Zorro vs. The Christmas Train

Our dog Zorro (seen in SOCKET along with our other adopted rescue Buck) is OBSESSED with the train under our Christmas tree, so much so that he gets upset when the train derails. Enjoy this short sample of Zorro's obsession.

Friends of Velvet Candy : Mary Edwards

On a recent trip to New York City, we were happily reunited (and it felt so good) with our old friend MARY EDWARDS. The fabulous Ms. Edwards is a composer, arranger, songwriter and performer whose performances have been described as "...sensual, sonic architecture..." (Corinne Drewery of Swing Out Sister!!!) and "...songs evocative of 1960s cinematic soundtracks combined with the gorgeous intimacy of the 1970s singer-songwriter era..." (Time Out Magazine).

Mary's debut cd, A SMILE IN THE MIND (available for sale on her website) is a gorgeous example of what music SHOULD sound like. As others may have implied, if Carole King and Burt Bacharach ever had a love child, then Mary Edwards just might have been the result! Check her out here: Mary Edwards Sound/Architecture

The SCREENING PARTY Trailer

Unfortunately had to be removed from YouTube due to music clearance issues.
I hope everyone who got to see it did enjoy it.

SOCKET wins 2nd Place Juried Prize in Indianapolis!!!

The Indianapolis LGBT Film Festival honors two films with the AT&T Pioneers: Best of Festival Awards. The field was narrowed down to five contenders by the film selection committee and then those five were presented to a panel of judges for a final decision. The winning films were a announced at the Premiere Party Event!

Congratulations to Director Sean Abley for winning the AT&T Pioneers second place with SOCKET!!!

Chicago Sun-Times covers SOCKET

Lesbian, gay fest will plug in to 'Socket'

November 4, 2007
BY MISHA DAVENPORT

It's hard to say what is more shocking about "Socket" -- the film's sci-fi/horror plot or that it's even being featured in Reeling 2007: The 26th annual Chicago Lesbian and Gay International Film Festival.

It's not that there isn't a Chicago connection with the film. Sean Abley, who wrote, directed and has a small part, is one of the founding members of the Factory Theater.

"He's definitely exploring new territory," says Brenda Webb, founder of Reeling, which begins Thursday at Landmark Century and runs through Nov. 18 at assorted theaters. "I know it won't necessarily be everyone's cup of tea."

"What can I say? I'm a big horror movie fan and an even bigger fan of [director] David Cronenberg," Abley says sheepishly with a laugh.

Cronenberg is best known for the 1986 remake of "The Fly" as well as "Crash," "eXistenZ" and "Scanners." He is credited with popularizing the film genre known as "body horror."

Abley's 2007 feature pays homage to Cronenberg in plot, tone and visual imagery. The film's plot centers on Bill Matthews (Derek Long), a gay surgeon who falls in with a group of people who all survived being struck by lightning and now purposely juice themselves with electric current.

"Horror for me isn't something that's coming at me, but rather what's inside me," Abley says. "There is something creepy about people doing something horrible to their bodies on purpose."

While some will see the lead character's descent into addiction as a metaphor for crystal methamphetamine usage at gay circuit parties, Abley says that wasn't the case. "On some level, it is a story about addiction. They try it, they like it, they continue to use it," he says. "But this was really about how Cronenberg incorporates science with the biological. That was more a jumping off point for me than circuit parties."

Abley first began to develop the idea for what would eventually become his film while still living in Chicago about 10 years ago.

"I kept seeing sockets coming out of human flesh and people plugging themselves in," he says.

When his career stalled in Hollywood, Abley dug up the outline for "Shocker" and wrote the screenplay.

"I took it to my agent, and he didn't want to send it out," he says. "He was worried I would be branded a gay writer. This coming from a gay agent."

There was a subtle, institutionalized homophobia in the industry, he says. "I was writing for a lot of children's TV and animation. While there is no lack of gay writers in television or film in Hollywood, there was a lack of gay shows or films."

Abley received a lot of offers for the script, but all of them were contingent on him making the characters straight.

"This was before 'Brokeback Mountain' broke everything open, and I don't really know why I was so stubborn," he says.

