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PhOTOS By RuSS BOwEN-yOuNGBLOOD

PhOTOS By RuSS BOwEN-yOuNGBLOOD

Waters Run Deep:  Nanny

ByMattBearden

Photos: Amazon Video

Blumhouse’s productions of Get Out, The Purge, Insidious, and even the most recent Halloween trilogy bring us their Amazon Studio’s Nanny. Blumhouse’s films and TV shows thrive in horror that contains suspense, mystery, family dynamics, and even children. That right there should give you goosebumps. The Nanny is no exception to this bread-andbutter recipe. What makes Nanny, Nikyatu Jusu’s directorial debut, exceptional is the layered tropes and motifs that string viewers to a jarring conclusion. Exceptional, however, is subjective to the viewer. Viewers of Nanny will have a different experience purely based on their background. After all, films are meant to be works of art, and art doesn’t always speak the same to everyone.

Aisha (Anna Diop), an immigrant mother from West Africa’s Senegal, works for a family in the Upper East Side of New York. She hopes to bring her young son Lamine (Jahleel Kamara) to America for his birthday. So she becomes Amy (Michelle Monaghan) and Adam’s (Morgan Spector) nanny for their only daughter, Rose (Rose Decker). Not long into her role, Aisha experiences eerie visions—like seeing a siren in the lake. Even more, Adam’s small gift to Rose, the children’s book Anashi the Spider, personifies both Rose and Aisha’s psychosis. It should be no surprise when a child is significant to a horror film. That child should be looked at with a watchful eye—something Aisha so desperately tries to manage while battling her ominous visions. While in this new role, she begins a relationship with Malik (Sinqua Walls), whose grandmother (Leslie Uggams) explains the folklore of Aisha’s visions. Either Freud or Jung would thoroughly enjoy

sitting with Aisha as she tries to unravel the omens of water and unhinged motherhood.

Classic to indie films is symbolism, motif, and cultural and racial commentary, which are deeply embedded in Nanny. Jusu’s direction refuses to shy away from the tropes of black and Hispanic nannies and housekeepers working for white upper-class families in high-ceiling condominiums. Scenes depict other nannies sharing their concerns about working for such families, like mothers being afraid the food is too spicy. Amy, herself, causes outrage when she has difficulty accepting her daughter’s cultural range under Aisha. Let’s not forget the unavailable husband, Adam, a photographer with a wandering eye (not just for his camera). Unhinged motherhood could be caused by this man’s selected unavailability.

Unfortunately, while Nanny integrates these deeply embedded tropes, the film loses hold of their meaning as more get introduced. The storylines seem unfinished. I suppose an introspective question would be: Is Plot A actually Plot C? Without harshly criticizing the film on a single view, viewers may perhaps experience their subsequent viewings as an artist. Indie films are made with a mind, ear, and eye that isn’t catered to mass consumption, the opposite of superhero or racing films. They hold deep cuts, although some indie films cut deeper. You might get a deep cut, just as Aisha does. Or, you might get a sudden bite from a spider.

Nanny is playing in select theatres and will be streaming on Prime Video on December 16.

Lily Tomlin Remembers the Magic of Allee Willis

By Chris Azzopardi Photos courtesy of Lily Tomlin

The “Classic Lily” tab on Lily Tomlin’s official website — noted as “the world’s only” — is, today, barely operational. It looks like it was created at the dawn of the internet and never updated.

The reason for this might be, simply, the same reason why, when we lose someone we love, it’s impossible to let go of what they left behind. Updating it means erasing a special footprint on that site — that of Tomlin’s friend Allee Willis, who years ago (“quite a while ago, I can’t even recall,” Tomlin says) made that webpage.

Willis, who sometimes went by the name Bubbles, created the page with “dignity and taste,” as noted in the signature seen at the bottom of that page. Willis was a Broadway composer, a multimedia visual artist, a graphic artist, a songwriter and, says Tomlin, “an all-around fantastical person.” She famously wrote the “Friends” theme song and was the only woman inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018. “She was so involved in video and did so many things and had mastered it,” Tomlin told Pride Source. “And of course I was totally fumble floozy. Couldn’t do anything.”

Tomlin believes this was the beginning of a wonderful, enduring friendship as the two artists, both gay and from Detroit, bonded instantaneously. Though Tomlin couldn’t pinpoint exactly what brought them together, “once you [were] exposed to her, she just became a fixture in your life.”

