The Advocate (The national gay & lesbian newsmagazine) articles from March 2002

The Advocate (The national gay & lesbian newsmagazine) archives from March 2002

Heralding Gale. (reader forum).
March 5, 2002... Gale Harold is beautiful, talented, and sexy as hell ["Gale Force," February 5]! His whole approach to the role of Brian Kinney is very enlightening. Society could learn a thing or two from this gorgeous man! Beth Billera, Plano, Tex. ...

Cyber blockage. (reader forum).
March 5, 2002... The criteria that filtering software companies use to determine which Internet sites are blocked is a murky and closely guarded secret ["Beware the Cyber Censors," February 5]. The software is not "completely controlled by parents," as a...

Out of the mainstream. (reader forum).
March 5, 2002... Like Steve Gunderson, I'm a white middle-aged professional, but I can't quite relate to his "Wobegon" woes [Last Word, February 5]. And it is likely they would fall on deaf ears to the majority of American GLBTs whose "mainstream" problems...

Advocate poll. (reader forum).
March 5, 2002... Reader comments from www.advocate.com * "It's my duty to forward something that could advance the lives of queer America. Once I did receive a very offensive reply, but at least now I know who my friends are." * "E-petitions are...

Hoosier who's who. (reader forum).
March 5, 2002... I was disappointed that your time line for 2001 did not include Frank O'Bannon's becoming the first governor in Indiana history to issue an executive order banning discrimination in state government on the basis of sexual orientation for the...

Film critics. (reader forum).
March 5, 2002... A fabulous performance by Naomi Watts and a great movie in Mulholland Drive, and it is not mentioned in your "best of" list for 2001 ["10 Best of the Year," January 22]. Who fell asleep in the back row and woke up in their popcorn? Carol...

For the record. (reader forum).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... In our February 5 story "Gale Force," Queer as Folk actor Scott Lowell is referred to as married. He is in fact single. The Advocate regrets the error.

Why gay vacations exist. (my perspective).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... When Cole Porter met Noel Coward on Capri, the boys they in tow went mad at the sight of one another, and the first gay vacation was born. Where their seeds were sown a shrine arose. Gore Vidal lives nearby even now. As a gay entertainer I...

Rants and raves.(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... "I was quite worried about pulling the whole lesbian thing off, though, because I'd never slept with a woman, other than the occasional adolescent tongue kissing with my cousins." --Actress Chiara Mastroianni on her lesbian love scene in...

Only in Vermont: the first attempt for out-of-state recognition of civil unions fails. (Same - Sex Unions).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... For the first time since the creation of civil unions in Vermont in 2000, the legality of the institution has been put to the test outside the state--and it failed. A Georgia appeals court ruled on January 23 that civil unions are not valid...

September 11 meets ENDA. (Congress).(Employment Non-Discrimination Act)(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... It's hard to imagine what Mark Bingham would have thought about all the media attention he has received since his death on the ill-fated United Airlines Flight 93 on September 11. But one thing he'd likely be surprised at is the way some...

Fighting words. (People).(Mike Tyson, world class boxer, goes ballistically homophobic)(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... Mike Tyson knows how to give it to men until they love him. He said so himself, grabbing his crotch suggestively and shouting out exactly what he'd do to a "faggot" to make him "love me." Tyson's bizarre tirade came at a January 24 press...

Bush gets mixed marks. (Poll).(president George Bush; United States)(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... According to a Zogby/GLCensus Partners online poll released January 24, two thirds of lesbians and gays surveyed think George Bush is doing a good job in the war on terrorism. Of 1,386 adults identifying themselves as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or...

AmeriCorps pegs gay man. (Volunteerism).(Mike McKay, new deputy director)(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... Openly gay Texan Mike McKay has been named deputy director of AmeriCorps, the national community volunteer service organization. McKay, 48, has served as executive director of the Tarrant County [Tex.] AIDS Outreach Center since 1998 and...

