Bless you, Bootleggers

So it has taken me a few days to gather my thoughts, try to figure out how no to bore all three of you to death as I tell you how wonderful it was to be at the Defying Inequality benefit on Monday night in NYC. So if you get bored, don't give up just take a break, grab a snack, do some jumping jacks and come back because I think there are some really great clips and moments that you may find fun and interesting.
First let's talk about what a big girl I am for going to the city all by myself! What?! I know! Granted, I was only there for a grand total of less than 24 hours, but I navigated myself to eat and the show without getting lost or kidnapped! I say that is to be commended. Thank you to my lovely for perfect walking directions to our favorite eating establishment, Zen Palate, from the hotel. You amaze me with your sense of direction.
I also have to pat myself on the back for not getting treated like a tourist while on the street. I am happy to say that not once did I get asked to take a tour, take free comedy club tickets, buy discounted theatre tickets, or would I buy a CD. People, I looked like I belonged! The key is: dress in black, put your head down and don't make eye contact, cross the road against the cross-walk signs when possible and talk fast (Southern readers: dispense with the niceties. Be polite, but brief) I got a gold star!

Ok, so onto the show. If you are not up to speed on what I'm talking about, now would be a great time to make this jump and watch this clip:


The event was held at the beautiful Gershwin Theatre, currently the home of Wicked, and the sets were used throughout the production to add flair so that was nice. I never get tired of seeing the Time Dragon Clock.

The show opened with Prop 8: The Musical reenacted almost identically to the actual production that spread across the web last year. The poster for this video did a great job of splicing rehearsal right into the actual show footage. Take a look at this hysterical production that sets the stage and tone for the evening:


After a short comedy routine by Judy Gold and Carson Kressly, my BFF Stephanie J. Block came out to perform a beautiful song:

Unfortunately the person filming this didn't get a shot of the jumbo screens to the side showing a slideshow of Stephanie in her brother's actual wedding to his partner, and photos of her wedding recently to Sebastian. At the end during the applause when she points at the screen she proudly exclaimed, "That's my brother!" OK-I was blubbering!

After that the show began a series of musical numbers, speeches, dances and comedy routines that all centered around the theme of marriage equality. Because I am a total geek and I love to know what is happening on Broadway at all times, I was excited and overjoyed when anyone was announced. I found myself saying "wow" a lot as participants were announced. Broadway greats like Carole Shelley, Kerry Butler, Gavin Creel, Capathia Jenkins, Billy Porter, Malcolm Gets, Phyllis Newman, Chris Sieber, Tyne Daly, Marc Shaiman, David Hyde Perce, Jonathan Groff, John Gallagher, Jr., Nathan Lane and the wonderful, eloquent, and proud, Harvey Fierstein. Just to be in the room as Harvey read the letter he wrote to Barack Obama and mailed that very morning, asking him to step forth and be an example for the nation and help end prejudice and hate of all kinds was truly an experience. I just love Harvey and his beautiful mind.

There were also scads of television and movie celebrities on hand to share support and outrage: Jane Fonda, Cyndi Lauper, Allison Janney, Sally Struthers, Rue McClanahan, Mark Indelicato, Lynda Carter and...wait for it...Keith Olbermann who recited a portion of his rant heard round the world from last November:


Other great performances included:
Cast of the revival of "Hair"

Jane Fonda inspiring, cheering and supporting:
Cast of Spring Awakening with a twist on the song Totally Fucked:


Hysterical Seth Rudetsky doing what he does best---deconstructing:


As I mentioned in this week's Wowee Wednesday, Cyndi Lauper was on hand to lend support as only she can do and does quite regularly. One of our greatest allies in the straight world is Cyndi. Enjoy her contribution:


Bebe Neuwirth performs All That Jazz Mad Lib style:


Purple Haze from The Color Purple touring group brought the house down with this boy-friendly rendition of Single Ladies:


I hope you have enjoyed seeing just a taste of the show I was so honored to see. The cause is right. The intention is positive. The hearts are willing. The money is flowing in. This portion of the effort raised $400,000 Monday night. Is that the Bridal March I hear in the not too distant future?

It strikes me as odd that the very men and women that helped escort our economy into the restroom and let George Bush give it a big ole' swirly are the same people that are bitching and moaning every second about the awfulness of Barack's plan. Clearly and obviously, the Republican plan didn't work and I don't recall hearing a peep when W asked for money over and over for a baseless war. Sounds like someones mad about losing their tax cuts.

Wowee Wednesday

Cyndi Lauper

Fresh off my whirlwind trip to NYC to attend the Defying Inequality benefit, I'm finding myself hard pressed to pick a Wowee for this week. Monday night I was in a room FULL of people who could take this top spot on any given week.

I figured I should start with one of the organizers of the event. Cyndi is a straight ally and true champion for LGBT rights, a multiple award winning singer, songwriter, actress, and (if you are at least my age,) a woman who changed the face and voice of music in the 80's and continues to change hearts and minds in support of efforts like this week's benefit and the True Colors Tour.

