i'll always have a place @ the dq
i'll always have a place @ the dq
i'll always have a place @ the dq
incoherent ramblings on the wall of a toilet stall.
december 09, 2005
gays v. new york
i read this on gawker.com and had to repost…
see, it’s not so much that a new york state appeals court yesterday overturned a manhattan judge’s february ruling that would have allowed gays to marry. (that was, alas, to be expected.) it’s more the language that was used in upholding the status quo. no “we’re sympathetic but the court overstepped its bounds”; no “it’s fundamentally unfair but a matter that must be left to the legislature.” oh, no. instead it was grafs like:
the law assumes that a marriage will produce children and affords benefits based on that assumption. it sets up heterosexual marriage as the cultural, social and legal ideal in an effort to discourage unmarried childbearing.”
marriage laws are not primarily about adult needs for official recognition and support but about the well-being of children and society, and such preference constitutes a rational policy decision.
because of course gay marriage would be detrimental to “the well-being of children and society.” even here in good ol’ blue-state new york.
posted by clint at 09:46 am
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december 04, 2005
portand out-kicks penn state to advance at college cup
[note: the finals are airing today on 12/4/05 espn2 @ 10am pacific time.]
after 110 minutes and nine penalty kicks, the first college cup semifinal came down to two hermann trophy finalists facing off from 12 yards apart. portland and penn state played to a 0-0 draw and with the penalty kicks tied at 3, sinclair calmly went left side to leave erin mcleod guessing wrong and the pilots moving on to sunday’s final, where they will play ucla, a 4-0 winner over florida state, in the other semifinal at the aggie soccer stadium on friday. the pilots celebrated on the field after sinclair’s shot hit the back of the net, but were a little more subdued about the result later, almost apologetic. “i hate to win games on penalty kicks,” portland coach garrett smith said “there were two undefeated teams out there and we knew going into the penalty kicks that one of us was going to have an undefeated season and not win the national championship, which is a shame.” penalty kicks go down as a tie on a teams record. the pilots will go into the final with a 22-0-2 mark. penn state finished the season at 23-0-2. in the penalty kick session, tiffany weimar put penn state up, but was immediately matched by megan rapinoe. then the keepers both stepped up like they had all game. portland’s cori alexander guessed right and got a hand on a well-struck shot by carmelina moscato. mcleod then matched her, getting a left hand on lisa sari’s pk. allie long put penn state back up, and angie woznuk tied it at 2. heather tomko went left side low, but alexander, who went through a little ritual of touching both goalposts before each kick, was there with an outstretched right hand. “our goalkeeper coach advocates a little gamesmanship [when facing a penalty kick],” alexander said of her routine. “anything you can do to throw the field player off helps. they try to make penalty kicks a routine, and if you can intimidate them a little, it gives you an advantage.” it gave the pilots the advantage they needed. so did colleen salisbury, who had not played during regulation or the overtime and on her first touch of the game beat mcleod to her right side. smith said he put the senior in cold because she has yet to miss from the penalty spot and that being left footed gave mcleod something different to look at. in the fifth and final round, the nittany lions’ sheree gray left alexander flat-footed to tie it, leaving sinclair, the nation’s leading goal scorer and last year’s hermann trophy winner (player of the year), alone to win it. “obviously, pks is never a good way to end a game, much less a season,” penn state coach paula wilkins said. sinclair nearly ended it twice in the final two minutes of the second overtime. the first time she let penn state off the hook by mishitting a shot from in close, after a nice buildup by sinclair, lindsey huie and sari. the second chance, from the top left side of the penalty box, left mcleod watching as the ball hit the right post. “i finally found some open space and had a chance with my left foot but i hit it with my purse,” sinclair said of the first shot. ”[on the second chance] had an all right angle and struck it cleanly and thought it was going in, but the post got in the way.” portland, going into the wind, had the best of the opportunities in the first half, with perhaps the two best chances coming in the first 10 minutes. angie woznuk made erin mcleod dive to her left to stop a dipping shot from the top of the box. five minutes later, rapinoe took control on a hustle play and then found sinclair, who left-footed a shot that sent mcleod diving to her left again. mcleod got just enough of the ball to send it just outside the right post. the pilots next dangerous ball started with keeper alexander sending it to sinclair, who headed it on to natalie budge. budge, who was free, hit her shot above the cross bar. mcleod was called on one more time, before the end of the half denying lindsey huie. “erin had a world class game and we knew we had to have it,” wilkins said. “she showed she was a world class goalkeeper tonight.” fellow senior and the nittany lions’ other choice for the hermann trophy echoed her coaches feelings. “erin had one of the best games i’ve ever seen a goalkeeper have, and i’ve seen a lot of soccer games,” weimar said. on the final portland attempt of the half, mcleod got help from tomko, who hustled across the box to clear a woznuk cross that was ticketed to sinclair just outside the 6-yard box. penn state’s best two threats in regulation came on restarts from just outside the penalty box. alexander turned away both, the first with the help of the cross bar. jean rettig rocketed a shot for the top shelf that alexander just touched enough to have the ball bound off the cross bar. late in regulation, alexander spoiled carmelina moscato’s blast by diving to her right and while parallel to the ground just getting a fist on it, sending it over the line. “that’s my job to put any part of my body on it to stop it,” alexander said. “they work their butt off out there in front of me so the best i can do is make a save or two for them.” the nittany lions had their moments in the first half but for the most part never really tested alexander. gray had time midway through the half but had her shot deflected for a corner by a defender. mcleod may have came closest to scoring, taking a free kick from just inside the midfield line that alexander had to turn away from the far post for a corner after appearing to misjudge the speed of the ball.
notes - it was the second time in college cup history that a game ended in a scoreless tie. the other time was in 1986 between colorado college and umass. cc advanced on pks … portland is 3-1-1 against penn state, including 2-0-1 in the tournament. .. the semifinal was the first time this season penn state had been held scoreless. … sinclair, last year’s hermann trophy winner and this year’s leading scorer, has gone three games without a point.
posted by clint at 05:40 am
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october 05, 2005
you've got mail
the following is a picture of an 8x10 foam core sign that the mail room guy brought me yesterday. i feel like a modest card would have more than sufficed. yes, i am sad to admit that i have sold my soul to the rupert murdoch and the neo-con death cult in exchange for same-sex benefits. cody, feel free to verbally berate me. i am able to sleep by lulling myself with the belief that i am going to infect it from the inside out with my liberal propaganda. does anyone have any good leaflet slogans?
posted by clint at 08:19 am
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august 22, 2005
the miss education of jenna bush...
pardon while i take a moment to toot my boyfriend’s horn and not in the disgusting way you’re all thinking right now you perverts.
david, that’s my boyfriend’s name, is a very talented costume designer and his new show premiered about two weeks ago at the new york international fringe festival to stellar reviews. it’s been getting amazing press. the new york times, the daily news, the associated press, playbill.com, people magazine. it’s called the miss education of jenna bush it’s been such a critical success and the most exciting thing is that it’s looking like it might transfer off-broadway and follow in the footsteps of other ny fringe festival success stories like “urinetown” and “matt and ben.” it’s a one woman show starring melissa rauch (she went to college with david and i and is now a correspondent on vh1’s best week ever). melissa plays jenna on the evening before she starts teaching elementary school. the show has it’s fair share of bush-bashing but melissa, who co-wrote the piece with her boyfriend winston, manages to bring some heart into the piece also showing jenna as an un-sure 20-something who’s out of excuses and ways to avoid being an adult. it manages to be hysterically funny and at time touching without being completely cliche. anyway, i just thought i’d share because i’m so proud of david’s success with the show as well as all of our friends. almost everyone invoved from the director to the stage manager to the set and lighting designers are people that we went to college with which is so cool because they’re all so young. below is a press shot from opening night. the entire production staff, as a joke, decided to dress up as secret service men. david’s in the back row, 2nd from the right. anyway, that’s it.