Anniversary surprise. (People).(50 years and still going)(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... Henry Messer and his partner, Carl House, just celebrated 50 years together. That's a milestone few couples reach, so it's no surprise that Messer and House heard from more well-wishers than usual. But the official certificate the couple...

Couples out in the cold. (Slovakia).(fat chance for gay couples to be legally recognized in Slovakia)(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... Slovakia is proving to have a political climate that's even harsher than its rugged terrain--especially for gay couples. Government officials on January 21 unanimously voted against establishing registered partnerships for same-sex couples....

Drag queen's political bid a bust. (Canada).(Enza Anderson drops out of the campaign; Toronto)(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... It was fun while it lasted. On January 31, just over a month after Toronto drag queen Enza "Supermodel" Anderson announced she was joining the race to head Canada's rightwing opposition party, Anderson announced that she was dropping out. ...

Tragedy in a small town: Rhode Island activist Kate Monteiro talks about how a police department's antigay sting operation led to one man's suicide. (Behind the Headlines).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... Stuart Denton began the New Year with everything to live for. The chairman of the Plainfield, Conn., planning and zoning commission and a member of the Republican Town Committee, Denton was well-liked and highly respected among his colleagues...

Crusaders against condoms. (HIV).(president George W. Bush wants to outlaw condoms and for everybody to lead priestly lives)(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... Condoms are unsafe--that's the message from conservative activists with increasing voice in Washington, D.C. On January 22, President Bush picked ex-Oklahoma congressman Tom Coburn, who opposes the promotion of prophylactics as the main...

Filling a Pap gap. (Cancer).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... Every year more than 2 million American women find themselves in medical purgatory. Their Pap tests detect abnormalities, but laboratories can't tell whether it is an early sign of cervical cancer. Now the American Medical Women's Association...

West Hollywood's temple of pride. (Judaism).(gay synagogue)(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... You can't judge a congregation by its building--or maybe you can. Congregation Kol Ami, a gay and lesbian Reform Jewish temple in West Hollywood, Calif., wanted a place that would "not look like the synagogue we grew up in," said Rabbi Denise...

Transitions.
March 5, 2002... DIED: Norman Aaron, 83, Florida gay rights activist, of natural causes, January 14. DIED: Dale Franklin Schultz Jr., 58, of complications from AIDS, in Wichita, Kan., December 30, Schultz was cofounder and publisher of the regional gay...

Meet me in Sydney. (Digital Queeries).(gay games)(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... It's no wonder Sydney was chosen as the site for the next Gay Games: A little Web surfing reveals that this city didn't get its nickname "the gay capital of Australia" for nothing. Although Gay Games VI is still eight months away, if you're...

July 16, 1975: gay getaways back in the day. (From the Archives of The Advocate).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... Travel trends come and go, but some popular gay destinations are classics. A look back at a 1975 Advocate travel issue reminds us that Provincetown, Mass., and Fire Island, N.Y., have been hot spots for gay vacationers for decades. ...

Not your auntie's show tunes. (the Buzz).(gay musicals)(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... GET READY FOR A RUSH of the new--OK, the `80s--as gay icons on two continents spice up that time-honored homo art form, the musical. Boy George's autobiographical Taboo is rocking London with its re-creation of Taboo, the London club that...

Really, Rosie? (the Buzz).(Rosie O'Donnell)(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... WHEREVER GAY GOSSIPS gather, rumors are flying that Rosie O'Donnell is planning to come out as a lesbian. In what looks to be a carefully orchestrated process, Rosie got her feet wet on Will & Grace, where she squared off with Sean Hayes as the...

The kindness of strangers: a gay man from Maine takes a Mexican immigrant and her family under his wing after her husband dies in the World Trade Center.(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... Not far from where a rickety elevated train platform cuts through the heart of a poor North Bronx neighborhood in New York City, Julia Hernandez, a 28-year-old Mexican immigrant who speaks very little English, sits in her apartment. The...

