Saturday, July 17, 2010

School Ties

Austin might wear a film festival on his shirt but Jake's been a poster boy for one.
In 2004, Jake's('98) alma mater Harvard-Westlake had is it first film festival, showcasing the talent of young Californian filmmakers. And who was the guest speaker and poster boy? You got it. Complete with his 7th grade ID picture.

Seven years later HWFF is recognized as a premium showcase for young California filmmakers. The short films (under 10 minutes in length) submitted by 9th-12th grade students come from all over Southern California. This is not your average high school festival, by a long shot. What once was festival showing films in the school's auditorium it has now grown to including Academy Award nominees and winners as guest speakers and panelists and has to moved to the renowned Cinerama Dome at the Arclight Cinema in Hollywood.

Founded by then senior video art student Elizabeth Yale in 2004, it first showcased 13 films high school students from throughout the Los Angeles area. The next three years, it grew showcasing more student student films and included guest speakers Brett Ratner, Jamie Lee Curtis '76 and Jason Reitman '95. In 2008, the festival moved its venue to the ArcLight Cinemas, and had director Paul Thomas Anderson as it's guest speaker. And in 2009, with Academy Award winner Tom Hanks as its speaker, it moved into the Arclight's Cinerama Dome where is continues.

This past year’s guest speaker was Academy Award winning director "Kathryn Bigelow (director, The Hurt Locker) in a conversation with Jason Reitman ’95 (director, Up in the Air). "

And it is not just the speakers who are well known in Hollywood. Some past judges have included actors Peter Gallagher, Kevin Costner and Alfre Woodard; director Lawrence Kasdan; and producers Lucy Fisher, Doug Wick and Marc Platt.

Pictures:HWFF

45 comments:

dazed and confused said...

sometimes I really worry about what people think.
does anyone really think like this

Poirot said...

Wow how did you ever find this, Special? Thanks, it's great. Interesting to discover Jake was a guest speaker and see the pics but (sorry Jake!) it's even more interesting to hear who the other guests have been and also who actually went to the school. Special I'm beginning to believe you're Sam Spade, Magnum PI or Catherine Willows. Hopefully you look more like Nick Stokes than Miss Marple! Forget "Special" we should just call you Sherlock.

destiny said...

When you have self-loathing closet cases all too happy to oblige wingnuts by acting as if being gay is the worst thing in the world, is it any wonder people continue to think like that?

Ted said...

Dear Ted:
In your opinion, who's more likely to come out first: Toothy or Nevis?
—Sam

Dear Neither:
But if I had to pick, I would say—gasp—Toothy. Again, though, don't count on either happening anytime soon. Maybe by the time his offspring reach college age.

Bitch Back

strunk and white said...

Maybe by the time his offspring reach college age.

Singular or plural? Maybe just a general way of saying? Or Toothy has one now and may have more in future?

fate said...

don't count on either happening anytime soon. Maybe by the time his offspring reach college age.

I'm busy with other things now but later on I might decide to step in and do what I do best: change plans.

Anonymous said...

This is a test to see how my lie journal name shows up.

Anonymous said...

OK guys, I took your advice and will now be using my live journal name to post. did not know that was an option. For the record this is m. The real m, as PG can attest as I'm friended on her live journal so I can read her stories. That should put an end to impostors. I've been super busy last day or two and will be all weekend so not much time to drop by. But the impostor just got too annoying.

Special K said...

Thanks M, for letting us know who are. Hope you don't mind if I still use M, gargarmarmar is a little longer than M. : )

Anonymous said...

I too wondered about the use of the word offspring. Ted has hinted about more than one child. At least we know there is one, for sure.

Yes that late night comment was me. Something to the effect that the troll must be upset because Ted keeps reconfirming the existence of Baby Tile.

Poor troll spends most of it's waking hours trying to discredit Ted, Baby Tile and establish that Jake is straight and Ted just flicks him away like a fly. No wonder they have to resort to pretending to be other people.

Anonymous said...

No problem Special or any one else who wants to still refer to me as m. That is actually how I sign my name much of the time, but when I signed up for LJ, that was not an option. What matters is that everyone knows that is the real me.

Stubborn TB said...

I wanna chime in for a second in the whole debate about one or more kids.

It's probably been said, but I think Ted clarified with his latest answer what he meant when he talked about "Toothy's kid" in the singular.

