Author: Randy Slovacek

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NC: A man, a rifle and a defenseless sign

Funny how proud & cool this guy thinks he is for shooting a sign.

Yep – he really took care of things.
(via JMG)

UPDATE – May 1, 2012: Cabarrus County deputies spent more than an hour at the teen’s home after learning about the video. They believe the 17-year-old Jonathan Wiles took the sign from an intersection and set it up in his backyard where he recorded himself firing several shots at it.

County officials said its investigation is not over. There is a county ordinance that deals with using firearms near other homes. Officials are also looking into the possibility of additional charges.

More here.

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Broadway – or “The Shows What I Saw This Week”

While in NYC this past week, I was able to see several shows on Broadway. I love being in a Broadway theater and seeing folks do what they do best.

GHOST the Musical, based on the Patrick Swayze/Demi Moore/Whoopi Goldberg movie, was visually fantastic. Like nothing I’ve ever seen. If you know the movie (and who doesn’t?) you know it begins with someone dying and becoming a ghost. It’s hard to imagine the show without the technology which really made telling the story possible. This production takes technical theater to a new height. Da ‘Vine Joy Randolph, who plays the Whoopi Goldberg role, is a serious scene-stealer. Hysterical, funny and has a big voice.

Tracie Bennett could very well win the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her portrayal of Judy Garland in her final days. Completely lived up to her reviews and hype. Michael Cumpsty brings his usual brilliance to the play as Judy’s accompanist. Plus the wonderful Jay Russell, who I went to college with at Syracuse University, is wonderful in the production. Congrats Jay on a fab evening in the theater.

Word is Linda Lavin also is a heavy contender in the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play. She was very funny especially in the first act of this play. If you think family members loudly telling each other to “f*ck off” over and over is funny, you’ll love this. The second act lost me a bit, but I did enjoy the play overall.

Also saw the new revival of EVITA. Rob Ashford’s choreography was the highlight of the evening. Beautiful work by Rob.

One show I did not get to see this trip and will definitely see next is the revival of “Porgy and Bess” starring Norm Lewis & Audra McDonald. I did get to catch up with Norm for a bit after one of his performances, and I’m happy to report the show is doing well not only with the audiences but at the box office as well. Both Audra and Norm have been nominated for many awards for their performances. Can’t wait to see it.

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Drama Desk Awards reinstates Orchestration category

Last week the Drama Desk announced its nominees for the 2011-2012 season celebrating the best of On, Off and Off-Off Broadway. Absent from this year’s list was a category honoring the “Outstanding Orchestrations.”

After hearing the outpouring of concern and support for the category (including an online petition, created by Jamie McGonnigal, with 3,000+ signatures from industry notables and fans), the Drama Desk Executive Board has announced that they will reinstate the category for this year’s awards show on June 3 at The Town Hall.

The Nominating Committee reassembled over the weekend to select this year’s most Outstanding Orchestrations. 
This year’s nominees for Outstanding Orchestrations include: 
1. Bill Elliott, Nice Work If You Can Get It 
2. Larry Hochman, Death Takes a Holiday 
3. Martin Lowe, Once 
4. John McDaniel, Bonnie & Clyde 
5. Michael Starobin, Queen of the Mist 
6. Danny Troob, Newsies 
“The Drama Desk prides itself on celebrating New York’s rich theatrical community. Our Executive Board appreciates the forthright and passionate response to our nominations announcement and have taken your comments to heart. The Executive Board is very happy to reinstate the Outstanding Orchestrations category and honor the dedication and hard work of this season’s talented orchestrators.” said Isa Goldberg, Drama Desk President.
The 57th Annual Drama Desk Awards will take place on Sunday, June 3, 2012, at 8:00 PM at The Town Hall in Manhattan.
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Signorile: Gays who criticize other gays

“Like the classic case of the bully who picks on people because he’s afraid, deep down, that he is the one who actually is weak, it appears that these guys beat up others in the community to divert attention from themselves and to show that they’re down with everyone else who’s doing the bashing. In the case of [Richard] Grenell, it’s particularly interesting because if you watch a video of him being interviewed you’ll see he is not exactly the standard of masculinity. And that’s totally fine — few men are, gay or straight. But for him to then criticize a lesbian for not meeting a standard of femininity does reveal a certain ‘lady doth protest too much’ quality.

“We’ve seen similar kinds of tweets about Maddow from Chris Barron, one of the founders of the conservative gay group, GOProud, who once mocked her for looking like a ‘dude.’ He’s also tweeted that Barney Frank is ‘catty,’ has a ‘purse’ and wants to ‘sit in Scott Brown’s lap.’ Curiously, Barron also obsessively tweets about his gym workouts and tweets many photos of his worked-out abs, in what seems like a desperate exercise in overcompensation, as if to say, ‘See, I really am a real man, really!'” – Michelangelo Signorile, writing for Huffington Post.
(via JMG)

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NC: Amendment One – Every1Against1

Same-sex marriage is already illegal in North Carolina. Which means voting AGAINST Amendment One is not a vote to legalize same-sex marriage.

Amendment One (SB514) is a proposed change to Article 14 of the North Carolina State Constitution that will appear before the voters on the May 8, 2012 primary ballot across North Carolina. Amendment One is not only an ideological assault on the civil rights of LGBT North Carolinians, it’s also a poorly written law that will have serious negative, unintended and harmful consequences on North Carolina’s children, families, seniors, women and businesses.

Stating that, “Marriage between a man and a woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this State,” Amendment One aims to turn all unmarried couples — whether same-sex or opposite-sex — into second-class citizens unworthy of basic dignity and fair treatment.

Vote NO on Amendment One in North Carolina on May 8th.

More info here.

How you can help – click here.

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Zach Wahls speaks of the sanctity of marriage on Piers Morgan Show

I agree with everything Zach says here.

The conversation regarding marriage equality needs to be a respectful one so those who don’t yet see this as a civil rights issue can still be open to a dialogue.

I also wholeheartedly agree that the First Amendment does guarantee freedom of religion but it also does not create a theocracy in America.

Many times you hear anti-gay folks say they don’t want homosexuality shoved down their throats. BUT by trying to create laws that follow religious teachings and using the Bible as the primary foundation of their disapproval, those folks are going down the road of trying to make this country a theocracy. By definition, those people are “shoving” their views onto the LGBT community.

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From President Obama – “Forward”

The video outlines the challenges America faced as President Obama took office at the height of the worst recession in almost a century and details the progress that has been made reclaiming the security of the middle class and building an economy that’s meant to last, where hard work pays and responsibility is rewarded.

Well done. And always nice to see facts…

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Video: Olivia Newton-John book signing in NYC

Olivia Newton-John at Barnes & Noble Book Store in NYC on April 27, 2012.

Olivia greeted fans and signed 500 copies of her “LivWise: easy recipes for a healthy, happy life” cookbook. All proceeds of the book go to help build the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre.

The line for the book signing snaked through the entire store many times over. Scheduled to end after two hours, Olivia stayed over three hours and signed for every fan who bought a book for the ONJCWC.