posted by clint at 06:21 pm
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june 20, 2005
does this c*ckring make me look fat?
another year, another night of toned and tanned naked asses shakin in my face to raise money for broadway cares/equity fights aids. this year my boyfriend, david, designed a few of the costumes and associate designed 2 of the dance number. hopefully, next year he’ll actually get to design a number himself. this, of course meant that i had to stay up until 2 am helping him rhinestone thongs and jockstraps the night before the show. not the way i envisioned spending my sat. night, however, it was all for a good cause and the show raised over $600,000 for bc/efa. special guests for the evening were, tim curry, bruce vilanch, david hyde pierce and christina applegate along with most of the broadway community. of course i went to the midnight show last night and didn’t get to bed until 4 am. needless to say, i’m sucking down the starbucks this morning in a desperate attempt to stay awake at work today, but it was all worth it and i’m already looking forward to next year.
posted by clint at 12:33 pm
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may 24, 2005
i look like a [bleep]'in blueberry!!!
i am pleased to announce that the three comedic geniuses behind the late great mtv sketch comedy show “the state” and the cult classic movie “wet hot american summer,” have a new show that will be premiering on comedy central on june 28th. the show is called “stella” and it is written, executive produced, and starring, michael ian black, michael showalter, and david wain. it’s based on a comedy show they’ve been perfoming in downtown manhattan for about 8 years. the writing is hysterical, the guest stars have been amazing so far, and most importantly, i’m the casting assistant on the project. anyway, tune in on june 28th to check it out on comedy central. if anyone wants anymore info on the show, there’s a site that one of the fans of the live show put up. it’s here
as a side note, did anyone who catch lindsay lohan on snl this past week? i almost peed my pants laughing during the appalachian emergency room sketch when she kicks her leg up while doing a cheerleading routine, yelps in pain, and declares, “i think i popped my cooter bone.” i almost died laughing.
posted by clint at 11:05 am
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may 15, 2005
signs you watched too much nickelodeon as a child
1. you start to notice donkey lips in bit parts on various tv shows.
2. you avoid the phrase “i don’t know” for fear of being slimed.
3. you’re amused to discover that when you squeeze a ken doll’s head together, he looks like marc summers.
4. your lifelong dream is to be hit in the face with a pie.
5. all your stories begin with, “submitted for the approval of the midnight society, i call this story…”
6. you spend months trying to figure out what happened to buddy’s dog on hey dude.
7. whenever your friends are frustrated, you try to sell them a cardboard product.
8. your answering machine plays the closing song to the elephant show… and you brag that you still know all the hand motions.
9. you still have your eureeka’s castle puppets from pizza hut.
10. every time your friend sam wants to come over, you make him climb in the window so you can play the sound clip.
11. you wear your t-shirt from the double dare live tour in 1994 with pride.
12. as a child, you always dreamed of the days when you’d be old enough to compete on get the picture or make the grade.
13. you have pictures of your maple town dolls getting married.
14. you made your own weinerizer for your little cousins to play with.
15. you were one of nickelodeon magazine’s beta subscribers.
16. you can recite all the good deeds in the original big help slogan… in order.
17. you made your parents sign up for prodigy so that you could go on-line and interact with u to u every week.
18. you remember watching the premiere of all that and thinking, “this isn’t funny…”
19. your motto for success is “mind + will power = goal” because that’s what the guys told you on welcome freshman.
20. you were afraid to swing too high on your swing set for fear you’d turn into “inside out boy.”
21. after years of failing to win nick’s super toy run or nick takes over your school, you write nick a letter complaining that their contests are rigged.
22. you write to soap opera digest’s “ask us” column to find out what happened on the last episode of fifteen.
23. when you have to write a college essay on the person you idolize most, your subject is mike o’malley.
24. you still refer to the first day of the school week as mega-toon monday.
25. your dream house would have the easychair from roundhouse, orange walls, a pool of green slime, and a big orange couch.
posted by clint at 10:48 am
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january 28, 2005
casting directors threaten to strike
hollywood reporter
jan. 27, 2005
casting directors threaten to strike
by jesse hiestand
hollywood’s casting directors threatened wednesday to walk off the job early next week if they are not allowed to organize under the international brotherhood of teamsters.
the absence of the 500 casting directors would affect pilot season casting but, most significantly, keep truck drivers, location managers and other members of teamsters local 399 in los angeles and local 817 in new york from crossing the picket lines. that immediately could disrupt feature film and television production, giving union organizers some leverage in trying to force the hand of the alliance of motion picture & television producers.
the warning was conveyed to about 300 casting directors, location managers and actors during a rally at the writers guild theatre in beverly hills. teamsters vp jim santangelo drew a standing ovation when he relayed a message from teamsters president james p. hoffa in washington.
“whatever the cost, you will bring those people into our union — that’s what he said to me,” said santangelo, directing his wrath at the studios and networks that negotiate through the amptp. “these people on mahogany row, who want to dictate and call all the shots, who say you are individual (contractors), i say kiss my ass. if we stick together, we will kick their ass. believe me when i tell you about that.”
amptp president and chief negotiator nick counter said the teamsters run the risk of breaching the “no strike” clause of their contract, which limits work actions to disputes with the amptp.
“if the teamsters engage in any job action, it would be in violation of their contract with the amptp, and we will take all steps necessary to remedy that violation,” counter said.
that remedy could take the form of lawsuits to recoup lost production expenses. the pilot season is only now getting under way as the broadcast networks finalize their pilot orders for the upcoming season.
a job action involving the casters would be the first labor action in hollywood since actors went out for six months in 2000 over their commercials contract. it also would be perhaps the first job action over organizing since the 1940s.
the teamsters most recently went on strike in 1988, a monthlong walkout that led to the hiring of replacement drivers.
the two sides are next set to meet tuesday. the casting directors say they will begin a work stoppage shortly afterward if they do not get what they want.
the casting directors insist they are employees who should be allowed to collectively bargain in the same way as directors, writers, actors and most other production professionals.
amptp maintains that the casters are not legally entitled to unionize because they are independent contractors who additionally make employment decisions.
industry officials say they are sympathetic to the desire for benefits and recently tried to defuse the situation by offering health and pension benefits, mostly likely under the motion picture industry pension and health plans. similar benefits already are offered to other nonunion workers, including producers and production accountants.
the casters rejected that offer because they reportedly want full union rights, including guarantees regarding minimum wages and working conditions.
“we’ll do what we have to do to get the job done,” local 399 secretary-treasurer leo reed told the rally wednesday. “all i’m saying to the heads of the studios is show me that you are reasonable, show me that you care.”
added local 399 business agent steve dayan, “we’re here to urge the amptp to recognize this deserving group of people without forcing the casting directors into a potential work stoppage.”
miguel contreras, executive secretary-treasurer of the los angeles county federation of labor, said the threat of a teamsters strike should not be taken lightly.
