News: AIDS Vaccine, Beijing, Albino Eagle, El Paso, Newlywed Game

Obama will not speak at the Brandenburg Gate, according to Bloomberg, but at the Victory Column just down the road: "A stage will be set up at the column, a 19th-century fluted structure that lies at the opposite end of a tree-lined boulevard from the Brandenburg Gate, the newspaper said. The campaign will announce the plans for July 24 today, it said. An appearance at the Victory Column, capped by its trademark gilded angel, will still give the Illinois senator the Brandenburg Gate as a backdrop in the distance."

Rare albino Golden Eagle discovered in Colorado.

Australia World youth Day pilgrims tell their gay hosts that they will "burn in hell."

K-Fed gets the kids from Britney in Cheeto divorce trial.

Rue McClanahan, Caroline Rhea, Olivia Newton-John, and Leslie Jordan get ready to make LOGO a bit more Sordid...

San Jose City College biology professor sues community college district for firing her over answering question about homosexuality and heredity: " In a lawsuit filed Wednesday in federal court in San Jose, June Sheldon alleges that college officials trampled on academic freedoms and free speech rights by firing her in February. Sheldon is backed in the case by the Arizona-based Alliance Defense Fund, a conservative organization that also has been heavily involved in the legal battles over gay marriage in California and elsewhere. The lawsuit seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages, reinstatement to her teaching job and a court finding that Sheldon's rights were violated."

Proposed George W. Bush Sewage Plant qualifies for ballot in San Francisco.

Gay community center opens its doors in El Paso, Texas: "El Paso's new Gay-Lesbian-Bisexual-Transgendered-Queer Center opened its doors to the public. The center houses non-profit organizations, counselors and even a flower shop. 'We want this place to be the hub of the gay community,' said director Charles Sloane. The facility is the crown jewel of El Paso's emerging gay community; a community that's mobilizing to have their voice heard as never before."

The Watchmen are coming (site not totally sfw).

Same-sex couples ineligible for Game Show Network's new version of The Newlywed Game.

Desperate Housewives gay couple Tuc Watkins and Kevin Rahm will be back in the upcoming flash-forward-five-years season: "...they now have a four-year-old daughter. Cherry said adding them to the show was 'just my commentary on how a gay couple moves in and nothing much happens.'"

VIDEO: A press rehearsal for the 9 to 5 Broadway musical.

Justin Timberlake kisses David Beckham's foot: "‘That's what $250million [£125m] tastes like,’ he told the audience." Maybe Becks can give him some tips on accessorizing.

Going to Beijing and want to know where to find the "gay scene"?

North Carolina anti-bullying bill killed: "The bill was controversial because it listed 'sexual orientation' and other characteristics as reasons schoolchildren might be the targets of bullying. Groups such as the Christian Action League and the N.C. Family Policy Council did not want the term in state law, saying that gay-rights groups would use it to leverage other rights."

Kenneth Cole's brief encounter.

Large U.S. HIV vaccine trial canceled: "...a top federal official said scientists realized that they did not know enough about how H.I.V. vaccines and the immune system interact. The decision is a major setback in an effort to develop an H.I.V. vaccine that began 24 years ago when government health officials promised a marketed vaccine by 1987. Health officials have long contended that such a vaccine would be their best weapon to control the AIDS pandemic."

High school dodgeball player #2 returning to Ugly Betty this season.

Sphere: Related Content

News: West Side Story, Matt Dillon, Bush Golf, Ryan O'Meara

Former Olympic skater Ryan O'Meara: I'm gay.

Madonna in bid to reunited Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake for her Sticky & Sweet tour. If that doesn't work, maybe Justin could just play both of them.

Bush to attend McCain golf fundraiser. FLASHBACK: "Playing golf during a war just sends the wrong signal."

Sarah Jessica Parker whacked her mole.

Brisbane, Australia's gay, Aboriginal, and civil libertarian communities to march against Pope Benedict tomorrow: "We are protesting against the Pope's anti-queer, anti-abortion, anti-condom stance. The Pope is an extremely powerful and influential figure, who has called homosexuality 'an intrinsic moral evil', has said that abortion rights are a 'new holocaust', and who tells those in the midst of the HIV/AIDS crisis in Africa that contraception and sex education support a 'culture of death'."

Scores of Methodist ministers in California putting careers on the line to officiate same-sex weddings: "The pastors could lose their jobs and clerical credentials in the church, the nation's second-largest Protestant denomination. Ministers in Santa Monica, Claremont, Walnut Creek and other cities have already performed ceremonies for gays and lesbians or are planning to do so. In addition, 82 retired pastors in Northern California signed a resolution in June offering to perform such weddings on behalf of ministers who feel they can't do so themselves."

