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  • Interviews

    Interview: Michael Fairman from Michael Fairman On-Air On-Soaps

    By Rick Rose

    Michael Fairman has been in the soap opera business for well over half his life. Our Rick Rose met Michael when Rick was a journalist for several soap magazines. Michael has seen his life and that of this great American institution change over those couple decades. From growing up in “small town Wisconsin” (like Rick), then moving to LA, from living in the closet to living out, from Lucci winning the Emmy (finally) and ONE LIFE TO LIVE breaking the spell of canceled soaps by moving from network TV to the internet, Michael has informatively and humorously rolled with the changes on his daily website called Michael Fairman On-Air On-Soaps (www.michaelfairmansoaps.com). Here he candidly tells lgbtSr all!
    RR: How, why and when did you start your website? Did it grow with hits fast or take time? MF: I started SoapCity.com for Sony Pictures Digital Entertainment in 1997. It was the first online portal for soaps ever. With this, I could bring all my talents together to connect worldwide fans closer to their stars. I have this insane knowledge of daytime and was able to parlay it into this successful model. In 2001, when the higher-ups wanted to make money off the site with $1.99 downloads of episodes, it was like watching your baby changing into someone else. I stepped away and went into producing and writing TV. In 2008, I wanted to create my own web platform with my own brand. In 2009, I did a 100% overhaul of that site which is what you see today. Coming back into it, (after so many years away) I saw how online had blossomed, but of course with that came a lot of online soap site competitors which made me want to make my video, interviews and presentation be very modern to stand out from the bad wrap of a soap’s traditional “grandma” feel. It launched with a big benefit for AIDS Walk Los Angeles as I have always believed in the social responsibility of the soap genre. We have increased traffic and hits by 100% in the last year. RR: Why your ongoing fascination with soaps and hasn’t the passion for them dwindled in general over the years? MF: Ricky Paul Goldin, Emmy-nominated again this year for his lead role on ALL MY CHILDREN which was recently canceled just asked me that same question, Rick. He commented that I have never abandoned my soap friends. I believe that you have to follow your heart and your passion even though it may not always seem to be the right decision at times. Look, it is human nature to be fascinated by doom and gloom. So while soaps seem to be dying due to lack of interest, their cancelations have conversely made folks want to look online and see where the genre is headed. My relationship with the actors and fans who I love has been for 23 years. Is it time for me to move on? It is a tough call. RR: The Michael who first started watching soaps as a young boy in Wisconsin vs. the Michael today living in Los Angeles…what was life like then vs. now? MF: As a kid I had huge dreams and aspirations. I wanted to leave Wisconsin really bad and pursue a career in acting and singing in NYC or Hollywood. I knew I didn’t fit in with where I was from at a very young age. Now, having lived a full fifty years, the spirit is still there, but what is real isn’t exactly what I dreamed. You get kicked down, you get up again. You must persevere. At times I questioned whether or not I was strong enough to handle it all. Then I look at it and see how much I have survived, and realized, I am strong and a survivor to boot! I have handled a lot of issues and kept on going. As an older gay man living in WEHO (West Hollywood, CA), I am surprised as I never thought I would be living in the Mecca for our gay community, in the thick of it. When I was in my 20s and 30s it was about my looks, something that is true for gay men in LA. It is superficial. I have always been out in a large city, so there has always been that “high school” pressure. I feel that the Gay community is often harder on itself and I wish we were more supportive of one another. And now at 50, I am looked at differently, as a Daddy. It drives me up a wall. (Laughs)
    RR: Are the situations one faces growing up in a city in Wisconsin the same as those we see on air in a soap city like Genoa City on THE YOUNG AND RESTLESS which is also set in Wisconsin? MF: No. Where is the poor family on Y&R? Where is the character from the inner city of Milwaukee? Soap people are all beautiful and no one works at a brewery. (Laughs) Soaps are too glamorous for what it is really like out in America. But every soap at its center, and why it relates to people from the South to West to Midwest, is that it is about core family relationships, bringing kids up, falling apart, losing loved ones…it is an amped up version of what we may experience in Anywhere, USA on a daily basis. That was the successful formula of soaps for years. We could relate, and we could watch as a family….it became an extended family for many viewers. My moral values and the people I meet from the Midwest are salt of the earth. I get along best with them. Generally there is something to be said about moral values and backbones. They know what is right and wrong. You don’t find that in other parts of the country, and not always on soaps either. (Laughs)