“not only are they large, but they’re known for their fight — they don’t back down,” contreras said. “labor’s going to fight so everyone gets the respect they deserve as working men and women.”
aftra national president john connolly said that the casting directors already had gotten a taste of the picket line by marching last year in support of striking supermarket workers in los angeles.
sag, dga and wga also have “no strike” clauses that prevent them from joining in any work stoppage. still, those unions have expressed their support, with dga president michael apted noting recently, “this is a simple matter of fairness.”
other expressing sympathy for the casters include rep. diane watson, d-calif., assembly speaker fabian nunez, d-los angeles, los angeles mayor james hahn and dozens of high-profile actors, writers and directors from tim allen and george clooney to taylor hackford, martin scorsese and joe roth.
“it’s unbelievable that in 2005, they still do not have health benefits or pension,” scorsese said in a statement.
efforts to have some of those notable artists show up at wednesday’s rally fell a little short, but actors marcia gay harden and janel moloney did voice their support.
“it seems that the fear is that one more person on the boat might sink it, but i think our industry is great enough to be inclusive, to be idealistic enough to realize it’s the right thing to do,” harden said.
casting associate jen lansky said after the rally: “it would be wonderful to have health insurance. when i go to the doctor now, i pay cash.”
legendary casting director mike fenton, a founder and former president of the casting society of america, said he was primarily concerned for young members who have not yet found the success to get by without benefits. he noted, though, that casting directors had personally defeated two previous attempts to unionize.
“this time it’s going to happen because the teamsters believe and our younger members believe in the union of our strength,” fenton said.
posted by clint at 12:09 am
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casters confronting 'no strike' demand?
1/26 backstage
casters confronting ‘no strike’ demand?
by roger armbrust
the nation’s casting directors — seeking to form a union affiliated with the international brotherhood of teamsters — say they are now seeing “no strike” clauses in individual contracts with film studios. but a spokesperson for the alliance of motion picture and television producers (amptp) questions why studios would do that for independent contractors, which is how the producers classify casting directors.
the steering committee for the casting directors’ organizing effort on monday sent out an e-mail to casters stating, “recently the studios have been adding ‘no strike clause’ language to our contracts. the teamster lawyers have told us to cross out that language and then sign your contracts. we must all be firm about this. if everyone does it they can’t make it stick.”
no-strike clauses most commonly appear in collective bargaining agreements. such clauses are basically a union pledge not to strike or to engage in work slowdowns or job actions during the life of the contract. according to the website for u.s. legal forms, a union often agrees to such a clause in exchange for a grievance arbitration provision. union members could be fired for going on strike and breaking the no-strike clause.
there are occasions, however, when union members can break a no-strike clause — for example, walking off the job if the employer fails to provide promised benefits.
a lack of benefits has been the driving force behind the casting directors’ desire to organize. the teamsters union is strongly supporting the casters’ effort. at press time tuesday, the two groups planned to stay on schedule with a wednesday press conference to state the casting directors’ intent to walk off the job if the amptp maintains its refusal to bargain on a first-time pact with the casters.
steve dayan, a business agent with the teamsters’ local 399 in los angeles, who has worked with casting directors on both coasts, indicated to back stage on tuesday that he wasn’t surprised by the studios’ no-strike-clause effort.
“obviously, the studios are doing their job,” dayan commented. “they’re putting pressure on the casting directors. we fully expected that. they’re doing their job and we’re going to do our job. i think we’re both dealing with the issues as they come up.”
dayan noted that the steering committee’s message wasn’t exactly accurate. he said that teamsters lawyers had not advised the casting directors on the studios’ no-strike clause, but that he was the one who had counseled the casters: “i basically told the casting directors like i tell the location managers: if there’s something in your deal memorandum that you don’t want in there, cross it out.”
but barbara brogliatti, a spokesperson for the amptp, said at press time tuesday, “the casting directors are independent contractors, and i’m sure every one of the contracts is different. i can’t speak on behalf of every single studio. that’s not what we do. you need to get a lawyer.”
she added that she didn’t see a need for the no-strike clause in an individual contract since it is meant for a collective bargaining agreement. if casting directors, as independent contractors, don’t show up for a job, it’s a breach of contract, brogliatti said.
brogliatti also emphasized that, a week ago, the amptp had offered casting directors health and pension benefits, but the casters turned down the offer. (see back stage’s lead story in the jan. 20 issue, “casters say ‘nay’ to amptp offer.”)
back stage re-contacted the teamsters’ dayan, who continued to insist that the studios were including the no-strike clause in casting directors’ pacts.
dayan refused to comment on specifics regarding the scheduled wednesday press conference. he would say only that it was partially to allow other unions to maintain a show of solidarity with the casting directors. the nation’s major actors’ unions — the screen actors guild, the american federation of television and radio artists, and actors’ equity association — all have endorsed the casting directors’ efforts to organize. so have the directors guild of america and the writers guild of america. in fact, the e-mail from the casting directors’ steering committee stated that the wednesday press conference would take place at the writers guild in los angeles at 10 am pst wednesday.
meanwhile, the casting directors and the teamsters union are running ads in industry trade papers listing celebrities who support the casters’ efforts, with emphasis on health and pension benefits. the celebrity names include tim allen, woody allen, drew barrymore, warren beatty, george clooney, and on down the alphabet to denzel washington and reese witherspoon
posted by clint at 12:07 am
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lights. industrial action!
1/20 the economist
lights. industrial action!
jan 20th 2005 | hollywood
a strike looms in hollywood
is hollywood, so accustomed to luvvy-duvvy self-congratulation (this month the golden globes, next month the oscars), about to indulge in a hardball labour dispute? america’s 500-or-so casting directors and associates—the unsung people-brokers who select actors for a film’s director or producer—are threatening to strike if the alliance of motion picture and television producers (amptp) refuses to grant them union recognition and health and pension benefits.
since the amptp represents the big studios and, by extension, big corporations such as general electric and viacom, it might seem an unequal contest—except that the casting society of america (csa), representing 368 of the casting directors, has the backing of the 1.4m-strong, much feared international brotherhood of teamsters. the teamsters represent some 4,100 studio drivers, location managers and location scouts, and their refusal to cross picket lines would be hard to ignore. in other words, the amptp has a bit of a headache, made worse by the need this week to resume negotiations for a new three-year contract with the 98,000-member screen actors guild—brilliantly satirised recently in the movie “team america”—and the 80,000-strong american federation of television & radio artists.
even so, the studios are not about to admit defeat. in an informal meeting with the csa last week, the amptp offered to provide health and pension benefits (“the studios are very sympathetic,” says one studio insider), but remained adamantly opposed to unionisation. its position ahead of a meeting scheduled for early next month is that the casting directors are independent contractors: if they form a collective bargaining unit they will automatically be in breach of federal and state antitrust laws—and the teamsters will be guilty of inducing them to breach their contracts with the studios.
yet virtually every other group in hollywood, from scriptwriters to costume designers, belongs to a guild or union that negotiates working conditions. moreover, as the csa pointed out late last week in an advertisement in the trade press, “almost all other groups, including actors, directors, writers, drivers, location managers, production office co-ordinators, grips, electricians, editors, costumers and craft services” receive health insurance and a pension plan. steve dayan, of the los angeles teamsters, says bluntly: “forget the legal issues. morally and ethically the studios should be taking care of these people.” the studios may be ready to agree benefits, he says, but without a union to protect them, how can the casting directors be sure that the agreements will be kept?
embarrassingly for the studios, many movie people agree. as woody allen puts it: “casting directors are responsible for the one element that holds audiences in thrall more than any other: the cast. how can they not be afforded the health and retirement benefits the rest of the community enjoys? i support their unionisation effort.” gone are the days when the seductive power of the casting couch over aspiring stars was compensation enough
the committee then explained, “today, we posed the question to the amptp: if they have union agreements with all our peers, why not us?”
