World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation would like to wish actor Ronnie Marmo a Happy Birthday! Originally from Brooklyn, Marmo’s acting career began with leading roles in Italian American Reconciliation and Lusting After Pipino’s Wife. He was recognized for both plays by the New Jersey ACT with awards for outstanding lead male actor. He won the Cable ACE award in 1997 as the host and producer of the Documentary of the Year. He then joined the Broadway National Touring Company as “Tony” in Tony N Tina’s Wedding.

Ronnie Marmo has produced, directed and starred in dozens of plays, including the critically acclaimed Bill W and Dr Bob, which has played to many sold out audiences. He enjoyed a six month run starring as “Lenny Bruce” in the one man production of Lenny’s Back . . and boy is he pissed.

He has also written several scripts, both for the stage and the screen. His favorite is the semi-autobiographical story, West of Brooklyn. The 68 Cent Crew produced the play for the stage and received critics pick from the L.A. Times, L.A. Weekly and Backstage West. Ronnie Marmo also adapted West of Brooklyn as well as produced and starred in the film for the screen and 68 Cent Features. It can be found on DVD. He produced and starred in the movie.

Ronnie Marmo’s I AM NOT A COMEDIAN... I’M Lenny Bruce is currently playing at Theater 68 in Los Angeles. The critically acclaimed show chronicles the life and death of Lenny Bruce, one of the most controversial comedians of all time.

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“All men are created equal. No matter how hard they try, they can never erase those words. That is what America is about.” -Harvey Milk

What is Coming Out Day? It is a day to stand with those coming out about their sexual orientation to their families and friends. It is a day to support the resistance to homophobia and transphobia across the nation. It is a day to celebrate the rainbow of sexualities under our united flag.

30 years ago, the 1987 National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights, also known as the “Great March,” sparked an awareness of LGBT rights against president Ronald Reagan’s lack of acknowledgment on the issue. The next year, Robert Eichberg and Jean O'Leary started the first National Coming Out Day. Today, while we have made immense strides towards social equality, countless Americans still have trouble feeling accepted themselves, and let alone by their communities. Therefore, it is up to everyone to help spread awareness for our acceptance as a whole. The best way to combat the lingering homophobia and transphobia in our country is to show America its true identity.

For this year’s Coming Out Day, World Wide Motion Pictures Corporation would like to do its part by recommending a few great movies about coming out and other important LGBT+ topics.

Firstly, one of the funniest movies you could find is a 4th man out (2016). This charming movie about a man coming out to his friends on his 24th birthday doesn’t fail to amuse. While 4th man out or Fourth Man Out? is not daring or new, it is certainly a pleasant watch. It is a movie equivalent of a lighthearted sitcom and could be enjoyed by any fan of the genre.

Next, a slightly older movie that conveys a similar tone is But I’m a Cheerleader (1999). This movie feels like a lighthearted sitcom like 4th Man Out, as Friends does to Parks and Recreation. Where 4th  Man Out covers a group of young adults discovering a friend’s true identity, But I’m a Cheerleader covers actress Natasha Lyonne’s character and her completely unsupportive parents in a satirical manner. While film snobs could criticize its buoyant tone, it is definitely one worth watching for anyone who has had to come out to an unsupportive community.

Another small movie World Wide Motion Pictures recommends is Pop Kowboy (2012). Actor Shaun Driscoll and Ronnie Marmo star in this film about the complications of identity and romance in a very unsupportive world. Though a lesser-known entry on this list, Pop Kowboy, it is certainly one that embodies the spirit of Coming Out Day.

If you are not a movie person, supporting the community this Coming Out Day through volunteering or visiting your local LGBT centers are also very important. Whatever you plan to do for this day, World Wide Motion Pictures encourages you to support friends and family in accepting their identities, and, by extension, yourself.

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Welcome to 2016 where same-sex marriage has been legalized, visibility for the LGBTQ community has skyrocketed, and where calling something or someone “gay” does not mean dumb or stupid. Thanks to the efforts of the Human Rights Campaign in  spreading awareness, coming out of the closet to friends and family has become a safer place for everyone in today’s society.

Before there was National Coming Out Day (NCOD), there was the 1987 March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights fighting to spread the awareness of the AIDS crisis and how little the Ronald Reagan administration did not recognize the dilemma as an actual issue. A year later, to celebrate the anniversary of the march, NCOD came to be!

