Volume 14 No. 3 January 24, 2011
Newsletter Editor: M. G. Auerbach Email: COSNewsweekly@gmail.com
The Fine Print
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The Gay Agenda: Datebook: January 24-30, 2011
thru SAT: 6/04: Nationwide: David Sedaris continues his book tour with his new bestseller “Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk”. http://www.barclayagency.com/speakers/appearances/sedaris.html
thru SUN: 1/30: Park City, UT: Sundance Film Festival. www.sundance.org Sundance schedule: http://www.sundance.org/press-center/release/2011-sundance-film-festival-announces-films-in-premieres/
SAT: 1/22: San Francisco, CA: Kick-Off Meeting San Francisco Ambassadors of The Trevor Project. http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=180704048617344
MON-FRI: 1/24-1/28: Nationwide: No Name-Calling Week, the GLSEN initiative. An annual week of educational activities aimed at ending name-calling of all kinds. www.nonamecallingweek.org.
TUE: 1/25: Los Angeles, CA: Academy Awards nominees announced. www.oscars.org.
FRI-SAT: 1/28-2/05: Kingston, ON: Reel Out Queer Film & Video Festival. www.reelout.com
SUN: 1/30: Los Angeles, CA: dot429 LGBT Professionals Networking Brunch.
http://dot429.com/events/brunch-los-angeles-3
SUN-SUN: 1/30-2/06: Whistler, BC: WinterPRIDE: Whistler Gay Ski Week. www.gaywhistler.com
Newsworthy:
The Supreme Court has refused to revive an effort to put same-sex marriage up to a public vote in the District of Columbia. The Washington Post reports: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/18/AR2011011802214.html?hpid=topnews
Reince Priebus, new Republican National Committee chair, is a marriage equality foe. The Washington Post reports: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/republican-party/reince-priebus-wins-rnc-chairm.html
New Hampshire: Marriage Equality repeal is off the table as the state government focuses on jobs and the economy. Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2011/01/nh-gop-tells-ap-that-marriage-equality-repeal-is-off-the-agenda-for-2011.html
New Hospital Visitation Rules in Effect. New federal regulations that prohibit hospitals from discriminating against visitors based on sexual orientation and gender identity took effect 1/18/11.. The Advocate reports: http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2011/01/18/New_Hospital_Visitation_Rules_in_Effect/
Another Teen Suicide.
Fired for Being a Lesbian. So Kathryn Brenny, former University of Minnesota golf coach says. Towleroad reports: http://www.towleroad.com/2011/01/u-of-minnesota-golf-coach-says-she-was-fired-for-being-a-lesbian.html
Connecticut: Hartford’s Court of Common Council has voted to protect gender identity or expression from discrimination. The Hartford Courant reports: http://blogs.courant.com/cityline/2011/01/gender-identity-ordinances-pas.html
Gay Arabs in New York: A Place to dance, hang out and socialise. The New York Times reports: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/13/for-gay-arabs-a-place-to-dance-and-break-down-walls/?src=twrhp
Pakistan: Lesbians live in silence and love in secret. NPR reports: http://www.npr.org/2011/01/17/132711102/pakistans-lesbians-live-in-silence-love-in-secret
The Gayest Cities in America. The Advocate weighs in. http://advocate.com/Print_Issue/Travel/Gayest_Cities_in_America_February_2011/
Transitions:
Status Update: Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes is engaged to his boyfriend Sean Eldridge. The New York Post reports: http://www.nypost.com/p/pagesix/engaging_news_of_facebook_WiG3nVdPBWd8oNNIuLDmuJ#ixzz1B7TX3AsA
Debbie Friedman, a singer and songwriter whose work,which married traditional Jewish texts to contemporary folk-infused melodies, is credited with helping give ancient liturgy broad appeal to late-20th-century worshippers, died on 1/09/11 at age 59. The New York Times reports: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/11/arts/music/11friedman.html
Margaret Whiting, the big band singer who married gay porn star Jack Wrangler, 22 years her junior, died on 1/10/11 at age 86. The Advocate reports: http://www.advocate.com/News/Daily_News/2011/01/12/Margaret_Whiting_Dead_at_86/
Awards and Honors:
Golden Globe winners: Among them “Glee”, Jane Lynch, Chris Colfer, Annette Bening, and more. Towleroad’s List of Winners: http://www.towleroad.com/2011/01/golden-globes-fu.html
Features
Coming Out: Profile: Gavin Creel, out actor and co-founder of Broadway Impact (Editor’s Note: Check out the video/song). The Miami Herald reports: http://miamiherald.typepad.com/gaysouthflorida/2011/01/if-i-never-play-a-heterosexual-again-bring-it-on-says-out-broadway-star-gavin-creel-in-prelude-to-miami-shows.html
In Print:
Queer Twin Cities. The Twin Cities GLBT Oral History Project. The University of Minnesota Press. The first book to profile the gay communities of Minneapolis/St. Paul and surrounding towns. Oral histories compiled and edited by doctoral students and American Studies faculty. http://www.lambdaliterary.org/reviews/01/16/queer-twin-cities-by-glbt-oral-history-project/
Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes by Tony Kushner. TCG Books. : The 20th Anniversary Edition Edition of Millennium Approaches and Perestroika in the revised versions presented this season at the Signature Theatre Company, as well as a new author's foreword.
