Between the Independent Spirit Awards and the Academy Awards, a lot of queers were honored last weekend by what seemed like two different Hollywoods.
They nominate from largely the same pool of films but there's little similarity in their lists of nominees and even less among their winners.
The only film honored by both organizations this year was Bowling for Columbine, and while Michael Moore should have been the happiest man in Hollywood he came across as the angriest. He used virtually the same Bush-bashing comments about our 'fictitious president' waging war for 'fictitious reasons' in both acceptance speeches. Not surprisingly it was better received at the Indies than the Oscars, where he was booed loudly. He was joined on stage by the other documentary nominees in solidarity with his comments—made after he had received a standing ovation for the film on guns.
Other winners who gave more neutral speeches about peace, the troops, or free speech, were mostly greeted with applause. Some also wore global peace pins.
Todd Haynes' Far from Heaven, shut out by the Oscars despite four nominations, was the only multiple winner at the Indies. Its five awards were for Best Feature, Best Director (Haynes), Dennis Quaid for Best Supporting Male as a husband and father coming out in the late 1950s, Julianne Moore Best Female Lead as his wife and Edward Lachman for Best Cinematography.
There were so many shots of Haynes and Quaid sitting together one would have thought they were a couple. Where was Haynes' longtime partner, James Lyons?
Chicago won a less-than-expected six Oscars for 13 nominations. Gay director Rob Marshall went home empty-handed but was thanked profusely by the film's winners, including Best Supporting Actress Catherine Zeta-Jones and Best Picture winner producer Martin Richards, whose list of thanks also included gay executive producers Neil Meron and Craig Zadan and 'my late partner, Robert Fryer.' (I'm not sure if this referred to a personal relationship. Fryer was gay but both were producers of the original Broadway musical.)
One gay Oscar winner was Pedro Almodovar, who beat Haynes, among others, with his original screenplay for Talk to Her. More restrained than Moore, he gave one of the strongest antiwar speeches in an evening when Susan Sarandon simply flashed a peace sign and Barbra Streisand and Richard Gere said nothing. Streisand did comment that it was great to be in a country with rights for all, and that songs are 'amazing things' that 'allow us to raise our voices in pain, passion and protest.'
'I also want to dedicate this award,' Almodovar said, 'to all the people that are raising their voices in favor of peace, respect of human rights, democracy and international legality, all of which are essential qualities to live.'
The Academy had asked presenters to stick to the prepared material but said winners could use their 45 seconds to say whatever they wanted. Most messages were subtle, usually expressing a hope for peace without an opinion about the war or making a carefully worded statement about the role of the artist in troubled times.
The first antiwar declaration, and the only one besides Moore's and Almodovar's, came 95 minutes into the show (which at three hours and 35 minutes seemed like a trailer for last year's). It was delivered by Gael Garcia Bernal, one of the young stars of Y Tu Mama Tambien, introducing a nominated song from Frida. 'If Frida (Kahlo) was alive,' he said of the bisexual Mexican artist, 'she would be on our side—against war.'
The song, 'Burn It Blue' was sung by Lila Downs and bisexual Brazilian Caetano Veloso. The day before, when Y Tu Mama Tambien had been named Best Foreign Film at the Independent Spirit Awards, co-writer Carlos Cuaron described Bernal and his co-star, Diego Luna, as 'the best pair of uncircumcised actors.'
Both Mexican youths made antiwar speeches at that affair, where they were the norm. Even Dawn Hudson, head of the sponsoring organization, Independent Film Project— West, pointedly encouraged artists to speak through their art about things that are wrong.
Accepting her Spirit Award Julianne Moore said she and partner Bart Freundlich are 'parents and we basically teach our children not to fight. Fighting's not the answer.' Mike White, son of gay activist Mel White, won the Best Screenplay award for The Good Girl and said, 'Let's use a little of our spirit this year to get Bush out of office.'
One of the few who didn't speak out against the war was host John Waters, who seemed less funny than in past years, even with a bit about making gay films for children ('Gay people have more children than Catholics these days').
Waters' Oscar counterpart Steve Martin had better material but it was still hit-and-miss. Much of it, while not quite sexist, had to do with objectifying women as he expressed his lust for Halle Berry, Jennifer Lopez and everyone else he couldn't have. Berry was practically molested on stage by Best Actor winner Adrien Brody for The Pianist, who swept her into his arms for a long lip-kiss. She seemed more shocked than upset.
Brody, who won for a role about a World War II Holocaust survivor, said his thank yous, and then cut the music off to make his statement. He said his experience making the film made him aware of the pain of war. 'Let's pray for a peaceful and swift solution,' he said, adding that he has a friend who is in the military and he hopes he and his friends make it back soon.
Chris Cooper won for Best Supporting Actor for Adaptation.
Eminem's song from 8 Mile beat out big-time contenders such as U2 for Best Original Song.
Roman Polanski got some people out of their seats for his Best Director Award, while others stayed put. He of course was not in the country because he left decades ago after a statutory rape charge. He beat Rob Marshall, Martin Scorsese, Stephen Daldry, and Pedro Almodovar.
A joke about Hollywood's 'Gay Mafia' didn't go over well but a bit implying Jack Nicholson is gay brought down the house (no plug for Martin's current film intended).
Nicole Kidman won an Oscar for playing bisexual author Virginia Woolf in The Hours. It was the film's only win of nine nominations, but the night's biggest loser was the super-straight Gangs of New York, which went 0-for-10.
Frida won Oscars for Best Makeup and Original Score. Besides Frida and Chicago the only multiple winners were The Pianist with three and The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers with two.
Also at the Oscars, Nia Vardalos made reference to little boys trying on their mothers' makeup; and Meryl Streep, introducing Peter O'Toole's Lifetime Achievement Award, quoted Noel Coward as having told O'Toole, 'If you had been any prettier it would have been Florence of Arabia.'
The Nominating Committee for the Independent Spirit Awards included at least three queers (is Michelle Rodriguez out yet?): Bill Condon, Randy Barbato and Lisa Cholodenko.
At the Spirit Awards, where Joe Pantoliano misread Best Documentary nominee The Cockettes as 'The Crocketts,' John Waters delivered possibly my favorite line of the weekend: 'Technique is nothing more than failed style.'
As Oscar celebrated 75 years, a nice highlight of the show were 59 past Oscar winners seated on stage, including Julie Andrews, Joel Gray, Tom Hanks, Shirley Jones, Rita Moreno, Tatem O'Neil, Susan Sarandan, Streisand, and Hillary Swank.
— Also contributing: Tracy Baim
