay income tax on the value of this coverage. So, unlike a married couple, John and Jim are penalized hundreds of dollars for not being married. That’s not fair. That’s not in the spirit of the civil union legislation. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg of the inequality being offered.

Listen, my fellow Americans, I am only asking that we get sensible about this controversy. Gays are not asking for religious blessings. We are not asking for everyone to come to our weddings. We are not asking the government to force churches and synagogues to perform marriage rituals or even to allow us into their tax-exempt edifices. We are simply and forcefully demanding equal protection under the laws of this nation as tax paying, voting, property owning citizens. I want no more or less protection than granted any heterosexual to control and distribute my holdings.

State sanctioned marriage is a civil contract period. A contract is not a judgment of moral value. It is a legal agreement between two parties that testifies to a meeting of minds between those consenting entities. It is not a religious act or rite and so has nothing to do with Adam and Eve or Steve or even Harvey. I often say that if you want to really want to understand the contract of marriage just ask anyone who has been divorced. The marriage contract is one of property rights. Or maybe you can look in the bible to see what Adam had to say about divorce since Eve was his second wife.

So, while we rightfully celebrate the election of our first African American president, let us take a moment to mourn the passage of three new laws legalizing prejudice. Of course there will be those who claim that voters were only protecting the institution of marriage to whom I would suggest it is just as likely that Obama’s supporters were only voting against W. Breaking the lock on my door doesn’t make your home any more secure.

I went to sleep on election night elated that this country elected such a dynamic figure to the Presidency, and woke up the next morning slapped in the face with the harsh reality that many still view me as a second class citizen.

Many of those who hold that viewpoint were once also persecuted for whom they are and/or what they believed.  The largest factions of people who supported “Yes on 8″ were…
- People of color, whose history of discrimination in the United States is well documented.
- Christians, many Mormons, who were killed in the early days of their religion just for believing.

So soon they forget the past.

The passing of Prop 8 is so much bigger then the state of California, it’s a national issue.  The ripple effects of this decision are enormous.  In the years to come, when another state attempt to ban gay marriage, the quote on all the mail sent to voters will be, “Even liberal California voted against gay marriage!”  Adoption rights are next.  The list goes on.

At first I was lost, didn’t know what to do next.  But it is clear now that the most important thing I can do is to continue the conversation.  I implore you, especially if you’re straight, next time you’re having a casual conversation with somebody, say “Did you hear what happened in California?”  Make it personal, because stripping American citizens of fundamental rights IS personal.

I love my mom and step-dad.  They instilled in me the belief that I do have the right to grow up to be an active participant in society.  That hard work leads to a good job.  That kindness and respect toward others leads to friendships and relationships.  Then comes love, and if you want, having children and teaching them the very things that I was taught.  Those are my rights, and the state cannot give it and then take it away.

Please, sign this petition: http://www.petitiononline.com/seg5130/petition.html

I am proud of my country for electing Barack Obama, but I am so distraught that many Americans don’t see that an incredible injustice happened on Tuesday, November 4th.  Barack Obama said, “It’s been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this date in this election at this defining moment change has come to America.”  Not quite, but it will, we can do it if we all do our part.  Talk to your friends, family, co-workers!

Thank you, I hope you’re well, and if you’re in NYC, I’ll see you in a couple of weeks!

xoxo - Scott

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/06/opinion/06thu1.html?partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

President Obama, I like it!

Being a second class citizen in the eyes of the most “liberal” state in the country?  Well, it blows!

Yesterday the people of California said that gay marriage wasn’t for them, adding the ban to the state’s constitution.  60% of people would need to vote in favor of it next time for the constitution to be be amended.  Only 48% of people supported it yesterday.  Fat chance it’s going to be amended anytime soon.

I feel strange.  On one hand I’m thrilled that Obama is President-elect, but on the other I’m sad, disappointed, scared and pissed that once again I’m made to feel somehow different from the rest.

The ripple effects of yesterday’s vote are terrifying.  In years to come, every time a gay measure is on the ballot, the opposition’s quote on ever piece of direct mail will be, “… even liberal California voted against gay marriage!”  Other states will use this vote as a catalyst for a vote in their own state.  Banning gay adoption is next.  This is fucking terrifying.

What’s next?  I don’t know.  Any ideas?

Proposition 2 overwhelmingly passed though.  Chickens and pigs will now be able to roam free in cageless environments in the state of California before being slaughtered for food.  It’s comforting to know that barnyard animals are viewed as having more value then gay people, isn’t it?