Coming Out Support Newsweekly: 4/19/10

Coming Out Support (COS) Newsweekly
Volume 13 No. 15 April 19, 2010
Newsletter Editor: M. G. Auerbach Email: COSNewsweekly@gmail.com

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The Gay Agenda: Datebook: April 19-25, 2010

SUN: 4/18: New York, NY: Rosie O'Donnell hosts a conversation: "The Modern Family: A Discussion of Gay Adoption," presented by The New Group. www.thenewgroup.org

thru THU: 4/22: San Diego, CA: FilmOut San Diego LGBT film festival. www.filmoutsandiego.com

MON: 4/19: New York, NY: 4th Annual Male Beauty Pageant, to benefit the Ali Forney Center. Featuring male cast members representing their respective Broadway shows, competing for the title crown through talent, interview and swimsuit competitions. The Ali Forney Center is the nation's largest and most comprehensive organization dedicated to homeless LGBT youth. www.aliforneycenter.org/beauty Preview: Playbill.com reports: http://www.playbill.com/news/article/138350-Fela-Memphis-Wicked-West-Side-and-Heights-Men-Will-Compete-in-Broadway-Beauty-Pageant

MON: 4/19: San Francisco, CA: Christopher Rice discusses his new book “The Moonlit Earth”. 7:30PM. Books Inc. 2275 Market Street. http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Christopher-Rice/19615500/author_appearances

MON: 4/19: New York, NY: TalkOut Monday at “The Tempermentals” with David McReynolds (American historian and literary critic) & Matthew Scheck (cast member). www.thetempermentals.com

TUE: 4/20: New York, NY: Drama League Award Nominees announced by Kelsey Grammer and Bebe Neuwirth. www.dramaleague.org.

TUE: 4/20: Mesa, AZ: Kathy Kinney, star of "The Drew Carey Show", signs copies of “Queen of Your Own Life”. 7PM. Barnes & Noble, S. Val Vista Drive.

WED: 4/21: New York, NY: Sondheim on Sondheim LGBT Night. post-show reception after the Broadway musical with Barbara Cook and Vanessa Williams. www.roundabouttheatre.org

THU: 4/22: San Francisco, CA:: RuPaul, world famous drag queen, signing copies of “Workin' It”. 7:30PM. Books Inc. Market Street.

FRI: 4/23: College Park, MD: DC Queer Studies Symposium. 3rd annual program at the University of Maryland. www.lgbts.umd.edu/

FRI-SUN: 4/23-5/02: Miami, FL: Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival. www.MGLFF.com

SAT: 4/24: Washington, DC: Rainbow Families DC Family Conference for LGBT parents, prospective parents and allies. http://www.rainbowfamiliesdc.org/

Newsworthy:

Prom On! Lance Bass, chef Cat Cora, and Green Day will sponsor a gay-friendly prom on 5/08/10 in response to a Mississippi teen being conned into attending a fake prom earlier this month. The Mississippi Safe School Coalition will help organize the event that will be open to all Mississippi high schoolers. Bass will likely be in attendance for the event. Broadwayworld.com reports http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Lance_Bass_Cat_Cora_and_Green_Day_Sponsor_GayFriendly_Prom_20100412

$2 Million Fund helps LGBT music students. A former student of the Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University has bequeathed $2 million to the music institution to help students who are marginalized and lack support because they are gay or lesbian. The Advocate reports: http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2010/04/12/2_Million_Fund_Helps_Gay_Music_Students/

Girls today are three times more likely than boys to be non-heterosexual. Why? Psychology Today reports: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/sax-sex/201004/why-are-so-many-girls-lesbian-or-bisexual

The Buzz (People Making News)

Reverend Cindi Love has been named Executive Director of Soulforce, which advocates for the end of religious-based, anti-LGBT discrimination through the use of nonviolent resistance. The Advocate reports: http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2010/04/13/Soulforce_Announces_New_Executive_Director/

Constance McMillen, the Mississippi high school senior who fought her school’s decision to cancel the prom rather than allow her to attend with her girlfriend, has been named a grand marshal of this year’s New York City gay pride parade, along with Lt. Dan Choi and Judy Shepard on 6/27/10. The Advocate reports: http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2010/04/13/McMillen_Named_NYC_Gay_Pride_Grand_Marshal/

Tony Kushner, the Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, will be the keynote speaker at New York City's School of Visual Arts' 2010 commencement on 5/14/10.

Awards and Honors:

Marc Shaiman, Tony Award winning out composer (“Hairspray) received the 2010 Golden Score Award from the American Society of Music Arrangers & Composers (ASMAC) on 4/29/10. www.asmac.org.

