Coming Out Support Newsweekly: 7/13/09

Coming Out Support (COS) Newsweekly
Volume 12 No. 28 July 13, 2009
Newsletter Editor: OnQYB@aol.com

The Fine Print

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

Resources: Pride Calendars.

There are too many PRIDE events to list here during PRIDE season (which generally runs May-August). Please check the following resources for events in your area:

***Damron Guides Event Calendars: http://www.damron.com/calendar/index.html
***Pride Events worldwide: www.interpride.org.
***PRIDE Calendars: http://www.gayfriendlybiz.com/calendar.html
***Gay.com’s Pride Calendar: www.gay.com/pride/calendar/

thru THU: 8/06: New York, NY: HOT! Festival of LGBT Performance and Culture 18th edition, making it the oldest, continual festival of queer performance and culture in the world! Performers include: Penny Arcade, Murray Hill and Basil Twist. www.dixonplace.org or www.hotfestival.org/

thru TUE: 7/21: Philadelphia, PA:13th Philadelphia International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival 200 films from more than two-dozen countries. www.phillyfests.com

thru TUE: 7/21: Los Angeles, CA: Outfest, LA's LGBT film and video festival.
Los Angeles' lesbian/ gay film & video festival in mid-July. www.outfest.org

thru FRI: 7/17: Saugatuck, MI: Family Week Michigan. Sponsored by COLAGE (Children of Gays and Lesbians Everywhere) and Rainbow Families Great Lakes. www.rfgl.org.

MON-SUN: 7/13-7/26: New York, NY: The Fresh Fruit Festival. 7th annual multidiscipline International LGBT Cultural & Arts Festival. www.freshfruitfestival.com.

MON-SUN: 7/13-8/02: New York, NY: Midtown International Theatre Festival. www.midtownfestival.org.

THU: 7/16: New York, NY: Broadway in Bryant Park. Free performances by the casts of "Little Mermaid, "9 to 5" and "Toxic Avenger". 12:30PM. www.1067newyork.com.

SAT: 7/18: San Francisco, CA: Carol Channing and Friends. Dolly's back in a benefit performance for the Dr. Carol Channing / Harry Kullijian Foundation for the Arts. www.CityBoxOffice.com

SAT-SUN: 7/18-7/19: Fire Island Pines, NY: 15th Annual Fire Island Dance Festival, to benefit Dancers Responding to AIDS (DRA). Bruce Vilanch hosts. www.dradance.org.

SUN: 7/19: San Francisco, CA: AIDS Walk San Francisco. www.aidswalk.net

Newsworthy:

India: A court has decriminalised consensual sex amongst same-sex couples, an historic breakthrough for the country’s largely closeted gay community, as well as anti-HIV/AIDS campaigners. The Times Online reports: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6623241.ece

In Memoriam:

Shi Pei Pu, the Beijing opera singer and spy whose sexually convoluted love affair with a French Embassy worker inspired the Broadway show “M. Butterfly,” died on 6/30/09, at age 70. The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/02/world/asia/02shi.html?_r=1

Remembering M. Butterfly:
Butterfly is Free: Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2009/07/shi-pei-pu-the-male-opera-singer-who-fooled-an-accountant-at-the-french-embassy-in-beijing-into-believing-he-was-a-she-durin.html
The Diva Spy Who Loved a Trick, a Tall Tale, Himself. The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/05/weekinreview/05wadler.html?_r=1&ref=asia

Features

Preview: Tales of The City, the musical premieres in Connecticut, courtesy of "Avenue Q" and The Scissors Sisters. The Hartford Courant reports. http://www.courant.com/entertainment/stage/hc-tales.artjul03,0,4910987.story

In Print: Beach Reading

The Memoirs of a Beautiful Boy by Robert Leleux. St. Martins Press. A memoir of a gay boy growing up in Petunia, Texas, is funny, occasionally poignant, and impossible to put down. An excellent debut book.

Out of The Pocket by Bill Konigsberg. Dutton Books. A closeted high school quarterback is outed by a school paper reporter

Object of Desire by William J. Mann. Kensington. The latest read by the novelist, biographer, and historian. A former WeHo go-go boy, now a 40+ Palm Springs husband, still grieves over the events surrounding the disappearance of his sister when he was a teen.

