The current issue of OUT Magazine has a great article “Pride on the Screen” which looks back at queer cinema. One of the movies featured – a movie that was definitely ahead of its time – is the Oscar winning, The Crying Game.
For many Millennials this may not be a movie they are familiar with since it was released 25 years ago in 1992. It may seem somewhat dated now, after all the idea of terrorism rarely brings to mind Ireland and England, Catholic and Protestant, but 25 years ago the conflict was still very much a reality and more often than not what came to mind when one talked of bombings and terrorism.
Today NBC released this musical promo on YouTube announcing the new season of Will & Grace. Will “Must See TV” make a comeback this fall with Will & Grace? I know I’ll be tuning in.
Melissa McCarthy’s impersonation of White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer may be the best impersonation I’ve seen this year. On Friday she took to the streets of Manhattan (literally) to promote this week’s show. This follows a trailer that SNL released earlier this week, which is Ahhhhhhhmazing.
One of my favorite skits from last night’s SNL with Jimmy Fallon was the reprisal of his reoccurring SNL character “Sully” and the surprise guest appearance of his equally obnoxious girlfriend “Denise” played by Rachel Dratch. Despite the passage of time Sully & Denise still make me laugh.
One of Boston’s best alternative rock bands from the 80s and 90s, Pixies, will be performing in Boston for three shows next month at The House of Blues: Friday, Saturday and Sunday, May 19-21 so get your tickets now before they sell out.
This weekend I met up with two friends I don’t regularly get a chance to see. Back in the late 90s when I moved back to Boston from Atlanta we went out to see shows all the time, but as we got older and they started families that left less time for evenings out in Boston to catch a live show. Over time I all but stopped going to live shows at local clubs, but my friend Tom (far right in the photo above) still goes to shows on occasion so when he asked if I wanted to go to the benefit I said, absolutely and I’m so glad I did.
The lineup at Saturday night’s benefit included many artists and bands we often went to see in the late 90s. All of these musicians achieved a modicum of success back in the day but never the stardom that would propel them to larger venues, which meant for $20 we could get in and see an excellent live show in Boston. At the time Boston also had an excellent independent station, WFNX 101.7 FM which played these bands regularly. Going to the show on Saturday and seeing many of these acts gave me with a serious case of de ja vu.
Walking into the show on Saturday we were joking at how old the audience looked but by the end of the night we all left with smiles. The line up shown above also included a surprise performance by The Sheila Divine who still sound excellent, but it was actually Tanya Donelly’s band Belly (who I had all but forgotten about) who I thought were the best. I’m going to have to start checking out the lineups at my old haunts (at least the ones that remain).
It finally happened. Sergio and I got bit by the Netflix bug. As amazing as it may seem to some, until recently our TV consumption was solely via Comcast, but a few weeks ago a friend got us hooked on a Netflix series called The 100.
The series which initially started on The CW in March 2014 is a post-apocalyptic sci-fi drama loosely based on a 2013 book by the same name. The series follows a group of 100 teens who are sent back to Earth to see if it is inhabitable from “The Ark” a space station that holds survivors who fled Earth just in time to escape a nuclear war but is now failing some four generations later. Much to the surprise of “The 100” who land on Earth, they find that indeed the planet is survivable now and more surprisingly there are humans living on Earth.
English actor, Ricky Whittle, is one of those “grounders” as The 100 refer to the Earth dwellers. Needless to say, despite the occasional cheesy scene and an inconsistent story line at times, we are hooked. Actor Ricky Whittle who plays the character Lincoln is a big reason for that. Anyone else watching this series?
It is human nature to be drawn to those we find attractive. Typically attraction will wax or wane as you learn more about an individual.
Since his election to office, I’ve found my interest and attraction in Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has continued to grow. He seems to share many of the values I admired in President Obama and miss in our current president.
Perhaps you didn’t hear but earlier this week the rock band U2 announced that they would go on a 25 city stadium tour around the world in honor of the 30th anniversary of their Joshua Tree album which sold more than 25 million records and went on to win a Grammy for Album of the Year in 1987.
The band will perform the album in its entirety each night. Speaking to the media, U2 guitarist, The Edge, said, “It seems like we have come full circle from when ‘The Joshua Tree’ songs were originally written, with global upheaval, extreme right-wing politics and some fundamental human rights at risk. To celebrate the album – we decided to do these shows; it feels right for now.”
U2 will come to Boston for one night on Sunday, June 25th. You can find more information about tickets which go on sale this Monday here.
It is so sad to write that it was reported earlier today that singer George Michael died at the age of 53. His publicist has said that he passed away while at home this afternoon. Police say there were no suspicious circumstances.
George Michael had a string of infectious pop music hits that played a big part of my life. While I’ve not given him much thought recently, he holds a special place in my heart for all the memories his music has brought me over the years.
I’ve loved every version of Hairspray, starting with the original movie written and directed by John Waters in 1988. The musical which came later to Broadway and was then remade into a movie musical lacks the emotional impact of the original, but I still love it.
Set your DVRs if you’ll be out so you can watch this fun musical which will be live on NBC tonight starting at 8PM ET / 7PM CT.
Tomorrow, August 17th from 8:00 PM to 12:00 AM, Beat Brasserie in Harvard Square will present a musical tribute to Prince. The evening will feature live performances adhering to Prince’s style and substantial influence on music today, including funk, rock, R&B, new wave, soul, psychedelic and pop.
Boston joins cities all over the world to celebrate the life, memory and music of Freddie Mercury with “Freddie For A Day”. In addition to celebrating Mercury’s music contributions the evening brings people together to help raise awareness and funds for the Mercury Phoenix Trust – fighting AIDS worldwide.
Boston’s “Freddie For A Day” celebration takes place at the Oberon Theater on Wednesday night. Three local bands will pay tribute to and perform Queen songs while a silk aerialist dressed as Freddie Mercury performs overhead.
A raffle and costume contest will also be held so come down to The Oberon in Cambridge and enjoy an evening of great music. Tickets on sale now through OBERON for $20 and limited half priced tickets on sale through Bostix.
A new Golden Girls parody show, Thank You For Being A Friend, made its debut in Toronto this weekend. Thomas Duncan-Watt and Jonathan Rockefeller co-wrote the show, which transforms Dorothy, Blanche, Sophia and Rose from the popular 1980s TV show into puppet form. I’m hoping that after Toronto, Thomas and Duncan will turns their eyes East to Provincetown or Boston.
BosGuy 