Seattle Gay News
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT Super Happy Fun Time Hour not to be missed nate gowd y/seattle gay news
Mr. and Miss Gay Seattle, Alexander
by Shaun Knittel SGN Associate Editor
by the owners of Lobby Seattle to help the continuation of their monthly fundraising events,” DonnaTella told Seattle Gay News. “We thought it would be a fantastic addition to our year as Mr. and Miss Gay Seattle and another way to help out other performers by giving them a stage to perform on.” “With all that goes on around the Hill on Thursdays it seemed like a fitting start to the evening,” she continued. “Who knows where you might end up. But at least you can start off your night by helping a fantastic charity!”
The power of Pariah
Star and out director talk coming-of-age film and how other LGBT teens can relate by Chris Azzopardi SGN Contributing Writer Just a girl looking for her place in the world isn’t an all-too-uncommon tale. But Alike is black. And Gay. It’s a minority double-whammy that singles out the Brooklyn teen from the rest of the world, so she seeks acceptance in Gay bars – and, because she’s not definite in her identity, doesn’t find it. Alike (pronounced “ah-lee-kay”) is the epitome of a Pariah, the name of out director Dee Rees’ personal – and very powerful – indie film. A hit on the festival circuit, Rees’ real-life-inspired story finds the universal thread in navigating Alike’s journey to self-actualization and the power of loving yourself first. Rees and Adepero Oduye, who plays Alike, spoke recently about their advice to LGBT teens, getting into character at a Lesbian bar, and the reason “My Neck, My Back (Lick It)” was perfectly inappropriate for the film.
Focus Features
The Super Happy Fun Time Hour Lobby Bar First Thursday of every month Mr. and Miss Gay Seattle, Alexander Mentele and DonnaTella Howe, want you to join them once a month at Lobby Bar (916 E. Pike Street) for the Super Happy Fun Time Hour, a drag and variety show featuring talent from throughout the Seattle area to raise money for local nonprofit and charity organizations. “Alex and I were approached
Mentele and DonnaTella Howe
Issue 02, Volume 40, January 13, 2012
see pariah page 28
see super happy page 29
Adepero Oduye in Pariah
Balagan’s Spring Awakening Golden Globes kick off awards season shows up national tour this weekend by Miryam Gordon SGN A&E Writer
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Spring Awakening Balagan Theatre Through January 15 and April 12-21 Spring has poked its head up early this year with a twoweek run of the angsty musical Spring Awakening (music by Duncan Sheik, book and lyrics by Steven Sater). Balagan Theatre has taken over management of the Erickson Theatre on Harvard Avenue, a space used primarily for Seattle Central Community College classes, until now. They’re debuting Spring Awakening as a wake-up call that they’re here, and boy howdy, they sure are! Directed by Eric Ankrim, this 2007 Broadway musical is far more nuanced and storyfocused than the national tour that came through Seattle a couple of summers ago. While the tour was more rock-androll and the anthemic nature of the songs was emphasized, the story elements didn’t seem (l to r) Brian Earp, Jerick Hoffer, and Diana Huey in Balagan Theatre’s Spring Awakening
Pamela M. Campi Photography
see spring page 26
Meryl Streep in The Iron
by Albert Rodriguez SGN A&E Writer While the NFL playoffs are in full swing, the Hollywood equivalent – awards season – gets started Sunday night when the Golden Globes are handed out to highsalaried film and TV stars. The most important reason to watch this glammy ceremony telecast is
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for the rare opportunity to see a trio of the finest actresses on the planet sitting in the same banquet room: Jessica Lange, Meryl Streep, and Glenn Close. Known for its sometimes wacky choices, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) doesn’t have see globes page 28