Out Spotlight XXXIX

Today's Outspotlight is Rachel Maddow.

Ms. Maddow is the host of “The Rachel Maddow Show” radio show on Air America, funny, fast-paced, news-based show often described as “the headlines, and the politics behind the headlines.” She is now making history by becoming the first out lesbian to host a prime-time television news program in United Stated, on MSNBC.

Maddow has been working on the MSNBC staff as a political analyst, appearing Monday through Friday as a panelist on MSNBC's “Race for the White House with David Gregory" and appears regularly on MSNBC election coverage. She is also a frequent contributor to, and sometime guest host of, “Countdown with Keith Olbermann.”

The Rachel Maddow Show, will focus first on the final weeks of the historic presidential campaign.

Maddow came out at 17, and 19 watched Pat Buchanan speach at the 1992 Republican convention, calls for a culture war against such liberal notions as "homosexual rights."

"I felt my country was declaring war on me," she says.

Maddow is a policital pundit that brings another perspecitive to the political round table. She brings intelligent, concise and on target analysis from a progressive perspective to the political situation. She holds a doctorate in political science, as well as being a Rhodes scholar, and has a background in, HIV/AIDS activism and prison reform.

To quote Rachel: "She shakes a mean cocktail, drives a bright red pickup, hates Coldplay, loves arguing with conservatives, spends a lot of money on AMTRAK tickets, and dresses like a first-grader. "

It is her "dresses like a first grader" that has gotten her in the news as of late. Page Six of the New York Post has recently reported "MSNBC loves the chatter of liberal pundit Rachel Maddow, but not her look. Maddow, who's getting her own show, is being subjected to a net work makeover. A source says an entire "glam squad" has been hired for the openly gay Maddow, and she has been asked not to wear her Drew Carey-esque glasses again. There's even talk of "putting her in a skirt." We're sure that'll do the trick. A rep for the channel didn't return e-mails"(Sept 2, 2008) Page Six insinuated is that she is too butch for network television. The double standard is that media would never criticize any of her male counterparts being to femme.

"I know I don't look like everybody else on television, "I'm not that pretty. Women on television are over-the-top, beauty-pageant gorgeous. That's not the grounds on which I am competing. There's a basic threshold you have to cross: not looking like you're insulting. You ought to wear makeup, comb your hair." And if she tried for a makeover, she says, "I would fail, and I would look dumb doing it." (August 27, 2008)


"I can't be less gay." (About being the first out lesbian to host a prime time news program) But she does acknowledge the virtues of being a pioneer: "Being the first blank is always important."

She and her partner Susan Mikula share there time between New York City and their home in Western Massachusetts.
RachelMaddow.com

Rachel Maddow (Washington Post Article)

Rachel & Susan

Camel Crackdown

TO: PoP Cast and Crew, Production Staff

FROM: Execuctive Producers

DATE: September 6, 2008

RE: Camel Treats

After yesterday's incident with craft services being cleaned out of food please refrain giving the production camels hits off of a hookah both during filming and after the day's filming has wrapped. We know hits hard not too they are just so damn pushy. Consequently, we've had a difficulty keeping them awake and our budget for camel food has gone through the roof.

Please remember a camel with the munchies and cottonmouth is not a pretty thing.

Please Note: Craft Services will be back up and fully operational for lunch service.

Notice from Craft Services: Brownies will not be available for remainder of shooting in Morocco


Intercepted txt message:
512 - busted no more fun till london - J

Today's F stands for Flashback

(a little fuzzy in the beginnning, but the interview is all there) -

Something for Austin F'in Friday, to help get ready to see him back on the small screen.

Because as everyone knows by now.

"Exclusive: Austin Nichols Relocates to 'One Tree Hill'

John from Cincinnati is moving to Tree Hill. Ex-Cincinnati star Austin Nichols is joining the cast of One Tree Hill, sources confirm to me exclusively. He'll play an indie movie producer who expresses interest in turning Lucas' first novel into a film. And because OTH loves its triangles, he'll also share a past connection with Peyton! My OTH mole describes Nichols' gig as "heavy recurring," which I'm pretty sure means we're going to be seeing a lot of him."
EW.com

One Tree Hill airs in the U.S. Monday nights 9 pm EST on the CW Network. (check your local listings)

So the questions are this:

1) How many episodes before Austin loses his shirt in a scene?

2) How long before his character mentions directors Hal Ashby, John Ford, or Sam Fuller?

3) How much do you bet that will make him The CW's vision of Hipster cool, ironic misunderstood, but with a dream of doing it his way.

And the most importantly

4) What does an indie producers hair look like?

And looks like a some Austin Monday's will be in order . What a way to start the week. Don't think any will be any protesting to some Austin bookends for the work week.

Austin with long time friend and now co-star Sophia Bush.

Now you see it .... now you don't

One Tree Hill

Mister Informed

The things you can find on MySpace, friends, friends of friends, blogs, rants, things you shouldn't know but glad you do, who's dating who, and Lindsay Lohan looking for dixie cups ice cream treats with Sam.

And you can find the 80's too. The 80's form found today was that of Informers who is a 26 year old male living in LA, who status is swinger (is there a better word? can't you just say all comers welcomed and cover all your bases) - is a Libra.

But what if you combine MySpace, The Dating Game, ( if the Governor of California can. Why not?) and 80's?

