From: MediAction@aol.com Date: Mon, 11 Aug 1997 02:44:19 -0400 (EDT) Subject: "MEDIAlert!" [B] - 08.11.97 (Media/Briefs & Web Watch) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- INDEX: "MEDIAlert!" - 08.11.97 [Part "B" ONLY] MEDIA/BRIEFS -ITEM 1: "Potential Tragedy" [Avenue Pictures; ABC; Andrew Cunanan]. -ITEM 2: "Lifetime Coverage" [ Lifetime; Any Mother's Son; TV Guide; People]. -ITEM 3: "It's A Crime" [Inside Edition]. -ITEM 4: "Rock and Souls" [Marilyn Manson; Christian Coalition; AFA Journal]. -ITEM 5: WEB WATCH [American Library Association; Great Sites for Kids & Parents; YouthArts; Children of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere; Rainbow Youth Links; Incite!; Oasis]. [Part "A" ("Fall Repeats," "Uninformed Opinion," and "Good People") posted separately]. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- M E D I A l e r t ! __________________________ M E D I A / B R I E F S August 11, 1997 Al Kielwasser [1] *** POTENTIAL TRAGEDY . . . . As news coverage subsides, the saga of Andrew Cunanan has become fodder for the entertainment division. According to the Associated Press (July 30), ABC television has "jumped into development on a movie about alleged serial killer Andrew Cunanan." The wire service further reports that, "The network has signed Avenue Pictures to create a drama that will focus on the 27-year-old man characterized as a gay gigolo by his own mother" (a claim Cunanan's mother now denies, faulting the media for distortion of her words). According to a spokesperson for the production company, Avenue Pictures is already "concluding deals with people who have knowledge of the case." "The intention by all concerned is not to make a headline-exploiting movie," said Cary Brokaw, company chairman. "It's a complicated and tragic story that we want to do justice by." C o n t a c t : Jamie Tarses, President, ABC Entertainment, 2040 Avenue of the Stars, Century City, CA 90067, e-mail abcaudr@ccabc.com; Cary Brokaw, Chairperson, Avenue Pictures, tel. 310-442-2200. [2] *** LIFETIME COVERAGE . . . Premiering on the Lifetime cable network (August 11), "Any Mother's Son: The Dorothy Hajdys Story" has drawn mixed reviews. This fact-based movie centers on the murder of Hajdys' son, Allen Schindler -- a gay sailor who was the victim of a particularly vicious hate crime, and a subsequent cover-up by the Navy. Schindler was beaten to death by his shipmates in 1992. On a scale of one to ten, "Any Mother's Son" scored a four from "TV Guide" (August 9-15), which suggested that the movie attempts too little, too late. Making the claim that "TV has been confronting homophobia for years," critic Susan Stewart found the plot predictable. "We know just how this is going to go," Stewart said. "Ignorance ('Dig him up. Do tests on him to show he wasn't queer') gives way to wisdom, then catharsis, with much graveyard weeping. This might have been a cutting-edge drama -- five years ago." Another popular periodical, "People" magazine, offered a more favorable review. Grading the film as a "B" effort overall, critic Terry Kelleher applauded the portrayal of Hajdys' painstaking confrontation with homophobia in herself and society. "Dorothy's awakening is moving, and her anger is powerful, perhaps all the more so for being overdue," said Kelleher, who praised both the performance and the plot. According to Kelleher, lead actress Bonnie Bedelia's "emotionally honest performance avoids one-note righteousness, and the film resists the temptation to transform a reflexively homophobic, working-class mother into a smoothly sloganeering spokesperson for gay rights." Repeat broadcasts of "Any Mother's Son" are scheduled for August 14, 17, 23 and 31. C o n t a c t : Lisa Nee, Program Director, Lifetime, 309 West 49th Street, New York, NY 10019, tel. 212-424-7000, fax 212-957-4448, e-mail tube@www.lifetimetv.com, web-site www.lifetimetv.com; Jack Curry, Managing Editor, "TV Guide," Radnor, PA 19088, web-site www.tvguide.com; Carol Wallace, Managing Editor, "People," Time & Life Bldg., Rockefeller Center, New York, NY 10020, fax 212-522-0794, e-mail editor@people.com, web-site www.people.com. [3] *** IT'S A CRIME . . . . Producers of the popular TV news-magazine "Inside Edition" apparently think that lesbianism is akin to a dirty toilet -- both