Coming Out Support (COS) Newsweekly
Volume 12 No. 9 March 2, 2009
Newsletter Editor: OnQYB
The Fine Print
See previous posts
The Gay Agenda: Datebook: March 2-8, 2009
to SAT: 3/07: Lake Tahoe, NV: Lake Tahoe WinterFest Gay & Lesbian Ski Week. includes Outlaugh comedy festival. www.LakeTahoeWinterfest.com
MON: 3/02: New York, NY: Cheyenne Jackson makes his nightclub debut in "Back to The Start". Seth Rudetsky is musical director. Also:SUN: 3/08. www.feinsteinsatloewsregency.com
MON: 3/02: New York, NY: Broadway for a New America: Standing Up for Marriage Equality and a Progressive Agenda for Change. A benefit including: Melissa Errico, Nellie McKay, Rosie Perez, Lillias White, Hugh Panaro, Stockard Channing, Richard Belzer, Tovah Feldshuh, and Seth Rudetsky. www.Jews4Change.com
MON: 3/02: Washington, DC: Nathaniel Frank, author of "Unfriendly Fire: How the Gay Ban Undermines the Military and Weakens America" does a reading and booksigning. 12Noon. Center for American Progress. Also: THU: 3/05: Los Angeles, CA: 7:30PM. A Different Light Books. SAT: 3/07/09: San Diego, CA: Time TBD. Obelisk Books/San Diego LGBT Community Center. http://www.unfriendlyfire.org/events.php
TUE: 3/03: New York, NY: The Big Gay Variety Show to benefit New York Civil Liberties Union, one of New York State’s leading advocates for the rights of LGBT New Yorkers. Jackie Hoffman and Nellie McKay headline. www.nyclu.org/BigGayShow.
WED-FRI: 3/04-3/06: 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/
FRI-SUN: 3/06-3/08: Los Angeles, CA: Fusion, LGBT people of color film festival.
www.outfest.org/fusion.html
SAT: 3/07: Pittsburgh: PA: Margaret Cho performs outrageous comedy in a benefit for the Gay and Lesbian Community Center. www.glccpgh.org
SAT: 3/07: Chicago, IL: Chicago Takes Off. burlesque show to fight HIV/AIDS in the Chicagoland area. www.rideforaids.org
Newsworthy:
FBI Probed Valenti's Sexuality. According to recently surfaced information, The FBI's J. Edgar Hoover investigated then LBJ aide Jack Valenti (who later became head of the Motion Picture Association of America). Hoover thought Valenti, although married, was gay and in a secret relationship. The Washington Post reports: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/18/AR2009021803819.html
Rev. Fred Phelps, the homophobic (God Hates Fags) cleric, was barred entry to the UK, where he was headed to protest a production of "The Laramie Project" (the drama about Matthew Shepard). The Guardian reports: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/feb/19/britain-bans-us-cleric
Film Examines Gay Hate Crime. A new documentary profiles the 2003 murder of a lesbian teen in Newark, NJ. the New York Times reports: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/02/18/remembering-a-newark-hate-crime/
"Milk" lost the battle for the best film Oscar on 2/22/09, but a day later activists say it has won a lasting place in U.S. culture wars by energizing mostly young, gay men and women to speak out. Reuters reports: http://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSTRE51N0BE20090224
California: Joy in the Castro as "Milk" picks up Oscars. The San Francisco Chronicle reports: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/02/22/MNFU162QFP.DTL&tsp=1
The Buzz (People Making News)
Coming Out: Ann Hampton Callaway, the fixture on the New York cabaret scene who has written material for Barbra Streisand, Patti LuPone, and Fran Drescher has come out. The Advocate reports: http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid73310.asp
Shin Inouye was appointed as The White House's Director of Specialty Media for the White House. The out Inouye was formerly spokesperson for specialty media at Obama’s presidential campaign and the Presidential Inaugural Committee. The Washington Blade reports: http://www.washblade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=24160
Gay is Grand: Alan Cumming, the out actor, will be grand marshall of the Tartan Day Parade, in his hometown of Aberfeldy, Scotland. The New York Post's Page Six reports: http://www.nypost.com/seven/02192009/gossip/pagesix/gay_is_grand_155836.htm
Awards and Honors:
The Oscars: "Milk" picks up honors for Dustin Lance Black's screenplay and Sean Penn's performance. Their acceptance speeches were awesome. Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2009/02/slumdog-millionaire-took-the-best-picture-last-night-at-the-academy-awards-along-with-7-other-trophies-but-it-was-the-s.html
Winners: Independent Spirit Awards: "Milk" won for "Best First Screenplay" (Dustin Lance Black) and "Best Supporting Actor" (James Franco). For the complete list: www.spiritawards.com
Winners: 29th Annual Golden Raspberry (Razzies) Awards: http://www.razzies.com/history/08winners.asp
Features
Transgender Vets: The Hidden Population. Tucson has become home to a small army of veterans who are trying to live transgender lives. The Arizona Daily Star reports: http://www.azstarnet.com/metro/281260
Profile: Dustin Lance Black, Oscar winner for "Milk", discusses Harvey Milk 30 years later. Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2009/02/exclusive-milk-screenwriter-dustin-lance-black-on-milk-30-years-later.html
Duo-Profile: John Epperson and Lypsinka discuss their upcoming performances with Charles Busch and Whoopi Goldberg in James Kirkwood's "Legends", which finally comes to Broadway for a one-nighter. Playbill.com reports: http://www.playbill.com/celebritybuzz/article/126357.html
In Print:
Unfriendly Fire: How the Gay Ban Undermines the Military and Weakens America by Nathaniel Frank. Thomas Dunne Books. the definitive history of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell", which went into effect 15 years ago on March 1, as written by one of the major authorities on the subject. www.unfriendlyfire.org.
In Performance: Onstage:Theatre/Music/Dance
New York City (and Broadway)
***Avow. Bill C. Davis’s drama explores the Catholic church's reactions to same-sex marriage. to 3/08/09. www.CardinalGroupNYC.com
***Blithe Spirit. Rupert Everett makes his Broadway debut in Noel Coward's ghostly comedy. Angela Lansbury and Christine Ebersole co-star.
***Christine Jorgensen Reveals. Bradford Louryk stars as America's first famous transsexual, in his solo theatre piece which won numerous awards. to 3/15/09. www.ticketcentral.com
***Gates of Gold. Frank McGuinness' comedy-drama based on Hilton Edwards and Micheal MacLiammoir, partners in business and also in life, who together founded Dublin's Gate Theater in Dublin in 1928.to 3/29/09. www.59e59.org.
***Hair, The first major American rock musical, which has "sodomy" and other words in its lyrics. www.publictheater.org.
***West Side Story. The acclaimed musicalization of "Romeo & Juliet" in a new production directed by Arthur Laurents. www.broadwaywestsidestory.com.
Elsewhere...
***A Beautiful View. Daniel MacIvor's take on two women in love. MacIvor is one of Canada's greatest living playwrights. to 3/22/09. San Francisco, CA. www.therhino.org.
***A Conversation With Edith Head. Susan Claassen's portrayal of the award-winning designer who gave good Hollywood costume. 3/05/09-3/08/09, Tucson, AZ. www.invisibletheatre.com. .
***Hangin' Out: That Naked Musical. A musical revue. to 3/15/09. Macha Theatre. West Hollywood, CA. www.plays411.com/hangin’out
***La Cage Aux Folles. The Jerry Herman/Harvey Fierstein musical based on the film that became "Birdcage".to 3/29/09. Santa Rosa, CA. www.6thstreetplayhouse.com
***Master Class. Barbara Walsh stars as opera diva Maria Callas in Terrence McNally's Tony-Award winning play. to 4/05/09. Millburn, NJ. www.papermill.org.
***Simply Barbra Salutes The Oscars. Steven Brinberg as Streisand performs her movie music. to 3/15/09. Ft. Lauderdale, FL. www.risingactiontheatre.com
***Sin, A Cardinal Deposed. A docudrama about Boston Archibishop Cardinal Bernard Law who failed to protect tvictims of sexual abuse at the hands of priests in his archdiocese. to 4/02/09. Los Angeles, CA. www.thehayworth.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, A nun (Meryl Streep) suspects a popular priest of abusing a boy.
***Hair: Let the Sunshine In. Pola Rapaport's documentary that traces the roots and legacy of the landmark musical.
***I Love You Phillip Morris. Based on real-life events. Jim Carrey plays Steven Russell, who falls for his cellmate, Phillip Morris (Ewan McGregor), after being put in prison and makes regular attempts to escape when the object of his affections is released.
***Milk, Gus Van Sant's Oscar-winning film about gay activist Harvey Milk (Sean Penn).
Out On Video & DVD
***Chris and Don: A Love Story. Tina Mascara's documentary about British writer Christopher Isherwood and his lover, the much younger American artist Don Bachardy.
***Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. Neil Patrick Harris stars in Joss Whedon's internet musical.
***Religulous. Bill Maher travels the globe to investigate the current state of world religion, questioning many religious leaders on LGBT rights. www.lionsgate.com/religulous.
***"Rent" Filmed Live on Broadway. Film made of the final performances of the landmark musical New to DVD and Blu-Ray.
***The Yellow Brick Road And Beyond. A feature documentary takes a look at the phenomenon that is The Wizard of Oz.
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
***March: In the Life. LGBT news magazine. PBS. Check local listings. http://www.itl.tv/inthelife/episodes/
This Just In !!! ***SAT: 2/28: Rosie O'Donnell plays a therapist who helps a teen scarred from the foster care system in "America". 9PM. Lifetime.
