News

Although a few states made inroads towards same-sex marriage, most of the country is still in a battle over these wedding ceremonies.

On pastor, Reverend Frank Schaefer of Pennsylvania defied the United Methodist Church to officiate his son’s same sex wedding. It resulted in a news spectacle that places Schaefer on trial for his defiance with the church.

Director Scott Sheppard (Planes, Trains & Autorickshaws) captured the entire ordeal in his documentary An Act Of Love as the entire family is thrust into the fight for equality for the Lbgtq community.

The documentary won numerous awards at film festivals, including Mill Valley Film Festival Silver Audience Award, San Luis Obispo International Film Festival Best in the Fest award, Best Documentary Jury Award at the Outflix Film Festival and Audience Choice at the Fairy Tales Queer Film Festival in Calgary.

The documentary will be available to VOD/Digital and DVD through...

All filmmakers hope their work will have a lasting impact on audiences, but one powerful, eye-opening documentary in particular has had a significant impact on U.S. legislation since airing on Showtime last year. Kate Logan’s “Kidnapped for Christ” has become a valuable tool in pushing state-wide regulation in California of reform camps established to “fix” gay teens, and executive producer Mike C. Manning has been crucial to that educational effort, having continued to crusade for nationwide regulation as well. Manning became involved in “Kidnapped for Christ” after a conversation with one of its protagonists, a childhood friend. “So...

Lance Bass has been keeping busy in Hollywood with projects ranging from host of SiriusXM radio show “Dirty Pop” as well as executive producing Showtime documentary “Kidnapped for Christ” and Lifetime series “Celebrity Raiders.” But the former Nsync member took time to hit up Los Angeles’ famed Haunted Hayride with TheWrap for a far-ranging interview and a round of “Rapid Fire” with our Party Report writer Mikey Glazer. Who is going to hit the boyband graveyard first? A) One Direction B) 5 Seconds of Summer C) Austin Mahone Leave it to Lance Bass to have the insight. That's just one of a dozen scary questions.

The 8th annual Sydney Underground Film Festival is a power-packed event featuring outrageous cult films, provocative documentaries and wild short films that will run September 4-7 at its usual haunt, The Factory Theater.

Opening Night: The fest opens with Housebound, a New Zealand horror comedy by Gerard Johnstone about a woman in trouble with the law who comes to believe that her family home is haunted. The film will be preceded by a performance by Renny Kodgers and a free pizza party; and followed by an after party.

Closing Night: The fest will close with the controversial German teen sex comedy Wetlands directed by David Wendt. The film will then be followed by a late-night after party.

Highlights: Usama Alshaibi‘s must see documentary American Arab — an intimate, socially relevatory and essential film — screens at 4 p.m. on Sept. 6. Read the Underground Film Journal review of American Arab.

Jorge Torres-Torres...

News

TV Guide reports that Gina Gershon has booked a guest role on Elementary. She’ll play a socialite Joan is determined to prove is running a drug cartel.

BBC America has ordered a third season of Orphan Black. The ten episode season will air in the spring of 2015. I think the proper reaction is:

source

Meanwhile, BBC America announced a new original drama. Based on Bernard Cornwell‘s Saxon Stories novels, the series is set in the lands that will eventually become England during the time that it was being raided by vikings. The story focuses on a Saxon who was kidnapped and raised by Vikings, leading to him feeling with divided loyalties.

Stevie Nicks has joined the upcoming season of The Voice as a mentor. She’ll be advising Adam Levine‘s team.

Sherlock creators Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat inserted a secret message into the U.S.

Trailers are an under-appreciated art form insofar that many times they’re seen as vehicles for showing footage, explaining films away, or showing their hand about what moviegoers can expect. Foreign, domestic, independent, big budget: What better way to hone your skills as a thoughtful moviegoer than by deconstructing these little pieces of advertising? This […]

The post This Week In Trailers: New Boobs, The Light of My Eyes, The Honourable Woman, Kidnapped For Christ, To Be Takei appeared first on /Film.

A CNBC host was accused of outing Apple CEO Tim Cook as gay — but whether he did may actually depend on your definition of “out.” Cook doesn't confirm or deny details of his personal life. But he was named the most powerful Lgbt person on Out's 2013 power list, and in December delivered a rare public speech at the U.N. in which he talked about experiencing discrimination since growing up in Alabama. See video: Gay Teens Are Ripped From Their Homes in the Name of God in ‘Kidnapped for Christ’ Trailer Nonetheless, ”Squawk on the Street” co-anchor Simon Hobbs received an icy response when he.

Boy Scouts marching in NYC Pride, excerpt from Neil Patrick Harris autobiography, Nathan Fielder trolls Instagram with subtle gay porn

The future of Hello Ross! Is in doubt, not because of ratings, but because it’s produced by Chelsea Handler’s production company, and she and E! pretty much hate each other right now. While Ross signed a new talent deal with E! to be a correspondent, no decision has been made on his show, and a spokesman for Handler says “Hello Ross! will most likely be cancelled. Obviously, the fees to Borderline were inconsequential. We just want to get rolling at Netflix.”

