Deep Dish Pool Party #25

June 27, 2013, 10:15 pm

≫ Next: Show Tune Showdown #42: 1961-64 Broadway Seasons, Round 2

≪ Previous: Dish of the Day #1186: 2-for-1 Pride Special

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The rules are quite simple - each week I feature 10 Dishes of the Day and you get to invite your three favorites over for some wet and wild fun at the Deep Dish Pool Party. The five hunks who receive the most votes get to stay, and the following week five new Dishes are added to the guest list. So enjoy the party - and please feel free to leave a comment and share your selections.

1) Dish #1157: Roman Dawidoff
Last Week #1, Week 6, 39 invites out of 314



1) Dish #1180
W2, 39 invites



3) Dish #1104: Chris Bailey
LW #2, W17, 38 invites



4) Dish #1175
LW #5, W3, 37 invites



5) Dish #1172: Jim Key
LW #3, W3, 33 invites



6) Dish #1182: James Ellis



7) Dish #1183



8) Dish #1184: Ryan Daharsh



9) Dish #1185: Seth Fornea & Jared Bradford LeBlanc



10) Dish #1186: Brandon Brown & Colby Melvin

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Show Tune Showdown #42: 1961-64 Broadway Seasons, Round 2

June 27, 2013, 10:20 pm

≫ Next: The 100 Grooviest LGBT Characters on Television

≪ Previous: Deep Dish Pool Party #25

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In the 41st Show Tune Showdown, Wicked won the most showdowns - and the following songs will be moving on to Round 3:

Wicked's "Defying Gravity", "Popular", "What Is This Feeling?" and "For Good"

Little Shop of Horrors' "Suddenly Seymour", "Somewhere That's Green" and "Little Shop of Horrors"

Ragtime's "Ragtime", "Journey On" and "Your Daddy's Son"

Hairspray's "It Takes Two" and "Without Love"

Aida's "Elaborate Lives"

Assassin's "The Ballad of Booth"

Jekyll & Hyde's "This Is the Moment"

The Life's "My Body"

The Producers' "Keep It Gay"

Thoroughly Modern Millie's "Gimme Gimme"

Urinetown's "Run, Freedom, Run!"

You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown's "My New Philosophy"

PLEASE NOTE: The next Show Tune Showdown will be on Friday, July 12.

Now on to our 42nd Show Tune Showdown, which takes us back to the 1961-64 Broadway seasons when the following 17 musicals opened:

Carnival!
April 13, 1961 - January 5, 1963 (719 performances)

Milk and Honey
October 10, 1961 - January 26, 1963 (543 performances)

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
October 14, 1961 - March 6, 1965 (1,417 performances)
Revival: March 23, 1995 - July 14, 1996 (548 performances)
Revival: March 27, 2011 - May 20, 2012 (473 performances)

Subways Are for Sleeping
December 27, 1961 - June 23, 1962 (205 performances)

No Strings
March 15, 1962 - August 3, 1963 (580 performances)

I Can Get It for You Wholesale
March 22, 1962 - December 8, 1962 (300 performances)

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
May 8, 1962 - August 29, 1964 (964 performances)
Revival: March 30, 1972 - August 12, 1972 (156 performances)
Revival: April 18, 1996 - January 4, 1998 (715 performances)

Stop the World – I Want to Get Off
October 3, 1962 - February 1, 1964 (555 performances)
Revival: August 3, 1978 - August 27, 1978 (30 performances)

Little Me
November 17, 1962 - June 29, 1963 (257 performances)
Revival: January 21, 1982 - February 21, 1982 (36 performances)
Revival: November 12, 1998 - February 7, 1999 (99 performances)

Oliver!
January 6, 1963 - November 14, 1964 (774 performances)
Return Engagement: August 2, 1965 - September 25, 1965 (64 performances)
Revival: April 29, 1984 - May 13, 1984 (17 performances)

She Loves Me
Original: April 23, 1963 - January 11, 1964 (301 performances)
Revival: June 10, 1993 - June 19, 1994 (354 performances)

Here's Love
October 3, 1963 - July 25, 1964 (334 performances)

Hello, Dolly!
January 16, 1964 - December 27, 1970 (2,844 performances)
Revival: November 6, 1975 - December 28, 1975 (42 performances)
Revival: March 5, 1978 - July 9, 1978 (147 performances)
Revival: October 19, 1995 - January 28, 1996 (116 performances)

Foxy
February 16, 1964 - April 18, 1964 (72 performances)

Funny Girl
March 26, 1964 - July 1, 1967 (1,348 performances)

Anyone Can Whistle
April 4, 1964 - April 11, 1964 (9 performances)

High Spirits
April 7, 1964 - February 27, 1965 (375 performances)

Now here are the competing show tunes - and if you're wondering how to judge each showdown, just ask yourself, "Which song do I enjoy listening to more?"

"Hello, Dolly!" (Carol Channing performs at the Royal Variety Performance in London on October 30, 1972)

vs.

A Funny Thing's "Comedy Tonight" (Zero Mostel performs in the 1966 film version)

Funny Girl's "Don't Rain on My Parade" (Barbra Streisand performs in the 1968 film version)

vs.

Hello Dolly's "Put on Your Sunday Clothes" (the Broadway cast performs on the 22nd Annual Tony Awards on April 21, 1968 - Pearl Bailey also sings "So Long, Dearie")

Funny Girl's "People" (Barbra Streisand performs on her TV special, My Name Is Barbra, on April 28, 1965)

vs.

Oliver's "As Long As He Needs Me" (Eydie Gorme performs in 1968)

She Loves Me's "Vanilla Ice Cream" (Barbara Cook performs in 1996 the song she sang in the original Broadway production - and she has deservedly been named an honoree at the 2011 Kennedy Center Honors)

vs.

