The Advocate (The national gay & lesbian newsmagazine) articles from March 2008

The Advocate (The national gay & lesbian newsmagazine) archives from March 2008

A love that will never grow old.(FROM THE EDITOR)(Editorial)
March 11, 2008... FOR UNTOLD NUMBERS of gay moviegoers, Heath Ledger's performance as the closeted cowboy Ennis Del Mar in 2005's Brokeback Mountain summoned memories and desires almost too painful to recall. In the months after the film's release we at The...

Not so civil service.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
March 11, 2008... The Michael Guest coverage was very informative ["Severing Diplomatic Ties," January 29]. I recall seeing a picture of him and his partner with Condoleezza Rice several years ago in some sort of ceremony and thought, Wow! The State Department...

It isn't easy being green.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
March 11, 2008... When I opened the January 29 edition of The Advocate, I once again found myself asking why I was reading about yet another non-LGBT-related issue. Anne Stockwell (in her From the Editor note) not only wastes my time articulating her views about...

Boys behaving badly.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
March 11, 2008... Upon reading the description for the "Living With HIV" article [January 29], I was initially optimistic. I believe that people of my generation (Gen Xers) don't seriously consider the ramifications of HIV and AIDS. Imagine my surprise when...

Do you think people are taking HIV less seriously now that they see it as a manageable disease?(Brief article)
March 11, 2008... "Without a doubt, people who did not live through the 'always fatal' era of AIDS really have no idea of the real nature of this disease." "'Do you bareback?' wasn't a question asked before HAART therapy. The number of 20-somethings--who...

No more divas.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
March 11, 2008... Truth be told, I'm not one for New Year's resolutions, but after reading the interview with Shelby Lynne, I'm inspired to make one on behalf of The Advocate ["Shelby, Dusty, Demons, and Dreams," January 29]. Let 2008 be the year where LGBT news...

We asked a sampling of LGBT people in Salt Lake City: "Is there more to Salt Lake City than the Mormon Church?".(Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender)(Brief article)
March 11, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Jason Eao, 21 student "Yes. SLC is about partying, getting drunk, being young, and having fun--and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Sometimes I go weeks without speaking to a Mormon." [ILLUSTRATION...

A moment in time.(Castro)(Brief article)
March 11, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Director Gus Van Sant and his production team on Milk are re-creating the swinging '70s heyday of the Castro--not in a studio back lot but on top of San Francisco 2008. A gift store was convinced--and compensated--by...

Gay immigrants put the I before the G.(employment and civil rights)
March 11, 2008... FOR UNDOCUMENTED gay immigrants trying to establish lives in America, xenophobia and homophobia have nothing on the dreaded "no match" letters. The Social Security Administration memos, which notify employers of workers whose W-2 forms don't...

Kiss my tax: intolerance and bigotry aside, the most quantifiable injustice of being gay may be the taxes.
March 11, 2008... In states without domestic partnerships, civil unions, or same-sex marriage, queer couples must file separately for both federal and state income taxes. But if you're in a gay partnership in California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey,...

By the numbers: real estate.(gays' residential real estates)(Table)
March 11, 2008... In California's most famous gay ghettos, home prices are in free fall, but New York City is as expensive as ever--the average home in Chelsea costs 30% more than it did last year Average home prices in January 2008 Castro ...

Ms. Mayor: keep your eye on E. Denise Simmons, the gay mayor of America's smartest city.(Forward)(Interview)
March 11, 2008... THE PEOPLE OF Massachusetts have made some inspired choices when it comes to their leaders. They recently elected an African-American governor, Deval Patrick, and made history when the city of Cambridge, home of Harvard University, elected E....

Adamo Ruggiero.(CAME OUT)(Brief article)
March 11, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Adamo Ruggiero, 21, the Canadian actor who plays gay teenager Marco Del Rossi on the TV series Degrassi: The Next Generation, in an interview with Canadian entertainment news show eTalk, January 16. An Ontario...

