Coming Out Support (COS) Newsweekly
Volume 12 No. 35 August 31, 2009
Newsletter Editor: OnQYB@aol.com
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: August 31-September 6, 2009
This Just In !!! FRI: 8/28: Asbury Park, NJ: A Thong For Hope. The cast of ReVision Theatre's "The Full Monty" performs a benefit for Broadway Cares/ Equity Fights AIDS. Program includes: an eclectic mix of musical theatre, contemporary rock and some fun distractions. www.revisiontheatre.org.
This Just In!!! FRI: 8/28: New York, NY: "Hair" cast performs at a rally to mobilize the community in advance of October's National Equality March in Washington, D.C. 2:30PM-3:30PM. Delacorte Theatre. Central Park. www.NationalEqualityMarch.com.
This Just In !!!: SAT: 8/29: New York, NY: Stonewall Veterans Association Meeting. 4:15PM. Gay Community Services Center. www.STONEWALLvets.org
thru MON: 9/07: Milwaukee, WI: National Gay Softball World Series. www.nagaaasoftball.org
WED-MON: 9/02-9/07: Atlanta, GA: Atlanta Black Pride Weekend. www.inthelifeatl.com
WED-MON: 9/02-9/07: New Orleans, LA: Southern Decadence. the famous city-wide circuit party. www.southerndecadence.com
THU-MON: 9/03-9/07: Columbus, OH: GALA 2009 Columbus, the annual conference of GALA Choruses, serving LGBT choral groups. Activities for singers, Artistic Directors, administrative personnel and Board members. http://www.galachoruses.org/events/2009_annual_conference.html
SAT-MON: 9/05-9/07: Seattle, WA: Gender Odyssey. panels, workshops & meetings; entertainment, art exhibits focusing on transmen, transwomen & other gender variant people. www.genderodyssey.com
SAT: 9/05: Santa Monica, CA: Mikhail Baryshnikov, dancer and actor, signing copies of "Merce My Way", the biography of Merce Cunningham. 1PM. Barnes & Noble. 3rd Street Promenade.
SAT: 9/05: Seattle, WA: Peterson Toscano performs his solo theatre piece "Transfigurations: Transgressing Gender in the Bible" about gender-variant Bible characters. www.petersontoscano.com
SAT: 9/05: Northampton, MA: Miss Trans Northampton 2009 Pageant; to help support New England Trans United. Info: misstransnorthampton@gmail.com.
SUN: 9/06: Altadena, CA: Carol Channing Raises the Roof, a gospel concert. She performs selections from her gospel CD "For Heaven's Sake", as a benefit for the congregation of Altadena Community Church. (626) 395-9923
Newsworthy:
Lutherans took openly gay clergy more fully into its fold 8/21/09, as leaders of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America voted to lift a ban that prohibited sexually active gays and lesbians from serving as ministers. The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2009/08/21/us/AP-US-Lutherans-Gays.html?em
Washington, DC: Ex-gays are protected under the DC Human Rights Act. PFOX (Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays), a Virginia “ex-gay” group won a small victory alongside a big defeat in D.C. Superior Court this summer. Washington City Paper reports: http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/sexist/2009/08/25/ex-gays-protected-under-dc-human-rights-act/
The Buzz (People Making News)
Bea Arthur Honored: The "Golden Girls" star, a gay icon, will be honored in a memorial service on 9/14/09, as New York City's Ali Forney Center, an organization dedicated to homeless LGBT youths, plans to celebrate her gay advocacy efforts by naming a residence center in her honor. The Advocate reports: http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid105988.asp
In Memoriam:
Ted Kennedy, the Democratic US Senator from Massachusetts, died on 8/25/09 at age 77. Although he wasn't gay, he was a LGBT rights pioneer. The Examiner recaps: http://www.examiner.com/x-4107-Gay--Lesbian-Issues-Examiner~y2009m8d26-Remembering-LGBT-rights-pioneer-Ted-Kennedy
Robert Hilferty, a writer and an AIDS activist who made a documentary film in 1989 that roiled the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York and the Public Broadcasting Service, died on 7/24/09 at age 49. The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/20/nyregion/20hilferty.html?_r=1&ref=nyregion
Phil DiMaggio, the New York-based casting director and stage manager, died on 8/14/09, at age 57. Playbill.com reports: http://www.playbill.com/news/article/132184-Phil_DiMaggio_Stage_Manager_and_Casting_Director_Dead_at_57
Photo Shoots and Video
Photos: TR Knight, formerly of "Grey's Anatomy", in rehearsal for "Parade" at Los Angeles' Mark Taper Forum from BroadwayWorld.com: http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Photo_Flash_PARADE_In_Rehearsals_With_TR_Knight_At_MTF_20090821
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.
***Darren Williams: "Not The Boy Next Door" performs the Peter Allen Songbook. 9/06/09, 9/13/09. Metropolitan Room.
***Hair, Tony-winning revival of the first major rock musical. www.publictheater.org.
Elsewhere...
***An Evening With Simply Barbra and Julie Wilson. Ultimate cabaret with Steven Brinberg and legend Julie Wilson. 9/01/09-9/06/09. San Francisco, CA. http://simplybarbra.com/html/tour.html
***Carol Channing and Friends. JoAnne Worley emcees. 8/31/09. Sacramento, CA. www.channingarts.com.
***Grey Gardens, the award-winning musical about eccentric Jackie O cousins Edie Beale and her mother, to 10/10/09. Atlanta, GA. www.actors-express.com.
***Lewd and Lascivious. World Premiere. Michael McKeever's drama deals with Newton Arvin, real-life Smith College professor, who is arrested by the Massachusetts State Police on vice charges in 1960. to 9/13/09. Coral Gables, FL. www.gablestage.org
***The Mystery of Irma Vep. Charles Ludlam's gender-bending gothic spoof, to 9/06/09. San Diego, CA. www.TheOldGlobe.org
***Varla Jean Merman and the Mushroomheads. to 9/05/09. Provincetown, MA. www.varlaonline.com.
On Screen (and Video & DVD)
Out on Screen...
***Hump Day. Two straight dudes contemplate going gay to enter and win Humpfest, Seattle's amateur porn contest.
***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.
***Passing Strange. Spike Lee's documentary about Stew's Broadway rock musical.
***Taking Woodstock. Ang Lee's new film about the rock festival based on Elliot Tiber's memoir. Demetri Martin stars as the gay Tiber. Liev Schriber plays a transvestite; Jeffrey Dean Morgan plays a closeted married guy who has an affair with Tiber.
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.
***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 musical.
***Kiki & Herb Live at The Knitting Factory. The Tony-nominated gender-bending downtown club act.
***Mad Men, Season 2. Look for Bryan Batt as a closeted ad exec in this TV drama about a 1960s ad agency.
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/tvgayed
***September: In the Life. LGBT news magazine. PBS. Check local listings. http://www.itl.tv/inthelife/episodes/
Conferences, Seminars, Benefits, and Special Events
9/08/09: West Hollywood, CA: HX Gay & Lesbian Travel Expo. Also: 9/10/09: San Francisco, CA: http://gaylifetravel.squarespace.com
9/09/09: New York, NY: Tim Gunn, star of Project Runway, signs copies of "Models, Inc". 4PM. Midtown Comics.
9/9/09: New York, NY: Judy Shepard signs copies of her new book "The Meaning of Matthew", her story of Matthew Shepard's murder and her becoming a gay rights activist. 7PM. Barnes & Noble, Union Square. For national tour dates/ locations: http://www.matthewshepard.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Press_Media_Judy_BookTour09
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. Premiere edition. http://www.pacelouisiana.org/SE2009filmfestival.php
9/12/09: North Hollywood, CA: Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays. Various playwrights addressing the issue of gay marriage in America and/or Proposition 8 in California. Starring Miss Coco Peru, Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Jason Alexander, Hamish Linklater, Robert Gant, and Peter Paige. www.elportaltheatre.com/events.html
9/12/09: Springfield, MA: 2009 AIDS Foundation of Western Massachusetts AIDS Walk and 5K Run. www.aidsfoundationwm.org.
9/13/09: New York, NY: Broadway on Broadway 2009. The casts of current and upcoming Broaway musicals perform excerpts from their shows. 11:30AM. Times Square. Free. www.broadwayleague.com
9/16/09-9/20/09: Fresno, CA: Fresno Reel Pride. the annual lesbian & gay film festival in central California. www.reelpride.com
9/20/09: Springfield/Agawam, MA: Out in The Park. unofficial gay day at Six Flags New England. www.outinthepark.com
9/25/09-9/27/09: Washington, DC: 5th Annual National LGBTQA College Student Career Conference. Preparing, LGBTQA college students to transition from academia to the workplace, www.outforwork.com.
9/29/09-10/04/09: Palm Springs, CA: IAGLBC Annual Bridge Tournament. sponsored by the International Association of Gay & Lesbian Bridge Clubs. www.GayBridge.org
9/30/09: New York, NY: Matthew Broderick, star of “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”, speaks. 8PM. 92nd Street Y
9/30/09: Pittsfield, MA: An Evening with David Sedaris. Humorist and author. For his Fall tour dates and locations: http://www.barclayagency.com/sedaris_appearances.html or www.thecolonialtheatre.org
10/02/09-10/04/09: Anaheim, CA: Gay Days Anaheim. the unofficial gay days at Disneyland. www.GayDaysAnaheim.com
10/04/09: San Francisco, CA: Castro Street Fair. the arts & community groups street fair co-founded by Harvey Milk. www.castrostreetfair.org
10/08/09-10/11/09: Washington, DC: Gay Bowl IX: The National Gay Flag Football Championship Tournament. www.dcmonuments.blogspot.com, .
10/08/09-10/11/09: Sacramento, CA: Sacramento International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. www.siglff.org
10/10/09-10/11/09: Washington, DC: Equality Across America: The National Equality March www.NationalEqualityMarch.com
10/11/09: Nationwide: National Coming Out Day. www.hrc.com/ncop
Last Week’s Trivia Quiz: The End of Summer Gay Showtune Quiz
1. Question: Name the Composer. Name the Show. Name the Song. In this musical about a show business reunion, a chanteuse sings “I have gone to Moscow, it’s very gay. Well, anyway on the first of May”. Hint: The composer is gay. and the show gets an encore on Broadway next season. Answer: Stephen Sondheim’s musical “Follies”. The song is “Ah, Paris”.
2. Question: Name the Composer. Name the Show. Name the Song.In this musical about royalty in days of yore, a lusty chorus sings “It’s gay! It’s gay! A libelous display!” The king is left alone when his queen finds her knight in shining armor. Answer: Frederick Loewe’s musical “Camelot”. The song is “The Lusty Month of May”.
3. Question: Name the Composer. Name the Show. Name the Song. A has been Broadway remembers his glorious past. “When I was young and gay, (but straight)”. Hint: Later on, he encourages a gay director and choregrapher to keep a moment in WW2 gay. Answer: Mel Brooks’ musical “The Producers”. The song is “The King of Broadway”.
4. Question: Name the Composer. Name the Show. Name the Song. In this classic musical, a girl from the midwest falls for a Frenchmen with a monthly reference the same as that of Questions #1 and #2. Hint: Later on, she shampoos. “I’m as trite and as gay as a daisy in May – a cliché coming true.” Answer: Richard Rodgers from the musical “South Pacific”. The song is “A Wonderful Guy”. Nurse Nellie later washes the man right outta her hair.
