Artists Against AIDS In Baton Rouge
Singing sensation Marilyn McCoo, backed up by Broadway performers Alicia Morton and Terri Gervais, New Orleans singers Wanda Rouzan, Daphne MuShatt, actress Carol Sutton, along with the LSU Gospel Choir, accompanied by members of the Baton Rouge Symphony Orchestra will perform Rhythm For A Reason, a benefit for Friends for Life-Capitol Area HIV/AIDS Services, Inc.
It will be held Friday, May 2 at the Baton Rouge Riverside Centroplex Theater for the Peforming Arts, commencing at 6:30 pm with a silent auction and reception. The show will begin at 8 pm.
Tickets range from $35.00 to $100.00 (which includes reserved seating in VIP section; signed, numbered poster of the event; special gold AIDS Awareness pin; and, an invitation to the Patron Party at the "Belle of Baton Rouge" Argosy Ballroom following the gala). They may be purchased by calling Ticketmster at 504.336.5000 or the Centroplex box office at 504.389.4940.
ELLEN Sponsors Stand For Intolerance
Three corporations have decided not to sponsor the April 30 episode of ABC's Ellen in which the title character will come out of the closet. General Motors, Chrysler and Johnson & Johnson, three of Ellen's major sponsors in the recent past, have all announced that they will not place ads during the groundbreaking episode.
A Chrysler spokeswoman said that "we're not making a social statement [about sexual orientation]. But it's not sound business for us to be involved with an episode that's in such a highly polarized and emotional environment."
While the companies were targeted by anti-gay radical religious groups, each stated that their decision was made prior to any threats by hate groups.
Whatever the timing of the decision, by shying away from sponsorship of this history-making episode of Ellen, these corporations are making a statement against diversity. Additionally, they fan the flames of bigotry by appearing to kow-tow to the fractious agenda of anti-gay hate groups. Despite Chrysler's claim that their actions do not make a "social statement," their cowardice is a slap in the face to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans and their family and friends.
As the world watches this momentous occasion, these companies will be viewed as sitting on the sidelines, along with the fearful, ignorant and small-minded.
The April 30 episode will show the main character, Ellen Morgan, coming to grips with her sexual orientation, according to USA Today. She discovers that she is attracted to a woman, played by Laura Dern (Jurassic Park), and goes to see a therapist, played by Oprah Winfrey.
It was recently announced that Diane Sawyer will interview Ellen DeGeneres on ABC/Disney New's PrimeTime Live April 23, a week before the actress's sitcom character on Ellen comes out of the closet. "There are no restrictions on the subject matter," a Disney/ABC News spokesperson said, indicating that the actress will freely discuss her sexuality.
Following is a list of the three leading Ellen advertisers from January 1 through March 22, 1997.
We urge you to contact these advertisers and politely ask them to promote the freedom in choosing your own lifestyle by advertising on Ellen. We also encourage you to contact Disney/ABC and thank them for recognizing the gay and lesbians of the world.
Share this ACTION ALERT with at least ten people TODAY and urge them to take action.
Chrysler Corporation, Chrm. Robert J. Eaton, 1000 Chrysler Dr., Auburn Hills, MI 48326, Phone 810.576.5741, Toll Free 1.800.992.1997. PRODUCTS: Chrysler, Dodge, Eagle, Jeep, and Plymouth automobiles and Dodge trucks, Dollar Rent-A-Car, General Rent-A-Car, Thrifty-Rent-A-Car.
General Motors Corporation, Chrm. John F. Smith, 3044 W. Grand Blvd., Detroit, MI 48202, Phone 313.556.5000, FAX 313.556.1988. PRODUCTS: AC-Delco auto parts, Buick, automobiles, Cadillac automobiles, Chevrolet automobiles, DirecTV direct satellite broadcasting, General Motors parts, Geo automobiles, Mr. Goodwrench service, Oldsmobile automobiles, Pontiac automobiles, Saturn automobiles.
Johnson & Johnson, Chrm. Ralph S. Larsen, One Johnson & Johnson Plaza, New Brunswick, NJ 09833, Phone 908.524.0400, FAX 908.214.0332, Toll Free 1.800.635.6789. PRODUCTS: Carefree panty shields, Imodium AD, Johnson's baby products, Monistat 7 feminine products, Mylanta II, Neutrogena skin and hair care products, Pepcid acid controller, Reach toothbrush, Shower to Shower body powder, Stayfree pads, Tylenol pain medicine.
