August 2008
Hello Sweet Readers!
We have all seen Sordid Lives, right? What? You haven’t seen it? Then you are missing a truly hilarious movie and you need to run right out and find it and watch it. For the one or two of you who haven’t seen it, it’s about a small town Texas family and the crazy things they get into. All the while you have Ty Williamson out in Hollywood trying to become an actor and dealing with the am I or am I not gay issue. He goes to several therapists with no results. Meanwhile, back home, Peggy Ingram the matriarch of the family has been having an affair with a married man named G.W. Nethercott and has died while in the motel with him. If you don’t know how she died, you have to watch the movie, although I will tell you this, it’s truly bizarre and funny at the same time. The rest of the characters are: Sissy Hickey, (Peggy’s younger sister) who is trying desperately to quit smoking; Peggy’s daughters Latrelle Williamson, who prefers to take a that isn’t happening attitude about just about everything and who worries more about keeping up appearances than what is really going on; and LaVonda DuPree, who is the fun loving one who knows her nephew Ty is gay even before he does but accepts him and supports him; and Peggy’s son Brother Boy, who was put into a mental institution after being beat up for being gay and who spends his days living as Tammy Wynette. Bitsy May Harling who is the “bad girl” and is always in trouble for one thing or another and has spent time in jail. Noleta Nethercott, G.W.’s neglected wife who is a good friend of LaVonda. Dr. Eve Bolinger who thinks she can dehomosexualize Brother Boy and who wants to write a book about it and go on the Oprah show, some of her techniques will have you rolling with laughter. Then you have Wardell and Odell Owens, they are brothers and the reason Brother Boy is in the home. When they were younger Wardell and LaVonda had a thing going and then Wardell found out that Brother Boy had a crush on him and he and his brother beat Brother Boy up, so Peggy put him in the institution to “protect” him. Juanita Bartlett is one of the regulars at the bar and is always telling some story that makes you go, “Huh? What the heck is she talking about?” She’s been trying for 2 1/2 years to win a radio contest to go see Willie Nelson. Ethel is the kindly nurse at the home who looks after Brother Boy and is the only one who really treats him with compassion other than LaVonda. The greatest pain in Brother Boy’s life is Bumper, the guard at the home, he delights in making Brother Boy’s life a living hell and torments him mercilessly. One of my favorite quotes form the movie is when Sissy comes to the church to view Peggy’s body: Sissy: [smoking and talking to her dead sister's corpse]” Hey. Guess you don’t mind if I smoke. It has not been a good day sister. And I blame YOU… You turn on a LIGHT when you go to the bathroom… If you are going to have affairs you have GOT to be more careful! Of course, this is all useless information for you now.”
Recently, LOGO has began showing a new series also called Sordid Lives that is based on the movie and has a lot of the same actors and actresses playing the parts they did in the movie. One major difference is, the series is a prequel to the movie and Peggy is alive and well and hasn’t started her affair yet. The series opened with a two-part episode called “The Day Tammy Wynette Died”. It begins with Peggy disappearing and showing up at the jail to collect Bitsy and take her home to live with her. Question: What is the relationship between Peggy and Bitsy and why does Peggy feel obligated to take Bitsy in? Perhaps as the series progresses we will find out the answer to that question. Peggy is well on her way to a life of wild behavior after Bitsy takes her to a bar for the first time and poor Brother Boy finds out that his great love, Tammy Wynette has passed away. In the series opener, Ty goes to a therapist played by Margaret Cho and the whole scene is a laugh riot. She tells him that everything is not all about him and he says he thought therapy was supposed to be all about him and that he isn’t even sure if he really is gay and she comes back with “Trust me, Honey, you are a big old queer.” In the second part of the episode, Brother Boy begins therapy with Dr. Eve and is told he is to masturbate as many times a day as he wants to as long as he fantasizes about women and is then banned from the recreation room and forbidden to perform as Tammy anymore. Latrelle finds Peggy, in the local bar in the arms of G.W. and runs to Sissy’s to spend the night with her and LaVonda. Ty gets the part and the guy, forgetting that Sara is about to walk in to make him dinner. If you get the LOGO channel, please tune in on Wednesday night at 10PM to watch what these nuts get into next. Del Shores is certainly the king of the cliffhanger, every episode ends with an event or a group of events that makes you just cling to the edge of your seat until next week to find out what happened next. If you miss an episode you are going to regret it but LOGO shows each episode several times during the week so if you miss it on Wednesday, look for another showing so you get caught up.