Cyndi took the podium during the last hour of the benefit and spoke to us as only Cyndi can with eloquent words of support and love sprinkled with her unmistakable Queens, NY dialect. She was beautiful, poised, confident and awesome. There is no denying Cyndi's presence in a room.

You may love her for her contribution to music, but one look at her contribution to human rights and you'll love her even more.

Broadway Monday

Defying Inequality: The Broadway Concert

A Celebrity Benefit For Equal Rights

This week's feature is a little different in that it is a one-off, benefit that I can only hope will be filmed and produced to DVD for future fundraising efforts. BTW, I am checking to see if there are any steal-of-a-deal flights to La Guardia tomorrow morning. Stay tuned. If my Tweets start blowing up regarding NYC and freezing my tail off all in the name of marriage equality, you'll know I've gone!

On Monday evening, February 23 at 8:00pm, the Broadway community (and beyond) is coming together for one of the most important events of the year - Defying Inequality: The Broadway Concert -- A Celebrity Benefit for Equal Rights, a one-night only concert event at the beautiful Gershwin Theatre. The special star-studded evening will feature performers (including my BFF Stephanie J. Block) from stage & screen - from Saturday Night Live to Spring Awakening - all to benefit Family Equality Council, Empire State Pride Agenda, Equality California, Garden State Equality, and The Vermont Freedom to Marry Task Force. For tickets and information, please contact Ticketmaster at (212) 307-4100 and visit the official site.

edit: leaving Jacksonville this morning on a 7:25 flight. Will be in NYC at 11:15. Tweets to follow!

Is it just me or does the GOP look like a bunch of crazy, clueless, loons? Exactly how far do they have to go and how much do they have to go against the recovery plan before their base starts to wake up? I mean, is anyone in the Republican party, meaning real-life voters, willing to say they support this bunch of lost buffoons who feel it is more important to vote 'no' on everything and throw the well-being of the masses out the window?

When it comes right down to it, someone who is struggling to make ends meet or keep their house is going to take help from ANYONE and it won't matter which party they represent. I think it's safe to say that voters, if in dire straights are going to start experiencing the political equivalent to a "Come to Jesus" moment. I like to call it a "Come to Barack" moment if you will.

All of the sudden times are hard and only one person can help you out of the muck.

Ohh I am dancing around a touchy subject for most. I can hear you groaning. I've not only mentioned Barack Hussein Obama, (D) in the same sentence as Jesus (gasp) but I've also likened him to having or inflicting similar moments on the people.

Call me a pot-stirrer and button pusher. I'm cool with it.

Wowee Wednesday

RuPaul If asked to name your favorite transvestite who comes to mind? Say you're in a conversation among your GOP friends and the topic of drag is broached, whose beautiful face flashes across your mind's eye? When you think of self-made celebrities and the Queen of Self Promotion...well...you get the idea: RuPaul is freakin' awesome! Absolutely stunning, funny, smart, and of course catty to our delight and beyond our dreams, RuPaul is the perfect example of beauty and brains. I just adore the franchise RuPaul has created for himself and how America embraces everything he does.

Yes, dude does look like a lady and who cares? He is adorable and she is gorgeous at the same time. It's no small feat I tell you. It took me decades to perfect.

A couple of weeks ago, LOGO began running Ru's new series "RuPaul's Drag Race" Mondays at 10pm with extra viewings throughout the week. If you have any interest or love of drag queens and young pretty gay boys dressed as young pretty women, then this show is a must see. So run your TiVo or DVR on over to the show and have a weekly fabulous time with RuPaul.

You betta' work!

This Just In...

Rush Limbaugh is a dumbass.

Too vague? Ok, Rush Limbaugh is a drug-addicted jerk who can't resist letting his big mouth overload his ass. Still not giving you any new info?

Then take a look at this story being covered today detailing Rush's understanding of a commonly used format called a pdf.

On Friday's show regarding the stimulus bill Limbaugh claimed that Democrats "have reformatted the bill -- they've made it a PDF [Portable Document Format, created by Adobe Systems] file when they posted it. Now, for those of you that don't use computers, basically what that means is that it cannot be keyword searched. A PDF file is essentially a picture of a page. And, so, you can read every page, but you cannot keyword search it. It's not a text file as legislation normally is as posted on these public websites. They don't want anybody knowing what's in this."

Actually Rush, you computer-illiterate-pill-popping-loudmouth, a pdf file is searchable in many forms if you cared to do a little research prior to spouting off massive amounts of false information to your equally as ignorant listeners who don't have gumption enough to actually research what you tell them and make an informed judgement for themselves. Am I to infer from your comments that you are disappointed for your party because the bill is in a protected form, and therefore unable to be altered and released on Fox News as further fodder for neo-cons to chew on for the next week or month or four years? Too bad. We are smarter than that. And that being said, I am back to my original declaration. Care to join me?

OK all together now, Rush Limbaugh is a dumbass. See?