the answer appeared to be that the amptp has stuck to its offer of non-affiliate status.
the casting leaders also noted that they are continuing to advertise the casters’ position in trade-publication ads “and urging our producers, directors, and friends to support us.”
earlier in 2004, the casting directors — communicating through the teamsters union — had asked the amptp to recognize them as a union. the amptp refused, arguing that the casters were independent contractors.
in mid-december, over 400 casters met in both new york and los angeles, “overwhelmingly” voting to align with the 1.4-million-member teamsters union. by late december, the amptp had told the teamsters to be prepared to go to court should the casting directors move to strike. the producers opined that planning a strike violates both federal antitrust and state unfair-competition laws.
the threat deterred neither the teamsters nor the casters, with teamster leaders — led by general president james p. hoffa — writing to the amptp, expressing their dedicated support of the casting directors. the union and casting directors also were preparing to call a press conference as early as this week to announce whether the casters would strike. that plan evidently led the amptp to meet with the casters and the teamsters union last friday. steve dayan, a business representative for the teamsters’ l.a. local, said on tuesday that the press conference had been rescheduled for jan. 26. dayan said he would not comment on last friday’s meeting.
on monday, the casting directors’ steering committee, saying it was gathering quotes of support from industry notables, released a brief statement from director mike nichols:
“i was shocked to hear that casting directors aren’t provided with the basic benefits that many others receive automatically. so many casting directors have worked tirelessly over the years to provide the best acting ensembles for our films and tv shows. it makes no sense that they be treated any differently than any other key crew members. i support their unionization effort.”
in the meantime, the teamsters and casters were to begin running ads in entertainment trade publications this week to inform the public of their stance, dayan said.
posted by clint at 12:05 am
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casters say 'nay' to amptp offer
1/19 backstage
casters say ‘nay’ to amptp offer
by roger armbrust
film studio and television network producers have encouraged casting directors to accept nonunion benefits, but the casting directors’ leaders have restated their dedication to aligning with the international brotherhood of teamsters.
the alliance of motion picture and television producers (amptp) offered the “non-affiliate” alternative in a meeting last weekend with new york and los angeles casting leaders and representatives of the teamsters union’s new york city and l.a. locals.
“the amptp said that they were willing to form a committee to explore the possibility of non-affiliate status coverage for casting directors,” said the casters’ union’s steering committee in an e-mail to its members last friday. “the steering committee is, however, committed to obtaining full recognition through the teamsters for all casting directors and associates.”
the meeting broke a stalemate in which the producers had refused to recognize or meet with the casting directors and teamsters union officials. the amptp has invited the casters to another meeting on feb. 1, but the casting directors’ leaders, in the e-mail, appeared wary that producers might attempt to split members’ allegiance to the unionization effort.
“be prepared,” the steering committee warned. “executives at studios are going to tell you that they offered us non-affiliate benefits. as we voted in both n.y. and l.a., we are pursuing full union recognition, and nothing less. non-affiliate status is not an acceptable option. almost all other crafts work under collective bargaining agreements which offer them a wide variety of protections not available under non-affiliate status. there is no reason casting directors should accept any less.”
the leaders urged casting directors to remain resolute in their efforts to affiliate with the teamsters.
“we have gotten this far because of our solidarity and commitment,” the steering panel stressed. “we must not lessen our resolve. they are beginning to understand the power of our unity. be stronger, be more vocal, and continue to demand full union recognition!”
the casting leaders noted that the amptp’s website boasts of its wide range of contracts in film and tv production. they quoted the site as stating, “the amptp negotiates 80 industry-wide collective bargaining agreements that cover actors, craftpersons, directors, musicians, technicians, and writers — virtually all of the people who work on theatrical and television motion pictures.”
posted by clint at 12:04 am
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casting directors to seek benefits. the nonunion people who audition actors are pressing for protection and may even strike.
1/14 la times
casting directors to seek benefits
the nonunion people who audition actors are pressing for protection and may even strike.
by mary mcnamara, times staff writer
april webster, ronnie yeskel and vickie thomas have been casting directors for more than 20 years. which means that for more than 20 years, each has assembled the talent for films and television shows without receiving the benefits — health insurance, a pension fund, timely payment, consistent working conditions — secured for virtually every other employee of a film or television show, from the director to the on-set caterer.
casting directors are not unionized. these three women, along with almost 500 of their colleagues in los angeles and new york, want this to change.
enough to strike if they have to. this week an ad campaign designed to explain their plight kicked off in the hollywood trades.
“we are not asking for anything outrageous,” says webster. “we’re just asking for the basic benefits.”
“we don’t want to strike,” says yeskel, “but we will.”
for two years, casting directors and associates have been working with the international brotherhood of teamsters through local 399 in north hollywood, which also represents drivers, location managers, animal handlers and prop housemen. the teamsters are prepared to represent them in collective bargaining.
late last year, teamsters representative steve dayan joined with casting directors in a meeting with the alliance of motion picture and television producers. dayan says there have been hints that studios might offer some benefits to some casting directors. but amptp president nick counter has refused to recognize teamsters representation of the group; casting directors, he has said, are independent contractors rather than employees, and any attempt by them to organize or strike would break antitrust and contract laws, putting his group in a position to sue.
teamsters argue that casting directors are no more independent contactors than are costume designers or production designers or cinematographers, all of whom have union contracts.
“this is a group that has a hard time organizing because they are physically so spread out,” says dayan. “but they are certainly entitled to the same benefits that other hollywood crafts enjoy.”
meanwhile, the teamsters have called for and received the support of other industry unions, including the directors guild of america, the writers guild of america and the screen actors guild.
the union recently hired a public relations firm, and an ad campaign in the hollywood trade papers, meant to call attention to the situation, kicked off thursday. the casting directors themselves are calling on directors, producers and actors for statements of support.
“most people don’t know we aren’t union,” says thomas. “the directors and actors think since they have a group protecting them, we must too.”
they also are trying to raise public awareness of what exactly a casting director does. like screenwriters, whose guild ran a campaign several years ago reminding hollywood that “somebody wrote that,” casting directors have a visibility problem. the iconic image of central casting — some vague warehouse of head shots and résumés — haunts the craft.
“no one grows up thinking ‘i want to be a casting director,’ ” says webster, who is currently working on “lost” and “alias.” “but we are as much a part of the creative collaboration as the set or costume designers. in ‘lost,’ ” she says, “there was no script for a while, so it was really about who we brought in; parts were created for the people i found.”
webster came to casting through the theater, in new york and los angeles. with a long list of credits — including feature films such as “the day after tomorrow,” “eight legged freaks” and “the patriot” — she is high enough on the food chain to sometimes negotiate a $600 a week fee for an assistant — the salaries of any other staff she might need come out of her own pocket.
“i was just asked to make a whole production deal,” she says. “and a third of my fee will go for my own staff.”
unless an actor is already attached to a project, it is the casting director who is in charge of finding all the talent, including leads, for a film and television show.
this involves auditioning hundreds of actors and delivering pared-down lists to the director.
“every movie is different, but it is always a collaborative, creative process,” says thomas, who “fell into” casting when, as a film student at ucla, “repo man,” a class project she had cast, became a feature film hit. recently, she cast for “the last samurai,” “the clearing,” “after sunset” and the upcoming “beauty shop.” “it’s not like we’re secretaries taking notes from the directors.”
yet while their names appear prominently in the credits, that recognition rarely extends beyond the screen.
