In case you missed it, on Monday night’s episode of VH1’s “Hit The Floor,” Jude (Brent Antonello) and Zero (Adam Senn) had a sexy hook-up session in a coat closet at Jelena’s engagement party. In the very steamy scene below, it’s obvious that while their feelings are becoming more real, Zero still feels the need to keep their relationship secret. If you want to know what happens next (and why wouldn't you?) then tune in next week. Meanwhile in the words of the great George Takei .....'Oh my!'
Charles W. Leslie was one of the fathers of modern SoHo in New York, and he also had the biggest penis art collection in the world. Together with his late partner Fritz Lohmann, he founded the first ever museum dedicated to gay and lesbian art. His incredible story is told in "The Art of Looking" by acclaimed author Kevin Clarke and it makes for a really fascinating read.
In 1969 Charles and Fritz started showing some of their extensive collection in the own Soho Apartment. Later during the AIDS pandemic of the 1980's a lot of really good gay art was been thrown away or destroyed by families intent on trying to hide their loved one's sexuality, and Charles and Fritz knew that these really should be preserved. They collected whatever they could lay their hands on and formed a small non-profit organization which eventually developed in to theLeslie Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art which still flourishes today.
MARION PINTO Male Odalisque
GILBERT LEWIS Swimmer,
JOHN BURTON HARTER Cocktail Party,
ROLF KOPPEL Self Portrait Reclining
Charles & Fritz'z SoHo Apartment
Head shot of Charles Leslie taken by Maurice Blackman, a famous theater photographer of the late 1950s.
"Disposable Teens" is a new Web Series about the plight of Austin a gay teen who, when forced out of the closet by his reactionary parents, ends up running away and is forced to live on the streets. When his plea for help is ignored by the homeless shelter, he instead accepts an offer of help from a handsome stranger who has very ulterior motives.
This very impressive and totally realistic five part series is written and directed by Brian Pelletier for Outlicious TV, and stars an impressive young cast that includes Chris Jehnert, Lucio Nietoand Andy Rappos. The final episode airs on February 8th on You Tube, and this, and the earlier episodes, can be found on the Outlicious Channel.
P.S.Outlicious TV also produced a delightfully funny web-series last year about a Flying Attendant who can never get laid. Called "Flying High With Charlie"and starring Brandon Salerno : it is very cute, and well worth checking out.
Belgian photographer Maglau has immersed himself into the world of fetish which is so alien to many of us and recorded what he saw in a set of stunning photographs that will be published in a book later this Spring. "Fetish Ballad" is the result of Maglau visiting several Fetish Parties in Europe and Japan and with the permission of the participants he just pointed his camera and took these extraordinary un-posed pictures which show the participants totally at ease.
Maglau talked to queerguru about what he discovered. "The more I went into fetish parties, the more I discovered the role of the gay community on the fetish scene! They really are very active, particularly in Holland, and are very creative in the way that they dress us .... but I don't like to put people in categories!"
Maglau added "What is nice in these parties is the mix. People with different sexual orientations meet up and talk and play. Dressed up in latex, leather or half naked or even completely naked. There is no taboo and no judgement. People are just completely free to do what they want".
You can follow Maglau on Twitter or contact via Emailif you are interested in some prints or in the book.
Millie Brown appears to have few boundaries as what she is prepared to do to make her art. In the past this British-born performance artist has vomited colorful milk onto a canvas (for Lady Gaga at SXSW) and now in this latest piece released in a video last week, she swings naked from a pendulum as paint is bound body. The act and the art are both completely stunning.
Describing her work the artist said "I wanted to transform myself into a human pendulum: to act as a conductor channelling energy and intention directly through my body; to detach my mind and body from the ground below momentarily and experience new feelings physically and mentally; to push through discomfort and pain and to find light and growth. I wanted to allow the element of control to be eliminated and for the paint to fall and splatter where it wished and for myself to feel raw and human— present in that moment in time and space."
Dame Vivienne Isabel Westwood DBE RDI the British fashion doyenne who amongst other things, was largely responsible for bringing modern punk and new wave fashions into the mainstream is going right to the edge (and even beyond ) with her brand new advertising campaign shot by celebrated German photographer Juergen Teller.
Called 'Mirror the Word' and featuring her 2016 Spring/Summer Collection it stars avant-garde poetry-reading gay porn star Colby Keller. True to his roots, even in some of these new photographs, there is very little clothing being worn as he proudly shows off his own not inconsiderable talent.
Andrew Christian underwear model Pablo Hernandez who is also not adverse to 'modeling' in just his birthday suit has done a rather wonderful parody music video of Madonna's "Bitch I'm Madonna" featuring Nicki Minaj from Rebel Heart. Evidently Pablo is singing his own version straight from the heart. Who knew?
