Giving Thanks: Alan Ball

Originally posted on www.biggaypictureshow.com

This week I’m heading across the pond back to America to give thanks to one of the gay heavyweights working behind the scenes in film and television, Oscar, Emmy and Golden Globe award winning film, theatre and television producer, writer and director, Alan Ball.

After finishing college in 1980, Ball began working as a playwright at the General Nonsense Theatre Company in Sarasota Florida. Although we may be skipping a few years ahead, by the 1990s he was working in television and contributed to a number of shows such as Oh Grow Up, Grace Under Fire and Cybill, which starred Cybill Shepherd.

In 1999 Ball’s first film as a screenwriter, American Beauty, exploded at the box office grossing over $350 million worldwide and won five Oscars at the 72^nd Academy Awards, including Best Picture and a Best Screeplay gong for Ball. Although the film was a huge success, most of a hefty gay subplot was removed from the film until the very end, which is slightly disheartening, but luckily for the LGBT community it wasn’t entirely ripped from the film.

Venturing back into television, Ball created the hugely successful HBO drama series Six Feet Under, which was a rating’s smash and ran for five series. The show included a major gay character that broke the mould of the traditional stereotype, in the shape of David Fisher, played by Dexter’s Michael C. Hall. After the series ended his next huge hit came in the shape of vampire series True Blood.

Throughout the show a number of LGBT issues have been at the forefront, with the openly gay Layfayette, a lesbian relationship involving Tara, and at the end of the latest series a blossoming vampire lesbian relationship between Pam and Tara. We’ve even seen male vampires engaging in sex together, which despite them being dead all helps towards normalising LGBT characters on TV.

The whole show has been read as an allegory for LGBT rights, with vampires ‘coming out of the closet’ and fighting for equal rights. Although Ball has dispelled this comparison as laziness, the author of the books the show is based on has said this was the case when she wrote them. Either way it’s great to be able to see the fight for gay rights being represented in a way that isn’t overly forceful on an audience.

Along with all this Ball been named one of the most impressive gay men and women in Out magazine’s annual 100 list, and has been lauded as a strong voice for the community. As he left his position as show runner at the end of series five of True Blood, it will be interesting to see what Ball does next and whether he will continue to channel gay characters on his shows and challenge stereotypes that have existed for far too long.

Giving Thanks: Angela Robinson

Originally posted on www.biggaypictureshow.com

Last week, I gave thanks to one of the most prolific LGBT writers in the UK, Russell T. Davies, and this week I’m not only looking across the pond at our American counterparts, but I’m also looking at the lovely lady gays. First on this list to give thanks to is film and television director, screenwriter and producer Angela Robinson.

Many of you out there may not have heard of Miss Robinson, but I can be pretty certain that you’ve heard of her work.

In the UK and America, Queer as Folk helped gay men burst into the mainstream and also made them the central characters of their own TV show, but for lesbians this didn’t really happen until the hit show The L Word came on the scene in 2004. In the midst of all the cast and creators, Angela Robinson was there working away acting as a director, writer and producer for the show, which helped lesbian characters break out onto American television like they never had before.

Aside from this, the show gave gay women a show of their own, instead of having to tune into Queer as Folk USA, where there were lesbian characters but they didn’t really balance out against their gay male counterparts.

This isn’t the only thing that she has done, she was also the director, writer and editor of the film D.E.B.S, an action comedy that was a slight parody of Charlie’s Angels and revolved around a lesbian love story. The film was an expansion on a short film of the same name, which was created by Robinson and won a clutch of awards back in 2003.

Luckily for everyone, Angela has continued to work in television and film through the last decade and has directed films such as Herbie: Fully Loaded, starring Lindsay Lohan. She has also worked as a writer on programmes such as True Blood, which itself can be viewed as an allegory for gay rights and has recently seen a few lesbian twists coming into it (whether she had anything to do with this is anyone’s guess).

As we can see, gay people working behind the scenes are helping us gain mainstream recognition in TV and film across the globe in an array of different shows. I mean, how many of you thought you’d see lesbians in a vampire programme (who aren’t just there for the titillation of straight male viewers)? But luckily for us these gay filmmakers, writers and producer are here, and hopefully here to stay.

More Film News ...

Originally posted on www.thefancarpet.com

Knoxville To Star in Scout Comedy

Johnny Knoxville has been signed up to star in a comedy about scouts.

Todd Rohal, the writer and director of the currently untitled film project has cast Knoxville to star opposite Patton Oswalt, where they will play a pair of warring siblings.

The Jackass star and Oswalt, who will soon be staring in The Informant, will be playing two brothers who are constantly vying for their fathers attention.  When their father falls ill the competition between the two intensifies, as they compete against each other to find out who is the best leader after taking a group of boys of a camping trip. Of course the end results will more than liking end in side splitting comedy.

