"A Democratic polling memo released yesterday found that women, who voted for President Bush last year in large numbers, have begun migrating back to their traditional home in the Democratic Party as the public’s agenda has shifted from homeland security and terrorism to domestic concerns such as jobs and the economy," the Washington Post reports.
Long List of Tony Nominees
This looks like a really good year for the Tonys and Broadway in general. Some heavy-hitters and great shows. I’m especially happy for Hank Azaria, who I declined to cast as the lead when I directed "Chicago" in college. I guess he showed me!
Democracy
Author: Michael Frayn
Producers: Boyett Ostar Productions, Nederlander Presentations, Inc., Jean Doumanian, Stephanie P. McClelland, Arielle Tepper, Amy Nederlander, Eric Falkenstein, Roy Furman
Doubt
Author: John Patrick Shanley
Producers: Carole Shorenstein Hays, MTC Productions, Inc., Lynne Meadow, Barry Grove, Roger Berlind, Scott Rudin
Gem of the Ocean
Author: August Wilson
Producers: Carole Shorenstein Hays, Jujamcyn Theaters
The Pillowman
Author: Martin McDonagh
Producers: Boyett Ostar Productions, Robert Fox, Arielle Tepper, Stephanie P. McClelland, Debra Black, Dede Harris/Morton Swinsky, Roy Furman/Jon Avnet, Joyce Schweickert, The National Theatre of Great Britain
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Producers: Marty Bell, David Brown, Aldo Scrofani, Roy Furman, Dede Harris, Amanda Lipitz, Greg Smith, Ruth Hendel, Chase Mishkin, Barry and Susan Tatelman, Debra Black, Sharon Karmazin, Joyce Schweickert, Bernie Abrams/Michael Speyer, Barbara Whitman, Weissberger Theater Group/Jay Harris, Cheryl Wiesenfeld/Jean Cheever, Clear Channel Entertainment, Harvey Weinstein, MGM on Stage/Darcie Denkert and Dean Stolber
The Light in the Piazza
Producers: Lincoln Center Theater, André Bishop, Bernard Gersten
Monty Python’s Spamalot
Producers: Boyett Ostar Productions, The Shubert Organization, Arielle Tepper, Stephanie McClelland/Lawrence Horowitz, Elan V. McAllister/Allan S. Gordon, Independent Presenters Network, Roy Furman, GRS Associates, Jam Theatricals, TGA Entertainment, Clear Channel Entertainment
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Producers: David Stone, James L. Nederlander, Barbara Whitman, Patrick Catullo, Barrington Stage Company, Second Stage Theatre
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Book: Jeffrey Lane
The Light in the Piazza
Book: Craig Lucas
Monty Python’s Spamalot
Book: Eric Idle
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Book: Rachel Sheinkin
Best Original Score (Music and/or Lyrics) Written for the Theatre
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Music & Lyrics: David Yazbek
The Light in the Piazza
Music & Lyrics: Adam Guettel
Monty Python’s Spamalot
Music: John Du Prez and Eric Idle; Lyrics: Eric Idle
The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Music & Lyrics: William Finn
Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Producers: Elizabeth Ireland McCann, Daryl Roth, Terry Allen Kramer, Scott Rudin, Roger Berlind, James L. Nederlander, Nick Simunek, Joey Parnes
Glengarry Glen Ross
Producers: Jeffrey Richards, Jerry Frankel, Jam Theatricals, Boyett Ostar Productions, Ronald Frankel, Philip Lacerte, Stephanie P. McClelland/CJM Productions, Barry Weisbord, Zendog Productions, Herbert Goldsmith Productions, Roundabout Theatre Company, Todd Haimes, Ellen Richard, Julia C. Levy
On Golden Pond
Producers: Jeffrey Finn, Arlene Scanlan, Stuart Thompson
Twelve Angry Men
Producers: Roundabout Theatre Company, Todd Haimes, Ellen Richard, Julia C. Levy
La Cage aux Folles
Producers: James L. Nederlander, Clear Channel Entertainment, Kenneth Greenblatt, Terry Allen Kramer, Martin Richards
Pacific Overtures
Producers: Roundabout Theatre Company, Todd Haimes, Ellen Richard, Julia C. Levy, Gorgeous Entertainment
Sweet Charity
Producers: Barry and Fran Weissler, Clear Channel Entertainment, Edwin W. Schloss
Dame Edna: Back with a Vengeance!
