Miss October!

Holy smokes! I haven't blogged in forever! Well, my friend who designs handbags, Dolly, has a calendar girl for her site every month. Guess who is Miss October?! ME!!! Check it out! I am so excited and honored to be Miss October :)

I've got a fever...and the only prescription is more Glee!

A kiss with a fist is better than none!

My new fave song...

Broadway Rocks!

Today, I attended one of the BPO's (Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra) concerts at Artpark called "Broadway Rocks!" It's part of the Summerfest '09. There were 4 Broadway singers who sang hit songs from Broadway with the BPO. The main reason I went today was to see one of my fave Broadway actresses, Susan Egan. I had so much fun! I know so many people overuse this word, but I'm going to say it anyway...just once...the entire concert was just AMAZING!

We (my mom and I) had front row seats. When we got there and sat down, the stage was literally 1 to 2 feet away from our faces. Super close. Some of the people moved back because it was so close. I didn't really mind being that close because I love being able to see a performers expressions when they sing. Also, to see Susan Egan perform 2 feet from me...she's stunning. Not only is she beautiful, but her voice is so smooth and flawless. Oh yeah and she's preggie!!! So congratulations Susan!! The rest of the performers were Capathia Jenkins, powerhouse!! Darius De Haas and Doug LaBrecque. The BPO was conducted by Robert Franz, who I've had the opportunity to see before. He's one of my fave conductors. He's so passionate and his movements are very fluid. He's just mesmerizing and really fun to watch.

I'm not going to run down the entire concert list because it's kinda long. However, the highlight of the concert for me was seeing Susan and Doug sing my absolute fave song, "Suddenly Seymour." Words cannot express how excited I was watching them. I was like a little girl with my eyes wide open and a big smile on my face. It was awesome. Another highlight was "And I'm Telling You" sung by Capathia Jenkins. For the final callback for the Dreamgirls movie, there were 2 people...Jennifer Hudson and Capathia Jenkins. She totally blew everyone away!! She received the loudest and longest applause of the afternoon. She definitely deserved it.

Unfortunately, I did not get a chance to see Susan afterward. Before the concert, I had emailed her and asked if she would be signing autographs after the show. She replied and said she had to catch a 7pm flight and would be leaving right after the bows. I hope she made her flight. Next year, she'll be performing with the BPO again, so hopefully I'll be able to see her after and say hi. If you ever get the chance to see the BPO perform, I highly recommend it. I think they don't get as much recognition as they deserve. So, go see them!

Happy Birthday Oz!!

Happy Birthday to my dog, Oz!! I can't believe he's 6!

I'm changing my middle name to Equality

Lt. Dan Choi: dismissed from military for saying 'I am gay'

In an interview with MSNBC's Rachel Maddow, Lt. Dan Choi shared his reaction to the notification of his dismissal from the U.S. Army over an admission consisting of three words: "I am gay." Under the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy, publicly admitting one's homosexual orientation constitutes a homosexual act which is grounds for termination.

Choi was previously deployed to Iraq, where he utilized his specialties as an arabic linguist. He also served as leader for his unit in the United States Army National Guard and founded Knights Out, an organization comprised of openly gay and lesbian West Point graduates and their supporters. He offered this introduction on the KnightsOut.org website.

My name is Dan Choi. I am a West Point graduate. I am a Lieutenant in the United States Army.

I am gay.

I serve my country. I serve my country because I heard a leader say: “ASK NOT what your country can do for you… ASK what you can do for your country.” But when I step up to serve our country, to put my life on the line to protect my community, to protect my neighbors, to protect my family, to protect America, I am ordered… DON’T ASK. I am ordered… DON’T TELL.

I serve with 65,000 selfless gay and lesbian Americans; we are ordered to deny who we are. We’re ordered to HIDE. But I am not hiding anymore. I am not asking permission anymore. I am done ASKING. I am TELLING. I am gay.

I applaud Dan Choi for his bravery, honesty and service to his country. Even with the recent victories in GLBT rights legislation, our community still faces the ugly threats of discrimination and intolerance. How does a person's sexual orientation affect his or her work?