The film sat in a desk drawer for another few years before Abley finally took it back out and decided to produce and direct it himself. "I kept thinking about everything we were able to accomplish at the Factory Theater and figured if we could write and produce plays there, I should be able to make films."

Abley shot the film in nine days with a $100,000 budget. It has played other spots on the gay film festival circuit, where it has polarized audiences.

"The film is the sort of film you either love or hate," he says. "It's been criticized because the characters' sexuality isn't a plot point and because the two main characters aren't always likable. That makes it different than 90 percent of the gay films out there, and I don't mind that."

It's Official!

SOCKET score by Jennifer Kes Remington nominated for 2007 Film & TV Music Award!!!

The Film & TV Music Academy has announced the nominees for The 2007 Film & TV Music Awards, a awards program for the film and television music industry. The program includes awards for a comprehensive list of categories honoring professionals in a wide range of industry crafts.

All nominations were made by members of The Film & TV Music Academy during the nomination period of September 1-20, 2007. Film & TV Music Academy members will vote online during October 1-15 to determine the winners. The award winners will be announced on October 30. Membership in The Film & TV Music Academy is open to professionals working in the film and television music industry worldwide and students working towards a career in the industry.

Velvet Candy Entertainly proudly congratulates Jennifer Kes Remington on her nomination for SOCKET, as well as for her work on the wonderful animated series FOSTER'S HOME FOR IMAGINARY FRIENDS. Way to go, Jen!!!

BEST SCORE FOR AN INDIE FEATURE FILM
Christopher Lennertz - Tortilla Heaven
*Jennifer Kes Remington - Socket
George Shaw - J-ok’el
Ryan Shore - Numb
Austin Wintory - Back Soon

BEST SCORE FOR AN ANIMATED TELEVISION PROGRAM
Alf Clausen - The Simpsons
Christopher Drake - Hellboy Animated: Sword of Storms
Tom Erba - Tom And Jerry Tales
Walter Murphy - Family Guy
*James Venable and Jennifer Kes Remington - Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends

More info on the Film & TV Music Awards.

SOCKET picked up by TLA VIDEO/TLA RELEASING!!!

Velvet Candy Entertainment, LLC and Dark Blue Films are thrilled to announce that SOCKET has been picked up for distribution by TLA Releasing/TLA Video!

The film will be available on DVD in first quarter 2008, and possibly on Video-On-Demand and Pay-Per-View shortly afterwards.

To be notified when SOCKET will be available for purchase, visit the TLA website.
To pre-order SOCKET on dvd click here.

SOCKET will also continue on the festival circuit - Our current schedule is:

GAYLAXICON 2007, Altanta - Oct 6
REEL AFFIRMATIONS, Washington D.C. - Oct. 19
REELING, Chicago - Nov. 11
INDIANAPOLIS LGBT FILM FEST, Indianapolis - November, Date TBD

More SOCKET news coming soon!!!

Movies That Make You Say "Huh?" : The Blog

When things got kinda slow here at the VELVET CANDY ENTERTAINMENT blog, I decided to tell readers about some great bad old movies that I recently watched.

Before I knew it, I was blogging more about those old chestnuts more often than news about VELVET CANDY productions. So, in an attempt to draw a line between my two passions, I now bring you all MOVIES THAT MAKE YOU SAY "HUH?": THE BLOG!

To start off I will be re-posting some earlier reviews originally found here, followed by some brand new posts about more crazy old classics. I hope you all enjoy what I have to say!

VELVET CANDY: What's Happening Now?

Sign at our local Baptist church - wonder what the answer is - "Yes. But only one. Next question!" or "No. But you may not have any fabulousness in your life either."

We can't believe it's almost been a month since our last post. Either we've been in producers' rehab or just really busy with other stuff. The truth is...somewhere in between. OUTFEST left us exhausted (...and busy!). We needed some time to deal with some business issues (like selling SOCKET to a distributor and shopping SCREENING PARTY around for TV), creative issues (like moving to the next levels with our next THREE film projects) and personal issues (like finally settling into our new home/office!).

