Outfest Pre Parties - Let the Dish Begin

THE LAVENDER MAFIA

Maybe it's my age, but it always kills me these OUTFEST pre parties. I mean, isn't 10 days of schmoozing and liquor enough!?

Needless to say, I had a pre party last year as well, so there it is.

Pictured left, Jane Lynch, Jason Stuart and Lee Rose. I don't know how Jason got invited, but he knows EVERYONE, and was one of only two men at this soirree.

Anyway, I attended two fabulous pre parties last night. Both were full of wonderful, fun and immensely creative members of our LGBT community.

The first was a congrats party for director Donna Deitch who helmed the iconic DESERT HEARTS (still one of my absolute favs) and is receiving the Outfest Achievement Award this evening at the Opening Night Gala downtown at the glorious 1926 Orpheum Theatre.

Donna Deitch, pictured left on left. Lesbian Icon for sure!

Tickets still available and if you live in LA, do yourself a favor, just go. It's a blast and one of the biggest and best LGBT cultural events of the year every year.

The party for Donna was held in an area of West Hollywood I call Lesbian Lane because there are so many lesbians that live within that small area! Seriously, this area of charming homes must have 25 lesbians in it.


Pictured left, WELCOME TO LESBIAN LANE!!


It was certainly a who's who of the Lavender Mafia and discussions included talk of the pending SAG strike, whether the marriage initiative had a chance and of course, how devastated everyone seemed to be that Hilary didn't make it!

Those in attendance included Ms Deitch, director Lee Rose, actress/director Melanie Mayron, comedian Suzanne Westenhoefer, actress Jane Lynch, producers Stacy Codikow and Lisa Thrasher (ITTY BITTY TITTY), radio personality Doria Biddle and...

...(pictured left) award winning filmmakers Tamika Miller, Roberta Munroe, Collette Devine with Executive Producer of Exes and Ohs Lee Friedlander (who also directed OUT AT THE WEDDING).

Roberta is very excited about her upcoming book: How Not To Make A Short: Confessions of a Sundance Programmer. I'm sure it'll be full of fun facts and dirt! I was flattered when she asked to include my list of what a producer does from yesterday's column, so look for that along with everything else you need to know about entering the wonderful world of indie filmmaking!

Publicist Jim Dobson also talked about running into all the ladies at Equinox, which is a high end hoity-toity gym that is way beyond my economic standing and usually frequented by the who's who of Hollywood. He teased Lee Rose about being in there working out with Jodie Foster.

Literally I was the only woman in this group that does not work out there. I commented, "I don't go to a gym. The only exercise I get is taking out the cat liter once a week."

Biddle talked about her new rescue dog Colin, and how training has been so difficult she's had to buy a baby monitor for him. The same story came from journalist Lydia Marcus who just rescued an adorable boxer/lab mix named Lucy, who is also currently undergoing the adjustment from life on the cold, hard streets to the fabulous, spoiled lifestyle of cohabitating with a lesbian. Marcus is currently working on a documentary about Desert Hearts.

Lee Rose regailed us with funny tales of shooting a lesbian love scene for the film A GIRL THING with Elle Macpherson and Kate Capshaw ,the later being Mrs Spielberg, which is why Steven Spielberg flew to the set and had to supervise the whole thing.

Like Rose (who directs episodes of WEEDS and CASHMERE MAFIA), Donna Deitch and Melanie Mayron are also very accomplished directors in episodic television.

I think I mighta spotted Martha Coolidge there, but I don't know her so I wasn't sure. She's also a big shot tv director who helms DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES.

The Lavender Mafia people! The other highlight of the party for me were the two wonderful cats that lounged about. Nothing says home like a gaggle of critters, and our hostesses had cats and dogs. Plus a jacuzzi in the back and a lovely fire pit. A total delight all around.

Anyway, great party, wonderful women, fantastic conversations.


THE DIVA OUTFEST KICK OFF

Then it was off to the DIVA party, where we got to enjoy previews of many of the films playing at Outfest. WERE THE WORLD MINE looks particularly lush and good.

