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E-mail Author Send to a Friend Version March 24, 2006, 7:45 a.m. Firing Blanks American Gun. By Louis Wittig Participant Productions — the film company that takes Ben & Jerry’s zeal for social change and makes it George Clooney sexy — had a great 2005. All the big name projects it touched — Syriana, Good Night and Good Luck, North Country, Murderball — turned that gleamy Oscar-nominated gold. Long in production, American Gun is set to be one of the first Participant-funded movies out of the gate in 2006, and, well, things change. The low-profile semi-tragedy is a tiring,...

Do you agree with Charlie Sheen that the U.S. government covered up the real events of the 9/11 attacks? Yes 82% 16065 votes No 18% 3469 votes Total: 19534 votes

When Elden Steele and his boyfriend, Jeff Bauer, went to Paris this fall, Steele was struck by how nonchalant the French were about seeing two men walk down the street hand in hand. "Nobody batted an eye," Steele said in an interview. That's not been their experience in the United States and it's one reason why Steele is looking forward to attending the Gay Games this summer in Chicago, where Bauer will compete in swimming. "It's the one event where we won't have to be looking over our shoulder every five minutes," said Steele. Both men live here. (Madison, WI)...

It’s been 48 years since I last reviewed a movie without first seeing it. Back then, a fellow UCLA student, Shirley Mae Follmer, and I were competing to be the film critic for the Daily Bruin. One night, passes were supposed to be left for each of us at a press screening. However, she arrived ahead of me, and she had either brought a guest along or there had simply been a glitch somewhere along the line. In any case, they wouldn’t let me in. All I knew was the title of the movie and the name of the star,...

West Hollywood -- I am a gift. A prize. After years of difficult repression, men with a secret seek me out as a reward for their good behavior. I make a living having sex with these closeted married men. I'm an "escort," to use the euphemism, which gives me a unique perspective on a potential, and particular, cultural fallout as "Brokeback Mountain" widens out not just to Britain but to every remaining crumb in America's breadbasket. Much has been made about the "turning point" effect Academy Award-winning director Ang Lee's Oscar-jockeying film could force upon Hollywood. The movie is based...