“the sag awards has an ensemble award,” says yeskel, whose recent credits include “blade: trinity,” “igby goes down” and “curb your enthusiasm,” “and rarely do you hear an actor or director thank the casting director. but who do you think put those ensembles together? the director? no.”
“i laugh when i read about the ‘amazing cast’ some director has assembled,” adds webster. “i think, really, when exactly did [the director] do that?”
the nature of the job — casting directors compete with each other and rarely work together — has been a stumbling block for attempts to organize in the past.
“we are a very timid group,” says thomas. “but i think now we’re just sick of it. after 20 years, we won’t be the ones seeing the benefits of a union, but the ones coming up will.”
“this is a very determined, very organized group,” says dayan. “they will take action if that is what is necessary.”
the teamsters plan to hold a news conference toward the end of january to announce further plans, including the possibility of a strike. dayan believes amptp is underestimating the importance of the casting directors and the effect such a strike would have.
“these are people who are often casting several shows at once, seeing hundreds and hundreds of actors,” he says. “who is going to do that?”
some industry insiders wonder if the recent breakdown in screen actors guild and american federation of television and radio artists negotiations will hurt or help the casting directors.
the demands put even more pressure on the studios and networks; but an actors’ strike would make a casting directors’ strike pretty much moot.
dayan is not worried. “if sag did go out, the studios would need to start ramping up production. and if casting directors are in the midst of the job action, that would just make it more difficult.”
the casting directors hope it will not come to a strike.
“it’s ridiculous that we have to demand the benefits everyone else gets,” says thomas. “but i guess we do.”
posted by clint at 12:02 am
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january 27, 2005
casting crew strike brews. teamsters warn studios, networks
teamsters warn studios, networks
1/14 daily variety
january 14, 2005
casting crew strike brews
teamsters warn studios, networks
by dave mcnary
the odds of a strike by casting directors and associates has risen several notches with a strong pledge of support from a top official of the teamsters union.
james p. hoffa, general president of the intl. brotherhood of teamsters, has warned studios and networks that his union will provide backing for a possible work stoppage by about 500 casting directors and associates in hollywood and new york if they are not allowed to unionize. and he offered to intervene in the negotiations.
“the purpose of this letter is to advise you that the intl. union is in full support of this effort and will provide whatever assistance is necessary to accomplish the goal of achieving a fair and equitable bargaining agreement for these deserving employees,” hoffa wrote in a letter sent tuesday to nick counter, president of the alliance of motion picture & television producers.
hoffa’s letter amps up the pressure on studios and nets, which are also facing the prospect of a work stoppage by actors this summer. sag and aftra walked away from the bargaining table without a deal on sunday and, although the actors’ union film-tv contract doesn’t expire until june 30, no new talks have been set.
should a sag-aftra deal not emerge in the next few weeks, the uncertainty of an unresolved contract will trigger more production in the coming weeks to withstand a work stoppage this summer.
the teamsters have been attempting to unionize the casting directors and associates — one of the most significant non-union groups of employees in hollywood — for two years. teamsters local 399 has indicated in recent months that a work stoppage will follow if the amptp doesn’t grant recognition to the teamsters as a bargaining unit for the casting directors and associates.
counter warned the teamsters last month of upcoming legal challenges if it persists in planning for a strike, asserting that most casting directors are independent contractors rather than employees. he said that any attempt to combine in an effort to affect the prices paid for their services is unlawful under federal antitrust laws and a wide variety of state laws.
hoffa disputed counter’s contentions in his letter.
“the intl. union respectfully disagrees with your assessment and will support these employees in their attempt to gain recognition and a contract,” hoffa said.
hoffa also said he was puzzled by counter’s stance.
“apparently the producers fail to understand that the cost of potential litigation or even a job action would far exceed what it would take to secure an agreement,” he said.
reps for the amptp were not available for comment tuesday.
the teamsters have secured support for the organizing initiative from other hollywood unions, including sag, wga, dga and aftra. local 399 also represents 4,100 studio drivers, location managers and location scouts.
——————————————————————————-
jan. 12, 2005
teamsters ready to back casters
by roger armbrust and jesse hiestand
the international brotherhood of teamsters said tuesday that it is considering jan. 19 or jan. 20 to formally declare support for casting directors, who might strike film and television productions in the united states if they are not allowed to organize as a union.
steve dayan, a business agent with the teamsters’ local 399 in los angeles, said he was attempting to set a date when the teamsters leadership, primarily general president james p. hoffa, would be available to take part in the press confab. at press time tuesday, hoffa hadn’t yet confirmed whether he could attend.
the backing by the top teamsters brass would assure that teamster truck drivers would honor a casters’ strike, virtually shutting down productions.
the teamsters’ resolve recently was conveyed in a letter from hoffa to nick counter, president of the alliance of motion picture & television producers. amptp has refused to recognize the casters as a potential union, setting the stage for the possible strike.
“i recognize that the amptp takes the position that these employees are independent contractors and entrepreneurs who are ineligible to organize,” hoffa said in his jan. 5 letter to counter. “the international union respectfully disagrees with your assessment and will support these employees in their attempt to gain recognition and a contract.
“i am somewhat puzzled at the producers’ position that no recognition will be forthcoming,” the letter continued. “apparently the producers fail to understand that the cost of potential litigation or even a job action would far exceed what it would take to secure an agreement.”
the teamsters’ planned news conference will most likely take place on the west coast, dayan said, with east coast casters and other union leaders also in attendance. the nation’s major actors unions - sag, aftra and actors’ equity assn. - all have endorsed the casting directors’ efforts to organize and affiliate with the 1.4 million-member teamsters union. dayan said he would be contacting the leadership - particularly of sag and aftra, who are strongly represented by west coast memberships - to invite them to attend the press gathering.
casting directors spent most of last year consulting with the teamsters on the possibility of affiliation. in mid-december, more than 400 casters met in both new york and los angeles, “overwhelmingly” voting to align with the teamsters, dayan said.
earlier in 2004, the casting directors, communicating through the teamsters, had asked the amptp to recognize them as a union. the amptp refused, arguing that the casters were independent contractors. by late december, the amptp had told the teamsters to be prepared to go to court should the casters move to strike. the producers opined that planning a strike violates both federal antitrust and state unfair-competition laws.
the threats obviously haven’t deterred the teamsters and casters. leo reed, secretary-treasurer of the teamster’s l.a. local, responded to the threats by writing the amptp, stressing the casters’ need for “reasonable wages, benefits, hours and working conditions.” during the past year, the casters have emphasized the need for health-care benefits, which they don’t have.
posted by clint at 11:58 pm
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december 03, 2004
what is wrong with hollywood...
don’t get me wrong, i love kevin spacey, but we all know he’s too old to be playing bobby darin (kevin is 45 and bobby darin died at age 37.) but casting kate bosworth (who is 21 y.o.) as sandra dee is adding insult to injury. there was only an 8 year age difference between bobby and sandra which is just a tad less than the 23 year age difference between kevin and kate.
and now…
dennis quaid (50) is going to be starring in a spade cooley biopic with katie holmes (25) playing his wife. i have no problem seeing older men with women in film or vice versa, but when you’re doing a biopic on someone, there needs to be some semblance of believeability. these men are literally old enough to be these girls’ fathers and it’s just not accurate.
posted by clint at 11:35 am
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november 20, 2004
one tranny hooker coming right up!!!
you know your job is interesting when…
it consists of spending your day calling every agency and drag club in the city looking for “girls with accessories” to audition to play a tranny hooker. my favorite name that i came across in my searches was harmonica sunbeam.
you know your job is challenging when…
you’re calling every middle-eastern actor you can find to play a non-speaking role as a terrorist suspect who refuses to speak english. “um, so we need you to say a prayer in farsi or arabic and then throw yourself off a building. oh, and can you wear a turban too?” because that’s not offensive, right?
and coming up next week…
does anyone know where i can find a vegetarian drug-dealer with a jesus complex and a pet ferret?
posted by clint at 09:24 am
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october 20, 2004
i'm such a nerd...
