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  • FILM REVIEW | Unbroken

    ★★★★ | Unbroken

    For the third time in the last couple of months, THEGAYUK reviews another film starring the remarkably talented young British actor JACK O’CONNELL. We can tell you now that Hollywood now agrees with us; Mr O’CONNELL is going to be a MAJOR STAR. Remember you read it here first.

    For her third time behind the camera actress/ superstar, UN Special Ambassador, Honorary Dame of the British Empire, and mother of countless children, Angelina Jolie plumped for a rather old-fashioned WW2 drama. With a script from Oscar winners Ethan and Joel Cohen (who rarely write for other directors) adapted from Laura Hillenbrand’s best-selling biography, ‘Unbroken’ is the inspiring story of the Italian/American Olympic Athlete Louis Zamperini who became a War Hero.

    Jolie starts her overly long movie with an exciting aerial gun battle somewhere in the Far East with Zamperini as the Bombardier helping to get his crew’s partially destroyed plane safely back to base after they have successfully bombed their target.The next time they are flying on a mission, they are not so lucky and end up floating in the middle of the ocean after their plane totally disintegrates.

    In a series of flashbacks Jolie fills in Zamperini’s young life up to that point, where as a troubled teenager constantly picked on for being an immigrant in small town California, and so his older brother persuades him to join him in his school’s track team. Zamperini shows such real talent at running that he is soon winning enough races to actually qualify to represent the USA in the 1936 Olympics in Munich. The next Olympics however in 1940 were due to be held in Tokyo, but little did Zamperini know at the time he would end up being in that city then, but for entirely different reasons.

    Zamperini and two other men, include Phil the pilot, survive the crash and floating aimlessly on a life raft have to deal with hunger, the relentless heat, dehydration, sharks and the occasional storm for 47 days adrift in the middle of the ocean. Zamperini who never stops praying, vows that if he ever gets home again he will devote his life to God.

    He and Phil are the only two survivors who are eventually picked up by the Japanese and held prisoner in the most horrific conditions and forced into hard labour. When they are transferred to a larger camp the two of them get separated and Zamperini gets singled out regularly for unprovoked and merciless beatings by a young sadistic Japanese guard nicknamed ‘The Bird’ who appears to have some fixation with breaking this American soldier who he obviously somehow feels threatened by.

    When the war looks like it is ending, the Japanese retreat taking all the Allied prisoners with them to an even more remote island, and the men fear that they will all be killed before they can rescued. The impending defeat encourages ‘The Bird’ to even increase his brutality of Zamperini to the point where he has the beaten young soldier holding up a heavy railway sleeper over his head which eerily looks like a cross at a crucifixion.

    The movie ends with the war and with Zamperoni being hailed as a hero as he finally arrives back home to his family in California. In real life he evidently became a Born Again Christian and tutored by the evangelist Billy Graham, he went back to Japan to spread the Gospel and forgive his captors. He died at the age of 91 years old earlier in 2014.

    Just like in the current ‘The Imitation Game’ Ms. Jolie and Roger Deakins her multi Oscar nominated her cinematographer makes her wartime setting a tad too picturesque a la Hollywood (Australia was used for locations). Despite the very detailed graphic scenes of the horrific violence that we expect these days, it was hard not to escape the notion that I expected Clark Gable or Errol Flynn or any other 40’s heartthrob to burst onto the screen at any moment. If I could pinpoint a particular reason why this very entertaining movie was not nearly as good as the hype, it would be the fact that Ms. Jolie allowed the Coen Brothers to spend too much time on the historical facts of Zamperini’s true story than focusing more on the characters that are a vital part of it.

    However there is one element that raises this movie to a much higher level, and it is the presence of its leading man Jack O’Connell. The camera simply loves this exceptionally talented young English actor who, with his matinee idol looks, is proving to be the most exciting new actor that the movies … and now Hollywood… have discovered this year. In ‘Unbroken’ we feel every moment of his pain in this raw and very natural performance that is nothing less than a sheer joy to watch. Having seen him in action three times in as many months (his second movie ’71 is still to be released in the US) I can only keep repeating my earlier claims that O’Connell is deservedly destined for major stardom.