Ingrid Wilhite.(DIED)(Obituary)(Brief article)
March 11, 2008... Ingrid Wilhite, 48, the pioneering lesbian video maker, of a brain tumor, January 15. The creator of humorous classics such as 1984's Fun With a Sausage and L'Ingenue, Wilhite's work screened at film festivals around the world.

The Arizona Republic.(appointment of Randy Lovely as editor)(Brief article)
March 11, 2008... Randy Lovely, 43, as editor of The Arizona Republic and its vice president of news, January 24. A 16-year Gannett Co. employee, Lovely was executive editor of the Phoenix-based daily newspaper, which is the state's largest. He becomes the only...

Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network.(resignation of Kevin Jennings )(Brief article)
March 11, 2008... Kevin Jennings, as executive director of the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network, it was announced January 16. After founding GLSEN in 1995, Jennings watched the group grow from a volunteer group of Massachusetts schoolteachers into a...

Regina Shavers.(DIED)(Obituary)(Brief article)
March 11, 2008... Regina Shavers, the founder of GRIOT Circle, a group committed to the rights of LGBT elders of all races, of cancer, January 29. Shavers was involved in numerous causes, including convincing New York City's former mayor David Dinkins to offer...

Rants & raves.(quotations)(Quotation)
March 11, 2008... "I'm a tiny fairy." --Sylvester Stallone, on how his real personality differs from his macho image, on The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson, January 22 [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "I think that gay men and women ought to have the same...

Datebook 02.26-03.11.(Brief article)(Calendar)
March 11, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] MARCH 6 The 2008 Biennial at the Whitney Museum of American Arts opens with the work of 81 emerging talents, including queer artists Fritz Haeg, William E. Jones, and Stephen Prina. WHITNEY.ORG [ILLUSTRATION...

A different kind of pride: gone are the rainbow pendants and triangle charms. Today's jewelry for gay consumers takes on a subtler aesthetic.
March 11, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] WHEN ISRAELI-BORN jewelry designer Udi Behr approached retailers and investors in 2005, most turned him away. Although Behr had 24 years of experience in the industry, he couldn't convince any mainstream retailers to...

A Lexus in wolf's clothing: well-known for its impeccably built luxury cars, Lexus now wants to wear racing stripes.(Lexus IS F )(Product/service evaluation)(Brief article)
March 11, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] IN THE QUEST for a more youthful glow, Lexus is gunning for the best performance names in the business--namely the BMW M3 and Audi RS 4--with its powerful new IS F performance sedan. Based on the IS sedan, the IS F...

Staph retreat: reports a "flesh-eating," drug-resistant bacterial infection spreading among gay men prompted a media frenzy, a gay backlash, and finally, an apology from the researchers behind the study. Tim Murphy sorts out what happened--and what you need to know about MRSA.(methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus)
March 11, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] IN MID JANUARY researchers in San Francisco and Boston sparked a global press circus when they reported that a virulent, multidrug-resistant form of staph bacteria (specifiCally, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus...

Comfortably numb no more: a new memoir about one woman's fight with addiction speaks volumes.(Jennifer Storm's Blackout Girl)(Interview)
March 11, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] DURING HER TEENAGE YEARS, Jennifer Storm Was raped, attempted suicide, became an alcoholic and a crack addict, and endured almost constant family drama. After entering rehab at 22 and rediscovering herself, both as a...

The politics of race: a black LGBT presidential forum in Los Angeles helps define a powerful voting bloc.(Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals and Transgenders)
March 11, 2008... WITHOUT ALL THE POMP and circumstance usually involved in presidential election events, the black same-gender-loving community came together in Los Angeles this January for the presidential election forum It's a Black Thang: The Black LGBT...

Janet Jackson.(BIG GAY FOLLOWING)(Interview)
March 11, 2008... Though her last two albums were commercial disappointments, there are more good times ahead for Janet Jackson, proving that a controversial "wardrobe malfunction" doesn't really matter in the long run. Taking back control with the dance...

