Are we sluts?
This is actually the title of an episode of "Sex and the City" - I will of course be going into detail about the new movie shortly but first I need to talk gay. This weekend I bought the new issue of "Attitude" magazine and there was an article on gay men and monogamy. The main reason for this article appearing at this time is due to Pete Burns ending his civil partnership with Michael Simpson after 10 months. Burns did an interview shortly after the split with the "Mail on Sunday" and was quoted as saying
"I view marriage as a sacred institution. I think 2 men are naturally predators, gay relationships are a commercial break not a whole movie"
The article in Attitude then goes on to give 2 journalists the chance to debate "Can gay men be monogamous?" - Simon Gage argues that gay men should create their own ways of being together and not simply mimic the world of the heterosexual.
I could not agree more with this point but I don't think it has to mean we stay away from meaningful relationships with a sense of commitment. He goes on to say that "men need 3 things - cock, food and different cock. Oh dear I could not agree less - I am a man and I need moisturiser and madonna to name just 2!
Philip Hensher provides the argument for monogamy and makes some very valid points. I have to say I have no problem with gay guys that are not monogamous, it's up to us what we do but I do get sick of people and the media making sweeping statements about gay men's lives, about my life.
Hensher states "I could never be bothered to be anything but monogamous because, frankly, going from pick up to pick up is the sexual equivalent of being trapped in a life of endless party small talk, where you're always having to show bright interest and explain rudimentary facts about yourself, and never getting to say anything interesting or hear anything interesting".
There don't seem to be any grounded rules in starting or maintaining gay relationships, We don't have the religious vows that married couples have or necessarily the pressure from family and friends to settle down. We in fact have a blank canvas that involves creativity, patience and vision. Taking into account the past, enjoying the present and tentatively contemplating the future.
Pete Burns is not the only loon mouthing off about the gays. Veteran fashion model Lauren Hutton has been kicking off about the effect "Sex and the City" has had on women, stating that the show has created the untrue myth that it's natural for women to be promiscuous and who does she blame?
"It's written by guys, who happen to be gay, who are sluts, that's what I think"
I assumed that Ms Hutton would have had to have seen quite a few episodes to have made such an informed decision, how many episodes has she seen then? None.
Moving on
Last night I had a much needed night in and watched some dvd's that my folks had sent me, I quite like a good disaster movie so when I opened up the parcel to find both parts of "Flood" - I got quite excited. For those not in the know this film was released last year starring Robert Carlyle and Joanne Whalley, the idea - a massive storm hits scotland and works its way down the east coast and manages to get through the Thames Flood Barrier. I did quite enjoy it, some of the effects were fantastic and the dramatic scenes of the deputy prime minister and the police commissioner trying to work out how to evacuate central London in the space of 2 hours were really interesting but with any disaster type affair you do get those people who are just stupid.
The worker at the flood barrier who seems to think that opening a door immediately after a flood is a good idea, the dippy girls who sit in the back of a taxi whilst people are running past them screaming and being loaded onto army trucks, Robert Carlyle and his ex wife jumping off the flood barrier and managing to stick together through a massive current, Carlyle also appears to have become a fish, he can swim underwater for over half an hour!!! amazing! you then see army guys and police going round in boats with guns "quick fire at that wave!", there is a big panic about evacuating the kids from the schools - at 6pm? Great quote from the police commissioner "the longer we leave it to tell the people, the more people will die" - no! really?, Also the dopey father and daughter who decide to take refuge in a stairwell of a car park, good plan - under no circumstances during a flood must you head to the highest point of the building! Meanwhile whilst all these stupid people are running around screaming, a tumbleweed tumbles through the corridors of the gherkin. Oh and of course there has to be the touching family reunion - at the start of the film you see a woman in Scotland desperately trying to get out of her skylight as her house is flooding rapidly by the end of the film she has managed to get off the top of her house, get to London and has found her son and daughter who have also been having lots of flood dramas - oh purrrrlease!!
Now onto the most important issue - I got to see "Sex and the City - The Movie" - oh it was everything I wanted and more, A lot darker than the TV series, the fashion is quite overwhelming really, I, along with others in the cinema, audibly gasped at times. Certain cast members have aged better than others - Steve and Smith are looking particularly bad, Acting wise, Kristin Davis as Charlotte and Cynthia Nixon as Miranda really steal the show particularly Charlotte who used to be my least favourite for being too twee but she has balls in this movie!! I laughed, I cried (7 times) and I cheered. If you loved the show go and see it immediately, you will leave the cinema with your faith in life and love restored, either that or a desperate craving for heels!!
xxx
