Coming Out Support Newsweekly: 4/13/09

Coming Out Support (COS) Newsweekly
Volume 12 No. 15 April 13, 2009
Newsletter Editor: OnQYB@aol.com

The Fine Print

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The Gay Agenda: Datebook: April 13-19, 2009

MON: 4/13: Knoxville, TN: David Sedaris reads from "When You Are Ingulfed in Flames". Also: TUE: 4/14: Greenville, SC; WED: 4/15: Atlanta, GA; THU: 4/16: Tallahassee, FL; FRI: 4/17: Jacksonville,FL: SAT: 4/18: Tampa, FL: SUN: 4/19: Dallas, TX: http://www.barclayagency.com/sedaris_appearances.html

MON: 4/13: New York, NY: Broadway for a New America: Standing Up for Marriage Equality and a Progressive Agenda for Change. A benefit with: Nellie McKay, Rosie Perez, Lillias White, Hugh Panaro, Richard Belzer, Tovah Feldshuh, and Seth Rudetsky. Rescheduled from 3/02/09. www.Jews4Change.com

MON: 4/13: San Francisco, CA: Patty Duke and the casts of "Wicked", "Grease" and "Burn The Floor" perform a cabaret benefit for The Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Club Fugazi. 415-421-4222

TUE: 4/14: Northridge, CA: Cloris Leachman, Oscar winner and occasional dancer, signs copies of "Cloris: The Autobiography". 7PM. Borders Books. Tampa Ave.

WED: 4/15: New York, NY: Kristin Chenoweth, star of "Wicked" and "Pushing Daisies", signs copies of her autobiography, "A Little Bit Wicked". 7:30PM. Barnes & Noble, Lincoln Triangle. Also: THU: 4/16: New York, NY: 6PM. Paley Center for Media, W. 52nd Street; FRI: 4/17: Ridgewood, NJ: 5PM. Bookends. SAT: 4/18: Philadelphia, PA: 12N. Free Library of Philadelphia. SUN: 4/19: Tulsa, OK: 2PM. Borders, E. 21st St.

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

FRI-SUN: 4/17-4/19: 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.

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

FRI: 4/17/: 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

SAT: 4/18: Los Angeles, CA: 20th Annual GLAAD Media Awards. www.glaad.org

SAT-SUN: 4/18-4/19: 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.

SAT-4/18-SUN: 6/28: Minneapolis, MN: Everything Kushner at The Guthrie. a celebration honoring the work of out playwright Tony Kushner (best known for his epic "Angels in America"). www.guthrietheater.org/kushner

SUN-TUE: 4/19-4/28: Online: Kristin's Closet Auction. Tony Award winner Kristin Chenoweth donates several items to her official fan club to benefit AIDS Walk NY. www.kristinchenowethfanclub.org

Newsworthy:

Iowa: The Supreme Court made history on 4/03/09, when it struck down a 1998 state law limiting marriage to opposite-sex couples. Towleroad recaps several news stories about this historic ruling on behalf of marriage equality. And, non-Iowans can be married in Iowa.
Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2009/04/iowa-gay-marriage.html
The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/04/us/04iowa.html?hp

Vermont: The State Legislature overrode the Governor's veto, making the state the fourth in the US to legalise same-sex marriage. The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/08/us/08vermont.html?em

District of Columbia: Washington, DC: The Nation's Capitol City Council has voted to recognize out-of-state same-sex marriages. Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2009/04/district-of-columbia-to-recognize-outofstate-samesex-marriages.html

Tourism Industry Chases Pink Money. As the number of tourists drop, airlines and hotels reach out to the gay community, a demographic with money to spend. The Chicago Tribune reports: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-mon-gay-travel-apr06,0,4546144.story

White House Easter Egg Roll includes LGBT families this year. The Washington Blade reports: http://www.washblade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=24887

The Tribeca Film Festival will honor Stonewall with screenings of a new documentary about "The Boys in The Band". Playbill.com reports: http://www.playbill.com/news/article/127996.html

Singapore: Wilde About Oscar. An all-male cast in a production of Oscar Wilde's classic "The Importance of Being Earnest" has raised eyebrows in conservative Singapore. The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/02/theater/02iht-earnest.html?_r=1&ref=theater

In Memoriam:

Jack Wrangler, the legendary porn star, who turned into a musical theatre performer and producer, has died at age 62. He married the famous big band singer Margaret Whiting later in his life. He was the subject of a recent documentary.
The Advocate reports: http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid77929.asp
Michael Musto from the Village Voice on Jack Wrangler: http://blogs.villagevoice.com/dailymusto/archives/2009/04/jack_wrangler_1.php

Photo Shoots and Video

***Lypsinka and Charles Busch as dueling divas in the benefit performance of "Legends". Playbill.com reports: http://www.playbill.com/news/article/127939.html

***"Priscilla, Queen of the Desert", the Australian movie about three drag queens crossing the Outback in a bus, is now a London stage musical. Playbill.com reports: http://www.playbill.com/news/article/127964.html

Features

Marriage Equality: the push for same-sex marriage across New England. A done deal in Massachusetts and Connecticut but elsewhere ? The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/05/us/05marriage.html?ref=global-home

Marriage Equality II: Reactions on the marriage equality movement from the Christian Science Monitor: http://www.csmonitor.com/patchworknation/csmstaff/2009/0408/as-gay-marriage-terrain-changes-shrugs-across-patchwork-nation/

