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Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Keith Boykin and Jasmyne Cannick are reporting today that the Chelsea Clearview Theater in New York where Dirty Laundry opened to sold out shows last weekend is closing on Thursday only after a few days. Despite pulling in a higher per screen average than a slew of major blockbuster films that opened last weekend, the theater management is not impressed and believes the film's producers purchased over 1,500 tickets to ensure a successful opening weekend.
When are the powers that be going to realize that their is an audience for black LGBT films? I agree with Jasmyne and many others who said this film should have never been in Chelsea but in Harlem, the Bronx, or Jamaica Queens. This whole thing just stinks of racism (and those who disagree please spare me the dumb ass comments and e-mails).
The people who came out to support Dirty Laundry did so because of an intense grassroots campaign via word of mouth, blogs, radio, and myspace.
I don't know how many of you have ever been to Chelsea but it's definitely a white gay mecca. I'm sure a theater filled with well-mannered negroes over the weekend was too much for some of their regular patrons to handle. Don't be fooled, racism is not limited to people outside of the gay community and this is a clear example.
The management at Clearview Theater needs to hear from you as well as Magic Johnson Theaters in New York and Los Angeles where the film should be running.
Clearview Chelsea Theater
260 West 23rd Street
New York, NY 10011
212-691-5519 (Ask to speak to today's on-duty mangaer "Nick")
Clearview Cinemas Headquarters
97 Main Street
Chatham, NJ 07928
908-918-2000
Website: http://www.clearviewcinemas.com/contact.shtml
Clearview is owned by:
Cablevision
1111 Stewart Avenue
Bethpage, NY 11714
516-803-2300
Website: http://www.cablevision.com/about/leadership.jsp
Contact Company: http://optimum.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/optimum.cfg/php/enduser/ask.php
Magic Johnson
9100 Wilshire Blvd. Ste. 700 East
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
Phone: 310.246.4400
Fax: 310.246.1106
Update: I contacted Chelsea's Clearview Theater an asked to speak to on-duty manager Nick and after waiting patiently for him to come to the phone we were mysteriously "disconnected". I'm sure he's received an influx of phone calls and e-mails today and this has been his cowardly response to those of us seeking answers to why they've chosen to close Dirty Laundry. Well tomorrow morning I will be on a flight to NYC to support Dirty Laundry before it's pulled and I guess I'll have to ask Nick face to face the logic behind closing a profitable film.
1 Comments:
I hope I'm wrong, but I'm not sure "Dirty Laundry" would be welcome at a Magic Johnson theater. It wouldn't hurt to reach out to him but I'm old enough to remember when Magic Johnson announced in 1991 that he was HIV+. The next day when he appeared on the Arsenio Hall Show, his first words were " I am far from being a homosexual". Arsenio's audience applauded wildly at this declaration as if to say what a relief, our Magic is not a fag. Magic said it as if being gay was the dirtiest, filthiest thing on earth. It's a TV moment I will NEVER forget.
December 12, 2007 7:57 AM
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