So, how does the Teen Wolf, Arrow, The Grinder, and Scream Queens star play a role into this huge scheme of national coming out day? Colton Hayne was honored with the Human Right Campaign’s Visibility Award! Haynes’s speech trended over Facebook the weekend of the event.

Haynes shares three facts about himself that individuals that didn’t follow him on social media should know:

1. He grew up in Kansas.
2. He has been obsessed with clouds and wanted to be a meteorologist.
3. Lastly, the fact that he’s gay.

During his speech, he states that his sexuality comes as natural as the colors of his eyes. Working with his sexuality has made him an open and honest person, which tied into his acting career. Haynes talks about how he takes on so many different roles that he never felt like himself until that moment on his the stage giving his speech.

“I don’t necessarily feel especially deserving of this recognition. We all know that there are many other ways, many other people  who have come before me and blazed the trail as LGBT advocates and role models. And I’m walking in their shoes and I’m following in their lead. Instead, I’ll accept this award as a promise. My promise is simple and real and I’m not making it you. I’m making it to the next generation of lesbians and gay men, bisexuals, transgender youth, and I hope my example will give them the confidence and hope to be who they are as well and for them to conquer their own fears and their own hesitations.”

Haynes reassures those questioning about coming out of the closet that if they do, it will be worth it in the end. They will finally get to be themselves along with find out who they are, who their families and friends are, and help them become honest and open individuals.

National Coming Out Day is not about finding that happily ever after, as Haynes states in his speech, but it is about having a happy beginning. So whether you’re a cowboy, a drag queen, a bartender, or a mobster, like in Pop Kowboy, celebrate yourself and enjoy being the only person you can be, yourself!

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Happy Global Forgiveness day! Today, July 7th 2016, is Global Forgiveness Day, a holiday which was started by the Christian Embassy of Christ’s Ambassadors (CECA). The theme of today is, of course, forgiveness. Today is focused on the different ways to forgive others and ourselves.

There are many types of forgiveness. There’s mutual forgiveness, where both you and the other person apologize and forgive one another. There’s one sided forgiveness, where only one person apologizes and the other forgives. There’s open forgiveness, where someone else accepts an apology and forgives someone who did not ask for forgiveness in the first place. There’s inner forgiveness, where you look deep into yourself, accept, and forgive yourself. There’s begrudging forgiveness, where you forgive the person but keep your eye out because you don’t trust them anymore. Lastly, there’s fake forgiveness, where you accept someone’s apology but don’t forgive them at all.

The movie Pop Kowboy features main characters who have a lot to forgive and be forgiven for. Frankie, a down-on-her-luck drag queen, struggles with forgiving her mother. Frankie’s mother couldn’t handle her son living as a woman and kicked her out, shutting her out of both her inheritance and her family home. After years of being alienated, Frankie’s mother was still unable to forgive Frankie for not being the son she wanted and ends up pushing Frankie away again. Because of this, Frankie has to learn to forgive and accept her mother’s viewpoint while still accepting herself and her own choices.

Another person who needs forgiveness in the movie in Pony, the main character in Pop Kowboy. Pony is unable to forgive himself because he feels like he is a nuisance and unwanted. Pony tries to kill himself numerous times throughout the movie and almost succeeds. He feels alienated and alone, but throughout the movie, with a little tough love, he begins to accept himself the way he is. He forgives himself for being different and forgives others for not understanding him.

This movie teaches the viewers about suicide, self-love, self-acceptance, bonds, and forgiveness. Sometimes we cannot be what we want or what other people want us to be. Sometimes, we cannot be the best. We have limitations on what we can actually accomplish. In spite of this, we have to forgive others and, most importantly, we have to forgive ourselves. Watching Pop Kowboy teaches our audience that they do not have to be what other expect them to be in order to be loved, accepted, and most importantly, forgiven.

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Coming out as a lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer can be a huge challenge, and on October 11th we celebrate the struggle and stand with them on Coming Out Day. Many celebrity actors, musicians, and athletes, as well as everyday people have found the courage to step forward and declare who they truly are.

In 2014, a number of well-known people came out, including actress Ellen Page, talk show Host Robin Roberts, Apple CEO Tim Cook, country singer Billy Gilman, professional swimmer Ian Thorpe, Disney star Raven-Symone,  Game of Thrones actor Kristian Nairn, basketball player Derrick Gordon and professional runner Matt Llano, just to name a few. Prominent figures coming out in a confident and positive light helps those young people who are struggling with their sexuality to be more accepting of themselves.