    RR: ONE LIFE TO LIVE and ALL MY CHILDREN are perfect examples of a recent slew of soaps that have been canceled. Why? Have they stayed current and real?
    MF: This didn’t just happen overnight. It is a domino effect. Networks have made decisions years ago which are making a difference today. When televising the OJ trial, the public fascination with that came into play. Now, TV executives see they can create a similar sensation at 40% less of the cost with reality/makeover shows in the daypart, or at least they think they can. Before that back in the 80s and 90s, they would use the large soap revenues and pour them into primetime shows. Coupled with that is the internal disappointment that soap producers and designers never really modernized the look and feel. GUIDING LIGHT tried to do this too late in the game with almost all location shooting yet they had no budget. It was too late for America’s oldest soap/TV series. Right now, OLTL is on a creative high. It has been riveting for months. It is number 3 in the ratings! On AMC, the results of bringing in its creator Agnes Nixon to fix the big mistakes from recent years of bad writing is just showing on-screen now. The decision to wipe out both shows at the same time is shocking. To put on two reality/ talk shows at once as replacements is crazy versus trying one to see how it does. ABC tried to breathe new life into an older art form with creative marketing campaigns but some of the audience was already gone. SOAP OPERA DIGEST may go out of circulation next year, but its numbers were dwindling for years. No one saw this? RR: An Entertainment Media/ internet company, Prospect Park, has signed licensing agreements with ABC to carry OLTL and AMC on the internet. As an expert in these two areas (web and soaps), will they succeed and will a new era for soap operas begin? MF: Rick, I wish I could tell you the answer. I am seeing positive things happening very fast. There are a lot of discussions happening, but it is shrouded in secrecy because of negotiations. The networks, the shows and the actors are all interested and excited, but when it comes down to it, it is all about how will they make money and will they be protected by their specific unions. Prospect Park is coming in as a player with a lot of cash and capital, so that brings hopes. Some variables that could make it problematic though are: What is the production model? They are saying they want the shows to be the same length and quality and have the same cast and studios. But will viewers watch on line for that long? They should. How will the budgets change? Can they afford the high salaries of veterans like Susan Lucci and Erika Slezak to allow them to move from TV to internet? And above all, will fans be okay with video on demand and subscription? In other words, will the soaps be sponsor driven with advertising or will the fans pay for them. It is all very interesting and fast paced right now. RR: DAYS OF OUR LIVES has shaken things recently by replacing its executive producers and headwriters, resolving to tell contemporary stories using characters who viewers have loved from years ago, steeped in tradition. The gay love story between Sonny and Will being the first story to launch and the first same sex story since DAYS inception in the mid 1960’s. Is this working? Is that story real? MF: They had to make the shift. It was at the bottom of the ratings. It lost 350,000 viewers in a matter of months. The stories were clearly off kilter. DAYS fans are diehard; the most loyal out there. They want to see their beloved favorites but yet get excited about fresh stories and characters. Fans are often fickle. They complain when certain characters are on air, then complain when they are off. DAYS cut its budgets to survive and canned Deidre Hall and Drake Hogestyn. Now they are both coming back as Marlena and John. But how long will they stay? As far as the gay storyline on DAYS it is just getting started. It is great because Sonny is the son of long time fan favorites Justin and Adrienne and Sonny has been gay from the getgo, so thank God it is not another coming out story. We have seen that a hundred times. And longtime favorite Sami’s son Will is who we are hearing will be the love interest for Sonny. We need to see more normal, everyday stories for LGBT characters. Why doesn’t THE BOLD AND THE BEAUTIFUL have a gay character? After all it is set in the fashion industry. There are fan bases for the gay couples that exist on daytime, yet this is an oxymoron still today. When I interviewed Y&R’s headwriter, Maria Arena Bell for PRIDE MAGAZINE she shared that people wrote and said, “We have no problem with gay characters, we just don’t want to see them on our show.” Maria said, “So what do I do as a headwriter with that? But, I would love to tell a gay story that is character driven and makes sense for our canvas.” Sadly, a few years ago, there were five gay stories on soaps, now there will be only one when AMC leaves the airwaves, and that will be on DAYS. The internet will allow us to explore and show more. Crystal Chappell’s LGBT themed web series, VENICE, regularly had lesbian characters kissing and in bed. So far, there aren’t the broadcast standards to uphold, which is great! It’s about time everybody got on the bandwagon because the TV and web convergence is here. RR: Then why haven’t we seen modern world conveniences like Grindr and Scruff enter into storylines making them more real? MF: App’s like these are so popular and so branded, and are used for dating and sex hook-ups more than any other outlet now. There are news stories that they are killing the “gay bar” as we know it. So sure, they will come into play as the “new soap” uses more product placement. Convergence is here…between TV and internet and soon between real world and reel world. It is finally all coming together. Social networking is all new territory to explore. Will these stories work? Do they work in our life, Rick? I don’t even have Gridnr, by the way, because I have a Blackberry! Unfortunately, once again, I can’t come to the party. If I get an iPhone, will my dating options be better? Would I have more fun? Does anyone date a fifty year old senior anymore? Ha! RR: How is your dating life? MF: It’s funny. When I do go out, it always comes down to the question of what one does for a living. They usually answer that they are an executive banker at Wells Fargo. Or recently, a date told me that he produced this show on CBS called CSI or something like that, and asked if I ever heard of it. Then it is my turn, and it is hard to explain what I do to begin with. So I simplify and say that I am a journalist for daytime drama who has my own website. “Ohhhhhhh,” they respond. Then dead silence, and I think back to high school, and all that I have done to keep in shape and be desirable at 50 and it all just slinks away on me at that moment. But, for those that don’t run, and do look at my website, they see how modern and legit it is, so that makes me feel good. There is hope! RR: So why aren’t you creating and producing the first majorly successful
    internet soap, Michael?
    MF: I do know the platform, you are right; and I know the formula. When new actors or publicists, or show producers for the Daytime Emmys, and sometimes marketing outfits in the mainstream, come into the soap world, they always call Fairman! They don’t know the characters, the histories. They admittedly don’t know what works, what fans long for, and they feel safe and comfortable with me. It is both a unique and wonderful position to be in. I provide a voice for the fans and the actors which they can trust. It is that Midwestern integrity. I have never been a TMZ journalist, and the one time I did leak a secret, I got scolded so bad that I will never do that again. RR: So just one secret for our readers, please? MF: Well I do have vision. I do know the bigger picture. And I’m keenly watching what is going on here. Last month was our biggest to date….we had over 6 million hits on the site. Maybe the next step for Michael Fairman On-Air On-Soaps will be to do my own soap. I wonder if Andy Cohen at BRAVO who launched the REAL HOUSEWIVES series is single and uses Grindr? Now there is a gay man who really needs to be producing a soap. Do you know him? Let’s hook me up with him. A true soap on BRAVO or bravo.com? It’s time!]]>

  • Latest

    Flying Solo: Savoring Savannah, GA

    A Travelogue with Rick Rose Like neighboring Charleston, the city of Savannah, Georgia is historic as all get out. What is way cool about the city is that it was laid out in 1733 around four open squares. The city plan anticipated growth and expansion of the grid. Additional squares were added during the 18th and 19th centuries, and by 1851 there were twenty-four squares in the city. Many of us know the city because of the recent fame brought to it by John Berendt’s best selling novel, “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” and subsequent Clint Eastwood movie. When you take a “Walk through Midnight” tour, you see the squares and learn the story of Savannah in a very amazing way. The true star here is the wonderful city itself. Guides offer personal insights and observations, as well as new stories that would create an incredible sequel or two. Many of the friendly guides were even extras in the movie and have added memorabilia to show you along the way. A two mile tour is spread out over just under two hours. Check out the tours here.

    Savannah has been rated by Walking Magazine as “one of the 10 Best Walking Cities in America.” The pristine squares and bordering tree-lined streets, incredible parks, and laid-back pace make Savannah an ideal location for leisurely and intimate vacationing where the heat of the South rarely gets to you. You can always hop in and out of air conditioning as you need to by touring the city’s many historic homes. My favorite and that of many other young girls (ha!) is the birthplace of the founder of the Girl Scouts of America, which has been a virtual mecca to nearly 3 million visitors since it began a restoration to splendor in the 1950s.
    Half way through the day, Susan and I grew hungry. As you can imagine, a Southern City has plenty to offer the weary walker. We chose www.mrswilkes.com for some rib-sticking Southern cooking. A line gathers each morning at 107 West Jones Street, the address of what was once and in some ways still is the boarding home of Mrs.Wilkes. Today the Wilkes’ kids swing the door open wide and friendly at 11 o’clock as they welcome a lunch crowd that scurries to find seats at one of the large tables-for-ten shared by strangers who over a meal become family, of sorts. Tabletops are crowded with platters of fried chicken and cornbread dressing, sweet potato souffle, biscuits, black-eyed peas, okra gumbo to name just a few of the dishes.
    You may want to enjoy a meal from the lineage of the Lady and her sons at http://www.ladyandsons.com. That’s right, Paula Dean calls Savannah home as do her sons. Every day of the week, the host at their establishment begins to take names at 9:30am for lunch and dinner on a first come first served basis from her famous podium on Congress Street in front of the restaurant. You must appear in person to receive a priority seating time. Sunday, the Dean clan offers up a scrumptious buffet from 11am until 5 pm. The wait at Wilkes is typically less, and it is more joyful for me to dine there, but Susan and I did check out the accompanying kitchen goods store to the Dean restaurant. Cool stuff can be purchased on the recommendation of Paula who clearly knows the need of those of us who love to cook. To complement your walking exploration, take a Carriage Ride; the horses in Savannah are some of the prettiest I have seen. When darkness covers the city, check out one of the many famous Irish pubs spread throughout the squares for a quick pint of Guiness or my favorite, a Black Smith (like a Black and Tan but with Smithwicks Irish beer). You willl need it to calm your nerves before you board the trolley of one of the city’s famous ghost tours (www.savannahtours.us). We screamed our way through basements of old homes that were left intact the day they were abandoned and many city cemeteries. I assure you that you will too. Take lots of pictures, as we did, because looking for the “orbs” in them afterwards is part of the fun. Savannah is filled with spirits. Speaking of spirits, there is a great LGBT scene in and around the beautiful riverwalk where drinking happens all day long! If you get energized you can join in for some spirited gay volleyball which is played every Sunday in Daffin Park from 2 to 6 in the afternoon. www.gaysavannah.com is undoubtedly one of the best directories and magazines I have seen in any city. It will guide you to places of interest that range from antiquing to green living. An added bonus for me on this trip was meeting Ronni Carpenter, whose grandparents owned a general store out in the countryside of Savannah. There they sold shoes made in Hannibal, MO during the days that followed WWI when Hannibal was the largest shoe manufacturer in the nation. It’s a fascinating piece of American history, and Ronni was kind enough to invite me and Susan and a couple friends who once lived in Hannibal over to see the shoes that survived over these many years. Savannah has survived and is currently thriving! Go check it, and let me know what you think! Travel deliciously, Rick

