Brother To Brother

I’ve been fascinated with the Harlem Renaissance for quite sometime, maybe that’s why I immediately became obsessed with seeing Brother To Brother.

The film, a six-year labor of love written and directed by Rodney Evans, revolves around a young SGL man, Perry, struggling to find his place in the world. He befriends an old homeless man, who turns out to be the legendary Renaissance author of Smoke, Lilies & Jade . . . Bruce Nugent (in an award-winning portrayal by Roger Robinson). Through flashbacks and seamlessly-cut stock footage from the period, the film takes you back to a glorious time in our history.

On the surface, admittedly, the period wasn’t so hot. Sixty some-odd years since slavery was abolished and still racism was unashamedly fashionable, with black men dangling from southern trees with such regularity that Billie Holiday immortalized the curiously-Christian practice in song. There was a book for sale at the time called, Nigger Heaven—surprisingly supported by a lot of blacks—which painted Harlem as the dark, unseemly place of white folk’s nightmares. It was a best seller. But up in the real Harlem (which could surely be unseemly, no doubt), an amazing storm was brewing—a black sexually liberated literati—in a brownstone which Zora Neale Hurston would cleverly dub, Niggerati Manor. Wallace Thurman, Langston Hughes, Bruce Nugent, Aaron Douglas and others were pooling their talent to start a magazine which focused on a part of black society that not even black society wanted to talk about—homosexuals and prostitutes. The magazine was called FIRE!! Yeah, with not one, but two exclamation points . . . as if starting one was clearly the intent. Brother To Brother covers the birth of that magazine through flashbacks, in a way that made me feel as if I was right there with them, enthralled by each individually . . . legends I thought I knew. Although the film doesn’t delve deeply into their lives, I came away feeling like I knew them better and understood their struggles more. The painfully handsome Daniel Sunjata (Rescue Me) captures Langston Hughes’ almost ethereal good looks with the ease of donning the period wardrobe and a smile. Duane Boutte, with a sort of quirky beauty that left me longing, becomes the young Bruce Nugent in the same way that Angela Bassett became Tina Turner, and Faye Dunaway became Joan Crawford . . . and will remain forever inseparable in my mind. Weaved delicately with sepia-toned Renaissance Harlem, our modern protagonist, Perry, played with startling sensitivity by Anthony Mackie (Million Dollar Baby), evolves through his association with the self-described, “legendary,” Bruce Nugent. I also came away from this film and its performances feeling cozy and warm, like you do after spending an almost overly intimate evening with a good friend. Amidst the many emotional relationships which this film examines, for me, the most powerful was the almost undetectable bitter-sweet undercurrent of a tragic love story. In my favorite scene ... Bruce (Robinson), lamenting to his old bartender friend about Perry, looks at his arthritic hand and says, “Where’d this come from?” He goes on to say with gritty Shakespearean skill, “What’s a hot piece of ass like me doin’ trapped in this old man’s body?” raising his glass he added, “Here’s to lost beauty, may it always be nearby with the potential to keep you warm.” I’ll drink to that. Not just to the line itself, but to Rodney Evans for writing it, and to Roger Robinson for bringing it to spine-tingling life. I pray the Academy takes notice. Go out and buy this just released DVD. Buy several, if you can, and give them as gifts to those you love. Let’s do what we can to make it wildly successful. Because Brother To Brother is powerful on so many levels. The most important of which, of course, is the appearance Same Gender Loving lives, and not just any lives, but legendary ones, on screen . . . finally . . . without being glossed over, sanitized or ‘heterosexualized’ for the masses. The message is clear. We were here then ... and were amazing. We are here now ... and still reek with talent. And as long as homo-sapiens populate this little blue planet, we will be right here ... shining ... in all our butt-fuckin’ glory. It’s time the masses realized that. taylorSiluwé www.OurRing.com

Cyber-Porn Under Fire ... Or Us?

Sometimes ...

... I keep hoping, praying, that I'll wake up and this will all turn out to have been a nightmare. I pray that Black folks really hadn't voted for Bush in droves because their Reverends & Pastors frightened them into it. I pray that people weren't really so stupid, so miserable, so lost in archaic bullshit as to believe that smiting homosexuality is the answer to the world's ills.

And I pray that they (the shadowy faction of bible thumpers who've managed to slither from beneath pews and into power) hadn't really been so surreptitious with their coup.

