I totally want to see this!

What if...

Michael Bay took on "My Little Pony".... food for thought, oh wait here's the answer....

Home for the Holidays

Easily the best Thanksgiving movie ever. This is one of my favorite scenes when Robert Downey Jr's Character Tommy comes home in the middle of the night and wakes up the family. I adore Holly Hunter and Anne Bancroft in this.

One of my favorite moments in film...

Meryl Streep in Postcards from the Edge, singing "You Don't Know Me."



I adore it.

Gays and Dolls: Beyond Camp

Broadway may not go for Booze and Dope, but Hollywood does! Brace yourselves because our backyard is going to be filled with pill popping party girls this March the 29th. Its that time again ladies and gentlemen, the boys of Gay Gardens invite you to another fun filled screening night under the stars! This time with with a more intoxicating style. Its time to gay it up, booze it up, slap a few people, and run like hell either from a deranged drug addled psychopath, or just ourselves... Liza, Neely, Anne, The Carrie Nations, and maybe even Nomi.... The gangs all here. Pop a pill, and sit back for a night of fun and camp.




Pre-show starts at 7pm: "Liza With A Z" (1972)

Liza Minnelli stars in a television concert directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse from 1972. She performs such songs as the title number, "Liza with a 'Z'" and "Son of a Preacher Man". The concert concludes with a medley of songs from the film Cabaret and countless numbers to raise your gay-meter. This is a must see for one and all regardless of what you thought of her mother.

Our Feature Presentations:



"Valley of the Dolls" (1967)

A cinematic take on a 1960s best-seller, Valley of the Dolls traces the ups and downs of three young women as fame, booze, pills, and men consume their lives.



"Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" (1970)

A hip and happenin' all girl rock group head to LA to claim lead-singer Kelly's inheritance and make it (and make it) in LA. They immediately fall under the spell of rock'n'roll Svengali, the 'Teen Tycoon' of rock Ronnie 'Z-Man' Barzell, and other rapacious Hollywood party types as lustful porno actress Ashley St Ives, ravenous lesbian Roxanne and shady lawyer Porter Hall. Soon the girls fall into a morass of drugs and deceit as their recording success soars. It takes several tragedies to make them stop and think... but is it too late? This is a sequel only in name to its predecessor, and was actually written by film critic Roger Ebert.

Possible Mid-night snack: "Showgirls" (1995)

Nomi Malone sets out for Las Vegas to become a showgirl. After working as a stripper, she gets her big break at a chorus line audition for the Stardust Casino production, 'Goddess.' She soon finds out that 'showbiz' is a rough-and-tumble world--is she tough enough to claw her way to the top? And if so, is it really worth it?

Again, all who wish to attend are welcome. If you want to come and need directions etc. let me know! As always, films are subject to change.

When: Saturday March 29th The pre-show will start promptly at 7pm.
How: Contact me if you need info. Please bring a lawn chair if you have one, some booze or whatever you want to drink, and a sense of humor. We'll have the fire pit going as usual and look forward to seeing you all!

"When does ANY party start? When you get there!"

My president free weekend

I had a really great weekend. Finally I was able to breathe a bit better and the chest cold from hell had subsided enough for me to feel human. My sister called Friday and tossed out the idea of going to check out the LA Derby Dolls for an intensive lesson in Roller Derby action. I had wanted to go for so long and it was the perfect opportunity to go somewhere new on a Saturday night.

My sister has always dreamed of being a roller derby queen, so I'm trying to convince her to strap on her skates and kick some butt. We'll see if she tries out in the next year or two. The best part for me would be helping her find a suitable name. Her red hair would help out with that....

I had a great time at the bout! I ran into friend Ernessa (Who used to be in the Tough Cookies) for the first time in ages. It was great to see her and meet the new hubby. I had to cheer the tough cookies on as it was the only tie in I knew here in LA, but for being underdogs in Saturday's bout, they came back with a vengence and kicked some serious ass. My voice is still a little raw from all the screaming. With names like Gori Spelling (and her number is 90210) Titty Titty Gang Bang, Laura Palm-Her and Laguna Beyatch, they won their way into my heart pretty fast.