***TUE: 3/03: Cynthia Nixon appears on Live With Regis and Kelly. Syndicated. Check local listings.
***FRI: 3/06: Siegfried and Roy, Las Vegas' one-time fun couple, chat with Elizabeth Vargas on 20/20. 10PM. ABC. http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=6807154&page=1
Conferences, Seminars, Benefits, and Special Events
3/12/09-3/14/09: Storrs, CT: True Colors XVI Conference focusing on the needs of LGBTQ youth and their allies. www.ourtruecolors.org.
3/18/09-3/20/09: Ithaca, NY: Ithaca College Sport, Sexuality, and Culture Conference. Former NBA player John Amaechi, will deliver the keynote address. http://www.ithaca.edu/hshp/grad/sportmgmt/sportsexualitycultureintr/ConferenceSchedule/
3/23/09: New York, NY: Legends, a reading of the infamous James Kirkwood comedy with Charles Busch, Lypsinka, Whoopi Goldberg and Bryan ("Mad Men") Batt. http://www.playbill.com/news/article/125984.html
3/25/09-3/29/09: Keystone, CO: OutBoard, annual LGBT snowboarding festival. www.outboard.org
3/30/09-4/05/09: Palm Springs, CA: Kraft Nabisco Golf Championship. previously known as the Dinah Shore. women and golf. www.dinahshoreweekend.com
4/01/09-4/04/09: Kingston, RI: University of Rhode Island GLBTIQQ Symposium. on GLBT, Intersex, Queer and Questioning Issues. www.uri.edu/glbt/symposium.html
4/09/09-4/12/09: Washington, DC: International Gay Square Dance Clubs Convention. www.iagsdc.org
4/17/09-4/19/09: Minneapolis, MN: 2009 Bisexual Empowerment Conference (BECAUSE) at the University of Minnesota. Keynote speaker: Robyn Ochs. Also: screening of the documentary "Bi the Way" including dialogue with director Josephine Decker. www.becauseconference.org.
Last Week’s Trivia Quiz: March Milestones
1. Question: Name this nation, the first in the Middle East, to decriminalise same-sex acts between consenting adults on March 23, 1988. Answer: Israel.
2. Question: Name this organization, the most powerful political advocate for AIDS action, which was founded on March 14, 1987. Ten days later, it staged a major protest in New York City. Answer: ACT-UP, the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power. Playwright Larry Kramer was one if its founders.
3. Question: Name this American author, born March 10, 1934, who turned his days as a hustler and a drifter into a highly-praised 1963 American novel. Today, he teaches literature. Some of his subsequent works also deal with hustling. Answer: John Rechy, author of “City of Night” and “Numbers”.
4. Question: Name this gay pop-idol dancer, born in Siberia in March, 1938, who lept to fame when he defected to the West. His stagework was legendary; he also played a gay film icon in a Ken Russell movie. Answer: Rudolf Nureyev, best known for his dance partnership with Dame Margot Fonteyn, many years his senior. He starred as Valentino in Russell’s film bio.
5. Question: Name this gay music legend, singer, piano-man, and songwriter, who was born on March 25, 1947. He has conquered the Billboard charts, Broadway and Hollywood, and is perhaps best known worldwide for his elegy to a dead princess. Answer: Elton John.
This Week’s Trivia Quiz: Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell
President Bill Clinton signed DADT, the paradigm for gays in the military, into law 15 years ago.
1. Question: Name this non-profit organization, founded in 1993, which provides support and legal assistance to gays in the military affected by "Don't Ask, Don't Tell". It has responded to over 9,000 requests for legal assistance since its founding.
2. Question: Name the author of the definitive history of LGBT people in the US military. This author, who had chronicled the gay rights movement in the Harvey Milk years and the rise of AIDS activism in the USA, died shortly after completing the book.
3. Question: Name this gay soldier who was perhaps the best-known openly gay man in the 1970s. A Vietnam War veteran and recipient of the Purpole Heart and the Bronze Star, he came out and fought to stay in the Air Force, a battle that put hiim on the cover of Time Magazine in 1975.
4. Question: Name this out former colonel in the Washington National Guard and a gay rights activist. Prior to DADT, she came out in a security clearance, and was discharged. She fought for reinstatement. Her battle became the subject of an award-winning film.
5. Question: Name this Naval Academy student who was expelled from Annapolis in 1987, after coming out to his commanding officer. He was six weeks from graduation and one of the top six midshipmen within the academy. He sued for reinstatement. His case was unique in that he was accused of no homosexual conduct; his separation from the military was predicated solely upon his admission of homosexuality. After a long legal battle, he chose not to appeal his case to the U.S. Supreme Court. Today, he's a successful attorney.
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/
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Coming Out Support Newsweekly: 2/23/09
Coming Out Support (COS) Newsweekly
Volume 12 No. 8 February 23, 2009
Newsletter Editor: OnQYB
The Fine Print
See previous editions:
The Gay Agenda: Datebook: February 23-March 1, 2009
to SAT:2/28: Telluride, CO: Telluride Gay Ski Week. www.telluridegayskiweek.com
MON: 2/23: New York, NY: Defying Inequality: The Broadway Concert: A Celebrity Benefit for Equal Rights, benefiting: Family Equality Council, Empire State Pride Agenda, Equality California, Garden State Equality and The VT Freedom to Marry Task Force. Evening includes Marc Shaiman's "Prop 8 - The Musical". Cast includes: Douglas Carter Beane, Kerry Butler, Lynda Carter, Gavin Creel, Harvey Fierstein, John Gallagher, Jr., Jonathan Groff, Cheyenne Jackson, Carson Kressley, Cameron Mathison, Rue McClanahan, Seth Rudesky, Michael Urie, www.defyinginequality.com.
TUE-SUN: 2/24-3/01: New York, NY: CineKink NYC. mixed gay/ straight film festival exploring a wide variety of sexualities through documentary, comedy, porn, drama & more. www.cinekink.com
THU: 2/26: New York, NY: Bill Konigsberg does a reading from "Out of The Pocket", his new novel about a high school athlete's coming out. GLYDSA Authors Series: Lesbian and Gay Community Services Center. http://www.orthogays.org/calendar.html
FRI-SAT: 2/27-2/28: New York, NY: FOLLY: The Grand Street Follies 2009, a benefit for God's Love We Deliver and TWEED TheatreWorks. Cast includes: Jackie Hoffman, The Lady Bunny, Julie Halston, Flotilla DeBarge, and more. www.abronartscenter.org
FRI: 2/27: Nationwide: TransAction Day. Sponsored by GLSEN to encourage dialogue about gender, gender roles and the full range of gender identities, and to advocate for inclusive, safe schools for all students. http://www.dayofsilence.org/transaction.html
SUN-SAT: 3/01-3/07: Lake Tahoe, NV: Lake Tahoe WinterFest Gay & Lesbian Ski Week. includes Outlaugh comedy festival. www.LakeTahoeWinterfest.com
Newsworthy:
Coming Out: Batwoman. DC Comics is resurrecting the classic comic book character as a lesbian, unveiling the new Batwoman in July as part of an ongoing weekly series that began this year. EDGE Boston reports: http://www.edgeboston.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=&sc2=&sc3=&id=87244
California: An Orange County high school principal has banned a school production of "Rent" because the musical has gay characters. The Orange County Register reports: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/school-gay-asrani-2308187-script-high
AbFab returns to TV. The American version of "Absolutely Fabulous" will go before the cameras with Kathryn Hahn and Kristen Johnston starring for FOX. Playbill.com reports: http://www.playbill.com/news/article/126180.html
The Buzz (People Making News)
Coming Out: Ezra Temko, Newark, DE City Councilman comes out, as he introduces anti-discrimination legislation. Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2009/02/delaware-city-c.html
Wanda Sykes will be the first out performer to entertain at the White House Corresponent's Dinner, an annual Presiential "roast". Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2009/02/wanda-sykes-to.html
Jeremy Bernard, the out fundraiser, was appointed as White House liaison to the National Endowment for the Humanities. Bernard worked with his partner, Rufus Gifford, to raise millions of dollars through their company for Obama’s campaign in California. Gifford was tapped to become the new finance director for the Democratic National Committee. The Washington Blade reports: http://www.washblade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=24085
Awards and Honors:
Winner: Teddy Award (the LGBT award in conjunction with the Berlin Film Festival). the Mexican drama "Rabioso Sol, Rabioso Cielo (Raging Sun, Raging Sky)" took the award for best feature. Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2009/02/gay-mexican-dra.html
In Memoriam:
John McGlinn, the conductor and musical archivist who devoted himself to finding and recording the restored scores of early works of the American musical theatre, died on 2/14/09 at age 55. Playbill.com reports: http://www.playbill.com/news/article/126362.html
Photo Shoots and Video
Photos: 2009 amFAR Honors, benefitting the American Foundation for AIDS Research. Honorees: Donna Karan, Liza Liza Minnelli and Howard and Cindy Rachofsky. from BroadwayWorld.com: http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Photo_Coverage_The_2009_amfAR_Honors_20090213
Photos: Broadway Backwards benefit for the New York LGBT Community Center from Broadway World.com:
http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Photo_Coverage_BROADWAY_BACKWARDS_4_Performance_Part_One_20090211
http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Photo_Coverage_BROADWAY_BACKWARDS_4_Performance_Part_Two_20090211
http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Photo_Coverage_BROADWAY_BACKWARDS_4_Performance_Part_Three_20090211
http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Photo_Coverage_BROADWAY_BACKWARDS_4_Backstage_20090211
Features
Coming Out: Profile: Billie Jean King talks about the impact of bring outed and coming out on her tennis career. Tennis.com reports: http://www.tennis.com/features/general/features.aspx?id=164732
In Performance: Onstage:Theatre/Music/Dance
New York City (and Broadway)
***Avow. Bill C. Davis’s drama explores the Catholic church's reactions to same-sex marriage. to 3/08/09. www.CardinalGroupNYC.com
***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
***Blithe Spirit. Rupert Everett makes his Broadway debut in Noel Coward's ghostly comedy. Angela Lansbury and Christine Ebersole co-star.