There are many films that deal with the LGBT community and their struggle. These films can be hard to watch and require tissues due to their personal nature. But there other films that have a more comedic plots. One of the oldest films with a main character that is gay is The Rocky Horror Picture Show from 1975. This is a horror-comedy musical that’s full of sexual experiences. Tim Curry as Dr. Frank-N-Furter, a transvestite that seduces both Janet (Susan Sarandon) and Brad (Barry Bostwick) separately, and the creation (Peter Hinwood) he makes for himself. Another great film is Pop Kowboy, which focuses on three misfit characters and how they become entangled in a mob drop.  It stars Shawn Driscoll, as a the wannabe cowboy, Ronnie Marmo an aspiring gangster, Craig Olsen as a transvestite down on her luck. Lastly, The Birdcage with Robin Williams and Nathan Lane a comedy about a gay cabaret owner and his drag queen lover, who agrees to pretend to be straight. They do this so that their son can introduce them to his fiancee’s right-wing conservative parents. All of these films would be a great way to celebrate Coming Out day.

While the Supreme Court ruling in June 2015, was a huge victory for the LGBT community, there's still a long way to go. Some states don’t have the same anti-discrimination laws in place. A couple can get married one day and evicted and unemployed the next. The shift towards acceptance has been staggering even in the last 5 years. In 2009 only 37% of Americans supported gay marriage today that number is has almost doubled to 65%. Twenty one countries have made gay marriage legal in the last 15 years. Unfortunately, as many supporters the LGBT community has, the harassment and bullying from peers causes children who are gay to contemplate suicide. Fortunately, individuals and corporations have thrown their support behind improving lives and outlook, including the Doritos It Gets Better Project, with their symbolic rainbow-colored chips. The future is brighter, indeed.

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Smiling is one of the first things we learn as a child. From the day we are born we are showered with smiles and so we learn through mimicry. Smiling is contagious, when the people around you are smiling you can’t help but to smile too. On National Smile Day send a smile into the world and the world will smile back at you.

On this National Smile Day, send a warm smile to someone's and turn their day from sad to rad. When you are smiling you are no doubt feeling better than when you are not. Recent research has shown that smiling increases your Serotonin, a chemical process that produces feelings of happiness and well being. After a smile you will feel happy, and you will smile more because you are happy! Its a cyclical process.

National Smile Day is a great time to watch a heart-warming movie with your best friends. The best movies that will make you smile are the funny ones. Classics such as Airplane, National Lampoon’s Vacation, and Ace Ventura are always a great movies to go to for a smile. But on this National Smile Day find a movie that will make you smile that you have not seen yet. Pop Kowboy is one of those intriguing movies that you just can’t help to smile. It follows the lives of three people: Frankie, a transgender woman in need of money; Vinnie, an incompetent aspiring gangster who is given one last chance to make good with the local mob boss; and Pony, a wannabe cowboy who has trouble with love.  As the plot unfolds smiles will be had.

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This week marked the State of the Union address, and boundaries have been broken once again. President Obama spoke about American values and principles of human dignity, justice and civil liberties. While speaking, he said “we continue to reject offensive stereotypes of Muslims, …. or people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. We do these things not only because they are the right thing to do, but because ultimately they will make us safer” Previously, former President Bill Clinton was the first president to say the word “gay” in his State of the Union Address back in the year 2000. It has taken fifteen years to include mention of those who are bisexual and transgender.

The struggles of transgender individuals are also becoming more prominent in popular culture, such as the character of Sophia in Orange is the New Black, incarcerated in a woman’s prison. One of these struggles is also represented in the feature film Pop Kowboy, distributed by World Wide Motion Pictures. The film concerns three diverse characters trying to find themselves and getting entangled in each others lives. Frankie, played by Craig Olsen, is transgender woman in need of money, who meets Vinnie, played by Ronnie Marmo (from General Hospital), an incompetent aspiring gangster, who has been given one last chance to make good with the local mob boss. Pony, played by Shawn Driscoll from America's Sweethearts, is a wannabe cowboy who has trouble finding love. He botches the briefcase delivery with Vinnie and ends up on the run with Frankie, beginning their own special friendship. The LGBT angle is a small portion of the film, and not sensationalized, giving the humorous film a non-stereotypical feel. The film also shows how difficult family life can be for a transgender person, and why President Obama’s State of the Union address was so historic.

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