Oliver's "Food, Glorious Food" (from the 1968 film version)

Stop the World's "What Kind of Fool Am I?" (Sammy Davis Jr. performs on The Andy Williams Show on October 25, 1962)

vs.

Oliver's "Where Is Love?" (Sammy Davis Jr. performs with Laurindo Almeida on guitar)

Anyone Can Whistle's "There's Always a Woman" (Carol Burnett and Ruthie Henshall perform this cut song from the musical during the Broadway production of Putting It Together on February 20, 2000)

vs.

A Funny Thing's "Lovely" (Ruthie Henshall and Carol Burnett perform during the Broadway production of Putting It Together on February 20, 2000)

Funny Girl's "I'm the Greatest Star" (Barbra Streisand performs on the original Broadway cast recording)

vs.

Hello Dolly's "Elegance" (from the 1969 film soundtrack)

High Spirits' "Home Sweet Heaven" (Tammy Grimes performs the song she sang in the original Broadway production on a rare single version)

vs.

I Can Get It for You Wholesale's "Miss Marmelstein" (Barbra Streisand performs on the original Broadway cast recording)

"Little Me" (Little Peggy March performs in 1962)

vs.

"Milk and Honey" (Eddie Fisher performs in 1962)

A Funny Thing's "Everybody Ought to Have a Maid" (Simon Russell Beale, Daniel Evans, Julian Ovenden and Bryn Terfel perform at BBC Proms 2010, Sondheim's 80th birthday celebration)

vs.

Anyone Can Whistle's "Everybody Says Don't" (Barbra Streisand performs on her 1993 album, Back to Broadway)

How to Succeed's "I Believe in You" (Robert Morse performs in the 1967 film version)

vs.

Oliver's "I'd Do Anything" (Davy Jones and the original Broadway cast perform on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964)

Little Me's "The Other Side of the Tracks" (Barbara McNair performs)

vs.

Stop the World's "Once in a Lifetime" (Shirley Bassey performs)

Little Me's "Here's to Us" (Judy Garland performs on The Judy Garland Show in 1963)

vs.

Funny Girl's "The Music That Makes Me Dance" (Liza Minnelli performs on the TV special, Baryshnikov on Broadway, on April 24, 1980)

No Strings' "The Sweetest Sounds" (Andy Williams performs)

vs.

Anyone Can Whistle's "There Won't Be Trumpets" (Lee Remick performs on the original Broadway cast recording)

She Loves Me's "Will He Like Me?" (Barbra Streisand performs on her 1964 album, People)

vs.

"She Loves Me" (Shirley Bassey performs "He Loves Me" on a 1979 episode of The Shirley Bassey Show)

Carnival's "Love Makes the World Go 'Round" (Anna Maria Alberghetti performs on the original Broadway cast recording)

vs.

A Funny Thing's "Pretty Little Picture" (Nathan Lane, Jim Stanek and Jessica Boevers perform on the 1996 Broadway cast recording)

Hello Dolly's "Ribbons Down My Back" (Emily Yancy performs on the 1967 Broadway cast recording)

vs.

She Loves Me's "Dear Friend" (Diane Fratantoni performs on the 1993 Broadway cast recording)

Hello Dolly's "So Long, Dearie" (Barbra Streisand performs on the 1969 film soundtrack)

vs.

Foxy's "Talk to Me, Baby" (Susannah McCorkle performs on her 1977 album, The Songs of Johnny Mercer)

Subways Are for Sleeping's "Be a Santa" (from The Living Voices' 1965 Christmas album, The Little Drummer Boy)

vs.

Here's Love's "Pinecones and Holly Berries/It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas" (Laurence Naismith, Janis Paige and Fred Gwynne perform on the original Broadway cast recording)

The 100 Grooviest LGBT Characters on Television

June 30, 2013, 9:06 am

≫ Next: Web Series Worth Watching: Bloomers adds some gay eye candy with guest star Sean Hemeon

≪ Previous: Show Tune Showdown #42: 1961-64 Broadway Seasons, Round 2

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To celebrate today's Chicago Gay Pride Parade, I thought it would be fun to make a list of the 100 Grooviest LGBT Characters on Television, including series from the UK, Australia and Germany. I did not include any miniseries (Tales of the City, Angels in America), but I did choose a character from the anthology series, American Horror Story. It wasn't easy to narrow down my selections - or rank them in order - but hopefully your favorite characters are featured. Happy Pride!

1) Jack McFarland (Sean Hayes), Will & Grace (1998–06)



2) Ellen Morgan (Ellen DeGeneres), Ellen (1994–98)



3) Steven Carrington (Al Corley, Jack Coleman), Dynasty (1981–88)



4) Jodie Dallas (Billy Crystal), Soap (1977–81)



5) Brian Kinney (Gale Harold), Queer as Folk (2000-05)



6) Will Truman (Eric McCormack), Will & Grace (1998–06)

7) Matt Fielding (Doug Savant), Melrose Place (1992-97)



8) Kurt Hummel (Chris Colfer), Glee (2009–Present)

9) Billy Douglas (Ryan Phillippe), One Life to Live (1992–93)



10) Don Finlayson (Joe Hasham), Number 96 (1972–77)



11) Luke Snyder (Van Hansis), As the World Turns (2005–10)



12) Bianca Montgomery (Eden Riegel, Christina Bennett Lind), All My Children (2000–Present)



13) Shane McCutcheon (Katherine Moennig), The L Word (2004-09)

14) Scotty Wandell (Luke Macfarlane), Brothers & Sisters (2006-11)



15) Blaine Anderson (Darren Criss), Glee (2010-Present)



16) Will Horton (Chandler Massey), Days of our Lives (2010–Present)



17) Christian Mann (Thore Schölermann), Verbotene Liebe (2006-12)

18) Oliver Sabel (Jo Weil), Verbotene Liebe (1999-Present)



19) Emmett Honeycutt (Peter Paige), Queer as Folk (2000-05)

