Coming Out Support Newsweekly: 3/30/09

Coming Out Support (COS) Newsweekly
Volume 12 No. 13 March 30, 2009
Newsletter Editor: OnQYB@aol.com

The Fine Print

See previous editions.

The Gay Agenda: Datebook: March 30-April 5, 2009

This Just In !!! to SAT: 3/28: Deland, FL: Central Florida Gay and Lesbian Theater Festival. Hosted by Stetson University. www2.stetson.edu/kaleidoscope/theater-fest.htm

MON-SUN: 3/30-4/05: Palm Springs, CA: Kraft Nabisco Golf Championship. previously known as the Dinah Shore Golf Championship. women and golf. www.nabiscochampionship.com or www.dinahshoreweekend.com

TUE: 3/31: New York, NY: Mitzi Gaynor signs Blu-Ray discs of "South Pacific" as the musical celebrates its 50th anniversary. Cast members from the original Broadway production and the current revival join her. 5:30PM. Barnes & Noble, Lincoln Triangle. www.bn.com.

TUE: 3/31: Muncie, IN: David Sedaris kicks off a national tour reading from "When You Are Ingulfed in Flames". Also: WED: 4/01: Pittsburgh, PA: David Sedaris reads from "When You Are Ingulfed in Flames". www.pgharts.org. THU: 4/02: Peekskill, NY: FRI: 4/03: Portland, ME: SAT: 4/04: Frederick, MD: SUN: 4/05: Amherst, MA: http://www.barclayagency.com/sedaris_appearances.html

WED: 4/01: Kennesaw, GA: Bill Konigsberg reads from his debut novel "Out of the Pocket" about a high school athlete who comes out. http://www.billkonigsberg.com/default.asp?Link=Book_Tour

WED-SAT: 4/01-4/04: Kingston, RI: University of Rhode Island GLBTIQQ Symposium. 15th Annual URI Symposium on Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer and Questioning Issues. www.uri.edu/glbt/symposium.html

WED: 4/01: Ridgewood, NJ: Cloris Leachman, Oscar winner and occasional dancer, signs copies of "Cloris: The Autobiography". 7PM. Bookends, East Ridgewood Ave. Also: THU: 4/02: New York, NY: Cloris Leachman, Oscar winner and occasional dancer, signs copies of "Cloris: The Autobiography". 7:30PM. Barnes & Noble, Lincoln Triangle.

THU: 4/02 Providence, RI: Staceyann Chin headlines Brown University's "The Black Lavender Experience: Theater and Conversations Sparked By The Work of Queer Playwrights of Color.” www.brown.edu/lgbtq

Newsworthy:

Vermont: Governor Jim Douglas said he will veto a same-sex marriage bill if it comes to his desk. The Senate approved a bill with a role-call vote of 26-4 on 3/24/09. Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2009/03/vermont-governor-says-he-will-veto-samesex-marriage-bill.html

George Weber, the WABC news radio reporter whose body was found stabbed to death in his Brooklyn apartment on 3/21/09, was killed by a teen he met on Craigslist who was advertising sex for $60. Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2009/03/nyc-news-reporter-murdered-by-16yearold-craigslist-hookup.html

The Buzz (People Making News)

Coming Out: Miss Cleo, former spokesperson for the Psychic Readers Network, has come out. She's now released a spoken-word CD and started a radio show. The Palm Beach Post reports: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/local_news/epaper/2009/03/24/0324cleo.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=76

Awards and Honors:

Winners: Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Awards. Among the winners: Dolly Parton, John Glover, Playbill.com reports: http://www.playbill.com/news/article/127353.html

Winner: NPR Reporter Tina Antolini of 88.5FM/WFCR is receipient of the Gracie Award, presented annually by the American Women in Radio and Television (AWRT) to honor exemplary programming created for women, by women, and about women. She received the Gracie for her three-part series "Voices of the Transgender Community of Western Massachusetts." The piece can be heard at www.wfcr.org

Features

Profile: Cheyenne Jackson, Broadway's "It" Boy. Edge Washington DC reports: http://www.edgewashington.com/index.php?ch=entertainment&sc=theatre&sc2=&sc3=&id=88651

In Performance: Onstage:Theatre/Music/Dance

New York City (and Broadway)

***Blithe Spirit. Rupert Everett makes his Broadway debut in Noel Coward's ghostly comedy. Angela Lansbury and Christine Ebersole co-star.
***Hair, The first major American rock musical, which has "sodomy" and other words in its lyrics. www.publictheater.org.
***33 Variations. Moises ("The Laramie Project") Kaufman's new play with music brings Jane Fonda back to Broadway. Colin (“Mad Men”) Hanks co-stars.. to 5/25/09.
***West Side Story. The acclaimed musicalization of "Romeo & Juliet" in a new production directed by Arthur Laurents. www.broadwaywestsidestory.com.

