Calling All Fabglitter

Come join us Out in the open at First Unitarian Church’s Courtyard Cafe on Saturday, October 24. Open from 6-10pm with local coffee and snacks sold for a minimal cost. $3 cover charge with $2 going to commonGround of U of L. Entertainment provided by students and supporters. The Rev. Dawn Cooley, new minister at First Unitarian Church, will join the Cafe this month for a reception to welcome her to her new ministry in Louisville. Rev. Cooley is eager to meet members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender community in Louisville and learn about the equality and justice priorities in the local area as well as opportunities to support this crucial work. Rev. Cooley is available to members of the community for ceremonies of union. Please come to the Cafe to meet Rev. Cooley and welcome her to Louisville, or contact her at the church at 585-5110. Future Courtyard Cafe’s will be held on Nov. 20 and Dec. 18. When the weather no longer allows us to be outside, we will take the fun inside. We hope to provide local entertainment for future Cafe’s. For more information, email courtyard.cafe@rocketmail.com.

Caught in a Celluloid Jam

Science Fiction – Double Feature
Dr. X will build a creature
See androids fighting Brad and Janet
Ann Francis stars in Forbidden Planet
Oh-oh at the late night, double feature, picture show.

 

It was a Saturday afternoon in early October. There are a lot of events in the City at this time of year. I was part of the packed house who’d come to see Pandora Production’s staging of The Rocky Horror Show. Who’d have thought a matinee would be a sell out? Like many people, I know this tale very well, and saw it numerous times when it played at the Vogue Theatre, but I had not seen it as a live production.

Also, noteworthy is that while there were plenty of gay folks in attendance, there were also quite a few straight couples. That’s absolutely great news — for Pandora, Louisville, and the nation.

I think I’m far more fond of it — if you can image that — as a stage production that as a movie. The actors had great voices, there was a live band tucked behind stage, and Pandora’s Rocky is far hotter than the film’s Rocky. My favorite part was at the end looking around at the audience members giving a standing ovation — and doing the Time Warp. It was astounding.

As of this writing, there’s only one more performance — at 1930 tonight, but it’s just the beginning of what promises to be another fabulous season for my favorite theatre company.

AIDS Walk Sunday

AIDS Remembrance Ribbon on the Second Street Bridge

Today was one of those glorious days when you remember what keeps you living in the River City. The skies were blue, the temperatures mild, and a light breeze swept across the city. The 16^th Louisville AIDS Walk was today. I got to the Belvedere just before they closed off the Main Street, and I had plenty of time to play anthropologist (i.e., people watch). One of the things that I like about events like it, is that same sex couples can hold hands or have other PDAs that straight people take for granted. I watched the runners start the 5K, saw and talked with some people I knew. I tweeted about the event, and had a wolf’s good time. I even saw a couple of guys worth lusting after, but that’s another tale. It was also impressive that Mayor Abramson and Congressman Yarmuth came to the event. I noticed that  neither of the Commonwealth’s senators were in attendance.

Soon enough it was time to head down to Main Street and get ready to start this year’s walk. We got in place, the count down began, and we were off. The crowd included plenty of people from the LGBTQI community as well as straights and the undeclared. There were drag queens and leather lords, frat boys and women of a certain age, middle aged men and children. There were even a few pups (of both four and two legged varieties) walking the walk. Blacks, Whites, Asians, Jews, Christians, UUs, and people of no particular persuasion all had on their walking shoes. The route led across the Second Street Bridge to Southern Indiana, circled around and came back. I think it’s about a three mile trek. Placed along the route were bins filled with ice and bottles of water, and there were wading pools filled with water for the dogs.

Thanks to some very nice sponsors, I was able to bring $315 to the total. I’m not certain of the total for the Walk itself, but I’m hoping it was huge. I’m already looking forward to next year’s walk, and I’m thinking of doing some volunteer work as well.

Freshly Inked.

My name is Jack, and I’m a ink adict. It has been six hours since my last tattoo.

Were I to think long and hard about it, I’m certain that I could come up with something more interesting to do on a Saturday afternoon that head out to my favorite little shop and get some ink embedded in my chest. The think is, I don’t want to think about it. I have enough tattoos that it’s pretty old hat for me, but I still have a child-like sense of excitement when The Artist calls me back to his domain to start the process.

This one hurt — a lot. Near the end I was biting down on my wallet to keep from biting down on my tongue. Adam explained that the main reason for the pain was that it’s close to my collar bone. At one point, I thought he was tattooing on my neck. He wasn’t. And he said that the animals with fairly smooth coats would be less painful. He suggested a seal. “I’m thinking the fucking Cookie Monster,” I countered with a laugh. I do need one on the other side — for balance of course. I’m thinking about a sugar skull to commemorate the end of the world in a couple of years, but I’m open to suggestions.

