Coming Out Support Newsweekly / 1-12-09

Coming Out Support (COS) Newsweekly
Volume 12 No. 2 January 12, 2009
Newsletter Editor: OnQYB@aol.com

The Fine Print

About this Newsletter: All information included is proprietary information provided for your personal use only. None of the information here may be redistributed or reprinted without the written consent of the editor. All times listed are ET (Eastern Time). Dates and times are subject to change. This newsletter, published by Mark G. Auerbach Public Relations, was initially started by members of the AOL Community Leaders Program.

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The Gay Agenda: Datebook: January 12-18, 2009

Editor’s Note: All of the events listed are subject to change. To avoid disappointment, check ahead to make sure of dates, times, and locations. Email the details, including date, location, and website for more information to: OnQYB@aol.com.

to SUN: 1/18: Aspen, CO: Aspen Gay Ski Week. www.gayskiweek.com

MON: 1/12: New York, NY: A Little Night Music. An all-star concert version of the Sondheim classic as a benefit for Roundabout Theatre. Stars Natasha Richardson and Vanessa Redgrave as the Armfeldts, Victor Garber, Christine Baranski and more. www.roundabouttheatre.org

WED: 1/14: Los Angeles, CA: Perez Hilton, online gossip guy, signs copies of "Red Carpet Suicide". 7:30PM. Barnes & Noble, Grove Drive.

THU: 1/15: Los Angeles, CA: Norah Vincent does a reading/booksigning of her new book "Voluntary Madness: My Year Lost and Found in the Loony Bin". 2PM. UCLA Bookstore. 7PM. Vroman's Books, Pasadena. Also: FRI: 1/16: Santa Cruz, CA: 7:30PM. Book Shop Santa Cruz; SAT: 1/17: Petaluma, CA: 1:30PM. Copperfield Books. http://www.norahvincent.net/events/index.html

THU: SAT: 1/15-1/24: Park City, UT: Sundance Film Festival. http://festival.sundance.org/2009/ Also: THU-WED: 1/15-1/21: Queer Lounge, ground zero for LGBT film makers and artists. www.queerlounge.org.

FRI-MON: 1/16-1/19: Atlanta, GA: GLSEN SOCO Weekend. Students of Color Organizing (SOCO) gathering of middle and high school students of color to provide networking and skills building opportunities. www.glsen.org

SAT: 1/17: West Hollywood, CA: Leslie Jordan from "Will & Grace" and "Sordid Lives" signs copies of his autobiography "My Trip Down The Pink Carpet". 5PM. Book Soup.

SUN: 1/18: New York, NY: Stephen Sondheim: A Life in The Theatre. Sondheim chats with New York Times columnist Frank Rich. www.lincolncenter.org.

Newsworthy:

President George W. Bush has signed a bill called the The Worker, Retiree and Employer Recovery Act of 2008 (WRERA) which, among other things, "makes it mandatory for businesses to roll over retirement benefits to a same-sex partner in the event of the employee’s death."Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2008/12/bush-throws-hol.html

California: Arrests have been made in the case of a lesbian who was gang-raped outside San Francisco. The San Francisco Chronicle reports: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/01/BAB9152HP7.DTL

The Buzz (People Making News)

Brad Kiley, an out man, has been named Director of the Office of Management and Administration, a senior appointment in the Obama White House. Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2009/01/brad-kiley-name.html

Sam Adams has been sworn in as Mayor of Portland, Oregon. He's the first out gay chief executive of a top-40 American city.
Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2009/01/portland-swears.html
Proud Parenting reports: http://www.proudparenting.com/node/2438

2008 in Review

***The Gay Year in Review: The Top Ten News Stories of 2008. Edge USA reports: http://www.edgeunitedstates.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=&sc2=news&sc3=&id=85182
***The Year in Queer. BayWindows (New England's LGBT news) reports: http://www.baywindows.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=glbt&sc2=news&sc3=&id=85233
***The Eight Top Gay Videos of 2008 from 365Gay.com: http://www.365gay.com/uncategorized/the-8-top-gay-videos-of-2008/
***2008: The Year in Gay Books. The Washington Blade reports: http://www.washblade.com/2009/1-2/arts/books/13865.cfm
***OutSpoken: 2008 in Quotes. The Washington Blade reports: http://www.washblade.com/2009/1-2/arts/feature/13860.cfm
***"Milk" and More: 2008 in Film. The Washington Blade reports: http://www.washblade.com/2009/1-2/arts/film/13861.cfm
***2008: TV Hits and Misses. The Washington Blade reports: http://www.washblade.com/2009/1-2/arts/television/13862.cfm