Pictured left, one of my favorite people at here!, Andrea "Krauss in the House" with I guess a filmmaker.

This party was full of fun people, and also marked the dvd release of THE CURIOSITY OF CHANCE. I can't tell you how much I enjoy talking to the producer of that film, Lisa Schahet.

Us producers actually are all friends and we love dishing about production stuff (things I'm sure that would bore most people). She told me - as did many producers last night - how much she enjoyed and related to my list from yesterday's blog about the role of a Producer. Also, it was good to hear that everyone is excited about attending my Producers Party next Tuesday, which is nice.

We also got a preview of Charlie David's MULLIGANS. Here's Charlie to the left giving an interview.

I apologized to Charlie and his boyfriend Brandon for picking on them in our Outfest Preview video, but fortunately they hadn't seen it yet. Brandon is a POINT SCHOLAR, and he told me that TR Knight's bf Mark is also a Point Scholar (we also picked on TR and Mark in that video as well. I use the term "we" very loosely, it was of course just Jason and his big mouth).

I also ran into Brent Gorski from HOLDING TREVOR, which just opened in theatres this past weekend. Let me tell you, you have to catch this film, it was one of my favorites from last year's festival circuit! I'll be adding that in the right column of this blog very soon as a MUST SEE.

I also ran into two of my favorite directors, Nic Wauters and Dennis Hensley. This past year I was a producer on both their shorts, and both are screening at OUTFEST.

I have to tell you, these guys are just wonderful, talented and I had a blast on both these shoots.


NEUROTICA

SUN 7/13
9:15pm

Neurotica is shot in an LA gay bar and involves 5 separate stories that evolve and unfold during one long take! That's right, very Touch of Evil. Only, you know, funny.

He had helmed the highly successful RYAN'S LIFE a few years back, which was bought by the here! network to turn into series, which I guess hasn't happened yet.

The film stars all forms of every actor I just adore, and of course if you look closely, I'm in a lot of the film along with the rest of the crew. Here's some shots from that shoot, like I said, which was a total fucking delight in every sense of the word.

Here's some photos from the shoot.





And because I love my cast and crew so much - and no one is above embarrassment - here's the video from our karaoke wrap party of our guys (and girl) singing LA VIE BOHEME from RENT.

I just have to say, what is with this country anyway? I just love and adore the gays, and this video is one reason why. Adorable, fun, feeling! Let me tell you, if I ever have kids, I'd want them all to be gay men!

In above scandalous video is Brian Nolan, Jason Ball, Dasha Snyder, Jon Cleland, Elliot London and Michael Coulumbe making fun fools of themselves with me singing along.

REUNION
writer/director Dennis Hensley

July 12 at 1:30 PM at the Directors Guild 'The Way I See Things / HBO Shorts.'

There's a reception following the screening from 3:00 to 4:30 PM in the foyer of the DGA where there's bound to be some manner of free booze.

You can also see this movie RIGHT NOW if you have Cinemax-On-Demand. Look for it soon, it's only playing for a little while longer!


You may know Mr Hensley from his hysterical book, Adventures in the 213, or from the Match Game Shows he puts on for the Center, or on Kathy Griffith's My Life on the D List or perhaps you caught him writing for the fantastically hysterical Lifetime series, Lovespring International.

This was Hensley's first crack at directing and let me know you, he was fantastic. A natural and a pro. This film was funded by HBO, as part of their contribution to gay film every year (they hold a competition and then fund 3 lgbt shorts each year).

The story involves a gay couple returning to the midWest for a 20 year high school reunion, where the tough football jock from yester-year has some interesting new developments up his sleeve.

I was one of 800 producers on this film, but two of my favs were the fellas I call "my favorite lesbian couple" Doug and John, since they've been together 12 years, have a nice home in SilverLake with their two rescue dogs and they're both vegan. More lesbian than any lesbian I know. They also just recently produced SOCKET, which is doing very well in dvd sales.

It was shot by Joe White, who also shot SHELTER.

Here's some photos from that shoot. Also, just more fun than anyone should have working.

Fairfax 1
SUN 7/20 2:30pm
Fairfax 1

writer/director Nick Wauters