The Artist: Simpler Times? Brilliant!

Brilliant, visually stunning, amazing, heart-warming, unconventional...  It's so nice to see that a movies like this can still be made and make it to general release, even if it took so long and this is coming from a Bona Fide spectacle geek.  The Artist is incredibly risky and it's impossible to divulge any of those many risks without ruining the experience.  Wrapped around the stock market crash of 1929 it is filmed in black and white and presented in the original 35 mm aspect ratio.  But there is so, so much more.

Winner of Golden Globes Best Picture (Comedy or Musical) it seems clear that HFPA gave it the comedy or musical designation to avoid it having to go head to head against favorite and winner The Descendants or Hugo and the rest of the company.  No need.

Now that I have seen The Artist, it is my clear favorite for for Best Picture at the Oscars.  It certainly should win, cinematography, musical score and others for set decoration and artistic direction or whatever those all are.

 I know it is trite, but this really is a "feel good" movie. In an era of remaking or remastering movies into 3-D the viewer is swept into a time that we think of as simpler and are reminded that it wasn't ... but we got through it ... in no small part to movies like this.

Clooney speaks about equality...

After winning Best Actor in a Drama at the Golden Globes, George Clooney uses his press interview to comment on Gay Equality and Mitt Romney:

A Photo to the Globe and Mail

In the wake of some recent challenges to the legitimacy of the same gender marriages of Americans performed in Canada The Toronto Globe and Mail requested photos.  Kyle and I sent this....

We were married in Toronto City Hall on February 22, 2008, the anniversary of my parents wedding in 1946. Our witness were the The Rt. Rev. Jack McKelvey, Bishop of Rochester, and his wife Linda McKelvey.

Besides expressing our lifetime commitment to each other, the ceremony provided us with contractual of the protections afforded other married couples.  The most important of these is health insurance for Kyle. The protection of the ones we love afforded to all Americans is all we seek.

Despite marriage in NY we are still not afforded federal assurances.  Everyone that believes in equal protection under the law, needs to continue to work for the end of DOMA and marriage equality in every state.  LGBT people and allies, speak up, speak OUT!

Message Framing

A well framed message about the LGBT Movement:

This is about everyday Americans who want the same chance as anyone else to pursue health and happiness, earn a living, be safe in their communities, serve their country, and take care of the ones they love.

What are the important concepts and vocabulary included?
What do you think is intentionally redirected or intentionally left out?

The meeting of the NEA Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) Committee, met in Washington, DC this weekend.  We had a presentation from Sean Lund from Movement Advancement Program.  The messaging/framing aspects were very familiar.  What was very helpful was the addition of specific vocabulary to be used when presenting LGBT issues to the moveable middle.  I will be writing about some of these in more detail.

Sean Lund

Fred Sainz

Sean was followed by Fred Sainz, VP for Communications and Marketing at HRC (The Human Rights Campaign).  The messages were very well aligned.  MAP, GLAAD, NGLTF and HRC are all listed on the powerful documents, "Talking About.." which target specific LGBT issues and audiences.

It is encouraging to see this collaboration.