Fresno Reel Pride 2008

I left for Fresno a week ago, so I apologize for not posting something earlier in the week; unfortunately this has been a really busy one for me.

I arrived in Fresno around 6:25 pm last week. Jorge and I decided we wanted to go to the hotel first so we could check in. We were staying at the luxurious Holiday Inn Airport. By the way who knew that the Fresno Airport was an International Airport??? Not me... The hotel was undergoing some major construction and the front of the building was boarded up as a result. For a moment I thought our hotel had closed down and now we were S.O.L on a place to stay.

The hotel actually was open. While they could not move Jorge and I to a poolside room, our standard hotel room did have a special VIP touch to it. The event organizers arranged for a bottle of sparkling wine to be placed in our room. After some of the other cast mates checked in, I noticed that they did not have champagne in their room...Apparently someone (ME!!) is a bigger VIP.

After Jorge and I checked into our hotel room we headed to the Tower District because I
REALLY wanted to catch the film, "Between Love and Goodbye." Honestly I knew absolutely nothing about this film, but thought the title was intriguing.

We checked into the festival and received our VIP badges. They were labeled "Star" to indicate that we were actors in one of the films at the festival. The the upper corner of these badges were numbers...Mine was 007! Obviously they knew I was someone special, which is why they gave me such an awesome number.

After we were checked in, our VIP Coordinator, Drew, greeted us and brought us to the theater that JD, the producer of my film was at. Fortunately it also happened to be the theater that was playing "Between Love and Goodbye." After the paparazzi was done snapping photos of us, we went inside the theater and caught the last half of the film. Even though I only caught the last half of the film, I would have to say it was on of my favorites from the festival. I will review the film later; however, if you notice it is playing at a theater of film festival near you, GO SEE IT.

Jorge and I changed our clothes after the film was over and heading out on the town. The first stop was the Girl Party, which had all but closed when we got there. Then we went to The Den for the boy party. With a name like The Dean, I should have known what to expect; however the Leather Daddies whipping Hispanic Drag Queens and the "Crack" shots left me stunned. There were a few moments where I literally thought I was going to become ill. Thankfully Drew ran inside to save us.

From there we went to The Million Elephant where Jorge and I were semi ditched. I say we were Semi ditched because while we would have gone out to the other bar, Deja Vu, we were both tired enough to go back to the hotel for sleep. I also thought it was funny that a bunch of boys were going to a heterosexual strip joint. (Deja Vu, is apparently a chain nightclub. The one in Minneapolis is a straight strip joint that I believe is not very homo friendly, but I could be wrong.) Apparently the boys that did go to the Vu had an amazing time.

The next day the other boys in my cast showed up and Jorge and I saw a bunch of films. We saw Clapham Junction and Newcastle that day. After Newcastle we went to the filmmakers party. The topic of conversation for that evening was about a guy I met the previous night. His name is Simon; he is the lead actor in "Between Love and Goodbye."


Simon had given me his cell number the day before and was going to hang out with us that evening. According to a few people he hadn't been expressing an interest in anyone but myself so they all kept telling me to "seal the deal." For those of you that know me, you know one night stands are not my cup of tea, but I definitely was thinking about making an exception. Long story short, I didn't "seal the deal" for various reasons, and naturally, Simon's interest faded.

After the party we went to Deja Vu, where many of my cast mates seemed to pair off with other bar patrons. There was a lot of drinking and a lot of dancing; ultimately that night, I think the only person who did anything was Brian and all they did was kiss. The next day we all were paying of the previous evenings activities; however, brunch was available for a little hair of the dog.

That day was also the day that we screened our film, "Neurotica." The screening went alright, most people laughed at Jorge's lines (Deservingly so). The afternoon was spent at the Marriott pool, and the evening at the Tower Theater for closing ceramony. The party seemed fun, but I didn't feel good, was tired, and there was drama brewing, which always signifys the end of the vacation. I decided to go back to the hotel and get some sleep before the long drive home.

Overall that weekend in Fresno was amazing. The people there were so friendly and welcoming. I had a great time and met some incredible people that I hope to keep in contact with. I really do wish that the Fresno Reel Pride was this weekend. Of course hindsight is 20/20 and that could be why I wish the festival was this weekend. There are definitely a few things I would do differently.

**Photos were taken by event photographers and The Smoking Cocktail**

Actor Todd Hunter and Producer JD Disalvatore

Todd and JD with The Lair's Brian Nolan.

Brunch with The Men of Neurotica.

Drew Wilhite, Simon Miller, and Casper Andreas