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queerVOICE
Prayers are OK . . . Action is Better!
James Duggan
copyright 2009 |
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Now, yet another pastor row has flared up around President-elect Barack Obama with the selection of openly gay Episcopal Bishop V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire to give the invocation at the inaugural kickoff festivities at the Lincoln Memorial this Sunday. Robinson was one of the first prominent religious leaders to support Obama for President, having done so before the New Hampshire primary.
Robinson acted as an advisor to the Obama campaign on issues of faith and queer rights, and has been an outspoken critic of the selection of Pastor Rick Warren, who openly supported Proposition 8 in California, to give the inaugural invocation. While the selection of Robinson is being celebrated by our community, it has angered many on the right.
Peter LaBarbera, President of Americans for Truth about Homosexuality (AFTAH), issued the following statement regarding Obama's selection of Bishop Robinson; "President-elect Obama has signaled a tragic departure from America's godly, Judeo-Christian heritage with his choice of a defiant homosexual activist, Gene Robinson, to recite a prayer at an official inaugural event Sunday. Choosing Robinson -- who supports homosexual 'marriage' and compares his agenda to mainstream sinful and changeable homosexual behavior to the noble Black civil rights struggle -- is a sop to 'gay' activists who blasted Obama for picking evangelical pastor Rick Warren to say an Inauguration Day prayer."
For Obama it seems like that old catch phrase, "you're damned if do, and damned if you don't."
The message from the Obama camp is clear; Everyone needs to come to the table, right and left and everyone in between . . . inclusiveness needs to span the gamut.
Clearly Obama appears to be the most supportive president ever for equal rights for queers. According to Robinson, the Obama transition team stated to him that they understand that people in the queer community have been "somewhat wounded" by the selection of Warren, and it's their hope that his "selection will go a long way to heal those divides."
Thanks go to you, Mr. President-elect for taking our concerns and feelings to heart and recognizing that your selection of Rich Warren has brought deep hurt and disbelief to our community. By including Bishop Robinson, an international recognized openly-gay Bishop who is in a committed same-sex union and a strong advocate of the freedom to marry, you have indeed put salve on our wounds. However, I must remind you that prayer is one thing, actions are the true measure.
Mr. Obama, your acid test is yet to come. Will you keep your promises of equality under the law for all queer Americas? Will you keep your promise to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and "Don't Ask, Don't Tell?" Will you ensure the passage of anti-discrimination laws that protect all Americans and not just the heterosexual ones? We supported you, now will you support us? It will be your actions that give renewed hope for equality for all Americans, queer or hetero, no less, no more.
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12th Street Gym |
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What It Looks Like From Here
Thom Cardwell
copyright 2009 |
 I adored Eartha Kitt. She's one of the female singers/performers whose albums (that's vinyl I'm talking about) I collected over the decades. Mine are the original imprints in addition to the later European-pressed records that I had to travel from wherever I was living, from New Hampshire to Los Angeles, always to New York City, the only place that I could find such collector's items. I still own every single one of them and, later, CDs of her performances and unique interpretations of songs.
Even at 81 when Kitt passed away on December 25, on Christmas Day, 2008, of colon cancer, (there's irony for you, given that one of her most famous song is "Santa Baby"), she had just released a brand new CD, Rejuvenate: It's Never Too Late, in October. The woman didn't stop working as she planned on engaging audiences with her purr-fect, catlike voice, forever!
In person, Kitt was only more amazing. Like a feline (maybe she really was a cat in an earlier life?), Kitt was suggestive, sultry, seductive, sexy, stretched out atop a grand piano with the longest legs, covered in silk stockings, and slinking out of a gorgeous clinging gown, slit right up the front. Meow! Meow!
It's all fond memories of her performances that I caught in a variety of places, on both coasts, from her two weeks only, always sold-out, in advance, appearances on the West Coast in places like The Grill in The Roosevelt Hotel, in the heart of old Hollywood, to her benefit appearances for numerous causes (an Unicef advocate for homeless children worldwide was one of them) on the East Coast in Philadelphia, New York City and other spots on the map.
 Once years ago, in Philadelphia, Kitt was being both honored and was performing for the 25th anniversary of one of the city's African-American women's groups (appropriate that since she, alongside Lena Horne, were the first two African-American sex symbols, long before the Civil Rights movement).