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  • Interviews

    Interview: Robin Webb from A Brave New Day

    By Rick Rose Editor’s note: Recently, lgbtSr’s Rick Rose wrote here about his experience with HIV/AIDS 30 years on. Knowing that I was born in Mississippi, and himself living in Louisiana, Rick asked his former co-host from their days on WGEM in Quincy, IL and now on-air with Mississippi Public Broadcasting, Karen Brown, who to talk to about AIDS in the South. Karen introduced Rick to Robin Webb, an inspiration behind A Brave New Day, whose mission is to provide education and services and to advocate for people faced with life-challenging illnesses and conditions. RR: There is power in the name of your organization. How did you choose A Brave New Day? RW: Our organization is built on two complimentary principles, one, that personal empowerment is key to survival when faced with any life-threatening disease or condition and two, that every moment of every day must be fully embraced. For most of us in A Brave New Day’s peer survivor community, life and death literally tugs at you every morning you wake. It takes courage to take a deep breath, dust yourself off, dust the past off, endure the pains, the struggles, and choose life. I chose a Native American branding for A Brave New Day, using as our original logo a brave on a horse under the first light of day. He is essentially naked, surrendered. He is bowing to the sun with his spear at his side, clearly intent on conquering the day not so much with alpha force, rather in a state of humility and awe. For anyone who faces profound daily life challenges (don’t we all?), that image says it all. RR: 30 years into AIDS, is it really a pandemic anymore? Do people still care? How do you keep education and awareness alive? RW: We are still seeing 56,000 new infections in the US alone every single year. That number has not decreased for the last decade. American attention spans are short, particularly around HIV. Furthermore, people have always wanted to box HIV, to say “it’s just a gay thing” or “it’s just a black thing” or “it’s just this group that gets it or that group that gets it.” How far can one be from the truth! The virus knows no color or gender or sexual preference. We try very hard to continue speaking to the media, to continue offering community trainings and to advocate both on the local and national levels. Most of us who do federal advocacy, especially in DC, find ourselves fighting harder and harder to just hang on to medical and support services that already exist, which seem destined to be cut in this current political climate. This is discouraging, since we need ten times what exists now, to fight this pandemic. And oh yes, it’s still a pandemic. There are nearly 40 million people living with HIV and or AIDS on this planet today. There is a death from AIDS every 9 minutes. RR: The gay man you were then (as HIV entered your world) vs. the gay man you are now (as a senior, technically)? RW: Same man, different day, not so much different gay. Life goes on. You have a choice to say things like, oh I’ll never get intimate again, I despise my sexuality because of this virus, if only this if only that, but HIV is such profound experience. It teaches you who you are in no uncertain terms. It terrifies its host; it forces truth out of us. I have matured through this experience of aging with a lethal virus in my body and my psyche, so yes, externally speaking, I would have had a profoundly different life if HIV had never come knocking. Funny thing, though. Gay remains gay. Gay is gay is gay. Thank God it’s not a whim that just goes away if life circumstances go all wrong or if your partner dies, like mine did, or if a virus comes along. So if there is a deadly virus inside me, there is also “gay” my body and “gay” in my psyche as well, and for me that is a beautiful thing, nothing could be more life affirming.
    RR: What is the ONE key difference between “AIDS in the South” and AIDS in the rest of the United States?

    RW:
    The ONE key difference is – are — those TWO S’es with a line drawn through each one. $$, ching, ching. The South has been shortchanged, in terms of federal dollars and in many cases, nearly 10 to 1, for a long time and yet the epidemic has moved to the South. Putting it another way, the 10,000 PLWHA in Mississippi do no look the same in the eyes of the federal government as 10,000 PLWHA living in cities like Chicago or San Francisco. Housing assistance for people whose lives have been shattered, social support services, even access to life-saving medications, all components of comprehensive care are severely challenged in the South. Why is this? Because the feds just don’t like Southerners? No. Because since the beginning of the AIDS epidemic, before HIV really hit the South as hard as it is hit today, major urban areas built local advocacy into their infrastructure. They fought for their own, rightfully so. I know, I was there, I was a New Yorker during the 80s and 90s. We fought hard for every pill, every life-saving support service we got. We got empowered. We “ACT-ed UP.” The South just needs to build its own advocacy community. Southerners need to get louder about HIV/AIDS.

    RR: It is 2011, when will the walls of ignorance, fear and discrimination come down?
    RW: I can only answer that for myself. Those walls are already down. For society, probably never. History seems to send that message. However, it doesn’t mean we have to stop trying. Jesus said it all. Love one another. Buddha, Lao Tzu, Rumi, Muhammed, Mother Theresa, Ghandhi, Confucious, King, they all agree. We have to keep saying it, love one another. That’s the best we can do. RR: As a LGBT Sr. who will you support for US President 2012? RW: I’d like to see President Obama get re-elected. However, he must get tougher on HIV/AIDS. We felt such promise around HIV when he got elected, however, his track record ain’t so good. Yes, he inherited a national catastrophe and yes, he’s dealing with very stubborn, very dis-compassionate non-progressives. But we now have waiting lists for people needing life-saving medications, numbering over 8,500 Americans. Although most of the responsibility is that of individual states, and they haven’t done their job, the President has the power to step up to the plate and do something about making certain all Americans living with HIV have access to critical medications and stable housing. He loses my vote if he does nothing. RR: Share with me about one individual we have lost who would have the most impact on your mission today, if s/he were still alive.

