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  • X MEN’S CALEB LANDRY JONES In Talks For Stonewall Film Role

    Stonewall the movie, looks to be shaping up nicely after Caleb Landry Jones is apparently in talks to join the cast for Roland Emmerich’s gay history epic.

    Caleb Landry Jones has apparently entered talks to join Jeremy Irvine in the gay historical drama Stonewall, which is to be directed by Independence Day director Roland Emmerich.

    Caleb, who is most notable for his role in X-Men: First Class, will be playing, according to Deadline, an eccentric gay street hustler named Ophan Annie.

    The Stonewall film will focus on a teenager, to be played by War Horse actor Jeremy Irvine, who moves to New York, and becomes politically awakened after the Stonewall riots, which happened as a bad lash against a police raid on the New York gay bar The Stonewall Inn, in June 1969.

    The Stonewall riots became known as a series of spontaneous protests, by the gay community, which often ended in violence. They are widely considered to be the beginning of the modern gay right’s movement.

  • FILM REVIEW | In The Name Of

    Father Adam is the pastor of a minute parish in the hinterlands of Poland where he has opened a centre for ‘difficult’ teenage ex-reformatory boys. In this bleak countryside he, and his lay helper Michel, have fashioned their small group of unruly charges into almost responsible young men.

    They play football, go swimming and work together but despite his firm control over them, there is always this underlying feeling that tempers could rail up over the slightest excuse at any time, and so there is always a veiled threat of potential violence.

    There is little to do in this remote hamlet and Michel’s bored and neglected wife puts the moves of a rather shaken Adam. When he rejects her advances, he does so by explaining it is because he is ‘already taken’, which we assume refers to his Catholic vow of celibacy, and it isn’t until the second part of the story we realise its because he is not attracted to woman at all.

    Adam is always focused on being in control, but when he rushes to the defence of Lukasz a local boy who does odd jobs at the Center on two different occasions, it starts becoming apparent that despite his intentions he has deeper feelings for him. Lukasz is a good-natured young man whose usual silence at first seems to indicate sullenness, but in fact it is he who shows the lonely Priest warmth and openness that green lights what is to follow.

    Before this can happen, Adam tries desperately to repress his feelings by resorting to his old habit of getting rip-roaring drunk on his own, and he turns up the some rock music very loud and dances around the kitchen clutching a picture of the Pope as a partner. If it wasn’t for the fact that he is such a deeply unhappy man, it would be a very funny scene indeed.

    Michel suspects something is amiss and tells the Bishop who lets slip that he had already had to forcibly transfer Adam from his last position. Despite the remarkable success that Adam has made of the Center, his position is considered untenable now, and this will mark the end for him. Or will it?

    This emotional charged drama has an overwhelming sense of such utter sadness for most of the story. The whole piece gels so well because Father Adam (superbly played by Andrzej Chyra) is an engaging, seriously devout priest, generous to a fault to his parishioners, but one who struggles with his human foibles. When he tries to share his secrets with another person… his sister… she wants to be in denial of the reality just like Michel and The Bishop, and it simply reinforces Adam’s feeling of abandonment and hopelessness.

    Lukasz, like the other boys, is a young adult so what we are dealing with here is not paedophilia but a consenting relationship between two man, albeit that one is considerably older. It is his Lukasz’s final resolve that makes him appear mature enough to be a match for the Priest.

    The movie quite rightly won the prestigous Teddy Award at Berlinale (the highest award for a LGBT film) for writer/director Malgoska Szumowska who is back in form after that rather odd ‘Elles’. A nod to her cinematographer Michal Englert (also co-screenwriter) for the stunning haunting feel he gave to the bleak outside landscapes in particular, and another to young Mateusz Kosciukiewicz who looked more than tad like Jesus and who played Lukasz.

    What sets this remarkable and unpredictable movie apart from others that have dealt with repressed Catholic priests dealing with their homosexuality is Szumowska’s very real understanding of Adam’s personal struggle and the very straightforward way she tells his tale. The fact that its set in the Polish Catholic Church makes it that much braver, and also controversial.