Anyway, I can't even remember how or why I received a call from a reporter with The Philadelphia Inquirer who had been told of my deep, personal affection for Kitt, but the interview went well and the feature article was well-received. In the body of the piece, my collection of Kitt memorabilia was described as a "shrine to Eartha Kitt." To be honest, it was somewhat of an exaggeration, a bit over-the-top, from the reality of the Kitt materials that I'd amassed over the years. But my collection really was/is impressive.
Of course, it didn't take long for one of the hosts of the benefit event that was being held a few nights later in the Grand Ballroom of the Park Hyatt at the Bellevue to call, as a result of the newspaper article, inciting me to attend the event. "Miss Kitt wants to meet you," she explained.
 Naturally, I accepted to be their guest. After enjoying the incredible and lively performance (the likes of what the legendary critic Brooks Atkinson wrote, in 1952, "Eartha Kitt not only looks incendiary, but she can make a song burst into flames.") and sharing in the joy of her being the gracious recipient of the award bestowed upon her by the women's group, my host came to fetch me.
I was truly thrilled to finally meet, face to face, the woman who Orson Wells (director of Citizen Kane), purportedly had an affair with her, and was completely--but privately and publicly--fascinated by this creature known as Eartha Kitt.
Both a diva and a legend (she later called herself "the original material girl" before Madonna, referring, in part to her affairs with the rich and famous, cosmetics magnate Charles Revson, banking heir John Barry, real estate developer Bill McDonald who she actually married and bore a daughter, Kitt Shapiro), Kitt couldn't have been nicer and down-to-earth in talking to me, sincerely thanking me for being such a fan, even acknowledging how my interview had helped sell tickets to the evening's event. I always cherished that particular meeting with Kitt and now at her passing, even more so.
Her perspective on her talent, fame, fortune, celebrity comes through in her own voice, as she wrote with great clarity, honesty and wit. In "Confessions of a Sex Kitten" (Barricade Books, 1989), she reflects, candidly, on her relationships with men: "The most exciting men in my life have been the men who have never taken me to bed. Once can lose a great friend by going to bed with them. Perhaps this is very often why we marry the wrong person--maybe we had sex with our best friend and not the lover; or we married the other and not the best friend. At any rate, one can screw up one's life through having sex, and the broken pieces can never be put back together. So perhaps the best thing to do is not to have sex with an intellectual friend."
 Do I dare use the pun? Kitt was earthy. Hey, don't mock me. She actually suggested that herself. Born poor as Eartha Mae Keith in 1927 in the cotton fields of South Carolina, from a racially mixed couple, this glamour puss told Ebony Magazine in 1993, "I'm a dirt person. I trust the dirt. I don't trust diamonds and gold."
May she rest in peace! But being a feline, even playing Catwoman in the 1960's TV series, "Batman", just maybe she still has one of those nine lives that cat's mythologically have and she'll returned as something else. In the meantime, we have her legacy--her recordings, her acting in films and television, her videotaped interviews and appearances, and her autobiographies.
For more information about Eartha Kitt, visit earthakitt.com
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Prayers for Bobby on Lifetime |
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Thoms' Table
Thom Cardwell
Copyright 2009 |
Frog's Leap at Oceanaire
How's this for an upscale meal-deal? Oceanaire Seafood Room, 700 Walnut Street on Washington Square, Philadelphia, is hosting an exclusive five course wine dinner, featuring Frog's Leap, from the historic Red Barn in Rutherford, California, at $75 per person, January 16.
Executive Chef David Wiederholt will be presenting the perfectly paired courses with Frog's Leap vintages. Highlights of the menu will include: Japanese Himachi Crudo with a Frog's Leap Sauvignon Blanc (Rutherford Napa Valley, 2006); Alaskan King Crab Ravioli with a Frog's Leap Chardonnay (Napa Valley, 2007); Alaskan Monkfish Confit with a Frog's Leap Petit Sirah, Galleron Vineyard (Rutherford, 2006) and Braised Brandt Beef Short ribs with a Frog's Leap Cabernet Sauvignon (Rutherford, 2004).
"Frog's Leap winery is a terrific California winery," said Wiederholt. "Creating the menu for this event was exciting because the flavors and aromas pair so well with a variety of cuisines. I think this menu beautifully showcases the organic quality of the wines and Oceanaire's commitment to ultra-fresh ingredients."