The college sports closet: increased attention from the NCAA and pressure applied by gay activists may finally even the playing field for gay athletes. (Athletics).
March 5, 2002... When Dwight Slater was recruited to the highly ranked Stanford University football team, he hoped it was another step toward his lifelong dream of playing professionally. And as a 6-foot-4, 280-pound offensive lineman with a rare combination of...

Venturing out again: experts say the gay travel market is as hot as ever--although after September 11, caution remains the watchword. (Travel Report 2002).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... In this year of uncertainty, how will gay men and lesbians approach their travel plans? In this special section, The Advocate talks to the people who know best about the outlook for gay travel 2002 and about the growing business of gay-specific...

Pride in their guide: business and life partners Jane Pirone and Diana Pizzari talk about their travel guides--designed for residents too.(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... "I'm a member of the gay and lesbian community, and I'm also one of the best consumers on the planet," says Jane Pirone, creator, publisher, and executive editor of the Not for Tourists Guide series. "I figured if it was the perfect book for...

Unwrapping package vacations: whether cruises, private resorts, or land tours, gay and lesbian travel packages are attracting a loyal and ever-growing following. (Travel report 2002).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... In 1996 Jeanne LaFrantz, then a manager at a home health agency, decided to treat herself to a vacation cruise. But soon after setting off on their seafaring escape, she and her girlfriend discovered one thing from back home they hadn't...

Five stars of David: DavidTours combines luxury travel with a gay-friendly itinerary. (Travel report 2002).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... "It was an old-fashioned grand tour, like a Henry Miller heroine," gushes actor Danny Scheie, 41, of his DavidTours journey to South Africa last year. "The accommodations were like something out of King Solomon's Mines." With a mission to...

Unspoiled Bratt: in an exclusive interview, Benjamin Bratt reveals the harsh realities behind his daring bisexual role in Pinero--and why Madonna and Rupert couldn't save The Next Best Thing. (Cover Story).(Cover Story)(Interview)
March 5, 2002... Sure, the actor Benjamin Bratt is familiar to American audiences as a TV cop (he played Det. Reynaldo Curtis on NBC's Law & Order from 1995 to 1999) or as arm candy to one of the world's most famous women (he dated Julia Roberts from 1997 to...

Tonight! On gay TV.... (final cut).(hypothetical television programs about homosexuality)(Brief Article)(Column)
March 5, 2002... Have you had it with traditional television as much as I have? Then let's try something new (and possibly ridiculous). Let's turn our efforts to developing programming for the new gay cable network, coming soon from the gay-friendly folks at...

Interview with the new vampire: Stuart Townsend, star of Queen of the Damned, talks about baring his fangs--and his abs--as Anne Rice's vampire Lestat. (film).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... "MY first time in a nightclub with a gay friend, I walked into a room full of men kissing each other, and I was shocked by the energy of the place--the muscles! I had never been in that environment before, and I freaked a little. The homophobia...

Drift. (Film reviews: needing anchor: the love story in Drift is not compelling enough for one reality--let alone three).
March 5, 2002... Drift * Written and directed by Quentin Lee * Starring R.T. Lee, Greyson Dayne, Jonathon Roessler * Margin Films What if? That's the question that Ryan, a struggling Los Angeles screenwriter, asks himself in the drama Drift. What if Ryan...

Storytelling. (What, lies beneath? Todd Solondz is back in the outrage zone with Storytelling, an amorality tale of the ways artists distort the truth).
March 5, 2002... Storytelling * Written and directed by Todd Solondz * Starring Mark Webber, Paul Giamatti, Selma Blair, Leo Fitzpatrick, Robert Wisdom, and Mike Schank * Fine Line Features Is it fair to discuss a white college student who is sexually...

Inshallah. (Theater review: she's still here ... damn it: Sandra Bernhard's still taking aim with her trademark bravado. But when did the targets get so easy?).(Joe's Pub, New York, New York)
March 5, 2002... Inshallah * Written and performed by Sandra Bernhard * Joe's Pub, New York City (and on tour) The Mouth is back. Ever since Sandra Bernhard's first HBO special, hard-core fans have closely watched that pair of stretchy Mick Jagger lips to...