West Side Story revival to begin Broadway previews in 2009...

Barry Manilow: too thin?

Andrew Lloyd Webber reveals details of Phantom sequel at boozy UK bash.

Participants at the Anglican Lambeth Conference will be invited to take a walk on the gay side: "Peterson Toscano, who is also booked for the Edinburgh Festival and the Greenbelt Christian arts festival this summer, promises good humour and topicality when he takes to the stage at the Keynes Lecture Theatre at the University of Kent on Wednesday 30 and Thursday 31 July 2008, starting at 8pm. The lively theatrical performance activist will share his own spiritual story and experience, liberally sprinkled with excerpts from a play that tells how he survived the 'ex-gay' movement which has been encouraged in some Christian circles - 'Doin' Time in the Homo No Mo Halfway House'. The performances will also include a 'question and answer' session."

Anti-gay protest at McDonald's goes pathetically.

Matt Dillon: open wide.

Afghanistan, Bid Laden first: The John McCain blunder nobody has discussed yet.

Al Gore to make ' moon shot' challenge on environment: "Just as John F. Kennedy set his sights on the moon, Al Gore is challenging the nation to produce every kilowatt of electricity through wind, sun and other Earth-friendly energy sources within 10 years, an audacious goal he hopes the next president will embrace...'I have never seen an opportunity for the country like the one that's emerging now,' Gore told The Associated Press in an interview previewing a speech on global warming he planned to give Thursday in Washington."

Dennis Kucinich's impeachment resolution moves forward, ever so slowly...

H&R Block offers $100 coupons or free TaxCut software to gay couples their software blocked from filing online: "Connecticut taxpayers Jason Smith and Settimio Pisu and the ACLU sent a demand letter last March to Block asking the tax preparer to stop penalizing gay couples because the software in use then didn’t support Connecticut civil union returns. Filers who encountered that problem were asked to contact a Block tax service office for help, for which higher fees were charged."

Sphere: Related Content

News: Wicked, Cristiano Ronaldo, Mars, Mamma Mia, Ron Paul

The NYT on the potential repeal of the 1913 Massachusetts marriage law.

The Martian landscape revealed...

Cristiano Ronaldo hits L.A. on crutches and doesn't waste any time snubbing Paris Hilton.

Ron Paul's openly gay campaign chair dies of pneumonia at 49, without health insurance: "Snyder, who served as Paul’s campaign chair, died of pneumonia on June 26 after being hospitalized for about two months and after running up medical bills exceeding $400,000, according to friends and family members, who said he did not have health insurance."

A Mamma-Mia cheat sheet.

Moscow authorities ban gay picket of Iranian embassy set for July 19: "About 30 people were due to take part, Moscow gay pride parade organizer Nikolay Alexeyev told the Interfax-Religion. He said the application was submitted last Friday in strict compliance with Russian laws, but the prefecture retorted it could not guarantee the security of those taking part in the picket. 'This is a flagrant violation of the Russian constitution and laws on public actions,' Alexeyev said."

Will the knowledge that Banksy may be bourgeois make his works less valuable?

The L.A. Times profiles Paul Colichman and his growing "gay media empire": "Five years ago, Colichman and his business partner launched Here, television's only premium gay cable network. Now, with an eye toward building their empire, they recently made a $6.5-million deal to buy the popular news magazine the Advocate, style monthly Out and other sister publications. Colichman, who also owns the gay entertainment Internet portal GayWired.com, plans to expand the online presence of his new publications once the acquisition closes. 'People say, 'Why would you buy a print publication when you're really in the television business?'' said Colichman. 'But our point of view is that everything is cross-platformed now -- we are in the content business, and to generate profit you need to be everywhere.'"

Tyson shows off his tatts.

Broadway's Wicked coming to the big screen.

Chris Evans to answer questions at San Diego's Comic-Con.

First openly gay leader of a national labor union elected: "New York based United Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten has been elected to succeed Edward McElroy as President of the American Federation of Teachers...Weingarten served for 10 years as UFT head and under her tenure she negotiated a 43 percent increase in educator salaries and helped organize 28,000 home childcare workers."

Andy Dick in sex and drugs arrest.

North Carolina Family Policy Council supports bullying of LGBT kids in schools...

Pew Poll: 28% say gay marriage will affect their vote. "As it did in October 2004, gay marriage ranks lowest in importance among 16 campaign issues for the average U.S. voter; overall, 28% say gay marriage will be very important to their vote, down slightly from 32% in 2004. Far more Republicans than Democrats (19 points) rate gay marriage as very important. White evangelical Protestants (49%) place the most importance on the issue. Currently, 49% of the public opposes allowing gay and lesbian couples to marry legally, while 38% support gay marriage."