Join the Momversation

I'm no mom, although I have heard the word 'mother' plus a few more in association with my name many a time, but I do seem to find myself strangely drawn to this cool event called Momversation.

In essence, Momversation is a group of mommy bloggers that take a topic and give their views and perspectives in video form. It is designed so that one mom asks a question, gives her views and then tosses the webcam to the next mom and so on then viola! A momversation ensues.

Topics include breastfeeding, toxins, circumcision, being a wife, and homeschooling to name a few. I think I like it so much because it affords me the opportunity to hear this group of successful women/mommy bloggers speak their mind in a humorous fashion. I follow only a couple of their blogs, but I never miss a Momversation! Check it out!

Broadway Monday

Mame

Set in New York and spanning the Great Depression and World War II, it focuses on eccentric bohemian, Mame Dennis, whose famous motto is "Life is a banquet and most poor sons-of-bitches are starving to death." Mame's fabulous life with her wealthy friends is interrupted when the young son of her late brother arrives to live with her. A series of adventures ensue to help them cope with the Depression. Based on a novel and play entitled Auntie Mame, this 1966 Broadway musical version starred Angela Lansbury and Bea Arthur and spawned a movie musical starring Lucille Ball and Arthur in 1974. Patrick Dennis, author of Auntie Mame, is in fact the young nephew who arrived to live with Mame and turns life as she knew it upside down.

Mame opened at the Winter Garden Theatre on May 24, 1966 and ran for 1,508 performances. The exuberant show fetched Tony Awards that year for Best Actress, Best Featured Actress, and Best Featured Actor.

Pokey

Bush Library Struggling to Raise Funds

Seriously now, how much do Golden Books cost nowadays?

Happy Birthday, Darrin.

I miss you everyday.

sucka

This week I had the pleasure of discovering the joys of internet radio. Now before you call me Granny and wonder where I keep the rock my head has been under, let me explain.

Not just any internet radio, no no, Pandora Radio (angels sing)

I took the time to play with the new app on my iPhone and let me just exclaim IT IS FREAKIN' AWESOME!

In a nutshell, I can enter an artist that I enjoy and this app will begin to play song after song that fits the sound/style/demeanor/feel of the original artist I entered. This new found toy has afforded me two things:

1. I am enjoying a new, cheap piece of technology which excites me more than it probably should, but I am a sucker for something new and fresh and cheap. Not an easy combo to find!

2. It has made it easy for me to hear new and different music that I don't get exposed to normally. So look out. My blog music is about to get interesting-er.

Wowee Wednesday

Clementine Ford Sometimes a face casts a blip on your mind's radar screen and you just can't quite shake it. That is how I have felt about Clementine Ford since she burst onto The L Word last season.

Clementine, as Molly Kroll on The L Word, had the attitude, charm, confidence and beauty it takes to hang with the LA girls and I had hoped she would stay around a bit longer than one season, but apparently Ilene Chaiken hates us and doesn't want us to ever have anything nice, unless you count Jenny Schecter which I don't because I, like most viewers, can't stand Jenny and were thrilled to see her on the coroner's gurney at the beginning of this season.....sorry I digress.....hey isn't Clementine a cutie!!!

It's a long clip, but worth it! At least hang for the first 4 minutes to see how adorable our honoree is under pressure!

Funny. Barely any family resemblence. Must look like her dad. Once in awhile, lesbians hopes and dreams come true and the Goddess throws us a bone. Clemmy plays for our team! Yay! Oh my darling, Clementine!

Equality for all. period.

"Fidelity": Don't Divorce... from Courage Campaign on Vimeo.

Broadway Monday

Sweet Charity Sweet Charity, based on the Fellini film Nights of Cabiria, tells the tale of Charity Hope Valentine, a dance hall hostess at the Fandango Ballroom forever falling in love with the wrong men. Charity is the girl who wanted to be loved and wears her heart on her sleeve as she goes in search of the elusive feeling. Unfortunately, she keeps looking for that love in all the wrong places.

Sweet Charity opened on Broadway in the 1965-66 season and ran for 608 performances with a brilliant score by Cy Coleman and Dorothy Fields, and astounding choreography by Bob Fosse who won a Tony for his work.If you've got an extra five minutes, take a look at Fosse's work from the movie production of Sweet Charity which starred Shirley McLaine:

Incredible stuff! I just love the retro-ness of it all! I think I was on Laugh-In in a former life.

The shows exceptional score and choreography made it a shoe-in for a revival and producers did not disappoint. The first revival came in 1986 starring Debbie Allen, and the second in 2005 starring Christina Applegate. The show currently enjoys a robust touring schedule around the country.

It is with great excitement, zeal, and fervor (not fever) that I exclaim:

see you on Broadway Monday!

be back shortly...

A fever has gripped My Brain for the last two days. Really, you don't want to hear anything I have to say right now. It's mostly groans and moans in between the beeps of the thermometer anyway.

Be back soon.