We want our Gay TV: showtime and MTV partner to create a gay cable channel--but will they be first across the finish line? (television).
March 5, 2002... While studying the feelings of gays and lesbians about the idea of creating a gay cable TV channel, Showtime senior vice president Gene Falk and MTV consultant Matt Farber got some surprising results. "It blew our researchers away," recalls...

San Francisco treats: the Bay Area boasts a burgeoning and mutually supportive gay male rock scene that's heading for national recognition. (music).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... Patrick Goodwin is rubbing the sleep from his eyes. On this afternoon in San Francisco, the singer-guitarist is recovering from yet another late-night gig. Although he's best known as the axman for enduring queercore innovators Pansy Division,...

Getting the sounds out: Outvoice provides an online resource for indie gay and lesbian musicians. (music).(Outvoice.com)(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... Within the grassroots area of the music business, there are few reliable sources of basic information and guidance--leaving artists isolated and often prey to misinformation. With Outvoice.com, San Francisco writer Daniel Jenkins has done his...

Queen of the Carnaval: lesbian Brazilian rocker Cassia Eller dies just as her career was really taking off. (music).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... Cassia Eller, the lesbian Brazilian rock singer sometimes called the "South American Melissa Etheridge," died in Santa Maria Hospital in Rio de Janeiro on December 29. Sadly, Eller's death occurred before she was known to U.S. audiences but not...

Under Rug Swept. (Music review: Alanis unchained).
March 5, 2002... Under Rug Swept * Alanis Morissette * Maverick Isn't it ironic that the heterosexual Morissette would so vividly capture the tension of the queer mating dance? On "So Unsexy," one of the many standout moments of Under Rug Swept, she sums...

One Thousand Beards: a Cultural History of Facial Hair. (Book review: stubble in mind: how has facial hair shaped history? An entertaining new book shaves out a few theories).(Brief Article)
March 5, 2002... One Thousand Beards: A Cultural History of Facial Hair * Allan Peterkin * Arsenal Pulp Press * $16.95 The Bible, you'll quickly find while reading through Allan Peterkin's facial history, One Thousand Beards, is obsessed with...

Mawrdew Czgowchwz. (Books: opera soap: author James McCourt enjoys the encore publication of the zany opera novel he wrote two decades ago).
March 5, 2002... MAWRDEW CZGOWCHWZ JAMES McCOURT "It's not unpronounceable," insists James McCourt of the title of his 1975 opera satire Mawrdew Czgowchwz. "It sounds like gorgeous, `maw-do gorgeous.' I had to make my soprano Czech because Polish...

In Europe's shadow. (last word).(differences in social attitudes toward homosexuality in Europe and the US)(Brief Article)(Column)
March 5, 2002... It's no coincidence that the gay rights movement was born at the end of the 1960s, when the popularity of formal religion was near its nadir in American life. From the birth of Darwinism in the middle of the 19th century to the riots at...

A lotta Pallotta. (reader forum).(Letter to the Editor)
March 19, 2002... Thanks for the article on the travails of poor Dan Pallotta ["The World According to Dan," February 19]. If those nagging nonprofits could just be less needy so a man could make a few bucks! The irony of the companies he cites as model American...

Reader comments from www.advocate.com. (The Advocate Poll).(AIDS fundraisers)(Brief Article)
March 19, 2002... In the February 19 issue, readers were asked: Before you make a donation or buy a ticket to an AIDS fund-raiser, do you consider how much of your money will go to pay for the cost of the event? 5% Undecided 45% No 55% Yes...

Will power. (reader forum).(Letter to the Editor)
March 19, 2002... Mickie Mashburn's My Perspective [February 19] points out something that too many of us in relationships often talk about but never do anything about. I am talking about registering as domestic partners (where possible) and making out a will....

Accounts receivable. (reader forum).(Letter to the Editor)
March 19, 2002... In your story "A Five-Fingered Loan?" [The Nation, February 19] about a man named John Loan who was charged with grand larceny for allegedly embezzling $3 million from his employer and donating it to various LGBT and AIDS organizations in New...

