THEGAYUK

Author: Tim Baros

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Chess, London Coliseum

    ★★★ | Chess, London Coliseum

    Chess is a show about Chess……and it sort of works!

    This new production is its first in London’s West End in over 30 years. With music and lyrics by Tim Rice and the two B’s in ABBA (Benny Anderson and Bjorn Ulvaeus, Chess, which deals with the intense chess rivalry between the U.S. and USSR in the cold war days of the 1980s, has a political message that’s just as timely now as it was back then.
    But, you might ask, how exciting is a show about the game of chess? Well, the real answer is not very exciting, nor it is very sexy. Chess can easily be described as an opera, and if opera is your thing, then you’ll will love this show. For the rest of us who like catchy memorable tunes and some razzle-dazzle and great choreography ensemble dancing, i.e. Chicago and almost everything else playing in the West End, then you will be bored at ‘Chess.’ However, Chess, which specifically deals with the rivalry between Anatoly Sergievsky (an amazing Michael Ball) and an inappropriately named Freddie Trumpier (Tim Howar) – both fictional characters – is slow to build, very slow. I was actually quite bored in the first half, but by the end of the show, I was standing on my feet.
    This is not because the storyline is great or the ensemble dancing was amazing (it wasn’t), it’s because of the truly talented singers on stage. Ball, who was the original Phantom in Phantom of the Opera, commands the stage in every song he sings. Cassidy Johnson, who plays Florence, Freddie’s agent who happens to fall in love with Anatoly, is almost as good. Johnson, who most recently played Carole King in ‘Beautiful,’ has quite a few showstoppers, including the famous hit ‘I Know Him So Well.’ Also included in the cast is  X-Factor winner Alexandra Burke, who shows up in the second half, and makes a great effort in playing Anatoly’s suffering wife.
    Chess starts out as Freddie arrives in Russia on a plane, cleverly staged, to take on Anatoly in a chess match to determine who is the world champion. But besides the match, Chess is, as previously mentioned, about the cold war, and the longstanding chess rivalry between both countries. It’s cleverly staged, with cutting edges to resemble a chess board, with video screens that show close up the actor’s facial emotions while they sing. And while some of the musical numbers don’t seem to work (’One Night in Bangkok’ is a bit out of place as well as an over-the-top American cheerleader sequence, and a video tribute to former chess champions has no impact), Sergievsky and Trumpier’s chess rivalry is just as intense as is the political situation between both countries then and now. Would I recommend you taking a gamble to go see Chess? The answer is yes!

    CHESS plays at the London Coliseum until the 2nd June

     

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Bat Out of Hell, Dominion Theatre

    ★★★★★ | Bat Out of Hell, Dominion Theatre

    Bat Out of Hell returns – and it’s just as rocked up and fantastic as it was when it played in London its first time around.

    Bat Out of Hell had a sold out run at the London Coliseum last year, and it was practically begging to open again – and it has – this time in a bigger venue (Dominion Theatre). It’s the same story – a musical set to Meat Loaf’s mega-selling 1977 album of the same name. While some of the actors have not returned from it’s original run, it’s still a rocktastic, fun and mega exciting ride.

    Raven (Christina Bennington – returning from the original show) is literally locked up in a mega mansion in the sky by her parents Falco (Rob Fowler) and Sloane (Sharon Sexton). Raven is a lonely girl – she’s not allowed outside at all – but she really wants to experience the outside world, to ride the subway, to meet a boy. In the outside world Strat (Andrew Polec) leads a gang of nomads and hangers on, and he’s always dreamt of catching the girl – particularly Raven, but she’s not available. So all sorts of musical mayhem takes place including Strat trying to kidnap Raven so that him and her can be together. Meanwhile, one of the gang members (a fabulous Danielle Steers – returning) is slowly falling in love with another gang member, while she’s actually a maid in the Falco household. She knows their secrets, and lies.

    This is the story, in a nutshell, but the way it’s told is spectacular. Motorcycles, explosions, video projection, skimpy costumes, a convertible on stage that was formerly a dining room table, and said convertible plunging off the stage into the orchestra pit – it’s all musical mayhem – from a rock classic album, and it is just as good on stage as it is on the album and when it played at the Coliseum. The cast dance and prance on stage, and with most of the songs dealing with love, Bat Out of Hell is a love story set to rock music. It’s loud, it’s crazy, it’s superb!

    BAT OUT OF HELL is currently booking until 27 October 2018.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Tina, Aldwych Theatre

    ★★★★ | Tina, Aldwych Theatre

    Adrienne Warren is astonishing as Tina Turner in the new musical aptly titled Tina. Now playing at the Aldwych Theatre, Tina charts the ups, and many downs, of Tina’s life. Born as Ann-Mae Bullock, in 1939, we are shown, first hand, how, as a little girl, she was brought up in a violent household where her father hit her mother, causing her mother to move away with her sister (leaving Ann-Mae behind).

