from the week of January 21 2007

It was a busy weekend.

Friday I got to see the Cedar Lake Dance Company perform at its beautiful space in Manhattan. I was particularly impressed by Benoit-Swan Pouffer's "Vastav," inspired by a childhood visit to Algeria where he observed the culture of arranged marriages. And also by Jacopo Godani's "Symptoms of Development," a futuristic portrayal of life and technology.

Saturday I was in Brooklyn for the Voices Rising book signing, celebrating 20 years of black LGBT/SGL writers in the tradition of the writers' group, Other Countries.

Then on Sunday, after church and brunch, it was time for football. The Chicago Bears pulled out a big win over the New Orleans Saints. I know a lot of people were rooting for New Orleans because of Hurricane Katrina, but I still like the Bears.

With Chicago's victory and Indianapolis's win over the Patriots, that means we will have two black coaches facing each other in the Super Bowl for the first time in history.

Congratulations to the Bears and the Colts.

Posted on January 22 2007, 2:46PM | Permalink

It's that time of year again. It's time when the entertainment world prepares for Hollywood's biggest night.

Nominations for the 79th Annual Academy Awards will be announced today by Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences President Sid Ganis and past Oscar nominee Salma Hayek in the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

Ellen DeGeneres will host the Awards telecast, her first time as Oscar host and her first appearance on an Academy Awards show.

The Oscars will be televised live on Sunday, February 25 at at 8 p.m. EST on ABC.

Posted on January 23 2007, 12:01AM | Permalink

Will Noah's Arc return for a third season on Logo?

That's the question that isn't clearly answered in yesterday's NPR interview with cast member Jensen Atwood. LOGO reportedly told NPR that Noah's Arc will return for a new season.

But during the interview, which was apparently taped before NPR spoke to LOGO, it seemed as though LOGO might be canceling the show. Atwood himself said he wasn't sure if the show would be renewed or not.

During the NPR interview, Atwood also took issue with a statement in an interview on this site where I described him as a straight actor. He told NPR he wants to be known as an actor, and not as a straight actor or a gay actor.

It's January of 2007, and if the show is renewed or canceled, those decisions would probably have to be made soon. Stay tuned for more information as the story develops.

Posted on January 24 2007, 12:56AM | Permalink

And the winner of American Idol is...

Jenry Bejarano, a 16-year-old singer from Rotterdam, New York. Adopted by a Bolivian family, Jenry is one of the best looking men on American Idol this season.

And the best part is...he can sing too. Jenry sang Gerald LeVert’s song “I’d Give Anything to Fall In Love.”

He sang so well that he got an invitation to Hollywood based on his performance that aired last night.

Of course he hasn't won anything yet, but we'll be watching to see what happens.

Posted on January 25 2007, 11:18AM | Permalink

So who exactly is responsible for the phrase "gay is the new black"? And what on earth does it mean?

Today the entertainment gossip web site TMZ credits Wanda Sykes for using the gay/black phrase. In an interview about Isaiah Washington, the comedian jokes that maybe gay is the new black.

But Wanda certainly wasn't the first to use the phrase. A year ago this week, writer/director Maurice Jamal and producer Andre Robert Lee were photographed at the Sundance Film Festival's 10th annual Queer Brunch sporting their "Gay is the New Black" t-shirts.

The sometimes unreliable Wikipedia web site credits Carson Kressley from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy for using the phrase "gay is the new black" a few years ago.

But one of the earliest references to the phrase comes from an article in the British publication The Guardian, written in June 2003. The author of the piece is a black reporter named Gary Younge. He used the phrase in a political context by contrasting the way Sen. Rick Santorum was defended for making homophobic remarks but Sen. Trent Lott was condemned for making racist remarks.

That still doesn't answer the question about the origin and the meaning of the phrase, but I left a message for Gary Younge, and I'll let you know if he has something to say about it.

Posted on January 27 2007, 10:18AM | Permalink