In the meantime, here are some websites you might want to check out:
Del Shores’ official website http://www.delshores.net/live/
Take the Sordid Lives quiz…..how good can you do, I scored a 1187. http://www.logoonline.com/quiz/sordid_lives/
The official MySpace page for Sordid Lives the series http://www.myspace.com/sordid_lives
Goofs in the movie to watch for:
· When Ty and Sara are talking in the psychiatrist’s office, the boom mike is reflected in the glass behind the two actors.
· When Latrelle arrives at Sissy’s house, her shoes are white. She climbs onto a chair to check the air vent and her shoes are black. The white shoes reappear in the following scene.
· During Brother Boy’s therapy session, his fingernails are dark red. Immediately following the session, he performs as Tammy Wynette, and his fingernails are now pale pink.
· In our first view of the corpse, it is wearing red lipstick. In the very next view, the lips are pink. Then they are red again in subsequent scenes.
· After their arrival to the funeral, sometimes we see Noleta and G.W. in the audience, and sometimes we do not.
· Latrelle takes the lighter fluid from G.W. and then sticks it into her purse where it is out of sight. When we next see the purse a moment later, the lighter fluid is sticking out of the top of the purse.
· Before the funeral when Sissy is talking to Peggy, you can see Peggy breathing.
Interesting Trivia:
Written and Directed By: Del Shores
Original Stage Play premiered: May 11, 1996 and won 14 Drama Logue Awards
Movie won many festival awards: Best Film at the New York Independent Film & Video Festival, Atlanta Gay & Lesbian International Film Festival, Austin Gay & Lesbian International Film Festival, South Beach Film Festival, Memphis International Film Festival and the San Diego International Film Festival. In 2002 Twentieth Century Fox released the DVD/Video which has now sold over 200,000 units.
Tagline for the movie: A black comedy about white trash.
Released: May 25, 2000 First shown: May 11, 2001
Location: Winters, Texas
The part of Ty Williamson in the series is being played by Jason Dottley, Del Shore’s real life husband.
Del Shores was at one time married to Newell and Rosemary Alexander’s daughter Kelley and they have two daughters.
Lyrics to the theme song sung by Olivia Newton-John:
Lord, it’s tough enough to trudge from brunch to dinner
We seek the light of truth between our white lies
We sleep away our youth under tattletale skies
Who’s to say who you can love and who you can’t
Now it’s easy for the pot to call the kettle black
They’re just jealous of the hot and lusty sordid lives they led
It’s a bitch when you come to realize
got yourself a box of Cracker Jacks
then you get a really shitty prize
It’s a bitch sortin’ out our sordid lives
and we struggle for acceptance from birth to death
But the Lord’s too busy tryin’ to keep the world on it’s feet
He ain’t got time to give a damn about what goes on between the sheets
It’s a bitch when you come to realize
got yourself a box of Cracker Jacks
then you get a really shitty prize
It’s a bitch sortin’ out our sorry little sordid lives
Cast of the movie and series:
MOVIE SERIES
Peggy Ingram Gloria LeRoy Rue McClanahan
Ty Williamson Kirk Geiger Jason Dottley
Sissy Hickey Beth Grant Beth Grant
Latrelle Williamson Bonnie Bedelia
LaVonda DuPree Ann Walker Ann Walker
G.W.Nethercott Beau Bridges David Steen
Brother Boy Ingram Leslie Jordan Leslie Jordan
Bitsy Mae Harling Olivia Newton-John Olivia Newton-John
Noleta Nethercott Delta Burke Caroline Rhea
Dr. Eve Bolinger Rosemary Alexander Rosemary Alexander
Wardell Owens Newell Alexander Newell Alexander
Odell Owens Earl H. Bullock David Cowgill
Juanita Bartlett Sarah Hunley Sarah Hunley
Ethel Mary-Margaret Lewis Mary-Margaret Lewis
Bumper Mitch Carter Mitch Carter
Until Next Week, Dear Ones, Love & Hugz! Leeza
Toller Cranston ~ Canad a Figure skating, bronze, 1976
John Curry ~ United Kingdom Figure skating, gold, 1976
Babe Didrikson Zaharias ~ United States 80-meter hurdles, gold, 1932; javelin, gold, 1932; high jump, silver, 1932
Robert Dover ~ United States Equestrian, bronze team,1992, 1996, 2000, 2004
Imke Duplitzer ~ Germany Fencing, silver, 2004
Gigi Fernandez ~ United States Tennis doubles, gold, 1992, 1996
Bruce Hayes ~ United States 4×200-meter swimming freestyle relay, gold, 1984
Mia Hundvin ~ Norway Handball, bronze, 2000
Johan Kenkhuis ~ Netherlands 4×200-meter swimming freestyle relay, bronze, 2000; 4×100-meter swimming freestyle relay, silver, 2004
Marc Leduc ~ Canada Boxing, silver, 1992
Conchita Martinez ~ Spain Tennis doubles, silver, 1992, bronze, 1996
Amélie Mauresmo ~ France Tennis singles, silver, 2004
Holly Metcalf ~ United States Rowing, gold team, 1984
