OUTTAKE VOICES™ (Interviews)

Actress Comedian Margaret Cho talks about her new Showtime Comedy Special CHO DEPENDENT available on DVD November 22nd with Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™. Beginning with her early days on the scene in the Bay Area Margaret Cho has always been the Agent Provocateur of stand up. Never one to shy away from difficult, or even 'taboo' topics, there is no subject off limits. Her socially aware brand of comedy has made her a fierce gay activist that opens hearts and minds. Her latest stand-up concert film, CHO DEPENDENT recorded during her 2010 tour, finds Margaret in her usual top form, riffing on smart topics that matter. We talked about her amazing year with her album and concert tour for CHO DEPENDENT, DWTS, co-starring in the Lifetime TV series DROP DEAD DIVA, her commitment to LGBT civil rights and more. In the Huffington Post Margaret wrote that she identifies herself as “Queer.” When asked if she could clarify what that term means to her, Cho stated, “To me queer is really a balance of everything. To me it encompasses homosexual and also heterosexual. To me that’s like the equality that I have within me and the equanimity I have within me. And then there are my politics that are really all about gay rights and so to me although I am married and I’m in a heterosexual marriage, I also identify as homosexual. To me that is what queer is. There are a lot of different definitions of queer but to me my queer politics come from a pretty impressive pedigree. I grew up in San Francisco. I grew up around the times of Harvey Milk and experienced that wave of politics. I experienced a lot of what became the modern foundation of what gay politics is. The impulse to fight AIDS and the impulse to raise money to make sure that people were protected when it came to policy when it came to AIDS. So that’s really what my background is and that’s what my queer politics are.” CHO DEPENDENT is Margaret’s sixth live concert film, shot at the Tabernacle in Atlanta, GA. The DVD shares a name with her Grammy nominated comedy album. Joining Margaret on the album were artists Fiona Apple, Andrew Bird, Grant Lee Phillips, Tegan & Sara, Ben Lee and more. The CHO DEPENDENT DVD features songs from the album interwoven into the thought provoking stories. There’s really something for everyone. CHO DEPENDENT made its debut on Showtime on October 15th and is on Comcast On-Demand. The DVD is set to be released on November 22, 2011 via Rocket Science. The DVD also features “Behind The Scenes” backstage bonus footage. For More Info: margaretcho.com

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Congressman Barney Frank, (D-MA) talks with Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ about LGBT issues and more. Congressman Frank was in attendance at Assi Azar’s coming out film MOM & DAD: I HAVE SOMETHING TO TELL YOU in celebration of OUT in ISRAEL MONTH. Throughout the month of November advocacy organizations in and around Boston have joined together along with politicians, filmmakers, artists, musicians, students and other activists to celebrate the vibrant LGBT communities in Israel and Massachusetts. We talked to Congressman Frank to get his spin on the film, LGBTQ teen bullying and federal LGBT civil rights. When asked if he thought in the next year anymore (federal) legislation has a chance of passing Congressman Frank stated, “None whatsoever with the Republicans in charge. The only chance you ever have to adopt pro LGBT legislation is if you have a Democratic President, House and Senate. I wish that wasn’t the case. In 1976 Jimmy Carter and Gerry Ford were equal on the LGBT issues. Since then the Democrats have gotten a lot better, not quite perfect and the Republicans have gotten a lot worse. So long as you have Republicans in power there simply is no chance. I do believe if we were to get a Democratic House, Senate and President we could move forward with some things but as long as the Republicans are in power we have to hold our own. In fact if you were to get a Republican President we would have to face the very real likelihood I think of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” to be reinstated by that President.” Openly gay Congressman Barney Frank and Congresswoman Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) are Co-Chairs of the Congressional LGBT Caucus. As part of the “It Gets Better Project,” they recently released a video message of hope and encouragement to our lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth and those questioning their sexual orientation or gender identity. They are joined by the other two openly gay members of Congress, Jared Polis (D-CO) and David Cicilline (D-RI). For More Info: trevorproject.org Watch Trailer & More LGBT Leaders Interviews

