Liberace and the Closeted 1960s

Liberace explores dualities on Batman

We got a peak at Liberace's real life in the recent HBO telefilm Behind the Candelabra. He also popped up as a guest star on a  DVD of a Laugh-In episode I bought for 50 cents at a used book store. And of course there is the infamous episode of Batman where he played the dual roles of Chandell, a variation on his public persona of a flamboyant pianist, and Harry, Chandell' gangster twin brother. The HBO film exposes the schizophrenic nature of the star's career and personal life and America's wink-wink attitude about homosexuality and "fabulousness" during the peak of his prominence from the 1950s through the '80s. In the Steven Soderbergh-directed feature, which was deemed too "gay" to be released in theaters, we see Liberace's schmaltzy stage act hiding his true same-sex-saturated lifestyle. His managers knew the truth, but covered it up, fearing homophobic attitudes would ruin his lucrative career. There's a telling scene where the pianist is pontificating for an adoring group of chorus boys that Jane Fonda and Ed Asner should stay out of politics. Performers are not here to change the world, he says, just to entertain. It was clear Liberace wanted to stay in the closet and the idea of changing anyone's mind about gayness was out of the question.

Michael Douglas will probably win an Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG Award for his performance. Matt Damon as his boyfriend will be submitted as a Supporting Actor so he can win too, but his role was equally prominent.

Snowden Praises Homophobic Russia

Last night I was listening to NPR on my car radio while driving upstate. After the Fabulous Beekman Boys finished talking about gooseberries, there was a news report that exiled NSA leaker Edward Snowden emerged from the gift shop at the Moscow airport to hold a press conference. He announced he was seeking temporary asylum in Russia which he called a champion of human rights. I nearly crashed into a guardrail. Obviously Mr. Snowden has been too busy browsing through vodka shot glasses and nesting dolls to hear that Vladmir Putin, the macho crime boss of Ruskieland, has passed draconian antigay laws. It is now a crime to hold a gay pride rally, espouse progay sentiments, or even wear rainbow suspenders in public. In addition, gay or progray foreigners can be detained for 14 days and then expelled from Vodkaville if they so much as do a Bette Davis imitation or start singing Lady Gaga songs. (Good thing I cancelled my St. Petersburg trip.) So much for human rights, Mr. Leaky Faucet. I supposed this hero of freedom (Snowden) doesn't consider gays eligible for equal treatment.

Joe Stalin--I mean Vlad Putin--has said Snowden can stay in Gulagtown if he doesn't harm the US. Snowden reportedly plans to go to South America at some point.  

There have been calls for boycotting the upcoming Winter Olympics scheduled to be held in Sochi. I'm all for it.

Zesty and Hot Commercials

Since this blog gets the most pageviews when I talk about interracial relationships on TV commercials--here's another one with an ambiguous message. It's for a Dunkin Donuts breakfast sandwich. Have you seen it? A very attractive African-American young woman and an average-looking white guy are driving in a car. She's eating the sandwich. It's early in the morning--breakfast time, get it--and they're dressed for work. She says in a flirty voice "This Dunkin Donuts Breakfast Sandwich is like you. It's kinda hot...but it's not too hot." To which the white guy replies in a suggestive voice, "Bingo." So what are they saying and who are these people to each other? Are they dating? Co-workers sharing a ride? Casual acquaintances who just picked each other up at the Dunkin Donuts? Is she suggesting he's safe enough to date but not to sleep with? And why would that please him? Is she saying, If you were too handsome, I'd be scared off, but you're just right for me. And is that why he says Bingo? And what has any of that got to do with a fattening sandwich? Will they get together and brave possible negative YouTube comments and maybe buy other Dunkin Donuts delicacies?

So far they has not been a storm of controversy over this one like there was about the Cheerios commercial with the multiracial family. But that depicted a married couple, here it's not even clear if these two have hooked up yet.

I've had the most all-time page clicks for my blog on the Jingos ad featuring a possible match up between a white slacker store clerk and an African-American teenage girl. That was in September of last year, since then this DD spot and the Cheerios ad are the only ones featuring an interracial couple. There was that Kindle commercial with the gay man vacationing with his husband. I notice One Million Moms has not protested about any of these. They did get bent out of shape over a Kraft salad dressing print ad that featured this really hot guy who's nearly naked except for the product placed in a strategic position. That must have been an interesting photo shoot. The conservative group wants to boycott Kraft unless they drop the campaign which includes ads with the model getting his clothes removed by the zestiness of the salad dressing. These Moms need to find something else to do if they think their kids will be warped by a hot guy exposing his chest. Are they afraid some of their sons will get as excited by Mr. Zesty as the Moms themselves?