Recently, Tomlin, 83, attended the L.A. launch event for the Willis Wonderland Foundation, called Night of Wonders — a fitting tribute to the magical mind of Willis, who died suddenly in 2019, at age 72, after suffering a cardiac arrest. The foundation supports the education and advancement of songwriters and multimedia artists, notably those in underserved communities.

Tomlin was eager to talk about the foundation, her friend and the event, which RuPaul also attended. So eager she and Willis’ partner, Prudence Fenton, tried to contact Pride Source on their own, unprompted, one recent Saturday evening, without a publicist involved, but were met with a voicemail. Prudence left a message. That’s just how important Willis was to Tomlin.

I’m sorry that you couldn’t get through to us, but I really appreciate the fact that you two looked up our business line and tried. Because it just says how much you want to talk about Allee. Clearly, she was a very special friend in your life. Allee was so amazing. I think this Willis Wonderland Foundation is a wonderful, multi-level idea in keeping with Allee’s legacy. She just blew me away, really. She was a total original. And all the people around her were always like a part of her family and they were so devoted to her, and the foundation plans on so many ideas and practical extensions of who Allee was. And her house. I mean, her house is going to be the headquarters for the foundation. That magical, ideal ’50s house that’s filled with art. Have you been there?

I haven’t been there. Can you walk me through it?

Well, it’s just an incredible, typical ’50s suburban house with ’50s cars parked in the driveway. Old Chryslers and things. I have a ’55 Dodge Royal Lancer myself. She’s got seven bowling balls in the front yard. And then in the back she has a beach blanket around her pool. And then in the house itself, it’s totally magical. She had an alter ego, Bubbles the artist, that she never admitted to being, but she managed Bubbles. And Bubbles created all this porcelain dinnerware and display pieces. And I have several pieces myself with Ernestine’s [Tomlin’s famous telephone operator character] image on it.

She testified before the Congress on behalf of the songwriters in fighting for their access, their right to their material, and not being ripped off by the media in certain ways. And her wardrobe alone was a visual statement. Her massive wardrobe alone. Her haircut. Everything about her, she was tireless. Just constantly had a big audio-visual setup that she worked.

The way you’re describing her, and from what I know about you and your work, it just makes all the sense in the world that you two would be friends.

I’m so grateful for her friendship. She was a terrific person. I can still see her up in the middle of the aisle at [historic Hollywood restaurant] Musso and Frank. She talked at the top of her voice no matter what she was talking about. She had something to say about everything and just telling it to you in really big ways.

Do you remember a time when something made her that passionate?

I remember that one of the last times I saw her at Musso’s was, I’d gone to the theater to see some

production or something at the Pantages [Theatre] and she had a little party there at Musso’s. She was standing up outside the booth and as soon as she saw me, “Oh, Lily!” and then blah, blah, blah. I can’t even possibly recreate it. It was just… she was excited about everything. Excited and interested and bigger than life. And her death was sudden, just like that. It shocked all of us.

Did living in Detroit have anything to do with your friendship?

I think it really does. I think so many people, especially from our era, were from Detroit.

But you didn’t actually meet Allee here in Detroit?

No, I didn’t meet her in Detroit. Not that I’m aware. I was looking at her bio and her awards on the internet. And she came to L.A. in ’69, which is the year I’d just gone to California to be on [the TV series] “Laugh-In.”

Did you two ever bond over Detroit?

Oh yeah. If you’re from Detroit, I mean, it’s in your blood. You just don’t turn away from it. It’s imprinted. I thought it was the greatest city in the world. It was gritty, it was hardcore, it was political. I mean, I lived in that kind of neighborhood. And then, a very short distance for me were the rich sections like Sherwood Forest and Palmer Park, Palmer Woods and then I was aware of Grosse Pointe. And my first character was a Grosse Pointe matron. I did it in a college show.

Wait, really?

Yeah. It was just about the time that Grosse Pointe had found out that it had a merit system where it rejected sales of ownership to anybody of questionable origins. Which meant not Waspy. Kathy Ford became a good friend of mine, and she was Henry Ford’s third wife. And I’ve had so many connections. When I was doing “9 to 5,” she was stopped in the car with Henry when he said [his famous line], “Don’t complain, don’t explain.” We were on the same page in Time Magazine when they had those old news items, and Kathy and I were both there. And I renewed my friendship with her around that time.

Aside from the website, what else did you work on with Allee professionally? She would do things at the gay center [Los Angeles LGBT Center] and I would present her, or I would present Bubbles. And she would hang her China on the walls. One time she did a plate of me and my partner, Jane [Wagner]. Separate plates. And they were so outrageously funny. When I walked in and I

saw those plates on the wall, I started laughing. I just was overcome with laughter.