***Christine Jorgensen Reveals. Bradford Louryk stars as America's first famous transsexual, in his solo theatre piece which won numerous awards. “Ex-GI Becomes Blonde Beauty: Operation Transforms Bronx Youth” (NY Daily News headline: 12/01/52). to 3/15/09. www.ticketcentral.com
***The Story of My Life, a musical about two guys and a lifelong friendship. Malcolm Gets stars. www.thestoryofmylife.com
Elsewhere...
***A Beautiful View. Daniel MacIvor's take on two women in love. MacIvor is one of Canada's greatest living playwrights. to 3/22/09. San Francisco, CA. www.therhino.org.
***Hangin' Out: That Naked Musical. A musical revue. to 3/15/09. Macha Theatre. West Hollywood, CA. www.plays411.com/hangin’out
***La Cage Aux Folles. The Jerry Herman/Harvey Fierstein musical based on the film that became "Birdcage".to 3/29/09. Santa Rosa, CA. www.6thstreetplayhouse.com
***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.
***Sin, A Cardinal Deposed. A docudrama about the lawyer who pursues Boston Archibishop Cardinal Bernard Law for his failure to protect the victims of sexual abuse at the hands of priests in his archdiocese. Bruce Davison, Gary Cole, Dan Lauria, Wendie Mallick, Hamish Linklater, and James Handy will star. Thursdays 2/26/09-4/02/09. Los Angeles, CA. www.thehayworth.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.
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.
***Every Little Step. A documentary about the making of the 2006 Broadway revival of "A Chorus Line".
***I Love You Phillip Morris. Based on Steve McVicker's book about real-life events. Jim Carrey plays Steven Russell, who falls for his cellmate, Phillip Morris (Ewan McGregor), after being put in prison and makes regular attempts to escape when the object of his affections is released.
***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.
***Chris and Don: A Love Story. Tina Mascara's documentary about British writer Christopher Isherwood and his lover, the much younger American artist Don Bachardy.
***Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. Neil Patrick Harris stars in Joss Whedon's internet musical.
***Religulous. Bill Maher travels the globe to investigate the current state of world religion, questioning many religious leaders on LGBT rights. www.lionsgate.com/religulous.
***"Rent" Filmed Live on Broadway. Film made of the final performances of the landmark musical New to DVD and Blu-Ray.
***The Yellow Brick Road And Beyond. A feature documentary takes a look at the phenomenon that is The Wizard of Oz, highlighting some of the earliest stage and screen adaptations, and the musical Wicked.
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/
This Just In: HU: 2/19: Faye Dunaway guest stars as a surgeon who botches a surgery on "Grey's Anatomy". 9PM. ABC.
This Just In ! FRI: 2/20: Rosie O'Donnell visits "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson". CBS. Check local listings.
Conferences, Seminars, Benefits, and Special Events
3/02/09: Washington, DC: Nathaniel Frank, author of "Unfriendly Fire: How the Gay Ban Undermines the Military and Weakens America" begins a reading/booksigning tour. does a reading and booksigning. 12Noon. Center for American Progress. For information on all tour dates. http://www.unfriendlyfire.org/events.php
3/4/09-3/6/09: Philadelphia, PA: Rethinking Sex: Gender and Sexuality Studies State of the Field Conference. www.sas.upenn.edu/wstudies/rethinkingsex/
3/06/09-3/08/09: Los Angeles, CA: Fusion, LGBT people of color film festival.
www.outfest.org/fusion.html
3/07/09: Chicago, IL: Chicago Takes Off. burlesque show to fight HIV/AIDS in the Chicagoland area. www.rideforaids.org
3/09/09: New York, NY: ABC & Soap.Net Salute Broadway Cares. Actors from such ABC daytime shows as "All My Children," "One Life to Live" and "General Hospital" offer musical numbers and skits. www.broadwaycares.org.
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.
3/18/09-3/20/09: Ithaca, NY: Ithaca College Sport, Sexuality, and Culture Conference. Former NBA player, author, and entrepreneur, John Amaechi, will deliver the keynote address. http://www.ithaca.edu/hshp/grad/sportmgmt/sportsexualitycultureintr/ConferenceSchedule/
3/23/09: New York, NY: Legends, a reading of the infamous James Kirkwood comedy with Charles Busch, Lypsinka, Whoopi Goldberg and Bryan ("Mad Men") Batt. A benefit for Friends in Deed: The Crisis Center for Life-Threatening Illness. http://www.playbill.com/news/article/125984.html
3/25/09-3/29/09: Keystone, CO: OutBoard, annual LGBT snowboarding festival. www.outboard.org
Last Week’s Trivia Quiz: Hooray for Hollywood
1. Question: Name this 1969 film, which featured gay themes and was the first X-rated film to win the “Best Picture” Oscar. Its openly gay director made several mainstream movies with gay characters. Answer: Midnight Cowboy, which featured Jon Voight as a Times Square hustler. John Schlesinger, the director, also filmed “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and about a bisexual menage.
2. Question: Name this 1972 Oscar-winning film, based on a Tony-winning musical based on a gay author’s journals about his life in Europe. It won 8 Oscars. Its in-your-face decadence featured threesomes, transvestites and other club types. Answer: Cabaret, based on the musical of the same name, adapted from Christopher Isherwood’s “Berlin Stories”.
3. Question: Name this actor, who received an Oscar for a breakthrough performance as a real-life transgender victim. Answer: Hilary Swank, Oscar winner for “Boys Don’t Cry”, the story of Brandon Teena.
4. Question: Name this actor, who received an Oscar for playing an HIV-infected man who was the subject of discrimination in the first major Hollywood film to deal with HIV. Answer: Tom Hanks, who starred in “Philadelphia” in 1993.
5. Question: Name this out singer and songwriter who got an Oscar gold with a song about going green. For over a decade, this artist's music has been top of the charts; the artist is a GLAAD Media Award winner, a cancer survivor, and a spokesperson for coming out issues. Answer: Melissa Etheridge. Her song "I Need to Wake Up" won the Oscar for "Best Song". It was featured in Al Gore's award-winning movie about global warming, "An Inconvenient Truth".
This Week’s Trivia Quiz: March Milestones
1. Question: Name this nation, the first in the Middle East, to decriminalise same-sex acts between consenting adults on March 23, 1988.
2. Question: Name this organization, the most powerful political advocate for AIDS action, which was founded on March 14, 1987. Ten days later, it staged a major protest in New York City.
3. Question: Name this American author, born March 10, 1934, who turned his days as a hustler and a drifter into a highly-praised 1963 American novel. Today, he teaches literature. Some of his subsequent works also deal with hustling.
4. Question: Name this gay pop-idol dancer, born in Siberia in March, 1938, who lept to fame when he defected to the West. His stagework was legendary; he also played a gay film icon in a Ken Russell movie.
5. Question: Name this gay music legend, singer, piano-man, and songwriter, who was born on March 25, 1947. He has conquered the Billboard charts, Broadway and Hollywood, and is perhaps best known worldwide for his elegy to a dead princess.
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/
Volume 12 No. 8 February 23, 2009
Newsletter Editor: OnQYB
The Fine Print
See previous editions:
The Gay Agenda: Datebook: February 23-March 1, 2009
to SAT:2/28: Telluride, CO: Telluride Gay Ski Week. www.telluridegayskiweek.com
MON: 2/23: New York, NY: Defying Inequality: The Broadway Concert: A Celebrity Benefit for Equal Rights, benefiting: Family Equality Council, Empire State Pride Agenda, Equality California, Garden State Equality and The VT Freedom to Marry Task Force. Evening includes Marc Shaiman's "Prop 8 - The Musical". Cast includes: Douglas Carter Beane, Kerry Butler, Lynda Carter, Gavin Creel, Harvey Fierstein, John Gallagher, Jr., Jonathan Groff, Cheyenne Jackson, Carson Kressley, Cameron Mathison, Rue McClanahan, Seth Rudesky, Michael Urie, www.defyinginequality.com.
