Coming Out Support Newsweekly: 4/20/09

Coming Out Support (COS) Newsweekly
Volume 12 No. 16 April 20, 2009
Newsletter Editor: OnQYB@aol.com

The Fine Print

See previous issues.

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The Gay Agenda: Datebook: April 20-26, 2009

Ongoing: Portland, OR: Coming Out: Discourses and Resources. A new discussion group led by a of rotating queer-identified trusted individuals. Neither therapy nor lecture. 6PM-7PM on the 2nd and 4th Thursdays of each month. www.pdxqcenter.org

thru SUN: 6/28: Minneapolis, MN: Everything Kushner at The Guthrie. honoring the work of out playwright Tony Kushner (Angels in America). guthrietheater.org/kushner

thru TUE: 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

This Just In!!! FRI-SUN: 4/17-4/19: Albany, NY: Facets of Oppression. North East LGBT Conference, hosted by The University at Albany (Harvey Milk's alma mater). www.NELGBTC.com

MON: 4/20: Oklahoma City, OK: Kristin Chenoweth, star of "Wicked" and "Pushing Daisies", signs copies of her autobiography, "A Little Bit Wicked". 7:30PM. Full Circle Books/Penn Place.

MON: 4/20: Austin, TX: David Sedaris reads from "When You Are Ingulfed in Flames". Also: TUE: 4/21/09: Detroit, MI: WED: 4/22: St. Louis, MO: THU: 4/23: Aurora, IL: FRI: 4/24: Eugene, OR: SAT: 4/25: Modesto, CA: SUN: 4/26: Berkeley, CA: http://www.barclayagency.com/sedaris_appearances.html

MON: 4/20: New York, NY: The Broadway Beauty Pageant. Male cast members from Broadway shows compete for the crown through talent, interview an swimsuit competitions. 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

WED: 4/22: New York, NY: Puppetry of the Penis: The Res-Erection Tour. A one-night stand at COMIX. www.puppetryofthepenis.com

THU: 4/23: New Haven, CT: Rufus Wainwright performs a benefit concert for AIDS Project New Haven and GLSEN-CT. www.yalegala.tix.com

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

THU: 4/23: Nationwide: This American Life, live screening of the popular public radio show with Ira Glass, Dan Savage, David Rakoff, and Mike Birbiglia and Dave Hill. http://www.fathomevents.com/upcoming/details/This_American_Life.html?gclid=COnizYiG3ZkCFcZM5QodSyJ6YQ

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

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

SAT: 4/25: Fort. Worth, TX: An Afternoon With Jake Heggie, out composer of "Dead Man Walking". www.jakeheggie.com.

SAT: 4/25: San Francisco, CA: Lip Service, a drag fundraiser/concert for the AIDS Lifecycle Team Go Big!. with Lady Miss Kier, (aka Kierin Kirby). Deee-Lite, and Jackie Beat. The Castro Theatre. www.cityboxoffice.com

Newsworthy:

National Coverage for Youth's Suicide. Anderson Cooper is one of several journalists who have brought national attention to the suicide of an 11 year old boy who was bullied and taunted with gay slurs in a Springfield, MA public school. (Editor's Note: This happened in my hometown. The local media and school officials are using this sad example as a springboard to stop bullying in schools. )The Advocate reports: http://advocate.com/news_detail_ektid79039.asp

New York: Governor David A Paterson will introduce a same-sex marriage bill on Thursday, April 16. The New York Times reports: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/04/14/paterson-will-introduce-same-sex-marriage-bill/?hp

GOProud, a new 527 organization for conservative gay Republicans, has launched. According to its founders, it differs in scope from the Log Cabin Republicans. The Washington Blade reports: http://www.washblade.com/thelatest/thelatest.cfm?blog_id=24936

Tales of the City: The musicalization of Armistead Maupin's gay-friendly newspaper column turned book turned TV series will preview at Connecticut's O'Neill Center this summer. Jeff Whitty of "Avenue Q" crafted the musical's book. Music is by the Scissors Sisters. Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2009/04/tales-of-the-city-musical-to-debut-at-cts-oneill-center-this-summer.html

The Buzz (People Making News)

Stu Rasmussen, America's first out TG mayor might get her own reality TV show. Queerty reports: http://www.queerty.com/americas-first-trans-mayor-might-get-his-own-reality-show-20090409/

Features

The U.S. Supreme Court and same-sex marriage. The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/12/weekinreview/12liptak.html?hpw

American Idol. Can a gay contestant win ? The New York Times reports on Adam Lambert: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/12/fashion/12gayidol.html?_r=1&ref=style

Grey Gardens. Backstory Included. The fabled documentary film, a hit Broadway musical of 2007, is now an HBO special. The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/12/arts/television/12roht.html?ref=arts

Gays in Hollywood: A Status Report. As American culture shifts, EDGE ponders whether the cultural change will be reflected in Hollywood's upcoming film projects. http://www.edgeboston.com/index.php?ch=entertainment&sc=culture&sc2=&sc3=&id=89575

Broadway Boys Beauty Pageant. They're hot and they're raising money for a great LGBT cause. EDGE New York reports on the April 20th benefit: http://www.edgenewyork.com/index.php?ch=entertainment&sc=theatre&sc2=&sc3=&id=89491

Backstory: I Am My Own Wife, the award-winning biography of transgender Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, who survived the Nazis and Communists during and after World War II. Newsday reports: http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/stage/etnymyownwife10,0,4268288.story

Dame Edna brings her first "Last Tour" to America as an economic stimulus package. EDGE Boston reports: http://www.edgeboston.com/index.php?ch=entertainment&sc=theatre&sc2=&sc3=&id=89423

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.
***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
***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 musical about mother and daughter Big Edie and Little Edie Beale, former society queens turned into recluses with 51 cats.to 5/17/09. Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN. www.ordway.org. Also to 5/17/09, Stages, Houston, TX. www.stagestheatre.com
***I Am My Own Wife, the real-life story of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, a German TG who managed to survive Nazi rule and the East German Communist regime. to 4/26/09. Port Jefferson, LI. www.theatrethree.com.
***New Year's Eve. Out playwright/director Arthur Laurents' new comedy which features Marlo Thomas. to 5/10/09. New Brunswick, NJ. www.gsponline.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...

