Author: Randy Slovacek

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Cancun to allow marriage equality beginning Jan. 1, 2012

Cancun and other resort areas in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo will have a new attraction for gay and lesbian couples from the United States, Canada and Europe, allowing them to legalize their unions thanks to a quirk in the local civil code, activist Patricia Novelo told Efe.

Novelo said that in January the first same-sex group wedding will be held in the resort area as part of local support for the human rights of the gay community.

She said that already several couples have expressed their wish to formalize their unions at the ceremony.

Novelo said that this “is something very positive. Besides the social part there are many economic benefits because the gay community generates between 45 and 60 percent more income on top of conventional tourism.”

She said gay and lesbian marriages are possible in Quintana Roo, “thanks to a legal gap in the Civil Code,” which only makes mention of “people interested in getting married,” without specifying their gender.

In Mexico, same-sex marriages have been expressly authorized in Mexico City, where through Dec. 15 1,246 such unions had been legally finalized, many involving citizens of other countries.

Hotels, airlines, and tour companies are already working to launch same-sex marriage packages to Cancun, Cozumel, and other beach towns in the Mexican state of Quintana Roo.

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Anthony Vincent Bova – Bova Actors Workshop

The Bova Actors Workshop is the exclusive New York Training Center of the Eric Morris System, located at the Ionica Theatre in Times Square New York.

Led by Anthony Vincent Bova, NYC actors work on the process & technique of acting. Often the technique of getting out of their own way. Of not ‘acting’ but ‘being.’

Prior to founding the Bova Actors Workshop, Anthony was on staff at Tisch School of the Arts at NYU, the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute, HB Studios, and the New York Film Academy.

A short list of shows & productions actors from the Bova Actors Workshop have appeared in principal or supporting roles includes: Hawaii Five-O, Bluebloods, The Good Shepard, Empire Boardwalk, The Sopranos, Nip/Tuck, Law & Order SVU, Twelve, CSI:Miami, Army Wives, Bloodline, Criminal Minds, Happy Endings.

January 4th & 5th, Bova Actors Workshop will offer their free Intro-Demo to actors interested in exploring the Eric Morris System.

Questions addressed at the Intro-Demo include “What is the Eric Morris System?” “How would this System aid in my educational development?” “How’s this different than other techniques and ways of working?” and “is this for ME?”

January 4th – Ionica Theater – 10:30am – 12 noon
300 W. 43rd St. Suite 504
NYC, NY 10036

January 5th – Drama Book Shop – 5:45pm – 7pm
250 W. 40th Street
NYC, NY

I’ve known Anthony for over 25 years, and he is not only a terrific actor and teacher, but he’s a consummate professional who always has his focus on “the work.” I’m so proud of Anthony’s achievements and his dedication to his students growth.

If you live in the NYC area and are interested in expanding your horizons as an actor, I encourage you to check out the free sessions listed above.

For more info about the Bova Actors Workshop, click here.

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New music: T. Oliver Reid – “Do I Love You”

T. Oliver Reid, who has appeared on Broadway in Mary Poppins, The Wedding Singer, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Follies and Kiss Me, Kate, among others, will release his anxiously awaited debut solo recording next month.

Entitled “Do I Love You,” the CD – currently available for pre-order on Amazon.com – will be available beginning Jan. 17, 2012, on the Yellow Sound Lab label via iTunes and Amazon.com.

From Amazon.com: ‘The 13 tracks on this album are a part of the fabric of his love affair with music throughout his life. It contains some of the Songbooks most romantic songs, re-arranged and recorded by some of Broadway’s finest musicians.’

The full track list:
1. Love!

2. Let’s Fall In Love

3. You Don’t Bring Me Flowers
4. It’s Easy To Remember
5. Do I Love You?

6. Glad To Be Unhappy/ Autumn In New York
7. This Can’t Be Love / How Do You Keep The Music Playing

8. I Can’t Make You Love Me
9. I Wish I Were In Love Again
10. The Nearness Of You / Like A Lover

11. Any Little Fish
12. I Got Love

13. Over The Rainbow

After winning the 2010 Metrostar Challenge, T. Oliver Reid brought his winning show to the Metropolitan for a couple of runs earlier this year, and then went on to perform at the Gardenia Room in Los Angeles.

Of his performance at the Metropolitan Room, Stephen Holden of the New York Times wrote: “Vulnerability is a quality that most male singers measure out in teaspoons. But for T. Oliver Reid, it isn’t a discreetly added emotional flavoring to a love song; it is its essence.”

“To witness Mr. Reid infuse popular standards with the immediacy and intensity of diary entries… was to observe an unfaltering emotional high-wire act. While tiptoeing on his high wire, Mr. Reid repeatedly shot arrows into the hearts of songs, where they lodged, quivering.”

I’ve known and been a fan of T. Oliver’s talent for over a decade. He is the real deal.

Where artistry, talent and technique collide – that’s where T. Oliver Reid lives.

For more information visit www.toliverreid.com.

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Rick Perry on Lawrence v. Texas: “I’m not taking the bar exam”

During his presidential campaign, Texas Gov. Rick Perry has had difficulty recalling how many justices sit on the Supreme Court and remembering their names, so perhaps it’s not surprising that today, he forgot a landmark case involving his administration, Lawrence v. Texas.

A voter at a meet and greet asked him to defend his criticism of limited government in the case.

“I wish I could tell you I knew every Supreme Court case. I don’t, I’m not even going to try to go through every Supreme Court case, that would be — I’m not a lawyer,” Perry said at the Blue Strawberry Coffee Shop here. “We can sit here and you know play I gotcha questions on what about this Supreme Court case or whatever, but let me tell you, you know and I know that the problem in this country is spending in Washington, D.C., it’s not some Supreme Court case.”

In 2003, the Supreme Court deemed Texas’ anti-sodomy law to be unconstitutional in a 6-3 ruling in Lawrence v. Texas, and the case nullified anti-sodomy laws in 13 other states at the same time.

Perry, a strong opponent of gay marriage and the ability of homosexuals to serve openly in the military, served as governor when this case was decided.

Asked by Ken Herman, a columnist with the Austin American Statesman, for clarification on whether he knew what the case concerned, Perry responded, “I’m not taking the bar exam… I don’t know what a lot of legal cases involve.”

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Marriage equality heading into 2012

On Jan. 1, Hawaii and Delaware join the growing number of states offering some form of relationship recognition for same-sex couples.

Marriage equality: Connecticut, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Vermont and Washington, D.C.

Civil unions: New Jersey, Illinois, Rhode Island – soon to be joined by Hawaii and Delaware

Domestic partnerships: California, Colorado, Maine, Maryland, Nevada, Oregon, Washington state and Wisconsin

The Republican-controlled state legislature in New Hampshire has a pending bill to repeal marriage equality in that state, but the governor has promised to veto it, if passed.