Tag Archive: Gay Pride


RADIOHEAD FAKE QUAKE FEARS

Filed under: Italy, Music — Leave a comment
June 12, 2012

Piazza Maggiore, Bologna

There was an announcement today that “due to the recent earthquakes in the area”, the venue for Radiohead’s show in Bologna on 3rd July has changed from the Piazza Maggiore in the city centre to Parco Nord in the suburbs.

The reaction to this news by ticket holders is a combination of disbelief and anger.

The threat of more earthquakes seems like a convenient excuse to avoid the major security + health & safety hazards associated with holding such a big show in a relatively small space.

As many have pointed out, forthcoming shows  in July by Bon Iver and Paul Weller in Ferrara, a city also affected by the quakes, have not been cancelled or relocated.

Also a large Gay Pride march in Bologna on 9th June went ahead as planned and open air film screenings on 23-30th June are still scheduled to take place in the same Piazza where the Radiohead gig was to have been held.

More tickets are now available for those wanting to see Thom Yorke & Co in a less scenic location which is better news for the concert promoters than for the fans.

I won’t be applying.

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I HEART BOLOGNA GAY PRIDE

Filed under: Gender, Good causes, Italy, Parenting — Leave a comment
June 9, 2012

The Gay Pride march and party in Bologna today has a simple message of standing against discrimination and violence towards lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender people.

The Pride organisers are dedicating space to the memory of Daniel Zamudio, a 24-year-old Chilean who was beaten to death by a neo-nazi gang.

Daniel’s father, Ivan, who will be in Bologna, spoke of his hope that his son’s death will not be in vain and will show that we must all challenge homophobia whenever we encounter it.

He says in an interview with La Repubblica: “I want to remind all young people to be constantly on their guard, and for their parents to love their children for who they are;  to trust and protect them and to give them freedom”  . Hear hear.

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LIFE, LOVE AND DEATH FOR BEGINNERS

Filed under: Gender, Movies, Parenting — Leave a comment
October 22, 2011

Beginners cast , clockwise: Oliver (Ewan McGregor), Arthur (Cosmo), Hal (Christopher Plummer) + Anna (Mélanie Laurent)

Beginners, directed by Mike Mills,is one of those modest, yet quietly brilliant , movies that gets universally praised by the critics but largely ignored by the public.

It would have passed me by too had I not been intrigued to learn why it had garnered such acclaim at both Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes.

It fully deserves this praise because it stands head and shoulders above the relentless spate of  brash and largely forgettable Rom-Coms.

Unlike those films, Beginners is not aimed at  libidinous teenagers but is interested in showing modern love (both straight and gay) in a way that makes us both understand and care for the characters.

The movie’s themes mirror  the colours of the rainbow flag used as a symbol of the Gay Pride movement: red for life, orange for healing, yellow  for sunlight, green for nature, turquoise for magic, blue for serenity, and violet  for spirit.

There is no slapstick humour or crude innuendo yet it is both funny and sexy. It is touching and sad too but not in a downbeat way. Continue reading →

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