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David Drake on the “evolution” of Tawny Heatherton

Brandon Voss at Gay.net has a fun Q&A with the brilliant David Drake, whose fab theatrical creation “Tawny Heatherton” is appearing at the Laurie Beechman Theatre in NYC until January 26th.

Here’s just a “touch of Tawny” for you:

Tawny has a very colorful and detailed backstory. How did you fill in those gaps?

Oddly enough, Tawny’s evolution was a kind of act of grief transference: Farrah Fawcett’s death was the underlying motivation for Tawny’s personality. She was the magic angel. And she died that summer when Tawny was born. As soon as I had the blonde hair falling in my face, I could just feel all that carefree Farrah-like energy bubbling up, and I just went with it.

Joey came into the picture because I’ve always been fascinated by forgotten blonde starlets. I’m a Marilyn hag, so anything that echoed off that image — Jayne Mansfield, Carole Wayne, the Landers sisters — grabbed my interest. Tawny became my way of creating one of those Hollywood girls — the ones we loved, then forgot — and figuring out the “Whatever happened to…?” story. Being Joey’s niece, of course Tawny went into the family business: showbiz! And like Joey, Tawny has been on the tail end of all of it.

You’ve previously explored Tawny in My Tawny Valentine and A Very Tawny Christmas. What are some new stories and songs she’s sharing in Tawny, Tell Me True?

The new show is about Tawny’s becoming keen to the dawning of the Age of Aquarius. Along the way, she ponders whether her whole crazy, zig-zag journey has added anything to “the greater good” of mankind. This includes Tawny’s abduction by aliens… her sleepwalking jaunts on her bike… and a chicken who she believes has been following her since her brief stint as a “Honey” on the final season of Hee Haw.

There’s lots of talking with the audience in this show as well, which I love. And a very funny onstage relationship with her musical director, Lance Cruce.

Plus we’ve got some great new songs — classics by The Carpenters, Talking Heads, Eurythmics, B-52s, the Disney ballad “Somewhere Out There,” and a jaunty old country song that’s actually the flip-side to Jeanne C. Riley’s “Harper Valley P.T.A.”

Head over to Gay.net for more “Tawny.”

Tawny, Tell Me True runs through Jan. 26 at NYC’s Laurie Beechman Theatre.

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Speculation: will Obama nominate openly gay candidate for Interior Secretary?

With Interior Secretary Ken Salazar’s announcement  yesterday that he’ll be stepping down later this year, President Obama is left with  another open spot to nominate.

As speculation mounts over who could take the spot, one name keeps coming up: John Berry, the openly gay director of the Office of Personnel Management.

From the Washington Post:

Interior secretaries generally hail from the West, and Berry, a Rockville native, does not. But the president is under intense pressure from gay activists to appoint an openly gay secretary to his cabinet, a historic move. And Berry fits the bill.

He also has experience, serving at Interior during the Clinton administration as Assistant Secretary for Policy, Management and Budget then moving to direct the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and the National Zoo during the second Bush administration. Obama tapped Berry to run OPM in 2009.

(via Towleroad)

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Rhode Island: NOM runs full page anti-gay marriage newspaper ad

Well, it wouldn’t be the same fight for equality without the National Organization for Marriage twisting facts into lies, would it?

Rhode Islanders United For Marriage ticks off the lies:

Claim: Faith organizations, such as the Knights of Columbus, will be forced to host same-sex weddings in their facilities against their will.

Fact: A Vermont inn refused to host a same-sex wedding and was penalized. However, the legal repercussions were not due to Vermont’s marriage equality law, but rather a state anti-discrimination law. The inn owners cited “personal feelings” to justify their decision not to host the wedding of a lesbian couple. But Vermont’s Fair Housing and Public Accommodations Act prohibits public accommodations, such as inns, restaurants and schools that serve the public, “from denying goods and services based on customers’ sexual orientation.” Rhode Island law currently prohibits discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and HB5015 will not
change affect that protection.

Claim: Small businesses that oppose marriage equality will face lawsuits.

Fact: A Seattle Times investigation “failed to turn up any evidence that same-sex marriage had produced a rash of suits involving businesspeople.” The Times “also checked with human rights commissions in four of the six states where marriage is legal; the commissions said there was not an increase in discrimination findings or suits involving same sex marriage.”

Claim: People have been fired from their job for opposing marriage equality.

Fact: NOM claims Canadian sportscaster Damian Goddard was fired from his position with Rogers Sportnet after tweeting his opposition to marriage equality. Sportsnet denied that assertion, noting “well documented” reasons for his termination, saying it ”had already made the decision to terminate Mr. Goddard for cause.”

JoeMyGod has it right: “The debunking goes on for several more paragraphs, but really, none of this is news to us here.  NOM is a lying group of compulsive lying liars for whom no lie is too petty or even too outrageous if they believe it furthers the goals of the Vatican.”

