A special thanks to the Hetrick-Martin Institute and all the wonderful people we never meet who made this years Emery Awards benefiting The Hetrick-Martin Institute a huge success.
Kimora Lee Simmons was the beautiful hostess, for this year’s gala that paid a special tribute to Harvey Milk led by Academy Award winning writer of “Milk” Dustin Lance Black and longtime activist Cleve Jones.
The evening continued with dancing and mingling. I courageously stepped onto the dance floor with Lance Bass and a bit of trouble keeping up with him. We took a break and I asked about his Dancing With the Stars experience. He told me, “it was the hardest thing he has ever had to do.”
I caught up with Dustin Black, the Academy award winning Writer of “Milk”.
Dustin had stepped off a plane from his six week shoot in Michigan only a few hours earlier.
Seems New Yorkers can smile at the fact that Dustin is going to be staying, “I’m moving here, and it will all sink in after I sleep for at least an entire week.”
He has been going nonstop as the writer and Director of his latest project, “What’s wrong with Virginia,” and that the 6 weeks to shoot was a fantastic whirlwind that he loved. The only thing missing was downtime.
“What’s wrong with Virginia,” is about a sheriff who is losing his state senate bid when his daughter begins to date the son of a charming but psychologically disturbed woman with whom the sheriff has engaged in a two-decades-long affair.
“What’s wrong with Virginia” stars: Jennifer Connelly, Emma Roberts, Ed Harris, Carrie Preston, Amy Maddigan, Harrison Gilbertson, and Paul Walter Hauser.
As for directing, Dustin’s eyes lit up, “I love it.” I don’t know about you, but I look forward to anything Dustin writes or directs.
A special thanks to our new friend and contributor, Neal Bennington who has his wonderful coverage of the red carpet for us.

