So much for prayer.

Well ... I like my porn. I like it a lot. And as special, and as great, as I know myself to be ... I'm hardly unique in this respect. So I think I can safely say that WE like our porn, and no one's gonna take it away for us. And I have no doubt that the hypocritical religious right, with that Fred Phelps fuck leading the charge, is going straight to HELL ... where I hear there's a cozy suite waiting for them.

tS ~~~~~~~~~~~~

Reported by ... Randy Dotinga, PlanetOut Network Strict federal regulations that are scheduled to take effect later this week could cripple many Internet porn sites and burden other sites with adult photos in personal ads or retail offerings.

. . . The regulations don't specifically target the LGBT community, but some observers suspect it won't take much for the government to take a closer look at gay adult content.

"If you have a straight male committee checking out the content, they may see a Web site featuring twinks as being something to attack more than Web sites with 18-year-old girls just because of personal bias," said Don Mike, vice president of sales at World Wide Content, which distributes online porn. "If this is all driven by the religious right, they may feel they can add 'stomping out homosexuality' to their quest for purification of the Internet."

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I think I speak for all porn lovers, regardless of persuasion, when I quote 'Moses' Heston ... "from my cold, dead hands." ~~~ tS

A 'Gather' in BKLYN ~ Unless you're a Queen.

~~ Update ~~ A 'Gather' in BKLYN ~ The REBUTTAL~~ This is an event that caught my eye. I thought is was great for the musical sort of SGL brothers to get together and jam in a comfortable, and homey, environment. But then I noticed they were specifically requesting participants be, what else ... masculine. For what? To play a fuckin' instrument?

We as SGL men of color have so many 'others' looking down their noses at us ... I guess it's understandable that we, in turn, pick segments of our own to bash. It's that ol' standard restriction rearing its ugly head, again ... and it's just one more thing to make the 95% of brothers out there who are not hyper-built, or hyper-masculine, feel bad about themselves: No FATS or FEMS allowed. In the case of the event below, it doesn't matter if you Jam like Sheila E., if you're spookable and there's a chance some passerby might decide that everyone's a fag by association ... don't even think about showing up. It's sad, really, how we treat each other. This has been a day full of ironies for me. The Baldwin quote in the previous post also applies here. That man knew just about everything, didn't he?

Anyway, here's the event because I really do think its cool ... just leave your sweet side at home. Gon’ to gather! In Brooklyn NEXT MONTHS GATHERING IS PLANNED IN BROOKLYN. THE THEME IS JAZZ. FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DON’T KNOW WHAT A GATHER IS. IT’S LIKE COMING HOME! THERE’S DOWN HOME COOKING, LAUGHTER, CARD PLAYING AND JAZZ. ALL INTERESTED PERSONS WHO PLAY A INSTRUMENT ARE WELCOMED. MUST KNOW THE RULES OF JAMMING. KNOW THE SONGBOOKS AND CAN IMPROVISE YOUR ASS OFF. Must be gay masculine or bisexual THIS IS NOT A SEX or freak PARTY. IT’S A GATHERING of like minds and spirits Date to be announced! IF YOU PLAY JAZZ, DO WRITTEN WORD OR KNOW HOW TO JAM THOSE GOOD OLD BLUES AND YOUR OVER 21 THEN YOU are welcomed to sit in and play if you want to. Or just dig the groove of the music. WON’T WANT TO MISS THIS! Contact: Jahlaune@netscape.com

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~~ Update ~~ A 'Gather' in BKLYN ~ The REBUTTAL~~

Dwan Prince ~ Deserved what he got?