Producers: Creative Battery, Harley Medcalf and Boxjellyfish LLC
Laugh Whore
Producer: Showtime Networks
700 Sundays
Producers: Janice Crystal, Larry Magid, Face Productions
Whoopi, the 20th Anniversary Show
Producers: Mike Nichols, Hal Luftig, Leonard Soloway, Steven M. Levy, Tom Leonardis, Eric Falkenstein, Amy Nederlander
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Play
Philip Bosco, Twelve Angry Men
Billy Crudup, The Pillowman
Bill Irwin, Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
James Earl Jones, On Golden Pond
Brían F. O’Byrne, Doubt
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play
Cherry Jones, Doubt
Laura Linney, Sight Unseen
Mary-Louise Parker, Reckless
Phylicia Rashad, Gem of the Ocean
Kathleen Turner, Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical
Hank Azaria, Monty Python’s Spamalot
Gary Beach, La Cage aux Folles
Norbert Leo Butz, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Tim Curry, Monty Python’s Spamalot
John Lithgow, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical
Christina Applegate, Sweet Charity
Victoria Clark, The Light in the Piazza
Erin Dilly, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Sutton Foster, Little Women
Sherie Rene Scott, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play
Alan Alda, Glengarry Glen Ross
Gordon Clapp, Glengarry Glen Ross
David Harbour, Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Liev Schreiber, Glengarry Glen Ross
Michael Stuhlbarg, The Pillowman
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Play
Mireille Enos, Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
Heather Goldenhersh, Doubt
Dana Ivey, The Rivals
Adriane Lenox, Doubt
Amy Ryan, A Streetcar Named Desire
Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical
Dan Fogler, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Marc Kudisch, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Michael McGrath, Monty Python’s Spamalot
Matthew Morrison, The Light in the Piazza
Christopher Sieber, Monty Python’s Spamalot
Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical
Joanna Gleason, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Celia Keenan-Bolger, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Jan Maxwell, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Kelli O’Hara, The Light in the Piazza
Sara Ramirez, Monty Python’s Spamalot
John Lee Beatty, Doubt
David Gallo, Gem of the Ocean
Santo Loquasto, Glengarry Glen Ross
Scott Pask, The Pillowman
Best Scenic Design of a Musical
Tim Hatley, Monty Python’s Spamalot
Rumi Matsui, Pacific Overtures
Anthony Ward, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Michael Yeargan, The Light in the Piazza
Jess Goldstein, The Rivals
Jane Greenwood, Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
William Ivey Long, A Streetcar Named Desire
Constanza Romero, Gem of the Ocean
Best Costume Design of a Musical
Tim Hatley, Monty Python’s Spamalot
Junko Koshino, Pacific Overtures
William Ivey Long, La Cage aux Folles
Catherine Zuber, The Light in the Piazza
Best Lighting Design of a Play
Pat Collins, Doubt
Donald Holder, Gem of the Ocean
Donald Holder, A Streetcar Named Desire
Brian MacDevitt, The Pillowman
Best Lighting Design of a Musical
Christopher Akerlind, The Light in the Piazza
Mark Henderson, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Kenneth Posner, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Hugh Vanstone, Monty Python’s Spamalot
John Crowley, The Pillowman
Scott Ellis, Twelve Angry Men
Doug Hughes, Doubt
Joe Mantello, Glengarry Glen Ross
James Lapine, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
Mike Nichols, Monty Python’s Spamalot
Jack O’Brien, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Bartlett Sher, The Light in the Piazza
Wayne Cilento, Sweet Charity
Jerry Mitchell, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Jerry Mitchell, La Cage aux Folles
Casey Nicholaw, Monty Python’s Spamalot
Larry Hochman, Monty Python’s Spamalot
Ted Sperling, Adam Guettel and Bruce Coughlin, The Light in the Piazza
Jonathan Tunick, Pacific Overtures
Harold Wheeler, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Regional Theatre Tony Award®
Theatre de la Jeune Lune
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Special Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre
Edward Albee
For those keeping score:
14 – Monty Python’s Spamalot
11 – Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
11 – The Light in the Piazza
8 – Doubt
6 – Edward Albee’s Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?
