And the winner of the 1st Ever Willow Tree Pageant is . . .

Of course we're not gonna tell you that.

So to give you a taste of who's in the pageant, here is Rachel Grubb who was actually a last minute replacement.

Rachel is a scream queen, a writer and a director. She founded Silent-But-Deadly Productions. a non-profit organization designed to help women in the film business. Now Rachel is directing Silent-But-Deadly’s first feature film: Why Am I In A Box? and, as if that wasn’t enough, Rachel also wrote and is starring in the film!

Her interview with B Movie Man appears below:

http://bmovieman.com/WOHRG.aspx

More photos from the set

Nudism Benefits Autistic Boy

RECENTLY AN INSPIRING story appeared in the Forest Grove New Times, a newspaper serving the Pacific Northwest. It was a first-hand account by the mother of a six year old boy afflicted with autism who found rays of hope in an unlikely place: the local NUDE beach.

You read that correctly. Mother, husband, and son did not even know that the Rooster Rock Recreation Area in which they were hiking would wind up at a place where most patrons strip off, but that's exactly what happened. Her boy, who could not wait to get out of his uncomfortable clothing and into the refreshing water, had no hesitation in shucking his threads. (Those who know young people who have autism also know that, for many, their increased sensitivity to touch often makes clothing especially uncomfortable for them.)

As the story explains further, it did not take mom long to follow her son's example:

I have learned to appreciate the small moments of each day.... Moments of joy

I think for so many people in so many of life’s situations, it is the moments of joy that help us through the challenges. It is facing something terrifying, daunting, and tough that does indeed make the great things seem even more so.

That’s why I knew there was only one thing to do as I stood there on the beach watching my son splash with the biggest, most gleeful smile I have ever seen.

I tossed my swimsuit to my husband who stood there with a bemused – but not surprised – smile and I turned to join my son. Hand in hand, we ran off into the river, laughing all the way.

-------------------------
Editor's note: I am looking for the full story and will post it soon.

The real problem with family naturism

From talking to the young people at Olive Dell, both children and parents have remarked to me about how family unfriendly camps like Glen Eden and Deer Park has become. Much of the problem has to do with GE's lack of a youth program and how they allegedly discourage family membership. Deer Park has a youth program director but most of their kids have flown the coop. One child told me it was the most "unkid-liest place" he's ever visited. There's also a matter of a school tax that GE tries to avoid should they have children as members. Hap Hathaway himself told me this really is no excuse since they have to pay the school tax anyway.

Olive Dell on the other hand has an active "juniors" program, weekly activities and their kitchen staff is made up of their college members. So I see a real a correlation between youth involvement and the future of a naturist resort, particularly in attracting younger members.

To be continued . . .

From Entertainment Weekly

Oct 25 2010 02:25 PM ET


Memo to the Parents Television Council: We're boycotting your boycotts
by Jennifer Armstrong

LHey, Parents Television Council: We hereby declare ourselves morally outraged by your moral outrage. We are red-alerting your system of constant red-alerts. We are boycotting your boycotts.

The fact is, this so-called “non-partisan education organization advocating responsible entertainment” seems more concerned with grabbing headlines than exercising responsibility itself. The group has often employed a tiresome alarmist attack strategy: It seems preoccupied, for instance, with unsaid profanity — yes, really, profanity that was not actually uttered, as in the title of the CBS sitcom $#*! My Dad Says and, a few years back, The CW’s sexy “OMFG” campaign for Gossip Girl. It spends a lot of time policing the content of shows meant to provoke — and meant, by the way, to be aimed at adults — like perpetual offender Family Guy. You think an episode including orgies and bestiality wasn’t basically meant to upset you, PTC?

But the council has never made its true mission clearer than when it spoke out against last week’s much-debated GQ photo shoot featuring three Glee stars, two of them in very little clothing. The group seems more interested in getting in on any hot topic trending online than in fulfilling its stated mission. Even though the debate had nothing to do with actual television content, and even less to do with media aimed at kids (GQ is for grown men, guys!), they hijacked the debate with their hysterical assertions that the shoot “borders on pedophilia.” I myself argued against the photos’ cheap, sexist set-up (crotch shots, lollipops, and underwear for Lea Michele and Dianna Agron; sweaters and ties — not to mention pants — for Cory Monteith). And I resented the way the PTC derailed the discussion, making it easy to scoff away any criticism of the pictorial as crazy talk of the same ilk. Of course it’s not pedophilia — Michele and Agron are both in their 20s — but it is misogynist trash that goes against the very empowerment Glee preaches. The PTC, however, torpedoed the entire debate.