    Then we are all aware of Tina’s 16-year violent relationship with Ike Turner, a relationship that she got into when she was very young (16), and which produced two boys. But once this depressing part of the story concludes (depressing because of the emotion and violence) we get to the good stuff;  how Tina reinvented herself ( with the help of manager Roger Davies – played by Ryan O’Donnell) and became a music superstar all on her own, and then had several chart-topping hits in the 1980s and 1990s, raising her level to icon status.

    All of this story is told in the songs of Tina (and Ike) Turner. ‘What’s Love Got To Do With It’ is, strangely enough, sung in an airport lounge, while ‘I Can’t Stand the Rain’ is performed with, yes you guessed it, umbrellas, while there are other questionable sequences that don’t quite fit the music. And some of the wigs most of the men wear to reflect the time period look a bit silly and fake at best, plus a couple performers go a bit overboard in their acting in a couple dramatic scenes. Kobna Holdbrook-Smith as Ike Turner doesn’t quite nail the role. However, it’s Warren’s show. Every time she opens her mouth and sings it’s electrifying, and without her, the show would not be a hit.

    Warren is just simply amazing, simply the best, and at the end, the audience is treated to a few more songs, and Warren truly does deserve the standing ovations she receives night after night after night. Warren is a star in her own right.

    140,000 new tickets went on sale Wednesday 18 April 2018 and is now booking to 16 February 2019.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | The Service at Café de Paris

    ★★★★★ | The Service, Cafe De Paris

    Café de Paris in Central London is host to The Service – the best burlesque and cabaret show in town.

    The Service is a theatrical and highly immersive show that is unique in that it takes the audience back to the time that Café de Paris was a roaring club back in the 1920s, through to the 40s – it’s one of the world’s most renowned clubs. The Service plays such jaw-dropping performances that capture the history of the club – it’s amazing nine-decade history. The Service is fast-paced, hilarious, outrageous – it’s a fun and sexy night where the ghosts of every era of Café de Paris come alive.

    Told by the very funny and sarcastic Reuben Kaye – the evening’s host and Maitre d’ – who guides us through the evening by a gang of performers who bewitch, bewilder, and excite the audience. it’s an unforgettable experience and an unforgettable night. And hot and sexy Craig Gadd ends the show in a moving and memorable performance of balancing on one hand while war footage is displayed on his chest – it’s a pinch-me moment. Even Josephine Baker makes an appearance. The Service is must-see cabaret in a venue made for cabaret.

    THE CAST

    Prepare to be captivated by the brilliant, award-winning, internationally acclaimed cast. Princess Margaret is played byBettsie Bon Bon– known as ‘the body of burlesque’ and voted Best Burlesque Performer 2016; whilstSammy Dinneen, aka the Valet, is one of the best and most technical hand balancers in the UK. Ken ‘Snakehips’ Johnson, the star of Britain’s black swing movement in the 1940s, is played by Korri Aulakh, who trained at the National Centre for Circus Arts and the National Circus School of Montreal.

    Anna the Hulagan, who plays The Club Kid, is one of the UK’s leading hula hoop teachers, best known as ‘London’s cult hula hoop artiste’ (The Times). As the winner of the Triple Crown award at the World Burlesque Games, Hulagan delivers performances that are as fun as they are sexy.

    For an unforgettable evening of entertainment, there is nowhere more magical to celebrate than at the world-famous Café de Paris.

    Tickets for Café de Paris’ The Service can be purchased via Design My Night

     

    Café de Paris

    The Service: 18:00 – 22:15 Nightclub: 22:15 – 03:00

    3 Coventry St, London W1D 6B

    The Service launched Friday 23rd March and takes place every Friday thereafter.

    Ticket Information

    General Admission – enjoy the show from Café de Paris mezzanine with waiter and bar

    service – £20 per person

    2-course dining (starter and a main) in the main ballroom – £55 per person

    3-course dining (starter, main and dessert) in the main ballroom – £60 per person

    Gold Package (6 guests minimum) – Reserved seats, canape platters & drinks – £75 per person

    VIP dining – 3-course dining, half a bottle of prosecco per person and best seats: £80 per person

  • RESTAURANT REVIEW | Ember Yard, Soho London

    ★★★★☆ | Ember Yard

    A feast is waiting for you at Ember Yard.

    Conveniently located on the Soho side of Oxford Street, Ember Yard is a welcoming restaurant that feels just as warm and cosy just like your grandfather’s log cabin. And on Sundays they roll out their Sunday Feast meal – and boy is it a feast! For a mere £35 per person, it’s a meal of four courses with free-flowing drinks, and did I mention it’s a yummy feast?

