HOTTER IN HOLLYWOOD

THE 2009 LEGACY AWARDS

HIH had the honor of being invited to attend the annual Legacy Awards at the DGA on Sunset Boulevard last night. This year's recipients were Emmy Award®-winning producer and director Alan Poul and Clear Channel Los Angeles. The event serves as a fundraiser for the Outfest Legacy Project for LGBT Film Preservation, a collaboration between Outfest and the UCLA Film & Television Archive.

Three-time Emmy winner and three-time Academy Award® nominee Laura Linney presented the award to Alan Poul, who delivered an absolutely riveting speech about the current state of entertainment and LGBT visibility. The two have been great friends ever since working together on the groundbreaking 1994 miniseries Tales of the City.

Comedian Bruce Vilanch hosted the special evening which saw the World Premiere of the restored film Queens at Heart, a mid-1960s documentary that provides a rare and surprisingly poignant glimpse into pre-Stonewall transgender life.

All photos courtesy of Forest Casey.

L: Three Rivers star Alex O'Loughlin. R: HIH alum Peter Paige.

L: Candis Cayne. R: Entourage's Rex Lee.

L: Madison Hildebrand. R: Adam Shankman.

And of course, we have some red carpet footage:

Leaving Barstow Hot Flix by Michael Medico

LEAVING BARSTOW, which recently premiered at the Newport Beach Film Festival and won the Audience Award, is directed by Hot in Hollywood alum Peter Paige.

The lowdown: Growing up in Barstow, CA, high school senior Andrew hopes for a bigger world - but his devotion to his mother, Sandra, and his awakening attraction to newcomer Jenny combine to keep him tied to home. Andrew’s loyalties become confused and his prior ambitions begin to fade as he realizes he must make the most difficult choice -- between himself and the people he loves.

Check it out: www.leavingbarstowmovie.com

The Marriage of HIH and Legendary Bingo Hot in Hollywood Benefit by Corey Moore

The Boys of Bingo

Looks like Legendary Bingo benefitting HIH3 is going to be a killer event! The celeb confirms keep rolling it. Scheduled to appear and call bingo with Legendary Bingo's resident drag queens are: JESSE BRUNE, JM J BULLOCK, MINDY COHN, ESTELLE HARRIS, SHAR JACKSON, ELLEN K, RACHAEL HARRIS, JAMES KYSON LEE, REICHEN LEHMKUHL, ROSS MATHEWS (aka Ross the Intern), ERIC MILLEGAN, PETER PAIGE, MELANIE PAXSON, JACK PLOTNICK, LISA ANN WALTER and MICHAEL URIE!

The prize and auction packages are stellar for this event. Just a sampling of what's up for grabs are 2 tickets to the Hot In Hollywood Benefit with free drinks, autographed celebrity poster, and a VIP viewing of rehearsal the day of the event, an AMAZING Hollywood Bowl package, and a flying lesson with Reichen Lehmkuhl and dinner in Palm Springs!

The event is sold out! But you can check to see if there are is any last minute availability by contacting Julie at jlcjules@yahoo.com. Click here for more information about Legendary Bingo.

CASTING ASPERSIONS: Text me on the Mouth Hot & Personal by G. Charles Wright

"Farbucks"

On friday night I got a text message from fellow HIH correspondant, Hiko. It read, "I was out tonight with Peter Paige and I thought of you."
I was sitting with some friends at Farbucks (The Starbucks of two that is farthest from my apt...it's at robertson on s.m. blvd.) when this message came in on my shitty palm treo phone powered by bullshit at&t (don't call customer service, you'll just get transferred to new delhi).

So there I was, sitting at Farbucks with White Gold, her husband Kid Friendly and our friend Smooth Money. In other words, I was the only gay in our village. We were having a really nice time sitting at an outside table and watching (and commenting on) all the people that went across the street at that intersection. We're crotchety old folks. And we like it.

Hiko's text message made me think, "Hey, at least somebody is reading my blog!" Thanks Hiko. You made my night. But next time, invite me out too! How else am I ever going to become Mrs. Peter Paige????? Too much? okay.

And a quick note to one of the people that we watched cross the intersection: Black man with shaved head wearing tight white pants, a white shirt, unbuttoned to your navel and tan colored, knee high boots---we are still talking about you. You were our favorite. Please come be our friend.