    The movie itself may have been a tad disappointing, but O’Connell is anything but that.

  • JAMES ARTHUR: ‘I’m Not A Homophobe Anymore’ – Forgive and Forget?

    I think we’ll be the judge of that James Arthur… Are we ready to forgive and forget?

    Disgraced former X Factor Winner James Arthur speaking at a gig, hopes his new single will be picked up by radio after the last single performed terribly, reaching number 19.
    Arthur hit the headlines last year after releasing a ‘diss’ rap containing anti-gay lyrics.
    During an Edinburgh gig, in which he introduced his new single Get Down, it is reported that he said:
    ‘This one will hopefully get played on the radio, cause I’m not a homophobe any more.’
    I mean it must be true, even Rylan Clark has defended the Impossible singer.
    What do you think? Forgive And Forget, or hold a grudge like a dog with a bone?

    Opinions expressed in this article may not reflect those of THEGAYUK, its management or editorial teams. If you’d like to comment or write a comment, opinion or blog piece, please click here.

  • COLUMN | Life before and after ‘My Transsexual Summer’ – LEWIS HANCOX

    So I’m sat here in bed, sore, swollen and slightly nauseous from all the painkillers. I have various tubes coming out of me for various reasons and just thinking about them makes me lose my appetite. I’ll be honest, I’m not always an optimistic person and I often take things in life for granted (who doesn’t?) but as I use my seemingly endless spare time to reflect, I start to think about how fortunate I am… how I’m surrounded by loving people… how I have a whole future of opportunities… and how far I’ve come in the past three years. Three years ago I could only dream of being in the position I am now – and by that I don’t mean bed bound, sporting surgical stockings, willing on the day I can eventually take a shower – I’m talking about the much bigger picture.

    I entered 2011 with no particular expectations or hopes. I wouldn’t say I was content but I’d accepted my life for what it was. I’d already dropped out of uni so I wasn’t destined for greatness. The dreams I had as a kid of working for Disney, making it big in Hollywood – probably not gonna happen without a B.A, right? I was working part-time at an arts and crafts shop so at least it was a vaguely creative area… ish. I loved my co-workers though, they became like family. They were so supporting of my transition from female to male and I owe most of my confidence to them. I needed their support even more so since the local Primary Care Trust turned down my request to fund my chest surgery – the next vital step in my transition.

    I appealed, I spoke with the woman in charge personally, I sent suicide threats, I did everything I could think of. It didn’t matter. They said a double mastectomy was not a part of the gender reassignment process the PCT consider funding. Lower surgery is funded however. Trust St. Helens to be the one town in the whole country who have things totally backwards. Now it wasn’t only my dreams that had come to a standstill… it was my transition. It’s easy to see why I predicted 2011 was going to be a pretty uneventful year… I predicted wrongly.

    It all started with an email around Spring time titled ‘Channel 4’. That sure caught my attention. A TV producer had found my awkward vlogs on YouTube and apparently decided I was fitting for an upcoming reality show all about transgender people. I phoned her and the next thing I knew I had a TV crew in my living room, then I was on route to a huge mill house in Bedford where I met six other trans folk, some of whom became my best friends! I’d never knowingly met another trans person before – partly the reason I wanted to be involved in the show. I also had an urge to prove wrong all the prejudiced people out there and spread awareness of trans issues. I can’t pretend it was solely for unselfish reasons though… I had always been fascinated by the media and I revelled in the opportunity to become a TV personality. Who knew what could come of it? Maybe it wasn’t too late to make something of myself after all.

    ‘My Transsexual Summer’ had much more of an impact than myself and the other contributors could ever imagine. Since it aired in Autumn of that year we were being recognised left, right and centre by people of all ages, backgrounds and identities! Even the most unlikely viewers would come up to me in my small-minded hometown and congratulate me as though they knew me personally. People I’d never met before seemed genuinely touched by how open and honest I’d been on national television. I had a lot of ‘wow, I’d never be able to tell you were born a girl’ and a shed full of beard compliments. Then there were the people that approached me not because of their disbelief that I was trans but because I’d inspired them to live an authentic life, or even just because they liked my personality. Whether I inspired or entertained people, it still meant I affected them one way or another and there’s no better feeling.