5. Question: Name the Composer. Name the Show. Name the Song. In this classic by a bi composer (and gay lyricist), a lovestruck New Yorker finds her Romeo north of Chelsea along the shores of the Hudson. She swoons... “And witty and gay -- and I pity any girl who isn’t me today.” Answer: Leonard Bernstein’s (and Stephen Sondheim’s “West Side Story”. The song is “I Feel Pretty”.
This Week’s Trivia Quiz: Hey Boys and Girls, Who's Gay ?
1. Question: Name this cartoon couple of 25+ years, who were assumed to be gay. A 1993 film documentary about them confirmed the urban legend, but their creators denied that they were any more than “just friends”.
2. Question: Name this British born member of a television quartet, who was accused in 1999 by a member of the religious right of promoting a “homosexual agenda”. The cleric said this stylish puppet “looked gay”.
3. Question: Name this syndicated cartoon. One of its major characters came our on February 10, 1976, the first cartoon character to do so.
4. Question: Name this address, where a closeted Republican stockbroker puppet named Rod lives with his “roomate”, Nicky. Rod likes Broadway musicals from the 1940s and 1950s.
5. Question: Name this peripatetic cartoon hero who was chastized for hanging out with lesbian moms on a Vermont maple sugaring trip. P.S. The segment was filmed near the home of Vermont's tastiest same-sex couple, Ben & Jerry.
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/
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Coming Out Support Newsweekly: 8/24/09
Coming Out Support (COS) Newsweekly
Volume 12 No. 34 August 24, 2009
Newsletter Editor: OnQYB@aol.com
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: August 24-30, 2009
thru SUN: 8/30: New York, NY: FringeNYC, The New York International Fringe Festival. Off-beat, often LGBT-themed music, dance and theatre. www.fringenyc.org.
thru SUN: 8/30: Porter, ME: Camp Camp. summer camp for LGBT adults with sports, pottery, theater, yoga & more. www.campcamp.com
SAT-MON: 8/29-9/07: Milwaukee, WI:National Gay Softball World Series. www.nagaaasoftball.org
Newsworthy:
Federal Proposition 8 Case Sets Trial Date. A judge has set a 1/11/10 trial date for a federal lawsuit challenging California's gay marriage ban. At a status hearing 8/19/09, U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker also barred LGBT advocacy groups from joining the lawsuit, filed on behalf of two gay couples seeking to marry in California.Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2009/08/judge-denies-gay-groups-in-federal-prop-8-case-sets-trial-date.html
Iraq: Gay men across Iraq are being rounded up, tortured, and killed by the country’s militias, including the feared Mahdi Army—while the government stands by. Parvez Sharma (filmmaker of the documentary "A Jihad For Love") at the Daily Beast reports: http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-08-16/iraqs-anti-gay-pogrom/?cid=hp:mainpromo2
Obama Favors DOMA Repeal: President Obama made clear 8/17/09 that he favors the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, and intends to ask Congress to repeal the 13-year-old law that denies benefits to domestic partners of federal employees. The Washington Post reports: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2009/08/17/obama_makes_explicit_his_objec.html?hpid=topnews
California: Equality California sets 2012 as its Target Date for Proposition 8 measure. Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2009/08/decisions-coming-on-timetable-for-antiprop-8-ballot-measure.html
Gays Count in Census 2010: Married same-sex couples will be counted as such in the US 2010 census, reversing an earlier decision made under the Bush administration. The Washington Blade reports: http://www.washblade.com/2009/8-7/news/national/14981.cfm
New Poll: Half of College Football Players says that they have a gay team mate, according to ESPN's fall football preview. Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2009/08/poll-half-of-college-football-players-say-they-have-a-gay-teammate.html
Gay Mental Health: LGBT people have higher rates of substance abuse and mental health disorders, but they're more likely to seek mental health treatment than heterosexuals, according to UCLA research. The Los Angeles Times reports: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2009/08/gays-lesbians-bisexual-mental-health-.html
Features
Profile: Theodore Olson. A Conservative's Road to Same-Sex Marriage Advocacy. The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/19/us/19olson.html?_r=2
Profile: Lady GaGa comes out: The lady is a vamp. Out Magazine reports: http://www.out.com/detail.asp?page=1&id=25720
Interviews: Bryan Batt, out star of "Mad Men",
talks with the Windy City Times. http://www.chicagopride.com/news/interview.cfm/articleid/144756
talks with New York Magazine: http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2009/08/mad_mens_bryan_batt_aka_salvat.html
In Performance: Onstage:Theatre/Music/Dance
New York City (and Broadway)
***Be A Man! Exiene Lofgren’s solo performance. How does a man who looks like Annie Lennox, was raised by feminists, and married a man "be a man"? to 8/28/09. www.beamantheshow.com
***The Boys Upstairs. Jason Mitchell's new comedy about a group of Hell Kitchen gay boys who handle relationships, careers, and the city with style, scandal, and specialty cocktails! to 8/30/09. www.Fringenyc.org or www.TheBoysUpstairs.info
***Darren Williams: "Not The Boy Next Door" performs the Peter Allen Songbook. 8/25/09, 8/27/09, 9/06/09, 9/13/09. Metropolitan Room.
***Hair, Tony-winning revival of the first major rock musical. www.publictheater.org.
***His Greatness. Daniel MacIvor's play about gay playwright Tennessee Williams' last days spent with his assistant and a Canadian hustler. to 8/30/09. www.Fringenyc.org or www.HisGreatnessPlay.com
***The Killing. A William Inge one-act about a guy who picks up a guy in a bar and asks him to do something unspeakable. On a bill with other one-acts. Series B of Summer Shorts 3. to 8/27/09. www.59e59.org.
Elsewhere...
***Anita Bryant Died For Your Sins. West Coast premiere of Brian Christopher Williams' lyric comedy. A teen's coming of age surrounded by Olympian Mark Spitz and anti-gay OJ promoter Anita Bryant. Hollywood, CA..www.westcoastensemble.org
***Grey Gardens, the award-winning musical about eccentric Jackie O cousins Edie Beale and her mother, to 10/10/09. Atlanta, GA. www.actors-express.com.
***Lewd and Lascivious. Michael McKeever's drama deals with Newton Arvin, real-life Smith College professor, who is arrested by the Massachusetts State Police on vice charges in 1960. to 9/13/09. Coral Gables, FL. www.gablestage.org
***Lorna Luft, daughter of Judy and sister of Liza, performs. to 8/30/09. San Francisco, CA. www.therrazzroom.com.
***Margaret Cho in concert.. to 8/31/09, Provincetown, MA www.margaretcho.com.
***The Mystery of Irma Vep. Charles Ludlam's gender-bending gothic spoof, to 9/06/09. San Diego, CA. www.TheOldGlobe.org
***Never the Sinner: The Leopold and Loeb Story, John Logan's crime drama. to 8/30/09. Philadelphia, PA. www.mauckingbirdtheatreco.org.
On Screen (and Video & DVD)
Out on Screen...
***Bruno. Sacha Baron Cohen plays a gay fashionista from Austria who fancies himself as "the voice of Austrian youth TV."
***The Country Teacher, a Czech film about a gay school teacher who lusts for a student he tutors.
***Hump Day. Two straight dudes contemplate going gay to enter and win Humpfest, Seattle's amateur porn contest.
***Passing Strange. Spike Lee's documentary about Stew's Broadway rock musical.
***Taking Woodstock. Ang Lee's new film about the rock festival based on Elliot Tiber's memoir. Demetri Martin stars as the gay Tiber. Liev Schriber plays a transvestite; Jeffrey Dean Morgan plays a closeted married guy who has an affair with Tiber.
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.
***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 musical
***The Judy Garland Show, Vol. 1. Garland's 1963 television show newly restored and remastered from the original 2-inch videotapes outtakes. First of 13 releases, each featuring two episodes from the 26-episode run.
***Kiki & Herb Live at The Knitting Factory. The Tony-nominated gender-bending downtown club act.
***Mad Men, Season 2. Look for Bryan Batt as a closeted ad exec in this TV drama about a 1960s ad agency.
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/tvgayed
***August: In the Life. LGBT news magazine. PBS. Check local listings. http://www.itl.tv/inthelife/episodes/
Conferences, Seminars, Benefits, and Special Events
9/03/09-9/07/09: Columbus, OH: GALA 2009 Columbus, the annual conference of GALA Choruses, serving LGBT choral groups. Activities for singers, Artistic Directors, administrative personnel and Board members. http://www.galachoruses.org/events/2009_annual_conference.html
9/05/09-9/07/09: Seattle, WA: Gender Odyssey. panels, workshops & meetings; entertainment, art exhibits focusing on transmen, transwomen & other gender variant people. 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. Premiere edition. Among the guests: Leslie Jordan. http://www.pacelouisiana.org/SE2009filmfestival.php
9/12/09: North Hollywood, CA: Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays. Various playwrights create short plays addressing the issue of gay marriage in America and/or Proposition 8 in California. Starring Miss Coco Peru, Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Jason Alexander, Hamish Linklater, Robert Gant, and Peter Paige. www.elportaltheatre.com/events.html
9/13/09: New York, NY: Broadway on Broadway 2009. The casts of current and upcoming Broaway musicals perform excerpts from their shows. 11:30AM. Times Square. Free. www.broadwayleague.com
9/16/09-9/20/09: Fresno, CA: Fresno Reel Pride. the annual lesbian & gay film festival in central California. www.reelpride.com
9/20/09: Springfield/Agawam, MA: Out in The Park. unofficial gay day at Six Flags New England. www.outinthepark.com
9/24/09-9/27/09: Provincetown, MA: Tennessee Williams Theater Festival. The gay playwright is honored by the gay resort and arts community. www.twptown.org
9/25/09-9/27/09: Washington, DC: 5th Annual National LGBTQA College Student Career Conference. Educating, preparing, and empowering LGBTQA college students for the transition from academia to the workplace, www.outforwork.com.
9/26/09: Los Angeles, CA: Point Honors. Cherry Jones receives The Point Courage Award from The Point Foundation, the nation's largest scholarship-granting organization for LGBT students of merit. www.pointfoundation.org.
9/29/09-10/04/09: Palm Springs, CA: IAGLBC Annual Bridge Tournament. sponsored by the International Association of Gay & Lesbian Bridge Clubs. www.GayBridge.org
10/02/09-10/04/09: Anaheim, CA: Gay Days Anaheim. the unofficial gay days at Disneyland. Entertainment includes: Eden Espinosa, Alec Mapa, Stacey Q, and Bruce Vilanch. www.GayDaysAnaheim.com
10/08/09-10/11/09: Washington, DC: Gay Bowl IX: The National Gay Flag Football Championship Tournament. www.dcmonuments.blogspot.com, .