Assi Azar is a well-known Israeli TV personality who co-hosts the Israeli version of the Big Brother TV show talks with Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™. In 2005 Azar came out as an openly gay man. In 2009 he was chosen by OUT Magazine as one of the top 100 most influential gay people around the world. In 2010 he starred in the 45 minute documentary, “Mom and Dad, I Have Something to Tell You” where he shares his personal coming out experience. This fascinating Israeli documentary explores coming out from the parent’s perspective as well as from members of our LGBT community in Israel. “Mom and Dad, I Have Something to Tell You” was screened on November 6th at the Brattle Theatre in Cambridge by the Boston LGBT Film Festival in celebration of OUT in Israel Month. Congressman Barney Frank was in attendance. When asked what his inspiration was for making the film, Azar stated, “Actually this production company approached me about making a movie about coming out. At the beginning I said no because I really didn’t see a reason to, but then, I don’t know if you heard of it, but this guy with a mask got inside a youth center where gay and lesbian kids play and shot all over and killed two kids. After that those kids were hospitalized in several hospitals and those parents found out their kids are gay just from the incident. They actually found out their kid was injured and gay at the same time. And I remember that one of the parents did not come to see his kid in the hospital because of his gay lifestyle. And I told my mom, ‘What kind of a parent doesn’t come to see his injured son?’ And she told me you cannot understand what is going on in a parent’s mind after he finds out his son is gay. And that immediately made me feel, God I really don’t know what happened to my mom and dad when I told them. That was the point when I decided to make this film.” Over the next few weeks Azar will be visiting the United States showing his 45 minute documentary “Mom and Dad, I Have Something to Tell You”. He is pleased to speak about his experience as a popular media broadcaster in the Middle East, as well as what it was like for him to come out openly as a gay man in his field and with media scrutiny upon him and his family. Assi Azar will be in Atlanta 11/8 to 11/10, NYC 11/11 to 11/13, San Francisco 11/13 to 11/15, Washington DC 11/16 to 11/17, Philadelphia 11/18 to 11/20 & Miami 11/21 to 11/25. For More Info: outinIsraelmonth.com

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Chris Donaghue, Sex Specialist, talks about his new television series BAD SEX that premieres on LOGO TV Friday, November 4th at 9P with Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™. BAD SEX follows the real-life experiences of 10 diverse participants undergoing an intensive two month program that explores their sex lives. The participants are male, female, gay and straight, ranging in age from 20 to 40 years old. They’ve come to the group with issues from dangerous promiscuity to clinical frigidity, violent sex addiction to compulsive public sex. Under Donaghue’s supervision they participate in a unique sex therapy group program where they finally address their deep-rooted issues around sex, infidelity, trust, relational intimacy and sex addiction. When asked if he thinks Americans have a difficult time embracing their sexuality, Donaghue stated, “American have the hardest time. I think we’re probably among the most sexually phobic and sexually negative cultures and it’s something from a very early age is repressed within you. Think about the words that parents use with their children when talking about anatomy, even into their adulthood. It’s words that express embarrassment and social taboo even though it’s a really common healthy basic drive and an important component of all our lives and that moves with you. Then we transmit that to our children and so it’s something we have to get more comfortable with because I think it’s our fear and phobia around it that actually created and sustains a lot of the major sexual issues. When I’m working with couples and I say this again on the show with some of the participants, there’s a lot of incorrect education and misinformation about sex. So my job on the show is to really re-inform and re-educate people and get them comfortable with what the real true basic norms are.” Christopher Donaghue is a sex expert specializing in the sexuality spectrum and addictive behaviors such as sexual compulsivity/sex addiction, as well as mood and relational intimacy disorders. Donaghue received his Master's Degree in Clinical Social Work from Temple University and is currently finishing a doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute. He trained in couples and sex therapy at Florida's Post Graduate Sex Therapy training program, UCLA, and the Center for Healthy Sex. Chris currently specializes in couples and sex therapy, as well as running sex addiction, love addiction and sexuality group therapy at The Hills Treatment Center. He is a member of American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT). For More Info: logotv.com/BADSEX

