Crazytown

PROTEST IS THE NEW BRUNCH

It's only February.
By Alisha Giampola (writer/performer)

When satire has become reality, when those leading our government are making Orwellian propaganda seem tame by comparison, when the creators of South Park don't even know how to make fun of the current administration, because truth has become too much stranger than even the fictions of their twisted minds... what is the right approach? What tone do artists take during times like this to resist fascism and authoritarian moves like literally attempting to destroy the amendment that maintains our government's fine line of separation between church and state? It isn't funny anymore, and making fun of it feels daunting. Why bother satirizing a man who can tweet stuff like this with a dead-straight face: "I don't know Putin, have no deals in Russia, and the haters are going crazy..." I mean.... okayyyyy, dude. I literally don't know what to say about that. When you spend your entire Black History Month speech talking about how everyone likes you and you got more votes than anyone in the whole world ever and everyone else is losers, and then say things like: "Frederick Douglass is an example of somebody who's done an amazing job and is being recognized more and more, I notice," as if Frederick Douglass is a real up-and-comer in middle management of a small but promising office supplies company... I just literally don't know what to say. 

Which is why I'm realizing more and more that the only way to respond to this preposterousness is with total and complete sincerity. (Although, there is absolutely a time and place for wit, and this is making me laugh today in the face of the utterly ridiculous confirmation of Betsey DeVos as Secretary of Education.) So. What do I mean by sincerity? I don't mean a total lack of irony. I don't mean "eschewing the lifesaving gift of comedy altogether". I just mean like, show up. I, a total and utterly insincere jerk, have been going to protests. Singing "This Land Is Our Land" alongside people holding homemade signs. Writing postcards to my congresspeople. Calling my senators and representatives EVERY SINGLE DAY (and also calling the ones in Florida, where I grew up, because I still have a Florida area code, and enjoy calling Marco Rubio and reminding him that he got bought by Betsy DeVos). 

Some people have gotten really fired up about caring about the future of our democracy. A lot of awesome people I know have always cared about the political climate of our country, and are not foul-weather activists like myself, who suddenly realized a few months ago that being mildly displeased about things but only actually bothering about them when they affect you is a really shitty way to be a human. But some of us needed things to become really horrible to become involved. As a kid I remember reading about Anne Frank and Sojourner Truth and the French Revolution and thinking: "Oh, so like if I ever saw things get bad politically, it would be pretty clear who the good guys and bad guys are. Everyone I know and care about would also be like 'Yeah, clearly those are the bad guys and here's our secret hiding place and here's our box of stolen ration cards.'" But that's not how things are. Yeah, it's pretty easy to see who the bad guys are, but it's really unclear how to deal with them and how bad they actually have to let things get before it's justified to begin calling them bad guys. And it is certainly surprising how many people don't clearly see the same distinctions between good guys and bad guys. 

I guess what I'm saying is, life is way more complicated than I expected when I was eleven, but is also surprisingly way more simple. I'm mortified that our country isn't accepting refugees from the country my own family escaped from during the last century, and I'm even more mortified that I feel so utterly helpless about how little I can ultimately do. Some of my friends are deciding to refocus their careers and run for office and help become one of the good guys in our government. Others are leading the resistance and gently pushing back on every human rights-compromising decision coming out of the White House today. Educators like myself have their work cut out for them for these next few years. Raising more tolerant, kind, inquisitive, questioning, inclusive humans is clearly in order. Humans who don't bully, who understand that the success of a group can be really good for the success of each individual in the group. Humans who are confident enough to accept that not everyone has to think exactly the same way, but we do all have to find a way to work together or our planet is doomed. Humans who recognize that just because someone believes in a different religion than you, that doesn't mean they're dangerous. Humans who are students of history and encourage others to be lifelong students as well. 

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair… we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way…”
- Charles Dickens "A Tale of Two Cities" (how did he KNOW, AMIRITE?!) -

If you live in (or are planning a visit to) NYC, and you'd like to partake in some art that embodies the sentiment of "resist, with sincerity", may I recommend a few things that I'm currently interested in?