    RW: There are so many. Hundreds, in fact. That is no exaggeration. My dear friend Trey Mangum died just last month. I am beside myself. The cause of his death was a heart attack, at 37 years old, just having received his PhD. in Social Work. For several years he was Executive Director at Grace House here in Jackson, a transitional living facility for persons living with HIV and/or AIDS, then Trey became Director of Housing at NO AIDS Task Force in New Orleans. I can already feel the impact of not having Trey around. I miss his mentorship and his support for our organization. However, when someone like Trey leaves the planet so suddenly, with so little explanation, his legacy and post-life presence seem even more intense, so I always have that to keep moving forward. Trey is one reason we keep on forging ahead. The hundreds of others I have known and lost, all of them equally significant, are also reasons to keep marching on. RR: If AIDS ended tomorrow, what would your next life be? RW: An avid hiker in Zion Park, Utah, Canyonlands, Grand Canyon, Glacier National Park, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Yellowstone and Yosemite. Oh wait, I already do that. A world traveler, 77 countries, all 7 continents. Oh wait, I just did that, still doing it. A fierce voice for social evolution and justice. Oops been there, still doing that. Write songs, work-out, appreciate every day. Hmm, already claimed. Ah well, I guess I wouldn’t change a thing. (Antarctica was cold.)]]>

  • Latest

    Rick Rose: Moments in Time – an AIDS remembrance

    Editor’s note: This is the only posting for the day. I’ve been friends with Rick for over 20 years and shared some of the heartache he so beautifully expresses here. Our lost partners, our lives now without this shadow darkening them every day. Nothing more needs to be said – Mark. It was thirty years ago that HIV/AIDS entered our world as we know it. A time capsule was created ten years into the pandemic which has brought excruciating pain and endless questions . In it are impassioned missives from those living with AIDS at that time left for us survivors today. On June 5th, the noted discovery day of HIV, several messages were opened and revealed. These words from one of the many linger with me: “Look back in wonder….Prepare for the next time….Do not forget us.” Does this warning resonate with you dear friends as it does with me? I haven’t forgotten the mid 90s when there wasn’t a time in the day where I wasn’t thinking or dealing with AIDS. How does my partner Charles go on balancing one medical appointment with another, counterbalancing one cocktail drug with another? When will Celio’s mother find the courage to say goodbye to her dear son? Why didn’t Linda’s husband tell her he had HIV before they consummated their marriage? Where did Jenny, who carried the virus, find the fearlessness to decide to be impregnated, carrying “a child at risk?” How did her husband take the risk and go through with it? And why, why do these friends have AIDS, and I don’t? I haven’t forgotten Charles, Celiio, Linda or the many incredible lovers and loved ones who have blazed the trail before me, onward to eternal life. And I haven’t forgotten the lessons they’ve taught me in preparing for the “next time”…the “next time” I say goodbye (as I did with my Dad, grandmas, grandfather and best friend), the “next time” I am called to action following yet another unexpected disaster (as I did with the Haitian hurricane, the Japanese tsunami or the Joplin tornado), the “next time” I fight with their courage and strength for the passage of a law or obtaining medical services for someone in need (as I do often). But I have forgotten…a lot. I have grown to comfortably know a new world without AIDS, without the suffering my friends and I endured on an ongoing basis for over a decade. I lost 19 friends in one year. Fifteen years ago, I rubbed the feet of my friends with neuropathy as they fell to sleep; I reminded my lover with dementia of his next checkup and drove him there; I fed my friends with wasting syndrome and defended them in the eyes of passersby who never came to accept the “face of AIDS”; I cried myself to sleep regularly and prayed at night to wake up to a morning news headline pronouncing an end to HIV and a world without AIDS. I guess I got my wish. I am complacent. I walk in the light of each new day, forgetting the shadows of those passed. I am blessed to be HIV negative, to have survived, and thank God for it. Yet I once was the one asking God to give me AIDS if it meant it would save the life of a friend. Sub-Saharan Africa is miles away from my safe little world on the border of Louisiana and Texas yet Baton Rouge which is second in the nation in AIDS cases per capita is a simple three hour drive for me. I have embarrassingly made a subconscious decision to have no friends living with AIDS, having been hurt, burned and salty eyed for far too long. I write with a contrite heart as I do look back in wonder…and I do vividly remember Suzanne, John, Michael, Brian, Randy, Mark, Robin, my three babies with AIDS who I cared for, Larry, Tony, Jim, Amanda, the other Mark, another Michael, Linda, Celio and Charles, visualizing their tender feet in my hands, their fearfully faithful eyes staring in mine. I go forward. I ask for forgiveness and preparation as I pray that I don’t have to read a headline on July 22, 2030 stating: 180 Million People Liiving with AIDS Now Dead Since It Was Recognized
    50 Years Ago.

    Rick Rose]]>

  • Interviews

    Interview: Mark Reed-Walkup on his Skype wedding and the Dallas Morning News

    By Rick Rose Mark Reed-Walkup and his partner Dante Walkup made headlines for conducting their marriage ceremony via Skype with the couple in Texas and the minster in Washington, D.C. They were subsequently informed the marriage would not be honored, and had that disappointment compounded by the refusal of the Dallas Morning News to run their announcement. As it turned out, vindication was theirs, at least in part. Our own Rick Rose became friends with the couple through Mark’s niece Shanna. He caught up with Mark on the day their marriage announcement finally ran in the Dallas paper. Here they share their interview with you. RR: How did you first meet and did you know he was “the one” for you? MRW: I spotted Dante on the dance floor, dancing by himself, so full of life, self-confidence and thought he was the most handsome man in the world. We became best friends at first but on a trip to P-town together 11 years ago, we fell deeply in love and that trip changed our lives forever. RR: Was the thought of marriage even an option then? MRW: We never thought marriage would be an option in our lifetime. Same-sex marriage was not legal anywhere at that time. RR: At what point did you decide to marry? Who asked who and how? MRW: When we became partners, we created commitment vows that we would strive for in our relationship. One of those vows was to have “fun at fifty”, so when we turned 50, we decided it was time. I asked Dante to be my husband on a very romantic trip to New Orleans. RR: When was the first time you felt discrimination in your journey to marry and what emotions were evoked? MRW: We tried to submit our wedding announcement to the Dallas Morning News and were denied because of the ban on same-sex marriage in Texas. I had to go before a county judge to get a court-ordered name change because of the ban.. Discrimination has a very negative emotional impact every time you experience it. Its hurts, it’s degrading and it makes us both very angry at the way our community is mistreated and disrespected. RR: How and why did you decide to marry in Texas using a Washington, DC clergy? MRW: We’d been together for 10 years and had long intended to wait until marriage equality came to our state, but as we moved into our 50s we realized that time was still a long way off. Then Dante was in an automobile accident and our experience at the hospital put things into perspective. You can read all the details in an article I wrote after the wedding.
    RR: How were you notified that your marriage was being contested and how did you react? MRW: We received a letter from the D.C. marriage bureau 6 weeks after receiving our marriage certificate. It was the day before Thanksgiving and it was devastating to us both. After so many legal analysts agreed we had found a loophole, they closed it and annulled our marriage without even attempting to contact us to confirm the “news” they read about was true. RR: When you placed the announcement in the paper, did you expect the response you got? MRW: Their 2003 policy still in affect allowed same sex couples to place engagement and anniversary announcements. It also allowed couples to place commitment announcements, which were seen as very progressive back at the time of their policy change. This change occurred before same sex marriage was legal anywhere. We fully expected them to place our wedding announcement because of their policy on engagement and anniversary ads. How could they allow those ads and not allow the announcement of the event itself? We assumed they would just update their policy again as Texas gay couples can get married elsewhere. RR: How did it feel when you were vindicated and the ruling came down in your favor with the paper? MRW: We were encouraged that the city agreed there was a possible case of discrimination when they launched the formal investigation. Once the Dallas Morning News responded via their legal team and had no interest in mediation, we directly reached out the CEO and asked for a meeting to try and work out this issue. We met with them twice and at the second meeting they agreed to make a change to their policy because as the CEO stated, “it was the right thing to do.” RR: Why does anti-lgbt discrimination exist in 2011 and what is the basis for it? How might anyone reading this help use move forward? MRW: Certainly religion has played a large role in the hatred felt by many toward our community as it has for other minority groups such as African Americans. Insecure people often fear the “unknown” and enjoy having a sense of power over people. Many homophobic people are also very insecure with their own sexual identity and express their hatred about gay people so others won’t think they are gay themselves. Thankfully, attitudes toward gay people are changing because so many people have come out of their closets and shared their true lives with their friends and families. The number one motivator for us to fight the Dallas Morning News was how it important it is for people to read stories about loving committed same-sex couples. We know that when people see that we are really no different than other committed couples, their attitudes will often change about gay people. We also wanted gay youth be able to see that marriage is possible and it might give them hope for their future.