Gunther Seidel ~United States Equestrian, bronze team, 1996, 2000, 2004
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Name
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Host City
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Opening
|
Participants
|
|
Gay Games I - Challenge 1982
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1,600
|
||
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Gay Games II - Triumph 1986
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3,500
|
||
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Gay Games III - Celebration 1990
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9,500< /SPAN>
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||
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Gay Games IV – Unity 1994
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11,000
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||
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Gay Games V - Friendship 1998
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14,700
|
||
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Gay Games VI - Under New Skies 2002
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12,000
|
||
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Gay Games VII - Where the World Meets 2006
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12,500
|
||
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Gay Games VIII - Be Part of it 2010
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1. Matthew Mitcham- diving – from Australia- born March 2, 1988- the first athlete from Australia to enter the Olympics being totally out, other athletes came out after they had competed -ended his 2008 Bejing Olympics with a 16th place finish in the 3-meter springboard.
2. Judith Arndt – cycling – from Germany – born July 23, 1976 – member of the Team Mobile Women’s Cycling Team – won the bronze medal in 1996 in the 3000 meter pursuit – in 2004 won the World Road Race and the silver medal in the Athens Olympics – and at the 2008 Bejing Olympics she came in 41st in the road race with a time of 3:33:51.
3. Imke Duplitzer – from Germany – born July 28, 1975 – won the silver medal in the 2004 Athens Olympics in team epee with her teammates Britta Heidemann and Claudia Bokel – she finished 5th at the 2008 Bejing Olympics in individual epee.
4. Gro Hammerseng – handball – from Norway – born April 10, 1980 – defending handball champion with her partner and life partner Katja Nyberg – they play for the gold medal on Saturday.
5. Katja Nyberg – handball- from Sweden – born August 24, 1979 – defending handball champion with her partner and life partner Gro Hammerseng – they compete for the gold medal on Saturday.
6. Natasha Kai – soccer- from US – born May 22, 1983 – was on the 2007 bronze medal winning team at the World Cup – in the quarterfinal round of the 2008 Bejing Olympics she scored the game winning goal in overtime to advance her team – member of the gold medal winning US team at the 2008 Bejing Olympics defeating Brazil 1-0.
7. Lauren Lappin – softball – from US – born June 26, 1984 – played on the silver medal winning 2008 Bejing Olympics team, losing to Japan 3-1.
8. Victoria Svensson – soccer- from Sweden – born May 18, 1977 – in 1998 and again in 2003 won the Diamantbollen Award for Best Female Athlete in Sweden regardless the sport – her team lost to Germany in the quarter finals at the 2008 Bejing Olympics.
9. Rennae Stubbs – double’s tennis – from Australia – born March 26, 1971 – has a long list of wins and championships with various partners (for complete list see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rennae_Stubbs ) – at the 2008 Bejing Olympics she lost in the 2nd round to the eventual silver medalists: Anabel Garrigues and Virginia Pascual, with her partner Samantha Stosur.
10. Linda Bresonik – soccer – from Germany – born December 7, 1983 – a member of the German National Soccer Team since 2001 – played for the bronze medal winning team at the 2008 Bejing Olympics, defeating Japan 2-0.
11. Vicki Galindo – softball – from US – born December 22, 1983 – playing 3rd base on the silver medal winning team at the 2008 Bejing Olympics, losing to Japan 3-1.
Hopefully these athletes will enjoy a long and rewarding career in the sports they have chosen to compete in and that we will see more athletes decide to brave the scandal and show their pride in future Olympic Games!
Until Next Week, Dear Ones, Love & Many Hugz! Leeza
Hello Sweet Readers!
My last article was all about gay athletes in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. I told you about them and how they did. At the time of my article a couple of events had not yet been contested. So to begin this week I would like to update my coverage.
