Film Premiere in New York!

Wow -- I've been so super-busy that I'm totally ignoring my blog at a time when I have SO much to write about! Well I'm gonna try to catch up. First I must tell you about my NY opening of "Going Down in LA-LA Land". We worked so hard to make opening weekend a very special event and it truly was! Check out the photo album on the film's facebook page for all the pictures from the theater and XL Club opening night, G Lounge on Saturday night, and Boxers on Sunday night.

I'm so grateful to all my friends and complete strangers who showed up to check out the film. I'm so proud of this film and it meant to much to me to have your support! Thank you!

Special thanks to my sister who came all the way from Sweden, my two stars who came in from LA, my assistant Ellis, my photographer Daniele, and my friend Jamie who helped me organize opening night. And thanks to Michael who did red carpet interviews with us (see below). Thanks also to everyone who supported the kickstarter campaign to raise money for the release -- you made it all possible!

Me with my two wonderful, talented, and super-supportive stars Matthew Ludwinski and Allison Lane. 

Not only is he an amazing dentist with gorgeous offices right in Hell's Kitchen -- Dr. Reagan (right) also sponsored my opening and his logo for HMC DENTAL is on the wall behind us.  Need a root canal? Dr. Reagan is your man! 

Matthew with the one and only Randy Jones (the original Village People cowboy) and Jamie "Fruitfly" Ranieri who helped me host and organize opening night.

This lovely older couple came from Long Island to support their friend Allison and told me afterwards that they had been a little nervous about the film but loved it and thought it should be seen by everybody -- not just gay people. I couldn't agree more! 

My sister Kajsa coming all the way from Sweden! So much fun to share this experience with her. 

Thanks Daniele Teodoro for taking the pictures!

Fun night with Alec Mapa!

 I went to see comedian Alec Mapa's very funny and also very touching one-man-show "Baby Daddy" being performed in New York last night. Alec's show centers around the craziness and hilarity that ensued from his and his husband's decision to adopt a 5-year old boy. The show -- highly recommended! Having children -- not sure... "Baby Daddy" kind of makes you wanna have kids and not  at the same time.

Alec and moi after the show. Thanks to Derek Storm for sending me the photo!

I was hanging out with Alec and friends after the show and he is super-nice. Not at all the nasty queen I made him play in his cameo as himself in "Going Down in LA-LA Land". Check out Alec's website for more info on him. And of course make sure to check him out in my movie!

Promoting at the Gay Expo this weekend

I used to work conventions centers all over the US representing Saab at car shows. My title was "Product Specialist", or more unofficially "Car Model". A season of car modeling pretty much paid for my first film "Sluttty Summer" which I was editing at the time when I was home between shows.

I was reminded of those glorious days today working The GLBT Expo at the Javits Center in New York. This weekend though I have my own booth promoting the upcoming  release of "Going Down in LA-LA Land".

Bud Light Beer has come onboard as a presenting sponsor of the film much thanks to the fact that my star Matthew Ludwinski has worked as a Bud Light Boy at various events like these for years. Today Matthew was hired by Bud Light to pour free beer and pose shirtless for pictures at their display, but they also let him come to my booth and sign posters and talk to fans. Thanks Bud Light and Matthew! Thanks also to my assistant Ellis for helping out all day and to my friend, photographer Daniele Teodoro, who stopped by and took these pictures:

Me at the display

Me (looking both skinny and fat) next to Movie Star & Bud Light boy Matthew Ludwinski. 

We signed many mini-posters and handed out fliers. 

DVDs for sale!

No, the mechanical bull wasn't at my booth. It wasn't even mechanical -- two guys were pulling it back and forth!  

Here I am back in 2004, introducing the New Saab 9-2X at the convention center in L.A. The  Subaru-based car  (or Saabaru!) was a big failure for Saab/GM at the time. 

"Going Down in LA-LA Land" opening in theaters -- I need your help!

Will you join me on the red carpet for the theatrical opening of my film "Going Down in LA-LA Land" in New York on April 20th? Or if you can't -- will you get the DVD or Blu-Ray of the film?

I'm self-distributing the film both in theaters and on home video and would love your help! Please consider supporting my newly launched Kickstarter campaign -- by pre-ordering VIP movie premiere tickets or the DVD of the film (will ship all over the world!). Many other great rewards are also available.

Click here and watch me explain why I need your help!

Matthew Ludwinski (Adam) in "Going Down in LA-LA Land". Don't you want to know why he looks so distressed? 

Sweden got a new princess! Time to end the monarchy?

The Swedish Crown Princess Victoria just had a daughter.  The little girl born today is now second in line (after her mother) to inherit the Swedish throne. Everyone in Sweden are thrilled. Of course it is very exciting news for the royal family. 