Photo Shoots and Video

Photos: Kelsey Grammer stars in “La Cage Aux Folles” on Broadway. From Broadway.com: http://www.broadway.com/shows/la-cage-aux-folles/buzz/first-look-ila-cagei-stars-kelsey-grammer-douglas-hodge-les-belles-cagelles/

Features

40 Under 40: The Advocate profiles the new generation of movers and shakers. http://advocate.com/Print_Issue/Cover_Stories/Forty_Under_40/

In Print:

City Boy: My Life in New York During the 1960s and '70s by Edmund White. Bloomsbury USA Press. A fascinating historical memoir weaves together his own coming-of-age tale with the evolution of NYC’s gay scene.

A Hundred or More Hidden Things: The Life and Films of Vincente Minnelli by Mark Griffin. Da Capo Press. A new biography about Judy’s husband and Liza’s father.

On CD:

Glee: The Music, The Power of Madonna. Songs from the season one episode "The Power of Madonna," in which all songs performed are covers of Madonna songs.

In Performance: Onstage:Theatre/Music/Dance

New York City (and Broadway)

***The Addams Family. Nathan Lane stars. www.theaddamsfamilymusical.com
***The Kid: The Musical. A musical based on Dan Savage's memoir about he and his partner's effort to adopt a child. to 5/29/10 www.thenewgroup.org.
***La Cage Aux Folles, the musical, based on a French film, which inspired the film "Birdcage". Kelsey Grammer stars. www.LaCage.com
***Looking for Billy Haines. A young gay actor auditions to play the famous gay actor William Haines who is run out of 1920’s Hollywood for refusing to play straight. to 5/22/10. www.ticketcentral.com..
***My Trip Down The Pink Carpet. Leslie Jordan’s one-man show. www.mytripdownthepinkcarpet.com
***Next Fall. Geoffrey Nauffts' provocative play about a gay couple; one partner is a devout Christian and the other is an atheist. www.nextfallbroadway.com
***Promises, Promises. Newly-out Sean ("Will & Grace") Hayes and Kristin Chenoweth star in the Burt Bacharach & Hal David & Neil Simon musical.
***The Tempermentals. Jon Maran's drama about Harry Hay,Rudi Gernreich and friends as they form The Mattachine Society before Stonewall. www.thetemperamentals.com

Elsewhere...

***Girlfriend. A Musical inspired by Matthew Sweet’s 90’s pop album. Boy meets boy in homeroom, and they fall in love. to 5/09/10. Berkeley, CA. www.berkeleyrep.org.
***The Little Dog Laughed. Douglas Carter Beane’s comedy about a tenacious Hollywood agent and her matinee idol client (Greg Louganis) who wants to come out. to 4/25/10. Palm Desert, CA. (760) 341-2883
***Master Class. Terrence McNally's Tony-Award winning play is a portrait of opera diva Maria Callas. to 5/02/10. San Francisco, CA. www.nctcsf.org
***M.Butterfly. David Henry Hwang's award-winning play. The true story of a French diplomat who falls for a Chinese spy posing as a Bejing opera diva. to 6/06/10. Minneapolis, MN. www.guthrietheater.org
***SexRev: The José Sarria Experience The musical celebration of America’s queer activist, who started as a drag performer in the early 50s and rose to fame as San Francisco’s first out public figure. to 5/02/10. San Francisco, CA. www.TheRhino.org

On Display

thru 4/22: New Britain, CT: Revealed, The Tradition of Male Honoerotic Art, a new exhibition at Central Connecticut State University Art Gallery, including six Mapplethorpe images among the more than 100works ranging from the late 19th century to present day. www.art.ccsu.edu/Gallery.html

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.
***Eyes Wide Open, two ultra-orthodox Chasidic Jews who fall in love in Israel. Aaron is a married, respected butcher; Ezri is a yeshiva student, who becomes Aaron’s apprentice who becomes something more.
***LA Mission. Benjamin Bratt is a barrio tough guy who discovers that his son is involved in a relationship with another boy.
***Prodigal Sons, a film by TG film maker Kimberly Reed about her journey back to her home town and her reunion with an adopted brother. http://prodigalsonsfilm.com/
***Stonewall Uprising, a new documentary by Kate Davis and David Heilbroner covering the 3-day Stonewall riots in 1969. http://firstrunfeatures.com/stonewalluprising_playdates.html

Out On Video & DVD

***An Englishman in New York. John Hurt as Quentin Crisp ("The Naked Civil Servant") as he becomes a celebrity. Also stars Cynthia Nixon, Denis O'Hare and Jonathan Tucker.
***The Big Gay Musical, the 2009 musical film with many Broadway types. ***Breakfast With Scot. The lives of a closeted ex-hockey player and his partner are thrown into turmoil when they take in Scot, a flamboyant 11-year old who is not the sports-loving boy they were expecting.
***Evening Primrose. The 1966 musical teleplay by James Goldman from from John Collier short story, with a score by Stephen Sondheim. Anthony Perkins, Dorothy Stickney, Larry Gates, Charmian Carr.
***MadMen, Season #3.
***Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire. A stunning drama from out director Lee Daniels about an overweight, illiterate Harlem teen.

