You Say We Need a Revolution

Well, it’s here. Margaret Cho’s Revolution premieres on Sundance Channel during their 6th annual “Out Loud” celebration

Revolution is the centerpiece of this year’s “Out Loud” event, when a LGBT-themed documentary will air every Monday at 8 p.m. as part of DOCday, with GLBT-themed films airing every day in June. Joining Revolution in the “Out Loud” lineup is a wide selection of feature films, documentaries, and shorts about gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender life.

• Revolution
Revolution finds Margaret Cho tackling a range of topics with the same acerbic, no-holds-barred humor that has made her a comedy phenomenon and the hero of the LGBT community. Frequently using her life as raw material, she holds forth on everything from the Bush administration to the entertainment offerings of Thailand’s red-light district; from the functional flaws of a certain diet plan to a theologian’s highly specific interpretation of gay love. Revolution was filmed live at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles during Cho’s critically acclaimed, sold-out 2003 national tour. Airs Tuesday, June 22, at 8 p.m., the 24th at 9 p.m., the 26th at 10 p.m., and the 27th at 9 p.m.

• Gasoline
Gasoline is a sexy, edgy Italian road movie about Stella (Maya Sansa) and Lenni (Regina Orioli), lesbian lovers who go on the lam after an argument with Lenni’s mother leads to a fatal accident. U.S. television premiere. Airs Thursday, June 3, at 8 p.m., the 9th at 3:05 a.m., and the 28th at 2:35 a.m.

• His Secret Life
After her beloved husband is killed in a traffic accident, an Italian woman (Margherita Buy) learns that he led a double life with a gay lover (Stefano Accorsi). Her discovery leads to an unlikely friendship, and more. From Ferzan Ozpetek, the director of Steam: The Turkish Bath. U.S. television premiere. Airs Friday, June 18, at 7 p.m., and the 29th at 10 p.m.

• Our House: A Very Real Documentary About Kids of Gay and Lesbian Parents
A frank examination of what it means to grow up with gay or lesbian parents, Our House profiles children in five families who are facing the usual ups and downs of family life while encountering varied reactions from extended family, classmates, teachers, neighbors, and public officials. Sundance Channel premiere. The documentary airs Monday, June 21, at 8 p.m., the 24th at 5 p.m., the 25th at 4:30 a.m., the 26th at 3 p.m., and the 28th at 11 a.m.

• Soldier’s Girl
Based on a true story, this sensitive, exquisitely acted drama chronicles the tragic love affair between Private Barry Winchell (Troy Garity) and transgendered nightclub performer Calpernia Addams (Lee Pace). Sean Hatosy costars as Garity’s terrifyingly volatile roommate. Winner of a 2004 Peabody Award. Sundance Channel premiere. Airs Wednesday, June 16, at 8 p.m., the 19th at 11:35 p.m., the 25th at 8:35 p.m., and the 29th at midnight.

• Son Frére
In need of support before undergoing a rigorous series of medical tests, Thomas (Bruno Todeschini) turns to his gay kid brother Luc (Eric Caravaca) whom he hasn’t spoken to in ages. Director Patrice Chéreau brings an astute eye to this uncompromising dissection of the many complex emotions that can arise when families try to cope with a serious illness. Airs Wednesday, June 2, at midnight, and the 26th at 8 p.m.

• The Tasty Bust Reunion
A stylish and triumphant look back on events surrounding the 1994 police raid on the “Tasty,” a queer dance club in Melbourne, Australia, where 463 patrons were lined up and strip-searched at gunpoint. But clubsters fought back, leading to a landmark lawsuit. U.S. television premiere. The documentary airs Monday, June 14, at 8 p.m., the 20th at 3:10 a.m., the 23rd at 3:30 a.m., and July 1 at 2 a.m.

• Zus & Zo
Nominated for Best Foreign Film at the 2003 Academy Awards, this Dutch comedy follows the efforts of three sisters who are determined to prevent their gay brother’s marriage to a woman—which would entitle him to sole ownership of the family’s seaside hotel in Portugal. U.S. television premiere. Airs Tuesday, June 8, at 9 p.m., the 12th at 10:35 p.m., the 22nd at 2:45 a.m., the 26th at 3 a.m., and the 30th at 8 p.m.

• Garden
Garden follows a year in the lives of Nino and Dudu, teenagers who fled abusive households and now work as male prostitutes in the “electricity garden” in downtown Tel-Aviv. Their bleak prospects are further complicated by their nationalities: Nino is Palestinian and Dudu is Arab-Israeli. U.S. television premiere. The documentary airs Friday, June 7, at 8 p.m., the 10th at 10 p.m., the 14th at 10 p.m., and July 1 at 3 a.m.

