The Daily Sheet April, 2010

[Stilllearning]

Tuesday, April 6th, 2010

April 4th, 1979

Posted by CellarDwellar115 in Planet Heath Vol. 16

*originally made/posted by Trekfan*

Ennis Del Mar is a Lonsome Cowboy Who Will Break Your Heart

Brokeback Mountain is a thing of beauty, the kind of movie some of us live for. It makes you care so deeply about its central characters that you sometimes physically ache for them. It treats you to stunningly beautiful (if often bleak and lonely) landscapes both geographical and emotional. And very organically--without a speck of preaching or pontificating--it lets a heterosexual person look at and truly see the world through the eyes of two men in love. It's the kind of lyrical, exquisitely shot film that moves as languidly as a herd of sheep through a valley. It has as many wide open spaces as the undulating Wyoming foothills much of it takes place in. Sometimes it's as forelorn and quiet as the dusty, barren smalltown tableaus it captures. Each of the major players is wonderful. But Heath Ledger as Ennis Del Mar is an astounding revelation. It's no hyperbole to say that this is as good as anything James Dean, Marlon Brando, Richard Burton, Russell Crowe or any of our greatest actors have ever done. Read more. Source: examiner.com

How A Soundtrack Is Made

Music is often pivotal to a movie's success, and it's not uncommon to come away from a film still humming a melody or singing a particular song, and itching to buy the soundtrack. But that soundtrack winding up in a record store or, increasingly, online, is the result of a painstaking process that is anything but simple. Jennifer Towle, Director, Music & Business Affairs, is a Focus Features executive involved in many aspects of film music, including overseeing the company’s soundtracks. Unlike many of today’s soundtracks, which are compendiums of hit songs barely heard in the movie, Focus’ soundtracks often showcase strong original scores by composers like Bruno Coulais (Coraline) and, currently, first-time film composer James Murphy (Greenberg). For Focus, says Towle, “the soundtrack is a companion piece to the film. It’s a showcase for the music, highlighting the collaboration between the director, composer and music supervisor. Soundtracks are also early ambassadors for our projects.  We aim to release them in advance of their films to generate awareness and conversation. In that sense, they are an important marketing tool. Finally, when we’re working with great artists, it’s a thrill to make wonderful new music available.” For Towle, the first step in producing a film soundtrack involves setting a schedule for the release. “You want to have a label deal in place at least three months in advance of the film’s release date,” she says. When targeting labels to work with, Towle considers both the film as well as the music. “Is the content more appropriate for a major label or a soundtrack specialty label?” she asks. “Does the composer or recording artist have relationships or contractual obligations we should keep in mind?” For example, Towle cites the Brokeback Mountain soundtrack as a good example of artist/label synergy: “With Brokeback, [composer] Gustavo Santaolalla was affiliated with the Universal Music label group, as were Teddy Thompson and Jackie Greene [who both contributed songs to the soundtrack]. We ended up working with Verve Forecast, and they were a great fit. They are a label within the Universal family and really supported the release.” And then, of course, are the more practical concerns: “Can a label get the album out in time? Is there room for it on their release schedule? And will the label support the record in the marketplace?”

Once a label is identified, a deal has to be negotiated. “For the most part, the days of robust soundtrack advances are over,” laughs Towle, referring to the upfront fees (literally, advances on future royalties) paid by record labels to studios for the right to release soundtrack albums. “Films like the Twilight sequels can probably still command big advances because there is huge built in audience based on the success of the first film and soundtrack. That audience wants a souvenir of the movie and expects that there will be great score and new songs by popular artists on the soundtrack. But with albums consisting largely of score, we looking for the best partner rather than the biggest check.” Readying a score album master is typically a straightforward process. The composer and director will choose and sequence which pieces from the film they want. Then the composer will edit, mix, master and deliver the album to the label. Soundtracks with both score and songs require more coordination. Towle calls Brokeback Mountain “a truly integrated hybrid album," as it featured a combination of score, original songs written for the film, pre-existing tracks licensed for the film, and new versions of existing songs that were re-recorded for the film. In the latter category, Teddy Thompson dueted with Rufus Wainwright on "King of the Road" (the song made famous by Roger Miller) and Willie Nelson put his own spin on Bob Dylan's "He Was a Friend of Mine.”

For the new material, Teddy Thompson sang "I Don't Want to Say Goodbye" by composer Gustvao Santaolalla, and Greene wrote and performed "I Will Never Let You Go" specifically for the movie. The most high profile new song, though, was "A Love That Will Never Grow Old," written by Santaolalla and Elton John lyricist Bernie Taupin and performed by Emmylou Harris; it won a number of awards including the Golden Globe for Best Original Song. Though the song was ineligible for the Academy Awards, Santaolalla's lovely, Western-sounding, guitar-based score won the Oscar for Best Original Score while the film's soundtrack album also earned a Grammy nomination for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album. Read more. Source: focusfeatures.com

Same-sex Marriage and Boulder

It`s a confusing time. Gay men and lesbians are demanding equal civil rights. People who favor the status quo and others who think homosexuality is an abomination -- the latter group predominently filled with religious groups -- push back. There is a step forward in favor of gay rights in municipalities around the country. It faces a band of holy warriors determined to reject those steps, and supportive elected officials. Laws are repealed, rights stripped away. It is 1975. And a young Boulder County Clerk is about to unwittingly jump, miniskirt and all, right into the middle of it. Around this time, Clela Rorex, a 30-year-old Boulder feminist and a single mother, heard that Democrats were determined to run a man for county clerk. The Republicans were backing a woman, and the Democrats figured they could surely win with a man. "I was young, and naive. I was naive even just running for office," she said this week. She took office in January 1975. Just a few months later, a gay couple attempted to wed in Colorado Springs. "They were told to go to Boulder, because they do that sort of thing up there," Rorex said.

At the time, she said it seemed like a simple decision, not based in morality or fairness. The gay men, Dave McCord and Dave Zamora, were 27 and asked for a marriage license. "I asked the District Attorney (Alex Hunter). He said it wasn`t illegal. So I did it," she said. On March 27, 1975, she issued them a marriage license. Five more same-sex couples would follow. She didn`t expect the furor, she says. The state`s attorney general had swiftly acted, making each of the same-sex unions from Boulder illegal. The Immigration and Naturalization Service moved to deport one of the men, an Australian, after sending an official government letter stating: "You have failed to establish that a bona fide marital relationship can exist between faggots." That vile slur surfaced just last week from protesters, against gay members of Congress over the passage of health care reform. Read more. Source: dailycamera.com

Filmmaker Selects 25 Essential Movie Soundtracks Independent filmmakers looking for film-music inspiration should check out the 25 scores Filmmaker magazine has selected as some of the coolest film music around. The following scores are all in some ways seminal and speak to complex and innovative relationships between music and screen storytelling. BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN (2005) For his story of a love affair between two ranchers in the American West, director Ang Lee looked to Argentina’s Gustavo Santaolalla, who composed a simple yet poignant series of melodies for strings and guitar. Read more. Source: focusfeatures.com

THE BIG PICTURE: Selective Evils Get the Cut

ARIDUL ANWAR FARINORDIN has mixed feelings over the ruling concerning rempit scenes and those involving homosexuals in local films. We all die in the end and whether we repent before we breathe our last is knowledge exclusive to the Higher Power. All we can do is to live life to the fullest, do good and pray that we are spared the wrath of our Creator when the time finally comes. So it’s with mixed feelings that I view the recent ruling that rempit (illegal racing) scenes and those involving homosexuals are allowed only if the characters repent at the end of the film or meet a fate that will repel viewers from emulating them. This is not a morality piece, so I won’t go there. Nor is this is an analysis of the Censorship Board’s panic-driven, self-imposed paranoia that has so far seen not just rempits and homosexuals on the chopping board, but also ghosts (which are now allowed back on our big screens) and films on certain themes. Like rempits, homosexuals are now seen as “social deviants” and so should not be glamorised on the big screen. In all fairness, so are prostitutes, drug users and corrupt officers. If that’s the case, we’re likely to see the dawn of a new cinematic era: The age of repentance. This would be so exciting — I can already tell how the story is going to end if it deals with any of the subjects mentioned. Why bother going to the cinema to see a local film? And why should we focus on the wrongs and not the rights — elements of love, compassion, kindness, forgiveness and humility in the films? Remember the late Yasmin Ahmad’s Muallaf? We kicked ourselves when Sharifah Amani Syed Yahya shaved her head to play her character but we overlooked the film’s central theme on love and forgiveness.

