About Morris
Welcome to MorrisChapdelaine.com! I am a film maker, actor, director, art director and puppeteer (of all the crazy things!) living in fantastic Vancouver, British Columbia- the Sci-fi and comic book film and television capital of the world. (OK, it's just ME that proclaims that, but over my 10 years+ here, I have had the great opportunity to play aliens and creatures on several different shows)My first feature is just making the festival rounds and has already won it's first award! As a director I have made several short films and continue to do so and I have recently been working in many 'new media' formats as a director and art director. Take a look at my galleries, portfolios, demo reels and films and feel free to leave your comments- they're most appreciated. Thanks! MorrisInteresting Article in this month's DETAILS Magazine
Thoughts?December 4th, 2008
They're smarter, sexier, and far more successful than you'll ever be. And they definitely don't speak with a lisp. Meet America's new ruling class—the Alpha Gays.
Last month, sailing off the southern tip of Capri, a group of men including a prominent Manhattan gallerist and a former pro soccer player made for quite the postcard. In fact, the scene was more like a glossy advertisement for an expensive chronographic timepiece: As the 42-foot Norwegian yacht tacked into the wind, the rugged master-of-the-universe types scrambled to adjust the jib. To the casual observer, they appeared to be active men of means on some kind of luxury bonding excursion. And they were. But they also happened to be homosexual.
Make way for the A-gays. Moneyed, successful, educated, and comfortable in their own skin, they're fast becoming the new archetype of cosmopolitan masculinity. The urban man's man. They don't own yappy miniature dogs or time-shares in Fort Lauderdale; they own Labradors and four-bedroom summer homes in Sag Harbor. Instead of cruising in gay clubs, they jet to Gstaad or the TED conference, and party at Sundance with Zooey Deschanel. They don't want to be part of any kind of closeted group or velvet mafia. Their Savile Row suits are impeccable (A-gays tend to go custom rather than buying off the rack), and they furnish their homes with collectible pieces by designers like Claude Lalanne. They drive to Krav Maga class in Lexus hybrids and read four newspapers a day, including the Wall Street Journal, because they're bosses and entrepreneurs, not employees. Often athletic, they're never steroid queens. And they can pull off having much-younger boyfriends without looking creepy. Artists and photographers approach them with new works. Charity committees beg them to cohost their benefits and sit on their boards—and they have portfolios of philanthropic interests that aren't just gay- or AIDS-related. Some, like one couple in New York City, a lawyer and a chef, aren't just avid operagoers, they're benefactors. Others travel in Wasp circles.
What they're not are the guys running around in torn jeans and leopard-print tops telling women what not to wear. "They have actual power that even straights can't deny," says one veteran of the New York-Los Angeles power-gay media scene, "and usually an imposing sense of style and grooming." A-gays supplant the prevailing media cliché: those irrepressible reality makeover icons, style experts, and fashion minions who have thrived throughout the naughts. They are the antitheses of the Carson Kressleys and Steven "Kojo" Cojocarus—they don't want to talk about how to hide your chunky sister's hips or brighten up a bedroom with colorful pillows. They will never say "Just wear it with a belt!" They own the company that manufactures the belts.
Even those A-gays with kids are able to find the time to perfect themselves, becoming the healthier, more stylish, more popular version of you that might have been. The cultural barriers that once held them back have largely eroded, but instead of waving rainbow flags, they maintain a subtle privacy about their sexuality. Out but not loud, proud but discreet, they transcend gayness in much the same way that Barack Obama is said to have transcended race.
"A-gays mark measurable societal progress," says Laura Gilbert, editor of the pop-culture website lemondrop.com. "People can now be out without being expected to swish. It's the Neil Patrick Harris/Portia de Rossi brand of gay."
Those of a certain pedigree have a tendency to stick together, and A-gays are no different. While they don't shun B-gays or C-gays, they tend to move in rarefied circles, and are apt to be found at upscale restaurants among their straight peers—not at bars with names like Rawhide. For the most part, they have opted out of the gay scene and its social networks and eschew the theme parties and bathhouses of the lower castes. They also steer clear of the typical pink vacation destinations; you will not catch an A-gay shirtless in South Beach or at a foam party in Mykonos.
"My favorite A-gay has to be dragged to gay bars," says Gilbert, adding that she sees the breed as a unique torment to straight women: "At first when we meet one, we feel a glimmer of hope for the existence of funny, charming, debonair, clean-shaven men. Soon, though, the reality sinks in."
But for straight men, the A-gay is even more confusing. The average guy might have a gay friend or two, but they rarely represent a challenge to his heterosexuality. The A-gay's success—with personal style, in business, with friends—has a gravitational pull. Often straight guys hope that some of that A-gayness will rub off on them and, before you know it, they've developed a man crush. And that's when their wives start giving them looks.
Mike Albo in Details Magazine
So...what do you think? Parts of this really ring true...some parts are a bit questionable. None the less...I appreciate the sentiment. Its nice to get some 'good press' for a change.
A great way to begin humpday!
'Gay marriages will save the economy!"December 3, 2008
Take 3 minutes to watch this great bit of hilarious musical theater featuring a star studded cast including: Jack Black, Neil Patrick Harris, Sarah Chalke, Margaret Cho, John C.Reilly, Allison Janney and many more.
World AIDS Day
Much to Reflect Upon
December 1st, 2008
It's hard to believe that its been 20 years since we started marking World Aids Day. I think a lot of progress has been made- especially in places like Vancouver where AIDS research is a high priority- but there is still so much to be done. 33 million people worldwide are living with HIV, which includes 2.7 million total new cases in 2007.
