Just Because...Women's March 2019

You'd Better March!
Lance Bass & Laverne Cox

"In 2018, the March became the focus of controversy following reports that three of the four lead organizers had attended events hosted by Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, who has made remarks widely regarded as antisemitic. Perceptions that the group's leaders had failed to condemn the rhetoric and subsequent accusations of antisemitism within the organization itself led to former co-founder Teresa Shook to call for their resignations and were followed by the disassociation of numerous state chapters. By December 2018, The New York Times reported that "charges of anti-Semitism are now roiling the movement and overshadowing plans for more marches."

News reports from across North America noted that turnout for the 2019 Women's March were lower compared to previous years, with potential reasons being poor weather, a decline in interest and controversy over protest organization in the United States." - Wikipedia

While this happened and the turn out was the lowest it has ever been this year. The Women's March still went on and is an important part of the fabric of our society. Personally I wished I had attended this year's March. But I was otherwise committed.

That being said, this image of Lance Bass & Laverne Cox attending the Los Angeles March this past Saturday gave me the feels today and compelled me to put the spotlight back where it should be regarding the event - Unity & Human Rights for all.

Smiles, everyone, smile!

Women's March on the WWW:

https://www.womensmarch.com/

Michael's Musings

Tell Everyone What Your Really Think
Michael Shinafelt

Hello minions I just got in from a screening of The Nun at the Arclight in Hollywood. Honestly I am feeling completely underwhelmed especially since the horror opus from which it sprang, The Conjuring was actually good. Basically I'm stating that The Nun is lame.

Apparently this is my week for "The" films because Tuesday night I took in Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds under the stars on the rooftop of The Montalban Theater.

In other news...

I'm Team Nike

Op-ed is the word

This isn't my first time at the human doll rodeo!

Why is it when I see the acronym for The Real Housewives of New York, RHONY I think "Real Horny?!"

All hail the New York Times

Byline of the week - "Gwyneth Paltrow's Goop to Pay $145,000 in Vaginal Egg Settlement"(this is wrong in so many ways, think about it, but not too much)

Boooooooo! Kyle Richard's American Woman has been cancelled after only one season

Colin Kaepernick

Colin Kaepernick, Colin Kaepernick, Colin Kaepernick 

I'm looking forward to the new Halloween movie, I'm sure it's better than The (F#cking) Nun

A woman while sitting across from me on the bus the other day was sucking on a dildo, the more you know

There's a new sensation that's sweeping the nation: Name That Author

Silent Disco, beware of the music that no one can hear...

What now Little Bunny Foo Foo?

You've heard of the 12 Monkeys, now there is the 45th Buffoon 

Time to get oiled up with me at:
https://www.instagram.com/michaelshinafelt/?hl=en
https://twitter.com/MShinafelt   

Just Because...George & Amal Clooney

One Word: Wow!
Amal & George Clooney

Just Because it's the day after the Royal Wedding, Just Because it's Sunday Funday & Just Because they looked so amazing here are, IMHO the best dressed couple who attended the wedding of the century George & Amal Clooney.

"Wow" was the word that came to mind when Amal showed up in this stunning yellow number that complimented her to perfection. It was a bold choice of color and hot damn, she worked it!

She also had a great accessory by her side, her husband George, ya know that Clooney guy. Who wisely ditched traditional black formal wear and went with a tailored gray number that completed his wife's out of the box color choice to perfection.

What's that you say?! "Yes" I did see the actual wedding, it was lovely. Honestly, we all need someone to look at us the way Harry looks at Meghan, the love those two have for  one another is obvious. It was the perfect anecdote to all the hate going on in the world around us to be reminded that love can, and will conquer all.

On that note, Michael has left the building...