Sphere: Related Content

Towleroad Guide to the Tube #325

OREO: John McLaughlin of The McLaughlin Group says Obama "fits the Oreo sterotype." More from Media Matters.

REWRITING HISTORY: The DNC responds to McCain surrogate Carly Fiorina's remarks on Meet the Press over the weekend that McCain doesn't march in lockstep with Bush on Iraq.

iPHONE: KTLA reporter learns not to mess with fanboys in the iPhone line.

NICK ADAMS: An interview with Mario Lopez bicep rival Nick Adams.

Check out our previous guides to the Tube here.

Sphere: Related Content

News: Dark Knight, Gay Youth, Ravello, Ian McKellen, Uganda

Here's a list of the groups that are lobbying the Senate to remove the HIV travel ban.

The Dark Knight has its premiere and it's a big night for Christian Bale. But it was an even bigger night for the late Heath Ledger. His family paid him tribute as did his co-stars.

Reese Witherspoon cuts Jake Gyllenhaal off from his normal habit of swearing like a sailor: "Some of (the things she insists on) are run-of-the-mill. He has to take off his shoes when he’s in the house; trash must be taken out when the can is three-quarters full; and no feet on the coffee table."

PBS debates airing full-frontal Ian McKellen in broadcast of Royal Shakespeare Company's King Lear next year.

Some San Franciscans are objecting to a plan by the Presidential Memorial Commission of San Francisco that would rename the Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant as the George W. Bush Sewage Plant: "What we didn’t expect was that most of the opposition was coming from people who didn’t want to name anything. They just wanted to forget about the past eight years and move on or they felt that this is a facility that does something really quite useful and it would be inappropriate to put his name on it. […] If you get to the point where people are defending the sewage plant, that’s a sign that things have not gone so well."

Brad Blog: Alabama Attorney General Troy King, who last week was the subject of rumors that he was to resign in the wake of a gay sex scandal, was the client of gay GOP consultant Ralph Gonzalez, who was killed in a double-murder suicide last year.

The Washington Post on the coming out process and its emergence at earlier and earlier ages: "He has grown so used to the stares and laughter of strangers that their insults slip off his 118-pound frame like an oversize shirt. 'I think I've dealt with it so much my whole life that it really doesn't bother me anymore, not as much as it used to,' Saro says. 'If you have a birthmark on your leg for so long, you don't even notice it.' Saro, who first said he liked boys to a classmate in sixth grade, is like many of today's lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youths who openly discuss their sexual orientation and identity with friends, and sometimes family, before entering high school."

Whoopi Goldberg to join cast of Xanadu on Broadway.

Britney shoots video for Madonna tour.

Uganda's State Minister for Ethics and Integrity Dr James Nsaba Buturo says that opponents of gays should not be afraid of retribution because God will protect them: "It's true gays are rough people but men of God should not fear their intimidation. Ugandans should strengthen their mobilisation against the gay movement because the government is also committed to support them."

Gore Vidal home in Ravello, Italy to open as luxury hotel next spring.

FIRST LOOK: Project Runway designers enter the workroom.

Miss USA Crystle Stewart discusses her fall at the Miss Universe pageant: "I think I'm going to have to take some walking classes. I would never have thought in a million years that I would fall down at the Miss Universe pageant _ right after Miss USA fell last year. I always wondered: My God, if that happened to me, what would I do? Things happen. I'm perfectly fine. I'm going to move back to New York and get on with my life." Watch it.

Ruminations on a gay and straight brother...

The schedule for this year's Comic-Con in San Diego has been released.

Politics of Fear: Cartoonists respond to the Barack and Michelle Obama New Yorker cover, and Salon asks if the Bush era has killed a lot of liberals' sense of humor.

Philosopher Mark Vernon: I was a gay priest.

Sphere: Related Content

Towleroad Guide to the Tube #324

BEFORE I FORGET: New film by Jacques Nolot "trains an unflinching spotlight on a species that, to judge from the movies, might as well be extinct: the aging homosexual." Opens in NYC July 18.

TIRADE: Minor league manager of the Wichita Wingnuts argues with an umpire,forcing him to smell his shoe and armpit at a game last week. The tirade has made the team rich and (relatively) famous.

LADY GAGA: Performs her single "Just Dance" at the Miss Universe swimsuit competition.

HAIR: New York's Public Theatre is doing a revival of Hair this summer. Here's a performance of "Black Boys/White Boys" at a recent preview performance in front of the Theory store in the meatpacking district. Three more of the performances here.

Check out our previous guides to the Tube here.

Sphere: Related Content

Optical Illusions on the MTA

Improv Everywhere, creators of the Grand Central Freeze and the spontaneous food court musical, recently filled a New York subway car with identical twins and recorded the reactions of riders who boarded and were surprised to see a mirror image riding alongside them.

Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...

More photos at Improv Everywhere.

Previously
In Grand Central Station, a Brief Wrinkle in Time [tr]
Can Someone Please Give Them a Napkin? [tr]

Sphere: Related Content

Kinky Boots to Walk on Broadway?

The 2006 film Kinky Boots about a drag queen who helps save a shoe business with a line of fetish shoes has been acquired for the stage by producers Daryl Roth (August: Osage County) and Hal Luftig (Movin' Out), according to The Hollywood Reporter:

"Although the film is not a musical -- it contained just a few cabaret numbers -- and also played primarily as a comedy, producers say they want to emphasize the emotional aspects of the story in the theatrical production. 'The story is really about relationships,' Roth said, 'and I want to find the heart at the center of it.' After seeing 'Kinky Boots' at the Sundance Film Festival in 2006, Roth was attracted to its theatrical possibilities and eventually acquired the stage rights from Disney. Roth is one of several producers who has been bringing the theater and film worlds closer together; she recently joined with film producer Richard Gladstein to acquire the film rights for the the novel 'Apologize, Apologize' and will develop it for the big screen."

Jerry Mitchell, who Matthew Rettenmund recently interviewed for this site, is in talks to direct Kinky Boots for the stage.

Watch a clip from Kinky Boots (2006), AFTER THE JUMP...

Sphere: Related Content

Sean Hayes Back in Action on New York Stage

Sean Hayes, who opens this week in a New York production of Damn Yankees with Cheyenne Jackson and Jane Krakowski, sits down with the New York Times:

“For me, the basis of [success as an actor] comes from a love of everything you do. But the byproduct of being a star or a celebrity may be that you have to give up certain pieces of yourself. And you do have to sell part of your soul when you’re an actor — because that’s what you’re showing people. You have an audience, and if you don’t have an audience you’re just being weird in front of the mirror.”

In other news, Hayes is working on a TV series called Bi-Coastal, "about a guy with a wife and kids in California and a boyfriend in New York."

(via kenneth in the 212)

Sphere: Related Content

News: Thomas Beatie Goes Forth And Multiplies, AZ Governor Speaks Out, Baby Brolin Does Bush, Ciao For Now & More

It's A Gir—Baby!: Thomas Beatie, the so-called "Pregnant Man," gave birth to a healthy girl today. Congrats to both brave parents! I think they have been unfairly ostracized and hope their daughter grows up healthy and happy.

Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano came out against amending her state's Constitution to outlaw gay marriage. "I believe marriage is between a man and a woman. I don’t think the constitutional amendment is necessary. The voters of Arizona will have a chance to decide this. Personally, I’m going to oppose it. We already have a statute that defines marriage. The courts have already said the statute is constitutional."

Speak of the Devil: The "Austin 12"—prominent gay Texan Republicans who met with George W. Bush in 2000—are not solidly behind John McCain. In fact, three are either in favor of, or are considering voting for, Barack Obama. David Greer, who was on Bush's AIDS advisory board in 2003 but who became a registered Democrat that same year, says, "As long as there’s a far right in the party, gay Republicans are way too small in numbers…to have any effect on the party. We actually end up doing greater and lasting harm to the GLBT community."

If you do Outfest, check out Ciao by Yen Tan, a moody, introspective examination of the reactions from a man's best friend and latest Internet datemate when they meet after his untimely death. I caught this at New Fest and found it really mesmerizing. Plus the actors are hot (pictured). Official site here.

Now wines are coming out of the closet.

The Broadway debut of Katie Holmes, in a production of Arthur Miller’s All My Sons, is not exactly setting the world on fire.

Hilarious! Check out pictures of a 19-year-old Josh Brolin playing George W. Bush 20+ years before the upcoming Oliver Stone biopic releasing later this year.

The Bishop of Durham attacks anti-gay Anglicans. "The idea they have a monopoly on Biblical truth won’t do," he says. Them’s fightin’ words!

Canada's OUTtv, an LGBT network, is all the rage after almost flaming out...and it's owned by heterosexuals.

The N and others honored at The 8th Annual Trevor Project Awards.

The very cute Greg Siff (pictured hosting Legendary Bingo at Hamburger Mary's) is the toast of L.A. (Arnold Palmers for everyone!) with his play The Nothing Boys, based on his real-life experience of showing up for his high school reunion only to find one other person there. With good reviews from LA Weekly, Backstage and more, The Nothing Boys has been extended. Check it out.

It's an older article, but if you're interested in Big and Little Edie, this piece is well worth reading, with recollections from artist and friend Lois Wright. Wright's My Life at Grey Gardens from last year and Walter Newkirk's new MemoraBEALEia are great summer reads about two of the 20th Century's most fascinating eccentrics.