CASTING ASPERSIONS: "A Gay and His Dog"Hot & Personal by G. Charles Wright

it's happened. i've finally gone totally weho. all i can think about is how much i want a dog.

it should be mentioned that in my 40 + years of living i have never had a dog before. my mom has had dogs. many of her boyfriends had dogs. and they were ALWAYS around when i was growing up. so i'm used to dogs. but i've never been responsible for one before.

but now suddenly i MUST have a dog. i blame it on my environment. EVERYONE in west hollywood has a dog. this city is a giant dog park with margaritas.

and finding a dog is a lot like internet dating...i guess. i went online to find a dog that would be a good fit for me. the one i seem drawn to is a hurricane katrina survivor. i figured that since i'm a tsunami survivor, that perhaps we'll have that trauma in common, if nothing else.

i'll keep you posted. i'm going to attempt a face to face with him this weekend. kind of like a coffee date.

oh, and to change the subject.
for loyal readers of my "column", i ran into peter paige today. in the hallway outside my office. first thing in the a.m. quite by accident. he came up to me and said hello. this leads me to believe he recognized me as his hot in hollywood internet stalker. it's possible though that he didn't recognize me at all. he may have been meaning to say, "Hello. can you tell me where the men's room is?" but i kind of cut him off at "hello."

i was my usual ass self.

which to loyal readers will come as no surprise.

Casting Aspersions: THE SECRET'S OUT! Hot & Personal by G. Charles Wright

seriously. what does a guy have to do to meet peter paige in this town? i started writing blogs for this f***ing website just so i could get in nice with it's owners and meet their friend peter paige. i know he's totally going to like me! what's not to like? wait a minute. let me think this through. suddenly i'm reminded of the many things there are not to like! first of all there's this blog. hmm, that could be problematic, because i'm still planning to submit it. then there's the fact that i'm over 40, bald, and well.... that's pretty much all i need. of course i am funny. there's a lot to be said for personality. and i can still fit into my clothes from high school. and that was like during the reagan administration. top that class of 1984!! i'm routinely classified as "cute" or even sexy by fat girls. and i've got a pretty cool job. peter paige is probably hooking up with hot young starlets though. can you call a guy actor a starlet? well, if they're hooking up with peter paige, i can. wow, the more i think about this the more awkward i think it's going to be if i meet him. perhaps i should shift focus?

my friend Smooth Money believes in THE SECRET. he'd tell me to "secret him." but frankly i think that's lame. but don't tell Smooth Money that. the secret really seems to be working out well for him. isn't it funny how people are taking to "the secret" still? i thought that ship had sailed off to fad island by now to wash up on a pet rock. i prefer to think about what i want, make a list of exactly what i want and then start working to achieve those goals. but for some folks, as i understand it, just hanging up a picture of something you want seems to do the trick. i'm not sure that i am comfortable putting peter paige's name on one of my "to do lists." and i am not putting his photo up anywhere in my home. in fact i think i'm going to draw the line at this blog.

and now i'm going to start secreting robert gant.

HIH and BINGO???!!! Hot in Hollywood Benefit by Michael Medico

Just Announced!!!... Hot in Hollywood will be the beneficiary of Legendary Bingo's 10 Yr Anniversary night! What does this mean? Well... For 10 yrs now Jeffery Bowman has been producing bingo night with a celebrity and a drag queen calling bingo for Charities every Wednesday. So on May 14th at Hamburger Mary's in WeHo, the Hot in Hollywood AIDS benefit will celebrate 10 years of crazy bingo with Jeffery in a one night only show that you will not want to miss. The Mayor of WeHo, John Duran, will even be there to announce May 14th, 2008 as Official Legendary Bingo Day!!

Join Bingo Hostesses The Fabulous Belle Aire, Bridgette of Madison County and Willam (yes, all three!) along with Bingo-boy Jeffery as Hot in Hollywood celebs come out to "call the balls": including EMILY DESCHANEL (Bones), MICHAEL URIE (Ugly Betty), JAMES KYSON LEE (Heroes), MELANIE PAXSON and RACHAEL HARRIS (Notes From The Underbelly), PETER PAIGE (Queer As Folk), EDDIE KAY THOMAS (Til Death), SHAR JACKSON and icluding friends of bingo ROSS THE INTERN (The Tonight Show with Jay Leno) and LISA ANN WALTER (Shall We Dance?). There are more celebs to confirm in the next two months...

