Gay-Themed "Call Me By Your Name" Leads 2017 Independent Spirit Award Nominations

This year's Independent Spirit Award nominations have been announced and the highly-anticipated gay drama Call Me By Your Name starring Armie Hammer and Timothee Chalamet received six nominations including Best Feature, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Male Lead (for Timothee Chalamet), and Best Supporting Male (for Armie Hammer).

Call Me By Your Name bows in New York City and Los Angeles this Friday before opening nationwide.

Also, Sundance favorite Beach Rats picked up two nominations, one for Best Male Lead (for Harris Dickinson) and Best Cinematography,

Additionally, French AIDS/ACT UP drama BPM (Beats Per Minute) got a nod for Best International Film, as did A Fantastic Woman from Chile, in which trans actress Daniela Vega plays a transgender singer faced with discrimination and loss when her lover dies.

Here’s the full list of nominees:

Best Feature
“Call Me by Your Name”
“The Florida Project”
“Get Out”
“Lady Bird”
“The Rider”

Best First Feature
“Columbus”
“Ingrid Goes West”
“Menashe”
“Oh Lucy!”
“Patti Cake$”

Best Director
Sean Baker, “The Florida Project”
Jonas Carpignano, “A Ciambra”
Luca Guadagnino, “Call Me by Your Name”
Jordan Peele, “Get Out”
Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie, “Good Time”
Chloé Zhao, “The Rider”

Best Screenplay
Greta Gerwig, “Lady Bird”
Azazel Jacobs, “The Lovers”
Martin McDonagh, “Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Jordan Peele, “Get Out”
Mike White, “Beatriz at Dinner”

Best First Screenplay
Kris Avedisian, Story By: Kyle Espeleta, Jesse Wakeman, “Donald Cried”
Emily V. Gordon, Kumail Nanjiani, “The Big Sick”
Ingrid Jungermann, “Women Who Kill”
Kogonada, “Columbus”
David Branson Smith, Matt Spicer, “Ingrid Goes West”

Best Cinematography
Thimios Bakatakis, “The Killing of a Sacred Deer”
Elisha Christian, “Columbus”
Hélène Louvart, “Beach Rats”
Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, “Call Me by Your Name”
Joshua James Richards, “The Rider”

Best Editing
Ronald Bronstein, Benny Safdie, “Good Time”
Walter Fasano, “Call Me by Your Name”
Alex O’Flinn, “The Rider”
Gregory Plotkin, “Get Out”
Tatiana S. Riegel, “I, Tonya”

Best Female Lead
Salma Hayek, “Beatriz at Dinner”
Frances McDormand, “Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Margot Robbie, “I, Tonya”
Saoirse Ronan, “Lady Bird”
Shinobu Terajima, “Oh Lucy!”
Regina Williams, “Life and nothing more”

Best Male Lead
Timothée Chalamet, “Call Me by Your Name”
Harris Dickinson, “Beach Rats”
James Franco, “The Disaster Artist”
Daniel Kaluuya, “Get Out”
Robert Pattinson, “Good Time”

Best Supporting Female
Holly Hunter, “The Big Sick”
Allison Janney, “I, Tonya”
Laurie Metcalf, “Lady Bird”
Lois Smith, “Marjorie Prime”
Taliah Lennice Webster, “Good Time”

Best Supporting Male
Nnamdi Asomugha, “Crown Heights”
Armie Hammer, “Call Me by Your Name”
Barry Keoghan, “The Killing of a Sacred Deer”
Sam Rockwell, “Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Benny Safdie, “Good Time”

Robert Altman Award
“Mudbound”

Best Documentary
“The Departure”
“Faces Places”
“Last Men in Aleppo”
“Motherland”
“Quest”

Best International Film
“BPM (Beats Per Minute)” (France)
“A Fantastic Woman,” (Chile)
“I Am Not a Witch,” (Zambia)
“Lady Macbeth,” (U.K.)
“Loveless,” (Russia)

90th Academy Award Nominations

Via Variety:

Oscar nominations for the 90th annual awards were announced on Tuesday morning from the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills, Calif. 

Guillermo del Toro’s “The Shape of Water” continued its awards show streak, leading the pack with 13 nominations. Martin McDonagh’s “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” followed behind with nine nods and “Dunkirk” with eight. All three films earned best picture nominations. 

The rest of the category was rounded out by “Call Me By Your Name,” “Darkest Hour,” “Get Out,” “Phantom Thread,” “Lady Bird,” and “The Post.”

The Academy Awards will air live on ABC on March 4.

The nominations for the Best Picture 

• “Call Me by Your Name”
• "Darkest Hour"
• “Dunkirk”
• "Get Out"
• "Lady Bird"
• "Phantom Thread"
• "The Post"
• "The Shape of Water"
• “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

Best Actress in a Leading Role

• Sally Hawkins, “The Shape of Water”
• Frances McDormand, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
• Margot Robbie, “I, Tonya”
• Saoirse Ronan, “Lady Bird”
• Meryl Streep, “The Post”

Best Actor in a Leading Role

• Timothée Chalamet, “Call Me by Your Name”
• Daniel Day-Lewis, “Phantom Thread”
• Daniel Kaluuya, “Get Out”
• Gary Oldman, “Darkest Hour”
• Denzel Washington, “Roman J. Israel, Esq.”

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

• Willem Dafoe, “The Florida Project”
• Woody Harrelson, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
• Richard Jenkins, “The Shape of Water”
• Christopher Plummer, “All the Money in the World”
• Sam Rockwell, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

• Mary J. Blige, “Mudbound”
• Allison Janney, “I, Tonya”
• Laurie Metcalf, “Lady Bird”
• Lesley Manville, “Phantom Thread”
• Octavia Spencer, “The Shape of Water”

Best Director

• “Dunkirk,” Christopher Nolan
• “Get Out,” Jordan Peele
• “Lady Bird,” Greta Gerwig
• “Phantom Thread,” Paul Thomas Anderson
• “The Shape of Water,” Guillermo del Toro

Best Original Screenplay 

• “The Big Sick,” Emily V. Gordon & Kumail Nanjiani
• “Get Out,” Jordan Peele
• “Lady Bird,” Greta Gerwig
• “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,” Martin McDonagh
• “The Shape of Water," Guillermo del Toro & Vanessa Taylor

Best Adapted Screenplay

• “Call Me by Your Name,” James Ivory
• “The Disaster Artist,” Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber
• “Logan,” Scott Frank & James Mangold and Michael Green
• “Molly’s Game,” Aaron Sorkin
• “Mudbound,” Virgil Williams and Dee Rees

Best Animated Feature

• “The Boss Baby”
• “The Breadwinner”
• “Coco”
• "Ferdinand"
• “Loving Vincent”

Best Original Song

• “Mighty River” from “Mudbound”
• “Mystery of Love” from “Call Me by Your Name”
• “Remember Me” from “Coco”
• “Stand Up for Something” from “Marshall”
• “This Is Me” from “The Greatest Showman”

