Coming Out Support Newsweekly: 6/07/10

Coming Out Support (COS) Newsweekly
Volume 13 No. 22 June 7, 2010
Newsletter Editor: M. G. Auerbach Email: COSNewsweekly@gmail.com

The Fine Print

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The Gay Agenda: Datebook: June 7-13, 2010

Ongoing: Global: 2010 Pride Season. Parades, fairs, festivals celebrating LGBT Pride around the world. www.interpride.org

thru SUN: 6/20: Chicago, IL: Five Decades of Great Gay Plays. An exploration of scripts written for the stage (some adapted for the screen. www.pridefilmsandplays.com

thru MON: 6/07: Orlando, FL: Gay Days Orlando including Gay Day at Disney World. www.gaydays.com

thru WED: 6/30: San Francisco, CA: National Queer Arts Festival. LGBT performances & exhibitions in the San Francisco Bay Area highlighting artists from around the country. www.QueerCulturalCenter.org

thru SUN: 6/13: New York, NY: NewFest, the New York LGBT Film Festival. http://newfest.org/wordpress/

MON: 6/07: San Francisco, CA: Help is On The Way. Jai Rodriguez, Marga Gomez and RJ Helton, along with the cast of In the Heights, perform a benefit for the Richmond/Ermet AIDS Foundation (REAF) and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. www.helpisontheway.org.

MON: 6/07: New York, NY: John Waters, American filmmaker , writer, and bad boy of American cinema (“Hairspray”, “Pink Flamingos”, “Serial Mom”, reads and signs from his new book “Role Models”. www.nypl.org/events Also: TUE: 6/08 Los Angeles, CA: www.aloula.org. Also: THU: 6/10/10: Boston, MA: Boston Public Library.

WED: 6/09: Las Vegas, NV: LGBT Travel Symposium. www.lvccld.org

THU: 6/10: Kansas City, MO: Chely Wright, newly out country music star, signs copies of “Like Me”. 7PM. Unity Temple.

FRI: 6/11: Chicago, IL: Pam Grier, cult favorite and star of "The L Word", signs copies of “Foxy: My Life In Three Acts” 12:30PM. Borders Books. State Street. Also: SUN: 6/13: Largo, MD: 4PM. Borders Books. Capitol Centre Blvd..

SUN: 6/13: Baltimore, MD: 3rd Annual Tony Awards Party at the Club Hippo in Mt. Vernon. Admission is a donation to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS: 410-488-5180

Newsworthy:

June has been proclaimed by President Obama as LGBT Pride Month. The proclamation: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/presidential-proclamation-lesbian-gay-bisexual-and-transgender-pride-month

DADT: The Senate Armed Services Committee approved a measure 5/27/10 16-12 that would begin the process of dismantling the 17-year-old “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy that prohibits gays and lesbians for serving openly in the military. The Advocate reports: http://advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2010/05/27/Senate_Committee_Passes_DADT_Amendment/

Toronto: The historic Glad Day bookstore is on the verge of closing. The Globe and Mail reports: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/toronto/historic-gay-bookstore-at-risk-of-closing/article1586260/?cmpid=rss1

Awards and Honors:

Honorary Tony Awards will be presented to David Hyde Pierce (the Isabelle Stevenson Award) for his volunteerism in the fight against Alzheimer’s and Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS Executive Director Tom Viola. www.tonyawards.com.

In Memoriam:

Peter Orlovsky, the poet and partner of Allen Ginsberg, died 5/30/10 at age 76. The Los Angeles Times reports: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/jacketcopy/2010/05/peter-orlovsky-poet-and-partner-to-allen-ginsberg-has-died.html

Photo Shoots and Video

Coming Out: Video: French McDonald’s Ad features closeted teen and father: http://jezebel.com/5551307/come-as-you-are-french-mcdonalds-ad-features-closeted-teen-and-father

Photos: Tony Awards nominees, as photographed for Vanity Fair. http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2010/05/tonys-slide-show-201005#slide=1

Video: Documentary: A History of Trans and transgender like veterans from Pam’s House Blend via The Advocate: http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2010/05/31/A_History_of_Trans_and_Trans-Like_Veterans/

In Print:

My Queer War by James Lord. Farrar Straus and Giroux. An autobiography. In 1942, a timid, inexperienced twenty-one-year-old Lord reports to Atlantic City, New Jersey, to enlist in the U.S. Army. His career in the armed forces takes him to Nevada and California, to Boston, to England, and eventually to France and Germany, where he witnesses firsthand the ravages of total war on Europe’s land and on its people. Along the way he comes to terms with his own sexuality, experiences the thrill of first love and the chill of disillusionment with his fellow man, and in a moment of great rashness makes the acquaintance of the world’s most renowned artist, who will show him the way to a new life.