After some honey mead, authentic Mexican, and a hot shower — all in different places mind you. I used some Tattoo Goo. This was the first time I’ve tried the product, but it won’t be the last. In fact, it is made of quite a few oils, so I may find some other uses for it.

Overall, it was a glitter page day, and I’m looking forward to making the week ahead fabulous.

Louisville AIDS Walk

Louisville AIDS Walk, Sunday, September 13th, at the Belvedere!

Proving, once again, that I’m more than boys, booze, and barbells.

 There are very few causes that will get me to ask for money. This is one of them. To put it simply, it’s a good cause. I’m walking. Any amount will be greatly appreciated. If you have friends (or enemies for that matter) who would be interested in donating, please let me know, and I’ll be very happy to solicit them. To contribute please, Click Here.

Random Weather Thoughts

Friday was the more-or-less one year anniversary of the blizzard of 2008. I wonder if that’s what started the strange weather mojo of land-locked hurricanes and ice-storms. It’s also worth noting that I keep my bi-annual check-ups at the dentist. They aren’t my favorite way to pass the time, but they’re not bad. Last April, just hours before my spring check-up there was an earthquake in Louisville. More strangeness. It’s only fair to ask if we should prepare for a tidal wave. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least if we had one. Maybe in the summer months to round out the year. I keep wondering if I should prepare to throw out the contents of my refrigerator and freezer every couple of months in an effort to appease. Though I’m not sure who, exactly, we’re appeasing.

Pandora Play

 

I’m always amazed that I can get past all of the stuff that should stand in my way. The seats in front of me, the odd angle I prefer, the sets coming and going with the aid of black dressed crew ought to distract me, but they don’t. I reach out to the actors strutting and fretting their hour. I become part of the production sitting there in the dark. While I love movies, plays inspire me and carry me along. It was not different with The Little Dog Laughed.

I saw the matinee performance of the play this afternoon. It’s great. I enjoyed the post-modern presentation of the tale as well as the tale itself — if there was even a tale at all have to wonder what that says about anything or if anything is actually say-able.

Putting aside my odd ravings, the play is well done, the story line provocative, but that’s what we’ve come to expect from Pandora Productions. “Lean, mean, brash, crass and about as deep as a shot glass, Diane the Hollywood agent is just the tonic New York theatergoers need in the gray depths of an urban winter. ” That’s how the was described in The New York Times review in January of 2006, and it holds true today for Louisville audiences.  After all, this winter has been a very wild ride. The Peer Review is available at Theatre Louisville’s site. The play is well worth the price of admission.

Our History, Our Pride

This seems like one of those things that I really have to attend. For a complete listing of events visit the Fairness Campaign. And notice that they did remember the T. ; )=

First Couple from Pandora Productions

I loved this play! It’s funny and poignant. What all American boy hasn’t dreamt of being POTUS? What man doesn’t have the idea, no matter how deeply buried, that he could be the leader of the free world? This presentation by Pandora Productions is both timely and hopeful. In my lifetime, I might just see an openly gay president and his husband in the White House. May it be so. In this play Blair Tyler isn’t elected, he’s appointed, but still, I can look around and say: “One of us made it!”

“First Couple reflects the current political climate as Blair Tyler, a young gay Congressman, suddenly finds himself Vice President when his predecessor is forced to resign.  Before he and his partner, Jason Lawrence, a free-lance journalist, have time to adjust to Blair’s new, very public role, the President of the United States resigns, propelling Blair and Jason into the White House.”

During the curtain speech, Michael J. Drury said that he’d found out that neither the Courier-Journal  nor LEO would be reviewing local theatre anymore — more’s the pity. He asked people to help spread the word about the company and the productions. I’m happy to do that. I was introduced to Pandora a few years back when they did The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told as the season opener. I found out about it reading LEO. I went to the performance at the Thrust not knowing quite what to expect. I left barely able to contain myself until the next production.

The threatre, located on the third floor of the Henry Clay Hotel at Third & Chestnut, was, as always, wonderful. And the homemade cookies at the intermission combined with the scene where Brett and Aurion were eating cookies and milk (to help make everything better) made my decision for supper an easy one. No, I didn’t go gayly for cookies and milk — though I seriously considered it. I had graham cracker and peanut butter washed down with skim milk. But I digress. One of the actors looks a lot like a guy I dated in college. It’s tends to be somewhat freaky, for that first instant, when I see him on the stage. See the show. You won’t regret it.