Awards and Honors:

"Milk" Nominations and Awards:
***Best Film by The Producer's Guild. The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/06/movies/06arts-FOOTNOTE_BRF.html
***Sean Penn won the National Society of Films Critics award for his performance as Harvey Milk in "Milk".
***Nominee: Writers Guild of America: Dustin Lance Black for the screenplay for "Milk". www.wga.org.

Nominees: 2008 Weblog Awards for the best LGBT Blogs. Nominees include three of my faves: JoeMyGod, Towleroad, and The Bilerico Project. For nominees and to vote: http://2008.weblogawards.org/polls/best-lgbt-blog/

In Memoriam:

Claiborne Pell, US Senator from Rhode Island for 36 years and the force behind a grant program that has helped tens of millions of Americans attend college, died 1/01/09, at age 90. His daughter, Julia, who died in 2006, was a highly regarded gay rights activist. Associated Press reports: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jf7b6_bXm0tFK13m5-RXtO4kNO9gD95EKBT81

Photo Shoots and Video

Liza's At The Palace. Closing Night from BroadwayWorld.com: http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Photo_Coverage_LIZAS_AT_THE_PALACE_The_Closing_Night_20090105

Hairspray on Broadway. The Final Curtain from BroadwayWorld.com: http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Photo_Coverage_HAIRSPRAY_Goodbye_To_Baltimore_20090105

Features

Profile: Norah Vincent, best-selling author with her new book, "Voluntary Madness: My Year Lost and Found in the Loony Bin" . The Advocate reports: http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid70097.asp

Opportunities

Point Foundation Scholarships are now available for the 2009-10 academic year. Point Foundation is the nation's largest scholarship granting organization for LGBT students of merit. Point provides support through multi-year scholarships, leadership training, mentoring and hope to LGBT students who are marginalized because of their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression. Application due date: 2/09/09. For information and application form. www.pointfoundation.org.

The Resource Center:

Edge Publications has become the leading network of local LGBT news and entertainment portals on the net. Look for EDGE editions in: Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Fire Island, Ft. Lauderdale, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, Philadelphia, Providence, Provincetown, San Francisco, plus regional editions for New England and the United States. www.edgepublications.com.

In Print:

Voluntary Madness: My Year Lost and Found in the Loony Bin by Norah Vincent. Viking Penguin. Vincent, the award-winning out author of "Self Made Man" (she spent a year disguised as a man to guage people's reactions for a book) suffered from depression, after the book's success. So, she checks into a mental hospital to see, if while posing as a patient, she can talk her way out of the hospital.

In Performance: Onstage:Theatre/Music/Dance

New York City (and Broadway)

***Blanche Survives Katrina in a FEMA Trailer Named Desire. Mark Sam Rosenthal's take on Tennessee Williams' heroine. Rosenthal is Blanche, who leaves New Orleans for the Superdome, is evacuated to Shreveport, and becomes a fragile, alcoholic, sex-addicted belle. to 3/15/09. www.sohoplayhouse.com
***The Gospel According to Adam. Geoffrey Nauffts's comedy-drama about an atheist, who falls in love with another man, a Christian. to 1/18/09. www.nakedangels.com.
***Night and Day: Rob Fisher Celebrates Cole Porter. The gay Broadway composer's greatest hits, starring out Tony winner David Hyde Pierce. 1/14/09. Lincoln Center American Songbook Series. www.lincolncenter.org.
***The Third Story. Charles Busch and Kathleen Turner star in his new comedy. 1/14/09-2/28/09. www.mcctheatre.org
***Torch Song Trilogy, Harvey Fierstein's acclaimed story of a drag queen who falls in love, raises a foster son, and comes to terms with his mother. 1/21/09-2/01/09. www.blackhennaproductions.com

Elsewhere...