Best Documentary Feature

• "Abacus: Small Enough to Jail"
• “Faces Places”
• “Icarus”
• "Last Men in Aleppo"
• “Strong Island”

Best Documentary Short Subject

• “Edith+Eddie”
• “Heaven is a Traffic Jam on the 405”
• “Heroin(e)”
• “Kayayo: The Living Shopping Baskets”
• “Knife Skills” “Traffic Stop”

Best Foreign Language Film 

• “A Fantastic Woman”
• “The Insult”
• “Loveless”
• "The Wound"

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

• “Darkest Hour”
• “Victoria & Abdul”
• “Wonder”

Best Film Editing

• “Baby Driver”
• “Dunkirk”
• “I, Tonya”
• “The Shape of Water”
• “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”

Best Visual Effects

• “Blade Runner 2049”
• "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2"
• "Kong: Skull Island"
• “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”
• “War for the Planet of the Apes”

Best Original Score

• “Dunkirk,” Hans Zimmer
• “Phantom Thread,” Jonny Greenwood
• “The Shape of Water,” Alexandre Desplat
• “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” John Williams
• "Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri," Carter Burwell

Best Production Design

• “Beauty and the Beast”
• “Blade Runner 2049”
• “Darkest Hour”
• “The Shape of Water”
• "Dunkirk"

Best Cinematography 

• “Blade Runner 2049,” Roger Deakins
• “Darkest Hour," Bruno Delbonnel
• “Dunkirk," Hoyte van Hoytema
• “Mudbound," Rachel Morrison
• “The Shape of Water,” Dan Laustsen

Best Costume Design 

• “Beauty and the Beast”
• “Darkest Hour”
• “Phantom Thread”
• “The Shape of Water”
• “Victoria and Abdul”

Best Sound Editing

• "Baby Driver"
• "Blade Runner 2049"
• "Dunkirk"
• "The Shape of Water"
• "Star Wars: The Last Jedi"

Best Sound Mixing 

• “Baby Driver”
• “Blade Runner 2049”
• “Dunkirk”
• “The Shape of Water”
• “Star Wars: The Last Jedi”

Best Animated Short Film 

• “Dear Basketball”
• "Garden Party"
• "Lou"
• “Negative Space”
• “Revolting Rhymes”

Best Live Action Short Film

• “DeKalb Elementary”
• “The Eleven O’Clock”
• “My Nephew Emmett”
• “The Silent Child”
• “Watu Wote/All of Us”

Book Sequel Announced, But Will There Be A Film Sequel To 'Call Me By Your Name?'

Timothee Chalamet and Armie Hammer

While fans may be jonesing for a sequel to the 2017 hit movie Call Me By Your Name, one of the stars of the film isn’t so sure the same magic can be recreated.

In a wide-ranging interview with Vulture, Armie Hammer says he’s “coming around to the idea that the first one was so special for everyone who made it, and so many people who watched it felt like it really touched them, or spoke to them.”

Calling the coming-of-age film “a really perfect storm,” Hammer wonders if a sequel is “setting ourselves up for disappointment.”

He added, “I don’t know that anything will match up to the first, you know?”

The talk of a sequel has continued for some time now.

Back in March, director Luca Guadagnino told USA Today the sequel to Call Me By Your Name was being developed with the two stars in mind, but the new film would broaden the setting to a global adventure.

“I’m already conceiving the story with (original novel author) André Aciman, and it’s gonna happen five or six years afterwards,” said Guadagnino.“It’s gonna be a new movie, a different tone.”

Aciman tweeted in December that he’s was in the process of penning a sequel to his original book ahead of a sequel to the critically-acclaimed film.

“I would actually love a sequel to Call Me by Your Name. In fact I am writing one.”

I would actually love a sequel to Call Me by Your Name. In fact I am writing one.

— André Aciman (@aaciman) December 4, 2018

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Aciman's follow-up novel will be titled, Find Me, and will be released October 29 this year.

The sequel, titled Find Me, will pick up after Elio's father, Samuel, has divorced. He travels from Florence to Rome to visit Elio, who has become a respected classical pianist. (Viewers of the first film will recall Michael Stuhlbarg's Samuel delivering an emotional speech that suggested he had "come close" to a relationship like Elio and Oliver's.) The book will see Samuel have a "chance encounter" on a train that provokes changes in his life, Elio moving to Paris and having a "consequential affair" and Oliver, now a professor in New England, considering returning to Europe after his sons are grown.

In the Vulture interview, though, Hammer makes a point to say he wouldn’t shut the door completely on the idea of returning to the world of CMBYN.

“If we end up with an incredible script, and Timmy’s in, and Luca’s in, I’d be an asshole to say no,” said the 32-year-old actor. “But at the same time, I’m like, That was such a special thing, why don’t we just leave that alone?”

Will young Elio and Oliver ever find peaches and true happiness together? We shall see.

Gay-Themed "Call Me By Your Name" Opens To Highest Per Theater Average Of The Year

It was an awesome opening weekend for gay-themed indie film, Call Me by Your Name.

Not only did the movie receive 6 Independent Spirit Award nominations, but the film racked up about $404,000 in its opening weekend for the domestic box office.

Screening in only 4 theaters (Los Angeles and New York), Call Me By Your Name averaged $101,219, reports Deadline.

That means the flick has this year's highest per theater average in the United States.

Based on the coming-of-age novel by André Aciman, the highly anticipated Call Me by Your Name follows Timothée Chalamet as "Elio," a young man who falls in love with American exchange student "Oliver" (Armie Hammer) at his family's home in the Italian countryside.

Reviews for the film have been almost universally glowing with a 98% "Fresh" rating on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, and there's serious Oscar buzz around the movie.

Trailer: "Call Me By Your Name"

When the film adaptation of André Aciman’s acclaimed book, Call Me by Your Name, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, the response was immediate rapturous, critical approval.

The flick was a strong presence at several other major film festivals including the Berlin International Film Festival and the Sydney Film Festival.

Vulture declared the film "feels like a landmark."

Directed by Luca Guadagnino (A Bigger Splash, I Am Love) and set in the Italian region of Lombardy during the early 1980s, Call Me by Your Name follows young Elio (breakout Timothée Chalamet), on the cusp of college and the child of two brainy aesthetes. During the summer we meet Elio, he finds himself bewitched by Oliver (Armie Hammer), a strapping American student who has come to assist Elio’s professor father (Michael Stuhlbarg) for several weeks.

At first, Elio doesn’t quite know what to make of Oliver: Though Elio offers to show the older man around, he lightly mocks Oliver’s casual brashness behind his back. Book-smart and steeped in culture, Elio thinks he knows just about everything already, but as he finds himself increasingly drawn to Oliver — culminating in a romance that’s teased in this trailer — he soon finds out how much there is to learn about love, sex, and the life he’s going to lead.

In addition to the top-shelf work of the two leads, the film's romantic cinematography by Sayombhu Mukdeeprom has been hailed by many as a sure Oscar contender.

Due in theaters November 24.

