Reel to Wheel 3

Rust and Bone

With five new films about people with disabilities getting major attention, critical raves, and box office success, it seems I'm distantly part of a new trend in the arts. What's the new surprise for the mostly non-disabled media? Disabled people have sex!

I've examined the depiction of disabled characters in films before, but most of them were low-budget horror flicks and weepy melodramas. A few included disabled characters as part of an ensemble, while others focused on disability as a main theme (see 'Reel to Wheel 2'). TV characters have had their own representations and misrepresentations, while actual disabled artists have expanded boundaries (see 'Arts, Access and Artie') in fictional and reality show settings (see my 'Push Girls' feature in the Bay Area Reporter).

But the new slew of films take on such diverse perspectives that it's expanded the notion of how disabled people can (or should?) be depicted beyond any prior notions.

Listen Up

Did I mention there's a playlist to go with PINS?
It works with the novel and the play.

I did have some doubts about making specific references to songs in the script. But if one is going to use, say, Brahms, one doesn't simply say, "insert classical piano here." The specificity of the time the story is set, as well as the tastes of the characters and the songs referenced by name, make it seem plausible.

If a theatre company wants to produce the play, they should follow the descriptions that make it specific to a time and setting. Plus, the music's pretty cool, even if it is a bit, uh, early 90s.

Again, here's a link to the playlist, in case the embedded videos don't load properly.

The Play's the Thing

So, I finally finished this project. Here's some PR:

The commissioned stage adaptation of Jim Provenzano's acclaimed debut novel, PINS, is available in paperback.

Reviews excerpts for the stage adaptation of PINS:

“Realistic and engaging.”
– SF Weekly

“Perceptive and honest.”
– SF Bay Guardian

“A fast-paced and imaginative production.” – Bay Area Reporter

“Provenzano shows great skill with naturalistic dialogue and a healthy dose of wry humor.”
– San Francisco Examiner

How This Happened

I got an email from Barack!

Okay, millions of people have been getting emails from Barack, and Michelle, and Joe Biden and lots of others in the Democratic Party. And it certainly was beginning to get annoying, that strange feeling of deleting an email from the First Lady. But I knew, in between the scary moments, that the President would be re-elected, and not just because I gave them $35.

Here's a bit from the President's email to supporters:

"I want you to know that this wasn't fate, and it wasn't an accident. You made this happen.

You organized yourselves block by block. You took ownership of this campaign five and ten dollars at a time. And when it wasn't easy, you pressed forward.