Sphere: Related Content

News: Bombing Budapest, Video Violence, Marilyn Digs Her Own Political Musgrave, Portland Even Gayer Than McDonald's & More

Magnum, a gay sauna in Budapest, Hungary, was the target of four petrol bombs early today. This is the second bombing in a week. In both cases, the perpetrators called first to make sure people were inside. "We are doubtful if the police are really protecting the gay establishments as they promised," says Gabor Kuszing of the Hungarian gay-rights group Patent Association.

Two female students were arraigned on charges of aggravated assault after videotaping their beating of a lesbian classmate whose PDAs were said to upset them.

All of Big Sur, California, was ordered evacuated as an 11-day-old fire continues to rage.

Colorado Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave goes back to the anti-gay marriage well that nearly cost her her job.

Keep Your Eyes On Your Fries: The American Family Association thinks McDonald’s is so, totally, like gay.

For Obama, even some formerly fire-engine red states have got the blues. But it's not all "blue skies"—the largest group on his own Web site is devoted to urging him to reconsider caving on FISA.

Portland tops the "Gay Ghetto" list. (Where's New York???)

Scientology's $8 million-dollar secret.

A modern-day West Side Story may be in the works.

Joe Lieberman is not popular.

Chris Martin of Coldplay used to "worry that he might be gay" until he realized he loved boobs. He attributes his sexual anxiety to his Christian upbringing. "What I grew up with was, if you even think about boobs, you’re going to hell," he tells Rolling Stone. "But let’s face it, they’re fantastic."

Lindsay Lohan threw herself a prom-themed 22nd birthday at the Hollywood Roosevelt Wednesday. Her date? Top-hatted DJ Samantha Ronson.

Democratic House candidate Darcy Burner of Washington owes her life to her five-year-old son, who awakened the politico and her husband in time to flee an early-morning fire that destroyed their home.

Jai Rodriguez to star in a new musical about a Cuban refugee "who sets sail on a turbulent journey that leads him all the way to Hollywood and into the arms of a fiery, redheaded movie star named Lucille Ball." Waaa!

Ever seen Swoon? Its director, Tom Kalin, is back with Savage Grace, the true story of socialite Barbara Daly Baekeland. Julianne Moore plays the neurotic woman, who was said to have bedded her own son, Antony (Eddie Redmayne), as a means of curing his homosexuality. Instead, it probably helped drive him toward what became a grisly day of reckoning in 1972. The movie—out in limited release in the U.S. for the past month—is generating a big stir due to extended portrayals of their incestuous liaisons.

Watermelon makes me horny.

Madonna's Sticky and Sweet Tour setlist might very well contain classics "Borderline" (not presented live in 23 years) and "Into the Groove," the Oscar-winning "You Must Love Me" from Evita and, of course, "La Isla Bonita"…a song Madonna seems to think is on par with "Vogue" considering how often it's trotted out. Other oldies under consideration? "Dress You Up," "Everybody" and "Angel."

Sphere: Related Content

Grin And Bare It

Tony-winning choreographer Jerry Mitchell created Broadway Bares—the annual fleshfest benefit on behalf of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS—in 1992 after losing several friends to the disease. Having choreographed The Full Monty, Mitchell provides somewhat less than that with these risqué revues, which consist of hundreds of the Great White Way's greatest performers shaking what will hopefully be their money-makers through a series of naughty sketches and elaborate dance routines set to familiar and sometimes original songs. Counting this year's $875,000+ haul, Mitchell’s creation has brought in nearly $6 million dollars for AIDS over the past 16 years from a show that's traditionally only performed twice a night, once a year.

The show has such beautiful advertising, production values, participants and intentions, it was only a matter of time before a coffee-table book was born—the red-hot Backstage Pass: Broadway Bares (Universe, $55) offers 160 pages of promotional images, behind-the-scenes peeks and live moments that are not to be missed.

Having attended my first Broadway Bares on June 22, where I picked up the book, I sent word that I’d love to speak with Mr. Mitchell for this blog and he followed the yellow-brick Towleroad, calling me yesterday for a warm chat on virtually no notice. I can see why his associate refers to him as "a big ball of YES."

AFTER THE JUMP, check out the full interview.

Towleroad: Most people know AIDS is a serious problem, but what inspired you to do something about it back in 1992?

Jerry Mitchell: I lost so many friends. By 1991, I'd already lost five of my best friends, so I kind of felt I had no choice.

Towleroad: How did you make the leap from wanting to help to deciding to do it via a burlesque show?

