Category: Life

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Times Square: Empty Chairs & Empty Tables Send Secret Message Of Strength

(image via Tom Viola/Facebook)
The photo above was shared on Facebook by my friend Tom Viola, who heads up the world’s leading HIV support organization, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Tom writes that an intrepid staff member made the trip into the BC/EFA offices slathered in hand sanitizer to pick up mail and donation checks for their COVID-19 Emergency Fund. The staffer looked out the office windows and amid abandoned Times Square saw a secret message of strength and spirit. I’ll let Tom explain the photo, but for reference know that you’re looking down into the heart of Times Square at the TKTS booth.

Times Square may be abandoned but our hearts are not bereft. Earlier today, a member of the BC/EFA staff made the solo trip to the office – in a mask and gloves, slick with Purell and taking every precaution – in order to retrieve mail and deposit the large donations that are coming in as checks for our COVID-19 Emergency Fund.

In looking out my office window, this is what was seen below. Fashioned out of now-empty tables and chairs. Done not knowing if anyone would see. A message of hope, renewal, and assurance that Broadway and NYC will be back. Thank you! I LOVE NEW YORK! We will be back one day soon to fill that very plaza in celebration.

As most folks know, New York City has become the epicenter of the coronavirus threat. On Friday, New York state reached a grim milestone as the coronavirus has now killed more New Yorkers (2,935) than the terrorists who flew airplanes into the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001 (about 2,700). And the death toll is only expected to grow. But New Yorkers are a tough bunch. Count on that.

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Scam Artist “Blows Wind” At COVID-19

Kenneth Copeland (screen captures)
Scamvangelist Kenneth Copeland sermonizes against COVID-19. Make sure you get to the 1:40 mark where he literally spits into the air declaring, “COVID-19, I blow the wind of God on you.” Nope, he doesn’t look crazy at all. Not. At. All. p.s. I think the video is quite the visual metaphor as Copeland speaks to an empty audience and his minions simply repeat him verbatim.

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News Round-Up: April 2, 2020

L-R Pete and Chasten Buttigieg (screen capture)
Some news items you might have missed: • Furball of the Day: Former Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg (above) brought #BeardEdgeEdge to reality in a recent Instagram Live broadcast about the coronavirus pandemic sporting a newly-buzzed head and a woofy, scruff-tastic beard. • CNBC: Initial jobless claims for last week surged to more 6.6 million, the Labor Department said Thursday. That brings the two-week total to about 10 million due to the coronavirus-induced economic shutdown. Prior to the COVID-19 catastrophe, the highest week for claims was 695,000 in 1982. #SoMuchWinning • Boy Culture: The Adonis Lounge in NYC is usually very hands-on but the legendary strip joint, featuring the world’s best lap dances, is going hands-off during the COVID-19 crisis by hosting a virtual party on Friday, April 3, at 11 p.m. EST.
(GIF via Giphy)
• NY Post: The MTA and its largest union want bus riders to “cover their noses and mouths with bandanas or scarfs… if they do not have masks.” Listening to medical experts on TV today, my takeaway was that the main point of masks is to keep infected people from spreading the virus to others, not so much protect the wearer of the mask from getting infected. But we’re also now hearing that the virus can be transmitted through not just coughing or sneezing but talking or even just breathing. • Reuters: The U.S. Navy on Thursday relieved the commander of the aircraft carrier Theodore Roosevelt, who wrote a scathing letter that leaked to the public asking for stronger measures to control a coronavirus outbreak onboard his warship. Officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Captain Brett Crozier was being relieved not because he wrote the letter and sent it up through the chain of command but because the Navy believes he leaked it to the media. • Cocktail Hour: Food Network star Ina Garten has gone viral with her recipe for the “perfect Cosmopolitan.” This Instagram video has gotten over 2.4 million views in a day. #MyFavoriteThingToday

 

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It’s always cocktail hour in a crisis! Recipe on barefootcontessa.com #staysafe

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NYC Pet Shelters See Surge In Dog/Cat Adoption Rates

Bloomberg News reports animal shelters in New York City have suddenly seen a surge in adoption rates during the coronavirus threat.