Starbucks has hoisted a giant Pride flag over their headquarters. “Given our public stance on diversity and inclusion of all people, particularly on this issue, it makes sense to raise the flag in celebration. Being open, inclusive and forward-thinking is at the core of what Starbucks is about.

An ungodly amount of homosexual Christian kids are torn violently from their homes and sent to the Dominican Republic in the first official trailer for the ‘Kidnapped for Christ’ documentary, which asserts these are crimes for which somebody must ultimately pay. Also read: Hillary Clinton Clashes With NPR Host Over Gay Marriage (Audio) The eye-opening Showtime doc — executive produced by ‘N Sync's Lance Bass, Mike C. Manning and Tom DeSanto — shines a harsh light on a Christian behavioral modification program called Escuela Carib. It seemingly hopes to indict the tyrannical religious leaders responsible for destroying so many thousands of lives over.

Showtime will premiere the documentary “Kidnapped for Christ,” which counts Lance Bass among its executive producers, on July 10 at 7:30 p.m., Showtime said Thursday. Also read: ‘N Sync Alum Lance Bass Joins ‘Kidnapped for Christ’ Doc as Executive Producer The documentary — which won the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature at Slamdance this year — revolves around Escuela Caribe, a controversial Christian behavior modification program in the Dominican Republic for “troubled” U.S. teenagers. Evangelical filmmaker Kate Logan initially hoped to document the positive effects that a boarding school such as Escuela Caribe could have on troubled youth. However, after being granted.

The Book of Mormon gets animated, Russia is hypocritical about marriage, and thoughts on asymmetric man thongs

Michael Rosenbaum, who I’ve had a major crush on since Smallville, has landed the lead in TV Land’s Impastor, about a scumbag on the run from his debts who masquerades as a small town’s newly hired gay preacher. I would have been happy with Rosenbaum just being back on my television, but add the gay aspect and I’ve already set my TiVo. I suppose on a side note, I should ask what’s up with all the faux-gay characters on TV lately?

You knew it was going to happen but prayed to the Flying Spaghetti Monster it wouldn’t. Duck Dynasty’s Phil Robertson is running for Congress for the seat of disgraced Vance McAllister. I wonder if he’d wear the beard and the camo to the floor of the House?...

QFest St. Louis which begins this weekend, will screen the documentary Kidnapped For Christ at 7:30pm Monday April 28th.

QFest St. Louis, the annual gay and Lesbian Film Festival presented by Cinema St. Louis, kicks off this weekend. It runs through May 1st and all films will be screened at The Tivoli Theater (6350 Delmar in The Loop, University City, Mo)

QFest uses the art of contemporary gay cinema to spotlight the lives of Lgbtq people and celebrate queer culture. The 2014 event features an eclectic slate of contemporary Lgbtq-themed feature films, documentaries, and shorts. Tickets are now on sale for all shows.

Kidnapped For Christ screens at 7:30pm Monday April 28th

The troubled-teen industry is a billion-dollar, worldwide business enterprise in dozens of countries. Kidnapped For Christ tells the shocking stories of American teenagers who were taken from their homes and shipped to Escuela Caribe, an American-run Christian behavior-modification program in the Dominican Republic.

A documentary about Star Trek’s George Takei (To Be Takei), another about gay teens taken from their homes and ‘straightened out’ (Kidnapped For Christ), and a gay twist on the Lethal Weapon franchise (Hot Guys With Guns) are just a few of the highlights of this years QFest St. Louis, the annual gay and Lesbian Film Festival presented by Cinema St. Louis. This year’s fest runs April 27th through May 1st and all films will be screened at The Tivoli Theater (6350 Delmar in The Loop, University City, Mo)

QFest St. Louis uses the art of contemporary gay cinema to spotlight the lives of Lgbtq people and celebrate queer culture. The 2014 event features an eclectic slate of contemporary Lgbtq-themed feature films, documentaries, and shorts. Tickets are now on sale for all shows. Welcome to the Q!

This year’s event will feature an eclectic slate of contemporary Lgbtq-themed feature films,...

While some of us would see the act of a Reverend officiating at the marriage of his gay son and partner as beautiful, others might not have the same opinion, and through this real life ‘act of love,’ Rev. Frank Schaefer went from being a small town minister to speaking out as an activist for Lgbt people and causes. A new documentary examines Schaefer’s journey and has gained a popular television star as a supporter.

Schaefer, a Minister at a United Methodist Church, performed his son’s marriage in December 2013 and was subsequently convicted in a church trial and stripped of his credentials. However, instead of letting the controversy quiet him, Rev. Schaefer became vigilante in spreading news of the injustice on a multitude of news outlets, including appearances on The View, CNN, MSNBC and the CBS Evening News.

The documentary on Rev. Schaefer’s journey, entitled An Act Of Love...