Check out more photos from the Royal Wedding by clicking on this link from the New York Times:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/19/world/europe/royal-wedding-in-photos.html

Gotta Serve Somebody

Bob Dylan, he's a poet and you know it... Gotta Serve Somebody: The Gospel Songs Of Bob Dylan Coming to DVD and digital formats February 9th Features an intense performance from Bob Dylan, plus performances from Aaron Neville, Shirley Caesar, Dottie Peoples, and many others during behind-the-scenes making of the Grammy-nominated compilation "Gotta Serve Somebody" released 15 years ago "The best African-American covers of Dylan songs since Jimi Hendrix." - The New York Times

Marking the fifteenth anniversary of GRAMMY-nominated album Gotta Serve Somebody: The Gospel Songs of Bob Dylan, MVD Entertainment Group will reissue the film of the same title. Gotta Serve Somebody: The Gospel Songs of Bob Dylan features an intense Bob Dylan performance from 1980 of "When He Returns" as well as powerful performances and interviews with Aaron Neville, Shirley Caesar, Fairfield Four, Mighty Clouds of Joy, and Dottie Peoples, reflecting on their faith and connections to Dylan's Christian music. Now, with the November release of Columbia Records' "Trouble No More: The Bootleg Series Vol. 13 / 1979-1981," a further exploration of that period has taken place, which began with this album and film. "It was an honor to have made an impression on the great artist himself with these recordings," said the film's producer Jeffrey Gaskill. From 2009 to 2011, Bob Dylan opened 40 concerts around the world with Gonna Change My Way of Thinking (his Grammy-nominated new version re-written and recorded for Gotta Serve Somebody: The Gospel Songs of Bob Dylan with Mavis Staples.) in concert halls in Los Angeles, New York, Hong Kong, London, Beijing, Shanghai, Adelaide and this performance in Tel Aviv (video HERE). Just a month after his recording with Staples he would kick off a new tour in Stockholm Sweden and perform Solid Rock (what many consider the theme song to his gospel era concerts) for the first time in over twenty years. Dylan would continue to perform this rousing song as well as other gospel era songs at numerous concerts across Europe and beyond. The two-time Grammy nominated compilation would be released on Sony/Columbia one year later on April 1, 2003 (video HERE). "This gospel music was Bob Dylan's ultimate rebellion, and it took much more courage than strapping on an electric guitar," said Gaskill. The film offers historical insights into this Bob Dylan era provided by Jim Keltner, Fred Tackett, Spooner Oldham, and Regina McCrary - all of whom performed and recorded with Dylan at the time. Famed record producer Jerry Wexler, who produced the records, and music journalists Paul Williams and Alan Light, also disclose insights. Pre-order at the MVD Shop or on Amazon TRACK LISTING Arlethia Lindsey - Every Grain of Sand Bob Dylan - When He Returns Sounds of Blackness - Solid Rock Shirley Caesar - Gotta Serve Somebody Dottie Peoples - I Believe in You Aaron Neville - Saving Grace Helen Baylor - What Can I Do For You' The Fairfield Four - Are You Ready Great Day Chorale - In the Garden Mighty Clouds of Joy - Saved Chicago Mass Choir featuring Regina McCrary - Pressing On Rance Allen - When He Returns

He's Baaaaack...Ruben Blades

Remember Ruben Blades? I do, I used to process his checks when I worked in accounting at a talent agency in another life.

Between 1982 and 1984, music filmmaker Robert Mugge produced two feature length music docs for the UK's brand-new fourth TV network, appropriately named Channel 4 Television. Those two films were BLACK WAX with Gil Scott-Heron, now newly re-released on DVD and Blu-ray by MVD Visual, and GOSPEL ACCORDING TO AL GREEN. After both were completed, Andy Park, Channel 4's Commissioning Editor for Music who had funded both films, announced he would soon be leaving the channel. Mugge quickly realized, if he wanted Park to commission another film from him, he would need to act fast.

Therefore, in short order, Mugge proposed a film about the staging of Stephen Sondheim's then forthcoming musical Sunday in the Park with George. But before shooting could begin, the composer grew fearful that cameras could aggravate the stresses of an already challenging collaboration. So, sadly, that proposal was scrubbed.

