Frontiers’ picks for the don’t-miss films, CDs, and theatrical productions of the season

Film Preview

BY JONATHAN RIGGS

The Oscars are over, spring has sprung, and you're looking for a good, gay-friendly flick, right? Lucky for you, here I am, armed with my trusty VHS copy of The Temp, starring Lara Flynn Boyle as Kris, the evil temp who will do anything to rise to the top of Faye Dunaway's cookie company—after all, getting ahead can be murder! No takers? Well, you can always check out these movies, coming atcha!

Stop Loss

March 28
Director: Kimberly Peirce

Stars: Ryan Phillippe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Channing Tatum

Plot: Several Iraq veterans return to their tiny Texas hometown and try to readjust to the civilian world. When they're called back overseas as part of the “Stop Loss” initiative, they have to decide which is more important: obeying the law or their own codes of honor.

Why We Care: We're up for anything the fantastic director/co-writer Kimberly Peirce (director of Boys Don't Cry) does, plus the trailer looks incredibly powerful. We're taking the high road and not mentioning all the sexy, oft-shirtless “soulja boyz.” (Crank that!)

Baby Mama

April 25
Director: Michael McCullers

Stars: Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Sigourney Weaver, Greg Kinnear

Plot: A successful career woman who discovers she's infertile decides to hire a surrogate mother…who turns out to be a white trash wonderland of sink-peeing zaniness.

Why We Care: Tina Fey and Amy Poehler are brilliant, and it's such a relief to see a smart, heartfelt-but-hilarious female-driven comedy in this overly andro-centric film era. It's about fucking time!

A Four Letter Word

April 11
Director: Casper Andreas

Stars: Charlie David, Jesse Archer

Plot: In a never-filmed-before plot, a slutty gay man has given up on love, only to meet a mysterious, sexy man who may be “the one.” Can they make it work while various wacky sidekicks do wacky things? Can a sexy, cynical queen find true love? (In my movie, no. Plus, they boycott lazy-ass trash like this.)

Why We Care: It's good to support gay-produced/starring/etc. films, and you know that no matter how you claim to be more three-dimensional than the onscreen boys, you'll recognize yourself up there at times. Plus, according to an IMDB.com reviewer, “within the first 10 minutes there are about five full-frontally nude men shown.” Fandango!

Savage Grace

May 30
Director: Tom Kalin

Stars: Julianne Moore, Hugh Dancy, Stephen Dillane

Plot: A classy retelling of the shocking 1970s murder of socialite Barbara Baekeland by her own son and—scandal!shock!gasp!—lover.

Why We Care: The film's really about the rise and fall of a flamboyant (and fucked-up) powerful family, and the ways they fail each other, including Moore's unorthodox attempts to “cure” her son's homosexuality and mental illness. I would say that rumor has it that Julianne's a shoo-in for an Oscar nomination, but that's pretty standard for any of her flicks.

Sex and the City: the Movie

May 30
Director: Michael Patrick King

Stars: Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon, Kristin Davis, Jennifer Hudson, Chris Noth

Plot: Depending on how you feel about the smash TV show, either: four aging hags living beyond their means in a fantasy world or four vibrant divas taking a stylish bite out of the Big Apple.

Why We Care: Offscreen catfights? The show's trademark hideous/glamorous fashion on the (Mr.) big screen? You know once the zingy calypso-y theme starts “duh duh duh duh!”-ing at the first multiplex, every gay's gonna strap on his or her cha-cha heels to check our Carrie's face, 40-feet-tall.

Music Preview

BY JEFF KATZ

Spring is apparently the time for some major musical returns, as well as a bevy of anticipated introductions, when it comes to the 2008 album release lineup. Moby and the B52s will keep you dancing, while Jason Mraz and Yael Naim bring the quirky pop. Heck, even Scarlett Johansson will step off the big screen and flex her vocal cords. But here is a look at five “must-have” albums that already have our ears burning.

R.E.M.

Accelerate
Warner Bros.
April 1

Michael Stipe and Co. return with a batch of new songs after a four year absence, and this time they're reclaiming their rock band moniker. With so many emo bands dominating the airwaves, it's nice to hear emotional lyrics and hard guitars, too. The album title seems appropo given the driving sounds, plus the guys mix in a few electro lines for good measure.