-The Museum of Modern Art's curated displays of art from the countries affected by the administrations' unconstitutional travel ban.
- An upcoming production (starring a former director of mine, Kevin Del Aguila! Yay, Kevin!) of Brecht's The Resistible Rise of Arturo Ui, a parable play about a dictator to be performed on February 20th, with ticket sales benefiting the Southern Poverty Law Center. 
- Sweat, a widely acclaimed Public Theatre drama about the struggle of the working class transfers to Broadway in March.

A couple other things I'd love to recommend this week are an Oscar-nominated documentary that I loved (and at our house where Daniel tries and frequently succeeds at seeing every nominated film every awards season, I can tell you that I see a lot of Oscar-nominated documentaries): Life, Animated- a beautiful story about a young man with autism who communicates through the films he loves. Also, this week's This American Life was heartbreaking and timely.

A picture I took during this week's protest in Washington Square Park. #thisiswhatdemocracysoundslike
I am proud to live in a city that stands strong with refugees from the devastation in Syria (and every other place in need of hope and freedom). 

ALISHA GIAMPOLA is an NYC based actor/teacher/writer who has no idea why La La Land has been nominated for so many Oscars.
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MOVIE MADNESS (PART I)

There's no such thing as too many movies.
By Annissa Omran (Writer/College Student)

In the past ten days I have seen a total of eight movies in theaters. I’ll let that settle for a moment. Eight movies. That’s something along the lines of SIXTEEN hours spent in a movie theater staring at a screen. And I enjoyed every single one of those hours.

Alright, that’s an exaggeration. Some of the movies were definitively better than others. But as any good film student knows, you have to go through some duds to get to the gold. And boy did the gold shine.

One of the films I watched was the 1997 satirical military sci-fi film Starship Troopers. Three of the films were Advanced Screenings. One of the films was a Korean romance. Two of the films were even nominees for Best Picture of this year’s Academy Awards.

Spoiler’s will be avoided to protect the innocent.

(The only Doctor Who quote that doesn't give away the fact that you're a nerd who quotes Doctor Who)

 

TAKE A DISNEY BREAK

The past several weeks, it feels like everything has been spinning at me from every direction - I've felt totally out of control, and I'm a person who likes to have control. As I've tried a whole variety of things to calm myself down, one thing really helped. Disney. Really! More than yoga or binge eating junkfood, Disney has been my happy place the past few days.

 

by Liz Richards (writer)

 

 

These silly, sappy cartoons from childhood really have been like old forgotten friends this week.

Maybe it's an emotional release, to laugh and cry at the frivolous little cartoons.

Maybe it's nostalgia, singling along to songs that shaped me.

Maybe it's just nice to get caught up in old familiar storylines. 

But this has been a crucial part of my self care this week, so there must be something to this Disney therapy! Even if it's not Disney, you should do something silly and familiar and fun this week. It'll help, I promise.

 

Here are a handful of my favorite Disney moments:

1) This classic Steamboat Willie sketch that makes me giggle every time!

 

2) This will always be my jam:

 

It's also worth revisiting "Colors of the Wind" - still incredibly beautiful and heartbreakingly relevant right now.

3) "Be Our Guest" because obviously.

 

4) Any part of The Little Mermaid because Ariel is best.

 

5) The "Hi Ho Song" from Snow White because Grumpy has my heart.

 

 

I don't know about you, but it was really hard to pick my favorite Disney moments. I could watch them forever! And they help. 

No matter how old I get, I can always learn from these characters, my first imaginary friends. And they're always there to make me laugh, pick me up when I'm down, and get me right back on my feet with just a little song.

Find your happy, find your silly. Be unapologetically nostalgic and childish in times like these, if only for the span of a cartoon. 

I think, if we have a little imagination and relearn the things that Disney taught us, we might be okay after all. Maybe there's something there.

 

GO TO THE MATTRESSES. LEAVE THE GUN. TAKE THE CANNOLI.

AKA Resist.
by Kathleen Choe (actor/singer/writer)

It’s now a week after the March on Washington, and with all the events that happened right after I’m trying to think of something inspirational to say based on my experience.

An amazing, inspiring day.

