AGLIFF
- Austin Gay and Lesbian Film Festival - Day 1 and
Before the Fest
The Agliff 2002 Film Fest started off good for me because
I am a filmmaker and because J.K. is in my life. (If you're
not a regular visitor to Filethirteen, you may want to
check out some of the old "Notes from Austin" columns
to understand what I'm talking about).
Anyway, since I am a filmmaker this year, as my
short "Rector" is in the "My Gay Movie" showcase, I
get some free passes to the films in Agliff. In the
past I have bought tickets, usually spending over $100
for them. But this year, since I also consider myself
press, I decided I would only see things I really, really
wanted to see if I had to pay. When I hit up Artistic
Director Scott Dinger for press passes, the issue was
skirted because I am a filmmaker and filmmakers get
some passes to the festival. I was told that I could
pick up tickets at Tapelenders after Sunday.
On Monday, J.K. and I had made plans to go to dinner
and I told him I had to run by Tapelenders to pick up
some stuff for Agliff. I asked him if he wanted to come
along and he said, "Yes." He had been to Tapelenders
before and I had not, so I was glad to be with someone
who knew his way around the place.
J.K.
is in the house.
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When we got to Tapelenders, J.K. pointed out
a clerk named Ryan that he thinks is cute. We
went downstairs to the Agliff table and a lesbian
girl whom I've seen at festivals past said, "Hi
Lodger" to me. I recognized her as a somewhat
important person in Agliff and felt bad that I
couldn't remember her name. She also said, "You
haven't updated your site for a while." When I
asked her what she meant, she referred to the
"Notes from Austin" part of the site. I had just
updated it that day and told her so.
The volunteers there were really right on
the ball and helped me out immensely with getting
set up. They had a goodie bag for me and helped
me get the tickets I wanted to the festival. I
got two passes to any movie I wanted to see. This
was a really cool moment for me because, I got
recognized for the website, which is rare, and
J.K. was like my boyfriend and he looked so cute
and hot and acted so much like a boyfriend to
me. I am truly falling deeper and deeper for him.
Anyway, at this moment I felt like a big shot
with the website, a film in the festival and J.K.
by my side. I felt like the king of the world!
It was awesome.
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Since I got free passes to the opening night movie
and the opening party, I invited J.K. along and he agreed
to accompany me. I asked him if he would hang all over
me and make me look good and he said he would. It was
awesome. We had a great night that night going out to
eat at Hula Hut, sharing a rum drink in a fishbowl,
playing min-golf and going to Casinos, before going
back to my place for a few minutes.
At Hula Hut, I wanted J.K. to kiss me but he didn't
want to because there were kids at the next table. I
think this is silly, but understood. He wanted to play
putt-putt golf after eating, so we went to Peter Pan
Golf on Barton Springs. somehow I made a deal with him
to get a kiss every time I shot par on a hole. It was
awesome! He held up his end of the bargain and I got
4 or 5 kisses right in front of everyone else playing
during the 18 hole course. It was so romantic.
We went and had some more drinks at Casino's on
6th and played some pool. I got a few kisses there too.
I had on my belt which has glitter all over it and a
lady playing pool with her boyfriend/hubby next to us
said, "You've got some glitter on you... Oh it's your
belt... Then after a beat, she said, "Slut." It was
hilarious and funny. We both laughed.
We went back to my place and spooned on my bed and
made out. I have been trying to get J.K. to french kiss
me for months now, something that just hadn't really
evolved in our making out, and since he was eating a
key lime pie after-dinner mint, we began to move that
around on our tongues and then began to kiss deeply.
It was awesome. He had to go after 45 minutes or so,
though. But it was heaven for a while with him.
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I saw him again on Tuesday when we went to
a sneak of "Serving Sara" and then went to Macaroni
Grill for dinner. Melanie, an old friend and neighbor
of John Christensen was our waitress and we got
to chat and catch up a bit. She and her husband
Chris have a son Gaige who was in Kat Candler's
awesome film "cicadas."
And then, on Wednesday, we filmed a new LubeTV
and I saw J.K. again. There's a long story here
about going to Starseeds and having a problem
with one of their waiters who looks like Morrissey,
but I don't want to get into it. I don't know
why he was such an ass that night but he truly
pissed me off and I don't think I'll be going
to Starseeds for a long, long time. I was with
J.K., Melissa, Mark Brauner and Johnny Oh!
So anyway, back to Agliff. On Thursday, I
picked up J.K. at 7 and he wasn't quite ready.
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J.K. and Lodger
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I had on an awesome blue and black shirt I had bought
on Monday at Hot Topic as well as a new necklace I got
there. (I also bought Melissa a shirt that says "Vixen,"
the name she wants to use on Lube TV).
J.K. didn't have a shirt on yet and he had just
highlighted his hair blonde. He looked awesome and the
waistband of his white cotton briefs was sticking up
and snuggling his waist and his back looked so hot and
I just wanted to attack him right there. Fuck the movie!
But I acquiesced and helped him pick out a shirt and
stuff. He wore a black shirt with blue fames that looked
hot as fuck. He is so sexy.
We got to the Paramount and met Johnny Oh! We got
some drinks from a waitress that I knew from knowing
Kelly O'Hare when he worked at the Paramount. The time
before the film started went quickly and before I knew
it, Bobette (which is the name of the lesbian who knew
me when I picked up tickets) was introducing the film.
