Afternoon Greg: A deeply personal loss; Kathy Griffin dishes; The Art of Being Straight

I’ve had a heavy heart today.

I found out late last night that one of the best friends I’ve ever had died yesterday. He was just 42. He was my dorm roommate my first year at SDSU and we stayed close for most of the next 23 years until a falling out 2.5 years ago that we had only recently begun to repair.

I have not had anything hit me with such a physical force in ages. Walt was the first straight friend I came out to, the friend who stayed up with me until all hours New Year’s Eve 1994 helping me nurse a broken heart; a friend whose wedding I was honored to be in seven years ago; and a friend wore my sportscoat when he went on TV’s Wheel of Fortune and won first prize.

Ironically, in my post about Adam Lambert yesterday, I wrote about Walt and it made me think of him a lot yesterday – before I knew he was gone. I’ll write about him in the future, a proper tribute. I can’t do it today.

Here are a few afternoon items for you:

With my head reeling from my friend’s death, I decided to keep my scheduled appointment to meet with filmmaker Jesse Rosen at the Farmers Market this morning. It was so refreshing and inspiring really to chat with the 27 year old who has so much in front of of him but has already accomplished so much as the writer-director-star of his first movie The Art of Being Straight.

The movie, a sexy, comedic drama about two college friends questioning their careers and sexuality in east Los Angeles, opened in New York last week and is playing a second week there while it will premiere in LA on Friday. Tomorrow I will run part one of a two-part interview with Jesse who is so good in the movie. I was shocked to find out that he had no plans to star until the original leading man dropped out three days before the start of production – fortunately, Jesse already knew all the lines!

He got a nice review in The New York Times last week!

Here is the trailer:

KATHY GRIFFIN TALKS: On a far lighter note, I enjoyed reading an interview Kathy Griffin gave to the LA Times this week in conjuction with the 5th season premiere of My Life on the D-List.

On Britney Spears: “I don’t know how she can dance that hard on Klonopin. Allegedly of course! I’m not a pharmacist! It’s a fun show. She lip-syncs to all her hits. But I will say, if you’re a fan, which I am, of all the levels and colors of Britney, it does deliver. Crazy Britney, the hits, hot male dancers. And when she stopped the show in Vancouver because someone was smoking? That stuff you can’t buy. Believe me, the only time they turned her mike on was to say “Goodnight, Phoenix!” But she was in Tulsa. It was a fun show.

As you get closer to the center of the celebrity industrial complex, do you become more afraid of what you learn?

“I can never get close. My No. 1 job is always, always, always stand-up. It has to be a no-holds-barred attitude. Let me give you an example. I met Drew Barrymore a couple times. I went to a party at her house. And she said, “You know, you should come to one of my small dinner parties, we hate the same people.” But if I’m sitting next to Courtney Love and she falls over, I can’t not put it in the act. I’m responsible to my audience the way most people feel responsible to their Lord Jesus.”

OK. Your assistant Jessica. What is the deal?

Jessica has a whole new life now. She is engaged to a guy and living in Arizona. Believe me, it’s going to be weird to watch the show without her. She is very happy. She told me she’s happy. I definitely miss her.