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Thursday, June 07, 2012

ES GIBT KLARE RECHTSPRECHUNGEN


Had a lovely luncheon work meeting with CHEAP fearless leader Susanne Sachsse and Nazli Kilerci going over necessary prep for the next touring segment of Communist Bigamist-Two Love Stories that features a pit stop in Basel for The Basel Art Faere.

In the morning I had breakfast with Daniel Hendrickson the Jewish Muslim at the sizzling Mehringdamn bistro East London-God Save Brit Food. Danny had me laughing out loud as he was complaining about the Royal Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth. The only Jubilee that he is interested in is the celebrated Derek Jarman film.
Danny use to work for many years at the famed Midnight Special Bookstore in Santa Monica that was owned by Lebenese Leftist culture worker Margie Ghiy. Many celebrities made the bookstore their second home including Tom Hayden, Gregory Peck who would bring his yappity lap dog, Sean Penn, Dustin Hoffman, Martin Sheen, director Paul Voerheoven, Brazilian actress Sonja Braga, perpetually tanned matinee idol George Hamilton who would come in with his cell phone when they first became popular and talk on it for hours. Susan Sontag and other bored lifeless Getty Institute visiting scholars on their lunch breaks. A black gay homeless store employee at the bookstore once yelled at actress Mariel Hemmingway, „Hey aren´t you one of those Hemmingways!“

One of my favorite memories is seeing poet Sonja Sanchez perform at the Midnight Special.

Last night I was treated to a delicious din din at the Schwartzer Cafe by my former boss at Sundance Film Festival´s New Frontíers section Ms. Shari Frilot. Shari was looking healthy and robust in a Queen Latifah like way. Lady Shari and her beautiful young Persian girlfriend Princess Roya stopped off in Berlin on their way to dOCMENTA in Kessel. It was great hanging out with Shari and catching up on all things film in the sorry United Statuals. It seems like budgets for indie film projects are back to low and no budget status and that is a good think in forcing young filmmakers to stretch their creative steroid muscles.

Was asked what I thought of the new live action film version of Snow White called Snow White and the Huntsman. I was invited to a screening ages ago and I actually liked some of it.  Chris Hemsworth should have had a few shirtless scenes but withstanding that I especially enjoyed the performance of Charlize Theron as a wounded queen slashing patriarchy the only way she knows how by killing powerful men and chewing on the hearts of ravens. Ms. Theron´s performance was very nicely shaded and she looked lovely in her fractured medieval gowns and hairstylings. I also enjoyed baby dyke ingenue Kristen Stewart who needs to make a movie about her short but steamy love affair when she was very young with Jodie Foster during the filming of Panic Room when Jodie played her mother. Just saying . . .

O Love Camel if you are reading this will you please send me a copy of the tomes the UnInvited Guests by Sadie Jones and The Astaires-Fred & Adele by Kathleen Riley. I bet many people are unware that Adele Astaire was the big star when she performed with her younger brother Fred back in the 1920s. Their dancing partnership ended when Adele married into British artistocracy when she wed Lord Cavendish. Someone should make a movie about the fabulous Astaire siblings.
Ms. Shari Frilot said that a film is in the works about Hedy Lamarr. Not only was Miss Lamarr beautiful beyond compare but she was brainy and invented a component that is responsible for cellphone technology today. See what you learn from reading this very blog.

So sad to report that Los Angeles native Ray Bradbury the great science fiction writer died yesterday age 91. I met him when I was a teenager as he went to my high school and attended a function for former grads to mentor current students.

Wednesday, June 06, 2012

PENIS ABORTIONIST


The pain and swelling from my gout condition is lessening, but I am still suffering a bit from it, and of course I am in no way able to leap over buildings in a single bound the way I was before the affliction. Had luncheon with Christian F. Weber who is an adoreable German Phd in Film Studies or either he is a film historian. I can´t remember which. We went to the delightful little boite Frau Rauscher in Kreuzberg which use to go under a different name a few years ago and I must admit to having a splendid dining experience. Of course the bigger joy was just being with my beautiful young Christian who worked so hard for me as my assistant on Camp/Anti-Camp: The Queer Guide to Everyday Life and VD is SFTD.

Had a lovely little studio visit at the Cheese Endique Trifecta from Columbia University grad student Tho-mas Lax who is a sexy little colored boy with a background similar to mine in that his father is a German/Jew. Of course young Tho-mas is a middleclass---- both his mother and father are physicians.
Tho-mas grew up and still lives in Harlem and we spent hours chittle chatting together. I love mentoring the young, gifted and black. Tho-mas is in Berlin on a curatorial workshop and came to me highly recommended from both the divine Hilton Als of The New Yorker Magazine and performance studies professor Tavia Nyongo.

Received a nice little emug from Tim Blue who is back in Portland, Oregon. Very dear hearing from him. The Vagimulic tentacles are far reaching so of course my Pacific Northwest spies have already relayed to me Tim Blue´s every movement back in the city of his birth since he arrived back home.  Its funny how tiny the world really is.
Despite popular rumours of the contrary I do know how to keep a secret and I don´t spill all the private fava beans of my friends and associates in this very blog you are now reading. That doesn´t mean I don´t write it all down, I just don´t publish it on the WWW for all the whurl to read.   Word to the wise!  Don´t piss me off or I will publish it one day.

***

Got this emug from my sister Teresa in Los Angeles:

Hello. Always thinking of you. Our weather is nice this year! Not too hot or too cold. Terri Lynn(my niece) finally got that settlement from LA County Sherriff. But they owed her in-laws because they paid her husband´s bond and got him the lawyer. Thank goodness the lawyer didn't take any money because the settlement was too low. So Terri was able to pay her 2 months back rent. Two weeks ago we went to California Adventure and Disneyland. So that money is going fast.

