Song of the Day: 'True Colors' by Cyndi Lauper and Belinda Carlisle

Can't think of a better addition to Cyndi Lauper's Home for the Holidays than Belinda Carlisle, who is such an LGBTQ activist she even gave birth to a gay son! Pity Cyn's too much of a pill to get what Belinda was asking when she said, "What song?" 

Going to a Go-Go?

Go-Go’s fans were driving in risk upon seeing this photo dated today outside the Whisky on the Sunset Strip. A call to the venue informed me that there is no (public) performance tonight -- marquee be damned -- so I’m guessing there is some additional footage being shot for the upcoming documentary about the band. Can it possibly top their "Behind the Music"?!!!

UPDATE:

Kathy confirmed they are filming for the Showty doc.



#GoGosDoc

This town ...

Rehearsal ...

Birthday girl ...

James Duke Mason Announces Candidacy for West Hollywood City Council

Ran into James Duke Mason at the "Head Over Heels" on Broadway party last night and he tells me he is running for West Hollywood City Council. Have a look at what he hopes to accomplish if elected -- and consider making a donation below:

It's official- I've filed papers to run for West Hollywood City Council in the March 2019 election.

I'm running for a very simple reason: at a time when now, more than ever, people feel like they can’t count on Washington D.C. to look out for their interests, local government must step in and fill the void. In my time as a city official on the West Hollywood Lesbian & Gay Advisory Board (where I currently serve as Co-Chair), as well as during my tenure as a Board Member at the West Hollywood Community Housing Corporation, I have stood up for the communities in our city who need it most- the LGBT community, women, seniors, people with disabilities, people in recovery and low income people.

Those are the people that have helped to make West Hollywood the unique, diverse, beautiful and creative city that we are, and I want to be their champion on the City Council. There are several key issues that I will be focusing on in this campaign: ending homelessness, expanding affordable housing, protecting rent control, supporting small businesses and assisting our seniors so they can age in place and live their lives with a sense of stability and security.

Obviously there are a lot of other important issues that also require attention as well, including public safety and transportation. Once we have the full fledged campaign launch in January, I will be laying out a clear and detailed agenda about how exactly we will tackle each of these individual challenges. But in the meantime, I wanted to at least make my intentions clear before the end of the year so we can start 2018 with momentum!

I hope you'll consider being one of the founding supporters of my campaign by visiting the link below and making a contribution. The maximum amount per individual is $500, but whatever amount you can give would make a huge difference:

https://www.efundraisingconnections.com/c/DukeMason/

The journey ahead will not be an easy one. I know that it'll be tough to take on the status quo and bring a new generation of leadership to City Hall. But it's worth the fight, and together, I believe we will win- not just win this campaign, but win better future for all of us.

Thanks for your support, and have a great holiday season!

-Duke.

Learn more via Facebook HERE.

Kiddie Carlisle

Belinda Carlisle's only child, James Duke Mason, sure favors his mom.

Heaven Is Not a Place on Earth?

WeHo Confidential: Social Climber James Mason Dumped for Bottle Service Perks after Losing Alleged Film Role? ? ?

Jesus Christ, does anyone know what happened to elicit this "apology" on Facebook? 

WeHo Confidential writes:

Well James... isn't that strange that your LA BF & your friends would dump you to be in the VIP section of a club.  

Let's put it this way your mother is not Madonna but you toss her name around like she is. Therefore you attract the insincere friends you have because you're shallow, you have no real work ethic & you're a spoiled D-Lister only because your parents are retired C-listers.  

In the past real friends at least invited you to bottle service at the club and even poured your drink. Than your psycho ex-con boyfriend went ape sh!t on them when your photo was taken. The point is you're surrounded by shallow people because you are a shallow person.  

You're not going to be a legendary anything in the entertainment business because people can't stand the real you. Go back to school, learn how to edit some film & maybe you can do a documentary about your famous family members because that's pretty much the only thing you know how to talk about anyways.  

You get what you put in... name dropper.  

 xoxo 

Neo

Other than by e-mail, I don't know James. But even I have watched with a concerned eye from a distance in recent years as he's gone from being an ambitious college-bound student (he specifically asked me to remove that from an old post when he dropped out) to suddenly billing himself as an "actor." Here's hoping he gets his life back on track.He always struck me a decent kid.

(The comments are absolutely vicious -- ouch.)

