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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 3, 2003)
52 J***t out • October 3. 2003 DIVERSIONS ................ w ................ As if the story could get weirder... ew York actor and playwright Jamie Morris is bringing a play to Portland from Oct. 16 to 18 at Theatre! Theater!, 3430 S.E. Belmont St., with the delicious title Mommie Queerest “The title actually came first,” Morris says of his campy sendup of the Joan Crawford biopic. “If I was going to be playing Joan in drag, I wanted to really comment on that and not just have a man in drag hut actually give a reason. The reason is, in this play, she was really a man all those years." Morris’ partner is Portland-raised Christo pher Kenney, aka New York’s favorite drag queen Edie, who is also in the show. “He plays, ironically, Greg, Joan’s boyfriend,” laughs Mor ris, as well as a multitude of other characters. While the pair are in town, Edie is also doing drag shows Oct. 8 at Darcelle XV in Portland and Oct. 11 at Neighbors in Eugene. As for Mommie Queerest, “If you like the movie, you’re going to adore this,” promises Morris. “It’s such a great story between this movie star and her daughter that we know back and forth. But now you can see it with a spin to it.” Tickets to Mommie Q ueerest are $20 from Gai-Pied or TicketsWest. N Your Fall TV Queerview t’s almost too much to keep up with, I tell you. This gay T V bandwagon! Now that it’s been determined Q ueer as Folk didn’t end the world as we know it and Q ueer Eye for the Straight Guy has broken ratings records for Bravo, everybody wants a piece of the pie. Heck, I couldn’t get to it all. Unbelievably, I missed Rebecca De Momay make out with a chick last week on Boomtown. But here’s a little sampling of what’s been gaying up your T V lately. First, how sad that during this pioneer year of queer television the Emmys on Sept. 21 had to begin with such ’phobe comments as those of Garry Shandling in the opening monologue. Noting that he’d be “worried” if Q ueer Eye's Fab Five came into his home and thought it all kxiked OK, he went on to say that living with a guy would be all right as long as he didn’t have to touch him. How charming. If you wanted to he charitable, you could have seen this as a clever anti-gay introduction to what happened next: Brad Gar rett of Everybody Loves Raymond marched out and planted a lin gering one right on Shandling s significant lips (in a direct sendup of Madonna’s infamous M TV Video Music Awards kiss es). It worked well, hut the lead-in, which included a hearty con gratulations to David Letterman on his wife just having a baby, wasn’t connected to the kiss in a way that suggested the nastiness was purposeful. Thumbs down to monologue, thumbs up to kiss. Other queer Emmy notables are mostly about who lost: Will & Grace's Megan Mullally, Sean Hayes and director James Bur rows (as well as the show itself for Outstanding Comedy Series); Soldier's Girl director Frank Pierson; and Nomuri actor Tom Wilkinson. The good news is The Amazing Race, with its winning hunky gay couple, was awarded Outstanding Reality/Compe- tition Program (although the fact there is a category for this at all kind of cancels out that glory). And guess what won Outstanding Variety, Music or Comedy Special? C her— The Farewell Tour. Wixi-hixi! Goodbye Sunday night Emmys, hello weekday mornings’ The Ellen D eGeneres Show. After a nervous, rocky start, the show is finding its stride with the usual parade of celebrities and lighthearted silliness. Happily, Ellen opens every episode with a monologue. Tape and edit them together and it will be like an HBO special. Try ing to incorporate a late-night feel, a young DJ (a nice change from the live hand thing) spins hip sounds while our host swings those hips and straddle-walks over her coffee table to the delight of the audience. The show’s set is considerably stark, and some of the recur ring gags fall a little flat, hut the whole point of watching is to see Ellen do her thing, which she does to the hilt. Fast-forward to Wednesday night for the new series It’s All Relative. 