TUE-SUN: 2/24-3/01: New York, NY: CineKink NYC. mixed gay/ straight film festival exploring a wide variety of sexualities through documentary, comedy, porn, drama & more. www.cinekink.com
THU: 2/26: New York, NY: Bill Konigsberg does a reading from "Out of The Pocket", his new novel about a high school athlete's coming out. GLYDSA Authors Series: Lesbian and Gay Community Services Center. http://www.orthogays.org/calendar.html
FRI-SAT: 2/27-2/28: New York, NY: FOLLY: The Grand Street Follies 2009, a benefit for God's Love We Deliver and TWEED TheatreWorks. Cast includes: Jackie Hoffman, The Lady Bunny, Julie Halston, Flotilla DeBarge, and more. www.abronartscenter.org
FRI: 2/27: Nationwide: TransAction Day. Sponsored by GLSEN to encourage dialogue about gender, gender roles and the full range of gender identities, and to advocate for inclusive, safe schools for all students. http://www.dayofsilence.org/transaction.html
SUN-SAT: 3/01-3/07: Lake Tahoe, NV: Lake Tahoe WinterFest Gay & Lesbian Ski Week. includes Outlaugh comedy festival. www.LakeTahoeWinterfest.com
Newsworthy:
Coming Out: Batwoman. DC Comics is resurrecting the classic comic book character as a lesbian, unveiling the new Batwoman in July as part of an ongoing weekly series that began this year. EDGE Boston reports: http://www.edgeboston.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=&sc2=&sc3=&id=87244
California: An Orange County high school principal has banned a school production of "Rent" because the musical has gay characters. The Orange County Register reports: http://www.ocregister.com/articles/school-gay-asrani-2308187-script-high
AbFab returns to TV. The American version of "Absolutely Fabulous" will go before the cameras with Kathryn Hahn and Kristen Johnston starring for FOX. Playbill.com reports: http://www.playbill.com/news/article/126180.html
The Buzz (People Making News)
Coming Out: Ezra Temko, Newark, DE City Councilman comes out, as he introduces anti-discrimination legislation. Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2009/02/delaware-city-c.html
Wanda Sykes will be the first out performer to entertain at the White House Corresponent's Dinner, an annual Presiential "roast". Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2009/02/wanda-sykes-to.html
Jeremy Bernard, the out fundraiser, was appointed as White House liaison to the National Endowment for the Humanities. Bernard worked with his partner, Rufus Gifford, to raise millions of dollars through their company for Obama’s campaign in California. Gifford was tapped to become the new finance director for the Democratic National Committee. The Washington Blade reports: http://www.washblade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=24085
Awards and Honors:
Winner: Teddy Award (the LGBT award in conjunction with the Berlin Film Festival). the Mexican drama "Rabioso Sol, Rabioso Cielo (Raging Sun, Raging Sky)" took the award for best feature. Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2009/02/gay-mexican-dra.html
In Memoriam:
John McGlinn, the conductor and musical archivist who devoted himself to finding and recording the restored scores of early works of the American musical theatre, died on 2/14/09 at age 55. Playbill.com reports: http://www.playbill.com/news/article/126362.html
Photo Shoots and Video
Photos: 2009 amFAR Honors, benefitting the American Foundation for AIDS Research. Honorees: Donna Karan, Liza Liza Minnelli and Howard and Cindy Rachofsky. from BroadwayWorld.com: http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Photo_Coverage_The_2009_amfAR_Honors_20090213
Photos: Broadway Backwards benefit for the New York LGBT Community Center from Broadway World.com:
http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Photo_Coverage_BROADWAY_BACKWARDS_4_Performance_Part_One_20090211
http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Photo_Coverage_BROADWAY_BACKWARDS_4_Performance_Part_Two_20090211
http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Photo_Coverage_BROADWAY_BACKWARDS_4_Performance_Part_Three_20090211
http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Photo_Coverage_BROADWAY_BACKWARDS_4_Backstage_20090211
Features
Coming Out: Profile: Billie Jean King talks about the impact of bring outed and coming out on her tennis career. Tennis.com reports: http://www.tennis.com/features/general/features.aspx?id=164732
In Performance: Onstage:Theatre/Music/Dance
New York City (and Broadway)
***Avow. Bill C. Davis’s drama explores the Catholic church's reactions to same-sex marriage. to 3/08/09. www.CardinalGroupNYC.com
***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
***Blithe Spirit. Rupert Everett makes his Broadway debut in Noel Coward's ghostly comedy. Angela Lansbury and Christine Ebersole co-star.
***Christine Jorgensen Reveals. Bradford Louryk stars as America's first famous transsexual, in his solo theatre piece which won numerous awards. “Ex-GI Becomes Blonde Beauty: Operation Transforms Bronx Youth” (NY Daily News headline: 12/01/52). to 3/15/09. www.ticketcentral.com
***The Story of My Life, a musical about two guys and a lifelong friendship. Malcolm Gets stars. www.thestoryofmylife.com
Elsewhere...
***A Beautiful View. Daniel MacIvor's take on two women in love. MacIvor is one of Canada's greatest living playwrights. to 3/22/09. San Francisco, CA. www.therhino.org.
***Hangin' Out: That Naked Musical. A musical revue. to 3/15/09. Macha Theatre. West Hollywood, CA. www.plays411.com/hangin’out
***La Cage Aux Folles. The Jerry Herman/Harvey Fierstein musical based on the film that became "Birdcage".to 3/29/09. Santa Rosa, CA. www.6thstreetplayhouse.com
***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.
***Sin, A Cardinal Deposed. A docudrama about the lawyer who pursues Boston Archibishop Cardinal Bernard Law for his failure to protect the victims of sexual abuse at the hands of priests in his archdiocese. Bruce Davison, Gary Cole, Dan Lauria, Wendie Mallick, Hamish Linklater, and James Handy will star. Thursdays 2/26/09-4/02/09. Los Angeles, CA. www.thehayworth.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.
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.
***Every Little Step. A documentary about the making of the 2006 Broadway revival of "A Chorus Line".
***I Love You Phillip Morris. Based on Steve McVicker's book about real-life events. Jim Carrey plays Steven Russell, who falls for his cellmate, Phillip Morris (Ewan McGregor), after being put in prison and makes regular attempts to escape when the object of his affections is released.
***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.
***Chris and Don: A Love Story. Tina Mascara's documentary about British writer Christopher Isherwood and his lover, the much younger American artist Don Bachardy.
***Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. Neil Patrick Harris stars in Joss Whedon's internet musical.
***Religulous. Bill Maher travels the globe to investigate the current state of world religion, questioning many religious leaders on LGBT rights. www.lionsgate.com/religulous.
***"Rent" Filmed Live on Broadway. Film made of the final performances of the landmark musical New to DVD and Blu-Ray.
***The Yellow Brick Road And Beyond. A feature documentary takes a look at the phenomenon that is The Wizard of Oz, highlighting some of the earliest stage and screen adaptations, and the musical Wicked.
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/
This Just In: HU: 2/19: Faye Dunaway guest stars as a surgeon who botches a surgery on "Grey's Anatomy". 9PM. ABC.
This Just In ! FRI: 2/20: Rosie O'Donnell visits "The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson". CBS. Check local listings.
Conferences, Seminars, Benefits, and Special Events
3/02/09: Washington, DC: Nathaniel Frank, author of "Unfriendly Fire: How the Gay Ban Undermines the Military and Weakens America" begins a reading/booksigning tour. does a reading and booksigning. 12Noon. Center for American Progress. For information on all tour dates. http://www.unfriendlyfire.org/events.php
3/4/09-3/6/09: Philadelphia, PA: Rethinking Sex: Gender and Sexuality Studies State of the Field Conference. www.sas.upenn.edu/wstudies/rethinkingsex/
3/06/09-3/08/09: Los Angeles, CA: Fusion, LGBT people of color film festival.
www.outfest.org/fusion.html
3/07/09: Chicago, IL: Chicago Takes Off. burlesque show to fight HIV/AIDS in the Chicagoland area. www.rideforaids.org
3/09/09: New York, NY: ABC & Soap.Net Salute Broadway Cares. Actors from such ABC daytime shows as "All My Children," "One Life to Live" and "General Hospital" offer musical numbers and skits. www.broadwaycares.org.
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.
3/18/09-3/20/09: Ithaca, NY: Ithaca College Sport, Sexuality, and Culture Conference. Former NBA player, author, and entrepreneur, John Amaechi, will deliver the keynote address. http://www.ithaca.edu/hshp/grad/sportmgmt/sportsexualitycultureintr/ConferenceSchedule/
3/23/09: New York, NY: Legends, a reading of the infamous James Kirkwood comedy with Charles Busch, Lypsinka, Whoopi Goldberg and Bryan ("Mad Men") Batt. A benefit for Friends in Deed: The Crisis Center for Life-Threatening Illness. http://www.playbill.com/news/article/125984.html
3/25/09-3/29/09: Keystone, CO: OutBoard, annual LGBT snowboarding festival. www.outboard.org
Last Week’s Trivia Quiz: Hooray for Hollywood
1. Question: Name this 1969 film, which featured gay themes and was the first X-rated film to win the “Best Picture” Oscar. Its openly gay director made several mainstream movies with gay characters. Answer: Midnight Cowboy, which featured Jon Voight as a Times Square hustler. John Schlesinger, the director, also filmed “Sunday Bloody Sunday” and about a bisexual menage.
2. Question: Name this 1972 Oscar-winning film, based on a Tony-winning musical based on a gay author’s journals about his life in Europe. It won 8 Oscars. Its in-your-face decadence featured threesomes, transvestites and other club types. Answer: Cabaret, based on the musical of the same name, adapted from Christopher Isherwood’s “Berlin Stories”.
3. Question: Name this actor, who received an Oscar for a breakthrough performance as a real-life transgender victim. Answer: Hilary Swank, Oscar winner for “Boys Don’t Cry”, the story of Brandon Teena.
4. Question: Name this actor, who received an Oscar for playing an HIV-infected man who was the subject of discrimination in the first major Hollywood film to deal with HIV. Answer: Tom Hanks, who starred in “Philadelphia” in 1993.
5. Question: Name this out singer and songwriter who got an Oscar gold with a song about going green. For over a decade, this artist's music has been top of the charts; the artist is a GLAAD Media Award winner, a cancer survivor, and a spokesperson for coming out issues. Answer: Melissa Etheridge. Her song "I Need to Wake Up" won the Oscar for "Best Song". It was featured in Al Gore's award-winning movie about global warming, "An Inconvenient Truth".
This Week’s Trivia Quiz: March Milestones
1. Question: Name this nation, the first in the Middle East, to decriminalise same-sex acts between consenting adults on March 23, 1988.
2. Question: Name this organization, the most powerful political advocate for AIDS action, which was founded on March 14, 1987. Ten days later, it staged a major protest in New York City.
3. Question: Name this American author, born March 10, 1934, who turned his days as a hustler and a drifter into a highly-praised 1963 American novel. Today, he teaches literature. Some of his subsequent works also deal with hustling.
4. Question: Name this gay pop-idol dancer, born in Siberia in March, 1938, who lept to fame when he defected to the West. His stagework was legendary; he also played a gay film icon in a Ken Russell movie.
5. Question: Name this gay music legend, singer, piano-man, and songwriter, who was born on March 25, 1947. He has conquered the Billboard charts, Broadway and Hollywood, and is perhaps best known worldwide for his elegy to a dead princess.