    The first course – Antipasti – is just superb. The Jamon Serrano was just tasty, and there was a lot of it! The Gorgonzola Dulce was superb enough to wow my dining companion. The Grilled Flat Bread, topped with thyme and smothered with smoked butter, was bread to kill! Lest I forget the Jasper Baked Mushrooms topped with a quail egg, and a smattering of walnuts, crackers, and honey to top it off – bravo!!!

    Then came Primi – which was another round of excellent yet different combinations of foods that you’d never make at home. One dish consisted of Salt Cod, peppers topped with potato crisps, and the other dish was tasty Pecorino Soft Polenta, expertly grilled stem broccoli, and pecorino cream and smoked almonds. It was more than plenty for two people. And our waiter Fabio recommended a pairing with what is perhaps the lightest white wine I have ever drunk – Alasia Piemonte Cortese – as mentioned it was very light and crispy – it was superb wine – enough so that I plan to seek it out again, and I am not a wine drinker.

    The Secondi was certainly the best for last. Smoked and Grilled Lamb Rump, that was perfectly cooked, was just superb. And the dish came with Pancetta Braised Lentils that were just as superb as the lamb, and a carrot puree on the same wooden plate gave the dish an amazing colour and look. The other half of Secondi was Smoked Haddock Risotto, soft eggs with spinach and Gremolata, served as one in a bowl. Just so much food, paired with Spanish Borsao red wine which complemented both the meat and the seafood. But we were not done yet – there’s always room for Dolce. We were given Pistachio cake topped with ice cream and blood orange sauce with unique slices of grapefruit that was a very good combination. The other choice was Lemon and Limoncello Posset, Poached Rhubarb and yoghurt sorbet cleverly served in a glass.

    We were offered, and couldn’t say no, to two espresso martinis – and they were some of the best I’ve ever had. Served nice and chilled, with espresso grounds sprinkled on top, it was a delicious, and perfect way to end the evening.

    Ember Yard’s Sunday Feasts change weekly, so what I had may not necessarily be what you are served. But you can guarantee that you’ll get excellent food with both a Spanish and Italian twist, using their method of cooking over charcoal and wood. Ember Yard is a lovely two-story restaurant and bar, with an open plan kitchen and a cosy bar on the lower ground floor. It’s a cool place for dinner, drinks, tapas or whatever you fancy, all in all, it’s a great place to be.

    60 Berwick Street
    London
    W1F 8SU

    OPENING TIMES:
    MONDAY – FRIDAY: 12PM – 11PM

    Saturday: 12pm – 12pm

    Sunday and Bank Holidays: 12pm – 10pm

    CONTACT:

    +44 (0) 207 439 8057

    info@emberyard.co.uk

    http://www.saltyardgroup.co.uk/ember-yard/

  • FILM REVIEW | Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist

    ★★★★ | Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist

    REVIEW Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist
    Vivienne Westwood – she truly is an icon, punk, activist and an inspiration to us all. Westwood called this documentary mediocre, but she is far from mediocre.

    Clothing Designer Vivienne Westwood has denounced the new documentary about her saying that the film does not at all focus on her activism but instead is ‘made up of archive fashion footage.’

    In the first few minutes of Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist, Westwood tells the camera, and the interviewer, that she doesn’t want to talk about certain important bits of her life. And that pretty much sets the tone for the rest of this 83-minute documentary.

    Filmmaker Lorna Tucker spent three years with the fashion designer trying to get Westwood to tell her life story, and the documentary could’ve been so much more, but we still are presented with a fascinating look at a fascinating woman who changed the course of British fashion with her non-conservative designs and her extreme personality.

    Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist, glosses over her younger years, and spends more time in the present where she presides over a global empire that she still can’t believe it’s gotten as big as it has – she doesn’t even know what half her staff does. But that’s the job for Austrian Andreas Kronthaler, who was her former fashion student and is now her husband and creative director for the brand. The documentary shows Westwood in her day-to-day life; looking over models wearing her designs, attending store openings where she says she’s not quite convinced she likes them or not, and shows Westwood cycling around London on her bike when she really should be chauffeured about in a limousine. We see snapshots of her life before she became famous, and the ex-council flat in Clapham where she lived for 30 years until 2000, and her two sons speak at times not so glowingly about their famous mother. Less is mentioned about her time with Malcolm McLaren and the clothing shop where she made punk clothes in the 1970s known as SEX which was controversial and radical for its time. Perhaps that’s a topic for another documentary.

    But what’s most fascinating about Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist is her clothes. Whether shown in the workshops or on the fashion runways all over the world, the clothes are really a work of beauty, unique in every sense of the word. And so is Vivienne Westwood – she truly is an icon, punk, activist and an inspiration to us all. Westwood called this documentary mediocre, but she is far from mediocre.

    ‘Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist’ is in UK cinemas on Friday, March 23rd. 

  • RESTAURANT REVIEW | Baluchi, London

    ★★★★ | Baluchi

    Baluchi review
    Amazing food in an amazing location

    Step into a place where the decor is sumptuous, the staff very nice and attentive, and the food very good. The place is a restaurant called Baluchi.