There will be one show at 8 pm featuring 11 games of Legendary Bingo with prize packages sponsored by film studios, local businesses and your favorite entertainment shows as well as magnificent live auction items.

FOR THIS EVENING ONLY we will be selling tables for the event. Below you will find a seating chart for the restaurant (it may be too small to read so get out your magnifying glass). ON A FIRST COME, FIRST SERVED BASIS you may purchase a table which will be reserved for you and will include all bingo cards as well as a commemorative 10 Year Anniversary dauber for each person at the table.

THIS SUCKER IS SELLING OUT QUICKLY SO MAKE YOUR RESERVATION TODAY! NO JOKE.

TO RESERVE AND PURCHASE YOUR TABLE please e-mail Julie at jlcjules@yahoo.com. Include your name and phone number and she will call you back in the order that she receives the e-mails and help you choose from available tables (not all tables will be available). Table prices are based on proximity to the stage (front tables are $200.00 for four seats, booths are a bit less and so on).

And, of course, the money raised at THE LEGENDARY BINGO 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION will benefit HOT IN HOLLYWOOD, our star-studded show in August benefitting AIDS HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION and REAL MEDICINE FOUNDATION.

NOTE: The patio tables and the bar area at Hamburger Mary's will not be sold and filled on a first come/ first served basis on the night of the event with the usual suggested donation of $20.00 for all bingo games played.

+Legendary Bingo Blog

Casting Aspersions: Wright Writes Hot & Personal by G. Charles Wright

michael has asked me to contribute a blog to hot in hollywood. this is my first one. there are a few things you should probably know about me off the bat, as it'll help explain things later on.

first. i'm typing this while i watch a tivo'd BOSTON LEGAL. it's very distracting. but i love that fucking show.

second. i curse. i like to say "fuck" a lot. you'll see it creep up into my blogs like a thong on a fat ass. deep and often.

third. i type in lowercase. and i write in short, oddly formed sentences. i have no regard for capitalization, or grammar in general. i charmed my way through school and learned nothing. now i'm old and have lost my hair; and charm just doesn't pay the bills like it used to. it's not enough to tell kids to "stay in school." we must tell them to also "pay attention." coulda, woulda, shoulda.

photo by Greg Endries / photo by Kevyn Major Howard

fourth. i hope to use this blog as a platform to lure actor peter paige into my web. i am totally crushed on him.

fifth. i'm a hollywood casting director and an audition coach. that's how i make my living, and those things will come up from time to time in my blogs. i'm not here to promote either of those aspects of my life, but they are in my life, so you should know about them.

sixth. please don't think that being a casting director and an audition coach make me a creepy fucker. they don't. being a man does that already.

seven. i live in west hollywood. right in the middle of all the glorious gayness that abounds. i am gay. i am openly so. i only came out a few years ago when i was 37. but when i came out, i came OUT. i wish everyone would come out. i get sad when i meet closeted people. they don't help themselves and they don't help the rest of us. it took a tsunami in thailand to wake me up. but that's another blog.

more to come...

The History Boys Hot Tips by Michael Medico

The History Boys: Photo by Craig Schwartz

Corey and I went to see a preview of The History Boys yesterday at the Ahmanson with Chad Darnell. I braced myself because I had heard it was a 3 hour show and the frankly the first monolugue is pretty complex (we still have no idea what it was about!). However, after that- it was the fastest and most enjoyable 2 hours and 40 minutes I've spent in the theatre in a very long time. Peter Paige was wonderful (and I'm not just saying that because we're friends) He's not one of those TV actors who return to the stage and are so "small" that everything is lost beyond the first two rows. He's charismatic and conflicted in perfect degrees, theatrical without theatrics. Just great.

Peter Paige / Seth Numrich and Brett Ryback: Photos by Craig Schwartz

The breakout of the show is the fantastic (20 yr old) Alex Brightman playing Posner (who has a great blog about the making-of The History Boys. As Prosner, he is so compelling and true to character, you would think he was a seasoned pro. He is sure to have a long successful career. The other stand-outs are Seth Numrich as Dakin and (the Josh Hamilton look alike) Brett Ryback as Scripps- attractive, good accents, solid acting. Dakin Matthews is, as always, a fantastic Dakin Matthews. He brings such incredible saddness to the part in the simplist of ways in his scene with Posner.