Unfortunately, the commercial that's been sticking in my head the most these days is that Tena Twist one for adult diapers. The jingle will not get out of my brain. Maybe it's because I've been watching too many Golden Girls reruns.

Gay Marriage and Big Gulps: Liberty vs. Morality

For some, your right to drink a Big Gulp
 is more important than my right to gay marriage.

Thoughts for the day after independence day: On Rachel Maddow's show last week, Texas state senator Wendy Davis, the one who did the filibuster to stop the restrictive anti-abortion law, revealed that Governor Rick Perry vetoed a bill that would have banned texting while driving. His reason? It would infringe on the liberty of Texas citizens to recklessly endanger themselves and others. This is carrying libertarian thinking a bit too far. It reminded me of an archconservative relative who refuses to wear a seat belt because he feels the law forcing him to do so is an egregious example of government overreach. Similarly, you see that Sarah Palin and her ilk get all bent out of shape when New York mayor Mike Bloomberg bans the sale of huge sugary soft drinks, but are OK for people to have as many firearms as they like without background checks. Now if you think I should be able to text and drive, drink enormous sodas, and smoke cigarettes in public places, shouldn't I be able to marry my husband and live our lives as we see fit?

More New Shows for Broadway 2013-14

John Grisham, Neil Patrick Harris, Wynton Marsalis, Tupac Shakur and maybe Angela Lansbury will be joining the diverse ranks of stars and creative types lighting up Broadway in the coming season (Still not a lot of new plays though.) John Grisham's A Time to Kill has been turned into a play by Rupert Holmes (The Mystery of Edwin Drood). After a run at the Arena Stage, it's been picked up for an engagement at the John Golden.

James Gandolfini: An Actor Who Challenged Himself

Like most of you, I became aware of the late James Gandolfini through The Sopranos. But the moment when he most impressed me was in a crappy movie called Terminal Velocity. I can't even remember the plot, but I saw it on a bus. That's right, not even on an airplane, a bus. Charlie Sheen was the star which shows you how long ago this thing was made. Sheen plays some kind of daredevil and Gandolfini was a lawyer or agent or some kind of desk jockey who is supposed to seem bland and ordinary next to the dashing Sheen. The only thing I remember about the movie was one moment when Gandolfini says to Sheen, "Flashy guys like you don't think very much of regular guys like me and that's okay." He was so honest, simple, and direct that he totally stole that scene and the movie from the handsome, but shallow Sheen who has since descended into a sitcom version of himself. (Winning!)

Gandolfini's tragic early death robs us of more detailed, truthful performances. On The Sopranos he created a complex man who was a sensitive seeker after his inner self as well as a brutal killer. I'll never forget the episode where he says to his Uncle Junior, "Don't you love me?" and Dominic Chianese just looks at him. Every hurt and slight in the twisted Soprano family history is written on both their silent faces.

Goodbye 'Smash'

The Smash Finale: Bye, Bye Ivy and Karen

I was so busy covering the end of the real Broadway season and the real Tony Awards, I kinda lost interest in the fake Broadway of Smash. Then the whole misbegotten series ended with barely a whimper. There the last five or six episodes were, sitting in my DVR for about a month. I couldn't bring myself to watch them until just recently. In a way I didn't want my love-hate relationship with the series to end. But then I saw Andy Mientus, the young actor who played Kyle, on the subway and I knew I needed closure. And so do you, my dozen or so blog-readers. I'll try to recap the horror as quickly as possible. We left off with Episode 211 The Dress Rehearsal:

Episode 212: Opening Night
Bombshell finally opens. Suddenly Tom no longer wants to be a composer, he just wants to direct. But Julia wants to make a musical out of The Great Gatsby with Tom. (It's already an opera and a lousy Baz Luhrman movie so why not?) The entire cast of Hit List is invited to the Bombshell opening night. Of course Eileen would give away that many comp tickets at the last minute. Tom hooks up with Kyle (cradle robber) and Derek sleeps with some dancer who accused him of sexual harassment (foreshadowing trouble ahead).