    Baluchi is a restaurant so unlike any other south of the river (literally right next to the road that becomes Tower Bridge). Inside the gorgeous hotel called The LaLit, Baluchi the restaurant is a one-room affair, with stunning chandeliers and plenty of space in between tables so as not to feel overcrowded and busy. And it’s Indian-style menu has all sorts of food for just about anyone, even those who are not quite familiar with Pan Indian food.

    We were delighted to choose two very good, and refreshing, drinks to start out with. My dining companion had the Mad Honey while I had the Mango Mai Tai, which was very sweet, which is the way I like my drinks, as well as beautifully coloured, with a dried lime on top for a nice touch!

    Amazing food in an amazing location

    These two drinks were just a small sampling of what was on offer in their drinks menu – a stunning multi-page book of every type of cocktail you want. While they don’t come cheap (£10 to £15 each), they are worth every penny!

    As for the food, you are really and truly spoiled for choice. Dishes from the menu include all sorts, from seafood (Sea Bass, Peterhead Cod, Tandoori Prawns), to the fantastic Vegetarian dishes (Dal Baluchi – Black Lentils, Grilled Tofu) to an amazing array of meat dishes (Butter Chicken, Murg Adraki – Free-range corn-fed chicken, and venison) to lamb, which is what we ordered. I had the splendid and meaty Lamb Chops. At £21.50, I received three very large and perfectly cooked chops, with smoked aubergine and yummy potato mash and an avocado dollop, in a lovely coriander, mint and garlic chutney. I highly recommend this dish. My dining companion ordered the Lamb Shan K Gush Taba (gluten free), and as expected it was tender, moist and extra good in its not too spicy sauce. She and I loved our lamb – superb!!! Mango and coconut-flavoured naan bread was served with our main course – absolutely delicious, along with the mandatory rice.

    We had also ordered starters which were presented very beautifully. We wanted the Kamal Kakdi, but unfortunately, they were out, so we ordered the fantastic Subz Kl Thal, which was an amazing array of edibles that included corn tikki, papad and paneer – and suitable for sharing which is what we did. It was a wow dish, and at £14.50, a good bargain. We also ordered the Bharwan Zucchini – a courgette with various sauces. It was a bit small, but nice taste and flavour nonetheless. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the papadums served with berry and tomato chutney – great starters!

    Of course, for those with a sweet tooth, The Baluchi offers quite a few dessert choices. My companion had the Coconut 3 Ways – jelly and espuma, hazelnut mousse and curry leaf smoke – while I had the Carrom Seed Shortbread – an unusual array of a poached guava, guava sorbet, pistachio and caramel popcorn. Both desserts came in at £8 each – respectable because they are different but they did not have the wow factor that we expected.

    I almost never write about the coffee but the decaf coffee I was served after the meal was one of the most delicious I have ever had in recent memory, while my dining companion really enjoyed her tea.

    Despite a mix up with the bill (the drinks the table next to us had were on our bill), everything about the evening was impeccable, from the presentation of the food to the way it was served to us by the wait staff, from the amazing decor to the gracious chef who paid a visit to our table, and to the extreme care and attentiveness our server was to us. The whole evening was very memorable, and while our bill came to about £150 for the two of us, sometimes it’s worth this kind of money to make the experience memorable and very enjoyable. Baluchi is definitely a one-of-a-kind restaurant that’s practically in its own world right in the heart of the hustle and bustle of London.

    Find out more at https://www.thelalit.com/the-lalit-london/eat-and-drink/baluchi/

  • FILM REVIEW | A Fantastic Woman

    ★★★★★ | A Fantastic Woman

    Daniela Vega gives an award-worthy performance in the Chilean film A Fantastic Woman. Vega’s performance as a woman who, after the death of her lover, is rejected and scorned by his family that is superb.

    You see, Vega is transgender, and her character Marina Vidal, who happens to be an aspiring singer, is also, of course, transgender. She and her lover Orlando (Francisco Reyes) had a regular relationship, but his ex-wife and son never truly accepted her nor her relationship with Francesco. But after a birthday celebration where they shared a romantic dinner, a sexy dance in a club, and a night of passion at home, Francisco starts having problems breathing, and after a tense drive to the hospital, Francesco dies, and in panic and a state of confusion, Marina walks away from the hospital. But after a police car picks her up and takes her back to the hospital, she realises that she’s being treated as a suspect in Francesco’s death and not as a grieving partner. To make matter much much worse, Francesco’s grown up son wants her out of Francesco’s apartment, and his ex-wife wants his car and explicitly tells Marina, to her face, that their relationship was perverted and not normal. It’s too much for anyone to take, but Marina is strong, and she will do anything to attend Francesco’s funeral, even when Francesco’s family tries to keep her way. Marina loved Francesco and wants to say a final goodbye.