10/08/09-10/11/09: Sacramento, CA: Sacramento International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. www.siglff.org
10/10/09-10/11/09: Washington, DC: Equality Across America: The National Equality March to let our elected officials know that now is the time for full equal rights for LGBT people nationwide. www.NationalEqualityMarch.com
10/11/09: Nationwide: National Coming Out Day. www.hrc.com/ncop
10/15/09-10/18/09: St. Petersburg, FL: InterPride 2009 Conference. Workshops for/by the International Association of LGBT Pride Coordinators. www.interpride.org
10/15/09-10/18/09: San Francisco, CA: Sundance Stompede. San Francisco's annual LGBT country/ western dance weekend. www.stompede.com
Last Week’s Trivia Quiz: Gay Music Men
1. Question: Name this gay English-born music man known for his stage performances as actor and singer, his comedies, and his music. He was also known for his wit, flamboyance and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise". He wrote a musicalfor Elaine Stritch; he composed "Mad About the Boy" and he wrote shows about bickering couples, ghostly ex-spouses, and London elite. Answer: Noel Coward (1899-1973), author of "Sail Away", "Bittersweet", "Private Lives", "Blithe Spirit" and more.
2. Question: Name this gay American-born music man who professionally partnered with a globally-famous lesbian to develop an opera about a famous American women's rights activist and a second opera which featured an all-black cast. He won the Pulitzer Prize for his film score for a post-world War II movie. Answer: Virgil Thomson, (1896-1989) who partnered with Gertrude Stein to write "The Mother Of Us All" about feminist Susan B. Anthony; the black opera "Four Saints in Three Acts" and the score to "Louisiana Story".
3. Question: Name this gay Italian-American music man, best known for his dramatic musical theatre pieces which bridged opera and Broadway (one is a famous Christmas tale) and his interest in organizing and running international music festivals, which have flourished in Europe and America. He was partnered at one point with a famous American opera composer whose name is linked with Seville. Answer: Gian-Carlo Menotti (1911-2007), founder of the Spoleto Festivals in Italy and Charleston, SC; composer of "Amahl and The Night Visitors", the classic Christmas opera, and "The Consul" and "The Saint of Bleeker Street". He was partnered with opera composer Samual Barber--they collaborated on "Vanessa".
4. Question: Name this gay American-born music man who made lower East Side puppets sing, and the cast of "Scrubs" turn a hospital into Broadway. He and his partner co-wrote the theme song for the Logo Network's animated series "Rick & Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in All the World" and contributed additional songs for the show. He has a law degree and sings with the Los Angeles Gay Men's Chorus. Answer: Jeff Marx, who with partner Robert Lopez, wrote "Avenue Q", music for "Scrubs" and more.
5. Question: Name this gay Australian-born music man, discovered by and imported to America by a gay community icon (he married her daughter, another icon). He won an Oscar for a movie theme, wrote songs for Melissa Manchester and Olivia Newton-John, performed at Radio City, and wrote and starred in one of Broadway's notirous flops. He became more famous after his death, when a film-star played his life in a Broadway musical. Answer: Peter Allen (1944-1992), discovered by Judy Garland, married (briefly) to Liza Minnelli, composer of "Arthur's Theme" (Oscar) and "Legs Diamond" (super-flop). Hugh Jackman starred in his life story, "The Boy From Oz".
This Week’s Trivia Quiz: The End of Summer Gay Showtune Quiz
1. Question: Name the Composer. Name the Show. Name the Song. In this musical about a show business reunion, a chanteuse sings “I have gone to Moscow, it’s very gay. Well, anyway on the first of May”. Hint: The composer is gay. and the show gets an encore on Broadway next season.
2. Question: Name the Composer. Name the Show. Name the Song.In this musical about royalty in days of yore, a lusty chorus sings “It’s gay! It’s gay! A libelous display!” The king is left alone when his queen finds her knight in shining armor.
3. Question: Name the Composer. Name the Show. Name the Song. A has been Broadway remembers his glorious past. “When I was young and gay, (but straight)”. Hint: Later on, he encourages a gay director and choregrapher to keep a moment in WW2 gay.
4. Question: Name the Composer. Name the Show. Name the Song. In this classic musical, a girl from the midwest falls for a Frenchmen with a monthly reference the same as that of Questions #1 and #2. Hint: Later on, she shampoos. “I’m as trite and as gay as a daisy in May – a cliché coming true.”
5. Question: Name the Composer. Name the Show. Name the Song. In this classic by a bi composer (and gay lyricist), a lovestruck New Yorker finds her Romeo north of Chelsea along the shores of the Hudson. She swoons... “And witty and gay -- and I pity any girl who isn’t me today.”
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. 34 August 24, 2009
Newsletter Editor: OnQYB@aol.com
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: August 24-30, 2009
thru SUN: 8/30: New York, NY: FringeNYC, The New York International Fringe Festival. Off-beat, often LGBT-themed music, dance and theatre. www.fringenyc.org.
thru SUN: 8/30: Porter, ME: Camp Camp. summer camp for LGBT adults with sports, pottery, theater, yoga & more. www.campcamp.com
SAT-MON: 8/29-9/07: Milwaukee, WI:National Gay Softball World Series. www.nagaaasoftball.org
Newsworthy:
Federal Proposition 8 Case Sets Trial Date. A judge has set a 1/11/10 trial date for a federal lawsuit challenging California's gay marriage ban. At a status hearing 8/19/09, U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker also barred LGBT advocacy groups from joining the lawsuit, filed on behalf of two gay couples seeking to marry in California.Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2009/08/judge-denies-gay-groups-in-federal-prop-8-case-sets-trial-date.html
Iraq: Gay men across Iraq are being rounded up, tortured, and killed by the country’s militias, including the feared Mahdi Army—while the government stands by. Parvez Sharma (filmmaker of the documentary "A Jihad For Love") at the Daily Beast reports: http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2009-08-16/iraqs-anti-gay-pogrom/?cid=hp:mainpromo2
Obama Favors DOMA Repeal: President Obama made clear 8/17/09 that he favors the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, and intends to ask Congress to repeal the 13-year-old law that denies benefits to domestic partners of federal employees. The Washington Post reports: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/44/2009/08/17/obama_makes_explicit_his_objec.html?hpid=topnews
California: Equality California sets 2012 as its Target Date for Proposition 8 measure. Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2009/08/decisions-coming-on-timetable-for-antiprop-8-ballot-measure.html
Gays Count in Census 2010: Married same-sex couples will be counted as such in the US 2010 census, reversing an earlier decision made under the Bush administration. The Washington Blade reports: http://www.washblade.com/2009/8-7/news/national/14981.cfm
New Poll: Half of College Football Players says that they have a gay team mate, according to ESPN's fall football preview. Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2009/08/poll-half-of-college-football-players-say-they-have-a-gay-teammate.html
Gay Mental Health: LGBT people have higher rates of substance abuse and mental health disorders, but they're more likely to seek mental health treatment than heterosexuals, according to UCLA research. The Los Angeles Times reports: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/booster_shots/2009/08/gays-lesbians-bisexual-mental-health-.html
Features
Profile: Theodore Olson. A Conservative's Road to Same-Sex Marriage Advocacy. The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/19/us/19olson.html?_r=2
Profile: Lady GaGa comes out: The lady is a vamp. Out Magazine reports: http://www.out.com/detail.asp?page=1&id=25720
Interviews: Bryan Batt, out star of "Mad Men",
talks with the Windy City Times. http://www.chicagopride.com/news/interview.cfm/articleid/144756
talks with New York Magazine: http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2009/08/mad_mens_bryan_batt_aka_salvat.html
In Performance: Onstage:Theatre/Music/Dance
New York City (and Broadway)
***Be A Man! Exiene Lofgren’s solo performance. How does a man who looks like Annie Lennox, was raised by feminists, and married a man "be a man"? to 8/28/09. www.beamantheshow.com
***The Boys Upstairs. Jason Mitchell's new comedy about a group of Hell Kitchen gay boys who handle relationships, careers, and the city with style, scandal, and specialty cocktails! to 8/30/09. www.Fringenyc.org or www.TheBoysUpstairs.info
***Darren Williams: "Not The Boy Next Door" performs the Peter Allen Songbook. 8/25/09, 8/27/09, 9/06/09, 9/13/09. Metropolitan Room.
***Hair, Tony-winning revival of the first major rock musical. www.publictheater.org.
***His Greatness. Daniel MacIvor's play about gay playwright Tennessee Williams' last days spent with his assistant and a Canadian hustler. to 8/30/09. www.Fringenyc.org or www.HisGreatnessPlay.com
***The Killing. A William Inge one-act about a guy who picks up a guy in a bar and asks him to do something unspeakable. On a bill with other one-acts. Series B of Summer Shorts 3. to 8/27/09. www.59e59.org.
Elsewhere...
***Anita Bryant Died For Your Sins. West Coast premiere of Brian Christopher Williams' lyric comedy. A teen's coming of age surrounded by Olympian Mark Spitz and anti-gay OJ promoter Anita Bryant. Hollywood, CA..www.westcoastensemble.org
***Grey Gardens, the award-winning musical about eccentric Jackie O cousins Edie Beale and her mother, to 10/10/09. Atlanta, GA. www.actors-express.com.
***Lewd and Lascivious. Michael McKeever's drama deals with Newton Arvin, real-life Smith College professor, who is arrested by the Massachusetts State Police on vice charges in 1960. to 9/13/09. Coral Gables, FL. www.gablestage.org
***Lorna Luft, daughter of Judy and sister of Liza, performs. to 8/30/09. San Francisco, CA. www.therrazzroom.com.
***Margaret Cho in concert.. to 8/31/09, Provincetown, MA www.margaretcho.com.
***The Mystery of Irma Vep. Charles Ludlam's gender-bending gothic spoof, to 9/06/09. San Diego, CA. www.TheOldGlobe.org
***Never the Sinner: The Leopold and Loeb Story, John Logan's crime drama. to 8/30/09. Philadelphia, PA. www.mauckingbirdtheatreco.org.
On Screen (and Video & DVD)
Out on Screen...
***Bruno. Sacha Baron Cohen plays a gay fashionista from Austria who fancies himself as "the voice of Austrian youth TV."
***The Country Teacher, a Czech film about a gay school teacher who lusts for a student he tutors.
***Hump Day. Two straight dudes contemplate going gay to enter and win Humpfest, Seattle's amateur porn contest.
***Passing Strange. Spike Lee's documentary about Stew's Broadway rock musical.
***Taking Woodstock. Ang Lee's new film about the rock festival based on Elliot Tiber's memoir. Demetri Martin stars as the gay Tiber. Liev Schriber plays a transvestite; Jeffrey Dean Morgan plays a closeted married guy who has an affair with Tiber.
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.
***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 musical
***The Judy Garland Show, Vol. 1. Garland's 1963 television show newly restored and remastered from the original 2-inch videotapes outtakes. First of 13 releases, each featuring two episodes from the 26-episode run.