Here they are after their big win:


Sunday was the Daytona 500 with my friends Billy and Glen. We had a great white trashy southern breakfast with grits and egg mess... it was delish. It was also possibly the gayest NASCAR party ever as the mimosas flowed between discussions of Points, new sponsers, areo-loose, and cocks. I'll spare you the details as many get a little freaked at me showing too much enthusiasm for this redneckiest of sports, but here's a few bullit points:

Tony Stewart: You're my man, but cut the hair and unswallow yourself.... the people are watching..
Reed Sorenson: You look a little less like a baby doll...way to grow up.
Kurt Busch: Fuck you....yeah, that about sums it up...
Dale Jr: Good job, can't wait to see how the rest of the season treats ya!
Franchitti: You are adorable, and the accent is killing us all, keep it up, glad you switched over from Indy...
Carl Edwards: just show us your abs and do that flip thing you do...
Newman: Congrats, first victory in years and its the biggest race you could have hoped for!

Monday I stayed in and mainly vegged and watched some good movies. You simply must check out "Closet Land" with Alan Rickman and Madeline Stowe. Really beautiful, amazingly creepy, and the perfect statement about interrogation and torture one could witness. This movie needs to be mailed to every single representative we have in this country and they should be forced to watch it..... while being waterboarded...



Then, the movie I've beeen saving to watch.... "Once"

It was great. Loved the music, which is 80% of the film and I now have a big ol' mancrush on Glen Hansard, star of the film and lead singer of the frames. He is dreamy....



Ahhh good weekend!

There Will Be Blood

and the amazing sequels: "There is Some Blood Right There" and "There Was Blood" and the incredible finale "Remember the Blood?"

So if you haven't already guessed, this post is about movies I saw this weekend. I started the weekend off with a bang and saw the perfect little gem of a film called "Juno." I can't stop telling people how much I loved this film. Yes, it was hyped to the ends of the Earth by the time I got to see it, but it really lived up to all the buzz. Cody Diablo, aka Brook Bussey Hunt, has written an incredible first screenplay that is almost a shoe-in to winning Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars. I have looked up her memoir as a stripper in Minneapolis and will be buying it and reading it before the week is out. I can't wait to see what she brings to the table in the future. If you can see one film this week and haven't been out to see this one yet, do yourself the favor and check it out.

Sunday I went to see the other highly hyped film, "There will be blood." This film was pretty, Daniel Day Lewis was wonderful and creepy, the mood and suspense of each shot was perfectly done.....but it kind of left me cold. I really wanted to like it more than I did. I couldn't really put my finger on why until the credits rolled and there was my answer: "based on 'Oil' by Upton Sinclair." The main issue I had with this piece, was the fact that we couldn't really get too close to these characters....and that can be due to Upton Sinclair's writing style. I have found his writing to be a bit dry when it comes to the backgrounds, and flushing out of the people who populate his works. Sinclair tends to be more a man about the main idea and less about the intimacy of the lives in front of us. I must hand it to DDL as it must have been hard to fill in the blanks on a character that spends half his time lying, and the other half refusing to divulge anything about how he feels or what his past contains. We are always kept at arms length with these men. The ideas and issues are palpable and clear, but the real interesting stuff for me, would have been to see under these rough exteriors a bit more. My guess is the hype will work, and if "No Country for Old Men" doesn't take best picture, it'll surely go to this film. I think as far as a perfect, well crafted gem I wish "Juno" stood a chance, but those dreams never really come true on Oscar night do they?

"Twisted Love" Backyard Screening February 9th

It's that time again. After a brief hiatus for the holidays, our series of Backyard Screenings is back. The boys of "Gay Gardens" along with our good friend Mark present an evening of cinema to celebrate/destroy all that you know about love. Bring us your huddled masses, your bitter angry loners. Bring forth your downtrodden souls who ache for the Valentine's Day decorations to cease. Come one, come all and see what lurks within the world of "Twisted Love!"

The pre-show entertainment will be:

Movin' With Nancy (1967)
Billed as the "full-hour musical spectacular that won Nancy Sinatra the coveted Hollywood Star of Tomorrow award," this 1967 NBC-TV special, sponsored by Royal Crown Cola, is hosted by Nancy and features Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr., Lee Hazlewood and Frank Sinatra (billed as 'A Very Close Relative').