So long, partner: in his short life, Heath Ledger barely had time to tap his potential. But for us, he had already achieved the performance of a lifetime--and losing him so soon after Brokeback Mountain is like suffering a death in the family.(In memoriam)
March 11, 2008... ON JANUARY 22, just minutes after we were introduced at the Sundance Film Festival, lesbian filmmaker Lesli Klainberg dashed over to me, white as a sheet. "Heath Ledger is dead," she said. Speaking to me later, Klainberg looks back at that...

An actor who changed gay lives: he didn't win an Academy Award. But Heath Ledger's performance in Brokeback Mountain moved real people to grieve, get honest, come out, and claim their own destinies. Here are a few of their stories.
March 11, 2008... THE TORMENTED ROMANCE between Heath Ledger's Ennis Del Mar and Jake Gyllenhaal's Jack Twist resonated across sexual orientations and gender identities. After the film's December 2005 theatrical release, gay men went online seeking kindred...

Brokeback screenwriter Diana Ossana on heath.(Health Ledger)(Brief article)
March 11, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] HEATH WAS AN OLD SOUL in a young man's frame, extremely masculine, extremely competent in all things, and yet sensitive beyond belief. In person Heath was animated and kinetic and full of life, far different from the...

A fan's tribute: among the messages we received after Heath Ledger's death was this painting from artist Thorn Bierdz, titled 'Lost Cowboys.' Below, he explains his motivation.(Brief article)
March 11, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] "Because I am a gay former soap opera star (The Young and the Restless), I relished Heath Ledger's performance in Brokeback Mountain. He was the ultimate fantasy for me: macho and elusive. In real life, Heath wasn't...

Out to sea: will an ongoing lawsuit by former executives mean stormy weather for Olivia?(Olivia Cruises and Resorts' case)
March 11, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] HAVING CHARTED THE CHALLENGING WATERS of lesbian entertainment and travel for 35 years, you'd think business would at last be smooth sailing for Olivia. But for the past several months the brand has found itself in...

Power players: five gay and lesbian entrepreneurs who are making the world go 'round.
March 11, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THE DARK LORD FEELS THE HEAT NICK DENTON built a fiefdom of blogs from the popularity of his snarky media gossip site Gawker. Then one day he realized he was 3 million page views down. Now loyalists are bolting...

Gimme Shelter: with a new movie about gay surfers, here networks finally catches the perfect wave.(Shelter)
March 11, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] JONAH MARKOWITZ'S gay-surfers-in-love movie, Shelter, is a sweet, sexy, sun-soaked valentine to true love and family values--which started with an anonymous encounter in the woods. "Five years ago I was in Colorado,...

Sitdown, standup: what moves a man to act? For Gus Van Sant's latest hero, the answer is nothing not even murder.(Paranoid Park, Chicago 10)(Movie review)
March 11, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] PARANOID PARK DIRECTED BY Gus Van Sant STARRING Gabe Nevins and Taylor Momsen IFC FIRST TAKE CHICAGO 10 DIRECTED BY Brett Morgen STARRING HankAzaria and Mark Ruffalo ROADSIDE...

Eleven Men Out.(DVD PICKS)(Brief article)(Video recording review)
March 11, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] ELEVEN MEN OUT GENIUS PRODUCTS Billed as a dramedy, this movie about an Icelandic soccer star who comes out is a subtle and playful glimpse into the impact being gay makes on sports and families.

Fat Girls.(DVD PICKS)(Brief article)(Video recording review)
March 11, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] FAT GIRLS GENIUS PRODUCTS Writer-director Ash Christian stars in this hilarious tale of isolation and adolescence. In his world, it's not your gender or whom you sleep with but how you feel that makes you a...

Martian Child.(DVD PICKS)(Brief article)(Video recording review)
March 11, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] MARTIAN CHILD NEW LINE HOME ENTERTAINMENT This film, from gay author David Gerrold's novella about a single man who adopts a boy claiming to be from Mars, was penned by gay parent Jonathan Tolins and writing...