Muallaf is an example of a good film where noble intentions were lost in the flurry of overblown controversy. Rabun, Sepet and Gubra received the same fate, too, all because the moral police in our society felt displays of affection between a middle-aged couple, intercultural romance and love between two schoolchildren were just too much. Paranoia also took the better of Brokeback Mountain, a love story between two men, which was given a no-go by some cinemas in the Midwest. The film by Ang Lee was never released in Malaysia, although I now wonder if it would receive the green light under the current board ruling. After all, didn’t the cowboy Jack Twist (played by Jake Gyllenhaal) die a horrible death while his lover Ennis Del Mar (the late Heath Ledger) was left with such a horrible feeling of despair and loss? Surely, this isn’t something that viewers would want to “emulate”. Read more. Source: nst.com.my

From the Steps of Adams Library

Brokeback Mountain: A Film Review by Brian Baker When I first heard about Brokeback Mountain, Ang Lee’s movie based on the short story by Annie Proulx, I had no idea it would change my stance on an important and controversial “gay” issue. It was 2005; I was 27 and a happily single gay man. Brokeback Mountain changed forever my views on same-sex marriage. This film stunned me. Director Ang Lee’s ability to portray this love story without censorship made me feel that, finally, a real “gay” love story had been portrayed in a mainstream movie. I went to the theatre with anyone I knew who wanted to see it and ended up seeing it five times. I bought the DVD the day it came out and have shown it to many friends and family members. Each time I watch it I am struck by the simplicity of the film; marriage should never have to be denied to people even though it doesn’t fit the social norms. Although actors Heath Ledger and Jake Gillianhael did not win awards for their portrayals of Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist, Brokeback Mountain won Golden Globes and Oscars, including Best Achievement in Directing and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published. At last the gay community has a film that can change social stereotypes and opinion in a vast and fundamental way. Download the PDF. Source: ric.com

Just Another Day At The Rodeo Drag, bareback riding and charity work round out gay cowboys with heart. Although we are in Music City, those cowboys haven’t wandered in on their way downtown to the honky-tonks on Broadway. They are members of the Smokey Mountain Rodeo Association (SMRA) trying to raise money and awareness for a number of charitable organizations. The SMRA is a member association of the International Gay Rodeo Association (IGRA). Gay rodeo first got its start back in Reno, Nev., in 1975 when a group in Reno’s gay community decided to hold a rodeo as a fundraising idea to support the Muscular Dystrophy Association. By the early 1980s, gay rodeo associations and events were formed in Colorado, Texas, Nevada, Arizona, Oklahoma and California. In 1985, the IGRA was formed, and today it currently has member associations representing several states, the District of Columbia and two Canadian provinces. SMRA officially became the IGRA’s 24th member association in July 2003. While thoughts of gay cowboys might conjure images from "Brokeback Mountain," the SMRA hopes to be equally associated with social networking and charity work. Read more. Source: outandaboutnewspaper.com

Wyoming Men Ranked Lowest Nationally for Penis Size

Condomania, an online condom retailer, has released penis size rankings of all 50 states and 20 major American cities. National results fell on an almost-perfect bell curve: 25% of the male population is under 5″ in Length, 50% are between 5″ and 6″ in length, and 25% are longer than 6″ in length. The lowest-ranking state and city? Wyoming and Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas. Take note, size queens, and cancel those Brokeback Mountain tour travel plans. Read more. Source: blogout.justout.com

Guinea's 2008 Brokeback Mountain Stamp Posted by BayCityJohn in Brokeback Memorabilia "This is a beautiful sheet of 6 stamps, issued by Guinea in 2008, featuring the Venice Film Festival. Featured award-winning films and stars are "Gloria" starring Gena Rowlands, César Award-winning Best Film"Au Revoir les Enfants", "Belle De Jour" starring César Award-winning French actress Catherine Deneuve, "Brokeback Mountain" starring Academy Award-winning Australian actor Heath Ledger, "Hana-Bi" directed by & starring Takeshi Kitano, and "Michael Collins" starring Irish actor Liam Neeson."

All-Knowing Facebook Freaks Me Out

I hate when Facebook knows you're gay. It just finds out somehow. It almost knew before I did. I might have been still stuck at the having-perfectly-innocent-daydreams-about-Jude-Law stage' but Facebook banners were already heavily marketing me Aussie Bum swimwear and holidays in Mykonos. "Not saying you're gay or anything," they seemed to smirk. "But this is where you might like to go on holiday. While wearing this." And of course, just for that, I'd love to prove them wrong, to show them that just because I might like boys it doesn't actually follow that I am some marketing demographic cliche. But then I see Brokeback Mountain is on sale and I add to cart. Read more. Source: independent.ie

Riderless Horse Painting



Riding the Rim, Image size: 22 1/2"  x 19 1/4"'' Edition size: 1250

With April we begin a new artist series, The Riderless Horse Painting, which evokes an image of Ennis del Mar after he lost his lover, Jack Twist. The painting above, entitled Riding the Rim, was painted by celebrated Western artist James Bama, and now currently available as a limited edition print. From his page on wikipedia.com: James Bama (born 1926) is an American artist known for his realistic paintings and etchings of Western subjects. Life in Wyoming led to his comment, "Here an artist can trace the beginnings of Western history, see the first buildings, the oldest wagons, saddles and guns, and be up close to the remnants of Indian culture ... And you can stand surrounded by nature's wonders."

View and purchase artwork by James Bama  Source: jamesbama.com

Fun Question of the Week

This week’s Question: There have been several discontinued Olympic sports, can you name any of them? Let us know your answer in the response thread. Last week's question and answer: This desert in Africa is about 350,000 square miles, and is not completely arid. It has red sand and large amounts of game and minerals. This desert is inhabited by a tribe that speaks a language with clicks; can you name it? Yes, indeed - tfferg, donna, andy, royandronnie, Sason, and gnash - the Kalahari desert is the answer and it is inhabited by the San Bushmen, who speak with clicks.

Post of the Day

Posted by kathy in Brokeback's Impact on Women.  Hi everyone: I don't even know how to begin to answer this topic.  (Should have some time ago, but better late...). BBM effected me so much, in my heart, in my mind, that it does not go away. All I did is want to watch it again & again. That is still the case. The heartbreaking love story. The tragic ending. The lousy lives Ennis & Jack always had because they were not w/each other. It hit me in every way. As a woman, you may say I'm just being too sensitive and sad to the entire story; that may be so. But I can't stop thinking about it to this day. It's a classic already and we know it.  Heath and Jake   are  more than perfect. With our dear Heath gone, it makes me cry even more.   Well, perhaps I'll be better another time.  Right now, I'm wanting to watch it again!  It really never leaves you, does it? I LOVE IT AND ALWAYS WILL - true enough.

The Forum Image

Posted by Janie-G in BBM Fanart.

