Did Universal Snub Outfest So 'Chuck And Larry' Could Party With More Fabulous Gays?
In its current issue, The Advocate pointedly asks why I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry was scheduled to premiere opposite Outfest's opening night—the one night that was sure to siphon off at least some of the rose-tinted limelight away from the festival and towards the Adam Sandler and Kevin James comedy about healthy, American males masquerading as (ha ha!) betrothed sodomites:
So the question is, Did Universal know about a potential rainbow-colored calendar collision when the premiere date was set? A Universal spokesperson had this response: "The fact that our film premieres during Outfest is merely a coincidence. The date of the premiere is predicated solely on when the film's talent is available during their very busy schedules promoting the film in the two weeks before its release.
We consider I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry a mainstream comedy whose message is inclusive and positive, and we hope that the film appeals to a broad variety of moviegoers."
We think what may initially come off as an attempt at manufacturing controversy is actually the cunning handiwork of a gay mastermind, who—as Isaiah Washington revealed recently—had already manipulated The Advocate once before into putting him on their cover for his own, career-advancing purposes. An anonymous phone call asking a few strategic questions was all that was needed to set the wheels in motion, eventually throwing Universal executives into a tizzy over whether or not their chosen premiere date could somehow be interpreted as a homophobic gesture—a potential public relations disaster that would easily be fixed by a couple days of reshoots to incorporate a cameo from authentic Gay of the People, T.R. Knight.