16 años, Modelo (Wilhelmina NY)
She is 16 years old. Model(Wilhelmina NY)
ANNA DELLO RUSSO
Editora General & Consultora Creativa de Vogue Japón
The Editor At Large and creative consultant forVogue Japan.
It Gets Better
I hope you were as moved as I was by Buck's message. It's no secret that I have been a huge supporter of the NOH8 Campaign, but I feel like I need to take it up a notch in light of this week's news. For every heterosexual person reading this, think back to your youth. What were you teased about? For me, it was my red hair. I was called "Peppermint Patty or Annie or Pumpkin Head". Okay, it's kind of funny now. If I really hate my red hair as an adult, I can change that. In fact, I am really blonde at the moment for an upcoming job. If you were teased for being overweight, you can hop on a bike, eat better, and lose weight. You can change that. You cannot change being gay. It is not a "lifestyle" or a "choice". Buck even mentions he knew he was gay when he was four years old. America, it is time to wake up and treat EVERYONE with love, kindness, and support. Isolating, condemning, or teasing people for being different from you is not okay.
There is now a campaign to offer support to gay youth to understand that, "It Gets Better". The project was started by Dan Savage, a journalist who for years has penned the column, Savage Love. I remember his work in The Village Voice from my days in NYC. I am posting his column explaining the project and the reason behind its inception. The article offers more information on the videos that have been created for the project, links to the YouTube channel, but most importantly, it offers HOPE to gay youth.
Dan Savage:
I just read about a gay teenager in Indiana—Billy Lucas—who killed himself after being taunted by his classmates. Now his Facebook memorial page is being defaced by people posting homophobic comments. It's just heartbreaking and sickening. What the hell can we do?
Gay Bullying Victim Who Survived
Another gay teenager in another small town has killed himself—hope you're pleased with yourselves, Tony Perkins and all the other "Christians" out there who oppose anti-bullying programs (and give actual Christians a bad name).
Billy Lucas was just 15 when he hanged himself in a barn on his grandmother's property. He reportedly endured intense bullying at the hands of his classmates—classmates who called him a fag and told him to kill himself. His mother found his body.
Nine out of 10 gay teenagers experience bullying and harassment at school, and gay teens are four times likelier to attempt suicide. Many LGBT kids who do kill themselves live in rural areas, exurbs, and suburban areas, places with no gay organizations or services for queer kids.
"My heart breaks for the pain and torment you went through, Billy Lucas," a reader wrote after I posted about Billy Lucas to my blog. "I wish I could have told you that things get better."
I had the same reaction: I wish I could have talked to this kid for five minutes. I wish I could have told Billy that it gets better. I wish I could have told him that, however bad things were, however isolated and alone he was, it gets better.
But gay adults aren't allowed to talk to these kids. Schools and churches don't bring us in to talk to teenagers who are being bullied. Many of these kids have homophobic parents who believe that they can prevent their gay children from growing up to be gay—or from ever coming out—by depriving them of information, resources, and positive role models.
Why are we waiting for permission to talk to these kids? We have the ability to talk directly to them right now. We don't have to wait for permission to let them know that it gets better. We can reach these kids.
So here's what you can do, GBVWS: Make a video. Tell them it gets better.
I've launched a channel on YouTube—www .youtube.com/itgetsbetterproject—to host these videos. My normally camera-shy husband and I already posted one. We both went to Christian schools and we were both bullied—he had it a lot worse than I did—and we are living proof that it gets better. We don't dwell too much on the past. Instead, we talk mostly about all the meaningful things in our lives now—our families, our friends (gay and straight), the places we've gone and things we've experienced—that we would've missed out on if we'd killed ourselves then.
"You gotta give 'em hope," Harvey Milk said.
Today we have the power to give these kids hope. We have the tools to reach out to them and tell our stories and let them know that it does get better. Online support groups are great, GLSEN does amazing work, the Trevor Project is invaluable. But many LGBT youth can't picture what their lives might be like as openly gay adults. They can't imagine a future for themselves. So let's show them what our lives are like, let's show them what the future may hold in store for them.
The video my husband and I made is up now—all by itself. I'd like to add submissions from other gay and lesbian adults—singles and couples, with kids or without, established in careers or just starting out, urban and rural, of all races and religious backgrounds. (Go to www.youtube.com/itgetsbetterproject to find instructions for submitting your video.) If you're gay or lesbian or bi or trans and you've ever read about a kid like Billy Lucas and thought, "Fuck, I wish I could've told him that it gets better," this is your chance. We can't help Billy, but there are lots of other Billys out there—other despairing LGBT kids who are being bullied and harassed, kids who don't think they have a future—and we can help them.
They need to know that it gets better. Submit a video. Give them hope.
New Hampshire Film Festival accepts 23 films for New Hampshire Night Oct. 14
The New Hampshire Film Festival (NHFF) has accepted 23 films with NH connections. The films will screen at the NH Night Program on the first day of NHFF’s 10th anniversary Oct. 14!