    RR: Projecting positively in the future, when do you think Texas will pass same-sex marriage, and if elected for a second term, do you think Obama should AND/OR would lead to overturn DOMA (the federal Defense of Marriage Act)?
    MRW: I believe marriage equality will come to Texas via a Supreme Court decision just as the Loving vs. Virginia case ended discrimination against inter-racial couples. If the Democrats take back the House and keep the Senate, we might have a shot of repealing DOMA if the Supreme Court hasn’t overturned it. DOMA is clearly unconstitutional now that a large population of citizens live in states where marriage equality exists. DOMA was passed in 1996 before same-sex marriages were legal anywhere in this country. RR: Why do you continue with this fight? MRW: We fight this fight because we don’t want the next generation to face discrimination and can live their lives to their fullest poten tial.

    RR: With all your experience and vigor, what do you say to a new and young, say 21-year-old, member of the LGBT community…as far as what to expect and how to live, to make a difference?
    MRW: We would say to them to be very proud of who you are and believe in yourselves. We have come such a long way in forty years and we need you to join the battle for full equality. You have a wonderful life ahead of you because of those who have fought hard for the rights we won to date. Do not accept discrimination at any level and learn know that one person can make a difference and help change the world to make it a better place for everyone.]]>

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    Flying Solo: Charleston, SC

    A Travelogue with Rick Rose It’s called Charles Towne (original name from 1670), the Holy City (because of all the churches there) and Antebellum Heaven (with all its painted lady architecture), and it’s known as a visitor’s mecca for those who love southern heat and hospitality. Charleston, SC is where I enjoyed an amazing July 4th with two dear friends from one of my former lives. I met Cindy and Randy when they opened a coffee house near Hannibal, MO some years ago, moving to that area from Alaska. On a cold winter morning at 6am, something both they and I are familiar with (being Wisconsin-bred), I met the duo as one of their first customers. I was en route to Studio H at WGEM where I co-hosted a two-hour morning show. They became quick friends and remain so after they eventually moved on to Charleston about the time I headed to a new home in Shreveport. They bring out the best in me: smiles, laughs, hopes, dreams, risk-taking and adventure. Having celebrated our independence on the day of our country’s, I encourage you to check out the things I discovered in this port city, anytime of year. Here are my top 10 sites to visit which were hand selected from the 25 Cindy and Randy shared with me! Charleston City Market – Open 365 days a year, it is full of great things to see and to buy. Visitors and locals mingle around Market Hall which stands facing Meeting Street as the main entrance to four blocks of open-air buildings where you will meet vendors selling paintings, pottery, spices, jewelry and Charleston’s famous sweetgrass baskets. Surrounding the Market are avenues of casual and fine dining restaurants and taverns! U. S. Customs House – A great representation of the history and architecture of this great city, you will want to take a lot of pictures of this building and its detail. It stands as a landmark in the beautiful Charleston Historic District. Its construction, which began in 1853, was halted six years later because of the costs and possibility of the state’s secession from the Union. After the War of the Statess, building restarted in 1870 for nine years until its completion. It has been on the National Register of Historical Places since 1974. You can casually stroll the streets of downtown where the Customs House lives or take an informational horse and carriage historic tour.
    Bike Rentals at Vendue Inn – Another great way to get around the city, rent a bike. We did right at Venue Inn, one of the city’s many historic inns…and we rode all the way to the Battery at the tip of Charleston, another picture-perfect setting! In Charleston Harbor, you will be fascinated by everything from simple sailboats to huge barges, all part of the rich maritime history here. I strongly suggest at least a one-night stay at the Vendue. It’s southern hospitality at its best. Waterfront Park – A wonderful place to stroll and sip coffee as we did. Tried as we might, we were not able to find a coffee that beat the kind Randy and Cindy served back home. I mean have you ever heard of air-roasted Alaskan coffee? I hadn’t until I met this dynamic duo. Calhoun Mansion – One of hundreds of incredible historic residences, this Mansion is located at 16 Meeting Street. It is one of dozens that can be toured. After viewing its internal splendor and incredible grounds, we enjoyed walking up and down Meeting Street and the streets that ran parallel and perpendicular to it. Wherever you go, you will be amazed by the wonderful styles and colors represented in these buildings. You may even get the bug to buy one as many are for sale! Philadelphia Alley and Queen Street – These are two of my favorite places by far in this quaint city steeped in spirits and history. There are many guided walks available, but we enjoyed doing it alone. Cindy is spiritually connected for sure, so I enjoyed just playing with her as we listened to what our “unseen friends” told us about their former haunts. You can check out a tour or better yet, just befriend a local, and they will happily share their stories. Fort Moultrie – This early fort on Sullivan’s Island was still incomplete when Commodore Sir Peter Parker and nine warships attacked it on June 28, 1776, days before our Independence. After a nine-hour battle, the ships were forced to retire. Charleston was saved from British occupation, and the fort was named in honor of its commander, Colonel. William Moultrie. Today Fort Moultrie has been restored to portray the major periods of its history. For us, it provided the perfect backdrop to start our Independence Day Celebration! Sullivan’s Island and Beach –Just north of Charleston, you will discover one of the best beaches out there, anywhere. We spent much of our Fourth of July morning, spread out on colorful towels, smiling at passerbys, and dipping our toes in the sea several times to cool down. When you visit, be sure to see the Sullivan’s Island Lighthouse! Downtown Historic Summerville – I asked to celebrate midday Independence day in a place the symbolized Americana, and my friends delivered. We drove a bit outside of Charleston proper to the inclusive community known as Summerville. Progressive, yet steeped in its past, you too will love the spiritedness of this town. Their smoking ban started just a week after the fourth, so you can visit restaurants and bars in comfort, something still not real revered in southern cities.
    http://www.summerville.sc.us/ Charleston Harbor – Evening fireworks were enjoyed by thralls including the three of us as they went off over expansive Charleston Harbor. We saw the display set against a silhouette of a burned out bridge that formerly connected Mt. Pleasant to Sullivan’s Island in the 1800’s. It was the perfect finish to a perfect trip. Whether you make it for a future Fourth of July celebration or not, when you do come, check out Charleston Harbor Tours which is the oldest continually operating harbor sightseeing tour company in Charleston, tracing back to 1908. Hop aboard the Carolina Belle and cruise by the Civil War’s historic Fort Sumter, Patriot’s Point, the Battery, and Saint Michael’s Episcopal Church Steeple. You’ll also cruise under the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge. http://charlestonharbortours.com/ Oh, I’d be remiss if I didn’t let you know that Charleston has an active evening LGBT scene and a friendly, welcoming community, en par with the overall community in this southern gem. Take in a drag show at Club Pantheon which has amazing dirty martinis! Next stop: Savannah, GA where I met up with my longtime friend, Susan, with whom I worked off-Broadway. Sue still lives in the metro NYC area where she has advanced to being a super-talented Broadway scenic artist. Her passion however lies in restoring her historic home in Savannah where we spent a few days catching up and traveling across her great second city. Check out the next Travelicious! Travel deliciously, Rick]]>