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/
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Coming Out Support Newsweekly: 2/16/09
Coming Out Support (COS) Newsweekly
Volume 12 No. 7 February 16, 2009
Newsletter Editor: OnQYB
The Fine Print
See previous editions
Subscription Information: This newsletter is available via free email subscription only. Our mailing list is confidential.
To subscribe: Email OnQYB@aol.com and write “Subscribe COS News” in subject line.
To unsubscribe: Email OnQYB@aol.com and write “Cancel COS News” in subject line.
The Gay Agenda: Datebook: February 16-22, 2009
MON: 2/16: Hudson Valley, NY: Winter Explosion. popular LGBT African-American winter event. www.winterexplosion.com
WED: 2/18: New York, NY: Michael Musto, Village Voice columnist, hosts Out Professional's "Prelude to the Academy Awards". http://www.outprofessionals.org/op/214
FRI: 2/20: Las Vegas, NV: E. Lynn Harris does a reading/booksigning of his new novel "Basketball Jones". 7PM. Borders. N. Rainbow Blvd. http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780767926270&view=isbn_events
SAT-SAT: 2/21-2/28: Telluride, CO: Telluride Gay Ski Week. www.telluridegayskiweek.com
SAT: 2/21: New York, NY: David Zippel performs "It Started With a Dream: Lyrics He Wrote / Lyrics He Wishes He'd Wrote. The Tony Award winning lyricist ("City of Angels", "The Goodbye Girl") and Oscar nominee ("Mulan", "Hercules") performs a benefit for Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS. www.bcefa.org.
SAT: 2/21: Northampton, MA: The Vagina Monologues, Eve Ensler's play, performed by the Villa Jidiiots, as a benefit for the Women's Fund of Western Massachusetts. http://www.villajidiots.com/thevaginamonologues.html
SUN: 2/22: Hollywood, CA: 81st Annual Academy Awards. Hugh Jackman hosts. ABC broadcasts live.www.oscars.org
Newsworthy:
Coming Out: Showtime to Produce TV Series on Coming Out. "Way Out" comes from the A&E team who produced "Intervention". The Advocate reports: http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid72434.asp
Gay Media Investment Fund in Receivership. Avalon Equity, the investment fund which is the major shareholder in Window Media, which owns the Washington Blade, Southern Voice, Houston Voice, South Florida Blade, Genre Magazine, David Atlanta and The 411 Magazine, has been forced into receivership by the federal Small Business Administration. Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2009/02/gay-media-inves.html
Blanche Faces Hurricane of Legal Action. The University of the South, which owns the intellectual property rights for “Streetcar Named Desire,” has threatened legal action against a one-man show that features a modern-day Blanche DuBois. The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/05/theater/05ceas.html?ref=theater
Farewell "La Cage": The final curtain has fallen on the long-running Las Vegas female impersonators revue ''An Evening at La Cage.''. The New York Times reports:
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/02/10/arts/AP-La-Cage-Closure.html
The Buzz (People Making News)
T.R. Knight, the out star of "Grey's Anatomy" is leaving the series along with Katherine Heigl. The Los Angeles Times reports: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/thedishrag/2009/02/katherine-heigl.html
Awards and Honors:
Winners: Writers Guild of America: "Milk" for Original Screenplay (written by Dustin Lance Black). Playbill.com reports: http://www.playbill.com/news/article/126075.html
Winners: Independent Theatre Reviewers Association (ITRA) Awards: Liza Minnelli for Best Theatrical Performance. www.TheatreReviewers.com
Nominees: Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards. Dolly Parton and John Glover make the list. Playbill.com reports: http://www.playbill.com/news/article/125999.html
Nominees: Helen Hayes Awards for outstanding theatre in Washington, DC. The Washington Post reports: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/09/AR2009020903596.html
In Memoriam:
Robert Anderson, the playwright famous for "Tea and Sympathy", died on 2/09/09 at age 91. "Tea and Sympathy" was about a sensitive prep school student accused of homosexuality, who sleeps with Laura, a teacher's unhappy wife. Deborah Kerr played the wife, who uttered the drama's famous line "Years from now, when you talk about this, and you will--be kind." The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/10/theater/10anderson.html?_r=1&ref=theater
Blossom Dearie, a fixture on the New York cabaret scene for decades, died on 2/07/09 at age 82. The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/09/arts/music/09dear.html?_r=1
Photo Shoots and Video
***Liza Minnelli's CD Signing from Playbill.com: http://www.playbill.com/multimedia/gallery/313
***Cheyenne Jackson will guest star as a gay dad on "Ugly Betty" this season. From AfterElton.com: http://www.afterelton.com/blog/snicks/how-do-you-make-a-great-show-even-better-cheyenne+jackson
Features
Friend of Dorothy. "Wicked" writer Gregory Maguire talks about his latest Oz book, "A Lion Among Men" with The Advocate: http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid72265.asp
Cheyenne Jackson gave his dog swimming lessons and other important 411 for Cheyennetologists from New York Magazine: http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2009/02/cheyenne_jackson_gave_his_dog.html
Partners Onstage and Off. Neil Bartram and Brian Hill, creators of the new Broadway musical "The Story of My Life" are partners off-stage. Brian Moylan reports for Next: http://www.nextmagazine.net/features/2.php
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
***Christine Jorgensen Reveals. Bradford Louryk stars as America's first famous transsexual, in his solo theatre piece which won numerous awards. “Ex-GI Becomes Blonde Beauty: Operation Transforms Bronx Youth” (NY Daily News headline: 12/01/52). to 3/15/09. www.ticketcentral.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
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 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. 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. 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.
***Tennessee in the Summer. Joe Besecker's take on the psyche of gay playwright Tennessee Williams. Winner of the Jane Chambers International Gay Playwriting Contest. 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.
***I Love You Phillip Morris. Based on Steve McVicker's book about real-life events. Jim Carrey plays Steven Russell, who falls for his cellmate, Phillip Morris (Ewan McGregor), after being put in prison and makes regular attempts to escape when the object of his affections is released.
***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.
***Religulous. Bill Maher travels the globe to investigate the current state of world religion, questioning many religious leaders on LGBT rights. www.lionsgate.com/religulous.
***"Rent" Filmed Live on Broadway. Film made of the final performances of the landmark musical New to DVD and Blu-Ray.
***The Yellow Brick Road And Beyond. A feature documentary takes a look at the phenomenon that is The Wizard of Oz, highlighting some of the earliest stage and screen adaptations, and the musical Wicked.
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/
***WED: 2/18: Jerome Robbins, the genius American dancer/choreographer/director ("West Side Story") is profiled on "American Masters". His genius was tempered by obsessive behavior, perfectionism, and guilt over his bisexualism. PBS. Check local listings.
***SUN: 2/22: 81st Annual Academy Awards. 8PM. Hugh Jackman hosts. ABC. www.oscars.org
Conferences, Seminars, Benefits, and Special Events
2/23/09: New York, NY: Defying Inequality: The Broadway Concert: A Celebrity Benefit for Equal Rights, benefiting: Family Equality Council, Empire State Pride Agenda, Equality California, Garden State Equality and The VT Freedom to Marry Task Force. Evening includes Marc Shaiman's "Prop 8 - The Musical". Cast includes: Douglas Carter Beane, Kerry Butler, Lynda Carter, Gavin Creel, Harvey Fierstein, John Gallagher, Jr., Jonathan Groff, Cheyenne Jackson, Carson Kressley, Cameron Mathison, Rue McClanahan, Seth Rudesky, Michael Urie, www.defyinginequality.com.
2/24/09-3/01/09: New York, NY: CineKink NYC. mixed gay/ straight film festival exploring a wide variety of sexualities through documentary, comedy, porn, drama & more. www.cinekink.com
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. www.sas.upenn.edu/wstudies/rethinkingsex/
3/06/09-3/08/09: Los Angeles, CA: Fusion, LGBT people of color film festival.
www.outfest.org/fusion.html
3/07/09: Chicago, IL: Chicago Takes Off. burlesque show to fight HIV/AIDS in the Chicagoland area. www.rideforaids.org
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.
3/23/09: New York, NY: Legends, a reading of the infamous James Kirkwood comedy with Charles Busch, Lypsinka, Whoopi Goldberg and Bryan ("Mad Men") Batt. A benefit for Friends in Deed: The Crisis Center for Life-Threatening Illness. http://www.playbill.com/news/article/125984.html
3/25/09-3/29/09: Keystone, CO: OutBoard, annual LGBT snowboarding festival. www.outboard.org
Last Week’s Trivia Quiz: Black History Month
1. Question: Name this young, gifted, bi, black American author and playwright, who became the foremother of African-American drama, and a contributor to the understanding of pro-choice, discrimination, and Africa. She died at age 35, but her work is still read and performed frequently. Answer: Lorraine Hansberry (1930-1965), the author of "A Raisin in the Sun". A TV version with Sean Combs and Phylicia Rashad aired last year.
2. Question: Name this American author, playwright and Civil Rights activist. Gay characters appeared in his works, which often dealt with the personal impact of prejudice against those who were young, gifted, black, and gay. Answer: James Baldwin (1924-1987), whose works included "Giovanni's Room" and "Another Country".
3. Question: Name this American-born bisexual dancer, singer and actress, who lived most of her life in France. She was known for her extravagant night club act. She also adopted twelve children from all over the world and called them her "rainbow-family". Answer: Josephine Baker (1906-1975).
4. Question: Name this flamboyant rock and roll legend, who has topped pop music charts since 1956. Answer: Little Richard, who brought pop music "Lucille" and "Tutti Fruitti".
5. Question: Name this American activist in the struggle for human rights and economic justice who helped organize one of the most important civil rights actions in American history. Answer: Bayard Rustin (1912-1987), an assistant to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, who was chief organizer of the 'March on Washington for jobs and freedom" in 1963.
