Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
GOVERNOR CUOMO PROPOSES MARRIAGE EQUALITY ACT
State of New York | Executive Chamber
Andrew M. Cuomo | Governor
For Immediate Release: June 14, 2011
GOVERNOR CUOMO PROPOSES MARRIAGE EQUALITY ACT
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today submitted a program bill to bring marriage equality to New York state. The Marriage Equality Act permits all couples to enter into marriage in New York state, thereby removing the current barrier same-sex couples face in recognizing their relationships, protecting their families and obtaining essential benefits.
Specifically, the Act grants same-sex couples who seek to marry equal status under the law as well as hundreds of rights, benefits and protections that are currently limited to married couples of the opposite sex.
"From the fight for women's suffrage to the struggle for civil rights, New Yorkers have been on the right side of history. But on the issue of marriage equality, our state has fallen behind," Governor Cuomo said. "For too long, same-sex couples have been denied the freedom to marry, as well as hundreds of rights that other New Yorkers take for granted. Marriage Equality is a matter of fairness and legal security for thousands of families in this state – not of religion or culture. When it comes to fighting for what's right, New Yorkers wrote the book, and Marriage Equality is the next chapter of our civil rights story."
The U.S. Supreme Court has held that the freedom to marry is "one of the vital personal rights essential to the orderly pursuit of happiness by free people." Further, the state assigns hundreds of protections, benefits and mutual responsibilities in a variety of areas to couples who marry, including health care and hospital visitation rights, child custody issues and financial matters.
However, in New York, many individuals who currently seek to exercise the freedom to marry their partners may not do so solely because they are of the same sex.
The Marriage Equality Act would remove these barriers by amending New York's Domestic Relations Law to state:
· A marriage that is otherwise valid shall be valid regardless of whether the parties to the marriage are of the same or different sex
· No government treatment or legal status, effect, right, benefit, privilege, protection or responsibility relating to marriage shall differ based on the parties to the marriage being the same sex or a different sex
· All relevant gender-specific language set forth in or referenced by New York law shall be construed in a gender-neutral manner
· No application for a marriage license shall be denied on the ground that the parties are of the same or a different sex
To ensure that the bill does not intrude into matters of religious belief, the Marriage Equality Act affirms that no member of the clergy can be compelled to solemnize any marriage. This bill grants equal access to the government-created legal institution of civil marriage while leaving the religious institution of marriage to its own separate and fully autonomous sphere. The bill also guarantees that religious institutions and benevolent organizations such as the Knights of Columbus remain free to choose who may use their facilities for marriage ceremonies and celebrations or to whom they provide religious services, consistent with their religious principles.
New York has always been at the forefront in advancing equal rights. In 1983, New York banned discrimination based on sexual orientation in state employment. In 2002, the state extended the same principle to the private sector by enacting the Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act. That same year, the state recognized same-sex relationships by extending workers' compensation benefits to all those who lost a partner on 9/11. Passage of the Marriage Equality Act represents yet another significant step in granting full and equal rights to all citizens of New York state.
The Marriage Equality Act bill memo is available here. The bill text is available here.
Andrew M. Cuomo | Governor
For Immediate Release: June 14, 2011
GOVERNOR CUOMO PROPOSES MARRIAGE EQUALITY ACT
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today submitted a program bill to bring marriage equality to New York state. The Marriage Equality Act permits all couples to enter into marriage in New York state, thereby removing the current barrier same-sex couples face in recognizing their relationships, protecting their families and obtaining essential benefits.
Specifically, the Act grants same-sex couples who seek to marry equal status under the law as well as hundreds of rights, benefits and protections that are currently limited to married couples of the opposite sex.
"From the fight for women's suffrage to the struggle for civil rights, New Yorkers have been on the right side of history. But on the issue of marriage equality, our state has fallen behind," Governor Cuomo said. "For too long, same-sex couples have been denied the freedom to marry, as well as hundreds of rights that other New Yorkers take for granted. Marriage Equality is a matter of fairness and legal security for thousands of families in this state – not of religion or culture. When it comes to fighting for what's right, New Yorkers wrote the book, and Marriage Equality is the next chapter of our civil rights story."
