"LOVE IN 2020" WEB SERIES JOINS THE 24TH ANNUAL DANCES WITH FILMS FESTIVAL, AUG. 26 - SEP. 12, 2021. Wonder what it is like to date during a pandemic? Anna Jaller producer for the series, director/editor Eirinn Disbrow and writer Christina Garofalo Bonifacio spoke with KUCI 88.9fm host Janeane Bernstein

LISTEN to the conversation with Anna Jaller (Homecoming, Entourage the Movie) who produces the series alongside director/editor Eirinn Disbrow (Ghostbusters, Snatched, Long Shot), writer Christina Garofalo Bonifacio (When Dogs Heal, Robb Report, Huffington Post).

LISTEN | WATCH

ABOUT 

When the COVID-19 pandemic hits, 28-year-old Kenna Benjamin hates her job and is unsuccessful in love.

Now human contact is banned (or at minimum, requires six feet of separation). While everyone around her has a quarantine companion, she takes to dating apps in search of meaningful connection.

After a dozen FaceTime dates, a virtual booty call gone awry, and bad news about her job, Kenna learns that the only way to get through quarantine is to get comfortable with who she is. Kenna discovers it's possible to find connection amid this newfound isolation, if first she can connect with herself.

PRESS RELEASE

August 6, 2021 -- LOS ANGELES "LOVE IN 2020", a timely millennial rom-com, has joined the lineup at the 24th Annual Dances with Films (DWF). The pandemic-themed series is written, directed, produced, and shot entirely by women. Actor Anna Jaller (Homecoming, Entourage the Movie) produces the series alongside director/editor Eirinn Disbrow (Ghostbusters, Snatched, Long Shot), writer Christina Garofalo Bonifacio (When Dogs Heal, Robb Report, Huffington Post) and Brandi Hart Craig, (SPY, Game Night, Shazam); Director of Photography Kristin Mendez (CT Fletcher, Vegas Baby) completes the team.

When the COVID-19 pandemic hits, 28-year-old Kenna Benjamin (Jaller) hates her job and is unsuccessful in love. Now that human contact is banned (or at minimum requires six feet of separation), Kenna fears that she will have to navigate the lockdown alone. After a dozen disappointing FaceTime dates, a virtual booty call gone awry, and bad news about her job, Kenna discovers that it is possible to find connection amid this newfound isolation, if first she can connect with herself.

Packed with Judd-Apatow style comedy, Love in 2020 doesn’t shy away from heavier issues, including double standards for women in work and dating, the mental effects of isolation, and anti-Chinese racism. However, it was important to the producers to keep it light and stay true to a comedic tone.

“Ultimately, it’s a story that asks who we want to be and how we want to show up in the world when this is over,” says writer/producer Christina Garofalo Bonifacio. “When we look back on 2020, no one will forget the strife; it was important to us to give people permission to find joy and laugh during this time, too.”

Other cast members include Jeff Pierre (Shameless, Walker), James Tang (NCIS, Brooklyn Nine-Nine), Gabrielle Lane (911, The Rookie), Kat Purgal (Dave, Criminal Minds), Michelle LaRue (How I Met Your Mother, Workaholics), Deja Soufka (Seal Team, S.W.A.T.), April Lang (My Fiona, Something Evil Becomes us), Ryan Pratton (Jimmy Kimmel Live, viral Tik Tok star), Yolanda Esquivel (Showdown), and Nicole DuBois (known by her 800k Tik Tok fans as NickyDoobs.)

The festival screening will be on August 28 at 12 Noon at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. Tickets can be purchased at www.danceswithfilms.com



DANCES WITH FILMS (DWF)

Started in 1998, DANCES WITH FILMS has grown from presenting a handful of films to nearly 200 each year. Starting with only narrative features and shorts, DWF now includes the top documentaries, music videos, TV programs and Webseries on the circuit today. With the festival's 2012 return to the TCL Chinese Theatres in the heart of Hollywood, DWF is one of the highest attended film fests in Southern California with more than 20,000 attendees each year.

Legendary drummer Matt Sorum talks about his new book, new music and more! DOUBLE TALKIN’ JIVE: TRUE ROCK ‘N’ ROLL STORIES FROM THE DRUMMER OF GUNS N’ ROSES, THE CULT, AND VELVET REVOLVER

LISTEN to Janeane's conversation
with legendary drummer Matt Sorum

                            Photo credit: Zack Whitford

LOS ANGELES, CA, March 18, 2021—In Double Talkin’ Jive legendary drummer Matt Sorum takes music lovers behind the scenes of a remarkable life in rock. Sorum, whose albums have sold tens of millions of copies around the world, provides an honest, engaging account of the highs and lows of superstardom. Sorum recounts his childhood years idolizing Ringo Starr and surviving an abusive stepfather. 

