RNC mayhem
While there seems to be an awful lot of drama surrounding the Republican National Convention in Tampa this week, there are also plenty of colorful, humorous side notes. Amid the protests and fears of tropical storms, our friends Carrie West and Mark Bias shared a few notes from their perches at their MC Film storefront windows in the heart of GaYbor.
The pair noted that a large, black SUV stopped in front of their store for a few minutes and inside were four policemen in brown, sandstorm trooper uniforms. Before the SUV could attract too much attention, the men jumped out of the vehicle and posed behind life-size cutouts of Dorothy and a leather man. After a few photos were snapped, they police resumed their duties of patrolling and keeping the peace in Ybor City.
Another RNC tidbit shared by West and Bias is of the Democratic Party kind. Apparently, the Old Ice House behind the Hampton Inn on the streetcar line wasn’t ready to concede the historic district to the Republican Party. So displayed proudly a flag pole just under the American flag is a blue flag bearing Obama’s campaign logo.
No word on if the flag’s owner is affiliated with the large billboard on I-275 reminding convention goers that Tampa’s Mayor and City Council members are all Democrat…
Fab Film Fest breaks record
True, the Fabulous Independent Film Festival is only two years old, but that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate its record-breaking sophomore year! The festival devoted to LGBT film arrived at the Burns Court Cinema in downtown Sarasota on Aug. 18 with a near sold-out crowd on hand to see Sassy Pants. The comedy appeared to be a crowd pleaser and the appearance of Haley Joel Osment (of The Sixth Sense) as a flamboyant, 20-something gay bartender elicited applause from the crowd.
The audience appeared to be in a good mood, and were welcomed by the short, The Closer, created by and starring local filmmaker and Watermark contributor Anthony Paull, who was also in the audience. According to Magida Diouri, who organized the festival, attendance was higher than expected throughout the weekend and plans are already underway for the third installment next summer.
That’s awkward!
We realize that this tidbit isn’t necessarily LGBT-related, but we couldn’t resist reporting on the swarm of Ron Paul supporters who chanted the want-to-be Republican nominee for president as he walked across the floor of the Tampa Bay Times Forum on Aug. 28. Paul, who won the Iowa Caucus earlier this year, is the only GOP candidate left over from the primaries who has not officially conceded to Mitt Romney. Paul’s supporters chanted his name in the Forum, which created a stir and motivated other delegates to chant for Romney. Paul’s supporters continued the chant until he was finally seated near the stage.