Profile: Bobbi Whitacre and Sandi Cote, a Vermont couple, together 42 years, wants marriage equality in the Green Mountain state. The Burlington Free Press reports: http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20090405/NEWS02/90404009

Newsweek: My Turn: Finding A Child a Gay-Friendly College: http://www.newsweek.com/id/192302

Preview and Backstory: Every Little Step: The Chorus Line documentary. Playbill.com reports: http://www.playbill.com/news/article/127967.html

In Print:

A Little Bit Wicked: Life, Love, and Faith in Stages by Kristin Chenoweth. Touchstone. The star of "Wicked", "The West Wing" and "Pushing Daisies" has a new autobiography. Release date: 4/14/09

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.
***9 to 5: The Musical. Dolly Parton has adapted her film for Broadway. www.9to5themusical.com
***Waiting for Godot. Bill Irwin and Nathan Lane mount Samuel Beckett. John Goodman, and John Glover co-star.
***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
***Definitely Not The Easter Bunny. The Lady Bunny's seasonal club act for mature audiences only. to 4/11/09. San Francisco, CA. www.therrazzroom.com
***Grey Gardens, the musical about mother and daughter Big Edie and Little Edie Bouvier Beale, former society queens turned into recluses.to 5/17/09. Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN. www.ordway.org. Also to 5/17/09, Stages, Houston, TX. www.stagestheatre.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...

***Every Little Step. A documentary about the making of the 2006 Broadway revival of "A Chorus Line".
***Hair: Let the Sunshine In. Pola Rapaport's documentary that traces the roots and legacy of the landmark musical.
***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

***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.
***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.
***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.
***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.
***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/

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

***April: In the Life. LGBT news magazine. PBS. Check local listings. http://www.itl.tv/inthelife/episodes/
***SAT: 4/18: Grey Gardens, a new movie about eccentric Jackie O cousins Edie Beale and her mother, starring Drew Barrymore as Little Edie and Jessica Lange as her mother Big Edie. HBO. Check local listings.

Conferences, Seminars, Benefits, and Special Events

4/20/09: New York, NY: The Broadway Beauty Pageant. Male cast members from Broadway shows compete for the crown. Proceeds 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: Nationwide: This American Life, live screening of the popular public radio show with Ira Glass, Dan Savage, David Rakoff. http://www.fathomevents.com

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

4/25/09: San Francisco, CA: Lip Service, a drag fundraiser/concert for the AIDS Lifecycle Team Go Big!. www.cityboxoffice.com

4/27/09: New York, NY: Live Out Loud 8th Annual Young Trailblazers Benefit Gala. Hosted by Nick Adams. Chelsea Art Museum. www.livoutloud.info

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: Who Said That ?

1. Question. Who said or wrote this? “I don’t want to be the greatest lesbian of the western world” said this renowned contemporary gossip columnist, who came out in her autobiography. She made the previous statement comparing herself to Sandra Bernhard. Hint: Her column was recently dropped from the New York Post. Answer: Liz Smith.

2. Question. Who said or wrote this? “Take it from me, the first rule of how not to come out to your parents: do not come out when they are driving. The second rule: do not come out on a major family holiday when the whole clan is around.” Hint: This TV sitcom actor spent his so called life on Broadway in a Jonathan Larson musical based on “La Boheme”. Answer: Wilson Cruz of “My So Called Life” and “Rent”.

3. Question. Who said or wrote this? “I don’t have any problems with my sexuality, whatever you wanna think I am. I’ll never answer the question. I’d rather have you die wanting to know.”. Hint: This singer and talk-show host got rave reviews in a movie musical, where she played a butch jailhouse matron. She’s rap royalty. Answer: Queen Latifah (Matron Mama in the movie “Chicago”).

4. Question. Who said or wrote this? “It took me 49 years to be able to say to a stranger like you that I was gay”. Hint: This actor and activist is currently reprising his role in a hot movie. He was the second openly-gay actor (the first was Nigel Hawthorne) to be nominated for the Best Actor Academy Award. Answer: Sir Ian McKellan, of “Lord of the Rings”.

5. Question. Who said or wrote this? “It is never too late to come out. Never! and, I encourage everyone to come out.”. Hint: This bisexual conductor and composer adapted “Romeo and Juliet” for Broadway and wrote a ballet and musical about three sailors running wild in New York over 24 hours. Answer: Leonard Bernstein, composer of “West Side Story” and “On The Town” (and its ballet “Fancy Free”).

This Week’s Trivia Quiz: Easter/Passover Trivia with a Gay Sensibility

1. Question: Name this state. Nothing could be finer, as a LGBT community bookstore named for an Easter icon serves two of the state's metropolitan areas.

2. Question: Name this film which describes the Passover story (which was likely told at the Last Supper). It starred a gun-toting gladiator, a scheming understudy, and a Thai monarch.

3. Question: Name this Chattanooga-born gay community icon. After conquering the Atlanta drag scene with RuPaul, she launched an annual New York City drag show that was captured in an award-winning documentary. She comments on fashion for a supermarket tabloid.

4. Question: Name this 1948 holiday film which featured two stars beloved in the gay community. One's death launched a movement; the other's hair never moved.

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/