On the Rag, Vol. 154

A weekly look at what's making news in the free gay mags:

Next features Oscar-winning screen writer Dustin Lance Black this week, who is double-fisting it these days, gearing up for the debut reading of his new play, "8," about the behind-the-scenes machinations of Perry v. Schwarzenegger, as well as a big-time Hollywood movie coming out in November, the Clint Eastwood-directed "J. Edgar." Black won't say how "gay" his J. Edgar Hoover pic will be (“Until a trailer comes out I don’t want to give specifics”), but he reiterates that there was "never any limitation in terms of where I could or should go."

“We all wanted to find out what really happened. What was his sexuality. What did it look like. I wanted to get to the truth of his political work and the things that deserve applause and things that were heinous. The gay stuff was only ever going to be a third of it. It’s not Milk, but it’s there. When I finished a draft I liked, and think I got to what the truth is, it’s a story that reflects what gay life was like pre-Stonewall, which was very different from what it looked like for Harvey Milk. That’s the script Clint and the studio read and I’ll tell you what -- not only did Clint and the studio never cut or change a word, they never had a note about it. Clint said some things that were so incredibly moving that he understood the struggle young gays go through today. If anything, Clint made it even more human and universal.”

After its Sept. 19th reading in New York, Next reports that Black’s "8" will then be staged at the University of Michigan and Carnegie Mellon with live Q&A's. “We’re trying to use this like 'The Laramie Project' to spur conversation in their communities” says Broadway Impact cofounder Jenny Kanelos. This means "8" can be licensed, free of charge, for readings at universities, colleges and community theaters across the country.

“The challenge was to utilize the transcripts’ words, which is all we have access to legally so far, whenever I portray a moment from the case in the trial,” Black said. “But it does go beyond what just happened in the courtroom. It goes into these pull-away moments with the plaintiffs, their families and some of the public discourse." Read the full article HERE.

Odyssey New York gets hot and bothered by some sailors and then recaps Fashion Week in The Column.