    There’s no doubt about Vega’s performance. We feel her pain, and her anger, and her confusion over the series of events that have happened in her life in a short period of time. Vega is a revelation, and she should’ve been nominated for a Best Actress Oscar, nevertheless she’s been nominated for a slew of other awards, and has won Best Actress at the Palm Spring International Film Festival, while the film, written and directed by Sebastiån Lelio, won the prestigious Teddy Award at the Berlin International Film Festival. ‘A Fantastic Woman’ is really fantastic, one of the best films of the year, and Vega’s performance will most definitely move you.

    A Fantastic Woman is now playing.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Girls and Boys, Royal Court Theatre

    THEATRE REVIEW | Girls and Boys, Royal Court Theatre

    ★★★★☆ | Girls & Boys, Royal Court Theatre

    Any play that starts out with the line ‘I met my husband in the queue to board an Easyjet flight and I have to say that I took an instant dislike to the man’ you know you’re going to be hooked. And that’s how Girls & Boys pulls you in a tight grip and never let’s go.

    It’s not just the sharp dialogue that grabs your attention, it’s also the way it’s delivered, by the super famous actor Carey Mulligan. And she’s solo for the entire show – a one-woman show about her character’s relationship with the man she met at the airport, their life together, which produced two children, and then, as nothing in life is totally perfect, the relationship with her husband breaks down, but that’s not the end of it. An unspeakable tragedy happens, and by this time Mulligan and Girls & Boys has sucked us in, and doesn’t let go. It’s heartwrenching and heartbreaking.
    Mulligan IS terrific. She flits back and forth from delivering the monologue directly to the audience but then jumps into a scene in the show, in her white living room – devoid of colour, and life. There she plays with her two children, but they are actually not there, they are invisible but a reminder that her past life was full of love and life, but is now full of emptiness. Mulligan reminisces about a life that was to good to be true, and it was.
    Mulligan, star of the recent critically acclaimed film Mudbound, is a formidable presence on the stage. You forget she’s a famous actress because you get wrapped up in the story, of her telling of it, as she wraps and grasps the audience in the story. A tight sharp script by Dennis Kelly and crisp direction by Lyndsey Turner make this 90 minute show a must see, unfortunately, it’s sold out for its entire run.
     

  • Call Me By Your Name wins big at the annual Dorian Awards

    The distinctly unique GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics, comprised of over 200 gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer and ally entertainment journalists in the US, Canada and UK, has announced its ninth annual Dorian Award winners.

    This year’s 26 TV and film categories, again running from mainstream to LGBTQ-centric, include inaugural awards for Supporting Film Performance. A handful of select recipients will join the group for GALECA’s annual Winners Toast on Saturday, February 24th in Beverly Hills.

    Call Me By Your Name, which led with nine nominations, was named 2017’s Film of the Year. The bittersweet story of two American men — a teen and a 20something — falling for each other in Italy also earned Timothée Chalamet a Dorian for Film Performance of the Year — Actor. Chalamet, seen in Dorian nominee Lady Bird as well, was also the group’s Rising Star pick. Meanwhile, Greta Gerwig, writer and helmer of the female-focused coming-of-age drama Lady Bird, was named Director of the Year.

    Jordan Peele, formerly of TV’s acclaimed Key and Peele sketch comedy series, earned Screenplay of the Year for Get Out, the heart-stopping thriller and acidic satire about a black man (Daniel Kaluuya) who discovers his white girlfriend’s “liberal” parents are secretly murderous racists. Peele was also crowned Wilde Artist of the Year (nominees included Gerwig, Patty Jenkins, David Lynch and Guillermo del Toro) and Wilde Wit of the Year (in a tie with Saturday Night Live fixture Kate McKinnon). For the second year in a row, the talented McKinnon scored TV Musical Performance of the Year for her wowza impersonation of Kellyanne Conway taking her “alternative facts” act to Broadway.

    Film icon and feminist activist Meryl Streep was the group’s latest choice for Timeless Star, a career achievement honour previously won by such equally beloved stars (and human-rights champions) Jane Fonda, Dame Angela Lansbury and Sir Ian McKellen.

    “Who doesn’t love Meryl Streep outside of non-feminist Donald Trump?” quipped Diane Anderson-Minshall, GALECA’s president as well as editorial director of The Advocate magazine. “Streep’s latest film, The Post, speaks to her commitment to playing, and supporting, strong women who push for or at least embody the need for equality. As The Washington Post’s firebrand Katherine Graham, she inhabited the role of the first female publisher of a major American newspaper — a woman who went from housewife to overseeing the revelations of both Watergate and the Pentagon Papers at a time when most of the men around her were too afraid to take on either. And this was all long before the #MeToo movement.”