Chemsex is the name given to the rising phenomenon which refers to the use of drugs in a sexual context. Often referring to group sex that can last for days, the allure of chemsex has lead to many young men being trapped in a vicious circle of sex, addiction and dependence.
Now there is a powerful and potent new film that tells the stories of gay men whose lives have been affected by the crisis; from self-confessed ‘slammers’ to sexual health workers, from those who deny there’s a problem to those who ‘got out alive’. Offering unprecedented access, Chemsex is a brave and unflinching journey into the dark underworld of modern, urban gay life.
Directed by William Fairman of VICE UK and Max Gogarty, the movie is being released by Peccadillo in UK & Irish Cinemas on 4th December 2015, and hopefully globally very soon after that. Watch this space.
To celebrate National Coming Out Dayqueerguru picks
10 of The Best Coming Out Movies
1) The Way He Looks : An award winning Brazilian film written and directed by Daniel Ribeiro about a blind schoolboy and his virginal innocent friend who are slow to realize their feelings for each other. Tender, with some neat touches of humor, none more so than when Gabriel insists that Leo learns how to dance. What does make it all so compelling is the captivating performances of the young lead actors, particularly Ghilherme Lobo who was so pitch perfect as Leo.
2) Out In The Dark: From LA-based Israeli newbie director/writer Michael Mayer, a heart-string- tugging story of forbidden love between an Israeli and a Palestinian in Tel Aviv where the later risks his life if he comes out to his Arab family back home. It’s all the more remarkable that after all the horrors the pair go through, that the overwhelming feeling that one comes away with from this compelling and enchanting film, is of hope.
3) In The Name Of : Polish LGBT movies are a great rarity and this one from writer/director Malgoska Szumowska is a remarkable and unpredictable drama that deals with a repressed Catholic Priest’s personal struggle with his homosexuality. Brave, controversial and extremely moving: like (No. I in our list) it won a prestigious Teddy Award for best LGBT film at Berlin Film Festival.
4) Free Fall : This rather compelling debut feature from writer/director Stephan Lacant about forbidden love in a very rampant homophobic community is a hot and steamy German tale where one straight trainee Policeman discovers that probably he shouldn’t be getting married to his pregnant girlfriend after all when he has a very physical relationship with one of his colleagues. Very well written, and beautifully acted.
5) Beautiful Thing : From 1996 this wonderful British film version of Jonathan Harvey’s hit stage play about two gay teenagers finding themselves and each other in a Council Estate in London. Young Jamie is escaping sport hours, to avoid being the victim of his comrades and Ste, his neighbor, is beaten by his father, and comes to sleep overnight. They discover new feelings, sleeping in the same bed.
6) Circumstance: This coming-of-age story from first time director Maryam Keshavarztells is of two teenage girls, who are best friends, dealing with all the restrictions of growing up in Iran today. The girls are exploring their emerging sexuality as they become part of Tehran’s underground party scene. Superb, if not scary, look at some of the conflicts and struggles in contemporary Iran.
7) Beginners : Christopher Plummer’s Oscar winning turn as newly widowed 75 year old Hal who declares to Oliver his son that he is now gay and is determined to make the most of the time he has left. Written and directed by Mike Mills and evidently based on his own father's life. Sweet and very funny.
8) Edge of Seventeen : Directed by David Moreton, this sentimental story set in small town America in 1984 teaches High School student Eric that love and sex are not the same thing and he almost goes back into the closet. Great period piece, well acted and a neat happy ending.
9) Mixed Kebab : Bram a good looking Belgian/Turkish 20 year old gets thrown out of his family home in Antwerp when he comes out although his father is happy to house his other sons who are crooks which is far better than being gay. An intelligent drama from writer/director Guy Lee Thysthat becomes an entertaining romance.
10) White Frog : Nick, the youngest son of a wealthy Chinese/American family tries to put the pieces together of his older brother’s life after he was tragically killed in a car crash and discovers that he had wanted to ‘come out’ to him before he had died. Very endearing.
Over recent years Israel has become a great source for LGBT movies that have found an eager worldwide audience. Probably the most successful and prolific filmmaker who has emerged from there is Eyton Fox who along with his writing/producing/life partner Gal Uchovsky could fill half of the slots on this list alone. However we have trawled our library at queerguru and looked at as many Israeli movies as we could find : both big hits and small hits to give you our very comprehensive choice of our Top Ten Israeli Gay Movies and here they are in alphabetical order (they even include some which don’t end in tragedy for a change!)