Next up was a possible portrait of P-Funk mastermind George Clinton. But that proposal, too, was abandoned when the artist's own management noted his tendency not to show up when and where expected. Imagining what could happen to their modest budget if they booked crew, equipment, and supplies for a particular time and place only to have their subject fail to show, Mugge and Park soon abandoned that project as well.

                                                                    Trailer 

Finally, in early 1985, Mugge proposed, and Park approved, a portrait of Panamanian-American singer, songwriter, musician, activist, essayist, lawyer, and politician Ruben Blades, who could rightly have been named "The Most Interesting Man in the World" decades before the tongue-in-cheek Dos Equis commercials dubbed actor Jonathan Goldsmith as such. At the time, Blades was the darling of American rock critics thanks to release of the 1984 Elektra album Buscando América, Blades' most successful attempt yet at "crossing over" into mainstream Anglo acceptance, even as his longtime Latin fans stayed with him. His previous albums on salsa label Fania Records, with and without Nuyorican musician and bandleader Willie Colón, had made him a household name among Spanish-speaking salsa fans worldwide. But Blades was looking for far more, both musically and otherwise, and he seemed on the verge of becoming a multi-hyphenated, bilingual superstar.

The release of Buscando América, with its intricate Latin dance rhythms, its rocklike intensity, and its poetic, Spanish-language reflections on the often turbulent relationship between the U.S. and Latin America, showed Blades to be a major cultural force. But what made him so much more "interesting" as a film subject was that, simultaneously, he was starring in a highly autobiographical independent film titled CROSSOVER DREAMS which he himself had co-written, was earning a Master of Laws degree (LL.M.) in International Law from Harvard Law School, was publishing political essays in both Spanish and English, was splitting his time between the U.S. and his native Panama in anticipation of future political ambitions, was reading scripts for additional acting roles in the hope of improving the image of Latinos in Hollywood films and TV series, was touring internationally with his superb band, and was planning ever new material he hoped would further dissolve barriers between the English-language and Spanish-language music industries. As a documentary filmmaker seeking to capture the life and career of Rubén Blades on film, Mugge saw his own biggest challenge as simply keeping up with this seemingly tireless potential subject.

Happily, Blades, Mugge, and Park did come to terms, after which Mugge and his crew spent the spring and summer of 1985 shooting the following: a concert by Blades and his band Seis del Solar at New York City club S.O.B.'s (Sounds of Brazil); an interview with Blades at his New York City apartment; a conversation between Blades and author Pete Hamill in a New York City park; Blades' graduation from Harvard Law School (including conversations with his mother and his dean); a Spanish-language recording session in Los Angeles featuring Blades and guest vocalist Linda Ronstadt; a joint interview with Blades and Ronstadt (who was then contemplating recording her own albums of Mexican songs she learned at home as a child); and a trip by Blades to his hometown of Panama City. In Panama, Blades was filmed on the balcony of his new high-rise apartment overseeing his city's changing landscape, in front of the bank where he once worked as an attorney, joining his father for a visit to the neighborhood where he grew up, in a courtyard discussing his intention to run for president of Panama one day, and walking along the Panama Canal discussing the sometimes tense relations between his native and adopted countries.

