An expert’s advice for aspiring filmmakers: “If a comedy is doing its job, you leave feeling differently about the world,” according to Bruce Vilanch, a six-time Emmy winner who’s written for Bette Midler and just about every big star on the Oscars since 1991.

Vilanch, a Hollywood Squares alumnus, also acts and most recently co-starred with Lainie Kazan, Saul Rubinek, John Lloyd Young, Jai Rodriguez and Carmen Electra in a low-budget comedy called Oy Vey! My Son is Gay! — about an older Jewish couple (Kazan and Rubinek) horrified to discover their adult son (Young) is never going to marry a nice Jewish girl.

“It’s not a movie for radical queers. This is a movie made from the point of view of the older generation, which tends to think in stereotypes and use stereotypes themselves,” says Vilanch, 62, who — stereotypically — is gay, Jewish and a bit flamboyant.

Rodriguez, 31, who plays the Jewish son’s Italian boyfriend, agrees: “The movie, to me, is reflective of other communities than New York. In smaller communities, these are issues still being faced.”

Oy Vey! is directed and co-written by Russian-born Evgeny Afineevsky, 37, also gay and Jewish.

Rodriguez describes Afineevsky as “a persuasive, persuasive man” who convinced him and the other stars to join the project.

Vilanch says Afineevsky spent about 10 years “chasing me around.”

“He had this script,” Vilanch says. “Then I was doing Hairspray [on Broadway] and he kept showing up at the theater. He wanted me to play Uncle Max. If someone wants to pay me to act, well, let me look at this now!”

He plays Kazan’s married (to a woman) gay brother. Vilanch wanted to tone down his outrageous image for the part, but Afineevsky told him to keep his trademark platinum blond bangs: “Because I’m so butch and they didn’t want me to change my look,” Vilanch says.

Afineevsky also managed to bring superstar songwriter Desmond Child on board as executive producer of Oy Vey! My Son is Gay!

“I just loved the title,” says Child, Ricky Martin’s longtime collaborator. “The
title says it all. It sounds hysterical!”

Child co-wrote The Word is Love, performed on the Oy Vey! soundtrack by To Sir With Love singer Lulu.

“It’s one of my dreams to take the property and turn it into a Broadway show,” says Child, 57, who lives in Miami Beach and Nashville with longtime partner Curtis Shaw and their 8-year-old twins. “Hopefully, it will be everyone else’s dream too. It’s a very gay dream.”

IF YOU GO
Oy Vey! My Son is Gay!’ opens Friday in South Florida at Regal South Beach, Sunrise Intracoastal Cinema in North Miami Beach, AMC Aventura at Aventura Mall, Regal Shadowood in Boca Raton and Regal Cinemas in Delray Beach.

Bruce Vilanch will appear at the 12:10 p.m. Friday screening at Regal South Beach 18, 1120 Lincoln Rd., Miami Beach. Writer-director Evgeny Afineevsky will appear at all Regal South Beach screenings on Friday.

January 04, 2011 in Arts, Bisexual, Business, Current Affairs, Film, Florida, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Lauderdale & Broward County, Gay, Lesbian, LGBT, Marriage, Media, Miami, Miami & Miami-Dade County, Miami Beach, Music, Politics, Religion, South Florida, Television, Theater, Transgender, Travel, Weblogs, Workplace, Youth | Permalink

TrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d83451b26169e20147e144565

Read more: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2011/01/stars-take-a-chance-on-russian-writer-director-and-his-low-budget-comedy-oy-vey-my-son-is-gay.html#ixzz1A6wUklC5

The post Bruce Vilanch Talks “Oy Vey…” first appeared on We Got Bruce!.

SummerStage Presents: NYC Pride Rally featuring Me’Shell Ndegeocello , Martha Wash, The New York Gay Men’s Chorus, Vickie Shaw, Billie Myers, Bruce Vilanch and More

Saturday June 19, 2010
Rumsey Playfield – Central Park (NYC)

Strength, virtuosity and joyous revelry reflect the diversity of the LGBT community and the lineup of this incredible eveningâ€s entertainment.