Slings & Arrows: The Complete Collection.(DVD PICKS)(Brief article)(Video recording review)
March 11, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] SLINGS & ARROWS: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION ACORN MEDIA Sundance has been quietly airing this brilliant comedy series about a small Canadian theater troupe staging productions of Shakespeare to outlandish and...

The Bubble.(DVD PICKS)(Brief article)(Video recording review)
March 11, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THE BUBBLE STRAND RELEASING One of last year's best films is now on DVD. This story of forbidden love between two men--one Palestinian and one Israeli--also explores the complex differences between their two...

The kids are all right.(BOOKS)('Shelter' by Lucky Michaels)(Brief article)(Book review)
March 11, 2008... Lucky Michaels takes photos like Ryan McGinley and looks like Carter Smith, but the up-and-coming New York City photographer isn't a fixture in the glittery art or fashion worlds like his famous predecessors are. Instead, the 27-year-old...

Light Fell.(BOOK PICKS)(Brief article)(Book review)
March 11, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] LIGHT FELL BY Evan Fallenberg SOHO PRESS, $22 Faith, family, and passion collided when married father of five Joseph Licht began an affair with a rabbi who committed suicide soon afterward. Twenty years...

Bang, Crunch.(BOOK PICKS)(Brief article)(Book review)
March 11, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] BANG, CRUNCH BY Nell Smith VINTAGE, $13.95 Smith makes his debut with nine stories delivered with a sharp, funny, and deftly ironic gay sensibility that slowly creeps up on you--maybe because he's...

Juicy Mother 2: How They met.(BOOK PICKS)(Brief article)(Book review)
March 11, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] JUICY MOTHER 2: HOW THEY MET MANIC D PRESS, $14.95 Comics about superhero trannies, homeboys in love, and Arab-American dykes aren't that easy to come by, but Jennifer Camper delivers such work by 31...

Flawless: New York house trio the Ones prove that looking good is only half the battle.(Sound recording review)
March 11, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THE ONES The Ones A TOUCH OF CLASS AS ANYONE WHO HAS EVER STUMBLED out of an after-hours club into Monday morning sunlight can attest, making the transition from the New York City underground to the...

Goldfrapp: Seventh Tree.(MUSIC PICKS)
March 11, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] GOLDFRAPP Seventh Tree MUTE Dramatic U.K. duo jettisons the glam and disco touches for a mellower set. Return to Felt Mountain, anyone?

Little Anne and Paul Wallfisch: When Good Things Happen to Bad Pianos.(MUSIC PICKS)(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
March 11, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] LITTLE ANNE AND PAUL WALLFISCH When Good Things Happen to Bad Pianos DURTRO/JNANA Bar stool standards and a few surprises ("Private Dancer") from an art-punk chanteuse who has seen it all......

Patty Larkin: Watch the Sky.(MUSIC PICKS)(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
March 11, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] PATTY LARKIN Watch the Sky VANGUARD With her husky voice and virtuoso guitar chops, this Boston folk vet crafts moody originals pitched between heaven and the highway.

Mark Pickerel: Cody's Dream.(MUSIC PICKS)(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
March 11, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] MARK PICKEREL Cody's Dream BLOODSHOT The dreamy drummer for acts including Nirvana and Neko Case drops his second solo album of haunting, film noir--flavored Americana.

Dame Shirley Bassey: Get the Party Started.(MUSIC PICKS)(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
March 11, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] DAME SHIRLEY BASSEY Get the Party Started UNIVERSAL CLASSICS/ DECCA With her first album of new material in 10 years, the spy-flick siren lavishes her lustrous pipes on Pink and Grace Jones faves....

The new gay Vegas.(FROM THE EDITOR)(Editorial)
March 25, 2008... WHEN OUR ASSOCIATE EDITOR, Neal Broverman, suggested that we do our first Las Vegas issue, we all loved the idea. After all, what could possibly be gayer? But long experience suggested that, despite their obvious importance to the city's...