20) Rickie Vasquez (Wilson Cruz), My So-Called Life (1994-95)

21) Chris Keller (Christopher Meloni), Oz (1998-03)



22) Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), Doctor Who (2005-10), Torchwood (2006-11)



23) David Fisher (Michael C. Hall), Six Feet Under (2001-05)



24) Cameron Tucker (Eric Stonestreet), Modern Family (2009–Present)

25) Olivia Spencer (Crystal Chappell), Guiding Light (1999–09)

26) Justin Taylor (Randy Harrison), Queer as Folk (2000-05)

27) Ben Bruckner (Robert Gant), Queer as Folk (2002-05)



28) Tobias Beecher (Lee Tergesen), Oz (1997-03)

29) Sonny Kiriakis (Freddie Smith), Days of our Lives (2011–Present)

30) Thomas Barrow (Rob James-Collier), Downton Abbey (2010-Present)

31) Sal Romano (Bryan Batt), Mad Men (2007-09)



32) Lafayette Reynolds (Nelsan Ellis), True Blood (2008-Present)

33) Andrew Van de Kamp (Shawn Pyfrom), Desperate Housewives (2004-12)

34) Mitchell Pritchett (Jesse Tyler Ferguson), Modern Family (2009–Present)

35) Earl "Brother Boy" Ingram (Leslie Jordan), Sordid Lives: The Series (2008)

36) Alice Pieszecki (Leisha Hailey), The L Word (2004-09)

37) Willow Rosenberg (Alyson Hannigan), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-03)

38) Santana Lopez (Naya Rivera), Glee (2009–Present)

39) Michael Novotny (Hal Sparks), Queer as Folk (2000-05)

40) Kevin Walker (Matthew Rhys), Brothers & Sisters (2006-11)

41) Hayley Cropper (Julie Hesmondhalgh), Coronation Street (1998–Present)

42) Jack McPhee (Kerr Smith), Dawson's Creek (1998-03)



43) Noah Mayer (Jake Silbermann), As the World Turns (2007–10)

44) Justin Suarez (Mark Indelicato), Ugly Betty (2006-10)

45) Russell Weller (David Marshall Grant), thirtysomething (1989-90)

46) Moira/Max Sweeney (Daniela Sea), The L Word (2006-09)

47) Colin Russell (Michael Cashman), EastEnders (1986–89)

48) Todd Grimshaw (Bruno Langley), Coronation Street (2001–Present)

49) Oliver Fish (Scott Evans), One Life to Live (2009–10)



50) Teddy Montgomery (Trevor Donovan), 90210 (2009-13)



51) Wade "Unique" Adams (Alex Newell), Glee (2012-Present)

52) Marc St. James (Michael Urie), Ugly Betty (2006-10)

53) Blake Reilly (Mark Devlin), GCB (2012)

54) Marshall Gregson (Keir Gilchrist), United States of Tara (2009-11)

55) Sean Tully (Antony Cotton), Coronation Street (2004–Present)

56) Natalia Rivera (Jessica Leccia), Guiding Light (2007–09)

57) Dr. Lynn Carson (Donna Pescow), All My Children (1982–83)



58) Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez), Grey's Anatomy (2006-Present)

59) C.J. Lamb (Amanda Donohoe), L.A. Law (1990-92)

60) Stanford Blatch (Willie Garson), Sex and the City (1998-04)

61) Bette Porter (Jennifer Beals), The L Word (2004-09)

62) Kyle Lewis (Brett Claywell), One Life to Live (2009–10)

63) Dana Fairbanks (Erin Daniels), The L Word (2004-07)

64) Ted Schmidt (Scott Lowell), Queer as Folk (2000-05)

65) Hank Eliot (Brian Starcher), As the World Turns (1988–89)



66) Michael Delaney (Chris Bruno), All My Children (1995–97)

67) Nathan Maloney (Charlie Hunnam), Queer as Folk (UK/1999-00)

68) Max Blum (Adam Pally), Happy Endings (2011–13)

69) Officer John Cooper (Michael Cudlitz), Southland (2009-13)

70) Noah Nicholson (Darryl Stephens), Noah's Arc (2005-06)



71) Isabelle Hodes (Allie Grant), Weeds (2005-09)

72) Malcolm Laffley (Tuc Watkins), Beggars and Choosers (1999–01)



73) Cliff Waters (Paul Regina), Brothers (1984–89)

74) Donald Maltby (Philip Charles MacKenzie), Brothers (1984–89)



75) Calvin Owens (Paul James), Greek (2007-11)

76) Joan "The Freak" Ferguson (Maggie Kirkpatrick), Prisoner: Cell Block H (1982–86)

77) Keith Charles (Mathew St. Patrick), Six Feet Under (2001-05)

78) Tara Maclay (Amber Benson), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1999-02)

79) Lindsay Peterson (Thea Gill), Queer as Folk (2000-05)

80) Melanie Marcus (Michelle Clunie), Queer as Folk (2000-05)

81) Judy Bryant (Betty Bobbitt), Prisoner: Cell Block H (1980-85)

82) Jessie Sammler (Evan Rachel Wood), Once and Again (1999-02)

83) Eric van der Woodsen (Connor Paolo), Gossip Girl (2007-11)

84) Toby Moraitis (Charlie David), Dante's Cove (2005–07)



85) David Murray (Justin Bartha), The New Normal (2012–13)

86) Bryan Collins (Andrew Rannells), The New Normal (2012–13)

87) Tom Levitt (Christian Borle), Smash (2012-13)

88) Dr. Kerry Weaver (Laura Innes), ER (1995-07)

89) Lana Winters (Sarah Paulson), American Horror Story: Asylum (2012-13)

90) Brian (Scott Thompson), The Larry Sanders Show (1995–98)

91) Oscar Martinez (Oscar Nunez), The Office (2005–13)

