Dustin Lance Black Delivers Another Strong Biopic
January 13, 2009
Dustin Lance Black, the award-winning screenwriter of Milk, has done it again: He’s crafted an engaging biopic for a mainstream audience to enjoy. Pedro is about the life of Pedro Zamora, best known as the HIV-positive castmember of The Real World: San Francisco.
Alex Loynaz
Instead of dwelling exclusively on the months spent in The Real World house, the film delves deep into the life of Zamora, focusing on his close-knit Cuban family, his relationship with partner Sean Sasser, and the devotion of his friends, Judd and Pam, who he met while filming the reality series.
As you might expect from Black, the writing is nuanced and true to the subject. Often, it felt as if I were watching an MTV special chock full of interviews from The Real World: SF cast speaking their minds to the cameras. The casting is top-notch, with stand-out performances from Alex Loynaz (Pedro), Justina Machado (Pedro’s sister, Mily) and DaJuan Johnson (Sean).
Many Hollywood heavies have thrown their weight behind Pedro. Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland (Quinceanera) acted as executive producers. Paris Barclay (In Treatment) produced the film and developed the story with Black. And the movie is brought to us by MTV and Bunim/Murray Productions, the same team that produces The Real World series.
Lucky for you, The Palm Springs International Film Festival is screening the film Friday and Saturday. Unlucky for you, the Friday screening is already sold out. Tickets are still available for Saturday, but they’re going fast. Click here for more info.
NAACP Image Awards Nominations are LGBT-Inclusive
January 8, 2009
The nominations for the 40th Annual NAACP Image Awards were announced yesterday, and we are pleased to report that many of them are for LGBT-inclusive projects.
Established in 1967, at the height of the civil rights movement, the NAACP Image Awards is the nation’s premier event to honor outstanding black actors, actresses, writers, producers and directors.
Below is a list of LGBT-inclusive nominees. For a complete list, please click here.
Wanda Sykes
Outstanding Comedy Series — Ugly Betty
Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series — Paul James*, GREEK
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series — Wanda Sykes**, The New Adventures of Old Christine
Outstanding Drama Series — Grey’s Anatomy, House, Lincoln Heights, The Wire
Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series — Blair Underwood*, In Treatment
Michael Kenneth Williams as Omar in The Wire
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series — Michael Kenneth Williams*, The Wire
Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series — Sonja Sohn*, The Wire
Outstanding Reality Series — Project Runway
Noah's Arc
Outstanding Independent Motion Picture — Noah’s Arc: Jumping the Broom
Outstanding Writing in a Dramatic Series — Liz Friedman & Sara Hess – House – “Lucky Thirteen”
Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture — Patrik-Ian Polk & John R. Gordon – Noah’s Arc: Jumping the Broom
Outstanding Literary Work – Fiction — E. Lynn Harris**, “Just Too Good to Be True”
*plays LGBT character
**artist is LGBT
The 40th Annual NAACP Image Awards will be broadcast live Thursday, Feb. 12 at 8 PM on Fox.
Doctor’s Orders: Paris Barclay is Executive Producer
August 25, 2008
Director/writer/actor/all-around television genius Paris Barclay has been upped to executive producer status on HBO’s In Treatment, according to Daily Variety. Barclay, an openly gay TV veteran, has a long list of LGBT-inclusive credits, including directorial stints with Weeds, In the Life, ER, Dirt, and, most recently, In Treatment, which he co-executive produced and directed 12 of the 43 half-hour episodes in the show’s first season, including the episode in which Blair Underwood’s character comes to realize he is gay.
In Treatment was recently nominated for three Primetime Emmys, including a Best Actor nomination for the series’ star, Gabriel Byrne. HBO has ordered 35 episodes for the second season, and asked several new producers to sign on, including Hagai Levy, Warren Leight, Mark Wahlberg and Stephen Levinson.
