What do they all have in common? They were all part of the hot line-up on today’s HumpDay Show with YNOTBob and LAJ.Their first guest was Jerri Sher, writer, producer and director of the much acclaimed documentary on gay rights and marriage, “Mission to Matrimony” (www.missiontomatrimony.com).
Bob: This movie’s making quite a stir, did you expect it to generate this kind of attention?
Jerri Sher: Yes, we did.. There have been so many people involved and so much effort, and we’ve been working so hard for so long that we’re prepared for it to receive all this attention. Making this movie has really been about synchronicity. It’s a terrific project for human rights and human society.
Jay: What kind of resistance or hurdles did encounter in making this film?
JS: Well, I’ve been married to the same man for 35 years.. and that was probably one of the reasons that, when I called people for interviews, they were really receptive and open with me. I think they realized that I would listen and that I would present their perspective.
Bob: Was there any resistance from the gay community because you’re not gay?
JS: No, I think they felt very secure, they felt I would have a very open perspective and that I would tell the story so that hetero people could understand it.
Bob: Some people say that the gay marriage issue was the reason Bush got re-elected…
JS: I don’t really know why Bush got re-elected. Sometimes these issues like gay marriage are put at the forefront to mask other issues.. like economics.
Bob: I see no reason why gay people shouldn’t get married.. what’s the big deal?
JS: Exactly.. interesting thing in hetero marriages, you never really know what’s happening behind closed doors
Jay: One of the big arguments opposing gay marriage, apart from destroying the family and society’s values and all the other bs we hear… is the idea that gay people are somehow bad parents?
JS: Gay couples have to go through so much to have this kid, they love that child. Whereas some heterosexual women get pregnant and have kids and they’re not necessarily the best parents.
Bob: Are you expecting any celebrities for the movie’s screening?
JS: We’re doing a test screening on March 16 and 17, and we’re expecting probably 250-300 people. We’ll have comment cards for them, then we’re going to try to hit the film festivals, and we’re even hoping for Oscar consideration next year.
Bob: You worked with Archbishop Bruce Simpson… were you overwhelmed working w him?
JS: He is such an endearing man. One of most poignant things that happens in the film is when he reveals his idea, theory, philosophy of why God created homosexuals. I feel so blessed that he’s in our movie, he’s quite a phenomenal individual. You get to know him in this film.
Jay: How much did it cost to make this film?
JS: We’re still grasping for funds to get right to the end… It’s a huge amount of money, there’s never enough.
Bob: When you were finished with the movie, did you find you had changed?
JS: It’s funny you should ask that because my views did change. I was always an artist, but I’ve been living in Jewish suburbia… out here, people call us the Brady bunch. I have to say, when I followed the families and got to know them and see what they go through on a daily basis, it really didn’t matter that it was male-male or female-female relationships. After a while, it seems just like a hetero couple.
Bob: Is bringing this to light making an issue where there is none?
JS: People are fundamentally the same, but as far as having the same institution of “marriage” – gay couples don’t have those same rights to the institution of marriage that hetero couples do.
The Deep Throat Phenomenon
Bob and Jay’s second guest was Paul Interlandi, head of production at Arrow Productions, who called in to share the inside scoop on the much talked about Deep Throat documentary, Inside Deep Throat, that has been tearing up the world’s film festivals since it hit the silver screen.
Bob: Arrow Productions has been around for a while now. How does the company tie into Deep Throat?
Paul Interlandi: There’s only been two owners at Arrow, and the company has been around since 1969. I’ve been intimately involved with it [Deep Throat] for a long time.
Bob: The movie is splashed all over the media now and is causing all kinds of stir. It originally hit the theatres in 1972 … what was reception like back then?
PI: It was the first feature to hit theatres. Before 1972, there were short adult films that were looped to play over and over, and you’d drop quarters in and watch the movie in this little room. When this movie was made, it was a feature film, and it was shown in regular theatres. Now, back in ’72, to have scenes with anal, deep throat, and everything it had in it, it was shocking to the American public. But, for the first few weeks, there were no ticket line-ups, there was no big box office hit … it was the picket lines that made the film a sensation. It was the controversy that drew the crowds and all of a sudden, people wanted to see it before the right to see it was taken away from them.
Bob: There are so many stories surrounding this movie. What about the story that the movie was backed by mob money?
PI: [laughing] I don’t really want to go into that.
Bob: What about the story that Linda Lovelace was forced to act in this movie?
PI: She said that only after she was out of the biz … maybe a case of model remorse?
Bob: I heard that someone sold their shares for thousands, that are now worth millions?
PI: Deep Throat has grossed about $600 million dollars, but that number is probably underestimated. It sold about 3 million VHS copies, back in the days when VHS copies cost around $90 each. The director sold his shares for $25,000 back in 1972, but $25,000 in 1972, was still not too bad, all things considered. Back then, a brand new Corvette cost $4000, so that’s not a bad piece of change for directing one movie.
Bob: 3 million copies on VHS? Everything is driven by porn… VCR’s back then, DVD’s today.
PI: Here’s an interesting stat … one of first three tapes stuck in any VCR was Deep Throat. It’s Deep Throat that launched the whole VCR revolution. Probably porn will push HD television, if that ever comes around.
Bob: How did the idea of a Deep Throat documentary come about?
PI: It started with [Brian Grazer] wanting to do a story on Linda Lovelace … but after delving into it, it became clear the real story wasn’t her so much as the movie that was so remarkable. It’s playing in mainstream theatres today … Theatres in San Francisco and L.A. are playing both Deep Throat and Inside Deep Throat. It’s also going to be opening in Philly soon, and we’re shooting for New York in May. I believe there’s a role for porn in theatres. We’ve been thrown out of a lot of theatres, and I think it’s important to have erotica on movie theatres, and we don’t have that right now.
PI: The funny thing is, only one original print of Deep Throat exists … the rest were worn out by being played over and over in theatres. The government seized the negatives, but with the wonders of modern technology, more copies of Deep Throat are being reprinted digitally. The film is about the journey of each of the individuals involved in story of Deep Throat, and how it’s affected their personal lives. It hasn’t been that great for anyone involved in the film … it’s been pretty tough on everybody. It’s the number one grossing independent film of all time. When you create a social phenomenon, there’s gonna be issues … and our country isn’t too good at dealing with sexual issues.
The DVDs are available at www.xxxdeepthroat.com.
Dead Poets Smoking
The final guest in the HumpDay Show line-up today was Scott Shakespeare of Shakespeare Cigars, who had managed to tickle Bob’s palate with a box of the finely crafted Shakespeares.
“That tobacco was grown in Nicaragua. We spent over two years blending that cigar that you’re smoking right now,” said Shakespeare. “We have a webmaster affiliate program that is paying $80 per box sale, that’s a 50% commission for webmasters.”
“It’s a simple conversion,” added Shakespeare. “We do not have distributors eating up our profits. We provide the banners and everything for our affiliates, and the client is the webmaster’s for all recurring sales too.”
“Use some of that traffic that isn’t doing anything for you, and send it to a non-adult program like this,” urged Bob.
When asked about future plans, Shakespeare mentioned that they’ve got “a slew of tobacco” and they’re planning on launching a new site in six months called “Naked Cigars.” There are currently three types of Shakespeare Cigars: Churchill, Torpedo, and Robusto. A fourth type is also in the works.
“There are cigar smokers in every corner of the world,” said Shakespeare.
This particular cigar aficionado will be in Arizona, handing out Shakespeares at the Phoenix Forum.
For more information, visit the corporate site: http://www.shakespearecigars.com/ or the affiliate site: http://www.buyshakespeares.com/
