JUNE 20, 1997 GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE

ON THE AIR OFF THE PRESS

Jodie Foster's brother tries to out her; she is mum

by John Graves

Buddy Foster, brother of actress and filmmaker Jodie Foster, has created a lot of controversy in his family with a recently published biography of his famous sister. In the book, Foster Child, Buddy describes how he and his sister were raised by his mother and her lesbian partner, and states that his sister

"I have always assumed Jodie was gay or bisexual, but I wouldn't dare bring it up and risk incurring Mom's wrath."

was named after the woman known as “Aunt Jo." Foster also speculates on his famous sister's sexual orientation saying, “I have always assumed Jodie was gay or bisexual, but I wouldn't dare bring it up and risk incurring Mom's wrath."

Buddy Foster says he did not write the book as an exposé, but as a “loving tribute to my sister Jodie." Jodie Foster, whose sexual orientation has been the subject of much speculation and who vigorously guards her private life, reacted angrily in a statement to USA Today calling the book a “cheap cry for attention and money on Buddy's part."

While not responding directly to the book's specifics, Jodie attacked her brother's character, says her family considers Buddy to be a “distant acquaintance motivated solely by greed and sour grapes" and says the book "consists simply of hazy recollections, fantasies and borrowed press excerpts."

Buddy Foster responded, "When the manuscript of Foster Child was completed, I sent it to Jodie's lawyers in order to give her an opportunity to respond to what I'd written. Jodie made no attempt to dissuade me from publishing it, and I am surprised at her statement to USA Today. I continue to have only respect and admiration for my sister and her achievements."

Gay, HIV-positive stand-up comic Steve Moore uses humor to talk about his life in his own one-hour special, Drop Dead Gorgeous (A Tragi-Comedy): The Power of HIV-Positive Thinking, now airing on HBO.

Described as a "stand-up autobiography” by the Advocate, Drop Dead Gorgeous combines film segments with stand-up comedy to tell Moore's story. After Moore was diagnosed HIV-positive, he dedicated his life to using his comic talents to educate people about AIDS, HIV and gay issues. Moore married lesbian comic Lois Bromfield when both were in the closet and came out in his stand-up act after Bromfield came out on the

Arsenio Hall show in 1993. Bromfield later became a writer on Rosanne, and appeared in the famous lesbian kiss episode.

Good news for Ellen fans: ABC recently announced that the show has been included in its fall schedule. There are reports, however, that Ellen DeGeneres wants out of her contract because she is miffed at the way the network dragged out the coming-out episode, and because ABC did not aggressively promote the following episode, where she came out to her parents.

Readers of this column might remember thet I noted the memorable portrayal of a lesbian by Ellen DeGeneres' lover Anne Heche in the film Wild Side which, until now, has been airing on cable only. Wild Side never played in theaters because it was too long, and it was too explicit to get an R rating. Now, since DeGeneres and Heche seem to be the hottest couple in show business, the film's producers are planning to reconstruct a full-length "director's cut" version for release to theaters in the near future.

American Journal, a syndicated TV newsmagazine that airs on WOIO Channel 19 in Cleveland, will have a brothersister anchor team this fall. The new hosts will be the show's reporter Michele Dabney-Perez and her brother, former talk show host Charles Perez.

In 1995 when he became the first openly gay TV talk show host, Out magazine reported that Charles Perez had been bisexual roommate Norman Korpi's love interest in the first season of MTV's Real World series. Two years earlier, Perez selected Out magazine reporter Michael Goff as his date on a special Valentine's Day Dating Game show hosted by Montel Williams.

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Still no word yet on when Cleveland's PBS station, WVIZ Channel 25, will air the four-part lesbian and gay history documentary A Question of Equality. It seems they're still having trouble finding the "right" time slot to air the program. Program Manager Bob Olive says the station has trouble scheduling independent programs such as ITV's A Question of Equality that are not part of the PBS "hard" schedule. However, Olive says he has taped Family Values: An American Tragedy, another ITV offering, which he will review for possible broadcast on Channel 25. Family Values is lesbian filmmaker Pam Walton's documentary about her attempts

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Please, Clevelanders, your PBS station needs positive input from you to give lesbian, bi, and gay programming a priority. Write to: Bob Olive, Program Director, WVIZ Channel 25, 4300 Brookpark Road, Cleveland, Ohio 44134. Call WVIZ at 216398-2800 or fax them at 216-49-2560.

John Graves is the producer and host of Gaywaves, a lesbian-gay public affairs show on Cleveland's WRUW 91.1 FM Fridays at 7 pm. Dave Haskell, Jim McGrattan and Kim Jones also contributed to this column.

Ohio Valley Leather Run

July 4-6, 1997

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