92) Brittany Pierce (Heather Morris), Glee (2009–Present)

93) Dudley Butterfield (Chard Hayward), Number 96 (1973–77)

94) Kalinda Sharma (Archie Panjabi), The Good Wife (2009-Present)

95) Nancy Bartlett (Sandra Bernhard), Roseanne (1991–97)



96) Nolan Ross (Gabriel Mann), Revenge (2011-Present)

97) Lt. Jim Dangle (Thomas Lennon), Reno 911! (2003-09)

98) Mr. Humphries (John Inman), Are You Being Served? and Grace and Favour (1972-93)

99) Buddy Cole (Scott Thompson), The Kids in the Hall (1988-95)



100) Xena (Lucy Lawless), Xena: Warrior Princess (1995-01)

Web Series Worth Watching: Bloomers adds some gay eye candy with guest star Sean Hemeon

June 30, 2013, 3:15 pm

≫ Next: Dish of the Day #1187: Red, Hot and Blue!

≪ Previous: The 100 Grooviest LGBT Characters on Television

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Web Series of the Week: Bloomers
While watching its second season, I've slowly become a fan of this online sitcom about a group of L.A. friends who work at Moxie, a hip underwear (or "bloomers") company. And now with the addition of guest star Sean Hemeon (from the web series, Husbands) as a potential love interest for its gay character, Brooke (played by creator Matt Palazzolo), I can definitely recommend Bloomers as a web series worth watching. I've always thought it was a well-written, character-driven show, but I just wanted a more compelling storyline for Brooke, who now has one with the handsome Mr. Hemeon. The rest of the cast is equally talented, including executive producer Fernanda Espíndola as Brooke's best friend Francesca, Nathan Frizzell and Swati Kapila as cute couple Ross and Joanna, and a scene-stealing Tracey Verhoeven as Dr. Gail Vale, who has a few too many cocktails during a party in the latest episode.

To catch up on Bloomers, visit www.BloomersTheSeries.com. You can also become a fan of the series on Facebook and Twitter.



PLEASE NOTE: The next Web Series Worth Watching will be on Sunday, July 14.

Other web series worth watching this week are:

Child of the '70s
This comedy series has found its groove as it begins its second season. The first season was centered around struggling NYC actor Carlo Perdente (played by creator Michael Vaccaro) and his overbearing family - but now he has moved to Los Angeles to become a personal assistant to his favorite 1970s TV idol, Kiki Lawrence (played by Sordid Lives' Ann Walker). And in the season opener, Carlo meets actress Geri Jewell (The Facts of Life) and Kiki's hot personal trainer (Leo Forte), who asks him out on a date. Other groovy guest stars this season include Bruce Vilanch, Lynne Marie Stewart (Pee-wee's Playhouse) and Susan Olsen (The Brady Bunch).

For more Child of the '70s, subscribe to its YouTube Channel. You can also become a fan on Facebook - and click here to donate to the series' indiegogo fundraising campaign for a third season.



He's With Me
Directed by Sebastian La Cause (the creator of Hustling), this new comedy series has an interesting premise - Ted, a lonely straight man, meets Martin, a lonely gay man, during a wedding reception and become friends. I found the pilot episode to be funny with relatable characters and some great performances, including creator Jason Cicci as Martin, Bradford How as Ted, Darcie Siciliano and John Cramer as their newly married friends Val and Eddie, and Ryan Duncan as Martin's friend Benny, a cabaret singer.

For more HWM, subscribe to its YouTube Channel. You can also become a fan of the series on Facebook and Twitter.



Hustling
Creator and star Sebastian La Cause has created a Kickstarter campaign to help fund a third season of his sexy and addictive drama, and below you can check out a new fundraising video with Mr. La Cause and his lovely Hustling co-star Daphne Rubin-Vega. Click here to make a donation - and if you need to catch up on the first two seasons of Hustling, go to www.hustling.tv.



THE INN
Season 2 of this horror story continues as Jane (Crystal Chappell) confesses her tragic past. To catch up on The Inn, go to www.theinnseries.com. You can also follow the series on Facebook.



Secrets
This gay soap opera continues as Donovan learns some surprising news about Rebecca. To catch up on the series, go to www.secretstheseries.com. You can also become a fan on Facebook.



Steam Room Stories
In the latest episode, Josh and Chad play a friendly drinking game of "I Never". For more hot hunks, go to www.SteamRoomStories.com. You can also become a fan on Facebook and Twitter.



Steve Hayes: Tired Old Queen at the Movies
The fabulous film critic reviews Jason and the Argonauts (1963). For more TOQ, subscribe to his YouTube Channel. You can also become a fan on Facebook or follow Steve on Twitter.



Where the Bears Are
The second season of this groovy gay comedy continues with two new episodes as the Bears pay a visit to the Faultline, a popular Silver Lake leather bar, where Wood makes out with two men and Nelson has a bit too much to drink. To catch up on the Bears, go to wherethebearsare.tv. You can also become a fan on Facebook and Twitter.

Dish of the Day #1187: Red, Hot and Blue!

July 1, 2013, 12:53 pm

≫ Next: 10 Groovy Things to Do in July starring Matthew Morrison and Patti LuPone

≪ Previous: Web Series Worth Watching: Bloomers adds some gay eye candy with guest star Sean Hemeon

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To celebrate the 4th of July, this week I'm featuring a few patriotic Dishes. Every Monday through Friday a new Dish of the Day is featured, and beginning on Friday you can vote for your favorite Dish of the week. If you haven't voted for last week's Dish yet, choose your man in the sidebar poll.

Today's Dish is Kirill Dowidoff.

10 Groovy Things to Do in July starring Matthew Morrison and Patti LuPone

July 1, 2013, 1:30 pm

≫ Next: Dish of the Day #1188: Red, Hot and Blue!

