THEGAYUK

Category: Entertainment

  • Fans of BB are not happy about homophobic tweets found in housemates timeline

    Big Brother is facing a backlash after a contestant who tweeted homophobic slurs appears on the show.

    Homophobic tweets sent by Tom Barber have come back to haunt him after it was revealed that he used the homophobic slur “faggot” and used “gay” and “lesbian” as pejorative descriptions in tweets sent to friends.

    Fans spotted the tweets after Tom was voted by the public to enter the house this week.

    Some fans of the show have called for a boycott of the show.

     

    https://twitter.com/Zhbn/status/872534167262830592?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.huffingtonpost.co.uk%2Fentry%2Fbig-brother-housemate-tom-homophobic_uk_59390110e4b0b13f2c67031c

    Here are the Tweets sent from Tom Barber’s account.

     

     

     

    This is not the first time Big Brother has faced criticism over past homophobic actions by housemates. Last year contestant Andrew Tate was removed after it appeared that he had used racist and homophobic language on social media.

    THEGAYUK reached out to Channel 5 for comment. So far they have refused to respond to requests for comment.

     

  • The story of Marsha P Johnson will be shown on Netflix

    Netflix has announced it will show the documentary of Marsha P Johnson.

    David France’s The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson, is a deeply compelling look at the murder of a transgender legend, known as “the Rosa Parks of the LGBT movement.”

    The powerful, haunting film is France’s follow-up to his Academy Award-nominated How to Survive a Plague. The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson is presented by Public Square Films; Joy A. Tomchin and Sara Ramirez (Grey’s Anatomy) served as executive producers; L.A. Teodosio produced.

    The date of release has not yet been released.

  • FIRST LOOK | Pictures from RSC’s Salomé

    Staged to mark 50 years since the decriminalisation of homosexuality in England and Wales, the Royal Shakespeare Company is staging Oscar Wilde’s lyrical one-act play, Salomé. Originally banned in Britain, this new production, performed with an almost all male cast, explores sexual ambiguity in the contemporary world. The production is directed by Owen Horsley, and Matthew Tennyson will take on the role of Salomé, a part usually played by a female actor.

    Gay Seattle based artist, Perfume Genius, will provide the music for the production. Material from his album, Too Bright, will be performed live by the RSC band.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Dirty Dancing – Sheffield Theatres and National Tour

    ★★★| Set in the 1960’s, Frances “Baby” Houseman goes to Kellermans holiday camp with her family. She befriends the staff of the camp and develops a crush on charismatic dance teacher, Johnny Castle. When Johnny’s dance partner cannot perform at a show at a local hotel, Baby steps in to ensure that they do not lose their jobs. But as Johnny and Baby rehearse, they fall in love and learn more from each other than just the dance moves.

    Based on the hugely popular film of the same name, Dirty Dancing hits the stage with a show which follows the story of the film very closely, with the bulk of the script being comfortingly recognisable from the film. There are some additional scenes thrown in, which mainly expand on the political changes in the 60’s and some which flesh out the relationship between Baby and Johnny; whilst the show’s music came from a combination of both live and pre-recorded tracks, including “Hungry Eyes”, “Love Man” and “(I’ve Had) The Time of My Life”

    Katie Eccles and Robert Colvin took the lead roles of Baby and Johnny, and had some chemistry between them; and they were supported by a broadly competent cast of singers, dancers and musicians. Unsurprisingly, the dancing was better than the acting, but given that the show’s main focus is the musical numbers it doesn’t cause too much of a problem.

    The show has been given a major overhaul, and is all the better for it. This production has a vibrant lighting design and has ushered in a luxurious, well designed and thoroughly detailed set which transform smoothly without ever interrupting the story; whilst the show has been sexed up a little with a few more bare chests and muscular arms on display. Overall, the production values here are very high and very impressive.

    But where the show really succeeds is in its ability to bring the movie to life and recreating it on stage. All of the familiar lines, plot points, dance routines and songs are there and there is something very comforting about watching such a faithful recreation of the movie. For those who have not seen the film, the show is a good introduction to the world of Kellermans. For established fans of the film, the show will be hard to beat.

    The show is currently playing at Sheffield Theatres (www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk) until the 10th June 2017, before continuing on its extensive national tour, calling in at a number of venues including  Edinburgh, Bristol, Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool between now and September 2017.  Visit www.dirtydancingontour.com for details.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Mamma Mia – Leeds Grand Theatre and National UK Tour

    ★★★| Mamma Mia – Leeds Grand Theatre and National UK Tour

    Mamma Mia Theatre Tour Review

    Sophie is determined to have her father walk her down the aisle at her forthcoming wedding. After finding out that there are three potential guys who may be her father, she invites them all to the forthcoming nuptials; but will she find out which one really is her father, and how will her mother react when three of her former lovers all turn up unexpectedly?

