Dish of the Day #728: Men Whom Marcus and Rick Might Love Week

This week's Dishes are for "Dr." Bachmann and Governor Perry, who - despite running "pray away the gay" clinics and signing NOM's anti-gay marriage pledge - may have more in common with these men than they would like to admit. But if those pesky rumors are true, do we really want such evil homophobes to be a part of our queer family? Then again, it's doubtful that any of us will be inviting them over for Sunday dinner.

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. Also, if you have a pic that you would like to submit for consideration as a Dish of the Day, please send it to deepdishdrama@aol.com.

Top 10 Tuesday of Groovy Tunes: Ode to Bobbie Gentry

Each week I feature 10 groovy tunes that reached the Top 10 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart during the last 51 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. This week everyone who votes AND leaves a comment, listing their three favorite songs (as well as their name and email address), will be entered into today's Groovy Gay Giveaway to win a DVD of the film, Blackmail Boys (click here for more information).

After seven weeks in the Top 10, we bid a fond farewell to "Every Breath You Take" by The Police and welcome newcomer Bobbie Gentry and her 1967 hit, "Ode to Billie Joe". Meanwhile, the Carpenters remain at the top, having received 29 votes out of the 138 cast last week. Now here is this week's Top 10 Tuesday, and you can vote for your favorites in the poll below.

Groovy Gay Giveaway: Blackmail Boys DVD

Courtesy of TLA Releasing, today's Groovy Gay Giveaway is two DVDs of the film, Blackmail Boys. Written and directed by brothers Bernard and Richard Shumanski, this provocative drama is about a young gay couple who decide to blackmail a prominent anti-gay advocate. Also, its full frontal nudity and graphic sex leaves very little to the imagination. You can check out the film's trailer below.

To enter to win this Groovy Gay Giveaway, please vote and leave a comment on today's Top 10 Tuesday post, listing your three favorite songs as well as your name and email address. Entries close at midnight on Wednesday (CST).

PLEASE NOTE: There will be another giveaway on Thursday when this week's trivia quiz will be posted.

If you would like to give away something groovy and/or gay (DVDs, CDs, books, etc.) here on Deep Dish, please email Marc at deepdishdrama@aol.com.

Dish of the Day #727: Men Whom Marcus and Rick Might Love Week

This week's Dishes are for "Dr." Bachmann and Governor Perry, who - despite running "pray away the gay" clinics and signing NOM's anti-gay marriage pledge - may have more in common with these men than they would like to admit. But if those pesky rumors are true, do we really want such evil homophobes to be a part of our queer family? Then again, it's doubtful that any of us will be inviting them over for Sunday dinner.

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. Also, if you have a pic that you would like to submit for consideration as a Dish of the Day, please send it to deepdishdrama@aol.com.

Groovy Music Monday: Live from Chicago, it's Tom Goss on September 2

Today's music is from my friend, singer/songwriter Tom Goss, who is coming back to Chicago this Friday (September 2) to perform at Jackhammer (6406 N. Clark) as part of The Flesh Hungry Dog Show's "Labor of Love" - a Folk and Rock Celebration of Labor Day. Showtime is 9 pm, and tickets can be purchased at www.brownpapertickets.com. I'm sure it will be a fun evening of groovy music.

For a list of Tom's other upcoming shows and to purchase his CDs, check out his website at www.tomgossmusic.com. You can also follow him on Facebook and Twitter.

Below you can watch Tom perform "Turn It Around" and "It's All Over" from his most recent album, Turn It Around.

Dish of the Day #726: Men Whom Marcus and Rick Might Love Week

This week's Dishes are for "Dr." Bachmann and Governor Perry, who - despite running "pray away the gay" clinics and signing NOM's anti-gay marriage pledge - may have more in common with these men than they would like to admit. But if those pesky rumors are true, do we really want such evil homophobes to be a part of our queer family? Then again, it's doubtful that any of us will be inviting them over for Sunday dinner.

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. Also, if you have a pic that you would like to submit for consideration as a Dish of the Day, please send it to deepdishdrama@aol.com. And if you like the above animated GIFs, click here to see more.

Sunday Funnies #2: Live from Chicago, it's Cloris Leachman!

