Gay Bahgdad Mans Story To Be Turned Into A Movie

(London) A gay Baghdad man whose online diary became one of the most read publications in the days leading up to the US-led war against Saddam Hussein will have his story turned into a motion picture.

Calling himself Salem Pax his blog attracted hundreds of thousands of readers as he wrote about the political climate in Iraq and being gay in a dictatorship. (story)

"There are no waving masses of people welcoming the Americans nor are they surrendering by the thousands. People are ... sitting in their homes hoping that a bomb doesn't fall on them," he wrote as the US army was sweeping into the county.

As bombs fell in Baghdad his blog fell silent and people began worry that he was dead, a week later he was back on line describing the arrival from exile in Iran of Shiite leader Mohammed Said al-Hakiem.

"What looks like a gay parade on wheels with all the pink flags is actually al-Hakiem's welcoming committee near Samawah, don't ask me why the pink flags, I couldn't figure that one out. the color of SCIRI is red but all you see are pink flags.

Not lonng after that the young architect was hired by the Guardian newspaper.

He still maintains his blog http://dearraed.blogspot.com although he is "on hiatus" for the time being.

This diary was turned into a book, The Baghdad Blog.

Now, British film company Intermedia wants to make a movie about the mysterious young man.

The company says it is searching for a scriptwriter.

"He's like a Nick Hornby in the middle of a war," Scott Kroopf, chairman of the company's film division, told film industry website ScreenDaily.com.

http://www.365gay.com/newscon04/05/051304blogFlick.htm

Now i have to say thats pretty damn cool!

Imagine what this guy must have felt like when he got the phone call telling him that something he set out to do as a hobby is going to be make him a fortune!

Regards,

Lee