What did these plates look like?

I have this big red, smiling mouth and stringy looking hair, but you knew it was me. And then Jane was really stoic, blonde, passive, soft smile. You want me to send you a photograph of them? You’ll get a kick out of them. I’m sorry. I’m forcing all this stuff on you.

Oh, are you kidding me? Nothing is being forced on me. I want to see those plates, Lily. I should start taking them on the road with me! Anyway, I know I was older than Allee. I was five or six or seven years older than she was. But she went to Mumford High School, which was almost in my neighborhood. But I wound up going to Cass Tech because I was in the northern district, and Northern High School was a really tough high school. And so, a lot of kids went over to Cass Tech. And it was supposed to be where the smart kids were anyway. And I was happy to play that role and fell right into it. They weren’t all that smart, believe me.

[Publicist chimes in with a heads that we have five minutes left.]

Oh my god. Wait. And so, the best part was… I grew up in a Black neighborhood. I couldn’t stand the Beatles. I mean, not the Beatles, but whoever would be the big stars of… They were ’64, I was already out of high school. But like Pat Boone or some… don’t say any denigrating stuff. Even Elvis. I didn’t think Elvis was so hot because I liked all the Black artists and dancing. It was so much cooler.

Before we wrap, I’d like to ask you about the Night of Wonders event. It sounded magical. And it also sounded very queer to have you and RuPaul there. What was that like? It was wonderful because everybody was so devoted to Allee. They’re all freakish, anyway. And they have great fun, and they love to dress up. And they’re running back and forth on the stage and carrying signs. It was filled with artistic joy.

Lastly, Lily, what do you have coming up? Well, Jane Fonda and I, right after “Grace and Frankie,” like a month later, we went into this movie with [director] Paul Weitz. I’d done a couple of movies with him before, and I really like him. It’s called “Moving On.” It’s a very small, intimate little movie. And I know they’ve sold it and they’re negotiating the distribution, but that’s all I know. And we had great fun doing that. And then about a month after that we did “80 for Brady” with Jane [Fonda] and I, and Sally Field and Rita Moreno. And Tom Brady.

You have to know Lily, but that cast right there is a queer man’s dream.

It is, right? My god. Something appeals! But Tom Brady is… it was just none of us knew anything about football. But it was great fun; we had fun with the director. We had fun doing the project. In fact, they’re having a screening today and a few people are going. I’m not going. The first time I see it, I don’t want to have to be with other people.

Do you like to watch your movies by yourself first? Yeah, or with just people I know real closely. It’s going to be at the agency and there’ll probably be a lot of agents there. I’m not as brazen and outgoing as I might appear.

You and Jane have spent a lot of time on screen together over the last decade. What’s that feeling like to know that you are so beloved on your own, but also so beloved together, especially by LGBTQ+ fans?

I’m so grateful that I have an audience in the gay community. And it doesn’t compute to you that you’re anything. I realize that people like “Grace and Frankie,” or enough people liked it. And I know that over the years I’ve had hardcore fans that I’ve really enjoyed being with and relating to, because I’ve kept the stories of my characters going all those years.

To contribute to the Willis Wonderland Foundation, visit the official site at one.bidpal.net/ williswonderlandfoundation.

Chris Azzopardi is the Editorial Director of Pride Source Media Group and Q Syndicate, the national LGBTQ+ wire service. He has interviewed a multitude of superstars, including Cher, Meryl Streep, Mariah Carey and Beyoncé. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, Vanity Fair, GQ and Billboard. Reach him via Twitter @chrisazzopardi.

TOY PARTY 2022

For The Kid’s Toy Party is one of the most anticipated parties of the holiday season. Since its 2003 inception, the fundraising event has collected and raised funds for over 65,000 toys for more than 20 beneficiaries. This year, For The Kid aims to collect and distribute 5,000 toys for children in need all over metro Atlanta.

This will be the second year the Toy Party will take place at the stunning Biltmore Ballrooms, and with a few learnings from last year, the board has put together an even more fantastic event this year.

Most notable is the entertainment, which will be spearheaded again by the incredible Phoenix and her amazing Fantasy Girls from Future Atlanta. This year, Phoenix has also invited her good friend Detox, known from RuPaul’s Drag Race. A meet and greet with the drag superstar is included in the VIP tickets, while general admission ticket holders can pay an additional fee to meet the RPDR alum – and everybody will be able to enjoy an incredible show by the queens from the main stage.