Major Movies Featured Fewer LGBTs In 2017

(still from Call Me By Your Name)

While the LGBTQ community was giddy over the success of gay-themed Call Me By Your Name at this year’s Academy Awards where James Ivory won the Oscar for “Best Screenplay,” a new study shows depictions of LGBTQ characters in movies released by major studios last year actually declined.

LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD took a look at the 109 films released by major studios in 2017. And in issuing their annual Studio Responsibility Index found that gay, lesbian, bi, trans and queer characters appeared in only 14 films (12.8%).

That marks a precipitous drop from the 18.4% of major studio films found to be inclusive in 2016. Indeed, this is the lowest percentage of films featuring LGBTQ characters since GLAAD began reporting on the issue in 2012.

Additionally, GLAAD notes that many of the gay characters in 2017 films were barely seen on screen. Looking at the 14 films that included LGBTQ characters, in half of them the LGBTQ characters had less than five minutes of screen time.

There was some good news to report: diversity increased as 16 of the 28 LGBT-identified characters were people of color. That makes for 57% of the total characters in 2017 versus only 20% in 2016.

It's important to note that the report did not include the LGBTQ representation in the films released by the smaller, boutique labels like Sony Pictures Classics, which produced Call Me By Your Name, and Fox Searchlight, which served up the Billie Jean King/Bobby Riggs redux, Battle of the Sexes.

When you add those outlets to other similar offices - like Universal’s Focus and Lionsgate affiliate Roadside Attractions - to the mix, you do get a more diverse, inclusive result.

Of the 40 films released by those labels in 2017, 28% contained LGBTQ characters, which is almost double the 17% in 2016.

In a recent interview with Time Out London, Sir Ian McKellen spoke about the lack of LGBTQ representation in Hollywood:

“Well, nobody looks to Hollywood for social commentary, do they? They only recently discovered that there were black people in the world. Hollywood has mistreated women in every possible way throughout its history. Gay men don’t exist. Gods and Monsters [1998], I think, was the beginning of Hollywood admitting that there were gay people knocking around, even though half of Hollywood is gay.”

"Call Me By Your Name" Director Says Sequel Is In The Works

Timothée Chalamet (L) and Armie Hammer (R) in Call Me By Your Name

USA Today is reporting that Call Me By Your Name director Luca Guadagnino is already planning the film's sequel.

"I'm already conceiving the story with André Aciman, and it's gonna happen five or six years afterwards," Guadagnino told reporter Carly Mallenbaum. "It's gonna be a new movie, a different tone."

The director also revealed the sequel will star Armie Hammer and Timothée Chalamet but will have a different backdrop. "They're gonna go around the world," he said.

In January, Guadagnino told The Hollywood Reporter the sequel would also find the AIDS epidemic central to the new storyline.

The disease, however, will be tackled head-on in the sequel, says Guadagnino, who hopes the awards contender is the first installment of a decades-long Before Sunrise-like series. "I think it's going to be a very relevant part of the story," he told THR at Jan. 13's Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards.

"I think Elio [Timothee Chalamet] will be a cinephile, and I'd like him to be in a movie theater watching Paul Vecchiali's Once More," a 1988 film about a man who falls in love with a man after he leaves his wife, which was the first French movie to deal with AIDS. "That," said Guadagnino, "could be the first scene [in the sequel]."

"The novel has 40 pages at the end that goes through the next 20 years of the lives of Elio and Oliver, so there is some sort of indication through the intention of author Andre Aciman that the story can continue," Guadagnino added.

Maybe it's just me, but sometimes you find lightning in a bottle. My take on CMBYN is that the delicate, thoughtful exploration of first love made the film so charming.

Two words: Grease 2.

Queer Cinema: "Call Me By Your Name" Wins At Gotham Independent Film Awards

Timothée Chalamet (L) and Armie Hammer (R) in Call Me By Your Name

Acclaimed gay coming-of-age film Call Me By Your Name had a great start on the awards season last night at the Gotham Independent Film Awards picking up "Best Feature" and "Breakthrough Actor."

I predict it's going to be a fun couple of months for Timothée Chalamet, who plays the young male lead in the highly anticipated film.

Click over to The Hollywood Reporter for a full list of winners.

Sony Pictures UK Attempts To Straight-Wash Upcoming Gay Romance "Call Me By Your Name"

The Twitter feed for Sony Pictures UK was shamed into deleting a tweet that appeared to "straight-wash" the upcoming gay-themed indie film, Call Me By Your Name.

Pairing an image of two of the film's young actors with the quote, “It’s a romance overwhelming in its intensity, a heart that swells until it has to burst,” you would have thought this was a movie about budding young heterosexual romance.

Of course, being one of the most highly anticipated films of the year, movie fans know it's actually a coming of age story centered on a burgeoning gay romance between a young college professor and a male teenager.

Boo, Sony Pictures UK...

Call Me By Your Name is in theaters November 24.

Complete List Of 2018 Screen Actors Guild Awards

Last night's Screen Actors Guild Awards looked like a repeat of the Golden Globe Awards with Frances McDormand, Gary Oldman, Allison Janney and Sam Rockwell taking home honors for their respective work.

The SAG Awards doesn't present a "Best Picture" honor. Since the voters are actors, the closest thing to "top honors" is the Outstanding Performance By a Cast in a Motion Picture.

At this point, I'd be looking at the Globes and SAG Awards as serious precursors to what we can expect come Oscar night.

Sad to see Timothée Chalamet missed out again for his acclaimed turn in the gay coming-of-age film Call Me By Your Name, but after the year he's had its certain he has a glowing career ahead of him.

Here's the list of honorees last night.

Film Awards:

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Judi Dench, “Victoria & Abdul”
Sally Hawkins, “The Shape of Water”
Frances McDormand, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” WINNER
Margot Robbie, “I, Tonya”
Saoirse Ronan, “Lady Bird”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Timothée Chalamet, “Call Me by Your Name”
James Franco, “The Disaster Artist”
Daniel Kaluuya, “Get Out”
Gary Oldman, “Darkest Hour” WINNER
Denzel Washington, “Roman J. Israel, Esq.”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Mary J. Blige, “Mudbound”
Hong Chau, “Downsizing”
Holly Hunter, “The Big Sick”
Allison Janney, “I, Tonya” WINNER
Laurie Metcalf, “Lady Bird”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Steve Carell, “Battle of the Sexes”
Willem Dafoe, “The Florida Project”
Woody Harrelson, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”
Richard Jenkins, “The Shape of Water”
Sam Rockwell, “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” WINNER

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
"The Big Sick"
"Get Out"
"Lady Bird"
"Mudbound"
"Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri" WINNERS

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture

“Baby Driver”
“Dunkirk”
“Logan”
“War for the Planet of the Apes”
“Wonder Woman” WINNER

Television Awards:

