Entries from February 2007 ↓

“I got a rock.” – Charlie Brown, “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown”

If you sell flowers, candy or stuffed teddy bears, today is your day. It is the equivalent of the Christmas holiday season, a chance to make your entire nut for the year. Toss in the jewelers and restaurants, and there are a lot of folks making money off the St. Valentine’s Day lovefest, the final holiday in the overly-commercialized season of socially-imposed happiness that begins with Thanksgiving (think turkey and airline travel), continues through Christmas (the mother of them all) and New Year’s (champagne, tuxedo rentals, large catered parties) before ending today. Frankly, about the only one I can stomach is Thanksgiving, no pun intended.

We’ve all been told we’re supposed to be happy, as if whatever else may be going on in our lives or in the world will somehow disappear. And we’ll be happier still if we just make those cash registers ring-a-ling all across the land. Bah humbug!

For the umpteenth time in at least as many years, Cupid’s arrow hasn’t been fired anywhere near me. I can’t even recall the last time I saw his little naked ass in the neighborhood. But that’s ok. Really.

People in relationships have a heightened awareness of the state of their relationships on Valentine’s Day. They do little things (or big things) for each other as a way to say, “I love you.” There is nothing inherently wrong with taking a day to do that, even if that fact was never in doubt before. If it was, then this day can also create an opportunity to either work to strengthen the bonds or decide if it’s worth it to go on. Although I have to figure getting dumped today would be truly fucked up.

But if you’re not in a relationship, haven’t been in ages, and see no signs of that ever changing, this day is just major suckage. The media will do their annual stories on the price of a dozen roses, do man (and woman) on the street interviews to find out how couples are celebrating, and the day will be filled with reminders that one is the loneliest number. All this glee, with no glee for thee.

I have grown in my own comfortability around singlehood. I’m not as bummed out over it as I was in past years. I have accepted the possibility (probablility?) that this may remain my natural state for the rest of the run and have reoriented my life and my thinking accordingly. I’m doing me now. If someone comes into my life one day, fine. If not, I know how to cook dinner on my own, can take my ownself to the theater and I’m still working towards getting a house, dammit.

Happy Valentine’s Day, y’all!

New York State Supreme Court Judge Jill Konviser-Levine today in Brooklyn denied bail to Anthony Fortunato, one of the three remaining defendants facing trial in the October 2006 hate crime murder of Michael Sandy.

Fortunato’s family had raised $1.3 million hoping to gain his release should bail be granted.

Judge Konviser-Levine received appeals arguing for and against Fortunato’s release, including a letter from Clarence Patton, Executive Director of the New York City Gay & Lesbian Anti-Violence Project.

In it Patton stated, “…when defendants are young, facing a long sentence, and have families with relatively significant resources, there is a disincentive to stand and face trial, and the risk of flight is therefore heightened.”

The letter went on to characterize Fortunato’s role in Sandy’s death as cowardly. “…by engaging Mr. Sandy on the internet, luring him to a secluded area, ganging up on him, further harming and victimizing him after he’d been grievously injured, and finally fleeing the scene leaving him to suffer – sends a clear message that these men acted solely in their own self interest, but also in ways that betray an unremitting desire for self-preservation, even at the highest cost to another human being.”

NY Times - Emotions Run High at Hearing in Bias Killing

Oct. 11 - Four Arrested for Luring, Attacking Gay Man in NYC

Oct. 13 - Michael Sandy dies

Oct. 15 - Michael Sandy’s Fateful Moment

Oct. 17 - Gathering in Michael’s Name

Billy Strayhorn was a bona fide musical genius. One of America’s most innovative jazz composer, arranger, pianists who bridged the worlds between jazz and classical music and profoundly infused the two with a cultural awareness rooted in the African American experience.

But as a long-time collaborator with legendary bandleader and composer Duke Ellington, and an unapologetically out Black gay man way before it was fashionable, his name has gone largely unknown to all but the most knowledgeable music lovers. That may be about to change.

“Billy Strayhorn: Lush Life,” is a documentary presentation of the Emmy-Award-winning PBS series Independent Lens which chronicles the nearly 30 year career of the great yet unsung composer, whose long association shaped what became known as the Ellington sound. The program begins airing nationally on Tuesday, February 6. (Check local listings for time and station in your area.)

Born gravely ill to an impoverished family in Dayton, Ohio in 1915, Strayhorn was the fourth of nine children. His mother bought him books and sheet music from her meager earnings as a domestic and also funded his trips to North Carolina where his grandmother taught him the piano. As a high school student in Pittsburgh in 1934, Strayhorn was the only Black musician in a 25-player orchestra and the featured soloist for a performance of Grieg’s “Piano Concerto in A Minor.” Largely self-taught, Strayhorn also wrote music, skits and lyrics for musical revues that toured western Pennsylvania Black theaters.

Four years later, Strayhorn met Ellington when the latter appeared at a local venue and gained an impromptu audition. Four months later, he was writing arrangements for the Ellington orchestra and living openly as a gay man.