This Week’s Trivia Quiz: Hooray for Hollywood
1. Question: Name this 1969 film, which featured gay themes and was the first X-rated film to win the “Best Picture” Oscar. Its openly gay director made several mainstream movies with gay characters.
2. Question: Name this 1972 Oscar-winning film, based on a Tony-winning musical based on a gay author’s journals about his life in Europe. It won 8 Oscars. Its in-your-face decadence featured threesomes, transvestites and other club types.
3. Question: Name this actor, who received an Oscar for a breakthrough performance as a real-life transgender victim.
4. Question: Name this actor, who received an Oscar for playing an HIV-infected man who was the subject of discrimination in the first major Hollywood film to deal with HIV.
5. Question: Name this out singer and songwriter who got an Oscar gold with a song about going green. For over a decade, this artist's music has been top of the charts; the artist is a GLAAD Media Award winner, a cancer survivor, and a spokesperson for coming out issues.
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/
Volume 12 No. 7 February 16, 2009
Newsletter Editor: OnQYB
The Fine Print
See previous editions
Subscription Information: This newsletter is available via free email subscription only. Our mailing list is confidential.
To subscribe: Email OnQYB@aol.com and write “Subscribe COS News” in subject line.
To unsubscribe: Email OnQYB@aol.com and write “Cancel COS News” in subject line.
The Gay Agenda: Datebook: February 16-22, 2009
MON: 2/16: Hudson Valley, NY: Winter Explosion. popular LGBT African-American winter event. www.winterexplosion.com
WED: 2/18: New York, NY: Michael Musto, Village Voice columnist, hosts Out Professional's "Prelude to the Academy Awards". http://www.outprofessionals.org/op/214
FRI: 2/20: Las Vegas, NV: E. Lynn Harris does a reading/booksigning of his new novel "Basketball Jones". 7PM. Borders. N. Rainbow Blvd. http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780767926270&view=isbn_events
SAT-SAT: 2/21-2/28: Telluride, CO: Telluride Gay Ski Week. www.telluridegayskiweek.com
SAT: 2/21: New York, NY: David Zippel performs "It Started With a Dream: Lyrics He Wrote / Lyrics He Wishes He'd Wrote. The Tony Award winning lyricist ("City of Angels", "The Goodbye Girl") and Oscar nominee ("Mulan", "Hercules") performs a benefit for Broadway Cares / Equity Fights AIDS. www.bcefa.org.
SAT: 2/21: Northampton, MA: The Vagina Monologues, Eve Ensler's play, performed by the Villa Jidiiots, as a benefit for the Women's Fund of Western Massachusetts. http://www.villajidiots.com/thevaginamonologues.html
SUN: 2/22: Hollywood, CA: 81st Annual Academy Awards. Hugh Jackman hosts. ABC broadcasts live.www.oscars.org
Newsworthy:
Coming Out: Showtime to Produce TV Series on Coming Out. "Way Out" comes from the A&E team who produced "Intervention". The Advocate reports: http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid72434.asp
Gay Media Investment Fund in Receivership. Avalon Equity, the investment fund which is the major shareholder in Window Media, which owns the Washington Blade, Southern Voice, Houston Voice, South Florida Blade, Genre Magazine, David Atlanta and The 411 Magazine, has been forced into receivership by the federal Small Business Administration. Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2009/02/gay-media-inves.html
Blanche Faces Hurricane of Legal Action. The University of the South, which owns the intellectual property rights for “Streetcar Named Desire,” has threatened legal action against a one-man show that features a modern-day Blanche DuBois. The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/05/theater/05ceas.html?ref=theater
Farewell "La Cage": The final curtain has fallen on the long-running Las Vegas female impersonators revue ''An Evening at La Cage.''. The New York Times reports:
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/02/10/arts/AP-La-Cage-Closure.html
The Buzz (People Making News)
T.R. Knight, the out star of "Grey's Anatomy" is leaving the series along with Katherine Heigl. The Los Angeles Times reports: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/thedishrag/2009/02/katherine-heigl.html
Awards and Honors:
Winners: Writers Guild of America: "Milk" for Original Screenplay (written by Dustin Lance Black). Playbill.com reports: http://www.playbill.com/news/article/126075.html
Winners: Independent Theatre Reviewers Association (ITRA) Awards: Liza Minnelli for Best Theatrical Performance. www.TheatreReviewers.com
Nominees: Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards. Dolly Parton and John Glover make the list. Playbill.com reports: http://www.playbill.com/news/article/125999.html
Nominees: Helen Hayes Awards for outstanding theatre in Washington, DC. The Washington Post reports: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/09/AR2009020903596.html
In Memoriam:
Robert Anderson, the playwright famous for "Tea and Sympathy", died on 2/09/09 at age 91. "Tea and Sympathy" was about a sensitive prep school student accused of homosexuality, who sleeps with Laura, a teacher's unhappy wife. Deborah Kerr played the wife, who uttered the drama's famous line "Years from now, when you talk about this, and you will--be kind." The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/10/theater/10anderson.html?_r=1&ref=theater
Blossom Dearie, a fixture on the New York cabaret scene for decades, died on 2/07/09 at age 82. The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/09/arts/music/09dear.html?_r=1
Photo Shoots and Video
***Liza Minnelli's CD Signing from Playbill.com: http://www.playbill.com/multimedia/gallery/313
***Cheyenne Jackson will guest star as a gay dad on "Ugly Betty" this season. From AfterElton.com: http://www.afterelton.com/blog/snicks/how-do-you-make-a-great-show-even-better-cheyenne+jackson
Features
Friend of Dorothy. "Wicked" writer Gregory Maguire talks about his latest Oz book, "A Lion Among Men" with The Advocate: http://www.advocate.com/exclusive_detail_ektid72265.asp
Cheyenne Jackson gave his dog swimming lessons and other important 411 for Cheyennetologists from New York Magazine: http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2009/02/cheyenne_jackson_gave_his_dog.html
Partners Onstage and Off. Neil Bartram and Brian Hill, creators of the new Broadway musical "The Story of My Life" are partners off-stage. Brian Moylan reports for Next: http://www.nextmagazine.net/features/2.php
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
***Christine Jorgensen Reveals. Bradford Louryk stars as America's first famous transsexual, in his solo theatre piece which won numerous awards. “Ex-GI Becomes Blonde Beauty: Operation Transforms Bronx Youth” (NY Daily News headline: 12/01/52). to 3/15/09. www.ticketcentral.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
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 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. 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. 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.
***Tennessee in the Summer. Joe Besecker's take on the psyche of gay playwright Tennessee Williams. Winner of the Jane Chambers International Gay Playwriting Contest. 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.
***I Love You Phillip Morris. Based on Steve McVicker's book about real-life events. Jim Carrey plays Steven Russell, who falls for his cellmate, Phillip Morris (Ewan McGregor), after being put in prison and makes regular attempts to escape when the object of his affections is released.
***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.
***Religulous. Bill Maher travels the globe to investigate the current state of world religion, questioning many religious leaders on LGBT rights. www.lionsgate.com/religulous.
***"Rent" Filmed Live on Broadway. Film made of the final performances of the landmark musical New to DVD and Blu-Ray.
***The Yellow Brick Road And Beyond. A feature documentary takes a look at the phenomenon that is The Wizard of Oz, highlighting some of the earliest stage and screen adaptations, and the musical Wicked.
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/
***WED: 2/18: Jerome Robbins, the genius American dancer/choreographer/director ("West Side Story") is profiled on "American Masters". His genius was tempered by obsessive behavior, perfectionism, and guilt over his bisexualism. PBS. Check local listings.
***SUN: 2/22: 81st Annual Academy Awards. 8PM. Hugh Jackman hosts. ABC. www.oscars.org
Conferences, Seminars, Benefits, and Special Events
2/23/09: New York, NY: Defying Inequality: The Broadway Concert: A Celebrity Benefit for Equal Rights, benefiting: Family Equality Council, Empire State Pride Agenda, Equality California, Garden State Equality and The VT Freedom to Marry Task Force. Evening includes Marc Shaiman's "Prop 8 - The Musical". Cast includes: Douglas Carter Beane, Kerry Butler, Lynda Carter, Gavin Creel, Harvey Fierstein, John Gallagher, Jr., Jonathan Groff, Cheyenne Jackson, Carson Kressley, Cameron Mathison, Rue McClanahan, Seth Rudesky, Michael Urie, www.defyinginequality.com.
2/24/09-3/01/09: New York, NY: CineKink NYC. mixed gay/ straight film festival exploring a wide variety of sexualities through documentary, comedy, porn, drama & more. www.cinekink.com
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. www.sas.upenn.edu/wstudies/rethinkingsex/
3/06/09-3/08/09: Los Angeles, CA: Fusion, LGBT people of color film festival.
www.outfest.org/fusion.html
3/07/09: Chicago, IL: Chicago Takes Off. burlesque show to fight HIV/AIDS in the Chicagoland area. www.rideforaids.org
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.
3/23/09: New York, NY: Legends, a reading of the infamous James Kirkwood comedy with Charles Busch, Lypsinka, Whoopi Goldberg and Bryan ("Mad Men") Batt. A benefit for Friends in Deed: The Crisis Center for Life-Threatening Illness. http://www.playbill.com/news/article/125984.html
3/25/09-3/29/09: Keystone, CO: OutBoard, annual LGBT snowboarding festival. www.outboard.org
Last Week’s Trivia Quiz: Black History Month
1. Question: Name this young, gifted, bi, black American author and playwright, who became the foremother of African-American drama, and a contributor to the understanding of pro-choice, discrimination, and Africa. She died at age 35, but her work is still read and performed frequently. Answer: Lorraine Hansberry (1930-1965), the author of "A Raisin in the Sun". A TV version with Sean Combs and Phylicia Rashad aired last year.
