A Love Letter to Kurt Hummel

Is there a more important character on network TV today than Kurt Hummel? I think not. In this time where many gay teenagers are finding themselves alone and confused, Glee offers this positive inspirational character.

Kurt is young, gay, out, proud, defiant, and above all completely and utterly himself. He might not always do the right thing, or feel comfortable in all situations. But he goes on living. Goes on trying things. Goes on being true to himself.

I wish there was a character like this in popular culture when I was growing up. We all know that being a teenager, and particularly a gay teenager, can be very lonely. I sought refuge in the writings of James Baldwin at that age. But I hope young gay men and women today can see themselves in Kurt. He's out there. On the most popular show on TV. He's is definitely and definitively part of the cultural conversation. Hopefully he's forcing teachers and parents and young adults to confront the sexuality question that looms large at that age.

But back to Kurt himself. I just love him. Love his relationships. Whether the tender and loving one that he has with his dad. The awkward and sometimes stalkerish crush he had on Finn. His rivalry with Rachel, his love and "us against the world" friendship with Mercedes. I love that he examines his surroundings and makes informed opinions about religion, high school and of course Lady Gaga.I love that he always tries new things and is never afraid. Whether demanding the right to sing "Defying Gravity", trying out for the football team and of course the right to dance to "Single Ladies' in a unitard.

And don't you just love his dad. He always stands up to him. Always with love and protection. He has no judgement, no disappointment. And above all he is wise and guides him. I teared up up in the scenes that accompanied 'I Want to Hold Your Hand" when they showed the tea party little Kurt had for this dad. How great is that? To encourage and love your kid that way at that age, forgetting how you thought they'd turn up, what you wanted them to become. Not a lot of parents are up to that challenge.

Chris Colfer is a most talented young man. I was so happy that he was nominated for an Emmy this year for season one. He gives Kurt such charm and appeal. And what a singer. What other 20 year old can give such pizazz to "Le Jazz Hot'' and such heartache to his version of 'I want to Hold Your Hand". And what an arc have the writers given him. Coming out, confronting his dad about his sexuality, having a crush on his straight friend, facing the uncertainty of a very sick parent. And all those songs, not just what I mentioned but he also covered John Mellancamp and did 'Rose's Turn" from Gypsy and Judy Garland's part in "Happy Days Are Here Again/Get Happy".

My favourite Glee cover is "I Want to Hold Your Hand". You can't tell, right? I only mentioned it here 4 times. Beautiful and full of emotion. It is on constant loop on my iPod.

Kurt, just as Rachel told you last week. "You might be lonely but you are not alone". I love you and I'm so happy that I get to spend time with you every week. Keep the faith, my friend.

Sorry for the Silence

The past couple of months have been very busy. At work, travelling out of New York City. But the main reason that I have not been able to update the blog is because I started contributing to Film Misery.

It's a great opportunity to be part of that site and to interact with its readers. You will find all my articles here. Please check them out and I'll be back here soon.

In fact the "Silence' in this title inspired me to write about a favorite movie of mine, The Silence of the Lambs. That will be my next article at Film Misey.

Best Actress is getting crowded

Black Swan premiered early today at the Venice Film Festival. Early reaction is very good. Almost unanimous praise. The more interesting question to me is whether Natalie Portman is now a front runner for Best Actress. The trippy trailer proved that this movie is a great showcase for her. Now the reviews are following, even the ones that had problems with the movie liked her performance. If she wins an award in Venice she could become unstoppable. After all Helen Mirren's march to Oscar 4 years ago started with a win in Venice.

Not so fast. This year's roster is already crowded. There's the new ingenue in Jennifer Lawrence for Winter's Bone. The multiple nominated veterans from a bonafide art house hit in Julianne Moore and Annette Bening from The Kids Are Alright. Not mention movies being released later in the year for Oscar darlings like Anne Hathaway (Love and Other Drugs), Carey Mulligan (Never Let Me Go), indie stalwarts with confirmed festival buzz Michelle Williams (Blue Valentine) and Lesley Manville (Another Year).

I say Portman, a former nominee for Closer, is very close to locking up the nomination not the win. Not yet anyway. But a bit of advise for Bening, the front runner now in my opinion, go out and rock the vote, play the Jeff Bridges card from last year and you might just win. So far she's been laying low, which might be a good strategy but not for long.

Who do you think will win? Vote in the poll:

poll by twiigs.com

What Makes A Modern Classic?

I have news. I will be contributing part time to one of my fave movie blogs - Film Misery. I am really excited about that.

I will contribute a feature called 'Modern Classics" that would look at recent classics. Check my intro of the feature and my 6 suggestions for my first columns and let me know what you think and would you'd like to read about first here.

Are you going to movies this weekend?

I have been too occupied with good TV to bother with movies recently. Completely obsessed with Mad Men. We even dressed as the characters for a work event. Have been checking Dexter's season 4 on DVD. Not to mention the trashy Bachelor Pad, I mean who doesn't like to watch stupid people be stupid and mean to each other.

So I've negated movies for Hulu, instant Netflix and reality TV. I would like to change that. Tell me in the comments what I should see this weekend. Here are the choices :

1. Cyrus
2. The Other Guys
3. Salt
4. Agora
5. Get Low

Eat Pray Love is still not an option.