Gro Hammerseng and her life-partner Katja Nyberg were members of the Norweigen Handball team that won the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Gro was also a part of a group of Norweigen athletes in an Anmesty Interntional campaign focusing on the Human Rights of people in China. Matthew Mitcham, who participated in the platform diving at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, finished well out of the medals in one event but came storming back in the 10 meter platform with an amazing performance and a final score of 537.95 points. His performance wasn’t only amazing but filled with drama and history. The following is a quote from an article in the LA Times, “Matthew Mitcham grabbed the moment and simply wouldn’t let go Saturday night, giving Australia its first men’s diving gold medal since 1924 and preventing China from sweeping all eight Olympic diving gold medals. The man who quit diving in 2006 and came back nine months later did it with an impeccably timed final dive in the 10-meter platform event, earning four perfect 10s. The dive, a back 2 1/2 somersault with 1 1/2 twists and a 3.8 degree of difficulty, brought him 112.10 points, the highest-scoring dive in Olympic history, officials said. The packed house at the Water Cube, a largely Chinese crowd, had been enjoying a textbook performance from Zhou Luxin, who led going into the sixth and final round by more than 30 points. But he faltered on his last dive, blowing his entry, and the door cracked open, just barely, for Mitcham, who put his hands over his face and cried after his winning dive.”
Congratulations to all the athletes who participated in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Whether you medaled or just did a personal best, you are all winners because you earned your place on your team and represented your country with pride and ability.
There were several bad incidents during the Olympics, scandals and drama and questions about ages and scoring and times. There were even instances of violence and other drama. But hopefully these Olympics will be remembered for it splendor and good sportsmanship and for all those athletes that competed clean and proud of that fact.
Next, I would like to shift my comments to a question that is the main news in America right now and that is, who will be our next President? I just witnessed an event at the Democratic National Convention where Hillary Clinton stepped to the microphone and called for a suspension of the voting and asked that Barak Obama be named their party’s candidate by acclamation. This request was unanimously accepted; a gesture, hopefully, of a coming together of the party and a unified backing of their candidate. Here’s hoping that wounds can be healed and bad feelings forgiven and the party can be saved, because I feel like I have been witnessing a great dividing of a formerly powerful party. Good or bad, they need to unify and get behind their candidate and push him to the White House if they can. It doesn’t matter if you are a Republican or a Democrat or a Libertarian or something else, you need to back A candidate and vote solely on their abilities, their policies, their performance, and their stand on the issues. Not on mud slinging and innuendos. Remember, as an American in a free will country you have the right to vote for anyone you chose, any party, religious belief, sexuality or sexual preference and their stand on those issues.
Until Next Week, Dear Ones, Love & Many Hugz! Leeza
Hello, Sweet Readers!
I read something today and it got me started thinking. It was, “When our memories outweigh our dreams, we become old.” I began to think about it, and it makes sense. Our dreams are what keep us young at heart and give our lives meaning and purpose. When we give up our dreams and begin looking back at where we’ve been, we begin to grow old. A young mental attitude and a childlike outlook on life keep us looking forward and don’t give us a chance to look back and reflect and despair at all the things we would have, should have, and could have done.
Some memories should be left in the past and aren’t meant to be remembered. They are usually something that your mind has wanted to forget anyway, a long forgotten wish or dream that never came true and only serves to make us sad and miserable. Look forward, find a new dream and work toward it, Pick several and make it a goal to reach one in a month, or six months, or a year. Set something realistic and make it happen!
Keeping a dream alive keeps our heart light and joyful. As long as we know that it is something that can happen, we will continue to hope, and we don’t have time to let ourselves grow “old”. Like the old saying, “young at heart.”
Age is only a number and some people age more rapidly than others. I have personally met some 80 year olds who are so young and full of energy and dreams, and who don’t act anywhere near their age. One woman went sky diving for the first time in her life for her 80th birthday. That is the kind of old lady I want to be, one who lives life to the fullest every day. Then, on the other hand, you have some people who are old at 20 and who act like they need a plot somewhere to lie down in.
You can be an old 20 or a young 80, but the choice is yours. I remember an old Toys R Us commercial where the jingle was “I don’t wanna grow up. I’m a Toys R Us Kid!” Well, dang it, I’m a Toys R Us Kid, and I’m never going to grow up if I can help it, so watch out……my dolly and I will be here for a long time!!
Until Next Week, Dear Ones, Love & Many Hugs!! Leeza
