Coming Out Support Newsweekly: 1/26/09

Coming Out Support (COS) Newsweekly
Volume 12 No. 4 January 26, 2009
Newsletter Editor: OnQYB

The Fine Print

See previous issues

The Gay Agenda: Datebook: January 26-February 1, 2009

MON-FRI: 1/26-1/30: Nationwide: No Name-Calling Week, the sixth annual GLSEN, initiative aimed at grades 5-8. Educational activities aimed at ending name-calling of all kinds and providing schools with the tools and inspiration to launch an on-going dialogue about ways to eliminate bullying in their communities. www.glsen.org

TUE: 1/27: Atlanta, GA: E. Lynn Harris does a reading/booksigning of his new novel, "Basketball Jones". 7:30PM. Outwrite Books. www.outwritebooks.com. Also: WED: 1/28: Lithonia, GA: 7PM. Borders. FRI: 1/30: Birmingham, AL: 11AM. St. Vincent's www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780767926270&view=isbn_events

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

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

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

THU-SUN: 1/29-2/01: Bloomington, IN: Pride Film Festival. www.pridefilmfestival.org

THU-SUN: 1/29-2/01: Omaha, NE: Pride Players 10th Anniversary. The Rose Theater’s Teens ‘N’ Theater program presents a series of monologues, poems, and improvised scenes exploring the trials and tribulations of being an LGBT or straight teen in Omaha. (402) 345-4849

SUN-SUN: 2/01-2/08: Whistler, BC: WinterPRIDE, Whistler's gay ski celebration week. gaywhistler.com.

Newsworthy:

Inauguration Recaps:
Towleroad did a superb job: www.towleroad.com
The Washington Blade had extensive coverage: www.washblade.com

Oregon: Out Portland mayor Sam Adams may be probed, after he admitted lying about a relationship with a teen.
CNN reports: http://www.cnn.com/2009/POLITICS/01/20/portland.mayor.affair/?iref=hpmostpop
Southern Voice/Washington Blade reports: http://www.southernvoice.com/blog/index.cfm?blog_id=23585

Lifetime will pick up the new sitcom "Drop Dead Diva" which co-stars Margaret Cho. The series is set to ebut this summer. Playbill.com reports: http://www.playbill.com/news/article/125290.html

The Buzz (People Making News)

Jail For Boy George. He'll go behind bars for 15 months for imprisoning a male escort. The Guardian reports: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/jan/16/boy-george-sentenced-handcuffing-male-escort

Awards and Honors:

Oscar Nominations: "Milk" receives multiple nominations: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jTBLPS8iUeO9YnxMp4Ebi3dIzZtQD95S7OB82

Nominations: Razzie Awards for the worst in cinema: http://www.razzies.com/history/29thNoms.asp

Winner: Weblog Awards: Towleroad for Best LGBT Blog. Congratulations. For the Towleroad report (which lists some of the other great LGBT blogs): http://www.towleroad.com/2009/01/towleroad-wins.html

Nathan Lane was inducted into the 2008 Theater Hall of Fame.

Features

Tom Hanks on Mormon Supporters of Proposition 8: FOX News reports: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,480167,00.html

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.

In Performance: Onstage:Theatre/Music/Dance

New York City (and Broadway)

***Blanche Survives Katrina in a FEMA Trailer Named Desire. Mark Sam 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
***Cornbury: The Queen's Governor. A satirical look at a lost chapter in New York history, when 18th century Edward Hyde, Lord Canterbury, and governor of New York, dresses in drag as his first cousin, Queen Anne. to 2/08/09. www.TheatreAskew.com.
***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. to 2/01/09. www.blackhennaproductions.com
***Uncle Vanya. Out actor Denis O'Hare ("Take Me Out") plays the title role in Chekhov's dark tale of wasted lives and unfulfilled dreams. Co-stars Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard. to 3/08/09. www.classicstage.org

Elsewhere...

***Dolls. World premiere by and starring Michael Phillis. A gay man's doll collection comes to life. to 2/22/09. San Francisco, CA. www.nctcsf.org.
***Dusty and the Big Bad World Dusty, hero of "the most popular animated PBS children's television show in America" goes to visit a family with two daddies. to 2/28/09. Denver, CO. www.denvercenter.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. 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
***Tennessee in the Summer. Joe Besecker's take on the psyche of gay playwright Tennessee Williams. to 3/01/09. San Francisco, CA. www.nctcsf.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.BroadwayInChicago.com

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). Also starring: Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch, James Franco.
***Shifting the Canvas. Cheyenne Jackson, Scott Thompson and John Paul Pitoc star in this comedy drama about a Brooklyn cafe owner, who acts as "patriarch" to a wayward group of younger gay and lesbian artists. www.shiftingthecanvas.com.
***Were The World Mine, Tim Gustafson's film about a struggling 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.
***Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. Neil Patrick Harris stars in Joss Whedon's internet musical.
***Mamma Mia, the ABBA movie musical.
***Tangled Web: Making Kiss of the Spider Woman. David Weisman's documentary about how Manuel Puig's novel became a movie with William Hurt (as a gay window dresser) and Raul Julia; and later became a Broadway musical.