In Performance: Onstage:Theatre/Music/Dance
New York City (and Broadway)
***American Idiot. The Green Day musical. Melissa Etheridge guest stars as St. Jimmy for one week only. 2/01/11-2/06/11.
***Angels in America: A Gay Fantasia on National Themes. Tony Kushner’s award-winning epic. Michael Urie stars beginning 2/02/11 thru 3/27/11. www.signaturetheatre.org.
***The Divine Sister. Charles Busch plays an indomitable Mother Superior driven to build a new school for her Pittsburgh convent. www.DivineSisterOnstage.com.
***The Importance of Being Earnest. Gay Oscar Wilde’s classic. Brian Bedford turns in a gender-bender as Lady Bracknell. to 3/06/11. www.roundabouttheatre.org
***Justin Bond, TG cabaret. 1/30/11. www.jojespub.com.
***La Cage Aux Folles, a revival of the 1983 Jerry Herman/Harvey Fierstein musical. Kelsey Grammer stars. www.LaCage.com
***People Lea Like Sing Stevie Wonder. Lea DeLaria, Justin Bond, Scott Thompson and more sing from the Stevie Wonder songbook. 1/24/11. www.joespub.com.
Elsewhere...
***The Best of Lily Tomlin. Out actor Lily performs her greatest hits. 1/29/11-1/30/11, Seattle, WA. 5th Avenue Theatre.
***Dead Man Walking. The Jake Heggie/Terrence McNally opera based on Sister Helen Prejean’s book about death row (and the film with Sean Penn). to 2/06/11. Houston, TX. www.houstongrandopera.org.
***The Little Dog Laughed, Douglas Carter Beane's Tony Award-winning comedy about a Hollywood agent’s crisis dealing with her star’s decision to come out. to 2/13/11. Morristown, NJ. www.bickfordtheatre.org
***Out of Sight. Sara Felder’s solo show about lesbians, Palestine, and juggling. to 2/13/11. San Francisco, CA. www.themarsh.org.
***Standing on Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays. Playlets about marriage equality. to 2/07/11. Los Angeles, CA. www.StandingOnCeremony.net
***Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? Tracy Letts and Amy Morton star as sparring spouses in out Edward Albee’s masterpiece. to 2/13/11. Chicago, IL. . www.steppenwolf.org.
On Screen (and Video & DVD)
Out on Screen...
***A Marine Story. Alexandra, a married Marine, is a casualty of DADT. After discharge, she rebuilds her life. The trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ixk192SX9es
***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.
***Black Swan. Natalie Portman plays a ballerina competing for a lead in “Swan Lake”.
***Rabbit Hole, John Cameron Mitchell (“Hedwig” and “Short Bus”) directs the movie version of the Broadway drama which stars Nicole Kidman. www.rabbitholefilm.com.
***Twelve Thirty. Jonathan Groff and Mamie Gummer star in a quirky film about a broken family (Dad is bi). www.twelvethirtymovie.com.
Out On Video & DVD
***Glee: Season 2, Volume 1: First ten episodes of Glee Season 2 on 3 DVDs.
***HOWL, the docu-feature about Allen Ginsberg (James Franco) by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman.
***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.
***The Kids Are All Right. Julianne Moore and Annette Bening star in a two-mom family dramedy. Their kids seek out their sperm donor father (Mark Ruffalo). .
***The Life of Reilly. A riveting, sometimes hysterical documentary about Charles Nelson Reilly, the out comic, actor, and director.
***Prayers for Bobby. Sigourney Weaver stars in a true story about the mother of a gay son who has problems accepting him.
