John August

The Nines

The Nines in Austin

Projects, The Nines

nines posterI’m happy to announce our first expansion outside of New York and Los Angeles: Austin. The Nines will be starting at the Alamo Drafthouse (South Lamar) on September 28th. There’s a Q&A in the works for that weekend with me and Ryan — most likely on the 28th — so be sure to check back for details.

Originally, we were going to open in Austin the same day as NY/LA, but the Venice Film Festival threw a wrench in that. The logistics of getting from LA to Austin to NYC to Venice proved insurmountable, and we didn’t want to open without a Q&A. September feels better, anyway. Classes would have just started on August 31st, and that first week of school is more about mini-fridges and freak-outs than trippy meta-movies.

I’m a frequent panelist at the Austin Film Festival, and Ryan just shot a movie there, so it’ll be good to go back and catch up with friends and colleagues. And the bats.

As previously noted, The Nines opens August 31st in New York and Los Angeles, with a special Q&A at the LA screening on August 31st at 7:30 pm, and an introduction at the 10 pm show. Tickets are on sale now.

Cannibals in canoes

News, Projects, The Nines

Honestly, I feel like I’m cheating on all of you when I guest-blog for EW.com. But I did it again.

And then there are the non-Nines variables: babysitting grandparents, geriatric pugs, and the Tim Burton retrospective I want to attend. Plus eight more lessons of Pimsleur Italian, so I can politely explain why I’m throwing myself in a canal.

Click here to read the rest. I can only hope you’ll forgive me once all this Nines business is over.

Me in Men’s Health

News, Projects, The Nines

men's healthI have a long essay in this month’s Men’s Health, the one with Jamie Foxx on the cover. It’s not specifically about The Nines, but that’s the main reason I agreed to do it. To buy a single-page ad in the magazine would be more than our entire marketing budget. But for a four-page article, they actually pay me.Why Men’s Health, and not Esquire or GQ? MH vastly outsells them. It outsells Entertainment Weekly. (Hi, Whitney!) Plus, it has a very good chance of hitting the “people who think Ryan Reynolds is awesome” demographic.

The piece I wrote, “My Glorious Defeat,” is about television, student government, and winter driving:

My D.C. debacle, as miserable as it was to live through, has become a cherished memory. It’s a small scar that invites a big story, with big personalities. At first, I framed myself as the innocent victim in the drama, but over the years I came to view the whole thing as more of a hurricane that we all weathered together.

The great thing about surviving a storm is that you’re much better prepared the next time the winds start kicking up. You recognize the early warnings. You stock up on essentials. And, most crucial, you go in knowing that no matter what happens, you can always rebuild.

Failure makes you ready in ways that success never could.

I’m really happy with the article. It feels kind of commencement-addressy, not unlike the talk on professionalism I gave at Trinity last year.

There’s an online version, though I’m not crazy about the reformatting. If you have any inclination, pick up the print edition. As a bonus, you’ll also get 10 secrets to better abs.

The Advocate

Africa, News, Projects, The Nines

[advocate]Ryan and I did an interview for The Advocate about the movie, the business, and our trip to Malawi. It should be on stands now (or soon), with Ryan on the cover.

Yes, the headline reads, “Hollywood’s hottest young star runs off with his gay director.” They conveniently left off, “…to help paint an orphan center in Africa.” Ryan is straight; I’m spoken for. The innuendo is harmless, but a little tired.

Still, I’m really happy with the interview, which they didn’t edit down much. It’s worth picking up even if you wouldn’t, you know, normally buy The Advocate.

I also wrote up a sidebar article to go along with some of our Malawi pictures, which is available free online.