Quote of the Day



“It's funny to me that people find other people getting coffee
really interesting, or walking their dog in the dog park.”

~ Jake Gyllenhaal ~

Photo Caption of the Day

Posted by Tony5 in Photo Captioning Fun 5

Alma: WHAT? Monroe goes fishing with him, too?

Contributors: CellarDwellar115, Trekfan, Tony5, Janie-G, kathy

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Tuesday, April 13th, 2010

As Seen in the Movies: Brokeback Mountain

Through our travels, we’ve noticed that a lot of tourist attractions from obscure places get visitors simply based on the 15 minutes of fame that they’ve enjoyed in a movie. These places seem to pop up all over the world. Perhaps the directors who’ve made these movies are as avid about traveling as we are, and have searched all over the world to find the perfect location to shoot their film. Today’s case in point: Brokeback Mountain. If you haven’t heard of or seen Brokeback Mountain by now, you’ve probably just woken up from a 5 year nap. For those who need a quick recap, Brokeback Mountain was about two cowboys who go into the mountains together to herd sheep, but end up horsin’ around in a whole other way (if you catch my drift). These two cowboys then end up having a very tumultuous yet painful love affair that spans decades. This was also the movie that introduced us to the talents of the late Heath Ledger and the oh-so-pretty Jake Gyllenhaal. Anyways, here’s a little useless trivia unknown fact that you may not know from the movie. Though the story was set in Wyoming, the director chose to film the movie in Canadian rockies, using the backdrop of three mountain peaks called the Three Sisters. Source: edgeoftheearth.wordpress.com     Photo: pocaterrainn.com

Big Sister, Middle Sister and Little Sister

Cowboys of the Silver Screen Stamp Ceremony On April 17, the United States Postal Service will release the “Cowboys of the Silver Screen" commemorative stamp set featuring Gene Autry, William S. Hart, Tom Mix, and Roy Rogers.  An official unveiling will take place at the Autry National Center, where the USPS will be hand-canceling the stamps with the official First-Day-of-Sale postmark. This is the first time Gene Autry has been featured on a postage stamp, and the Museum of the American West plans to recognize this important milestone with a lobby exhibition that will remain up through Founder’s Day in October. The cameo will include artifacts relating to all four cowboys, focusing on different aspects of their illustrious careers. Date/Time: Saturday, Apr 17, 2010, 9:30 am - 11:00 am RSVP/Reservations: 818-752-7770 Read more. Source: theautry.org

Spotlight on Slash

By donna

Loreen - Only When You’re Sure Have you ever stopped to marvel at the fact that some of our slash writers and forum friends hail from all corners of the globe? Sometimes, places and countries we have only heard about from the evening news, or learned about in a high school Geography class, can be the home of someone so affected by Brokeback Mountain that they were compelled to write a fanfiction story of their own. Such is the case of slash writer and forum member, Loreen. Loreen may be our only forum member from Croatia. Fortunately for her, and us, twenty-first century globalization has facilitated the sharing of fanfiction in a way that wasn’t possible until recent years. “We are connected now with the Internet and different media,” says Loreen. “It is not completely the same in Croatia as it is in the United States, but it is absolutely near. Even Brokeback Mountain was shown here very soon after it was released in the U.S.”

Since Loreen has lived in Croatia for most of her life, English is not her first language. But her vivid imagination has enabled her to come up with interesting story scenarios with an American touch. In her multi-chapter story, Only When You’re Sure, a toxic algal bloom along the west coast of the United States sets the stage for a personnel shake-up at “The Ocean Institute.” When the Institute’s Research Director suffers a life-threatening illness, Dr. Ennis Del Mar is thrust into the Director’s position and a colleague from the Institute’s eastern branch transfers in to take over for Del Mar. That new colleague is none other than Jack Twist.     Ennis closed the office door, caught there in the scent of Jack Twist again. He sat in his chair. The scent was pleasant, but it made Ennis uneasy, restless. “I hate cologne,” Ennis said to himself angrily. He didn’t really, in fact he often used it himself, but he thought that Jack’s was just too provoking. Just like his eyes. Eyes? Shit, did I even notice his eyes? I must be nuts, Ennis thought as he sat at his desk. Loreen first saw Brokeback Mountain entirely by accident. While flipping channels, she stumbled onto the scene where Aguirre spies through his binoculars. “The only thing I understood after the first time watching was that I wanted to see the movie again!” The second time the movie came around, she overslept. “But this time I managed to wake up at the same scene! It didn’t matter, I was already obsessed. For the first time in my life I bought a DVD and the SS all together. I was crazy about something, which I'd never been in my life before.” “Ennis closed the office door, caught there in the scent of Jack Twist again. He sat in his chair. The scent was pleasant, but it made Ennis uneasy, restless.” From that experience in seeing the movie, Loreen began to write. “My first attempt was a one-shot which grew to be a multi-chapter story called Returning to Brokeback. I was inspired by the second night in the tent scene. I simply needed to put that on paper. Some people encouraged me to continue writing, and I did, following my first story with Only When You're Sure.” Jack’s eyes met Ennis’s, and in that moment, the word love flew through his mind. His lusting body ceased moving in that moment of magic. But Jack didn’t utter the word as passion took over him again. Ennis wrapped his hands gently around Jack’s body and lifted his head for a kiss, while his body arched up toward Jack’s. Jack slightly brushed his lips against Ennis’s, then again, until his tongue met with Ennis's. The touch was tentative at first, but then they started a gentle dance without music, kissing deeply. Only When You’re Sure is an adorable feel-good story and includes incarnations of nearly every character from Brokeback Mountain. Loreen doesn’t plot out the details of her stories extensively before writing, but lets the story evolve as she writes and edits. “Thanks for calling it adorable,” she says. “It was supposed to be something like that. When I have an idea for the story, I never have a clear idea what it will be. There's only a skeleton of it, which fills during time. Only When You're Sure started in my mind completely different and turned out to be something else, but well accepted, which I believe is the most important thing." The oceanographic crisis that sets the plot in motion in Only When You're Sure wasn’t a stretch for Loreen to write, as she puts her Master of Science degree to good use in her fanfiction. In her real life, she is a wife and a stay-at-home Mom to two children in Split, Croatia. Her household includes a Maltese, a parrot and a miniature hamster. Although Loreen regrets not finding Brokeback Mountain when the movie was first released, she is grateful that she has found something that is so valuable to her, in our community. “The movie made me write something for the first time in my life. I really enjoy being here and I've met a lot of great people who I wouldn’t have known otherwise.” Check out Loreen’s writing on LiveJournal.  “Only When You’re Sure” begins here. Please remember that all contributors write out of love for Ennis and Jack. The only payment they receive is your appreciative comment.