As always, Santa will be available for photos, and Peach Media will be on site with their 360 photo booth. The

silent auction will offer an abundance of exceptional items, so please stay tuned for exclusive previews and the option to bid early and remotely on it all.

At the time of deadline, VIP tickets are sold out, but general admission tickets ($35) are still available at forthekid.org. Please remember also to bring an unwrapped toy valued at $20.

L.A. Confidential

By James Booth

Photos by Matt Kalish

Beau Swartz stars in Adam in Fragments, a provocative and gritty drama about a male hustler navigating Los Angeles’ insidious underground sex trade.

Premiering this November on Dekkoo, each episode of Adam in Fragments builds a new picture of Beau’s character, Adam. Viewers witness his encounters with johns, pimps, other sex workers, and Lucy, a young and naïve aspiring adult film starlet that Adam decides he needs to protect. For the first time in his life, the rentboy allows himself to become emotionally accessible to someone, triggering a series of violent events.

While most television shows and films about sex work glorify the trade or exploit it, Adam in Fragments does neither. It examines the profession through Adam and finds the humanity in the characters. “They’re not painted as heroes, villains, or victims,” Beau Swartz explains. “They merely exist.” We spoke with the actor from his Los Angeles home.

How did you land the lead role in Adam in Fragments?

Back in 2019, Omar Salas Zamora (the director) and I started talking about making a film centered around a hustler in Los Angeles. I was interested in how two people can experience the same trauma yet have a completely different outcome in their lives. We developed it into a short. Dekkoo saw it and premiered it on their platform. It was well received, so Omar and Calvin Picou wrote it into a larger project.

Were you familiar with the Los Angeles underground sex trade?

I was aware of the scene through movies and art. I’ve also lived in Hollywood for more than ten years, and I’ve walked the streets late at night. You can see the not-sosubtle reminiscences of the scene that is still out there.

By the time we got to filming, Omar and I had done a ton of research because of the short we made. I also watched a lot of documentaries like Wiktor Grodecki’s trilogy Not Angeles But Angels and read photo books like Eve Fowler’s Hustlers. I really liked studying the 90’s photo books of hustlers in LA. I found an unspeakable truth in their eyes. I felt like I knew them when I studied the portraits.

How did you approach Adam as a character?

Adam is a lost soul. He’s misunderstood, running from his past and doing everything he can to ignore it. He’s searching for a place to belong, yet pushes people away. I approached Adam like I do all characters. I start off by finding the place in our lives that we intersect and then go from there. I create a life as if it were my own, just having made different choices that led me to the place that Adam ends up.

What were some of the challenges with playing Adam?

Understanding that some of Adam’s demons have also been mine at some point in my life. He and I have a lot in common, and it was difficult to experience some of the choices he made.

Was it important that Adam be likable?

I don’t think I thought it was my job to make Adam likable or unlikable. He’s just human; at times, people like him, and other times, they don’t. It wasn’t important to make him likable but to make him a person with lots of layers, both good and bad.

What is it that draws Adam to Lucy? They are both lost, yet she still has her innocence.

She also has the capacity to love him unconditionally, unlike his clients and pimp. Adam desperately needs something outside of himself to care about, and he wants to protect her from going down the same path he has gone.

What was it like filming with Keiva Bradley, the actress who plays Lucy?

Kieva is such a talented actress and having the opportunity to act with her, as much as I did, was an honor and a pleasure. After we wrapped filming, Keiva gave me a card that kinda looked like a ransom note! It was actually a beautiful letter from Lucy to Adam.

What did it say?

I think that it is something I won’t tell. It was special.

Have you seen Keiva or any of the cast or crew from Adam in Fragments since filming?

We all keep in touch. I’ve known some of them for years and consider them to be good friends. Everyone on this project was just so awesome, and I hope our relationships continue for a long time.

How do you hope viewers feel about Adam and his circumstances?

I hope that they feel a kindred spirit to Adam. I want them to relate to him and his circumstances and not judge his life. When all is said and done, Adam is like everyone else, doing the best that he can with what he has.

What is one thing that we can all learn from Adam?

One thing that I learned from Adam, and maybe others will as well, is that loving myself isn’t selfish; it’s crucial. Also, we need to be able to forgive ourselves. We all make mistakes. What matters is what we do with the lessons we learn.

Adam in Fragments premiered on Dekkoo in November. For more information, visit Dekkoo.com.