In Performance: Onstage:Theatre/Music/Dance

New York City (and Broadway)

***La Cage Aux Folles, a revival of the 1983 Jerry Herman/Harvey Fierstein musica, based on a French film, which inspired the film "Birdcage". Kelsey Grammer stars. www.LaCage.com
***My Big Gay Italian Wedding. Anthony J. Wilkinson's comedy. Reichen Lehmkuhl stars; www.BigGayItalianWedding.com.
***My Trip Down The Pink Carpet. Leslie Jordan’s one-man show. to 7/03/10. 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. www.promisespromisesbroadway.com.
***Thank You For Being A Friend. The unauthorized musical parody inspired by the
beloved TV sitcom “The Golden Girls,”.to 8/01/10. Kraine Theatre
www.SpinCycleNYC.com

Elsewhere...

***A Little Night Music. Sondheim's all-waltz musical as directed by Isaac Mizrahi. to 6/19/10. St. Louis, MO. www.opera-stl.org/Season_Operas_show3.aspx
***An Evening with David Sedaris, the humorist, who previews his new book “Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk: A Modest Bestiary”. to 6/13/10. Chicago, IL. www.steppenwolf.org.
***Boys Will Be Boys. a new musical. A benefit for a man who suffers from Gay Attention Deficit Disorder. to 6/26/10. San Francisco, CA. www.nctcsf.org
***The Drowsy Chaperone. Carson Kressley (“Queer Eye”) plays the showtune loving man in the chair. to 6/26/10. Ogunquit, ME. www.ogunquitplayhouse.org
***Hot Greeks. A Revival of the Cockettes’ 1972 Musical Extravaganza. to 6/27/10. San Francisco, CA. http://thrillpeddlers.com
***Pearls Over Shanghai. San Francisco’s Longest-Running Cockettes Musical. to 8/01/10. San Francisco, CA: http://thrillpeddlers.com
***Varla Jean Merman is The Loose Chanteuse to 9/04/10. Provincetown, MA. http://varlaonline.com/index.php?option=com_eventlist&view=eventlist&Itemid=12
***Yellow. A new dysfunctional family comedy by Del (“Sordid Lives”) Shores. to7/25/10. West Hollywood, CA. www.yellowbydelshores.somc

On Screen (and Video & DVD)

Out on Screen...

***Arias With a Twist. The incredible performance collaboration between performance artist Joey Arias and puppeteer Basil Twist is now a documentary. To see the trailer: http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=759971528901
***Beyond Gay: The Politics of Pride. Bob Christie’s documentary shows that Pride is more than a parade, it’s a giant step on the road to global human rights.
***Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work. A new documentary which follows from gig to gig, onstage and at home, and historically through the ups and downs of her career.
***LA Mission. Benjamin Bratt is a barrio tough guy who discovers that his son is involved in a relationship with another boy.
***Sex and The City 2, the sequel. Sarah Jessica Parker and friends.
***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
***The Topp Twins: Untouchable Girls. A documentary about the provocative New Zealand comedic duo, twin sisters and singers. Followed by our second party for more food, drink and dancing. http://topptwins.com.

Out On Video & DVD

***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
***My Dog: An Unconditional Love Story. The documentary about the bond between people and their pets. Among the people stars : Edward Albee, Glenn Close, Billy Greg Louganis, Nellie McKay, Christopher Meloni, and Isaac Mizrahi. www.docurama.com.
***One Night Only: Barbra Streisand and Quartet at the Village Vanguard. Concert DVD.
***Prodigal Sons. Trans filmmaker Kimberly Reed’s autobiographical film about coming home after coming out and transitioning.
***Sordid Lives, the TV series. A Black comedy about white trash, based on the Del Shores play and film.
***Trinidad. The documentary about the Colorado town that has become “the sex change capital of the world. http://trinidadthemovie.com/

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

***June: In the Life. LGBT news magazine. PBS. Check local listings. http://www.itl.tv/inthelife/episodes/
***WED: 6/09: Elaine Paige: Celebrating a Life on Stage. The British musical star (“Evita”) in a televised concert. 8PM. PBS. Check local listings.
***SUN: 6/13: The 64th Annual Tony Awards honoring excellence on Broadway. Sean Hayes hosts. 8PM. Live. CBS. www.TonyAwards.com

Conferences, Seminars, Benefits, and Special Events

Ongoing: Global: 2010 Pride Season. Parades, fairs, festivals celebrating LGBT Pride around the world. www.interpride.org

6/14/10: New York, NY: Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays.
Featuring Jillian Armenante, Amy Brenneman, Kevin Chamberlain, Frankie Faison, Randy Harrison, Jefferson Mays, Kathy Najimy, Christopher Sieber, Mary Testa, Mary Louise Wilson, and B.D. Wong. A benefit for the Human Rights Campaign, Marriage Equality New York, and New York Theatre Workshop. www.nytw.org/standing_benefit.asp

6/14/10-6/20/10: Berkeley, CA: David Sedaris workshops new stories from an upcoming book in front of a live audience at Berkeley Repertory Theatre. www.berkeleyrep.org

6/15/10: New York, NY: Alison Arngrim, star of "Little House on the Prairie", signs copies of “Confessions of a Prairie Bitch”. 7PM. Border’s at Columbus Circle. Also: 6/24/10: Los Angeles, CA: 7PM. Barnes & Noble, Grove Drive. Also: 6/26/10: Bloomington, MN: 6PM. Barnes & Noble, Mall of America.