'One Life to Live' star Brett Claywell Loses Job Fans of ABC’s One Live to Live are still reeling from the news that the producers have decided to eliminate the storyline involving gay couple Kyle Lewis (Brett Claywell) and Oliver Fish (Scott Evans). Last year, the characters participated in daytime’s first-ever love scene involving two men — a development that was lauded by organizations like the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. Last month, the daytime drama received a GLAAD Media Award two days after the news broke that ”Kish” had been cut. Says Jarrett Barrios, GLAAD’s President, “While we understand that the close of storylines is a frequent occurrence on daytime dramas, canceling this story just as it gains momentum is a step backward in ABC Daytime’s representation of the lives of gay Americans.” (ABC says there are no plans to advance their story but “the door is always open for their return.”) The actors will have their last scene together on April 12; Claywell’s final episode is April 16. Claywell talked to EW about the loss of his character and why he thinks ratings had something to do with it. (OLTL remains the second least-watched sudser in daytime, behind the canceled As the World Turns.) Read the interview. Source: hollywoodinsider.ew.com

Dorothy Iannone at Peres Projects

Javier Peres is very pleased to present the first Los Angeles solo exhibition by American artist Dorothy Iannone (b. Boston, 1933, lives/works Berlin). Known for her continuous challenges to contemporary culture and a practice that opens the borders between her art and life, Iannone uses a stylized approach to document the female sexual experience from a singular perspective. The confrontational, open nature of her work accompanies its formal richness and conceptual sophistication in a discomposed alliance that borders on the uncanny. Continuing the retrospective theme of her recent New Museum retrospective, the artist has chosen to exhibit work from the 1960's to the present, including her signature early paintings, silk screens, drawings and an important video box. "This Sweetness Outside of Time" will be on view at Peres Projects (2766 S. La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90034) through May 29, 2010. Read more. Source: peresprojects.com Brokeback Mountain 2010 Gouache and acrylic on paper on wood 20.9 x 21.3 x 7.1 inches

Western Pennsylvania Dogs Strut Their Stuff at Annual Show Nathan Schollaert, 10, thought he wanted a beagle. "We are getting a puppy," said Schollaert of Charleroi, who wants his new dog to get along with the two he already has -- an English black Lab and a Lhasa apso. But after seeing some of the 137 breeds on display at Saturday's dog show in the D.L. Lawrence Convention Center, where 1,154 dogs were being shown, Nathan wasn't sure what kind of dog he wanted. His mother, Ronda Schollaert, was particularly impressed with Ledger, a Tibetan mastiff owned by Dianna Walker of Indiana Township. "He seems so friendly," Ronda Schollaert said. Ledger' s father won Best of Breed in New York's famous Westminster Kennel Club dog show in 2008. Named for actor Heath Ledger, the dog is a large, friendly and has a thick, black-and-tan mane that makes furniture too hot for him to sleep on. "He sleeps on the coffee table," Walker said. Read more. Source: pittsburghlive.com Read more about Tibetan Mastiffs at petinsuranceonline.co.uk

Riderless Horse Painting



The Act of Being Free in One Act, acrylic on paper, 48" x 57"

This week's featured riderless horse painting is by Dean Hunter-Cutrona. "The Act of Being Free in One Act shows a bold, riderless horse charging from the center of the frame towards the viewer. Fragments of text and fragements of lines surround the central image. In an early version of the piece, the horse had a rider, which Hunter-Cutrona painted out of the picture when he realized that with a rider the horse could not be free."

View more paintings and sculptures by Dean Hunter-Cutrona.  Source: deanhc.com

Brokeback Ridge: Queensland's New Gay Holiday Destination

Planning a trip to Australia? You might want to consider a trip to Brokeback Ridge, a secluded gay bush retreat located on Central Queensland's Discovery Coast. Amenities include: "55 acres of picturesque, secluded Aussie bush, Catering for our GLBT Community, Fully Equiped Camp Kitchen, Relaxing Plunge Pool Area and Deck, Themed Events, Campfire area, Huge Outdoor Cinema, Outdoor Fire-Heated Bath, BBQ areas, Shaded Private Areas, Bush Walks and Nature Trails, Activity Nights, Massage/Reiki," and by special arrangement, "Feeding the Animals and Wildlife." Accommodations are varied and include tent camping or parking a RV, to a relaxing overnight stay at their B&B: "We cater for every style of accommodation at Brokeback Ridge, from re-living the 'Brokeback Mountain' camping experience to plugging in your caravan or treating your self the luxury of our B&B room," a Balinese-themed bedroom featuring, "a queen size bed and ensuite, evening meal and wholesome, home-cooked country breakfast." The new gay resort is close to beaches and national parks, and flight, rail, and coach transfers are available. On a budget but still want to get away? Brokaback Ridge offers a piece of paradise in exchange for helping out with the upkeep of the place, with a suggested week-long minimum stay. Not bad, considering the cuddly kangaroos lounging about that you might get to pet. Read more. Source: brokebackridge.net

Remembering Dixie Carter (and Julia Sugarbaker) By Marc Harshbarger of the Deep Dish blog: Dixie Carter was my favorite Designing Woman. As much as I enjoyed the outrageous behavior of Delta Burke's Suzanne, it was the sharp and hilarious barbs provided by Carter's Julia Sugarbaker that I looked forward to the most. I can still hear her husky, Southern accent of disapproval - especially when it came to her younger sister: "Suzanne, if sex were fast food, there'd be an arch over your bed!" Carter, who died [Saturday] at age 70, was born in Tennessee and was first runner-up in the 1959 Miss Tennessee pageant. She made her professional stage debut in a Memphis production of Carousel in 1960. However, it wasn't until she returned to acting in 1974 after an eight-year hiatus to raise her two daughters that her career began to take off. Carter temporarily replaced actress Nancy Pinkerton as Dorian Cramer on the daytime soap opera, One Life to Live, while Pinkerton was on maternity leave, and she was soon cast as Assistant D.A. Brandy Henderson on The Edge of Night - a role she played from 1974-76. Read more, and watch a selection of Designing Women videos.  Source: chicagonow.com

Prince of Perzsia



Souce: shockya.com

Fun Question of the Week

This week’s Question: Can you name the 7 deadly sins? Let us know your answer in the response thread. Last week's question and answer: There have been several discontinued Olympic sports, can you name any of them? These sports primarily include croquet, cricket, Jeu de Paume, pelota, polo, roque, rackets, tug-of-war, lacrosse and motor-boating, but a complete, more detailed list can be found here. Thanks Lyle (Mooska) for keeping us informed about changes for the upcoming Olympics!

Posts of the Day By fritzkep and Lyle (Mooska) in Don't Ask, Don't Tell: Gays, friends, and the military: Lyle: "I've often wondered if any straight guys ever tried to get out of their military service by pretending they were gay? I've never heard of it happening, but you think it must have, right?  Especially when the draft was in place. I mean, you say you're gay and out you go in the past. Of course, that's the premise of that film The Gay Deceivers. Two straight guys pretend they're gay to avoid the draft. Anyone ever see that?" Fritz: "I've always wondered in today's climate if the government reinstated the draft. First of all, so many straight men would claim to be gay, it would be hilarious! And even the most conservative homophobes would have to reconsider their opposition in order to maintain military readiness. "Military discrimination against gay people is a "luxury" only available during peacetime."

The Forum Image

Posted by BayCityJohn in Brokeback Memorabilia.

Quote of the Day

“There is something of the cowboy in every American,
but a little bit of the sheep station in most Australians.”

~ Matthew Parris ~

Photo Caption of the Day

Posted by royandronnie in Photo Captioning Fun 5

"Problem is, Jack, I keep feelin like there's someone lookin over my shoulder."

Contributors: donna, Loreen, fritzkep, Lyle (Mooska), BayCityJohn, royandronnie

Calendar of Events

If you have ideas about initiating a gathering, go to Start Your Own Threads
and get the ball rolling to plan a get-together near you.

Let us know of any events you’d like listed here.

The Daily Sheet is a production of The Ultimate Brokeback Forum at www.davecullen.com/forum.

Today's edition by gnash

Fun Question of the Week compiled by Stilllearning

Researchers: BayCityJohn, Killersmom, Kittyhawk, Marge_Innavera, Stilllearning

Editors emeritae: CactusGal, Marge_Innavera, tellyouwhat, Stilllearning, MissYouSoMuch

We count on you to send us your news items, questions, and nominations for posts of the day.
If you have items you’d like to see published, send them to gnash.

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When a new issue of TDS is posted, you will be notified by e-mail.