can be "cruel and unusual punishment." During a segment about one woman's imprisonment in a Bangladesh jail (August 5), the announcer lamented that, for five years: "She witnessed rampant lesbianism and endured a lack of sanitation." C o n t a c t : "Inside Edition," King World Productions, 1700 Broadway, Fl. 33, New York, NY 10019, tel. 212-315-4000, web-site www.kingworld.com. [4] *** ROCK AND SOULS . . . . The latest "media devil" for the fundamentalist set seems to be singer Marilyn Manson. Manson's unorthodox music has been attacked for advocating everything from bisexuality to suicide. Among Manson's detractors is Al Menconi, the president of Menconi Ministries -- a self-described "Christian Ministry whose mission is to educate and equip Christian parents, leaders and youth to consider the values communicated in their entertainment -- especially today's music." In a recent column for the "AFA Journal" (August, 1997), Menconi says of Manson: "This popular drug-using, bisexual rocker is one of the most demented artists to hit the scene in the history of rock music." Unlike many of his colleagues in censorship, Menconi has at least listened to Manson's music -- and even went to one of his concerts to witness the depravity first-hand. "I couldn't believe how shocked some of my Christian friends were when they heard that I went to see Marilyn Manson," said Menconi. "Some of them even asked if I wasn't afraid of demon possession!" Menconi further reported that "the concert was loud and profane, with many in attendance cross-dressing just like their hero." While the singer "did strip down to a leather jock strap," he failed to offer any of the "animal sacrifices" Menconi expected. Manson is also the subject of a boycott supported by the American Family Association and the Minnesota Christian Coalition. These Right Wing groups are advocating a campaign against the Best Buy Company, because the nationwide retailer was one of several sponsors of "Ozzfest" -- a tour which featured Marilyn Manson. "Best Buy's promotion of this hateful act is the moral equivalent of dealing drugs to children," explained Tim Wildmon of the American Family Association. "The company doesn't deserve the patronage of families struggling to raise children in difficult times." C o n t a c t : Al Menconi, President, Menconi Ministries, P.O. Box 5008, San Marcos, CA 92069, tel. 619-591-4696; Tim Wildmon, Vice-President, American Family Association, P.O. Drawer 2440, Tupelo, MS 38803, tel. 601-844-5036, fax 601-844-9176, web-site www.afa.net; Richard M. Schulze, Chairperson, Best Buy Co., P.O. Box 9312, Minneapolis, MN 55440-9312, tel. 612-947-2000, fax 612-947-2422; Marilyn Manson/Interscope Records, e-mail interscope@interscoperecords.com, web-site www.interscoperecords.com. [5] W E B W A T C H _____________________ In an effort to calm parental fears about the Internet , the American Library Association is distributing a guide to "Great Sites for Kids & Parents." Widely touted through the press, this list recommends some 50 web pages for preschool and elementary-age children. Compiled by "librarians who work with children and are familiar with the Internet and what it offers," the ALA's sites-to-see include such diverse resources as: * "American Memory" -- a guide to primary documents and historical materials available online from the Library of Congress (http://lcweb2.loc.gov/ammem/ammemhome.html). * "Black History: Exploring African-American Issues on the Web" -- a collection of "activities, lists of famous persons, and essays on Black History Month and its importance, as well as links to a number of related sites" (http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/BHM/AfroAm.html). * "Children's Express" -- an award-winning news service, featuring stories reported by and about young people (http://www.ce.org/). Despite its broad scope, however, the guide fails to include any lesbian or gay-specific sites. Such an omission is not characteristic of the ALA, which traditionally has supported gay and lesbian concerns. Given the unique role that the Internet can (and should) play in the lives of queer and questioning youth, this oversight is all the more glaring. Sites were selected for the ALA's list on the basis of their quality and age-appropriateness, and "because