Our kick ass feature films will be:

Private Parts (1972)
When Cheryl and her roommate quarrel, Cheryl moves into her aunt's skid-row hotel in downtown L.A. rather than return home to Ohio. The lodgers are odd, Aunt Martha is a moralizer obsessed with funerals, murder is afoot, and the inexperienced and trusting Cheryl may be the next victim. She wants to be treated like a woman, and she's drawn to George, a handsome photographer who longs for human contact but sleeps with a water-inflated doll and spies on Cheryl as she bathes. Jeff, a neighborhood clerk, may be Cheryl's only ally in what she doesn't realize is a perilous residence haunted by family secrets. And, what happened to Alice, a model who used to have Cheryl's room?



Wild At Heart (1990)
Wild at Heart is a film written for the screen and directed by David Lynch, based on Barry Gifford's novel Wild at Heart: The Story of Sailor and Lula about Sailor Ripley (Nicolas Cage) and Lula Pace Fortune (Laura Dern), a young couple from Cape Fear, North Carolina who, after his return from prison, decide to go on the run from her overbearing mother (Diane Ladd) and, because of her mother, the mob becomes involved. The film is a road movie and includes bizarre, almost supernatural events and off-kilter violence with sometimes overtly heavy allusions to The Wizard of Oz and references to Elvis Presley and his movies.



Dressed to Kill (1980)
A transsexual murders one of his psychiatrist's patients, and now he's after the prostitute who witnessed it. Tagline: "Brian de Palma, master of the macabre, invites you to a showing of the latest fashion... in murder."



Feel free to bring a guest or two. Bring some snacks or anything you want to drink, and we'll provide the only working Backyard Drive-In Movie Theatre in Atwater Village. This event is dependent upon the weather, so if rain is expected we'll cancel, but for now save the date! It may be a little chilly so feel free to bring blankets, warm up with a cocktail and we will have our fire pit cooking off to the side to warm you if ya need it.

What: I Already told you that!
Where: My place aka "Gay Gardens" (If you want to come and need the address, let me know)
When: February 9th 2008, Pre-show entertainment starts at 7pm.
How: What you need me to show you?
Why: Cause this event is just too darn fun to stop now.

See you there....

And yet more film watching...

Again, a quick rundown and review of some movies I spent the majority of my weekend watching...

1. A Prairie Home Companion

I used to endure this radio show in my childhood due to my mother's infatuation with Gerrison Keeler... I wasn't particularly fond of it. This movie was very odd (Ya kind of lost me Mr. Altman with that chick in white crap) but it made for a fun concert if you simply were to fast forward through the terrible Lindsey Lohan performance, ugly wig on Lily Tomlin, boring Gerrison Keeler stories backstage, a possibly high Kevin Kline getting his fingers caught in stuff, and Meryl Streep sitting on her ass..... and just watched them sing. Then it woulda been worthwhile, but it also would have been a 20 minute movie.

2. Tideland

Terry Gilliam is great at painting a believable picture for me to accept as reality. In this film, we see childhood through the eyes of a lonely little girl who's parents are druggies, and her world is one of make believe to escape the horror. You should really be in the mood for this one as it is very eff'ed up but extremely worth a watch. The performances are fantastic, especially the little girl who had to even know about the themes here let alone act them out.

3. Talk to me

Ok Ernessa, your call out to everyone to see this film was well worth it and I second it. The performances rocked my world, just as much as how well written this film was. I laughed out loud, alot, while watching it alone.... me laughing out loud is tough, especially when it comes to watching things alone. This film really did run you through a gammut of emotions. I also have to give huge kudos to a fantastic costume design. For a film that covers essentially 3 iconic decades, the looks were realistic, flawless and not the usual sterotyped crap we see so often. These characters weren't "dressed," they went and picked out their clothes like they always do, cause they were real to me.

4. This is England

This was a gem I stumbled upon in the video store that deserves high marks. Another look at life as child under difficult circumstances, but first and foremost a fascinating look at the world of skinhead youth in 1980's suburban England. Another hard role for a child to pull off, and agaain a huge success.