6/16/10-6/20/10: Provincetown, MA: Provincetown International Film Festival. www.ptownfilmfest.org

6/17/10-6/27/10: San Francisco, CA: Frameline: San Francisco Int’l LGBT Film Festival www.frameline.org

6/20/10: New York, NY: Broadway Bares XX: Stripopoly. Broadway boys and girls take it all off for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. The 20th anniversary edition. http://broadwaybares.com/home-flash.php

6/21/10: New York, NY: Spirit of Pride 2010 Celebration at The Cathedral of St. John the Divine (1047 Amsterdam Avenue at 112th Street) 7:30 pm. Free. www.stjohndivine.org

6/22/10: New York, NY: Levi Kreis and “Million Dollar Quartet perform at a CD signing. 4PM. Barnes and Noble, Lincoln Triangle. www.bn.com

6/23/10: Tempe, AZ: Cat Cora, out star of "Iron Chef America" signs copies of “Cat Cora's Classics With A Twist”. 7PM. Changing Hands Books.

6/24/10: New York, NY: Sean Hayes, Kristen Chenoweth and the cast of “Promises, Promises” perform at a CD signing. 5PM. Barnes and Noble, Lincoln Triangle. www.bn.com

6/26/10: New York, NY: The Gay Pride Edition: Celebrity Autobiography: In Their Own Words. Rachel Dratch, Cheyenne Jackson, Kristen Johnston, John Cameron Mitchell, Eugene Pack, Dayle Reyfel, Bruce Vilanch, and B.D. Wong star. www.celebrityautobiography.com.

6/27/10: New York, NY: Nathan Lane is Jordan Roth’s guest for “Broadway Talks”. 7:30PM. 92Y-Lexington Avenue. www.92Y.org/lectures

Last Week’s Trivia Quiz: June Milestones

1. Question: Name this event, on June 22, 1969, which triggered anguish within the gay community and may have led (according to legend) to the Stonewall riots. Answer: Judy Garland’s death. Several days later, after her funeral, when cops raided the Stonewall Bar in Greenwich Village, the patrons fought back.

2. Question: Name this landmark legislation on June 26, 2003. When The Supreme Court acted, this fueled the revival of an intense LGBT civil rights movement. Answer: Lawrence vs.Texas (Sodomy Law) was struck down as unconstitutional.

3. Question: Name this event, which first started on June 28, 1970, to commemorate the Stonewall riots. New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco and smaller cities saw this event. Answer: Pride March.

4. Question: Name this gay composer, known for his spicy lyrics, born June 9, 1892. He gave Ethel Merman the showstopping Reno Sweeney, and rhymed “heinous” with “Coriolanus”. His film bio was released in 2004. Answer: Cole Porter, composer of “Anything Goes” and “Kiss Me Kate”. Kevin Kline played Porter in the movie bio; Ashley Judd starred as Porter’s wife, Linda.

5. Question: Name this Canadian pop singer who came out in the Advocate on June 16, 1992. Her star continues to rise, and she recently completed a global tour with Tony Bennett. Answer: k.d.lang.

This Week’s Trivia Quiz: The Tony Awards

The Tony Awards air live on CBS on Sunday, June 13. Sean Hayes hosts. Curtain is 8PM.

1. Question. Name this actor/dancer/choreographer/director. He’s one of two out theatre people to have received Tony Awards in four different categories. He won playing a gay dancer/choreographer, one playing a tap-dancing aviator, one choreographing a musical about a Ziegfeld cowboy, and one staging a musical about the hospitality industry. Hint: Harvey Fierstein was the other guy to win in four categories.

2. Question: Although several performers have won Tonys for roles that have involved cross dressing, only two have won for performing in roles in which the character is actually a member of the opposite sex. Harvey Fierstein won a Tony playing Edna Turblad in the musical "Hairspray". Name the other. Hint: This actor, known for a tropical shampoo and rinse role, had a child who became one of TV's most beloved villians. Offstage, the actor was known for a "close relationship" with another actor of the same sex.

3. Question: Name this Tony loser. All of the following actors played the famous stage mother Rose in “Gypsy”. (Incidentally, historians have written that Mamma Rose and her daughter Gypsy Rose Lee both had lesbian relationships). Which performance did not win the Tony? Ethel Merman, Angela Lansbury, Tyne Daly, Patti LuPone.

4. Question: Name this gay composer, who has won more Tony Awards than any other composer. He's won Tonys (8 total) for musicals with petite sunset waltzes, fairy tale characters, non-commital bachelors, and a vengeful barber with a Betty Crocker girlfriend. Do you know the shows ?

5. Question: Name this one-person play, about an East German transvestite. It’s the only one-person play to win a “Best Play” Tony; its star, who won a Best Actor Tony, played multiple real-life characters. The show also won the Pulitzer.

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/