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[Stilllearning]

Tuesday, April 20th, 2010

Schamus, Plural and Singular

The idea of a unitary Schamus is as ludicrous as the single bullet theory. No lone Schamus could subtend so large an angle. One needs to speak of Schamuses, or, perhaps, Schami. Nabokov once observed that "reality" is a word that only makes sense within inverted commas. Perhaps "Schamus" is a word that only makes sense if it applies equally to the plural. Like "aircraft," "trousers," "eyeglasses" or "fish." Writer, builder, scholar, producer, family man, chef, public intellectual, mogul, friend-it's a multiplicity of identities rarely seen outside early silent serials (Fantômas, Mabuse) about disguised archfiends. Even his name suggests the plurality: As Wikipedia wryly notes, "Friends, acquaintances and even rivals sometimes refer to him as James James, Schamus Schamus, or Seamus Seamus because his first and last names are etymological cognates." He is almost literary in his effects. So one might say, "The first time I laid eyes on James Schamus he was drunk in a Rolls-Royce Silver Wraith outside the terrace of The Dancers." One might say, "Stately, plump James Schamus came from the stairhead, bearing a bowl of lather on which a mirror and a razor lay crossed." One might say, "Many years later, as he faced the firing squad, Colonel James Schamus was to remember that distant afternoon when his father took him to discover ice."

But if the Schamus we speak of today is but one of all possible Schami, it is, I would maintain, the most important one, the central one, the generative one, the smallest and most determinative figure at the heart of the matryoshka doll. And that is Schamus the writer. See James Schamus interviewed at the Sundance Kabuki Cinemas in San Francisco on Saturday, May 1st, followed by the West Coast premiere of the newly completed director's cut of Ride with the Devil. Read more.  Source: fest10.sff

Jake Gyllenhaal Talks About Heath Ledger, Life, and Love in GQ Jake Gyllenhaal's penetrating stare on the May cover of GQ is just a hint at the intense article inside. Beyond just chatting about his childhood love of the Van Halen song "Jump," Jake delves deep into some of his most difficult moments on set — from "Brokeback Mountain" era conflict with Heath Ledger to fights with Peter Sarsgaard while working on Jarhead. Jake also backs off a little on his former statements that the "most important job for a man is finding the right woman." This time Jake says, "It goes in either direction . . . who am I to say what the most important thing in life is? The best answer I could give to any of those things is that I really don't know. Particularly right now in my life." Jake also talked candidly about his relationship with Heath Ledger and the effect his death had on Jake's life outlook. Read more. Source: popsugar.com

Chris Colfer as Kurt Hummel

High Notes at GLAAD Awards Following up on its recent victories at the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards, Fox TV mega-hit "Glee" won best comedy series at the GLAAD Awards, bestowed at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel. Accepting the prize, "Glee" series writer and co-creator Ryan Murphy hailed cast member Chris Colfer, who portrays gay character Kurt Hummel: “We have so much love for our own Chris Colfer, who at age 19 when the media came calling, Chris was true to who he is instead of waiting to announce (he’s gay) at 40 when it doesn’t matter ... Chris' character will never be the victim. Highlights of the L.A. ceremony included Adam Lambert performing two songs. Prior to the ceremony he dished with Access Hollywood about the recent news that Ricky Martin's come out of the closet: "It's great to see people like Ricky feeling liberated to come out and come forward, and hopefully it will open the door wide open for more and more people to be comfortable with who they are." Read more. Source: goldderby.latimes.com

James Mangold Circling Jake Gyllenhall's "Namath"

James Mangold has quietly worked his way up the Hollywood A-list in recent years. He started out strong, with "Cop Land" and "Girl, Interrupted," hit a couple of snags ("Kate and Leopold," "Identity," a great movie until the disastrous ending), and then picked up steam again with "Walk the Line" and "3:10 to Yuma", the latter of which may be the pinnacle of the man’s career. It if is, he’ll have nothing to be ashamed of. Mangold is back in theaters this summer, helming the Tom Cruise/Cameron Diaz action-comedy "Knight and Day" (which I’ve got a summer movie boner for), and the list of projects on his plate, which already includes a feature based on the documentary "Murderball" and a Dusty Springfield biopic, is growing. You can add "Namath" to that growing plate, so says The Hollywood Cog. Read more. Source: pajiba.com

Women Writing the West

Over the weekend, I drove to Denver for The Association of Writers and Writing Program's annual conference, which assumed a bit of a Western theme this year. Poets and writers overran the downtown convention center, sampling from a myriad of readings and panels. One of these focused on the challenges women writing west of the Mississippi face, and the change these authors have brought to the Western literary landscape — a conversation I hope others will continue here. "Didn’t it take a female? We don't have men writing that kind of stuff." Moderator Alyson Hagy, a Virginian now writing in Wyoming, began the discussion by suggesting women have brought a "certain feminine intuition" to Western writing. Annie Proulx, for one, drew much needed attention to long-closeted issues in her powerful short story collection, Close Range: Wyoming Stories, spotlighting homoeroticism and rape (in the stories "Brokeback Mountain" and "The Mud Below" respectively). "Didn’t it take a female?" Hagy asked the audience. "We don't have men writing that kind of stuff." "Western" writing implies a subject matter, the panel agreed, not where you put pen to paper. "In Wyoming, if you aren't writing about the West, you aren't a Western writer," said Hagy. What's more, Western writing seems as much about a certain "high riding, hard living" sensibility as it does about descriptions of sage and steppe. "We can’t disregard how traditions affect us," Hagy said. "What's key is to get outside it and say, 'What am I doing here? What’s really happening in this region?'" She proposed that, in ways, a non-Westerner is better-equipped to be critical. Read more. Source: The Goat Blog

Brokeback Rubbernecker Breaks Broke Brooklynite’s Back in Braking Heartbreak

THE future of love revealed itself to me one morning two autumns ago as I zipped up my toddler’s sweater outside a popular cafe in Boerum Hill in Brooklyn, one that played a role in my amorous past. About five years earlier, this cafe was where I first worked up the nerve to talk to the woman who would become my wife. After silently watching her drink her morning coffee for about a month, I finally seized on the fact that she was toting a yoga mat to sputter out my opening line, something sparkling like: “Do you do yoga around here?” She and I are the first married couple who met at the cafe, and our son, Eliot, is considered to be the cafe’s first baby, two feats that have accorded our family a small measure of local celebrity. But I am aware that there are far bigger celebrities among us in the neighborhood. The events leading up to my revelation about love’s future began as I ate a bagel at one of the two small tables tucked behind the counter of the tiny cafe, while my son drummed happily on the metal top of the other. A goggle-eyed girl peered around the corner, clearly excited by Eliot’s drumming. Though I hadn’t seen her in some time, I recognized the child as Matilda Ledger, the daughter of the actors Michelle Williams and Heath Ledger. “Mommy!” she exclaimed. “Can I play drums with that boy?” Read more.  Source: nytimes.com   Illustration: Christopher Silas Neal

Hospitals Say They Will Heed Obama Rule on Gay, Lesbian Visits

President Obama's order that hospitals must stop denying patients visits from gay, lesbian and unmarried partners defuses a bitter dispute, but may not solve it, officials on both sides said Friday. The president's memo declares unmarried partners the same as family when it comes to hospital visits, ending the discriminatory effect of "family-only" rules that some institutions have used to limit the number of people visiting patients. Obama was reportedly moved to act by the Miami case of Janice Langbehn, who was denied access to her 18-year partner, Lisa Marie Pond, who was dying at Jackson Memorial Hospital in 2007. Pond was stricken when the Washington state couple was here for a cruise. Obama phoned Langbehn from Air Force One on Thursday night while returning to Washington from a visit to Miami. Gay activists celebrated his action, and conservative groups said they did not oppose it enough to fight it. Read more. Source: sun-sentinel.com

