In his ten play cycle about the

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1 cookin' with auntie dee by Donnie Jay Photo GrahamStudioOne.COM Thanksgiving 2008 Ican t believe it s time to think turkey already, but the weather outside is screaming that it is, the temp outside is in the low 60s and falling with 40s forecasted overnight. I swear I just wrote about this not long ago. Well its true time just flies by the older you get, so do all those caloric ridden meals past. Well this is a trimmer holiday feast. This menu will feed about ten folks, so make it a family affair. TOMATO- BASIL TOAST 16 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped 4 green onions, chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced ½ cup balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil 2 teaspoons olive oil 1-2 teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon pepper 2 (8-ounce) French baguettes, cut into ½-inch-thick sliced Vegetable cooking spray Stir together first eight ingredients, cover and chill at least one hour. Arrange bread slices on baking sheets; lightly coat with cooking spray. Bake at 425 degrees for nine minutes or until lightly browned. Spoon tomato mixture over baguette slices. Serve immediately. CITRUS AND HERB TURKEY 1 (1 ½ pound) bone-in turkey breast 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon pepper 1 tablespoon butter, softened 3 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary 3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage 2 oranges, thinly sliced 2 lemons, thinly sliced vegetable cooking spray 1 large onion, quartered Sprinkle turkey breast evenly with salt and pepper. Stir together butter, rosemary and sage. Loosen skin from turkey without detaching it; spread butter mixture under skin. Arrange onefourth of orange and lemon slices over butter mixture. Gently pull skin over meat. Coat skin with cooking spray. Place turkey in an aluminum foil-lined pan coated with cooking spray. Place onion and remaining fruit slices in pan. Drizzle with water. Bake turkey at 325 degrees for two hours and fifteen minutes or until meat thermometer inserted into thickest part registers 170 degrees, basting every 30 minutes. Cover loosely with aluminum foil coated with cooking spray to prevent excessive browning after first hour and thirty minutes, if necessary. CRANBERRY SALSA 3 cups fresh cranberries 2 teaspoons grated orange rind 2 oranges, peeled and chopped 1 yellow bell pepper, diced 1 cup sugar (I use Splenda) 4 tablespoons fresh orange juice 1 teaspoon ground allspice ½ teaspoon salt 4 teaspoons olive oil Pulse cranberries in a blender or food processor 6 times until coarsely chopped, and place in a bowl. Stir in orange rind and remaining ingredients. Cover and chill at least eight hours. ROSEMARY ROASTED ROOT VEGETABLES 8 small red potatoes 4 medium turnips, peeled 4 medium parsnips, peeled 1 small rutabaga, peeled 4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces 12 shallots, peeled and halved 2 garlic cloves, minced 4 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary 3 tablespoon olive oil 2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon ground pepper vegetable cooking spray Cut potatoes and next three ingredients into ½ inch cubes. Combine cubed vegetables, carrots, and next six ingredients in a large bowl, tossing to coat. Place vegetable mixture on aluminum foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425 degrees for one hour or until browned and tender, stirring every twenty minutes. PARMESAN CORN MUFFINS 2 cups white cornmeal mix ¾ cup all-purpose flour ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese ¼ teaspoon cayenne 2 ½ cups fat-free buttermilk ½ cup egg substitute 2 tablespoons vegetable oil Vegetable cooking spray Combine first four ingredients in a large bowl; make a well in the center of mixture. Stir together buttermilk, egg substitute and oil; add to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened. Spoon into muffin pans coated with cooking spray, filling two-thirds full. Bake at 425 degrees for fifteen minutes or until golden. Remove from pans immediately. trodding the boards...from M-14 Billie Stirewalt, Shannon Lynn March and Stephen Foley (dryly funny he) particularly stood out; Kirk Bush is not ready yet but he has the makings of a distinguished Othello some day. Valerie Johnson s fantastic set was like an enlarged Persian rug. Brad Minardi s lighting reminded me of sunlight coming through the colored windows of an ancient Turkish bathhouse. Christopher Arthur coordinated a lovely range of exotic costumes. The Arabian Nights may not have quite moved me the way UNO s transcendent production of Zimmerman s Metamorphoses did. Yet it was still one of this year s most satisfying nights I have spent in a theater. Here s to 1,001 