Funny lady.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
March 25, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] I love Kathy Griffin, and I really enjoyed the article on her in The Advocate ["My Life on the Gay List," February 26]. But don't you guys think you went a bit too far with the airbrush? She looked like a Barbie...

Hate is in the air.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
March 25, 2008... I want to thank you for writing about the homophobia gays and lesbians deal with in the vloggerhood ["Homophobosphere," February 26]. I must say that I was slightly disappointed you didn't include a lesbian's point of view. Not only do we have...

Do you think hate speech in the blogosphere should be censored?(THE ADVOCATE POLL)(Brief article)
March 25, 2008... "Free speech is free speech. We shouldn't limit its expression for anyone, no matter how repulsive. I wouldn't want the other side limiting my freedom to express myself." "Though I loathe hate speech, it's good to know who your enemies...

The B word.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
March 25, 2008... Thank you so much for drawing attention to the lives of bisexual women ["Objects of Suspicion," February 26]. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other sources, bisexuals make up 50% of the LGB population, so it is...

Milk no MLK.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
March 25, 2008... I read with much interest Kyle Buchanan's article on the new Harvey Milk film currently in production ["The Gay M.L.K." February 26]. It was good, but I think the title is wrong. Not to diminish Mr. Milk's accomplishments, I believe that any...

Sour note.(FEEDBACK)(Letter to the editor)
March 25, 2008... Brandon Voss states in his interview with Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane, "Unfortunately, gay groups haven't always gotten the joke"--regarding an episode where a man is informed he has "full-blown AIDS" by a barbershop quartet. Perhaps...

We asked a sampling of LGBT people in Las Vegas: "is Las Vegas a gay mecca?".(Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender)(Brief article)
March 25, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Scott White, 43 hospitality employee "No, Las Vegas is definitely not a gay mecca. It is gay-friendly but doesn't market to the GLBT community. The only example of Las Vegas actively pursuing the gay community is...

The return of Marlon Riggs.(Tongues Untied: Black Men Loving Black Men )(Brief article)
March 25, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In 1991, PBS dared to shed light on the black gay man's unique experience of simultaneous racism and homophobia in Tongues Untied: Black Men Loving Black Men by Marion T. Riggs. Many embraced the ground breaking...

Meet the bloggers: Nathaniel Rogers.(Forward)(Brief article)
March 25, 2008... Age: Older than Penelope Cruz. Younger than Nicole Kidman. Location: New York City Blog: The Film Experience (filmexperience.blogspot.com), "a playful worship of the movies--past, present, and future. Cinema is a queer religion." Date...

Buying time.(gay political action )(Brief article)
March 25, 2008... MOST GAY VOTERS have probably never heard of ANGLE, but Bill Clinton knows it intimately. That's because Access Now for Gay and Lesbian Equality raises money--lots of it--for candidates and has emerged as a major force in politics. ...

Wikipedia or the bigoted.(Conservapedia.com)(Brief article)
March 25, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Among conservative circles, John Schlafly is widely known as the eldest son of Phyllis Schlafly, the "sweetheart of the silent majority." Not so widely known is that the conservative activist and director of the...

R Family man: as R Family Vacations embarks on its first Mexican cruise, Anne Stockwell talks with cofounder Gregg Kaminsky about making waves and changing attitudes.(Forward)(Interview)
March 25, 2008... Gregg, when you and Rosie and Kelli O'Donnell founded R Family Vacations, did you ever think that this month you'd be setting off on your sixth successful cruise? We've always taken it one cruise at a time. We are very grateful to all of our...

Logo.(PROMOTED)(Lisa Sherman)(Brief article)
March 25, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Lisa Sherman, to executive vice president of Logo, MTV Networks' LGBT network, February 4, During her two-year tenure as senior vice president Sherman helped develop and launch Logo's original and acquired...