Because today he mentions Toothy's offspring and then says "reach" instead of "reaches" which means there is more than one. So, to me, that means that he used "Toothy's kid" to say that there is one kid that is biologically Toothys but there has to be another one that Ted probably would call "Goose's kid" or else the offspring remark doesn't work.
Ted obviously considers them both the parents of the kids, but pointed out that Toothy is the biological father of only one of them.

I do think Ted wanted to make sure people got this, since it jumped right out at me and I'm not even a native speaker and god knows Teds writing can make your brain hurt sometimes to begin with ;)

Methodical Muser said...

I agree, Stubborn. That is exactly what Ted is doing, today. Least there be any confusion about the meaning of his "Toothy's kid" reference from yesterday, Ted is not only clarifying the subject verb agreement, but using the term, "offspring" to connote more than one. Those swirling love juices resulted in two biological children. Both men a proud Poppa, although there is only one Family Tile. Back in 2008, Ted also deliberately used the plural form in one of his initial Toothy Blind Items about a "second coming". ;-)

August 29, 2008

Dear Ted:
Ted, I love your wit, and the new retina-burning format is starting to grow on me. You said there's a Baby Tile — is there another one on the way? Is it Ben Affleck?
—Scutten

Dear Baby Q:
Such the good guess, babes, so right in so many brunet directions, alas, it's the wrong two-timing type.

01/06/09: Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck once again became parents to a second daughter, Seraphina Rose Elizabeth Affleck. The logical conclusion is that Jake and Austin had their second child around the same time since Ted indicates that the questioner is "right in so many brunet directions." Brunet is the masculine form of the word and Ben Affleck, Jake and Austin are all brunets.

Anonymous said...

I wonder if they used the same surrogate or if there was more than one. If there were 2, the babies tile could be closer in age than we think.

Special K said...

Austin's recent tweets

Did you ever find yourself watching highway to heaven re-runs and crying?
about 6 hours ago via Twitter for BlackBerry®

Or little house on the prairie re-runs. Something about michael landon just brings tears!!!
43 minutes ago via Twitter for BlackBerry®

I have to ask, what the heck does he do over Little Joe in Bonanza?

And now I am making you apart of this earwig that I got:

Bonanza Theme sung by Ben Cartwright himself

Special K said...

I wonder if Austin goes tumbling down the hillside like 'Half pint? Or does he call Jake that? And does that make him Almanzo?

And then there's the whole question if he was a Nellie (Olsen) fan.

prairiegirl said...

If there are two, I feel like the first BT is Austin's. The only thing I base that on is that of the couple of pictures/vids we've seen where it feels to me like the child in them is BT, the little tot is blond. Now having seen pictures of Austin's nephew and dad, they are both about as blonde as Reese.

So it would seem that Austin has blond hair on his side of the family. Jake's immediate family are all definitely very dark haired.

And the two pictures I'm talking about are the Paris video and the PoP Crew picture. That's also why I believe that little kid in the baby blue outfit is BT.

Methodical Muser said...

Given his age, I can see why Austin would be an admirer of "Little House on the Prairie" and "Highway to Heaven" as well as old Bonanza reruns. Little Joe was pretty impetuous and impulsive so I would think he might find a lot of charm in that character. Hmm, now that I think about it, "JFC" and "Highway to Heaven" have a little bit in common in a supernatural kind of way too. Don't they?

I can also see why Michael Landon might be someone he would give a shout out to given his background. Athletic, involved in social causes, and a USC alumni, he played leadership/critical roles in three highly successful classic television shows (two of which focused on family and the portrayal of a rustic, romantic early America West), a feat I'm sure he would love to come even slightly close to. I even think there is a Community Center named after Michael Landon located not too far from home in the Malibu Bluffs Community Park. Nice to know that our Austin has a sentimental side to counterbalance his need to be viewed as outrageous and dangerous.

prairiegirl said...

And I would also say that the reason why I did stop believing that Reeke was all about PoP was enforced after I saw that Gary & Tony special on CNN. That thing was very enlightening.

#1, I had no idea that the surrogate and the egg donor, by law, had to be two different women.