The U.S. Supreme Court has held that the freedom to marry is "one of the vital personal rights essential to the orderly pursuit of happiness by free people." Further, the state assigns hundreds of protections, benefits and mutual responsibilities in a variety of areas to couples who marry, including health care and hospital visitation rights, child custody issues and financial matters.
However, in New York, many individuals who currently seek to exercise the freedom to marry their partners may not do so solely because they are of the same sex.
The Marriage Equality Act would remove these barriers by amending New York's Domestic Relations Law to state:
· A marriage that is otherwise valid shall be valid regardless of whether the parties to the marriage are of the same or different sex
· No government treatment or legal status, effect, right, benefit, privilege, protection or responsibility relating to marriage shall differ based on the parties to the marriage being the same sex or a different sex
· All relevant gender-specific language set forth in or referenced by New York law shall be construed in a gender-neutral manner
· No application for a marriage license shall be denied on the ground that the parties are of the same or a different sex
To ensure that the bill does not intrude into matters of religious belief, the Marriage Equality Act affirms that no member of the clergy can be compelled to solemnize any marriage. This bill grants equal access to the government-created legal institution of civil marriage while leaving the religious institution of marriage to its own separate and fully autonomous sphere. The bill also guarantees that religious institutions and benevolent organizations such as the Knights of Columbus remain free to choose who may use their facilities for marriage ceremonies and celebrations or to whom they provide religious services, consistent with their religious principles.
New York has always been at the forefront in advancing equal rights. In 1983, New York banned discrimination based on sexual orientation in state employment. In 2002, the state extended the same principle to the private sector by enacting the Sexual Orientation Non-Discrimination Act. That same year, the state recognized same-sex relationships by extending workers' compensation benefits to all those who lost a partner on 9/11. Passage of the Marriage Equality Act represents yet another significant step in granting full and equal rights to all citizens of New York state.
The Marriage Equality Act bill memo is available here. The bill text is available here.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
TONY AWARDS VIEWING PARTY
&
THE BIG BITCHES OF BROADWAY BARES
THE RITZ LOUNGE
46th STREET AND 9TH AVENUE
Come watch this years TONY AWARDS on Sunday June 12th at The Ritz Lounge with commentary by hostess Marti Gould Cummings. Directly following the show join HAIRSPRAY star Michelle Dowdy, The Glamazons, Marina Lazzaratto from WEST SIDE STORY, BIG GAY ITALIAN WEDDING'S Marissa Rosen and Mike Russo, and MORE!!! This event is free to attend plus there are $3 beers and $4 cocktails all night long!!!
The viewing party begins at 7pm and the LIVE performance will begin at 11:30pm. The performance will feature singing, stripping, and hoopla all raising money for Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS annual Broadway Bares!!!
&
THE BIG BITCHES OF BROADWAY BARES
THE RITZ LOUNGE
46th STREET AND 9TH AVENUE
Come watch this years TONY AWARDS on Sunday June 12th at The Ritz Lounge with commentary by hostess Marti Gould Cummings. Directly following the show join HAIRSPRAY star Michelle Dowdy, The Glamazons, Marina Lazzaratto from WEST SIDE STORY, BIG GAY ITALIAN WEDDING'S Marissa Rosen and Mike Russo, and MORE!!! This event is free to attend plus there are $3 beers and $4 cocktails all night long!!!
The viewing party begins at 7pm and the LIVE performance will begin at 11:30pm. The performance will feature singing, stripping, and hoopla all raising money for Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS annual Broadway Bares!!!
Friday, April 8, 2011
Leslie Jordan & Varla Jean Merman on Stage...TOGETHER
OH MY JEBUS! We just got our invite to the press rehearsal of "Lucky Guy" the new off-broadway show starring VARLA JEAN MERMAN & that adorable little fella Leslie Jordan! Ummmm GAY! Also the super sexpot Kyle Dean Massey will be strutting his stuff on stage with these LEGENDS! get ready for a MAJOR video coming your way!