  • PHOTOS: TOM DALEY Goes To New Zealand

    Tom Daley Goes Global continues on the 24th April, with Sophie and Tom travelling to New Zealand.

    In Episode 3 of Tom Daley Goes Global, Tom and bezzer mate Sophie hop over to New Zealand in the depths of winter and they’re on a road trip through the stunning South Island to take on the might of the world’s highest cliff jump.

    Ditching fancy hotels the epic pair slum it backpacker style and rent a cheap motorhome. A death-defying 357ft canyon swing leaves Sophie petrified but with a head for heights, Tom’s soon calling on his diving training to set a new somersault record. Will he have what it takes to end this leg of the trip with another badge on his trunks?

    Last year New Zealand became the 13th country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage. On April 18th 2013 MP Maurice Williamson gave an incredible speech which became a viral sensation.

  • Artist Recreates Tom Daley Portrait Out Of Homophobic Tweets

    An artist has recreated a portrait of Tom Daley out of homophobic tweets the diver received after he came out in December last year.

    Last December Tom Daley came out via a YouTube video which went viral within minutes of him posting it online, and although the diver mainly received support and praise from the online community, a number of Twitter Trolls did take to the social network to tweet homophobic comments.

    These comments have now been made into a portrait of the Olympic diver, by Conor Collins who has created this stunning picture of Tom.

    Taking to Twitter, the artist has said:

    ‘Still utterly overwhelmed by the reaction to my painting of Tom Daley. Thank you all who thought it good enough to share it!

    ‘Been told there are articles saying ive sold my Tom Daley piece! I’ve not!! Its not my intention to make money from this piece!’

    Even Stephen Fry is a fan, tweeting about the painting.

    Meanwhile Tom Daley’s new show for ITV2 Tom Daley Goes Global is doing good trade for the channel. The next episode is on the 24th and see Tom and Sophie jetting off to New Zealand.

  • THEATRE REVIEW | Dirty Dancing, UK National Tour

    ★★★★ | Dirty Dancing, UK 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. But 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 in this national tour. For the main, the show follows the story of the film very closely, particularly during the first act, with the bulk of the script being comfortingly recognisable from the film version. There are some additional scenes, particularly during the first half of the second act, which develops the story and which expands on both life at Kellermans and further explores the relationship between Baby and Johnny.

    The main cast members were surprisingly like their cinematic counterparts, in particular, Roseanna Frascona who played Frances “Baby” Houseman, throwing herself into the role whilst Lewis Kirk gave the best performance of the evening in the lead role of Johnny Castle, demonstrating some of the better acting and dance moves. The chemistry between the two leads worked well, although overall, the acting from the entire cast was not of the highest quality, and gave the impression that the cast were chosen for their ability to dance or sing as opposed to them being good all-round performers. That said, cast member Robin Lake’s singing voice stood out for his show-stopping version of In the Still of the Night. But the attraction of this show is not so much the quality of the acting but the dancing. All of the routines and set pieces were well put together, well executed and all handled more than competently by the cast, with many of the routines lifted directly from the movie.

    The show was packed full of all the songs you know and love from the film soundtrack, with combination of the orchestra performing on stage and some pre-recorded tracks. The soundtrack included Hey Baby, Love Man, Hungry Eyes and (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life along with the instrumentals such as De Todo Un Poco and Johnny’s Mambo. The set was versatile and effective, using backdrop projections and colour washes to separate out the scenes and locations and the scene changes were slick and undertaken smoothly and simply.

    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. The show was fun and the feel-good ending had the crowd on their feet, shouting and cheering. For those who have not seen the film, the show is a good introduction to the world of Kellermans. To established fans of the film, the show will be hard to beat.

    The show is currently playing at Sheffield Lyceum Theatre until the (tickets and information can be found at http://www.sheffieldtheatres.co.uk/event/dirty-dancing-14/ ). The show then continues on its extensive national tour, details of which can be found at http://www.dirtydancingontour.com/

  • THEATRE REVIEW: A Spoon Of Sherman, St. James Theatre

    ★★★★ | A Spoon Of Sherman, St. James Theatre

    Billed as ‘The Songbook of Your Childhood’, this celebration of one of the world’s best-loved songwriting duos is so very much more than that; it is the songbook – nay, the soundtrack – to my life.