I just think it is kind of silly that Sweden, a modern democracy, still has a royal family. The reason why we still do is because the Swedish king at the beginning of the last century accepted, without the need of a revolution, to be just a figurehead while the parliament and government took over the rule of the kingdom. 

It’s as expensive to have a president and president elections as it is to have a royal family, is one common argument for keeping the status quo. It’s so much more fun having royals, is another common one.  Maybe because I haven't lived in Sweden for many years, but I just think the whole thing is so wrong. Especially since this new little princess of Sweden now will be brought up to one day be Queen without having any say in the matter. 

Crown Princess Victoria and Prince Daniel (a former nobody from a rural town in northern Sweden) at their wedding in 2010. They met when he was hired to be her personal trainer. 

Now I wasn’t always against the idea of monarchy. Growing up I loved history and I actually memorized the name and ruling years for every king and queen since the time of Gustav Vasa (1523-1560). I too thought it was fun that we had a king who travelled around Sweden visiting different cities, opened factories, held speeches, and handed over the awards to the Nobel Prize winners.

In fact, this is the royal family’s most important job – attending the Nobel Prize ceremony and dinner party that is airing live on Swedish TV every December. The whole country then gets to admire the queen and the princesses in their fancy dresses and jewelry. Except Victoria’s younger sister Princess Madeleine has been living in New York the last couple of years and “been too busy” to bother showing up and looking pretty at this event. Isn’t that what the Swedish taxpayers are paying her to do? (The Royal family gets millions in spending money each year from the government). 

Princess Madeleine at the Nobel Prize ceremony. She was listed among the hottest royal women by Forbes Magazine in 2009. Currently living in New York, dating an American stock broker. 

My proposal is to discontinue the monarchy when the current King dies (or decides to retire) and replace him with a president chosen by popular vote. Crown Princess Victoria is very popular (today probably more than ever!) and if she chose to run she'd be sure to win. But that, of course, would be a choice for her to make. 

Prince Carl-Philip. Born a Crown Prince but relegated to Prince when the Act of succession was changed by the parliament so that the oldest child, regardless of sex, would inherit the throne. Carl-Philip has often been voted the hottest Swede by the Swedish gay magazines. He is currently dating a (female) former TV reality star. 

Gay Film Festival Cruise

In 2010 I was invited to the first Pride of the Ocean, a gay film festival on a cruise ship going to Bermuda. It was a great experience. We spent the mornings in seminars and watching and talking about movies. Then we enjoyed the sundeck and everything else on the ship in the afternoons and usually had dinner together at night. I met a lot of great filmmakers and film-lovers from all over the world.

This June I'm going again! I'm very excited. This time the ship is going to the Bahamas. I will be screening one of my films -- which one I don't know yet. It's actually being picked by popular vote. So do check out my little trailer with clips from all my films and vote for which film should be screened oin the cruise ship. You don't have to sign in on the site or anything to vote or even plan to attend -- just click here and vote for your favorite. Right now The Big Gay Musical is in the lead. Is it gonna win?

Please do consider to join the cruise as well, or share the info about it with others who you think might be interested. (vote for one of my films on the site and you'll get a discount!) The organizers of this festival are great and I'm sure we will all have an amazing time together if you decide to join.

Me enjoying the sun on deck during the 2010 "Pride of the Ocean"

It's a gay festival on the cruise but not a gay cruise. So don't hesitate to sign up even if you are not gay. 

I loved being on a cruise and being disconnected from the world for six days. 

Introducing Jesse Archer

Well not exactly. Jesse has been around for a while now, but I did introduce him to the world with my first feature "Slutty Summer" in 2004. Since then he starred in and also co-wrote my film "A Four Letter Word", he also wrote "Violet Tendencies" that we both produced and acted in. In addition he has acted in a bunch of other films, been a regular columnist for Out Magazine,  and not to mention his, I think, proudest achievement, writing the amazing book "You Can Run" about his years in South America. Get it if you can find it!

Promo-shot of Jesse and me for our first film "Slutty Summer". Photo by wilsonmodels.

Jesse has a small but pivotal role in "Going Down in LA-LA Land" (The first time he wasn't asked to take his shirt of in a movie, he noted), and now living in Australia, Jesse will attend the upcoming screenings of the film in Sydney and Melbourne. Check out this article about him in The Star Observer talking about it.

 I love Jesse's way with words and I wish I could write like him (Do check out his blog at jesseonthebrink.com). A frequent collaborator and a good friend, Jesse and I actually first met in the summer 2001 and had drinks at the top of the World Trade Center a week before they fell. I've been a fan ever since.

Jesse Archer