more such nights! Radio Golf at Anthony Bean Community Theater In his ten play cycle about the 20 th century African-American experience, August Wilson perceptively explored history, personal mythology, family relationships, and love in many forms. To the best of my knowledge, however, he did not have much experience in electoral politics or real estate, two of the topics covered in his final play, Radio Golf. It is a long play. Had Wilson lived to see its Broadway premiere, he may have edited it. As it stands, though, we get too much talk that doesn t really advance the plot. More importantly, unlike, say, a David Mamet play in which the dialog has an authentic ring to it, Radio Golf sounds like its author never spent much time in a campaign nor a realty office. Still, in this tale of blacks who sell out and those who honor their history, there are some humorous passages and lovely speeches as when Harmond Wilks, a mayoral candidate in Pittsburgh, describes how he met his future wife Mame in the rain. Director Anthony Bean did an admirable job of bringing life to this too often inert piece and smoothing over those sections where one felt Wilson s authorial hand trying to make a point rather than letting it rise organically from the characters. Bean was abetted by that fine Wilsonian actor Will Williams as Wilks who, like other Wilson heroes, nobly finds his true self in the course of the play. Gwendolyne Foxworth, another actor born to interpret Wilson s characters, brilliantly embodied the somewhat And cool on wire racks. For dessert pick up a sugar free pie or two from your local bakery and you have a much lighter holiday fare than usual. Have a great Holiday meal and invite at least eight people to share it with you. You may contact me at donniejay@hotmail.com. affected Mame; as Wilks campaign implodes, Foxworth s eyes were as eloquent as Wilson s words as Mame sadly watches her dreams evaporate. Harold X Evans infused Elder Joseph Barlow, the keeper of the Hill District s legacy, with wonderful humanity and rye cynicism. Donald Lewis, Jr. well-captured the comic aspects of Roosevelt Hicks, a businessman willing to become the black face of a corporate enterprise, but tended to be a bit overwrought. Newcomer Lionel J. Jackson was a bit rough around the edges, as was his character Sterling Johnson, an ally of Barlow s, but he held his own with the pros on stage. At one point, Johnson, as Wilson s seeming surrogate, describes the African-American community as good blacks ( niggahs ) and bad blacks ( negroes ). As America is on the verge of an epochal change, I hope future playwrights explore this subject with more nuanced shades of gray. Seeing things in simple black and white is becoming so yesterday. The God of Hell at Delgado Community College After seeing The God of Hell one might rightly wonder how Sam Shepard came to be acclaimed as a major American dramatist. Oh well, I guess everyone s allowed an off one. God is Shepard s none too subtle swipe at the Bush administration and its Torture s OK policy. Emma and Frank, an all-american Wisconsin farm couple, have given shelter to Haynes who had been held in some Guantánamo-like place or had he been working on a government research project? Welch, a salesman-cum-government agent, shows up and inane chatter soon leads to brutal acts. Shepard trots out such usual topics as our lack of communication and psychic disorientation ( I don t even know our country any more. ) But in a post-katrina land, what might have seemed chillingly absurd four years ago when God premiered has an air of the commonplace about it now. Working with a young cast, one wishes Director Kris La Morte had instilled a sense of menace sooner and kept it taut as a piano string throughout; while the third and final scene had the requisite creepiness, the tension flagged in the second one. Still, La Morte brought out the visual humor as when he had Emma dragging oversized planters to barricade the door. As the bewildered hausfrau Emma, Emily Boudreaux was not bad for her first time on stage but she needed to bring greater variance to the way she delivered her lines. Kyle Daigrepont, so good in musical comedies, is not your natural farmer type; still, it was nice to see him stretching his talents. Bill [contained on Main-23] MAIN~16 of 44 The Official Mag: AmbushMag.COM November 4-17, 2008 GayMardiGras.COM SouthernDecadence.COM