The group’s insistence on being ludicrous is too bad, really, because a reasonable TV watchdog group could do some good. With more content on television than ever — and the medium’s ever-increasing pervasiveness in our lives — there’s nothing wrong with holding networks accountable for their actions. And surely parents would appreciate some measured guidance in finding the best family programming out there. (Not all high school shows and cartoons are meant for young audiences, after all.) The PTC has even waged some rational campaigns on occasion — for instance, a report last year pointing out the brutal violence against women on prime-time crime shows. Unfortunately, such constructive outrage gets lost in the group’s too-frequent ridiculous dramatics.

With the PTC losing funding and power — as The New York Times reports, the group that once scored record-setting Federal Communications Commission fines against broadcasters didn’t make a dent this fall in $#*! My Dad Says‘ ad revenue — could it be time for a truly nonpartisan education organization that would advocate responsibly for responsible entertainment? Until then, we’ll be tuning out the outrage.

Here's a thousand words on our last shoot. We shot some interviews of members of AAFNR, a family nudist non-landed club. Unfortunately, members of Vida Nuda West declined to appear.

Since we are nearing the end of our shoot, we really have no representation from young nudist couples. The film makes no mention of them anyway, so in a way, they do not exist. Perhaps this is just as well. If no one speaks out, no one will ever know, and if the rest of America thinks that nudists are old fat people, mostly men who drag their kids along to events, then there's nothing I can do about that.

To aspire to

I'm a big fan of True Blood and it's images like these that inspire me.

More photos from the set

This series of photos take place near the front entrance of the fictional Willow Tree Naturist Resort.

Pictures from the set

One more time

Why do I make nudist films? Here are the many reasons why. This has been my career in a nutshell and nothing has really changed. The Screening Room is my last nudist film and I'll be moving on to more sci-fi and dark comedy. The Screening Room was a great springboard for these types of films. Anyway, onward . . .

I love being a nudist filmmaker, that is, writing screenplays set in nudist resorts with a naturist theme because I love being ostracized by my colleagues on every professional level and being considered a freak by every self-respecting actress who auditions for me.

I love being a nudist filmmaker because I love calling Nikki Craft a paranoid, fearmongering bitch and expect no repercusssions because of the obscurity of my work.

I love being a nudist filmmaker because I love communicating with nudist resort owners who think an active nudist will portray his own community as though they were a bunch of tree hugging hippies with no grip on reality.

I love being a nudist filmmaker because I love to delude myself into believing that naturism will change the world because so many cases of civil rights were won by middle-aged and elderly white guys sitting around in their lawn chairs.

I love being a nudist because I love having every career path cut short because the market for such photographic images, videos and film is considered the domain of sex offenders.

I love being a nudist filmmaker because I get to present censored images of nudists in order to make the point that the human body is beautiful. I love to feature teenage characters fully clothed and have them talk about getting naked because I can then deny that the perverts in the audience are getting a major boner from hearing this "naughty talk".

I love being a nudist filmmaker because I love getting banned from Hawaii nudist clubs for calling their teenage member a skanky little slutbag, and then being accused of being jealous of that skanky little slutbag.

I love being a nudist filmmaker because I love promoting a philosophy that no one can remember who founded, and no one can name a famous member of.

I love being a nudist filmmaker because it's so exciting to be involved in something that fundamentalist Christians are offended by, but the Nazis fully approved of (up to a certain point, anyway - and they only shut them down for political reasons.)

And most of all, I love being a nudist filmmaker because I love to make the same pro-nudism argument about the positive benefits of nudism EVERY SINGLE TIME FOR OVER TWENTY YEARS TO FELLOW WRITERS who think nudism went out with the hippies.

Stay NAKED!

The Real Joy Sarkin

Joy Sarkin, the lead female character in the Screening Room, is obviously an offshoot of Kelly Deerdale (short film: Kelly Deerdale, Naturist.) She is the club resort owner's daughter and admittedly I have never met nudist club owner's children.

Until today.

Olive Dell Ranch is run by second generation naturists, and I only spent a few seconds talking to her during a pool volleyball game. In those few seconds, I suddenly felt like apologizing to her for the way I portray Joy in my film.

This was a girl with a lot of self confidence, a good head on her shoulders and very mature. I could tell that just from a strong first impression.