We saw over 20 films at OUTFEST - we can recommend a few - 2 MINUTES LATER, TWO SIDES OF THE BED, STARRBOOTY were among our personal favorites. Films by our groovy filmmaker friends : Michael Simon's short GAY ZOMBIE, Michele Mulroney & Micah Schraft's SUNNY & SHARE LOVE YOU ,Rob Williams' BACK SOON and Rosser Goodman's HOLDING TREVOR are also highly noteworthy. We find it oddly interesting though that most of the high-profile, highly promoted and "buzz-worthy" festival films are the most disappointing, predictable and safe. Go figure.

So - what news do WE have to announce? Well - as previously mentioned, SOCKET will be screening at Gaylaxicon on October 6 in Atlanta, GA and at Reel Affirmations on October 19 in Washington D.C. We also just got word that we will be at another BIG gay film festival in November (details to be announced shortly).

As far as distribution goes, there will also be an announcement shortly, but suffice to say you may be able to own your very own SOCKET dvd shortly after Christmas!

Our THREE next projects are still sorta "top secret" at the moment, but the first script is already making the rounds and creating a certain buzz in the gay indie film circle. We think this project will be a wild, roller coaster ride filled with sex, drugs, violence and rock-n-roll. No, it's not about Britney, Paris, Nicole and Lindsay.

In the meantime, we've been avoiding most of the summer "blockbusters" in favor of catching some great cult classics from the 60s and 70s. Be on the lookout for wacky, wonderful stuff like BUNNY LAKE IS MISSING, THE LAST OF SHEILA, TOURIST TRAP and our new favorite blaxploitation sexromp/action thriller - BLACK SHAMPOO (featuring DAYS OF OUR LIVES' Celeste - Tanya Boyd!!!)


So - enjoy the last few weeks of summer, have yourself a "screening party" and check back soon for some BIG NEWS from Velvet Candy Entertainment.

SOCKET West Coast Premiere at OUTFEST!!!

Most of the cast & crew came out for OUTFEST and the HUGE West Coast Premiere of SOCKET. The almost-sold-out crowd really enjoyed the film and the lively Q & A portion following it. Here are some photos from the two-week celebration.


Pictured above (L to R) : Alisha Seaton, Derek Long, Sean Abley, Doug Prinzivalli and John Carrozza at the DIVA Outfest Launch Party.


Pictured above (L to R) : John Carrozza, Amy Seeley, Derek Long, Sean Abley, Gage Hubbard, Liz Mendoza, Allie Rivenbark and Matthew Montgomery at the Q & A.


Pictured above (L to R) :Sean Abley, Allie Rivenbark and Georgia Jean.


Pictured above (L to R) : Allie Rivenbark, John Carrozza, Rasool Jahan, Derek Long, Doug Prinzivalli, Matthew Montgomery, Georgia Jean, Matthew Montgomery and Sean Abley.


Pictured above (L to R) : Sean Abley, Georgia Jean, Derek Long, Doug Prinzivalli and John Carrozza.


Pictured above (L to R) : John and Doug holding up the AWESOME one-of-a-kind tee-shirts designed by their good friend Shannon (Zeta-Jones) Ybarra!

Screening SCREENING PARTY at OUTFEST

We had a great time at the TWO screenings of SCREENING PARTY at OUTFEST. Being on the program with a collection of fun, diverse selection of comedic short films, SCREENING PARTY stood out as a crowd pleaser and audience favorite.


Pictured above (L to R) : Erin Quill, Dennis Hensley, Doug Prinzivalli, Chil Kong, John Carrozza, Todd Christian Hunter, Jim Cude and Felix Pire.


Pictured above (L to R) : Dennis Hensley, John Michael Beck, Alonso Duralde and Doug Prinzivalli at the Outfest Closing Night Gala.

SIRIUS about SOCKET

Pictured above (L to R) : Co-host with the most Doria Biddle, John Carrozza, Doug Prinzivalli and the fabulous Frank DeCaro!