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
Laura Dern, “Big Little Lies”
Nicole Kidman, “Big Little Lies” WINNER
Jessica Lange, “Feud: Bette and Joan”
Susan Sarandon, “Feud: Bette and Joan”
Reese Witherspoon, “Big Little Lies”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Limited Series
Benedict Cumberbatch, “Sherlock: The Lying Detective”
Jeff Daniels, “Godless”
Robert De Niro, “The Wizard of Lies”
Geoffrey Rush, “Genius”
Alexander Skarsgård, “Big Little Lies” WINNER

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
Millie Bobby Brown, “Stranger Things”
Claire Foy, “The Crown” WINNER
Laura Linney, “Ozark”
Elisabeth Moss, “The Handmaid’s Tale”
Robin Wright, “House of Cards”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
Jason Bateman, “Ozark”
Sterling K. Brown, “This Is Us” WINNER
Peter Dinklage, “Game of Thrones”
David Harbour, “Stranger Things”
Bob Odenkirk, “Better Call Saul”

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
Uzo Aduba, “Orange Is the New Black”
Alison Brie, “Glow”
Jane Fonda, “Grace and Frankie”
Julia Louis-Dreyfus, “Veep” WINNER
Lily Tomlin, “Grace and Frankie”

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
Anthony Anderson, “Black-ish”
Aziz Ansari, “Master of None”
Larry David, “Curb Your Enthusiasm”
Sean Hayes, “Will & Grace”
William H. Macy, “Shameless” WINNER
Marc Maron, “Glow”

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
"The Crown"
"Game of Thrones"
"The Handmaid’s Tale"
"Stranger Things"
"This Is Us" WINNERS

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
"Black-ish"
"Curb Your Enthusiasm"
"Glow"
"Orange Is the New Black"
"Veep" WINNERS

Outstanding Action Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Comedy or Drama Series
"Game of Thrones"
"Glow"
"Homeland"
"Stranger Things" WINNER
"The Walking Dead"

"Call Me Carlye"

Carlye and I at a holiday party a few years ago

Today is the birthday of my best friend and the most beautiful person I know. Today is Carlye's birthday.

There is so much to celebrate when I think of Carlye. Her laugh, her smile, her fortitude, her inspiration, her conviction - her life.

Carlye and husband David at their favorite place in the world

Happy happy birthday Carlye!  I wanted to write something that would reflect her spirit and beauty, both inside and out. So, in my best attempt to write in the style of my favorite poet, Maya Angelou, here goes:

"Call Me Carlye"

Imagine a newborn, big-eyed, brown, baby girl
Waiting to see her world.
 Waiting to receive a name.

Let’s call her Fannie Mae,

She’ll stay in this place.

No, let’s call her Bonnie Brown,
She’ll never leave this town.

Then the universe had an aha! moment,

and said,
Carlye.

Inspired by beautiful - beautiful woman, beautiful mind,
And a spirit for life.

The town laughed and said it was sure

This child was special, and sure to explore.

The universe whispered,
Carlye.
And a world leaned forward.

A grandmother, Mrs. Wilson, lifted her up
To show her to God,
And God said,
I’m going to show you a road to your future.

And in a land named Texas she began to see herself.
Someone said,
What’s your name?
She said, Carlye.

And, what do you do?
She said, I am being Carlye.

And then she stood tall.
She saw no one higher than herself,
And no one lower.

New York asked Carlye,
"Come, by the shining river and the beautiful city
Will you come here
And share your gifts and talent, Carlye?"

She said, "Yes.
And in doing so, I want to give voice to those in and around me,
To the voiceless. To the quiet. To the less sure.
Call me Carlye."

Those around her began to know her and call her by her name.

Carlye.

And wherever she went, she created community.
Carlye.

And she said, Yes.

Yes.

Everyone who sat by her had a place to be.
Carlye.

And people listened to her
For more years than were actually there.
And she listened.

She said be strong,
be kind,
and call me Carlye.

I am Carlye.

Carlye.

Carlye.

Carlye.

News Round-Up: December 3, 2017

(via Instagram)

Some news items you might have missed:

• Fitness guy Dominick makes for all kinds of sexy Santa. Looks like he's got a nicely wrapped package to deliver, too ;)

• The Human Rights Campaign has wisely chosen to endorse Nevada Congresswoman Jacky Rosen as she begins her campaign to challenge GOP Sen. Dean Heller in next year's election. The HRC writes, in part, "She has been an outspoken critic of the Trump-Pence Administration's assault on LGBTQ equality, from revoking discrimination protections for transgender children in public schools, to attempting to render the LGBTQ community invisible in the U.S. census."

• A gay man standing outside a McDonalds in Buenos Aires, Argentina, was viciously attacked by seven men. The man had to be treated in the hospital for a broken cheekbone and damage to his eye.

• Last month, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said Alabama Republican Roy Moore wasn't fit to serve in the U.S. Senate. Today, McConnell flip-flopped saying the people of Alabama should make that call. #SaveThatMajorityAtAnyCost

• MSNBC's Joy Reid has apologized after blog posts from ten years ago surfaced wherein she often referred to former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist as "Miss." Crist has long been rumored to be a closet-case.

• A male model named Jason Boyce has filed suit against renowned photographer Bruce Weber alleging that the lensman sexually harassed him during a photo shoot.

• InstaCouple Justin and Nick share the afterglow of seeing an NYC screening of soon-to-be-in-wide-release Call Me By Your Name.

Simultaneously emotionally recovering from Call Me By Your Name and Coco. Help.

A post shared by Justin & Nick (@justinickpgh) on Dec 3, 2017 at 8:15am PST

BAFTA Nominations Have Good News For LGBT-Themed Films

The British Academy Film and Television Awards (BAFTA) released its list of nominees today and there's good news for several LGBT-themed films.

• Call Me By Your Name received 4 nominations (Best Film, Best Director, Adapted Screenplay, Leading Actor for Timothée Chalamet). Chalamet was also nominated for the public-voted EE Rising Star Award.

• God's Own Country received a nod for Best British film. Last month, the gay rural romance was a big winner at the British Independent Film Awards taking home best British independent film, best actor for Josh O’Connor, and best debut screenwiter for Francis Lee, who also directed the England-set gay romance.

• Lady Bird earned three nominations for Best Actress in a Leading Role for Saoirse Ronan, Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Laurie Metcalf and Best Original Screenplay. (Call Me By Your Name's Timothée Chalamet also co-stars as "Kyle Scheible.")

The awards will be held on February 18 at the Royal Albert Hall in London.

Gus Kenworthy Shows Off His Sexy "Bruised Peach"

Out Olympian Gus Kenworthy is one tough competitor

Gus Kenworthy post #2:

US freestyle skier Gus Kenworthy missed out on a second Olympic medal this time around in part due to injuries (a broken thumb and massive hematoma) that proved detrimental to his final runs in the Slopestyle competition this past weekend.

Gus shared a pic of the enormous bruise today giving you an idea of just how tough he is and yet still managed to throw down with the best of the best freestyle skiers in PyeongChang.