    Adds John Griffiths, GALECA’s Executive Director, “From Sophie’s Choice to Postcards from the Edge, Streep’s an incredibly stirring and affecting actress who transports, delights and nails various accents like no other. I’d say she definitely qualifies as a timeless star — and amid all the headlines about sexual harassment in Hollywood, she’s also a very relevant current voice.” Fun fact: Streep won a Dorian Award for The Iron Lady back in 2012.

    In additional trademark races, God’s Own Country — 2017’s other visceral love story involving two gay men — won as GALECA’s Unsung Film of the Year (the competition included director Angela Robinson’s Professor Marston and the Wonder Women). Awards-season darling The Shape of Water impressed as Visually Striking Film of the Year. And mother!, Darren Aronofsky’s over-the-top psychological chiller starring Jennifer Lawrence, was deemed Campy Flick of the Year.

    Among TV categories, HBO’s sleek murder mystery Big Little Lies took TV Drama of the Year, with star Nicole Kidman (as a battered wife) triumphing too. Kyle MacLachlan was Kidman’s male counterpart for Twin Peaks: The Return. Starz’s provocative gods-among-us fantasy American Gods took Unsung TV Show, fittingly as its future, the freshman series’ future is reportedly up in the air. And programs each celebrating their second win in a row: TBS’ Full Frontal with Samantha Bee (Current Events Show of the Year) and the Lady Gaga-loved gay performance contest RuPaul’s Drag Race (LGBTQ Show).

    Below is the complete list of Dorian winners.

    GALECA, The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics, previously known as the Gay and Lesbian Entertainment Critics Association, includes members who review, write and/or report on film and television for a diverse number of media outlets, including BuzzFeed, The Daily Beast, Entertainment Weekly, TV Guide, The Advocate, CNN, the Associated Press, People, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, Collider, Vanity Fair, Screen Crush, The Los Angeles Times, The San Francisco Chronicle, New Now Next, The Guardian and the BBC. For more information, visit GALECA.org. Also find us at #DorianAwards, and enjoy our posts via @DorianAwards on Facebook • Twitter • Instagram

    GALECA 2017/18 DORIAN AWARDS — WINNERS

    FILM OF THE YEAR
    BPM (Beats Per Minute) – The Orchard
    Call Me By Your Name – Sony Pictures Classics (WINNER)
    Get Out – Universal
    Lady Bird – A24
    The Shape of Water – Fox Searchlight

    DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR (FILM OR TELEVISION)
    Sean Baker, The Florida Project – A24
    Guillermo del Toro, The Shape of Water – Fox Searchlight
    Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird – A24 (WINNER)
    Luca Guadagnino, Call Me By Your Name – Sony Pictures Classics
    Christopher Nolan, Dunkirk – Warner Bros.
    Jordan Peele, Get Out – Universal

    BEST PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR — ACTRESS
    Sally Hawkins, The Shape of Water – Fox Searchlight (WINNER)
    Frances McDormand, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri – Fox Searchlight
    Margot Robbie, I, Tonya – Neon
    Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird – A24
    Daniela Vega, A Fantastic Woman – Sony Pictures Classics

    BEST PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR – ACTOR
    Nahuel Perez Biscayart, BPM (Beats Per Minute) — The Orchard
    Timothée Chalamet, Call Me By Your Name – Sony Pictures Classics (WINNER)
    James Franco, The Disaster Artist – A24
    Daniel Kaluuya, Get Out – Universal
    Gary Oldman, Darkest Hour – Focus Features

    SUPPORTING FILM PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR — ACTRESS
    Mary J. Blige, Mudbound – Netflix
    Tiffany Haddish, Girls Trip – Universal
    Allison Janney, I, Tonya – Neon
    Laurie Metcalf, Lady Bird – A24 (WINNER)
    Michelle Pfeiffer, mother! – Paramount

    SUPPORTING FILM PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR — ACTOR
    Willem Dafoe, The Florida Project – A24
    Armie Hammer, Call Me By Your Name– Sony Pictures Classics
    Richard Jenkins, The Shape of Water – Fox Searchlight
    Sam Rockwell, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri – Fox Searchlight
    Michael Stuhlbarg, Call Me By Your Name – Sony Pictures Classics (WINNER)

    LGBTQ FILM OF THE YEAR
    BPM (Beats Per Minute) — The Orchard
    Battle of the Sexes – Fox Searchlight
    Call Me By Your Name – Sony Pictures Classics (WINNER)
    A Fantastic Woman – Sony Pictures Classics
    God’s Own Country – Samuel Goldwyn Films

    FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM OF THE YEAR
    BPM (Beats Per Minute) — The Orchard (WINNER)
    A Fantastic Woman – Sony Pictures Classics
    First They Killed My Father – Netflix
    The Square – Magnolia Pictures
    Thelma – The Orchard