Artist Captures America's Real Brokeback Mountain

One of the UK's fastest-emerging photographers, Jane Hilton, will mark the release of her latest book in London this week - with an exhibition celebrating America's real-life cowboys. Pate Meinzner, Cowboy, Benjamin, Texas, 2009 In The Dead Eagle Trail, the British-born photographer's book, she documents and explores one of the most iconic, romantic archetypes of American culture and history – the cowboy and his way of life – which reached a fever pitch of interest in 2005 due to the Ang Lee film Brokeback Mountain. Read more.  Source: pinkpaper.com   Watch a slideshow: foto8.com

Beyond Brokeback: Travel Gay Alberta from Top to Bottom

Conservative queen or impossible princess? Alberta goes beyond Brokeback in her LGBT culture. Stay urban for hot events or go backcountry for some getaways. Here are our top picks for a good time in Alberta: A thriving gay culture in the province’s urban hubs welcomes LGBT visitors from near and far. Stay at the Wingate by Wyndam in Calgary and head downtown for drinks at the Backlot on 10th Avenue or visit the Calgary Eagle – aka “the Bird” – for fetish fun. In Edmonton, stroll Whyte Avenue’s alternative bars and restaurants or pop into the bath house, Down Under, for a quick dip. Feel like dancing? For one night and one night only, attend the Imperial Sovereign Court of the Chinook Arch’s “Coronation 34” (Apr 17) at the Westin Hotel in Calgary for the fabulously uber discothèque of Euro-house, Euro-dance and Euro-trash.

Edmonton’s Gay Pride continues to grow with Gay Pride Week (Jun 11-20) full of events, celebrations and a parade ending at Churchill Square. Calgary celebrates almost 20 years of Gay Pride with an official Pride month each September – dress up, participate or simply kick back and enjoy the rainbow colours. If the city buzzes too loudly, get out of town and see the big trucks of Fort McMurray; simply sit back and sip a Cafe Madianne martini in the Emerald Lounge at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge a la Marilyn Monroe; or saddle up for the annual Canadian Rockies International Rodeo (Jul 1-4) in Strathmore, the only gay rodeo in Canada.   Check out Gay Calgary and Gay Edmonton for more contacts, ratings and event listings. Read more. Source: travelalberta.com   Image: waymarking.com

Classifieds: Searching for Brokeback

     

Source: goldcoast.gumtree.com     Jackaroo image from 2docstock.com

Riderless Horse Painting



James Ward, Marengo, 1824, Oil on canvas

This week's featured riderless horse painting is by James Ward: "The English painter could not have given a more apt or dramatic depiction of Napoleon's fall from power than in this psychological image of his tragic fate. Marengo was Napoleon's horse. We see it fretting to and fro, trembling on the brink, as it looks out over the sea for its lost rider. The animal's emotional state mirrors the catastrophic events. Lonely, riderless, and unsaddled, the stallion's fear is visible in its eyes, the restless unease expressed in every muscle of its body. The distant horizon present under the darkening evening sky, into which the former world conqueror has had to flee, leaving his faithful steed behind, is the metaphor in the painting for the historic event."

View more paintings  by James Ward.  Source: Web Gallery of Art

Dave Cullen and Columbine: California Bound

Dave's got lots of appearances in the next few weeks. If he's in your neighborhood, stop by and say hello! Last week was Michigan. This week is California. New York after that. Here are a few details for the California leg. Thursday, April 22, 2010 University of California, Irvine, Room 1030 Humanities Gateway (HG), Irvine, CA 92697-2785 Reading and book signing. 5:00 - 6:30 p.m. Free and open to the public. "Reporting Columbine: A Literary Journalist’s Perspective" Humanities Gateway is #611 on the campus map -- http://www.uci.edu/campusmap/map.php. Saturday, April 24, 2010 L.A. Times Book Fest Humanities A51, UCLA Campus, 12:00 pm, "Current Interest Panel: Journalists Uncover the Larger Story" Sunday, April 25, 2010 L.A. Times Book Fest, 10 a.m. - 12 p.m. "Making Reality Read Like a Novel" Character, plot, pacing, suspense, dialogue and voice all absorb the reader into a novel. Dave will lead a two hour seminar on how the nonfiction writer can employ these techniques without sacrificing authenticity. He will draw from modern narrative nonfiction classics and his award-winning COLUMBINE. Particular emphasis will focus on finding the story in an apparent jumble of events--even if they appear to climax with the instigation. The session will include Q&A and brief writing exercises. (ticketed event) Sunday, April 25, 2010 Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. Book signing at 2 p.m. at the Book Soup booth. Check for schedule updates on The DC Chronicles thread.

Fun Question of the Week

This week’s Question: What "miracle drug" is made from the bark and leaves of the willow tree? Let us know your answer in the response thread. Last week's question and answer: Can you name the 7 deadly sins? Fofol and Nikki got this one right! Pride, covetousness (greed), lust, anger, gluttony, envy and sloth are the 7 deadly sins. Any of these present a problem?

Boston Brokie Bash - AIDS Walk - June 4th-6th

An upcoming Brokie gathering is on the way. Add your name to the list if you think you can attend!  Here is an excerpt of a post by forum member DontwanttosayGB: Four fuckin’ years! Well we all know those words by heart, but truth is it has been over four years since Brokeback Mountain first came out and took us and the world by storm. Lots has happened since then and while for some of us the intense feelings that this wonderful movie evoked for us have dimmed over the years, the love for this movie and the journeys that it lead us on continue. So in the sprit of this love and our on-going journeys we feel it is time for another Brokie gathering. The last major Brokie event took place in August 2008 in Los Angeles when Brokeback Mountain was shown as part of the American Film Institutes “Great to be Nominated Series”. Hundreds of us descended on Los Angeles and filled the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills for a viewing of the movie with a question and answer period after with Diana Ossana and spent the rest of a wonderful weekend leaving our mark on LA! This was nearly 2 years ago! We feel this has been long enough! Not four fuckin’ years but long enough! Check the thread for more information, including lodging, activities, meeting places, and proposed events. Curious about Boston? Check out Twenty reasons Boston is unique to this planet.

Post of the Day

tfferg posted an interesting link about former Australian Olympic medalist Daniel Kowalski in Coming out: how and why?: Behind the Olympic glory, one of our swimming greats was drowning. IT IS hard to know where to start. Considering my sexuality and grappling with it has consumed my thoughts for so long, I figured it would be easy to put pen to paper and write about it, though as I have found out, it is not easy at all. Being a gay man with a foot half in and out of the closet is tough; the games it plays with your mind - and more importantly, your heart - are hard to put into words but I am going to try my best. I finally accepted my sexuality at the end of 2006 following a huge anxiety attack at work. After what were literally years of torment, denial and very, very dark times, I couldn't live a lie to myself any more. Read more. Source: theage.com.au

The Forum Image

Posted by MaineGirl in Life Through The Lens 4.

We took a walk on Sunday afternoon and visited the Studio Lagnö.
There was still a considerable amount of snow on the ground.

Quote of the Day

“Being understood is not the most essential thing in life.”

~ Jodie Foster ~

Photo Caption of the Day

Posted by TwistandShout in Photo Captioning Fun 5

Can you hear it, Ennice ? Do you hear the silence of the lambs?

Contributors: DontwanttosayGB, CellarDweller115, MaineGirl, TwistandShout, tfferg

Calendar of Events

If you have ideas about initiating a gathering, go to Start Your Own Threads
and get the ball rolling to plan a get-together near you.

Boston Brokie Bash - AIDS Walk
Boston, MA, June 4th-6th 2010

Let us know of any events you’d like listed here.