    The first Act opens with an Al Sherman medley. A prolific songwriter in the 1930s and 40s, Al Sherman wrote for Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Billie Holiday, and many others. It’s very evident from hearing these numbers that such talent runs in the genes. His sons, Robert and Richard, would go on to continue this fine art for many years as The Sherman Brothers, and their songbook provides the main focus of the evening.

    The musicals the brothers are best known for fly in thick and fast – Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Jungle Book, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, The Parent Trap, Charlotte’s Web, Winnie the Pooh, The Slipper and the Rose, and so many more. Delightfully, A Spoonful of Sherman also includes some of their lesser-known, but no less delightful, back catalogue.

    The four singers – Greg Castiglioni, Stuart Matthew Price, Charlotte Wakefield and Emma Williams – are supremely talented and versatile, swinging with apparent ease between ballads and the more lively numbers; between comical and serious without a flinch. This is never more evident than the perfectly executed leap from The Jungle Book’s “I Wanna Be Like You” to “The Age of Not Believing”, from Bedknobs and Broomsticks.

    Now, I may be a little bit biased here (I hereby confess to a lifelong obsession with Chitty Chitty Bang Bang), but Emma Williams stands out for me. Partly because every time I see her, I remember the many trips I took to the Palladium while she played Truly Scrumptious in Chitty, but also because of her exceptionally sweet and clear voice. Her performance of “Mother Earth and Father Time” from Charlotte’s Web is beautiful and a definite highlight of the evening.

    A Spoonful of Sherman is hosted by the affable Robert J Sherman, the son of Robert B Sherman. An accomplished songwriter in his own right, we are treated to a few numbers from his musical, Bumblescratch, which workshopped in London last year. It is clear he has inherited his father’s, and grandfather’s, innate talent.

    And then, it’s here. As sad as it is to leave the rest of the evening behind, I hear a few distinctive notes which signal the start of the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang medley and the world melts away. It is everything I want it to be, and there can be no higher praise than that from such a devoted fan.

    All in all, A Spoonful of Sherman provides an entertaining insight into 90 years of songwriting history. In every note, this exquisite tapestry of song is an entirely fitting tribute, not only to the Shermans’ talent, but to the very art of songwriting.

    A Spoonful of Sherman plays at 19:45 on Monday 21 and Tuesday 22 April at the St James Theatre. Tickets are £18-£25 from https://www.stjamestheatre.co.uk/events/a-spoonful-of-sherman-2

  • NHS Boob Job Wannabe Brands Celebrity Mum ‘Secret Lesbian’

    It seems some people will do anything for attention and Josie Cunningham is no stranger to attention seeking.

    The wannabe celebrity is no stranger to controversy after making a name for herself by getting a £4800 boob job on the NHS and then more recently suggesting that she would abort her unborn child in order to get a placement on Channel 5’s Big Brother.

    However shiz got nasty when Cunningham Tweeted that Nicola McLean was a ‘lesbian’ who had become ‘obsessed with her’.

    The tit-for-tat all kicked off when Nicola McLean posted a Tweet to slam Josie’s plans to abort her unborn child in order to appear on Big Brother saying:

    “Totally outraged reading about that stupid sl*g that wants an abortion so she can go on big brother !!! She doesn’t deserve children.”

    Cunningham waded in with the retaliation:

    “Starting to think @NicolaMcLean is a secret lesbian. She’s become obsessed with me. I’m flattered. Xxxx,”

    NicoleMcLean is currently married to Tom Williams, a footballer and the couple have two sons Rocky Striker..

    Amazingly Josie then tweeted to her 9,000+ followers:

    ‘For the record, that’s the last time I’ll tweet about her – regardless of what she throws at me. She’s an ATTENTION SEEKER!’

    TRENDING TOPIC
    The Twitter community could not get enough of the story yesterday and #JosieCunningham trended for most of the day as users took to the service to lambaste the wannabe celeb and her controversial plans.