 

Something based on or a quote Bréne Brown, Gandhi, Confucius, anyone who has taught wisdom and compassion and strength and articulated it in a beautiful, compassionate way.

Instead, my mind keeps swinging towards the The Godfather.  

Don Vito Corleone.

What's the matter with you? Is this what you've become, a Hollywood finocchio who cries like a woman? "Oh, what do I do? What do I do?" What is that nonsense? Ridiculous!

You look terrible. I want you to eat, I want you to rest well. And a month from now this Hollywood big shot's gonna give you what you want.

Leave the gun. Take the cannoli.

If not, it's all-out war, we go to the mattresses.

So, what does it mean that my mind is swinging to a movie mired in violence as opposed to the compassionate leaders who have inspired and continue to inspire me in the past? I don’t really know. God knows I don’t want any of this fight against what’s happening to erupt in violence. There’s been too much of it propagated by The Orange Loon and his minions already.

Maybe I’m weary of seeing people wringing their hands over what’s going on, and would rather see people post about what they’re going to do. I’d rather see and hear about what people are doing to resist, instead of just hearing that we’re screwed and the world is going to end.

I get it. Some of us don’t know what to do--myself included--but I’m trying. I pick up and call my senators and congressmen in lieu of just signing email petitions. I’m going to a Showing Up for Racial Justice meeting in my neighborhood, though going somewhere where I know no one is not something I particularly relish.

Go to the mattresses.

Debating and canvassing is not something I’m good at…I’m trying to find ways to help in the ways that I am.

Leave the gun.

And while I’m doing that—showing up, speaking up, speaking out--I’m remembering to step back on occasion. To keep drinking wine and eating good food and spending time with the people I love, because that’s important too.

Why I March. Why I Fight.

Take the cannoli. 

Maybe I’m hoping for someone to emerge who is Don Corleone-esque to lead and inspire (sans the violence). Cunning, charismatic, and very, very clever. But until she or he emerges, there’s just us. So what can we do?

Resist.

Resist.

KATHLEEN CHOE is a NYC based actor, singer, and writer. www.www.kathleen-choe.com
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ON LA LA LAND

On the Bandwagon
By Sam Perwin

Damien Chazelle's gorgeous film La La Land, about an actor and a musician who fall in love, dance, and sing their way through modern LA, is by no means perfect. You'd think, for all the praise it's been receiving, that it's the Citizen Kane of our time, but in truth, it's much more like the Singin' in the Rain of our time: a movie that believes wholeheartedly in the saving graces of music, dance, and movie magic. 

Watch that broken wrist, Ryan!

There's been a lot of talk about the political situation we're currently in and its many apt comparisons to the rise of the Hitler and the Nazis in 1939. Things were bad - downright terrifying, and out of that climate cinematic artists brought forth some of the most beautiful, lasting, and important films in history: The Wizard of Oz and Gone with the Wind just to name a few. La La Land is arriving at a similar time. It's charm is so undeniable and it's message of believing in yourself and your dreams so important right now, that we and all the critics, are able to overlook its minor flaws and get swept up in its magic.

For example, as much as I adore both Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling as actors (and both do a wonderful job in that department), neither has the singing or acting chops to really sell the musical numbers. This is a shame, because, well, they're delightful. The choreography (by Mandy Moore! Yes, girl!) is playful and perfect. The songs by beloved NYC composers Pasek & Paul (whose Broadway musical Dear Evan Hansen is also getting some pretty strong raves), are heartfelt and meaningful. This could have been a wonderful opportunity to give some of the hard working Broadway singers and dancers some well-deserved love. Imagine Tony Yazbek as Sebastian or Pippa Soo as Mia. It's a whole different experience.

But, as I said, these are small gripes. The filmmaking and cinematography are so stunning and the seamlessness of the musical numbers so expert that Chazelle has really pulled off a miracle: a movie musical that is both completely, believably contemporary yet whose heart is firmly, romantically in the past. For me, it was a reminder to keep the faith. [SPOILER ALERT] Both characters get their dreams come true, if not with each other. You just have to believe in a little bit of magic.