Alex Brightman and Dakin Matthews: Photo by Craig Schwartz

Love me some Charlotte Cornwell as Ms. Lintott- just when you think, "Why is this character in the story?" playwirght Alan Bennett addresses this so cleverly. Special mention goes out to Sean Marquette in the smaller role of Timms, he's just fun and real. One of the best things about the show is it's great pre-taped "music video" sequesnces set to 80s music in between scenes which further the story perfectly and are so much fun (especially if you grew up with that music). Well-known Brit director Paul Miller is sure to be making other spashes in the USA after this States debut...

The History Boys runs until December 9th.

Peter Paige at Play Hot Interviews by Michael Medico

You know him as Emmett on Queer As Folk and as the voice of Steve in "Rick and Steve: the Happiest Gay Couple in the World". I know him from college, Boston Univeristy. However, don't try to put Peter Paige in a box- because he just won't keep still! Peter was one of the first actors to sign on to do the Hot in Hollywood benefit it's first year- when no one knew who we were! 2 years ago, his movie Say Uncle (that he wrote, directed, and starred in) hit theatres and he just completed lensing his next film, Leaving Bartow, this time writen by actor Kevin Sheridan. NOW, he's returning to the stage to do The History Boys at the Ahmanson which begins previews tonight and runs til Dec. 9th. Here's what Peter had to say about his career...

Michael Medico: After we graduated BU- why did you more to Portland and what work (plays) did you do there?
Peter Paige: I had been in New York for a while, working and partying and generally running myself down. I decided I needed a new start, so I moved to PDX and immediately began working on the city's equity stages. Best thing I ever did. Within a month, I had a couple years worth of work lined up. I ended up dong a bunch of the classics (Midsummer, The Rivals) and contemporatry work (Abundance, First Coulpe) as well as world premiers (Secret Agents).

MM: You once told me that after doing Queer as Folk, you were not just considered famous but you were "Gaymous".  Do you find that most people in the industry relate to you only as a GAY actor?
PP: Hmm, How to answer this... Let's just say, it has created challenges. I now no longer get seen for roles I used to screentest for- wacky neighbors, things like that- though I must admit this probably has as much to do with being on a long-runing TV series as anything else. Sometimes you have to shake off the stink of it for a while before people can see you with fresh eyes.

MM: How long did you "live with"/write/develop your film "Say Uncle" before you shot it? What was your inspiration?
PP: I had started that script more than five years before we made it. Like most artistic endeavors, inspiration came in numerous forms- the personal (my own love for my godson) and the observational (my perception that we are being fed fear and hysteria from every quadrant at all times) were definitely the most relevant.

MM: What did you learn on your first film that helped you in directing you latest,"Leaving Barstow"?
PP: More than I can put in a dinky paragraph- but the most important thing I learned is that the difference between people who make movies and people who have scripts in thir drawers is that they make their movies. It's a difficult, sometimes daunting process, but far stupider people than us have accomplished far greater things. If you keep putting one foot in front of the other, you'll walk into a a few walls, but eventually you find the door.

MM:What was different directing your own film and someone elses?
PP: I think the major difference was just that I had to read Kevin's script a lot more often, until it was so ingrained in me that it felt like mine.

Peter at the first day of rehearsals for The History Boys (Photo by Craig Schwartz)

MM: Congratulations, you're about to open "The History Boys" at the Ahmanson.  When was the last time you did a play?  Are you nervous?
PP: The History Boys starts previews today, so yeah, I'm nervous. Mother-fucking terrified. But I will say this- it's been a long time since a job frightened the hell out of me and that's a good thing.

MM: How's your British accent for the show?
PP: It's pretty good. I stilll get notes from the dialect coach, but I think Cluadia Hill [our college voice an speach proffessor] would be proud.

MM: Who or what do you think is hot in Hollywood?
PP: The Green movement, the writer's strike (agian, even though it terrifies me), Project Runway, Tell me You Love Me, Ryan Gosling

MM: And the most important question...m&m's plain or peanut?
PP: Peanut- I need the protein.