    Prior to her announcing her Big Brother plans Cunningham uploaded a picture of a scan of her unborn child, which has now been deleted from her account.

    ABORTION NOT ON THE NHS
    If Josie goes ahead with her abortion plans, she won’t be able to get it done on the NHS as it falls outside the guidelines and the 1967 Abortion Act.

    According to the Mirror Josie said:

    ‘I was excited at first but as soon as I noticed I was getting bigger, that was it,” she said. “I realised it would be at least a year before I could do any glamour modelling if I went through with it and, in my opinion, nobody wants to see a naked pregnant lady.

    ‘People will disagree with my actions. They always do, but I don’t care.

    ‘It’s not ideal situation and I wish I had never fallen pregnant. I’m not on the Pill and in December the condom split when I was sleeping with a client.

    ‘Then I had sex with a footballer and didn’t use contraception at all. I’d known him for years and we’d had sex before. I didn’t even think about the morning after pill.’

    Both the footballer and the client, allegedly a surgeon have both offered to support Cunningham if she chooses to have the baby.

  • Hepatitis C To Be Eliminated By The Year 2030

    It is currently estimated that there are 144,000 people living with Hepatitis C in England alone. Though a small proportion of the total, men who have sex with men are one of the risk groups.

     Until now there has been no definite cure, and so far treatments have been long, debilitating, and often don’t work anyway. The usual outcome is cirrhosis of the liver, and eventual prognosis death.
    So why is Hepatitis C treatment in the news? According to the Hep C Trust, new treatments are now available that can cure 95% of all cases, leading to a projected saving in England alone of over 5000 lives by 2030 and preventing the need for 1000 future liver transplants. The population of those living with Hepatitis C would be cut by over 90%.
    What is needed is a nationwide screening programme and greater awareness. Often GPs don’t test for Hep C until the illness is quite advanced. Early diagnosis and treatment will mean that transmission rates will slow down, and eventually peter out, hence the projection that we could eliminate the disease by 2030. There are similarities with HIV here, in that early diagnosis and treatment can bring down a patient’s viral load to undetectable, meaning that it is virtually impossible for them to pass on the virus. But there is one important difference. Where there is still no cure for HIV, there is now a cure for Hep C, so it is doubly important that we get tested. As gay men, we are fortunate in that we are usually offered Hep C screening as a matter of course when attending a Sexual Health Clinic. If you aren’t, then ask for it.

    This awareness needs to be extended into the wider populace, where the problem is one of implementation, which, as usual, is taking too long. A few days ago, The Guardian ran a story stating that, “the NHS is to pay for around 500 people with end-stage liver disease caused by hepatitis C to receive a new drug which could cure them, without waiting for guidance from the advisory body, Nice.”

    As Charles Gore, one of the founder members of The Hepatitis C Trust put it at the media event I attended, “Are we going to step up and do this, or leave things as they are.” This would certainly seem to be a step in the right direction. Though the cost of treatment is high, it has to be weighed against the far greater cost of doing nothing, allowing Hepatitis C rates to increase, and ultimately putting a far greater burden on the NHS. We should be looking at the long term, not, as is sadly too often the case, the short term. Governments, as we know too well, rarely look past the next election date.
    Let us hope that both the Government and the NHS take notice and set us on the path to eradicating this terrible disease.

  • COLUMN | Spring Cleaning

    It’s that time of year when the sun shines (on and off) and we go to work on and off due to a string of bank holidays. If you’re anything like me then your mind will, sadly, turn to the dull subject of cleaning.

    I’ve always had a bit of a minor obsession with cleaning. Maybe it’s because I’m descended from a long line of Northern housewives. Bleaching net curtains and scrubbing steps is part of my heritage. I don’t quite go as far as donning a crossover pinny and a headscarf though.