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NYC: “Rock for Recovery” benefit concert tonight

Tonight at the Gramercy Theatre – ROCK FOR RECOVERY with Adam Gontier, Art of Dying, Sid Wilson and more.  All proceeds go to help victims of Hurricane Sandy.

Tickets are $25 – doors open at 6pm

Head over to LiveNation to buy tickets online or available at the box office.

THE GRAMERCY THEATRE
127 EAST 23RD ST
NEW YORK, NY 10010

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Veteran discharged under DADT named Citizen Co-Chair for Obama Inauguration

Former Air Force SSgt. David Hall, who was discharged under DADT, has been named a Citizen Co-Chair of President Obama’s second inauguration celebration:

“This is certainly the honor of a lifetime, and I am grateful to President Obama for his leadership in repealing ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ so that no qualified American who wants to serve this country in uniform will ever again be denied that right simply because they are gay or lesbian,” said Hall.

Hall will join the seven others named today in the National Day of Service on Saturday that kicks off the inaugural events over the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday weekend. He will attend the swearing-in ceremony Monday and along with the other co-chairs will ride on an inaugural parade float highlighting the inaugural theme of “Our People: Our Future.” Monday evening, he will attend the official inaugural balls.

Hall served in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait before his discharge. He is now on staff at OutServe/SLDN.

(Via OutServe-SLDN)

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Sebastian Stan in “Picnic”

The Roundabout Theatre has revived William Inge’s classic play Picnic.

The original Broadway production starred a young Paul Newman as “Hal” – a young man who comes to town looking for a new start.  Sebastian Stan (“Bucky” from the Chris Evans ‘Captain America’ movie) and his high-definition abs take the role of “Hal” in this new production.

Unfortunately, most reviews have not been strong except in regard to the front and center prominence of Sebastian’s abs.

The New York Times practically insisted that Sebastian’s abs deserve “star billing.”

I won’t judge the performances until I get to see them, but until then I can share with you “the abs that launched a thousand ships.” 

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Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation: $200K to anti-bullying efforts

 

Via press release, Ben Cohen shares that his foundation to fight bullying – The Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation – has proved $200,000 in support to anti-bullying programs.

The Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation today announced nearly $200,000 in support provided to anti-bullying efforts since launching less than two years ago, in April 2011. Of the $198,900 in support, $58,200 was given in direct grants to 18 anti-bullying groups across the US, UK and Ireland. Another $140,700 went to support StandUp’s international anti-bullying awareness and education campaign.

“Our mission is simple but will take time to fulfill. We are off to a strong start,” said Ben Cohen, MBE, chairman. “We exist to raise awareness of the long-term damaging effects of bullying, and to fund those doing real-world work to stop it.”

Ben Cohen, a rugby World Cup champion, is the first sports superstar to dedicate his philanthropic efforts to anti-bullying. He founded the Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation in memory of his father, Peter Cohen, who was beaten to death when he stood up for an employee who was being attacked.

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New wine dedicated to the spirit of LGBT equality

With all the progress the gay community has made in the past year, there’s a lot to celebrate. And now we can raise our glasses—and awareness— with a sparkling wine dedicated to the spirit of LGBT equality.

Created by New York winery Biagio Cru, Égalité, (French for “equality”) is a Crémant from the Burgundy region of France that its makers describe as “[offering] hints of peach and honey blossom on the palate, with a clean, dry finish found in only the finest Champagnes.”

Biagio Cru has donated $1,000 each to The Trevor Project, The Ali Forney Center, Equality Maine, GLSEN and Chicago’s Center on Halsted. And for every bottle of Égalité sold, a portion of proceeds will be donated to LGBT youth groups.

“With same-sex marriage now legal in states from Maine to New York and Iowa to Washington, this is a time to recognize the hard-earned progress that has been made in pursuit of Equality,” says winery co-owner Darren Restivo.

As of Friday, Égalité is available in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Maine, New Hampshire and Illinois.

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Kentucky: Vicco – smallest US town to approve LGBT protections

From The Advocate: The small Appalachian town of Vicco, Ky., has become the smallest municipality in the U.S. to approve an LGBT nondiscrimination law.

“Vicco is a community that believes all folks should be treated fairly,” said Vicco city attorney Eric Ashley. “We believe everyone deserves the opportunity for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Fairness is a Kentucky value, a Vicco value, and one of our most American values.”

Vicco’s 334 residents will be protected under the fairness ordinance, which prohibits discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, according to the American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky. The ordinance passed 3-1, with the support of Mayor Johnny Cummings.

Vicco becomes Kentucky’s fourth municipality to pass such an ordinance, following Lexington, Louisville, and Covington.