Tag: los angeles

Outfest, the Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization dedicated to nurturing, showcasing and protecting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) media, has announced the award winners of its 27th Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.

JURY AWARDS

Outstanding U.S. Dramatic Feature Film MISSISSIPPI DAMNED, Directed by Tina Mabry

Outstanding International Dramatic Feature Film THE MAN WHO LOVED YNGVE, Directed by Stian Kristiansen

Outstanding Documentary Feature Film OFF AND RUNNING, Directed by Nicole Opper

Outstanding Actor in a Feature Film Derrick L. Middleton (above, left) in RIVERS WASH OVER ME

Outstanding Actress in a Feature Film Laura Harring in DROOL

Outstanding Screenwriting E.E. Cassidy, WE ARE THE MODS

Outstanding Documentary Short Film FIRST AND LOVELISS, Directed by Shaun Kadlec & Deb Tullman

Outstanding Dramatic Short Film THE BATH, Directed by Lee Mi-rang

AUDIENCE AWARDS

  Outstanding Dramatic Feature Film CHEF’S SPECIAL, Directed by Nacho G. Velilla

Outstanding Documentary Feature Film EDIE & THEA: A VERY LONG ENGAGEMENT, Directed by Greta Olafsdottir & Susan Muska

- No Image Available - Outstanding First U.S. Dramatic Feature Film WE ARE THE MODS, Directed by E.E. Cassidy

Outstanding Documentary Short Film GET HAPPY, Directed by Mark Payne

Outstanding Dramatic Short Film AWAKENING, Directed by Christian Tafdrup

-No Image Available- Outstanding Soundtrack WE ARE THE MODS, Directed by E.E. Cassidy

SPECIAL PROGRAMMING AWARDS

Special Programming Award for Freedom ON THESE SHOULDERS WE STAND, Directed by Glenne McElhinney

Special Programming Award for Artistic Achievement GREEK PETE, Directed by Andrew Haigh

Special Programming Award for Emerging Talent George O’Donnell, COLLEGE BOYS LIVE The nation's leading LGBT festival and the oldest continuously running film festival in the city ran from July 9 to 19. In addition to the 181 films (65 features and 116 shorts) from 25 countries, Outfest hosted over a dozen panels and special events at seven venues across Los Angeles including West Hollywood, Hollywood, Santa Monica and Downtown. Outfest 2009 closes tonight with Adam Salky's stunning debut feature "Dare" starring Emmy Rossum, Alan Cumming and Zach Gilford. More information about the festival and the organization can be found on www.Outfest.org. 

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Tags: films, los angeles, Outfest

Michael 'Wacko Jacko' Jackson is in hell! WBC will be there to remind you to stop worshiping the dead. We will be there to tell you to Thank God for the death of this filthy, adulterous, idolatrous, gender-confused, nationality-confused, unthankful brute beast. We will be there to remind you that God Killed Wacko Jacko. There is a God, and a Day of Judgment. For you to wallow and murmur against God for his righteous Judgments is sin and will cause YOU to join Michael in hell

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Tags: church, los angeles, Michael Jackson, picket, protest

Gay twins who worked as servers at a Los Angeles restaurant were sexually harassed by the homosexual men who owned the eatery, a jury determined today in awarding each plaintiff $1,000.  The Los Angeles Superior Court jury deliberated for a little more than a half day before finding that the 32-year-old twins were forced to work in a hostile work environment. However, the panel rejected Jed and Wyatt Lorenzen's other claims, including retaliation and intentional infliction of emotional distress.   ^{SEE LOCAL ABC NEWS VIDEO}

"We won because my clients proved they were sexually harassed despite Proposition 8 (which banned gay marriages) and the fact that both are males," Hernandez said. "It's harder to prove sexual harassment with men because, unlike women, they don't break down and cry on the stand."

During their testimony, Mesta and Gelzhiser denied any wrongdoing. After the verdict was read, Gelzhiser -- in reference to the nine-day trial and the size of the damage award -- asked, "All of this for that?"  The Lorenzens, who were hired as servers at the restaurant in 2005, alleged that Mesta and Gelzhiser targeted them for lewd remarks and other harassment, although Jed Lorenzen acknowledged that Gelzhiser never touched him in an inappropriate way.

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Tags: Jed Lorenzen, los angeles, Manuel Mesta, Michael Gelzhiser, sexual harrassment, Vermont Restaurant, Wyatt Lorenzen

The WeHo Awards garner the participation of about 6,000 people in the Los Angeles area, according to a statement released by the fund-raising organization's board of directors.  The awards will be presented Jan. 15 during a gala black-tie celebration at the Avalon Nightclub in Hollywood.