In the three decades since this film was made, Blades has accomplished much of what he set out to do, including (1) becoming a respected actor in Hollywood and independent films and television series; (2) continuing to serve as an effective political essayist and activist; and (3) continuing to record and perform powerful world music with both Spanish and English lyrics, and winning eight Grammy Awards and five Latin Grammy Awards along the way. Among his other awards and honors are a 2005 honorary degree from the Berklee College of Music and a 2011 Harry Chapin Humanitarian Award presented by ASCAP and partner Why Hunger for his international charity work. Just a few of the many films and TV programs in which he has starred or appeared are THE MILAGRO BEANFIELD WAR, MO' BETTER BLUES, THE TWO JAKES, PREDATOR 2, THE JOSEPHINE BAKER STORY, CRAZY FROM THE HEART, THE SUPER, X-FILES, CRADLE WILL ROCK, COLOR OF NIGHT, ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO, and FEAR THE WALKING DEAD. In 1997, Blades also headed the cast of The Capeman, Paul Simon's first Broadway musical. Although his run for the Panamanian presidency in 1994 was unsuccessful, he served as Panama's minister of tourism from 2004 through 2009 and, reportedly, is considering another run for the presidency in 2019. For more career highlights, please explore Blades' Spanish-language website and his English-language Wikipedia page. Blades has been married to singer LubaMason since August 4, 2006.

Songs performed in the THE RETURN OF RUBÉN BLADES are "Todos Vuelven," "Buscando América," "Tiburon," "Muévete," "Silencios," and "Pedro Navajo" (with "Mack the Knife"). Here is Blades introducing and then performing "Buscando América" in the film https://vimeo.com/156288935

The Blu-ray can be pre-ordered at the MVD Shop or on Amazon.  

Shot By Shot: Raiders!

Taking fandom to the 8th dimension and several other places...Raiders!!! The true tale of three childhood friends and their ambitious quest to complete a shot-for-shot remake of Raiders of the Lost Ark arrives with hours of bonus content "A valentine to movies, to being a kid, and to not being told what you can and can't do." - Flavorwire "A movie for anyone who has dreamed, been knocked down, and dared to dream again." - The Playlist "Captures the lunacy and love of fandom and friendship." - The Guardian

Drafthouse Films and MVD Entertainment have announced the upcoming home video release of Raiders!: The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made on Blu-ray/DVD combo pack on August 16th. After Steven Spielberg's classic Raiders of the Lost Ark was released 35 years ago, three 11-year-old boys from Mississippi set out on what would become a 7-year-long labor of love and tribute to their favorite film: a faithful, shot-for-shot adaptation of the action adventure film, which the New York Times calls "a testament to the transporting power of movie love." They finished every scene...except one; the film's explosive airplane set piece. Over two decades later, the trio reunited with the original cast members from their childhood in order to complete their masterpiece in what IGN has dubbed "the Boyhood of fan movies." Featuring interviews with John Rhys Davies, Eli Roth and more, Raiders!: The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made is just that: the story of this long-gestating project's culmination, chronicling the friends' dedication to their artistic vision-mixed in with some movie magic-to create a personal, epic love letter to a true modern classic, in "a triumphant, feel-good documentary of the highest caliber that dares you to dream" (Cut Print Film).                                                                 Raiders!                                                                   Trailer Tim Skousen & Jeremy Coon's critically-acclaimed documentary (Certified Fresh by Rotten Tomatoes with a 93% rating and an Audience Score of 92%) premiered at SXSW in 2015 and enjoyed a healthy festival campaign before it's debut in theaters and On Demand. At the same time, film subjects Chris Strompolos and Eric Zala embarked on the multi-city Follow Your Dreams Tour (co-sponsored by Drafthouse Films, Fatboy, Roadtrippers and Last Exit to Nowhere), presenting Skousen and Coon's film alongside their rarely-screened Adaptation, which will continue into September. Special features include more than four hours on bonus content such as dual audio commentary tracks (with Skousen & Coon as well as Strompolos & Zala), deleted scenes from the documentary, outtakes from the Adaptation, Q&A footage from the Adaptation's 2003 premiere at the Alamo Drafthouse in Austin, TX, a photo booklet featuring storyboard art from the Adaptation and a free HD digital copy of the film.    ### Raiders!: The Story of the Greatest Fan Film Ever Made Blu-ray™/DVD Genre:             Documentary Rating:            Not rated Running time:  95 mins. Languages:      English Year:               2016 SRP:               $34.95 Street date:     August, 16th 2016 Side-by-side comparison of adaptation and original Raiders trailer:  https://vimeo.com/166559907

Janis Joplin Rules!