The Daily Sheet is a production of The Ultimate Brokeback Forum at www.davecullen.com/forum.

Today's edition by gnash

Fun Question of the Week compiled by Stilllearning

Researchers: BayCityJohn, Killersmom, Kittyhawk, Marge_Innavera, Stilllearning

Editors emeritae: CactusGal, Marge_Innavera, tellyouwhat, Stilllearning, MissYouSoMuch

We count on you to send us your news items, questions, and nominations for posts of the day.
If you have items you’d like to see published, send them to gnash.

To subscribe to The Daily Sheet, click the “Notify” button at the top or bottom of the page.
When a new issue of TDS is posted, you will be notified by e-mail.

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[Stilllearning]

Tuesday, April 27th, 2010

Ride with the Devil (with Jake and Jack) -- Blu-ray Disc Review

Tobey as Jake

The Criterion Collection Blue-ray Disc  Street Date: April 27th, 2010 The Movie Itself is based on the novel “Woe to Live on” written by Daniel Woodrell. The screenplay was adaptated by James Schamus and the film was directed by Ang Lee — only at this point directing his second film in the United States. Lee would later go on to direct the films “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” in 2000 and “Brokeback Mountain” in 2005. The film stars Tobey Maguire who had worked with Ang Lee 2 years previous to this in “The Ice Storm” from 1997. Co-starring in this are actors Skeet Ulrich and Jeffrey Wright just to name a few primary characters throughout the film. The story revolves around two childhood friends “Jake Roedel” (Maguire) and “Jack Bull Chiles” (Ulrich) living in Missouri during the beginning of the Civil War. The boys are witness to their home being raided and families murdered, though the two boys manage to escape. From this traumatic experience they just like many other Southern men become “Bushwhackers” (see the Wikipedia entry for more info). Bushwhackers were responsible for a type of guerrilla warfare done in spite of the ongoing (Civil) war. The members looked at this as the start on their journey of revenge, especially our two leading characters Jake and Jack. The Union is their target/enemy, and they manage to keep them off of their tracks for a good bit, though they always manage to meet up eventually, and have it out in a good ole’ fashioned gunfight every once in a while. See the trailer, view stills, and read more.  Source: highdefdiscnews.com

Film Flam... Jake and The Bean

The flick "Source Code," starring Vera "The Departed" Farmiga, Jake "Brokeback Mountain" Gyllenhaal and Michelle "Eagle Eye" Monaghan shot the closing sequences to the movie last week for four days in Millennium Park near the "Cloud Gate" sculpture. The plot: It's a sci-fi story centered on a soldier who wakes up in the body of a commuter who witnesses a train explosion. Why Millennium Park? Could it be that director Duncan Jones, who is rocker David Bowie's son, is pals with Anish Kapoor -- the artist who created Cloud Gate, also affectionately known as "The Bean." Source: suntimes.com

Brokeback Mormon: A Boy's Own Story Steven Fales solo performance looks back on a tumultuous life. In his solo performance Confessions of a Mormon Boy, playwright/actor Steven Fales looks back on an eventful, even tumultuous life, tracing his trajectory from Eagle Scout boyhood in Utah to high-priced call boy in Manhattan. Stops in between include excommunication from the church, marriage, children, divorce, “reparative therapy,” prostitution, meth addiction—and the loss of his Donny Osmond smile. There’s more than enough drama there to fuel several nighttime soaps on the CW, but Fales, who grew up in Las Vegas and graduated from Clark High School, can laugh about it now—he has called himself the “Brokeback Mormon” and “Ethel Mormon. Read more.  Source: lasvegasweekly.com

Everest Set to Become Next Brokeback Mountain

As recently as 2007, Nepal classified homosexuality as a crime, punishable by up to two years in prison. Gays and lesbians were harassed and beaten by police, and denounced by Maoist rebels as “a product of capitalism”. Three years on, this Himalayan nation is not only about to become the first in Asia to allow same-sex marriages: it is promoting gay weddings on Everest in an attempt to become the continent’s top gay tourism destination. “We’re completely changing this country. It’s a newborn republic — and we want to showcase this change,” Sharat Singh Bhandari, the Tourism Minister, told The Times. “We also want to re-establish tourism as a major industry.” He aims to attract one million tourists in 2011, more than double the number last year. He kicked off the marketing campaign in October with a written message to the International Conference on Gay & Lesbian Tourism in Boston — an unprecedented gesture for an Asian minister. “As the world knows, Nepal is the land of Mount Everest, world’s highest peak and the birth place of Lord Buddha, light of Asia,” the message said. “I, therefore, would like to take this opportunity to invite and welcome all the sexual and gender minorities from around the world.” Read more.  Source: timesonline.co.uk

Rubbish: The stark reality of a throw-away society

Yachtsman and environmentalist Ian Kiernan is Chairman and Founder of Clean Up Australia and Clean Up the World. Here he states his opinion on the state of the world's oceans. I grew up on the shores of Sydney Harbor and I fondly remember exploring the crystal clear pools, observing the unique and bountiful marine life. Shells and driftwood, cuttlefish bones and dried seaweed littered the sand. That was the only debris from the ocean beyond that I saw. Fast-forward a few decades and there I was again, on the shores of Sydney Harbor cleaning up a very different kind of litter. It was 1989 and I was leading the first ever Clean Up Day on Sydney Harbor and 40,000 other Sydneysiders were removing hundreds of tons of accumulated plastic, polystyrene, aluminum cans and glass bottles, dumped cars and shopping trolleys. This event led to Clean Up Australia, which then became the global Clean Up the World movement involving organizations and communities in 130 countries.

The dramatic change in my life was due to rubbish. What I saw while sailing solo around the world in the late 1980s changed me forever. Instead of the stark beauty of the deep blue oceans, I sailed through nautical mile after mile of marine debris. The rubbish in our oceans is not only ugly -- it kills. ... Turtles with the rings of plastic bottles around their necks, choking to death. Dolphins caught in old fishing nets, drowning because they can't break free. And seabirds drowning because of the fishing line wrapped around their wings. Between 700,000 and 1 million seabirds are killed each year by marine debris such as discarded fishing line and plastic bags. An estimated 100,000 marine mammals are killed each year by plastic in the ocean. Read more.  Source: cnn.com

Deeply Analyzed: Stem the Rose

There are a few definitions floating around on urbandictionary.com. Here's a couple: 4. Stem the rose It's a euphemism for "struggling against love". In the movie "Brokeback Mountain", Jack and Ennis were hired to protect the sheep from wolves.... ie... to _stem_ the wolf attacks. Instead of stemming the wolf attacks, they stemmed the rose... which meant that they were battling against homosexual desires. Essentially, it was used to equate _being overtaken by same-sex-attraction_ to _being overtaken by a wolf attack_ .... and was used as a device to show that the boss saw them as being attacked by love. Despite being from two families at war with each other, Romeo and Juliet were unsuccessful in their attempts to stem the rose... and love won out. 2. stem the rose Used in the movie Brokeback Mountain. Deeply analyzed; in fact, it's a term for anal sex because of the rosebud-like appearance of the anus. "(Jack)Twist, you guys wasn't gettin' paid to leave the dogs babysittin' the sheep while you stem the rose."

