|  |
Chicago Public Library, Queer Film Society offer free Pride series
- From a press release - The Chicago Public Library, in association with the Queer Film Society, present Celebrating Diversity, a free series celebrating LGBTQ movies in honor of Gay Pride month. The series comprises three free screenings and a book reading/multimedia event taking place on Tuesday, June 4, Wednesday, June 12, Tuesday, June 18, and Wednesday, June 19 at various branches of the Chicago Public ...
|
| |
Reeling LGBT film fest hires 2 directors
- From a press release - Chicago Filmmakers, the presenting organization of Reeling, the world's second oldest LGBT film festival, has announced return dates for the festival after its 2012 hiatus. The 31st edition of Reeling, which has been officially rechristened Reeling: The Chicago LGBT International Film Festival, will be Nov. 7-14, 2013 (with an official Call for Entries coming later this week). Richard Knight, Jr. ...
|
| |
Bailiwick Chicago announces 2013-14 Season
- From a press release - CHICAGO (May 20, 2013) — Bailiwick Chicago Theater is pleased to announce its 2013—14 Season, which celebrates daring new work alongside a recharged classic. In March 2014, Artistic Director Lili-Anne Brown directs the darkly comedic new play BOOTYCANDY written by award-winning playwright Robert O'Hara. Immediately following in May 2014, a unique resurrection of the 1970 Tony Award-winning musical APPLAUSE, directed ...
|
| |
Flying high with Pam Ann
- NUNN ON ONE - The air hostess with the mostest—Pam Ann—is flying into Chicago, and hilarity is expected with a title like "Cockpit!" For those readers who aren't hip to Ann's comedy, she is the alter ego of Melbourne native Caroline Reid. Born from the travel industry with a pinch of Austin Powers, a smidge of Dame Edna, and a dash of Kathy Griffin, ...
|
| |
Dancing with the Queer Stars in Chicago June 8
- Lanita Davis Dance Theatre's annual dance camp will be funded by the 3rd annual Dancing With The Queer Stars fundraiser June 8, 2215 S. Michigan Ave. The event, and the free camp is the brainchild of the artistic director, LaNita Joseph. Dancing With The Queer Stars is a diverse ballroom dance competition where local queer stars team up to compete ...
|
| |
Matthews Mans Up!
- Ross Matthews became an overnight success thanks to The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, where he was coined "Ross the Intern." His standout voice and personality made him instantly memorable on late-night television at home. He joined Celebrity Fit Club and the cast of Chelsea Lately since then along with interviewing many celebrities on the red carpet over the years. ...
|
| |
'Through the Fire' with Chaka Khan
- NUNN ON ONE: MUSIC - With a career that is now spanning four decades, singer Chaka Khan has never been easy to fit into a box. A Chicago native, she began her career as the front woman for Rufus then broke out on her own with such hits as "Through the Fire" "I'm Every Woman" and "I Feel for You." She has worked with many ...
|
| |
Billy Masters
- "I have been more right than wrong. If ever there was a time to be grateful and relieved for being mistaken, this is that time. Only God is right all the time."—Psychic Sylvia Browne responds to criticism that she wrongly predicted the death of kidnap victim Amanda Barry on The Montel Williams Show in 2004. When Louwana Miller asked if ...
|
| |
Bookshelf
- Please support independent bookstores by purchasing your books through them. Stores we recommend include Women & Children First, Unabridged Books, The Book Cellar, After Words, the Book Table, 57th Street Books, Quimby's and Powell's. Non-Fiction Thirty-six stories from LGBT and allied business leaders make up the anthology Out & Equal at Work: From Closet to Corner Office from Out ...
|
| |
John Waters: Icon talks poppers, new show, Johnny Depp
- NUNN ON ONE - Born in Baltimore, John Waters rose to fame as a cult icon. He has wore many hats over the years including journalist, film director, author, screenwriter and, now, spoken-word comedian. He has ignited the careers of such performers as Ricki Lake, Divine, Mink Stole, Traci Lords and Johnny Depp. Known for his pencil moustache and his reputation the king of ...