In contrast, the local nudist girl who became the basis of Kelly Deerdale was arrogant, selfish and sexually irresponsible. She was flaunting herself while at nudist functions and generally belittling her peers, despite only being a year older than they were.

I used to blame it on her parents. Certainly the short film showed that, though I liked her dad, and respected his nudist philosophy. I personally never blamed him.

Since today, I now understand that she has to be held accountable for her behavior. Children know what it right and what is wrong. There is no excuse for the things rumored of her, all of which were true. My cousin is no liar, and I trust what he said.

Kelly (not her real name) should be ashamed of herself. I only wish she had the Olive Dell girls to hang with. They would have set her straight. But even then, she still has to think for herself and make better decisions. Her behavior was unbecoming of a nudist, and as a nudist she should have known better. You can't claim she simply didn't know what a nudist was about. The information was out there.

Nudists are supposed to be examples, innovators, free thinkers and influential ones at that. And it all starts when you're young. Some young nudists grow up to run nudist resorts. Others do not. Very few are really messed up.

Kelly wasn't the child of a resort owner or even a non-landed club owner.

Joy Sarkin is, and at this writing, it may be hard for a nudist to believe that a resort owner's daughter would behave the way she would. But I think it's credible. And the story is written and now must be told.

Tony Young

Some random but insightful comments from Skinbook

Thank God (or Buddha) for social networking. I asked fellow naturists if implied nudity would be a dealbreaker when watching a naturist film. Especially when average older folk are nude in full frontal shots but many of the young people are not.

Here is what they said:

Your movie sounds really interesting though. I'd love to see it whenever it is done.

Dario Western "You could have gone to some of the family nudist places and asked if there were any teens who were willing to be featured in the film instead of getting textile actors. They would have probably been more than happy to feature in the movie.

Nude children and teens have been featured in some films like "The Blue Lagoon", "The Boys Of St. Vincents", "Educating Julie", "Puberty Blues"."

Tony Young Comment by Tony Young on June 8, 2010 at 2:26pm
Unfortunately in this country, soliciting teen talent for a nudist film is out of the question. Those films you mentioned were done decades ago, and even Brooke Shields said on the Blue Lagoon commentary that they could not have made that movie nowadays.

When I asked for talent on the nudist resort.org site, they freaked when they assumed I wanted to hire teenagers. They had no idea that movies and tv shows (other than Disney) hire 18 year old actors to play younger for movies of this genre. And when I said my lead character had a "gift," I can only guess what they thought I meant.

Also, there are no scenes featuring teenage characters nude. It's a directorial choice. Films need conflict and what is more obvious a conflict than having a clothed teenager in a nudist setting. At this writing, we've edited the first 20 minutes and it does feel like a "behind the scenes" of a nudist resort type of film. We can definitely use more nudity.


Comment by Matthew Kerwin on May 14, 2010 at 1:48am
Is there some legal consideration about nudity for films representing someone to be under the age of 18 even thought the actor were 18 or older? I've seen children filmed nude in major films - not often, but it happens.

Yes, being coy about nudity detracts from the wholesomeness of nudity. It makes it seem "naughty" and usually actually makes the situation somewhat salacious.

I suppose that big name filmmakers can get more cooperation from the cast. I've often thought that, when filming nude scenes, the director and crew - at least the director - could be nude too - and in a naturist film - the director should make sure that he is in the film too - a la Hitchcock - fully nude.

Comment by Tony Young on May 14, 2010 at 2:06am
Actually, there is no law about depicting teens nude if the actors are 18. It was a directorial choice, as well as a socio/political statement.

Comment by Fatnudist on May 13, 2010 at 2:36pm
"It seems to me that if your making a naturist film with no/limited nudity, you're implying that there is something wrong/bad about nudity. If everyone is over 18 actually, I don't see what the problem is in them all being nude, Did they not know what the film was about? "

Comment by Tony Young on May 13, 2010 at 9:02pm
Yes, but she claimed that she didn't know which roles would be full frontal, which ones would be topless only, and which would be implied. In this town, nudity can hurt an actresses career. And they are all paranoid.

I write great roles and many actresses are attracted to the roles and will try to scam you into giving it to them, and allowing them to film it with implied nudity.

The Opening Scene

"Baby, Baby, I love the way you love me.
Your tongue on my skin drives me insane.
How I long for your candy kisses in the summer rain.
Your lips so tender, with me you lie.
The day you leave me is the day I die."

