Datebook: November 2007
Southern Country Houston offers free country/western dance lessons on Nov. 1 and every Thursday, 8-10 p.m., at Brazos River Bottom. Details: www.southerncountryhouston.
Archive for November, 2007
Business News: November 2007
TAKE A CHANCE Male Uwear, located at 415 Westheimer, once again charitably celebrates the holiday season with its annual Holiday Big Basket fundraiser. By donating one buck per ticket through December 19, customers have the opportunity to win, appropriately, a basket filled with merchandise and gift certificates from Male Uwear. Other local supporters have also contributed, including Cordua Restaurants, Bering & James, Berryhill Baja Grill, Starbucks, South Beach Night Club, Eclipse Sunless Tanning, and others.
Calendar: November 2007
A frequent winner of OutSmart ‘s “Best TV Guy” kudo, Ernie Manouse brings his award-winning interview show, InnerVIEWS , back to Houston Public Broadcasting Station, KUHT Channel 8 for a fifth season. • Currently airing on more than 80 PBS stations nationwide, InnerVIEWS is the “24th most aired interview program on American TV,” according to BackChannel Media. It returns November 1 at 10 p.m., an earlier timeslot from previous seasons. • Of particular interest to OutSmart readers, Manouse chats with acclaimed lesbian author Rita Mae Brown on November 22. • Though Brown was instrumental in the civil rights, gay rights, and the feminist movements of the ’60s and ’70s, eventually her literary attention turned to mysteries. Following the 1973 release of her landmark novel Rubyfruit Jungle , Brown cleverly skirted a writers’ strike by writing the mystery series using the voice (and paws?) of her beloved cat, Sneaky Pie. • “Sneaky Pie said we should write mysteries. I resisted, but her common sense won me over,” she told Bookreporter.com. • InnerVIEW -ees in upcoming segments include singer/songwriter Martina McBride, feminist icon Gloria Steinem, old-timey radio guy Garrison Keillor, Food Network staple Paula Deen, and others. • Details: www.houstonpbs.org. — Nancy Ford
The Reading List
Books are the kinds of gifts that keep on giving. So, whatever you do, keep on giving books as gifts.
GrooveOut Shorts 2: November 2007
The duets concept works for Sinatra and Bennett. Why shouldn’t it work for Reba? The iconic singer/actor equally effectively harmonizes with Justin Timberlake, Carole King, Kelly Clarkson, Vince Gill, Faith Hill, and a slew of others. MCA Nashville (www.reba.com). — Review: N.F.
GrooveOut Shorts: November 2007
Be Sociable, Share! TweetGarrison Starr, Fuji Minx, Sugarbeach, KT Tunstall, Michael Hensley, Vanessa Carlton, The Pipettes, LeAnn Rimes, Megan McCauley, Reba McEntyre, Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, James Blunt, Luther Vandross, and more, including WEB-ONLY GrooveOut Shorts. By Nancy Ford See more GrooveOut Shorts >> Reba McEntyre, Kenny “Babyface” Edmonds, James Blunt, Luther Vandross, and comedian Michael [...]
Oh, Mary
When it comes to crossover success and acclaim, out musicians are making headway in a variety of musical genres. But to do so in the world of contemporary country, and more specifically Americana and roots music, must take an especially gifted performer. Out lesbian musician Mary Gauthier (pronounced “Go-shay”) is just that artist. Following a few well-received independently released discs, including Drag Queens in Limousines in 1999, Gauthier signed to major label Lost Highway, home of Ryan Adams, Lyle Lovett, Lucinda Williams, and others. Her latest disc, the glowing Between Daylight and Dark (Lost Highway) is her most accomplished release to date. We spoke shortly before the release of the album.
Remembering the Red Ribbon
W hile solemn observances of World AIDS Day abound all over town, on December 1, television is also paying tribute to the more than 25 million lives lost to the global pandemic since its early-’80s emergence.
DVD Shorts: November 2007
Intentionally offensive gay punk Nick Name (AKA Kent James) came out after leaving his post as a Mormon missionary. He and his band of straights, the Normals, offend both straights and gays alike. This genuine doc looks deep within the demons that drive Name in favor of gay pride and against gay PC, giving him very little refuge. • 2006. Directed by Howie Skora. • From Indie Pictures (www.indie-pictures.com). — Preview: Eric A.T. Dieckman
A Pothead, a Priest, and a Porn Addict
For his sophomore effort Outing Riley, Pete Jones takes the lead role as the closeted gay brother in a working-class Irish-Catholic family. No stranger to controversy, Jones won the first HBO Project Greenlight reality series with a risky script pitting Catholicism and Judaism against each other in a young Catholic boy’s effort to assure a front-row seat in heaven. Jones did not come off well in the edited versions of the Greenlight series. If there were any instances of whining, temper, or self-pity that did not make it into the finished version of HBO’s version of Survivor, it was only because the program was “edited to fit in the time allotted.” The result was nonetheless a win for Jones as he turned his script into his first feature film, Stolen Summer.