2. Question: Name this American author, playwright and Civil Rights activist. Gay characters appeared in his works, which often dealt with the personal impact of prejudice against those who were young, gifted, black, and gay. Answer: James Baldwin (1924-1987), whose works included "Giovanni's Room" and "Another Country".
3. Question: Name this American-born bisexual dancer, singer and actress, who lived most of her life in France. She was known for her extravagant night club act. She also adopted twelve children from all over the world and called them her "rainbow-family". Answer: Josephine Baker (1906-1975).
4. Question: Name this flamboyant rock and roll legend, who has topped pop music charts since 1956. Answer: Little Richard, who brought pop music "Lucille" and "Tutti Fruitti".
5. Question: Name this American activist in the struggle for human rights and economic justice who helped organize one of the most important civil rights actions in American history. Answer: Bayard Rustin (1912-1987), an assistant to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, who was chief organizer of the 'March on Washington for jobs and freedom" in 1963.
This Week’s Trivia Quiz: Hooray for Hollywood
1. Question: Name this 1969 film, which featured gay themes and was the first X-rated film to win the “Best Picture” Oscar. Its openly gay director made several mainstream movies with gay characters.
2. Question: Name this 1972 Oscar-winning film, based on a Tony-winning musical based on a gay author’s journals about his life in Europe. It won 8 Oscars. Its in-your-face decadence featured threesomes, transvestites and other club types.
3. Question: Name this actor, who received an Oscar for a breakthrough performance as a real-life transgender victim.
4. Question: Name this actor, who received an Oscar for playing an HIV-infected man who was the subject of discrimination in the first major Hollywood film to deal with HIV.
5. Question: Name this out singer and songwriter who got an Oscar gold with a song about going green. For over a decade, this artist's music has been top of the charts; the artist is a GLAAD Media Award winner, a cancer survivor, and a spokesperson for coming out issues.
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/
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Coming Out Support Newsweekly: 2/09/09
Coming Out Support (COS) Newsweekly
Volume 12 No. 6 February 9, 2009
Newsletter Editor: OnQYB
The Fine Print
See previous editions.
Subscription Information: This newsletter is available via free email subscription only. Our mailing list is confidential.
To subscribe: Email OnQYB@aol.com and write “Subscribe COS News” in subject line.
To unsubscribe: Email OnQYB@aol.com and write “Cancel COS News” in subject line.
The Gay Agenda: Datebook: February 9-15, 2009
MON: 2/09: Phoenix, AZ: E. Lynn Harris does a reading/booksigning of his new novel "Basketball Jones". 7PM. Barnes & Noble, N. Tatum Blvd.
MON: 2/09: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
MON: 2/09: 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.
WED: 2/11: Washington, DC: Ira Glass signs copies of "This American Life: Season 2" 6:30PM. Borders, K Street.
THU: 2/12: 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.
FRI: 2/13: San Francisco, CA: Lesley Gore sings "It's My Party" and more. www.yoshis.com.
FRI-MON: 2/13-2/16: Hudson Valley, NY: Winter Explosion. popular LGBT African-American winter event. www.winterexplosion.com
FRI-SUN: 2/13-2/15: Bloomington, IN: Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender Ally College Conference. http://www.mblgtacc.org
FRI-SUN: 2/13-2/15: Santa Barbara, CA: 19th LGBTQIA Western Regional College Conference: “Cultivating Our Roots, From the Ground Up: How Deep Is Your Love?” www.uclgbtia.org/conference2009/
SUN: 2/15: 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.
Newsworthy:
Massachusetts: The state's Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) has issued a new policy to facilitate the changing of gender markers on driver’s licenses and state-issued identification cards for people who have undergone a gender transition, a move that LGBT advocates say will have a substantial impact on the daily lives of TG people. Bay Windows reports: http://www.baywindows.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=glbt&sc2=news&sc3=&id=86400
Massachusetts II: Phillip T. Ragon, chief executive InterSystems Corp, a Cambridge-based software company called InterSystems Corp, has donated $100 million to fund AIDS research at Mass General Hospital. Reuters reports: http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE51353Q20090204
Closing: The Oscar Wilde Bookshop in New York's Greenwich Village, the nation's oldest LGBT bookstore, will shutter on 3/29/09. The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/04/nyregion/04bookstore.html?ref=nyregion
Newsworthy: Proposition 8 Update
California: Mormon church officials, facing an ongoing investigation by California's Fair Political Practices Commission, reported on 1/30/09 nearly $190,000 in previously unlisted assistance to the successful campaign for Prop. 8, which banned same-sex marriage in California. The San Francisco Chronicle reports: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/31/BA7615KLB9.DTL&hw=mormons&sn=001&sc=1000
Big Bucks Spent: Donors gave more than $83 million to support or oppose the ballot initiative that abolished same-sex marriage in California, according to campaign disclosure reports made public 2/2/09. The Washington Blade reports: http://www.washblade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=23816
The California Supreme Court will hear arguments on 3/05/09 over whether to allow a ban on same-sex marriage that has become a national rallying point for gays and their supporters. The Advocate reports: http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid72346.asp
The Buzz (People Making News)
Coming Out: Ron Huberman, newly-appointed CEO of the Chicago Public Schools, has come out in a Chicago Sun-Times interview. http://www.suntimes.com/news/education/1407380,CST-NWS-huberman01.article
Neil Giuliano, president of GLAAD, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, will step down later this year. The Advocate reports: http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid71928.asp
In Memoriam:
John Paul Barnich, Houston AIDS activist and former Municipal Court Judge and the first openly gay man to become a city court judge in Texas, died 2/02/09 at age 63. The Houston Chronicle reports: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6245272.html
G. Donn Teal, gay historian and activist, a co-founder of the Gay Activist Alliance in 1969, died 2/03/09 at age 76. Joe.My.God. reports: http://joemygod.blogspot.com/2009/02/gay-historian-donn-teal-dies-at-76.html
Photo Shoots and Video
"Blithe Spirit" meets the media. Rupert Everett, Christine Ebersole, and Angela Lansbury at rehearsals for the Noel Coward comedy revival: from BroadwayWorld.com: http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Photo_Coverage_BLITHE_SPIRIT_Meets_the_Media_20090131
Features
My Sister's Keeper: A feminist lesbian community in Florida is aging. The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/01/fashion/01womyn.html?_r=3&pagewanted=1
Profile: Stephen Fales. Gay, Mormon, and out. Backstage reports: http://backstage.blogs.com/blogstage/2009/02/oxymormon-fales-comes-to-the-cabaret.html
Cultural Eye-Candy: AfterElton.com picks the hottest men in theatre today: http://www.afterelton.com/theater/2009/1/37hottestguystheater
Profile: Charles Busch, comic playwright who writes the best diva roles for himself. He's now playing diva opposite Kathleen Turner. TheaterJones reports: http://www.theaterjones.com/index.php?section=coystories&id=20090201124552
On CD:
Love Songs: Judy Garland. Savoy Jazz. Compilation from the soundtrack of her TV series.
Liza's at the Palace. Liza Minnelli's current Broadway hit on CD. Hybrid.
In Performance: Onstage:Theatre/Music/Dance
New York City (and Broadway)
***Billy Elliot, the Elton John/Lee Hall musical based on the movie about a boy who wants to become a ballet dancer. www.billyelliotbroadway.com.
***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
***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
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
***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 has a problem. Her matinee idol client plans to come out. to 3/08/09. Washington, DC. www.signature-theatre.org.
***Minsky's, Christopher Fitzgerald, Rachel Dratch, and Beth Leavel star in the musical about burlesque. to 3/01/09. Los Angeles, CA. www.CenterTheatreGroup.org
***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.
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.
***I Love You Phillip Morris. Based on real-life events. Jim Carrey plays Steven Russell, who falls for his cellmate, Phillip Morris (Ewan McGregor), after being put in prison and makes regular attempts to escape when the object of his affections is released.
***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.
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.
***"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.
***The Yellow Brick Road And Beyond. A feature documentary takes a look at the phenomenon that is The Wizard of Oz, highlighting some of the earliest stage and screen adaptations, and the musical Wicked.
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/
***MON: 2/09: Mario Cantone entertains the ladies on The View. 11AM. ABC.
Conferences, Seminars, Benefits, and Special Events
2/21/09-2/28/09: Telluride, CO: Telluride Gay Ski Week. www.telluridegayskiweek.com
2/23/09: New York, NY: Defying Inequality: The Broadway Concert: A Celebrity Benefit for Equal Rights, benefiting: Family Equality Council, Empire State Pride Agenda, Equality California, Garden State Equality and The VT Freedom to Marry Task Force. www.defyinginequality.com.
2/24/09-3/01/09: New York, NY: CineKink NYC. mixed gay/ straight film festival exploring a wide variety of sexualities through documentary, comedy, porn, drama & more. www.cinekink.com
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. www.sas.upenn.edu/wstudies/rethinkingsex/
3/06/09-3/08/09: Los Angeles, CA: Fusion, LGBT people of color film festival.
www.outfest.org/fusion.html
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.
3/25/09-3/29/09: Keystone, CO: OutBoard, annual LGBT snowboarding festival. www.outboard.org
Last 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. Answer: J. Edgar Hoover and Clyde Tolson. Hoover ran the FBI; Tolson was his assistant. History says Hoover wasn’t particularly fetching in his red dress.
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. Answer: Susan Sontag and Annie Liebovitz. Sontage died in 2004. Liebovitz photographs for "Vanity Fair".
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. Answer: Liza Minnelli. Her first husband was singer/songwriter Peter Allen (“The Boy from Oz”). Her most recent hubby was David Gest.
4. Question: Name this couple, together professionally and personally for 40+ years. They produced over 45 major motion pictures. Answer: Ishmail Merchant and James Ivory. Their films included: “The Bostonians” (1984), “A Room with a View” (1986), “Maurice” (1987), and “Howards End” (1992). Merchant died in 2005.