This poem opens my film, "The Screening Room." My first feature under my own direction and my own script, untouched by other producers.

The significance of this poem is that I blatantly ripped it off, okay -- freely adapted it from a girl who stood me up on Valentine's Day. Does she deserve this immortality. Of course not.

But those four days, prior to that loss, and it's my loss, not hers . . . get to that in a minute.

Those four days were filled with hope and excitement, such feelings I have never experienced before and haven't since. Sure, I've had love affairs since, but unheard melodies are sweeter and the possibility of what might have been, had I not f*cked it all up, is so much more exciting. After all, her POETRY OPENS THE FRICKIN' MOVIE.

How's that for impact! This "poet" (and I use the term loosely, she wasn't THAT good) didn't give two sh*ts about me, and probably has forgotten all about me by now, left me a poem that OPENS MY FRICKIN' MOVIE!!!

Still it is my adaptation and my own work based on hers. And I do feel loss on my part. After all, she inspired me with all of her stories of the club scene in Seattle and minor hints of love affairs too racy to include here. She is by definition my muse, or was my muse. And no one, not your muse, no one has the right to deny you the feelings you first felt upon meeting her.

And when it comes down to it. I didn't know this girl, this amateur poet. I fell in love with my image of who I believed she was. So in a very real sense, it's more my work than hers. I'm sure she'll never see it. Too bad. I feel too that this will be my loss. She was there at the beginning, the turning point of my professional career, and she will not be there to share in its rewards.

My loss.

Implied nudity in a nudist film

Some characters in the screening room are not seen fully nude, but with implied nudity.

This comment came from my Skinbook blog.

I think it says it all.

" It seems to me that if your making a naturist film with no/limited nudity, you're implying that there is something wrong/bad about nudity. If everyone is over 18 actually, I don't see what the problem is in them all being nude, Did they not know what the film was about? "

The Pageant Scene is Coming Soon

Casting has begun for the Pageant Scene in the Screening Room. As some of you actors reading this may know, for some odd reason our IMDB listing has been removed.

Needless to say, our people are looking into this.

Now you naturists following this blog are wondering, "What's a beauty pageant doing in a nudist movie?" Nudism is about body acceptance. We should accept all body types.

Trust me, that's exactly what the scene is about . . . sort of.

My beliefs in nudism is more old school, common to Germany in the turn of the century. They believed in Lebensreform or Life Reform, which called for a change in just about everything from religion to marriange to social mores. Can we honestly say that modern day naturists feel the same way?

More to come.

Powered by WebRing.

Seeking Completion Funds for the Screening Room

I have launched fundraising for my film, "The Screening Room" through Kickstarter. I am inviting everyone who is interested in seeing this film come to its final conclusion to be generous. Independent film begins with you, the viewing public, our friends and supporters.

I look forward to bringing this film to HIFF by next year.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tlyoung/the-screening-room

And to sweeten the deal, this blogspot will not be following the day to day actions of the film's promotions. Only Kickstarter will have exclusive content including photos from the publicity tour.

Special Appearance by Jesus Christ

Actor Joshua Raphael portrays Jesus Christ in this film.

Separating fact from fiction

Because I felt this Kelly Deerdale blog was so important, I thought I'd reprint it here in an edited form.

"Stories are meant to grow and develop and leave the original source behind. Jokes aside, I can see that Kelly Deerdale, as a character and as a person, was growing, learning, developing, becoming the stable adult that she would become, and having a naturist background would only help her, not hinder her.

"But of course, this is an assumption. Maybe she isn't happily married, as my film states in the final caption. Very few people are, but I have a good instinct when it comes to people. I believe she ended up more stable and more mentally, physically and sexually healthier than I ever did.

"It's why I made the film in the first place, and the only reason to make a nudist film, because when you look at yourself naked, you better be prepared for what you might see."

Naturists as healthy beings

Copied from a prior blog by Ken Freehiker:

Reintroduce a Healthy Naturist Revolution

Healthy eating and exercise, along with mental and spiritual health,
were essential to early naturist practice. What happened? It’s as if
when people took off their clothes they forgot why. Originally, it was
for physical and mental health. It’s time to bring healthy living back
to naturism.

It’s wrong that naturists just laze around a pool or on a beach in the
sun to the exclusion of swimming and freehiking and nude gardening and
similar healthy activities. Naturism is not just sunbathing – far from
it.