    The amazingly generous public contributed towards my chest surgery fund and in only two weeks after the fourth and final episode aired I had a whopping £6000! Stephen Fry and Graham Norton donated online – I love telling people that, it never gets old (to me). I began 2012 with a new chest and a new found self esteem. A UK club tour awaited me… ‘BRING IT ON!’ would sum up my attitude. Let me tell you, having bouncers shuffle you from the club entrance to the VIP section to try avoid fans mobbing you is a very surreal experience. Free drinks, dancing the night away, feeling like you’re somebody… if I could go back and do it all again, I would in a heartbeat.

    Like the domino effect, one good thing led to another and I met my soon-to-be girlfriend in the Summer. Sophie Moore was like no other. It began with a Facebook message – Sophie had watched My Transsexual Summer and wanted to get in touch with a few kind words. A few kind words led to back and forth, essay-style messages and a few months later we met up in London. Despite Sophie living down South while I was all the way up in the North West, I knew from the start this was vastly different to my previous flings. I have many a terrifying tale to tell about ex-girlfriends and if I was still the bitter lemon I once was I’d probably divulge… but a year and a half in with Sophie and I feel like I’ve never known anything but her.

    With what seemed like pure miracles finding me over the course of two years, I started to believe anything was possible. I started to believe in myself again. I don’t often consider myself a brave person but there are a few plunges I’ve taken in my life that remind me I can be. Deciding to finally leave St. Helens and pursue my dreams is one of them. I applied to university again and got onto a film making course! I left my Mum’s house, quit my job at the art shop and moved in with Sophie in Buckinghamshire. In a year I’ve made films to be proud of and I’m doing well at uni for once – I’m as ambitious as when I was a kid again. I have a passion for story telling and entertaining. I’ve been writing comedy films and pushing my filmmaking to new limits, confidently contacting people within the industry as though I’m worthy of a reply. It’s all about confidence and a positive outlook, believing the universe can be good to you and not spending your time mulling over mishaps and regrets.

    In combining my creativity with my status as a transgender advocate, I teamed up with Raphael Fox (who I met on the set of My Transsexual Summer) and together we have created the ‘My Genderation’ film project that won us a place on the Independent On Sunday’s Pink List. The series of short films explore transgender and gender variant people in a way that the mainstream media has never before – with sensitivity, creativity and most of all, empathy. We’ve had one film endorsed by the BBC and have some upcoming work that will potentially air on Channel 4. See, I could be all ‘woe is me’ about being born transgender, I mean, it certainly isn’t an easy ride… but without having starred in My Transsexual Summer I would have never been given such a platform to showcase my films and get them recognised. Fox and I have received many messages from My Genderation viewers telling us how inspirational and helpful the films have been in one way or another – we couldn’t ask for a better response.

    So there you have it. A summary of the past three years of my life. Three years that shocked and surprised me with every twist and turn. It’s so easy to lose hope when your life appears to be moving backwards, or moving nowhere at all… but I’ve learned that in reality we’re always moving forwards and there’s always the unexpected waiting for you around that next corner. As I type this I’m reminding myself it’s true. I don’t want to be forever knows as ‘that transman from My Transsexual Summer’. I want to be a writer, an actor and a director. I know I’m aiming pretty high, some people tell me too high. However, I think I’ve already proved anything is possible and I’m slowly making a name for myself in the filmmaking world. I was walking down a corridor in uni last month and was greeted with my own face on a massive poster hanging on the wall! I was in the ‘London South Bank spotlight’ for having one of the My Genderation films recognised by the BBC before even entering my second year. It’s moments like that I realise I must be doing something right.

    I’ve not yet explained the reason I’m bed bound and full of tubes… kinda sounds like I’ve been abducted by aliens for experimentation. Well that just isn’t the case, although I have felt pretty spaced out since I went in for my lower surgery seven days ago! That’s right, I’ve done it – I’ve completed my medical transition! I opted for a type of surgery called metoidioplasty. With that I had a full hysterectomy plus removal of the other ‘female’ parts inside me. It feels surreal that those organs are all gone. Then again, it feels surreal that they were even there in the first place. I can’t see the benefits of the surgery just yet because everything is so swollen and painful but I know in a few months time when I’m as right as rain I’ll be so thankful I got it over and done with. There’ll be no more surgery to get in the way of my ambitions. I’m entering 2014 with a lust for life and more determination to achieve my filmmaking dreams than ever before.