2 chop chop by Rip & Marsha Naquin-Delain New Orleans Restaurant Guide Bywater Restaurant, Deli & BBQ, 3162 Dauphine St., is noted for its gumbo, barbeque, pizza, sandwiches and specials serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Hours are 9am-9pm Mon.-Fri., and Sat. & Sun. Closed Wed. Call for additional info. MasterCard/Visa accepted. Cafe Amelie, 912 Royal St., offers romantic courtyard or indoor dining along with both eclectic culinary creations and drinks. Serving lunch and dinner, Wed.- Sun. 11am-9pm, and Sun., brunch 10am-3pm. Call for reservations or additional information. Clover Grill, 900 Bourbon St., is open 7 days and features breakfast including build your own omelettes. But let s not forget their fab burgers grilled right under a hub cap and then there s all those sandwiches, sides, desserts and shakes. Call or visit CloverGrill.COM. Country Club Restaurant, 634 Louisa St. Under the direction of new Chef Miles Prescott, you will find delightful menus offering French bistro cuisine including appetizers, soups, flatbreads, salads, sandwiches, wraps, entrees and desserts. Serving 7 days 11am-10pm. Call for additional information or visit TheCountryClubNewOrleans.COM. Krystal, 116 Bourbon at Canal, Open 24 hours, it's one of the best stops for fast food with tasty burgers, hot dogs and breakfast. Call for more info. Magazine Perks, 4332 Magazine, serves gourmet coffee, sandwiches, pastries, danish and cakes. Open 7 days 7am- 10pm. Call or visit MagazinePerks.COM. Marigny Perks, 2401 Burgundy, serves gourmet coffee, sandwiches, pastries, danish and cakes. Open 7 days 7am- 10pm. Call or visit Mona Lisa Restaurant, 1212 Royal St., features Italian specialties including salads, pizzas, sandwiches and both lunch and dinner entrees. Lunch 11am-5pm Thurs.-Mon., Dinner 5pm- 10pm 7 days. Call for info. NOLA Smoothies, 315 Decatur St., features smoothies, fresh juices, bubble tea, supplements and more. Two of the most popular smoothies are the Raspberry Cheesecake with raspberries, fat free cream cheese, honey, graham cracker, soy milk and whey protein, and the Bananas Foster with [continued on Main-18] GayNewOrleans.COM GayEasterParade.COM November 4-17, 2008 The Official Mag: AmbushMag.COM MAIN~17 of 44

3 chop chop...from Main-17 sappho psalm by Toni J.P. Pizanie LossThis has been a time of loss for many of our Community. Dr. Molly Wallick succumbed to cancer. She had moved to Florida to be attended by her son. Dr. Wallick was a brave supporter of the GLBT community long before it was fashionable to have Gay friends. She dedicated her life to the care of children. Julie Thompson and I attended her funeral on a chilly, damp morning. Rabbi Cohn spoke of her service to her Jewish community, her family and the community-at-large. If you have not attended a Jewish burial, you feel stunned as the first clump of dirt hits the coffin which has been lowered to its resting place. Then each friend and loved-one shovels in another, then another until the long line of mourners has covered the top to the coffin. Dust to dust. Next I will attend my aunt s funeral, we will walk away before the coffin is lowered. I have been thinking about the differences in culture and traditions, and I think being a part of the actual burial could be very healing for some. My Mama Ellen would understand this banana, brown sugar, low fat vanilla ice cream, isopure protein and soy protein. Open 7 days, Mon.-Sat. 10am-8pm and Sunday 10am-6pm. Call for delivery and information. Orleans Grapevine, 720 Orleans, is located in a beautifully renovated 1809 building offering a pleasant atmosphere, extensive wine list with over 350 selections and delicious food including prime steaks, lobster tails and rack of lamb. Serving dinner 5-11pm daily. Call for additional information. Petunias, A Restaurant, 817 St. Louis, is open daily 8am-10pm serving breakfast, brunch, lunch, crepes, poboys, salads, gumbo, Cajun/Creole specialties and dinner. Call for more info. Quartermaster: The Nellie Deli, 1100 Bourbon St., was voted Restaurant/Deli of the Year once again and is open 24 hours 7 days. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, the deli offers free delivery. Call to order. Tomatillo's Restaurant, 437 Esplanade Ave., is open Tues., Wed. 11am- 10pm; Thurs.-Sun. 11am-11pm. The restaurant refers to itself as "A Mexican Joint" featuring appetizers, soups, salads, make your own combination plates, house specialties, burritos, desserts, and of course, specialty margaritas. Call for reservations. tradition as she was a very spiritual woman. She was 93 years old, and much like a second mother to me from the time I was born. She was supportive throughout my life but never more than when I cameout to my family. She attended Church of Christ the Liberator with Mom and me several times. She accepted my dates, my friends and me with love and warmth. With her passing, I have lost all my family except for a cousin who I have idolized since childhood. He is an older man active in theatre, movies and commercials and much too busy to remember our childhood promise to always be brother and sister. I m hoping that will change now. The third loss is Roy A. Racca from Jennings, LA. Roy was active in LAGPAC during