Coming Out Support Newsweekly: 1/25/10

Coming Out Support (COS) Newsweekly
Volume 13 No. 4 January 25, 2010
Newsletter Editor: M. G. Auerbach Email: COSNewsweekly@gmail.com

The Fine Print

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The Gay Agenda: Datebook: January 25-31, 2010

thru SUN: 1/31: Park City, UT: Sundance Film Festival. Among the screenings: James Franco as beat poet Allen Ginsburg in "Howl", the story of the poet's obscenity trial, which also stars Jon Hamm and Mary-Louise Parker and a documentary: "Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work". www.sundance.org

MON: 1/25: New York, NY: Out of the Classical Closet: Great Music by Gay Composers. Jesse Blumberg, baritone, Donna Breitzer, mezzo-soprano, Deborah Selig, soprano, Marc Molomot, tenor, Joyce Rosenzweig, pianist, performing a concert of art song, chamber music, and musical theater. Kaufmann Concert Hall http://www.cbst.org/

MON: 1/25: New York, NY: Michael Urie ("Ugly Betty") stars in a reading of Albert Camus' "Caligula". www.redbulltheater.com.

MON: 1/25: New York, NY: Bruce Vilanch hosts the Night Life Awards, celebrating the best in clubs, cabaret, and other entertainment. Winners perform in lieu of acceptance speeches. Town Hall.www.SiegelEntertainment@msn.com

THU: 1/28: White Plains, NY: OUT Professionals Westchester Networking Event, co-sponsored by the LOFT, a non-profit community-based group serving the LGBT community in lower Hudson Valley. www.outprofessionals.org.

THU-SAT: 1/28-1/30: Bloomington, IN: Pride Film Festival. www.pridefilmfestival.org

SAT: 1/30/10: Philadelphia, PA: Christopher Rice, author, does a benefit reading for Giovanni's Room, Philly's LGBT Bookstore. www.queerbooks.com

SUN: 1/31: New York, NY: Broadway Bares: Solo Strips . Jerry (“Broadway Bares”) Mitchell’s burlesque. Several Broadway boys strip at Splash. A benefit for: Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. www.BroadwayBares.com

Features

The Gavin Newsom Interview. The New York Times’ Maureen Dowd chats with the San Francisco Mayor and one of the first aggressive supporters of marriage equality. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/20/opinion/20dowd.html?ref=opinion

Opportunities

Discount Opportunity!: The critically acclaimed hit show “The Temperamentals” by Jon Marans (Michael Urie stars in the story of the rise of the Mattachine Society) has a special $19.52 price ticket for previews in New York City beginning Thursday, February 18th through Saturday, February 27th. Use the code: TEPREV12 by calling (212) 947-8844; or at the New World Stages Box Office; on the website: Broadwayoffers.com and at the direct link: http://www.broadwayoffers.com/go.aspx?MD=2001&MC=TEPREV12. This offer is subject to availability. Black out dates may apply.

The Resource Center:

Modern Tonic: Pop culture picks from a gay perspective. They send daily email updates. http://moderntonic.com/

In Performance: Onstage:Theatre/Music/Dance

New York City (and Broadway)

***A Little Night Music. Sondheim's all-waltz musical stars Catherine Zeta-Jones (singing "Send in the Clowns") and Angela Lansbury.
***Daddy. World premiere of Dan Via's play which explores the hot-button issue of gay marriage, as long-time best friends examine their relationship for the first time in over 20 years. to 2/13/10. www.DaddyThePlay.com.
***The Picture of Dorian Gray. Oscar Wilde's tale of a man who sells his soul for eternal youth. to 2/6/10.. www.DorianGrayPlay.com.
***Present Laughter. Gay Noel Coward's gay comedy. Victor Garber stars as an aging star. to 3/21/10. www.roundabouttheatre.org

Elsewhere...