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Actress Abigail Breslin talks with Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ in the conclusion of our 5 part series of celebrity chats from the Provincetown Film Festival. Abigail has come a long way since her Oscar nominated role as LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE. In the title role of JANIE JONES, Breslin plays opposite one of our favorite actors, Alessandro Nivola. Based on a true story this moving film was written and directed by David M. Rosenthal. JANIE JONES is about Ethan (Nivola), a struggling musician content with his on-the-road rock-and-roll lifestyle and his much younger girlfriend Iris (Brittany Snow). He has his life turned upside down with the arrival of a former groupie Mary Ann Jones (Elisabeth Shue) who informs him that he has a daughter. Mary Ann is headed for rehab leaving him with the responsibility of raising Janie (Breslin), a shy but talented aspiring musician herself. The two embark on a road trip of music, discovery and father-daughter bonding. We talked to Breslin about working with such a stellar cast, her rock band CABB that she formed with her friend Cassidy Reif and more. LGBTQ teens are up to four times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers. We continue to have numerous teens taking their own lives after facing bullying incidents. Being a teen herself we asked what advise she would have for these kids. Abigail stated, “You know I think that in terms of bullying I don’t think anyone should ever be picked on for anything. You know, just treat everyone the same, I think that is so important. I don’t get why anyone should ever be bullied, you know just treat everyone the same is really important.” Tribeca Film released JANIE JONES October 28th theatrically and on Comcast ON DEMAND. For More Info: janiejonesmovie.com

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Author Sarah Schulman talks about her most recent must-read novel THE MERE FUTURE with Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™. Set in the not-too-distant future in New York City THE MERE FUTURE is about how the city has morphed into an idealized version of itself as the result of what the newly elected mayor calls The Big Change. Rent is cheap, homelessness is over and everyone works in marketing. Schulman invents a literature that reflects the lives we live right now while being funny, sexy and openhearted. With wit and provocative social commentary THE MERE FUTURE blows literary conventions right out of the water in this intriguing novel. When asked what her personal commitment is to LGBT civil rights, Schulman stated, “Actually I’m not interested in civil rights. I’ve spent my whole life as part of what use to be called the Gay Liberation Movement, which was an idea of transforming a society so that human beings have more freedom of movement and more freedom of expression. I find that the civil rights agenda, first of all it hasn’t succeeded, it also has been very limited. So in arenas in which we are acting exactly like straight people we do get some kind of nods. For example certain states do allow certain kinds of marriage laws but of course there are no federal rights. So when we’re in arenas where we’re very different than them (heterosexuals), in which we would need for example a federal antidiscrimination bill, then we can’t make any progress at all. So in a way the ‘rights’ agenda has channeled us into a very very narrow path and we’ve loss sight of our larger goals.” In 1987 Schulman joined ACT UP. She and her producing partner of 25 years Jim Hubbard have produced of a feature length documentary UNITED IN ANGER: A History of ACT UP, directed by Hubbard. The documentary uses archival footage and interviews from Hubbard and Schulman's ACT UP Oral History Project to tell the story of the AIDS activist organization and how they used direct action to transform the AIDS crisis. The film will have its world premier at a major film festival (TBA) in Winter 2012. Sarah is also a distinguished Professor of the Humanities at the City University of New York, College of Staten Island and a Fellow at the New York Institute for the Humanities at New York University. She is currently on THE MERE FUTURE book tour appearing Saturday Oct 22nd at 10A American Studies Association, Baltimore. Thursday Oct 27th at 7P Lincoln Nebraska annual LGBT dinner. Tuesday Nov 8th at 4P Columbia University Oral History Project, Saturday November 12th Viraroche 7P San Francisco, Monday Nov 14th Pegasus Books, Berkeley, Friday Nov 18th 6P MIX Festival 45 Bleecker St. NYC.

