Living Out Loud with Darian

L.A. audiences were received a special treat last weekend when writer/director Maurice Jamal(Ski Trip/Dirty Laundry) debuted his latest work "Friends and Lovers" before a packed house during L.A.'s annual gay and lesbian film festival Outfest.

Friends and Lover's picks up where Jamal's 2004 indie favorite The Ski Trip left off. The film is part romantic comedy, part drama, part Hollywood spoof and all signature Jamal.

The story follows the lives, loves and mishaps of three diverse couples living in Los Angeles, and their eccentric circle of friends.

With two successful feature films under his belt and such heavyweight actors as Loretta Devine, Jennifer Lewis, and Rockmond Dunbar appearing in his films, Jamal has become the director every actor in Hollywood is eager to work with.

Many cast members from the original Ski Trip return for this sequel, but there's also performances by Benjamin Patterson (Noah's Arc),Anwar Robinson(American Idol, RENT),Tonex'(Grammy Winning Gospel Artist),Frenchie Davis(American Idol, RENT),Jackee Harry(227, Sister Sister) and Jason Stuart(Drop Dead Gorgeous).

Friends and Lover's was shot over fourteen days in L.A. and serves as an introduction to a television series by the same title that Jamal hopes to bring to audiences this fall.

"Friends and Lovers has the potential to become a welcome addition to any network's programming platform", according to L.A. critic Sarah Holbert.

"I would love for Friends and Lovers to find a home on television. It would certainly alter the results of our Network Responsibility Index, where we find that, among LGBT characters, gay white men continually dominate the TV landscape, year after year. With a diverse cast -- both in race and orientation -- there are characters to which most viewers can relate. And even if one doesn't have a person to latch onto, the snappy dialogue and clever one-liners will keep a viewer coming back, week after week."


Friends and Lovers is currently running at the Fairfax 1 Theater in Los Angeles.

Watch Maurice Jamal talk about his new film here.

Pics courtesy of Pink Mafia Radio