***An Evening of Classic Lily Tomlin. A gallery of her most beloved characters. 1/28/10. San iego, CA. www.sdbalboa.org.
***F*cking Men. A new play, conceived as a riff on Arthur Schnitzler's La Ronde, observes the sex lives of modern urban gay America. to 2/14/10, Los Angeles, CA. www.celebrationtheatre.com
***Give It Up. A world premiere camp musical version of "Lysistrata" set in an American college gym by "Xanadu" author Douglas Carter Beane. to 2/14/10. Dallas, TX. www.dallastheatercenter.org.
***The Goddess of Comedy. Judy Tenuta. 1/29/10-1/30/10. San Francisco, CA. www.TheRrazzRoom.com
***Golden Age. Terrence McNally's drama about Donizetti set backstage at the premiere of his last opera "I Puritani". Marc Kudisch and Jeffrey Carlson star. to 2/21/10. Philadelphia, PA. PhiladelphiaTheatreCompany.org.
***I Am My Own Wife, the fascinating real-life story of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf (Andrew Long), a German transvestite who managed to survive both Nazi rule and the East German Communists.to 3/07/10. Arlington, VA/Washington, DC. www.signature-theatre.org
***Master Class. Terrence McNally's Tony-Award winning play is a portrait of opera diva Maria Callas. to 1/24/10. Houston, TX. www.mainstreettheater.com.
***Nice Work If You Can Get It. Donna McKechnie performs music of Ira Gershwin. San Francisco, CA. 1/28/10. www.42ndstmoon.org
***Orpheous Descending. Gale ("Queer As Folk") Harold, heads the cast of Tennessee Williams' drama. to 2/21/10. Theatre/Theater. Los Angeles, CA.
***The Pee-Wee Herman Show, starring Paul Reubens. to 2/07/10. Los Angeles, CA. www.peewee.com.
***The Threshing Floor. James Ijames's one-actor profile of gay writer James Baldwin (starring Ijames), presented by the LGBT-friendly Mauckingbird Theatre Company. to 1/31/10. Philadelphia, PA. www.mauckingbirdtheatreco.org
***Tru. Jay Presson Allen's one-actor profile of gay writer Truman Capote, presented by the LGBT-friendly Mauckingbird Theatre Company. to 1/31/10. Philadelphia, PA.
www.mauckingbirdtheatreco.org

On Screen (and Video & DVD)

Out on Screen...

***A Single Man. Tom Ford's debut film, an adaptation of a Christopher Isherwood novel, about a day in the life of a gay man, starring Colin Firth and Julianne Moore.
***Hannah Free. Sharon Gless stars in the film adaptation of Claudia Allen's play about a woman who fights to see her lesbian partner one last time in a nursing home. Premiere screening:www.hannahfree.com
***Nine, the Rob Marshall movie based on the Broadway musical. Daniel Day-Lewis plays the conflicted film maker. The women in his life: Penelope Cruz, Marion Cotillard, Sophia Loren, Nicole Kidman, Kate Hudson, Judi Dench and Fergie.
***Oy Vey. My Son is Gay. A coming out film with Carmen Electra, Lainie Kazan, Bruce Vilanch, Jai Rodriguez. One assumes it's a comedy.
***Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire. A stunning drama from out director Lee Daniels about an overweight, illiterate Harlem teen, pregnant with her second child, who is invited to enroll in an alternative school in hopes that her life can head in a new direction.

Out On Video & DVD

***Fame. A remake of the 1980 musical with Kelsey Grammer, Debbie Allen and Megan Mullally with a cast of unknowns playing the wannabe stars at a New York City performing arts high school.
***Glee: Volume 1: Road to Sectionals. the first DVD of the hot new TV series.
***Hope Along The Wind: The Life of Harry Hay. the 2002 documentary about the gay rights pioneer.
***Hump Day. Two straight dudes contemplate going gay to enter and win Humpfest, Seattle's amateur porn contest.
***Show Business: The Road to Broadway. An incredible documentary about Broadway's 2003-04 season and four musicals: "Wicked", "Avenue Q"(gay puppets), "Caroline or Change" (Tony Kushner) and "Taboo" (Rosie O'Donnell).
***Taking Woodstock. Ang Lee's new film about the rock festival based on Elliot Tiber's memoir. Demetri Martin stars as the gay Tiber.

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: The Wanda Sykes Show. The out comic's late night talk show. 11PM Saturdays. FOX.
***January: In the Life. LGBT news magazine. PBS. Check local listings. http://www.itl.tv/inthelife/episodes/
***SUN: 1/31: Grammy Awards. Live.
***SUN: 1/31: A Family Is a Family Is a Family: A Rosie O'Donnell Celebration, a documentary looking at a diversity of families today, highlighting same-sex parents, mixed-heritage families, single parents, and stories of adoption. . 7PM. HBO.

Conferences, Seminars, Benefits, and Special Events

2/04/10: New York, NY: Patti Lupone will discuss her career as a performer and her roles both onstage and off at 92Y. www.92y.org

2/05/10: New York, NY: RuPaul signs copies of "Workin' It!". 7PM. Borders. Columbus Circle.

2/05/10: Washington, DC: Shabbaton, hosted by Nehirim. An intergenerational LGBT Jewish community experience that combines lectures and workshops for the mind-body-heart-soul of the Jewish LGBT person. www.nehirim.org/retreats/qsdc .