Any regular reader of this blog knows that I adore actress Cloris Leachman, so I was quite excited to learn that she will be coming to Moraine Valley Community College in Palos Hills next month with Cloris! A One-Woman Show. The fabulous lady will be taking us on a hilarious and sometimes poignant journey through her career and life while sharing stories about her Broadway years (she played Nellie in the original production of South Pacific), her memorable role as Phyllis Lindstrom on TV's The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Phyllis, her zany characters in the Mel Brooks films, Young Frankenstein (1974), High Anxiety (1977) and History of the World, Part 1 (1981), and her scene-stealing stint on Dancing with the Stars. Leachman also won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in The Last Picture Show (1971), and she is currently nominated for an Emmy Award for her role on the Fox sitcom, Raising Hope.

Leachman will perform Cloris! A One-Woman Show on Saturday, September 24, at 7:30 pm at Moraine Valley Community College's Dorothy Menker Theater (9000 W. College Pkwy. in Palos Hills). Click here to purchase tickets online.

So to celebrate her upcoming Chicagoland appearance, today I'm featuring a few funny videos of the actress:

Sunday Funnies #1: Patti LuPone Is Still Here (and so are a few other divas)

Last August I featured actress and impersonator Carly Sakolove's videos of some of the most beloved divas of Broadway performing "Send in the Clowns" from A Little Night Music and "Some People" from Gypsy (click here to watch them). Now this talented young lady has returned with another amusing homage to our favorite leading ladies, who sing "I'm Still Here" from the 1971 Sondheim musical, Follies.

You can follow Carly on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook.

Web Series Worth Watching: Who will be the Ski Camp Champ?

Web Series of the Week: Ski Camp
The final episode of this gay guilty pleasure reveals the winner whom online viewers voted for. Will it be adorable Dan or cute Kirk? Tune in below to find out - but I will confess that I was quite pleased with the outcome. Then you can watch a special bonus "Uncut" episode, which goes behind the scenes of the reality series. To watch previous episodes, click here.

Live from Chicago, it's Del Shores on August 30

Del Shores, the creator of the hilarious film and TV series Sordid Lives, is coming to Chicago to dish the dirt this Tuesday (August 30) with his raunchy and very gay stand-up show, Sordid Confessions. No subject is off-limits as he shares real-life stories of his "slut" years and calls out the assholes and bitches whom he's worked with.

Sordid Confessions plays Tuesday, August 30, at 7:30 pm at Mary's Attic (5400 N. Clark). Tickets are $20, but if you enter the online promotional code "DELFAN", you will receive a $5 discount per ticket. Click here to purchase tickets.

Other upcoming appearances on Del's Sordid Confessions tour include St. Louis (Sept. 1), Indianapolis (Sept. 2), Cincinnati (Sept. 3) and Cleveland (Sept. 4). Click here to purchase tickets.

Below you can watch Del perform at NYC's Comix comedy club in 2009 and dish about his lunch with Dyan Cannon, Raquel Welch and Darren Starr - and click here to read my 2009 Deeper Dish interview with him.

The Magic of Tommy Femia's Judy Garland at Davenport's in Chicago

Tommy Femia made me fall in love with Judy Garland. Of course, I grew up watching young Judy in The Wizard of Oz and Meet Me in St. Louis, but it wasn't until I saw Femia play an older Garland in the hilarious 1993 Off-Broadway show, Whoop-Dee-Doo!, that I became a devoted fan of the singer/actress. When he suddenly appeared onstage as Judy circa 1961 to sing an amusing song about herself fittingly entitled "The Magic of Me", I wanted more of this Garland. So, of course, I immediately went out and bought a CD of Judy at Carnegie Hall, which changed my life forever. Seriously, it will, folks - and I have Mr. Femia to thank for this.

Dish of the Day #725: Vote for your Favorite

This week's Dishes are ready to play ball in honor of the 35th annual Gay Softball World Series (GSWS), which will be held in Chicago from August 29 through September 3. The tournament's Opening Ceremonies on Monday, August 29, at Navy Pier will feature an impressive talent line-up that includes actor Leslie Jordan (Will & Grace, Sordid Lives), Rugby World Cup Champion Ben Cohen and drag queen/comedian Pandora Boxx (RuPaul's Drag Race). Admission is FREE, but donations will be accepted to support the Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation, which raises awareness and funding to combat LGBT bullying and homophobia in sports. The GSWS will also have a Closing Street Fair on Saturday, September 3, from 4-10 pm on Waveland Avenue in Boystown between Halsted and Broadway, featuring local band Final Say and DJ Bill Bennett. A $5 suggested donation will benefit the Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation.