    Visit Lewis’s Website: http://www.lewishancox.com

     

    Opinions expressed in this article may not reflect those of THEGAYUK, its management or editorial teams. If you’d like to comment or write a comment, opinion or blog piece, please click here.

  • CNN to air gay sport doc starring Robbie Rogers and Blake Skjellerup

    This weekend CNN is to place the spotlight on homosexuality in sports, with an hour long original documentary featuring Robbie Rogers, Blake Skjellerup and Brittney Griner.

    In ‘World Sport Presents: Journey of the Gay Athlete’, a one-hour original documentary, CNN gets exclusive access to people on the frontlines fighting against homophobia in sport, to profile some of sport’s most courageous athletes and hear their stories of tackling sport’s last taboo:

    Professional footballer for the LA Galaxy, Robbie Rogers shares what it was like growing up gay on the pitch and delves into his greatest fears about coming out in the international world of football.

    Brittney Griner, basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury, always knew she would be a professional athlete. But she didn’t always know how she to cope with being taunted and bullied as a teenager or how to navigate high school as a lesbian.

    For years, speed skater Blake Skjellerup dreamed of representing New Zealand in the Olympics. To Blake, being gay meant his dream of competing on the international stage seemed almost impossible. He shares his thoughts on the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics and why he stands beside those opposing Russia’s gay propaganda laws.

  • 13 Reasons Why You Need To See Benidorm With Philip Olivier

    13 Reasons Why You Need To See Benidorm With Philip Olivier

    It seems as though the producers of Benidorm decided that a very homoerotic tryst between Philip Olivier and Jake Canuso was the way forward for the popular ITV series and to be honest we totally agree.

    Well hello Philip Olivier and Jake Canuso

    ••• below might not be the actual storyline, but what happened in our warped minds***

    It all starts with a little ‘get out of my face’ and a little

    © ITV

    Checking out of the talent

    © ITV

    Which turns into ‘let’s get you out of the nineties tight white vest’ natch!

    © ITV

    and then there’s a bit of grabby grabby

    © ITV

    and flinging on the desk. whilst

    © ITV

    Joyce watches on


    © ITV

    A little sofa time

    © ITV

    Which goes down well. Obvs.

    © ITV

    Just a gratuitous topless shot

    © ITV

    and then this

    © ITV

    Then later behind the bar – they’re at it again

    © ITV

    Kenneth gets his groove on with it all

    © ITV

    And Lesley joins in

    © ITV

    This has made our year.
    Catch up on the ITV Player

  • GARDEN | January Jobs For A Tidy Year Ahead

    Celebrations are over, the commute is back and the weather is making you want to stay under the duvet indefinitely.

    But what about your gardens, smallholdings and allotments? Now’s the time to wrap up warm, pull on those boots and begin preparations to make this the most fruitful year you’ve had so far.

    January jobs

    Check everything over – The winter weather can be hard on your outdoor equipment and structures so cast an eye over your sheds, greenhouses and hosepipes. Repair any obvious breakages and protect anything that looks like it might struggle over the next couple of months.

    Spread the s**t – Use well rotted compost or manure on your empty vegetable beds. You want the soil to be in tip-top condition when you come to plant things out. Dig the beds over to aerate the soil – but be careful, if the soil is frozen or waterlogged leave it alone until the weather improves.

    Clean Up – When the planting season begins you won’t have time to do much else so make sure your pots, trays and tools are clean and organised ready for the busy times. You’ll feel so much better when your potting bench is dirt free and ready for action – even if it only stays that way for a short time!

    Make a plan – With a cup of tea (it’s dry January remember) sit down with a good gardening book and get organised. Decide what you want to grow this year – learning from previous successes and mistakes – or if you’re totally new to the growing world then pick whatever you want, even if it just looks pretty! Order seeds and draw diagrams and I can guarantee it will set you up for a great year ahead.