***Abraham Lincoln’s Big, Gay Dance Party. a rural grade school teacher rewrites the annual Christmas Pageant including a bit about a possibly gay Abraham Lincoln. to 1/17/09. San Francisco, CA. http://www.sfplayhouse.org/season0809/lincoln.php
***Beyond The Rainbow. The life story of Judy Garland (played by Kimberly Vanbiesbrouck) sung in William Randall Beard's play with music. to 2/01/09. Rochester, MI. www.mbtheatre.com
***Dusty and the Big Bad World by Cusi Cram. Dusty, hero of "the most popular animated PBS children's television show in America" goes to visit a family with two daddies. 1/23/09-2/28/09. Denver, CO. http://www.denvercenter.org/event_calendar/caldetail.cfm?id_production=21883639
***Falsettos, the William Finn & James Lapine musical about lesbians, gay men, an ex-wife, their child and a straight psychiatrist! to 2/08/09. San Francisco, CA. www.therhino.org.
***Hedda Gabler, Ibsen's classic, reimagined as a lesbian drama by the Mauckingbird Theatre. to 1/29/09. Philadelphia, PA. http://mauckingbirdtheatreco.org.
***I Am My Own Wife, Bruce Nelson plays Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, real-life German cross-dresser, who survived the Nazis after WW2. Winner 2004 Pulitzer Prize to 2/22/09. Baltimore, MD. www.everymantheatre.org.
***The Little Dog Laughed. The Tony-nominated comedy. A barracuda Hollywood agent in high heels has a problem. Her matinee idol client plans to come out. to 3/08/09. Washington, DC. www.signature-theatre.org.
***Looped. Valerie Harper stars as Talullah Bankhead. Chad Allen plays her sound engineer. to 2/15/09. West Palm Beach, FL. www.cuillocentre.org.
***Missionary Position. world premiere of Steven (Confessions of a Mormon Boy) Fales' solo play based on his journals and adventures as a Mormom missionary in Portugal. to 2/08/09. Hollywood, CA. www.celebrationtheatre.com
***Six Degrees of Separation. A revival of John Guare's award-winning comedy of Upper East Side manners. A man, claiming to be Sidney Poitier's son, moves in with an art dealer's family. to 2/25/09. San Diego, CA. www.theoldglobe.org.
***Xanadu, the Broadway musical hit based on the Olivia Newton John movie. "Children's theatre for 40 year old gay men". Chicago, IL. www.xanaduonbroadway.com
***Zanna, Don’t!, the musical about a gay high school, where two straights fall in love. to 1/18/09. New Conservatory Theatre Pride Season. San Francisco, CA. www.nctcsf.org

On Screen (and Video & DVD)

Resource: Cine-Queer: GLAAD's Guide to What's LGBT in Film: http://www.glaad.org/eye/cinequeer.php

Out on Screen...

***Ciao. Two men meet after the death of a mutual friend. www.ciaomovie.com.
***Doubt, the film adaptation of John Patrick Shanley's award-winning drama. A nun (Meryl Streep) suspects a popular priest (Philip Seymour Hoffman) of abusing a boy.
***Milk, Gus Van Sant's film about gay activist Harvey Milk (Sean Penn).
***Shifting the Canvas. Cheyenne Jackson, Scott Thompson and John Paul Pitoc star in this comedy drama about a cafe owner, who acts as "patriarch" to a group of younger gay and lesbian artists. www.shiftingthecanvas.com.
***Were The World Mine, Tim Gustafson's film about a gay teen in a homophobic town, who fantasizes about a potion that turns the town gay. http://www.weretheworldminefilm.com/

Out On Video & DVD

***Breakfast at Tiffany's. The Truman Capote novella turned into a hit film starring Audrey Hepburn and featuring the standard "Moon River".
***Brideshead Revisited. In the 1930s, Charles and Sebastian (Matthew Goode and Ben Wishaw) tryst on a country estate. www.bridesheadrevisited-themovie.com.
***Cyrano de Bergerac, direct from Broadway with Kevin Kline and Jennifer Garner. The one to watch is Daniel Sunjata, who bared all on Broadway in "Take Me Out".
***Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. Neil Patrick Harris stars in Joss Whedon's internet musical.
***Mamma Mia, the ABBA movie musical.
***Savage Grace. A mother (Julianne Moore) tries to cure her son's homosexuality. Based on a true story. Tom Kalin directs the Sundance Film Festival drama.

