WEIRDLAND: Dustin Lance Black for "The Advocate"

Thursday, May 07, 2009

Dustin Lance Black for "The Advocate"

"With no financial backing, Black proceeded to do the legwork on researching Milk’s life and write a script on spec. He befriended Milk’s protégé Cleve Jones and interviewed the slain San Francisco politician’s other surviving friends and colleagues. “He didn’t dismiss us as dinosaurs”, Jones says. Emile Hirsch (who plays Cleve Jones in "Milk") with Dustin Lance Black.

Then, just as it seemed likely that Zadan and Meron’s Milk movie was about to get the green light at Warner Bros., with The Office’s Steve Carell starring, Jones introduced Black to his friend Van Sant, who signed on to direct Black’s screenplay and brought Sean Penn on board to star. The rest is gay -- and Oscar -- history.
Black did just that on February 22 when he stepped up to the podium of Hollywood’s Kodak Theatre to accept the Oscar for best original screenplay. He used his moment in the spotlight -- in front of roughly 35 million U.S. viewers and untold numbers worldwide -- to convey his hero’s sentiment: “If Harvey had not been taken from us 30 years ago, I think he’d want me to say to all of the gay and lesbian kids out there tonight who have been told that they are less than, by their churches, by the government, or by their families, that you are beautiful, wonderful creatures of value and that no matter what anyone tells you, God does love you.”

Luckily, Black’s future is filled with promising projects, including a movie about Washington politics and a TV series, neither of which he’s ready to discuss. He’s also preparing to direct the film What’s Wrong With Virginia, which he wrote five years ago. “It’s a very personal story,” he says. Loosely based on his childhood, it’s a drama about a boy who is caretaker to his impoverished, schizophrenic mother. (In reality, someone else in Black’s family is a functioning schizophrenic.) Jennifer Connelly and Liam Neeson are attached to star.
Black is elated by the accomplishment. “I think anyone interested in civil rights must be thrilled,” he says. “I was tickled pink.” But while some might see the victory in two states as a shot in the arm for the one-state-at-a-time approach, Black stands firm in his conviction that the movement must “abandon the strategy of gradualism” and “take the fight federal,” he says. “I believe now is the time.”“The federal government doesn’t issue marriage licenses, states do.” But Wolfson understands that Black is the one currently holding the microphone. “Lance Black has a really important voice and a great opportunity to help move people to action.”Black may have had his 15 minutes in the spotlight, but he’s not going to stop rattling the cages any time soon. “Lance looks young and he has a cute face,” Jones says, “but no one should underestimate this young man. Believe me.”

Source: www.advocate.com



"Two same-sex smooches are nominated for Best Kiss at this year's MTV Movie Awards. Among the nominees are James Franco and Sean Penn's steamy kiss on a crowded San Francisco street in Milk, and Thomas Lennon's bromantic move on Paul Rudd in I Love You, Man". Source: www.advocate.com


A friendly bromantic dinner turns into an unexpected intimate moment when Thomas Lennon plants a hot one on Paul Rudd.


Robert Pattinson crawls through Kristen Stewart's window, 'Dawson's Creek' style, and initiates a passionate late-night makeout session on her bed. Source: www.mtv.com

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