After leaving high school, Sorum sold pot to get by. Over time, his drug dealing escalated to smuggling large quantities of cocaine, a career that came to a halt following a dramatic shoot-out. Sorum fled his old life and settled in Hollywood, where he’d enjoy a rapid ascension to rock ’n’ roll immortality. He caught his big break drumming for the Cult, and only a year later was invited to join Guns N’ Roses, with whom he’d record two of rock’s most iconic albums: Use Your Illusion 1 and 2.

The Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame inductee & Grammy Award winning Sorum opens up with forthright honesty, sharing anecdotes from his time touring the globe, battling drug and alcohol addiction, as well as working with Axl Rose, one of the greatest frontmen in rock, Slash and the rest of the GNR team. His career with the Cult, Guns N’ Roses, Velvet Revolver, Motörhead, the Hollywood Vampires, and Kings of Chaos costars an ensemble of rock royalty, from Billy Idol to Steven Tyler, Billy F Gibbons, and Alice Cooper.

Double Talkin’ Jive goes beyond the clichés of sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll, telling the very human story of what it takes to make it in music, and the toll stardom exacts from those who achieve success. Sorum invites fans to revel in the debauchery of the good times, but also paints a stark portrait of life after the party. Music fans of any generation will find value in the pages of this evocative, thoughtful, and candid autobiography.

“Matt lights up rooms, corridors, clubs, theaters, arenas, and stadiums with the kind of infectious rock ’n’ roll energy that is increasingly becoming obsolete. His dedication to his craft remains virtually peerless, and when the sticks are resting, you’ll have to go a long way to find someone cooler in rock ’n’ roll. Dive into these shenanigan-saturated pages immediately and find out for yourself!" —Lars Ulrich, Metallica

“A colorfully dark look into the f * * * ed-up psyche of a legendary and badass drummer. I want to read it over and over.” —Jonas Åkerland, Film Director



Available in hardcover, e-book, and audiobook,

including a signed limited-edition hardcover with vinyl audiobook bundle,
narrated and performed with music by Matt Sorum

Signed preorders bundles ship August 2021—Preorder at rarebirdlit.com

Trade hardcover, e-book, and audiobook formats available
wherever books are sold September 7th, 2021

Hardcover and E-Book Distributed by Publishers Group West
Audiobook Published and Distributed by Recorded Books/Tantor Media

Author Site: mattsorum.com

Mike Dougherty | Director of Festival Programming of Outfest shares details of Outfest Los Angeles 2021 - August 13-22, 2021

OUTFEST LA 2021

AUGUST 13 -22

The 39th annual Outfest LA film festival features in-person and digital films, outdoor screenings, galas, special events, talks and more!

Mike Dougherty | Director of Festival Programming

LISTEN

As Director of Festival Programming Mike is in charge of programming Outfest Los Angeles and ensuring the highest experience of filmmakers and audiences at all Outfest festivals. He has over a decade of experience in the finance, production and distribution aspects of the industry. Mike joins Outfest after five years as Acquisitions and Distribution Executive at Radiant Films International, and five years prior to that as a Creative Executive at Hyde Park Entertainment. Since 2014, he has been the Director of Programming for the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) and is an Associate Programmer for AFI FEST.

https://www.outfest.org/

Thomas Duplessie and Phil Connell talk about their new LGBTQ family drama, JUMP, DARLING, starring Cloris Leachman and Thomas Duplessie. The final, stunning swan song performance by the late Oscar winner Cloris Leachman which had its International Premiere at BFI Flare London to rave reviews, just screened at Frameline and the Director's Guild Los Angeles.

JUMP, DARLING - The final, stunning swan song performance by the recently deceased Oscar winner Cloris Leachman 

LISTEN  to Janeane's
recent conversation
featuring
Thomas Duplessie and Phil Connell

Jump, Darling is the new LGBTQ family drama starring Cloris Leachman, who recently passed away at the age of 94, in her final starring performance, praised by critics in this worthy swan-song from the late Oscar and BAFTA-winning Hollywood legend.