|
| |
Knight at the Movies: The Great Gatsby; Scatter My Ashes; notes
- Scott Fitzgerald's 1925 classic novel The Great Gatsby has been a staple of high school English lit classes for decades. And though scores of folks have no doubt been moved by Fitzgerald's story of the fragile Southern belle Daisy—married to the wealthy brute Tom Buchanan—and her obsession for her onetime lover, the elusive mega rich Jay Gatsby, the movies have ...
|
| |
Looking at 'What's the T?' and 'BALL'
- SCOTTISH PLAY SCOTT - In the coming weeks, the upstairs venues at the Victory Gardens Theatre will soon be a hive of activity for LGBTQ shows. About Face Theatre is reviving its acclaimed Youth Theatre production of What's the T? and it also presents the Chicago premiere of British playwright Alexi Kaye Campbell's 2008 Olivier Award-winning drama The Pride about two gay love stories ...
|
| |
Blood and Gifts
- THEATER REVIEW - Playwright: J. T. Rogers. At: TimeLine Theatre, 615 W. Wellington Ave. Tickets: 1-773-281-8463; www.timelinetheatre.com; $32-$42. Runs through: July 28 "My enemy's enemy is my friend," is a cliché of global geopolitics, and perhaps it's never proved more accurate than in the quicksand morass of the Islamic world. The monumental schism of that world, Shi'a vs. Sunni, began with the death ...
|
| |
Spotlight
- American Theater Company postponed its planned revival of the musical Hair this season when its acclaimed production of the revised columbinus was extended. So in place of Hair, a remounting of Stephen Karam's comic drama Speech & Debate was combed into the season. (American Theater Company previously staged a Jeff Award-winning production in 2008.) So if you previously missed this ...
|
| |
Jillian Erickson at Prop Thtr in June
- Performance artist, monologist, poet and writer Jillian Erickson will bring his show, 3:00 a.m., to Prop Thtr, 3502 N. Elston Ave., Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m June 7-29. A press release states that "the performance is a menagerie of Erickson's life over the past years: from Colorado to Chicago… from Ralph Macchio to religion…from biological clocks to a Norwegian ...
|
| |
Seek and Ye Shall Find
- THEATER REVIEW - Playwright: Sentell Harper. At: Mortar Theatre Company at Apollo Theater Studio, 2540 N. Lincoln Ave. Tickets: 773-935-6100 or www.mortartheatrecompany.org; $15 ($10 for students). Runs through: June 8 Local actors currently in the process of creating a solo performance art piece should measure their efforts against the wowing high bar being set by Sentell Harper in his one-man show Seek and ...
|
| |
Henry VIII
- THEATER REVIEW - Playwright: William Shakespeare. At: Chicago Shakespeare Theater at Navy Pier, 800 E. Grand Ave. Tickets: 312-595-5600; www.chicagoshakes.com; $58-$78. Runs through: June 16 The image of Henry VIII indelibly imprinted in American memory is that of the fat and hearty Charles Laughton in the 1933 film. The reason behind its persistence is that the final chapter in Shakespeare's history of English ...
|
| |
CRITICS' PICKS
- Comrades Mine, City Lit Theater at Edgewater Presbyterian Church, through May 19. Maureen Gallagher's bio-drama recounts the little-known story of the Civil War spy whom nobody suspected was a woman until she asked to be recognized by the government for her service. MSB The Night of the Iguana, The Artistic Home, through May 25. Ensemble acting at its most exemplary ...
|
| |
By The Way, Meet Vera Stark
- THEATER REVIEW - Playwright: Lynn Nottage. At: Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St. Tickets: 312-443-3800; www.goodmantheatre.org; $25-$81. Runs through: June 2 Cinema history, we are told, suffered a great loss in the fire destroying the Celestial Pictures studios in 1947, leaving only one film—an unremarkable 1933 melodrama titled The Belle of New Orleans, its screenplay based on a Bernard St. Simon novel (but ...