…because i’m so excited about this.
me…
posted by clint at 02:56 pm
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october 16, 2004
a lesson in patience...
[phone rings]
me: “casting.”
hoochie mama: “how can i get on [tv show]? i wanna be a acta.”
me: “do you have representation?”
hoochie mama: “whassss daaaaat?”
me: “an agent. do you have an agent?”
hoochie mama: “mmmmmmmm [sucks her teeth] naaaaaa. i ain’t gots one. can you help me gets one?”
me: “i’m sorry miss, but we’re a casting office, i can’t help you unless you’ve got an agent already.”
hoochie mama: “well how do i gets one?”
me: “go pick up a ross reports and mail out your headshot to agents and hopefully someone will call you and sign you.”
hoochie mama: “wherez do i git one uh dem ross reeeportses?”
me: “try the drama book shop in midtown. miss, i really have to-”
hoochie: “hey, do you guys do dat sex on the city show?”
me: “um, no miss, we don’t. besides, that show is no longer filming. now, miss, i really have to-”
hoochie mama: “das a shame, cuz i’da been good fuh dat wun”
me: “um, yeah, that is a shame. well i’ve really got go. best of luck to you.”
hoochie mama: “mmmmm. thanks fuh yor help. bye.”
posted by clint at 10:17 am
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august 27, 2004
no one died when clinton lied...
i received this forward in my e-mail in box and…well…here it is.
this photo is a composite of american soldiers who have died in iraq over the last year.
posted by clint at 10:57 pm
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august 12, 2004
gay new jersey governor forced out of the closet amid sex scandal...
here we go…
this should be wonderful fodder for the religious right with twelve states voting on anti-gay-marriage amendments in the next 3 months.
posted by clint at 10:20 pm
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if i don't laugh, i'll probably cry...
village voice article
posted by clint at 05:26 pm
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july 25, 2004
granny dykes on bikes
i know its way after pride, but she’s just too fantastic not to post.
posted by clint at 11:04 am
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july 17, 2004
i have the best job in the world!!!
i’ve never truly appreciated the wonders of working at a hotel spa & gym until this morning. adrienne and i found ourselves out with friends painting the town red until the wee hours of the morning (i believe we finally parted ways around 4:30am) and i had to be at work bright and early at 7am. so, rather than lose another hour of precious sleep by taking the subway home, i went straight to work. unlocked the gym. crept into the massage room and passed out on the table for 2 hours before waking up still drunk, showering in the locker-room and then opening the gym up at 7am. i’m sensing a friday night ritual! this could be trouble. the best part is that my job requires no actual thought (a trained chimp could do it) and so i can sit here with a dull headache, still partially intoxicated and it has no bearing on my productivity. yeah!
posted by clint at 09:57 am
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july 15, 2004
angels receives record breaking 21 emmy noms
angels in america garnered 21 nomination including:
best casting for a mini-series (you’re damned right!)
best director (mike nichols)
outstanding lead actor (al pacino)
outstanding lead actress (emma thompson)
best supporting actress (mary-louise parker)
outstanding supporting actor (patrick wilson)
outstanding mini-series
best writing (tony kushner)
alias garnered 8 nominations including:
best actress (jennifer garner)
best supporting actor (victor garber)
who else is sickened by the fact that there are now two reality television categories. outstanding reality program and outstanding reality-competition program. most people called those gameshows. ed mcmahon should be screaming for his duly awarded emmy’s for starsearch in the 80s.
angels broke the record previously held by band of brothers who received 19 nominations. woo hoo!
complete list of nominations in pdf format
posted by clint at 09:55 am
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july 13, 2004
pita bread and dirty panties
adrienne and i had quite the interesting day on sunday. a brand new pita place, called “pita pan” has finally opened in our neighborhood. first jamba juice and then this. affordable healthy food choices are finally becoming available. we are just too excited. our expanded asses are thanking us.
then we were hanging out in my apartment (which as mentioned before is upstairs from adrienne) when my neighbor across the hall ran into david, my boyfriend, on his way home and invited her over. she works as a computer programmer and she tells us that she’s been laid off and she’s picked up a very interesting side job to pay her bills. apparently she’s hooked up with a website who pays her to send her dirty panties to them so that they can turn around and sell them to fetishists. get this, she gets paid $75 for a pair that she just wears for the day and a whopping $100 for a pair that she works out in. it’s all comletely anonymous. no pictures, nothing. then she says she has to go to the gym and pay her rent. adrienne and i didn’t quite know what to think about it. we just kept thinking, “she gets paid to go to the gym.” how great is that?
posted by clint at 10:25 am
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july 12, 2004
this is prize-ful...
way to go gop.
village voice article
posted by clint at 06:11 pm
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june 26, 2004
be mindful of your gender pronouns...
i have a friend, beth, who is a woman-of-size/queer-performance-artist/transfag and she is always telling me to mind my gender pronouns. it’s really difficult sometimes because this stuff is changing so rapidly that it’s hard to stay current on the “label-du-jour”. just reading this article gave me a slight headache. it does make some excellent points though.
from the village voice’s 25th annual queer issue
transmale nation
remaking manhood in the genderqueer generation
by elizabeth cline
a digital call to action spread on friendster.com last month, and a crowd of tranny boys descended on the east village gay dive the boiler room. it was the very first manhunt, a party for transmen and their admirers.
when several dozen genderqueers crashed the place, a few of the bar’s gay patrons threw a tantrum. they tried desperately to sort out who was a dyke and who was a dude by rating the tranny boyswith their flat chests, short hair, and male posturingaccording to who still “looked like girls.” but eventually, these hecklers were outnumbered by some of new york’s au courant gender outlaws, a mix of young masculine-identified dykes, bois, and trans guys clamoring for a space of their own. by the end of the night, the trans folks and the gay guys had made peace, and riley macleod, a 22-year-old, gay-identified tranny boy, even stole a kiss from the bartender.
just a few years ago, the transmale community was still underground, connecting with each other in group therapy and chat rooms. how things have changed. some of the city’s hottest queer parties are fundraisers for chest-reconstruction surgery, tagged with names like “take my breasts away.” ethan carter’s trans*am party has gotten so popular it has outgrown its digs at the lesbian watering hole meow mix, and manhunt plans to carry on through the summer.
by now, there are hundreds of personal web pages, chat groups, and surgery-comparison sites by and for transmen. (check out ftmi.org, transster.com, t-boyz.com, or the more than 200 yahoo groups that pop up under a search for ftm, meaning female-to-male transgender.) brown university, sarah lawrence, and wesleyan have gender-neutral dorms, bathrooms, and sports teams. new york’s lgbt community center has expanded its gender identity project to include eight groups for the gender questioning.
five years ago, if you were a transmale, you were ftm (or female-to-male) and you would probably change your name, go on testosterone, move to a new city, and perhaps consider sex reassignment surgery. most of those ftms wanted the world to know them and see them as real men. but there’s a new trans generation. they’re college-educated, raised on gender deconstruction, and not so interested in realness.
today, most transmales don’t plan to have “bottom surgery,” which constructs male genitalia out of the labia and clitoris. for some, it’s a matter of cost (ranging from $10,000 to $100,000, which still doesn’t buy you a fully functioning, realistic penis). but a lot of trans guys say they’re doing just fine without one.