I don't care what anyone says. Irony … and a lot of bullshit … are all over the case of Steven Pomie, who was arrested for beating Dwan Prince into a coma because Prince thought Pomie looked cute in his pink wife-beater. Let me just say two things ... one, I'm assuming it was a wife-beater, reports have all been saying that it was a 'tank-top', but I like to think it was a fashionable, pale-pink wife-beater ... because that’s just what every good, self-respecting, Neanderthal-brained, closet-case gang-member should be sporting these days. And two, hasn’t it been common knowledge for years that homophobic rage is clearly fueled by repressed sexual desire? [Insert Wendy Williams sound bite] 'How you doin'?' But I guess teeny-brained, homie-sexual gang-members aren’t notorious for their smarts. It's been said that Pomie was walking and lifting his shirt, exposing his back tattoo, which naturally caught Prince's eye. Hell, I woulda looked too ... there's no crime in that last time I checked, and in my ample experience when a dude walks by and lifts his shirt, he wants you to look. Though by the sight of Pomie's mug-shot (pictured above), I would've left it at that. And when he allegedly said, "What the fuck are you lookin' at?" ... I certainly wouldn't have responded flirtatiously. Doesn’t that strike anybody as a little odd? Allegedly, Dwan Prince, after hearing that, took it to the next level … one which has only been described as a "flirtatious response". This from a man who's been described as sweet and mild-mannered. Was he really that blinded by the 'pink'? It seems unlikely to me that a slight, mild-mannered gay man would throw himself at the first obviously belligerent homophobe to lift his pink shirt and flash some flesh. Are gay men just sex-crazed fiends, so driven to copulate with anything remotely male that they ignore obvious danger signals? And why was Dwan Prince’s HIV status such an important factor in almost every... single ... fucking report ... I found about the case? Is anyone else sensing the media’s oh-so-subtle allusion that Dwan Prince ... because of his insatiable homosexual appetite (which led to his being stricken not only with that disease but with the uncontrollable urge to throw himself at a killer) ... deserved what he got? I’ll leave you with this quote … “It is a terrible, an inexorable, law that one cannot deny the humanity of another without diminishing one’s own.” James Baldwin

But what am I thinking? This is the Theocratic States of America ... where diminishing humanity has risen to an art form.

PATTI LABELLE ~ Living It Up

. . . featuring a behind-the-scenes look at the recording of Patti LaBelles new CD, Classic Moments, with Elton John and Mary J. Blige. Silver Spring, MD (BlackNews.com) - Contemporary music legend Patti LaBelle returns to TV One this month for a new season of her series that offers viewers a behind-the-scenes look into her life, the places she loves and the latest lifestyle trends that tickle her fancy. New episodes of Living It Up with Patti LaBelle premiere beginning Friday, June 24 from 8-8:30. Six new episodes will premiere each Friday at 8, repeating Saturdays at 7:30 PM and Sundays at 2:30 PM (all times ET). Seven additional new episodes are scheduled to premiere in fall 2005. Living It Up With Patti LaBelle, features show themes as exciting and multidimensional as Patti herself. The June 24 premiere episode takes viewers into the recording studio for a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Patti's latest CD, Classic Moments, scheduled to be released June 21. Its classic LaBelle as she works non-stop in the studio, teaming up with Elton John and Mary J. Blige to make beautiful music once again. This season she also explores London's finest while on tour, Philly's finest while at home, and LA's finest from antique stores to stylists to the stars who share useful tips on fashion and style. She will also introduce viewers to some amazing African American women, from those who are charting their own course in business and making their own mark in the world, to more familiar faces like actress and comedienne Monique, who shares her ups and downs as she still makes her way in the entertainment industry. *** Okay .... I love Pattie, but there was a season ONE of this show? Where the hell was I? ***

Michael Jackson: Still THE KING

I just have to say . . . I was scared for a minute. Terrified actually. But sometimes, surprisingly, things do work out for the best. We love you Mike!! Word of advice though . . . stay away from the little boys . . . please. We know you find them to be supple and sweet, but just stop it alright. And if you can't control yourself, please for God's sake . . . go to some third-world country where you can have your pick of it's indigenous supple commodities. Just don't bring any souveniers home.

Destiny's Farewell ...