The Granite State films are slated to kick off four days of more than 80 independent film screenings Oct. 14 – 17 at four venues in downtown Portsmouth.
Some of the films in the NH Night Program will also be shown again during the weekend. The films will compete for four Granny Awards to be presented Thursday night including New Hampshire Filmmaker of the Year, Best New Hampshire Documentary, Best New Hampshire Short, and Best Performance – New Hampshire. The Van McLeod Award, which recognizes lifetime achievement in New Hampshire film, will also be presented Thursday night.
More information, including a list of films, can be found here.
The Granite State films are slated to kick off four days of more than 80 independent film screenings Oct. 14 – 17 at four venues in downtown Portsmouth.
Some of the films in the NH Night Program will also be shown again during the weekend. The films will compete for four Granny Awards to be presented Thursday night including New Hampshire Filmmaker of the Year, Best New Hampshire Documentary, Best New Hampshire Short, and Best Performance – New Hampshire. The Van McLeod Award, which recognizes lifetime achievement in New Hampshire film, will also be presented Thursday night.
More information, including a list of films, can be found here.
Web Series Wednesday
It's been awhile since I posted about Web TV, but here is my contribution in helping Web Series Wednesday make a comeback. I am working hard in Dallas for the month, but I will be diving back into the web series world when I return. I don't have an official announcement for you yet, but stay tuned......In the meantime, I was working hard on set on a few productions before I left the LA area. In fact, the night before I left, I was on set with the team behind the new web series, Squaresville, about two nerdy gals struggling to achieve their dreams in their small town, written and directed by Matt Enlow. Matt kindly squeezed in the shoot to accommodate my crazy schedule, so I could play a reporter. Wait...me, a reporter? Typecasting! Be sure to support Squaresville on Facebook and Twitter to follow the progress on the series. I can't wait to see the rest of the series, because I only know how my small part unfolds in the story. Here are a few photos from my night on set:
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| Shooting my scene |
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| Deep in thought........ |
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| I even look intense sitting off to the sides. Director/Creator, Matt Enlow, even looks intensely at his iPad. We were focused! Earlier in the month, I also made a split-second cameo in the upcoming web series, The Unemployment of Danny London, from creator, Doug Cwiak. I was thrilled to help Doug out on the shoot since he had been instrumental in helping my crew with several shoots of The Web Files like our interview with comedian, Gary Valentine , and my favorite episode, Backyard FX. His show looks at trials and tribulations of being unemployed and I have a feeling that he will have many viewers who can relate in this current economy. Check out their Facebook and Twitter page to learn more about the upcoming show.  Hanging with the cast of The Unemployment of Danny London. You might recognize a face or two if you are a web series fan. Finally, our last episode of Season 1 of The Web Files featured an incredibly ambitious show called, Tyranny. It continues to be in the Top 5 Most Watched Shows on KoldcastTV. I hope you have an opportunity to check it out because it has the mystery of Lost with the intensity of the Jason Bourne movies, and a dash of James Bond. (They really do have a Bond girl in the series, Olga Kurylenko, of Quantum of Solace.) They shot the exteriors a few years ago in Europe, but the interiors are done in a loft in Koreatown in Los Angeles. It's amazing how every nook and cranny is used as a new set for the series. Creator, John Beck Hofmann, has stretched a micro-budget to create a big budget feel. Here are a few behind the scenes photos along with the Tyranny interview.  Hanging on one of the many Tyranny sets with creator, John Beck Hofmann and Director of Photography, Garret Baquet, after the shoot.  Oh boy, that's one crazy contraption! Here I am, trying on a prop from the series. And the interview: I hope you enjoyed this edition of Web Series Wednesday. Be sure to help the Web TV industry grow by supporting your favorite show on the web! Photos 1-4 courtesy of Squaresville. Photo 5 courtesy of Doug Cwiak Photo 6-7 property of Kristyn Burtt |
TRAIL ANGELS, partially filmed in New Hampshire, to screen at Colonial Theatre, Bethlehem
[From Stephen Dignazio at the Colonial Theatre in Bethlehem...]
TRAIL ANGELS, the recently completed documentary film directed by Daniel Peddle, will screen Friday, October 8 at 8 PM in the Brad Washburn Room of the AMC Highland Center in Crawford Notch, and Saturday, October 9, at 7:30 at The Colonial Theatre, Bethlehem.
TRAIL ANGELS, with scenes that were shot in Bethlehem, Whitefield, Crawford Notch and other area locations, is an inspiring portrait of unsung heroes who have made it their quest to help the seasonal thru hikers of the Appalachian Trail, a pilgrimage of five million footsteps. Meet Baltimore Jack, Mala, Trail Angel Mary and Miss Janet-- four working class Americans who open their hearts to seasonal “thru-hikers” by performing random acts of kindness known as “trail magic” for the long distance hikers of the “AT”.