6 – Glengarry Glen Ross
6 – The Pillowman
6 – The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
5 – Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
5 – Gem of the Ocean
4 – La Cage aux Folles
4 – Pacific Overtures
3 – A Streetcar Named Desire
3 – Sweet Charity
3 – Twelve Angry Men
2 – On Golden Pond
2 – The Rivals
More Jesus Sightings
Thawing sludge appears in a Chicago underpass, and everybody flocked to see it because it was the Virgin Mary.
And now, Jesus shows up in a woman’s womb. Well, the ultrasound of it.
Actually, it looks like a full grown woman to me, but what do I know?
Now, I know that God moves in strange and mysterious ways, but why the coy cat-and-mouse game? Why are religious icons appearing only inside people, in smelly underpasses, and on tortilla shells? How about, you know, moving the nighttime stars so that they form a LightBright depiction of the crucifixion and resurrection? That will get my attention.
In My Neck Of The Woods
WAYNESVILLE, N.C. — A pastor of a small Baptist church led an effort to kick out church members because they didn’t support President Bush, members said.
The nine members were voted out at a Monday meeting of the East Waynesville Baptist Church in this mountain town about 120 miles west of Charlotte. WLOS-TV in Asheville reported that 40 other members resigned in protest. "It’s all over politics," said Selma Morris, the church’s treasurer. "We’ve never had a pastor like that before."
Pastor Chan Chandler had told the congregation before last year’s presidential election that anyone who planned to vote for Democratic Sen. John Kerry should either leave the church or repent, said Lorene Sutton, who said she and her husband were voted out of the church this week.
Because Jesus was a Republican, right? Read the whole thing.
Update On The Kansas Evolution Hearings
As most people know, the Kansas State Board of Education is having hearings to determine if evolution should be taught and/or if the "Intelligent Design" theory (which, by the way, isn’t science) should be taught.
Everyone knows it is a bit of a sham, as the outcome as already been predetermined.
What’s striking about it, however, is that those who oppose the science standards taught in Kansas don’t even know what those science standards are!
Give Me a C!
I’m 42, so writing about cheerleaders at my age has kind of an ookey feeling about it.
But the door has been thrown open, as cheerleading as become the ookey topic du jour. For example, the State of Texas recently tackled that life-or-death problem of cheerleader booty-shaking. Rest easy, America — Texas is on the case.
Call me crazy, but when I was a teen in high school, I liked the girls in short skirts. Everyone did, even the parents. After a local football game, my town did not engage in huge orgiastic sins. I didn’t go and rape anyone afterwards. I swear. You see, everyone thought that those girls were pretty (not to mention peppy), not dirty.
And although as an adult my reverence to God is, well, shaky, I assure you that it had little to do with seeing Susan Reid in a short skirt 25 years ago.
So can someone explain the Christian Cheeleaders of America to me?
I love their motto: "Building People Before Pyramids". But my favorite page is the one where the CCA states its mission and goals, including
to teach "state of the art" cheerleading techniques, material and methods while maintaining Christian standards…being "contemporary without compromise"
I don’t know what that means, so I looked at the photo accompanying the page.
Short skirts, girls up in the air, arms splayed open, smiles . . . yes, I can really tell the difference.
Then there’s the part described as the "Philosophy of Cheerleading" (I wonder if there’s a college-credit class for that).
The Power
"And whatsoever things ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ." (Colossians 3:23-24)
The Preeminence
"…that in all things He might have the preeminence." (Colossians 1:18b)
It goes on like that. And while the philosophy is fine, I don’t understand what it has to do with cheerleading (as opposed to, say, life).
I don’t have a problem with Christianisty or cheerleading. But is seems to me that using one to boost the other is, well, silly. What’s next? Christian bowling?
Question Time
Sharon Hughes, a conservative columnist at Alan Keye’s Renew America site, asks some pretty dumb questions:
Could it just be possible that teaching evolution as fact, that students come from animals and without purpose, be responsible in any way for the increase of crime and other social problems, such as rape, that we’re seeing amongst our youth today?
No.
For instance, as pointed out by Gary DeMar in his editorial, "The Dark Side of Evolution," two evolutionists, writing in the Academy of Science magazine, The Sciences, stated, "Rape is a ‘natural, biological’ phenonmenon, springing from men’s evolutionary urge to reproduce." Couple this with the over-the-edge sex-ed now being taught in schools, should we be surprised when we hear that middle school kids are having sex, even in the classroom?
