Coming Out Support Newsweekly: 2/02/09

Coming Out Support (COS) Newsweekly
Volume 12 No. 5 February 2, 2009
Newsletter Editor: OnQYB

The Fine Print

See previous issues

The Gay Agenda: Datebook: February 2-8, 2009

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

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

TUE: 2/03: New York, NY: Liza Minnelli signs copies of the CD of her recent Broadway hit, "Liza's At The Palace". Barnes & Noble at Lincoln Center. www.bn.com

TUE: 2/03: New York, NY: Zanna Don't!, a concert performance of the musical about an all-gay high school, where two straights fall in love. Marty Thomas from Broadway’s “Xanadu” heads the cast in a benefit for GLSEN. www.glsenstore.org/zanna.html

WED: 2/04: Palm Beach, FL: Stephen Sondheim talks about his career with an assist from Christine Ebersole and Billy Stritch. The Kravis Center. www.kravis.org

WED: 2/04: Austin, TX: E. Lynn Harris does a reading/booksigning of his new novel "Basketball Jones". 7PM. Borders. South Lamar. http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780767926270&view=isbn_events

Newsworthy:

Iceland: Johanna Siguroardottir, the nation's lesbian minister of social affairs was expected to be chosen as the country’s caretaker prime minister this week, making her the word’s first known openly gay head of state. Siguroardottir, 66, has been a member of the Icelandic Parliament since 1978. The Washington Blade reports: http://washblade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=23696

Oregon: Out Portland Mayor Sam Adams, caught up in a dispute over his relationship with a gay teen, has no plans to resign. The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/26/us/26portland.html?ref=us

Awards and Honors:

Winner: SAG Award: Sean Penn for "Milk". From his acceptance speech (via Associated Press): "As actors, we don't play gay, straight. We play human beings, and this movie is something that we're, all of us involved, are so proud of. This is a story about equal rights for all human beings."

GLAAD Media Awards Nominees announced: Towleroad reports and provides a complete list of nominees: http://www.towleroad.com/2009/01/glaad-announces.html

In Memoriam:

Martin Delaney, the AIDS activist who launched Project Inform, died, on 1/23/09 at age 63. The San Francisco Chronicle reports: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/01/23/state/n173814S24.DTL&tsp=1

Features

Recap: The Gay Inaugural Ball from AmericaBlog: http://www.americablog.com/2009/01/gay-ball-media-didnt-tell-you-about-it.html

Jim Carrey Liplocks Ewan McGregor in the new gay-themed film, "I Love You Phillip Morris", which got good notices at Sundance. Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2009/01/jim-carrey-on-h.html

Review: "Prayers for Bobby", the true story of a homophobic mother (Sigourney Weaver), whose gay son commits suicide, prompting the mom to turn to PFLAG and become an activist on behalf of gay youth. Now airing on Lifetime. The Washington Blade reports: http://www.washblade.com/2009/1-23/arts/feature/13981.cfm

Rose's Last Turn: Gypsy: A Day in the Life of Patti LuPone. A photo essay from New York Magazine: http://nymag.com/arts/theater/features/53603/

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 Print:

Where's My Fifteen Minutes ? by Howard Bragman. Penguin. The PR guru helped NBA player John Amaechi come out and parlay that experience into a positive one. One chapter is devoted to coming out, which, in Bragman’s world, extends beyond gay issues to anyone with a secret. A long-time gay and HIV activist who’s been out for decades, Bragman says outing is still an issue that must be carefully navigated. For the Washington Blade review: http://www.washblade.com/2009/1-23/arts/books/13983.cfm

In Performance: Onstage:Theatre/Music/Dance

New York City (and Broadway)