One month after the Stonewall Riots of June 27-29, 1969, about 500 people gathered for a “Gay Power” demonstration. That event, the very first New York City Pride Rally, took place in Washington Square Park and was followed by a candlelight vigil in Sheridan Square. Now in its 42nd year, the Heritage of Pride Rally continues that tradition on the last Sunday in June, providing the Cityâ€s LGBT Community with a fabulous launch into Pride Week. This yearâ€s rally, the first at SummerStage, will include performances by Meâ€Shell Ndegéocello, Martha Wash, The Gay Menâ€s Chorus, Vickie Shaw, and Billie Myers, hosted by writer and comic, Bruce Vilanch.

Canonized, marginalized or just scrutinized, Meâ€shell Ndegéocello has given up trying to explain herself. After 20 years in an industry that has called her everything from avant garde to a dying breed, what unquestionably remains is the fearsome bassist, prolific songwriter and the creativity and curiosity of an authentic musical force. With that, she has earned critical acclaim, the unfailing respect of fellow players, songwriters and composers, and the dedication of her diverse, unclassifiable fans.

Like many artists, Martha Wash has felt the ups and downs of the rollercoaster-like music industry. From being the uncredited powerhouse vocalist behind C+C Music Factoryâ€s classic “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now),” to her Grammy nomination for the cult classicâ€Itâ€s Raining Menâ€, to seeing her debut solo single “Carry On” reach the #1 spot – in her own name – Martha has unquestionably made her mark in R&B, in dance, in disco and in music history.

The New York City Gay Menâ€s Chorus comprises of 250 voices. The Chorus has appeared in Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. Affirming their world-class status is a roster of classical and contemporary artists who have graced the stages with the Chorus: Marilyn Horne, Roberta Peters, Liza Minnelli, Stephen Sondheim, Barbara Cook, Carol Channing, Jerry Herman, Eartha Kitt, Joel Grey– to name just a few. The New York City Gay Menâ€s Chorus (NYCGMC) is a member of Gay and Lesbian Association of Choruses (GALA), the worldâ€s only association committed to serving the LGBT choral movement.

Vickie Shaw returns to New York with her slow paced (sheâ€s southern), incredibly endearing, (sheâ€s southern), sharp, donâ€t mess with her (sheâ€s southern!), comedy. Vickie doesnâ€t have to go far from home for material – as a recovering SoB (Southern Baptist) and out lesbian mother. Sheâ€s successfully raised two sons and a daughter (actually theyâ€re just alive, Iâ€m not sure if that successful), One son, his wife and their three perfect daughters and her daughter and fiancee all live with Vickie and her “husbian” in Sgt. Patch. Her census needed extra postage. Yeah thereâ€s enough material there to fill a few hours. Vickie has performed in almost every State in the US, and had headlined in way too many venues to list here and TV out the YinYang, but trust us, this girlâ€s been around.

With the success of her hit singleâ€Kiss The Rain†from the debut record Growing, Pains, Billie Myers has proven her longevity as an artist. Myerâ€s live performances have been described as “electrifying” by Rolling Stone. She has toured extensively with the likes of Bob Dylan and Savage Garden and starred at Lilith Fair. Myers has worked with industry greats Desmond Child, Junior Vasquez and Peter Q. Harris. The London Times raves “Myers excels at weaving poetic narratives around starkly honest portraits of her life experiences reassuringly long on singer-songwriter talent.” Her new album, Tea & Sympathy, is out now on iTunes.

One of the most sought-after jokesmiths in the entertainment industry, Bruce Vilanch has become a recognizable face in his own right, thanks to the feature-length documentary Get Bruce! and his one-time stint as a regular on Hollywood Squares, for which he also served as head writer. He is perhaps best known as a regular gag-writer for the Academy Awards, which he has done since 1989.

Event Information
Saturday June 19, 2010
4:00 pm – 7:00 pm
All Ages
Cover: FREE

Links
Direct Link: http://fusicology.com/event/nycpriderally
Short URL: http://bit.ly/amXJjY
Venue URL: http://summerstage.org

The post NYC Pride Rally Features Bruce Vilanch, Me’Shell Ndegeocello, Billie Myers. and more… first appeared on We Got Bruce!.