     

    Currently on its first ever UK tour, Mamma Mia is a show which needs little introduction. Based around the hit songs of Abba, the show has been a phenomenon for many years and continues to pack out theatres with its sunny setting, perfect pop and feel-good factor.

    The show feels as warm as the weather in the Greek setting to the story, with a set made up of a backdrop of brilliant blues and two moveable parts to the set which transforms the locations of the story very well. The lighting design is well conceived, the costumes include some spandex and stomping platform boots, and the whole thing is fairly seamless in its presentation.

    Sadly, for such a slick and polished production, the lead cast was disappointing; with both the acting and singing not being of a standard one would expect from such a huge show. Someone in the foyer joked “at least we won’t have to listen to Pierce Bronson sing tonight” (referring to his much-maligned performance in the film version of the show); but at times, his dulcet tones may have been a blessing. It is the ensemble cast who really shone in terms of their enthusiasm, singing and dancing; with more gorgeous gals and hunks in trunks than you can shake a stick at; and an abundance of muscular and ridiculously attractive young men in the ensemble with vast amounts of six packs, biceps and perfect pecs on display.

    But the real star of the show is the music, and with a soundtrack which plays out like your ABBA Gold CD, there are more than a few songs here that you will know every word to. There are some storming numbers, which work really well; “Money. Money, Money”, “Mamma Mia” and “Does Your Mother Know” are good ensemble pieces, and the collision of the stag and hen do’s to “Voulez Vous” was an enjoyable highlight; with this show reminding you of just how good ABBA really were.

    But where the show really succeeds is in the fact that it remains an absolute crowd-pleaser and presents itself with a real sense of fun. It’s a show which cranks up the camp, ditches the story and plot and goes all out to enjoy itself. It’s not perfect by any stretch, but by the time the crowd are on their feet singing and dancing at the end, you know that you have had a good couple of hours of escapism and managed to kick-start your summer.

    Mamma Mia is currently playing at Leeds Grand Theatre (www.leedsgrandtheatre.com ) until Saturday 8th July 2017. Leeds play host to the forthcoming tours of Wicked and The Band; and present the World Premiere of Kay Mellor’s Fat Friends in November 2017. The show then continues on its national tour, calling in at Canterbury, Bournemouth, Brighton, Aberdeen, Sunderland, Oxford, Glasgow, Llandudno, Northampton, Wolverhampton and Sheffield. Visit  http://www.mamma-mia.com/uk-tour/index.php for details and tickets.

     

  • FILM REVIEW | Wonder Woman

    ★★★★ | Wonder Woman


    First seen in 2016’s Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (as well as on television in the 1970’s), in Wonder Woman we finally have our first real female action hero. The film, appropriately titled Wonder Woman, is out now and it’s good, very good!

    It’s two hours and 21 minutes of action, drama, and adventure as Gail Gadot plays Wonder Woman, a demi-god created by Zeus and raised by Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen) who fights evil with her special powers (including her bracelets). Wonder Woman is the continuation of the character created in Dawn of Justice – who in the civilian world was known as Diana Prince. She lives in the land of Amazonia where it’s women-only and where she is Princess Diana of Themyscira. In this film, she is accompanied all the way through with Chris Pine as Steve Trevor. He is a WWI United States Army Air Service fighter pilot who crashes off the coast of Themyscira, where Wonder Woman grew up and was taught to fight by her fellow Amazonians. She ends up going with Trevor to find Ares, the god of War, in the hopes that killing him will stop the war. But it’s the evil Doctor Isabel Maru (Elena Anaya) who has created a deathly chemical that will ensure quick death to those who are exposed to it, so Wonder Woman has several battles to fight in her quest for world peace.

    Diana and Steve’s adventure and mission takes them to London and then into Europe and to the front trenches, where Wonder Woman (an hour and 22 minutes into the film) finally sheds her clothes and lets loose in the infamous Wonder Woman outfit. And it’s spectacular fight scenes that will leave you gasping for air until the very last few scenes when Wonder Woman comes face to face with pure evil.

    Gadot is spectacular as Wonder Woman. To hell with male action heroes – there’s now a woman who can take anything that comes her way and she sure nails it. Pine makes a fine sidekick, but it’s about time it’s all about the woman. Let’s hope this character becomes a franchise – no more Superman but more Wonder Woman! Director Patty Jenkins brings a new twist and a nice feminine touch to the DC Comics Extended Universe by directing a film that’s smashingly good and is great summer movie fare. Long live Wonder Woman!

     

  • The big gay ultimate summer blockbuster chart 2017

    It’s the most important time of year in the movie calendar where the studios release their biggest hitters and in three months make the money to keep them going all year.