Or, point your browser to: http://www.jnj.com/feedback.htm Walt Disney Company/ABC, Chrm. Michael Eisner, 500 South Buena Vista Street, Burbank, CA 91521, Phone 818/560.1000, FAX 818/560.1930. Or, point your browser to: http://www.disney.com/Mail.
WYES-TV's 1997 Showboat Auction Offers
A Steal Of A Deal On Wheels
Those tuning in to this year's Showboat Auction can bid on their choice of one of four brand-new luxury automobiles thanks to a generous donation of the Lamarque Motor Company, Inc. President Ronnie Lamarque. Mr. Lamarque serves as Corporate Vice-Chairman for the 1997 WYES-TV Showboat Auction; First NBC President and CEO Ian Arnof serves as the Corporate Chairman of the annual spring fund raiser telecast daily on New Orleans premier public television station May 2nd through May 9th.
Up for grabs on The Lamarque Auto Showcase will be one of four, brand-new luxury vehicles: a 1997 Ford Mustang Convertible featuring air conditioning, keyless entry and a 3.8-liter V6 engine; a 1997 Dodge Club Cab Laramie SLT sporting a leather interior, 5.2-liter V8 engine and AM/FM stereo with cassette & CD; a 1997 Mercury Grand-Marquis LS offering a 4.8-liter V8 engine, automatic transmission, keyless entry and air conditioning, and a 1997 Ford Explorer XLT with automatic transmission, premium stereo package with cassette & clock and 4.0-liter V6 engine. All vehicles are valued at over $25,000. Tax, title and license are exclusive of the purchase price and are the responsibility of the individual placing the high bid.
Commenting on the latest addition to Channel 12's Showboat Auction, Randall Feldman, President & General Manager of WYES-TV remarked, "This outstanding donation will really help to make the auction more fun and exciting while helping to bridge the gap' between federal funding cuts and our operating budget."
Soon to celebrate its fortieth year of service to the Greater New Orleans and Mississippi Gulf Coast areas, WYES-TV remains the most utilized non-profit community resource in the state of Louisiana.
"It is through the generosity of businesses such as the Lamarque Motor Company that we are able to continue the level of service our viewers have come to expect from Channel 12," remarked Mr. Feldman. "The partnership between our station and local businesses is one which truly benefits the entire community. It is a vital part in enabling us to be 'Television With a Vision of What Television Can Be,'" he said.
Those wishing to bid on this steal of a deal on wheels will have to wait until the Showboat sails on May 2nd. However, the cars are now on display at Lamarque dealerships throughout the greater New Orleans area. For more information about the automobiles, including the Lamarque dealerships where they can be viewed, call the WYES Auction office at 504.483.8477 for details.
New NOMA Show Highlights Japanese Painting Style
The Chinese-inspired painting style nanga (southern painting), popular in Edo period Japan (1615-1868), is explored in a new exhibition in the Asian Galleries at the New Orleans Museum of Art. From Innovation to Tradition: Two Generations of Nanga Painters, on view now through June 25, 1997, explores changes within this style in the context of two artistic circles composed of fathers, sons, students and friends.
Nanga emerged in Japan in the late 17th and early 18th centuries from a culture of intense study of "things Chinese." The study of Chinese culture, including literature, calligraphy and in particular the painting style associated with the educated elite, captured the imagination of Japanese artists. The lives of the artists in this exhibition span more than 100 years, from the birth of Totoki Gaigai in 1733 to the death of Nukina Kaioku in 1863, said Lisa Rotondo-McCord, NOMA's Associate Curator of Asian Art.
Nanga artists formed study societies and forged close friendships based on their common interest in Chinese culture. These societies were particularly important for the dissemination of information because the Japanese government prohibited foreign travel and allowed few visitors to Japan. Early nanga artists learned this style primarily from woodblock printed books of Chinese paintings, Chinese emigres, a few visiting artists and the limited number of Chinese paintings in Japanese collections.