For more information, call 215.625.8862; or visit www.theoceanaire.com
Garces will open Chifa
 Chef/owner Jose Garces will continue to build his restaurant empire with the opening of his newest property, Chifa, 707 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, scheduled to open in early 2009. Chifa will be his fifth restaurant, joining Amada, Tinto and Distrito in Philadelphia, and Mercat a la Planxa in Chicago.
The Chicago-born, Ecuadorian-American and Philadelphia-adopted culinary superstar said that Chifa is named after the unique hybrid of Peruvian and Cantonese cuisines found in Peru.
"I am constantly exploring Latin cuisines, and when I began researching chifas, I was fascinated by the combination of these two seemingly different food cultures. But their common grounds, such as fresh seafood, liberal seasonings and rice-based dishes, come together in a way that is at once new and comfortingly familiar," Garces said.
Highlights of dishes at Chifa will include: arroz chaufa con mariscos, a traditional Chifa-style fried rice with Chinese ham, egg and scallion, topped with soy- and ginger-glazed shellfish; aji gallina, a classic Peruvian dish of slow-poached chicken in a spicy sauce of aji amarillo, walnuts and queso fresco, served over confit purple potatoes and garnished with purple Peruvian olives; lomo saltado con conchitas, beef tenderloin marinated in ginger and soy and stir-fried with peppers, tomatoes and bay scallops, then tossed with fried yellow mountain potatoes and cilantro; and roast duck buns, steamed Chinese buns filled with crispy roast duck over foie gras mousse, garnished with plum sauce, pickled scallions and five-spice sea salt.
Menu items will range in price from $10 to $28. Ceviches, featuring 10 specialty items, will range in price from $14 to $24.
For more information, call 215.925.5555; or visit chifarestaurant.com
El Camino Real opens in Northern Liberties
El Camino Real, 1040 North 2nd Street, Northern Liberties, Philadelphia, a Texas-Mexico border "cowboy bar" with a turn-of-the-century feel and authentic cuisine drawn from El Paso, Texas and Juarez, Mexico, will open in early 2009.
Leading restaurateur Owen Kamihira who has been instrumental in the development and expansion of Philadelphia's Northern Liberties neighborhood with his highly acclaimed Bar Ferdinand is enthusiastic about the opening of his second property.
Of El Camino Real, Kamihira said: "I wanted the atmosphere of the restaurant to evoke the feel of the border at dusk, with low lights and miles and miles of space," Kamihira is a noted artist of some of the city's iconic images in restaurants from the Buddha at Buddakan to the martini olive sign at Continental for the Starr Group.
Traveling to the Juarez/El Paso border with Chef Jennifer Zavala, Kamihira was inspired to "put his art and design background to work to bring that desolate, almost-mythic environment to Philadelphia. Crafting a restaurant is like creating a movie set, except that people can actually smell and taste and touch your movie, rather than just watching it."
Zavala has created a menu for El Camino Real based upon some of her previous culinary stints and explorations in Texas, California and Mexico, including her own Mexican and Latin heritage.
"Tex-Mex is really a made-up American cuisine; in that area, there are two separate and distinct food worlds, and I wanted to honor and celebrate both on my menu," Our only North-meets-South dish is our mac 'n' cheese, which combines three Mexican cheeses in the classic American dish. Other than that, we'll serve two separate menus: we've got smoky Texas barbecue, ribs and hot links beside my grandmother's refried beans and carnitas, and classic Mexican enchiladas, a true Juarez staple," she said. Dishes will range in price from $3 to $22.
For more information, call 215.925.1110
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Seven Reasons to Advertise on the Qt |
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Featured Arts Event on the Qt
Thom Cardwell
Copyright 2009 |
 "Is That All There Is?" That's one of the many wonderful songs by legendary singer Miss Peggy Lee (1920-2002)! She was the queen of female vocalists for decades, giving us memorable moments with her seductive "Fever" to her own playful "Lady in the Tramp" songs for Walt Disney's classic animated feature film. Did you know that she wrote the songs for that film? Lee was also an early female song writer! In fact, she performed many of her own songs first before others paid homage to her by recording them.
This weekend you can share in a special tribute to Lee at Fever!: the Music of Miss Peggy Lee that stars the sultry Lezlie Anders, the legendary singer/musician Buddy Greco and The Benny Goodman Tribute Band. It's an exciting stage musical featuring the songs made famous by the iconic Lee during a career spanning more than 60 years that's playing a limited engagement with only four performances at the Prince Music Theater in Center City Philadelphia (Chestnut St. at Broad, the Avenue of the Arts).