Yet, for the duration of their professional relationship, Strayhorn rarely received recognition for his musical contributions nor for the considerable profits he helped generate. Some believe that Ellington’s publishers were opportunistic about credits and royalties, and that Strayhorn was not treated fairly; others insist Ellington provided Strayhorn with a shield during a time that was intimidating for homosexuals and lifted him from obscurity. As Ellington himself liked to joke, “Strayhorn does a lot of the work but I get to take the bows!”

In the early 1950s, tired of his secondary role, Strayhorn left Ellington to pursue his own interests. Even after rejoining Ellington several years later, Strayhorn concluded that his musical contributions were still not sufficiently acknowledged in public. Few realized what he had achieved for Ellington as his tireless co-writer and arranger. Fewer still appreciated that this generous, deferential man had created some of the most important and enduring American music of the 20th century.

Filmmaker Robert Levi navigates the complexities of their relationship and attempts to uncover the truth about these men. The documentary incorporates rarely seen home movies, re-creations starring actor Dule Hill as Strayhorn and a multitude of unpublished images from several 20th-century American photography masters.

“Billy Strayhorn: Lush Life” features television broadcast premieres of recently discovered Strayhorn music as well as some of his best-known compositions, sung by Dianne Reeves and Elvis Costello, and interpreted by piano legend Hank Jones, pianist Bill Charlap, saxophonist Joe Lovano and guitarist Russell Malone. Among the 30-plus compositions covered are “Blood Count,” “Tonk,” “Fantastic Rhythm,” “So This Is Love,” “Satin Doll,” “Something to Live For,” “Lush Life” and more.

A companion CD to this documentary, released by Blue Note Records, features some of the best of the Strayhorn songbook, performed by these artists.

Following Strayhorn’s untimely death at age 51 in 1967, Ellington released an album in tribute, “…and His Mother Called Him Bill.”

Ok, so I was wrong. What else is new.

Defense does win championships and Indianapolis had the better one. They also proved that a good offense can be the best defense. They kept Chicago’s defense on the field to the point of exhaustion and never let the Bears offense get on the field long enough to develop a rhythm.

Tony Dungy becomes the first Black coach to win a Super Bowl and did it without swearing at his players or even raising his voice, but rather through respect and instilling a strong team spirit. Let that be a lesson to the so-called disciplinarians around the league (like the Giants’ Tom Coughlin).

Peyton Manning has gotten the monkey off his back and shed the label of big game choker, but across the field, the Bears’ Rex Grossman simply raised more questions about his ability to lead a team to victory.

As you can imagine, post game reaction differed depending on whether you were in Indianapolis or Chicago.

I know I am. The two weeks of hype is over. Today there will be football.

The unofficial national holiday, otherwise known as Super Bowl XLI, will capture the attention of an estimated 90 million television viewers worldwide. While some will tune in to see which corporations have the most interesting commercials or whether Prince pulls a Janet during the halftime show, for us diehard football fans, the game is about settling all the off-the-field speculation once and for all.

Thirty-two NFL teams opened training camps last July and now 8 months later only two remain. A champion will be crowned today, but to those of us who love the sport, this also means the end of the season (next week’s Pro Bowl doesn’t count).

In post season predictions, I am 3-7 this year, and can’t possible finish in the black. But I can regain a level of respectability by picking the Super Bowl correctly, and by God, that’s what I plan to do.

As far as I am concerned, the axiom, “defense wins championships” has never been disproven and I don’t think it will be today. But defense is just one aspect of the game. Good offensive and special teams play are also essential for any team to win.

The Colts and Bears are fairly even in overall defense, with Indy giving up fewer yards per game despite the perception they can’t stop the run. The Bears have a better record, although everyone discounts the NFC and despite the second guessing Rex Grossman gets over his abilities as a quarterback. Peyton Manning is arguably the best QB in the game today, but his best receiver, Marvin Harrison, has been surprisingly quiet this post season. The Bears have a reliable receiver corps that includes Muhsin Muhammed and Bernard Berrian. Indy’s kicker, Adam Vinatieri, is an experienced Super Bowl game-winner, while the Bears rookie kick return specialist Devin Hester has game-breaking potential.

Manning feels he has a lot to prove having never won “the big one.” Chicago is the Rodney Dangerfield of the NFL and nobody is giving them any respect. Which team has the most motivation to win and will make the fewest mistakes? I think it’s going to be a low scoring affair, maybe 16-7 or 21-10, but I think the outcome will surprise most fans.

Super Bowl XLI — Dolphin Stadium (South Florida)
(My picks in bold; all times are eastern)

Sunday, Feb. 4
Indianapolis Colts vs. Chicago Bears
6:25 pm
CBS

AFC-NFC Pro Bowl — Aloha Stadium (Honolulu, Hawaii)

Saturday, Feb. 10
NFC vs. AFC
6:00 pm
CBS