I attended a brunch yesterday in the city called 'AIDS Benedict' and a percentage of proceeds went to camp MOOMBA. A camp for children with HIV and AIDS here in BC. If you can do anything to raise awareness or make a difference in your community- make an effort to do so. The simplest and smartest thing to do is get TESTED. I did a few weeks ago and I am happy as ever to be completely healthy. Knowledge is power.
Rally held last night in Vancouver
100's showed...but no one from the 'church' was there...denied access to Canada I believeNovember 29th, 2008
In related news:
Thanks to Oliver for pointing me to this poignant blog entry by A. McEwan, a guy from Columbia, South Carolina, USA. His full blog can be found here.
Message to the religious right - this isn't just about marriage, it's about history
" I keep hearing all of this nonsense about us lgbts attacking people, about us using intimidation and violence to oppress people, about us somehow being ugly aggressors.
Newt Gingrich (who wrote the book on deceptive messaging during his tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives) actually accused us of being "secular fascists."
Gingrich's attack on us seem to be the prevailing theme with those on the other side of the Proposition 8 argument.
And I think there needs to be some historical perspective on this matter.
True, Proposition 8 has galvanized our community. We have become a bit more politically engaged in our anger. That is a good thing.
However, any display of violence on either side of the argument should never be tolerated.
Nor should letting the religious right frame the moment.
I have a few questions to people like Newt Gingrich, Bill O’Reilly, Chuck Norris, Gary Bauer, Peter LaBarbera and the rest who are trying to push this "gay intimidation" image.
Where were you in the late 1970s when Anita Bryant accused us of trying to “recruit” children?
Where were you in 1983 when Paul Cameron accused gay men of stuffing gerbils up our rectums and castrating children? Or afterwards when he went from state to state pushing his phony research papers all designed to make us the boogiemen of American society?
Where were you when Jerry Falwell exploited the AIDS crisis to generate more money for the Moral Majority? Or when those dying of AIDS were cast out of their communities and excommunicated from their churches?
Where were you when Colorado passed that law in 1992 that basically said cities in the state had absolutely no right to protect gays and lesbians from discrimination?
Where were you when over the course of 20 years all of those phony “pro-family” groups told lies in front of federal and congressional state houses in attempts to beat back pro-gay laws or spread discredited research that gave “upstanding, moral” families the perfect excuse to put their gay sons and daughters out on the cold streets?
Where were you when organizations like Concerned Women for America, the Family Research Council, the Traditional Values Coalition, and Focus on the Family unconsciously gave reasoning for groups of roaming thugs to bash our heads in, chase us out in heavy traffic, beat us to bloody pulps with nail embedded boards, and hang us from fences on dark and lonely roads?
How is it that you can dare call us aggressive when for over 30 years, you have done everything in your power to make America hate and fear us?
How it is that you can dare infer that we don't have a right to get just a tad angry when for over 30 years, you have done everything in your power to make us hate and fear ourselves?
Every lie, every indignity, every attempt to dehumanize the lgbt community has brought us to this point. The Proposition 8 vote was the last straw in a chain of indignities that stretch as long as Jacob's ladder.
This ain’t just about marriage. Nor is this a single moment in time.
We are not the aggressors. We are learning to fight back.
When I was coming out, it wasn’t the fact that I was gay that bothered me more than the knowledge that so many had already written my life for me; told me who I was, what I liked, what I didn’t like, and even where I was going after I died.
Worst of all, they had the nerve to tell me that I had absolutely no rights to the words "values," "family," "tradition," or "honor."
And you know what the saddest thing about this is? I was not alone. Hundreds of thousands of lgbts went through the same experience. It was our "rite of passage."
So while I may not have a media spin machine behind me and therefore very few will give a damn about what I say, while I may not be a member of a religious think tank who is presently working to use this moment to again dehumanize lgbts, and while I may not be considered as a "leading gay talking head," I am an American, a human being, and a child of God.
Therefore, I will never forget what has brought me to this point of outrage.
And I will do my best to make sure that this country never forgets either.
Lastly, I will do my best to make sure that YOU never forget"
There are a lot of angry Americans- and justifiably so. Even up here in Canada we're battling threats from that lousy group of lunatics, The Westboro Baptist Church. They were planning on coming to Vancouver to protest a run of the play, 'The Larami Project' at Havana Theater on Commercial Drive. This is a play about the killing of Matthew Shepard. I wasn't able to go, but I heard that there were hundreds of Vancouverites there at a peacful rally to defend the production and to stand up for LGBT rights here...apparently the 'church' didn't show...I have a feeling that they weren't let into the country.
Beyond Gay Update
Now offering bi-monthly video updates on our siteNovember 28, 2008
As of this week, we will be posting some exclusive footage from the almost 300 hours we shot on our world tour of Pride celebrations in 2008. Up first, a look at some fun highlights from Vancouver's 30th Pride. Keep checking the Big Gay Movie website for new content and upcoming exciting announcements and contests. Also to note, we have grown to well over 1000 fans from over 70 countries both on our movie's website and over on our facebook fan page. To become a facebook fan, go to this link.
Oh...and Happy Thanksgiving to all my American friends! We are all very lucky and have much to be thankful for. Lets give a moment of thought to our friends and family struggling in places right now like India, Thailand, The Congo, Iraq and Afghanistan. Being who we are as great citizens of the world has nothing to do with political leanings or religion...just being honest and showing love and appreciation for all is the least we can do.