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Actor/comedian Scott Thompson who we first fell in love with as one of the first openly gay characters on the hit TV show “The Kids in the Hall” talks with Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™. “The Kids in the Hall’ was a Canadian sketch comedy group formed in 1984 consisting of comedians Dave Foley, Kevin McDonald, Bruce McCulloch, Mark McKinney and Scott Thompson. Their television show known for its cross-dressing antics and infinite supply of bold gay characters ran from 1988 to 1994 on CBC in Canada and 1989 to 1995 on CBS and HBO. Scott talks about what it was like being one of the first openly gay characters on network television and today’s epidemic of LGBTQ teen bullying. LGBTQ teens are up to four times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers. We continue to have numerous teens taking their own lives after facing bullying incidents. When asked what advise he would have for these kids, Thompson stated, “I remember when I was a kid absolutely I felt useless and I hated being gay but I totally fought off those feelings of worthlessness and suicide. It definitely was in my mind when I was a kid. What blows my mind is today the kids have it I think so much better and they’re still having a hard time. I think that is quite sad but at the same time, I think about what bullying is. I don’t believe you can have a world free from bullying. I think that is an impossible dream and I think to do that there would be so much social conditioning that you would have to do that I don’t think it’s worth it. I think you just have to, got to, develop a thick skin. The truth is once you get into the real world, it’s not GLEE! It really isn't... Here’s something about the whole bullying campaign. Those boys that are beating up kids and stuff, they don’t care what adults say. What you really need is people like The Rock to say it. Those kids need to hear The Rock and rappers and 50 Cent, they’re the ones that those boys need to hear.” Scott Thompson is currently touring with Kevin McDonald in “Two Kids One Hall”.

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Malcolm Lazin, Founder and Executive Director of Equality Forum talks with Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™ about LGBT History Month. For the past 6 years every October Equality Forum coordinates “LGBT History Month” honoring LGBT leaders and icons. Each day in October, an Icon is featured with a video, biography, bibliography, downloadable images and other educational resources. The 2011 honorees are: Kye Allums – Athlete, John Ashbery – Poet, Alison Bechdel – Cartoonist, John Berry – Gov. Official, Dustin Lance Black – Screenwriter, Keith Boykin – Commentator, Rita Mae Brown – Author, Dan Choi – Activist, Aaron Copland – Composer, Alan Cumming – Actor, Rabbi Denise Eger, Lady Gaga – Singer, Michael Guest – Diplomat, Neil Patrick Harris – Actor, Daniel Hernandez Jr. – Hero, Langston Hughes – Author, Frida Kahlo – Artist, David Kato – Ugandan Activist, Michael Kirby – Supreme Court Justice, Victoria Kolakowski – Judge, Dave Kopay – Athlete, Ricky Martin – Singer, Amélie Mauresmo – Athlete, Constance McMillen – Activist, Ryan Murphy – Writer/Director, Dan Savage – Journalist, Amanda Simpson – Government Official, Wanda Sykes – Comedian, Lilli Vincenz – Gay Pioneer, Virginia Woolf – Author and Pedro Zamora – AIDS Activist & MTV Personality. LGBTQ teens are up to four times more likely to attempt suicide than their heterosexual peers. We continue to have numerous teens taking their own lives after facing bullying incidents. When asked what advise he would have for these kids, Lazin stated, “One of the things that we’re particularly pleased with was that last year there were over one thousand generators to LGBT history Month and the top 1/10 percent or top ten was The Trevor Project. So youth are coming to this site, they’re finding role models, finding empowerment and life affirming resources. What we’re suggesting is particularly GSA’s (Gay Straight Alliances) but more so to college students is “Make It Better.” I certainly applaud “It Gets Better’ but “Make It Better” really says take on the responsibility yourselves. So we’re asking colleges and universities around the country to download resources from LGBT History Month and create an LGBT History Month 2011 exhibit, particularly in a visible place on your campus like a college student union building. Those are the types of things that make change and certainly if anyone looks at this list of 31 icons for this year they’re hugely impressive and make a civil rights statement as to our national and international contributions.” The videos are offered without charge to educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, for profit companies and the public. 2011 marks the 6th anniversary of LGBT History Month, featuring 186 Icons from 2006 to 2011. For More Info: lgbthistorymonth.com