SAM PERWIN Actor. Singer. Writer. Tall. www.samperwin.com
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Chewing on Freedom: One Last Ride

Obama, I see you!
By Erica Slutsky (Writer/Singer/Songwriter)

I’ve watched a ton of political documentaries over the last year and a half, and I keep coming back to Jesse Jackson and Julian Bond. Both tried to be the first Black President, and both failed due to similar factors outside of their control: Youthfulness, a lack of government experience, ties to specific cultural organizations, youth appeal, and the overall fear of putting a minority in charge. It’s strange to think that even fictional portrayals of Presidents were just as reticent to cast a Black actor in the role before President Barack Obama. It was downright revolutionary for director Mimi Leder to single out Morgan Freeman as her choice for the President in 1998’s Deep Impact. The film succeeded anyway, with little controversy. And it’s almost cliché to reference Freeman’s Deep Impact role now, as he would go on to play God (in multiple projects) and narrate Disney’s Hall of Presidents after Obama’s election (watch it be James Woods in 2018). My mom said that she was sure that we’d see a lot more of Samuel L. Jackson and Angela Bassett during the Obama administration because of his reach on the culture. She was wrong.

Of course, satire like this was also taken at face value. But it was a different time…

Even with Obama’s successes, history seems to conveniently erase the anger, paranoia, and “Oh, God, this guy again” talk surrounding both men. While Jackson heartily stumped for Hillary in 2016, Bond, who later became President of the NAACP, received the biggest applause during the Montage of People Who Died™ at the last Democratic National Convention. It’s hard not to feel heartened at this one change Obama incurred, even remembering the near-universal acclaim and upheaval that Obama inspired during his recent years as a rising star in the Democratic Party. It seemed right: After hundreds of years of white men in the White House, which was built by slaves, Obama’s presidency wasn’t just desirable after a disastrous economy and an unpopular war; it was significant. It’s easy to forget that, at the recent DNC, inspiring Black men dominated the proceedings with a message of hope, love, and acceptance, from Lenny Kravitz singing “Let Love Rule,” to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the very first Cultural Ambassador. Maybe the post-Obama influence extended far more than we realized, even if it was all too brief.

Video: Chappelle's Show/Comedy Central

Chewing on Freedom: G. Dubs and Special Episodes

A ton of people, both Republicans and Democrats, really miss George W. Bush. But why?
By Erica Slutsky (Writer/Singer/Songwriter)

I don’t know if anyone under 30 knows this feeling now, but being a young Democrat in the early 2000s was like being the fan of a sports team that constantly lost despite great odds. There were a lot of television episodes and movies from that not-too-recent era that carried the unmistakable sentiment of “Rigged!” and most of them took the high road by not even showing then-President George W. Bush as a character (See: Recount). We felt like we were stuck with a President that we didn’t elect, and every excuse felt valid, from the missing ballots in Ohio and Florida, to the fact that the person controlling the ballots happened to be the brother of the President-Elect. Al Gore won the popular vote by a huge margin but lost the Electoral College by 0.5%, and John Kerry lost 49% of the popular vote. Trump’s win and his tax plan may hit millennials the hardest, but many of us over 30 had to deal with a very similar feeling of “It don’t make sense” for years until Nancy Pelosi took back the House midway through Bush’s second term. We did not get hot chocolate and free counseling.

Remember when Mr. Peanutbutter stumped for John Edwards? So full of hope.

Bush seemed like he could barely form sentences, let alone run a country, despite being a C student at Harvard and Yale who served in the National Guard, the second First Kid to become President, the first President to hold an MBA degree, and someone whose biggest non-government job was running a baseball team (yes, really). Writers were afraid of making W look bad, largely because he was a Southern gentleman who respected women and minorities. It seems insulting now to compare Trump to Bush, as I’ve heard way too many times to count from people who were also there. Today, the younger Bush is usually referenced in small, subtle ways (“Like you could grab a beer with him!”) So, when George W. Bush was portrayed fictionally in the moment, we got far more attempts to humanize a man, rather than portray him as the puppet of a vast Republican Axis of Suspicion or the architect of a useless, never-ending war. Even pre-9/11 responses to Bush like the Modern Humorist’s book My First Presidentiary took the obvious route, because very few people expected the outcome. Here’s a fun game: Try to guess how many TV episodes set in the future will feature a tyrannical President Barron Trump.