For more information, visit the GSWS website at chicagoseries2011.com.

Every Monday through Friday a new Dish of the Day is featured, and beginning today you can vote for your favorite Dish this week in the sidebar poll.

Below is a pic of today's GSWS team, Boston's Club Cafe Crew.

#718 won last week's contest with 31.8% of the 110 votes cast. #716 came in second with 26.4%, followed by #719 (19.1%), #717 (12.7%) and #720 (10.0%).

Pride Films and Plays presents 'And The Winner WASN'T - But the Finalists Are!' on September 19

Chicago's Pride Films and Plays will present And The Winner WASN'T - But the Finalists Are! at Sidetrack (3349 N. Halsted) on Monday, September 19, from 6:30 to 8 pm. This benefit for the organization will feature performances of Oscar-nominated songs that did not win by some of the city's best musical theater and cabaret stars, including Michelle McKenzie-Voigt, Shaun Baer, Ryan Lanning, Liz Pazik, Jeremey Rill, Harmony France, Meghan Murphy, the cast of Porchlight Music Theatre's Putting It Together. It will be hosted by former Naked Boys singers Keith Stoneking and John Cardone.

Pride Films and Plays will also be announcing the five finalists in the 2011 Great Gay Screenplay Contest, whose scripts will be performed as staged readings on October 21 to 23 at Chicago's Center on Halsted (3656 N. Halsted).

Tickets are $20, and the price includes one drink coupon and one raffle ticket for a chance to win a groovy door prize, including tickets to Drury Lane Oakbrook's Sweeney Todd, Marriott's For the Boys, Bailiwick's Violet, Broadway in Chicago, Hearty Restaurant, Landmark Cinemas and more. Tickets may be purchased by phone at 1-800-838-3006 or online at www.brownpapertickets.com.

Pride Films and Plays is dedicated to comprehending the history of great gay writing and fostering its excellence in new works for the stage and screen. For more information on the organization, including its Great Gay Play and Musical Contest (which will be accepting entries from September 1 to October 31), visit www.pridefilmsandplays.com.

Dish of the Day #724: Play Ball!

This week's Dishes are ready to play ball in honor of the 35th annual Gay Softball World Series (GSWS), which will be held in Chicago from August 29 through September 3. The tournament's Opening Ceremonies on Monday, August 29, at Navy Pier will feature an impressive talent line-up that includes actor Leslie Jordan (Will & Grace, Sordid Lives), Rugby World Cup Champion Ben Cohen and drag queen/comedian Pandora Boxx (RuPaul's Drag Race). Admission is FREE, but donations will be accepted to support the Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation, which raises awareness and funding to combat LGBT bullying and homophobia in sports. The GSWS will also have a Closing Street Fair on Saturday, September 3, from 4-10 pm on Waveland Avenue in Boystown between Halsted and Broadway, featuring local band Final Say and DJ Bill Bennett. A $5 suggested donation will benefit the Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation.

For more information, visit the GSWS website at chicagoseries2011.com.

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 Chris Rockway, and below is a pic of today's GSWS team, San Francisco Storm.

Five Reasons to See Our Idiot Brother (and one of them is Paul Rudd)

If you like actor Paul Rudd, you'll probably enjoy his new movie, Our Idiot Brother, which opens this Friday (August 26). And here are a few reasons why I would recommend that you go see it:

Dish of the Day #723: Play Ball!

This week's Dishes are ready to play ball in honor of the 35th annual Gay Softball World Series (GSWS), which will be held in Chicago from August 29 through September 3. The tournament's Opening Ceremonies on Monday, August 29, at Navy Pier will feature an impressive talent line-up that includes actor Leslie Jordan (Will & Grace, Sordid Lives), Rugby World Cup Champion Ben Cohen and drag queen/comedian Pandora Boxx (RuPaul's Drag Race). Admission is FREE, but donations will be accepted to support the Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation, which raises awareness and funding to combat LGBT bullying and homophobia in sports. The GSWS will also have a Closing Street Fair on Saturday, September 3, from 4-10 pm on Waveland Avenue in Boystown between Halsted and Broadway, featuring local band Final Say and DJ Bill Bennett. A $5 suggested donation will benefit the Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation.