|
| |
'Cleopatra' in theaters, on Blu-ray in May
- Cinemark Holdings, Inc. has announced special in-theater performances of the 1963 Twentieth Century Fox film Cleopatra in more than 120 Cinemark theaters across the country as part of Cinemark's Classic Series. Performances will be Wed., May 22, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., with an additional Sunday matinee on May 26 at 2 p.m. Twentieth Century Fox has meticulously restored ...
|
| |
BOOK REVIEW Stuck in the Middle with You
- By Jennifer Finney Boylan. $24; Crown; 288 pages When you were younger, you wanted nothing to do with parenthood. Life was a party then and having a family was the farthest thing from your mind. Kids changed people and who wants that? Being a parent was something that happened to somebody else. Once upon a time, Jennifer Finney Boylan thought ...
|
| |
Sugar & Spice: Mas alla del Sol
- I have a major thing for Los Nopales, a hidden gem on Western Ave. in Lincoln Square that I believe serves up some of the best authentic Mexican comfort food in this whole town. So, I was thrilled when I discovered that the folks behind Los Nopales opened a new restaurant in Edgewater — not only so I could check ...
|
| |
Dule Hill talks Psych, tap-dancing, intolerance
- NUNN ON ONE: TELEVISION - The USA Network has another hit on its hands with Psych, a detective comedy with a twist. The show stars James Roday as a police consultant who solves crimes with his powers of observation making others believe he is psychic. Dulé Hill plays his best friend, Burton "Gus" Guster. Hill is also known for his tap-dancing skills and his role ...
|
| |
Thom Filicia on reality television, growing empire
- NUNN ON ONE - Thom Filicia shot into the spotlight as the interior designer on Queer Eye for the Straight Guy. Afterwards he began his writing career with a book from the series and now is out promoting his latest American Beauty. He has had several successful television shows on the Style Network including Dress My Nest and Tacky House. He is the featured ...
|
| |
Out choral director to receive award
- The Grant Park Music Festival has announced that chorus director Christopher Bell will receive the 2013 Michael Korn Founders Award given by Chorus America. Bell has served as director of the Grant Park Chorus since 2001, and led the chorus through its 50th anniversary last season with a series of special events, including the release of its first-ever a cappella ...
|
| |
Carol Leifer featured in May 19 event
- Lesbian comedian/producer Carol Leifer will headline a May 19 event at Glencoe's North Shore Congregation Israel, 1185 Sheridan Rd., at 5 p.m. Her one-woman show is entitled "Judaism Is in My DNA." Leifer has worked for such shows as Saturday Night Live, Seinfeld, The Larry Sanders Show, and the Emmy-winning Modern Family, for which she won a 2012 Writers Guild ...
|
| |
Howlin' Wolf show at Black Ensemble
- Black Ensemble Theater announces Ain't No Crying the Blues (In the Memory of Howlin Wolf), written by Black Ensemble Theater Founder and CEO Jackie Taylor, directed by Associate Director Rueben Echoles and starring Rick Stone, one of the stars of the classic movie Cooley High. Ain't No Crying the Blues will be presented at the new Black Ensemble Theater Cultural ...
|
| |
Center's ArtOUT Gallery to feature Marshall, Kemp
- On Friday, May 17, at 7 p.m., Center on Halsted, 3656 N. Halsted St., will host an opening reception at its second and third floor art galleries to feature the works of artists Kathleen Ellen Marshall and Christopher Kemp. The opening reception and galleries are open to the public, with a suggested $5 donation. These artwork installations will continue until ...
|
| |
Silk Road's 'Invasion!' starts July 30
- Silk Road Rising co-founders, Artistic Director Jamil Khoury and Executive Director Malik Gillani, will present the Midwest premiere of Jonas Hassen Khemiri's Invasion! July 30-Sept. 3. According to a press release, "this deeply subversive play deconstructs a threatening identity—the Arabic male—and forces us to confront our own cultural identity." All performances will be presented in the company's venue in Pierce ...