Dreaded "gay" label. (reader forum).(Letter to the Editor)
March 19, 2002... So Sheila Kuehl thinks it's great that gay lieutenant-gubernatorial candidate and former Melrose, Mass., mayor Patrick Guerriero is shedding the dreaded "gay" label [Last Word, February 19]? Says Kuehl: "[Guerriero is] getting as much press...

For the record. (reader forum).(Letter to the Editor)
March 19, 2002... In our February 19 story "Trailer Queen," Jenni Olson should have been credited as being consulting producer for the film By Hook or by Crook. And in our story "Steps to Freedom," Danny Nguyen was inadvertently described as having studied with...

Sisters just wanna have fun. (my perspective: Cyndi Lauper).(Brief Article)
March 19, 2002... I grew up in an Italian-American family in Queens where everyone lived at the top of their emotions. Life was dramatic and sometimes hilarious. After my father moved out, when I was 5, it was my mother and the three kids: me, my older sister,...

Rants & raves.(Brief Article)
March 19, 2002... "She was bisexual. She loved men and she loved women... but she didn't do anything intimate with anyone unless she genuinely felt something for them." --Kate Winslet on Iris Murdoch, the real-life novelist she plays in the film Iris, as...

Gays vs. the transgendered: New York activists go head-to-head over an antidiscrimination bill. (Politics).(Brief Article)
March 19, 2002... Last year gay activists were fighting conservatives in their attempt to get the New York legislature to pass a statewide antidiscrimination law covering gays and lesbians. But this year they find themselves facing off with transgender groups....

Arson gives Montanans a new look at hatred. (Crime).(Abstract)
March 19, 2002... An early-morning arson attack that drove a Missoula, Mont., lesbian couple and their 22-month-old son from their home has left people across the state shaking their heads in disbelief. "I was just really surprised that something like that...

Copping a plea in Colorado. (Crime).(Brief Article)
March 19, 2002... Seven months after being charged with the beating death of transgendered teenager Fred Martinez Jr., 18-year-old Shaun Murphy pleaded guilty February 7 to second-degree murder. Murphy faces up to 48 years in prison when he is sentenced in...

A more perfect union. (Education).(Brief Article)
March 19, 2002... The nation's largest teachers union is urging school districts across the country to adopt policies that protect gay students and staff. The plan, adopted by the National Education Association on February 8, will also encourage districts to...

Army ignores "don't ask". (Military).(Brief Article)
March 19, 2002... In a case of what might be called "don't ask, don't tell, I'm not listening, I can't hear you," the Army has refused to discharge an officer who says he has engaged in homosexual conduct. Capt. David Donovan, a 36-year-old military policeman...

Transitions.(Brief Article)(Obituary)
March 19, 2002... DIED: Scott Forbes, 57, a West Hollywood, Calif., businessman and activist, of complications from surgery, January 20. Forbes founded West Hollywood's Studio One dance club, now called Factory. PASSED: A gay-inclusive hate-crimes law in...

The mile-and-really-high club. (People).(Brief Article)
March 19, 2002... Two men on a February 8 American Airlines flight from London to New York caused some unexpected turbulence when they "stretched theft legs" together in one of the plane's rest rooms, the New York Daily News reports. When Air Force officials...

Challenging the church. (Spain).(Brief Article)
March 19, 2002... The first priest in Spanish history to acknowledge His homosexuality has vowed to fight to make the Catholic Church abandon its "caveman mentality" concerning gay people. "Being gay not only is not a sin, it's a gift from God," said the...

Rx for gay parenting: a Missouri physician talks about the American Academy of Pediatrics' pro-gay proclamation regarding adoption rights. (Behind the Headlines).(Brief Article)(Interview)
March 19, 2002... When Ken Haller graduated from medical school in 1980, he decided to become a pediatrician, in part because, as a gay man, he thought it unlikely he would ever become a parent himself. "At least that way I could take care of other people's...