YEE HAW!!
“ L U C K Y G U Y ”
**
STARRING LESLIE JORDAN, VARLA JEAN MERMAN, KYLE DEAN MASSEY, JENN COLELLA, JIM NEWMAN AND SAVANNAH WISE
WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY WILLARD BECKHAM
OFF-BROADWAY PREMIERE BEGINS PERFORMANCES
THURSDAY, APRIL 28
Who: The cast and creative team for the Off-Broadway premiere of Lucky Guy, including Emmy Award-winner Leslie Jordan (“Will & Grace,” My Trip Down the Pink Carpet), Varla Jean Merman (aka Jeffery Roberson) (Chicago, “Ugly Betty”), Kyle Dean Massey (Next To Normal, Wicked), Jenn Colella (Urban Cowboy, High Fidelity), Jim Newman (Curtains, Steel Pier), Savannah Wise (Rock of Ages, Ragtime), Lucky Guy “Buckaroo’s” Callan Bergmann, Xavier Cano, West Hart, and Joshua Woodie, writer and director Willard Beckham, set designer Rob Bissinger and Tony Award-winning costume designer William Ivey Long.
----- Welcome to Nashville – a town full of colorful characters all chasing after the very same dream: a smash hit record. To beat the odds and strike gold (or, better yet, platinum), it takes one great song, serious talent, or lots of luck – and preferably all three. Featuring an array of musical styles with salutes to Country, Broadway, Vaudeville, Bluegrass, Pop, and even Hawaiian, Lucky Guy weaves a tale of down-home dreamers and low-down schemers all willing to do whatever it takes to come out on top in the cut-throat world of Music City, USA.
Friday, February 25, 2011
A PERFECT FUTURE - OFFBROADWAY - IS A PERFECT NIGHT OF THEATER
Attention Broadway Speaks OUT fans I know you are used to videos but we had some tech. difficulties so I am going to tell you about the Off-Broadway hit "A Perfect Future".
This play written by David Hay and produced by my dear friend Andy Sandberg features an all star cast of Broadway and film veterans. Donna Bullock, Scott Drummond, Daniel Oreskes, and Michael T. Weiss portray a married couple and two men set up on a blind encounter with the entire evening starting out refreshing and bubbly to rapidly falling apart showing the true colors and feelings of these four individuals.
Donna Bullock was who stood out the most to me with her portrayal of a documentary film maker who seems to be stuck in a marriage that no longer has the passion and longing it once had due to her husband, Michael T. Weiss, keeping deep feelings about race hidden just below the surface.
Since this is Broadway Speaks OUT, I should mention some of the gay themes in the show were brilliantly played by Daniel Oreskes who plays a man from the AIDS generation in LGBT culture and Scott Drummond who wonderfully shows the audience how in corporate America people can go against everything they believe and hide who they are just to get ahead.
I encourage you to go see this wonderful show while it is still running at The Cherry Lane Theatre.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
About the Show
'You can't change the world sober…'
Wilson Milam, the Tony Award-nominated director of Martin McDonagh's The Lieutenant of Inishmore, returns to New York to direct the World Premiere of David Hay's compelling new play A Perfect Future.
This darkly comic and provocative play explores the question of whether people can be married and truly love each other when their political persuasions are diametrically opposed.
New York power couple John and Natalie are hosting a dinner for Elliot, a friend from their days as college radicals. Also invited to the party is Mark, a straight-laced young man from John's risk management firm. With the help of a few too many expensive bottles of wine, the group's past and their long buried secrets resurface. Over the course of this raucous evening, their basic belief systems are upended, as the four must come to terms with what happens when we try to reconcile our idealism with reality.
This high-society evening is about to turn into a night of sexually charged mind-games that could change their lives forever.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Nikki Snelson & Ben Cameron join Anything Goes w/ Marti 1/16
Broadway Speaks OUT and Vig27 are proud to present ANYTHING GOES WITH MARTI hosted by cabaret glamazon Marti Gould Cummings. This weekly show has half off cocktails with a portion of the bar going to support Broadway Cares Equity Fights AIDS.