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 frequently. www.glaad.org/tvgayed
***January: In the Life. LGBT news magazine. PBS. Check local listings. http://www.itl.tv/inthelife/episodes/
***SUN: 1/30: Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards. 8PM. TNT and TBS. http://www.sag.org/nominations-announced-17th-annual-screen-actors-guild-awards®
Conferences, Seminars, Benefits, and Special Events
2/01/11: Los Angeles, CA: LA Clippers LGBT Equality Night. The Clippers play The Chicago Bulls. http://www.nba.com/clippers/groups/equalitynight.html
2/02/11-2/06/11: Minneapolis, MN: Creating Change. The National Conference on LGBT Equality. http://www.creatingchange.org/?tr=y&auid=6739637
2/05/11: Northampton, MA: Mamma Mia! Sing-Along and Anything Goes Costume Contest. The annual Out! For Reel LGBT Film Festival’s community event. www.outforreel.org
2/05/11: New York, NY: No Excuses Gala, the Human Rights Campaign New York Gala. http://www.hrcgreaterny.org/
2/07/11: Nationwide: National Black HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. www.blackaidsday.org.
2/07/11: New York, NY: Broadway Backwards #6. Gender bendered showtunes to benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA) and The LGBT Community Center (the Center). Clay Aiken, Alan Cumming, Denis O’Hare, Bobby Steggert, and more co-star. http://www.broadwaycares.org/backwards2011
2/08/11: Albany, NY: Marriage Equality Day at the State Capitol. A Marriage Equality New York Rally. http://www.meny.us/
2/09/11: New York, NY: amFar New York Gala. Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Gladys Knight and Dionne Warwick perform for honorees Bill Clinton; Diane von Furstenberg; Dr. Mathilde Krim and Elizabeth Taylor.www.amfar.org.
2/11/11: Northampton, MA: “Heart to Heart”. The LGBT Coalition of Western Massachusetts benefit for the Shining Star Scholarship Fund for LGBT youth. www.lgbtcoationwma.org
Last Week’s Trivia Quiz: I Have A Dream
1. Question: Name this out civil rights activist, a colleague of Dr. Martin Luther King, who engineered the 1963 March on Washington, bringing Ghandi’s civil disobedience protest techniques to America for the first time. Answer: Bayard Rustin His film bio, “Brother Outsider” is often shown on PBS. http://www.rustin.org/.
2. Question: Name this gay composer (who often wrote leading roles for his tenor partner). He brought a Thomas Mann novella to the stage, a story about a hunky sailor, and a dreamy seasonal Shakespeare to the musical stage. Answer: Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) who composed the operas “Death in Venice”, “Billy Budd” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”.
3. Question: Name this bisexual director/choreographer, who brilliantly chronicled the backstage dreams of dancer wanna-bes, some gay, and later a musical tribute to a dreamy trio of Motown singers. Answer: Michael Bennett (1943-1987), creator of “A Chorus Line” and “Dreamgirls”. Many thought the story of “The Dreams” parallelled Diana Ross and the Supremes. “A Chorus Line” was revived on Broadway in 2006; a film documentary, "Every Little Step", tells the story of Bennett and the show. “Dreamgirls” had an Oscar-winning performance by Jennifer Hudson.
4. Question: Name this classical American musical (and movie) about a stage mother, with big dreams for her daughters. When she sings “I Have a Dream....”, you know no one and nothing will stand in her way until her kids get their names in light. Incidentally, some biographical material indicate that this Mom and her more famous daughter had several lesbian relationships. Answer: Gypsy, the story of Gypsy Rose Lee, her mama Rose, and sister June Havoc.
5. Question: Name this TV series star. While he dreamed of genies and crude, his real life mom dreamed of Janet Gaynor. Answer: Larry Hagman, star of “I Dream of Jeannie” and “Dallas”. His mom, Broadway star Mary Martin, supposedly had a relationship with Janet Gaynor.
This Week’s Trivia Quiz: January Winners
1. Question: Name this politician, the first openly gay mayor of a US state capitol, who was just sworn in as the fourth out Congressman.
2. Question: Name this Golden Globe winner (in several categories) film about a lesbian couple, whose kids try to track down their birth dad.
3. Question: Name this celebrity who would have turned 100 this year. Her 1957 memoir was adopted into a famous Broadway musical and movie. Her mother was a ferocious stage mother (who ran a lesbian boarding house in real life). A Broadway diva recently played the mother; a gay icon wants to film it.
4. Question: Name this People’s Choice Award winner who began acting at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theatre and the Second City Comedy Troupe. Before filming a series of comedy films, this actor starred in “The Real Live Brady Bunch”.
5. Question: Name this People’s Choice Award winner and new parent. Recognized as one of TIME’s Most Influential people in 2010; this successful actor, awards show host, stage and screen star started in the business as a kid.
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/
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