In Performance: Onstage:Theatre/Music/Dance

New York City (and Broadway)

***Billy Elliot, Elton John’s Tony-winning musical about a boy who wants to become a ballet dancer. www.billyelliotbroadway.com.
***Blithe Spirit. Out Rupert Everett and Angela Lansbury star in Noel Coward's ghostly comedy. to 7/19/09.
***Old Queen. Performance artist Penny Arcade's work in progress at HOT! Festival of LGBT Performance and Culture. to 7/25/09. www.dixonplace.org
***The Tempermentals. Jon Maran's drama about Harry Hay and friends as they form The Mattachine Society before Stonewall. Michael Urie ("Ugly Betty") stars. to 8/23/09. www.thetemperamentals.com
***Thank You For Being a Friend: the Musical. All things (unauthorized) Golden Girls. Lance Bass moves in next door to the elderly quartet who can't sleep because of his all-night gay parties. to 8/02/09. SpinCycleNYC.com

Elsewhere...

***The Cousins Grimm. a new musical that reworks the timeless fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm into contemporary urban fables filled with LGBT characters. to 8/23/09. Chicago, IL. www.bailiwick.org.
***Pearls Over Shanghai, a revival of the Cockettes 1970 Musical Extravaganza. to 8/16/09. San Francisco, CA. www.brownpapertickets.com.
***Rent Boy Ave: A Fairy's Tale, The New Sexy Hot Urban Rock Musical. two rent boys in a modern take on "Hansel and Gretel". to 8/09/09. San Francisco, CA. www.boxcartheatre.org
***Songs to Make You Gay. After finding a website warning parents against the bands and songs that will turn children gay, Connie Champagne begins a quest to find the music with the transformative power to change one’s sexual orientation. to 8/01/09. San Francisco, CA. www.nctcsf.org.
***Varla Jean Merman and the Mushroomheads. to 9/05/09. Provincetown, MA. www.varlaonline.com.

On Screen (and Video & DVD)

Resource: GLAAD's Guide to What's LGBT in Film: http://glaadblog.org/whats-lgbt-in-film/

Out on Screen...

***Bruno. Sacha Baron Cohen plays a gay fashionista from Austria who fancies himself as "the voice of Austrian youth TV."
***Ciao. Two men meet after the death of a mutual friend. www.ciaomovie.com.
***The Country Teacher, a Czech film about a gay school teacher who lusts for a student he tutors. The Washington Blade's review: http://www.washblade.com/2009/6-26/arts/film/14787.cfm
***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.
***Outrage. Kirby Dick's documentary, a searing indictment of the hypocrisy of closeted politicians who actively campaign against the LGBT community they covertly belong to. I

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.
***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.
***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.
***Hair: Let the Sunshine In. Pola Rapaport's documentary that traces the roots and legacy of the landmark musicalr.
***Kiki & Herb Live at The Knitting Factory. The Tony-nominated gender-bending downtown club act.

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. GLAAD TV Gayed: http://www.glaad.org/Page.aspx?pid=331

***Ongoing: Drop Dead Diva. With Margaret Cho in the cast, this is not drama. Sundays at 9PM. Lifetime. http://www.mylifetime.com/on-tv/shows/drop-dead-diva
***July: In the Life. LGBT news magazine. PBS. Check local listings. http://www.itl.tv/inthelife/episodes/

Conferences, Seminars, Benefits, and Special Events

7/20/09: Washington, DC: Night OUT with The Nationals. The Washinton Nationals take on the New York Mets. The Gay Men's Chorus sings the National Anthem. http://www.teamdc.org/noan5.html

7/20/09: San Francisco, CA: Sparkle, Patty, Sparkle! A salute to Patty Duke, a screening of "Valley of The Dolls", www.ticketweb.com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dispatch=loadSelectionData&eventId=1588494

7/29/09-8/02/09: San Francisco, CA: Homo A Go Go. A festival celebrating alternative queer culture. www.homoagogo.com

8/01/09-8/09/09: Provincetown, MA: Family Week. Programs for LGBT parents, kids & allies. www.familyequality.org

8/02/09: San Francisco, CA: Help Is On the Way: No Business Like Show Business, 15th anniversary gala designed to raise funds for Bay Area AIDS service provider agencies. www.richmondermet.org/reaf10.1/Help15.htm.

8/03/09-8/09/09: Providence, RI: Rhode Island International Film Festival. has LGBT component. www.film-festival.org

8/13/09-8/16/09: Durham, NC: North Carolina Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. www.carolinatheatre.org

8/14/09-8/16/09: Seattle, WA: National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance
Activist Convention. www.nqapia.org

8/14/09-8/30/09: New York, NY: FringeNYC, The New York International Fringe Festival. Off-beat, often LGBT-themed music, dance and theatre. www.fringenyc.org.

