Transgender

Transparent star Alexandra Billings recognizes that television has come a long way in telling authentic transgender stories – but, she says, there is still a long way to go. “I think that we have taken a step in the right direction, though we’re at a pause right now with the current government,” she told Entertainment Tonight . “The people who have kept their true selves silent because they know within themselves what they believe isn’t true, right or kind, have been given permission by all the white cis heteronormative men in power. They are blossoming in this really big way.” Billings recounted a recent incident during which she was misgendered on campus at the University of Southern California, where she teaches drama. One time, when she was walking by a practice field down a path toward the building where she taught, she was accosted by two “very large gentlemen” walking toward her. “My sense is really good, so I knew something was going to happen,”she said. “So I … [Read more...] about ‘Transparent’ Star Alexandra Billings on Progress in Transgender Stories

Republican Senators have asked Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos in a letter why a book that “challenges the transgender movement” was pulled from sale on the website. The book, When Harry Became Sally by Ryan T. Anderson, was an Amazon bestseller. Its description says it provides “thoughtful answers to questions arising from our transgender moment” and “a balanced approach to public policy on gender identity, and a sober assessment of the human costs of getting human nature wrong.” The book has been on sale for three years. Amazon has banned books in the past, the works mostly focused on conspiracy theories and debunking the Holocaust. The Amazon web services also recently banned conservative website Parler from its services, and has deplatformed other conservative websites. Related Story WGA Urges Members To Support Amazon Warehouse Workers' Bid To Unionize - See Who Has Signed Petition In the letter to Bezos, the Republican senators asked for further … [Read more...] about Amazon Under Fire For Erasing Transgender Movement Book From Its Sales Site

Two long shadows hang over Clarice, the new CBS drama following FBI agent Clarice Starling in the aftermath of her showdown with serial killer Buffalo Bill. The first shadow is cast by The Silence of the Lambs, the 1991 film that swept the top five Academy Awards categories that year, including a Best Actress Oscar for Jodie Foster as Clarice. The second shadow comes from Hannibal, the NBC drama about the other, far more iconic murderer from Silence, cannibal psychiatrist Hannibal Lecter. Thirty years later, Silence remains the undisputed masterpiece of the serial-killer-drama genre: scary, darkly comic, and psychologically complex in ways that largely avoid fetishizing the killers themselves, even if much of Anthony Hopkins’ dialogue became part of the national lexicon right after. It’s so great in nearly every way(*) that the most creatively successful films and shows set in this world have had to approach the material very differently. The style of Hannibal was so … [Read more...] about ‘Clarice’: ‘Silence of the Lambs’ FBI Agent Doesn’t Quite Get Her Due

Day 3 of this year’s Berlinale announcements contain the line-ups for Encounters, Panorama and Perspektive Deutsches Kino. Check back in tomorrow for the Competition program. Encounters was first introduced at last year’s festival to support new voices in cinema. A three-member jury will award Best Film, Best Director and a Special Jury Award during the industry event in March, with the prizes handed out physically at the summer event. The selection consists of 12 titles from 16 countries, including seven debuts. Scroll down for the full list. Over in Panorama, there are 19 titles including 14 world premieres. Several titles arrive from Sundance such as Prano Bailey-Bond’s UK feature Censor and Ronny Trocker’s Human Factors. Related Story Berlinale Unveils Programs For Forum, Forum Expanded & Shorts Perspektive Deutsches Kino will again present new views on German cinema, with six titles, all of which are world premieres. The full lists are below. … [Read more...] about Berlinale Reveals Encounters, Panorama & Perspektive Deutsches Kino Selections

Jeffrey Tambor praised Transparent creator Jill Soloway on Late Night With Seth Meyers . “She’s exploring, and telling people what it’s like, and the humanity and the travails of the transgender community,” Tambor said. “And I think there is not a more opportune time to be talking about this.” The actor, who won an Emmy Award last year for portraying Maura Pfefferman on Transparent , also spoke about owning his own bookstore, an old commercial audition where he and 200 other actors pretended they knew how to ice skate and a scene from Transparent ‘s upcoming fourth season where his character eats weed edibles before going through TSA. Tambor said his myriad roles have given fans countless things to shout at him on the street. “You have to understand, I did The Ropers , I did Love Boat , I did Kojak , but when I did The Larry Sanders Show , they would call out, ‘Hey now!'” Tambor said, noting his character’s catchphrase. “Or, if they saw, Arrested … [Read more...] about Watch Jeffrey Tambor Praise Humanity of ‘Transparent’ on ‘Seth Meyers’