On Sunday January 16th at 9pm Legally Blonde star Nikki Snelson and Wicked and Aida's Ben Cameron will join Marti at Vig27. Nikki Snelson Broadway: Annie Get Your Gun w/Bernadette Peters (Winnie Tate), Sweet Charity. Off-Broadway: How to Save the World (Violet),Have a Nice Life (Best NYMF Ensemble). National tours: tick, tick...BOOM!(Susan); Show Boat; Hello, Dolly! w/Carol Channing; Beauty and the Beast. Film/TV: "Desperate Housewives," "All My Children," "Reefer Madness," Julie Taymor's Across the Universe. Mad love and thanks to my amazing Mom, Fam, the C and my CC. www.nicolesnelson.com.
Ben Cameron Cameron is an original cast member of Wicked, having opened in the show in October of 2003. Other Broadway credits include Aida and Footloose. Cameron toured the country in the musicals Footloose, Fame, Tommy and State Fair. On the 12th and 19th, he will present his solo performance piece with music, Different is Good, which charts his Mormon upbringing in Utah, and follows him through his arrival in New York City as a working actor.
Marti Gould Cummings moved to NYC at the age of 17 to study musical theatre. During his time as an actor, he toured nationally, was featured on several hit TV shows, and appeared in the Drama Desk nominated musical TWIST off-Broadway. As time went on he realized he was put on this earth to make a difference for the LGBT community.
Since forming BSO! with Anthony Hollock, Marti has become one of NYCs most influential gay rights activist. He has appeared on LOGO, been featured in top gay and Broadway publications, and presented album of the year at the OUTMusic Awards. Through the red carpet interviews,
sit down interviews, weekly talk show, and benefits he hosts, he truly has given a voice to the younger generation in the LGBT community. Marti will continue to fight for equality until all people have gained equal rights under the law.
ANYTHING GOES with Marti will take place on Sunday January 16th at 9pm at Vig27 located at East 27th Street and Park Avenue South. This event is free and open to the public with half off drinks. Vig27 will donate a portion of the bar to BC/EFA.
Read more: http://cabaret.broadwayworld.com/article/Snelson_Cameron_Guest_At_ANYTHING_GOES_WITH_MARTI_20010101#ixzz1AqqDI3m0
On Sunday January 16th at 9pm Legally Blonde star Nikki Snelson and Wicked and Aida's Ben Cameron will join Marti at Vig27. Nikki Snelson Broadway: Annie Get Your Gun w/Bernadette Peters (Winnie Tate), Sweet Charity. Off-Broadway: How to Save the World (Violet),Have a Nice Life (Best NYMF Ensemble). National tours: tick, tick...BOOM!(Susan); Show Boat; Hello, Dolly! w/Carol Channing; Beauty and the Beast. Film/TV: "Desperate Housewives," "All My Children," "Reefer Madness," Julie Taymor's Across the Universe. Mad love and thanks to my amazing Mom, Fam, the C and my CC. www.nicolesnelson.com.
Ben Cameron Cameron is an original cast member of Wicked, having opened in the show in October of 2003. Other Broadway credits include Aida and Footloose. Cameron toured the country in the musicals Footloose, Fame, Tommy and State Fair. On the 12th and 19th, he will present his solo performance piece with music, Different is Good, which charts his Mormon upbringing in Utah, and follows him through his arrival in New York City as a working actor.
Marti Gould Cummings moved to NYC at the age of 17 to study musical theatre. During his time as an actor, he toured nationally, was featured on several hit TV shows, and appeared in the Drama Desk nominated musical TWIST off-Broadway. As time went on he realized he was put on this earth to make a difference for the LGBT community.
Since forming BSO! with Anthony Hollock, Marti has become one of NYCs most influential gay rights activist. He has appeared on LOGO, been featured in top gay and Broadway publications, and presented album of the year at the OUTMusic Awards. Through the red carpet interviews,
sit down interviews, weekly talk show, and benefits he hosts, he truly has given a voice to the younger generation in the LGBT community. Marti will continue to fight for equality until all people have gained equal rights under the law.