≪ Previous: Dish of the Day #1187: Red, Hot and Blue!

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Since there are so many groovy plays, musicals, concerts and events, this is my monthly list to help promote a few of them (click on a title for more information or to purchase tickets):

1) Robert Rodi Trio's The Sound of Music, Man
July 5 at Davenport's Piano Bar in Chicago
The hills are alive with the sound of bossa, samba, scat and swing in this jazz and Beat-poetry retelling of Rodgers & Hammerstein's 1959 masterpiece, featuring the entire classic score as you've never heard it before. Mr. Rodi is also the author of many gay novels, including Fag Hag, Closet Case, Drag Queen and Kept Boy.

2) The New York Musical Theatre Festival
July 8 - 28
The largest annual musical theatre event in the world, the Festival presents 30 productions each summer in the heart of New York City's Theatre District, along with an array of readings, concerts and other special events. This year's lineup includes:

Boys Will Be Boys, Joe Miloscia and Kenneth Kacmar's comic musical romp about a young man who suffers from Gay-D.D., a condition that renders gay men unable to stay focused on any trend for more than a few weeks.

Homo: The Musical, Lola Rock-N-Rolla and Gina Volpe's offbeat and otherworldly probing of pure camp, cult and pop about an alien from Planet Homo posing as a suburban housewife.

Julian Po, Andrew Barrett and Ira Antelis' darkly humorous modern day myth about a man who finds himself stuck in a strange town will feature Malcolm Gets, Chad Kimball and Luba Mason.

Legacy Falls, James Burn and Ian Poitier's side-splitting new musical that dishes the dirt on daytime soaps will feature Kevin Spirtas (Days of our Lives).

3) FIRST DATE
Broadway previews begin July 9. Opens August 4 at the Longacre Theatre.
This new musical comedy is about the most dangerous human endeavor in existence, the dreaded blind date. With music and lyrics by Alan Zachary and Michael Weiner, the production stars Zachary Levi (TV's Chuck, Thor: The Dark World), who will make his Broadway debut opposite Krysta Rodriguez (TV's Smash, The Addams Family).

4) Encores! Off-Center: The Cradle Will Rock, Violet and I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking It on the Road
NYC's City Center
This new musical theater series features seminal Off-Broadway musicals filtered through the lens of today's most innovative artists, including:

The Cradle Will Rock (July 10-13), Marc Blitzstein’s 1937 musical will star Danny Burstein, Raúl Esparza, Peter Friedman, Judy Kuhn and Anika Noni Rose (use Promo Code "MENCRADLE" to receive a special Boys Night offer of $59 seats on July 11 from TheMenEvent.com).

Violet (July 17), Jeanine Tesori's 1997 musical will star Sutton Foster and Christopher Sieber.

I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking It on the Road (July 24-27), Gretchen Cryer and Nancy Ford's 1978 musical will star Renée Elise Goldsberry (use Promo Code "MENACT" to receive a special Boys Night offer of $59 seats on July 25 from TheMenEvent.com).


5) An Evening with Molly Ringwald
July 11 - 13 at The Starlight Room in San Francisco's Sir Francis Drake Hotel
Society Cabaret presents actress Molly Ringwald and her jazz trio as they perform songs from her debut album, Except Sometimes, in this intimate and elegant 80-seat venue.

6) Outfest Los Angeles LGBT Film Festival
July 11 - 21
This film festival features some groovy new LGBT films, including C.O.G. (this first feature based on the writings of author David Sedaris stars Glee's Jonathan Groff), I Am Divine (Jeffrey Schwartz's documentary about legendary cult star Divine), Interior. Leather Bar. (James Franco and Travis Mathews' steamy documentary film-within-a-film about gay sex and masculinity), Southern Baptist Sissies (Sordid Lives director/writer Del Shores returns to the screen with this adaptation of his play starring Willam Belli, Leslie Jordan and Ann Walker), G.B.F. (featuring Will & Grace's Megan Mullally) and many others.



7) Screenings: Musicals on Television
July 13 & 14 at NYC's Paley Center for Media
As part of the New York Musical Theatre Festival, the Paley Center offers screenings of:

Little Women (1958): This television musical based on the classic novel features original songs by Broadway composer and lyricist Richard Adler (The Pajama Game, Damn Yankees) and stars Florence Henderson, Jeannie Carson, Zina Bethune, Margaret O’Brien, Bill Hayes and Joel Grey.

Damn Yankees (1967): This television adaptation of the Tony-winning 1955 Broadway hit stars Phil Silvers, Lee Remick, Jerry Lanning, Jim Backus, Fran Allison, Linda Lavin and Bob Dishy.

Kiss Me, Kate (1968): This lavish television special of the Cole Porter classic stars Robert Goulet, Carol Lawrence, Jessica Walter and Michael Callan.

Our Town (1955): This musical adaptation of Thornton Wilder’s landmark play stars Frank Sinatra, Eva Marie Saint, Paul Newman and Shelley Fabares.




8) Up Close and Personal with Matthew Morrison
July 13 - 17 at NYC's 54 Below
Following his recent sold-out engagement at 54 Below, the Emmy and Tony-nominated star returns to celebrate the release of his brand new studio album, Where It All Began.



9) Patti LuPone's Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda… played that part
July 18 - 27 at NYC's 54 Below
Join the two-time Tony winner for a rare NY performance of her critically acclaimed show, featuring songs from roles she coulda played, woulda played, if someone had just asked her or shoulda played (except she’s not a boy). Patti will sing treasures from such classic Broadway musicals as Hair, Bye Bye Birdie, Funny Girl, West Side Story, Kiss Me Kate and Peter Pan.



10) Chicago The Musical at the Hollywood Bowl
July 26 - 28
Actress Brooke Shields directs this production of the long-running Broadway musical, featuring Stephen Moyer (HBO's True Blood) as Billy Flynn, Samantha Barks (Les Misérables) as Velma Kelly, Drew Carey as Amos Hart, and Lucy Lawless (Xena: Warrior Princess) as Mama Morton. Casting for the lead role of Roxie Hart has not been announced yet.

