This week Fort Worth plays host to the 10th annual QCinema Festival.

Todd Camp and his crew (including friend of W&C James Johnston) have put together 10 days worth of activities highlighting the incredible work coming out of the gay and lesbian film scene.

And before you say “That’s not for me, I’m not gay!” You don’t have to be gay to enjoy these films. (I know, that point was kind of obvious, but bear with me.) From reading through the descriptions of the films being programmed, they all deal with the same things that everyone deals with; life, death, love and relationships, family, kids, etc. etc. The only difference is that the male/female ratio among the cast members is not even close to even.

When I take people who’ve never been to Spiral Diner there for lunch or dinner, I tell them not to get too wrapped up in the whole “vegan thing.” It’s just a meal; the only difference is that instead of meat on your sandwich (or in your taco salad) you’re getting a plant-based product that’s finagled to look and sorta taste like meat. It’s still lunch, just with a different presentation.

This theory also applies to “gay cinema.” Don’t get all flustered by the “gay” aspect of it. The stories are just like “mainstream cinema,” except that you get two hunky male love interests instead of just one. It’s the same thing, just with a slightly different presentation.

Take a look at the schedule — events run for 10 days starting yesterday (oops!), and during the week they’re scheduled conveniently for us worker bees to make it to the screenings in time. Get out there and broaden your horizons and support one of the longest running film festivals in our city!

In the last few weeks Fort Worth has played host to Main Street Arts Fest, PrairieFest, Fred’s Fest, and Mayfest.

So, if you’ve had your fill of the -fests, you should try something different this weekend: The Fairmount Home Tour. (Of course, if you’re not tired of -fests, then you should make your way over to the Fairmount Home Fest instead. It’s way cooler.)

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Photo of Fort Worth Police Officers at Mayfest 2007 by Stephen Witherden

The one thing that struck me the most about my Mayfest experience (aside from the near-TOTAL lack of environmentalism themed booths and activities), was the heightened security atmosphere. There were uniformed police officers at every step of the entry process, from the road leading into the park all the way through to the ticket booths. And according to my PR escort, there were an equal number of plainclothes officers milling around in the crowd.
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…only this time its your kids they’re after.

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SteveB weighs in (ha!) with his observations from Main St. Arts Festival. Read more of his observations on weighty issues at his website: Fort Worth Blogorrhea. -Pete W.

Fort Worth is a city in transformation, as we all see daily. After a couple of days at the Main Street Arts Festival, I’m not sure were changing for the best. What I saw were legions of cowering otiose simps. Bold statement, you say? Allow me to present my case.

Photo by timyates

No longer are the streets of our dear city filled with nubile women and virile men. Speaking for the men, Main St. used to be a place where one’s neck would hurt the next day as a result of all the head-turners peppering the streets. Now everyone is just plain fat. Me included. We need to stop installing steak-houses downtown and start putting in more gyms.

But the most egregious offense against taste and decency was not the morbid obesity, it’s the trend towards the un-ambulatory dog. I was shocked…shocked by how many near-hairless canines were being carried up and down the street. And to break the stereotype, most were carried by men. Emasculated men, to be sure. Of what use is a dog that doesn’t walk?

To assuage my dour feelings of the state of affairs in Fort Worth, I need only four words. They were from Dallas.