    SCREENPLAY OF THE YEAR (ORIGINAL OR ADAPTED)
    James Ivory, Call Me By Your Name – Sony Pictures Classics
    Jordan Peele, Get Out – Universal (WINNER)
    Greta Gerwig, Lady Bird – A24
    Guillermo del Toro, Vanessa Taylor, The Shape of Water – Fox Searchlight
    Martin McDonagh, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri – Fox Searchlight

    DOCUMENTARY OF THE YEAR
    (theatrical release, TV airing or DVD release)
    Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story – Zeitgeist/Kino Lorber
    The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson – Netflix
    Faces Places – Cohen Media Group (WINNER)
    Jane ­– National Geographic/Abramorama
    Kedi – Oscilloscope

    VISUALLY STRIKING FILM OF THE YEAR
    (honouring a production of stunning beauty, from art direction to cinematography)
    Blade Runner 2049 – Warner Bros.
    Call Me By Your Name – Sony Pictures Classics
    Dunkirk – Warner Bros.
    The Shape of Water – Fox Searchlight (WINNER)
    Wonderstruck – Amazon

    UNSUNG FILM OF THE YEAR
    BPM (Beats Per Minute) – The Orchard
    Beach Rats – Neon
    God’s Own Country – Samuel Goldwyn Films (WINNER)
    Professor Marston and the Wonder Women – Annapurna
    Wonderstruck – Amazon

    CAMPY FLICK OF THE YEAR
    Baywatch – Paramount
    The Disaster Artist – A24
    The Greatest Showman – 20th Century Fox
    I, Tonya – Neon
    mother! – Paramount (WINNER)

    TV DRAMA OF THE YEAR
    Big Little Lies – HBO (WINNER)
    The Crown – Netflix
    Feud: Bette and Joan – FX
    The Handmaid’s Tale – Hulu
    Twin Peaks: The Return – Showtime

    TV COMEDY OF THE YEAR
    Better Things – FX
    GLOW – Netflix
    The Good Place – NBC
    The Marvelous Mrs Maisel – Amazon (WINNER)
    Will & Grace – NBC

    TV PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR – ACTRESS
    Clare Foy, The Crown – Netflix
    Nicole Kidman, Big Little Lies – HBO (WINNER)
    Jessica Lange, Feud: Bette and Joan – FX
    Elisabeth Moss, The Handmaid’s Tale – Hulu
    Reese Witherspoon, Big Little Lies – HBO

    TV PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR — ACTOR
    Aziz Ansari, Master of None – Netflix
    Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us – NBC
    Jonathan Groff, Mindhunter – Netflix
    Kyle MacLachlan, Twin Peaks: The Return – Showtime (WINNER)
    Alexander Skaarsgård, Big Little Lies – HBO

    TV CURRENT AFFAIRS SHOW OF THE YEAR
    Full Frontal with Samantha Bee – TBS (WINNER)
    Last Week Tonight with John Oliver – HBO
    Late Night with Seth Meyers – NBC
    The Late Show with Stephen Colbert – CBS
    The Rachel Maddow Show – MSNBC

    TV MUSICAL PERFORMANCE OF THE YEAR
    Lady Gaga, “God Bless America,” “Born This Way,” etc., Super Bowl LI – Fox
    Kate McKinnon, “(Kellyanne) Conway!” Saturday Night Live – NBC (WINNER)
    Brendan McCreary, John Mulaney, “I’m Gay,” Big Mouth – Netflix
    Pink, “Beautiful Trauma,” American Music Awards – ABC
    Sasha Velour, “So Emotional,” RuPaul’s Drag Race – VH1

    LGBTQ SHOW OF THE YEAR
    Difficult People – Hulu
    RuPaul’s Drag Race – VH1 (WINNER)
    Sense8 – Netflix
    Transparent – Amazon
    Will & Grace – NBC

    UNSUNG TV SHOW OF THE YEAR
    American Gods – Starz (WINNER)
    Dear White People – Netflix
    Difficult People – Hulu
    At Home with Amy Sedaris – TruTV
    The Leftovers – HBO

    CAMPY TV SHOW OF THE YEAR
    Dynasty
    Feud: Betty and Joan (WINNER)
    Riverdale
    RuPaul’s Drag Race
    Will & Grace

    WE’RE WILDE ABOUT YOU!’ RISING STAR AWARD
    Timothée Chalamet (WINNER)
    Harris Dickinson
    Tiffany Haddish
    Daniel Kaluuya
    Daniela Vega

    WILDE WIT OF THE YEAR AWARD
    (honouring a performer, writer or commentator whose observations both challenge and amuse)
    Samantha Bee
    Stephen Colbert
    Kate McKinnon (WINNER – TIE)
    John Oliver
    Jordan Peele (WINNER – TIE)

    WILDE ARTIST OF THE YEAR
    (honouring a truly groundbreaking force in the fields of film, theatre and/or television)
    Guillermo del Toro
    Greta Gerwig
    Patty Jenkins
    David Lynch
    Jordan Peele (WINNER)

    TIMELESS STAR
    (to a living actor or performer whose exemplary career is marked by character, wisdom and wit)
    Meryl Streep (WINNER)

    GALECA’S MISSION
    Home of the Dorian Awards for the best in film and TV, GALECA aims to generate camaraderie in an unsettling media environment, and elevate professional entertainment criticism and journalism, all while bolstering art and humanity. Via panels, screenings, events and its occasional “Ten Best” lists, this 501 c-6 organization also strives to remind the everyone from at-risk youth to bullies that gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and queer people have a rich history of putting great movies and TV on the radar. How would the world fare without knowing what’s campy?