the early days of the organization. He was a supporter of HIV/ACTS organizations. Roy was loved and admired for his loving and helpful attitude towards all people. An example of Roy s kindness took place several years ago when a young stranger was told by his grandmother to get out of her house, his home. She gave him the money to take a cab to the Bus Station and slammed the door. The young man, Robbie, called PFLAG. That call lead to Roy who drove two hours to pick Robbie up and bring him to his home for a night s rest. The next day Roy brought Robbie into New Orleans to stay with Stewart Butler and Alfred Doolittle. No favor was too big for Roy. No youth was denied Roy s help. These three wonderful people will be missed. The world is a little less bright without these stellar humans. They are examples for us all. They were all what we consider elderly but that was in years only. In heart and mind, these people were young, active and vibrant. Scholarship Applications It is time to check out the PFLAGNO website for a copy of the scholarship application. If you or a friend is a student, please fill out your application today for assistance. More information can be found on Main-8 in this issue. $500,000 Gift PepsiCo announces a record making gift of $500,000 for PFLAG s Straight for Equality. This is the project for straight friends, parents and family to support their Gay loved ones. The gift will be used to expand workplace training, support chapter-based projects and for the creation of new Straight for Equality outreach tools. The gift will be distributed over the next two years. I have always been a Coke lover myself and they have supported our community but this generosity has made an impression on me. My next six-pack of soda will probably be a Pepsi product. I believe in supporting those companies that support the Gay Community. '08 Reel Identities: Film Festival The New Orleans LGBT Film Festival will run from November 14 th through 16 th at the CAC (Contemporary Arts Center). The festival reception will begin at 6:30pm on the 14 th. For tickets contact the New Orleans Lesbian and Gay Community Center. There is a film of interest for every taste. The first film Tru Loved, a high school relationship between the star quarterback and his protector, will run on Friday at 8pm. PFLAG is sponsoring the second film to be shown She s a Boy I Knew. She s a Boy I Knew This is a story that is at times comic, painful and awkward about the transition of a Transgender named Steven who comes out as Gwen. The schedule continues with Drifting Flowers Lesbian Tales at 4pm; Finn s Girl at 6pm; and the Centerpiece Presentation Were the World Mine at 8pm. The final film of the evening is the Were the World Mine strange and explicit Otto: or, Up with Dead People. Sunday, November 16 th the festival continues with Whirlwind NYC Gay Friends at 2pm. This is an important fund-raiser for the Community Center, and an expensive project to bring to the New Orleans GLBT community. Please plan to attend and bring your friends to enjoy these special film selected for the New Orleans audience. The ACLU & GLBT Civil Rights Recently at the lovely home of Diette Danford and Laurie Reed, a group of new and long time activists met to hear a short address by the ACLU s new New Orleans Director Marjorie Esman and her assistant Julie. Great effort is going into assisting Louisiana s Gay citizens in their workplaces and schools. The New Orleans Chapter of PFLAG has offered to work with the ACLU to educated and protect our community. Julie Thompson and I spoke with Marjorie and her assistant in the hopes of forming closer ties. The group was a nice mix of Lesbians, Gay men and Straight supporters. There was a delicious spread of finger foods and wine. The conversations were lively and there was true interest in assisting the ACLU. Local members are needed so that the ACLU can continue their work on our behalf. Please consider becoming a member today. Fall Fiesta October 16th was another fund-raiser for the LGCCNO. The Fall Fiesta was held at Tomatillo s on the patio. PFLAG representatives were in attendance along with members of the Ambush staff. The Center has several new members on the Board of Directors and it was good to meet and speak with them. It was not a large crowd but it was a fun and happy group that gathered to support the continued service of the Center. The Center is in need of members, paying members. Check them out soon. Vote This issue is due out on Election Day. I am hoping that everyone in our community will get out to vote and bring a neighbor with them. This is a very important election during difficult financial times. Not voting is a vote for bad government. Don t let bigotry or confusion stop you from electing Obama president. I ve heard a lot of terrible excuses for not voting, and they all add up to intolerance and ignorance. Be the best person you can be by voting the issues alone not race or lies. Facebook Have you checked out Facebook? I joined while in New Zealand and am catching up with old friends. Its lots of fun. My friends in New Zealand have posted some fantastic photos. If you want to see a little of this beautiful country, go to Facebook today. MAIN~18 of 44 The Official Mag: AmbushMag.COM November 4-17, 2008 GayMardiGras.COM SouthernDecadence.COM