Elsewhere...

***Act A Lady. A group of men in a small Prohibition-era town cross-dress to perform a play. to 4/26/09. New Conservatory Theatre Pride Season. San Francisco, CA. www.nctcsf.org
***The Andrews Brothers. Roger Bean's musical about three USO stagehands who long to sing with The Andrews Sisters. to 4/26/09. Ft. Lauderdale, FL. www.risingactiontheatre.com
***Blind Faith. a world premiere by Harry Cronin. Two teen boys fall in love in conservative Colorado Springs. to 5/03/09. New Conservatory Theatre Pride Season. San Francisco, CA. www.nctcsf.org
***Grey Gardens, the award-winning musical about mother and daughter Big Edie and Little Edie Bouvier Beale, former society queens turned into recluses with 51 cats.to 5/17/09. Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN. www.ordway.org.
***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.
***Thank Gays It's Friday. LGBT Comedy acts every Friday at midnight. The Laugh Factory. Los Angeles, CA. www.laughfactory.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.
***Hair: Let the Sunshine In. Pola Rapaport's documentary that traces the roots and legacy of the landmark musical, which features interviews with authors James Rado and Gerome Ragni, composer Galt MacDermot and late director Tom O'Horgan as well as Oscar winner Milos Forman, who directed the 1979 film adaptation of Hair.
***Little Ashes, Paul Morrison's drama about the young lives and loves of Salvador Dali, Luis Bunuel and Frederico Garcia Lorca. www.littleashes-themovie.com.
***The Universe of Keith Haring, a documentary on the late gay pop artist. Now making the rounds of film festivals and independent cinemas
***Valentino: The Last Emperor, a new documentary about the life of the Italian fashion designer, focusing on his business and romantic relationship with Giancarlo Giametti, who says they've spent a total of two months apart since they met..

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.
***Fashion Victims, a 2008 German film, tells the story of a straight fashion designer’s teen son who falls for his father’s biggest rival in the design world.
***FirstOUT International, a collection of gay-themed shorts including “The Postcard” (about a post office clerk who thinks a customer is flirting with him), “Mirror Mirror” (a poignant goodbye story), “El Primo,” (about the relationship between two teen male cousins) and “Le Basier” (love comes unexpectedly while practicing a kiss scene for a production of “Romeo and Juliet”).
***Jerome Robbins: Something to Dance About, a documentary about the American dancer/choreographer/director whose genius was tempered by obsessive behavior, perfectionism, and guilt over his bisexualism.
***Laughing Matters: Next Gen, a gay standup comedy documentary that follows Andrea Meyerson putting together the fourth installment of her series of comics for the gay standup circuit.
***Milk, Gus Van Sant's film about gay activist Harvey Milk (Sean Penn). Also starring: Josh Brolin, Emile Hirsch, James Franco. Milk comes to DVD with extras.
***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

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

Conferences, Seminars, Benefits, and Special Events

4/09/09-4/11/09: Calgary, AB: Canada Badminton, Bowling, Curling, Running, Swimming, Volleyball Western Cup XXVII, North America's longest running annual LGBT multi-sport tournament and trophy event. www.westerncup.com

4/09/09-4/12/09: Washington, DC: International Gay Square Dance Clubs Convention. www.iagsdc.org

4/11/09: Jersey City, NJ: Nathaniel Frank, author of "Unfriendly Fire: How the Gay Ban Undermines the Military and Weakens America" does a reading and booksigning. Chillfest. http://www.unfriendlyfire.org/events.php

4/11/09: West Hollywood, CA: Cloris Leachman, Oscar winner and occasional dancer, signs copies of "Cloris: The Autobiography". 7:PM. Book Soup, Sunset Blvd.

4/16/09-4/19/09: Miami, FL. Miami Latin Gay Film Festival. www.miamilatingayfilmfestival.com

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.