#2, it costs $$$$ to do this. Those two guys, rightfully so, paid all the expenses. And that doesn't even include all the $K's it cost for the procedure itself. I'm trying to remember what they said but I can't remember. But we're talking like the cost of a car or downpayment on a house, I think. Then you have all the co-pays on the doctor's visits, the hospital bill, probably her insurance (I don't know about that one, though. But wouldn't you think? She's not going to want to foot that bill either. She's donating her body.). There's the prenatal vitamins. Heck, who knows? Maybe even maternity clothes. In Gary & Tony's case, after the surrogate had the baby, they then paid for her further education, so that was several more thousand dollars.

In J&A's case, you would've had the isolation of that birthing floor. Possibly some security. Transportation. And you know there had to be some kind of added cushion for her whether it be hush money or maybe money for schooling or whatever.

BT would have cost big, big bucks. And if the invitro/turkey baster thing didn't take the first time, you would've probably had to pay for the procedure to do it all over again. It's no guaranteed shot.

And if there were two surrogate births? One could see how that PoP money would've been nice to have to pay for two of these costly procedures.

The fact that some celebs have gone the adoption route or in other cases the celeb actually does marry a woman and has offspring via the whole hetero mating way, makes the way that Jake & Austin did it, really a huge, incredible story.

That Gary & Tony special said there were only about 1000 gay couples in the States who have done this. That was incredible to me. I had no idea there were so few. Jake could have married a woman or Austin could have and they could have done it that way. But they're trying to do it in as close a way as I guess two men can to conceive a family together.

For that, I have to hand it to them. It's very courageous (now, let me finish!!!!) lol. In my next comment.

prairiegirl said...
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prairiegirl said...
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Methodical Muser said...

I think you're right, PG. I also remember when Jake first came back home, after his long, grueling promotional tour for PoP, the very next morning he was seen at LaMill with a couple and someone tweeted that he was playing with a little girl.

Special K said...

All good points M&M about Landon connection. And it might be Austin does have a thing for Jewish cowboys too. ; )


IA PG. The coloring and the Austin family and also his Dutch heritage to tend to lead to thinking he is the Daddy-O of Big BT.

prairiegirl said...

Let me finish before I hear the uproar.

It was a very courageous thing to do in Hollywood. And the reason I say this is because (once again) watching this Gary & Tony show, it was amazing to me how they talked to both of their family members and also the surrogate couple. They were all in the south, I think. But they all commented on how this whole type of situation was still not very publicly accepted. And the surrogate mother said they did not tell anyone who she was carrying the child for.

It could just be a geographical thing. But it's still a pretty unique situation. I'm used to reading about it now because I hang out here and on People.com and JustJared, etc.
But I think it still is a kind of a unique, rare idea to alot of other people, particularly your rural areas.

Not to our young people, no. They're growing up in a new, more open generation. But there are still alot of baby boomers and older who grew up in different times.

But it would be cool if J&A felt like they could blaze a trail and show that they can be like any other normal family.

Go out to dinner together. Go for a bicycle/tricycle ride when they got older. Go play at the park. Go to the grocery store. Go to brunch.

And show that they all put on their pants the same way as everyone else. That BT poops in his diaper like any other kid. And hurls himself down on the floor and throws a big fit while Jake looks embarrassed. (LOLLL)

And leaves a BIG MESS on the carpet when they leave their table at IHOP.

And buy toddler clothes, J&J shampoo, Fisher Price toys, Blues Clues DVD's and Gerber babyfood.

And they could all 4 go out and eat at Pizza Hut on Tuesday nights when kids eat free.

And go to the Walk In Clinic when BT sticks a marble up his nose like other kids.

And show the nation that they are just like Joe Blow down the street with the mini van and the Big Tyke bike in the driveway.

prairiegirl said...
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prairiegirl said...

But oh well.


Instead we get to look at Sophin try and make Austin look straight and ready to get engaged any minute.

And that is why I have been getting so angry lately. And I'm sorry if I've been brutal on Austin. But it's just how I have felt.

Because what an awesome picture it could be. What a difference it could have made for the guys had they been able to be free to experience this huge, monumental event in their lives.

Instead, it was laughed at on the internet because people thought Jonathan Jaxson was smoking something to be talking about babies, Jake and Austin. And Jake & Reese made a huge spectacle over in Rome while at that very same time, Austin was very possibly wheeling BT out incognito from the hospital into an awaiting van or SUV covered up in a blanket and whisked away, never to be seen again.

And when he could have been going home with his new baby, Jake was instead creating a big distraction with Ice Maiden just so that Austin could get BT home while all paparazzi eyes were at LAX getting the big coming home pics and the piggyback shots.