He even threw in a Call Me By Your Name reference along the way :)

A peach hasn't been this destroyed since Timothée Chalamet in Call Me by Your Name.🍑 pic.twitter.com/GSpdjZGox2

— Gus Kenworthy (@guskenworthy) February 20, 2018

Podcast: SCOTUS Refuses Houston Same-Sex Marriage Benefits Review; "Call Me By Your Name" Racks Up More Awards; Tom Goss Has A Musical Message For Christmas

In this week’s podcast:

• The US Supreme Court denied the city of Houston’s request to review a court decision saying marriage equality doesn’t mean equal benefits.

• Bermuda is the first nation to legalize then repeal marriage equality.

• Gay coming of age movie "Call Me By Your Name" continues to rack up awards and nominations

• My suggestions for end of the year charitable donations.

• New music from Tom Goss "Gay Christmas"

All that and more in this episode of The Randy Report

ELLEN: "Call Me By Your Name" Stars Share Backstory Of Their First Kiss

Call Me by Your Name stars Armie Hammer and Timothée Chalamet sat down with Ellen DeGeneres today sharing behind-the-scenes stories of making the award-winning film including their first rehearsal which apparently consisted of rolling around in the grass making out.

Chalamet also noted the new-found dangers of "razor burn" making out with the handsome Hammer.

"That's a real thing that people deal with," shared Chalamet.

Ellen concurred, "Oh yes. Yes. I don't anymore, but I did...."

Hilarity ensues.

The two actors clearly have great chemistry together. Can't wait to see the film.

Watch the interview below.

Armie Hammer Slaps Back At James Woods Over "Decency" Tweet Regarding Romantic Gay Film "Call Me By My Name"

James Woods (L) and Armie Hammer (R)

Armie Hammer, who stars in the highly anticipated film Call Me By Your Name, slapped back at actor James Woods who dissed the gay romance flick on Twitter and in doing so connected the movie to a group who believes pedophilia should be legal.

The movie features Hammer as a 24-year old American academic who attracts the attention of a 17-year-old Jewish-American boy played by Timothee Chalamet. The flick was a darling at the Sundance Film Festival garnering Oscar buzz for both leading men.

Woods quoted a tweet criticizing the age gap between Hammer’s 24-year-old character and his 17-year-old love interest (played by Timothée Chalamet) and bemoaning the lack of decency.

“As they quietly chip away the last barriers of decency,” Woods tweeted, adding the hashtag for the North American Man/Boy Love Association.

Hammer didn't miss a beat, calling out Woods for dating 19-year-old Ashley Madison when Woods was 59 for more than six years.

"Didn't you date a 19 year old when you were 60...?"

BOOM!

As they quietly chip away the last barriers of decency. #NAMBLA https://t.co/WqAnYxB604

— James Woods (@RealJamesWoods) September 11, 2017

Didn't you date a 19 year old when you were 60.......?

— Armie Hammer (@armiehammer) September 11, 2017

And then there was this reply that gets right to the heart of the matter:

Gee I wonder what would happen if there were a heterosexual movie where a 17-year-old had a summer romance with a 24-year-old

Oh wait: pic.twitter.com/0IwzT1Sikg

— BringBackLookingHBO (@looking4evah) September 12, 2017

Video: Trump 'Fixer' Michael Cohen Testifies Before Congress

Donald Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, testifies in front of the House Oversight committee today.

HuffPost reports that Trump "scheduled a dinner for Wednesday with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un at their summit in Hanoi, Vietnam, but only after House Democrats announced that his former lawyer and 'fixer' would publicly testify on Capitol Hill at about the same time." This is apparently to try and pull attention from Cohen's testimony.

His prepared statement to the committee was released to the press, and it's really something.

Watch the testimony below.

Here's the full text of Cohen's prepared statement.

Chairman Cummings, Ranking Member Jordan, and Members of the Committee, thank you for inviting me here today.

I have asked this Committee to ensure that my family be protected from Presidential threats, and that the Committee be sensitive to the questions pertaining to ongoing investigations. Thank you for your help and for your understanding.

I am here under oath to correct the record, to answer the Committee’s questions truthfully, and to offer the American people what I know about President Trump.

I recognize that some of you may doubt and attack me on my credibility. It is for this reason that I have incorporated into this opening statement documents that are irrefutable, and demonstrate that the information you will hear is accurate and truthful.

Never in a million years did I imagine, when I accepted a job in 2007 to work for Donald Trump, that he would one day run for President, launch a campaign on a platform of hate and intolerance, and actually win. I regret the day I said “yes” to Mr. Trump. I regret all the help and support I gave him along the way.

I am ashamed of my own failings, and I publicly accepted responsibility for them by pleading guilty in the Southern District of New York.

I am ashamed of my weakness and misplaced loyalty – of the things I did for Mr. Trump in an effort to protect and promote him.

I am ashamed that I chose to take part in concealing Mr. Trump’s illicit acts rather than listening to my own conscience.

I am ashamed because I know what Mr. Trump is. He is a racist. He is a conman. He is a cheat.

He was a presidential candidate who knew that Roger Stone was talking with Julian Assange about a WikiLeaks drop of Democratic National Committee emails.

I will explain each in a few moments.

I am providing the Committee today with several documents. These include:

A copy of a check Mr. Trump wrote from his personal bank account – after he became president – to reimburse me for the hush money payments I made to cover up his affair with an adult film star and prevent damage to his campaign; Copies of financial statements for 2011 – 2013 that he gave to such institutions as Deutsche Bank; A copy of an article with Mr. Trump’s handwriting on it that reported on the auction of a portrait of himself – he arranged for the bidder ahead of time and then reimbursed the bidder from the account of his non-profit charitable foundation, with the picture now hanging in one of his country clubs; and Copies of letters I wrote at Mr. Trump’s direction that threatened his high school, colleges, and the College Board not to release his grades or SAT scores.

I hope my appearance here today, my guilty plea, and my work with law enforcement agencies are steps along a path of redemption that will restore faith in me and help this country understand our president better.

Before going further, I want to apologize to each of you and to Congress as a whole.

The last time I appeared before Congress, I came to protect Mr. Trump. Today, I’m here to tell the truth about Mr. Trump.

I lied to Congress about when Mr. Trump stopped negotiating the Moscow Tower project in Russia. I stated that we stopped negotiating in January 2016. That was false – our negotiations continued for months later during the campaign.

Mr. Trump did not directly tell me to lie to Congress. That’s not how he operates.

In conversations we had during the campaign, at the same time I was actively negotiating in Russia for him, he would look me in the eye and tell me there’s no business in Russia and then go out and lie to the American people by saying the same thing. In his way, he was telling me to lie.

There were at least a half-dozen times between the Iowa Caucus in January 2016 and the end of June when he would ask me “How’s it going in Russia?” – referring to the Moscow Tower project.

You need to know that Mr. Trump’s personal lawyers reviewed and edited my statement to Congress about the timing of the Moscow Tower negotiations before I gave it.

To be clear: Mr. Trump knew of and directed the Trump Moscow negotiations throughout the campaign and lied about it. He lied about it because he never expected to win the election. He also lied about it because he stood to make hundreds of millions of dollars on the Moscow real estate project.