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    Rick Rose: Living to tell – the welcome demise of "DADT"

    There was new-found freedom across the world last Thursday as gay U.S. troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan shouted with exhilaration that a federal appeals court order the day before here in the states officially stopped enforcement of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, putting our community members who are in the U.S. military one big step closer to revealing our sexual orientation without fear of retribution or dismissal. In legal terms, it’s been a long time coming as the Pentagon was told on the Wednesday after the 4th of July 2011 to cease investigations and discharges of service members in violation of the ban on gays serving openly in our military. The Defense Department will comply with the court order and took steps that very day to begin informing military forces of the change. This milestone event was outlined in the law passed in December 2010 which also requires that every man and woman serving in U.S. military uniform to complete training courses about the end of the policy. The wimpy Clinton “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy, which began in late 1993, will officially end 60 days after our fearless President Obama’s written certification that such courses are ready to be implemented. Let freedom ring…and let everyone hear, loud and queer, from shore to shore! “I’m ecstatic,” said one soldier stationed in Baghdad who joined other gay soldiers on Thursday night at a military coffee shop to celebrate. Meanwhile, in the steam room at my local YMCA near Barskdale AFB in Bossier City, LA, following our workouts, a young reservist expressed his freedom in a different way. Flashing a beautiful, pearly white smile through the hazy steam, he asked me, “Are towels required in here?” I answered judiciously and with no self interest, “Not required.” He left the room, hung his wet towel outside the door, and returned, flashing that same smile. Triggered by his question, I could sense he wasn’t from here as I opened up a refreshing conversation asking him if he was visiting.
    He told me he was in the AF for a year, then revealed to his superiors that having a college education was more important. He requested and was given the opportunity to pursue his future and switch to being in the reserves during his college studies. He told me he was from a long lineage of military family, and introduced himself as Rich as he extended a firm handshake. Seeing my short crew cut, Rich asked if I was military. I explained that while my father and brother were Marines, it wasn’t right for me. There was silence. Immediately, the thought “don’t ask, don’t tell” crossed my mind in its new light, and I knew it was safe to move the conversation forward in a matter that I am certain would not have happened just a week before. The next night, I met another young reservist while at the local arts theatre, the Robinson Film Center. We hit it off, so I invited him back to my place to continue our conversation. “I’m new to all this,” 21 year old Joe said. “I love women, but I really like the feeling of being with a man. I really want to explore this all. It feels good; it feels right!” I had well over a quarter of a century of newness on Joe, having had my first man on man sexual experience at 18 years old, and comfortably shared those experiences with him. Over these last couple ensuing days, I embarked on several edifying conversations with my friends, most older like me; many, military wives; some gay, some straight. Not one of us thought about the power banning this policy would have on lives such as Rich’s and Joe’s. Up til now, these fine young men just starting their adult lives could have lost their livelihood, their income, their career, their education, their housing, their way of life for expressing their feelings and simply telling me who they were should I have not kept what once was their secret, but no longer holds any power. Their simple, honest, truthful behaviors now rang of freedom, not fear…and they could be who they are…proud members of the U.S. military, by choice, and proud members of the LGBT community, by birth. As the days pass by and we head to full transparency in the military, LGBT, U.S. and world communities, optimism will rise as we realize how stupid, silly and senseless DADT was. Today I read a quote from an Air Force staff sergeant at Bagram who quoted his commander, “Don’t ask, don’t tell, don’t care, doesn’t matter. We have a war to fight that is much more important.” We all have another war to fight and win. In their ruling last Wednesday, the three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, noted that the Obama administration has said it thinks another federal law and Clinton monstrosity — the Defense of Marriage Act, which prohibits federal recognition of same-sex marriages — is unconstitutional. Fly your flag high and fight the fight. Freedom will ring louder and queerer, still. It starts with Barack and Andrew…Rich and Joe…me and you. -Rick]]>

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    Flying Solo: Showing off Shreveport, LA

