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