And so I lied about it, too – because Mr. Trump had made clear to me, through his personal statements to me that we both knew were false and through his lies to the country, that he wanted me to lie. And he made it clear to me because his personal attorneys reviewed my statement before I gave it to Congress.

Over the past two years, I have been smeared as “a rat” by the President of the United States. The truth is much different, and let me take a brief moment to introduce myself.

My name is Michael Dean Cohen.

I am a blessed husband of 24 years and a father to an incredible daughter and son. When I married my wife, I promised her that I would love her, cherish her, and protect her. As my father said countless times throughout my childhood, “you my wife, and you my children, are the air that I breathe.” To my Laura, my Sami, and my Jake, there is nothing I wouldn’t do to protect you.

I have always tried to live a life of loyalty, friendship, generosity, and compassion – qualities my parents ingrained in my siblings and me since childhood. My father survived the Holocaust thanks to the compassion and selfless acts of others. He was helped by many who put themselves in harm’s way to do what they knew was right.

That is why my first instinct has always been to help those in need. Mom and Dad…I am sorry that I let you down.

As many people that know me best would say, I am the person they would call at 3AM if they needed help. I proudly remember being the emergency contact for many of my children’s friends when they were growing up because their parents knew that I would drop everything and care for them as if they were my own.

Yet, last fall I pled guilty in federal court to felonies for the benefit of, at the direction of, and in coordination with Individual #1.

For the record: Individual #1 is President Donald J. Trump.

It is painful to admit that I was motivated by ambition at times. It is even more painful to admit that many times I ignored my conscience and acted loyal to a man when I should not have. Sitting here today, it seems unbelievable that I was so mesmerized by Donald Trump that I was willing to do things for him that I knew were absolutely wrong.

For that reason, I have come here to apologize to my family, to the government, and to the American people.

Accordingly, let me now tell you about Mr. Trump.

I got to know him very well, working very closely with him for more than 10 years, as his Executive Vice President and Special Counsel and then personal attorney when he became President. When I first met Mr. Trump, he was a successful entrepreneur, a real estate giant, and an icon. Being around Mr. Trump was intoxicating. When you were in his presence, you felt like you were involved in something greater than yourself — that you were somehow changing the world.

I wound up touting the Trump narrative for over a decade. That was my job. Always stay on message. Always defend. It monopolized my life. At first, I worked mostly on real estate developments and other business transactions. Shortly thereafter, Mr. Trump brought me into his personal life and private dealings. Over time, I saw his true character revealed.

Mr. Trump is an enigma. He is complicated, as am I. He has both good and bad, as do we all. But the bad far outweighs the good, and since taking office, he has become the worst version of himself. He is capable of behaving kindly, but he is not kind. He is capable of committing acts of generosity, but he is not generous. He is capable of being loyal, but he is fundamentally disloyal.

Donald Trump is a man who ran for office to make his brand great, not to make our country great. He had no desire or intention to lead this nation – only to market himself and to build his wealth and power. Mr. Trump would often say, this campaign was going to be the “greatest infomercial in political history.”

He never expected to win the primary. He never expected to win the general election. The campaign – for him – was always a marketing opportunity.

I knew early on in my work for Mr. Trump that he would direct me to lie to further his business interests. I am ashamed to say, that when it was for a real estate mogul in the private sector, I considered it trivial. As the President, I consider it significant and dangerous.

But in the mix, lying for Mr. Trump was normalized, and no one around him questioned it. In fairness, no one around him today questions it, either.

A lot of people have asked me about whether Mr. Trump knew about the release of the hacked Democratic National Committee emails ahead of time. The answer is yes.

As I earlier stated, Mr. Trump knew from Roger Stone in advance about the WikiLeaks drop of emails.

In July 2016, days before the Democratic convention, I was in Mr. Trump’s office when his secretary announced that Roger Stone was on the phone. Mr. Trump put Mr. Stone on the speakerphone. Mr. Stone told Mr. Trump that he had just gotten off the phone with Julian Assange and that Mr. Assange told Mr. Stone that, within a couple of days, there would be a massive dump of emails that would damage Hillary Clinton’s campaign.

Mr. Trump responded by stating to the effect of “wouldn’t that be great.”

Mr. Trump is a racist. The country has seen Mr. Trump court white supremacists and bigots. You have heard him call poorer countries “shitholes.”

In private, he is even worse.

He once asked me if I could name a country run by a black person that wasn’t a “shithole.” This was when Barack Obama was President of the United States.

While we were once driving through a struggling neighborhood in Chicago, he commented that only black people could live that way.

And, he told me that black people would never vote for him because they were too stupid.

And yet I continued to work for him.

Mr. Trump is a cheat.

As previously stated, I’m giving the Committee today three years of President Trump’s financial statements, from 2011-2013, which he gave to Deutsche Bank to inquire about a loan to buy the Buffalo Bills and to Forbes. These are Exhibits 1a, 1b, and 1c to my testimony.

It was my experience that Mr. Trump inflated his total assets when it served his purposes, such as trying to be listed among the wealthiest people in Forbes, and deflated his assets to reduce his real estate taxes.

I am sharing with you two newspaper articles, side by side, that are examples of Mr. Trump inflating and deflating his assets, as I said, to suit his financial interests. These are Exhibit 2 to my testimony.

As I noted, I’m giving the Committee today an article he wrote on, and sent me, that reported on an auction of a portrait of Mr. Trump. This is Exhibit 3A to my testimony.

Mr. Trump directed me to find a straw bidder to purchase a portrait of him that was being auctioned at an Art Hamptons Event. The objective was to ensure that his portrait, which was going to be auctioned last, would go for the highest price of any portrait that afternoon. The portrait was purchased by the fake bidder for $60,000. Mr. Trump directed the Trump Foundation, which is supposed to be a charitable organization, to repay the fake bidder, despite keeping the art for himself. Please see Exhibit 3B to my testimony.

And it should come as no surprise that one of my more common responsibilities was that Mr. Trump directed me to call business owners, many of whom were small businesses, that were owed money for their services and told them no payment or a reduced payment would be coming. When I advised Mr. Trump of my success, he actually reveled in it.

And yet, I continued to work for him.

Mr. Trump is a conman.

He asked me to pay off an adult film star with whom he had an affair, and to lie to his wife about it, which I did. Lying to the First Lady is one of my biggest regrets. She is a kind, good person. I respect her greatly – and she did not deserve that.

I am giving the Committee today a copy of the $130,000 wire transfer from me to Ms. Clifford’s attorney during the closing days of the presidential campaign that was demanded by Ms. Clifford to maintain her silence about her affair with Mr. Trump. This is Exhibit 4 to my testimony.

Mr. Trump directed me to use my own personal funds from a Home Equity Line of Credit to avoid any money being traced back to him that could negatively impact his campaign. I did that, too – without bothering to consider whether that was improper, much less whether it was the right thing to do or how it would impact me, my family, or the public.

I am going to jail in part because of my decision to help Mr. Trump hide that payment from the American people before they voted a few days later.