Black Swan? It's a trippy trip.

I am a couple of days late to the party. The trailer for Darren Aronofsky's "Black Swan" was released late afternoon on Tuesday. Within minutes the Internet was abuzz and going gaga over it. Twitter, facebook, blogs ..... everyone was talking about it. And I became as excited as everyone is.

Why? Because it's a fantastic trailer and now I can't wait for the movie. It was not on my radar mainly because I never cared for Natalie Portman. He filmography is thin on good movies with exception of The Professional (Leon).But this trailer sold me big time.

Its mood, its music, that gorgeous cinematography, sells the movie. You get the feeling you'll be in for a trippy ride. And in those few minutes you can see that the movie will be a good showcase for multiple actresses. From the blink and you miss her Winona Ryder who's looking good in what I assume must be a tiny part. To Mila Kunis who looks to be in completely new territory. And Barbra Hershey is enjoying herself in what appears to be a juicy "crazy" mother role.

But of course the best showcase this trailer provides is for Portman. And boy does she look good going unhinged. This could be great because as my favourite blogger Nathaniel says " Women Who Lie To Themselves™ is the greatest of film genres". I am beside myself with excitement and I hope the movie lives up to the hype now.

My Short Virtual Affair with Sal Romano

Are you obsessed with Mad Men? I am. Season 4 is on and it's very good. I've also been revisiting Seasons 1 and 2 on DVD. This show is a gem. The best thing about it are these vividly drawn characters. Even the ones with limited screen time are very real and relatable.

Almost all characters have twitter accounts. I thought they must be managed by the show cause their tweets are very well written and completely in character. But I read online that they are not. Whoever is behind them did a fantastic job.

Being on twitter means of course that I can chat to them. I engaged Peggy Olson and Joan Holloway. But I was surprised when one of my favourite characters, Sal Romano, started responding back. It was innocuous enough at the beginning. Those who watch know that he is no longer on the show since he was fired by Don Draper last season. So I asked what he was doing these days.And before I knew it, back and forth we went and set up a fictitious date to meet on Christopher Street for a drink. It was the most fun I had on twitter. Sadly when I tried to secure a second date, he didn't bite. Gay men, always fickle even fictional online ones.

Check out our exchange in the picture or start your own by chatting to these characters. You can find them all here.

Anything to Avoid that Megawatt Smile!

When Julia Roberts first appeared as a new ascending movie star, I liked her. Like the rest of the world did. I think I was OK with her through "Erin Brockovich", which is not only her greatest performance but also a fantastic showcase of her charisma. Since then though I've been just blah about her. The 'Ocean' movies did not help. And I have skipped her last two movies despite the somewhat positive buzz for "Duplicity".

I think I have "the underdog syndrome". Once stars become big, I avoid them. These days I can't stand watching any movie with Tom Hanks. And I loved Splash, way back in the day. Similarly I will be avoiding that huge smile this weekend. I am hoping I will not see coming at me from every channel on TV and every magazine cover on the racks. Hide!

ME_Says Must List

Those who know me, know that I'm addicted to my iPhone. Almost always on it, checking facebook, checking-in using foursquare, updating my twitter feed through tweetdeck. But for these great apps that I use, there wasn't one I could write about in the blog. Until now. Entertainment Weekly just released a new app, based on their weekly column, Must List. All the pop culture that they are obsessed with weekly. Of course I got it immediately and added my own twist on their must list. Here is mine:

- The World Cup. It's been over for 2 weeks now, but it was so all consuming for a month that I think it still bears a mention. My pre tournament pick, Spain, won so I'm a very happy camper. Better is Kickette, a site that obsesses about sexy footballers. Thanks for keeping the world cup alive!

- The Kids Are All Right. Gets my vote for best movie of the year so far. I've said it all before.

- One Day by David Nicholls. What a great book. Compulsively readable.You just want to know what happens next for Dex and Em, who meet on their graduation day and we follow them for the next 20 years. The perfect summer book.

- Joan Rivers' A Piece of Work. Who knew the directors of the heavy drama documentaries "The Devil Came on Horseback" and 'The Trials of Darryl Hunt" had this funny movie in them? It follows Rivers for a year and it's a fascinating journey and a sobering look at the relentless drive and despair behind the glamour of show business. And it has my favourite line from a movie this year, uttered by Joan herself. "I live like Marie Antoinette.... if she were rich".

- The Bachelorette. Completely ridiculous. Absolutely unreal. But oh so dramatic and I'm hooked. I can't help but watch every week.

- The Daily Show. Smartest show on TV. Enough said.

- Somewhere trailer. Moody and surreal. It's like a dream that I'd like to be in. Certainly a better dream than the over hyped and so what Inception. And after "Marie Antoinette" and "Lost in Translation", I want to see what Sofia Coppola does next. I know it will look gorgeous. But beware great trailers sometimes lead to bad movies, last year "A Single Man" had the best trailer but we ended with a vile movie.

- Mad Men. Everyone knows it's the best show on TV now. The 3rd season was almost perfect. I might even get cable to watch it with the rest of the world instead of waiting for the DVDs on netflix.