The introduced the entire staff of the festival and
then started the film. (Actually, they ran a trailer
for "Funny Girl" before the announcements. The Paramount
is showing it again soon with a restored print).
Oh, some cuties there: A guy who was in a tie and
wearing checkered vans (like Jeff Spicoli in "Fast Times
at Ridgemont High"). Johnny knew him and knew where
he worked. He's somebody from something but I had a
buzz by know and can't remember. And then there was
this guy we saw at last year's Agliff who is really
my type. I used to watch him jerk off on his webcam
on Camarades (he said he was from Austin and I dreamed
I might meet him some day) and I would love to walk
up to him and say Hi. Johnny keeps saying he is going
to go talk to the guy and tell him that he has a secret
admirer, but that might freak me out somewhat.
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Lodger
hangs with Robert Stephens (AKA Angel), star of
the Agliff opening night film, "Britney, Baby,
One More Time."
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Anyway, the film started with the Agliff trailer.
In year past, I have never went to the opening
night film and party because it's so expensive,
but Johnny has and he told me that they show all
the Agliff trailers before the feature. Usually
there are 4 or 5. This year though, they only
showed one. I don't know if there will be more
or not. It isn't a very good trailer. It has some
old film stills that makes it look like it is
trying to celebrate the history of gays in film
but who knows what it is really about. The film
was "Britney, Baby One More Time" and the star
of the film, Robert Stevens, AKA Angel, was on
hand to introduce it. He told that the film had
been picked up for distribution and would be released
in America in arthouses in January of 2003.
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After the film, we stopped in front of the Austin
Art Museum and took some pictures. Johnny doesn't want
me to put pictures of him on the site because I have
talked about some pretty personal stuff involving him
here. But J.K. said it was okay to put pictures of him
on the site, so I will post one here.
Johnny drove us to the party at the home of Austin's
Lyric Opera over on Barton Springs. It was a cramped
space and really stuffy. And, oh God, I turned into
an asshole.
J.K. had gotten a call while we were in the film
from a friend of his who sounded really upset, so he
called her back after he heard her message. I got pissed
because it was supposed to be my night and he had promised
to pamper me and he didn't even apologize or ask if
it was okay for him to make a call while he was with
me. Now, I know most people will think this is dumb,
but J.K. is a cell phone junkie. He always uses his
minutes up before the month is over and sends over 100
text messages a month. He usually turns off his phone
when we are together and often leaves it in the car
when we are out. Maybe that spoiled me but I was pissed.
He didn't even know I was mad though. We get to
the party and it's packed and there are long lines for
the free food and drinks and it's one of those parties
where everyone thinks they are somebody. (Bobette, as
is her wont, according to John, said Hi to both John
and I by name. He said that she remembers everyone's
name, "Even mine, and I'm a nobody." She is so cool!)
Anyway, J.K. went and got some food and offered me some
and I rebuffed him rudely. Johnny asked me what was
up and I told him I was mad about the cell phone thing
and he told me I was being rude to J.K. and should go
talk to him and apologize. I didn't want to hear that.
John went to the bathroom and when J.K. came back and
we talked a bit, he finally asked what was wrong and
I told him I was angry at him. We talked a bit and he
tried really, really hard to please me and cheer me
up. It took a few minutes but he is so damned sweet
and cute and he didn't give up. I couldn't stay mad.
Anyway, we had a good time pretty much after that.
We talked to some of the Paramount staff who got invited,
including a cute bartender guy Johnny had dubbed "Goat
Boy" because I said he looked like a billy-goat. He
was a cutie but had that damned scruffy beard growing
out of his chin. What is up with young guys these days?
I also finally said Hi to Scott Dinger and Bruce
Weatherford of Agliff. Scott is a little pompous (perhaps
rightly so) but was quite nice to me. Bruce has always
been quite nice and kind. I got to know him a little
bit two years ago when he escorted "Eban and Charley"
director Jimmy Bolton around.
J.K. said Hi to the Tapelenders clerk Ryan. He was
hanging out with his boyfriend Taylor, who apparently
used to be quite popular as a drag artist around town.
I got jealous again for a bit because J.K. didn't introduce
me but I introduced myself eventually and found the
couple, particularly Taylor, to be quite nice.
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eventually I got to talk to Angel/Robert about his
film. He was a really interesting and chatty guy
but I was so toasted by this point that I don't
remember much of what we talked about. I know we
talked quite a lot about how interesting the film
is since Mark Borchardt and Mike Schank of "American
Movie" are in it and, basically, it's about a gay
man, a drag queen, in a straight world. Angel/Robert
is a really nice and fun person, a real charmer.
Much of the film is based on his true story of wanting
to meet Britney Spears and impersonating her in
drag. The elements of his character that include
him speaking Japanese are also based on reality.
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The Agliff
Board of Directors with Robert Stevens (AKA Angel),
star of opening night film "Britney, Baby, One
More Time."
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He lived there and speaks the language fluently.
The Asian actor whom he idolizes and called "the Japanese
Leonardo DiCaprio" is also a real popular actor there.
While I was talking to Robert, the party pretty
was winding down. John drove us back to my car and I
took J.K. home. He had to work at 7am the next morning
and it was already close to 1am. We did make out in
my front seat for a bit and kissed passionately and
deeply. Lots of tongue play. I guess he forgave me for
being such an ass. He is so perfect and dreamy.
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