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Marlee Walchuk and her wife Tully Callender are the creators of RightOutTV who have launched the first music video awards for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender & Intersex artists on their global 24-hour streaming video channel. LGBTI musicians from around the world have been submitting their videos since word of this fabulous opportunity was announced earlier this month. The deadline for submissions was Friday September 30th and the Awards will be presented on November 27, 2011. When asked what they’re hoping to accomplish for our LGBT community with the RightOutTV Music Video Awards, Walchuk stated, “First of all more and broader exposure of the artists and the glimpses into LGBT life. I mean every time the artist creates a video about how they love and who they love and what their life looks like, that’s another wonderful view that the world has of us as a community. And music has always been a hugely powerful vehicle for activism. So we feel the music videos are particularly important for the world to actually just take a look and go ‘Hey we’re all the same, we love the same and we must deserve the same rights.’ So we actually see this as a very important layer that we’re putting out into the internet and into the world to help create change.” Openly LGBTI singer/songwriters from around the globe submitted videos to be voted upon by a prestigious panel of professionals in the Music & Arts industries. Judges’ nominees in each category will be announced October 30th and winners will be announced Nov. 27. There’s also a special category of RightOutTV Fan Fave, voting for this will begin Oct.7 and close on Nov. 7. “We’ve commissioned 22 successful, well respected professionals from press, film, music promotion, publishing and radio, including music producers from both the gay and the straight communities as our judges. Exposure to a panel of judges of this caliber will be immensely beneficial to these talented Out artists” says Producer Marlee Walchuk. For More Info: rightouttvawards.com

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Paul Marcarelli, actor/writer/producer, who has produced a fabulous new film called THE GREEN talks with Emmy Winner Charlotte Robinson host of OUTTAKE VOICES™. THE GREEN has been winning LGBT Film Festivals nationwide and was presented by the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and the Boston LGBT Film Festival on Sept 23rd. This was a special screening in celebration of the opening of the Linde Family Wing for Contemporary Art at the MFA. THE GREEN beautifully directed by Steven Williford is about a gay couple who leave behind a life in New York City for the village charm of shoreline Connecticut. Michael (Jason Butler Harner), a high school drama teacher thinks he can live a simple open life with his partner Daniel (Cheyenne Jackson) but Michael’s world is turned upside-down when he is accused of engaging in “inappropriate behavior” with a male student. With his job, relationship and freedom in jeopardy Michael must confront the suspicions of his co-workers, the latent homophobia of his friends and neighbors and his partner doubting his innocence after the investigation reveals a secret from his past. The film’s stellar cast also includes Julia Ormond with a fine performance by Illeana Douglas. When asked what his personal commitment is to LGBT civil rights Marcarelli stated, “I guess in a lot of ways I’m trying to figure out what my role should be now. Maybe it’s telling stories and helping to shape the dialogue that way. There’s a lot of material out there for gay audiences that tends to pander to a presumed niche audience. I think a creative work is gay if a gay person makes it. It’s not gay if it hits a series of expected marks or has the same stock characters and the same dramatic arc with the gay guy inevitably dying in the end. Maybe my role is just telling these kind of stories.” THE GREEN will be released for@font-face { font-family: "Times New Roman"; }p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal { margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }table.MsoNormalTable { font-size: 10pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; }div.Section1 { page: Section1; } distribution in October. Paul Marcarelli who’s probably best known as the Verizon Guy on TV, recently appeared in the opening montage of the 63rd Emmy Awards and was attendance at the screening in the MFA’s new Alfond Auditorium with his producer partner at Ten Table Films, Molly Pearson for a Q & A following the movie. This screening was also co-presented by The Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film. For More Info: thegreenthemovie.com

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