Bret Easton Ellis Signs on as Executive Producer of 'Disappear Here'

I recently reported that James Duke Mason had been dropped from the neo-noir political thriller "Disappear Here," a project he had spearheaded through a successful Kickstarter campaign. Now I can report that author Bret Easton Ellis ("Less Than Zero," "The Rules of Attraction," "American Psycho"), fresh off his screenwriting credit on "The Canyons," has joined the film as an executive producer.

From a news release:

Iconoclastic Features is pleased to announce that seminal novelist and screenwriter Bret Easton Ellis ("The Canyons") will executive produce the company's new feature project, the neo-noir thriller "Disappear Here." Matthew Mishory ("A Portrait of James Dean") will direct; he penned the script with Robert Zimmer, Jr. ("A Portrait of James Dean"; "Half-Life"). Zimmer will executive produce with Ellis. Edward Singletary Jr. and Randall Walk are set to produce with major casting announcements forthcoming. 

Mishory describes it as “a dream collaboration”. 

“We borrowed the title from a line in Bret’s essential L.A. novel 'Less Than Zero,' even though we’d never met him,” Mishory explains. Zimmer adds, “Luckily, he was intrigued and agreed to have drinks with us instead of sue.” 

"Disappear Here" is set in a parallel shadow world where Hollywood and national politics intersect and where privacy is now a commodity for sale. Chase, a young actor in Los Angeles, becomes the target of a digital blackmailing scheme that also jeopardizes a heavyweight political campaign. Mishory, Zimmer, and the film's producers last collaborated on the stylish and controversial feature "A Portrait of James Dean," a re-examining of the iconic movie star set before his fame. It world premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival and was a selection at Frameline, Outfest, Palm Springs, Guadalajara, Rio de Janeiro, and Reykjavik. Released theatrically in the United States, the UK, and Germany, a French release is coming September 2013.

Will be interesting to see who they cast to replace Belinda Carlisle's son.

James Duke Mason Dropped From 'Disappear Here' Film Project

Don't look for Belinda Carlisle's son to follow in his famous grandfather's big (screen) footsteps anytime soon. James Duke Mason sent out a message to supporters of his successful Kickstarter campaign letting them know that he is no longer a part of "Disappear Here," the political thriller he was aggressively promoting, because he was unable to reach an agreement to re-option the script from the writers, Matthew Mishory (who is also directing) and Robert Zimmer (who is also producing). Zimmer says they will recast the role, despite the fact that a widely hyped teaser trailer had already been released online. You may recall that Mason had also involved his father, Morgan Mason, who produced "Sex, Lies and Videotape" in 1989:

Duke tells his Kickstarter supporters:

I am writing you to update you on the situation with regard to our film project DISAPPEAR HERE.

As you know, the funds that were raised through Kickstarter were used for writing fees to Matthew Mishory and Robert Zimmer, and to produce the teaser trailer we released in April which can be seen on YouTube. Without going into too much detail, the option I had on the script was for 18 months, and that expired on July 9th, 2013.

Much to my great disappointment, I was unable to come to terms with Matthew and Robert for an extension of the option. The result of all this is that, as the owners of the screenplay, they have decided to go ahead with the project without my involvement. They have assured me that they will honor all of the commitments made to the Kickstarter contributors when/if the film is eventually produced.

Having spent 4 years of my life developing this, you can imagine how upsetting this turn of events is for me, and how bad I feel about not being able to deliver for you. I want you to know that in the future, if I participate in another Kickstarter film project, I will include you and the incentives promised to you during this project as a show of good faith, without any further contribution on your part.

Thank you again for all your support and faith in me.  

 Sincerely,  

 James Duke Mason

Ouch. (If I had a dime for every time a friend in Hollywood was "this close" to his next big role. ...) Zimmer told me he would characterize the parting of ways as "amicable":

We wish the Masons the very best, and continued success for Duke in his important political advocacy work. "Disappear Here" will still be made -- there was just a fundamental disagreement as to how to get it done. I know the Masons share our gratitude for all of the Kickstarter supporters, and for everyone who shares our belief in equality. The film will carry on reflecting that bold spirit. AND -- we'll have new casting and production announcements in the next couple of weeks. :) 

So looking ahead at a replacement -- keeping in mind the film's modest budget -- I'm thinking James Deen seems like a possibility, or maybe Jonathan Groff, who is openly gay. There may be some other changes ahead. Stay tuned.

James Duke Mason Invites You to 'Disappear'

James Duke Mason contacted me to tell me about a Kickstarter campaign he has started for his film "Disappear Here." In it, he plays a rising star in Hollywood who faces a moral dilemma as he is on the brink of getting the role that will take him to the next level of stardom.