     

    Jan through March we get the serious Oscar type movies but they don’t make a lot of dosh, May to Sept we get the big-grossing films and in between, we get all the rest. So here we rank in order of who we predict will have the biggest erections and who will be Mr Floppy in what is expected to be the biggest movie season of all time and boy are there a lot of studs around on the big screen this year from Zac Efron to Channing Tatum via Harry Styles and David Beckham.

    20 The Emoji Movie – Expected Box Office 45 million – The Lego movie takes on Angry Birds and will probably underwhelm… majorly

    19 King Arthur – 55 million – Guy Ritchie and David Beckham go gangster in Camelot and miss massively – more saggy balls than golden balls.

    18 Churchill – 70 million – Brian Cox does the big man in a wartime thriller movie rather than Bio. Expect an acting masterclass from Cox and Miranda Richardson

    17 Bladerunner 2019 – 80 Million – 30 years later with Ryan Gosling this time joining an ageing Harrison Ford to up the sex appeal

    16 Valerian & The City Of A Thousand Planets – 95 Million – Cara Delavingne in Luc Besson’s sci-fi action fight fest – a whole new definition of camp has arrived

    15 Baby Driver – 100 Million – Jon Trousersnake Hamm in the star-studded getaway driver actioner. Including Jamie Foxx, Kevin Spacey and members of the Red Hot Chilli Peppers.

    14 The Dark Tower – 105 Million – The franchise starter of the 7 book Stephen King diatribe – but have they got it right? Idris Elba in cowboy gear – where are the tissues?

    13 It – 110 Million – The most anticipated horror of the year – is this clown the new Freddy Krueger? No stars or big name director but this story has grown in notoriety and sequels have already been green lit with Theresa May like confidence.

    12 Dunkirk – 120 Million – Christopher Nolan does History but have we seen this before too many times & only a week after Apes isn’t wise. Tom Hardy looks great here though and this is Harry Styles’ debut so we are in.

    11 Alien Covenant – 130 Million – Our favourite nasty Xenomorph returns for the 8th time with teeth of steel for the blowjob of death. Michael Fasbender runs around and sweats a lot

    10 Baywatch – 150 Million – Zac Efron and The Rock shirtless for two hours so sure to be the gay hit of the Summer – Life’s a beach and then you wank.

    9 Spiderman Homecoming – 170 Million – Yet another Spidey reboot for spandex fans and we have Iron Man, The Vulture & Captain America to increase the bulge level.

    8 Kingsman The Golden Circle – 200 Million – A surprise hit 2 years ago and now Taron Eggerton has a bigger budget & two sex gods Mark Strong & Channing Tatum so hopefully at least one spy will get bummed.

    7 Wonder Woman – 210 Million – This will be the gay icon movie of this year or any other especially if Gail Gadot and Chris Pine get down to it – Finally the DC Comics Universe gets a bona fide hit.

    6 War Of The Planet Of The Apes – 260 Million – The simian franchise goes ballistic in their third movie with a superb baddie as Caesar and the monkeys are forced into real conflict with the humans.

    5 The Mummy – 300 Million –  Tom Cruise in a rare none sequel this year in an action-packed horror with Russell Crowe but Sofia Boutella as the bandaged one steals the film.

    4 Cars 3 – 350 Million – Pixar’s big movie of the year is a guaranteed hit as Lightning McQueen really starts to feel his age but it all ends well of course.

    3 Pirates Of The Carribean Salazar’s Revenge – 420 Million – Johnny Depp puts on the dreadlocks for the 5th and final time and Orlando Bloom is back (Hooray!) with his chest on show throughout.

    2 Despicable Me 2 – 475 Million – A really clever release date and it will be the first film ever to beat Pixar at the Summer Box Office – more Minions and loads of Michael Jackson music which the kids will love.

    1 Transformers The Last Night – 550 Million – Every Transformer film has made the Top 10 films in movie history and this one has the biggest budget yet so will hit like crazy despite the usual critics mauling (They hate these films as it underlines how powerless they truly are). The real guarantee is that it sells big in every territory especially the Far East which is a real problem for Star Wars and Mark Wahlberg

  • How well do you know your gay cinema?

    How well do you know your gay cinema?

    Okay… we’ve been working out a totally evil gay film quiz… Are you ready?

  • FILM REVIEW | The Naked Civil Servant

    ★★★★| The Naked Civil Servant

    Produced in 1975, The Naked Civil Servant is based on the autobiographical work by the self-proclaimed “England’s Stately Homo”, Quinten Crisp; who lived an openly gay lifestyle in 1930’s London, when homosexuality was illegal and his lifestyle was more than frowned up. Determined to live his life how he wished, Crisp’s journey through Belgravia, Chelsea and Soho is charted in this compelling TV drama.