That’s right, in the New York City area, the epicenter of the disease, there is suddenly a run on pets. At least of the adopted or fostered kind. Muddy Paws Rescue and Best Friends Animal Society are reporting shelters they work with are either all out of or almost out of cats and dogs after a surge in applications of as much as 10-fold in the past two weeks.

Ordered to shelter in place at home, and both a little bored and a lot anxious, New Yorkers apparently see the four-legged friends as way to calm frayed nerves.

“For the moment we definitely don’t have any dogs left to match” with foster volunteers, said Anna Lai, the marketing director at Muddy Paws. “Which is a great problem to have.”

(h/t JoeMyGod)

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Lyle Waggoner (Carol Burnett Show, Wonder Woman) Passes Away At 84

Lyle Waggoner on ‘The Carol Burnett Show’ and ‘Wonder Woman’ (images public domain)
Lyle Waggoner, who rose to fame in the 1970s as a regular on “The Carol Burnett Show” and “Wonder Woman” has passed away at the age of 84 due to cancer. From Variety:

In a statement released by Waggoner’s family, it was revealed that the “loving husband, father, grandfather, entrepreneur, and actor passed away peacefully at home on March 17th at the age of 84 with his wife at his side. The cause of death was cancer.”

Waggoner may have become best known for his roles on “The Carol Burnett Show,” where he started as the announcer in 1967 but stayed on with the sketch show through 1974. Some of his most notable sketches include being interrogated by a Nazi and his finger puppet and playing a love-lorn man in “As The Stomach Turns,” a slave master in “The Oldest Man,” Olympian Mark Spitz to Burnett’s Charo, and an alien known as the Jolly Green Thing.

But that show was hardly his only claim to fame. His very first role was in “Gunsmoke” the year before he began on “The Carol Burnett Show,” and he also guest-starred on classic 1960s and 1970s series such as “Lost in Space,” “Marcus Welby, M.D.,” “The Barbara Eden Show” and “Maude.”

After Waggoner left “The Carol Burnett Show,” he booked the role of Colonel Steve Trevor, Jr. on the 1975 “Wonder Woman” series, on which he starred for four years.

Additional screen credits include appearances on “Happy Days,” “Charlie’s Angels,” “The Golden Girls,” “Mork & Mindy,” and many, many more. Something I didn’t know: he was the first male centerfold in Playgirl in 1973. And in the 1960s, he tested for the role of “Batman,” but lost out to Adam West.

His last TV appearance was in 2017 for the 50th-anniversary celebration for “The Carol Burnett Show.” Even as he starred on television, Waggoner created a side gig as the founder of Star Waggons. The company provided customized dressing room trailers to production companies and studios for their stars out on location. Waggoner is survived by his wife of 60 years, Sharon; his two sons, and his four grandchildren. RIP Lyle Waggoner.

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Podcast: How Different Groups Use Coming Out To Push For Visibility & Recognition

In my latest episode of The Randy Report podcast, I chat with Abigail Saguy – Professor of Sociology and Gender Studies at UCLA – who’s written a fascinating new book, Come Out, Come Out, Whoever You Are. The new book details the evolution and history of how and why LGBTQ people “come out.” Saguy’s new book offers background and details from the earliest of gay movements and chronicles how we got from there to here. Over time, though, other marginalized groups – like fat acceptance activists, the #MeToo movement, undocumented immigrants – have adopted a similar dynamic of “coming out” in their efforts to resist stigma and bring about social change. Saguy and her collaborators offer an engaging exploration into how being ‘different’ has led to a universal movement for visibility and acceptance. Come Out, Come Out, Whoever You Are is available at most online booksellers. You can check it out on Amazon here. Hit the play button below 🙂

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Danny Tidwell, Of ‘So You Think You Can Dance,’ Dead At 35