“i do not want a cock,” says k.j. pallegedara, an 18-year-old tranny boy who hides his breasts by binding them with ace bandages. “i know a couple of transmen who see their masculinity in their dick. but my masculinity is in my head.” k.j. does plan to take testosterone, and he’s saving up the outrageous $8,000 for “top surgery,” which removes the breasts and constructs a male-appearing chest. dr. james reardon, one of the nation’s best-known chest reconstruction surgeons, says he performs at least one such procedure a weekup from one a year in 1974, when reardon saw his first patient.
as visibility grows, more transmales are changing their pronouns and hormones to fit their masculine gender identity, and many are starting the transition at a very early age. (a recent oprah episode featured transmale guests as young as 11.) along with this emergence has come an extensive lexicon. in addition to ftms, there are female-bodied masculine-identified people who don’t consider themselves men. they include tranny boys (who feel and look, well, boyish), transfags (who act effeminate), bois (dykes who “play” with masculinity), genderqueers (an umbrella term for folks who challenge their gender)and the list is still growing.
in this brave new world, you can be a transmale who goes “no-ho” (meaning no hormones) or “low-ho,” and “no-op” (no surgery)or you can be a genderqueer who has top surgery, identifies as a woman, and goes by the pronoun he. the possibilities are endless.
america has always been the land of self-invention, but lately that concept has been applied to the body in unprecedented ways. thanks to technology, transmales can now invent the body they feel comfortable with. in the new thinking, gender and orientation are a highly personal creation, and while some transmales still strive for “realness,” the new generation is heading far beyond the appurtenances of masculinity. this isn’t about having a beard or chest hair. these guys look boyish, yet butch.
but in the end, the transmale identity can’t be described within the binaries of man/boy, butch/femme, or gay/straight. says transman and performance artist imani henry, “it’s all about self-identity.”
as manhunt and trans*am (meaning amorous) imply, transmales are on the prowl for folks who are willing to break the mold of gender and sexual orientationor at least go out with someone who does. along with this evolution has come a new breed of queer women who like dating trannies and who gag on the word lesbian. “i don’t give a shit if people read me as lesbian or straight,” says alana chazan, 24, a femme queer woman who has dated both dykes and transmen. “for me, it’s about respecting my partner’s gender identity.”
it remains to be seen whether gay men can respect a tranny boy in the morning. but there are same-sex couples who weren’t born that way. some transmales call themselves transfags because they express femininity in a very gay-male way. and some of them are open to dating women. “i don’t define fagginess by who i fuck, because i’ve dated all over the place,” says bran fenner, 22. “i define it by how i demonstrate femininity.”
bran has a crew of transfags of color that he met through a yahoo group he started with a friend. most of its members, like bran, would call themselves pansexual. riley, on the other hand, wants to date biological men (called bioguys), a hopeless prospect, he says, because of “male ignorance” about transmen. but those walls are coming down. the center has started a new group for lgb trans people, and there’s now trannyfag porn featuring trans and bioguys, surprise, getting it on.
whatever their sexual orientation, most transmales remain in queer women’s spaces because they feel safe there. acceptance is growing in this community, but there still are dykes who gripe that all butch women are turning into boys, and feminists who label transmen misogynists out to gain male privilege. it’s true that some transmen ridicule women, but no more than “real” men doand there are feminists and lesbians who ridicule femininity. so what’s the difference?
we live in a time when the attributes of manhood reign supreme, and not just for men. women are appropriating the power and aesthetic of masculinity to redefine themselves, to the point where even our heroinesuma thurman comes to mindkick ass harder than your average dude. masculinity is no longer an exclusively male endowment, but it’s still a very desirable one. this explains why the stakes are higher for transwomen (mtfs) in the world at large than they are for transmen. it also explains why the new generation of genderqueers accords more status to the male-identified. and perhaps why there are so many queer women, as opposed to queer men, ridding themselves of their female identity.
yes, the status of transmen is enjoying a boost thanks to our macho obsession. but the way this scene understands itself and the world challenges that hierarchy. feminism and gay liberation made it ok to feel comfortable with yourself as the world labeled you. but the genderqueer generation proposes a new reality in which the world doesn’t label our identities and our bodies; we do. if you spot these transmales at the pride parade, or in your local bar, you have seen the futureand it’s very queer indeed.
posted by clint at 08:41 am
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june 25, 2004
i'm going to sit back and wait for my royalty checks to roll in...
so, i interned briefly at the beginning of the year at a small production company, called axial entertainment, working under the casting director and the show we were working on has finally premiered. it’s called “into character” and it’s airing on amc (american movie classics) on wednesdays at 10pm. for those of you with cable, check it out.
it’s a 30-minute, episodic, reality-based (don’t judge me!) series. the premise of the show is to take everyday people and make their movie dreams come true by making them over to become the lead character in their favorite movie. they spend two weeks learning whatever they need to and then they re-create a climactic scene from the movie as closely as possible and shoot it on 35mm.
this last wednesday a guy was made over to become richie valens in la bamba. he was engaged to a mexican girl and didn’t speak a lick of spanish. he wanted to impress her family by performing “la bamba for them as richie valens. he met with a music instructor and voice teacher to learn how to play guitar and sing the song and he also was sent to mexico to absorb some mexican culture. then the last segment is the 35mm performance. the premise is kinda cheesy, but it’s only 30-minutes. check it out if you’re bored. after every episode premieres, amc plays the actual movie (i.e. last week they played la bamba immediately after the show.)
next week is blues brothers (look for me in the end credits. i should be listed as an intern, but i don’t know if they got me in before the final cut had to go to the network to be signed off on.). i was also at a couple of the shoots so i’ll probably be in some of the background shots since they always threw the interns in because we were always short extras. at any rate, it’s cheesy fun.
some of the upcoming episodes are:
blues brothers
ice castles
karate kid
coal miner’s daughter
dirty dancing
xanadu
blue crush
breakin’ 2: electric boogaloo
winchester 73
posted by clint at 02:25 am
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june 23, 2004
casting by...
i’ve develped this habit now, from interning and freelancing in casting offices for the past year or so, of watching movies and recasting them in my head with who i’d like to see in the roles. so, i’ve decided to periodically post my “movie re-makes” on ch and see what everyone thinks. so here goes.
clint casts who’s afraid of virginia woolf? (i just watched it this morning for the first time in a long time.)
originally played by:
martha - liz taylor
george - richard burton
nick - george segal
honey - sandy dennis
remake ideas:
continue reading "casting by..."
posted by clint at 03:30 pm
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june 20, 2004
visions of hugh jackman in a g-string dancing through my head...
tonight i have the pleasure of going to broadway bares . it’s a yearly benefit for broadway cares equity fights aids in which all the stars and ensemble members of broadway shows get together and put on a strip show. each number is costumed by a different broadway designer or associate designer and at the end of the evening they have the rotation where the audience gets to stuff dollar bills into whatever the performers are wearing or not wearing. all the performers and designers work for fee and every cent goes to charity. it should be a lot of fun.
apparently, two years ago, when john stamos was in cabaret, the theme was superheroes and he came out wearing nothing but a comic book over his naughty bits. (way to go uncle jessie!) last years theme was “burlesque is back” and jane krakowski, who was in nine, did a number wearing a white corset. part of her number entailed her hanging upside down from a white sheet, gravity took over and her tits fell out. oops!!!