Through the tender eyes of these Trail Angels we witness how hiking the AT and the focus it demands, spiritually transforms the hikers, people from all walks of life, awakening their sense of connectivity to each other, the earth and the moment. Yet the stimulating stream of hikers who pass through the Trail Angels’ lives leaves them lonely and blue during the cold off-season. Between the hikers’ hope and the angels’ sacrifice, an unexpected picture emerges of an overlooked America where those “out of step” with the mainstream create a linear community based on kindness that stretches 2175 miles up the East Coast. For those willing to go the distance, a community based on kindness and simplicity emerges from the backwoods of America.
Director Daniel Peddle and producer Chris Hoover will be on hand to introduce their film and answer questions at both locations. Dinner is available before the movie at The Highland Center, starting at 6pm, reservations are recommended. A reception will follow at The Colonial Theatre hosted by The White Mountain Film Society.
For more information contact The Colonial Theatre at (603) 869-3422 or www.BethlehemColonial.org, The AMC Highland Center at (603) 278-4453.
TRAIL ANGELS, the recently completed documentary film directed by Daniel Peddle, will screen Friday, October 8 at 8 PM in the Brad Washburn Room of the AMC Highland Center in Crawford Notch, and Saturday, October 9, at 7:30 at The Colonial Theatre, Bethlehem.
TRAIL ANGELS, with scenes that were shot in Bethlehem, Whitefield, Crawford Notch and other area locations, is an inspiring portrait of unsung heroes who have made it their quest to help the seasonal thru hikers of the Appalachian Trail, a pilgrimage of five million footsteps. Meet Baltimore Jack, Mala, Trail Angel Mary and Miss Janet-- four working class Americans who open their hearts to seasonal “thru-hikers” by performing random acts of kindness known as “trail magic” for the long distance hikers of the “AT”.
Through the tender eyes of these Trail Angels we witness how hiking the AT and the focus it demands, spiritually transforms the hikers, people from all walks of life, awakening their sense of connectivity to each other, the earth and the moment. Yet the stimulating stream of hikers who pass through the Trail Angels’ lives leaves them lonely and blue during the cold off-season. Between the hikers’ hope and the angels’ sacrifice, an unexpected picture emerges of an overlooked America where those “out of step” with the mainstream create a linear community based on kindness that stretches 2175 miles up the East Coast. For those willing to go the distance, a community based on kindness and simplicity emerges from the backwoods of America.
Director Daniel Peddle and producer Chris Hoover will be on hand to introduce their film and answer questions at both locations. Dinner is available before the movie at The Highland Center, starting at 6pm, reservations are recommended. A reception will follow at The Colonial Theatre hosted by The White Mountain Film Society.
For more information contact The Colonial Theatre at (603) 869-3422 or www.BethlehemColonial.org, The AMC Highland Center at (603) 278-4453.
Off With Her Head
I'm tired, kids. Tired of the shenanigans of those Hollywood starlets who offer nothing but the same tabloid fodder year after year. Now, don't get me wrong, I still read my Hollywood gossip, but I don't need to hear about the following people anymore........or ever: Lindsay, Britney, Paris, Kim, Khloe, Kourtney, or Miley. I just don't care. What I do care about is finding out what one of our little troubled tarts was wearing for her 590348530958th court appearance. So, I say, "Off with her head, let's get right to the fashion!"
While I don't care for her antics, I sure do like her outfit. Here's where I stand so far:
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| Photo Courtesy of Tony Canham/Getty Images |
Jacket: ??
Skirt: ??
Shirt: ??
Shoes: Christian Louboutin
Yep, all I can name is the shoes because I can see the red soles peeking out. Can anyone help here? I will find a prize from the Red Carpet Closet to anyone that can help me assemble this outfit. I'm not looking for knockoffs on this one, I want the read deal. Ready, set, go!
But wait, there is one more outfit! I have been asking around about this dress worn by Tina Fey on a recent episode of 30 Rock. A good friend of mine is looking for this dress and I offered to help. I have reached out to several fashion contacts, but no one has given me a concrete answer yet. So, perhaps you can help? I know a lot of my friends, readers, and fellow bloggers are total fashionistas, can you spot the designer on this dress? Again, a prize from Red Carpet Closet to the person who hooks me up with the correct answer.
Even if I buy the Lindsay outfit, I promise that you won't see a SCRAM bracelet on my ankle ever. I wouldn't want to draw focus away from my beloved shoes. Happy Searching and Thank You from Red Carpet Closet.
My First Weekend at the State Fair of Texas
Howdy, Folks! Yes, it's that time of year again and the State Fair of Texas has officially opened. If you have never experienced the State Fair, you are missing out. It is the largest state fair in the U.S. and it certainly does not disappoint. Just like everything else in Texas, it's big! Big Tex is your host and he greets you each day with a big, slow, "Howdy, Folks".
Yep, Born in Texas and Built by Texans. The beloved Tundra greets you at the entrance of the outdoor display:
Uh oh, this is what greeted me when I arrived on Saturday: lots of rain and some flooding reminiscent of last year's fair:
JUDY GARLAND - OVER THE RAINBOW
Para los que no saben Judy Garland (Gumm) es la mamá de Liza Minelli
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