Antartica :Two days before his 30th birthday Omer has still not ‘found himself’ let alone a boyfriend too. However as he hides away in the library where he works he only sees books on life and not the real thing. Plus his cute 20-year blind-date dancer is sadly not it either, and then just when he is about to give up he meets Ronan. Turns out he was looking for love in all the wrong places. Sound familiar? It's a rather wonderful touching romantic comedy from writer/director Yair Hochner.
City Of Borders:This excellent documentary follows the lives of five different and totally diverse gay men and women in Israel who’s common link is the fact that they all hang out in Shushan, Jerusalem’s only gay bar. This is the one place where gays and lesbians of all nationalities, religions and social backgrounds can forget their differences for a few brief hours and hopefully have some fun. The Bar has since closed, but the memories remain.
Eyes Wide Open:A handsome stranger turns the life of a Hassidic family butcher upside down when they act on their mutual attraction. This beautiful story of how conflicted a modern ultra-orthodox life can be, tells its story quietly and responsibly without sensationalizing this sensitive issue at all, making it even more powerful and moving. An impressive directing debut from Haim Takabkamn, it gives the best insight into gay Orthodox Jews outside of a documentary that I have ever seen, and is heart wrenchingly wonderful too.
Family Time :Israeli filmmaker Nitzan Gilady crammed his parents and two grown up brothers and one sister in law into an R.V. to travel thousands of miles across the USA for a week to go visit the Grand Canyon. Anybody who has had to deal with raw emotional exchanges with their own family (isn't that all of us?) will really relate to this wonderful wee documentary, although in our own case, it has put us off RVs for life!
Out In The Dark :This heart string tugging movie of forbidden love from LA based Israeli newbie director/writer Michael Mayer is the story of how being gay just adds yet one more obstacle to living in this troubled region. The convincingly very real love story between an Israeli Jew and a Palestinian Arab who have to make some very tough choices just survive, is totally unmissable.
The Bubble:If we had been forced to pick an absolute favorite of all-Israeli gay movies, it would probably be this one. In this remarkable and moving take on 'Romeo & Juliet' director Eyton Fox’s story of a Middle-Eastern tragic romance that crosses the racial divide, will not leave a dry eye in the house. Completely wonderful.
The Invisible Men:The only way that handsome young Louie can be openly gay is to leave his home in Ramallah and sneak across the border to Tel Aviv. The trouble is as he is Palestinian he is illegal and so is constantly hunted down by the Israeli authorities who then drop him back home where he could be killed because of his sexuality. This remarkable new award-winning documentary from Israeli filmmaker Yariv Mozer tracks Louie as he goes about his harrowing daily life, which does (thank God) have somewhat of a happy ending.
Snails In The Rain:A rather intriguing drama about repressed homosexual feelings and desire set in 1989 acutely brings back an era when lust was often hidden and unrequited. The movie, based on a short story by Yossi Avni Levy who is (most intriguingly) currently the Israeli Ambassador in Serbia, was directed and written by Yariv Moser and starred talented newbie actor Yoav Reuveni (who’s an ex underwear model).
Walk on Water. A homophobic Mossed Agent is assigned to befriend a young gay German to try and establish if his late Grandfather was a notorious Nazi. This tense and compelling thriller, which was Eytan Fox’s sophomore film, went on to becoming the 2nd highest grossing Israeli film in their domestic market
Yossi & Jaegar: Eytan Fox’s multi-award winning drama about a initially hesitant romance that slowly blooms into an old-fashioned style love affair between two soldiers stationed in an Israeli outpost on the Lebanese border. A heartbreaking tearjerker of the finest sort.P.S. Fox’s later sequel ‘Yossi’ which it’s surprisingly upbeat ending should also be on this list, but I wanted to give other filmmakers a chance too.
And highly commended comes ......
A Matter Of Size:A group of delightful obese Israelis abandoned their unhappy (and unsuccessful) Diet Club to take up Sumo wrestling which they have the perfect shape. This odd collection of engaging men includes a closeted gay who is so happy to ‘come out’ when he stumbles on gay bear culture. A joyous wee gem of a comedy.
The Folsom Street Fair the world's oldest and best loved fetish and leather event held in San Francisco every year has just released one of the most fabulous and sexy promo videos we have seen for years. It's clearly FOSSE MEETS FOLSOM. Be warned before you click the play button, some of the performers are barely clad.
The Folsom Street Fair is on Sunday, September 27, 2015 from 11am to 6pm and is located n Folsom St. from 8th to 13th Streets. The organizers say that that there will be 200 exhibitor booths showcasing fetish gear and toys which is a pig's dream. There will be massive live stage with top-name indie, electronic and alternative acts, and two huge dance areas spinning underground EDM, public play stations, and an erotic artists' area with a sick and twisted performance stage.
And, yes, you can still be naked, just use the coat check in to shed all your clothes.
