Another strange site on the Web 24 June
It's titled PopcornQ, and in the words of its producers, its the "ultimate online home for the queer moving image."

Not queer as in strange, but as in homosexual. PopcornQ is the online home for gay and lesbian film fans and professionals alike, according to Jenni Olson, PopcornQ's creator and producer. "Whether you want to know about the latest projects coming out of Hollywood, what to rent at the video store, or anything having to do with film and the gay community, PopcornQ is your place to go" said Olson.

Olson is also editor of a recently published book "The Ultimate Guide to Lesbian & Gay Film and Video" published by Serpent's Tail.

The movie guide database uses listings compiled by various writers and reviewers for publications as varied as Village Voice, Harper's Bazaar, Variety, Girlfriends, and Socialist Review.

In addition to movie listings, PopcornQ also includes the history of the gay and lesbian cinema industry, and there are networking areas for film buffs, filmmakers, and film festival programmers. You can check a listing of lesbian and gay film festivals and another that includes new theatrical and home video releases.

Other information includes a periodic poll of gay and lesbian media professionals to determine their personal favorites and a compilation of celebrity top ten lists.

PopcornQ also has original artwork by artist such as Bill Garland and Samantha Fuetsch.

PopcornQ is dedicated to the memory of March Finch, who pioneered gay and lesbian cinema works and was one of the co-directors of the San Francisco International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.

PopcornQ includes such diverse topics as cocktail recipes, Bartlett's Quotations, a Jodie Foster home page that includes pictures of the actress, an electronic magazine, and games. While much of the information is oriented towards the gay/lesbian community, you can also reach National Public Radio online.

There are links to a number of other Web pages, but some of them are out of date. That's a common problem on the Web, where home pages come, go and move frequently.

Gays and lesbians comprise a large segment of the online community, according to a 1995 study conducted by "Out" magazine. Gays and lesbians are twice as likely to own a modem-equipped personal computer as the general population, and 50 per cent already subscribe to some online service, according to the study. "Out" said that translates to an audience of 15 million.

The online service is supported by advertising and transaction fees. Charter advertisers include Frameline Distribution, TLA Video, Out on Film, and the film festival.

You can find PopcornQ on the Microsoft Network (GO POPCORNQ), on its own Web site at http://www.popcornq.com and on America Online using the keyword POPCORNQ.

(Jim Mallory/19960621/Press contact: Stephen Rivers for PopcornQ, 310-395-2993)

(NEWS)(LEGAL)(LON)(00006)


From the NEWSBYTES news service, 24 June