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 hhis/her name from a Shakespearean character. Answer: Ellen Degeneres and Portia De Rossi. DeRossi adapted her name from the character of “Portia” in “The Merchant of Venice”.
This Week’s Trivia Quiz: Black History Month
1. Question: Name this young, gifted, bi, black American author and playwright, who became the foremother of African-American drama, and a contributor to the understanding of pro-choice, discrimination, and Africa. She died at age 35, but her work is still read and performed frequently.
2. Question: Name this American author, playwright and Civil Rights activist. Gay characters appeared in his works, which often dealt with the personal impact of prejudice against those who were young, gifted, black, and gay.
3. Question: Name this American-born bisexual dancer, singer and actress, who lived most of her life in France. She was known for her extravagant night club act. She also adopted twelve children from all over the world and called them her "rainbow-family".
4. Question: Name this flamboyant rock and roll legend, who has topped pop music charts since 1956.
5. Question: Name this American activist in the struggle for human rights and economic justice who helped organize one of the most important civil rights actions in American history.
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/
Volume 12 No. 6 February 9, 2009
Newsletter Editor: OnQYB
The Fine Print
See previous editions.
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The Gay Agenda: Datebook: February 9-15, 2009
MON: 2/09: Phoenix, AZ: E. Lynn Harris does a reading/booksigning of his new novel "Basketball Jones". 7PM. Barnes & Noble, N. Tatum Blvd.
MON: 2/09: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
MON: 2/09: 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.
WED: 2/11: Washington, DC: Ira Glass signs copies of "This American Life: Season 2" 6:30PM. Borders, K Street.
THU: 2/12: 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.
FRI: 2/13: San Francisco, CA: Lesley Gore sings "It's My Party" and more. www.yoshis.com.
FRI-MON: 2/13-2/16: Hudson Valley, NY: Winter Explosion. popular LGBT African-American winter event. www.winterexplosion.com
FRI-SUN: 2/13-2/15: Bloomington, IN: Midwest Bisexual Lesbian Gay Transgender Ally College Conference. http://www.mblgtacc.org
FRI-SUN: 2/13-2/15: Santa Barbara, CA: 19th LGBTQIA Western Regional College Conference: “Cultivating Our Roots, From the Ground Up: How Deep Is Your Love?” www.uclgbtia.org/conference2009/
SUN: 2/15: 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.
Newsworthy:
Massachusetts: The state's Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) has issued a new policy to facilitate the changing of gender markers on driver’s licenses and state-issued identification cards for people who have undergone a gender transition, a move that LGBT advocates say will have a substantial impact on the daily lives of TG people. Bay Windows reports: http://www.baywindows.com/index.php?ch=news&sc=glbt&sc2=news&sc3=&id=86400
Massachusetts II: Phillip T. Ragon, chief executive InterSystems Corp, a Cambridge-based software company called InterSystems Corp, has donated $100 million to fund AIDS research at Mass General Hospital. Reuters reports: http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSTRE51353Q20090204
Closing: The Oscar Wilde Bookshop in New York's Greenwich Village, the nation's oldest LGBT bookstore, will shutter on 3/29/09. The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/04/nyregion/04bookstore.html?ref=nyregion
Newsworthy: Proposition 8 Update
California: Mormon church officials, facing an ongoing investigation by California's Fair Political Practices Commission, reported on 1/30/09 nearly $190,000 in previously unlisted assistance to the successful campaign for Prop. 8, which banned same-sex marriage in California. The San Francisco Chronicle reports: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/01/31/BA7615KLB9.DTL&hw=mormons&sn=001&sc=1000
Big Bucks Spent: Donors gave more than $83 million to support or oppose the ballot initiative that abolished same-sex marriage in California, according to campaign disclosure reports made public 2/2/09. The Washington Blade reports: http://www.washblade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=23816
The California Supreme Court will hear arguments on 3/05/09 over whether to allow a ban on same-sex marriage that has become a national rallying point for gays and their supporters. The Advocate reports: http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid72346.asp
The Buzz (People Making News)
Coming Out: Ron Huberman, newly-appointed CEO of the Chicago Public Schools, has come out in a Chicago Sun-Times interview. http://www.suntimes.com/news/education/1407380,CST-NWS-huberman01.article
Neil Giuliano, president of GLAAD, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, will step down later this year. The Advocate reports: http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid71928.asp
In Memoriam:
John Paul Barnich, Houston AIDS activist and former Municipal Court Judge and the first openly gay man to become a city court judge in Texas, died 2/02/09 at age 63. The Houston Chronicle reports: http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/6245272.html
G. Donn Teal, gay historian and activist, a co-founder of the Gay Activist Alliance in 1969, died 2/03/09 at age 76. Joe.My.God. reports: http://joemygod.blogspot.com/2009/02/gay-historian-donn-teal-dies-at-76.html
Photo Shoots and Video
"Blithe Spirit" meets the media. Rupert Everett, Christine Ebersole, and Angela Lansbury at rehearsals for the Noel Coward comedy revival: from BroadwayWorld.com: http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Photo_Coverage_BLITHE_SPIRIT_Meets_the_Media_20090131
Features
My Sister's Keeper: A feminist lesbian community in Florida is aging. The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/01/fashion/01womyn.html?_r=3&pagewanted=1
Profile: Stephen Fales. Gay, Mormon, and out. Backstage reports: http://backstage.blogs.com/blogstage/2009/02/oxymormon-fales-comes-to-the-cabaret.html
Cultural Eye-Candy: AfterElton.com picks the hottest men in theatre today: http://www.afterelton.com/theater/2009/1/37hottestguystheater
Profile: Charles Busch, comic playwright who writes the best diva roles for himself. He's now playing diva opposite Kathleen Turner. TheaterJones reports: http://www.theaterjones.com/index.php?section=coystories&id=20090201124552
On CD:
Love Songs: Judy Garland. Savoy Jazz. Compilation from the soundtrack of her TV series.
Liza's at the Palace. Liza Minnelli's current Broadway hit on CD. Hybrid.
In Performance: Onstage:Theatre/Music/Dance
New York City (and Broadway)
***Billy Elliot, the Elton John/Lee Hall musical based on the movie about a boy who wants to become a ballet dancer. www.billyelliotbroadway.com.
***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
***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
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
***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 has a problem. Her matinee idol client plans to come out. to 3/08/09. Washington, DC. www.signature-theatre.org.
***Minsky's, Christopher Fitzgerald, Rachel Dratch, and Beth Leavel star in the musical about burlesque. to 3/01/09. Los Angeles, CA. www.CenterTheatreGroup.org
***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.
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.
***I Love You Phillip Morris. Based on real-life events. Jim Carrey plays Steven Russell, who falls for his cellmate, Phillip Morris (Ewan McGregor), after being put in prison and makes regular attempts to escape when the object of his affections is released.
***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.
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.
***"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.
***The Yellow Brick Road And Beyond. A feature documentary takes a look at the phenomenon that is The Wizard of Oz, highlighting some of the earliest stage and screen adaptations, and the musical Wicked.
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/
***MON: 2/09: Mario Cantone entertains the ladies on The View. 11AM. ABC.
Conferences, Seminars, Benefits, and Special Events
2/21/09-2/28/09: Telluride, CO: Telluride Gay Ski Week. www.telluridegayskiweek.com
2/23/09: New York, NY: Defying Inequality: The Broadway Concert: A Celebrity Benefit for Equal Rights, benefiting: Family Equality Council, Empire State Pride Agenda, Equality California, Garden State Equality and The VT Freedom to Marry Task Force. www.defyinginequality.com.
2/24/09-3/01/09: New York, NY: CineKink NYC. mixed gay/ straight film festival exploring a wide variety of sexualities through documentary, comedy, porn, drama & more. www.cinekink.com
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. www.sas.upenn.edu/wstudies/rethinkingsex/
3/06/09-3/08/09: Los Angeles, CA: Fusion, LGBT people of color film festival.
www.outfest.org/fusion.html
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.
3/25/09-3/29/09: Keystone, CO: OutBoard, annual LGBT snowboarding festival. www.outboard.org
Last 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. Answer: J. Edgar Hoover and Clyde Tolson. Hoover ran the FBI; Tolson was his assistant. History says Hoover wasn’t particularly fetching in his red dress.
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. Answer: Susan Sontag and Annie Liebovitz. Sontage died in 2004. Liebovitz photographs for "Vanity Fair".
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. Answer: Liza Minnelli. Her first husband was singer/songwriter Peter Allen (“The Boy from Oz”). Her most recent hubby was David Gest.
4. Question: Name this couple, together professionally and personally for 40+ years. They produced over 45 major motion pictures. Answer: Ishmail Merchant and James Ivory. Their films included: “The Bostonians” (1984), “A Room with a View” (1986), “Maurice” (1987), and “Howards End” (1992). Merchant died in 2005.
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 hhis/her name from a Shakespearean character. Answer: Ellen Degeneres and Portia De Rossi. DeRossi adapted her name from the character of “Portia” in “The Merchant of Venice”.
This Week’s Trivia Quiz: Black History Month
1. Question: Name this young, gifted, bi, black American author and playwright, who became the foremother of African-American drama, and a contributor to the understanding of pro-choice, discrimination, and Africa. She died at age 35, but her work is still read and performed frequently.
2. Question: Name this American author, playwright and Civil Rights activist. Gay characters appeared in his works, which often dealt with the personal impact of prejudice against those who were young, gifted, black, and gay.
3. Question: Name this American-born bisexual dancer, singer and actress, who lived most of her life in France. She was known for her extravagant night club act. She also adopted twelve children from all over the world and called them her "rainbow-family".
4. Question: Name this flamboyant rock and roll legend, who has topped pop music charts since 1956.
5. Question: Name this American activist in the struggle for human rights and economic justice who helped organize one of the most important civil rights actions in American history.
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/
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