***Kiki & Herb Live at The Knitting Factory. The Tony-nominated gender-bending downtown club act.
***Mad Men, Season 2. Look for Bryan Batt as a closeted ad exec in this TV drama about a 1960s ad agency.
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/tvgayed
***August: In the Life. LGBT news magazine. PBS. Check local listings. http://www.itl.tv/inthelife/episodes/
Conferences, Seminars, Benefits, and Special Events
9/03/09-9/07/09: Columbus, OH: GALA 2009 Columbus, the annual conference of GALA Choruses, serving LGBT choral groups. Activities for singers, Artistic Directors, administrative personnel and Board members. http://www.galachoruses.org/events/2009_annual_conference.html
9/05/09-9/07/09: Seattle, WA: Gender Odyssey. panels, workshops & meetings; entertainment, art exhibits focusing on transmen, transwomen & other gender variant people. 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. Premiere edition. Among the guests: Leslie Jordan. http://www.pacelouisiana.org/SE2009filmfestival.php
9/12/09: North Hollywood, CA: Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays. Various playwrights create short plays addressing the issue of gay marriage in America and/or Proposition 8 in California. Starring Miss Coco Peru, Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Jason Alexander, Hamish Linklater, Robert Gant, and Peter Paige. www.elportaltheatre.com/events.html
9/13/09: New York, NY: Broadway on Broadway 2009. The casts of current and upcoming Broaway musicals perform excerpts from their shows. 11:30AM. Times Square. Free. www.broadwayleague.com
9/16/09-9/20/09: Fresno, CA: Fresno Reel Pride. the annual lesbian & gay film festival in central California. www.reelpride.com
9/20/09: Springfield/Agawam, MA: Out in The Park. unofficial gay day at Six Flags New England. www.outinthepark.com
9/24/09-9/27/09: Provincetown, MA: Tennessee Williams Theater Festival. The gay playwright is honored by the gay resort and arts community. www.twptown.org
9/25/09-9/27/09: Washington, DC: 5th Annual National LGBTQA College Student Career Conference. Educating, preparing, and empowering LGBTQA college students for the transition from academia to the workplace, www.outforwork.com.
9/26/09: Los Angeles, CA: Point Honors. Cherry Jones receives The Point Courage Award from The Point Foundation, the nation's largest scholarship-granting organization for LGBT students of merit. www.pointfoundation.org.
9/29/09-10/04/09: Palm Springs, CA: IAGLBC Annual Bridge Tournament. sponsored by the International Association of Gay & Lesbian Bridge Clubs. www.GayBridge.org
10/02/09-10/04/09: Anaheim, CA: Gay Days Anaheim. the unofficial gay days at Disneyland. Entertainment includes: Eden Espinosa, Alec Mapa, Stacey Q, and Bruce Vilanch. www.GayDaysAnaheim.com
10/08/09-10/11/09: Washington, DC: Gay Bowl IX: The National Gay Flag Football Championship Tournament. www.dcmonuments.blogspot.com, .
10/08/09-10/11/09: Sacramento, CA: Sacramento International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. www.siglff.org
10/10/09-10/11/09: Washington, DC: Equality Across America: The National Equality March to let our elected officials know that now is the time for full equal rights for LGBT people nationwide. www.NationalEqualityMarch.com
10/11/09: Nationwide: National Coming Out Day. www.hrc.com/ncop
10/15/09-10/18/09: St. Petersburg, FL: InterPride 2009 Conference. Workshops for/by the International Association of LGBT Pride Coordinators. www.interpride.org
10/15/09-10/18/09: San Francisco, CA: Sundance Stompede. San Francisco's annual LGBT country/ western dance weekend. www.stompede.com
Last Week’s Trivia Quiz: Gay Music Men
1. Question: Name this gay English-born music man known for his stage performances as actor and singer, his comedies, and his music. He was also known for his wit, flamboyance and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise". He wrote a musicalfor Elaine Stritch; he composed "Mad About the Boy" and he wrote shows about bickering couples, ghostly ex-spouses, and London elite. Answer: Noel Coward (1899-1973), author of "Sail Away", "Bittersweet", "Private Lives", "Blithe Spirit" and more.
2. Question: Name this gay American-born music man who professionally partnered with a globally-famous lesbian to develop an opera about a famous American women's rights activist and a second opera which featured an all-black cast. He won the Pulitzer Prize for his film score for a post-world War II movie. Answer: Virgil Thomson, (1896-1989) who partnered with Gertrude Stein to write "The Mother Of Us All" about feminist Susan B. Anthony; the black opera "Four Saints in Three Acts" and the score to "Louisiana Story".
3. Question: Name this gay Italian-American music man, best known for his dramatic musical theatre pieces which bridged opera and Broadway (one is a famous Christmas tale) and his interest in organizing and running international music festivals, which have flourished in Europe and America. He was partnered at one point with a famous American opera composer whose name is linked with Seville. Answer: Gian-Carlo Menotti (1911-2007), founder of the Spoleto Festivals in Italy and Charleston, SC; composer of "Amahl and The Night Visitors", the classic Christmas opera, and "The Consul" and "The Saint of Bleeker Street". He was partnered with opera composer Samual Barber--they collaborated on "Vanessa".
4. Question: Name this gay American-born music man who made lower East Side puppets sing, and the cast of "Scrubs" turn a hospital into Broadway. He and his partner co-wrote the theme song for the Logo Network's animated series "Rick & Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in All the World" and contributed additional songs for the show. He has a law degree and sings with the Los Angeles Gay Men's Chorus. Answer: Jeff Marx, who with partner Robert Lopez, wrote "Avenue Q", music for "Scrubs" and more.
5. Question: Name this gay Australian-born music man, discovered by and imported to America by a gay community icon (he married her daughter, another icon). He won an Oscar for a movie theme, wrote songs for Melissa Manchester and Olivia Newton-John, performed at Radio City, and wrote and starred in one of Broadway's notirous flops. He became more famous after his death, when a film-star played his life in a Broadway musical. Answer: Peter Allen (1944-1992), discovered by Judy Garland, married (briefly) to Liza Minnelli, composer of "Arthur's Theme" (Oscar) and "Legs Diamond" (super-flop). Hugh Jackman starred in his life story, "The Boy From Oz".
This Week’s Trivia Quiz: The End of Summer Gay Showtune Quiz
1. Question: Name the Composer. Name the Show. Name the Song. In this musical about a show business reunion, a chanteuse sings “I have gone to Moscow, it’s very gay. Well, anyway on the first of May”. Hint: The composer is gay. and the show gets an encore on Broadway next season.
2. Question: Name the Composer. Name the Show. Name the Song.In this musical about royalty in days of yore, a lusty chorus sings “It’s gay! It’s gay! A libelous display!” The king is left alone when his queen finds her knight in shining armor.
3. Question: Name the Composer. Name the Show. Name the Song. A has been Broadway remembers his glorious past. “When I was young and gay, (but straight)”. Hint: Later on, he encourages a gay director and choregrapher to keep a moment in WW2 gay.
4. Question: Name the Composer. Name the Show. Name the Song. In this classic musical, a girl from the midwest falls for a Frenchmen with a monthly reference the same as that of Questions #1 and #2. Hint: Later on, she shampoos. “I’m as trite and as gay as a daisy in May – a cliché coming true.”
5. Question: Name the Composer. Name the Show. Name the Song. In this classic by a bi composer (and gay lyricist), a lovestruck New Yorker finds her Romeo north of Chelsea along the shores of the Hudson. She swoons... “And witty and gay -- and I pity any girl who isn’t me today.”
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/
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Coming Out Support Newsweekly: 8/17/09
Coming Out Support (COS) Newsweekly
Volume 12 No. 33 August 17, 2009
Newsletter Editor: OnQYB@aol.com
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: August 17-23, 2009
thru WED: 8/19: Los Angeles, CA: So Bad, They're Brilliant. A schlock film festival at the Egyptian Theatre, featuring the Liv Ullman musical "Lost Horizon", Ann-Margret's "Kitten With A Whip", Mariah Carey in "Glitter" and a whole lot more. http://www.americancinematheque.com/archive1999/2009/Egyptian/So_Bad_ET2009.htm
thru SUN: 8/30: New York, NY: FringeNYC, The New York International Fringe Festival. Off-beat, often LGBT-themed music, dance and theatre. www.fringenyc.org.
THU: 8/20: Washington, DC: Nick Benton, gay owner of the Falls Church News-Press, who co-founded a gay lib group on the University of California, Berkeley campus, signs copies of the new anthology "Smash the Church, Smash the State!: the Early Years of Gay Liberation", edited by Tommi Avicolli Mecca. www.lambdarising.com.
SAT: 8/22: Fire Island, NY: The Stonewall Swim. 5k swim from Sayville to the Pines. www.stonewallfoundation.org
SUN-SUN: 8/23-8/30: Porter, ME: Camp Camp. summer camp for LGBT adults with sports, pottery, theater, yoga & more. www.campcamp.com
Newsworthy:
Psychologists Reject "Gay Therapy". The American Psychological Association declared 8/05/09 that mental health professionals should not tell gay clients they can become straight through therapy or other treatments. The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/06/health/06gay.html
Gay Marriage Lawyers Say No to Gay Rights Groups. Attorneys David Boies and Theodore Olson, the prominent lawyers leading the fight to legalize gay marriage in California on 8/07/09 formally told San Francisco officials and three other groups supportive of same-sex weddings "thanks, but no thanks" for trying to join their federal lawsuit.The Washington Post reports: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/07/AR2009080703915.html
Minnesota: Gay-Friendly Online High School First of Its Kind. David Glick, the first online learning coordinator at the Minnesota Department of Education, has launched a first-of-its-kind online high school for GLBTQ youth.
Twin Cities.com reports: http://www.twincities.com/news/ci_12994208?source=rss&nclick_check=1
The school's website. www.glbtqonlinehighschool.com
Pittsburgh: The Gay & Lesbian Community Center of Pittsburgh (GLCC) is relocating from Squirrel Hill to 210 Grant Street, effective September 2009. With input from a wide range of LGBT community groups and individuals, careful consideration was given to providing a safe, handicapped accessible, visible and attractive space with options for parking or proximity to public transportation. Costs for the renovation are estimated to exceed $150,000. A capital campaign has been initiated by the GLCC Board of directors to cover the remainder of the costs. http://www.glccpgh.org/Home.aspx
Features
Woodstock With a Touch Of Stonewall. The Brokeback Mountain filmmakers (director Ang Lee and a script by Focus Features CEO James Schamus) adapted Elliot Tiber’s memoir, Taking Woodstock, and imbued Woodstock with the spirit of Stonewall in a controversial new film and it’s a comedy. The Advocate reports: http://www.advocate.com/print_article_ektid103464.asp
Opportunities
GAYFEST NYC, a non-profit group, is now accepting submissions for the Fourth Annual Festival of New Plays and Musicals to be presented in New York City in Spring 2010. Three to five new works (plays or musicals) will be selected for fully-produced Main Stage productions with Actors’ Equity Association casts and professional directors and staff personnel. GAYFEST NYC provides scholarships for students of The Harvey Milk High School, a fully-accredited New York City public high school focusing on the educational needs of students who are in crisis or at risk of physical violence and/or emotional harm in a traditional educational environment For more information and Submission Guidelines: www.GAYFESTNYC.com.
In Print:
The Meaning of Matthew: My Son's Murder in Laramie and a World Transformed by Judy Shepard. Penguin. The mother of Matthew Shepard shares her story about her son's death and the choice she made to become an international gay rights activist.