ANYTHING GOES with Marti will take place on Sunday January 16th at 9pm at Vig27 located at East 27th Street and Park Avenue South. This event is free and open to the public with half off drinks. Vig27 will donate a portion of the bar to BC/EFA.
Read more: http://cabaret.broadwayworld.com/article/Snelson_Cameron_Guest_At_ANYTHING_GOES_WITH_MARTI_20010101#ixzz1AqqDI3m0
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Edie Falco - Sing Song
Emmy Award winner and all around fab gal Edie Falco will be hitting the Laurie Beechman Theatre for her cabaret debut. Did you even know she sang? I didn't...but this gal can do anything so check her out...Feb 4th-6th at 7pm.
THE HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES
TICKETS NOW ON SALE TO AMERICAN EXPRESS CARD MEMBERS
BEN STILLER, EDIE FALCO, JENNIFER JASON LEIGH
RETURN TO BROADWAY IN
JOHN GUARE’S COMEDIC MASTERPIECE
THE HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES
DIRECTED BY DAVID CROMER
PRODUCTION OPENS MONDAY, APRIL 25 AT THE WALTER KERR THEATRE
PREVIEWS BEGIN MONDAY, APRIL 4
www.HouseOfBlueLeaves.com
Tickets for the Broadway revival of John Guare’s comedic masterpiece THE HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES starring Ben Stiller, Edie Falco and Jennifer Jason Leigh are now on sale exclusively to American Express card members and to the general public beginning January 15. THE HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES, directed by David Cromer, will open on Monday, April 25, 2011 at the Walter Kerr Theatre (219 West 48th Street). The strictly limited 16-week engagement will begin previews on Monday, April 4, 2011.
In addition to Ben Stiller as Artie Shaughnessy, Edie Falco as Bananas Shaughnessy and Jennifer Jason Leigh as Bunny Flingus, the cast includes Alison Pill as Corrinna Stroller, Christopher Abbott as Ronnie Shaughnessy, Mary Beth Hurt as Head Nun and Halley Feiffer as Little Nun. Additional casting will be announced soon.
In THE HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES, Ben Stiller is Artie Shaughnessy, a zookeeper and wannabe songwriter, who is trying to cope with a schizophrenic wife (Falco), an impatient girlfriend (Leigh) and a visit from the Pope, all while sustaining his dream of hitting it big. THE HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES is a satirical take on celebrity, religion, and the frequent merging of the two.
The production team includes Scott Pask (Scenic Design), Jane Greenwood (Costume Design) & Brian MacDevitt (Lighting Design).
THE HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES debuted on Broadway in Lincoln Center Theater’s Tony-winning 1986 production directed by Jerry Zaks, featuring Ben Stiller in his Broadway and professional debut as Ronnie Shaughnessy. The play was first staged in 1966 by the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center and opened off-Broadway on February 10, 1971 at the Truck and Warehouse Theatre, winning the New York Drama Critics’ Circle & Obie Awards for Best American Play. Ben Stiller’s mother Anne Meara played Bunny Flingus in that original production.
TICKETING INFORMATION:
Tickets for THE HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES are available through Telecharge.com by phone at 212-239-6200, or 800-432-7250, or online at www.Telecharge.com. Group tickets are also available through Telecharge.com. Tickets will be available in person beginning March 7 at the Walter Kerr Theatre (219 West 48th Street). Box office hours are Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Tickets on Monday through Thursday evenings, Wednesday and Saturday matinees range in price from $122 to $57. Tickets on Friday and Saturday evenings range in price from $132 to $62.
Performance Schedule:
April 4 – 24: Monday through Saturday at 8:00 pm & Saturday at 2:00 pm (added performance on Wednesday, April 20th at 2:00 pm).
Beginning April 25: Monday through Saturday at 8:00 pm & Wednesday and Saturday at 2:00 pm.