Also on board to star in the film are, Maura Tierney, Rob Riggle and Patrice O’Neil. The film that was originally called Scout Master begins shooting next week.

There is currently no word on what the film will eventually be called, but I doubt it will be long before we find out.

Skarsgard in Talks for Eco Thriller

Alexander Skarsgard is in talks to join new eco thriller movie, The East.

The Swedish actor, famous for playing Eric Northman in HBO’s True Blood, is certainly in demand at the moment; he’s already attached to Warner Bros’ The Vanguard.

The East, which has been co-written by rising star Brit Marling, will see a female agent (played by Marling) who infiltrates and eco terrorist group. Skarsgard is in talks to play the leader of the terrorist group, who target unethical corporations.

Skarsgard who can currently be seen on television screens around the world at the moment playing Viking sheriff Eric Northman in True Blood, is really carving a name for himself in the movies. He will be seen next in Melancholia and then a remake of Straw Dogs, before finally being seen next year in Battleship.

Zat Batmanglij, will also be joining the team, where he will be stepping behind the camera for The East.

Filming for the project is expected to kick of in Nashville through October and Novemeber.

More Film News ...

Originally posted on www.thefancarpet.com

More Viking Action for Skarsgard

True Blood star Alexander Skarsgard has signed on to play another Viking in new film The Vanguard.

The Vanguard, which is only a working title for the new film, currently being purchased by Warner Bros, will see Skarsgard play one of two Viking brothers who have been banished to America, and begin a quest back to their homeland of Sweden.

Skarsgard, who hit the big time as Eric Northman in HBO hit True Blood, appears to be getting plenty of film work lately as he is set to appear in big screen roles in Straw Dogs and Battleship in the next few years, and he was recently seen in Lars Von Trier’s Melancholia, which had its premier at the Cannes film festival.

The film which currently has Jonathan Liebersman attached to direct, is

Warner Bros. apparently believe the film could end up in the same vein as Braveheart or Gladiator, and currently has Jonathan Liebsman attached to direct.

Whether it will make it past the development stages however is yet to be seen.

Banderas Joins He Loves Me

Antonio Banderas has signed up to join new film He Loves Me.

The film has also added Steve Coogan, Elliott Gould, Deborah Ann Woll and Chris Messina to its line up.

The film which is directed by Little Miss Sunshine co-directors Valerie Faris and Jonathan Dayton will see Paul Dano play Calvin, a young writer who is suffering from writers block after the success of his debut novel. To get his creative juices flowing he is advised to create his ideal woman. After conjuring her up on paper, when suddenly the desired woman becomes real. Interestingly Zoe Kazan, the films screenwriter and Dano’s real-life girlfriend is playing the part of his character’s ideal woman.

The film also includes the talents of Academy Award Nominee Annette Bening, playing Calvin’s mother. Banderas will be playing the part of Bening’s dodgy boyfriend, who, as you’ve guessed it, Calvin can’t stand.

Other characters in the film will be; a pompous rival author played by Coogan, Calvin’s brother played by Messina and the writer’s therapist, played by Gould. Woll will play the part of Calvin’s ex-girlfriend.

Although there is no confirmed release date for the picture, shooting has already begun in Los Angeles.

True Blood is Back

Originally posted on www.differentscene.co.uk

The world is still crazy about vampires and this week True Blood returned in America for its fourth series.

If you haven’t seen the vampire show yet then I recommend that you do. For a start unlike the snooze fest that is Twilight the vampires in True Blood actually show us their fangs and aren’t afraid to kill when necessary, and this is only the beginning. The show is full to the brim with mystical and terrifying creatures that include the likes of werewolves, witches, shape shifters and countless more (really the list is almost endless).

Based on the Sookie Stackhouse novels by Charlaine Harris, the show is set in Bon Temps in Southern America in a time when vampires have come out of the coffin and integrated themselves into everyday human lives, but things aren’t always that easy. Soon we experience the plight of the vampires as they try and become accepted into sceptical world along with murder, a few love stories and a whole lot sex thrown in for good measure.

Now you may be wondering what this show has to do with being gay? Aside from the openly gay character Lafayette the whole programme is an allegory for gay rights, with the vampires representing homosexual people and the humans representing the straight, as it shows how coming out for the vampires and their fight for equality and equal rights mirror that of gay men and women over the last 50 plus years. The author of the books on which the series was based has even stated this on several occasions, making the show even more enjoyable. Watch out for a few ‘God hates fangs’ posters and some anti-vampire religious groups (it really couldn’t be more obvious).

So if you haven’t seen it yet, go and get yourself series 1-3 sit back and enjoy a whole lot of real vampires (as opposed to those fake fangless ones in Twilight), as they kill, love, party and fight for their rights, True Blood is a must watch for anyone.