Now that the pope has declared the Catholic Church the only ‘real’ church, Benedict XVI will no doubt disapprove of the Rev. Tori Spelling (the actress) who, as reported in the Chicago Tribune (July 11), got her official ministerial certificate online. In one of her first services, she officiated at the same-sex union of Tony and Dex. Since the ‘Panzerkardinal’—as Ben 14 used to be known—still doesn’t care for homosexuality, this service will also possibly irk him.
In The American Interest Online (July-August) an article entitled ‘The Wizards of Oz’ dissects what several prominant arts groups, including the Recording Industry Association of America and the American Film Institute, say is America’s Number One song: Over the Rainbow. Written by Harold Arlen (Get Happy, I’ve Got the World on a String, Stormy Weather) and E.Y. ‘Yip’ Harburg (Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?), the song was almost left out of the movie. Sung by Dorothy (Judy Garland) to her dog Toto in the movie The Wizard of Oz, it instantly became a classic (although the movie didn’t, at first) and made Garland famous as a performer (and one of the few actors able to upstage a dog). Rainbow became Garland’s signature concert sign-off, and has been covered by everyone from Ella Fitzgerald to The Smashing Pumpkins.
From the ‘What’s-Coming-Out-of-the-Closet?’ file, The New York Times (July 9) reports that The Advocate, the national gay magazine, will shed its opaque cover. The magazine polled its readers and they no longer wanted the cover (-up). The Advocate is owned by PlanetOut, which plans to change how it mails its other magazines as well.
The Chicago Sun-Times (June 17) has a story in its Controversy section of a mom with a problem (or maybe it’s not): her two-year-old son wanted to dress up as a ballerina, then he wanted pink sheets (because he picked ’em) and then he wanted a Snow White costume. Mom was wondering if he’d be gay or a cross-dresser or transgendered. Her sensible pediatrician told her, ‘Some boys will be more interested than others in dress-up as feminine characters. This does not mean they suffer from gender confusion.’ There’s no need to worry: Just grab the video camera when your little guy does a turn in a fuchsia off-the-shoulder ball gown for fun. If he’s a touch too macho, when he’s 17 he may need it to remind him of his ‘other’ side.
All one can say about a book reviewed by the Chicago Tribune (June 16), Be Near Me by Andrew O’Hagan, is that the intro says the tale is about a priest accused of pedophilia. It is not such a book though, since the content of the review says the priest is drawn to teenagers. Not wonderful but not 10-year-olds. The novel may or may not be better than the review.