|
| |
About Face presenting 'The Pride' June 6
- About Face Theatre will kick off LGBTQ Pride Month with the Chicago premiere of the Olivier Award-winning drama The Pride by Alexi Kaye Campbell June 6-July 13 at Victory Gardens Richard Christiansen Theater, 2433 N. Lincoln Ave. Artistic Director Bonnie Metzgar will direct. "The Pride maps the progression of the gay-rights movement from the repression of the fifties to the ...
|
| |
Mykki Blanco and The Banjee Report
- BENT NIGHTS: CONCERT REVIEWS Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - I knew halfway through Mykki Blanco's (pronounced "Mikey Blanko's") SRO show at the Empty Bottle that I would feel bad afterward. The truth is that I loved everything about this gig right up until the headliner hit the stage. But I should be fair; walking into this particular show at this particular venue was like walking into a brand-new queer ...
|
| |
'And The Winner Wasn't III' benefit June 4
- From a press release - Broadway musicals take center stage at Pride Films and Plays' 2013 spirited benefit "And The Winner Wasn't III" on Tuesday, June 4, at Sidetrack, 3349 North Halsted. The evening pays tribute to the memorable — and highly "note-worthy" — Tony Award-nominated musicals that did not take home the coveted Antoinette Perry trophy. Doors open at 6 pm, with a program ...
|
| |
Liza joins NOH8; 'Smash' and 'New Normal' cancelled
- Entertainment news: Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - Add longtime gay icon Liza Minnelli to those who have taken part in the NOH8 campaign, according to the Huffington Post. "Here's what I believe...no shame, no blame, no guilt," the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony-winning star emailed after her photo was unveiled. "Be happy. And be who you are. I love you." Among others who have appeared in the ...
|
| |
If You Split a Second, Just Another Love Story: Romeo and Juliet
- DOUBLE REVIEW - If You Split a Second Playwright: Dana Lynn Formby. At: Pegasus Players at Leo Lerner Theater, 4520 N. Beacon St. Tickets: 866-811-4111 or www.pegasusplayers.org; $15-$25. Runs through: June 2 Just Another Love Story: ... Romeo and Juliet Playwright: William Shakespeare, adapted by Zarinah Ali. At: Realize Theatre Group and Earth Pearl Collective at Prop Thtr, 3502 N. Elston Ave. Tickets: ...
|
| |
Seek and Ye Shall Find
- Playwright: Sentell Harper At: Mortar Theatre Company at Apollo Theater Studio, 2540 N. Lincoln Ave. Tickets: 773-935-6100 or www.mortartheatrecompany.org $15 ($10 for students) Runs through: June 8 Local actors currently in the process of creating a solo performance art piece should measure their efforts against the wowing high bar being set by Sentell Harper in his one-man show Seek and ...
|
| |
An Evening of Beckett
- by Sandra Roth - Beckett-philes as well as the novice of Beckett will experience a deeper understanding of his "Theatre of the Absurd" with this excellent production currently presented by the ensemble of Shattered Globe Theatre at Stage 773 through May 12. It is titled An Evening of Beckett: Krapp's Last tape and Sam and Rick. The original Krapps' Last Tape recordings by Rick ...
|
| |
New gay screenplay dates back to Great Depression
- Martha Meyer and Rick Kinnebrew were in Spring Green, Wisc., for their honeymoon, which ultimately and surprisingly led to a gay screenplay. The two visited Taliesin and heard about Frank Lloyd Wright and his adultery, but that certainly was not the love story they wanted to hear. So they went to nearby Mineral Point and toured Pendarvis, one of 10 ...
|
| |
'Glamorama' talent announced
- Macy's Passport Presents Glamorama 2013 will feature nine-time Grammy Award winner Sheryl Crow and performance group Cirque du Soleil at this year's event, scheduled for Friday, Aug. 9, at the Harris Theater at Millennium Park, 205 E. Randolph St. This year's theme is "Fashion in a New Light." Past musical performers have included Cee-Lo Green, Far East Movement, Cyndi Lauper, ...