    Sow Indoors – Get a head start by sowing some seeds indoors. Try broad beans, salad leaves, spinach, leeks and onions for the healthy new you in 2014. Nothing tastes better than home-grown organic fruits and veg!

    Something New – Try something new this year. If you like the idea of growing something unusual or for the first time, have a go. The gardening world is full of hints and tips on what to do – but going off piste can be the most rewarding part of growing your own produce.

    So who said January is always miserable? Get on it now and reap the rewards throughout 2014! Good luck.

     

    If you would like to share your gardening pictures this year then do forward to Newsdesk@TheGayUK.com and we’ll publish the best ones each month. Our favourite pic of the year will win a TGUK goody-bag!

    Happy Snapping!

  • Holyfield’s homophobic remarks attract 126 complaints to Ofcom

    The UK’s broadcast and communications regulator Ofcom has received 126 complaints for the programme in which Evander Holyfield said gay people weren’t normal.

    On Sunday night viewers were shocked when former boxer Evander Holyfield said that being gay was not ‘normal’ and that it could be fixed during a conversation with Luisa Zissman.

    Today Ofcom announced that it had received 126 complaints about the programme broadcast on Sunday the 5th January.

    The 2013 Celebrity Big Brother Series received a total of 956 complaints, in 2012 the programme garnered over 2000.

    It is unclear at this stage whether the broadcaster will be investigated by Ofcom.

  • Phil Marriot joins Gaydio

    London house music DJ, Phil Marriott has taken up residency on Gaydio, Sunday – Thursday nights from 6pm.

    2013 has seen Gaydio’s audience soar to 850,000 listeners a month following the acquisition of DAB Digital Radio licences formerly operated by GaydarRadio. The station is available on DAB Digital Radio in London and the Sussex Coast, on 88.4fm in Manchester, on mobile apps and online.

    Phil has been working as a DJ and radio presenter for over sixteen years, and continues to play at numerous clubs across London and the South, as well as internationally. For the last six years, Phil was previously the evening show presenter and Head of Music at GaydarRadio. Phil’s DJ work has seen him play for XXL (London), SupermartXe (London), The Dragon (Dublin), Onyx (London), Poptronik (Sitges) & RVT (London).

    Phil says ‘I can’t tell you how much I am looking forward to getting on air at Gaydio. I’m really excited about bringing my love of London and experience of playing dance floors across the UK to the station.’

    Toby Whitehouse, Station Director, added ‘Phil is a great addition to the lineup at Gaydio. He’s already a familiar voice to our listeners in the South, and his passion for the very best dance music is a totally infectious listen.’

    Phil claims to have been well and truly bitten by the radio bug, and it’s largely down to having a lifelong lust for music and interviewing some of the biggest and most interesting celebrities.

    ‘Without wanting to namedrop, I can honestly say that in all the time I’ve worked in radio, I’ve probably met hundreds of famous people and most of them have been lovely,” says Phil. “Beth Ditto, Boy George, Annie Lennox, all absolutely charming.’

    ‘And it’s always comforting when someone (in this case, George Michael) says that your photographs don’t do you justice. I think I’d be lying to admit that it isn’t quite a nice feeling to temporarily disbelieve the ‘face for radio’ rule.’

    Phil was christened ‘Double R Double T’ by house diva Katherine Ellis after his grievance at peo-ple constantly spelling his surname wrong tickled her fancy. She even once made him a jingle which resembled the Bodyform advert.

    Phil has played quite a few dancefloors in his time. His highlights include supporting Tiesto at Victoria Park in London (2010), Freemasons (at their Shakedown 2 album launch), and playing at the ‘Our Friends Acoustic’ Mencap fundraiser with Erasure’s Andy Bell.

    His new show starts in-the-mix at 6pm during the week, and his Sunday show will feature the Gaydio Upfront Chart.

    Listen to gaydio at http://www.gaydio.co.uk

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Moscow City Ballet presents The Nutcracker – Sheffield Lyceum & National Tour

    ★★★ | Moscow City Ballet presents The Nutcracker – Sheffield Lyceum & National Tour

    The Nutcracker tells the story of Clara, a young girl who is magically whisked away to a land of snow, flowers and fantasy, where she transforms into a princess and falls in love with the nutcracker prince. This classic ballet, with the score written by perhaps Russia’s most famous composer, Tchaikovsky, is lovingly performed by The Moscow City Ballet as part of their 25th Anniversary tour.