Written and directed by debut filmmaker Phil Connell, Jump, Darling follows a rookie drag queen (played by newcomer Thomas Duplessie) reeling from a breakup who moves in with his declining grandmother (Leachman) to protect her from the local nursing home. The film is a thoughtful exploration of the right to live as who we are and how we wish, while also grappling with end of life care.

Filmmakers, cast and members of Leechman’s family in attendance. (See Trailer Here)

Oscar Winner Cloris Leachman Shines in Final Starring Role
at Outfest in
JUMP, DARLING
*Plus Special Celebrity Tribute introduced by Cybill Shepherd, featuring Lily Tomlin and others

Writer/Director: Phil Connell
Producers: Katie Corbridge & Phil Connell
Executive Producers: Karen Harnisch & Allison Black
US Festival Distribution: The Film Collaborative
Canadian Distributor: LevelFilm
Production Company: Big Island Productions

“a powerful swan song” - The Mirror
“a stunning debut feature.” – theBUZZ
“very real and very moving.” - Screen International
“a truly dazzling story.” - London Evening Standard
“One of the must-see films of the festival.” - Bay Area Reporter.
“It's lovely to watch Leachman at work one last time.” - National Post
“Leachman delivers a luminous performance…a fitting final role."- SF Chronicle
“What’s surprising is the emotional power of Phil Connell’s touching feature.” -Mercury News

OUTFEST IN-PERSON SCREENING @ DGA 1 (Director’s Guild)
Sunday - August 15TH - 7:15PM
Tickets HERE

Screening will include a celebrity In Memoriam tribute honoring of Leachman introduced by Cybill Shepherd and featuring Lily Tomlin and others.

CLICK FOR TRAILER
www.jumpdarling.com

90 MIN | CANADA

Jump, Darling is the new LGBTQ family drama starring Cloris Leachman, who recently passed away at the age of 94, in her final starring performance, praised by critics in this worthy swan-song from the late Oscar and BAFTA-winning Hollywood legend.

Written and directed by debut filmmaker Phil Connell, Jump, Darling follows a rookie drag queen (played by newcomer Thomas Duplessie) reeling from a breakup who moves in with his declining grandmother (Leachman) to protect her from the local nursing home. The film is a thoughtful exploration of the right to live as who we are and how we wish, while also grappling with end of life care.

The initial seeds for Jump, Darling were two parallel tracks: Connell’s experience with end-of-life care conversations with his grandmother and his experience choosing life as an artist. “Over a period of years, my late grandmother struggled with how to prepare for her ‘decline’ –be it physical or mental,” shares Connell. “It was ‘the’ topic of conversation each time I would visit her. Meanwhile, as I recommitted to filmmaking, I struggled to maintain my resolve – against all the forces and voices – the ones that every artist face.”

The supporting cast of Jump, Darling includes Linda Kash (Best in Show), Jayne Eastwood (Chicago) and cameos from well-known drag queens Tynomi Banks (featured recently on Canada’s Drag Race), Fay Slift and Miss Fiercalicious. The film showcases six on-screen drag performances against a pop soundtrack including Robyn, Allie X, Rough Trade, Years & Years and more. The film is produced by Katie Corbridge (An Acquired Taste), Executive Produced by Karen Harnisch (White Lie) and Allison Black (Giant Little Ones).

Cloris Leachman won both an Academy Award and a BAFTA Film Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in The Last Picture Show and holds the record for the most Primetime Emmy acting nominations in history – 22. She is best known for her role as Phyllis on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, played to such great success that it led to her own television series spinoff, Phyllis.

“Cloris was an icon and an ally,” said Connell. “To work with her, to know her, and now to share her final leading performance with the world is a true honor.”

TEEN LINE is promoting two up-coming events for teens! BACK TO SCHOOL ANXIETY - Social Campaign August 15-29, 2021 and in support of National Suicide Prevention Week, TEEN LINE presents their annual CALL-A-THON September 11, 2021 - DETAILS BELOW

 

Marian Vosumets talks about her debut film, THE BODY FIGHTS BACK - A JOURNEY INTO THE LIVES CONSUMED BY DIET CULTURE

THE BODY FIGHTS BACK is a feature documentary about five people navigating the paradoxes of diet culture. While promises of happiness, desirability and perfection are irresistible, joy and contentment remain out of reach.

WATCH | LISTEN

Personal stories from vastly different backgrounds quickly merge into a shockingly similar experience of battling one’s body. Self- starvation and compulsive exercise bring temporary satisfaction, only to be replaced with binging and purging soon after. Surprisingly, none of it has much to do with food.

