Not 'til May 22?!

CYNDI LAUPER 'SHINES' IN THE FINAL SEASON OF
SHOWTIME'S QUEER AS FOLK
SERIES PREMIERES SUNDAY, MAY 22 AT 9:00 PM (ET/PT)

New York, February 15, 2005 -- Singer/songwriter Cyndi Lauper will appear as herself and perform a song in an episode of SHOWTIME's QUEER AS FOLK when the series returns for its fifth and final season on May 22 at 9:00 PM (ET/PT). Lauper joins Rosie O'Donnell as a celebrity guest star this season in an original series that has made television history for its frank and fearless portrayal of a gay community.

Lauper appears in the tenth episode of the season in which the characters hold a benefit to raise funds against "Prop 14," an anti-gay legislation that would prohibit gays from adopting children or sharing health benefits. In addition to appearing in the episode, Lauper will perform a new club remix of "Shine," recorded specifically for QUEER AS FOLK.

Best-known for her smash hit single, "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun," Grammy®-winning singer/songwriter Cyndi Lauper is not only a household name but also an artist with a distinctive creative voice and a four-octave range. She began playing guitar and writing lyrics at 12-years-old, and, when her first solo album, "She's So Unusual," was released, it sold more than 4.5 million copies in the United States alone. Lauper also made music history as the first of a female artist to score four Top Five singles from a debut album: "Girls Just Want To Have Fun," "Time After Time," "She Bop" and "All Through The Night." In her sophomore effort, "True Colors," Lauper worked with the likes of other high-profile musicians including Billy Joel, Nile Rodgers, Aimee Mann and The Bangles. Throughout her years in the business, Lauper has had numerous albums with critical acclaim and sold-out concerts. Lauper's most recent release, "At Last," is a collection of music that she has loved since childhood and has reinvented in her signature style. Lauper has also made her mark as an actress when she earned an Emmy® Award for her work on the hit TV series "Mad About You." Her feature films credits include "Vibes," with Jeff Goldblum, "Off and Running" and "The Opportunists," with Christopher Walken.

People on 'ludes should not present at the Oscars

Dude...Spicoli would've laughed. Lighten up, Sean; it was a joke. They gave you an Oscar last year for your weakest performance ever. Jude Law does not need you coming to his defense. 

Smilin' Faces

Did anyone catch Melissa Etheridge's tribute to Janis Joplin with Joss Stone at The Grammys? Looking hot even post-chemo/radiation. I was beside myself watching Mavis Staples doing Smilin' Faces Sometimes. 

ND is alive and well.

Have you heard the urban myth that Jon Heder is dead? Click caption to debunk.

Brush with an American Idol

I accidently saw Rent five times last year. One of this season's contestants on American Idol was playing Roger in the touring company of Rent at the time. I rushed for front row tickets three days in a row in Chicago; actually got tickets two of the three days. Constantine's band Pray for the Soul of Betty was playing that weekend in Chicago, so he spent some time with the rush line each day passing out flyers and talking us up. I hadn't really expected to get to see the Chicago performances of Rent, so I already had tickets to see it at the next stop at the Paramount in Cedar Rapids. At intermission, the Brown and I jumped seats to front-row center. In the middle of Seasons of Love, Constantine gave me a little wave of recognition. Embarassing in an "I'm really not stalking you" way, but still kinda fun.

Heaven has martini glasses

Every time I smell lilacs I think of Steve. My MSN calendar reminded me that his birthday would've been last Saturday. A sweeter man I've yet to meet.

Looks like someone could use some ice

[For a closer look, click on the title of the post]

Abe Froman would never...

OAKLAND, California (AP) -- A sausage factory owner was sentenced to death Tuesday for killing three meat inspectors nearly five years ago.

Stuart Alexander, 43, the self-proclaimed "sausage king," was convicted in October of three counts of first-degree murder for the 2000 shooting deaths of two federal inspectors and one state inspector at his factory in San Leandro.

A jury recommended December 14 that he be put to death, and an Alameda County judge upheld the sentence. The case will be automatically appealed to the state Supreme Court.
Alexander's public defenders had argued that their client was driven to kill after months of harassment by the inspectors, and the death penalty wasn't intended for "emotion driven killings."

Prosecutors argued that Alexander hatched a "diabolical plan" to kill the inspectors, get away with it by pleading insanity, then write a book or movie to profit and gain notoriety from the crime.

The murders were captured on the factory's surveillance videotape, which was shown to jurors during the five-month trial.

After Alexander killed the three inspectors, he fired at and chased a fourth inspector for several blocks from the Santos Linguisa Factory.

VD

E-File Rocks!

Remember the good old days before you could file your income tax returns electronically? If you mailed your return in February, you could look forward to your refund check sometime in June. This year, both state and federal refunds arrived within ten days of filing.

The income tax has made more liars out of the American people than golf has. Even when you make a tax form out on the level, you don't know when it's through if you are a crook or a martyr.
~Will Rogers

And a pitcher to go

(CBS) What's more improbable than a 29-year-old rock star teaming up with a 70-year-old country music legend?

Perhaps the fact that rocker Jack White of The White Stripes nearly became a priest, he tells Correspondent Mike Wallace.

White explains how he teamed up with Loretta Lynn to create a Grammy-nominated album, and how he gave up the priesthood for his music on 60 Minutes Wednesday, Feb. 9, at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

Esta Ramon

The other day Lynn's mom called to invite me on a cruise to Barcelona with her, Uncle Johnny, & Carl. How could I say no to a chance to finally use my passport? Especially when it involves 12 days on the water in a cabin with an oceanside veranda.

The Poor-Man's Pate de Foie Gras

Another processed-meat post.

Stopped into the new High Life bar and grill in the old Hairy Mary's after work last night. A bit bright for my taste, but it had its charms. For two bucks, they will bring you a braunschweiger sandwich. Yum!

Who needs a display?

My iPod Shuffle arrived yesterday. Pictures don't do it any justice, but the headphones could be better. Already stuffed with 200 songs.

D&G

Noone can deliver a line quite like Shae D'lyn, who stole every scene in Vegas Vacation. Through the miracle of syndication, I've recently discovered Dharma & Greg. Part of the great ensemble cast, she played Dharma's wacky friend Jane. I caught my favorite episode last night. It's Kitty's 50th birthday and she's not happy about it. To cheer her up, the girls take her to the pier to get drunk and hit on by virile young sailors. Meanwhile, a soused Greg and the boys are chartering a plane to Tahoe to ride a stolen canoe down the bobsled course.

As a fake-dumb Marilyn Monroe type, Shae gets the best line, "It must be very difficult to be a Navy pilot. How do you make the boats fly?"