See, that’s what is wrong with kids today — instead of coming home and playing Sony Playstation games, they’re at school, reading obscure and scholarly articles in the Academy of Science journal.
When they’re not screwing each other in the classrooms, that is.
Fourth Circuit to Establishment Clause: “Fuck You!”
Like in public meetings around the country, the Chesterfield County (Va.) Board of Supervisors begins its meetings with a religious invocation offered by local clergymen of various denominations. As you might expect, the invocation itself is non-denominational, but alway always always invokes a monotheistic supreme being.
Cynthia Simpson, a member of a non-Judeo-Christian pantheistic religion — a religion with hundreds of thousands of adherents in America alone — wrote the Board seeking to address the Board with an invocation. She was denied.
To make a long story short, there was a lawsuit about this. The lower court found for Simpson.
But, as reported here, the Fourth Circuit overturned. The reasoning is complicated, but trust me — even if you followed the reasoning, you would still find it tortured.
Basically, it boils down to this: the Board did not have a discriminative motive against Simpson’s pantheistic (multiple-God-believing) religion. Why? Because the Board permitted a wide spectrum of monotheistic (one-God-believing) clergymen to speak at the invocations.
Now, to me, that’s like saying "This country club doesn’t discriminate against blacks because it allows in white people from Minnesota, off-whiteish people from the midAtlantic, and tan-white people from Florida. So there’s no discrimination against blacks." Pretty fucked up reasoning, right?
By the same token, if a Chesterfield Board of Supervisors only permits monotheistic religions to speak at invocation, then it IS making a religious judgment about pantheistic ones. It IS discriminating against them. By definition almost. Even the 4th Circuit opinion tacitly acknowledges this,when the judge writes "our instititutions presuppose a supreme being". A supreme being. One of them.
He talks out of both sides of his mouth by essentially saying, "The Board didn’t discriminate against multi-God religions because it’s okay to discriminate against them, because we as a nation officially recognize only one God". Shades of Dred Scott, if you ask me.
So to all you believers of "unacceptable" religions where there are more than one God, don’t expect the Constitution to protect you. And don’t expect to be treated equally in the eyes of the government. At least not in the Fourth Circuit. Because, the courts here have ruled that your dumbass religion is too far out of the mainstream, and the Constitution is apparently supposed to only protect majority-approved religions (you know, the correct ones).
Schism on the Right Widens
It’s nice to see people like Glenn Reynolds,George Will, Christopher Hitchens, Eugene Volokh, and even self-proclaimed “born-again Christians" speak out today and take principled stands against the excesses of social conservatism as thrust upon us by the holier-than-thou religious right. I like Hitchen’s quote best:
The need of the hour is for some senior members of the party of Lincoln to disown and condemn the creeping and creepy movement to impose orthodoxy on a free and pluralist and secular Republic.
He’s right, of course.
But it’s interesting (well, not really) that this level of criticism didn’t appear prior to the election (despite the fact that certain center-to-right commentators like Andrew Sullivan had the, er, balls to speak up about it).
I expect the schism on the right to grow, not because of the “South Park Conservatives”, but because of the unyielding and unbending nature of the prurient religious right. They know they put Bush over the top, and now they feel they are owed. Looks like the Repub Party has to deal with the devil it slept with.
School Band Not Permitted To Play “Louie Louie”
I am playing a role in a local production of "Footloose", a stage musical based on the 1980’s Kevin Bacon movie in which a teenager tries to "cut loose" with dance fever in an uptight small town—a town which has banned dancing as obscene. It’s a silly movie, and a silly musical, because no place in America could be that prurient and stuck-up.
Or so I thought:
BENTON HARBOR, Mich. – A pop culture controversy that has simmered for decades came to a head when a middle school marching band was told not to perform "Louie Louie."
Benton Harbor Superintendent Paula Dawning cited the song’s allegedly raunchy lyrics in ordering the McCord Middle School band not to perform it in Saturday’s Grand Floral Parade, held as part of the Blossomtime Festival.
In a letter sent home with McCord students, Dawning said "Louie Louie" was not appropriate for Benton Harbor students to play while representing the district — even though the marching band wasn’t going to sing it.
Where to begin?