|
| |
Homos A Go-Go at Laugh Factory
- From a press release - CHICAGO, IL - May 9, 2013 - Homos A-Go-Go is Laugh Factory Chicago's new premier queer comedy showcase, featuring the best gay and gay-friendly comics in the city and around the world. Produced and hosted by the Chicago's favorite actor and comedian Scott Duff, the monthly comedy extravaganza will kick off with the hilarious Jessica Halem featuring May 27th at ...
|
| |
All Groups Gay Picnic planned
- From a press release - All Groups Gay Picnic, sponsored by the West Suburban Gay Association, will be held Sunday, August 25, noon until dusk in the Busse Woods Forest Preserve Grove 31, Schaumburg. WSGA welcomes all Chicagoland GLBT groups to the annual event at the intersection of I-90 and I-290 in Schaumburg. Some Chicagoland gay associations participating are the Lincoln Park Lagooners, Asians & ...
|
| |
Windy City Gay Idol competition held at Jackhammer
- Windy City Gay Idol continued at Jackhammer May 7. Matthew Payne took first place and D'Angelo (D'Lo) Hampton and David Chacon tied for second place. Windy City Gay Idol, now in its 11th year, kicks off the 2013 search for the best amateur gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) singers in the Chicago area. Idol preliminary competitions are one-night-only at ...
|
| |
Iron Man 3
- FILM REVIEW - As we check in with inventor/zillionaire Tony Stark at the beginning of Iron Man 3, he's having anxiety attacks—apparently brought on by the alien invasion that was the focal point for The Avengers, last year's mega blockbuster that, in Grand Hotel fashion, put together all the stars of the various comic-book movie franchises into one super-duper extravaganza. I didn't see ...
|
| |
Lisa Loeb on her album, eyewear and Lilith Fair
- NUNN ON ONE: MUSIC Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - Somehow Lisa Loeb managed to make nerdy cat glasses look sexy and took over the radio in the '90s with "Stay (I Missed You)" before even being signed to a record contract. Gold-selling albums Tails and Firecracker led to television reality shows and children's music. The Grammy nominated singer, who is married and currently raising a son and daughter, now ...
|
| |
Sara Bareilles brings it to Chicago
- MUSIC Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - The singer Sara Bareilles brought her tunes and strong sense of humor back to Chicago, this time at the Park West, a venue with better acoustics. Over the years the songwriter has changed, having moved to Manhattan with a new attitude. She loved talking about it to the delight of the crowd. Her new single "Brave" pays tribute to her ...
|
| |
Chicago Gay Men's Chorus celebrates The Music of the Beatles
- Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - Over the weekend, the Chicago Gay Men's Chorus (CGMC) held several performances of "All You Need Is Love: The Music of the Beatles" at the Athenaeum Theatre. At the opening of the May 4 evening show, Halsted Vodka presented the CGMC with a check for $1,000. CGMC has another show planned for Saturday, May 11, at 8 p.m. at Skokie's ...
|
| |
Pop Making Sense
- Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - Center on Halsted has its annual event, the "Human First" gala, on Saturday, May 18 at Hilton Towers, 720 S. Michigan Ave. Here, outstanding members of Chicago's LGBT community will be saluted for continual contributions. Chaka Khan will be serenading the crowd and sharing her own stories. DJ Matthew Harvat will be on the turntables. Born in the Windy City, ...
|
| |
Vaginal Davis entertains at The Art Institute
- Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - Vaginal Davis flew in from her home in Germany and closed out the Art Institute's Visiting Artist Series last week. That statement sums up the who, what, and where without describing Davis, her work or her messege, but in her case the lack of definition is par for the course. As a "drag terrorist," filmmaker (The White to be Angry), ...