Leona Lewis

Spirit
J Records
April 8

She quickly became the new darling of England after winning a TV talent show, and subsequently breaking all-time album sales records. Now Leona Lewis is bringing that same pop/R&B debut stateside (with two new tracks recorded for the U.S. release), and first single “Bleeding Love” already fits in perfectly with the OneRepublic/Ne-Yo/Rihanna musical landscape. With a powerhouse, mature voice well beyond her 22 years, she has gay-fave-in-the-making working to her advantage.

Mariah Carey

E=MC2
Island
April 15

How do you follow up the biggest album of '05-06? Clearly by sticking to the same sexy diva formula, as Mariah coos her way through the hip hop beats (“Touch My Body”) and belts out her signature ballads on her new disc. She's sticking with her producing partner in crime, Jermaine Dupri, and still peppering tracks with pop-friendly rappers. Hey, if it ain't broke …

Madonna

Hard Candy
Warner Bros.
April 29

After much speculation and anticipation, Madge's new album finally has a name and a release date. She may be trying her hand at hip hop—hopefully sans the “American Life” rap—but with Timbaland and Timberlake at the wheel, we're intrigued. And while most the album looks like it will veer on the lighter side of subjects (with track titles like “Candy Shop,” and “Dance Tonight”) expect some Madonna words of wisdom with “4 Mins to Save the World” and “Even the Devil Wouldn't Recognize You.”

Duffy

Rockferry
Mercury
May 13

Riding on the neo-soul wave across the Atlantic, Duffy makes her debut after garnering great attention and praise over in the U.K. Lead single “Mercy” screams of girl-group doo wop, and may even tip the hat to soulstress Amy Winehouse with a chanting “yeah, yeah, yeah.” She may bear a Dusty Springfield-esque quality in both look and name, but Duffy is clearly marching to her own retro vibe.

Performing Arts Preview

BY BRIAN PADGETT

This spring, Los Angeles theatergoers will have the chance to experience both first run productions and favored classics alike. From an intimate collection of one-acts penned by one of last century's most renowned theatrical minds to an international touring company's musical debate on where, exactly, the rain in Spain stays, theater aficionados won't have to travel far to be thrilled, entertained, and moved.

Mask, A New Musical

Pasadena Playhouse
Through April 2
626/356-7529
www.pasadenaplayhouse.org

This musical follows the true story of a carefree biker mother and Rocky, her ostracized yet determined son. Based on the hit film starring Cher in a role that won her the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress in 1985.

The Lost Plays of Tennessee Williams

The Davidson/Valentini Theatre
March 21-June 8 (Thursday-Saturday only)
(No performances May 30-June 1)
323/860-7300
www.lagaycenter.org/boxoffice

The Los Angeles Gay & Lesbian Center presents a collection of the distinguished playwright's posthumously-published one-acts. Much like his celebrated Pulitzer Prize winners, these productions of Mr. Paradise, The Palooka, and And Tell Sad Stories of the Deaths of Queens address similar sexual and psychological themes.

My Fair Lady

Ahmanson Theatre
April 9-27
213/628-2772
www.centertheatregroup.org

London's smash-hit revival of this legendary musical comes to Los Angeles. Eliza's rags-to-riches romance with the posh sophisticate Prof. Higgins is an assured, feel-good romp chock full of memorable songs like “The Rain in Spain” and “Get Me to the Church on Time,” choreographed by Matthew Bourne.

Flora the Red Menace

UCLA's Freud Theatre
May 6-18
310/825-2101
www.reprise.org

Reprise! proudly presents this charming Kander and Ebb collaboration about a young girl torn between love and politics. This production features Broadway powerhouses Eden Espinosa (in the role originated by Liza Minnelli, winning her a Tony in 1965!) and Manoel Felciano.

A Chorus Line

Ahmanson Theatre
May 21-July 6
213/628-2772
www.centertheatregroup.org

The loveable motley crew of wannabe Broadway dancers prances their way onto the Ahmanson stage this spring. In between show-stopping numbers, the cast members find time to gossip about wet dreams, coming out, and of course, tits and ass.