Darren, her husband, found a training program and he's doing very well. Hopefully he should be getting a job soon. Otherwise they're going to be behind on their rent again. The kids are fine. Just her daughter, the 16 year old, is still getting caught with boys every time she misses taking her meds (Abilify). So Terri Lynn thinks that it may be low self esteem and depression that brings that feeling on. Plus Kristina's dad takes meds for bi-polar disorder. So that also might be her problem. She knows what's right and wrong. But, she says she can't control herself. That's why Terri Lynn thinks she needs meds. I agree with her. Kristina's father just goes from one woman to another. That is a known symptom of bi-polar disorder. So Kristina didn't get to go with the rest of the kids to Disneyland. She stayed with her father. He stays with a girl friend that lives close by right now.

Marky's (My nephew who died in 2011)daughter, Kelly, will be a senior at Hollywood High next year. She loves her school choir, H20. She says that's their name because they are the top 20 Hollywood High singers. So I think she's going to try to be a singer or dancer or actor. She didn't want to go to Disneyland and miss her rehearsal! His other daughter, Kameron, is graduating. She's very smart. I know she's going to college but I'm not sure which one because her mom is supposed to come down here. Otherwise she might go to Berkeley or San Francisco State. The boy Mark Jr. is going to Vallejo High next September. Brian(my other nephew) is still watching him to see if he needs to come here to stay with him because he was starting to have a poor choice of friends.

I told you Brian is looking for another weapons repair job. So he just came back from a month of national guard duty. Jaime has custody of the kids until October. So he wanted to keep himself busy.

I miss my sister every day. I just pray I can see her again in the resurrection. I still cry for her. Miss you so much too! Love you!!!

**

Sooner or later everyone reads my blogina. Just recently reconnected with Alfredo Botello someone I first met 30 years ago. He is now married with two children and living in the Bay Area where he owns two bars and is a screenwriter. I adore Alfredo and have often thought of him so it was quite a surprise to receive an emug from him from out of the blue. Sorry but I am not sharing the contents as they are way too personal, and I have to keep somethings for myself.  There before the Grace of God Go I . . . but for the past few days I have been literally levitating with so much love in my broken, wounded, cold black heart.

The memory piece I wrote about Jabberjaw is now in the Summer issue of Art Forum Magazine.Here is a link to it online:

http://artforum.com/inprint/issue=201206&id=31088.


***

This emug from filmmaker Liz Rosenfeld:

Dear, Friends, Colleagues and Community:

It is with great excitement that I announce the production of my new film " Die Neue Frau," the final film in my short film triptych the Surface Tension Series. I can't believe that it has been almost four years since I moved to Berlin with the intention of making this work, and now the series is almost complete."Die Neue Frau," is a short film presented as a reel constructed of personal home movies made by Leni Riefenstahl in 1933 (the last official year of The Weimar Republic), exposing an ambiguous relationship she had with Eva Braun. This film is an intimate portrait of two prominent women who were integral witnesses to Berlin's transition from decadence into fascism. I am also extremely excited that I will have the opportunity to work with the wonderful actress Susanne Sachsse, who will be staring as Leni Riefenstahl in "Die Neue Frau." As I mentioned above, " Die Neue Frau" is the last film in The Surface Tension Series, which queers historical narratives of the rise and fall of the Wiemar period in Germany through the perspectives of three female artists who lived in Berlin.

We need your help!

At the moment "Die Neue Frau" is in the pre- production stage,and we are gearing up to shoot the first week in July. As many of you know, making art with limited access to public funding is what artists are having to do these days, and I would be so grateful if you could please take a moment to look at my fundraising campaign. Even if you can't donate money, a small donation of your time to spread the word about this fundraiser would be hugely appreciated. Please take a moment to check out the fundraising video and further information about this project here: http://www.indiegogo.com/dieneuefrau?a=190375.

You are not just supporting me, you are supporting my community!

Since we finnished "Frida & Anita," 2 years ago, I have been working with my producers/ cinematographers ( NowMomentNow, http://nowmomentnow.com/) and local community in Berlin to finish the last two films, so that I can finally complete the entire Surface Tension Series for Autumn of 2012. These films have been created, and produced by the same group of people over the past few years, and as a result of our collaborative effort, we have also formed an amazing lexicon of artists who have worked hard to support each other in all of our creative endeavours. Because of my amazing community here, I have experienced the most productive period in my artistic career, and for this I feel incredibly blessed. You will see that all of the "perks" one may receive from donating, are all donated and created by the talented and amazing people I admire and love in Berlin. It has been an amazing ride, with screenings of the first film in the series, "Frida & Anita" at amazing venues including The Tate Modern, The British Film Institute, NYC Mix Festival, and The Raindance Film Festival.

Thank you so much for taking the time to consider donating/ spreading the word about " Die Neue Frau."

This project has changed my life, and I am so excited to finally be able to share this series in it's entirety!

Sending Love,

http://www.lizrosenfeld.com/

***

Seems like Berlin is becoming a murder capital of sorts.  Just the other day not far from where I was hanging out working on a project with Daniel Hendrickson the Jewish Muslim, the on-the-run Canadian Cannibal Porno Killer was caught at an internet cafe in KreuzKölln where he was reading his press clippings.  Then right after that a Turkish man in Kreuzberg lost it and beheaded his wife in front of their brood of young schoolage children.  Reading about this tragic happening in the Berlin Local English language online newspaper and seeing the pictures of the Turkish couples apartment complex, If I had to live in a building like that it would drive me insane enough to committ murder and decapitation.