***Every Little Step. A documentary about the making of the 2006 Broadway revival of "A Chorus Line".
***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

***A Jihad for Love, the daring documentary filmed in 12 countries in which Muslim gay filmmaker Parvez Sharma explores the intersections of Islam and homosexuality. .
***Barbra Streisand: The Concerts. 3 DVD set including her concert with Il Divo, the HBO special, and the Broadway Album special. Release date: 4/28/09.
***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.
***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.
***Kiki & Herb Live at The Knitting Factory. The Tony-nominated gender-bending downtown club act.
***King Lear. Out gay rights activist Sir Ian McKellan stars as Shakespeare's elderly king. www.shoppbs.org.

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/
***SUN: 4/19: 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 Big Edie. 6PM. HBO. www.hbo.com/films/greygardens
***MON: 4/21: Grey Gardens (see 4/19/09) 10:45AM and 7:15PM. HBO. www.hbo.com/films/greygardens
***SAT: 4/25: Barbra Streisand: Excerpts from the 2006 concert tour. CBS. Check local listings.
***SUN: 4/26: Neil Patrick Harris hosts the 7th annual TV Land Awards. 9 PM ET. www.tvland.com.
***SUN: 4/26: Grey Gardens, (see 4/19/09) . 2PM and midnight. HBO. www.hbo.com/films/greygardens

Conferences, Seminars, Benefits, and Special Events

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: New York, NY: Making The Boys, a documentary about the making of "The Boys in The Band" premieres at the Tribeca Film Festival. Mart Crowley, the playwright, and Michael Musto, the Village Voice columnist, lead the post-screening discussion. http://blogs.villagevoice.com/dailymusto/archives/2009/03/more_life_for_t.php

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

5/04/09-5/17/09: Dublin, Ireland: Dublin Gay Theatre Festival. www.gaytheatre.ie

5/14/09-5/24/09: Toronto, ON: Inside Out: Toronto LGBT Film & Video Festival. www.insideout.on.ca

5/14/09-5/17/09: New Orleans, LA: Saints & Sinners. LGBT writers & readers from around the country gather for a weekend of readings, panels & performances. A benefit for the New Orleans AIDS Task Force. www.sasfest.com

Last 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. Answer: North Carolina, home to White Rabbit Books in Charlotte and Raleigh. www.whiterabbitbooks.com.

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. Answer: The Ten Commandments (1956) with Charlton Heston ("Ben Hur" and the NRA), Anne Baxter ("All About Eve") and Yul Brynner ("The King and I").

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. Answer: The Lady Bunny, creator of "Wigstock" and a columnist for Star Magazine.

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. Answer: Easter Parade, starring Judy Garland and Ann Miller singing and dancing to Irving Berlin's score with Fred Astaire. Garland's death fueled The Stonewall Riots. Miller's hair was
immobile.

This Week’s Trivia Quiz: Death of a Porn Star

We couldn’t help but feel saddened about the death of Jack Wrangler. His career in gay and straight adult films fueled many a fantasy; his ability to use his industry experience to jump to the mainstream was uncanny, and his legit theatre and cabaret career was extensive.

1. Question: Name this adult film star, one of the most famous of all time, who appeared in over 2,500 gay and straight loops, stag films, and features in the 1970s and 1980s. He was best known for his endowment, which was promoted as the largest in the industry. His involvement in a famous 1981 crime brought him notoriety; Mark Wahlberg and Val Kilmer played him in two different film treatments of that crime.

2. Question: Name this popular adult film star, whose tragic demise from prostitution, drugs, and crime was captured in a biography by a writer who is now one of the New York Times' most important arts and entertainment reporters/reviewers. This star outed several major entertainment industry celebrites, including David Geffen. Madonna used him as a model in her 1992 book, "Sex".

3. Question: Name this Broadway dancer and director who made a 1971 gay adult film, which was considered a landmark for its day. It took its title from an off-Broadway play that was amongst the first commercially successful and critically-acclaimed dramas to deal with gay men. This director worked with Noel Coward in a Florence Henderson musical and with director Joe Layton staging shows with Angela Lansbury.

4. Question: Name this American adult star who starred in the film made by #3, which cemented his status as a gay film icon. He actually was successful in legitimate theatre, performing on Broadway opposite Ingrid Bergman; appearing in a Lincoln Center production of Shakespeare's "Merchant of Venice" and producing and starring in a production of Terrence McNally's "The Ritz".

5. Question: Name this adult film star, who, after leaving the industry, produced a Broadway musical with Lesley Ann Warren and John Pizzarelli; wrote cabaret and revue material for numerous theatre artists, and conceived the idea of turning Johnny Mercer's "St. Louis Woman" into a ballet for Dance Theatre of Harlem. He was a board member of the Johnny Mercer Foundation.

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/