***Alan Cumming, out actor, performs "songs that have influenced him during his eclectic, electric career". 2/07/09. Lincoln Center American Songbook Series. www.lincolncenter.org.
***Blanche Survives Katrina in a FEMA Trailer Named Desire. Mark Sam Rosenthal's 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
***Distracted. Cynthia Nixon stars in Lisa Loomer's comedy about parenting in the age of the internet and Ritalin. to 5/03/09. www.roundabouttheatre.org.
***The Story of My Life, a musical about two guys and a lifelong friendship. Malcolm Gets stars. www.thestoryofmylife.com
***The Third Story. Charles Busch and Kathleen Turner star in his new comedy. to 2/28/09. www.mcctheatre.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. 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.
***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.
***Looped. Valerie Harper stars as Talullah Bankhead. Chad Allen plays her sound engineer. to 2/15/09. West Palm Beach, FL. www.cuillocentre.org.
***Minsky's, Christopher Fitzgerald, Rachel Dratch, and Beth Leavel star in the musical based on the film "The Night They Raided Minsky's". to 3/01/09. Los Angeles, CA. www.CenterTheatreGroup.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

***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.
***"Rent" Filmed Live on Broadway. Film made of the final performances of the landmark musical New to DVD and Blu-Ray.
***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.
***Yentl: The 25th Anniversary Edition. The 1983 musical film directed by and starring Barbra Streisand as cross-dressing Yentl.

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

***February: In the Life. LGBT news magazine. PBS. Check local listings. http://www.itl.tv/inthelife/episodes/

Conferences, Seminars, Benefits, and Special Events

2/09/09: Phoenix, AZ: E. Lynn Harris does a reading/booksigning of his new novel "Basketball Jones". 7PM. Barnes & Noble, N. Tatum Blvd. http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780767926270&view=isbn_events

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, Rita Moreno, KT Sullivan, Joanne Worley, and more. The Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation raises money for local beneficiaries. www.helpisontheway.org.

2/11/09: Washington, DC: Ira Glass signs copies of "This American Life: Season 2" 6:30PM. Borders, K Street.

2/12/09: New York, NY: Liza Minnelli and Donna Karan receive The Award of Courage, along with Howard and Cindy Rachofsky and the amfAR Winter Gala. www.amfar.org.

2/13/09-2/16/09: Hudson Valley, NY: Winter Explosion. popular LGBT African-American winter event. www.winterexplosion.com

2/13/09-2/15/09: Bloomington, IN: Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender Ally College Conference. http://www.mblgtacc.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/

2/15/09: New York, NY: Broadway Bears XII. An auction of teddy bears decorated by Broadway shows to benefit Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS. Bears are posted at www.broadwaycares.org.

Last 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. Answer: Gavin Newsom, Mayor of San Francisco, who authorized the city to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

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. Answer: Puxatawny Phil, the star of Ground Hog Day. His shadow determines whether there is six weeks left to winter.

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. Answer: L.A. Law.

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. Answer: Bill Tilden, the tennis great.

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.. Answer: Gertrude Stein. Her partner was Alice B. Toklas, who added marijuana to her brownies, according to the Arlo Guthrie song.

This Week’s Trivia Quiz: Fun Couples: Valentine’s Trivia

1. Question: Name one member of this pair, together for 44 years. Both worked in a Washington, DC government office. Both were closeted. One was reportedly a cross-dresser after work, but before he put on his heels, he busted and ruined the lives of many homosexuals.

2. Question: Name this fun couple of 20+ years who were the toast of contemporary American arts and letters. One was an author and essayist who espoused many feminist theories of the day. The other immortalized pop culture's leading actors, entertainers, and icons with her magazine photography.

3. Question: Name this celebrity who tried gay marriage at least twice: first, to Judy Garland’s opening act, and last, to a producer who is still licking his wounds.

4. Question: Name this couple, together professionally and personally for 40+ years. They produced over 45 major motion pictures.

5. Question: Name this fun couple. One, a TV mogul, made history a decade ago coming out on TV and in real life; the other, a sitcom star, came out recently. One is the first out person to host a major awards show; one adapted his/her name from a Shakespearean character.

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