Enron's domestic-partner scam. (Finance).(Brief Article)
March 19, 2002... In the procession of top Enron executives invoking the Fifth Amendment rather than undergo grilling by members of Congress about the Fortune 500 corporation's spectacular collapse, one company official stood out to gay men and lesbians. ...

Your roots are showing. (Digital Queeries).(Brief Article)
March 19, 2002... For the 10th year in a row, the orgnizers of Manhattan's St. Patrick's Day parade are barring New York's Irish Lesbian and Gay Association from participating. ILGA's perseverance proves that ethnic pride isn't just for straight people anymore....

August 24, 1993: the first genetic evidence of homosexuality. (From the Archives of The Advocate).(Brief Article)
March 19, 2002... When scientists went looking for a genetic link to homosexuality they started with studies of siblings. The first evidence of a possible genetic indicator of homosexuality was announced in 1993, and The Advocate investigated. A research...

Turning the gaydar on Survivor. (the Buzz).(television program)(Brief Article)
March 19, 2002... THE FOURTH SEASON OF SURVIVOR is under way, and once again The Buzz combed through file contestant bios to find the show's requisite homo. We're getting good at it--too good, one might say. Three reasons that The Buzz figured out that John...

Sawyer's ABCs of gay adoption. (the Buzz).(journalist Diane Sawyer interviews gays who have adopted children or want to adopt children on 'Primetime Thursday')(Brief Article)
March 19, 2002... ABC NEWS'S DIANE SAWYER adds to her gay-friendly track record with an hour-long look at gay adoption on the March 14 edition of Primetime Thursday. Sawyer will interview Steven Lofton and Roger Croteau, a gay couple challenging Florida's law...

Liberace, sanitized for your protection. (the Buzz).(production of 'The Legendary Liberace')(Brief Article)
March 19, 2002... PRODUCER JIM SCALEM says PBS's The Legendary Liberace is "a celebration of his performing life" as opposed to a, urn, straightforward biography. With extensive footage of the performer's early-'50s TV show, the doc makes no mention of his...

The politics of prevention: in a nod to the conservatives who put him in office, President Bush packs his AIDS policy panel with supporters of abstinence-based sex education. (AIDS).(Presidential Advisory Council on HIV and AIDS)
March 19, 2002... Imagine a conference room somewhere in Washington, D.C. Thirty-five presidential appointees debate federal AIDS policy. Stating at each other around the table are a gang member-turned-religious conservative, a former right-wing congressman who...

Brock in the hot seat: after catching hell for vilifying the private lives of Anita Hill and Bill Clinton, gay onetime conservative David Brock takes on his former friends on the right. (People).(journalist)(Interview)
March 19, 2002... David Brock doesn't fit the part of political firebrand. Over lunch at a busy Washington, D.C., Starbucks, he is shy and soft-spoken, his carefully chosen words nearly drowned out by the clamor of the crowd. Yet this unassuming figure,...

What makes a man? A transgendered man fights for custody of his children after his wife contends he's not male. Meanwhile, Court TV's coverage has viewers nationwide debating gender rights. (Law).(Brief Article)
March 19, 2002... When Michael Kantams, who was born Margo, found out he could have sex-reassignment surgery, he was ecstatic "because I could finally be me." When he completed that surgery in 1987, his doctors assured him that he was "now regarded medically,...

Look ma, no heteros: gay and lesbian couples could be giving birth to babies genetically related to both same-sex parents if current research pans out. (Science).
March 19, 2002... When Joanna Matthews hears people crooning over a baby, declaring that "he has his mother's eyes" or "she has her father's nose," she tends to cringe. Matthews, a lesbian who plans to someday start a family with her partner, knows that current...

Our siblings, our secrets: they're often first to know we're gay, and their acceptance or rejection touches us to the core. What's the big deal about brothers and sisters?(Cover Story)
March 19, 2002... David and Nate Fisher, the 30-something mortician heroes of HBO's Six Feet Under, enter the somber parlor of their funeral home and walk smack into a hoedown. Desperate for money, Nate has rented the space to a local square-dancing group...