Among the titles recently announced for the 2014 Slamdance Film Festival, Kidnapped For Christ is the one I’m most anxious to see. It’s a documentary about an Evangelical Christian school in the Dominican Republic where gay teens are sent to be reformed through behavior modification programming. That’s not anything we haven’t heard of before, and such places were even played for comedy in the ’90s indie flick But I’m a Cheerleader. The thing about that movie, though, is that it seems dated. Apparently not, at least as far as attempts to “cure” homosexuality are concerned. Kidnapped For Christ reminds me of Jesus Camp, the idea of religious brainwashing being a main theme, yet in this film the kids are older and more consciously forced against their will. The place in Jesus Camp isn’t necessarily bad (though many viewers see it that way), but the school in this new doc definitely is. That...

Many filmmakers got their start on the independent film circuit.

So who will follow the greats such as Christopher Nolan (“The Dark Knight Rises”), Oren Peli (“Paranormal Activity”), Marc Forster (“World War Z”) and Jared Hess (“Napoleon Dynamite”)?

The Slamdance Film Festival announced their lineup for the Narrative and Documentary Feature Film Competition after receiving over 5,000 submissions this year.

All of the competing films are directorial debuts with less than $1 million and without Us distribution. The films include 11 world premieres, 4 North American premieres and one Us premiere.

The 2014 Slamdance Film Festival will take place January 17-23in Park City, Utah at the Treasure Mountain Inn, 255 Main Street.

Here’s the lineup:

Narrative Features Program

Copenhagen – Director & Screenwriter: Mark Raso

(USA, Canada, Denmark) World Premiere

A charming scoundrel visiting the city of his father’s birth, William is drawn to his impromptu guide Effy – wise, spontaneous, and half his age.

Cast: Gethin Anthony,...

At this point in the religious right’s crusade against the encroaching tide of homosexuality, we’ve probably all known a young gay person who disappeared for a year or so, only to come back to their hometowns to be reintroduced to society by their parents as a newly strange-acting religious person locked into a church-sanctioned and god-approved heterosexual marriage. These sorts of miracles are achieved through church-sponsored reform schools, which are generally tucked away in remote locations, which use disturbing behavior modification methods on the children who go there, and which are now going to be exposed to the public by pop star Lance Bass. According to a report from The Wrap, Bass has just signed on to executive produce a new documentary that sheds some light on exactly what happens at one particular Evangelical Christian Reform School, called Escuela Caribe, which is run by Americans in the Dominican Republic. The...

Mike Doyle is a Jersey Boy, Nom under investigation in Iowa, George Takei says Sochi is Good vs. Evil

Clint Eastwood’s big screen version of Jersey Boys has signed Mike Doyle to play Bob Crewe, while Johnny Cannizzaro will play Nick DeVito and Erich Bergen will reprise the role of Bob Guadio.

The National Organization for Marriage will be the subject of an official campaign finance investigation in Iowa relating to how it hid the donors of funds it used to unseat supreme court justices that ruled in favor of marriage equality.

Lance Bass has joined Kidnapped For Christ as an executive producer of the documentary that will shed light on the reparative therapy imposed on children by their parents at an evangelical school.

Recently out Greg Rikaart is guest starring on Bones this upcoming season, and he’s already filming his guest role as someone Booth and Brennan...

(Source)

Birthday shoutouts go to Johnny Weir, (above) who is 29, Ashley Tisdale is 28, and Lindsay Lohan is 27.

Portraits in the time of AIDS, 1988

More questions arise about the Outserve-sldn debacle.

And Now It’s Time to Rebrand Enda: The Freedom to Work Act.

Neil Patrick Harris talks about his “inevitable and awesome” wedding. I can’t imagine what he’ll come up with.

Lady Gaga’s Pride Diary As Shot By Terry Richardson.

Below you can see Mike C. Manning talk about playing an evil snowboarder in an upcoming Disney film, and then he and documentary filmmaker Kate Logan discuss Kidnapped For Christ, the true story about a teenager sent to a Christian reform school.

Here’s the latest Where The Bears Are.

Shannen, Jennie and Ian … together again.

Here’s Chris Matthews talking to Pennsylvania Rep. Brian Sims about the shocking way he was silenced on the House floor.

What makes the sexy actor/activist tick? We found out…

If you saw our Hot 100 list last week, you probably stopped at #40 to check out Mike C. Manning. The beautiful eyes, great smile, sexy physique…even his self-professed love for Superman is hot, right? But, as Manning has been effortlessly proving over the past few years, he’s much more than a former reality star or good looking package.

In fact, Manning has been building an impressive resume with roles in films like I Do (as the lover to David W. Ross’s character) and on TV in the upcoming Disney film Cloud 9 as well as guest roles on hit series like Hawaii Five-0.

But, wait, that’s not all.

Manning is also a tireless advocate for equality and civil rights. In fact his activism scored him an invite to attend the June 13th Reception for Lgbt Pride Month...