In Performance: Onstage:Theatre/Music/Dance
New York City (and Broadway)
***Be A Man! Exiene Lofgren’s solo performance. How does a man who looks like Annie Lennox, was raised by feminists, and married a man "be a man"? to 8/28/09. www.beamantheshow.com
***The Boys Upstairs. Jason Mitchell's new comedy about a group of Hell Kitchen gay boys who handle relationships, careers, and the city with style, scandal, and specialty cocktails! to 8/30/09. www.Fringenyc.org or www.TheBoysUpstairs.info
***His Greatness. Daniel MacIvor's play about gay playwright Tennessee Williams' last days spent with his assistant and a Canadian hustler. to 8/30/09. www.Fringenyc.org or www.HisGreatnessPlay.com
***The Killing. A William Inge one-act about a guy who picks up a guy in a bar and asks him to do something unspeakable. On a bill with other one-acts. Series B of Summer Shorts 3. to 8/27/09. www.59e59.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 8/23/09. 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.
***Ghosts. Randy ("QAF") Harrison stars in Ibsen's classic. to 8/29/09. Stockbridge, MA. www.berkshiretheatre.org.
***Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde. Moises "the Laramie Project" Kaufman's biographical play with Ryan Landry as Wilde. to 8/22/09. http://www.newprovincetownplayers.org/
***Lewd and Lascivious. World Premiere. Michael McKeever's drama deals with Newton Arvin, real-life Smith College professor, who is arrested by the Massachusetts State Police on vice charges in 1960. to 9/13/09. Coral Gables, FL. www.gablestage.org
***Never the Sinner: The Leopold and Loeb Story, John Logan's crime drama. to 8/30/09. Philadelphia, PA. www.mauckingbirdtheatreco.org.
***South Pathetic. Jim David's solo performance about his misadventures staging "A Streetcar Named Desire" at a community theatre in his southern hometown. to 8/23/09. San Francisco, CA. www.nctcsf.org
***Two Spoons. Peter Mercurio's play about gay partners and dads on the brink of marriage. to 8/23/09. Chicago, IL. www.bailiwick.org.
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.
***Hump Day. Two straight dudes contemplate going gay to enter and win Humpfest, Seattle's amateur porn contest.
***Passing Strange. Spike Lee's documentary about Stew's Broadway rock musical. Release date: 8/21/09.
***Taking Woodstock. Ang Lee's new film about the rock festival based on Elliot Tiber's memoir. Demetri Martin stars as the gay Tiber. Liev Schriber plays a transvestite; Jeffrey Dean Morgan plays a closeted married guy who has an affair with Tiber.
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 musical.
***The Judy Garland Show, Vol. 1. Garland's 1963 television show newly restored and remastered from the original 2-inch videotapes outtakes. First of 13 releases, each featuring two episodes from the 26-episode run.
***Kiki & Herb Live at The Knitting Factory. The Tony-nominated gender-bending downtown club act.
***Mad Men, Season 2. Look for Bryan Batt as a closeted ad exec in this TV drama about a 1960s ad agency.
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/tvgayed
***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
***August: In the Life. LGBT news magazine. PBS. Check local listings. http://www.itl.tv/inthelife/episodes/
Conferences, Seminars, Benefits, and Special Events
8/29/09-9/07/09: Milwaukee, WI:National Gay Softball World Series. www.nagaaasoftball.org
9/02/09-9/07/09: New Orleans, LA: Southern Decadence. the famous city-wide circuit party. www.southerndecadence.com
9/03/09-9/07/09: Columbus, OH: GALA 2009 Columbus, the annual conference of GALA Choruses, serving 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; for transmen, transwomen & other gender variant people. www.genderodyssey.com
9/05/09: Northampton, MA: Miss Trans Northampton 2009 Pageant; to help support New England Trans United. Info: misstransnorthampton@gmail.com.
9/06/09: Altadena, CA: Carol Channing Raises the Roof, a gospel concert. She performs selections from her gospel CD "For Heaven's Sake", as a benefit for the congregation of Altadena Community Church. (626) 395-9923
9/08/09: New York, NY: Kathy Griffin, queen of the D-List, signing copies of "Official Book Club Selections". 7PM, Barnes & Noble, Warren Street.
9/08/09: West Hollywood, CA: HX Gay & Lesbian Travel Expo. Also: 9/10/09: San Francisco, CA: http://gaylifetravel.squarespace.com/
9/9/09: New York, NY: Judy Shepard signs copies of her new book "The Meaning of Matthew". 7PM. Barnes & Noble, Union Square. National Book Tour follows. http://www.matthewshepard.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Press_Media_Judy_BookTour09
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
9/12/09: North Hollywood, CA: Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays. Various playwrights create short plays addressing the issue of gay marriage in America and/or Proposition 8 in California. With Miss Coco Peru, Debra Messing, Jason Alexander, Dan Lauria, and Peter Paige. www.elportaltheatre.com/events.html
9/12/09: Springfield, MA: 2009 AIDS Foundation of Western Massachusetts AIDS Walk and 5K Run. www.aidsfoundationwm.org.
9/12/09: Staten Island, NY: My Big Gay Italian Wedding. Anthony Wilkinson and Scott Evans star in a benefit for the Lustgarten Foundation. www.stgeorgetheatre.com.
9/13/09: Westport, CT: Connecticut Cares. Lambda Legal celebrates "Love Makes
A Family". www.lambdalegal.org/connecticut09
9/13/09: New York, NY: Broadway on Broadway 2009. The casts of current and upcoming Broaway musicals perform excerpts from their shows. 11:30AM. Times Square. Free. www.broadwayleague.com
9/16/09-9/20/09: Fresno, CA: Fresno Reel Pride. the annual lesbian & gay film festival in central California. www.reelpride.com
9/20/09: Springfield/Agawam, MA: Out in The Park. unofficial gay day at Six Flags New England. www.outinthepark.com
9/24/09-9/27/09: Provincetown, MA: Tennessee Williams Theater Festival. The gay playwright is honored by the gay resort and arts community. www.twptown.org
9/25/09-9/27/09: Washington, DC: 5th Annual National LGBTQA College Student Career Conference. www.outforwork.com.
Last Week’s Trivia Quiz: Politics
1. Question: Name this US Congresswoman, elected to office in November, 1970. She and fellow democrat Ed Koch introduced the first bill proposing to add sexual orientation to the protected status in the 1964 Civil Right Act. Hint: she was known for her outspoken demeanor and large hats. Answer: Bella Abzug.
2. Question: Name this legislator, a lesbian elected to state office in November, 1974. She was the first openly-gay person elected to this level of office. Hint: Her state passed its first statewide gay rights law in November, 1989. Answer: Elaine Noble, elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives.
3. Question: Name this congressman from the same state in Question #2, who was first elected in November, 1980. Now out and outspoken, he is one of the nationa’s strongest advocates for LGBT civil rights. Answer: Barney Frank, of Massachusetts.
4. Question: Name this former executive spouse, who is best known as the author of a 1981 novel about lesbian love in the American frontier. She was ashamed to discuss her out daughter on the 2004 campaign circuit. Answer: Lynne Cheney, author of “Sisters”.
5. Question: Name this out TG son of a Congressman. His sexual orientation was not an issue in his father’s campaign. He and dad didn’t see eye-to-eye on LGBT rights issues, but he’s become an accomplished activist and author. His entertainer Mom is highly supportive of the gay community, and was supportive of her child's transition, saying that although there were things she didn't understand, she would be understanding. . Answer: Chaz, formerly Chastity Bono, son of Sonny and Cher.
This Week’s Trivia Quiz: Gay Music Men
1. Question: Name this gay English-born music man known for his stage performances as actor and singer, his comedies, and his music. He was also known for his wit, flamboyance and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise". He wrote a musicalfor Elaine Stritch; he composed "Mad About the Boy" and he wrote shows about bickering couples, ghostly ex-spouses, and London elite.
2. Question: Name this gay American-born music man who professionally partnered with a globally-famous lesbian to develop an opera about a famous American women's rights activist and a second opera which featured an all-black cast. He won the Pulitzer Prize for his film score for a post-world War II movie.
3. Question: Name this gay Italian-American music man, best known for his dramatic musical theatre pieces which bridged opera and Broadway (one is a famous Christmas tale) and his interest in organizing and running international music festivals, which have flourished in Europe and America. He was partnered at one point with a famous American opera composer whose name is linked with Seville.
4. Question: Name this gay American-born music man who made lower East Side puppets sing, and the cast of "Scrubs" turn a hospital into Broadway. He and his partner co-wrote the theme song for the Logo Network's animated series "Rick & Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in All the World" and contributed additional songs for the show. He has a law degree and sings with the Los Angeles Gay Men's Chorus.
5. Question: Name this gay Australian-born music man, discovered by and imported to America by a gay community icon (he married her daughter, another icon). He won an Oscar for a movie theme, wrote songs for Melissa Manchester and Olivia Newton-John, performed at Radio City, and wrote and starred in one of Broadway's notirous flops. He became more famous after his death, when a film-star played his life in a Broadway musical.
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. 33 August 17, 2009
Newsletter Editor: OnQYB@aol.com
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: August 17-23, 2009
thru WED: 8/19: Los Angeles, CA: So Bad, They're Brilliant. A schlock film festival at the Egyptian Theatre, featuring the Liv Ullman musical "Lost Horizon", Ann-Margret's "Kitten With A Whip", Mariah Carey in "Glitter" and a whole lot more. http://www.americancinematheque.com/archive1999/2009/Egyptian/So_Bad_ET2009.htm
thru SUN: 8/30: New York, NY: FringeNYC, The New York International Fringe Festival. Off-beat, often LGBT-themed music, dance and theatre. www.fringenyc.org.
THU: 8/20: Washington, DC: Nick Benton, gay owner of the Falls Church News-Press, who co-founded a gay lib group on the University of California, Berkeley campus, signs copies of the new anthology "Smash the Church, Smash the State!: the Early Years of Gay Liberation", edited by Tommi Avicolli Mecca. www.lambdarising.com.
SAT: 8/22: Fire Island, NY: The Stonewall Swim. 5k swim from Sayville to the Pines. www.stonewallfoundation.org
SUN-SUN: 8/23-8/30: Porter, ME: Camp Camp. summer camp for LGBT adults with sports, pottery, theater, yoga & more. www.campcamp.com
Newsworthy:
Psychologists Reject "Gay Therapy". The American Psychological Association declared 8/05/09 that mental health professionals should not tell gay clients they can become straight through therapy or other treatments. The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/06/health/06gay.html
Gay Marriage Lawyers Say No to Gay Rights Groups. Attorneys David Boies and Theodore Olson, the prominent lawyers leading the fight to legalize gay marriage in California on 8/07/09 formally told San Francisco officials and three other groups supportive of same-sex weddings "thanks, but no thanks" for trying to join their federal lawsuit.The Washington Post reports: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/08/07/AR2009080703915.html
Minnesota: Gay-Friendly Online High School First of Its Kind. David Glick, the first online learning coordinator at the Minnesota Department of Education, has launched a first-of-its-kind online high school for GLBTQ youth.