Velvet Candy Entertainment had a great time at the Sirius Satellite Radio Outfest Party on Tuesday night. Hosted by Frank DeCaro and Doria Biddle of (what else?) "The Frank DeCaro Show" - the party was a who's who of who's fabulous at Outfest 07. Other guests attending include actors Sam Pancake (whom Doug has worked with on a variety of TV and film projects), the brilliant Jane Lynch, Suzanne Westenhoefer and Jason Stuart. Also there were writers and pop-culture experts Jim Colucci ("The Q Guide to the Golden Girls") and the ever-sexy Rick Andreoli ("Mondo Homo").

On Wednesday morning, Doug and writer/director Sean Abley were guests on the above mentioned "Frank DeCaro Show" - spending much of the half hour discussing SOCKET as well as lesbian prison films, Chicago's Manhole gay bar, very special episodes of "Designing Women" and even "The Funky Phantom"! It was a great time and we hope to do more publicity like this in the coming weeks & months!



Pictured above: John Carrozza, the sexily scruffy Sam Pancake and Doug Prinzivalli at the Sirius Satellite Radio party!



Pictured above: Hottie writer Rick Andreoli, John Carrozza and Doug Prinzivalli at the Sirius Satellite Radio party!

Visit Rick's blog for a more in-depth coverage of OUTFEST and the people and parties.

SOCKET: 10 Minutes with Matthew Montgomery

Matthew Montgomery chats about SOCKET, being in the first gay sci-fi film, doing full-frontal nudity, what really turns him on...and much much more.

Visit the Palm Springs Bottom Line online magazine and scroll down past the OUTFEST coverage for Gary Kramer's exclusive interview with Matthew.

SOCKET: Taking Philly By Storm!

Pictured above (L to R) the lovely Georgia Jean, Sean Abley, Derek Long and Matthew Montgomery.

This weekend was the WORLD PREMIERE screening of SOCKET at the 2007 Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. We are pleased to report that after two near-sold out screenings, the reviews have been coming in from festival attendees and it's all been overewhelmingly positive!

Here's what the fine folks in Philly have been saying...

"Five Stars - GREAT ACTING and an intriguing premise make this ambitious film well worth watching. Would love to see what this talented group could do with a bigger budget to support the vision. Very good use of comedy to offset the intensity of the main plot."

"Five Stars - Great concept. LOVED the actors...super supporting cast. A real thriller with elements of camp and eroticism. Very clever...definitely an enjoyable feature. A great debut for Abley."

"Five Stars - Sexy and intense...check it out if you're ready for something different"

"Five Stars!!! WOW! This movie totally rocked my world."

"Five Stars!!! Something different. Thank you."

"Five Stars!!! Fucking out there...kind of like Cronenberg...music was good too"

"Five Stars!!! ...definitely something we haven't seen before! "

"Four Stars...Very intense, moody, but with surprising wit. Its one of those that stays with you long after the movie is over. It's not really like anything out there. Check it out! Oh, and the guys are REALLY hot!!!"

"Four Stars!!! Verrry interesting concept. It really did "bring good things to life". "

"...plenty of sex and nudity, points go for keeping it peripheral to the plot"

"Told with panache, sex and nudity... fiery-hot erotic thriller"

"This is one kind of queer horror tale we've never seen before!"

"...shrewd editing looks smart for a low-budget film."

"Rasool J'Han and Allie Rivenbark... provide the laughs as a couple of lesbian friends."

"Montgomery embraces his role, projecting the complexities of his character..."

more to come...

SOCKET: A Chat with Jay Costelo

Go to racksandrazors.com for an interview with SOCKET's Jay Costelo.

SOCKET: A Chat with Sean Abley

Go to racksandrazors.com for an interview with SOCKET's writer/director/producer/actor (quadruple threat!) Sean Abley.

From SOCKET to HAMLET

SOCKET star Derek Long is appearing in HAMLET, the inaugural production of Shakespeare in the Cemetery!

Yes, HAMLET. Outdoors. In LA. In the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Guests are invited to bring a picnic dinner to enjoy, a blanket to sit on and friends with which to share an inspiring evening. Picnic as the sun goes down and prepare to be entranced by a magical performance of a play by the western worlds greatest writer.