Fever! has played in front of audiences in venues across the United States. Greco is a masterful musician whose piano wizardry and vocal magic has thrilled audiences all over the world.
This is a great entertainment deal from the generous folks at the Prince that I'm happy to be promoting to you. You can actually purchase tickets at a special discount price of only $25 per seat for the Friday, January 16, 8 p.m. performance only by using the code word, "Buddy's Gift." This special price is only available through UpStages (the Prince's box office) by calling 215.569.9700. What a fabulous way to kick off this weekend!
For other performances, tickets are $45 to $100 with two shows at 2 pm and 8pm, Saturday, January 17, also available through UpStages.
I'll see you there
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Chiropractic and Sports Rehabilitation |
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What They Said: |
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 Why not start out the year with comedian/fashionista Joan Rivers, on the occasion of her latest book, "Men Are Stupid. . .and They Like Big Boobs," her mostly serious guide to plastic surgery. The 75-year-old performer who admits to having only two face lifts (she thinks that's not bad for her age) and who wants to donate her body, after death, to Tupperware, was recently interviewed by Deborah Solomon in The New York Time Magazine, Sunday, January 4, 2009. The quick-witted Rivers who has an opinion on everything thinks that Barack Obama needs an ear tuck, adores younger female comedians Sarah Silverman and Kathy Griffin ("she just stands there and bitches. I love that, reveals Rivers) and her now nonexistent dating scene (seeing old beaus make her sad) confesses how content she is being alone. So, who needs men anyway? "We're all so set in our ways. I love my life, except for losing all that money with Ruth and Bernie. I'm pleading with you, please say, 'She lost a bundle with Bernie Madoff'," she urges. Solomon asks Rivers is that's true. "No, but everybody is walking around now saying that, and that shows that you used to be very rich."
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 The Village People! Remember them and their songs, "YMCA," "Macho Man" and "In the Navy"? Thirty years ago, they were the hottest, queerest performers alive! The older they get, the more you realize how unique a singing group they were, and, somehow they've become "assimilated" into the mainstream more than ever. That was really their intention all the time and smart promoters and producers like Allan Carr always knew that, thus his casting them in the now classic cult film, "Can't Stop the Music," with Steve Guttenberg, former Olympic medalist Bruce Jenner and many others. Recently as reported in QVegas, January 2008, The Village People were immortalized by being honored with their own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. When asked where their star is located, Alexander Briley (the original Military GI of the group) replied: "It's somewhere between Liberace and Betty Grable."
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 Thomas S. Monson named "Person of the Year"? Really! Are you kidding? But, actually, no, just the opposite, explained editor/publisher Michael Aaron of QSaltLake to the editorial staff in Outward Magazine (Sacramento), December 25, 2008, whose criteria in naming the current president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints wasn't done in spite. "Our criteria for 'Person of the Year' was 'what person made the greatest impact, good or bad, to Utah's gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender community.' That person is President Monson. The fact is, Monson has sparked a fire under our community. More people are becoming active and aware in the movement to secure equal rights. Monson has greatly benefited Utah's gay community," said Aaron.
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I'm Glad I Never Said That!
In an email sent out by Peter LaBarbera, president of the anti-gay group Americans for Truth About Homosexuality, the group called for protests against the annual Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend, which is scheduled each year for the this weekend in Washington, D.C. The email encourages readers to call or email the event venue in an attempt to have the event canceled. LeBarbera writes: "It is a shocking expose that once again testifies to man's capacity for extreme wickedness and debasement in the pursuit of sin . . . the 'gay' movement to 'normalize' homosexuality is evil, and so we should expect that astounding evils would emanate from it--which they do."
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Lift The Ban |
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EVENTS on the Qt! |
> Sunday (January 18)
 OurNightOut @ Tavern On Camac (TOC) for a Tea Dance
Sunday, January 18, 2009 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Located at 243 S. Camac Street (between Spruce and Locust Streets and 12th and 13th Streets), 215.545.0900, tavernoncamac.com
OurNightOut is a monthly social networking party for members of the LGBT and allied communities, their friends, and colleagues. Enjoy fantastic drink specials including $2 Domestic Beers and $2 Off Well Drinks courtesy of Tavern On Camac.