    The score to the piece by Tchaikovsky remains as bold and as enchanting as ever, and sounded beautiful performed by the note perfect live orchestra. A number of the pieces are instantly recognisable and will be familiar to most people, given how embedded they are in popular culture. The music remains powerful and emotive and enjoying and appreciating it was one of the highlights of the evening.

    As for the ballet itself, the first act focussed more on the narrative of the story, with Clara attending a Christmas Eve party where the guests are enthralled by her godfather’s magical, mechanical toys. During the first scene of Act 1, the full stage was awash with activity, which, whilst it looked impressive, sometimes led the audience to miss various things, as there was a lot happening simultaneously. Scene two, which finds Clara in a snow filled wonderland, was absolutely delightful with the female ensemble cast performing a stunning routine. Act 2 was more focussed on the dancing itself and it was during this act that the score and orchestra came into their own. The recognisable pieces of music came relentlessly and were accompanied by some charming routines – the highlight again being the female ensemble cast.

    Principal dancer Kanat Nadyrbeck performed well as the mysterious Drosselmeyer, but unfortunately, the ballet as a whole had far too many stumbles, heavy footfalls and overbalances than you would expect from such a prestigious company and the choreography seemed almost clunky at times. The gracefulness of the scenes with the female ensemble juxtaposed sharply with some of the other scenes and there were times when the synchronicity of the cast was not as well timed as it could have been. That said, the cast were enthusiastic and worked hard throughout the show, some of them displaying some spectacular leaps and bounds. There were also times when the principal dancers spent far too much time encouraging applause following a set piece, which interrupted the flow of the ballet and the story and seemed to give a stop/start feel to the second act.

    Proving itself to be a more traditional style of ballet, the show was still charming and engaging and as a whole was enjoyable, but, unfortunately, not without its flaws.

    As part of their 25th Anniversary tour, Moscow City Ballet is performing a quartet of traditional ballets in a variety of venues around the Country. The Nutcracker, Don Quixote, Romeo and Juliet and Swan Lake are all being performed.

    The Nutcracker continues at the Lyceum Theatre Sheffield until Saturday 11th January 2014 and tickets and details can be found at http://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/event/the-nutcracker-14/ . The tour then continues around the country and details can be found at http://www.ents24.com/uk/tour-dates/moscow-city-ballet

  • Duncan James Jokes After BiSexual Chat With Lee Ryan

    Duncan James Jokes After BiSexual Chat With Lee Ryan

    Former Blue star Duncan James has tweeted Lee Ryan that he thought he was the ‘only bi/gay in the band’.

    (more…)

  • NEWS: Pornstar Pierre Fitch Slams Grindr For Being Banned

    Pierre Fitch has taken to Twitter to vent his frustrations about Grindr after receiving a support-message saying his account had been permanently banned.

    In a tweet directed at @Grindrsupport the porn actor blasted the hook-up app saying:
    ‘Is this for real I been banned for being my self is this becoming the new Facebook’
    The actor and DJ, who has over 61,000 followers on Twitter had been sent a message from Grindr support accusing him of being an impostor; with a lifetime ban on the profile and that it would not be removed.

    @Grindrsupport said that they had update his ticket, but Pierre threw back:

    ‘how long does it take to reply too look at 2 pictures seems long process’

    Grindr eventually sorted the issue for the actor, but Fitch remarked:

     

    ‘Great but Customer Service should be your #1 Priority don’t ban unless you know the truth of the matter !! Thanks’

    Facebook came under fire last week after it ban users who had posted a picture of two men kissing.

     

    Admins for the Facebook group ‘Have A Gay Day’ had been banned after some users reported the above picture as being offensive. Facbeook claimed it “violates community standards.”

     

    The social media giant then had a u-turn saying that the photo was removed in error and has since been restored.

     

    Last year TheGayUK interviewed the founder of Grindr Joel Simkhai, read it here

     

    Have you had problems with Grindr or Facebook banning your account?

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