First of all, the band is only playing the music—not singing the lyrics, so someone please explain to me how the C-F-G chord progression is "inappropriate". Secondly, even IF the lyrics were to be sung . . . well, WHO THE HELL KNOWS THE LYRICS TO "LOUIE, LOUIE" ANYWAY? How does anyone know they are obscene?!?
UPDATE: Ban Lifted!
Joint Chiefs Call Out Bush’s Lie
Bush at the April 28 press conference:
Q: …Do you feel, as you are confronting these problems, the number of troops you’ve left tied up in Iraq is limiting your options to go beyond the diplomatic solutions that you described for North Korea and Iran?
THE PRESIDENT: No, I appreciate that question. The person to ask that to, the person I ask that to, at least, is to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, my top military advisor. I say, do you feel that we’ve limited our capacity to deal with other problems because of our troop levels in Iraq? And the answer is, no, he doesn’t feel we’re limited. He feels like we’ve got plenty of capacity.
“Plenty of capacity”? Mmmmm. Then explain this, Mr. President:
The concentration of American troops and weapons in Iraq and Afghanistan limits the Pentagon’s ability to deal with other potential armed conflicts, the military’s highest ranking officer reported to Congress on Monday.
The officer, Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, informed Congress in a classified report that major combat operations elsewhere in the world, should they be necessary, would probably be more protracted and produce higher American and foreign civilian casualties because of the commitment of Pentagon resources in Iraq and Afghanistan.
So what’s the excuse for Bush’s statement: lie or mistake? Either way, it’s clear that he is unfit to be Commander-in-Chief.
Kansas To Debate Whether Adam Had A Navel
Amanda Marcotte notes:
Also on the agenda for the Kansas Board of Education–whether or not unicorns simply forgot to board the Ark and if "the curse" is women’s punishment for being daughters of Eve. It’s science! Well, it’s better science than Intelligent Design theory.
It’s time to face up to it–these religious nuts are not about to give up thinking that wishing will make their beliefs reality. So, I agree with Katha Pollitt that it would be best to compromise, and they can live in their fantasy world and the rest of us can keep living in reality.
Under the new plan, creationists could continue their efforts to wreck science education and dumb down their kids–but first, they would pledge to abstain from any real-life benefits of evolutionary theory. Flu vaccines, for example, rely for their effectiveness on yearly reformulation to account for the evolution of the influenza virus. No evolution? Achoo for you!The secondary advantage is that, during flu season at least, you can tell whether the person passing out fliers on the street corner is inviting people to a concert or fixing to lecture on Jeebus by whether or not they’re sneezing.
Hurry up, Rapture! The only people that want it more than the believers are the non-believers.
How’s Democracy In The Middle East?
Women of Kuwait denied vote by Islamist lawmakers
A plan to allow Kuwaiti women to participate in local elections was postponed indefinitely yesterday when Islamist and conservative legislators abstained from a vote.
This is Kuwait we’re talking about, folks.
More Historical Revisionism From The Right
NOW:
“I don’t think the rationale for the war hinged on the existence of stockpiles.” – Undersecretary of Defense Douglas Feith, The New Yorker, 5/9/05
THEN:
“I’d like to spend a moment, if I can, stressing in particular the crucial task of eliminating weapons of mass destruction. We have begun detailed planning for this task, which includes securing, assessing and dismantling Iraq’s WMD capabilities, its facilities and stockpiles. This will be a huge undertaking.” – Feith, Senate Testimony, 2/11/03
The Solomon Amendment
The Supreme Court is going to review a lower court decision invalidating the Solomon Amendment.
The amendment denies federal funds to schools that do not allow military recruiters on campus.
Justices will review a lower court ruling in favor of 25 law schools that restricted recruiters in protest of the Pentagon’s policy of excluding openly gay people from military service.
That ruling, by the Philadelphia-based 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, invalidated a 1994 federal law requiring law schools to give the military full access or else lose their funding, saying it infringed on law schools’ free speech rights.
The Supreme Court will hear the case during its next term, which begins in October.
The law, known as the Solomon Amendment, has been controversial for law schools that have nondiscrimination policies barring any recruiter — government or private — from campus if it unfairly bases hiring on race, gender or sexual orientation.
The long and short answer should be this: it is okay to discriminate against the government, especially when the government itself discriminates (i.e., the gays in the military policy). The government, on the other hand, cannot punish schools for its discrimination.
Lets hope the Supreme get this one right.