"FIERCELY BRILLIANT!" 

-Guy Lodge, Variety

"ENTHRALLING!" 

                                                 -Stephen Holden, New York Times (Critics' Pick)

 

This is going to date me...one of my first cassette tapes was Janis Joplin's Greatest Hits. Which of course lead to Pearl and others. They don't make em' like they used to. I mean the rock stars, not the cassette tapes.

The critically acclaimed, box office smash Janis: Little Girl Blue is coming to DVD on May 6th viaBrooklyn-based film and TV distributor FilmRise. MVD Entertainment Group will distribute the film with exclusive, never-before-seen bonus features.

 

Directed and written by Academy Award®-nominated documentarian Amy Berg ("Deliver Us From Evil," "West of Memphis") and produced by Academy Award®-winner Alex Gibney ("Taxi to the Dark Side," "Going Clear"), Janis: Little Girl Blue is an intimate portrait of the iconic but troubled rock 'n' roll singer Janis Joplin. FilmRise released the film in theaters in Fall 2015 to rave reviews, and it wowed audiences in over 100 cities across the country with electrifying archival footage, exclusive interviews with friends and family, and rare personal letters from the iconic rocker herself. The film features musicians Pink, Kris Kristofferson, Melissa Etheridge, Juliette Lewis, and Bob Weir, TV presenter Dick Cavett, producer Clive Davis, counterculture filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker, and more.

 

The DVD will include bonus features such as an a capella performance from Janis's first band, Big Brother and the Holding Company; footage from Janis's posthumous Walk of Fame ceremony; a fascinating look at Janis's early venues, The Avalon and the Fillmore; and a rare interview with Chan Marshall aka Cat Power, who narrates Janis's letters in the film.

 

Janis Joplin is one of the most revered singers of all time, a tragic and misunderstood figure who thrilled millions of listeners and blazed new creative trails before her untimely death in 1970 at age 27. Janis: Little Girl Blue examines her story in-depth for the first time on film, presenting an insightful look at this complicated, driven, often beleaguered artist with rare personal and performance footage and interviews with friends and family. The Joplin family provided unfettered access to their vaults for the first time, through which Berg unearthed previously unreleased letters, photos, audio and footage of Joplin. The singer's own words tell much of her story through a series of letters she wrote to her parents over the years, never before seen by the public (read by Cat Power). Joplin was a powerhouse when she sang, and her surprising rise and sudden demise changed music forever.

 

Janis: Little Girl Blue premiered at the 2015 Venice Film Festival, and screened at the Toronto and London Film Festivals, as well as the prestigious DOC NYC. The film opened in theaters in November 2015.

Pre-order now at the MVD SHOP or on Amazon.

Margaret Cho Is psyCHO

MARGARET CHO ANNOUNCES U.S. FALL DATES FOR

THE “psyCHO” TOUR

PRE-SALE TICKETS ON SALE MAY 13 & 14

PUBLIC ON-SALE BEGINS FRIDAY, MAY 15

Margaret Cho is finally copping to something that we Cho Ho's have known for years, that she is psyCHO. Just the way we like her!

Three time Grammy and Emmy nominee, comedian Margaret Cho has announced she will embark on a national U.S. run  in support of The psyCHO Tour this fall. Margaret will hit various cities including Los Angeles, Chicago and her hometown of San Francisco before embarking on a string of European dates this winter.