    A Travelogue with Rick Rose
    Be a travel guide in your own town
    June 2011 It’s fun to travel, that’s for sure, but it’s also fun to be a travel guide to friends and family visitors…in your own town! Recently my friend and former colleague from our cable television days, Melissa, now a teacher (applause!) came to visit me in Shreveport from Austin, TX. She especially found the traffic here to be more manageable than her town, but also found some quaint sweet nuances of a simpler life along the river…and a bit of Hollywood…which she really enjoyed while on Rick’s Tour of Shreveport, LA (www.shreveportla.gov), population: 427,910)! Gearing up to partake of my favorite recreational activity here, cycling along the Red River, Melissa wanted to carb-up. We stopped at Julie Anne’s Bakery known for their King Cakes during the days of Mardi Gras, but daily for mile-high pies and cheese Danish, Melissa’s pick! Many stars who are shooting films in Shreveport frequent here. Katie Holmes fell in love with their Petite Fours while here working on Dirty Money. Old railroad bridges, casino river boats, a skateboard park designed by superskater Rob Dyrdek, outdoor sculpture, fountains, bronzed bare chests of runners and other bikers, green trees and red clay river banks are all part of the refreshing view along the Red River Trail tended to by SPAR. Many 5K and 10K walk/runs happen here including the Fourth Annual Walk for AIDS put on June 25th this year by Louisiana PATHS. Even though you most likely missed the walk as did I due to other travel commitments (appropriately), you won’t want to miss a visit to their website at www.lapaths.org. Melissa loved it and worked off that Danish in record time!
    On the recommendation of my dear friend, and one of my first friends here in Shreveport, Arlena Acree, Melissa and I decided to hit another trail: the beautiful and serene Sunflower Trail about 20 miles north of town. Arlena, our city’s film commissioner, had just scouted the area for locations to use in Quentin Tarantino’s Jamie Foxx-starrer Django Unchained. Rumors persist that it will be Lady GaGa’s film debut. You can check out all the latest on the film and stars here. But, I digress. Taking Arlena’s suggestion, we headed up and down Louisiana Highway 3049, including along Sentell Road, where the serene trail winds some 30 miles in north Caddo Parish through the picturesque farming communities of Dixie, Belcher and Gilliam. Along the way, we encountered historic plantation homes with patches of wildflowers. Credit for the creation of the trail which has a festival each June to honor it must be given to local agri-businessman Gordon Boogaerts who planted 20 acres of the sky-reaching, tall yellow flowers in 1995. Check out the full story on this year’s festival from our local paper, Shreveport Times. There are plenty of photo ops in the fields including an abandoned couch from which you can capture some great shots and also be photographed reclining amidst the brilliant sunflowers. Our pre-set destination for the trail ride (this time by car, not bike) was Gilliam and Old Adger Store which has been operating since 1916 when Will Adger founded it. You will step back in time when you walk in: to a time of pressed-tin ceilings, fixtures from the early 1900’s and the friendliest people in America. We sat and chatted in the restaurant in the back of the store where the owner told us, “tell me what you want, and I will fix it for you,” and he did including farm fresh beans and peas for this vegetarian traveler. Another fella there encouraged me to try an afternoon beverage. When I couldn’t find quite the right alcoholic treat in the coolers, they found one for me in the back: 12% watermelon “bootleg!” It was legal of course, just reserved for special guests…of which you will discover, everyone who visits Gilliam is (pronounce it properly without the second “i” when you visit please). The Store served as one of the settings in Butter, the soon-to-be-released feature written by and starring Jennifer Garner who, along with Ben and kids, called Shreveport home last year for several months! Jen, Ben, me, Melissa and Arlena were fascinated by the local history here. You will be too, I know. Check it out! A couple days of exploration ended and it was time for Melissa to hit the trail home to Texas, carrying with her some great photos and even better memories. I loved experiencing my town through her eyes and am happy to share it with you through this blog. Come to Shreveport, y’all! Anytime. You can drive here or fly! We have a great regional airport which currently made national news for having on display movie posters of films shot in our area from The Guardian (one of the first films shot here) to recent box office hits like Battle LA and Drive Angry. Check it out at SunHerald.com. Be sure to keep an eye out for the powerful remake of Straw Dogs due out this Fall starring James Woods, James Marsden, Alexander Skarsgard and Kate Bosworth, a gaggle of hotties for sure! And when you come visit Shreveport, like Melissa did, you may very earsily run into a celeb or two at Starbucks or the Hilton or while you take one of the newly inaugurated Shreveport movie tours with stops at the sites here in town where these movies were shot! And, who knows, I just might be your tour guide, happily showing you my town! Feel free to tell me about your town anytime on www.lgbtsr.com.! Travelicously yours, Rick]]>

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    Rick's Travelicious: Orlando, FL – more misses than hits

    Mickey Town
    More Misses than Hits in Orlando
    June 27, 2011 Orlando is one of those cities for me like St. Louis where I visit several times in a year. Therefore, this past weekend, I decided to try something different and explore parts and places in Mickey and Minnie Town which I have never experienced before. Bad idea. I tend to see the positive in everything, yet this Thursday thru Sunday weekend had far more misses than hits for me. I write as a matter of prevention for your next visit to Central Florida not because I’m a pissy blogger. My college friend Susie and I checked into Loew’s Portofino Hotel at 10pm on the Universal grounds after I arrived late on Thursday to Sanford Airport via Allegiant Air. From the vast well-appointed bathroom in our room, it is easy to see why this Italian-inspired getaway earns a Four Diamond AAA rating. It was the first bathroom I have had in all my travels with a his and his (or hers and hers) sink…very nice…as was the individual pod coffee maker with lots of choices and the view of the bay from the room. The grounds of the hotel wreak of Italy…albeit a bit theme park like, including the permanently mounted Vespas and gondolas which were more art than practical. This I didn’t like. What I liked far less was that for a tourism destination, there wasn’t a restaurant at the hotel or adjoining Universal CityWalk that served food after 10pm!!! Room service was adequate for humans, seemingly better suited for canines and felines who are welcomed at Loew properties as the menu had dry and wet foods in different brands and flavors available by the ounce! So if you travel with your pet, check in and check it out! I did enjoy a bit of time at CityWalk on the next morning, however, when I met my dear friend Fani who worked for me when I owned B&B’s and bistros in Hannibal, MO. Fani is from Bulgari and now lives in Orlando with her husband…so great to see her and meet her new baby boy, Anthony!
    Trying to make up for the lack of a great tasting meal, Susie and I met our friend Charlie on Friday night and went bananas over the lack of good service at Bananas Diner in the “gay area” of Orlando on North Mills Avenue. Our waiter, Shawn, was as equally gorgeous as all the waitstaff, but there was little to personality to back the beauty (and I am surprise, why?). Two of our three entrée choices were brought out wrong and all of the side dishes were not what we ordered. Our Malbec was served in champagne flutes because, according to Shawn, “our other restaurant next store steals all our glassware because they have a better wine list.” One thing Shawn did well, though, was split our check…down to the penny, splitting the wine and shared appetizer in equal parts. Dare I say, in love, my lesbian friends would be very most happy here! There is a great drag show here each week, too, which most of my lesbian friends, I know, would not really enjoy. Still on a quest for a fine dining experience, the three of us took on the other gay-owned restaurant next store, Funky Monkey, looking for better wines and stemware. Anoop, the manager, host, waiter, sometimes chef, chronic talker and obvious control freak, selected a bottle of Shiraz for us called TIK TOK. Any wine that pays tribute to my girl Ke$ha is fine by me…and it was. The dinner however was NOT! A three hour experience included us having to move tables mid meal because Anoop needed ours to adjoin to another for a party of 20 which never showed up. For our move, desserts were to be “on the house,” which only happened after Anoop recalculated the check three times! Where was Shawn from next store when you needed him? So there is something to be said to being loyal to your favorite places when you return somewhere on vacation! My picks in Orlando are on the quaint shoppers mecca known as South Park Avenue in the Winter Park area by Rollins College where my dear friend Leanza Cornett, Miss America 1993 and AIDS activist attended: Bosphorus for the “to die for” lavas (hollow) bread, baked per table, served steamy with wonderful sesame seed crust and Eola Wine Company for its weekend brunches that features a flight of bagels and champagne…after trying five kinds of mimosas, you pick your favorite and it IS on the house (that is providing Anoop doesn’t come work there). Nearby you must visit the Louis Comfort Tiffany Collection at Morse Museum and the Orlando Museum of Art with a great outdoor collection of sculpture! Night life is something I love in Orlando although I still mourn the loss of the wonderful wonderland known as Pleasure Island in Downtown Disney (ever get dizzy on the revolving dance floor at Revolver there?). Going with the plan to try something new, on Friday we checked out Sak Comedy Lab for improv in the active Central Business District downtown…it was a delight! I highly recommend you go: great space, fun performers who can also sing, no two drink minimum required…really nice! We followed the laughs by hitting the bar at Savoy on N. Mills. With nightly drink specials and underwear only clad dancers and bartenders, the place is always easy on the eye and on the pocket book. We met several of the Saks performers there. I was bummed I had to head home on Sunday afternoon, breaking our tradition of going there on Sunday evenings for the $1 Long Island Ice Teas, all night long. Those of you who have been to Orlando would also agree with me, I am sure, that Parliament House or dancing is a must….you can even dance around the pool where drag shows and concerts are held. This coverted motor lodge has the perfect mix of kitsch and class. Of note for those that love this landmark club, despite recent forclsure proceedings, its owners are moving ahead with a million dollar renovation and are launching a three-story, lakefront time share. Check out Allegiant Air in a city near you for a cheap fare to Orlando. Sanford Airport is small and easy to manage and not that far away really. If you are going to Daytona, it is actually the more convenient airport to fly. I’m booking my next trip now for mid-July. You know it will include no new restaurants and for sure, a Sunday overnight.]]>