The Official 8th Annual WeHo Award NOMINEES!

COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION
Ben Patrick Johnson Foundation
Christopher Street West
Gang of 100
GLAAD
Love Honor Cherish
The Gay & Lesbian Center
The Life Group
The Wall-Las Memorias
Trevor Project

COMMUNITY EVENT
AIDS Walk
Cracked Xmas
Gay Days at Disneyland
Legendary Bingo
Mr. Gay Competition
OUT on the Mountain
POZ Life Weekend Seminar
Red Dress Party
Saddle Up LA
Sassy Prom

COMMUNITY VOLUNTEER
Angie Apodaca
Brandon Kneefel
Brett Haroldson
Elliot Elsner
Nelson Melegrito
Steve Machuca
Tomas Zamudio
Woody Woodbeck
Worthie Meacham

FRIEND OF THE COMMUNITY
Amanda Khan
Diana Coney
Irene Soderberg
Maria La Rosa
Patty Razetto
Richard Zaldivar
Sam Nazarian
Sandie Kwon
Sunnie Rose Berger

COMMUNITY REALTOR
Anthony Vulin
Bobby Boyd
Jeff Hobgood
John Kostrey
Phil Drewry
Rann Lee
Steven Kay
Steven Spreafic
Tracey Broadman
Yawar Charlie

POPULAR FEMALE PERSONALITY
Andrea Rothstein
Candis Cayne
Charlene Borja
Jessica Ochoa
Karen Ocamb
Lisa Chang
Michelle Wolff
Sandie Kwon
Shannon Kampa
Traci Elizabeth Molenski

POPULAR MALE PERSONALITY
Anthony Fagiano
Bobby Trendy
Chad Hudson
Joe Kenan
Jonathan Chang
Jonathan Smilove
Joshua Griffin
Joshua Miller
Manny Patel Jr
Mark Stuplin

PHOTOGRAPHER
Adam Bouska - photo above represents some of Adam's work
Brian Putnam
Claes Lilja
Jose Leon
John Skalicky
Justin Monroe
Lorenzo Gomez
Matthew Mitchell
Mick Hicks
Tony DiMaio

VISUAL ARTIST
Andy Loftus
Glen Hansen
James Magni
Jasten King
Lanny Lee Leyda
Miguel Angel Reyes
Mike Derry
Robert Corrado
Ron Woodward

DIGITAL ARTIST
Aman Chaudhary
Chad Serrano
Cosmosis Graphics
Derek Allen
Dustin Woehrmann
Garrett Clum
Jeremy Beard
Todd Brunelle
Travis Muroki
Viktor Pelayo

FITNESS CENTER
24 Hour Fitness
Bally?s Hollywood
Crunch
Easton
Equinox
Fitness Factory
Gold?s Gym
LA Fitness
Sky Sport & Spa

PUBLICATION
Blade
Frontiers News Magazine
Gay & Lesbian Times
Gorgeous
IN Los Angeles
Lesbian News
Odyssey Magazine
Revista Adelante

NATIONAL PUBLICATION
Advocate
Cybersocket
Envy Man
Flaunt Magazine
Genre
Instinct
Metro Source
OUT
Unzipped

SALON
B2V
Byron & Tracey Salon
Chris McMillan the salon
Hair Cut
John Frieda
Jonathan Salon
Purple Circle
Ross Lujan
Shorty's

WOMAN'S BAR
Cafe Con Leche
Executive Suites
Girl Bar
The Normandie Room
The Palms
Truck Stop

MEN'S BAR
AkBar
Eagle LA
East West Lounge
Faultline
Fubar
Gold Coast
Motherlode
The Bullet
Trunks

FEMALE BARTENDER
Brittany McSpadden of Here Lounge
Cory Zigman of Eleven
Irene Martinez of Mark?s
Marika Tjelios of Normandie Room
Miss Kim of Eagle
Ramona Maybry of Fiesta Cantina
Rocky of Executive Suites
Stacy at Mj?s
Tanya Peloma of Factory

MALE BARTENDER
Curtis Dean Hutchinson of Fubar
Grant Landry of Abbey
Harvey Altman of Saint Felix
Ivan Djurovic of Eleven
Jordan Shannon of Fiesta Cantina
Justin David of Eagle
Mark Rosati of Here Lounge
Nick King of Gold Coast
Ryan Liddell of Fiesta Cantina
Sandor Zambrano of Rage