5. Superbad

After so much seriousness, I needed something that would just make me laugh... This movie succeeded. I laughed alot, was surprised how well the typical teens on a mission to get laid storyline could still work, and felt like I could watch it again someday. Funny, pleasant, and actually quite hilarious each time that poor fat kid got hit by a car.

Anyone have any suggestions for next weekend?

You gonna get bit!

Dawn O' Keef has a little something extra in her vajayjay... This horror film looks pretty funny and bizarre, I think it requires a field trip with all of us to see it, anyone in? The trailer is totally safe for work, remember we are most afraid of what we can't see...

Where I recount 4 more movies I watched this past weekend...

1. Home for the Holidays.

Holly Hunter, a slightly drugged (please, you can tell...) Robert Downey Jr., Claire Danes, Anne Bancroft, Steve Guttenberg, Dylan McDermot, Cynthia Stevenson... Directed by Jodie Foster... How can you go wrong? Since 1995, I have watched this movie at least once around the holidays and it hasn't gotten any worse, if anything I laugh harder each time I see it. This pretty much sums up family and holidays to me, a must watch this time of year!

2. Broken English

I love Parker Posey, no I really adore her in pretty much anything... I didn't dig this, it felt like a very forced attempt at romance from our friend Zoe Cassavetes. There should have been more Gena Rowlands and Drea De Matteo, less whatever it was that muddled up the center of this film. I also realized I need to figure out why I have such a crush on Justin Theroux every damn time I see him in something. Perhaps its cause he's only in like 5 minutes of the whole film every time?

3. Hell House

This is a great documentary about Trinity Church's famous "Hell House" they throw each year around Halloween, and the poeple behind the hype. This film was fiarly unbiased in its portrayal of all those involved and their intentions. I am not a big fan of Christianity when it comes to preachiness and moral judgements, so this one was a tough one to sit through. To hear young women hoping against hope that they get to be in the Abortion scene, or the suicide scene is very creepy. I also of course took issue with the "AIDS" scene with a girl trying to "save" her gay friend dying of AIDS in a hospital from eternal damnation, thanks to jesus the faggot dies and goes to hell while abortion girl repents at the last moments...all angels and halos for her... yikes. This is the scariest haunted house i've ever seen based purely on what they foist upon those who enter... This is worth a watch for those of you interested in really good documentaries, just be in the moddd to test your patience.

4. Little Children

Very, very good movie. I loved how quiet the film was, and the use of narration always scares me but it really worked in this instance. Great performances, wonderful direction, a must see. (PS: you get to see Patrick Wilson's cute butt in fairly graphic action, now you gonna rent it?)

Now I'll never be a teen model!

So yesterday morning, I got into work and sat at my desk as always. The next ten or so minutes consisted of the usual post vacation chat about turkeys, pies, tiredness, family etc... After recounting to my boss about the wonderful break I had enjoyed, it hit me..... The plastic cover for the fluorescent lights above me smacked me down like a bitch and left three nice gashes in my nose. I know poor me, but it all really did happen so fast. Laugh laugh, loud noise, bang and I'm down. I now fear being cheery in the office. Perhaps that's what they want!? All kidding aside I'm fine and just a little embarrassed at how these weird things happen to me frequently in life, remember my little scrap with an electric door? Anywho, the bandaid is off today, I got a well deserved extra day at home with an ice pack and some movies, and the throbbing sensation has subsided.



To recap turkey day: It was a lovely day with good friends, a wonderfully juicy turkey, and some mellow fun. I even made a tart which turned out pretty well. (A little over cooked in the crust dept. but still good.) All had a good time and I was comatose in bed by 11:30. We all also learned from my roommate's sister that the new term for a Queef (female vaginal fart) is a "Rose Fart." Odd, I know, you kinda had to be there. I hope someday a writer friend will name one of their characters "Rose Varts." I digress.

I got in alot of movie watching time so here's my bit second reviews of all the films I saw:

1. Beowulf. Ok, still look kinda corpse-ish, lotsa ass, very rentable fair but not riveting.

2. Enchanted. Cute, Amy Adams MAKES this movie. Patrick Dempsey is still a block of salt. Worth a rent if you are bored and want to smile, don't bother seeing it in the theatre with all the whiny kids.

