'They Won't Be Happy Until This Whole Island Is One Big Duane Reade With a Starbucks Inside'

Jeremiah's Vanishing New York reports that “The Holdouts” is a comedy series about New Yorkers who can’t afford to live in the new New York. Co-created by Stephen Girasuolo and Dan Menke, it stars Kevin Corrigan as Kevin Shanahan, a rent-controlled tenant who refuses his landlord's buyout as he bemoans the hyper-gentrification of the city: “They won’t be happy until this whole island is one big Duane Reade with a Starbucks inside and an IHOP inside that and a Bank of America inside that.” Learn more about this poignant and timely creation HERE ...

or consider making a donation to its Kickstarter HERE.

Safety First

I can't see "Shark Tank" backing these condom holders, but they're awfully cute. Consider donating to the Kickstarter HERE.

Meet the Man Who Wants to Get In Your Drawers

Learn about the Underwear Expert's Curated Underwear Club HERE.

The Rise and Fall of Tower Records

Oh, wow! I was just talking about this Tower Records documentary the other night. I've felt conflicted about it since the get-go when its director, Tom Hanks' son Colin, used Kickstarter to fund it -- crowdsourcing is for people who don't have Hollywood connections, idiot -- yet I was so into the topic that I couldn't bear the idea of it not getting made. I still don't see a trailer for it online, but its official Facebook page is being updated regularly, and IMDB has 2014 as the release date. Anyone know where things stand with this? How I wasn't interviewed for it is beyond me -- the world needs to know how I lost my best friend in high school when I picked up an import of the second Bananarama album at the Tower in Tempe, Ariz., that included a bonus poster not included in the domestic release. (He did eventually start speaking to me ... a few years later.)

Established in 1960, Tower Records was once a retail powerhouse with two hundred stores, in thirty countries, on five continents. From humble beginnings in a small-town drugstore, Tower Records eventually became the heart and soul of the music world, and a powerful force in the music industry. In 1999, Tower Records made $1 billion. In 2006, the company filed for bankruptcy. What went wrong? Everyone thinks they know what killed Tower Records: The Internet. But that's not the story. "All Things Must Pass" is a feature documentary film examining this iconic company's explosive trajectory, tragic demise, and legacy forged by its rebellious founder Russ Solomon (above).

Make 'Cubby' Whole

Interior. Dive Bar

(Inadvertently) attended the Kickstarter party for the new gay film "Cubby" last night at Julius'. Based on a true story, "Cubby" is a "scrappy coming-of-age comedy, about a down-on-his-luck Brooklyn babysitter (Mark Blane) who unexpectedly befriends a sex worker," played by Christian Patrick of James Franco's "Interior. Leather Bar" fame. Naturally, hilarity ensues.

The campaign has just 24 hours remaining, and while it's already raised an impressive $65,000, it is still $25,000 short of its goal. Please have a look at the adorable pitch video and consider making a donation. The cast and crew are all great guys, and I'm not just saying that because I used to be a male babysitting operating Mesa, Ariz.'s very own KKK -- that's Kenny's Kid Kare.

Full details HERE.

SYNOPSIS | Mark takes care of children. But when he embarks on an unlikely friendship with a stranger, he loses track of who’s taking care of whom. This neurotic gay babysitter is Cubby's anti-hero. He sleeps on a mattress on the floor, shares a room with a stranger, and thinks he can survive on electrolytes from sugary energy drinks. With Type 1 diabetes and a habit of shoving money in his socks, you could say he is a complicated guy. As Mark is constantly mistaken as a father and takes advantage of this unwarranted attention, his personality & confidence overflow with the children he watches. When Mark is saved by the mysterious leather-clad Diego after a diabetic spell in a park, he discovers his rescuer's line of fetish & bondage work. Diego eventually confesses his current situation, and Mark offers up his dilapidated abode. Diego's recent altercation with his sugar daddy has Mark consumed with fascination. Both the babysitter and the leatherman will be changed - but will they also start to unravel?

Like an Update: 20th Anniversary Edition of 'Encyclopedia Madonnica' Planned

Well, what do you know? My pal Matthew Rettenmund has a 20th anniversary update to his acclaimed Madonna encyclopedia planned -- and he needs your help. He writes:

As a fan of Madonna and as the owner of a massive archive of magazines, clippings and “Madonnabilia,” I felt compelled to document the incredible phenomenon of the girl from Bay City who in her first 13 years on the pop scene had become one of the greatest music icons (and one of the most controversial public figures) of all time.

The book was a big hit—it sold well for over a decade, was published in Japan and led to quite a few TV appearances for me as a Madonna expert.

Over the years, I’ve received so many notes from readers asking for an update that I finally decided it was time for a complete overhaul…and I want to publish it on my own terms—by a fan, for fans—on the 20th anniversary of the first book’s publication. 

Watch the pitch below and click HERE for complete information about this exciting project, which threatens to compete with the author's upcoming memoir!