Dish of the Day #1188: Red, Hot and Blue!

July 2, 2013, 1:14 pm

≫ Next: Top 10 Tuesday of Groovy Tunes: "People" who need Barbra Streisand

≪ Previous: 10 Groovy Things to Do in July starring Matthew Morrison and Patti LuPone

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To celebrate the 4th of July, this week I'm featuring a few patriotic Dishes. Every Monday through Friday a new Dish of the Day is featured, and beginning on Friday you can vote for your favorite Dish of the week. If you haven't voted for last week's Dish yet, choose your man in the sidebar poll.

Today's Dish is Matt Mendrun.

Top 10 Tuesday of Groovy Tunes: "People" who need Barbra Streisand

July 2, 2013, 3:15 pm

≫ Next: Groovy Guy of the Month: Ben Rimalower

≪ Previous: Dish of the Day #1188: Red, Hot and Blue!

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Each week I feature 10 groovy tunes that have appeared on Billboard's Hot 100 chart during the last 50+ years. You can vote for your three favorites, and the five with the most votes move on to the following week when five new songs will be added to the list.

Last week Dionne Warwick claimed the top spot with "Walk On By", which received 37 votes out of the 158 cast. And this week she will be challenged by Captain & Tennille, Eurythmics and Barbra Streisand.

1) "Walk On By"/Dionne Warwick (Week 2) - #15 the week of July 4, 1964



2) "California Dreamin'"/The Mamas & the Papas (LW #1, W13) - 17 weeks on Billboard's Hot 100 chart in 1966



3) "The Look of Love"/Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 (W2) - #4 the week of July 6, 1968



4) "(Last Night) I Didn't Get to Sleep at All"/The 5th Dimension (LW #2, W5) - #23 the week of July 8, 1972



5) "More, More, More"/The Andrea True Connection (W2) - #6 the week of July 3, 1976



6) "People"/Barbra Streisand (DEBUT) - #5 the week of July 4, 1964



7) "Magic"/Pilot (DEBUT) - #6 the week of July 5, 1975



8) "Shop Around"/Captain & Tennille (DEBUT) - #5 the week of July 3, 1976



9) "You Make My Dreams"/Hall & Oates (DEBUT) - #5 the week of July 4, 1981



10) "Would I Lie to You?"/Eurythmics (DEBUT) - #6 the week of July 6, 1985

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Groovy Guy of the Month: Ben Rimalower

July 2, 2013, 5:00 pm

≫ Next: Dish of the Day #1189: Red, Hot and Blue!

≪ Previous: Top 10 Tuesday of Groovy Tunes: "People" who need Barbra Streisand

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This month's Groovy Guy is Ben Rimalower, the author and star of the long-running, critically acclaimed Off-Broadway solo play, Patti Issues, which I was lucky enough to see last month when he performed it here in Chicago. If you're a Patti LuPone fan, a Broadway musical enthusiast and/or a gay man, go see this show - you'll enjoy it. And don't just take my word for it. Here are a few other rave reviews:

"Mr. Rimalower’s funny, tender reminiscence rides an infectious rainbow high" — The New York Times

"Endearing, drolly written, and performed with heaps of charisma" — The New Yorker

"The show's fantastic. It's really wonderful. I was moved. He's a very talented man and I'm so proud of him" — Patti LuPone

Well, if Patti herself loves you, then you must be doing something right. And Mr. Rimalower definitely is. Earlier this year he won a Special Bistro Award for Best Solo Play and a M.A.C. Award for Outstanding New York Debut (Male).

Ben is also a director (in 2004 he helmed an Off-Broadway concert presentation of Snoopy! The Musical starring Sutton Foster, Hunter Foster and Christian Borle), and he was once dubbed the "Midas of Cabaret" by The Advocate for directing so many solo shows for artists, including Alec Mapa, Cole Escola, Wendy Ho, Scott Nevins and Lance Horne. His Assistant Director credits include the 2001 Broadway production of A Class Act, the 2001 Emmy-winning PBS concert of Sweeney Todd (starring Ms. LuPone), and the 2002 Ravinia Festival production of A Little Night Music (also with Ms. LuPone). And in 2008, he co-produced Sh-K-Boom/Ghostlight Records’ long-awaited recording of Patti LuPone at Les Mouches, which was digitally restored from archival tapes of her legendary 1980 performances.

I am delighted to have the fabulous Mr. Rimalower here on the Dish to answer a few questions about Patti and pop culture.

Tell me about the creation of Patti Issues. How did you come up with the idea of combining your diva worship of Ms. LuPone with your relationship with your biological father?
I started writing about Patti, but found that what came out was more about me. I knew right away that the final moment of this arc in my journey with Patti LuPone was seeing my father (who I hadn’t seen in 10 years and had been estranged from most of my childhood) at Gypsy on Broadway (sitting directly behind me, of all the coincidences!). The challenge was to tie the threads together so that made sense as the end of both stories.



What is your Top 10 list of favorite Patti LuPone songs?
I’ll do you one better. Here are my 10 favorite Patti songs that your readers can enjoy on YouTube (click on each title for the video):

1. "Meadowlark" (In concert in Nantucket, 1994)
2. "Rainbow High" (The Merv Griffin Show, 1980)
3. "Everything's Coming Up Roses" (2008 Tony Awards)
4. "Being Alive" (1992's Sondheim: A Celebration at Carnegie Hall)
5. "A New Argentina" (1980 Tony Awards)
6. "The Worst Pies in London" (2001's Sweeney Todd in Concert)
7. "Buenos Aires" (1981 Tony Awards)
8. "Blow, Gabriel, Blow" (In Performance at the White House, 1990)
9. "I Dreamed a Dream" (The Late Show Starring Joan Rivers, 1986)
10. "I Love Paris" (2004 Encores! concert of Can-Can)

If you could give out your own Tony award for a show and/or a performance that you saw in the last year, what and/or whom would receive it?
I would give Tonys to everyone involved in Scott Wittman’s brilliant Jukebox Jackie at LaMama, starring Justin Vivian Bond, Bridget Everett and Cole Escola.




My five favorite TV shows of all time are:
Here’s 10. I can't do just five. As it is, I’m sure I'm leaving out something major. This is painful!

Absolutely Fabulous
All in the Family
Dynasty
Mad Men
The Office
Roseanne
Sex and the City
Shameless
The Simpsons
The Sopranos

Five of my favorite movies are:
Again, here’s 10. This is like Sophie’s Choice - which did not make my Top 10 because this is hard!

Gone with the Wind
The Wizard of Oz
All That Jazz
Annie Hall
The Breakfast Club
Revenge of the Nerds
American Beauty
Waiting for Guffman
The World According To Garp
Postcards from the Edge

If I were asked to choose the Sexiest Man Alive, it would be:
Alexander Skarsgård. But I’m easy. I’m pretty into Bill Pullman, too.

If I could have anyone in the world - living or dead - be a guest at my dinner party, I would invite the following three people:
Patti LuPone, Meryl Streep and Carrie Fisher.



What's next for Ben Rimalower?
Extending Patti Issues in New York (again), touring with it all over the world and writing my next solo show.

Thank you, Ben, for being such a groovy guy!

For more information about Mr. Rimalower, go to www.benrimalower.com. You can also follow him on Facebook and Twitter. And be sure to catch Ben at NYC's Duplex and during his Patti Issues Rainbow Tour in Provincetown, Fire Island Pines and Boston (click here for a complete schedule and to purchase tickets).

Photos by Christian Coulson and Peter Kramer/Bravo/NBCU.

Dish of the Day #1189: Red, Hot and Blue!

July 3, 2013, 1:40 pm

≫ Next: Dish of the Day #1190: Happy 4th of July!

≪ Previous: Groovy Guy of the Month: Ben Rimalower

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To celebrate the 4th of July, this week I'm featuring a few patriotic Dishes. Every Monday through Friday a new Dish of the Day is featured, and beginning on Friday you can vote for your favorite Dish of the week. If you haven't voted for last week's Dish yet, choose your man in the sidebar poll.

Today's Dish is John Suazo.

Dish of the Day #1190: Happy 4th of July!

July 3, 2013, 11:32 pm

≫ Next: Groovy Music: "The Same Old Ground" by He's My Brother She's My Sister

≪ Previous: Dish of the Day #1189: Red, Hot and Blue!

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To celebrate the 4th of July, this week I'm featuring a few patriotic Dishes. Every Monday through Friday a new Dish of the Day is featured, and beginning on Friday you can vote for your favorite Dish of the week. If you haven't voted for last week's Dish yet, choose your man in the sidebar poll.

Today's Dish is Arthur Sales by photographer Dean Isidro.

Groovy Music: "The Same Old Ground" by He's My Brother She's My Sister

July 4, 2013, 4:39 pm

≫ Next: Dish of the Day #1191: Red, Hot and Blue!

≪ Previous: Dish of the Day #1190: Happy 4th of July!

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So on Tuesday night I just happened to turn on a repeat of The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson and discovered a new band that I really like. He's My Brother She's My Sister, who have been performing since 2009, are brother and sister Rob Kolar (vocals and guitar) and Rachel Kolar (vocals and percussion) along with Lauren Brown (tap dancing and drums), Oliver 'Oliwa' Newell (upright bass) and Aaron Robinson (slide guitar). Their first full-length album, Nobody Dances In This Town, was released last October, and you can learn more about them at www.hesmybrothershesmysister.com. You can also follow HMBSMS on Facebook (where "Having a good time" is listed under "Band Interests") and Twitter.

Below is the official video of their groovy tune, "The Same Old Ground", as well as the band's April 2013 appearance on Craig Ferguson.

Dish of the Day #1191: Red, Hot and Blue!

July 5, 2013, 8:45 am

≫ Next: Deep Dish Pool Party #26

≪ Previous: Groovy Music: "The Same Old Ground" by He's My Brother She's My Sister

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To celebrate the 4th of July, this week I'm featuring a few patriotic Dishes. Every Monday through Friday a new Dish of the Day is featured. Click here to vote for your three favorite Dishes in this week's Deep Dish Pool Party poll.

Today's Dish is Julian Gabriel Hernandez.

Deep Dish Pool Party #26

July 5, 2013, 9:00 am

≫ Next: Dish of the Day #1192: The Great Outdoors

≪ Previous: Dish of the Day #1191: Red, Hot and Blue!

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The rules are quite simple - each week I feature 10 Dishes of the Day and you get to invite your three favorites over for some wet and wild fun at the Deep Dish Pool Party. The five hunks who receive the most votes get to stay, and the following week five new Dishes are added to the guest list. So enjoy the party - and please feel free to leave a comment and share your selections.

1) Dish #1104: Chris Bailey
Last Week #3, Week 18, 27 invites out of 218



1) Dish #1180
LW #1, W3, 27 invites



2) Dish #1175
LW #4, W4, 23 invites



2) Dish #1182: James Ellis
W2, 23 invites



2) Dish #1184: Ryan Daharsh
W2, 23 invites



6) Dish #1187: Kirill Dowidoff



7) Dish #1188: Matt Mendrun



8) Dish #1189: John Suazo



9) Dish #1190: Arthur Sales



10) Dish #1191: Julian Gabriel Hernandez

Dish of the Day #1192: The Great Outdoors

July 8, 2013, 12:35 pm

≫ Next: Groovy Music: Tom Goss loves sexy "Bears"

≪ Previous: Deep Dish Pool Party #26

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Every Monday through Friday a new Dish of the Day is featured, and beginning on Friday you can vote for your favorite Dish of the week. If you haven't voted for last week's Dish yet, choose your man in the sidebar poll.

