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on the airoff the press

Entire cast of Will & Grace does pro-marriage spot

by John Graves

In an unprecedented move, the entire cast of Will & Grace has come out against California's Proposition 22, a March ballot initiative that would outlaw recognition of same-sex marriage, in a series of TV spots.

Eric McCormack (Will) begins the ads, which will air in California's major cities as early as next month, saying, "Hi. We are the cast of Will & Grace. On March7, Californians will go to the polls to vote either for or against basic civil rights."

Openly gay Will & Grace producer and co-creator Max Mutchnick said he wanted to do more to fight the initiative than write a check. He approached the show's cast and asked if they would be interested in doing a spot. The actors-McCormack, Debra Messing (Grace), the openly bisexual Megan Mullally (Karen) and Sean Hayes (Jack)—— readily agreed because, Mutchnick said, their politics are in sync with his.

Mutchnick noted that, while individual actors often do announcements for or against an issue, this is the first time a show's entire cast has done so. But no one in the cast worried that the TV spot would alienate viewers or sponsors, he said.

"I would imagine that people who support this initiative wouldn't be big fans of the show. The spot will appeal to younger voters. I have their attention, and I feel we can remind them about this by using these faces.

Mutchnick was careful to point out that the NBC network played no role in the ad: "We are not speaking for NBC in any way. This was my cost, my time and the actors' time."

Riding for his brother

Cable's Starz and Starz Theater channels have begun airing The Unknown Cyclist, a 1999 cable film about a homophobic cop who es part in an AIDS benefit bike ride after the death of his gay twin brother.

four comedians to join Ellen DeGeneres in a new sitcom CBS hopes to get underway in the spring. At this time neither DeGeneres nor CBS will say whether or not her character will be gay.

I wouldn't fault DeGeneres if her character is not gay, however. She has certainly paid her dues by risking her career to come out and have her character come out at the same time. DeGeneres is still a gifted comedian, and she and her wife Anne Heche have done our community proud by using the power of their celebrity status to further the cause of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights.

James Whale, known for the original Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein. In Apt Pupil he plays a Nazi war criminal living in suburbia.

No same-sex Ricky Martin kiss

Here's one from Ricky Martin's Cleveland concert stop. It seems that, since it was his last show of this tour, the female dancers gathered around at the end of the show and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Seeing this, one of the male dancers approached him for a kiss, also. Ricky fended off the same-sex kiss with a grin and something like, “See it's the end of the show and almost anything can happen."

Stars are ready to march Ellen and Anne, lesbian rocker Melissa Gay ballplayer on 20/20 Etheridge, her wife Julie Cypher and their children will join Third Rock From the Sun star Kirsten Johnson and a host of other entertainers at the Human Rights Campaign's "Equality Rocks" concert April 29 in Washington, D.C. They will also be at the Millennium March on Washington for Lesbian, Gay Bisexual and Transgender Civil Rights the next day.

Turn Patrick Bristow on

Openly gay former Ellen co-star Patrick Bristow discusses what makes things funny on one of the first episodes of Comedy Central's new comedy and talk show Turn Ben Stein On.

Leno percussionist speaks

Vickie Randall, openly lesbian percussionist for the band on NBC's Tonight Show with Jay Leno, talks about performing with Cris üliliamoon and Morgio Adom of one of Sis Williamson anu ivicizie cumin at One Di the first women's music concerts in Los Angeles in 1993, in Curve magazine's December issue.

Also in that issue, Melissa Etheridge talks about her career, her wife and children and her new CD Breakdown.

Where have all the lesbians gone? Russell Trusso on the Early Show

I was certainly disappointed last week to learn that Billie Frank's Latina lesbian best friend Jackie, played by actress Rain Pryor, got severely depressed and killed herself on one of last week's episodes of the Showtime sitcom Rude Awakening. But have no fear: There are still plenty of recurring LGBT characters remaining in Billy's recovery group.

I'll miss Jackie, however. With Ellen and ER's Dr. Maggie Doyle gone, and the lesbian characters on Nash Bridges, Friends and Beverly Hills 90210 making only rare appearances; the only regularly appearing LGBT characters on television are all gay

men.

Ellen

have may a new show

There is some hope for a continuing lesbian character, though. I understand casting agents are looking for a producer, writer and

Cleveland Plain Dealer society columnist Sarah Crump reports that CBS film crews were in Cleveland last week to shoot an Early Show story on "Changing Careers to Follow a Passion" featuring the late Dr. John Carey's life partner, Dr. Russell Trusso.