  • What was it like to live through the 80’s AIDS epidemic? Derek Crowe writes a memoir

    What was it like to live through the 80’s AIDS epidemic? Derek Crowe writes a memoir

    While social attitudes towards homosexuality have improved beyond anyone’s expectations in just three decades, it’s important not to forget the fierce oppression and undue criminalisation gay people faced in Britain’s recent history. Part of that story is the AIDS epidemic of the 1980s.

    At that time, Derek Crowe was dealing with the recent diagnosis of his partner, Pip. Little was understood, much of the available help was reluctant and society-at-large had opinions that were a secondary disease in themselves.

    In his poignant and ultimately beautiful new memoir, PiP: Experiencing AIDS in the 80’s – a personal story, Derek tells the story so the attitudes of yesteryear will not only never be forgotten, but never be repeated.

    Synopsis from the author Derek Crowe:

    This story was written 30 years ago and was originally called “Love has no gender”. Initially, it was written as a cathartic exercise after the death of Pip my partner from AIDS.

    Much of the reactions to this illness in the early ’80s is forgotten, the fear, anxieties, the bad press and how the government handled what was subsequently to become a big social problem.

    My story tells of our meeting, our move to Spain where we opened a salon in the fashionable area of Marbella and the discovery that Pip was soon to be diagnosed with this terrible illness. Due to the help of an incredible doctor in Spain, Pip eventually returned to the UK and was hospitalised on a specialist ward at St Mary’s Hospital Paddington.

    In the book I tell of how the illness slowly manifested itself and how the medical teams battled to find treatments for the various illnesses that each patient was confronted with. It was done with care, compassion and was non judgemental. A new drug had arrived from America, AZT, hopefully a step towards a cure. It was a trial drug with no proper knowledge of its side effects or if it would work. Pip was the third person to be administered with it and the side effects were horrific, he was a guinea pig. Sadly it was not to be the cure that we had hoped but thankfully over the years it has progressed and is now part of current AIDS treatment.

    Within the covers I tell of the hatred and bigotry directed towards gay men in those early days and I also expose the love and understanding from so many other people. The heart of this story is the love of two people through one of the most dramatic medical nightmares in recent years, a love of two gay men bound by fear and a hope and desire to conquer the worst nightmare.

    Telling this now is, I feel, part of our social history.

    “When you look at it, very little has actually been written about the onset of AIDS, from a deeply-personal level,” explains the author. “This story may be over three decades old but, with social attitudes continuing to evolve, it’s highly relevant to today’s social fabric. We’re now celebrating pride and diversity rather than condemning it. Still, the harsh stories of our past deserve to be retold and remembered.”

    Continuing, “I’m donating a portion of all proceeds to the Terrence Higgins Trust, who continue their life-changing work as the largest voluntary sector provider of HIV and sexual health services in the UK. They remain underfunded and underappreciated, so I hope my book can be a vehicle of great value to them and their maverick mission.”

    Reviews for the book have been extremely positive. One reader comments, “A story of true love and loss through AIDS in the 1980s. This book details a piece of social history in a deeply personal way, and the associated stigma attached to this diagnosis at that time. A great read that I couldn’t put down.”

    Another adds, “A compelling read, written from the heart, bringing to life the challenges and prejudice at this time in our social history. It is well written, easy to read and very engaging because Derek is sharing such a profoundly personal experience – I found it difficult to put down once started.”

    ‘PiP: Experiencing AIDS in the 80’s – a personal story’ is available now from Amazon.

    About the Author:

    Now retired, Derek lives in a small village within the South Downs National Park where he is surrounded by the beautiful countryside of Hampshire.

    Hairdressing has played a major role for Derek where during his career he owned 3 hair and beauty salons, one being in Marbella where part of this story is set. He also held two executive positions with two of the leading hair cosmetic companies allowing him to travel extensively.

    Pip is a poignant, profound memoir and a dark reminder of oppressive 1980’s attitudes towards homosexuality and AIDS. It is an excellent read, funny, heartwarming, and very sad, but it’s a story that’s so eloquently told. Stories like this should not die with use, they should live through us, and this is exactly what Derek Crowe does with his memoir. A must read!