You get :

"He's a Libra, he's a swinger and he's from LA. Welcome Informers" (cue Dating Game music now - and for some of you it's already playing in your head)

.... Wait that covers a lot of guys in LA.

"So Informers what else can you tell us about yourself."

"I like living fast and being a world traveler."

Informers started filming the movie October 12th 2007, in LA, wrapping in December 6th, filming in Buenos Aires and Uruguay, and is premiering October 8th, at the Sitges Film Festival in Sitges Spain.

Where else would a morally corrupt twenty something play but LA, Buenos Aires, and Punta del Este, Uruguay, an upscale vacation spot, and Sitges, "the San Tropez of Spain".

From Informers profile of looks like he'll fit in at the very gay friendly small Spanish city.

"If you were a tree what kind of tree would you be?"

" I don't know, guess a willow, cause I go either way and have shallow roots. But this time I had cut out some of the deadwood out of my life."

Vampires and zombies are no longer a part of Informers back story, gone vanished, wiped clean, never happened. How Hollywood of him.

"But it sounds like you do have some friends."

" Yeah, good friends, Billy Bob, Kim, Amber, Mickey, Austin, Gregor and Winona. Winona woo! Sadly though, I've lost some friends along the way too."

Was the last one with Brad Renfro, before he passed away too soon and unfortunately because of an overdose.

"What about the ladies in your life?"

"Well I lost out hooking up with an Olsen but still came out aHead"

Ashley was to play Kim Bassinger's step daughter before dropping out with the part going to Amber Head. Of course it had nothing to do having a steamy scene with her former co-star from Holiday in the Sun.... who is that again?
Naughty Mr. Nichols. Seems his character is doing an 80's very special episode of All in the Family.

"What's your motto? What says Informers?"

"My Motto?" "Greed is good. Sex is easy. Youth is forever."

Welcome to Informers.


Sitges Film Festival

Informers MySpace

Remdemption - PoP: Your 5 cents

We've seen the sets, and the star, but what about the story? Know enough of the back story or want a little catch up to see how the Prince of Persia got started. Ok, sure the script is floating out there, do you really have the time read the whole thing, and where's the fun in reading 20 months before the release and knowing everything? So for those who want some PoP lite - this is your no calorie treat



A theme that jumps out is journey of redemption. It seems like redemption is something that Jake is visiting a few of his movies as of late. Brothers, PoP and in a way Rendition.

Redemption is a timeless theme, it is used in countless variations of storytelling. So the question is this, is redemption what Hollywood's writing more of now? Is it a more prominent storyline among more adult roles? Is Jake drawn to a more redemptive storyline as a part of his transition from less boy/man to man on screen?

Back to School

It's back to school time and this time it's Film School for OMG'ers. This is something actors, or a director's son or cinephile could discuss.

Is this the camera that is going to make analog film absolute?

Some think so. This is the Red One ultra high resolution digital camera.

Capable of processing five times more information than any other HD camera and matched with a 35mm PL lens mount, this new technology is considered by many to be the closest thing to shooting on film since, well, shooting on film. If all of Red‘s promises prove true and the around $17,500 price tag (without lens) for the camera, 90% less than the cost of a Panaflex camera, results in a supply that keeps up with the demand, the Red One could become a favorite of independent filmmakers. "It delivers all the dazzle of analog, but it's easier to use and cheaper—by orders of magnitude—than a film camera. In other words, Jim Jannard's, the founder of Oakley, creation threatens to make 35-mm movie film obsolete."

Just as there is a debate about film vs. digital camera for photography, so is the debate for movies. With television production going to High Definition as well, it seems like the digital format is giving movie making a run for its money. But all are not convinced. "It isn‘t that HD is sharper than film, it‘s just that it looks synthetic. Film adds texture, depth and roundness to the image that HD just can‘t do. My first reaction to hearing about Red was that it would look four times more synthetic. Which is alright, if that is the look the director wants.”

What does this technology do to the actors, does it help them or does it make them even more obsessed with their looks when you have technology to bring this type of definition to a huge screen?

But the Red One is getting fans, and not just independent movie makers. "The Red One is being used on at least 40 features. Steven Soderbergh, the Oscar-winning director, borrowed two prototypes to shoot his Che Guevara biopics, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May, and later purchased three for his film The Informant. Peter Jackson, the Lord of the Rings himself, bought four. Director Doug Liman used a Red on Jumper."

Will Liman shoot the Untitled Moon Project on Red?

Can you imagine Jake blue eyes, the ultra bright of the moon surface and space in this format?
Take a look at how you might be seeing Jake in the near future.


skate - shot on red - 120 fps from opus magnum prod. on Vimeo.

“Working with the Red camera brings back the intuitiveness, the fun, the magic of working with film,”

Class dismissed.

And some more Red footage.
Red One Digital Tests Check out the underwater test.

Wired Magazine: The Red One

Some r dazed and confused

Thinking the summer is over? Think again. Summer's not over until the Goose goes South.

Come on down and check out the Salute to Goose Water Spectacular.


You thought Cirque'de Soleil's O show at the Bellagio in Vegas was amazing, nothing can compare to Double GG on skis.

Check out the tricks, the thrills, the spills, the costumes all about the story of a Goose and his journey from gosling to gander. See what happens when it all hits the wake.

So bring the kids, bring the hubs, bring grandma. It's fun for the whole family.

Free candy necklaces to the first 100 when the gates open.