It's completely clear that what we were beginning to get worried about in the '80s was very serious and very real things ... so the play, and the times, both feel darker to me now than they did back then.He mentions the Charlotte, North Carolina, production from the 1990s, too, which is mentioned in Dear Jesse.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Kushner discuss his great work, ANGELS IN AMERICA
I love Kushner's writing, especially his essays. Yesterday, he was interviewed on NPR's Talk of the Nation about his work, especially Angels in America. What struck me about the interview was Kushner's take on the plays enduring relevance. Money quote:
Monday, September 12, 2011
A new documentary.
I went for a run around the Silver Lake reservoir tonight and had a little time to think about my home state of North Carolina. Today, legislators decided to allow a vote to change the state's constitution so that marriage would forever be defined as between two people of different sexes. No big surprise, but disappointing, to say the least.
Makes me think it might be time for another documentary.
Makes me think it might be time for another documentary.
Friday, August 5, 2011
My Art Day.
I missed the exhibit, but not for lack of trying. This morning, Drew and I showed up at ten thirty with our friend Amy, who's a member of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Under normal circumstances, members can by-pass the non-member lines and proceed directly to the exhibition. Not anymore. Or, at least, not this exhibition. I'm totally disappointed. What a bust. I hear the show is so great.
The lines at the Metropolitan snaked around all sides, up the blocks, and several people deep. In my more than twenty years in New York, I've never seen anything like that at the museum. It was heartening to see so many tickets being sold for a show of a fashion designer/artist's work.
Bummer number two occurred a little later. We decided to ease the disappointment of not getting into the McQueen show by seeing the Werner Herzog film Cave of Forgotten Dreams.
When we got to the box office, I learned it was a film in 3-D, which I can't perceive because I have amblyopia. I asked the staff at the theater on 86th Street if the movie's 3-D effect was discernible to the amblyopic eye (actually, I said, "Does it look normal without those stupid glasses?"), but no one could confirm. And they were rude. So, we walked.
Things started to look better at the end of the day when I picked up a painting that was shipped to me from Louisville, Kentucky, a gift from my pal and producer Gill and his wife, Augusta. After I admired it in a restaurant downtown during the filming of Tan Lines, Gill went back and purchased it and shipped it to New York. The painting is called It's A Dog's Life by the artist Petersen Thomas.
Here's a bad picture of it taken with my iPhone.
The lines at the Metropolitan snaked around all sides, up the blocks, and several people deep. In my more than twenty years in New York, I've never seen anything like that at the museum. It was heartening to see so many tickets being sold for a show of a fashion designer/artist's work.
Bummer number two occurred a little later. We decided to ease the disappointment of not getting into the McQueen show by seeing the Werner Herzog film Cave of Forgotten Dreams.
When we got to the box office, I learned it was a film in 3-D, which I can't perceive because I have amblyopia. I asked the staff at the theater on 86th Street if the movie's 3-D effect was discernible to the amblyopic eye (actually, I said, "Does it look normal without those stupid glasses?"), but no one could confirm. And they were rude. So, we walked.
Things started to look better at the end of the day when I picked up a painting that was shipped to me from Louisville, Kentucky, a gift from my pal and producer Gill and his wife, Augusta. After I admired it in a restaurant downtown during the filming of Tan Lines, Gill went back and purchased it and shipped it to New York. The painting is called It's A Dog's Life by the artist Petersen Thomas.
Here's a bad picture of it taken with my iPhone.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Brooklyn Bridge Park
For the past three mornings, Drew and I have climbed out of bed and walked to Brooklyn Bridge Park, coffees in hand. The park is a 1.5 mile stretch of bike path, sidewalk and trail along the East River from the bridge to Carroll Gardens. Some of it remains a work in progress, but the completed areas are fantastic and make me very happy to be back in the city. Not only that, next week I look forward to this.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
I heart New York.
I'm still vibrating with excitement about the recent New York Senate vote to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples.
Despite success stories in Iowa, New Hampshire, Vermont, D.C., Massachusetts and Connecticut, I'd become convinced that the setbacks in California and Maine had permanently disabled the civil rights movement of our time. I was wrong. And public opinion and support for equal marriage rights is shifting dramatically as the five states and the District of Columbia have shown the fearful that the world will not end by letting two men or two women tie the knot.
To say that all of this change is a surprise would be an understatement. I did not grow up thinking I would ever be married to another man, but here I am, married legally - at least in states that recognize it. Next week is our third anniversary.
I've been a little angry with Obama during the last couple of days. He has stated publicly that he believes that marriage laws should best be determined by the states. I sent him a terse email on Monday reminding him that his own parents' bi-racial marriage had been illegal in many states and threatened withdrawal of my support, financial and otherwise. I haven't heard back from the President. Yet. I'm sure I will. His timing is impressive, to say the least.