As Exhibit 5 to my testimony shows, I am providing a copy of a $35,000 check that President Trump personally signed from his personal bank account on August 1, 2017 – when he was President of the United States – pursuant to the cover-up, which was the basis of my guilty plea, to reimburse me – the word used by Mr. Trump’s TV lawyer — for the illegal hush money I paid on his behalf. This $35,000 check was one of 11 check installments that was paid throughout the year – while he was President.

The President of the United States thus wrote a personal check for the payment of hush money as part of a criminal scheme to violate campaign finance laws. You can find the details of that scheme, directed by Mr. Trump, in the pleadings in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

So picture this scene – in February 2017, one month into his presidency, I’m visiting President Trump in the Oval Office for the first time. It’s truly awe-inspiring, he’s showing me around and pointing to different paintings, and he says to me something to the effect of…Don’t worry, Michael, your January and February reimbursement checks are coming. They were Fed- Exed from New York and it takes a while for that to get through the White House system. As he promised, I received the first check for the reimbursement of $70,000 not long thereafter.

When I say conman, I’m talking about a man who declares himself brilliant but directed me to threaten his high school, his colleges, and the College Board to never release his grades or SAT scores.

As I mentioned, I’m giving the Committee today copies of a letter I sent at Mr. Trump’s direction threatening these schools with civil and criminal actions if Mr. Trump’s grades or SAT scores were ever disclosed without his permission. These are Exhibit 6.

The irony wasn’t lost on me at the time that Mr. Trump in 2011 had strongly criticized President Obama for not releasing his grades. As you can see in Exhibit 7, Mr. Trump declared “Let him show his records” after calling President Obama “a terrible student.”

The sad fact is that I never heard Mr. Trump say anything in private that led me to believe he loved our nation or wanted to make it better. In fact, he did the opposite.

When telling me in 2008 that he was cutting employees’ salaries in half – including mine – he showed me what he claimed was a $10 million IRS tax refund, and he said that he could not believe how stupid the government was for giving “someone like him” that much money back.

During the campaign, Mr. Trump said he did not consider Vietnam Veteran, and Prisoner of War, Senator John McCain to be “a hero” because he likes people who weren’t captured. At the same time, Mr. Trump tasked me to handle the negative press surrounding his medical deferment from the Vietnam draft.

Mr. Trump claimed it was because of a bone spur, but when I asked for medical records, he gave me none and said there was no surgery. He told me not to answer the specific questions by reporters but rather offer simply the fact that he received a medical deferment.

He finished the conversation with the following comment. “You think I’m stupid, I wasn’t going to Vietnam.”

I find it ironic, President Trump, that you are in Vietnam right now. And yet, I continued to work for him.

Questions have been raised about whether I know of direct evidence that Mr. Trump or his campaign colluded with Russia. I do not. I want to be clear. But, I have my suspicions.

Sometime in the summer of 2017, I read all over the media that there had been a meeting in Trump Tower in June 2016 involving Don Jr. and others from the campaign with Russians, including a representative of the Russian government, and an email setting up the meeting with the subject line, “Dirt on Hillary Clinton.” Something clicked in my mind. I remember being in the room with Mr. Trump, probably in early June 2016, when something peculiar happened. Don Jr. came into the room and walked behind his father’s desk – which in itself was unusual. People didn’t just walk behind Mr. Trump’s desk to talk to him. I recalled Don Jr. leaning over to his father and speaking in a low voice, which I could clearly hear, and saying: “The meeting is all set.” I remember Mr. Trump saying, “Ok good…let me know.”

What struck me as I looked back and thought about that exchange between Don Jr. and his father was, first, that Mr. Trump had frequently told me and others that his son Don Jr. had the worst judgment of anyone in the
world. And also, that Don Jr. would never set up any meeting of any significance alone – and certainly not without checking with his father.

I also knew that nothing went on in Trump world, especially the campaign, without Mr. Trump’s knowledge and approval. So, I concluded that Don Jr. was referring to that June 2016 Trump Tower meeting about dirt on Hillary with the Russian representative when he walked behind his dad’s desk that day — and that Mr. Trump knew that was the meeting Don Jr. was talking about when he said, “That’s good…let me know.”

Over the past year or so, I have done some real soul searching. I see now that my ambition and the intoxication of Trump power had much to do with the bad decisions I made.

To you, Chairman Cummings, Ranking Member Jordan, the other members of this Committee, and the other members of the House and Senate, I am sorry for my lies and for lying to Congress.

To our nation, I am sorry for actively working to hide from you the truth about Mr. Trump when you needed it most.

For those who question my motives for being here today, I understand. I have lied, but I am not a liar. I have done bad things, but I am not a bad man. I have fixed things, but I am no longer your “fixer,” Mr. Trump.

I am going to prison and have shattered the safety and security that I tried so hard to provide for my family. My testimony certainly does not diminish the pain I caused my family and friends – nothing can do that. And I have never asked for, nor would I accept, a pardon from President Trump.

And, by coming today, I have caused my family to be the target of personal, scurrilous attacks by the President and his lawyer – trying to intimidate me from appearing before this panel. Mr. Trump called me a “rat” for choosing to tell the truth – much like a mobster would do when one of his men decides to cooperate with the government.

As Exhibit 8 shows, I have provided the Committee with copies of Tweets that Mr. Trump posted, attacking me and my family – only someone burying his head in the sand would not recognize them for what they are: encouragement to someone to do harm to me and my family.

I never imagined that he would engage in vicious, false attacks on my family – and unleash his TV-lawyer to do the same. I hope this committee and all members of Congress on both sides of the aisle will make it clear: As a nation, we should not tolerate attempts to intimidate witnesses before congress and attacks on family are out of bounds and not acceptable.

I wish to especially thank Speaker Pelosi for her statements in Exhibit 9 to protect this institution and me, and the Chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence Adam Schiff and Chairman Cummings for likewise defending this institution and my family against the attacks by Mr. Trump, and also the many Republicans who have admonished the President as well.

I am not a perfect man. I have done things I am not proud of, and I will live with the consequences of my actions for the rest of my life.

But today, I get to decide the example I set for my children and how I attempt to change how history will remember me. I may not be able to change the past, but I can do right by the American people here today.

Thank you for your attention. I am happy to answer the Committee’s questions.

CATS Reunion - 25 years later...

Memory.

A 25 year-old gift.

I often joke, and get a lot of mileage, out of my line that "I did CATS back when it was a good credit."

I don't mean to demean anyone who performs in the show today, but to be honest, it's true. In 1986, I was fortunate to be cast as "the Magical Mr. Mistoffelees" in a brand new National Touring company of CATS that traveled all over the country. It was the hottest show on Broadway at the time.

For many major cities, we were the first company of CATS anyone ever saw. It was a very heady experience. I was 22 when I was cast in a principal role in this major, multi-million dollar production. Everywhere we went, we were news. We were the major theatrical production many cities would see that year. It's just what it was. And I was blessed to be there. To be a part of it.