Twin Cities.com reports: http://www.twincities.com/news/ci_12994208?source=rss&nclick_check=1
The school's website. www.glbtqonlinehighschool.com
Pittsburgh: The Gay & Lesbian Community Center of Pittsburgh (GLCC) is relocating from Squirrel Hill to 210 Grant Street, effective September 2009. With input from a wide range of LGBT community groups and individuals, careful consideration was given to providing a safe, handicapped accessible, visible and attractive space with options for parking or proximity to public transportation. Costs for the renovation are estimated to exceed $150,000. A capital campaign has been initiated by the GLCC Board of directors to cover the remainder of the costs. http://www.glccpgh.org/Home.aspx
Features
Woodstock With a Touch Of Stonewall. The Brokeback Mountain filmmakers (director Ang Lee and a script by Focus Features CEO James Schamus) adapted Elliot Tiber’s memoir, Taking Woodstock, and imbued Woodstock with the spirit of Stonewall in a controversial new film and it’s a comedy. The Advocate reports: http://www.advocate.com/print_article_ektid103464.asp
Opportunities
GAYFEST NYC, a non-profit group, is now accepting submissions for the Fourth Annual Festival of New Plays and Musicals to be presented in New York City in Spring 2010. Three to five new works (plays or musicals) will be selected for fully-produced Main Stage productions with Actors’ Equity Association casts and professional directors and staff personnel. GAYFEST NYC provides scholarships for students of The Harvey Milk High School, a fully-accredited New York City public high school focusing on the educational needs of students who are in crisis or at risk of physical violence and/or emotional harm in a traditional educational environment For more information and Submission Guidelines: www.GAYFESTNYC.com.
In Print:
The Meaning of Matthew: My Son's Murder in Laramie and a World Transformed by Judy Shepard. Penguin. The mother of Matthew Shepard shares her story about her son's death and the choice she made to become an international gay rights activist.
In Performance: Onstage:Theatre/Music/Dance
New York City (and Broadway)
***Be A Man! Exiene Lofgren’s solo performance. How does a man who looks like Annie Lennox, was raised by feminists, and married a man "be a man"? to 8/28/09. www.beamantheshow.com
***The Boys Upstairs. Jason Mitchell's new comedy about a group of Hell Kitchen gay boys who handle relationships, careers, and the city with style, scandal, and specialty cocktails! to 8/30/09. www.Fringenyc.org or www.TheBoysUpstairs.info
***His Greatness. Daniel MacIvor's play about gay playwright Tennessee Williams' last days spent with his assistant and a Canadian hustler. to 8/30/09. www.Fringenyc.org or www.HisGreatnessPlay.com
***The Killing. A William Inge one-act about a guy who picks up a guy in a bar and asks him to do something unspeakable. On a bill with other one-acts. Series B of Summer Shorts 3. to 8/27/09. www.59e59.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 8/23/09. 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.
***Ghosts. Randy ("QAF") Harrison stars in Ibsen's classic. to 8/29/09. Stockbridge, MA. www.berkshiretheatre.org.
***Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde. Moises "the Laramie Project" Kaufman's biographical play with Ryan Landry as Wilde. to 8/22/09. http://www.newprovincetownplayers.org/
***Lewd and Lascivious. World Premiere. Michael McKeever's drama deals with Newton Arvin, real-life Smith College professor, who is arrested by the Massachusetts State Police on vice charges in 1960. to 9/13/09. Coral Gables, FL. www.gablestage.org
***Never the Sinner: The Leopold and Loeb Story, John Logan's crime drama. to 8/30/09. Philadelphia, PA. www.mauckingbirdtheatreco.org.
***South Pathetic. Jim David's solo performance about his misadventures staging "A Streetcar Named Desire" at a community theatre in his southern hometown. to 8/23/09. San Francisco, CA. www.nctcsf.org
***Two Spoons. Peter Mercurio's play about gay partners and dads on the brink of marriage. to 8/23/09. Chicago, IL. www.bailiwick.org.
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.
***Hump Day. Two straight dudes contemplate going gay to enter and win Humpfest, Seattle's amateur porn contest.
***Passing Strange. Spike Lee's documentary about Stew's Broadway rock musical. Release date: 8/21/09.
***Taking Woodstock. Ang Lee's new film about the rock festival based on Elliot Tiber's memoir. Demetri Martin stars as the gay Tiber. Liev Schriber plays a transvestite; Jeffrey Dean Morgan plays a closeted married guy who has an affair with Tiber.
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 musical.
***The Judy Garland Show, Vol. 1. Garland's 1963 television show newly restored and remastered from the original 2-inch videotapes outtakes. First of 13 releases, each featuring two episodes from the 26-episode run.
***Kiki & Herb Live at The Knitting Factory. The Tony-nominated gender-bending downtown club act.
***Mad Men, Season 2. Look for Bryan Batt as a closeted ad exec in this TV drama about a 1960s ad agency.
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/tvgayed
***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
***August: In the Life. LGBT news magazine. PBS. Check local listings. http://www.itl.tv/inthelife/episodes/
Conferences, Seminars, Benefits, and Special Events
8/29/09-9/07/09: Milwaukee, WI:National Gay Softball World Series. www.nagaaasoftball.org
9/02/09-9/07/09: New Orleans, LA: Southern Decadence. the famous city-wide circuit party. www.southerndecadence.com
9/03/09-9/07/09: Columbus, OH: GALA 2009 Columbus, the annual conference of GALA Choruses, serving 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; for transmen, transwomen & other gender variant people. www.genderodyssey.com
9/05/09: Northampton, MA: Miss Trans Northampton 2009 Pageant; to help support New England Trans United. Info: misstransnorthampton@gmail.com.
9/06/09: Altadena, CA: Carol Channing Raises the Roof, a gospel concert. She performs selections from her gospel CD "For Heaven's Sake", as a benefit for the congregation of Altadena Community Church. (626) 395-9923
9/08/09: New York, NY: Kathy Griffin, queen of the D-List, signing copies of "Official Book Club Selections". 7PM, Barnes & Noble, Warren Street.
9/08/09: West Hollywood, CA: HX Gay & Lesbian Travel Expo. Also: 9/10/09: San Francisco, CA: http://gaylifetravel.squarespace.com/
9/9/09: New York, NY: Judy Shepard signs copies of her new book "The Meaning of Matthew". 7PM. Barnes & Noble, Union Square. National Book Tour follows. http://www.matthewshepard.org/site/PageServer?pagename=Press_Media_Judy_BookTour09
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
9/12/09: North Hollywood, CA: Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays. Various playwrights create short plays addressing the issue of gay marriage in America and/or Proposition 8 in California. With Miss Coco Peru, Debra Messing, Jason Alexander, Dan Lauria, and Peter Paige. www.elportaltheatre.com/events.html
9/12/09: Springfield, MA: 2009 AIDS Foundation of Western Massachusetts AIDS Walk and 5K Run. www.aidsfoundationwm.org.
9/12/09: Staten Island, NY: My Big Gay Italian Wedding. Anthony Wilkinson and Scott Evans star in a benefit for the Lustgarten Foundation. www.stgeorgetheatre.com.
9/13/09: Westport, CT: Connecticut Cares. Lambda Legal celebrates "Love Makes
A Family". www.lambdalegal.org/connecticut09
9/13/09: New York, NY: Broadway on Broadway 2009. The casts of current and upcoming Broaway musicals perform excerpts from their shows. 11:30AM. Times Square. Free. www.broadwayleague.com
9/16/09-9/20/09: Fresno, CA: Fresno Reel Pride. the annual lesbian & gay film festival in central California. www.reelpride.com
9/20/09: Springfield/Agawam, MA: Out in The Park. unofficial gay day at Six Flags New England. www.outinthepark.com
9/24/09-9/27/09: Provincetown, MA: Tennessee Williams Theater Festival. The gay playwright is honored by the gay resort and arts community. www.twptown.org
9/25/09-9/27/09: Washington, DC: 5th Annual National LGBTQA College Student Career Conference. www.outforwork.com.
Last Week’s Trivia Quiz: Politics
1. Question: Name this US Congresswoman, elected to office in November, 1970. She and fellow democrat Ed Koch introduced the first bill proposing to add sexual orientation to the protected status in the 1964 Civil Right Act. Hint: she was known for her outspoken demeanor and large hats. Answer: Bella Abzug.
2. Question: Name this legislator, a lesbian elected to state office in November, 1974. She was the first openly-gay person elected to this level of office. Hint: Her state passed its first statewide gay rights law in November, 1989. Answer: Elaine Noble, elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives.
3. Question: Name this congressman from the same state in Question #2, who was first elected in November, 1980. Now out and outspoken, he is one of the nationa’s strongest advocates for LGBT civil rights. Answer: Barney Frank, of Massachusetts.
4. Question: Name this former executive spouse, who is best known as the author of a 1981 novel about lesbian love in the American frontier. She was ashamed to discuss her out daughter on the 2004 campaign circuit. Answer: Lynne Cheney, author of “Sisters”.
5. Question: Name this out TG son of a Congressman. His sexual orientation was not an issue in his father’s campaign. He and dad didn’t see eye-to-eye on LGBT rights issues, but he’s become an accomplished activist and author. His entertainer Mom is highly supportive of the gay community, and was supportive of her child's transition, saying that although there were things she didn't understand, she would be understanding. . Answer: Chaz, formerly Chastity Bono, son of Sonny and Cher.
This Week’s Trivia Quiz: Gay Music Men
1. Question: Name this gay English-born music man known for his stage performances as actor and singer, his comedies, and his music. He was also known for his wit, flamboyance and what Time magazine called "a sense of personal style, a combination of cheek and chic, pose and poise". He wrote a musicalfor Elaine Stritch; he composed "Mad About the Boy" and he wrote shows about bickering couples, ghostly ex-spouses, and London elite.
2. Question: Name this gay American-born music man who professionally partnered with a globally-famous lesbian to develop an opera about a famous American women's rights activist and a second opera which featured an all-black cast. He won the Pulitzer Prize for his film score for a post-world War II movie.
3. Question: Name this gay Italian-American music man, best known for his dramatic musical theatre pieces which bridged opera and Broadway (one is a famous Christmas tale) and his interest in organizing and running international music festivals, which have flourished in Europe and America. He was partnered at one point with a famous American opera composer whose name is linked with Seville.
4. Question: Name this gay American-born music man who made lower East Side puppets sing, and the cast of "Scrubs" turn a hospital into Broadway. He and his partner co-wrote the theme song for the Logo Network's animated series "Rick & Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in All the World" and contributed additional songs for the show. He has a law degree and sings with the Los Angeles Gay Men's Chorus.
5. Question: Name this gay Australian-born music man, discovered by and imported to America by a gay community icon (he married her daughter, another icon). He won an Oscar for a movie theme, wrote songs for Melissa Manchester and Olivia Newton-John, performed at Radio City, and wrote and starred in one of Broadway's notirous flops. He became more famous after his death, when a film-star played his life in a Broadway musical.
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/
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Coming Out Support Newsweekly: 8/10/09
Coming Out Support (COS) Newsweekly
Volume 12 No. 32 August 10, 2009
Newsletter Editor: OnQYB@aol.com
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: August 10-16, 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/
TUE: 8/11: New York, NY: Ang Lee ("Brokeback Mountain") discusses his new film "Taking Woodstock". Barnes & Noble, Lincoln Triangle. 7:30PM.
THU-WED: 8/13-8/19: Los Angeles, CA: So Bad, They're Brilliant. A schlock film festival at the Egyptian Theatre, featuring the Liv Ullman musical "Lost Horizon", Ann-Margret's "Kitten With A Whip", Mariah Carey in "Glitter" and a whole lot more. http://www.americancinematheque.com/archive1999/2009/Egyptian/So_Bad_ET2009.htm
THU: 8/13: New York, NY: Broadway in Bryant Park. Free performances by the casts of "Billy Elliot", "South Pacific" and "Mamma Mia!". 12:30PM. www.1067newyork.com.