# # #
www.HouseOfBlueLeaves.com
Follow THE HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES on Twitter: @BlueLeavesBway or on Facebook.
Follow BBB on Twitter: @BBBway and on Facebook.
For the most up to date press releases visit our Blog.
BEN STILLER, EDIE FALCO, JENNIFER JASON LEIGH
RETURN TO BROADWAY IN
JOHN GUARE’S COMEDIC MASTERPIECE
THE HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES
DIRECTED BY DAVID CROMER
PRODUCTION OPENS MONDAY, APRIL 25 AT THE WALTER KERR THEATRE
PREVIEWS BEGIN MONDAY, APRIL 4
www.HouseOfBlueLeaves.com
Tickets for the Broadway revival of John Guare’s comedic masterpiece THE HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES starring Ben Stiller, Edie Falco and Jennifer Jason Leigh are now on sale exclusively to American Express card members and to the general public beginning January 15. THE HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES, directed by David Cromer, will open on Monday, April 25, 2011 at the Walter Kerr Theatre (219 West 48th Street). The strictly limited 16-week engagement will begin previews on Monday, April 4, 2011.
In addition to Ben Stiller as Artie Shaughnessy, Edie Falco as Bananas Shaughnessy and Jennifer Jason Leigh as Bunny Flingus, the cast includes Alison Pill as Corrinna Stroller, Christopher Abbott as Ronnie Shaughnessy, Mary Beth Hurt as Head Nun and Halley Feiffer as Little Nun. Additional casting will be announced soon.
In THE HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES, Ben Stiller is Artie Shaughnessy, a zookeeper and wannabe songwriter, who is trying to cope with a schizophrenic wife (Falco), an impatient girlfriend (Leigh) and a visit from the Pope, all while sustaining his dream of hitting it big. THE HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES is a satirical take on celebrity, religion, and the frequent merging of the two.
The production team includes Scott Pask (Scenic Design), Jane Greenwood (Costume Design) & Brian MacDevitt (Lighting Design).
THE HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES debuted on Broadway in Lincoln Center Theater’s Tony-winning 1986 production directed by Jerry Zaks, featuring Ben Stiller in his Broadway and professional debut as Ronnie Shaughnessy. The play was first staged in 1966 by the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center and opened off-Broadway on February 10, 1971 at the Truck and Warehouse Theatre, winning the New York Drama Critics’ Circle & Obie Awards for Best American Play. Ben Stiller’s mother Anne Meara played Bunny Flingus in that original production.
TICKETING INFORMATION:
Tickets for THE HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES are available through Telecharge.com by phone at 212-239-6200, or 800-432-7250, or online at www.Telecharge.com. Group tickets are also available through Telecharge.com. Tickets will be available in person beginning March 7 at the Walter Kerr Theatre (219 West 48th Street). Box office hours are Monday through Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Tickets on Monday through Thursday evenings, Wednesday and Saturday matinees range in price from $122 to $57. Tickets on Friday and Saturday evenings range in price from $132 to $62.
Performance Schedule:
April 4 – 24: Monday through Saturday at 8:00 pm & Saturday at 2:00 pm (added performance on Wednesday, April 20th at 2:00 pm).
Beginning April 25: Monday through Saturday at 8:00 pm & Wednesday and Saturday at 2:00 pm.
# # #
www.HouseOfBlueLeaves.com
Follow THE HOUSE OF BLUE LEAVES on Twitter: @BlueLeavesBway or on Facebook.
Follow BBB on Twitter: @BBBway and on Facebook.
For the most up to date press releases visit our Blog.
Sunday, January 9, 2011
In The Heights Closes Jan. 9th
In the Heights is closing on Jan 9, 2011. This musical is one of the most uplighting pieces of modern day musical theater. If you get a chance check it out on tour.
A few years back I was blessed to get to interview my friend Karen Olivo after she was in the show and in West Side Story. Check it out!
A few years back I was blessed to get to interview my friend Karen Olivo after she was in the show and in West Side Story. Check it out!
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