TV Alerts

I love this Sonny & Cher picture. Those LIFE photographers….they take good photos.

It's media blitz time for Becoming Chaz. It portends to show a real family's struggle with gender transformation.

Cher quotes and news about her home-screening online at People:

http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20486294,00.html

And a good review online by Lauren Flanagan: http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/reviews/hot-docs-review-becoming-chaz.php. Excerpts below:

At its heart, Becoming Chaz is a love story. The relationship between Chaz and his girlfriend of 5 years, Jenny, is represented beautifully. Being the partner of someone going through such a difficult process is almost as difficult as going through it yourself, and Jenny, while wholeheartedly supportive, isn’t afraid to admit her fears and occasionally her anger with Chaz for changing (although the changes she refers to are in his manner and attitude, not his body)…

But the elephant in the room is Cher. Chaz is a public figure, but he wouldn’t be if he hadn’t been born Cher’s daughter, and you can’t have a movie about Cher’s daughter becoming a man without hearing form the woman herself. And when you do it’s a little sad. Despite her reputation for being a gay icon and advocate, she is openly uncomfortable with Chaz’s transition and consistently refers to him as “her” during her interview. She admits to being afraid to go see him after his surgery, and while it’s sad for both of them, it takes great courage for someone like Cher to admit that, and it proves to be one of the most poignant segments of the film.

Becoming Chaz is definitely worth seeing. It’s a fairly in-depth look at Chaz’s change and it will likely bring a lot more awareness to a subject that is still a mystery to many people. That said, it likely wouldn’t be the case if Chaz Bono weren’t the child of Sonny and Cher. The movie itself isn’t particularly groundbreaking when it comes to gender reassignment. I think I learned more about it on a 20/20 special I saw a few years ago. It just happens to be about someone who lives in the public eye, and that makes it seem more accessible to us. But regardless, Chaz, Jenny, Cher and their friends and family should be applauded for being so open and honest about subjects that any of us would find very difficult to deal with.

TV Schedule:

• Becoming Chaz – OWN Network – May 10
• Late Night with David Letterman – CBS – May 11
• The View – ABC – May 12

Also on TV:

• Sonny's appearance on The Golden Girls – Hallmark Channel – May 8