Tom Lantos.(DIED)(Obituary)(Brief article)
March 25, 2008... Tom Lantos, 80, a Democratic U,S. representative from California, of cancer, in Bethesda, Md., February 11. The only Holocaust survivor ever to serve in Congress, Lantos voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment, which would have...

Myra Riddell.(DIED)(Obituary)(Brief article)
March 25, 2008... Myra Riddell, 81, a psychotherapist and activist for gay and lesbian rights, of Alzheimer's disease, in Los Angeles, January 11. In 1976, Riddell founded Southern California Women for Understanding, a political and social network for lesbian...

Adam Block.(DIED)(Obituary)(Brief article)
March 25, 2008... Adam Black, 56, writer and music critic, of a lengthy pulmonary illness, in San Francisco, January 27. Remembered for his curiosity, knowledge, and humor, Block penned a popular music column for The Advocate in the 1980s and also wrote for a...

Carl S. McGee.(ARRESTED)(Brief article)
March 25, 2008... Carl S. McGee, 38, a senior aide to Massachusetts governor Deval L. Patrick, on suspicion of sexual battery, for allegedly performing oral sex on a 15-year-old boy, in Boca Grande, Fla., December 28. According to court documents, McGee is...

Rants & raves.(Forward)(Brief article)
March 25, 2008... 'We've heard that Mike Huckabee [has been] cozying up to John McCain and helping him suck off some--siphon off some of those conservative voters from Mitt Romney." --Katie Couric, covering the Super Tuesday returns on CBS, February 5 ...

Datebook 03.11-03.25.(Forward)(Brief article)(Calendar)
March 25, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] MARCH 12-16 Elevation 2008, the sixth annual Mammoth Gay Ski Week, bills itself as an attitude-free Southern California getaway. Highlights include the Party at 10,000 Feet, where attendees take a pitch-dark...

Alec Baldwin.(BIG GAY FOLLOWING)(Interview)
March 25, 2008... The eldest and most successful Baldwin brother, highly respected for his New York stage work and prolific film career, Alec garnered a Golden Globe nomination and a Screen Actors Guild award for his role as Republican network exec Jack Donaghy...

My not-so-big fat gay wedding: getting hitched in Vegas without the kitsch.(GUEST COLUMN)
March 25, 2008... MY PARTNER AND I ARE NOT what you'd call marriage tourists. When we decided to get hitched, it never occurred to us to ship off to Massachusetts or some other jurisdiction where same-sex nuptials or even civil unions are legal. We don't live...

Saturn's little wagon is big on value: already on European roads for years, Saturn's Astra wagon finally appears stateside.(Product/service evaluation)
March 25, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] 2008 SATURN ASTRA RETAIL PRICE: (MSRP) FROM $15,995 STANDARD ENGINE 1.8-LITER 4-CYLINDER HORSEPOWER 138 @ 6,300 RPM TORQUE (LB-FT) 125 @ 3,800 RPM FUEL ECONOMY, CITY (MPG) 24 HIGHWAY (MPG)...

A little help from your friends: how creating a peer group can hold you accountable to your dreams.(CAREERS)
March 25, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] WHAT IS THE ONE THING parents, teachers, and bosses all have in common? Aside from the power they have likely wielded over you at some point in your life, these people have been responsible for an incredibly...

Majority rules: with 35 seats up for grabs in the U.S. Senate this November, is an ironclad Democratic majority of 60 in sight?(POLITICS)
March 25, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THE PARLIAMENTARY OBSTRUCTION commonly known as a "filibuster" has been a defining characteristic of the U.S. Senate throughout history, but Republicans in the Democratic-led 110th Congress have used the tactic with...

Winning Bette: the legendary Bette Midler holds forth on art, illusion, marriage, kids, and the eternal lure of Las Vegas.(THE VEGAS ISSUE)(Interview)(Cover story)
March 25, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] As I wait outside the Colosseum, the 4,100-seat theater at Caesars Palace, the Las Vegas weekend is getting under way. Actors dressed as Roman soldiers stroll among the slot machines. A cheer goes up as somebody...