Jerry Mitchell: I was in The Will Rogers Follies, sort of dancing naked on a drum, and I had been volunteering at GMHC and doing all that kind of stuff—the dance-a-thons, sending out flyers. I needed to find a way to use my own creative stuff.

Towleroad: Did anyone tell you it was in poor taste to raise money for AIDS by flaunting sexuality? Especially in the early '90s, it seems like this might have rubbed people the wrong way.

Jerry Mitchell: Nobody close to me! I heard a few rumors, though. People who don't come might think it's something that it isn't. Burlesque was sex and humor in the same pot—Broadway Bares does that in a way that's surprising how it sneaks up on you. One moment, it's really funny, and then the next thought might be, "This is sexy!"

Towleroad: How different was Broadway Bares I from the most recent staging?

Jerry Mitchell: The spirit of the event has never changed after all these years because of what was created in the first place and how it was maintained by myself, Michael Graziano, Denis Jones and Broadway Cares.

Towleroad: You always get great, hot stars to strip down for you—Matthew Morrison was a highlight this year, Tom Wopat and Cheyenne Jackson have been others from previous years. Has anyone ever said no due to the gay slant or all the skin?

Jerry Mitchell: No. I've never had anyone turn me down because they're afraid of Broadway Bares, only for scheduling. After the second or third one, I'd get calls saying, "Oh, my God! I just saw it and can I be in it next year?"

Towleroad: Do you have any favorite performers?

Jerry Mitchell: There's so many! Thousands and thousands of people have taken part. What I'm most proud of is that all the dancers who have gotten up there and stripped have walked away saying how empowering it was for them. Daniel Robinson, who was Tweedle-Dee this year, will tell you that.

Towleroad: The book is divided into promo shots, backstage shots and on-stage shots. The on-stage ones are incredible—you must have a favorite number from over the years…?

Jerry Mitchell: Every year there's five numbers that are just phenomenal! A few years back, in Broadway Bares VII and again in Broadway Bares X (a best-of), it was the first time we had an original song written for the show. Andrew Lippa had seen VI and said, "I wanna write a song for you." It changed everything. We had our own song, our own ad campaign by SpotCo and Denis on a rope naked in a top hat shot by Max Vadukul who had shot Chicago. The show took a leap forward that year, becoming something other than a flash in the pan.

There's also a number in IV or V where a guy goes to the refrigerator in the middle of the night and whip cream and ice cream come out and turn him into a hot fudge sundae—the audience loved it.

Towleroad: Have you ever considered doing Broadway Bares as a regular revue, not just an annual fundraiser?

Jerry Mitchell: We're actually doing a commercial show in Las Vegas called Peep Show. It will be much more sophisticated and sexier and a whole level up from what we did. And it's in Vegas, so it features women!

Towleroad: I was surprised how permissive the participants were during "Rotation," the part at the end where they go-go dance for dollars.

Jerry Mitchell: Honey, we'll go as far as we have to to get the money! No boundaries. I was up there rotating, too. It's a chance to live out a fantasy, to be a professional stripper for one night. For an actor, that is a wonderful thing to be able to go out there and do.

Towleroad: Who's taken in the most cash that way over the years?

Jerry Mitchell: I did! I took in the most and no one has ever beat me! [Laughs] I was gonna lead the charge. I had to empty my suit five times.

Towleroad: For years, the show’s tagline has been “Sass, Class and Ass.” Rank the three for us.

Jerry Mitchell: Rank them? I think they're in order, one-two-three. You always save the best for last! [Laughs]

A fabulous slideshow of Broadway Bares images can be found here.

Buy the book directly from the BCEFA Web site—I'm told it's the only way the charity sees any real profit.

Sphere: Related Content

News: Out of the Mouths of Generals, Boy George I Don't Think He's Got It, MySpace Rocks the Vote, Jesus Take the Wheel & More

Wesley Clark stands by his dressing down of John McCain.

The U.S. doesn’t find Boy George appealing—so his first tour in ages is officially off. I guess America doesn’t know a good drag queen when we see one.

No charges for Virginia men who managed to get married thanks to bridegroom Justin ("juh-STEEN") being very in touch with his feminine side.

MySpace and Rock the Vote launch a DemROCKracy Band Competition to amp up the youth vote. The band enticing the most voter registrations through MySpace’s user registration tool (found here) can win prizes, including a chance to perform "on a major concert stage."

I Know Who Drilled Me: A Montana woman admits to a long-ago affair with Lindsay Lohan’s father Michael and wants her 13-year-old daughter acknowledged as his. God…there's another Lohan out there?

Arresting San Francisco Pride Weekend images. (Some NSFW.)

Jesus Christ…another alternative for disgruntled Hillary Clinton supporters. (Though the media has given this guy a free pass, too, grumble.) Feeling the heat, Obama ups the ante. Obama and Jesus...potential running mates?