On TV Of Note: All times listed are ET. Check local listings for times in your area.

Resource:TV Gayed, GLAAD's Weekly Guide to What's LGBT on TV: Updated every Friday. Currently listing to 1/08/09. http://www.glaad.org/eye/tv_listings.php

This Just In!!! SAT: 1/10: Neil Patrick Harris hosts Saturday Night Live. 11:30PM. NBC.

***January: In the Life. LGBT news magazine. PBS. Check local listings. http://www.itl.tv/inthelife/episodes/
***MON: 1/12: Cherry Jones, out actress, is sworn in as President of the United States, on the two-part season opener of "24". 8PM FOX. Check local listings.

Conferences, Seminars, Benefits, and Special Events

1/19/09: New York, NY: Bye George! An End of an Error. Lea DeLaria, Michael ("Ugly Betty") Urie, Justin ("Kiki & Herb") Bond and the cast of "Hair" bid George W. Bush "adieu". www.joespub.com.

1/26/09-1/30/09: Nationwide: No Name-Calling Week, the sixth annual GLSEN, (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network) initiative with support from Simon and Schuster Children’s Publishing and the nearly 50 partners. www.glsen.org

1/28/09-2/01/09: Denver, CO: Creating Change Conference. The national conference on LGBT Equality. http://thetaskforce.org/events/creating_change

1/28/09-2/01/09: Vail, CO: Vail Gay & Lesbian Ski Week. www.vailgayskiweek.com

1/28/09-2/01/09: Stowe, VT: Winter Rendezvous. annual week of gay skiing & winter sports. www.winterrendezvous.com

1/29/09-1/31/09: Bloomington, IN: Pride Film Festival. www.pridefilmfestival.org

Last Week’s Trivia Quiz: 2009 January Milestones

1. Question: Name this musician, author and activist, who was the first person to come out on television on January 18, 1973. His family was the subject of a reality series documentary on PBS. Answer: Lance Loud, on “An American Family”.

2. Question: Name this playwright and activist. On January 12, 1982, a group of gay men met at his apartment to form the GMHC, Gay Men’s Health Crisis, a non-profit organization to provide programs and services to people with HIV. Today, the GMHC is one of the nation’s laregest AIDS service organizations, and the playwright is best known for his activism. Answer: Larry Kramer, who wrote “The Normal Heart” and later founded ACT-UP.

3. Question: Name this out award-winning actor and activist. His gay and lesbian theatre and film colleagues, among them Alec McGowen, Simon Callow, Stephen Fry, Cameron Macintosh, and Martin Sherman, came out publicly in the UK’s Guardian to support his knighthood on January 9, 1991. Answer: Sir Ian McKellan.

4. Question: Name this Wisconsin congressman, who came out in January, 1993, (he was the third to come out) and resigned his position as deputy whip to protest intolerant statements made at the 1992 Republican convention. Answer: Steve Gunderson.

5. Question: Name this bisexual American actress, born January 31, 1902. She was best known for her portrayals of Southern belles, although she had a mouth that could frighten sailors. Answer: Tallulah Bankhead, star of “Lifeboat”, “The Little Foxes” who said “i’m as pure as the fresh-driven slush”.

This Week’s Trivia Quiz: The Golden Globes

January launches entertainment awards programs. The Golden Globes air on Sunday, January 11.

1. Question: Name this film, a remake of a classic, which won a record five Golden Globes. Its star, played by a gay icon, reprised a role played by an even bigger gay icon.

2. Question: Name this gay-themed film, a Golden Globe winner for "Best Motion Picture Drama" in 2006, which was later snubbed by the Oscars. One of its stars, also nominated, lost to an actor playing a gay author.

3. Question: Name this film, the first major motion picture to deal positively with HIV and AIDS. Its star and its theme song won Golden Globes.

4. Question: Name this actress who won both a Golden Globe and an Oscar for her performance as a real life lesbian prostitute turned serial killer.

5. Question: Name this actress who won both a Golden Globe and an Oscar for her performance as a real life transgender teen, who was brutally murdered when his sexuality was exposed.

The first person to submit the correct answers gets their name in print right here. Email your answers to: OnQYB@aol.com