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

***April: In the Life. LGBT news magazine. PBS. Check local listings. http://www.itl.tv/inthelife/episodes/
***WED: 4/21: Aaron Tveit, Broadway heart-throb (“Wicked”, “Next to Normal”) guest stars on “Law & Order SVU”. 10PM. NBC.

Conferences, Seminars, Benefits, and Special Events

4/26/10: New York, NY: Live Out Loud 9th Annual Young Trailblazers Benefit Gala. Alan Cumming hosts. Live Out Loud is a non-profit dedicated to connecting LGBT youth with role models and leaders in the LGBT community. www.liveoutloud.info.

4/26/10-5/02/10: Philadelphia, PA: Equality Forum. largest national and international & LGBT civil rights forum with 60+ programs, parties & special events. www.equalityforum.com

4/26/10-4/27/10: New York, NY: The 24th Annual Easter Bonnet Competition to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. www.broadwaycares.org.

5/02/10: New York, NY: Miss Fag Hag Pageant celebrating the un-sung heroes of the gay community. A benefit for The Hetrick-Martin Institute, home of The Harvey Milk School. www.missfaghag.com

5/03/10: New York, NY: TalkOut Monday at “The Tempermentals” with Barney Frank and playwright John Marans. www.thetempermentals.com

5/03/10: New York, NY: Lambda Legal's 2010 Liberty Awards National Dinner
http://support.lambdalegal.org/site/Calendar?view=Detail&id=100981

5/05/10-6/06/10: New York, NY: GAYFEST NYC, the 4th annual LGBT arts festival to benefit the Harvey Milk School. www.gayfestnyc.com.

5/05/10-5/15/10: Boston, MA: Boston LGBT Film Festival. www.bostonlgbtfilmfest.org

Last Week’s Trivia Quiz: Terrence McNally

Terrence McNally is one of America’s leading out playwrights; the Kennedy Center just concluded a festival of his works, and he married his longtime partner this week, with Tyne Daly serving as one of his witnesses. His works include portraits of the gay community, popular fare, and controversy.

1. Question: Name this diva. McNally wrote two plays about her. In one, a group of gay guys discuss an obscure recording. In the second, the diva gives a few high notes to her students. Answer: Maria Callas. “The Lisbon Traviata” gave Nathan Lane a breakthrough role; “Masterclass” has starred Zoe Caldwell, Faye Dunaway, Patti LuPone, Dixie Carter, and Tyne Daly in various productions.

2. Question: Name this opera that McNally wrote about a nun with conviction who worked with convicts. His libretto was based on a true story which had been turned into an award-winning motion picture, whose star won an Oscar later on for playing a gay rights hero. Answer: Dead Man Walking. Jake Heggie wrote the music; it’s based on the story of Sister Helen Prejean. The film starred Sean Penn.

3. Question: Name this gay-themed McNally plays. One is about an octet of gay vacationers; one is a bath-house farce; and one is a retelling of a biblical tale set in McNally’s hometown. Answer: “Love! Valour! Compassion!”, the tale of a group of gay guys at a summer house (out on DVD and worth watching); one is “The Ritz” which starred Rita Moreno on Broadway and later porn star Casey Donovan, set in the baths; and “Corpus Christi” which is controversial because it implies that Christ might have been gay.

4. Question: Name this gay-themed McNally musical based on an Oscar-winning film and an award-winning Latin novel. It opened on Broadway with a dancing legend and then made a former beauty queen a star. Answer: Kiss of the Spider Woman. Chita Rivera was the first Spider woman, followed by Vanessa Williams.

5. Question: Name this McNally musicals. In one, Liza skates. In the second, guys expose their Buffalo wings. Answer: The Rink in which Liza and Chita Rivera play mother and daughter. Mom owns a roller rink. In the second, The Full Monty, unemployed steel workers become strippers.

This Week’s Trivia Quiz: Gay (Spring Break) Getaways

1. Question: Name this gay getaway, a 23-block stretch of a former barrier island with diets and deco. Madonna hangs out here. So does Rosie. So does Ricky. Years ago, the action was 25 miles north, where the boys are.

2. Question: Name this gay getaway. You can golf with lesbians, dry out with celebrities and visit sites where a celebrity transitioned.

3. Question: Name this gay getaway. It’s a capital and a college town with a great music scene, hours from a space center, the Ewing ranch, and the gulf beaches.

4. Question: Name this gay getaway, named for a bone. It had one of the first out mayors, and was home to a famous gay playwright and one of America’s leading authors. A newly out lesbian ran a famous restaurant here.

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/