THU-SUN: 8/13-8/16: Durham, NC: North Carolina Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. www.carolinatheatre.org
FRI-SUN: 8/14-8/16: Seattle, WA: National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance
Activist Convention. www.nqapia.org
FRI-SUN: 8/14-8/30: New York, NY: FringeNYC, The New York International Fringe Festival. Off-beat, often LGBT-themed music, dance and theatre. www.fringenyc.org.
SUN: 8/16: Seattle, WA: LGBTQ Wedding Expo. highlighting over 40 gay-friendly businesses, including wedding businesses, travel services, gifts and more. www.SameLoveSameRights.com
Newsworthy:
Israel: A gunman killed two and wounded at least ten in an attack on a Tel Aviv LGBT community center. The victims were gay teens at a support group meeting. BBC News reports: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8180069.stm
Episcopal Church Picks Gay Priests for Promotion. Just weeks after the Episcopal Church ended a de facto moratorium on promoting gay men and lesbians into the church hierarchy, church leaders in Los Angeles nominated two openly gay priests as assistant bishops on 8/02/09. The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/03/us/03bishop.html?hpw
Suspect in Murder of Gay Sailor Commits Suicide. Jonathan Campos, a sailor, faced 16 charges. The murder might have been classified a hate crime according to officials. Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2009/08/suspect-in-murder-of-gay-sailor-august-provost-kills-himself.html
Matthew Shepard: The Epilogue. The creators of "The Laramie Project" went back to see how things changed since Shepard's murder. The new theatre piece will debut nationwide on October 12, 2009, the 11th anniversary of his death. The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/04/theater/04theater.html?_r=1&ref=theater
Awards and Honors:
Recipients: Presidential Medals of Freedom. Among those honored by President Obama: Harvey Milk, the gay rights pioneer (posthumous), Billie Jean King, gay athlete, and Chita Rivera, showtune legend. Associated Press reports: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jCWKnYTFcJic45DxENtBHKdR1E2AD99OVBD84
Tony Kushner, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning playwright of "Angels in America", will receive the 2009 Chicago Tribune Literary Prize for lifetime achievement. www.chfestival.org.
In Memoriam:
Robert Hilferty, who wrote about music, theatre and the arts for a variety of publications, died suddenly on 7/24/09. He was a major AIDS and gay rights activist. Playbill.com reports: http://www.playbill.com/news/article/131660-Arts_Critic_Robert_Hilferty_Dies_
Allen Thornell, the Atlanta politician and gay rights activist, died 8/03/09, at age 38. The Advocate reports: http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid102967.asp
Travel
Beirut: The Provinctown of the Middle East. Patrick Healy discovers the gay scene in Lebanon for the New York Times: http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/08/02/travel/02gaybeirut.html?hpw
Features
Profile: Rupert Everett, the out British actor and author tells all. The Daily Mail reports: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1203287/Those-infuriating-facelift-rumours-Camillas-wonky-teeth-Im-going-sex-50--RUPERT-EVERETT-comes-clean.html
In Print:
I Told You So by Kate Clinton. Beacon Press. The out humorist has a hilarious, bittersweet, politically acute survival guide in which Clinton gleefully details personal coping techniques tested over a lifetime.
In Performance: Onstage:Theatre/Music/Dance
New York City (and Broadway)
***Be A Man! Exiene Lofgren’s solo performance. How does a man who looks like Annie Lennox, was raised by feminists, and married a man "be a man"? to 8/28/09. www.beamantheshow.com
***The Boys Upstairs. Jason Mitchell's new comedy about a group of Hell Kitchen gay boys who handle relationships, careers, and the city with style, scandal, and specialty cocktails! to 8/30/09. www.Fringenyc.org or www.TheBoysUpstairs.info
***His Greatness. Daniel MacIvor's play about gay playwright Tennessee Williams' last days spent with his assistant and a Canadian hustler. to 8/30/09. www.Fringenyc.org or www.HisGreatnessPlay.com
***Seth's Broadway 101, Seth Rudetsky's hilarious introduction to showtunes. 8/16/09. Ars Nova. www.arsnovanyc.com.
***Slipping. An out San Franciscan teen relocates to Iowa with his mom, leaving one closeted relationship behind and beginning another in Daniel Talbott's drama. to 8/15/09. www.smarttix.com.
***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 8/23/09. 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.
***Ghosts. Randy ("QAF") Harrison stars in Ibsen's classic. to 8/29/09. Stockbridge, MA. www.berkshiretheatre.org.
***Girls Night Out Tour. Cyndi Lauper and Rosie O'Donnell headline. 8/11/09, Schenectady, NY; 8/12/09, Washington, DC. www.cyndilauper.com
***Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde. Moises "the Laramie Project" Kaufman's biographical play with Ryan Landry as Wilde. to 8/22/09. http://www.newprovincetownplayers.org/
***Lewd and Lascivious. Michael McKeever's drama deals with Newton Arvin, real-life Smith College professor, who is arrested on vice charges by the Massachusetts State Police in 1960. to 9/13/09. Coral Gables, FL. www.gablestage.org
***The Mystery of Irma Vep. Charles Ludlam's gender-bending gothic spoof, to 9/06/09. San Diego, CA. www.TheOldGlobe.org
***Never the Sinner: The Leopold and Loeb Story, John Logan's crime drama. to 8/30/09. Philadelphia, PA. www.mauckingbirdtheatreco.org.
***Pearls Over Shanghai, a revival of the Cockettes 1970 Musical Extravaganza. to 8/16/09. San Francisco, CA. www.brownpapertickets.com.
***Take Me Out. Richard Greenberg's award-winning play about a baseball star who comes out. to 8/20/09. Provincetown, MA. http://www.newprovincetownplayers.org/
***Two Spoons. Peter Mercurio's play about gay partners and dads on the brink of marriage. to 8/23/09. Chicago, IL. www.bailiwick.org.
On Screen (and Video & DVD)
Out on Screen...
***Bruno. Sacha Baron Cohen plays a gay fashionista from Austria who fancies himself as "the voice of Austrian youth TV."
***Hump Day. Two straight dudes contemplate going gay to enter and win Humpfest, Seattle's amateur porn contest.
***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.
***Taking Woodstock. Ang Lee's new film about the rock festival based on Elliot Tiber's memoir. Demetri Martin stars as the gay Tiber. Liev Schriber plays a transvestite; Jeffrey Dean Morgan plays a closeted married guy who has an affair with Tiber.
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.
***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 musical.
***The Judy Garland Show, Vol. 1. Garland's 1963 television show newly restored and remastered from the original 2-inch videotapes outtakes. First of 13 releases, each featuring two episodes from the 26-episode run.
***Kiki & Herb Live at The Knitting Factory. The Tony-nominated gender-bending downtown club act.
***Mad Men, Season 2. Look for Bryan Batt as a closeted ad exec in this TV drama about a 1960s ad agency.
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/tvgayed
***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
***August: In the Life. LGBT news magazine. PBS. Check local listings. http://www.itl.tv/inthelife/episodes/
***FRI: 8/14: Nicholas Rodriguez, currently starring in "The Toxic Avenger" Off-Broadway, joins "One Life to Live" as a new gay character, Nick in the Fish & Kyle storyline. ABC. Check local listings.
Conferences, Seminars, Benefits, and Special Events
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 GALA Choruses, serving LGBT choral groups. Activities for singers, Artistic Directors, administrative personnel and Board members. http://www.galachoruses.org/events/2009_annual_conference.html
9/05/09-9/07/09: Seattle, WA: Gender Odyssey. panels, workshops & meetings; entertainment, art exhibits focusing on transmen, transwomen & other gender variant people. 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. Premiere edition. Among the guests: Leslie Jordan. http://www.pacelouisiana.org/SE2009filmfestival.php
Last Week’s Trivia Quiz: Coming Out on the Page, on Stage and Screen
1. Question: Name this American author, who wrote the ultimate guide to coming out (for LGBT people and their families). It had its third printing in 2005. It provides answers to several hundred FAQ about homosexuality. He also wrote a book on coming out questions for a young adult audience in 2007. Hint: he wrote a couple of LGBT history books and biographies. Answer: Eric Marcus, author of “Is It A Choice?”. For a list of his books: www.ericmarcus.com. .
2. Question: Name this American mom, whose daughter came out to her on a Gulf Coast beach over 20 years ago. As her daughter became active and visible in the LGBT community, she wrote a best-selling book about love and acceptance. She’s now an authority and an activist in coming out programs. Answer: Betty Degeneres, mother of Ellen, who wrote “Love Ellen, A Mother/Daughter Journey”. She’s a columnist and a leader in the National coming Out Project.
3. Question: Name this Pulitzer Prize winning Broadway hit, in which an audition turns into a an inner “reveal” for its participants, including a Latino who recalls the painful process of coming out to his parents. Hint: the actor playing the Latino won a Tony Award for his performance. Answer: A Chorus Line. Sammy Williams played “Paul”, a dancer who did drag shows.
4. Question: Name this American author, who wrote his coming out autobiography in the early 1970s. When he came out publicly, and wrote the sequel some 20 years later, it turned out that this privileged Ivy Leaguer was a highly visible best-selling author and political activist in real time. Answer: Andrew Tobias, the business writer and Democratic party officer. As John Reid, he wrote “The Best Little Boy in the World”. He wrote the sequel in his own name.
5. Question: Name this British stage play, turned 1998 film, that like “Beautiful Thing” combined a coming out and coming of age story in poignant terms. The play, much more intense than the film, was recently revived in San Francisco. Answer: Get Real, the film version of Patrick Wilde’s “What’s Wrong with Angry?”.
This Week’s Trivia Quiz: Politics
1. Question: Name this US Congresswoman, elected to office in November, 1970. She and fellow democrat Ed Koch introduced the first bill proposing to add sexual orientation to the protected status in the 1964 Civil Right Act. Hint: she was known for her outspoken demeanor and large hats.
2. Question: Name this legislator, a lesbian elected to state office in November, 1974. She was the first openly-gay person elected to this level of office. Hint: Her state passed its first statewide gay rights law in November, 1989.
3. Question: Name this congressman from the same state in Question #2, who was first elected in November, 1980. Now out and outspoken, he is one of the nationa’s strongest advocates for LGBT civil rights.
4. Question: Name this former executive spouse, who is best known as the author of a 1981 novel about lesbian love in the American frontier. She was ashamed to discuss her out daughter on the 2004 campaign circuit.
5. Question: Name this out TG son of a Congressman. His sexual orientation was not an issue in his father’s campaign. He and dad didn’t see eye-to-eye on LGBT rights issues, but he’s become an accomplished activist and author. His entertainer Mom is highly supportive of the gay community, and was supportive of her child's transition, saying that although there were things she didn't understand, she would be understanding. .
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. 32 August 10, 2009
Newsletter Editor: OnQYB@aol.com
The Fine Print
See previous editions
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The Gay Agenda: Datebook: August 10-16, 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/
TUE: 8/11: New York, NY: Ang Lee ("Brokeback Mountain") discusses his new film "Taking Woodstock". Barnes & Noble, Lincoln Triangle. 7:30PM.