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    Rick's Travelicious: Gastronomical delights on Wisconsin’s 94: East to West

    Editor’s note: I know one of the photos is sideways; it refuses to rotate! Just turn your head a bit . . . Mark From Frozen Custard in Milwaukee to Spicy Cheese Bread in Madison – Gastronomical Delights on Wisconsin’s 94: East to West You can easily eat your way through Wisconsin. Beer and cheese provide the obvious ways of doing so yet there are many other variations of eating and drinking derived from the state’s European heritage that will surely satisfy any visitor. Last Saturday I found myself enjoying the Dairy State’s two largest cities and what I suggest are their best culinary offerings! You can do the same by traveling East to West along Interstate 94. My journey of expanded waistline began in Milwaukee with a beer sampler with my friends Fuji and Carol. (Oh my, I pray my trainer Cody in Shreveport doesn’t find this blog!) There is nothing more refreshing than catching up with a couple of my many interesting friends and the latest brews at the newer St. Francis Brewery near Mitchell Field, the city’s international airport, and at my all-time favorite Milwaukee Ale House wonderfully located on the Milwaukee River. Fuji is an incredible artist who I journeyed to Cuba with years ago on a visual artist exchange (she represented calligraphy, I represented TV arts) and Carol was my assistant for years and is American Indian and has been active with Indian Summer for years (North America’s largest gathering of Indian heritage, held every September (this year the 9-10-11…GO!) at Summerfest Grounds in the “Brew City”). Most ale houses offer samplers of 6-8 beers for less than a buck a piece and have a wide menu of foods to accommodate all palates.
    My dear, dear friend Noni (my intern from years ago whose wedding I attended in Karachi Pakistan many years ago as well) then picked me up to head West on 94 to the most amazing gathering of tastes you will find anywhere in the world, I promise! The Madison Farmers Market, officially the Dane County Farmers Market on the Square is located all around the square of the state capitol and now spills out to the side streets including the renowned State Street which will take you to the University of Madison (where, by the way, you can enjoy more beer at Der Rathskeller in the wonderfully creepy and dark Wisconsin Union and homemade ice cream created by ag students there at Babock Hall where my suggestion without question is orange custard with chocolate chips). The Market’s offerings change with the season, so this time of year, we enjoyed sampling and purchasing green onions, white and red radishes, mushrooms of all colors, shapes and sizes, tender asparagus, incredible organic tomatoes of various kinds, popcorn, fresh spinach and lettuces from bitter to sweet. Of course, we stopped along the way to taste cheese curds made and brought in that very morning and the famous Stella Bakery’s spicy cheese bread bread baked moments before being sold, served hot and steamy! Sign of the times or perhaps better health, but the amount of cheese is disappointingly far less than I remember. The Market unfolds under the cover of Wisconsin’s stoic capitol building, the only state capitol to be designed by the same man who did the US Capitol and only inches shorter in size. Of course, being in Madison during Walker’s reign proved interesting. The usual political and social agendas were represented amidst the market vendors including PFLAG (an organization that certainly has bettered many of our lives…I know mine for sure…having grown up in small town Northern Wisconsin!). But this time, countless petitions were available for signature from recall to repent! Ah, I love the activism in liberal college towns…and it doesn’t get better than in Madison, Wisconsin 2011! Along the square are great restaurants like my personal favorite for fish, the Blue Marlin and cool theatres (both film and live) which consistently feature art we LGBT appreciate…no agenda, often, just good story! The Bartell Theatre had just closed a production by the Proud Theatre. When in Madison, you will want to take in a show at the glorious olden golden theatre, the Orpheum, which is one of the venues of the fabulous springtime Wisconsin Film Festival. Returning on 94 to the shores of Lake Michigan, Noni dropped me off to my car which I conveniently left at Kopp’s Frozen Custard on 76th Street (one of three Kopp’s locations). I picked up a pint (or two!) of the flavor of the day…peach melba…and headed out to visit my longtime friend Shirley who celebrates 82 this year! It is our tradition to enjoy custard and pour over Kopp’s Flavor Forecast, printed out each month to make planning easier for custard freaks like us. Some flavors we LOVE; others, not so much. And there is usually one new creation that creates a conversation of curiosity. This month’s concoction of concern: Pancakes and Syrup custard. Would you try it? Five pounds heavier, I headed back to downtown for more beer samplings with friends and a run along the beautiful county parks that dot the shoreline of one of the five greatest lakes ever which are overseen by my incredibly gifted friend Sue Black who formerly ran the State Parks in Wisconsin . . . my favorite being Bradford Beach! Okay, I did sneak in one stop on 27th Street for a scoop (or two!) at Leon’s Frozen Custard, which boasts the “world’s finest custard,” is open til midnight and was the inspiration for Al’s Diner on Happy Days. You gotta love Wisconsin….such a flavorful state! Happy to call it my homeland. Before heading there, you must visit www.travelwisconsin.com and send a message to my good friend and former co-host of Discover Wisconsin, Stephanie Klett, Miss Wisconsin 1992 and now Secretary of Tourism for the state. I couldn’t be more proud!]]>