Danny Tidwell on So You Think You Can Dance (screen capture)
Acclaimed dancer and choreographer Danny Tidwell, who first came to the national spotlight as the runner-up of Season 3 of So You Think You Can Dance, has passed away. He was 35. Eonline is reporting Tidwell died in a car accident on Friday. Travis Wall, who was the runner-up of Season 2 of SYTYCD, shared the news via a post on Instagram. “My heart is broken,” began Wall. “Yesterday I lost a brother. And we all lost a gift. I’m not ready. But I never think I will be. Because I can’t believe this is real.” “I can’t believe you’re gone,” continued Wall. “You were more than my brother. You were my inspiration. I idolized you growing up. Wanted to dance just like you. Wanted to be you!” “I wish I could jump in your arms again like we used to when we were kids and onstage dancing,” he added. “We will all remember the joy and passion you brought to everyone you came in contact with through out your journey. A journey cut to short. You are a legend. And I love you so much Danny. Rest In Peace my brother. I can’t believe I’m even typing this . Please pray for my mom and my family during this difficult time.”

 

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My heart is broken. Yesterday I lost a brother . And we all lost a gift. I’m not ready. But I never think I will be. Because I can’t believe this is real. I can’t believe you’re gone. You were more than my brother. You were my inspiration. I idolized you growing up. Wanted to dance just like you. Wanted to be you! I wish I could jump in your arms again like we used to when we were kids and onstage dancing. We will all remember the joy and passion you brought to everyone you came in contact with through out your journey. A journey cut to short. You are a legend. And I love you so much Danny. Rest In Peace my brother. I can’t believe I’m even typing this . Please pray for my mom and my family during this difficult time. 💔💔💔

A post shared by Travis Wall (@traviswall) on

Tidwell was adopted by Wall’s mother when he was 12-years-old. Tidwell began his dance journey when he was only 8-years-old in an after-school program for at-risk kids. He would go on to attend the Kirov Academy of Ballet and win a silver medal in the USA International Ballet Competition. His performing career included dancing for Debbie Allen, Mia Michaels, and the American Ballet Theatre. In September 2009, he made his Broadway debut in Memphis.

Since September 2010, Tidwell has lived in Oslo where he was hired as a soloist for Norway’s National Ballet. In 2014, Tidwell married journalist David Benaym who also paid tribute to his late husband on Saturday. “I’m devastated that my Danny, the love of my life, my beloved friend, the artist, the talented angel, fierce mind, legendary dancer, my now late husband, Danny Tidwell died last night in a car crash while his friend was driving him home from work,” wrote Benaym. “We were so lucky to have him, life was so challenging for him. But he was a warrior, and he came back standing, always. We loved each other so much, he was and always will be family.”

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I'm devastated that my Danny, the love of my life, my beloved friend, the artist, the talented angel, fierce mind, legendary dancer, my now late husband, Danny Tidwell died last night in a car crash while his friend was driving him home from work. I'm thinking of Denise, Travis, Scott, Tyler and Shannon, Grandma, his sisters Latoya and Ronda, his friend that was with him, Eddy, that survives him, and all his dance family that is already expressing the state of shock we are all in. We were so lucky to have him, life was so challenging for him. But he was a warrior, and he came back standing, always. We loved each other so much, he was and always will be family. He made me the happiest for so many years, we were able to create so much together, a book and a show, Moving Still, an amazing magazine adventure for 7 years, movmnt magazine, that made us so proud. He had such an impact on the dance world, life gave him so much to deal with from a young age. I will write more about you Danny, tell your story, continue your legacy, make sure that you are not forgotten, that you are celebrated. An angel with no wings you said you were, you were flying all along, and you'll be our guardian angel from now on. I love you, I'll forever miss you. You're now in peace, mon Danny, and I know you know how much you were loved. #dannytidwell

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Rest in peace, Danny Tidwell. Here’s just a small taste of the talent and brilliance we have lost.