Hi Breeps:
Now Wimbledon is over, seems the Brits in LA are getting in the brood for the imminent arrival of the new royal sprog! Member Jean Karasek, who owns one of our favourite British stores – Oh Fancy That! In the Valley, is running a competition to guess the day the baby will be born and what Wills and Kate will name him/her. My money is on July 22 and her name will be Alexandra. There’s a nice gift basket of British goods at stake, so here’s hoping I win.
Speaking of the bump, we will be hosting a summer fete in celebration Sunday July 28th 3-6pm at The Palihouse West Hollywood, with food, drink and some great games. Tickets are now available for purchase at www.britroyalbabyshower.eventbrite.com We also have some Great British music talent joining us too.
I also went to see the premier of the stage show “Miserable Lesbians’ written, directed and starring Sandro Monetti. The cast was made up of Brits in LA members, Laura-Beth Hill, Nadia Witt, Kerstin Alm, Anthony Weymess and Katie Amess. All I can say is this production is absolutely bonkers! And those of you who are Brits will know what I mean by that. It reminded me of those sex-capade shows the British comedian Jim Davidson would put on with titles such as “Sinderella” and “Goldibox” with a touch of Benny Hill, need I say more? Overflowing with double-entendres, terrible singers and OTT performances (purposefully) I can only imagine that they will go down a storm in Edinburgh next month.
Which segues me nicely into the film festival Outfest, the 31st Annual LGBT in Los Angeles. I attending many of the screenings this past weekend, some good, some better than others. One of the stand-outs for me was an Israeli movie called “Out In The dark” A powerful story, that is shot beautifully with an amazing score. Nimr (Nicholas Jacob), a handsome Palestinian psychology student, is in the closet at home. But while in Tel Aviv taking a class he meets Roy (Michael Aloni), a dashing Israeli attorney, and quickly falls in love. But Israeli security strips Nimr of his visa, trying to blackmail him into becoming an informant, and when his brother finds out he’s gay, Nimr is thrown out of his family home. Nimr and Roy are left to fight desperately against ruthless enemies for the chance to be together.
But my favourite so far has been a documentary called ‘Bridegroom’ a harrowing but inspirational love story directed by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason (“Designing Women”) who navigates the romantic highs of Tom and Shane’s relationship – until tragedy strikes. Immediately after, Tom’s conservative parents block Shane off from all contact, refusing to let Shane attend Tom’s funeral. But instead of conceding, Shane vows to tell his and Tom’s love story to the world. First on Youtube, his video “It Could Happen to You” attracted 3.4 million views. Now, as a remarkable, heartfelt feature about love, loss and the courage to stand up for same-sex equality, Shane’s story has taken the nation by storm. I feel strongly that this film should be seen by the masses, a true tale of love, no matter what the gender and why equality is important to all of us. It’s still going on so for anyone that is interested in LGBT film head to www.outfest.org to see what’s playing.
I also got back into training realizing I’d put on some extra pounds during my recent vacation, and one of the perks about living in LA is that you can hire a personal trainer to come to your house and give you a great workout in and outside of your home. I recommend Body Your Design run by JC, a former British martial arts expert and boxer. He knows just how far to push you. Email him for schedule and rates at bodyyourdesign@gmail.com and mention Brits in La for a discounted rate for your first 10 sessions.
That’s about it for this week. Look forward to seeing you at the wetting of the Royal Baby Alexandra’s head event next Sunday. (fingers crossed I win ;-))
Cheers, Craig
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