2/06/10: Philadelphia, PA: Book Lovers Mixer, a literary speed-dating event to benefit Giovanni’s Room, the LGBT bookstore. www.queerbooks.com/NASApp/store/IndexJsp?s=storeevents&eventId=433294

2/08/10: San Francisco, CA: All You Need Is Love 2, the Help is On The Way benefit concert for STOP AIDS PROJECTand Aguilas. Produced by The Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation. www.helpisontheway.org

2/10/10: New York, NY: amfAR Annual Gala. Meryl Streep, Vanessa Redgrave, and Dr. Mathilde Krim will pay tribute to the late Natasha Richardson and feature the presentation of amfAR's Award of Courage to Sir Elton John, Yves Carcelle, and David Furnish. Special performances by Lady Gaga and Rufus Wainwright.www.amfar.org.

2/12/10-2/14/10: Washington, DC: Lavender Languages XVII. The longest-running LGBTQ Studies Conference in North America. American University. www.american.edu/lavenderlanguages

2/12/10-2/15/10: Hudson Valley, NY: Winter Explosion. LGBT African-American winter event. www.winterexplosion.com

2/12/10-3/13/10: Los Angeles, CA: Fusion. Los Angeles’ LGBT people of color film festival. www.outfest.org/fusion.html

2/14/10: New York, NY: Broadway Bears XIII, the annual fundraiser for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, featuring a host of teddy bears dressed as famous Broadway characters, many autographed by the original stars who wore the original (human-sized) outfits. www.broadwaycares.org.

2/16/10-2/21/10: New York, NY: CineKink NYC. mixed gay/straight film festival exploring a wide variety of sexualities through documentary, comedy, drama & more. www.cinekink.com

2/19/10-2/21/10: San Luis Obispo, CA: Western Regional LGBTQIA College Conference, sponsored by California Polytechnic State University. www.comeoutwest.org

2/20/10-2/27/10: Telluride, CO: Telluride Gay Ski Week. www.telluridegayskiweek.com

2/22/10: New York, NY: Broadway Backwards. Performers singing tunes usually associated with the opposite gender. A benefit for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and The LGBT Community Center. www.broadwaycares.org.

2/25/10-2/28/10: San Francisco, CA: Expanding The Circle LGBT Conference. addressing factors that contribute to excluding LGBTQ issues from academic study and student life;. This will be among the first national conferences in higher education to focus on LGBTQ concerns by seeking connections across diversities, disciplines, and academic and student affairs. www.expandingthecircle.com.

Last Week’s Trivia Quiz: Gay from A-Z: The “A” Team

1. Question: Name this civil rights organization, founded in 1920. Intially, it did not fight on behalf of the LGBT community, because it believed that homosexuality was a belief protected by the US Constitution. After extensive lobbying by Frank Kameny and other gay rights activists in the 1960s, this organization became a champion for gay rights. Answer: ACLU, the American Civil Liberties Union.

2. Question: Name this American publication, first published in August, 1967, which evolved out of a Los Angeles gay community newsletter. Controversial within the LGBT community for its omissions, the publication with wide gay and straight readership, has become the forum for celebrities to come out, and has featured the writing of many important LGBT cultural figures, among them Randy Shilts, Kate Clinton, and Bruce Vilanch. Answer: The Advocate.

3. Question: Name this acronym for a worldwide phenomena, first seen in the gay community in 1981. It has mobilized the LGBT community, created intense cultural and community responses, and has become a world-wide issue that has been under-reported, under-funded, and under-attended. Answer: AIDS, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, a series of immune system disorders.

4. Question: Name this great Dane who wrote some of the world’s most beloved fairy tales. His gay flings were well-recorded and a bisexual Broadway star played him his movie biography. Answer: Hans Christian Anderson (1805-1875), best known for “The Little Mermaid”. Danny Kaye played Anderson in the movie, which introduced Frank Loesser’s standard “Wonderful, Wonderful Copenhagen”.

5. Question: Name this three-time Pulitzer Prize winning author and playwright whose last Broadway hit was the story of PFLAG parents. The dad had a thing for a goat. Answer: Edward Albee, author of “The Goat, or Who is Sylvia?” and “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”.

This Week’s Trivia Quiz: February Milestones

1. Question: Name this elected official who started a national craze on February 12, 2004 just weeks after taking the oath office. Saying he was influenced by a President’s State of the Union address that appeared to make gays second class citizens, his actions caused national controversy, yet made him a hero within the LGBT community.

2. Question: Name this rodent, who comes out annually on February 2nd. His coming out, applauded by people everywhere, is used to predict weather events.

3. Question: Name this hit television show, which was the first to feature a lesbian liplock on February 7, 1991. Hint: It’s based down the coast from the elected official’s residence in Question #1.

4. Question: Name this award-winning gay athlete, born February 10, 1893. He captured worldwide acclaim for his skills, only to fall into obscurity when his interest in young men came to light.

The first person to submit the correct answers gets their name in print right here. Email your answers to: COSNewsweekly@gmail.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/