Gay Travel Blog - Passport Magazine - Global Cocktail - Entries from Monday, February 1. 2010

Monday, February 1. 2010

Bollywood's First Gay Kiss?

Promotion for Dunno Y . . . Na Jaane Kyun

It is a theme that Bollywood has never dared to cover... a same-sex love affair. All this may change with the release of a film which has already been called India’s Brokeback Mountain.

According to the Times Online: "The film, which promises to break new ground by telling the story of a serious, and explicitly sexual, relationship between two Indian men, comes months after a law outlawing homosexuality was overturned in the Delhi High Court."

Not much is known about the project, except that "It will star Kapil Sharma, an actor in his debut role who plays an aspiring gay model forced to 'compromise his morals' to further his career. Its director, Anil Sharma, is one of the best known in Bollywood whose most recent offering, Veer, was a macho action adventure."

Any other clues to the plot comes from the promotional poster above.

Posted by

Joseph Pedro

in Entertainment at 16:13 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

London Antique Show to Feature Unique Celebrity Memorabilia

"You must have a cigarette. A cigarette is the perfect type of a perfect pleasure. It is exquisite, and it leaves one unsatisfied. What more can one want?"
-The Picture of Dorian Gray

Oscar Wilde's Cigarette Case Given to him by His Lover

A unique collection of celebrity memorabilia will be on display at the BADA Antiques and Fine Art Fair this March 17-23 in London. The collection, Heroes or Villains?, will include items belonging to Elvis Presley, Bonnie and Clyde, Lawrence of Arabia, and Oscar Wilde. The exhibit includes a silver cigarette case given to Wilde by his lover, Alfred Lord Douglas, also known as Bosie. The cigarette case has an inscription from Lord Douglas that reads:

The Phoenix riddle hath more wit
By us we two being one are it
So to one natural thing both sexes fit
We die and rise the same and prove
Mysterious by this love

-Bosie

The affair resulted in a libel suit brought on by Bosie's father, the Marquis of Queensbury, which ultimately led to his imprisonment on charges of gross indecency. Wilde served two years at hard labor and two years later, he died.

Wilde was arrested in his room at the Cadogan Hotel in Knightsbridge, a hotel that is still around today. The luxury boutique hotel is offering special rates to attendees of the BADA Fair.

Posted by

Joseph Pedro

in Events at 12:26 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Happy LGBT History Month UK

The United Kingdom marks its sixth month-long celebration of everything LGBT today. While the United States celebrates its LGBT History Month in October, the UK chose February. This is to coincide with the abolition of Section 28, an amendment that stated that local authority "shall not intentionally promote homosexuality or publish material with the intention of promoting homosexuality" or "promote the teaching in any maintained school of the acceptability of homosexuality as a pretended family relationship."

LGBT History Month is marked by a series of events across the UK from book readings at public libraries to dance parties. To check out a full list of events, click here.

Posted by

Joseph Pedro

at 11:26 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Largest Moon Sculpture on Earth Opens Near Düsseldorf, Germany

The Gasometer in Oberhausen

The inside of a 380-foot tall obsolete gas holder, the Gasometer in Oberhausen, is the space for a new exhibit called Out Of This World - Wonders of The Solar System, which includes the largest moon sculpture in the world. This sculpture is an 82-foot wide replica of the moon hanging in a cathedral-like space under the holder’s 328-foot roof, as well as replicas of the sun and its planets in a space 223 feet wide. The exhibit explores scientific, cultural, and artistic perspectives on the creation and death of our solar system.

The true-to-scale moon sculpture is based on high-resolution satellite images of the moon and is shown, as are all other stars and planets, in elaborate detail along with its various phases and light phenomena. The exhibit, now open through December 30, 2010, is one project of “Ruhr 2010, the European Capital of Culture,” a year-long series of art events and exhibits in Germany’s Ruhr area.

To find out more about the Ruhr region, read our article at Passport Online.

Posted by

Joseph Pedro

at 10:05 | Comments (0) | Trackbacks (0)

Last Night's Grammy Awards: Some Incredible Performances!

One of GaGa's Many Looks at the Grammys

20-year-old Taylor Swift snatched Record of the Year from Beyonce and Lady GaGa. Beyonce, with a total of ten nominations, took home six, including best female pop vocal performance. The six wins were the most ever won by a female artist.

But the Grammys aren't about the awards anymore, as last night's show demonstrated, it is about elaborate performances and pageantry, and Steven Colbert summed up the night early on when he said, "Folks, we are here tonight to celebrate what I believe is our most precious right. The right of celebrities to congratulate each other." For a full list of winners, click here.

Lady GaGa and Elton John opened: