It’s a Queer Year After All The most powerful thing on the airwaves played by Sonia Braga on Sex movie cult status. in 2001 was a grisly new reality show that was and the City, and ABC’s Nightline Melissa Etheridge But they can’t all be little gems, as too real to be comprehended. From those first announced a five part series on gay evidenced in the strange, out-of-sequence images on the morning of September 11, Attack life in America with the controversial Come Undone and the outright bad Monkey’s on America riveted the attention of a nation, title, A Matter of Choice? Mask. and confirmed the power of television. Most Memorable TV Moment: And in the Best I Thought She Had Like the rest of the country, the Jerry Falwell opened mouth and Better Taste Than That Moment, openly entertainment industry was affected by the inserted foot with hateful comments bisexual Angelina Jolie, fresh from her hit attacks. Plotlines on TV shows were scrapped about gays, , women, the Tomb Raider, saw her other movie of the year, and movies were pulled from production ACLU and just about any other group the super-steamy Original Sin, blasted by because suddenly they rang too true. The ol’ Jer dislikes. The comments critics. When wags accused her of having sex entertainment community responded with a backfired, and Falwell’s comments with Sin costar, Antonio Banderas, Jolie cooly telethon, gathering an unprecedented amount served as the catalyst to galvanize replied that she’d much rather sleep with his of talent in undisclosed locations to pay tribute support for the gay community. wife, Melanie Griffith. to American heroes and raise millions of dollars for the relief effort. Music: Celebrities: But the country was encouraged to get Summer of Melissa Beam Me Up Scotty, back to normal, and that meant going back to Rocker Melissa Etheridge I’m Outta Here being entertained. Here are some of the more proved that she was doing just fine, thank you, Notorious CHO, in Miami and made opening memorable moments in entertainment in 2001. night a fundraising opportunity for several What would a year be without some really after her surprising and highly publicized good celebrity fodder? breakup with 10 year partner Julie (I’m not Miami-Dade Human Rights and AIDS Television: organizations. Best Theatre Moment: Mel filed for divorce from Nicole gay) Cypher. Etheridge hit the road with a tour Kidman, one month shy of their 10th So, How Many Guys Will to promote her new CD, Skin, and her new Brooks accepting an award for The Producers, holding a black comb under his nose and anniversary. Kidman was initially devastated, Brian Do This Week? book, The Truth Is...My Life in Love and Music. but came out on top. Her movies, Moulin She also turned 40, and marked the occasion thanking Hitler for being such a funny guy Aside from the news coverage that onstage. Rouge and The Others, were smash hits and dominated television for the past few months, with a hot new Camaro and a hotter young garnered her Golden Globe nominations. And, girlfriend, Tammy Lynn Michaels from the when all is said in done, 2001 was the year of Movies: she says, she can wear heels again. In the Queer as Folk. The Showtime drama debuted now defunct TV show, Popular. middle of divorce, Cruise sued a gay porn star in December 2000 to plenty of controversy and Other highlights: Madonna and Janet Film Fans Feast who allegedly had an affair with Cruise and a enjoyed massive press and constant debate Jackson both brought their shows to town and on Film Fests magazine publisher who allegedly claimed to throughout its first season to become played to packed houses, Elton John The Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival have a videotape of Cruise with another man. Showtime’s highest rated drama. Fans of the announced that his new CD would be his last grew rapidly this year, doubling in size and Cruise’s I’m-Not-Gay-Not-That-There’s- show reveled in the soapy drama and constant (uh huh), and openly gay singer songwriter attracting big name stars. Over 11,000 tickets Anything-Wrong-With-It lawsuits were finally sex. Detractors said it was a poor Rufus Wainwright made waves with his new were sold for the 10-day March-April event at settled out of court representation of the gay community. Maybe CD Poses. Locally, the Gay Men’s Chorus the Colony Theatre in South Beach. The Ally McBeal star Portia de Rossi was seen you love it, maybe you hate it, but either way, premiered a specially commissioned Hanukah festival offered many premieres and gave doing some hot and heavy canoodling with everybody’s got an opinion on QAF. composition, titled Eight Candles at its holiday movie lovers an opportunity to see features and singer-songwriter, Francesca Gregorini, concert, at which they sang with shorts which might not get distributed in stepdaughter of Ringo Starr. The blonde siren the Lambda Chorale. Best regular local theatres. Big Eden, a charming has not commented on her alleged affair, but Music Non-Event: story about a gay artist who returns to his home isn’t doing much to hide it either. Wotapalava, billed as a tour of town in Montana received the award for Best A short time after announcing she’s a gay and gay