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. http://www.glaad.org/eye/tv_listings.php

***January: In the Life. LGBT news magazine. PBS. Check local listings. http://www.itl.tv/inthelife/episodes/
***SAT: 1/24: Savage Grace. Based on true events, Barbara Daly (Julianne Moore)attempts to "cure" her son's homosexuality with tragic results. 10PM. Sundance.
***TUE: 1/27: Liza Minnelli visits “The View”. ABC. Check local listings.
***THU: 1/29: Alec Mapa returns to "Ugly Betty" as Suzuki St-Pierre. Christian Hof, late of Broadway's "Pal Joey" and Jacques Pepin, the chef, also guest star. 8PM. ABC.
***THU: 1/29: The Trials of Ted Haggard, the documentary about the disgraced evangelist leader as he struggles to rebuild his world. In 2006, he was outed by a male prostitute. Filmed by Alexandra Pelosi (Nancy's daughter). 8PM. HBO. Additional airings on HBO and HBO2 through mid-February.

Conferences, Seminars, Benefits, and Special Events

2/03/09: Albany, NY: Marriage Equality Day. An organized chance to meet with NY State legislators to lobby for marriage equality. http://www.marriageequalityny.org/marriage_day.html

2/09/09: New York, NY: Broadway Backwards. The guys perform music usually performed by dolls and vice versa. Starring: Alan Cumming, Whoopi Goldberg, Christopher Sieber, Mario Cantone, Megan Mullally, and Jai Rodriguez. A benefit for the LGBT Community Center. www.gaycenter.org

2/09/09: San Francisco, CA: All You Need Is Love: A Help is On the Way's Valentine Benefit concert with Wilson, Cruz, Loretta Devine, Sharon McKnight and more. The Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation raises money for local beneficiaries. www.helpisontheway.org.

2/13/09-2/15/09: Santa Barbara, CA: 19th LGBTQIA Western Regional College Conference: “Cultivating Our Roots, From the Ground Up: How Deep Is Your Love?” The conference is designed to provide a place for people of all identities to feel safe and welcome as well as educate and empower queer youths, students, families, professionals, other community members, and allies. www.uclgbtia.org/conference2009/

3/01/09-3/07/09: Lake Tahoe, NV: Lake Tahoe WinterFest Gay & Lesbian Ski Week. includes Outlaugh comedy festival. www.LakeTahoeWinterfest.com

3/4/09-3/6/09: Philadelphia, PA: Rethinking Sex: Gender and Sexuality Studies State of the Field Conference. Sponsored by Penn’s Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Center, Women’s Studies, and the Alice Paul Center for Research on Women, Gender, and Sexuality. www.sas.upenn.edu/wstudies/rethinkingsex/

3/12/09-3/14/09: Storrs, CT: True Colors XVI Conference focusing on the needs of LGBTQ youth and their allies through a comprehensive annual conference. Programs on mental and behavioral health. www.ourtruecolors.org.

Last Week’s Trivia Quiz: LGBT Birthday Milestones of 2009

1. Question: Name this occasional musician turned activist (she was a spokesperson for GLAAD), who turns the Big 40 this year. Her parents were a popular singing duo when she was born. Her mother continues to give farewell performances around the world. Answer: Chastity Bono (born 1969) daughter of Sonny and Cher.

2. Question: Name this award-winnning playwright, actor, producer and composer, who would have turned 110 this year. One of his most famous comedies returns to Broadway this season, starring a popular actor/author who turns 50 this year, alongside a famous actress who played a madcap aunt and another famous actress, who played mother and daughter in a musical that could have been subtitled "For Whom The Beales Toll". Answer: Sir Noel Coward, who wrote "Private Lives" in 1930. It returns to Broadway with birthday boy Rupert Everett (turning 50), Angela Lansbury ("Mame") and Christine Ebersole ("Grey Gardens").

3. Question: Name this flamboyant entertainer and pianist (who would have turned 90 this year) known for his candelabras, costumes, cars and kitsch. He took on the sobriquet "Mr. Showmanship", and as his act swelled with spectacle, he famously stated, "I'm a one-man Disneyland". His baubles, bangles, and beads are housed in a Las Vegas museum. Answer: Liberace, born Wladziu Valentino Liberace.

4. Question: Name this former professional body-builder turned public speaker, author and activist, who turns 50 this year. He came out 20 years ago, and he and his then-partner had a very public commitment ceremony. Answer: Bob Paris, formerly known as Bob Jackson-Paris. He's also been featured in photography books by Herb Ritts and Tom Bianchi.

5. Question: Name this American actress, comic, author, and activist. She turns 70 this year. She first received acclaim in sketch comedy. She broke new ground by crossing gender and racial stereotypes in a take-off on Luther Vandross; she won a Tony in a one-person show authored by her partner. She most recently starred in a drama about life in the White House. Answer: Lily Tomlin of "Laugh-In", "The Search For Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe" (written by Jane Wagner), and "The West Wing".

This Week’s Trivia Quiz: February Milestones

1. Question: Name this elected official who started a national craze on February 12, 2004 just weeks after taking the oath office. Saying he was influenced by a President’s State of the Union address that appeared to make gays second class citizens, his actions caused national controversy, yet made him a hero within the LGBT community.

2. Question: Name this rodent, who comes out annually on February 2nd. His coming out, applauded by people everywhere, is used to predict weather events.

3. Question: Name this hit television show, which was the first to feature a lesbian liplock on February 7, 1991. Hint: It’s based down the coast from the Newsom residence in Question #1.

4. Question: Name this award-winning gay athlete, born February 10, 1893. He captured worldwide acclaim for his skills, only to fall into obscurity when his interest in young men came to light.

5. Question: Name this lesbian writer, born in Pennsylvania on February 3, 1874. After she moved abroad, she established a salon which nurtured some of the most important writers of the 29th century. Her partner was known for a secret ingredient in her brownies..

The first person to submit the correct answers gets their name in print right here. Email your answers to: OnQYB@aol.com. If you do not want your email address to appear in the blog format of this newsletter, please indicate that. http://cosnewsweekly.blogspot.com/