And he has to tell interviewers "I plan on being a father someday" and "I hope to have my own kids someday", knowing full well that he is already a father. He's already done his share of burping, powdering, feeding, rocking, reading to, all that stuff.And it sounds like maybe some teething, too, or upset stomach while on the set of Brothers. But he can't say it. He can't pull out his wallet and say, "You wanna see my son? Wanna see my kid? Check this out. That's my boy."

This story is huge. It's bigger than big. And it's the kind of stuff that would knock biographies by Tori Spelling or whoever into the Free to Whoever rack at your local library.

prairiegirl said...

Okay, I'm done. Blogger is driving me batty and I better hit the hay anyway.

I fully expect to be crowned Miss La Stupid-a by the rise of the sun in the morning, anyway. So let the cartoon begin!!

Oh wait, that's Pee Wee Herman. lol!

**sigh**. That was fun, anyways. And spoken with all sincerity.

Nite.

destiny said...

I missed that CNN program. But there was an article a few years back about men in HW using surrogates that talks about the cost and process. I remember it was posted around the time it came out, and then again more recently because it has a lot of quotes from Bomer's bf Simon Halls.

W Magazine

prairiegirl said...

http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/in.america/gay.in.america/

^^^ Hey, I've got to come back and watch more on here when I get home. They have more video of Gary & Tony. A day in the life of the two guys and their kid. They also have video of their baby shower and what looks like the process of what they went through with their egg donor, surrogate, etc.

I know, I know, it's a Fisher Price link. I can come back and do one proper when I get home, lol.

I highly recommend this. It was fascinating and eye-widening, I'm not kidding. And it shows what Jake & Austin very probably went through.

prairiegirl said...

Sorry, but I'm bustin' here. Busted, Baby!!! lol.

1st order of business!!

Gracias, Enrique!!!!!

Oh my dog. Has anyone heard this floor blaster??? I Like It by Enrique Iglesias.

Baby I like it, the way you move on the floor

Baby I like it, come on and give me some more

Oh yes I like it, scream it like never before


And the sampling from All Night Long by Lionel Ritchie. This song screams dancing on the floor. In your bedroom. LOL, on the sidewalk while you're walking!!

karamu fiesta forever

LOL, they even shout out to Abuela to dance it on the front lawn of the White House. abuela = grandma. LOL

I'll be pounding this one and another in my car until I get within several houses of my church. Then I have to crank it down and act civilized.

LOLLLLL!!!!

Baby I like it,

Thank you, Enrique & Adam, for giving this musica!!

round round round, down down down

prairiegirl said...

Pitbull on the dance floor.

pow!

And this one that someone linked to me.

"Fever" by Adam Lambert.

Could you be mine

Let's get inside your car, just you me and the stars, kind of a menage a trois"

That dancing Adam does with the guys at the end of this video rocks.

Here's a One Shot: Adam singing this in the Green Room of the Jonathan Ross show to prim sitting Jake in his nice custom made suit. Hands on the lap, legs crossed.

Hell yeah! LOL. Come on. You can see it, can't ya?

Here's a thought:

That awful scruff Jake's got all over his face? You know what that is? It's not a cover so he can go unrecognized. You know what that is????





That's Austin's chastity belt on his man.

Cause no one's tappin' that.

You better watch it, Austin. While you're out at Bonnaroo with Pom Pom Sophia,

"Baby I Like It" is going to come blasting out at some club and someone's going to pound out that song with Mr. Jakey.

Who is going to leave someone like Jakey to his own devices all the time? No one smart, that's who.

Sorry! Diaahhrea (sp) of the mouth. Snarkism at its tops. Badness.
Just having some fun.

Baby, I like it

Isn't new fresh music awesome?

Okay, time to calm down now.

kk said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Special K said...

My apologies for that obscene comment been up so long. Just got on and saw it.

(.Y.) said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Methodical Muser said...

Hey, there pg. Well, I'm at the airport and could almost hear the music on the dance floor. I like the visual of Adam moving those hips in the Jonathon Ross Green Room. Bet Jake would not have looked uninterested for long. Particularly, since we already know the boy loves to dance! And, I'm not talking about whatever he was try to do on that Russian video:

Oh baby, light's on
But you're mom's not home
I'm sick of laying down alone, hey
With this fever, fever, yeah
My one and own
I wanna get you alone
Give you fever, fever, yeah

Methodical Muser said...