Mason says the film will tackle a number of social and political issues brewing in Hollywood and Washington, serving as a catalyst for making a difference for the openly gay actors in Hollywood and trying to shed some light on those issues, "because they're important and they've never been exposed in this way before." But as director and co-writer Matthew Mishory says, it's ultimately about "the price people are willing to pay for fame and success." To learn more, watch the trailer below or visit the official page HERE.

James writes about the film on the Huffington Post HERE.

Sandra Bernhard Is a Trailblazer, Kinda

 

 Sandra Bernhard joins BFF Belinda Carlisle's son James Duke Mason's Trailblazer Campaign. Her message -- not unlike her sexual persona during the first 20 years of her career, and even now, apparently -- is confident, yet vague and camouflaged in her longstanding "I'm so comfortable in my sexuality that I don't feel the need to explain who I am to anyone," which kind of flies right in the face of Dukey's stated purpose for starting the organization. Still, it's good to have yet another high-profile celebrity remind us that there is more than one way to skin a lesbian, or something.

On Nancy Reagan and the Boy Toy Problem

 

 This candid discussion between Belinda Carlisle and her son, James Duke Mason, and his coming out will make your face hurt from smiling so big.

Duke of Westbury

Belinda Carlisle's adorable son, James Duke Mason, joined the Go-Go's for a raucous rendition of "Whole World Lost Its Head" in Westbury, N.Y., the other night. Dukey -- as he's known -- is now a gay-rights activist in L.A. pursuing a career in acting, but this appearance on stage with Mom was not the first time he wanted the world to know he was willing to jump for his love. (Via Boy Culture)

Out Actor Chad Allen Wants You to Be a Trailblazer, Too

 

 Chad Allen -- whose career was upended when he was outed by a supermarket tabloid -- records a moving message as part of the Trailblazer Campaign, the new project started by James Duke Mason -- the son of singer Belinda Carlisle and former Reagan staffer Morgan Mason -- that urges gay actors to come out of the closet. Mason recently debuted his Trailblazer Campaign with a YouTube video and says he has commitments from several out names in Hollywood to record videos, like this one from the former "Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman" star.

 

Duke -- who was in his mother's belly when I went to see her at a taping of the "Arsenio Hall Show" in 1991 -- was recently named one of the Advocate's 40 Under 40, which at 18 makes him one of the youngest people to ever receive the honor.

Head Over Heals

 

UPDATE: Video removed. Enjoy this clip with Mom instead.

 In this clip, James Duke Mason -- aka "Dukey," the (openly comfortably gay) teenage son of Belinda Carlisle and grandson of James Mason -- reports that his rocker mom is mad about endorsing Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton for president. (Like I need another reason to love Babe!) It's so sweet to see what a smart, poised and well-spoken kid he is. His parents (Dad is Morgan Mason, a former Reagan staffer) obviously did a good job raising him. After watching this I was talking to my friend Mark -- my partner in crime back in our Go-Go's stalking days -- and we couldn't help but wonder how different things must be for kids coming out in today's world versus a generation ago. It's a joy to see the progress as demonstrated by outspoken young people like Dukey. Check out the rest of his politics etc. vlog here. Previously: Duke It Out

Duke It Out

File this under "When beautiful people mate": here's Belinda Carlisle and Morgan Mason's son, James Duke Mason, being a typical high school student queening rocking out to "Jump (For My Love)" by the Pointer Sisters(!) (at least it wasn't "The Neutron Dance" -- and are those Belinda photos taped on the back of the door?!!!) . My friend Mark and I happened to be in the audience of the Arsenio Hall show back in 1991 the afternoon Belinda -- there to promote her album "Live Your Life Be Free"-- announced she was pregnant. Needless to say it sure makes you feel old to see that the child she was carrying is now nearly a full-grown man.

The video is cute and would appear to be a genuine moment if not for the banner that repeatedly goes across the screen announcing ACTUAL FOOTAGE. NON STAGED FILMING (who knows, maybe the Go-Go's romp in the fountain at Wilshire and Santa Monica in the "Our Lips Are Sealed" video "wasn't" staged either). The post also says "James Mason has given consent for this video to be published online" and the clip is followed by the Eyepic.org logo's (nearly) subliminal cameo. Might the Nancy Pelosi-loving "Dukey" have his own William Morris agent already? ...