• Hush!
Balancing droll humor with insightful drama, this Japanese film follows the travails of a young gay couple and a socially maladroit young woman as they consider starting a family together. U.S. television premiere. Airs Wednesday, June 9, at 8 p.m., the 17th at 1 p.m., the 20th at 11 a.m., the 25th at noon, and the 29th at 4 p.m.

These are only a few of the many GLBT films to air on Sundance Channel during Gay Pride Month. Others include Go Fish, Wigstock: The Movie, Big Eden, The Times of Harvey Milk, Aimee & Jaguar, Different for Girls, The Business of Fancydancing, Longtime Companion, Desert Hearts, Lan Yu, Trembling Before G-D, Fire, The Fluffer, and many more. For a complete list of films and/or to confirm schedule, visit www.sundancechannel.com. —Compiled by Blase DiStefano

Showtime supports Gay Pride Month

A film with a gay dad premieres on Father’s Day

Anton Yelchin stars in the title role in Jack—a Showtime original picture for all ages—the story of a 15-year-old boy who must come to terms with his parents divorcing, his own puberty, and the revelation that his father (Ron Silver) is gay. The film takes place in 1982, so we already know that Jack is not gonna be a happy camper when it comes to having a gay dad. However, Yelchin makes the kid so sweet and rational that even his anger seems subdued and therefore less effective. But Jack’s transition from hatred to love is moving and worth the wait … especially when mom’s in the picture. Jack’s mom is portrayed by none other than Stockard Channing, the woman who played: the wife of Harvey Fierstein’s lover in Tidy Endings, a friend to drag queens in To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, the mother of a lesbian in The Truth About Jane, the therapist of a lesbian in A Girl Thing, the mother of a gay guy in The Matthew Shepard Story, and the friend who unites a woman and her gay brother in The Red Door. • Premieres on Showtime on Sunday, June 20, at 7 p.m., with a repeat airing on the 26th at 12:45 p.m. —Blase DiStefano

• The Opposite Sex: Jamie’s Story
The Opposite Sex: Jamie’s Story focuses on Jamie (pictured), 47, a male-to-female gender reassignment candidate formerly known as Jim. A macho man from a small town in Mich- igan, she has been married to Brenda for 25 years and fathered their 12-year-old daughter. Premieres on Showtime on Monday, June 7, at 8 p.m., with a repeat airing on the 23rd at 8 p.m. Sexual Dialogues: Men to Women follows on both nights at 9:15. —Troy Carrington

• More Tales of the City and Further Tales of the City
Throughout June, Showtime will air back-to-back episodes of the miniseries Armistead Maupin’s More Tales of the City and Further Tales of the City. The Tales are based on Maupin’s classic saga of San Francisco life including the romantic entanglements of several gay characters searching for love and acceptance. Just a few of the stars (pictured, l–r): Olympia Dukakis, Laura Linney, and Bill Campbell. Airs every Tuesday throughout June beginning at 8 p.m. —Suzie Lynde

• Peter’s Friends
Peter’s Friends is a witty British ensemble drama that stars Stephen Frye in the title role. Peter is a wealthy aristocrat who invites the members of his long-ago Cambridge theater troupe to his estate for a reunion—one that is fraught with romantic assignations, broken hearts, rekindled friendships, and one very startling revelation. Kenneth Branagh and Emma Thompson costar. Airs on Showtime on Thursday, June 24, at 8 p.m. —SL
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Comedy Central gets Graham Norton, and Reno returns

• The Graham Norton Effect
Graham Norton is coming to America and his destination is Comedy Central. The British TV sensation, star of Channel Four’s hit series So Graham Norton, will be very busy at the all-comedy network for the next two years with an American version of the award-winning variety/talk show, his own stand-up special, and hosting duties of Comedy Central’s Reel Comedy. • Describing the new series, openly gay Norton says, “It’s going to be like a great big American pie—hot and tasty ... and I know what you Americans like to do to pie.” • The Graham Norton Effect, the first hour-long series in Comedy Central’s history, will be reminiscent of the outrageous Norton’s previous British efforts, combining celebrity and audience interviews with pre-taped segments. Premieres Thursday, June 24. At press time, the time had not been determined. More info: www.comedycentral.com.

