The Western novel The Power of the Dog is set in the 1920’s in Montana. The story follows the domestic drama of two brothers, one of which has a wife and young son and is arriving back to his brothers ranch.
The novel is intense, brutal, and author Thomas Savage does an amazing job at holding the readers captive and on the edge of their seat (couch, beach?, Bed?), desperately wanting to know what will happen next.
Ultimately the triangle makes for intense romantic drama, likely why it was such a successful choice for the adaptation into a full length feature motion picture and attracted such marquee star power in Benedict Cumberbatch and Kirsten Dunst, not to mention a fabled director, Jane Campion.
Even before the debut screening in Venice the film had buzz and respect, in large part due to the stature of the original novel and the choice of director and cast tapped to bring the story and characters to life. The project has been hailed as an example of how successful streaming platforms, such as Netflix, HBO Max, etc, can contribute to the future history of bonafide feature length cinema in the Hollywood tradition.
The 2001 classic that includes an afterword from Annie Proulx due to be released this fall both in theaters and to stream on Netflix. One in which recently was shown on September 1, 2021 at the 78th edition of the Venice Film Festival and met with a 4 minute-plus cheering and applause-filled standing ovation.
We recommend you take the opportunity to enjoy the book and celebrate the theatrical release on November 17, or in anticipation to the release by streaming platform Netflix which is slated to go line on December 1st, 2021.
As the sun begins to peak out and early summer finally shines among us, June, as it has been for years, is the perfect month to be designated for Pride Month. Although large public celebrations like parades may still be stalled for most parts of the world because of the still looming pandemic, there are nevertheless plenty of opportunities to celebrate and proudly wave that beautiful rainbow flag (literally and metaphorically).
Pride can and never will be be canceled!
There are many ways to show your support/allegiance and to champion the LGBTQ+ community, particularly during Pride Month, (although Pride should really be a constant). One such way is through the classic form of words and images on pages, as reading and learning should never be considered less than desirable and always be savored.
There are hundreds of LGBTQ+ books out there and although it can be extremely hard to choose which ones to spotlight, we’ve chosen a few with accompanying book descriptions to kick off June 2021 Pride.
Jack Guinness wanted to have a tangible way for us to see and praise the long and “glorious” history of the LGBTQ+ community and created the website QueerBible.com in 2016, the online community solely devoted to celebrating queer heroes both from the past and the present.
The new 2021 book pays homage to queer heroes that paved the path, both unsung heroes and queer icons, which readers will get learn and see them in a fresh light.
The illustrated collection of essays include contributions fro the likes of Elton Jonhn, Tan France, Gus Kenworthy, Paris Lees, Russell Tovey, Munroe Bergdorf. As well as honoring timeless queer icons such as Susan Sontag, David Bowie, Sylvester, RuPaul, and George Michael.
Readers can learn the beginning queen activism in late 19th century Europe to the pivotal Stonewall Riots of 1969 to the current.
The text features more than 300 pictures from more than 70 photographers and 20 archives. Looking at family life, protests, marches, celebrations, mourning and Pride – you can to literally SEE queer history.
“We are Everywhere” shows readers how they can and must honor LGBTQ+ post history in order to shape a more liberated future.
Sarach McBride would become the first transgender person to speak at a national political convention and later became the first openly transgender Delaware state senator and national press secretary for the Human Rights Campaign.
Yet before all that she struggled with the decision to come out.
“Tomorrow Will Be Different” is chronicles her journey.
Her book, a powerful memoir, that is informative, heartbreaking and also extremely powerful as she writes about her identity and the battle for equal rights and what it means to be trans.
In her book “One Life” she shares for the first time ore intimate information about her life on and off the soccer field and begs the ultimate question, if we all have just one life – what are we going to do?
After the 2011 World Cup, Rapinoe felt discouraged by how very few athletes were open about their sexuality. As a result, she decided to disclose publicly she was gay and from then on used her platform to help advocate for marriage equality.
Her story follows some of the most important moments in her life and career including her realization she was gay in college, her experience with soccer coaches and the backlash / disputes she received when she took a knee during the national athem in 2016 in solidarity with NFL player Colin Kaepernick, how she met her fiancé Sue Bird and her process during the US Soccer Federation over gender discrimination and equal pay.
On September 5, 2020, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (CDPH) announced that the majority of Halloween activities will be restricted because of COVID-19. Many children, young and old, look forward to traditional celebrations of the holiday by going door to door to “trick or treat” for candy, however this year the pandemic has effectively canceled the holiday. The ban comes as preventative measures as maintaining social distance, minimizing contact with non-household members and avoiding confined spaces like doorways would be difficult to follow.
Throughout Los Angeles County, other annual Halloween events and attractions have already announced cancellation like that of Universal Studios and its very popular Halloween Horror Nights.
Update from Universal Studios Hollywood on HHN 2020.
According to the Post “L.A. County is still among the California counties with high rates of community transmission,” Los Angeles County Public Health Director Barbara Ferrer said. “Before we get into cooler weather and flu season, we need to significantly lower the number of new cases. This is the only path forward that allows us to get more students back to school and reopen more business sectors.”
What LA Country Residents Can and Cannot Do
According to the Health Guidance Release, the following Halloween related activities are “not permitted” due to risk of spreading coronavirus:
Door to door trick or treating is not allowed because it can be very difficult to maintain proper social distancing on porches and at front doors especially in neighborhoods that are popular with trick or treaters.
“Trunk or treating” events where children go from car to car instead of door to door to receive treats are also not allowed.
Gatherings or Parties with non-household members are not permitted even if they are conducted outdoors.
Carnivals, festivals, live entertainment, and haunted house attractions are not allowed.
The Department provided some safer (non-traditional) alternatives of what is “permitted” for the Halloween season – and it appears fairly grim:
Online parties/contests (e.g. costume or pumpkin carving)
Car parades that comply with public health guidance
Halloween movie nights at drive in theaters
Halloween themed meals at outdoor restaurants
Halloween themed art installations at an outdoor museum
Dressing up homes and yards with Halloween themed decorations.
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