
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 :)
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?
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 |
"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 |
2 April 2009 6:30 PM, PDT
Actress Zooey Deschanel is sick of people mistaking her for pop sensation Katy Perry.
The pair share an uncanny resemblance and fans continually get the two muddled up.
But the Yes Man star has had enough of the comparisons and is desperate to distance herself from the singer.
She tells MTV.com, "It's a little bit annoying, to be totally blunt. The only similarity that we have is that we look a little bit alike. I have met her before. She seems like a nice person. I'm happy that she's famous enough now that she's not going out and being mistaken for me.
"I used to get, 'I heard you were out at such-and-such club drinking whiskey!' (when) I was at home watching TV. I think we lead very different lives. At some point I feel like this will stop being a thing. I like the way my life goes. It's sort of strange to be associated with someone that's doing such different stuff than me. It's weird."
I'm just a little bit caught in the middle
Life is a maze and love is a riddle
i don't know where to go, can't do it alone
I've tried, and i don't know why...
Slow it down, make it stop
Or else my heart is going to pop
'Cause it's too much, yeah it's a lot
To be something i'm not
I'm a fool out of love
'Cause i just can't get enough...
I'm just a little bit caught in the middle
Life is a maze and love is a riddle
i don't know where to go, can't do it alone
I've tried, and i don't know why
I'm just a little girl lost in the moment
I'm so scared but i don't show it
I can't figure it out, it's bringing me down
I know i've got to let it go...
And just enjoy the show
The sun is hot in the sky
Just like a giant spotlight
The people follow the signs
And synchronise in time
It's a joke, nobody knows
They've got a ticket to the show....
(i want my money back, just enjoy the show)
By Andrew Gans
09 Jan 2009
Cabrillo Music Theatre presents the West Coast premiere of Breaking Up Is Hard to Do, which celebrates the music of pop songwriter Neil Sedaka, beginning Jan. 9 at the Kavli Theatre at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza.
Directed and choreographed by Troy Magino, performances will continue through Jan. 18.
The cast comprises Eileen Barnett, Nathan Holland, Julie Dixon Jackson, Jeff Leatherwood, Ryan Nearhoff and Leslie Spencer Smith. Artistic director Lewis Wilkenfeld supervises the production, which features musical direction by Michael Paternostro.
Breaking Up Is Hard to Do features a book by Erik Jackson and Ben H. Winters, and lyrics by Neil Sedaka, Howard Greenfield and Cody Philip. The musical, according to press notes, "weaves the incomparable music of Neal Sedaka into an engaging tale of love and laughter." Expect such Sedaka classics as "Where The Boys Are," "Love Will Keep Us Together," "Calendar Girl," "Laughter in the Rain" and the title tune."
The design team includes set designer Andrew Hammer, costume designer Debbie Roberts, lighting designer Jean-Yves Tessier and sound designer Jonathan Burke.
Cabrillo Music Theatre is located at the Kavli Theatre, Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza, Countrywide Performing Arts Center, 2100 Thousand Oaks Boulevard in Thousand Oaks, CA. For tickets call (805) 449-ARTS (2787).
(l.-r.) Eileen Barnett, Nathan Holland, Julie Dixon Jackson, Jeff Leatherwood and Leslie Spencer Smith | |
photo by Ed Krieger |