For Your Consideration: 'The AIDS Activist Project'

Via news release:

A new book of unique photographic portraits depicting AIDS activists from around the world, including members of ACT UP (The AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) chapters in the United States and Europe, will be published in the spring of 2015. Veteran photographer and ACT UP/NY member Bill Bytsura has launched a Kickstarter campaign to fund the publication of his coffee table-style art book, titled "The AIDS Activist Project." 

“'The AIDS Activist Project' is a memorial to the brave men and women who died while fighting the epidemic and government neglect,” Bytsura said. “But this book is also a renewed call to action, because there is a pervasive myth that the AIDS epidemic is over.”  

To ensure that this project becomes a reality, supporters can visit the book's Kickstarter page HERE. For more information, and to see several portraits, visit the project's website HERE, or on Facebook HERE. 

Rabbit Test Too

If you're anything like me, you base your crowd-sourcing-donation decisions entirely on the physical appearance of the people asking for help. With that in mind, here's one you won't want to skip, which seems to have Joan Rivers' "Rabbit Test" in its DNA:


"Paternity Leave," directed by Matt Riddlehoover, is a romantic comedy slated for release in 2015. Greg (Jacob York) finds out that he's pregnant with his partner Ken's (Charlie David) baby. Dumbstruck by the news, their relationship takes twists and turns through hardship and hilarity, while we're left wondering if they're going to make it through the most unexpected and difficult period of their lives together. With Chris Salvatore, Susannah Devereux, Rebecca Lines, and Rafael Sochakov.

Complete details HERE.

Iran (So Far Away)

Watch the trailer for "Golf Alpha Yankee: An LGBT Human Rights Documentary" and see if you want to contribute to this project, which exposes the torture, imprisonment, and even execution of gay people from Iran, simply because of who they love.

Rodi to the Max

My pal Rob Rodi recently launched a new Kickstarter campaign, ROBERT RODI ESSENTIALS, to help him complete the reissue of his cult-hit novels from the 1990s ("Fag Hag") in gorgeous new editions, plus an all-new volume that updates the characters to 2014. Have a look at the fun trailer and please consider making a contribution to this talented man! Complete info HERE.

Song of the Day: 'Stay With Me' by Matt Palmer

Openly gay R&B artist Matt Palmer covers the Sam Smith song as a teaser for his upcoming EP, "Stranger Than Fiction," which was partially funded through a successful Kickstarter campaign. Pre-order now HERE.

Stranger Than Fiction - Matt Palmer

Do You Have a Gay Accent?

If you're also dying to see a documentary about why some people sound gay, please consider donating to the Kickstarter HERE! .

(Hat tip to Towleroad.)

Steve Grand Needs You

   Find out what you can do to help the poor boy HERE.

Does Your Heart Belong to 'Daddy'?

Ran into Gerald McCullouch at the Out100 last week and he mentioned that filming of the screen adaptation of "Daddy" was about to begin in January. Gerald starred in the original play by Dan Via, and this time will direct a script also written by Dan. Check out the KickStarter pitch and decide if you'd like to throw some sugar this Daddy's way ...

Donate HERE.

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.

Funding Sought for 429 Magazine

If you're thinking 420 might be a more fitting name for a new LGBT print magazine in this media environment, you're not alone. But listen to the pitch and decide if you'd like to make a contribution toward the start-up's $10,000 goal. It would be great if it took off -- they've got Kevin Sessums on board as EIC, dreams of featuring up-and-coming talents and a piece by Salman Rushdie planned for the premiere issue -- although I can't help but think of Tina Brown's Talk and her recent attempt to relaunch Newsweek. (And didn't she burn through this kind of money on one lunch?) Am rooting for you guys, good luck!

'Coming Out' Party

Watch the Kickstarter pitch to decide if "Coming Out" is for you. 

What significance does the traditional "coming out story" have in the digital era? Experience the intimate journey and find out.

 

Synopsis

"Coming Out" is a feature-length documentary that reveals a portrait of the coming out process from the perspectives of everyone involved. Shocked by the youth suicide tragedies in 2010, Alden Peters decided to come out of the closet to his friends, family, and online acquaintances. In the process of finding a new, gay identity, Alden discovers the profound ways that the internet and digital world can provide safety, community, and support, but also allow for cyberbullying, discrimination, and invasions of privacy. What importance does the traditional "coming out story" have in the gay community when there is now a digital component?

'Sock' It to Me

   If you're as eager to see go-go boy cum designer Matthew Camp star in a new "screwball comedy about masturbation" as I am, please consider contributing to my pal Mark Allen's Kickstarter campaign HERE.

And Baby Makes 3?

    Like Michael Douglas, I don't want to get too specific. But I'd have been much more willing to donate some sperm than cash to help these two hunks have a baby. But I might just ahead and cough some up anyway -- their journey to fatherhood is a story they really want to complete. Details HERE.

Cracker Barrel Justice

Have a look at the trailer and Kickstarter pitch for "The Lavender Scare," a new documentary about the worst LGBT witch hunt in American history. While we've come a long way in the 60 years since this happened, we've still got a lot of work to do when you can still be fired for being gay in 29 states in America. Details HERE.