Meantime, I've been reading different opinions about the President's reaction. The most reasoned comes from Andrew Sullivan, of course. In a nutshell:
The bottom line is this: Drew and I got married in California, so our marriage should be recognized in every other state. That's only fair. I also believe churches and religious organizations who don't believe in same-sex unions should be allowed to discriminate against us. Sure, these groups and the fundamentalists who support them will increasingly look like relics, but they should be allowed to dig their graves as deep and as wide as they wish.
We don't live in a Christian nation or a Muslim nation. We live in a pluralistic society. I should be able to live a life of equality that is separate from your religion. And you should live separate from mine. And in between there should be this space that we share, a public space that we occupy together, where we all have access to the same rights.
I'm starting to feel sorry for the opponents of LGBT civil rights. They are missing out on so many great moments of growth in our nation. They're not celebrating progress, they're fighting it. Worse, many have children who are watching them stand in the way. In the not-so-distant future, these children will ask their parents where they stood in the fight for justice for gays and lesbians. These obstructionists will be held accountable for their action or inaction. Or maybe they'll remain silent. But I remember. And I'll tell their children exactly what happened.
Despite success stories in Iowa, New Hampshire, Vermont, D.C., Massachusetts and Connecticut, I'd become convinced that the setbacks in California and Maine had permanently disabled the civil rights movement of our time. I was wrong. And public opinion and support for equal marriage rights is shifting dramatically as the five states and the District of Columbia have shown the fearful that the world will not end by letting two men or two women tie the knot.
To say that all of this change is a surprise would be an understatement. I did not grow up thinking I would ever be married to another man, but here I am, married legally - at least in states that recognize it. Next week is our third anniversary.
I've been a little angry with Obama during the last couple of days. He has stated publicly that he believes that marriage laws should best be determined by the states. I sent him a terse email on Monday reminding him that his own parents' bi-racial marriage had been illegal in many states and threatened withdrawal of my support, financial and otherwise. I haven't heard back from the President. Yet. I'm sure I will. His timing is impressive, to say the least.
Meantime, I've been reading different opinions about the President's reaction. The most reasoned comes from Andrew Sullivan, of course. In a nutshell:
A civil rights movement does not get its legitimacy from any president. I repeat: he does not legitimize us; we legitimize him. As gays and lesbians, we should stop looking for saviors at the top and start looking for them within. We won this fight alongside our countless straight family members, friends, associates and fellow citizens. As long as Obama has done due diligence in the office he holds - and he has - he is not necessary to have as a Grand Marshall for our parade.Andrew's argument is worth reading, especially his take on why marriage rights are more protected at the state level. On the other hand, there's this devastating story from CNN that shows in human terms how marriage inequality literally destroys families. Not in the abstract. In reality. These policies harm people. Families are being ripped apart. I want the President to meet this couple and explain to them how this is a "states' rights" issue.
The bottom line is this: Drew and I got married in California, so our marriage should be recognized in every other state. That's only fair. I also believe churches and religious organizations who don't believe in same-sex unions should be allowed to discriminate against us. Sure, these groups and the fundamentalists who support them will increasingly look like relics, but they should be allowed to dig their graves as deep and as wide as they wish.
We don't live in a Christian nation or a Muslim nation. We live in a pluralistic society. I should be able to live a life of equality that is separate from your religion. And you should live separate from mine. And in between there should be this space that we share, a public space that we occupy together, where we all have access to the same rights.
I'm starting to feel sorry for the opponents of LGBT civil rights. They are missing out on so many great moments of growth in our nation. They're not celebrating progress, they're fighting it. Worse, many have children who are watching them stand in the way. In the not-so-distant future, these children will ask their parents where they stood in the fight for justice for gays and lesbians. These obstructionists will be held accountable for their action or inaction. Or maybe they'll remain silent. But I remember. And I'll tell their children exactly what happened.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Day Thirteen: Stormy Weather
It has been a while since I last posted anything, so I will try to give the highlights in no particular order.
This morning we shot at a lovely historic home called Whitehall. Big white columns. Lots of floral wallpaper. Sprawling gardens. Rabbits running around the yard. Think old South and weddings with big tents and champagne flowing. This doubled for our "country club" tennis team, the Fountain Club. Weather reports indicated the possibility of heavy rain. It arrived early and in buckets. Though much of the morning was going to be interior shoots, not all of it was going to be. A quick revision of the screenplay allowed for a scene that was to take place on a tennis court to be moved to an office instead. The result was something much more comedic (which we needed) thanks to our crack production design team, headed by James Wise (the most cheerful, overworked man I have ever met and his sidekick Hannah, lovely and cheerful and talented, as well). Dash Mihok's hysterically funny performance also helped make the scene even better.