3. The TV Set. Weird, too insidery for those who aren't in the biz (aka boring for them) and the only redeeming factor: Sigourney Weaver in a light bitchy role. David Duchovny and beard= bad.

4. Zoo. Disturbing doc on beastiality that is set in my hometown Enumclaw, WA. Worth a watch for its subtle style of telling such a touchy story. Worth a rent for those with a stronger mind than stomach. Also, in one shot you can see the back of my old house up on the hill.

5. Notes on a Scandal. Wonderful, great acting, a must see, creepiest damn Judi Dench character EVER.

6. Year of the Dog. Disappointing, Molly Shannon is boring, weirdly depressing and not as hopeful or funny as it says it is...avoid it.

7. Day Watch. If you liked Night Watch, this is a great continuation of the funky Russian vampire/ matrixy good vs. evil trilogy. They weren't nearly as specific and creative with the subtitles this go round.

My weekend: in a dream film

Most weekends find me tired, spent, and lazy... This weekend was exactly that, but I had somehow managed to drag myself out of bed earlier than usual on Sunday. I showered, dressed, and grabbed some lunch before hitting the local film rental outlet. With determination to find a good film festival that both suited my mood and allowed me to catch up on movies I've been wanting to see.... I picked four wonderful gems. All four films have a dreamlike quality, you feel as though you are floating through the story with the characters.

I began my film fest with a great film called "Cashback."

This film was first brought to my attention by Scott over at SardonicBomb. It is a sweet, funny, chaarming, and extremely creative film about a young art student that uses his insomnia to his advantage by working nights at a 24 hour grocery store. It is part love story, part experimental film, part 3d photograph, and gives the viewer the same feeling that every artist has when studying something they find beautiful. I highly suggest seeing this.

Next up was the most recent film by John Cameron Mitchell of Hedwig fame: "Shortbus."

This was one fun ride. This film did kind of shock me in the first 5 minutes, where you see actors actually copulating.... yes, it was Mitchell's idea of commitment to the storyline and I have to say, as much as many people took issue with that choice saying it was purely for shock value I have to side with Mitchell. The sex was what the story was about. It was real, unedited not perfect and sexy, it was just as awkward and frenzied as sex can truly be. (You have to see this film if only to see someone sing the star spangled banner into an asshole.) He pushed the envelope wildly left and right with this movie, but the heart of the film is its sweet characters that with all their faults, omissions, and sideways intentions. You will love to go on this journey with them. I really enjoyed the movie, I laughed, blushed, and in many ways felt kind of at home. There is something about that crazy artist collective in this film that reminds me of undergrad and the sweet random exclamations of freedom we too shouted to the skies.

After the first two films, I was primed for my next adventure. I am a huge David Lynch fan, and was kind of sad I never got my ass in gear to see this in the theaters, but I had saved it for a grey day like Sunday and therefore picked up my copy of "Inland Empire."

Laura dern has the perfect face for this roll. She has ways of expressing such a strong sense of emotion with just the smallest of muscle movements and a slighly open jaw. This is a dream world that is best seen and not necessarily talked about. Lynch has such a great hand at creating dreamscapes that you can just lean into it and accept it as a whole. He is not for the faint of heart, and this piece is just as dense if not more so than Mullholland Drive, but it is an experience I think everyone should brave at least once. Check it out, you may even like it.

To end my day of movie watching, I concluded with a film I enjoyed more than I ever expected to: "Paris Je T'aime."

I've been to Paris, and i've seeen all those films with skinny actresses from america wandering streets, getting lost in love, eating bread.....um yeah... check please.... This was something VERY different. This was a grouping of many smaller vignettes around the city, each with a different director taking the helm and putting their stamp on a story they saw as truly part of Paris. It was great! Each story so very different, but the look and feel of the film was beautifully seamless. The film was sweet, melancholic, funny, strange... in many ways just perfect. It's a great date movie or something to toss in on a cold lazy day. For those of you who might be scared off, I should mention that it is subtitled (not very well and a little too intrusively...but nonetheless.) and includes spanish english and french in its dialogue. See this film if only to see Wes Craven do a love story that doesn't involve murder or blood. My personal favorite was one scene entirely narrated by a woman in bad french acccent of her trip to Paris as if she is presenting her report to her French class. Its more touching and fun than you can imagine.