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Groovy Music: Tom Goss loves sexy "Bears"

July 8, 2013, 1:56 pm

≫ Next: Dish of the Day #1193: The Great Outdoors

≪ Previous: Dish of the Day #1192: The Great Outdoors

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It's always a groovy day when singer/songwriter Tom Goss releases a new music video - and his latest single, "Bears", celebrates the "Bear" community with a wet and wild summer cookout featuring many "bare" men (including himself). Wanting to showcase the diversity of the gay community in a high caliber production, Goss describes "Bears" as "the most fun, sexiest, most beautiful and most ambitious project I've ever taken on."

Click here to download "Bears" on iTunes. And to learn more about Tom, his music and upcoming tour dates, go to www.tomgossmusic.com.

Dish of the Day #1193: The Great Outdoors

July 8, 2013, 10:01 pm

≫ Next: Top 10 Tuesday of Groovy Tunes: Petula Clark never sleeps in the subway

≪ Previous: Groovy Music: Tom Goss loves sexy "Bears"

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Every Monday through Friday a new Dish of the Day is featured, and beginning on Friday you can vote for your favorite Dish of the week. If you haven't voted for last week's Dish yet, choose your man in the sidebar poll.

Top 10 Tuesday of Groovy Tunes: Petula Clark never sleeps in the subway

July 8, 2013, 10:28 pm

≫ Next: Groovy Giveaway: Pet Shop Boys' new album, Electric

≪ Previous: Dish of the Day #1193: The Great Outdoors

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Each week I feature 10 groovy tunes that have appeared on Billboard's Hot 100 chart during the last 50+ years. You can vote for your three favorites, and the five with the most votes move on to the following week when five new songs will be added to the list.

Last week Barbra Streisand claimed the top spot with "People", which received 24 votes out of the 151 cast. And this week she will be challenged by Carly Simon, Soft Cell and Petula Clark.

1) "People"/Barbra Streisand (Week 2) - #7 the week of July 11, 1964



2) "Walk On By"/Dionne Warwick (LW #1, W3) - #20 the week of July 11, 1964



3) "California Dreamin'"/The Mamas & the Papas (LW #2, W14) - 17 weeks on Billboard's Hot 100 chart in 1966



4) "Would I Lie to You?"/Eurythmics (W2) - #5 the week of July 13, 1985



5) "(Last Night) I Didn't Get to Sleep at All"/The 5th Dimension (LW #4, W6) - #33 the week of July 15, 1972



6) "Don't Sleep in the Subway"/Petula Clark (DEBUT) - #5 the week of July 15, 1967



7) "That's the Way I've Always Heard It Should Be"/Carly Simon (DEBUT) - #10 the week of July 10, 1971



8) "Dance With Me"/Peter Brown (DEBUT) - #8 the week of July 15, 1978



9) "Tainted Love"/Soft Cell (DEBUT) - #9 the week of July 10, 1982



10) "Our House"/Madness (DEBUT) - #10 the week of July 9, 1983

Groovy Giveaway: Pet Shop Boys' new album, Electric

July 9, 2013, 10:14 am

≫ Next: Dish of the Day #1194: The Great Outdoors

≪ Previous: Top 10 Tuesday of Groovy Tunes: Petula Clark never sleeps in the subway

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Courtesy of The Karpel Group, this week's Groovy Giveaway is three copies of Electric, the brand new dance album from the legendary Pet Shop Boys featuring the club hits, "Vocal" and "Axis" (which you can listen to below).

Produced by Stuart Price (best known for his work with Madonna and The Killers), Electric will be available on July 16. For more groovy music by Pet Shop Boys, visit www.petshopboys.co.uk. You can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter.

To enter to win this Groovy Giveaway, please email your name and address to deepdishdrama@aol.com. Winners must have a US mailing address, and entries close at midnight on Monday, July 15 (CST).

Catch the Pet Shop Boys in concert this fall when they come to North America on the Electric Tour!

September 12 - The Jackie Gleason Theatre - Miami Beach, FL
September 13 - Mahaffey Theatre - Saint Petersburg, FL
September 14 - Symphony Hall - Atlanta, GA
September 16 - Beacon Theatre - New York, NY
September 17 - Beacon Theatre - New York, NY
September 19 - Music Centre at Strathmore - Bethesda, MD
September 21 - House of Blues - Boston, MA
September 22 - Mann Centre for the Performing Arts - Philadelphia, PA
September 24 - Olympia Theatre - Montreal
September 25 - Sony Centre for the Performing Arts - Toronto
September 27 - The Colosseum, Caesar's Windsor - Ontario
September 28 - Auditorium Theatre - Chicago, IL
October 2 - Paramount Theatre - Seattle, WA
October 3 - Queen Elizabeth Theatre - Vancouver
October 4 - Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall - Portland, OR
October 5 - Fox Theater - Oakland, CA
October 7 - Fox Theater - Oakland, CA
October 8 - Copley Symphony Hall - San Diego, CA
October 11 - Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, The Joint - Las Vegas, NV
October 12 - Shrine Auditorium - Los Angeles, CA
October 15 - Mexico City Arena - Mexico City

Dish of the Day #1194: The Great Outdoors

July 9, 2013, 10:01 pm

≫ Next: Dish of the Day #1195: The Great Outdoors

≪ Previous: Groovy Giveaway: Pet Shop Boys' new album, Electric

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Every Monday through Friday a new Dish of the Day is featured, and beginning on Friday you can vote for your favorite Dish of the week. If you haven't voted for last week's Dish yet, choose your man in the sidebar poll.