HTML assistance for pg.

Gary and Tony’s World

Although their decision to live deep in the closet can stir up passions from all sides, I think we can agree that 26-year-old men wanting to have a family and take their relationship beyond just the coupledom phase, is admirable and rare. I can even understand the desire to separate one's private life from public obligations and interests. Particularly, in those critical early days of bonding as a family.

Parents, however, instill values and dreams of what's possible, as well as love. And, where I think there is plenty of love being imparted in the Gyllenhaal-Nichols household, I can't help but hope that Jake and Austin begin to understand that part of the world changing depends on everyone taking a leap of faith. Doing what's right and not just what's safe. Creating more than just a family, but a home that lives in the sunlight and not the shadows. After all, isn't that the neighborhood we all would prefer to reside in? It takes a village, but we also need individuals to step up and be the change we want to see in the world.

Okay, I'm offline for awhile. Catch up with everyone this afternoon.

Methodical Muser said...

I'm back. LOL! Just about to sign off when I saw this on my homepage. Just a little shout out to you know who:


Austin is the #3 City in the U.S. for singles:


It has a legendary music scene, unbeatable Tex-Mex and barbecue restaurants, and locals who seem too good to be true. This is one of the few cities where the degree of good looks is not balanced out by a lack of brains or an ability to smile. These urbane Texans are attractive (No. 5), smart (No. 2), friendly (No. 4), and athletic to boot (No. 3).

prairiegirl said...

Oh yeah!! I'm still dancing in my seat. And I had to watch it coming home on the 435. I kept finding my foot pedal pressing too hard on that gas pedal. Those highway patrol love to scout that 4-laner on Sunday mornings. But you know what? lol. I think had I been pulled over, I would've rolled down the window and started singing,

Baby, I like it
The way you move on the floor
Baby I like it
Screamin' like never before


lol. Then I would've cussed all the way home over getting a ticket when it hit me.

Oh, and it's
round, round, round,
low, low, low


lol. Found that out in the shower. It's a miracle I didn't knock all my bottles all over the floor of the shower and wake the neighbors up.

Adam's song is awesome too. Love these young guys who write this bangin' music. Thank heaven for hormones because it's the young people who give us our best hip-movin', foot stompin', arm raisin' music.

And I see that somebody didn't care for the music up there? lol. C'mon, what words of love were thrown my way????!
How can you not get excited about Mr. Enrique Iglesias? And Adam dancing with a crew of young men and singing "I wanna get you alone.

understatement of the century said...

@AUS10NICHOLS Are you friends with Jake Gyllenhaal? You were funny together in The Day After Tomorrow! You had a small part, but it was cool
15 minutes ago via web in reply to AUS10NICHOLS

Giannis1

prairiegirl said...

Be safe, M&M! My partner in crime is leaving!! ***sniff***
Thanks for the link. I was in a hurry this morning.

Man, these sound good in the new speakers.

And then, and then (lol - remember Dude, Where's My Car? and thennnnn...and then?????, we had the most beautiful solo 'Just a Closer Walk With Thee'. She knocked it out of the ballpark.

Beautiful message. About people needing people. That we can hide and try to isolate ourselves, but we cannot do anything alone. We need each other. We need people. Kind of ties in with that great comment you made up there, M&M, at 11:47.

3rd Sunday of the month, I have to be honest & say that I often kind of grumble about driving back to K.C. to usher at my old church. But every time, I always am so glad I go. So great to see people I never see anymore but who were such great friends. And they're always so great to me and then I feel bad. **sigh**.

Well, don't let me hog up all the kilobyte space here. I'll move along; let others talk. Carry on!

and the follow up said...

Giannis1: @AUS10NICHOLS If you talk and see him regularly please tell him to join Twitter, that would be awesome!!! He has a lot of fans who want him!
8 minutes ago via web
Giannis1

ihj said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Special K said...

The link from IHJ led to a site that tripped off a virus alert.

I do not see anything on the IHJ board that says Jake is currently in LA. If someone has information then post it in the comment box.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Stubborn TB said...

The newest post by m links to another livejournal than the one the real m posted with earlier.

Gotta say, that's dedication.
Setting up a completely new livejournal account just to impersonate an OMG poster.