• Reno 911
The officers are on patrol again as Reno 911! returns for a second season . Reno 911! gives you a chance to witness the men and women of the Washoe County Sheriff’s department at work and at play, offering a hilarious and unexpected spoof of the traditional cop reality program. Premieres Wednesday, June 9, at 9:30 p.m. on Comedy Central (www.comedycentral.com). • Reno 911! stars Kerri Kinney, Cedric Yarbrough, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Niecy Nash, Carlos Alazraqui, Robert Ben Garant, and Thomas Lennon (pictured) (yes, he really is wearing short shorts, and his character is far from straight).

—Compiled by Blase DiStefano

PBS Channel 8 airs “Social Engineering,” In the Life’s 12th annual LGBT Pride episode

Tony Award-winning actor Cherry Jones returns to special host “Social Engineering,” In the Life’s (ITL) 12th annual LGBT pride episode.
• In “Political Science,” ITL examines how the science around homosexuality has been politicized, from the 19th century when sexologists coined the term “homosexuality” through the 20th century and today. Interviews with early activists including Barbara Gittings (pictured) and Frank Kameny detail how they dramatically overturned the APA’s classification of homosexuality as a mental disorder and forever changed the course of history. Other interviews include historian Lillian Faderman and conversion-therapy survivor Martin Duberman.
• What began as a small support group for parents whose adult children had come out of the closet, PFLAG (Parents and Friends of Lesbians And Gays) has now evolved into one of the GLBT community’s largest support organizations. In “PFLAG Evolution,” ITL celebrates the 30th anniversary of an organization whose mere existence helps combat the homophobia that still surrounds its members’ children.
• This month’s Real to Reel profiles “Bombay Eunuch,” a film investigation into what has become one of India’s most secretive subcultures. Once considered spiritually divine, Indian eunuchs have now become objects of mockery and have resorted to begging and prostitution for survival. Interviews include filmmakers Alexandra Shiva and Sean MacDonald.
• When Joseph McCarthy took on the communist menace of the 1950s, he added a second identifier of un-Americanism—homosexuality. In “Level Pink,” ITL looks at how the tradition of framing queerness as a threat to our national security continues, 50 years after McCarthyism.
• And in Out Takes, Harvey Fierstein challenges the socialization within his own community in “Bringing Up Babies.”
Scheduled to air on Sunday, June 20, at midnight on Channel 8 PBS (www.pbs.org).

ALSO ON PBS
• The AMASONG Chorus: Singing Out
By the early 1990s, lesbian and gay choirs began to spring up in major cities around the U.S. But could one ever exist in central Illinois, an area best known for growing corn, soybeans, and conservative Republicans? As Jay Rosenstein’s The AMASONG Chorus: Singing Out recounts, the answer was a resounding yes. An inspiring story of commitment, community, and triumph, AMASONG airs on the PBS series Independent Lens, hosted by Don Cheadle, on Tuesday, June 15, at 10:30 p.m. More info: www.pbs.org.

Six Feet Under returns to HBO

One marriage has come to a tragic end, another is beginning, and a third is on the rocks. At Fisher & Diaz, lives are in flux as Nate (Peter Krause, center), David (Michael C. Hall, right), Ruth (Frances Conroy), Claire (Lauren Ambrose), and Rico (Freddy Rodriguez, left) struggle to find their way. Guest stars appearing in the new season’s 12 episodes include Ellen DeGeneres, Mena Suvari, Veronica Cartwright, and Michelle Trachtenberg, as well as returning guest stars Kathy Bates, Joanna Cassidy, Patricia Clarkson, Ben Foster, Richard Jenkins, and Justin Theroux. Openly gay Alan Ball, who created the show, returns as a director this season. • In the season opener, David (Hall) and Keith (Mathew St. Patrick) look for “genuinely new” ways to start over; in the next episode, Claire (Ambrose) reawakens her artistic muse after meeting Edie (Suvari), a free spirit. • Premieres on HBO on Sunday, June 13, at 8 p.m., with repeat airings on the 15th at 10 p.m., the 16th at 8 p.m., and the 19th at 11 p.m. Keep in mind: The first three episodes will air back-to-back on Sunday, July 4, beginning at 7 p.m. —Troy Carrington

ALSO ON HBO
Celibacy
Celibacy examines the struggle of sexual abstinence within major eastern religions and the Roman Catholic Church. Buddhists, Hindus, and Jainists revere and often urge celibacy, but the practice is not enforced. It is the Roman Catholic Church where the centuries-old tradition of no sexual activity whatsoever among its priests and nuns has taken an extreme form. In today’s sex-abuse-riddled climated, the requirement for absolute celibacy begs the question: Is sexual denial healthy? Crisscrossing the globe, Celibacy explores the socio-religious roots that have fostered the practice within numerous religions and cultures. Airs Monday, June 28, at 9 p.m. on HBO’s America Undercover series. —TC

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