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Hot Sheet: Forget the Evil Queen, What About the Prince?

Hot Sheet: Forget the Evil Queen, What About the Prince?

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Our top 10 entertainment and events highlights this week include Dolly Parton, Gore Vidal, Dustin Lance Black, and Maleficent, which features Brenton Thwaites as Prince Phillip.

Hs20140530_10_010. MUSIC: "Home," Dolly Parton
The latest video off Blue Smoke, Dolly's 42nd studio album, showcases the star at her charming best. Putting on makeup, attending a photo shoot, and wearing a half-dozen dresses that will make your eyes pop, the video for "Home" mostly outshines the song, which feels like enjoyable filler on a Taylor Swift album. Anyway, who doesn't need three and a half minutes of Dolly to brighten their day? - Neal Broverman


Hs20140530_9_09. FILM: Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia"I must say, I know quite a lot of people underground here," says the late writer Gore Vidal, standing near his tombstone in the opening scene of Nicholas Wrathall's Gore Vidal: The United States of Amnesia. And indeed, the 89-minute film is a veritable Who's Who of American luminaries both living and dead -- from Jacqueline Onassis and John F. Kennedy to actors Paul Newman and Tim Robbins to writers Truman Capote and Christopher Hitchens, who all numbered among the friends, colleagues, and occasional enemies of the late writer.

Vidal's privileged upbringing, intelligence, and access to the worlds of politics and entertainment make him an ideal narrator of not only his own story but also American history. Wrathall's captivating film combines recent one-on-one interviews with historical footage that traces Vidal's evolution from the young scion of a political dynasty to one of the foremost gay writers and political commentators of the past century, exploring his vibrant life, loves, and many passions in vivid detail. The documentary, produced by IFC Films, is now playing in select theaters nationwide, or you can find a festival screening near you here. -- Sunnivie Brydum and Daniel Reynolds


Hs20140530_8_08. WEB: Academy Originals
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has launched a new digital documentary series that provides viewers with an insider's look at the art of filmmaking. The initiative is described by AMPAS as a series that "examines everything from the creative process, to the moments that changed the course of filmmaking, to the artists who are charting its future." The most recent episode features out screenwriter Dustin Lance Black, who takes viewers inside his creative process and reveals the intense workload he endures while crafting a screenplay. - Jase Peeples


Hs20140530_7_07. ART: "Brought to You by the Letter T"
The Los Angeles LGBT Center celebrates Trans Pride with an exhibit of works by L.A. transgender and trans ally artists, including Isabella McGrath, Leon Mostovoy, Andrew Overtoom, and Kathryn Wilkins, plus a self-portrait project by the center's trans youth clients. The show's at the center's Advocate and Gochis Galleries at the Village at Ed Gould Plaza; there's an opening reception Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m., and the exhibit is up through July 12. Free; more info here. - Trudy Ring

Hs20140530_6_06. FILM: Before You Know It
Directed by filmmaker PJ Raval (Trinidad), Before You Know It tells a story of aging in the modern world, as seen through the eyes of three gay men from different backgrounds and regions of the United States: Dennis, a Navy veteran and widower estranged from his family; Ty, a New Yorker seeking to marry his longtime partner; and Robert, a gay bar owner in Texas struggling to keep his business afloat. A far cry from a tale of woe, this powerful documentary frankly acknowledges the inevitability of growing old while encouraging viewers to do the same. Before You Know It opens today in New York and June 13 in Los Angeles. Read the full revie here and watch the trailer below. - Daniel Reynolds


Hs20140530_5_05. THEATER: Pride Performance Series
Chicago's About Face Theatre marks Pride Month with this series, which kicks off Monday with Michael Urie (Ugly Betty, Partners) and his real-life partner, Ryan Spahn, starring in Jonathan Tolins's The Last Sunday in June, about a gay couple contemplating the future of their relationship as the Pride parade passes by. Other entries in the series: Lesbians & Literature, June 10, a panel discussion of the topic along with performances; Abraham Lincoln Was a F*gg*t by Bixby Elliott, June 13, involving time travel, road trips, young love, and a crazed First Lady as a teenager seeks evidence that Lincoln was gay; and Methtacular! June 17, written and performed by Steven Strafford, about his years as a meth addict on the streets of Chicago. Performances are at various venues in the Windy City; get details and order tickets here. - Trudy Ring

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4. EVENT: Lambda Literary Awards and After-Party
Party like a book star with the LGBT community's most revered authors, some of whom will be celebrating newly anointed award-winning titles honored immediately prior at the 2014 Lambda Literary Awards. This year's Lammys, as they're affectionately known, are hosted by the inimitable Kate Clinton, and will feature a special award for iconic memoirist Alison Bechdel, along with the first-ever awards given in the new graphic novels category. The 26th Annual Lambda Literary Awards take place Monday at New York City's Great Hall at Cooper Union, with a cocktail reception at 5:30 p.m. before the ceremony gets under way at 7 p.m. The VIP after-party kicks off at 9:30 p.m. at the Scholastic Greenhouse and Terrace. Get tickets for both events here. -- Sunnivie Brydum

Hs20140530_3_03. EVENT: Andy Warhol Auction, "Andy's Eye Candy"
Coinciding with LGBT Pride Month, fine art auctioneer Christie's is conducting an online-only auction of original works by legendary pop artist Andy Warhol entitled Andy's Eye Candy. The auction started yesterday and will run through June 10, and it features more than 100 Warhol photographs, prints, and drawings focusing on the nude male form. The collection offers a rare peek into Warhol's personal relationships and his unique take on the male nude. View the collection and place a bid to own a piece of pop art history here. - Jase Peeples

2. MUSIC: "Leave Your Lover," Sam Smith
Well, that's a new way to come out: via your music video. British crooner Sam Smith's clip for "Leave Your Lover" has him pining for a male friend who doesn't love him back. Smith confirmed this week that the video is based on a real-life experience and that he's fallen for many unavailable men. We feel that will be changing very soon. The song is off Smith's debut album, In the Lonely Hour, released this week. - Neal Broverman


1. FILM: Maleficent
Drag queens around the world are polishing their horns and perfecting their cackles in preparation of the opening of Maleficent, a live-action (but CGI-enhanced) Disney film that retells Sleeping Beauty through the eyes of its diabolical villain. Perfectly cast in the title role, Angelina Jolie sends chills and thrills with a red-lipped, white-toothed grin, as she curses Princess Aurora (Elle Fanning) and wages fiery war against her father King Stefan in this reimagined fairy tale. Plus there's handsome Brenton Thwaites as Prince Phillip. Maleficent opens in wide release this weekend. Watch the trailer below. - Daniel Reynolds

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