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Hot Sheet: If That Mockingjay Don't Sing...

Hot Sheet: If That Mockingjay Don't Sing...

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Our top 10 entertainment and events highlights this week include Cher, Wonder Woman, Alvin Ailey, Mary J. Blige, and the penultimate chapter of the Hunger Games saga, Mockingjay -- Part 1.

Hs141121-010_010. FILM: Hotline
In the age of email and the Internet, are hotlines still relevant? This is the topic examined in Hotline, a new documentary about the human connection achieved by talking to another person through phone-sex lines, prayer lines, suicide hotlines, and more. Written and directed by Tony Shaff, the film, which won Best Feature Documentary at the Rhode Island International Film Festival, speaks to hotline gurus like the psychic Miss Cleo, Brad Becker of the GLBT Hotline, and Jeff Ragsdale, who as a social experiment put up fliers around New York urging strangers to call him "to talk about anything." Hotlineis now available on iTunes, Google play, and YouTube. Watch the trailer below. -- Daniel Reynolds

HOTLINE Trailer from Hotline Documentary on Vimeo.


Hs141121-009_09. THEATER: The Golden Girls: The Christmas Episodes
In what's become a San Francisco holiday tradition, four of the city's top drag performers will stage classic episodes of the beloved TV series The Golden Girls. Heklina (Dorothy), Cookie Dough (Sophia), Matthew Martin (Blanche), and Pollo Del Mar (Rose) will offer their interpretations of "From Here to the Pharmacy" and "Journey to the Center of Attention" December 4-21 at the Victoria Theatre. If you want them to thank you for being a friend, reserve a ticket here.-- Trudy Ring


Giorgio-moroder-x633_08. MUSIC: "74 Is the New 24," Giorgio Moroder
Giorgio Moroder is hands-down one of the most influential producers and songwriters in modern music history. Moroder produced some of Donna Summer's biggest hits. He's also helped to shape the disco sound and pioneer electronic dance music. Now he's putting out his own solo work with the help of a who's who of music royalty. Britney Spears, Sia, Charli XCX, Kylie Minogue, Mikky Ekko, Foxes, Matthew Koma, and many more will make appearances on the upcoming LP. The first track, "74 Is the New 24" (due spring 2015), is a statement that the 74-year-old producer has no intention to slow down any time soon. -- Alex Panisch


Hs141121-007_07. DANCE: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater New York City Center Season
The famed dance troupe has scheduled five weeks of performances for its season at New York City Center, December 3-January 4. It will include the world premieres of Odetta, company member Matthew Rushing's tribute to the great folk and blues singer Odetta Holmes, known as "the voice of the civil rights movement," and Robert Moses's The Pleasure of the Lesson, plus the company premieres of several other dances. Also, a new staging of Ulysses Dove's Bad Blood, first performed by the Ailey troupe in 1986, will feature the company's first married same-sex couple, Antonio and Kirven Douthit-Boyd. The December 3 opening night gala benefits the troupe's educational and training programs for young people, while the December 18 performance raises funds for Dancers Responding to AIDS. Not going to be in New York? You can catch the company on tour in 18 U.S. cities from February through May. Get all the information at AlvinAiley.org. -- Trudy Ring
6. FILM: It's Not Over
Directed by award-winning filmmaker Andrew Jenks, It's Not Over is a moving and ambitious documentary that follows the lives of three people affected by HIV in different areas of the world. Paige, who was born with the virus, is an American teenage girl who raises awareness of HIV issues in schools throughout the country. Sarang is a gay playwright from India who is staging a production in support of same-sex marriage. Lucky is an educator from South Africa who is trying to prevent youth from making poor life decisions. In the documentary, Jenks crosses the globe to have conversations about HIV with these three extraordinary individuals, in order to teach the next generation that AIDS is a problem that affects us all. It's Not Over debuted on Netflix this week and will air on Pivot on World AIDS Day, December 1. Watch the trailer below. -- Daniel Reynolds


Hs141121-005_05. EVENT: DapperQ's (un)Heeled: A Fashion Show for the Unconventionally Masculine
If you're a masculine-presenting woman or a transmasculine individual, this is a show with fashion for you. Produced by the fashion and lifestyle website dapperQ, the event, December 6 at the Brooklyn Museum, will include a runway show with attire by design firms such as Saint Harridan (a favorite of Lea DeLaria), Bindle & Keep (the subject of a documentary being produced by Lena Dunham), and Sharpe Suiting (recently featured in The Advocate). There will also be pop-up shops with goods from several companies, plus food, drink, music, and access to all the museum's galleries. And admission is free! Get all the information on the event's Facebook page. -- Trudy Ring

Hs141121-004_04. COMICS: Wonder Woman #36
DC Comics kicks off a bold new era for Wonder Woman with the new husband-and-wife creative team, Meredith and David Finch, taking over the monthly comic book series. The first issue of the new team's run, issue #36, was released Wednesday, and they have big plans in store for the Amazing Amazon, including the return of some familiar faces that have been missing from the DC Universe since the 2011's company-wide reboot. "The New 52 has really tried to turn what you know of your favorite heroes' past on its ear," David Finch said in an interview with The Advocate earlier this week. "We are definitely going to be bringing some familiar characters to our arc, but they may not be whom they once were." -- Jase Peeples

Hs141121-003_03. BLU-Ray: Come Back to the 5 & Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean
Director Robert Altman's 1982 feature film adaptation of the Broadway hit Come Back to the 5 & Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean is now available on DVD and Blu-ray for the first time. The film is a notable moment in LGBT cinema, not only for its all-star cast ,which includes Cher, Sandy Dennis, and Kathy Bates, but also for Karen Black and Mark Patton's portrayal of the transgender character Joanne/Joe Qualley. This special edition includes an exclusive interview with playwright and screenwriter Ed Graczyk, who recalls the evolution of the play and its turbulent journey from stage to screen. -- Jase Peeples


Hs141121-002_02. MUSIC: The London Sessions, Mary J. Blige
For her 13th studio album, Mary J. Blige felt it was time to experiment with her sound and begin a new musical era as the queen of Hip-Hop and R&B. She moved to London, where she began collaborating with a team of producers including the English electronic music duo Disclosure, and gay R&B star Sam Smith. The result was The London Sessions, an infectious collection of dance and R&B tracks that sound both fresh and familiar. "Sam [Smith] and I wrote a lot together on this album," Blige tells The Advocate of collaborating with the out star. "He's such a good person, a good spirit. He really knows what he's doing, he's focused, and he's humble. But one of the best parts of working with him is that he's not afraid to be vulnerable, and that made me so comfortable working with him. He's the real deal. Listen to the track "Right Now" -- cowritten by Smith and produced by Disclosure -- below for a taste of Mary's new sound. -- Jase Peeples


Hs141121-001_01. FILM: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay -- Part 1
When moviegoers last saw Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence), she had just survived a second round of the Hunger Games, the annual death match of young people that keeps the districts of Panem from revolting. However, by escaping the Games rather than winning them, Katniss has set off a revolution and become a symbol of hope for the masses. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay -- Part 1 follows Katniss as she unites the districts of Panem, leads the charge of rebellion, and rescues Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) from the clutches of the tyrannical President Snow (Donald Sutherland). The film is also notable as one of the last projects actor Phillip Seymour Hoffman worked on before his death. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay -- Part I is out in theaters this weekend. Watch the trailer below. -- Daniel Reynolds

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