1 like the premise— a Romeo and Juliet scenario with bartender Bobby and Harvard student Li: falling head over heels, getting engaged and then having to reveal their romance to their parents: his Irish Catholic, Republican, working-class har owners; hers well-off, liberal gay men. The pilot, which aired Oct. 1, had its ups and downs. There were genuine laughs, to be sure, hut it was so packed with “the setup,’’ it was way tixi fast-paced and overwhelming. And, while Bobby has some charm, Li: is a pixie of a little thing who irri tates more than ingratiates. Honestly, I’m not sure 1 can listen to her whiny voice every w’eek. But 1 also dissed on the first few episodes of Frasier, so, keep ing it in perspective, this show clearly has a lot of promise. All four parents are wonderful, transcending their rather stereotyped roles, particularly Harriet Sansom as Bobby’s mom (who also plays Frasier’s agent, Behe Glazer). And the gay dads are both played by gay actors. Dang! There’s so much more to say. Tune in next issue for Your Fall T V Queerview II. JH I New players get a chance at bat ome 30 queer softball players spent their September Sundays out at Hillsboro’s Gordon Faber Recreational Complex pitching and catching their way through Rose City Softball Association’s annual Fall Ball miniseason. Unlike the regular season divisions that are based on skill, Fall Ball mixes things up. Through a superdraft lottery, men and women of all skill levels were distributed among two teams, which played eight games. T he red-shirt W illamettes took home bragging rights for their 5-3 season. Despite suffering his blue Cascade team’s loss, assistant commissioner Drew Canulette says, “It was so much fun hav ing the teams like that because you get a chance to mingle with people you wouldn’t otherwise get to [play] with.” And it’s an easy way for newbies to rake a rum at hat. Can ulette says more than half of this year’s Fall Ball players were new faces. And often as many as 50 people watched the games and enjoyed the pleasant weather. Players interested in participating in the next year’s regular season should check www.portlandgaysoftball.com in late Fehni- ary or March for details. S A little tongue and a lot of cheek H tf^ongs very familiar to the ear but with lyrics that would make a sailor blush” is how executive director Tony Stroh describes the Portland Gay Men’s Chorus’ upcoming adults-only cabaret, Last of the Bathhouse Beauties. At 8 p.m. Oct. 18, Reed College’s Kaul Auditorium will be turned into an intimate cabaret with tables ringing an extended stage. Just Out humor columnist and former opera singer Marc Acito has been appointed Ringkeeper of the Beauties, helping bridge the gap between burlesque and bad taste. “The ushers, aka ‘fl<x>r whores,’ will be clad in bathhouse attire— think towels and flip-flops,” hints Stroh. “There’s a pepper ing of local and out-of-state bawdy talent, campy themes, a lot of innuendo and some pieces that smack you right between the eyes.” Kaul Auditorium is at 3203 S.E. WtxxJstock Blvd. Tickets are $20-$25 from 503-226-2588 or www.pdxgmc.org. Volleyball boys serve it up y h e bad boys of Portland Team Volleyball are ready to bump, set and spike their way to victory during their annual North American Gay Volleyball Association tournament (fondly known as Fall Ball 2003) Oct. 10 to 12 at Tualatin Hills Athletic Center, 15707 S.W. Walker Road in Beaverton. These gtxxJ sports begin with a Friday night registration party from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Portland Team Volleyball players bump and Red Cap Garage, spike with visiting gay boys Oct. 10 to 12 1035 S.W. Stark St. Saturday sees a day of ptxil play followed by an evening seeding banquet. Dnihle-eliminarion play begins Sunday and culminates in an awards ceremony and post-tournament partying. Games begin about 8:30 a.m. each day and run until about 4 or 5 p.m. More than a dozen squads from various Western states will play in BB- and B-skill level divisions. The three hailing from Stumptown are Portland Upinya, Portland NADS and a third contingent still searching for an identity. The tournament is free and open to the public. “We encour age people to come out and see some great volleyball, meet out- of-towners and support the Portland teams,” says tournament director Ryan Reilly. The Portland event is the year’s last scheduled tournament in the Northwest Region, making it the final opportunity for teams to qualify for the North American Championship next May in Vancouver, British Columbia. Visit volleyball’s hometown boys at www.portlandteamvol- leyball.com. El rey del Latinos e a part of queer Portland history Oct. 4 when Poder Latino de Oregon crowns the first Mr. Gay Poder Latino. The group’s Latino Night festivities will start off with community awards, go into the compe tition and end with a night of DJ dancing. It all begins 8 p.m. at the Polish Hall, 3832 N. Interstate Ave. According to cixirdinator Mario Martinez, 12 guys jumped at the chance to wear the sash, but they had to limit it to six contes tants. “The night was going to be forever if we had 12!” he exclaims. The nonprofit, which ftxruses on leadership development among queer Latinos, will also crown a Ms. Gay Pixler Latina on Oct. 18 during Latina Night, also beginning 8 p.m. at the hall. Tickets to Latino and Latina Night are $10 each from 503-407-6034 or at the d<xir. Visit the organization at www.pIdo.org. JH B Compiled by L isa B radshaw and TIMOTHY There are no shortage of hot guys competing for Mr. Gay Poder Latino on O ct. 4 K rause