|
| |
Jane Fonda talks Harvey Milk: new Sylvester CD
- Entertainment news: Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - In an interview with drag legend Miss Coco Peru, Hollywood icon Jane Fonda opened up about her friendship with the late activist Harvey Milk, according to the Huffington Post. "He was the most wonderful, lovable, huge, generous heart and spirit," Fonda, 75, recalled of her experience . "It was a huge loss." Peru also pointed out Fonda's role in campaigning ...
|
| |
Oz Characters Battle Wicked Witch in Chicago
- BOOKS - The Hackers of Oz, by Tom Mula, Dog Ear Publishing, softcover, 260 pages, $14.99. The scarecrow Scraps, a magical broom, Oscar the raven and a gay young man named Jervé seek the help of 10-year-old Elizabeth to crush the evil power of Lyrissa, who is the contemporary incarnation of the Wicked Witch of the West, in Tom Mula's entertaining ...
|
| |
Tea with Edie and Fitz
- THEATER REVIEW - Playwright: Adam Pasen. At: Dead Writers Collective at the Greenhouse, 2257 N. Lincoln Ave. Tickets: 773-404-7336; www.greenhousetheater.org; $30. Runs through: June 9 Before the curtain rose on the opening performance of Tea With Edie and Fitz, the audience was informed that the play they were about to see was what earned 30-year-old author Adam Pasen his Ph.D. Viewed in this ...
|
| |
Oklahoma!
- THEATER REVIEW Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - Playwrights: Richard Rodgers (music), Oscar Hammerstein II (book and lyrics). At: Lyric Opera of Chicago, 20 North Wacker Dr. Tickets: 1-312-332-2244; ext. 5600; www.lyricopera.org; $7-$153. Runs through: May 19 In the very best way, Lyric Opera's exuberant "new" Oklahoma! is as close to the original as you will ever get. When the entire company sings the title song directly to ...
|
| |
Chasing a Saturday
- NUNN ON ONE: MUSIC Special to the online edition of Windy City Times - The European girl group The Saturdays formed in London, England in 2007. The line-up consists of Una Healy, Rochelle Humes, Mollie King, Frankie Sandford and Vanessa White. They have released three albums and recently hit number one in the UK with the single "What About Us." Products from The Saturdays have included an autobiography and a nail polish collection. They ...
|
| |
Tylan goes solo
- NUNN ON ONE: MUSIC - Springing from previous group Girlyman, singer Tylan is stepping out on her own with a debut solo album entitled One True Thing. Friends like Amy Ray from The Indigo Girls are helping on the project on the track "Already Fine." While still remaining true to her roots, the album being released on June 18 has a self-described heavier sound. We ...
|
| |
In the House; Iron Man 3; film notes
- Francoise Ozon, the out French auteur who makes one diverting movie after another (8 Women, Swimming Pool, Under the Sand, Time to Leave, etc.) is back with In the House, a delicious, razor-sharp black—really black—comedy thriller that is an intricately plotted puzzle box. The movie—which favorably calls to mind Alexander Payne's Election, and which Ozon adapted from a play by ...
|
| |
NoBody's Perfect screening part of Bodies of Work Festival
- As part of Bodies of Work: Festival of Disability Arts and Culture, the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts presents NoBody's Perfect on Wednesday, May 22 at 6 pm in the Performance Hall. The event is free and open to the public. Following the 90 min documentary, UIC doctoral candidate Kate Caldwell will moderate a discussion with panelists ...
|
| |
Spotlight: Smokey Joe's Cafe, The Songs of Leiber and Stoller
- One of Broadway's longest-running musical revues, Smokey Joe's Café—The Songs of Leiber and Stoller, shows its strength yet again in Theo Ubique Cabaret Theatre's acclaimed 2012 production which recently transferred to the Royal George Cabaret Theatre for an independent run. Not only has the production received five non-Equity Jeff Award nominations (Revue, Ensemble, Director for a Musical or Revue, choreography ...
|
| |
The Lake Effect
- THEATER REVIEW - Playwright: Rajiv Joseph. At: Silk Road Rising, Chicago Temple, 77 W. Washington St. Tickets: 312-857-1234 ext. 201 or www.silkroadrising.org; $35. Runs through: May 26 There's nothing like a good mystery to pull in an audience, and Rajiv Joseph definitely delivers one that exposes loads of family secrets in his new one-act drama The Lake Effect. Now having its rolling world ...