Hosted by the OurNightOut Crew
> Thursday (January 22)
 Greater Philadelphia Professional Network (GPPN)
15th year Kick-Off at SoleFood at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel
Thursday, January 22, 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Join the Greater Philadelphia Professional Network (GPPN) as they kick off their 15th year as an all-volunteer community-based organization promoting professional advancement and business support through networking in the LGBT tri-state area with monthly business card exchanges and networking receptions.
Meet and greet longtime and new GPPNers at an extended Happy Hour, with specialty drinks and discounted drink prices, complimentary appetizers from Loews' critically acclaimed SoleFood Restaurant, live jazz musical performance, and door prizes donated by GPPN sponsors, Kimmel Center for the Arts, ClearChannel and SoleFood Restaurant at the Loews Philadelphia Hotel.
Admission is just $5 at the door; dress is business or dressy casual attire.
Make sure to bring your business cards to enter the door prize drawing and other promotional materials for distribution of your business or nonprofit organization.
For more information, visit gppn.org
This event is open to all, membership not required
> Saturday (January 24)
 ASIAC (AIDS Services In Asian Communities) 2nd LUNAR NEW YEAR Celebration: A Banquet Fundraiser
Saturday, January 24, 2009 / 6PM-10PM
At Host Restaurant:
Wokano Restaurant
1100 Washington Avenue
Philadelphia PA
Featuring: 10 Course Asian Banquet, Silent Auction, Raffle
Proceeds from this fundraiser benefit ASIAC programs. For more Information or to RSVP please call 215.629.2300; or visit asiac.org
> Saturday (January 31)
 Check out Qwik Dates events for gay men at The Center: 208 W. 13th St. (7th & 8th Ave.) in Manhattan. All events begin at 8:00 PM sharp and end at 10:00 PM. Admission is $20 - there are no advance reservations, so pay at the door. These are dates of our upcoming events:
Saturday Jan. 31: HIV+ men night
Saturday Feb. 14: Ages 20s/30s night
Saturday Feb. 28: Ages 40+ night
At Qwik Dates, you go on a series of assigned one-on-one 3-minute qwik dates, then get a free mingling period to meet anyone else in the room. Give us a list of the guys you want a longer date with, and minutes later our computer tells you your mutual matches!
> Saturday (January 31)
2009 Philadelphia Auto Show Saturday, January 31 through Sunday, February 8, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, 1101 Arch Street, Philadelphia.
SHOW HOURS
Saturdays, 9:00 am - 10:00 pm
Sunday, February 1, 9:00 am - 6:00 pm
Sunday, February 8, 9:00 am - 8:00 pm
Weekdays, (Mon - Fri), Noon - 10:00 pm
Please Note:
There will be no admittance 45 minutes prior to the close of the show!
Ticket Prices
Adults (13 and over): $10 (weekdays) $12 (weekends)
Children (7-12): $6
Children (6 and under): FREE
Senior Citizens (62 + - weekdays only): $6
One dollar of every ticket sold will be donated to the Auto Dealers CARing For Kids Foundation benefiting The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
On Friday evening, January 30, 2009 from 7-11:30 pm, the Auto Dealers CARing for Kids Foundation will host the Black Tie Tailgate Preview Gala. Guests can preview the show before it opens to the public and enjoy food, drink and entertainment. All proceeds benefit the Auto Dealers CARing For Kids Foundation and The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
Visit theBlack Tie Tailgate site for more information on this event or to purchase tickets online!
Information Source: phillyautoshow.com/showinfo.asp
> Sunday (February 15)
 Mama Mia Sing a Long
ONE NIGHT ONLY-- Hiway Theater Benefit Event
Sunday, February 15th at 7:00 p.m.
The hit movie musical Mamma Mia! will be back at the Hiway Theatre for just one night in a special sign-a-long format with Philadelphia's own Chumley and Carlota Ttendant leading the evenings festivities.
Fun for the family this movie event is like no other and includes a dessert reception, a dance contest, and party favors.
We will also be picking the winning raffle ticket for our Tuscany Villa Vacation raffle that night!
Proceeds from this event benefit The Hiway Theatre, a non-profit community theatre. To learn more about sponsoring the event, or donating food or goodies contact Fred at 215.886.9802.
For tickets and other information visit hiwaytheatre.org | |