Fox Theatre Tours

@ Fox Theatre | December 1 - 31

Guests will explore the garland-lined hallways, as they take an up-close look at the Fox’s distinct holiday décor. Tickets at foxtheatre.org.

Bad Santa Photos benefitting AV200

@ Woofs Atlanta | December 8, 7-10 pm

Santa and his sexy elves are back again this year, so come tell Santa what you want.

2022 Community Honors Celebration

@ Atlanta City Hall| December 9, 6 pm

OUT Georgia will celebrate and recognize Georgia’s LGBTQ+ businesses, nonprofits, and leaders charting significant impact.

The Other Show

@ Guac y Margys Midtown

December 9, 8-10 pm

Atlanta’s most daring drag show does the holidays starring Edie Cheezburger, Dotte Com, Edna Allan Hoe, Orchid and Miss He.

POPPYCOCK! An All-Bearded Drag Show

@ Boggs Social & Supply

December 9, 10 pm – 2 am

All of Santa’s ho ho hoes get down at POPPYCOCK! SZN ALXNDR & House of ALXNDR present the next POPPYCOCK! An All-Bearded Drag Show.

2022 Atlanta Santa Speedo Run

@ Colony Square | December 10, 12 pm

The Atlanta Santa Speedo Run is a 1-mile fun run where runners strip down to their skivvies in the name of charity. More details and sign-up at atlantasantaspeedorun.org.

YEAHBUZZY Beardsmas Holiday Pop-Up

@ Woofs Atlanta | December 10, 4-9 pm

YEAHBUZZY is back at WOOFS for their Beardsmas Hoilday Shopping Spectacular! Get stocking stuffers or grab a few things for yourself and get 10% off if you bring a toy to donate to For The Kid. A portion of the sales will be donated to For The Kid, too.

Kinky Holiday Bar Night

@ Atlanta Eagle | December 10, 5-9 pm

Paragon Cooperative & Club invites you to a Kinky Holiday bar night hosted by Ms Atlanta Eagle. Gear up for for Jello Shots, Cocktails, and a holiday themed wax play Demo by Jessica Noir.

Unholy Night with Daya Betty

@ MSR My Sister’s Room

December 10, 9 pm

Unholy Night is all about taking G*d back out of the holidays and replacing it with drag queens, kings, and all sorts of darksided things.

A Very Mariah Holiday Drag Brunch

@ Kenny’s Alley | December 11, 1-3:30 pm

All you want for Christmas is some eggs with a side of drag queensat this very special Mariah Carey Holiday inspired drag brunch. Tickets at atlcomedytheater.com.

Toy Party 2022

@ Biltmore Ballrooms | December 11, 6-10:30 pm

Join For The Kid for this amazing event benefiting metro Atlanta youth organizations. It’s a night filled with fun, friends, and live entertainment.

PALS Holidaze Bingo

@ Lips Atlanta | December 13, 7:30 pm

The 3 Ho’s (Bubba, Erica, and Deserie) and probably a few others will be hosting the Holidaze Bingo at Lips Atlanta! Will we hear Feliz Navidad? Will Mariah be heard? Will Dave the Ball Guy jingle his balls? Anything is possible with the magic of the season!

Gear Night: Naughty or Nice

@ The Hideaway | December 14, 8 pm

Come join this special festively fetish edition of Gear Night! ‘Tis the season of giving, and we’re giving it hard to Atlanta’s own @chris glc - Mr. GNI 2022 - to support his journey to IML.

My partner and I have an open relationship, which has worked fine so far. We are dating an incredible guy, and I have begun developing deeper feelings for him. My partner cares for him, but he is not as emotionally invested as me, which may become an issue for us all. On the other hand, he has hinted that he would like to be more adventurous with other people, so what if I get a ‘boyfriend,’ and he gets to have more casual sex with strangers? Will it be too complicated?

Threesomes, throuples, tris. It is excellent that you can open your relationship to another person, but with that also comes peril–because no matter what, a re lationship is not unbreakable. It is also significant that you are experiencing a deeper emotional connection with this guy and that it seemingly isn’t a cause for jealousy. What you need to be careful with is that you don’t end up in a give-and-take situation where every thing is weighed and measured out in equal doses–like what you are hinting, that if you get the emotional connection, he gets to have more casual sex. That kind of division tends to remove people from each other and not bring them closer. So tread carefully and start communicating so things and actions don’t spiral out of control. Sit down and talk about what an open relation ship means–is it about getting a boyfriend or having multiple sex partners? Right now, you seem to be at opposite ends of the spectrum, and that can prove to be dangerous territory for the relationship!