By lunch, Kathryn and I were rallying the team to see if we could get back to the Louisville Boat Club where we'd spent two of the hardest days of my professional life. The LBC is a fantastic tennis club on the river where for two Mondays we have shot the finale of the film, the climactic showdown between our hero and his team and the evil Fountain Club team. Both days were hellish. On me. On the crew. On the cast. On the Boat Club. Blazing hot sun on clay courts. Two dozen characters, most of them playing tennis (most of them actors who have never held a racquet until this movie), a hundred or so extras and an exhausted crew, since Tuesday is our only day off. Long story short - I didn't get everything I needed. So we begged Mark at LBC to return today for a couple of hours with a smaller crew and two cast members, Josh Hopkins (the hero, Owen) and Dash (Charles, of the evil Fountain Club). I knew that if I could get just these two guys back on the LBC courts, I could get what I needed to cut together the big scene at the end of the film. But other things needed to cooperate, especially weather, which had not been cooperating. Sidebar: It's difficult to concentrate on any scene when you know that the BIG SCENE you need is incomplete and can't be complete because you (1) have lost the location; (2) have run out of any extra time to shoot anything else; and (3) one of your lead actors finishes his work that day (Dash). So lots working against us. I wonder if any of this is making sense. Hope so.
Okay. Our fabu associate producer Laura Morton negotiated some time at LBC with Mark, who said we could come to the courts, but he wouldn't know until 3 or 4 if it was safe even to put a camera out on the clay. The rain had pummeled them so hard, the dolly might sink into the court clay. We took the chance and quickly shot everything we needed at Whitehall and moved to LBC.
The weather cleared! And we got what we needed, I hope.
I want to write more so I don't forget how incredible this experience has been and continues to be, but I am going to fall asleep. More rain in the forecast, but for now I am hopeful - and hoping - for sunshine.
This morning we shot at a lovely historic home called Whitehall. Big white columns. Lots of floral wallpaper. Sprawling gardens. Rabbits running around the yard. Think old South and weddings with big tents and champagne flowing. This doubled for our "country club" tennis team, the Fountain Club. Weather reports indicated the possibility of heavy rain. It arrived early and in buckets. Though much of the morning was going to be interior shoots, not all of it was going to be. A quick revision of the screenplay allowed for a scene that was to take place on a tennis court to be moved to an office instead. The result was something much more comedic (which we needed) thanks to our crack production design team, headed by James Wise (the most cheerful, overworked man I have ever met and his sidekick Hannah, lovely and cheerful and talented, as well). Dash Mihok's hysterically funny performance also helped make the scene even better.
By lunch, Kathryn and I were rallying the team to see if we could get back to the Louisville Boat Club where we'd spent two of the hardest days of my professional life. The LBC is a fantastic tennis club on the river where for two Mondays we have shot the finale of the film, the climactic showdown between our hero and his team and the evil Fountain Club team. Both days were hellish. On me. On the crew. On the cast. On the Boat Club. Blazing hot sun on clay courts. Two dozen characters, most of them playing tennis (most of them actors who have never held a racquet until this movie), a hundred or so extras and an exhausted crew, since Tuesday is our only day off. Long story short - I didn't get everything I needed. So we begged Mark at LBC to return today for a couple of hours with a smaller crew and two cast members, Josh Hopkins (the hero, Owen) and Dash (Charles, of the evil Fountain Club). I knew that if I could get just these two guys back on the LBC courts, I could get what I needed to cut together the big scene at the end of the film. But other things needed to cooperate, especially weather, which had not been cooperating. Sidebar: It's difficult to concentrate on any scene when you know that the BIG SCENE you need is incomplete and can't be complete because you (1) have lost the location; (2) have run out of any extra time to shoot anything else; and (3) one of your lead actors finishes his work that day (Dash). So lots working against us. I wonder if any of this is making sense. Hope so.
Okay. Our fabu associate producer Laura Morton negotiated some time at LBC with Mark, who said we could come to the courts, but he wouldn't know until 3 or 4 if it was safe even to put a camera out on the clay. The rain had pummeled them so hard, the dolly might sink into the court clay. We took the chance and quickly shot everything we needed at Whitehall and moved to LBC.
The weather cleared! And we got what we needed, I hope.
I want to write more so I don't forget how incredible this experience has been and continues to be, but I am going to fall asleep. More rain in the forecast, but for now I am hopeful - and hoping - for sunshine.
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