DESTINY'S CHILD BID SURPRISE FAREWELL TO FANS AT BARCELONA CONCERT "Destiny Fulfilled…And Lovin' It" Tour To Mark Final Live Performances By Best-selling Female Pop Vocal Group Kelly, Beyoncé, & Michelle Thank Fans For Years Of Love & Support (dateline - New York - June 12, 2005; source: Sony Urban/Columbia Records) Destiny's Child, one of the top-selling female pop vocal groups of all time, made a surprise announcement , before a crowd of 16,000 fans, on-stage at the Palau St. Jordi in Barcelona, Spain on Saturday, June 11. Group member Kelly Rowland said that the group's current "Destiny Fulfilled…And Lovin' It" tour, presented by McDonalds, would be the last time they would perform together as Destiny's Child in Europe. Thanking their fans for years of love and support, Beyoncé Knowles, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams announced that they would be retiring as Destiny's Child and moving forward to pursue personal goals and individual careers in music, theater, television and film. Statement from Destiny's Child: "As a group, we've been blessed with success and the greatest fans in the world. We have been working together as Destiny's Child since we were nine , and touring together since we were fourteen. After a lot of discussion and some deep soul searching, we realized that our current tour has given us the opportunity to leave Destiny's Child on a high note, united in our friendship and filled with an overwhelming gratitude for our music, our fans, and each other. After all these wonderful years working together, we realized that now is the time to pursue our personal goals and solo efforts in earnest. This is a time of natural growth for all of us. No matter what happens, we will always love each other as friends and sisters and will always support each other as artists. We want to thank all of our fans for their incredible love and support and hope to see you all again as we continue fulfilling our destinies." Destiny's Child will return to the States to begin the American leg of the group's tour on July 9. The final Destiny's Child concert is currently slated to take place in Vancouver on September 10. The upcoming stateside "Destiny Fulfilled…And Lovin' It" concerts mark Destiny Child's first full-length tour of North America in four years. Support acts on the "Destiny Fulfilled…And Lovin' It" tour will include Destiny's Child's Sony Urban/Columbia Records labelmate Amerie, the platinum recording artist Mario, and emerging urban artist Tyra. "Destiny's Fulfilled…And Lovin' It" is a state-of-the-art modern concert experience featuring spectacular sets, exquisite lighting, pristine sound, and dramatic new staging. With costumes designed by Tina Knowles for House of Dereon, the women in Destiny's Child have never looked…or sounded…better. One of the world's top-selling musical acts of the late 90s and early 00s, Destiny's Child has sold more than 40 million records worldwide, with solo recordings by Beyoncé, Kelly, and Michelle bringing the total up to an astounding 50 million. The members of Destiny's Child, individually and collectively, have earned a phenomenal 38 gold, platinum, and multi-platinum RIAA certifications since the group's recorded debut in November 1997.

Tyson: Down For The Count

I don't know what to say. First The Juice went sour. Then Michael Jackson moonwalked way way waaaay into Neverland . . . and now, Iron Mike has proven to be made of a much less formidable substance. The great ones are tumbling . . . and it pains me to have to sit back and watch. I've seen all the pics of Tyson stupified on the canvas. The media is gonna run with those pics ad-nauseum like they always do when OUR stars come crashing down. But I remember a better Mike, the real Mike, the Champion, the Animal, the savage beast who made the world's knees weak. I'll remember him this way, and not diminish his accomplishments by focusing on embarassing images of a great athlete in decline. taylorS But here's what the mainstream is saying .... ~ESPN~ If it isn't over, then indeed it should be. There's no reason to go on like this. No one in his right mind would want to. Mike Tyson, of course, has never been accused of being fully sane. Calliope music plays in his head, and he might be able to convince himself it's time to jump off the merry-go-round that has been his boxing career. Danny Williams, a fighter only the sickest of boxing savants ever would have known about in the U.S. before the match was made, ended Tyson's career Friday night in Louisville, Ky. A crowd of 17,000 rubberneckers showed up at Freedom Hall to witness a foregone conclusion. What they saw was a too-far-gone illusion. Williams survived a first-round onslaught to deposit Pugilistic Enemy No. 1 into the ropes late in the fourth round. Williams landed 19 unanswered punches, most to the head. Tyson finally slumped after Williams' right fist landed on the temple, and referee Dennis Alfred counted Tyson out with nine seconds left until the bell. The 38-year-old former undisputed champion of the world looked nothing like Kid Dynamite, nothing like the Baddest Man on the Planet, nothing like the most intimidating SOB ever to inflict pain for money. The talent, the fire and the persona are too far gone. At a time when boxing desperately needs someone to captivate us again, Tyson just doesn't have it anymore. He will never discover it again, and the sport is worse off for it. Even his trainer realized it, although he wasn't ready to come out and say it. Freddie Roach was near tears while speaking to reporters after the fight. He was asked, based on what he saw tonight, if Tyson could ever contend for the heavyweight title. "No," Roach replied, the tone of resignation speaking volumes more than he wanted.