The players: a look at the gay men and women who make Sin City spectacular.(THE VEGAS ISSUE)(List)
March 25, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] THE FORCE Cirque du Soleil With five shows running nearly every night, Cirque has become as synonymous with Vegas as blackjack. More than 400 performers and 1,000 support staff mean it's also one of the biggest...

Loving and loathing in Las Vegas: gays and lesbians are streaming into Vegas to start new lives. But are they really happy with what they find?(THE VEGAS ISSUE)
March 25, 2008... TOMMY FONTENOT'S TYPICAL DAY begins in the dead of night. The gay 36-year-old works the late shift as a blackjack dealer, handling $25,000 bets at one of Las Vegas's most glamorous casinos. When noon rolls around, Fontenot gets in his truck and...

If they build it, will we come? A slate of new luxe resorts and boutique hotels aims to turn Vegas into the next gay travel indulgence. But can the slot machine mecca really become a high roller's paradise? SEAN KENNEDY assesses the scene.(THE VEGAS ISSUE)
March 25, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] For years gay hotels in Las Vegas were all like the Blue Moon Resort--a Motel 6-like joint located a half mile from the Strip with a clothing-optional pool in the back. It was the kind of slightly tacky place you...

Death of a showgirl: in the '90s, Jahna Steele was one of Vegas's most celebrated topless performers. Did being outed as transgender contribute to her demise?(THE VEGAS ISSUE)(In memoriam)
March 25, 2008... Like many beautiful women, Jahna Steele struggled with getting older. In her early 30s the platinum-blond singer and dancer was a Vegas sensation, headlining "Crazy Girls," the city's fiber-straight topless revue, before being outed as...

Gay Vegas: with a new slate of casino-free hotels, Michelin-starred restaurants, and amped-up shows, Las Vegas as once again beckoning the world to its (reinvented) party, and this time it's inviting the gays. take a look at what's new in Sin City.(THE VEGAS ISSUE)
March 25, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] WHERE TO STAY Much to the gay visitor's advantage, the hotel one-upmanship along the Strip continues as properties try to out-wow one another with luxed-out rooms, over-the-top shows, and splurge-worthy...

Return to the love shack: the B-52s, the world's greatest party band, comes out (in more ways than one) with its first new album in 16 years.(MUSIC)(Funplex)
March 25, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] WHEN THE B-52s first formed in 1976, Jimmy Carter was about to win the White House. The last time they released an album of original material--in 1992--Clinton was on his way to taking over for Bush Sr. And as their...

Music to your ears: the only instrument that pales on Kaki King's latest album is her voice.(Dreaming of Revenge)(Sound recording review)
March 25, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] KAKI KING Dreaming of Revenge VELOUR SUCCESS DOES NOT COME EASILY to pop artists who concentrate on instrumentals. In just about every other genre--jazz, classical, techno--working without words is...

Justus Kohncke: Safe and Sound.(MUSIC PICKS)(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
March 25, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] JUSTUS KOHNCKE Safe and Sound KOMPAKT Out German DJ-producer plies sexy minimalist disco, including "Yacht," which revitalizes Grace Jones's "Slave to the Rhythm" to scintillating effect.

Scott Free: The Pink Album.(MUSIC PICKS)(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
March 25, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] SCOTT FREE The Pink Album LEATHER/WESTERN Subtitled A Pop Opera, this versatile album by the Chicago songwriter puts a charming spin on the highs and lows of growing up--and older--as a fag.

Devotchka: A Mad & Faithful Telling.(MUSIC PICKS)(Sound recording review)(Brief article)
March 25, 2008... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] DEVOTCHKA A Mad & Faithful Telling ANTI- The ramshackle ensemble that scored Little Miss Sunshine returns with more lively gypsy punk. Wow... for once Hollywood didn't spoil something cool.