|
| |
Incident on Run #1217
- THEATER REVIEW - Playwright: Manny Tamayo. At: Factory Theatre at Prop Thtr, 3502 N. Elston Ave. Tickets: 866-811-4111; www.thefactorytheatre.com; $20. Runs through: June 1 There is a branch of popular fiction less concerned with insights into social issues, or explorations in human psychology, than with generating suspense sufficient to conceal the huge gaps in plausibility required to bring the story to its conclusion. ...
|
| |
CRITICS' PICKS
- Comrades Mine, City Lit Theater at Edgewater Presbyterian Church, through May 19. Maureen Gallagher's bio-drama recounts the little-known story of the Civil War spy whom nobody suspected was a woman until she asked to be recognized by the government for her service. MSB In a Garden, A Red Orchid Theatre, through May 19. A cemetery is a garden, too, and ...
|
| |
Next Fall
- THEATER REVIEW - Playwright: Geoffrey Nauffts. At: AstonRep (sic) Theatre at BoHo Theatre, 7016 N. Glenwood Ave. Tickets: 1-773-828-9129; www.astonrep.com; $20. Runs through: May 25 Next Fall wants to be an important play about being gay and Christian, but author Geoffrey Nauffts encumbers it with tons of baggage unrelated to his central premise. Using alternating scenes of present and past, he examines the ...
|
| |
Camping it up on Broadway
- SCOTTISH PLAY SCOTT - The Tony Award nominations honoring the best of Broadway theater in New York were announced on Tuesday, April 30. And since the theater world has historically been very welcoming to the LGBTQ community, it should come as no surprise that a number of the nominated shows feature out creative talents and characters who sometimes don a certain amount of drag. ...
|
| |
Windy City Gay Idol continues at The Call, Thu., May 2
- 1) Finalist Julio Perez proves to be an opera shocker. 2) Finalist Kate Hamilton charms. 3) Seriously? 4) (L-R) Judge Meghan "Big Red" Murphy; finalists Julio Perez and Kate Hamilton; judges Kirk Williamson and Lili-Anne Brown; hostess Sofia Saffire. Photos by Kirk. More photos at facebook.com/windycitygayidol Look for photos from Windy City Gay Idol at Jackhammer in the next issue ...
|
| |
Billy Masters
- "Django wasn't the lead, so it was like, I need to be the lead. The other character was the lead!"—Will Smith explains why he passed on Django Unchained—his part wasn't big enough! Apparently Jamie Foxx has no concerns about the size of his part—and he showed off every inch of it in the film (and on our website). One morning ...
|
| |
Phyllis Hyman tribute May 11-12 at DuSable
- The Company Band will present "A Tribute to Phyllis Hyman: A Mother's Day Extravaganza featuring Julia Huff" Saturday, May 11, at 8 p.m. and Sunday, May 12, at 4 p.m. at the DuSable Museum of African American History, 740 E. 56th Pl. Tickets are $45-$75; call 773-885-8778, visit www.JuliaHuff.com or stop by M Lounge, 1520 S. Wabash Ave. ...
|
| |
Jillian Michaels becomes a 'Life' coach
- If there's anyone who knows how to motivate, it's Jillian Michaels. Michaels—known as one of the trainers on The Biggest Loser—will be at the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University, 50 E. Congress Pkwy., Friday, May 10, at 8 p.m. as part of her "Maximize Your Life" tour. Michaels will share her keys to health, success and happiness by harnessing one's ...
|
| |
Actress Sohn at May 16 Facing History event
- The Chicago office of international educational nonprofit Facing History and Ourselves announced that actress Sonja Sohn (HBO's The Wire, ABC's Body of Proof) will be the featured speaker at the organization's 22nd Annual Chicago Benefit Dinner on Thursday, May 16, at 5:30 p.m. at the Hyatt Regency Chicago, 151 E. Wacker Dr. Facing History and Ourselves is an international educational ...