anyway, i can’t wait to report back on all the naughtiness.
posted by clint at 08:52 am
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june 18, 2004
invasion of the bongo-playing bananas
gothamist
“some people are very excited about the jamba-ization/juicing of nyc, with the arrival of many jamba juice locations. gothamist didn’t believe curbed’s reports of “live bananas” on 42nd street (everyone knows that bananas are inanimate, duh!), but now we are believers. gothamist weather’s kp posted a photograph his friend, fresh, (what a wonderful, collaborative world this is) took of, yes, live bananas on broadway and 50th. they were even playing the bongos! all to celebrate jamba juice moving to times square; according to kp, jamba juice doesn’t do traditional advertising, so it’s mainly guerilla (ha!) tactics like dressing up as bananas, yelling, “jamba! jamba! jamba! 42nd street!” excellent. gothamist will get our panda costumes ready”
posted by clint at 06:04 pm
| comments (3)
june 14, 2004
where have all the pretty boys gone???
so, i’ve been in hawaii for the last week as a post-graduation vacation and i’ve realized just how aesthetically spoiled i am living in new york. with it being one of the model capitals of the world, you start to take for granted the fact that you pass jaw-droppingly gorgeous people on the street everyday.
i was expecting to land in oahu and spend a week baking on the beach looking at tanned buff surfer guys and instead i was gazing upon families of spherical hawaiians in way-too-skimpy bathing suits. it’s been a culture shock of a different color.
on the plus side, it definitely helps with one’s image problems when you’re not immersed in a multitude of disgustingly skinny, atkins-addicted, coke-head models who are mentally vacant and emotionally bankrupt so i guess i shouldn’t be complaining too much.
at any rate, it will be a relief to get back to my city that never sleeps - baked and fully rested - so that i can get back to my daily grind. i do miss it.
posted by clint at 11:20 pm
| comments (7)
may 15, 2004
mad max is dead!
you know the iconic image of a beautiful bad-boy on a harley is officially dead when you see the wasp-iest trust fund baby in the world riding down park ave. on his bmw motorcycle wearing loafers, khaki’s, and a ralph lauren polo shirt. it is a sad, sad day mel.
posted by clint at 05:52 pm
| comments (0)
april 22, 2004
liquor in the front...
so i’m taking a queer theory course which my lovely boyfriend has fondly nicknamed gay 101. at any rate, we had an interesting discussion in class on tuesday. we were discussing judith butler’s book gender trouble and her theories on gender performance and how one uses hyperbolic parody to separate sex from gender, etc., etc. and how this device can be used in relation to race politics as well as sex politics. well this brought about a discussion on the drag performer shirley q. liquor. shirley is an older black woman on welfare who has 19 children and is portrayed by chuck knipp, a white man who lives in long beach, miss. his shows have been shadowed and sometimes shutdown due to protesting in cities like boston and new york. the performance has been equated to a modern day minstrel show. the question raised was whether or not a person of the majority (white/male) can in fact use butler’s theoretical hyperbolic parody effectively without being perceived as racist by the african-american community or misogynistic by feminists? any thoughts? there is also an informative article on shirley’s show by the washington blade.
posted by clint at 11:15 am
| comments (0)
april 16, 2004
ryan seacrest and little nemo are the same color!
i know that this is of little consequence to most of you but was anyone else troubled by american idol on wednesday? the theme of the night was songs from movie soundtracks. one would think that they potential idols would be singing songs from the soundtracks of the movies they loved. almost none of them actually sang a song from the movie that they claimed to adore and a few of them even sang songs that weren’t even on movie soundtracks. what’s wrong with this picture? i don’t think i want to live in a world where some confused little girl is going to profess to loving little nemo and then sing summertime from porgy and bess!
posted by clint at 06:57 am
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april 08, 2004
toni colette is sportin an adam's apple these days
i just saw an ad last night for the infamous connie & carla where nia vardalos of big fat greeks fame and the lovely toni colette pose as drag queens on the dinner cabaret circuit in los angeles. while i think the premise is hysterical, i didn’t know there was a dinner cabaret circuit in la.
posted by clint at 07:27 pm
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april 02, 2004
i thought i'd share
for those of you who don’t know about the darwin awards, they are awards that are given out every year to people that have done us the enormous favor of taking themselves out of the genepool by dying in incredibly stupid ways. i thought i’d post some of my favorites.
*****************************
(25 march 1993)
a terrible diet and room with no ventilation are being blamed for the death of a man killed by his own gas. there were no marks found on his body, but an autopsy revealed the presence of large amounts of methane dissolved in his blood.
his diet had consisted primarily of beans and cabbage, just the right combination of foods to produce a severe gas attack. it appears that the man died in his sleep from breathing the poisonous cloud that was hanging over his bed.
had his windows been open, the flatulence wouldn’t have been fatal, but the man was shut up in a nearly airtight bedroom. he was an obese man with an unlimited capacity for creating the deadly gas. three rescuers became sick and one was hospitalized.
******************************
(1982, texas) at the amarillo fairgrounds, some buildings were in need of a coat of paint, so local contractors were hired to do the job.
between the buildings was an angled alley with a culvert in the middle, designed to drain rainwater away from the buildings. because of the slope, the wheeled painter scaffolding tended to roll downhill, so the painters removed the wheels on the scaffolding. they were in the process of moving the scaffolding next to a building, when the metal structure met a transformer. the painters were killed.
the story made the headlines. the town was abuzz with talk of the tragedy, how it had come to pass, and whether the city was liable for damages. the city officials decided they needed to conduct an investigation.
with much fanfare, they arrived at the scene of the incident, prepared to personally recreate the circumstances. two officials grabbed the scaffolding in the exact same location as the two painters, began to move the scaffolding… and were promptly electrocuted.
continue reading "i thought i'd share"
posted by clint at 10:52 am
| comments (8)
march 31, 2004
the countdown has begun!!!
so i am officially 7 weeks away from receiving my meaningless piece of paper that represents the meaningless degree i earned that no longer applies to the career i’m pursuing! snaps for me!
and, while i sit at my window watching the cold rain patter against the pane, i am comforted to know that in just 8 short weeks i’ll be roasting on a beach in hawaii. ah, it’s these lazy day-dreams that are helping me keep my sanity!!!
posted by clint at 08:21 pm
| comments (0)
just put your lips together and blow...
i had a moment last night, where i realized how ecstatic i was that i gave up acting.
as i’m watching an entire troup of actors run around a stage, their arms outstretched as though they’re airplanes; their lips pursed together forcing obscene amounts of spittle to escape their lips as they imitate the sound of a jet propeller. somehow, this is supposed to help them tap into their “character.” it’s supposed to help them in their “process.” to help them find an unltimate “truth.” i found myself stifling laughter as i remembered that these people and their parents were spending how many thousands of dollars a year in tuition so that they could do exercises that i used to do when i was four watching romper-room. i sat in the back of the theatre with the tech crew and laughed my ass off!
posted by clint at 10:48 am
| comments (0)
march 30, 2004
so here goes nothing...
so adrienne finally convinced me that i need to start my own blog here. we both agreed that i need to carve out my own little hateful area in cyberspace in which to ramble on about people and things that piss me off as well as anything else i feel is worth mentioning. hopefully you’ll find it entertaining, and if not, well then piss off!!! =)
posted by clint at 12:27 pm
| comments (5)
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