Maxwell: A Coming Back OUT album?

First off ... this is Courtesy of AllHipHop and posted under the RUMORS heading, so take it for what its worth.

"I knew something was strange about that Maxwell rumor. Nothing is "too vulgar" in the music game…especially when exploiting women (right?)! However, if the person singing is a man and he's singing about sex with another man, that could be a precarious predicament for a record company, right? So, if a singer is singing his whole career about the ladies and decides that his comeback album doubles as a "coming out of the closet" album, then that's an issue. So, when I previously mentioned Maxwell being vulgar, it didn't sit well in my brain. We have "Uncut" shows and explicit images of women in these magazines. So, according to my sources, people have heard it and he being possibly gay isn't really a secret – straight people just didn't know. Is the world ready for THIS?" -- illseed

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On another note ...

... here's one who I'd love to see come out of the closet. Okay, he doesn't have to do it publicly, privately at my place will do.

I found this pic while doing a Google search for some other actor. This pic popped up first. So ... though I have nothing to report about him at the present time ... this just screamed to make the blog.

Does anyone know what this seXy morsel, Mr. Larenz Tate, is up to these days?

Matthew St. Patrick: Busting Barriers

As Keith on “Six Feet Under,” Matthew St. Patrick plays the more confident, proudly out member of a gay couple, but the actor is frank in discussing the challenges of the role, the physical intimacy with actor Michael C. Hall it demands and his commitment to getting beyond simple stereotypes in his portrayal. Busting Barriers Not Always Easy “Six Feet Under” charts a gay couple’s touch slog, and also an actor’s personal hurdles On June 6, HBO’s ode to dysfunctional families who happen to be undertakers began its fifth and final season. This critically acclaimed drama, created by Oscar-winning Alan Ball (“American Beauty,”) has been nominated for and garnered just about every major TV award for which it qualifies. So why should we care? Besides its weekly sardonic look at mortality, the show’s portrayal of homosexuality and lesbianism has been unflinching. Read the rest ... http://www.gaycitynews.com/gcn_423/bustingbarriersnot.html

SAN FRANCISCO Board likely to back Castro bar bias finding

Thursday, June 9, 2005 The San Francisco Human Rights Commission's finding in April that the Badlands bar discriminates against African Americans has forged new ties between the city's black and gay communities, which had often found themselves at odds. City supervisors are expected to pass a resolution Tuesday supporting the commission's finding that bar owner Les Natali tried to ban black patrons and didn't want to hire any African Americans, in violation of anti-discrimination laws. Read Article .... http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/06/09/BAGRID5KL71.DTL&feed=rss.bayarea ~~~~~~~ The Black AIDS Institute released a national report on the state of AIDS in Black America, titled “The Time is Now!”. The report explains the policies and politics that have helped shape the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Black America and our nation’s response to it. It articulates the challenges faced by Black Americans in reshaping and ultimately stopping the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The report speaks to both AIDS experts and members of the community who may have just become aware of the problem and now need information on how and where to get involved. Click here for details.

Hey ... didn't God create "Purple Haze" for a reason? http://www.denverpost.com/ci_2791425?rss

Tyson Beckford Crashes Into Utility Pole

SECAUCUS, N.J. -- Ralph Lauren Polo's hunky model Tyson Beckford was injured after his truck crashed into a utility pole and burst into flames. Beckford, 34, lost control of his 2004 red Dodge Ram shortly before 5 a.m. Monday and skidded into the pole, said police Detective Thomas O'Keeffe. The truck caught fire, and Beckford was able to pull himself out before it became fully engulfed in flames, police said. Beckford, a West New York resident, was taken to the Jersey City Medical Center, where he was treated for head trauma and cuts, O'Keeffe said. Hospital officials did not return repeated calls Tuesday morning, but published reports said Beckford was discharged Monday afternoon. Beckford's manager, Bethann Hardison, told the Daily News the injuries were not serious. In 1995, Beckford was named one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" and named Model of the Year at the VHI Fashion Awards. Beckford also has appeared in movies such as "Zoolander," "Biker Boyz" and "Dream Street." He has appeared in magazines such as GQ, Essence and Vogue.

~AP~

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Damn. And right in my neighborhood too. Why couldn't I have been there to give him vigorous hea ... uh, CPR.

tS