    It started in my youth. My father was an obsessively tidy man and would set us all off into cleaning missions at the weekends. This was compulsory. I soon managed to gain a little number where I would get extra pocket money if I helped out as a regular thing. I quickly learnt that the power of creating order out of chaos was a cathartic, as well as financially lucrative, act. Pushing round our old feeble vacuum cleaner with its crinkly brown paper bags and flicking away at dust with a bright yellow duster bought me an enormous sense of satisfaction.

    A psychologist once told me that my desire to be clean and tidy was a way of exerting order into my often-chaotic life. Although I have little control over my stressful job, the sometimes-dodgy men in my life or my family, I can control how shiny the bath taps are. She definitely had a valid point.

    I’ve bought every gimmicky cleaning product on the market, over the years, damaging not only the environment but also my pocket and probably my lungs. I’ve staggered out of chemical warfare clouds in foggy bathrooms, burnt my hands with excessive bleach and teetered on rickety chairs to reach nooks and crannies that really don’t need reaching. I’ve washed the numbers off the controls of a brand new cooker by using neat detergent, taken the surface off loo seats and generally caused a lot of mishaps.

    I’m much more moderate than I used to be. Maybe I’m more mentally healthy than I used to be or maybe just too tired to be bothered with it all. I’ve learnt to live with the odd streak on the mirrors or a dusty crevice. It’s not the end of the world and certainly no terrible reflection on me or my morals and decency.

    I definitely see a solution ahead but it’s a complex and difficult goal. It involves a rich husband and a fleet of maids. I’m not sure that my partner would approve though.

  • Tila Tequila 10 Weeks Pregnant

    Former Myspace Queen Tila Tequila has announced that she is 10 weeks pregnant and has posted a picture of her cute baby bump on Facebook.

    The internet celebrity who found fame on Myspace and became one of the most famous women in cyberspace has just announced that she is expecting her first child, but has remained tight-lipped about who the father is. Tila shared a picture showing her tiny baby bump.

    Along with the Facebook picture the star wrote:

    ‘Surprise!! I’m 10 weeks pregnant! I just couldn’t hold it in any longer as this brings me so much joy and happiness to know that there is a baby Tila on the way! May God bless my little bundle of joy on this Good Friday! Yayy! I’m gonna be a Mommy! I Love you sooooo much little baby!!’

    Tila is most famous for her impressive Myspace prowess, having clocked up millions and millions of fans, but she also starred in an MTV reality series called: A Shot At Love With Tila Tequila and A Shot at Love II with Tila Tequila.

    Tila also tried her hand a music, but failed to ignite sales on her singles Stripper Friends and I Love U.

  • SIR CLIFF RICHARD | ‘If I was gay would it make any difference?’

    One of pop’s longest lasting icons Sir Cliff Richard has used a candid interview with an Australian talk show A Current Affair, to pose the question ‘If I was gay would it make any difference?’

    For years the ‘Devil Woman’ singer has had rumours circulating around about his sexuality and now in a chat show, broadcast on Friday night, he’s asked whether it would really matter if he was or not.

    Sir Cliff, 73, went on to say: ‘I have got gay friends. Most people have gay friends,’ he said. ‘If I was gay would it make any difference? Would you not come to my concerts because I was gay? I hope not’.

    The veteran singer began his career in 1958 and his first number one record came in the form of Living Doll, which was certified Gold in the UK. It has been suggested that the singer has sold in excess of 250million records world wide.

    LOVE AND MARRIAGE?
    When asked about marriage, the singer said: ‘I just didn’t get married. I never felt that it was the right time. I can do the things I want to do. I can go and meet my fans all over the world.

    ‘I don’t have a responsibility because I always felt that marriage would be the major responsibility of your life, and if a child came along, a multi-major responsibility. No getting out of that one.’

    BOTOX
    And if you’re wondering why the singer still looks so incredible today at 73, well he says it’s ‘extreme good luck’ although he did admit to using Botox, but that it didn’t work for him.

    He said: ‘I did try Botox but that didn’t really work for me. I’ve seen people with Botox – they look fantastic.

    ‘If it works for you, I don’t see what’s wrong with doing it. Why not? Women wear make-up.’

    Sir Cliff Richard was born Harry Rodger Webb and is the third best selling singles artist in UK History.

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