Margaret has been developing brand new material over the last several months and said: “I'm so thrilled to announce that I will be back out on the road. This show is about insanity, and about the anger I feel about everything happening in the world right now, from police brutality to racism to the rising tide of violence against women. It makes me all so crazy - hence the title: “The psyCHO Tour” - there is no “I” in team but there is a “CHO” in psycho". When men go off on something - they are "passionate" and "driven" and when women go off on something we are "hysterical" and "crazy". I'm trying to bring some joy to the hysteria and insanity. ”

From singlehood to Boko Haram to Bruce Jenner’s transition to female empowerment, Margaret tackles difficult subjects with sensitivity and razor sharp insight. A pioneer amongst women in comedy, Margaret doesn’t take anything for granted. “It’s a wonderful thing to be known as a ‘safe haven’ for people who feel disenfranchised. The audience at my shows don’t necessarily consider themselves traditional comedy fans. I seem to be a secure alternative for people who don’t think they’re being represented in society. They come because my point of view satisfies a lot of what needs to be said out there, and that makes me really proud.”

A big part of Margaret’s show are tributes to her “father in comedy,” Robin Williams and her “mother in comedy,” Joan Rivers, who passed away within a month of one another. Margaret was very close to both of them; her friendship with Robin encouraged her to start the #BeRobin campaign to raise awareness and funds for the homeless community. Her friendship with Joan reinforced Margaret’s desire to remain fearless.

Read more about #BeRobin - New York Times:  http://www.nytimes.com/2014/ 12/25/us/with-memories-of-a- comic-comrade-margaret-cho- helps-the-homeless.html?hp& action=click&pgtype=Homepage& module=second-column-region& region=top-news&WT.nav=top- news&_r=1

Pre-sale tickets for October 1 thru November 14 dates will be available startingWednesday, May 13 at 10:00 A.M. EST until Thursday, May 14 at 10:00 P.M. EST and the password is “psycho.”   The general public on-sale will begin Friday, May 15 at 12:00 noon EST.

June, July & August dates are currently on sale. All show info is posted at http://www.margaretcho.com/

Margaret Cho Official Website http://www.margaretcho.com/

Margaret Cho Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialmargaretcho

Margaret Cho Twitter: https://twitter.com/margaretcho/

Margaret Cho YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/margaretcho

2015 Tour dates

Friday, June 19 – Sunday, June 21 -  Orlando, FL - Orlando Improv

Friday, June 26 – Boulder, CO – Chautauqua Auditorium

Saturday, July 18 – Atlantic City, NJ – The Borgata

Friday, July 24 – Montreal Canada – Just For Laughs Festival

Saturday, August 8 – Fire Island, NJ

Thursday, August 13 – Provincetown – Town Hall

Friday, October 2- Minneapolis, MN – Pantages

Saturday, October 3- Chicago, IL - Chicago Theatre

Sunday, October 4- Cleveland, OH - Hard Rock Live

Thursday, October 8- Westbury, NY – Theatre at Westbury

Friday, October 9- Washington DC - Warner Theatre

Saturday, October 10 – Boston, MA – Wilbur Theatre

Thursday, October 15- San Fran, CA- Castro Theatre

Friday, October 16- Las Vegas, NV -  Treasure Island

https://ti.eventshopper.com/eventShopper.html?wr=0533ccdf-c796-49e0-a069-5486f036486f

Saturday, October 17- Scottsdale, AZ  - Scottsdale Center for the Arts

 http://www.scottsdaleperformingarts.org/event/margaret-cho/

Sunday, October 18- Tucson, AZ -  Rialto Theatre

  https://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/851593?utm_medium=bks

 Thursday, October 22- San Diego - Balboa Theatre

  http://sandiegotheatres.org/margaret-cho/

Friday, October 23- Riverside, CA - Fox Theatre

Saturday, October 24- Seattle, WA -  Moore Theatre

Sunday, October 25- Portland, OR -  Revolution Hall

https://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/852389?utm_source=os

Thursday, October 29- Atlanta, GA -  Tabernacle

Friday, October 30- Miami, FL - Fillmore Jackie Gleason

Friday, November 13- Denver, CO -  Paramount Theatre

Saturday, November 14- Los Angeles, CA -  Wiltern Theatre