Burning Up: Madonna's childhood home burns under suspicious circumstances just as her Sticky and Sweet Tour rehearsals are heating up. But a divorce? A sampling of A-Rod? You’re getting cold.

Bette Midler’s wedding snaps from her 1984 Las Vegas ceremony arrived in her hands only this month. What do you expect when you say "I do" in a place called the Starlight Chapel?

The Outfest 2008 box office is now open at the Directors Guild of America in Hollywood. If you’ve never gone and are close enough to go, go—I had a blast the year I went.

Derek Jeter loses the beard.

Huntington Beach police officer Adam Bereki has settled his suit against the city, which alleged he endured repeated gay harassment by his co-workers. He'll get $150,000 upfront and $4,000 a month in disability for life. Even though the city admits no wrongdoing and none of the accused officers have been penalized, spokesman Lt. Dave Bunetta says, "Anyone being harassed or victimized will not be tolerated by the police department." I wonder if he realizes what he's saying was literally true in this case?

Check out this warm backstage remembrance of Katharine Hepburn (who would be 101 this year) by Tim Ranney, who interned on her play The West Side Waltz in 1981. Her advice: "Obey all the rules, and miss all the fun."

The best reason yet to vote for Barack Obama.

Sphere: Related Content

News: India, Tony Kushner, Jerusalem, Don Imus, Bash'd

Catholic Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis forbids liberal Catholic church from holding gay pride prayer service: "St. Joan of Arc Church in Minneapolis has held the event for several years in conjunction with the annual Twin Cities Pride Celebration. The archdiocese is instead suggesting that the church hold a "peace" service Wednesday with no mention of rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Archdiocese spokesman Dennis McGrath says the gay pride prayer service is inimical to the teachings of the Catholic church."

Global warming expert Hansen: Earth close to the tipping point.

This used to be her playground: Madonna and family go to Yankees game.

Grease RIP: A Rydell High death.

Angels in America playwright Tony Kushner to marry in California: "Mark and I are going to get married in California very soon. Then we’re going to be recognized in New York as legally married."

New Bedford, Massachusetts, where two-and-a-half years ago 18-year-old Jacob Robida terrorized a local gay bar with a hatchet and a shotgun, held its first gay pride over the weekend, which attracted 250 people.

Jerusalem gay pride a "go": "The High Court of Justice rejected Monday afternoon a petition filed by right-wing activists Itamar Ben-Gvir and Baruch Marzel against holding a gay pride parade in Jerusalem. As a result, the parade will take place as scheduled this coming Thursday."

Don Imus under fire again for racist comment.

Gay activists in India plan mass gay pride action: "The marchers plan to sing, give speeches and hold candlelit vigils in simultaneous parades in New Delhi, Calcutta and Bangalore on Sunday, said Gautam Bhan, a writer and gay rights activist involved with organizing the marches. While several dozen activists have marched in the eastern city of Calcutta in recent years, these would be the first gay pride parades in New Delhi and Bangalore. Bhan said the activists want to raise awareness of the issues facing the gay community in India."

Bash'd: a rap opera that fights back against anti-gay violence, playing in NYC: "With exceedingly bawdy lyrics, two rapping angels, T-Bag (Mr. Craddock) and Feminem (Mr. Cuckow), recount the tragedy of a Canadian couple, Jack and Dillon, who meet in an Edmonton club, fall in love and wed. But when Jack becomes the victim of violence, their idyll collapses."

New Yorker: Is "angry" Keith Olbermann changing TV news?

Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev sued over Moscow Pride: "Organisers of Moscow Gay Pride today applied to the city’s Tverskoi District Court accusing Russian President Dmitriy Medvedev of 'inaction on their letter' concerning the staging of the march for tolerance – and respect for the rights of freedoms of homosexual people in Russia – in Alexandrovskiy Sad, part of the Kremlin."

Jodie Foster in tussle with paparazzi.

PhD: Memoir of a gay stripper. “The truth was that stripping had long called out to me. It offered something different from my grad school grind of dealing with students, grading papers, and sitting through seemingly endless seminars.”

Obama curtails use of altered presidential seal.

James McAvoy on the perils of six packs and protein: "[The abs] were not a special effect. It was the result of a lot of time at the gym — which I hated. I was also trying to take these super protein supplements and they gave me incredible bouts of flatulence which wouldn’t have endeared me to the rest of the cast. But I’m back to normal."

Boy George takes his orchid for a walk.

A few notes and photos from the Provincetown International Film Festival.