Gay enough for you? (notes from a blond).(response to plans for cable television channels for gays)(Brief Article)(Column)
March 19, 2002... In a universe that gives us Mysteries & Scandals, Queer as Folk, the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show, Will & Grace, decorating tips from Christopher Lowell, Martha Stewart Living, and k.d. lang in Makeover Monday on The Rosie O'Donnell Show,...

Original Valarie: Valarie Rae Miller, who plays saucy lesbian ass-kicker Original Cindy on Dark Angel, talks up her film All About the Benjamins--and explains "the Glitter moment". (film).(Brief Article)
March 19, 2002... Before they met Valarie Rae Miller, creator James Cameron and his producing team on Fox's futuristic TV series Dark Angel had offered the plum role of Original Cindy, lead character Jessica Alba's skirt-chasing lesbian sidekick, to two other...

How the other half laughs: what happens when two straight but spunky girls decide to test out a lesbian relationship? Kissing Jessica Stein's creators and stars Heather Juergensen and Jennifer Westfeldt smooch and tell. (film).('Kissing Jessica Stein')(Brief Article)
March 19, 2002... Heather Juergensen and Jennifer Westfeldt are sitting in a Los Angeles cafe gesticulating. As they discuss Kissing Jessica Stein, the movie they wrote, produced, and starred in--premiering in theaters in March under the Fox Searchlight...

All the right moves: New York City Ballet's ace choreographer Christopher Wheeldon talks about expanding his range with Broadway's Sweet Smell of Success. (dance).(Brief Article)
March 19, 2002... At the age of 27, Christopher Wheeldon abruptly abandoned his burgeoning career as a soloist dancer. He wasn't injured or burned out or even relocating. He was being sought out as a choreographer to create new works for the world's top ballet...

Looking for Matthew: the Laramie Project traces a hate crime's deep impact on ordinary people's lives. (television).
March 19, 2002... For most of us, there is a terrible helplessness in thinking about what happened to Matthew Shepard. But as they field questions at a recent press event, the actors and real-life townspeople from HBO's The Laramie Project have moved beyond...

Age of innocence: how does Once and Again's Evan Rachel Wood describe her on-screen romance with another girl? "Beautiful". (television).(Brief Article)
March 19, 2002... It's one thing for a mature actor to play gay in TV or film; it's another for an adolescent thespian, still growing into her womanhood, to handle a same-sex screen romance. But for 14-year-old Evan Rachel Wood--who portrays Jessie Sammler on...

Hatching a Hollywood fairy tale: watching the filming of his novel Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, gay author Gregory Maguire was impressed with the stars--and the cell phone. (television).(Brief Article)
March 19, 2002... My exposure to TV as a child was limited, therefore I love the special magic of made-for-TV movies--the budget-mart sheen of their sets and their themes alike, to say nothing of the artificial plot climaxes when the coitus interruptus of...

The Execution of Wanda Jean. (television review: love and death).
March 19, 2002... The Execution of Wanda Jean * Directed by Liz Garbus * Debuting March 17 on HBO; encore presentations to follow It's late in the day on January 10, 2001, and 41-year-old Wanda Jean Allen is scheduled to be executed in about 24 hours for...

It had to be Lou: at 84, Lou Harrison remains one of the great American composers. (music).(Brief Article)
March 19, 2002... "I've had a lot of fun writing," says Lou Harrison, the current dean of American symphonic composers. "I still do. If it's fun, it's real. If it's no fun, then it isn't art. Art is advanced play." On March 7-8, two months before his 85th...

Life after Lilith: as she releases her second CD, Doria Roberts about winning Lilith Fair's talent search--and the rugged path since. (music).(Brief Article)
March 19, 2002... Doria Roberts has made a life out of risky decisions. Raised on R&B, she took up acoustic guitar. Interested in business, she became a folksinger. In 1999, after she'd won the talent search at Lilith Fair, she had the chance to sign with a...