    Naked Civil Servant review

    Despite being over 40 years old, the film remains essential viewing for its social relevance and its fascinating insight into LGBT history. There are points in the film which garner feelings of disbelief, such as Crisp being excused from the army during the Second World War, on the basis that he was diagnosed by a psychiatrist as “suffering from a sexual perversion”. Crisp was subject to prejudice both from the “roughs” (the ‘queer bashers’), the police and even from the members of the underground gay scene, who were terrified that Crisp’s flamboyant and feminine presentation would out them or place them at risk of imprisonment. But in the face of such difficulties, Crisp continued undeterred, refusing to be anything other than himself, as he promoted himself as the self-appointed spokesman for the cause.

    Lauded for the quality of the acting, John Hurt’s award-winning performance as Crisp is quite simply outstanding, and given that the film opens with Quinten Crisp introducing the piece; you realise as the programme unfolds, just how perfect Hurt’s performance really is, nowhere more evident than in the scene where Crisp is forced to defend himself in Court for approaching men in the street. There is good support from John Rhys Davies and Patricia Hodge, and the film remains a great piece of drama, with wonderful period details and one which never really shows its age.

    Re-released on DVD and Blu-Ray; the film has been digitally remastered, meaning that the picture quality and soundtrack has never been better. The Blu-Ray is presented both in the original picture format and in widescreen, and comes with a number of extras including a very interesting World In Action profile on Crisp, a commentary with John Hurt, a making-of documentary and an interview from 1979 with Crisp himself.

    Highly relevant, highly informative and highly recommended, The Naked Civil Servant is released on DVD and Blu Ray from Network Pictures on the 5th June 2017.

     

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Northern Ballet’s The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas – CAST Theatre and National Tour

    ★★★| Northern Ballet’s The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas

    Based on the best-selling book, The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas tells the story of two boys; Bruno, the son of a concentration camp Commandant and Shmuel, a young Jewish prisoner; as they befriend each other from opposing sides of the barbed wire fence.

    Boy In The Stripped Pyjamas review

    Whilst a ballet based on the Holocaust may not seem an obvious choice, Northern Ballet’s production is well conceived. Utilising a muted colour palette alongside an original score which is laden in strings and piano to create a real sense of foreboding; the ballet is surprisingly well paced and despite its setting, manages to find some gentle and rather tender moments amongst the difficult subject matter, nowhere more evident than in the burgeoning friendship between the two boys.

    Never straying very far from the original source material of the children’s book, Daniel de Andrade’s choreography is straightforward and uncomplicated; conveying the narrative without fuss and providing a clearly defined demarcation between different characters and scenes, which ultimately leads to the production of a ballet which is readily accessible to the whole family.

    Matthew Koon impresses with his portrayal of Bruno, conveying the character’s innocence and bringing to his performance a child-like vivaciousness, which contrasts nicely with Filippo Di Vilo’s suitably understated portrayal of the hopelessness of Shmuel. However, it is Mlindi Kulashe’s performance as The Fury, which stands out; bringing a menacing presence and an incredible suppleness which comes across in his technically impressive performance.

    Given the setting of the story, the ballet has the potential to be divisive in terms of its appropriateness; but Northern Ballet have produced a rather simplistically presented piece which handles matters with sensitivity and respect, and brings with it a genuine emotional punch which is derived from its narrative and characterisations.

    The show had its world premiere at CAST in Doncaster (www.castindoncaster.com)  before commencing its national tour calling at Wolverhampton, Leicester, Richmond, Aylesbury, Stoke, Bromley. Leeds and Hull. Visit www.northernballet.com for further details.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Catch Me, Underbelly, London

    ★★★★★ |  Catch Me, Underbelly, London

    It’s a sure sign that summer is here when the Underbelly opens on London’s Southbank. If you haven’t seen it before on its travels, it’s an upside down giant purple cow that acts as a big top for international circus acts. This year they’re showcasing more Canadians with Quebec’s acrobatic troupe Flip Fabrique with a show called ‘Catch Me’.

    Catch Me Udderbelly review

    You’ve seen one circus/gymnastic/acrobatic troupe and you might think that you’ve seen them all. If you think that then you’ll be pleasantly surprised by this show. Even the most jaded and cynical are at risk of sitting with their mouths open in awe like they’ve got some sort of chronic sinus problem.

    The show contains all the usual stuff: balancing, juggling, trampolining and a handful of hot men one of whom is hypnotically beautiful when he whips off his top and reveals a torso to die to die for. There’s more to it than that and it’s not the vague and unnecessary storyline (that you won’t even realise is there unless you read the program) that makes this show so enjoyable. Just as you complacently think you know where a stunt is going, the performers snap you back out of that and you’re treated to a spectacular and unexpected twist on a theme.

    The last fifteen minutes is a frenetic sensory overload that leaves the audience gasping like children at a firework display. They’re a quirky bunch and there’s a hipster vibe to their styling. Most of all this is a fun night for a summer evening. Enjoy!

    Catch Me, plays at Underbelly, until 9th July 2017