New York Senate Majority Leader Republican Joe Bruno announces he won't seek reelection: "It also means a seat that had been considered a safe one for Republicans will not necessarily be a sure thing this fall. With all New York lawmakers' two-year terms ending in December, Republicans are defending their narrow 32-30 majority in the Senate, the party's last stronghold in state government. Democrats now hold the governor's post and dominate the Assembly by a 106-42 margin."

Sphere: Related Content

Down the Rabbit Hole

This year's Broadway Bares, the 18th edition of the burlesque benefit for Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, was held last night at Roseland Ballroom in NYC, and raised a record-breaking $874,372 for the charity. The annual event, which featured Mary Birdsong, Nathan Lane, Matthew Morrison, Julie White, Andrea Martin and plenty of Broadway's male and female dancers in various states of undress, had an Alice in Wonderland theme.

Check out an excellent gallery of images from the event by Tomas Vrzala (possibly NSFW).

CBS News on LOGO's Jason Bellini ran a "preview" of this years show.
Watch it, AFTER THE JUMP...

You can also see a nice wrap-up at AfterElton...

Sphere: Related Content

Daniel Radcliffe's Butt will be a Skorcher on Broadway

Daniel Radcliffe, bringing his nudity to Broadway in the fall for Equus, will likely be toning up a bit in the next few months.

The NYDN's Rush & Molloy report: Stopping by the gift lounge before Sunday's Tony Awards, the 'Harry Potter' star seemed too mindful of his nude scene in 'Equus,' due here in the fall. He grabbed himself a Skorcher Butt Machine. 'They don't have things like this in England,' he told us. 'We never get gifts!'"

Previously
Daniel Radcliffe Caught in Man-on-Man Kiss Ambush at Awards Show [tr]
Former Versace Model Steve Jones Takes on Equus [tr]
Harry Potter Does Drag for Manila Gay Bar [tr]
Daniel Radcliffe: Dumbledore "Camping it Up" on Harry Potter Set [tr]

Sphere: Related Content

2008 Tony Awards Handed Out in New York

Rodgers and Hammerstein's South Pacific and August: Osage County took home the highest number of awards at last night's Tonys while Lin Manuel Miranda's In the Heights took the honors for Best Musical. Patti Lupone delivered a performance from Gypsy that brought the house down and also took home the Leading Actress in a Musical trophy.

If you missed Josh & Josh's Towleroad interview with Lin Manuel Miranda, creator of In the Heights, you can read it here.

Check out the full list of winners, plus Lupone's performance and In the Heights, South Pacific, Rent, and Xanadu, AFTER THE JUMP...

Here are the winners. I've linked to Kevin Sessums' reviews of the shows for Towleroad, when available.

MUSICAL
In the Heights

PLAY
August: Osage County

REVIVAL OF A MUSICAL
South Pacific

REVIVAL OF A PLAY
Boeing-Boeing

DIRECTION OF A MUSICAL
Bartlett Sher, South Pacific

DIRECTION OF A PLAY
Anna D. Shapiro, August: Osage County

PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Paulo Szot, South Pacific

PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Patti LuPone, Gypsy

PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTOR IN A PLAY
Mark Rylance, Boeing-Boeing

PERFORMANCE BY A LEADING ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Deanna Dunagan, August: Osage County

PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTOR IN A MUSICAL
Boyd Gaines, Gypsy

PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTRESS IN A MUSICAL
Laura Benanti, Gypsy

PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTOR IN A PLAY
Jim Norton, The Seafarer

PERFORMANCE BY A FEATURED ACTRESS IN A PLAY
Rondi Reed, August: Osage County

ORIGINAL SCORE
In the Heights, Music & Lyrics: Lin-Manuel Miranda

ORCHESTRATIONS
Alex Lacamoire & Bill Sherman, In the Heights

CHOREOGRAPHY
Andy Blankenbuehler, In the Heights

BOOK OF A MUSICAL
Stew, Passing Strange

COSTUME DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Catherine Zuber, South Pacific

COSTUME DESIGN OF A PLAY
Katrina Lindsay, Les Liaisons Dangereuses

SCENIC DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Michael Yeargan, South Pacific

SCENIC DESIGN OF A PLAY
Todd Rosenthal, August: Osage County

SOUND DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Scott Lehrer, South Pacific

SOUND DESIGN OF A PLAY
Mic Pool, The 39 Steps

LIGHTING DESIGN OF A MUSICAL
Donald Holder, South Pacific

LIGHTING DESIGN OF A PLAY
Kevin Adams, The 39 Steps

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
Stephen Sondheim

REGIONAL THEATER AWARD
Chicago Shakespeare Theatre

SPECIAL TONY AWARD
Robert Russell Bennett (1894-1981), in recognition of his historic contribution to American musical theatre in the field of orchestrations, as represented on Broadway this season by South Pacific.

Sphere: Related Content