GIDDY UP!! BROKEBACK SESSIONS WAS MOUNTAINS OF FUN!! YeeeHaw!!! Yeah this event was a blast, and a great way to cap off the Wild West AquA Week here at the AquA Lounge FunPlex. DJ Sasch took the crowd to new limits with his banging beat choices. Very eclectic set of music from many genres and mashups.  Our sexy Host Ton of course pulled sexy double duty as Host and Dancer. I sure hope this blog is set to mature LOL. The crowd was from all walks of life, but of course in SL we are all one world and one heart. We had men and women, gay and straight, bears and bois, and a neko and furry or two. Everyone had a great time dancing to the music, conversing, sploding, and just all out sexy fun. The contest board had to have the prize risen due to all the chaotic fun hehe. Tonight was definitely what AquA is all about: Having Fun and Getting Along!! Pictures below will give you the scene or the memories to cherish. If you missed it then do not worry, we will have more great themes and weekly events. Matter a fact I am thinking our next weekly theme will take us back to Hippies and Woodstock...hmmmm See more pics at aqualounge.gay-archipelago.com

Sea Shepherd Captain Sails a Fine Line

Paul Watson lives after controversy, but the Sea Shepherd captain seems perfectly comfortable in the froth of public opinion. The founder and president of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society recently returned from his Antarctic anti-whaling mission and sounds absolutely pumped about his success in stopping the Japanese ship Shonan Maru 2 from killing its legal quota of whales. Never mind the loss of their high-tech speedboat Ady Gil -- which was rammed by the whaling vessel after the two captains locked air horns -- or the imprisonment of the Ady Gil captain, Pete Bethune. "We cut their catch by 449 animals. Of their legal quota for 50 fin whales, they took one. Of the 935 minke whales, we cut it by 449," says Watson. "That means we cost them about $75 million. That's good for us, because the only language they understand is economics. They've been operating at a loss for five years, and are in debt to the Japanese government with about $120 million in subsidies."

Watson has learned a few things about the ups and downs of committed activism since he broke off ties with Greenpeace, an organization he had a hand in creating back in the heyday of Vancouver's hippie era. Not content to spend millions on fundraising in order to get millions in funding -- a formula familiar to most non-profits -- Watson says the best use of his time and money is action. "I set Sea Shepherd up as an anti-poaching organization. We intervene. We don't protest. I think protesting is very submissive. What we do is intervene, but we do so in a responsible manner. Some people may disagree, but I think our record speaks for itself. In 33 years, we've never injured anybody and never had a crew member seriously injured. We've also never been convicted of a felony crime. And we've never been sued." Read more.  Source: vancouversun.com

Wet Picnic Balls Up LP Orig 1982 Santaolalla

Record: Very Good. There are scuffs and smudges that create some surface noise in some quieter passages. There is writing in blue ink on both sides of the label. Cover: Very Good. There are creases along the edges and there is some wear to the corners. There is ringwear and discoloration on both sides of the cover. Wet Picnic's Balls Up LP on Unicorn Records, UNIC-9504. Released in 1982. Produced by Gus Santaolalla, who wrote the majority of the songs for the film Brokeback Mountain. Side A: 1.COCKTAILED SKY 2.SHE DON'T CARE 3.ARE YOU IN TOUCH Side B: 1.TENSION 2.HE BELIEVES Source: eBay.com

Healthy Food For Your Eyes We've all heard that carrots play a huge role in overall eye health but what else can you eat to improve the health of your eyes and reduce the risk of disease? To keep your eyes in top shape, follow many of the same guidelines suggested for maintaining a healthy heart like keeping your blood pressure and cholesterol in check, reducing saturated fat from the diet, taking control of your weight, and increasing your antioxidant intake. Start now by eating nutritious and vitamin-rich foods to reduce the risk eye disease, improve sight, and maintain good eye health. Read which foods and nutrients can help the most.  Source: cnn.com

Gene Autry's Widow Follows In His Footsteps

They didn't talk about “breaking the cycle of child abuse” back when Gene Autry was riding the range. But, if you look at the “Code of the Cowboy” created by Hollywood's original Singing Cowboy in 1937, you'll find 10 rules a counselor at the Barbara Sinatra Children's Center could use by simply changing the word “cowboy” to “parent”: “The Cowboy must never shoot first, hit a smaller man or take unfair advantage.” “He must be gentle with children, the elderly and animals.” “He must respect women, parents and his nation's laws.” Jackie Autry, a board member of the Barbara Sinatra Children's Center in Rancho Mirage, said she never discussed child abuse with her husband before his death in 1998. In his day, she said, “it was a hidden secret.” But if Gene Autry had ever come across an abused child, she said he would have followed his cowboy code No. 6 to “help people in distress.” Autry will host a fundraiser for the Barbara Sinatra Children's Center on Wednesday at her elegant Las Palmas district home in Palm Springs in recognition of national Child Abuse Prevention Month. It will be a rare opportunity for the public to view the 1920s Moroccan-style house that Autry spent nine years renovating. As the spearhead of the Autry Museum of Western Heritage in Los Angeles, she is a nationally recognized art collector and the benefit will allow her to exhibit her collection, including works by Western masters such as Frederick Remington and Howard Terpning. Read more.  Source: mydesert.com

Who's That Boy?



Photo by Ryan McGinley

Heath Wave



"Because so many people have already been touched by [the King Rat video] we're presenting Heath
—care of The Masses, who finished the project he directed—as well as Isaac Brock and the rest of
Modest Mouse with Compassionate Artist Awards for opening so many eyes to the violent reality of whaling."

Read more. Source: blog.peta.org

Riderless Horse Painting



Romany Roamer

This week's featured riderless horse is by Trudi's Images. ~ Look back at our struggle for freedom, Trace our present day’s strength to it’s source; And you’ll find that man’s pathway to glory Is strewn with the bones of the horse. ~

View more paintings by Trudi's Images.  Source: redbubble.com

Fun Question of the Week This week’s Question: What country is the world's largest producer of bananas? Let us know your answer in the response thread. Last week's question and answer: What "miracle drug" is made from the bark and leaves of the willow tree? Yes!  It's Aspirin - way to go tfferg and Jer009, who also made us aware that "valerian herb is the the botanical source of the drug Valium."

Posts of the Day

       Posted in Gay Marriage: Inciting a backlash, or dragging along too slowly?:

Sonja: Today I saw something I've never seen before other than in pictures. On my way home from work I passed a bakery. They had a display of wedding cake decorations in the window. Among all the het couple sculptures, ornaments and golden chariots were two sculptures of same sex couples, one male and one female!!! It made me very glad to see them, and if I hadn't been on a diet atm, I would have bought a cake just to honour the bakery!   Go, Mormors Bageri!! Fritz: It's also nice to see in the wedding announcements in the Washington Post, there are same sex couples listed among the celebrants! Less than 30 years ago the newspaper wouldn't even use the word gay, and their coverage was almost uniformly hostile. (At first I thought you wrote "Go Mormon Badgers!", Sonja!).

The Forum Image

Posted by Miasland in Planet Heath, Volume 16.

Quote of the Day



“These guys are so gentle, it's like shooting a puppy dog.
I don't see how there's any honor in that.”

~ Paul Watson ~

"Life-sized" blue whale image from treehugger.com

Photo Caption of the Day

Posted by Marz in Photo Captioning Fun 5

'after ennis made another double demin joke, jack snapped!'

Contributors: Sonja, Fritz, Miasland, Marz

Calendar of Events

If you have ideas about initiating a gathering, go to Start Your Own Threads
and get the ball rolling to plan a get-together near you.

Boston Brokie Bash - AIDS Walk
Boston, MA, June 4th-6th 2010

Let us know of any events you’d like listed here.

The Daily Sheet is a production of The Ultimate Brokeback Forum at www.davecullen.com/forum.

Today's edition by gnash

Fun Question of the Week compiled by Stilllearning

Researchers: BayCityJohn, Killersmom, Kittyhawk, Marge_Innavera, Stilllearning

Editors emeritae: CactusGal, Marge_Innavera, tellyouwhat, Stilllearning, MissYouSoMuch

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