THU-WED: 8/13-8/19: Los Angeles, CA: So Bad, They're Brilliant. A schlock film festival at the Egyptian Theatre, featuring the Liv Ullman musical "Lost Horizon", Ann-Margret's "Kitten With A Whip", Mariah Carey in "Glitter" and a whole lot more. http://www.americancinematheque.com/archive1999/2009/Egyptian/So_Bad_ET2009.htm
THU: 8/13: New York, NY: Broadway in Bryant Park. Free performances by the casts of "Billy Elliot", "South Pacific" and "Mamma Mia!". 12:30PM. www.1067newyork.com.
THU-SUN: 8/13-8/16: Durham, NC: North Carolina Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. www.carolinatheatre.org
FRI-SUN: 8/14-8/16: Seattle, WA: National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance
Activist Convention. www.nqapia.org
FRI-SUN: 8/14-8/30: New York, NY: FringeNYC, The New York International Fringe Festival. Off-beat, often LGBT-themed music, dance and theatre. www.fringenyc.org.
SUN: 8/16: Seattle, WA: LGBTQ Wedding Expo. highlighting over 40 gay-friendly businesses, including wedding businesses, travel services, gifts and more. www.SameLoveSameRights.com
Newsworthy:
Israel: A gunman killed two and wounded at least ten in an attack on a Tel Aviv LGBT community center. The victims were gay teens at a support group meeting. BBC News reports: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8180069.stm
Episcopal Church Picks Gay Priests for Promotion. Just weeks after the Episcopal Church ended a de facto moratorium on promoting gay men and lesbians into the church hierarchy, church leaders in Los Angeles nominated two openly gay priests as assistant bishops on 8/02/09. The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/03/us/03bishop.html?hpw
Suspect in Murder of Gay Sailor Commits Suicide. Jonathan Campos, a sailor, faced 16 charges. The murder might have been classified a hate crime according to officials. Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2009/08/suspect-in-murder-of-gay-sailor-august-provost-kills-himself.html
Matthew Shepard: The Epilogue. The creators of "The Laramie Project" went back to see how things changed since Shepard's murder. The new theatre piece will debut nationwide on October 12, 2009, the 11th anniversary of his death. The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/04/theater/04theater.html?_r=1&ref=theater
Awards and Honors:
Recipients: Presidential Medals of Freedom. Among those honored by President Obama: Harvey Milk, the gay rights pioneer (posthumous), Billie Jean King, gay athlete, and Chita Rivera, showtune legend. Associated Press reports: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jCWKnYTFcJic45DxENtBHKdR1E2AD99OVBD84
Tony Kushner, the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning playwright of "Angels in America", will receive the 2009 Chicago Tribune Literary Prize for lifetime achievement. www.chfestival.org.
In Memoriam:
Robert Hilferty, who wrote about music, theatre and the arts for a variety of publications, died suddenly on 7/24/09. He was a major AIDS and gay rights activist. Playbill.com reports: http://www.playbill.com/news/article/131660-Arts_Critic_Robert_Hilferty_Dies_
Allen Thornell, the Atlanta politician and gay rights activist, died 8/03/09, at age 38. The Advocate reports: http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid102967.asp
Travel
Beirut: The Provinctown of the Middle East. Patrick Healy discovers the gay scene in Lebanon for the New York Times: http://travel.nytimes.com/2009/08/02/travel/02gaybeirut.html?hpw
Features
Profile: Rupert Everett, the out British actor and author tells all. The Daily Mail reports: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1203287/Those-infuriating-facelift-rumours-Camillas-wonky-teeth-Im-going-sex-50--RUPERT-EVERETT-comes-clean.html
In Print:
I Told You So by Kate Clinton. Beacon Press. The out humorist has a hilarious, bittersweet, politically acute survival guide in which Clinton gleefully details personal coping techniques tested over a lifetime.
In Performance: Onstage:Theatre/Music/Dance
New York City (and Broadway)
***Be A Man! Exiene Lofgren’s solo performance. How does a man who looks like Annie Lennox, was raised by feminists, and married a man "be a man"? to 8/28/09. www.beamantheshow.com
***The Boys Upstairs. Jason Mitchell's new comedy about a group of Hell Kitchen gay boys who handle relationships, careers, and the city with style, scandal, and specialty cocktails! to 8/30/09. www.Fringenyc.org or www.TheBoysUpstairs.info
***His Greatness. Daniel MacIvor's play about gay playwright Tennessee Williams' last days spent with his assistant and a Canadian hustler. to 8/30/09. www.Fringenyc.org or www.HisGreatnessPlay.com
***Seth's Broadway 101, Seth Rudetsky's hilarious introduction to showtunes. 8/16/09. Ars Nova. www.arsnovanyc.com.
***Slipping. An out San Franciscan teen relocates to Iowa with his mom, leaving one closeted relationship behind and beginning another in Daniel Talbott's drama. to 8/15/09. www.smarttix.com.
***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 8/23/09. 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.
***Ghosts. Randy ("QAF") Harrison stars in Ibsen's classic. to 8/29/09. Stockbridge, MA. www.berkshiretheatre.org.
***Girls Night Out Tour. Cyndi Lauper and Rosie O'Donnell headline. 8/11/09, Schenectady, NY; 8/12/09, Washington, DC. www.cyndilauper.com
***Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde. Moises "the Laramie Project" Kaufman's biographical play with Ryan Landry as Wilde. to 8/22/09. http://www.newprovincetownplayers.org/
***Lewd and Lascivious. Michael McKeever's drama deals with Newton Arvin, real-life Smith College professor, who is arrested on vice charges by the Massachusetts State Police in 1960. to 9/13/09. Coral Gables, FL. www.gablestage.org
***The Mystery of Irma Vep. Charles Ludlam's gender-bending gothic spoof, to 9/06/09. San Diego, CA. www.TheOldGlobe.org
***Never the Sinner: The Leopold and Loeb Story, John Logan's crime drama. to 8/30/09. Philadelphia, PA. www.mauckingbirdtheatreco.org.
***Pearls Over Shanghai, a revival of the Cockettes 1970 Musical Extravaganza. to 8/16/09. San Francisco, CA. www.brownpapertickets.com.
***Take Me Out. Richard Greenberg's award-winning play about a baseball star who comes out. to 8/20/09. Provincetown, MA. http://www.newprovincetownplayers.org/
***Two Spoons. Peter Mercurio's play about gay partners and dads on the brink of marriage. to 8/23/09. Chicago, IL. www.bailiwick.org.
On Screen (and Video & DVD)
Out on Screen...
***Bruno. Sacha Baron Cohen plays a gay fashionista from Austria who fancies himself as "the voice of Austrian youth TV."
***Hump Day. Two straight dudes contemplate going gay to enter and win Humpfest, Seattle's amateur porn contest.
***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.
***Taking Woodstock. Ang Lee's new film about the rock festival based on Elliot Tiber's memoir. Demetri Martin stars as the gay Tiber. Liev Schriber plays a transvestite; Jeffrey Dean Morgan plays a closeted married guy who has an affair with Tiber.
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.
***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 musical.
***The Judy Garland Show, Vol. 1. Garland's 1963 television show newly restored and remastered from the original 2-inch videotapes outtakes. First of 13 releases, each featuring two episodes from the 26-episode run.
***Kiki & Herb Live at The Knitting Factory. The Tony-nominated gender-bending downtown club act.
***Mad Men, Season 2. Look for Bryan Batt as a closeted ad exec in this TV drama about a 1960s ad agency.
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/tvgayed
***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
***August: In the Life. LGBT news magazine. PBS. Check local listings. http://www.itl.tv/inthelife/episodes/
***FRI: 8/14: Nicholas Rodriguez, currently starring in "The Toxic Avenger" Off-Broadway, joins "One Life to Live" as a new gay character, Nick in the Fish & Kyle storyline. ABC. Check local listings.
Conferences, Seminars, Benefits, and Special Events
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 GALA Choruses, serving LGBT choral groups. Activities for singers, Artistic Directors, administrative personnel and Board members. http://www.galachoruses.org/events/2009_annual_conference.html
9/05/09-9/07/09: Seattle, WA: Gender Odyssey. panels, workshops & meetings; entertainment, art exhibits focusing on transmen, transwomen & other gender variant people. 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. Premiere edition. Among the guests: Leslie Jordan. http://www.pacelouisiana.org/SE2009filmfestival.php
Last Week’s Trivia Quiz: Coming Out on the Page, on Stage and Screen
1. Question: Name this American author, who wrote the ultimate guide to coming out (for LGBT people and their families). It had its third printing in 2005. It provides answers to several hundred FAQ about homosexuality. He also wrote a book on coming out questions for a young adult audience in 2007. Hint: he wrote a couple of LGBT history books and biographies. Answer: Eric Marcus, author of “Is It A Choice?”. For a list of his books: www.ericmarcus.com. .
2. Question: Name this American mom, whose daughter came out to her on a Gulf Coast beach over 20 years ago. As her daughter became active and visible in the LGBT community, she wrote a best-selling book about love and acceptance. She’s now an authority and an activist in coming out programs. Answer: Betty Degeneres, mother of Ellen, who wrote “Love Ellen, A Mother/Daughter Journey”. She’s a columnist and a leader in the National coming Out Project.
3. Question: Name this Pulitzer Prize winning Broadway hit, in which an audition turns into a an inner “reveal” for its participants, including a Latino who recalls the painful process of coming out to his parents. Hint: the actor playing the Latino won a Tony Award for his performance. Answer: A Chorus Line. Sammy Williams played “Paul”, a dancer who did drag shows.
4. Question: Name this American author, who wrote his coming out autobiography in the early 1970s. When he came out publicly, and wrote the sequel some 20 years later, it turned out that this privileged Ivy Leaguer was a highly visible best-selling author and political activist in real time. Answer: Andrew Tobias, the business writer and Democratic party officer. As John Reid, he wrote “The Best Little Boy in the World”. He wrote the sequel in his own name.
5. Question: Name this British stage play, turned 1998 film, that like “Beautiful Thing” combined a coming out and coming of age story in poignant terms. The play, much more intense than the film, was recently revived in San Francisco. Answer: Get Real, the film version of Patrick Wilde’s “What’s Wrong with Angry?”.
This Week’s Trivia Quiz: Politics
1. Question: Name this US Congresswoman, elected to office in November, 1970. She and fellow democrat Ed Koch introduced the first bill proposing to add sexual orientation to the protected status in the 1964 Civil Right Act. Hint: she was known for her outspoken demeanor and large hats.
2. Question: Name this legislator, a lesbian elected to state office in November, 1974. She was the first openly-gay person elected to this level of office. Hint: Her state passed its first statewide gay rights law in November, 1989.
3. Question: Name this congressman from the same state in Question #2, who was first elected in November, 1980. Now out and outspoken, he is one of the nationa’s strongest advocates for LGBT civil rights.
4. Question: Name this former executive spouse, who is best known as the author of a 1981 novel about lesbian love in the American frontier. She was ashamed to discuss her out daughter on the 2004 campaign circuit.
5. Question: Name this out TG son of a Congressman. His sexual orientation was not an issue in his father’s campaign. He and dad didn’t see eye-to-eye on LGBT rights issues, but he’s become an accomplished activist and author. His entertainer Mom is highly supportive of the gay community, and was supportive of her child's transition, saying that although there were things she didn't understand, she would be understanding. .
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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