4/17/09-4/19/09: Jersey City, NJ: New Jersey Bowling Gotham Open, an IGBO sponsored gay bowling tournament. www.gothambowling.com

4/17/09: Nationwide: National Day of Silence. The National Day of Silence brings attention to anti-LGBT name-calling, bullying and harassment in schools. www.dayofsilence.org

4/18/09-4/19/09: San Diego, CA: Camp Courage. An intensive two-day training institute organized by the California-focused Courage Campaign to provide grassroots activists the practical, hands-on skills to organize in their communities on marriage equality for same-sex couples. www.couragecampaign.org/campcouragearmy.

4/20/09: New York, NY: The Broadway Beauty Pageant. Male cast members from Broadway shows compete for the crown through talent, interview an swimsuit competitions. Michael Urie and Seth Rudetsky judge. Proceeds will benefit the Ali Forney Center, the nation's largest and most comprehensive organization dedicated to homeless LGBT youth. http://www.playbill.com/news/article/127418.html

4/23/09-4/26/09: New Haven, CT: Yale LGBT Reunion Weekend.
www.yalegala.org/YaleGayRunion.html.

4/24/09-4/26/09: Toronto, ON: All Out Swim 2009, splash and swim competition. www.dsctoronto.ca/alloutswim/

4/24/09-5/03/09: Miami, FL: Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. www.MGLFF.com

4/27/09-4/28/09: New York, NY: 23rd Annual Easter Bonnet Competition, the two-day Broadway spectacular that features the companies of more than 20 Broadway, off-Broadway and touring productions singing, dancing, and donning original Easter bonnets. A benefit for Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS. www.broadwaycares.org

4/27/09-5/03/09: Philadelphia, PA: Equality Forum. largest national & internationall LGBT civil rights forum with 60+ programs, parties & special events. www.equalityforum.com

Last Week’s Trivia Quiz: Spring Break

1. Question: Name this gay Spring Break getaway. Hollywood's A-List began wintering here in the 1930's; by the 1980's, the boys came for the Easter Weekend White Party and the girls came for golf's Dinah Shore Weekend. Its onetime Mayor, father of a major gay rights activist, was once married to a diva. Answer: Palm Springs, CA. Sonny Bono was once mayor. His marriage to Cher produced Chastity Bono.

2. Question: Name this gay Spring Break getaway. This party town, one dubbed "The Paris of the Swamps" is known for its Southern Decadence, its fine food, and its non-stop partying. Tennessee Williams, Truman Capote, and Christopher Rice used the city as a backdrop for America's finest dramas and literature. Answer: New Orleans, LA. Southern Decadence is a big gay Labor Day Weekend party.

3. Question: Name this gay Spring Break getaway. Ponce de Leon stumbled on it in 1513, and by the 1880's, it was a tough party town filled with pirates, smugglers, and whores. The alternative lifestyle types moved in by the 1960's. The locals refer to themselves by the name used for a shellfish. Answer: Key West, FL, where the locals are called conches. Tennessee Williams and Truman Capote frequented the island city.

4. Question: Name this gay Spring Break getaway. In the beach blanket movie period, it was "where the boys are". Despite an orange juice queen's anti-gay actions, the city became a gay mecca on a par with a beach to its south. Answer: Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

This Week’s Trivia Quiz: April Milestones

1. Question: Name this American blues singer, born April 15, 1894. One of her most famous songs included the lyrics: "There's two things got me puzzled, there's two things I don't understand; That's a mannish-actin' woman, and a skippin, twistin' woman-actin' man."

2. Question: Name this New York City educational institution that opened its doors on April 1, 1985. Named for a slain gay rights activist, it was the first publicly-funded school for LGBT kids.

3. Question: Name this gay American playwright, born April 17, 1887. He’s best known for his portrayal of a rural American community, but he also wrote a breakthrough role for Talullah Bankhead and a play set in Yonkers which became one of America’s most popular musicals.

4. Question: Name this young American who died on April 8, 1990. He put a human face to HIV and AIDS, and in his final years, worked tirelessly to raise monies and awareness of AIDS issues. Several funding initiatives are named in his memory.

5. Question: Name this award-winning play, which opened in New York on April 14, 1968. It was the first commercially successful theatre production to deal with openly gay characters and queer subject matter.

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/