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5 the pink pastor by Rev. Clinton Crawshaw, A New Start? Ihave been hopping mad for the last few months as the election campaign has ground on hopefully by the time you read this there will be a new president installed and I can take a breath! Despite the fact that I have some VERY strong opinions on who is best to serve the country even though I am a foreigner (partly because I am a foreigner!) I am sworn to silence by my denomination (Universal Fellowship of Metropolitan Community Churches) so that we don t run foul of the IRS rules for non-profit organizations. The fact that churches are supposed to be non-partisan doesn t seem to have silenced numerous New Orleans churches from making endorsements left, right and center. Many churches are at least slightly careful in the way they do this a Catholic church near us in Carrollton has enormous Vote Pro-life signs outside, which may as well be vote Republican, but lots of churches have thrown discretion to the winds and got behind certain candidates. It has been very interesting to see what criteria they use for endorsing a candidate it seems that a harsh and generally intolerant position on same-sex marriage trumps personal conduct and morality; the actual character and personal history of the candidate seems secondary to ticking off a list of must disapprove of The Servant Leader talking points. The Christian concept (and it is the core of Christianity) of lovingkindness and compassion for the poor, the prisoner, the sick, seems completely irrelevant to many so called religious leaders. Judgment upon human weakness, no matter how incompatible with scripture is warped into mainstream church dogma. There is a leader of a major church here in NOLA that endorsed an anti gay, anti universal healthcare candidate despite having major questions asked about his own sexuality and having large numbers of uninsured people in his congregation. It is not good enough to suspend Christian ethics in the ballot box but pastors should not have to endorse candidates, they should have so effectively prospered their congregation s relationships with God that voting for a hatemonger would be inconceivable! Teach the Good News of God s grace and love for us and people will be moved to compassion in all areas of their lives including politics. This is really the point of church, and of clergy to ignite and then encourage a flame of spirituality in people s lives, and share the growth and encouragement of that flame with each others in a loving and safe environment. Without the personal craving for God, there is no use in teaching folk a load of doctrine that is inappropriate for individuals, and only any good for simplifying the job of the church hierarchy and giving them excessive power over people s lives. Hopefully, if I were to stand in the pulpit and endorse certain candidates, candidates that taught selfishness and self interest over equality and compassion then I would be bawled off stage! If that is not the case then I have certainly not done my job. MAIN~20 of 44 The Official Mag: AmbushMag.COM November 4-17, 2008 GayMardiGras.COM SouthernDecadence.COM The model of Christian leadership is very different that practised many political leaders (especially those who call themselves Christian and Family Values ); the concept of the Servant King the one who has power only to serve the powerless is central to Christian theology. Christ taught that in order to be mighty you had to be humble not self seeking but always seeking for those who cannot control their own destinies the weak, the sick, the poor, the marginalized. The wealthy and empowered are quite capable of putting food on their tables and looking out for themselves, it is how a society treats those that Jesus described as the least of my children that it should be judged. Well, as you will read this after the election, I guess I can safely say who I would vote for if I were able to vote (as a subject of her majesty Queen Elizabeth II I am ineligible). I would vote for whoever gave me dignity as a gay man, for whoever recognized my family and marriage as valid and more importantly, whoever I felt reflected those core Christian beliefs of compassion and lovingkindness of course, I will leave it to you to work out who that may be