I had been in NYC for a year, and after audition after audition, I couldn't get arrested. Not summer stock theater, not dinner theater, not off-Broadway, not Broadway - nothing. I would get to the "final cut" over and over but never get the job.  I remember at the time my grandmother telling me on the phone "you just need to tell someone to give you a chance." Bless her heart - as if that would do it.

I remember going to my first audition for the show in early January of 1986. A replacement understudy was needed for the Broadway company of the show. This was back when, as an unemployed actor you got up every day and just went to whatever audition there was that day. I went to the audition and did not get the job. But two days later, I got a call from the casting office saying they didn't get my picture and resume and they would like to "put me on file - would I send them that to them?" OMG! I ran to the mailbox with my requested materials with extra postage on the envelope to ensure it wouldn't get lost in the mail.

Three months later, a casting call went out for a new National touring company of CATS. Open call. Anyone can come! I never got the call from the casting office saying "we're holding auditions, please attend." I guess it got lost in the mail or something. But I didn't leave anything to chance. I got up the day of the audition, headed down to the call and waited in line at the Cort Theater on Broadway.  There were over two hundred guys there that day alone.

20 at a time, we lined up onstage, where we were asked to step forward, say our name and do a double pirouette. Some were cut, some were kept. I was kept.

Next we were taught a dance combination I later would learn was called "Copeland" from the end of Act One long ass dance number "The Jellicle Ball." Some were cut, some were kept. I was kept.

As we finished that cut, the creative team asked "those who tumble - and Randy Slovacek" to please stay. The dance supervisor asked that I come back on stage after the gymnasts and do "turns in second." I had no idea what he meant.

I had been dancing for five or six years at that time, but ballet was not my strongest point. Color me blond, but I was at a loss.

Now here's a cool fact of history. In 1984, I got my Equity card, while still in college, at Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera doing the amazingly classic "West Side Story" with a cast that was incredible. That cast included today's Tony Award winners Kathleen Marshall and Rob Ashford in the ensemble. We would become good friends years later.

Anyway, I bring this up because in a moment of incredible generosity Rob - an amazing dancer - reached out to me. Downstairs, under the stage, as we listened to the gymnasts tumbling over our heads, Rob was getting dressed as he had inexplicably been cut. (A beautiful and exciting dancer, it was incomprehensible that he was not kept for consideration. Later I would find out the role the directors felt he was right for was being cut from this new company). As I stood in a corner trying to figure out what on earth was about to be expected of me, Rob stopped to speak to me on his way out the door.

"Fifth position, then second, then fourth position, do a double pirouette then turn with your leg out in second position. Use your plie. USE YOUR PLIE." If you're not a dancer, just understand he told me what the hell was at least the approach of what the most important powers that be were about to expect of me. And is something experienced dancers take years to learn.

I've never forgotten Rob's incredible generosity. To this day I call him a friend, and I celebrate that Broadway has embraced his brilliance.

I headed upstairs to the stage. Alone, on the bare Cort Theater stage on Broadway, with just the creative and casting staff in the middle of the audience, I was asked to do technical things I had no history of doing. Sometimes, sheer will power and hope can achieve amazing things.

Over the next two and a half months I was called back five times. Over and over I would dance material from the show, do "turns in second" on an empty Broadway stage - alone. Sweat, dream and pray.

At one point in the auditions, the dance supervisor asked if I was "in class" every day. Chagrined, I paused then told him the truth - I couldn't afford dance classes. He said "then we'll pay for them. Go to class everyday." And they did. And I did. Still with no real indication that I would get the job.

I would go to dance class every day in the hot NYC summer. Between classes, I would stop by the restaurant where Carlye waited tables. Her manager, who took a liking to me, would order food to feed me between classes since I had no money to eat in the city.

It's amazing that people can appear with kindness sometimes right in the moment when you really need it.

In early July, sitting on the floor of the apartment in Jersey City I shared with Carlye - the closest person I to this day call actual family - I got a call.

We had no furniture. We were "gifted" a sleeper/love seat from which we pulled the 3 inch foam mattress out and laid on the floor to sleep on. We had four plastic laundry baskets that we put socks and underwear in one, t-shirts in another, jeans in another and anything else in the last one. We had practically nothing. We slept on the floor, ate on the floor, lived on the floor.

Andy Zerman, from Johnson/Liff casting called at about 4pm. Sitting on the floor of our empty apartment, I heard Andy tell me on the other end of the phone "you got it."

No words. None. Tears filled my eyes and I looked up at Carlye. Two seconds passed - and standing above me, from the look in my eyes, Carlye knew. One second later she began screaming. I cried. The next hour is a blank in my memory. I hope everyone at some point in their lives blanks out like I did in that moment.

A young lifetime of hopes and dreams had just come true in a two minute phone call.

What followed was an incredible adventure - rehearsals, costume fittings, tech rehearsals, an amazing opening night in Atlanta, and dozens of opening nights across the country for two years. We were well-taken care of by the best company managers in the business - Brian Liddicoat and Jeff Capitola, whom I would later learn to appreciate for going above and beyond, with amazing compassion and professionalism at a time when I didn't even know it.

I was reviewed as a "principal" in a major show across the country. In many cities, I got good reviews. For some reason the critic in Cincinnati just hated me. Twice. Go figure.

A very heady experience for a 22 year old dreamer.

I met one of my very best friends - Matt Zarley - who today I call my brother.

I fell in love for the first time in my young life; I learned heartbreak for the first time in my young life. And I learned to take responsibility for the relationship that didn't make it, forgive, move on, and be friends with my first love. It's what we do at that age.

I learned every night of a two year run how to own my performance and "live in the moment" onstage.

I learned.

These are things that shape us for the rest of our lives.

Last night, I attended the 25th reunion of my company of CATS. I love these people. We learned together, grew together and over the years have supported each other as our individual pursuits took us in new and different directions.

In addition to my writing career, I've been lucky enough to enjoy a life creating theater as a director and choreographer.  I met the love of my life and we've been together for almost 17 years.  I got cancer and beat it.

Matt is a celebrated recording artist. Leslie Ellis, our amazing 'Grizabella' has a successful recording and songwriting career as well.  I could go on and on. Mark Agnes is now an Emmy Award winning costumer. Aja Kane, Christine Toy Johnson, Beth Swearingen, Randy Clements, Joann Hunter, Tony Bova, Joanna Beck, Kari Nicolaisen, all of them - on and on and on I can go.

I'm so proud of this family that was formed and shaped and molded and given to me 25 years ago.

It's equally emotional and humbling to be able to look back and know the value of a "moment." An audition on an April day on an empty Broadway stage that would forever shape who and what I would be and become.

Just like 25 years ago on that hot July afternoon when a momentous call came, tears come to my eyes. I get to do that. I've earned it. I lived this life and got to here.

As I headed to the reunion last night, I couldn't help but sing to myself:

"Jellicle cats come out tonight, Jellicle cats come one, come all. The Jellicle moon is shining bright. Jellicles come to the Jellicle ball…."

It was a ball kids. A Jellicle ball.

No fear.