8/29/09-9/07/09: Milwaukee, WI:National Gay Softball World Series. www.nagaaasoftball.org

9/03/09-9/07/09: Columbus, OH: GALA 2009 Columbus, the annual conference of LGBT choral groups.http://www.galachoruses.org/events/2009_annual_conference.html

9/05/09-9/07/09: Seattle, WA: Gender Odyssey. panels, workshops & meetings. www.genderodyssey.com

9/10/09-9/13/09: Montreal, PQ: National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association Annual Convention and LGBT Media Summit. http://www.nlgja.org/convention/index.html

9/11/09-9/13/09: Shreveport, LA: Northwest Louisiana Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. http://www.pacelouisiana.org/SE2009filmfestival.php

9/16/09-9/20/09: Fresno, CA: Fresno Reel Pride. the annual lesbian & gay film festival in central California. www.reelpride.com

9/25/09-9/27/09: Washington, DC: 5th Annual National LGBTQA College Student Career Conference. www.outforwork.com.

9/29/09-10/04/09: Palm Springs, CA: IAGLBC Annual Bridge Tournament. www.GayBridge.org

10/02/09-10/04/09: Anaheim, CA: Gay Days Anaheim. the unofficial gay days at Disneyland. www.GayDaysAnaheim.com

Last Week’s Trivia Quiz: Summer Camp

All of these films are available on DVD.

1. Question: Name this 1970 film, a camp classic by a noted political writer, in which a big-busted starlet and a gossip columnist shared the leading role of a TG heroine. A sex goddess from the early 20th century turned the movie into camp. Answer: Myra Breckenridge by Gore Vidal. Raquel Welch and Rex Reed played Myra. Mae West added the laughs.

2. Question: Name this 2000 comedy about a high school girl whose parents assume she’s lesbian, and send her off to summer camp to be turned straight. RuPaul is her teacher. Answer: But I’m A Cheerleader.

3. Question: Name this 2003 movie musical, where a group of gay and straight teens discover their inner Sondheim. There are musical numbers from “Dreamgirls”, “Company” and “Promises, Promises”. Answer: Camp, the story about a New York summer camp for gifted teens in theatre. Sondheim makes a cameo appearance. Stagedoor Manor, the summer training center that was the inspiration for "Camp" will offer "A Weekend in the Country with the Music of Stephen Sondheim". www.stagedoormanor.com.

4. Question: Name this 2003 comedy about three “starlets” who room together in Hollywood while looking for fame. One of them is played by “the love child” of a Broadway legend and a “Poseidon Adventure” star whose marriage lasted 3-weeks. Answer: Girls Will Be Girls, where the starlets are played by three drag queens including Varla Jean Merman, who claims Ethel Merman and Ernest Borgnine as her parents.

5. Question: Name this 1958 comedy classic about parenting in the big city, where a young orphan is advised “always stir a martini--never shake or you’ll bruise the gin”. The movie, based on a play which was based on a novel, was also a musical. Angela Lansbury and Lucille Ball have been associated with adaptations. Answer: Auntie Mame. Rosalind Russell played Patrick Dennis’ madcap aunt. Lansbury and Ball played Mame in the musical.

This Week’s Trivia Quiz: Friends of Dorothy

Friends of Dorothy was a code word for homosexuals pre-Stonewall.

1. Question: Name this character. Amongst the original Friends of Dorothy, one friend's real life son married Dorothy's real-life daughter.

2. Question: Name this TV series set in the Emerald City, in which two Friends of Dorothy had a brutal romance. One emerged as a compassionate cop; the other emerged on a suburban lane, where he romanced a housewife's son.

3. Question: Name this 1978 film, based on an earlier musical, which urbanized the friends of Dorothy, who was played by a diva. Her recently-deceased scarecrow was said to resemble her appearance.

4. Question: Name this prequel to Dorothy's story, based upon a best-selling book written by an out author. It tells Dorothy's story from the viewpoint of two witches, one who wants to be popular and one who is green.

5. Question: Which of the following has not played a Witch ? A) DeeDee Bridgewater, B) Kristin Chenoweth, C) Lena Horne, D) Bebe Neuwirth E) Billie Burke.

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/