NEW BUSINESS
Apple Lounge
Body Factory
Chi Chi LaRue's
Geovanny Underwear
Java Detour
Just One LA
Million Milkshakes
Pink Banana Media
Saint Felix
Sun Style Tanning

BUSINESS
665 Leather & Fetish
Andrew Christian Designs
Different Light Bookstore
Loble Line
N2N Bodywear
Rich King Casting
Ridgline Films
Royal Treatment Limousine
Tango Blues Entertainment
Wet International

BUSINESSWOMAN
Aloysia Gavre
Dana Tyso
Kelsey Bray
Leslie Barclay
Linda Fusco & Michelle Agnew
Lisa Chang
Lynn LeMay
Sandy Sachs & Robin Gans
Tracy Ward

BUSINESSMEN
Chris Diamond & Wayne Elias
David Cooley
David Fanarof
Jefferson Hitchcock
Jonathan Crutchley
Michael Hahn
Michael Berman & Tomas Schoos
Paul Smith
Scott Unger
Tom Doherty

BUSINESS MANAGER
Chris Cyermanos of San Vicente Inn
Billie Freeman of O Bar
Hunter Fox of Eagle
Jacob Fisher of Gold Coast
Jeff Parshley of Fiesta Cantina
Jude Tade of Here Lounge
Kelly Jump of Fiesta Cantina
Preston Gaspar of Avalon
Richard Casillas of Hamburger Mary's
Ron Madril of Rage

ADULT BUSINESS
Channel 1 Releasing
Hollywood Spa
Jack Hollywood
Melrose Spa
Midtowne Spa
Naked Sword
Rough Trade Gear
San Vicente Inn
Slammer
The Pleasure Chest

ADULT WEB-SITE
BangBangBoys.com
BiLatinMen.com
CockyBoys.com
JasonCurious.com
JustUsBoys.com
LiveandRaw.com
ManHunt.net
RandyBlue.com
Rentboy.com
SeanCody.com

INTERNET BUSINESS
AngelBenton.com
BillyMasters.com
IPartyPix.com
Itperiod.net
MaryTV.net
Muzophile.com
OneGoodLove.com
Wehoparty.com
WestHollywood.com

RESTAURANT
Bossa Nova
Champagne Bakery
Eat Well
Foxtail
French Quarter
Joey's Cafe
Mark's
Murano
Tango Grill
Z Pizza

RESTAURANT BAR
Cafe d' Etoile
Fiesta Cantina
Hamburger Mary's
Marix Tex Mex Cafe
Numbers
O Bar Restaurant
The Abbey

WAITPERSON
Ben Roman of Hamburger Marys
Billy Dortch of Fiesta Cantina
Chris Ortega of Oasis
Daniel Ramirez of French Quarter Market
Jesse Davis of The Abbey
Mark Espinosa of Cafe D' Etoile
Mike Padula of Marks
Ryan Kelm of The Abbey
Tanner Efinger of Here Lounge
Wayne Fowks of Fiesta Cantina

NIGHT CLUB
Club Fuel
Eleven Night Club
Factory Event Space
Here Lounge
MJ's
Oasis Night Club
Rage
Ripples

LATIN NIGHT CLUB
C Frenz
Circus/Arena
Club Chico
Club Cobra
Club Papi
Fuego
Le Barcito
Templo

NIGHT CLUB/BAR OWNER
Anthony Lopez & Tattoo Chris of MJ's
Bob Hastings of Gold Coast
Charlie Matula of Eagle LA
Gene La Pietra of Circus Disco
Jay Krymis of Fubar
Michael Bezzara of Fiesta Cantina
Pat Rogers of Here Lounge
Sandy Sachs of Factory Event Space
Wesley Hull & Richard Reza of Oasis Night Club

NIGHT CLUB/BAR EVENT
Big Fat Dick at Fubar
Cherry Pop at Ultra Suede
Club Nur at MJ?s
Drag Idol at Oasis Night Club
Fresh Fridays at Eleven
Karaoke with Kenny at Fiesta Cantina
Meat Rack at Eagle
Rim Job at MJ's
Smack at O Bar
Tigerheat at Avalon

CIRCUIT EVENT
Club Lucky
Long Beach TRIBE
Master Beat's New Years LA
Miss Kitty's Parlour
Reflex
Resolution
Scandal
Shits and Giggles
Wonderland

EVENT PRODUCER
Chris Isaacson & Shane Scheel
Linda Fusco and Michelle Agnew
Jeffrey Sanker & Paul Nicholls
Mario Diaz
Michael Evenstar
Mike Nava & David
Rusty Updegraff & Victor Rodriguez
Rohan Bisset
Steve Machuca Entertainment
Tom Whitman