friendly acts, was Fiction Feature. The festival also treated lesbian, the always perplexing Sinead supposed to embark on a summer audiences to a special screening of A O’Connor married a (gasp) male journalist. tour. The tour was scrapped Enchantment, a silent film shot in Florida And in the You Just Can’t Make This however, after only 600 or so which featured cross-dressing. The film was Stuff Up Moment: The celebrity story to take tickets were sold in Miami, the presented with live piano accompaniment. In the cake last year, or any other year, for that first city on the tour. Promoters November, the Festival also expanded its staff, matter, came courtesy of Anne Heche. Heche blamed the poor ticket sales on adding the new year round positions of went on 20/20 and explained to Barbara Sinead O’Connor, who pulled Program Director, Administrative Director and Walters that her bizarre behavior of the out of the tour. Gee, does Sinead Festival Coordinator. previous year was the result of another really have that many fans in The Fort Lauderdale International Film personality, Celestia, and that she heard voices South Florida? Festival held its place as the largest film festival telling that she was to meet a spaceship. in the world. The nearly four-week long Celestia, according to Heche, was the Theatre: festival in October and Keep It Gay November drew huge, sold-out Queer as Folk Nationally, the theatre story crowds, including a packed of the year was The Producers. house for The Fluffer, a film Ellen Degeneres hit the airwaves with a The musical, written by Mel Brooks and based sponsored by The Express. The brand new show playing a lesbian who settles on his own movie, revived Broadway and won opening night gala allowed down in her home town. The show has done a record 12 Tony Awards. The show features partygoers to get a look at the well enough for CBS to order new shows. openly gay actor Nathan Lane, who won a Tony Florida Studios, a 150,000 Degeneres also hosted the Emmy’s, which was for his performance, Gary Beach, who also square foot space, which is rescheduled three times due to the horrific won, as well as gay characters and the song, being renovated to become a world events. Keep It Gay. full-service production facility, All My Children became the first soap Locally, South Florida was not lacking the first of its kind in South opera to feature a major gay character. Eden gay themed theatre. The 5th Annual Lesbian Florida. Riegel plays Bianca, lesbian daughter of diva and Gay Play Fest premiered Holy What? and The Gateway Theatre in Erica Kane, played by Susan Lucci. And then staged the popular plays, Last Summer at Fort Lauderdale continued to be recently, AMC featured actor and playwright Bluefish Cove and The Most Fabulous Story the place for independent, gay Charles Busch in drag, not playing a drag Ever Told at the GLCC. Director and star Dan and lesbian films, so much so queen, but just playing a woman. Kelley made his own dream come true with a that it could be renamed the Other highlights: HBO’s Six Feet Under production of Falsettoland, which played in Gayway. Some of the more Margaret Cho featured an interracial gay relationship; ER’s Wilton Manor’s refurbished 26th Street memorable gay films which had one of its characters, Dr. , Theatre. Thief River, a new play by Lee played South Florida were All played by , enter into a lesbian Blessing, played in Manalpan. The Miami Over the Guy, Before Night Falls, which reincarnation of God, spoke in a different relationship; The Education of Max Bickford Shores Performing Arts Theatre opened with earned its star Javier Bardem an Oscar language, had special powers and was from featured the first regular transexual character, it inaugural production, Pageant, a beauty nomination, the uproarious Sordid Lives, The another planet. Heche detailed her life (and played by Helen Shaver; Batman’s Adam West contest send-up which featured an all-male Closet, The Adventures of Felix, Nico and Celestia’s life) in her autobiography, the aptly and ’s Max Gail played a gay cast. Dani, Boys to Men and Lost and Delirious. titled, Call Me Crazy. And then, just when couple on The Drew Carey Show; Denise Bea Arthur wowed audiences with her The film adaptation of the off-Broadway you thought that it couldn’t get any weirder, Richards and Heather Locklear locked lips on one woman show, ...And Then There’s Bea. smash, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, was also Heche flew off the handle when, during an Spin City; Brooke Shields played a lesbian in Arthur also wowed fans who packed Cathode a big hit. John Cameron Mitchell recreated interview with The Advocate, she was asked if the Lifetime movie , Ray when she made an after-show appearance his role as Hedwig, a German singer- new husband Coley Laffoon had ever had a which spotlighted parental rights; Kim to sign autographs and belt out a few show songwriter and victim of a botched sex-change same-sex experience. Isn’t what’s good for Cattrall’s Samantha got down with a sexy tunes. Margaret Cho kicked off her new tour, operation in a film destined to attain midnight- the goose good for the gander? 36 www.ExpressGayNews.com December 31st, 2001