|
| |
Artemis Singers presents June 1 Pride concert and dance
- From a press release - CHICAGO ─ Artemis Singers www.artemissingers.org, Chicago's lesbian feminist chorus, will present "Amazon Women Rise," a Pride concert and dance, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 1, at Broadway United Methodist Church, 3338 N. Broadway, Chicago. Open to the public, "Amazon Women Rise" celebrates lesbian community and culture. "Artemis Singers celebrates women as we begin LGBT Pride month," said Diana Clegg, artistic ...
|
| |
Executive Sweet Reunion Party July 13
- From press releases - Legendary party divas Pat McCombs and Vera Washington will host Executive Sweet's Reunion Party July 13. Executive Sweet was the oldest and largest of all women's parties in Chicago. The party will happen at Society Art Gallery, 2140 W. Fulton, Chicago, from 9 p.m to 2 a.m. Suggested attire is sexy white. Music by DH Doris. Contact Washington at verawashingtonv@aol.com ...
|
| |
Project urges end to homophobia in men's sports
- Filming for The Last Closet started in 2005, as a follow-up to a project 15 years before that. Dee Mosbacher, president of San Francisco-based Woman Vision, released Out for a Change, a documentary on homophobia in women's sports, back in the 1990s. The Last Closet was initially started as a documentary on homophobia in men's sports—centered on a gay college ...
|
| |
Producer talks about 'Dear Mom, Love Cher'
- Picture this: Cher—randomly sitting in her Oceanside living room, watching a documentary (Hit So Hard) about Patty Schemel, the drummer of Hole. A phone rings in an office somewhere nearby—we'll say L.A. to keep it colorful—and it's Cher. She has an idea: she wants to make a documentary for her mother that chronicles her life in the entertainment industry. No, ...
|
| |
Up Comedy club LGBTQ show June 9
- From a press release - On Sunday, June 9, R.E.A.C.H., Risky, Eclectic Artists Comedy Hour, returns for its summer monthly show celebrating LGBTQ awareness hosted by local stand-up and WBEZ's Vocalo Radio Brian Babylon. Featured acts for this one-night-only performance include: Burlesque performer Tamale Sepp, solo performer Osiris Khephera, satirical rap group Marson & FYF Crew, Congo Square actor Anthony Irons, Second City Detroit Alum ...
|
| |
Chicagoan authors books on grieving
- Victoria Noe, former development director of Chicago House, is a straight ally who understands LGBT and AIDS issues from being in the trenches. She is now working on a series about grieving. The first is Friend and Grief and AIDS: Thirty Years of Burying Our Friends, and the second is Friend and Grief and Anger: When Your Friend Dies and ...
|
| |
Billy Masters
- "Firstly, he's a glorious man and he's very kind and sweet. That's what you say if you want to continue to work in the film industry."—Russell Brand talks about his Rock of Ages co-star, Tom Cruise. What's really pissed Russell off is that Tom didn't try to inculcate him into Scientology. "If there's a cult that don't want me, I ...
|
| |
Beautiful Music: Singer James Gavin on marriage, family, stardom
- When James Gavin steps up to the microphone, singing in the annual Windy City Gay Idol competition, which he has for six years running, the ring on his finger tells a tale—and the adoring fan/cheerleader of his in the front-row completes the picture. Gavin sings, while his husband, Dustin Gavin, supports him, always, everywhere, every way possible. Same-sex marriage (in ...
|
| |
Knight at the Movies: Hava Nagila (The Movie); DVD notes
- Hava Nagila (The Movie); DVD notes Who would have thought there'd be enough backstory on the Jewish wedding song staple "Hava Nagila" to merit a feature-length documentary? Okay, there's not really enough but the good-natured approach director Roberta Grossman applies to her quirky subject matter helps to forgive the excess running time. And the addition of the vocally talented Rusty ...
|