DISC JOCKEY
Casey Alva
Chi Chi LaRue
Derek Monteiro
DJ Morningstar
Felicia Villani
Kimberly S
Josh Peace
Paulo Ramirez
Perry Twins
Ray Rhodes

ENTERTAINER
Ben Roman
Benn Mendoza
Flava
Candice Cayne
Jackie Beat
Limp Wristed
Lorayne Love
Morgan
Raven
Tammie Brown

ENTERTAINMENT GROUP
Eye of Newt Circus
Dirty Sanchez
Dream Girls Revue
Facts of Life Cast
Queers of Comedy
Upright Cabaret
The Big Wigs
The Sassy Show
Truck Stop Girlz
WeHo Cheerleaders

DRAG DIVA
Bel Aire
Chi Chi LaRue
Dee Dee
Detox
Dina Nina Martinez
Ingenue
Mayhem
Megan Brooks
Momma
Venezuela

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Tags: los angeles, Weho Awards, west hollywood

Echo Park resident Joseph Lee doesn't necessarily look like the leader of a musical movement. Blanketed in thug-like tattoos, a menacing goatee and often photographed in bandanna and Tupac Shakur tee, Lee could easily pass for a long-lost member of Cypress Hill. Yet under the sobriquet Deadlee, Lee is arguably Los Angeles' most prominent gay rapper, having helped organized the first national "homo-hop tour."

In spite of frequent censure from the greater hip-hop community, a vibrant gay hip-hop subculture has evolved -- both locally and nationally -- with the clear-cut goals of defying bigotry and realizing self-expression. Los Angeles has emerged as one of the community's central hubs, a development culminating with this weekend's Street Cred 101, to be held at Santa Monica's Highways Performance Space & Gallery.

The event bills itself as an "attempt to debunk the notion that a gay rapper can't achieve mainstream success."

Deadlee has been rapping since 2000, when he began recording his debut, "Deadlee Sin," an effort that initially featured braggadocio about bedding women and partying. "It was fake," the Denver-raised rapper said. "My producer reminded me that hip-hop was about telling your story and your truths. So I spoke about all sorts of stuff, suicidal thoughts, coming out; it was just my story." With his 2004 sophomore effort, "Assault With a Deadlee Weapon," Deadlee began to develop significant cult buzz, sparking a 15-city tour that earned notice from leading hip-hop website Allhiphop.com -- along with a barrage of vitriolic comments from readers. Anybody listening?

Hip-hop has long been a caldron for bigoted sentiment. Just a week before election day, Detroit rapper Trick Trick delivered an expletive-laden anti-gay diatribe that won him more press attention than he's ever earned from actual rhyming. Yet few within the genre batted an eyelash, as major artists, including Busta Rhymes, DMX, 50 Cent and Eminem, have all delivered scathing anti-homosexual diatribes at various junctures in their careers, none of them suffering any loss of popularity.

Even Kanye West's mere 2006 plea for greater gay tolerance elicited significant scorn and jeers from his peers.

"Homophobia is ingrained in the African American community because of the church's teachings," said Khalil Amani, who bills himself as a spiritual advisor to gay hip-hop. "But voices like Kanye epitomize the new generation, who aren't as concerned about macho posturing. He's a bridge between old and new. How many other rap artists are willing to stop their concert at Madison Square Garden and tell their fans to stop being homophobic?"

At least a few, as it turns out. One of the people who discovered Deadlee was Brian Bayer, a 28-year-old Cleveland native who had rapped in 4XWasted, a group that had opened for Bone Thugs-N-Harmony and Insane Clown Posse. Closeted until approximately 2 1/2 years ago, Bayer believed that his decision to come out would kill any chance he had of a career in rap -- until he discovered the gay hip-hop community.

"It was liberating. I could finally rap about things that were truly relevant to me," said Bayer, who now raps under the name Captain Magik. "One of the best things about it is that people e-mail me to tell me how much they can relate to my music and how it inspires them. When I was doing straight hip-hop, I never got any of those comments. Gay hip-hop has been a blessing for me."

His homo-hop debut, "Young, Gay & Proud," unflinchingly addressed topics including gay marriage, drug addiction and his struggles to come to grips with his sexuality. The album's single, "Dilemma," a poignant coming-out anthem, was named 2008's top video from the "Click Best" program on the MTV-owned Logo network.

One of the subgenre's most outspoken supporters and the author of "Hip-Hop Homophobes," Amani maintains that it's only a matter of time before a gay rapper enjoys a major commercial breakthrough.