Trusso, who used to be the director of Anesthesiology at St. Luke's Hospital, gave up his medical career in 1990 to devote all of his time to Trusso & Co., the fashion and jewelry design business he started 12 years ago. Trusso's story is set to air on the Early Show December 30.

McKellen double feature

Showtime has begun airing two critically acclaimed films, Gods and Monsters and Apt Pupil, starring openly gay British actor Sir Ian McKellen.

In the Oscar-winning biopic Gods and Monsters, McKellen portrays gay director

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Billy Bean, the major league baseball player who recently come out as gay, gave a very moving account of the joy of coming out and the pain of his years in the closet when Connie Chung interviewed him on ABC's 20/20 a couple of weeks ago. Bean, who had been married at one time, had a longtime gay partner during most of his playing career. Although he was deep in the closet at the time, he was inspired to play well knowing his lover was watching from the stands even though it was in a section well away from the other players' families.

Bean began to choke with emotion, though, as he described how being in the closet kept him from his lover's deathbed. It seems he

was scheduled to play in a game the day his lover died, and was too scared to come out to his team and tell them he needed to be at his lover's side. For that, Bean says he can never forgive himself.

Bean's mom got all teary-eyed when she was interviewed, and said she was overwhelmed by the burden her son had had to carry most of his life.

Proudly out of the closet, Bean seems to have found peace with his new life partner and a new career running a trendy Florida restaurant they own.

Affleck may star in Dreyfus Affair Ben Affleck may play a gay baseball player in an upcoming movie.

According to the New York Daily News, Affleck is considering the lead in the film adaptation of The Dreyfus Affair: A Love Story, a 1992 novel in which a major league shortstop gets romantically involved with a

teammate.

Responding to questions about his sexual orientation over his close friendship with Matt Damon, Affleck said "If I were gay, I would be out, Rupert Everett-style."

John Graves is the producer and host of Gaywaves, an LGBT public affairs show on Cleveland's WRUW 91.1 FM Fridays at 7 pm, and at http://radio.cwru.edu. Dave Haskell, Jim McGrattan and Kim Jones also contribute to this column.

Four new CDs will stuff the techno stocking

Raygun Darkangeles

Ultra Schang/Delphinium Blue Reviewed by Michelle Tomko

Washington, D.C. gay techno artist Arlin Godwin, performing under the name Darkangeles, has

infused his new CD with a gothic Erasure sound that reflects the club scene. But it has a darker side, remnant of his days as a closeted employee at Jerry Falwell's radio studio, where Godwin recorded his first songs some twenty years and one divorce before this release. Raygun is a five-song release containing a broad mix of subject matter. There is a song about watching The X-Files, one about a suicidal nun, and one about, you guessed it, a raygun. In the track, Godwin describes it as “a big one". You can infer the symbolism.

The tracks are entertaining and each one is very different. Too bad there are only five tracks. One wishes for more.

Outloud

Colourfinder Records

Outloud is a collection of tracks from 16 artists who have performed at A Different Light bookstore in New York City in 1999. It's a real mixed bag, so, depending on your tastes, you are bound to love some tracks and hate others. The high points are the jazz piano track of Patrick

Arena and the

upbeat "House on Fire" by David Brown..

Some of the other artists' lyrics are a bit clichéd, as in Andy Monroe's "Slivers of Ice." He, Kevin Scott Hall and Grand King all have songs that sound like they escaped from a bad musical production. “Sing Out” by Kevin Smith is a great number for any local show chorus, and could be very dangerous for all the cynics on your shopping list.

But it would make a neat gift for a person who has everything. Where else can you get former Madonna backup singer Donna DeLory, the country sound of Mark Weigle, some new age, some electronic and a handful of women's folk music all on one CD? If you're a Gemini, this CD was made for you. Void (I Need You) Catapila

Going Out of My Head Cosa Nostra Tommy Boy Records

For the club kids on your list, there are two new offerings of mix CDs from Tommy Boy.

Unlike Outloud, these mixes are all variations on one theme. So if you like that sort of thing outside of the clubs, go for it.

Louisa Glenn's vocals sound great in all the tracks of Void Comparatively speaking, this CD is the stronger of the two. Going Out of My Head often sounds more like the CD is stuck and repeating rather than an inventive mix.

Happy Hardcore Highborn Recordings

If a European on your list is a bit homesick, pick up one of these three.

Hard Dance Volume 1, Happy Hardcore Foundation Volume 2, and This is Noise are all U.K. dance mix albums. But none of them really contain anything that you haven't already heard in the States. If you're into big names in underground music, then of the three you want This is Noise. Plus, it's a two CD set.