Pictured Mary Tyler Moore.
From the 'I'd-Rather-Be-Criminal-Than-Gay' file: The Independent ( 3/13 ) says the brother of George Dyer who was the lover of gay artist Francis Bacon ( if his name doesn't ring a bell, think of people portrayed as slabs of raw beef and you'll have an approximation of his renderings ) says the famous story that Bacon met Dyer when he caught him burgling his apartment just ain't so. Bro says they met in a gay club and the story was made up to protect Dyer's mama from the truth. ( Wasn't this the plotline of the play, P.S. Your cat Is Dead? )
The NY Times Book Review ( 2/20 ) slips around the issue of lesbianism in Elisabeth Bowen: The Enforced Return by Neil Corcoran. The review of the bio of the Anglo-Irish writer critiques an earlier book on Bowen by saying it '... spends so many huffy pages explaining away the obviously Sapphic currents in Bowen's life that the explanations begin to seem like a Monty Python routine.' Apparently the new book doesn't even do that but the accompanying photo of the Sphinx-like Bowen sitting among a worshipful room of young Bryn Mawr women tells us a fair amount. Bowen, often compared to Henry James, wrote The Death of the Heart, A World of Love, and The House in Paris.
The Chicago Sun-Times ( 3/14 ) tells us new blogger Rosie O'Donnell is annoyed at Boy George who has cattily criticized her as '... a villain, a Pottery Barn lesbian, not quite gay enough.' Perhaps if she wore some of his interesting clothing. No, wait, that wouldn't make her more gay, just more ... strange.
Lesbian Lit II—The NY Times ( 3/15 ) reports on a revival of Gertrude Stein, the early 20th century writer. Her opera Doctor Faustus Lights the Lights is playing in Brooklyn ( Is there a there there? ) ; a new opera about her by William Banfield and Karren Alenier will premier in June, and her works are being taught in schools and lecture series ( as opposed to occupying archives ) . Being quite the egoist, she'd enjoy all this.
The Chicago Tribune ( 3/12 ) reports the Episcopal Church has resorted to a passive-aggressive defense against the rest of the Anglican Church in the 3rd world which has thrown a hissy fit over the U.S. church's ordination of a gay bishop. Basically the U.S. church said: 'OK, we won't ordain any more gay bishops. In fact, we won't ordain ANY bishops, period.' Your move, sanctimonious ones.
The News of the Weird column in the Chicago Reader ( 3/18 ) says the producers of Jerry Springer—The Opera are still planning to bring the London hit to the U.S. of A. The show has hundreds of profanities, religious groups have called it 'filth and blasphemy' and it has a chubby Jesus singing 'Actually I'm a bit gay.' While it received 50,000 complaints when it was broadcast by the BBC, mysteriously most were received before the broadcast.
Moore in Town
Legendary actress Mary Tyler Moore will be in town on Thursday, April 14 at 7:30 p.m. at The Film Row Cinema Theater of Columbia College Chicago, 1104 S. Wabash Ave., for the final program in the inaugural season of Columbia College Chicago's series, 'Conversations in the Arts: Up Close With ... .' Journalist and award-winning documentary producer Bill Kurtis will interview Moore. After the interview, Moore will take questions from the audience. At the conclusion of the conversation, members of the college's President's Club will join her at a private reception. Tickets are $35; ( 866 ) 468-3401 or at www.ticketweb.com . To learn how to join the President's Club, call ( 312 ) 344-7817.
