I Hear the Birds Singing
When I sat down to write my Hurricane Ike story, I discovered I can’t tell it with a coherent beginning, middle, and end. Some things, both good and bad, stuck in my mind and others have simply vanished.
Archive for July, 2009
Marching Onward
Cleve Jones wants to recruit you. Instrumental in the making of Gus Van Sant’s multiple Oscar-winning film Milk (and depicted in said film by Emile Hirsch), the Indiana-born Jones also founded The NAMES Project and its AIDS Memorial Quilt during the 1980s.
Yearning to Breathe Free
Roland listened helplessly as his partner Joseph called—frantic and crying—from the airport. Joseph, a Canadian citizen, was flying home to Houston after visiting family when immigration officials denied him entry to the United States because he lacked the correct papers.
The Other Concern
According to the National Cancer Institute, prostate cancer is second only to nonmelanoma skin cancer in number of cases diagnosed each year. The risk significantly increases with age and is higher among African Americans and those with a family history of prostate cancer. Alcohol consumption may also increase risk; and being overweight, though it does not increase the risk of getting the disease, increases the risk of dying from it. The good news is that only 1 in 35 diagnoses result in death, and the five-year survival rate for those diagnosed 1996–2004 is 98.9% (99.5% for white men, 95.4% for black men). Psychologist Dr. David Latini recently sat down with OutSmart to talk about prostate cancer—how it is diagnosed, what the treatment options are, the support available for those confronting the disease, and how the gay prostate-cancer experience differs from the experience of heterosexual men.
Swan Song
Actor Charles Swan, a star of the upcoming musical The Andrews Brothers at Stages, just finished two years as an openly gay teacher of theater arts at South Houston High. “I’m an open book as far as that is concerned,” he explains. “And my school district creatively allowed me to address that in my classroom.
One Day, So Many Galleries!
Wade Wilson is pretty excited about the opening he’s planning for his gallery for the 30th annual ArtHouston gallery hop on July 11.
The Queen of the Quip
Comedian Joan Rivers, who turned 76 last month, has been considered a gay icon since the ’60s. Did I say “comedian”? I forgot to mention: Emmy winner; Grammy, Tony, and Drama Desk nominee; best-selling author; film director; talk-show host; radio host; jewelry designer; and businesswoman. She was recently named winner of Celebrity Apprentice , an NBC reality show hosted by Donald Trump, and her new TV show, How’d You Get So Rich?, premieres August 5 at 9 p.m . on TV Land. And a couple of days after that, on August 7, Rivers brings her funny self to Houston’s Hobby Center for one show only. I talked to this genuinely nice and constantly funny lady by phone soon after she arrived in Toronto, after flying from London. After being on hold for some time, I was finally put through. I apologized for being late, to which Rivers said, “Nonono, don’t be sorry. I’ve just come from the Ritz Hotel in London where they have that impeccable service, and I’m here 20 minutes and already there’s no room service and the operators aren’t working. So it’s not you. Trust me. It ain’t you, sweetheart.” And we’re off.
Sounds Good
It’s only been a few years since Dying to Say This to You, the second domestically released album by Swedish new-wave phenomena The Sounds was released, but it probably seems like a lifetime to their devoted fanbase. But their patience is being rewarded with Crossing the Rubicon (Original Signal Recordings), a 12-song (including the hidden track) disc that fulfills and expands on the band’s promise. Out lead singer Maja Ivarsson sounds as though she’s determined to have us up on our feet and moving, and songs such as “Beatbox,” “4 Songs & a Fight,” “My Lover,” “Dorchester Hotel,” and “Lost in Love” are certainly motivation enough. I spoke with Maja shortly before the release of the new disc.
Depeche Mode: The Dark Progression
This unauthorized (that means it’s juicy) look at the three-decade career of the most successful electronic band in the world features rare performances, interviews with band members, and assorted contributions from friends, colleagues, and contemporaries. Jonathan Miller directs. MVD Visual and Sexy Intellectual (mvdb2b.com). – By Nancy Ford
Woodstock: 3 Days of Peace and Music
This four-hour journey back to the seminal ’60s concert event features some of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll moments of all time, like Jimi Hendrix’ dawn-busting rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner,” and also offers two hours of newly discovered footage. Michael Wadleigh directs. Warner Home Video (warnervideo.com). – By Nancy Ford