they are fun to visit, entertaining and/or educational." According to the ALA, "they are also easy to navigate, have a clearly identified source, and make effective use of the web to create a unique interactive experience." Surely, it should not be impossible for the ALA to identify similar web pages by, for or about lesbian and gay youth. A more-inclusive guide, for example, might have listed such "great sites" as: * "!OutProud!" -- a national coalition for gay, lesbian and bisexual youth that provides online resources for youth as well as educators, including a "Community Role Models" archive that depicts "gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals throughout history and today who are making a difference in the world" (http://www.outproud.org). * "COLAGE" -- a site representing Children of Lesbians and Gays Everywhere, offering everything from "fun facts" to pen pal services, for children 5 and up (http://www.colage.org). * "Rainbow Youth Links" -- a basic database for young lesbigays, referencing such resources as "Cool Events" and "Personal Homepages" (http://www.youthweb.com/rainbow). * "Incite!" -- an online organizing tool aimed at "California queer youth and our allies," featuring a combination of activism-oriented chats, news, actions, and school resources (http://www.incite.org). * "Oasis" -- a "queer youth webzine," which has served thousands of readers since its inception in 1995 and currently features over 35 regular columnists, ages 14 and up (http://www.oasismag.com). * "AltKids Webpage" -- a site "filled with links and information for kids who are searching out their sexual orientation" (http://www.afn.org/~afn6343/). * "YouthArts" -- an online "museum/library of the creative work of young lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgendered, and questioning young people," which includes a singular and growing collection of poetry by African American youth (http://queer.qcc.org/yap/). While the first edition of ALA's guide does not include sites such as these, the organization has indicated that its collection "will be updated and expanded on an ongoing basis." Based in Chicago, the American Library Association is dedicated to "promoting the highest quality library and information services and public access to information. The association was a lead plaintiff in the recent Supreme Court case that successfully struck down the "Communications Decency Act." * * * * ACTION ALERT! Remind the ALA to uphold its inclusive tradition and commitment to diversity; encourage publication an expanded guide to "Great Sites for ALL Kids & Parents." Contact: American Library Association, 50 E. Huron Street, Chicago, IL 60611, tel. 800-545-2433, fax 312-944-8520, e-mail ala@ala.org (general inquires/comments) or librarian@ala.org (specific inquires/comments on web guides), web-site www.ala.org. A free copy of the current ALA guide can be obtained online (www.ala.org/news/parented.html), or by calling 1-800-545-2433 (ext. 5044/5041). [End of Part "B"] -------------------------------------------------------------------- ABOUT MEDIALERTS Distributed continuously since 1992 as a community press service, "MEDIAlert!" [TM] is a biweekly action and advocacy-oriented column of media criticism, focused on lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender issues. Recipients may print, publish or post this material, in whole or part, under this or any title, without prior permission. When appropriate, attribution can be made to "Al Kielwasser" and/or "MEDIAlert!" File copies of publications using all or part of any "MEDIAlert!" are always appreciated. Contact: MEDIAlert!, 163 Park Street, San Francisco, CA 94110-5835, voice-mail/fax 415-826-5203, e-mail MediAction@aol.com. -------------------------------------------------------------------- AUTHOR NOTES The editor of "Gay People, Sex and the Media" (New York: Haworth Press), Al Kielwasser's media criticism and research have appeared widely in both mainstream and academic publications; he was twice elected Chair of the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation/San Francisco Bay Area. ________________________________________ "Shape the forces that shape our society . . . Challenge homophobia in and through the media!" ________________________________________