Four artists of the older generation featured in From Innovation to Tradition were active at a pivotal point in the history of nanga. These highly educated men of the samurai class relinquished official careers for the pursuit of art. Their unconventional lives and individual and idiosyncratic works disregarded both societal and artistic norms, and they were deemed innovators as much for their lifestyle as for their painting.
The younger generation continued their study of the Chinese sources, to which they had greater access and therefore were much more knowledgeable about Chinese paintings and literature than their predecessors. Rather than follow the examples of their fathers and teachers, these fourth-generation nanga painters were conservative and their works are valued for their faithful adherence to Chinese models.
The quiet restraint and understated elegance of many of the younger generation's work presents a sharp contrast to the unrelenting vitality and freedom present in the work of their elders. To compare, however, is to miss the point, Rotondo-McCord said. Instead, she said, each artist, both as an individual and as a member of a generation, was attempting to achieve different goals. For example, the absence of frenzied brushwork (and a bohemian lifestyle) was considered a great asset during one younger painter's lifetime, when his work was valued more highly than his father's paintings.
Cosimo's New Happy Hours
Cosimo's bar, located at the corner of Gov. Nicholls St. & Burgundy, in business since the 1930's, has extended its happy hours. The new happy hours are noon to 7 pm, 7 days a week, when all well drinks and domestic beer are two for one.
Presiding over the festivities, Mon. thru Sat., and concocting those delectible potables is Mickey Gil, better known as the Captain of Petronius.
New Orleans Music And Fun Featured At LMNOP
LMNOP:The Music Conference In New Orleans will take place April 28-30,1997, during the New Orleans jazz and Heritage Festival. Louis Jay Meyers, who co-founded the South By Southwest conference in Austin, TX, and helped it become one of the most prominent music industry events in North America, is LMNOP's executive director. Scott Aiges, former music critic at The New Orleans Times-Picayune, is the managing director.
"I got out of South By Southwest two and a half years ago because it got too big," says Meyers. "I want to do something that gets back to the spirit and feel of the original South By Southwest, something that keeps the focus on songwriting, independent labels and regional music.
"And I can't think of a more perfect place to do it than New Orleans." Or a better time. Not only is the weather delightfully mild at that time of year, but the jazz and Heritage Festival attracts dozens of music leaders to the city.
LMNOP will feature more than 100 evening showcase performances of all styles of music, so that booking agents, managers, talent buyers, lawyers, publishers and record company executives may experience New Orleans' myriad undiscovered talents and rare gems from around the United States.
LMNOP is also becoming the unifying force for the city's diverse music scene. National organizations (NARAS and BMI), local institutions and publications (Loyola University's College of Music, OffBeat Magazine, Tipitina's and WWOZ-FM), and grass-roots groups (the Louisiana Songwriters Association and New Orleans Musicians Organized) all are coming together under the LMNOP umbrella.
Education is LMNOP's main concern. Each day of the conference will feature panel discussions, workshops and one-on-one mentor sessions, as well as clinics and master classes for musicians, engineers and producers, so that budding music professionals get the real-world information they need.
Day One of LMNOP will emphasize basics for the working musician, including the art of touring, how to make an independent record and reading contracts. DayTwo will deal with songwriting and publishing. Day Three focuses on jazz and blues. Each day's keynote speakers and panel participants are top New Orleans artists plus industry professionals from around the country.
Serious discussion will give way to fun on Thursday, May 1, when LMNOP moves to a local golf course for the Tiny Town Invitational. Members of the New Orleans-based roots rock band Tiny Town are organizing the charity tournament with help from Meyers, who is also director of the Music Industry Golf Association. Proceeds will benefit a New Orleans public school.
LMNOP takes place at the Pontchartrain Hotel, a lovely, old-world building located along the St. Charles Avenue streetcar line. The clinics and master classes take place at Loyola University. Showcase performances will be held at Tipitina's, Cafe Brasil, the Dream Palace, the Eiffel Tower and several nightclubs around town. For more information, contact Scott Aiges, Managing Director, LMNOP, P.O. Box 19346, New Orleans, LA 70179-9346; 504.822.54667; FAX: 504.821.9109; or, Louis Jay Meyers, Executive Director, LMNOP, P.O. Box 50063, Austin, TX 78763, 512.479.0544; FAX: 512.477.2930.