"Homophobia is strong, but a gay rapper will cross over; it's going take the right person at the right time to be a Jackie Robinson," Amani said. "It's definitely growing. I personally know at least 130 gay, bisexual or transgendered rappers, whereas only a handful existed even 10 years ago. It will happen, and when it does, a lot of people will be mad and a lot will be excited."

Grant Hayes, who records under the name Last Offence, just might be that crossover artist. Hayes assumed that a career as a rap artist was off-limits to him because of his sexuality and moved to Los Angeles to work in the film industry, spending six years toiling at various management and movie companies. But after attending 2007's HomoRevolution Tour featuring Deadlee and Captain Magik, Hayes was inspired to start rapping again and was soon being touted by his peers as the best pure rhymer in gay hip-hop.

While flattered at the praise, Hayes believes that if a gay rapper were to transcend such barriers, his or her success would be predicated on having an undeniable, original talent.

"As far as us and what we want to do, if we're going to be recognized by the general public, we have to offer them something they're not getting from regular rap," Hayes said. "We can't do it just like T.I. or Lil Wayne. We have to offer a fresh sound and new ideas."

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Tags: Deadlee, Homo-Hop, Joseph Lee, los angeles

As the clock struck midnight, deafening cheers erupted along the parade route as revelers whistled and whooped their way into 2009. Cars inching their way along Colorado Avenue in Los Angeles honked and nappers scrambled out of their sleeping bags to hug their friends and family. Music pounded from open car windows and portable stereos as giddy partygoers tossed confetti and streamers into the night air. For those camping out for the 8 a.m. Rose Bowl parade, the countdown was a welcome distraction from the long, cold night ahead.

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Tags: los angeles, New Year 2009

Report from California: Why we shouldn’t despair over Prop 8

By Ali Davis , Special to 365gay.com

Don’t get me wrong: We can be very, very sad about Prop 8.

None of the gay and lesbian couples who have been married in California managed to even reach a 6-month anniversary before this

And The Mormon Church alone poured $20 million into the Yes on 8 campaign. Twenty million dollars that could have been used to feed the hungry, train people for jobs, or build a hospital a cancer wing instead got used to make misleading ads to stop people who just wanted to marry each other in peace.

And the people of California, the great bastion of liberal tolerance, have just decided to set aside a group of people and take away a fundamental right.

All of that is sickening and sad.

But what I saw volunteering for the No on 8 campaign was amazing.

This was the largest movement for GLBT rights in history.

I worked with people who were gay, straight, bi, and transgendered, and from every ethnic, age, and economic group.

I’m still touched by the number of straight people I volunteered with who didn’t have a gay sibling, cousin, or uncle. Technically, Prop 8 didn’t affect them personally, but they took the stance that any discriminatory law affects them personally. That is progress.

Thousands of people volunteered to stand outside of polling places for anywhere from four to fourteen hours on Election Day. More people volunteered than any of the No on 8 leaders had dreamed of - the Silverlake phone bank I worked at met its goal for Election Day recruiting five days early and kept on going. That is progress.

And Barack Obama got elected. We can finally say goodbye to the Presidential regime that actively promoted fear and hatred of the GLBT community and hello to moving forward in tolerance and acceptance. That is one hell of a lot of progress.

Several of my friends have asked me how Prop 8 happened in crazy-for-Obama California, and I think it was only last night that I truly understood. My last polling place was in a mixed neighborhood - half-hipster, half deeply religious. I was positioned on a corner by a stop sign.

And car after car took, as I gradually realized, an extra-long stop at the empty intersection while the driver took a moment to look at me. Just to look.

It wasn’t a hate stare. It was a zoo stare. People were looking at me because they thought they might be seeing someone with a different sexual orientation for the first time, and they wanted to know what one looked like. They were living, socializing, and going to church in a community where it’s not OK to be out, and they really didn’t know that, yes, they probably have met gay and bi people before, and might even be related to a few.

Prop 8 didn’t happen because of hatred, it happened because of ignorance. And ignorance is something that chips away. As we make it easier for people in all communities to understand that, yes, they do have gay neighbors and bi siblings and transgendered aunts and they’re actually pretty nice people and the world hasn’t fallen apart, Prop 8 will seem sadder and sillier. And it will go away.

Ignorance is something we can handle. It just takes time.

Ali Davis is a writer and performer in Los Angeles.

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Tags: Gay Rights, los angeles, Propositon 8

Queer As Folk, Housewives  actor out of intensive care

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Gale Howard in Critical Condition

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Tags: accident, Gale Howard, los angeles