June 22nd, 2007 - July 29th, 2007 - every Friday and Sunday - EXCEPT FRIDAY JUNE 29th.
Gates 7:00 PM - Curtain 8:30 PM

For more information visit :
Shakespeare in the Cemetery for more info.
Tix.com for tickets.
Hollywood Forever for location info.
Tall Blonde Productions for additional info.

Meeting Ms. Wright

Velvet Candy sat down with one of our favorite actresses and good friends - the lovely and talented Ms. Bridgette Wright for a quick chat.

VELVET CANDY: So, you have roles in both of Velvet Candy's first two co-productions, SOCKET and SCREENING PARTY. In SOCKET you play Tanika, one of the group members and in SCREENING PARTY you make an appearance as Marcos' assistant at the law firm. What was the difference working on a sci-fi film and a comedy?
BRIDGETTE WRIGHT: Well, I think Sci-Fi focuses on the exterior of the character and the set. You have to be really precise when it comes to hair, make-up, etc. because that is so important for building the character and conveying it on the screen for the audience. Comedy is more about letting go of the character and just seeing what happens for the sake of a laugh. I think there is genius in that, when you can just be completely uninhibited and let go. The genius just sneaks in.

VC: Was there a different vibe on each the set? Sean Abley and Chil Kong have very different directing styles.
BW: Absolutely! SOCKET was pretty intense. It can take a lot out of you to make yourself feel like you had electric current running through your body. It was very physical. While we were shooting SCREENING PARTY you had to make sure you didn't destroy a take because you were laughing so hard. I loved every minute of it!

VC: You have two appearances at OUTFEST this year - pretty good for a straight chick! You could be the new Parker Posey! What led you to these projects?
BW: I l-o-v-e Parker Posey by the way! I'll take it!!!! The first thing that led me to SOCKET was the fact that it was Science Fiction. I've always wanted to do sci-fi so it was a "no brainer" really and the writing was good. It had a great story and the writer/director Sean Abley is truly a great person to work for. I just knew it was something I had to do. SCREENING PARTY kind of fell into my lap, so to speak. I had worked for John Carozza and Doug Prinzivalli before, so it just happened. I absolutely loved the script and wanted to be a part of it, no questions asked. This project is what started me looking for more comedic roles.

VC: We've heard mutterings about a possible SOCKET 2‚ any thoughts to where Tanika (if she survives SOCKET) might end up in a sequel?
BW: I haven't heard that rumor but its one rumor I hope is true! Without giving too much away, Tanika might survive SOCKET, but she might not make it out of SOCKET 2 alive. I don't think she'd be able to control her cravings in the sequel. It actually would be great because I really want to "die" in something...and miraculously come back in SOCKET 3!
 
VC: What's next for Bridgette Wright?
BW: I just wrapped a film a few weeks ago. I plan to attend OUTFEST to promote both films. I'm headed to The LA Film Festival in July, afterwards I'll visit home which is back east for a couple of weeks and then it's back to the grind of landing a gig in Hollywood!

VC: Anything else you'd like to add?
BW: I just want to thank Sean Abley, Doug Prinzivalli, and John Carozza for giving me an opportunity to work in the field that I love. I hope to know and work with them for a long time.

VC: Same here!

SOCKET on FANGORIA.com

Visit FANGORIA for the scoop!

SCREENING PARTY: Meet the Partiers, Part 3

MEET ROSS (played by Ossie Beck): geeky film school drop-out and video store clerk, straight and single. Ross is like that intimidating Amoeba Records clerk who silently judges you when you buy the latest Kelly Clarkson CD. Yet, underneath the tattooed exterior, he’s just a teddy bear, Henry Rollins meets Greg Behrendt, complete with the ‘dude speak.’ Dennis and Tony meet Ross while renting PRETTY WOMAN at the video store and invites him over because he seems to know a lot about movies and as Dennis tells Tony, “We can’t just make fun of people’s outfits.” Before you know it, Ross bonds with the others and a genuine friendship is formed. Ross will soon become known for his Fun Facts, little known nuggets of trivia about the films in question.












