08/31/18
Wigstock
Wigstock, the legendary annual event that dominated drag culture from 1985 until 2003, is being relaunched Saturday, September 1, during Labor Day weekend by feisty festival founder Lady Bunny and Tony Award winner Neil Patrick Harris. Other headliners include Alaska Thunderfuck, Alex Newell, Amanda Lepore, Barbara Tucker, Bianca Del Rio, Bob The Drag Queen, and Candis Cayne. The day-long event will take place at Pier 17 Rooftop in New York City's Seaport District from 2 to 10 p.m. This event will occur rain or shine. Learn more here.
The Little Stranger
If you love intelligent, ambiguous ghost stories, you shouldn't miss The Little Stranger. The movie, in theaters today, is based on the acclaimed 2009 best-seller by the great lesbian author Sarah Waters. It doesn't have queer characters -- although you can choose to read certain ones that way -- but it promises a lot for audiences to think about amid the thrills and chills. Set shortly after World War II, it concerns a decaying manor house where the odd events taking place may just be caused by something supernatural -- or maybe by a more earthly force of evil. Charlotte Rampling stars as the matriarch of the fading aristocratic family occupying Hundreds Hall, with Will Poulter and Ruth Wilson as her adult son and daughter and Domhnall Gleeson as the local doctor who has a strange attachment to the house. It's directed by Lenny Abrahmson (Room) from a screenplay by Lucinda Coxon. Rolling Stone's Peter Travers calls the film "a hypnotic and haunting tale of how the past can grab hold of the flesh-and-blood present and squeeze."
I Love You, America
Button-pushing funny woman and longtime lefty Sarah Silverman has a history of reaching across the aisle, as it were. And she's back on Hulu beginning September 6 with the second season of her show I Love You, America, a mash-up of a politically tinged stand-up show and a travelogue in which travels to various parts of the country to interact with folks who may not share her ideals. LGBTQ ally Silverman has said of the show that interacting with like-minded people is necessary but that connecting with "un-like-minded" people is crucial.
She's called I Love You, America an "accumulation of everything I've learned up to this point and then juxtaposed with this moment in time."
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Fashion Climbing by Bill Cunningham
Bill Cunningham, the great New York Times fashion photographer who documented style in the salons and on the streets, died in 2016 but has left us this chronicle of his life, which apparently no one knew he was writing; it was reportedly discovered by his family after his death. Cunningham said he wasn't gay, although there's something of a queer sensibility in his work, and he does reveal that he had an effeminate streak his parents tried to rid him of. When he was 4, he decided to try on a dress of his sister's, and his mother "beat the hell out of me, and threatened every bone in my uninhibited body if I wore girls' clothes again." He settled for creating women's clothes -- he started in fashion as a milliner -- and then made a career of photographing them. Order here, or if you're lucky enough to have a local bookstore, pick it up there.
Nathaniel Quinn: Filmmaker
A new play in Los Angeles, Nathaniel Quinn: Filmmaker, centers on a successful filmmaker who leaves the entertainment industry after the death of a friend and actor. The protagonist, Nathaniel Quinn (Hunter Lee Hughes), blames Hollywood for the loss. With the help of his husband, Quinn scorns Tinseltown and begins directing theatrical productions, where he encounters a possible soulmate in Jason Quinn (Laurence Fuller). Produced by Tony Award-nominated Bradley R. Bernstein, Nathaniel Quinn: Filmmaker will be at the Highways Performance Space in Santa Monica, Calif., from August 31 to September 9. Get tickets here.
The 25th Anniversary of The Nightmare Before Christmas
Anything director Tim Burton (and Oingo Boingo musician Danny Elfman) touch turns out queer in some way -- and 25 years later, The Nightmare Before Christmas still proves it without nary the word gay in it. The 25th anniversary edition of the stop-motion animated musical-fantasy following Pumpkin King Jack Skellington's misguided mission to make Yuletide his own way is still a macabre masterpiece. But now you can watch it old school or sing (or shriek) along with the brand-new sing-along mode on Blu-ray or digital code to watch on any screen. It comes out September 2. Watch for the iconic Sally (voiced by Catherine O'Hara), a resourceful rag doll that has trouble fitting in, and troublemaker Lock (voiced by gay actor Paul Reubens). There are literally dozens of fun bonus features including one on the alternate identity of Oogie Boogie (which is not in the film) and one of Burton's earliest stop-motion films, Vincent (which is narrated by late bisexual actor Vincent Price). Just add popcorn.
Big Dipper, "Thiccness"
L.A.-based queer rapper Big Dipper just released the video for his single, "Thiccness," from his LP, Late Bloomer. The thoroughly enjoyable song and video celebrate big, beautiful bodies, with Dipper posing with dogs, bears, and lasagna. Catch the video below and click here to purchase Late Bloomer.