It’s wrong that naturists eat such unhealthy foods. A restaurant at a
resort should serve much more than burgers and fries and sugar-crammed
sodas. Naturists are healthy eaters.

It’s wrong that naturists gather together to drink and smoke as if
getting naked somehow encourages these obviously unhealthy practices.
On the contrary, naturism discourages these nasty habits.

It's wrong that naturists neglect mental and spiritual stimulation,
and hide from others. Demonstrating that they are different, not
"sheeple", by stepping outside the constraints of society and culture,
and rejecting the negative effects of "textilism" and sexual
perversion, naturists should be seekers after all truth and leaders
and teachers and missionaries, not fearful mental pigmies.

Perhaps “nudists” are okay with an unhealthy lifestyle, but not
“naturists”. By definition, naturists are physically active, eat
healthy food, avoid unhealthy habits, seek mental and spiritual
advancement, and encourage others to understand so they also live in
true health. It’s time for everyone to become "true" naturists.

In this regard, here’s an article by Dr. Mercola about sugar, one of
my pet peeves since being diagnosed with diabetes, that I found a very
informative resource:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/01/26/Sugar-M...

Can any of my readers suggest similar resources?

It’s past time to reintroduce a naturist revolution in how people
live!
-------------------------

American Nudist: Behind the Scenes

Pre-production has begun for a concurrent film, "Real American Nudist" while Screening Room is nearing post.

CREATING A CHARACTER

Usually when a writer creates a character, he bases it on someone from his life. Usually someone who has had a major impact on him or her.

I did something totally different for American Nudist, something I never thought I'd do.

When I was in 26, a girl I'll call "Jenny" here stood me up on Valentine's day. It left me traumatized, emotionally devastated and scarred for the rest of my life. I never truly recovered.

Jenny inspired no less than 12 "F*ck You Bitch" poems, one of which got me temporarily banned from Borders.

The experience inspired an award winning play and I even incorporated it into my sci-fi novel.

But enough was enough.

I was instructed to create a past love affair for my main character, Taylor Kong. But no woman from my past had any real impact on me. Especially from Hawaii, which I used to call the hotbed of celibacy.

So what did I do? I asked myself, What if Jenny didn't stand me up? What if we had met that night and we had this wild, animalistic love affair which inspired me to create more positive plays and films. What if loving her gave me more insight to love and relationships right then and there? Instead of waiting years to find out what I'd been doing wrong, and not being able to do anything about it.

What if Jenny were my muse?

So a character was born. This Jenny Chan is nothing like any local girl I've ever met. She's smart, insightful, very spiritual and mature. She knows herself and can see through the hypocrisies of the naturist lifestyle, when Taylor himself could not.

She even gets to the front door of the nudist party before she bails, not because she doesn't believe in it, but because she sees naturism as a young person's game, and when she doesn't get that, she makes her opinion known.

She inspires Taylor, though she hurts him at the same time. But one lesson Taylor will never learn as I had, 'tis better to love and lost than to never have loved at all.'

The real "Jenny" never taught me anything except how to hate. To be honest, she was an immature slut and I wasted years envying her for her sexual prowess. The fictional Jenny forced me to recreate myself in a way that the real Jenny did not.

The real "Jenny" admitted she didn't believe in love. The fictional Jenny understands and can only give love, but not irrationally.

The real "Jenny" and every other girl from my hometown will probably never read this. That's just as well. I don't want to pay her any royalties, but then again, she didn't create the character.

I did.

And I credit those who create something that is timeless and beautiful, not those who try to destroy it.

No Nudity in Manoa Valley Theater's production of "Hair"

This is reprinted from their Audition notice:

nudity: The script does not stipulate the use of nudity and the MVT production will be produced without nudity. Nudity is not integral to the "telling of the story" in Hair.

I come from Hawaii, and I feel ashamed for this. Lack of the nude scene in Hair is an insult to the original artists and though I've been told by at least one director that Hair has nothing to do with the nudist movement, I agree in part. Act One where the nude scene is placed is not consistent with the nudist ideals.

Act Two however, particularly within the context of the song, "Walking in Space" is very consistent, and though I do not credit the hippies with anything related to nudism, I remind them of this lyric:

"How dare they try to end this beauty. How dare they try to end this beauty."

This is all I will say on the matter. I have lost all faith in the artists in Hawaii at this point. Quite frankly their conservative mindset has, then and now, made me sick to my stomach.