MEET DR. BEAVERMAN(played by Nora Burns): former rock n’ roll groupie turned therapist. Loves to hear herself speak and often refers to herself in the third person. Dr. B’s read every self-help book there is, but has issues with Oprah’s god complex. Though her credentials are rather dubious and her observations can sometimes be totally bonkers, she’s often remarkably insightful and she’ll always deliver plenty of food for thought.

SCREENING PARTY and SOCKET : OUTFEST Here We Come!!!

We have our screening dates for both SCREENING PARTY and SOCKET .



SCREENING PARTY will screen TWICE as part of a shorts program called COMIC STRIP.
First screening is Monday, July 16 at 9:15PM at the Barnsdall Theater.
Second screening is Sunday, July 22 at 2:30PM at the Showcase Theater.






SOCKET will screen Friday, July 20 at 8PM at the Showcase Theater. Hoping to see all our Velvet Candy supporters out there at OUTFEST! Visit OUTFEST for more information and to purchase tickets.

SCREENING PARTY: Meet the Partiers, Part 2

MEET LAUREN (played by Erin Quill): half-Irish, half-Chinese, raised-in-Australia aerobic teacher and aspiring stand-up comic. Romantically involved for years to her musician boyfriend, Barry (played by Chil Kong), who won’t pop the question. Struggles with reconciling her career aspirations with her desires to settle down and start a family. She was a geeky teenager who turned out to be pretty cool. Lauren gets to "play Julia Roberts" in the hysterical re-enactments of PRETTY WOMAN. From the brown polka-dot polo match dress to the blonde theme-hooker look, Lauren proves that the original film is a tribute to bad 1990s fashion mishaps.

MEET MARCOS (played by Felix Pire): entertainment attorney, sweet natured, boyishly excitable, gay, HIV-positive and dealing with it. The least jaded of the bunch. Marcos often tells rambling stories about his movie going history that are dubbed “St. Olaf Stories” by the others because of their long-winded similarity to Betty White’s hometown reminiscences on THE GOLDEN GIRLS. A closet Betty Crocker, Marcos prepares theme desserts to go with each movie the group watches, like brown polka-dot cupcakes to match Julia's dress. Bon appetit! Marcos has his dream come true when he gets to "play Richard Gere" in the PRETTY WOMAN re-entactments.

SCREENING PARTY : Meet the Partiers, Part 1

MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER meets FRIENDS in SCREENING PARTY, a semi-scripted short film about the way art--even art that’s not really art like, say, PRETTY WOMAN--can affect people’s lives in ways both ridiculous and profound. SCREENING PARTY is an uproarious comedy adapted from the book by Dennis Hensley and is a co-production of Velvet Candy Entertainment. SCREENING PARTY will have it's World Premiere this July (date to be announced soon) at OUTFEST.

The story begins when Dennis, a struggling journalist and our show’s narrator, is given the opportunity to write an essay for a British movie magazine about the film PRETTY WOMAN for it’s "Hooray For Hollywood Hookers" Issue. Remarkably, Dennis has never seen PRETTY WOMAN, so suggests to his editor, “How ‘bout I invite a bunch of mouthy friends over, watch PRETTY WOMAN for the first time and write about that?”


MEET DENNIS (played by Dennis Hensley): a journalist, our ringleader, quick-witted and occasionally biting but also empathetic. His easy-going, non-judgmental personality is the glue that holds the party together. Single and gay. Like Carrie Bradshaw in SEX AND THE CITY, Dennis has an eye on the big picture, what it all means, if you will.



MEET TONY (played by Tony Tripoli) : Dennis’s roommate and best friend, a handsome cruise ship crooner who, when the story begins, is desperate to find a new line of work on land. Tony works a series of odd jobs starting with singing waiter. Hilariously bitchy and a great mimic, Tony can always be counted to say the un-PC thing that everyone else is thinking and his supernatural charm somehow allows him to get away with it.

SOCKET and SCREENING PARTY at OUTFEST!!!