I strongly hope that President Obama will uphold his commitments to rectify this lingering stain on the Democratic party. As revealed in the interview, it is estimated that 12,500 soldiers have been dismissed because of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Will Obama choose to use the momentum built by his historic election to accomplish historic advances in civil rights? Or will our concerns be silenced by the demands of other, more immediate issues?

How much longer will gay soldiers have to serve their country in silence?

Author: Remigio Darby

Remigio Darby is an Examiner from Denver. You can see Remigio's articles on Remigio's Home Page.

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Since when are cheerleaders performers?

Your resentment is delicious. Glee!! It's definitely my new fave show. Check it.

Glee!!

"Glee," Starring Lea Michele and Matthew Morrison, Premieres May 19

By Kenneth Jones
19 May 2009

Lea Michele in "Glee"
photo by FOX-TV

"Glee," the new FOX-TV musical series about a high school glee club, starring Matthew Morrison as an eager teacher, and featuring Kristin Chenoweth, Victor Garber, Deb Monk, Lea Michele and more, will be introduced in an hour-long "preview event" — the pilot episode — at 9 PM (ET) May 19.

The show from Ryan Murphy, creator of "Nip/Tuck," gets a choice spot after the May 19 finale episode of the highly-rated "Americal Idol." The series will begin its regular 13-episode run in the fall.

"'Glee' works on so many levels that we want to utilize 'American Idol' to jump-start positive buzz, which will spread over the summer and into the show's launch in the fall," Kevin Reilly, president, entertainment, Fox Broadcasting Company, previously said.

"An ambitious and unique show such as 'Glee' deserves an ambitious and unique kickoff," stated Fox chairman Peter Liguori. "We also wanted to take advantage of the huge 'American Idol' promotional platform to launch the marketing campaign in May."

Chenoweth, Garber and Monk are all Tony Award winners; The Light in the Piazza's Morrison was Tony-nominated. He also starred in South Pacific and Hairspray. Michele, who plays a high school student in the series, starred as Wendla in Spring Awakening on Broadway.

Entertainment Weekly reported that Chenoweth, Garber and Monk will have recurring roles on the new series; Garber and Monk will play Morrison's parents.

	Matthew Morrison
	photo by FOX-TV

According to FOX notes, "'Glee' is an uplifting series with biting humor that features a soundtrack of hit music from past to present. The show follows an optimistic high school teacher, Will Schuester (Matthew Morrison), as he tries to refuel his own passion while reinventing the high school's glee club and challenging a group of outcasts to realize their star potential. It's not an easy task when the pitch-imperfect club includes Mercedes (Amber Riley), a forceful diva-in-training; Arty (Kevin McHale), a geeky guitarist; Kurt (Chris Colfer), a dramatic soprano; Tina (Jenna Ushkowitz), a punk rocker; and self-proclaimed 'star' Rachel (Lea Michele), a perfectionist firecracker.

"McKinley's cruel high school caste system prevents the glee club from flourishing, so Will recruits Finn (Cory Monteith), the quarterback with movie star looks, to join the group even though he wants to protect his reputation with his holier-than-thou girlfriend, Quinn (Dianna Agron), and his arrogant teammate, Puck (Mark Salling). With harsh criticism from everyone, including Will's tough-as-nails wife Terri (Jessalyn Gilsig) and McKinley's egotistical cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch), he is determined to prove them all wrong and lead the glee club to the greatest competition of them all: Nationals."

As previously announced, Tony Award winner John Lloyd Young (Jersey Boys) will also make a guest appearance on the new series.

Glee will feature a soundtrack of hit songs from past and present. It's produced by Ryan Murphy Television in association with 20th Century Fox Television.

Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan are co-creators of the series. Murphy, Falchuk and Dante Di Loreto serve as executive producers, while Ian Brennan and John Kousakis serve as co-executive producers. Murphy directed the pilot.

The cast of "Glee"
photo by FOX-TV

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to every mother! Have a loverly day. You deserve it!

I'm still here!

I haven't blogged in forever! I apologize for neglecting my blog. Anyway, I just want to tell everyone about my new fave store, Fred Flare. If you're ever in Brooklyn, check it out! They also have an online store here. They have the coolest stuff. Like this lego block speaker for your ipod. Go treat yourself to something really cool and original. :)