Image: My First Presidentiary

CAMP CLASSIC WATCH: ZOMBIE PROM THE MOVIE!!!!!

The delicious off-Broadway musical was made into a camp-classic movie that never saw the light of day...

by David Davila (Musical Theatre Writer) 

 

If you're a musical theatre obsessed weirdo like me, then you've loved ZOMBIE PROM the musical for quite some time. I was in a production back in 2007 and boy did we have a blast! It's a hysterical musical about a 1950's high school love affair gone dead; literally. I've always thought it would make a great movie, so you can imagine my surprise when I discovered that they already made it into a movie back in 2007 starring the legendary queen of camp, RuPaul.

It looks like they probably ran out of money during filming because the two and a half hour musical has been in turned into a short thirty-six minute film. Too bad the movie was made back in the days BEFORE Kickstarter and Drag Race. 

Still a short film is better than nothing... or is it just enough to make us long for a full version??? 

I can't decide! At least we have these glorious thirty-six minutes of RuPaul, rotting flesh, and poodle skirts!!!! Someone posted it on Youtube y'all... ENJOY!!!!!

 

A HORROR UNLIKE ALL OTHERS

Okay, I don't usually get that excited about months. But this month is Halloween month. And there is a certain video that lurks quietly on the internet...waiting for its chance to emerge. And when Halloween month rolls around, it bursts forward in all its grand and spoopy nature. This video haunts me to my core. It whispers demonic utterances into my virgin ears. It violates me in ways I didn't think possible. And it compels me to share the horror. So, without further ado, Tim Curry in the film The Worst Witch:

If you aren't scared, wait until he finds his tambourine.

INSIDE GAY CINEMA: MATT KUGELMAN TALKS "HURRICANE BIANCA"

On this edition of INSIDE GAY CINEMA, Matt Kugelman talks To Wong Fu, Texas Heat, and his crush on Fred Savage...

by David Davila (musical theatre writer)

A fierce storm is making it's way around the globe, and its name is HURRICANE BIANCA, the new film written and directed by Matt Kugelman and staring the now infamous actor/comedian Roy Haylock also known as Bianca del Rio. Of course Bianca del Rio jumped to fame two years ago when she became the biggest winner in RuPaul's Drag Race HERstory. Since then she's been one busy cookie touring the globe with her unique brand of comedy and filming movies and television specials.

Before you continue reading, let me make one thing very clear: this movie is EVERYTHING! Writer/director Matt Kugelman has created a gay masterpiece, a camp classic, the kind of movie we'll be quoting for years. It has a hell of a diva as it's underdog star, a brilliantly funny villain, a bevy of cameos by our favorite drag stars, non-stop one-liner action, and sexy cowboys. I will repeat myself: THIS MOVIE IS EVERYTHING!

                                   (Check out the film's trailer)

Matt Kugelman is a writer/director from outside of Chicago who got his start editing documentaries for Michael Moore before getting hired at CBS to edit and produce shows daily for CBS Evening News and CBS This Morning. I had the pleasure of meeting Matt through a group of writers and performers in New York who produce their own work and when he invited me to a screening of HURRICANE BIANCA last February, I was floored. 

I caught up with Matt amid his busy film premiere schedule and chatted him up about the process from page to screen. Here's what the talented writer/director had to say:

(David Davila) First off, the film is magnificent! It's a new camp classic! Did you go into the writing process knowing you wanted to create a camp classic?

(Matt Kugelman) Thank you!  Not really.  When I started the writing process I really just thought this would be something fun to do that my friends and family would enjoy.  Watching it snowball and gain more and more exposure has been really mind-blowing!  

(DD) How did you get involved with Bianca del Rio and the other queens from Drag Race?

(MK) I met Bianca a little over ten years ago.  We were both fairly new to New York and I'd seen him perform once in a bar and thought he was hysterical. So I emailed him on Myspace and asked him to be in this little roast video I was making for my friends birthday.  He'd never met the guy, but pulled out all these jokes outta thin air and you could hear me cracking up off-camera.