Velvet Candy Entertainment is so proud to announce that BOTH of it's first two co-productions, SOCKET and SCREENING PARTY have been accepted into OUTFEST!!! Outfest: The Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Film Festival – founded in 1982 - is the oldest and largest continuous film festival in Southern California. Since its founding in 1982, Outfest has presented more than 4,000 films and videos for audiences of over half a million people. Celebrating it's 25th year, OUTFEST will run July 12-23 at several Los Angeles theaters. We will post info about the event and our screening as it becomes available.
Visit OUTFEST for more info.

SOCKET: WORLD PREMIERE in Philadelphia!!!

Philly is known as The City of Brotherly Love (from the Greek: philos "loving" and adelphos "brother"), so where better for SOCKET to have it's World Premiere screening? The Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival in Philadelphia, PA! Founded in 1995, the event is the third largest of its kind in the US, and the largest on the East Coast. It takes place every year for two weeks in July and shows as many as 200 films. SOCKET will screen twice: Saturday, July 14 @ 9:30PM @ The Wilma Theater and Sunday, July 15 @ 5:00 @ The Arts Bank. There is a juried competition for best features and shorts (gay male and lesbian) as well as audience awards, selected by the viewers. The festival runs July 12-24. We at Velvet Candy Entertainment and our co-Socketeers at Dark Blue Films are so proud to be chosen to be part of such a prestigious and exciting event. We will have more news about the Film Festival and the SOCKET premiere shortly.
Visit PHILLYFESTS for more info.

SOCKET: The Cast & Crew Screening

All the stars were out on Wednesday, April 25th, when SOCKET had it's first ever private screening (attended by cast & crew and a few select friends & family).


Here is producer/production designer Doug Prinzivalli with the handsome co-stars Derek Long and Matthew Montgomery.


Here are the producers. Matt Mishkoff, writer/director Sean Abley, John Carrozza and camera-shy Doug Prinzivalli.


Here's Doug ("I hate having my picture taken") Prinzivalli again with cast members Derek Long, Bridgette Wright, Matthew Montgomery, Victor Lopez and Alisha Seaton.

News: SOCKET Star Accepts GLAAD Media Award for GREY'S ANATOMY

Actress Alexandra Billings (Dr. Andersen in SOCKET) joined GREY'S ANATOMY writer Mark Wilding, and cast members T.R. Knight, Sara Ramirez, Kate Walsh on April 14 to accept the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Individual Episode: "Where the Boys Are" / Grey's Anatomy (ABC). Velvet Candy Entertainment congratulates Alex for being part of such an important, award-winning episode! For the third consecutive year, the GLAAD Media Awards will be televised on Logo, MTV Networks' cable channel for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender viewers and their allies. The Logo airdate for the 18th Annual GLAAD Media Awards is April 21, 2007, with subsequent airings. The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) is dedicated to promoting and ensuring fair, accurate and inclusive representation of people and events in the media as a means of eliminating homophobia and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation. For more information, please visit www.glaad.org.

SOCKET Screening at Gaylaxicon 2007!!!

We just got word that SOCKET will be screening at Gaylaxicon 2007 - an annual science fiction, fantasy and horror convention that focuses on gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender topics. It takes place in various locations in the United States, usually on the east coast. Started in 1988 in Provincetown, Massachusetts, Gaylaxicon is organized by member organizations of the Gaylactic Network. The Gaylaxian Science Fiction Society (GSFS) is the New England-based chapter of the Network, which organized the original convention and continues to be a driving force behind many of the Gaylaxicons. Gaylaxicon 2007 will be held in beautiful downtown Atlanta, GA on October 5 - 8, 2007 (Columbus Day weekend). All humans, aliens and multi-forms are welcome. We will have more info about the event and our screening soon.
For more info visit the official website here GAYLAXICON 2007

Friends of Velvet Candy: ANN MAGNUSON

The whole Velvet Candy posse was out catching ANN MAGNUSON: Pretty Songs & Ugly Stories this past weekend.
We were treated to a cabaret style performance by the legendary performance artist and good friend of Velvet Candy!
To purchase Ann's newest CD go here: Pretty Songs & Ugly Stories