Featuring exclusive footage from London’s contemporary anti-diet movement and fascinating personal archives, the film offers a unique insight into the complexity of eating disorders, body image struggles and most importantly, the socio-economic realities of health.

The film is the first feature documentary to tackle diet culture and shift the debate around health towards inclusivity. It also highlights newest research findings in Nutrition and Weight Science, disproving the widespread belief that one’s health is solely determined by body mass index.


THE BODY FIGHTS BACK was written and directed by Marian Võsumets. It has a running time of 106 minutes and will not be rated by the MPAA. The film fully meets the Academy diversity criteria, providing a platform to underrepresented groups such as Black, LGBTQ+ and Disabled people and features a female director and mainly female cast. Gravitas Ventures will release the film on digital platforms including iTunes and Apple TV on July 13, 2021.


For more information, go to: WWW.DIETCULTUREFILM.COM


For the trailer, go to: https://vimeo.com/563013907


SOCIAL MEDIA HANDLES
@dietculturefilm

JAMES WHITESIDE -- AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE PRINCIPAL DANCER - CENTER CENTER: A Funny, Sexy, Sad Almost-Memoir of a Boy in Ballet

CENTER CENTER: A Funny, Sexy, Sad Almost-Memoir of a Boy in Ballet is a daring, hilarious, inspiring memoir-in-essays from James Whiteside, the American Ballet Theatre principal dancer, drag queen, and pop star who’s redefining what it means to be a man in ballet. CENTER CENTER is his literary debut and Whiteside takes readers on a delightfully absurd and entertaining journey as he reveals how he got to the top of his field as a primo ballerino. Considered “one of the most talented dancers of his generation” (Vogue), Whiteside is extremely well-known in the dance world, he has also choreographed for music videos, commercials, film, and ballet. 

And Whiteside’s profile is on the rise off the dance floor: He has been profiled in the New York Times, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and Allure; he hosts a popular podcast, The Stage Rightside with James Whiteside; and he has 335k and counting Instagram followers. James is available for interviews on Monday, August 16th, and I hope you’ll consider having him as a guest on your show. Please reach out if you would like to schedule an interview or would like to see a copy of the book.


“James Whiteside is an electrifying performer, an incredible athlete, and an artist, through and through. To know James is to love him; with Center Center, you are about to fall in love.” —Jennifer Garner

There’s a mark on every stage around the world that signifies the center of its depth and width, called “center center.” James Whiteside has dreamed of standing on that very mark as a principal dancer with the prestigious American Ballet Theatre ever since he was a twelve-year-old blown away by watching the company’s spring gala: the glamour, the virtuosity, the extremely fit men in tights!

In CENTER CENTER, “Whiteside pours out his soul in a debut that’s deeply resonant—but no less raunchy for it” (Publishers Weekly). He tells tales of the two alter egos he created to subvert the strict classical rigor of ballet: JbDubs, an out-and-proud pop musician, and Ühu Betch, an over-the-top drag queen named after Yoohoo chocolate milk and member of the NYC-based drag posse the Dairy Queens, which also includes RuPaul’s Drag Race alum Milk. Whiteside also muses about the tragically fated childhood pets who taught him how to feel, and reminisces on summer dance camps at which he paid more attention to partying than his craft. The memoir’s emotional core is firmly located in “Nancy,” a novella-length biography of Whiteside’s “brilliant, complicated, unicorn of a mother” that is breathtaking in its vulnerability and tenderness.

CENTER CENTER is an exuberant behind-the-scenes tour of Whiteside’s triple life, both on- and offstage—a raunchy, curious, and unapologetic celebration of queerness, self-expression, friendship, creativity, and pushing boundaries that will entertain you, shock you, inspire you, embolden you . . . and maybe even make you cry.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
James Whiteside (alter egos JbDubs and Uhu Betch) is a principal dancer with American Ballet Theatre, a pop star, and a member of the NYC-based drag posse the Dairy Queens, which also includes RuPaul's Drag Race alum Milk. He has choreographed for music videos, commercials, film, and ballet, and in 2018, he starred in Arthur Pita's dance/theater work The Tenant at The Joyce Theater in New York City. Whiteside also hosts his own popular podcast, The Stage Rightside with James Whiteside. His song and music video "I Hate My Job" has been featured in The New York Times, Huffington Post, MTV, Billboard, and more.

Follow James Whiteside on Twitter @JamesBWhiteside, 

Instagram @jamesbwhiteside

http://jamesbwhiteside.com/