Friends of Velvet Candy: BACK SOON

Hey Velvet Candy fans, check out the new film from our talented friends over at Guest House Films. BACK SOON is written and directed by Rob Williams and co-stars Matthew Montgomery (SOCKET) and Windham Beacham. Check it out at:
Back Soon

SOCKET: Behind the Music

People have been asking who is behind the great original score that we are using in SOCKET.
That woman would be Jennifer Kes Remington - a composer for film and TV as well as a filmmaker in her own right.
Along with being a classical pianist since the age of 7, she adds alto saxophone, guitar and voice to her repetoire. Jennifer attended the prestigious Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY and worked as a short stint as a radio deejay before attending the University of Michigan's Music School in Ann Arbor. Her numerous and diverse projects include music written for the TV series FOSTER'S HOME FOR IMAGINARY FRIENDS, THE POWERPUFF GIRLS, the films SCARY MOVIE 4 and HAPPILITY N'EVER AFTER, many short films, commercials, and now our full-length feature, SOCKET. Jennifer has also directed and produced a documentary and is starting her next directorial project in the spring of 2007. Velvet Candy hopes to work with the multi-talented Ms. Remingtom again in the near future. Visit Jen on the web at www.myspace.com/jenniferkes. Hey Dogg and Jen on MySpace

SOCKET: The Cult is Growing!

In a little over a week, SOCKET has created quite a buzz on this here thing called the internet. With some great gay bloggers (see list to the right) catching wind of our unique film, we've had well over 5000 viewings of our trailer on sites like You Tube, Daily Motion, Google Video, and iFilm.
We've also already become a Wikipedia entry!!!
PLUS our MySpace page has been updated with tons of pictures, info on the film, the trailer, a slide show, etc. Us here at Velvet Candy and our co-producers at Dark Blue Films are very
excited as we prepare to bring SOCKET to the widest audience possible. Thank you to all our friends, old and new that have
helped us spread the word!!! We have a great feeling about this.

SOCKET: Sex, Plugs, Shock & Control

As word of SOCKET has spread throughout the internet, we've recieved a few inquiries about the gay content of the film.
People seem to want to know a) if the characters are "out" and b) is there sex & nudity in the film? Our answers are
"yes, yes & yes". Our lead characters of Dr. Bill Matthews and Dr. Craig Murphy are "out" in the sense that their sexuality is never questioned - like it should be in real life. Yes they are gay, yes they are doctors, yes they are involved in a storyline where their sexuality is inconsequential to the plot, yet prominent throughout the film. Our two female leads also happen to be lesbian and just to keep thing interesting we have transgendered actress Alexandra Billings playing a straight woman!
As for sex & nudity - we feel that it's a natural part of the storytelling. Don't you hate it when there's a hot love scene in a mainstream film and when they are finished, the characters roll over and they are wearing underwear? That totally ruins it for us. We believe that people are often naked in real life and therefore for a story to be told realistically, why shouldn't they be naked within the context of a film? After such recent indie films as BROWN BUNNY, SHORTBUS, 9 SONGS and KISSING ON THE MOUTH, there isn't much that we could do to shock our audience sexually...but none of those films used electricity as an erotic element. SOCKET does. Go ahead and plug in... :)

Technorati Profile

SOCKET on Fangoria.com

The press for SOCKET is just getting started, and where better to start than Fangoria.com ?

Fangoria.com Article

SOCKET - The Trailer

Special thanks to our director/writer/producing partner Sean Abley, our trailer editor Nicole Opyr and the lovely and talented Dave Cobb for making this trailer come together.

See Tara Devlin and laugh till it hurts...

One of Velvet Candy Entertainment's oldest and best friends is Tara Devlin (that's her with the brilliant Amy Sedaris) - an up-and-coming stand-up comedienne AND the designer of SOCKET's incredible opening & closing titles. You can see Tara performing LIVE ON STAGE in New York City Tuesday, April 17 @ Carolines on Broadway / 6:30pm seating, 7pm show / 1626 Broadway (at 50th St.) 212-757-4100 for reservations SAY "TARA DEVLIN" AND PAY $5 instead of $15
(+ 2 drink minimum)