For more information, visit the GSWS website at chicagoseries2011.com.

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 Daniel Ashton Johnson, and below is a pic of today's GSWS team, Chicago's Green Team Properties/Gotcha Covered Blinds G-Force.

Top 10 Tuesday of Groovy Tunes: Everybody Loves Madonna

Each week I feature 10 groovy tunes that reached the Top 10 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart during the last 51 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. This week everyone who votes AND leaves a comment, listing their three favorite songs (as well as their name and email address), will be entered into today's Groovy Gay Giveaway to win a copy of singer/songwriter Matt Zarley's new CD, Change Begins With Me (click here for more information).

The Carpenters' "(They Long to Be) Close to You" was back on top last week, receiving 23 votes out of the 135 cast, while Madonna moved into the Top 5 with her 1986 hit, "Papa Don't Preach". Now here is this week's Top 10 Tuesday, and you can vote for your favorites in the poll below.

If It's Tuesday (Weld), This Must Be Trivia

Every Tuesday I post five trivia questions relating to television, film, theatre or celebrities, and the first person who sends me the correct answers wins the highly coveted Auntie Mame Award. This week everyone who answers all the questions correctly will be entered into today's Groovy Gay Giveaway to win a copy of singer/songwriter Matt Zarley's new CD, Change Begins With Me (click here for more information).

Please send your answers for this week's questions to deepdishdrama@aol.com or via a private Facebook message (DO NOT post your answers on here where everyone can see them or they will be deleted).

In honor of Tuesday Weld's 68th birthday on August 27, this week's theme is all about the groovy actress:

1) In what 1966 film does she play a high school senior who needs 12 cashmere sweaters to join an exclusive girl's club?

2) Who was her leading man in the 1968 film, Pretty Poison?

3) What is her character Katherine's relationship to Diane Keaton's schoolteacher in the 1977 film, Looking for Mr. Goodbar?

4) Who played her husband in the 1980 comedy, Serial?

5) What British actor/comedian was Weld married to from 1975 to 1980? And for what 1981 comedy did he receive an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor?

Groovy Gay Giveaway: Matt Zarley's new CD, Change Begins With Me

This week's Groovy Gay Giveaway is two copies of Matt Zarley's new CD, Change Begins With Me, which is officially being released today. When I interviewed the singer/songwriter last March, he talked about his new album (click here for the entire interview):

"What the title of the album - which is the title song - basically means is that nobody really has control over their lives but themselves. I think sometimes we fall victim to blaming other sources for not giving us the job we want or not finding the love that we want. We all do, and I think I just learned that if you want something to change in your life, you have to change it for yourself first. And that sort of encompasses the whole project."

The CD features the groovy tune, "WTF", which recently debuted at #2 on the Billboard Breakouts for Hot Dance Club Play chart, and I love its video, which has a groovy gay sense of humor and some very nice eye candy (watch it below along with a trailer for Change Begins With Me). To learn more about the man and his music, go to www.MattZarley.com. You can also become a Facebook fan or follow him on Twitter.

To enter to win this Groovy Gay Giveaway, you can either answer the questions correctly in today's Tuesday Trivia contest (via a private Facebook message or email) OR vote and leave a comment on today's Top 10 Tuesday post, listing your three favorite songs (if you leave a comment, please remember to include your name and email address). Entries close at midnight on Thursday (CST).

If you would like to give away something groovy and/or gay (DVDs, CDs, books, theatre or concert tickets) here on Deep Dish, please email Marc at deepdishdrama@aol.com.

Remembering Nick Ashford and his music

Nick Ashford, who died Monday at age 69, wrote some groovy music with his songwriting partner and wife, Valerie Simpson. They also performed together as Ashford & Simpson, and below you can listen to a few of my favorite songs that they wrote:

Dish of the Day #722: Play Ball!

This week's Dishes are ready to play ball in honor of the 35th annual Gay Softball World Series (GSWS), which will be held in Chicago from August 29 through September 3. The tournament's Opening Ceremonies on Monday, August 29, at Navy Pier will feature an impressive talent line-up that includes actor Leslie Jordan (Will & Grace, Sordid Lives), Rugby World Cup Champion Ben Cohen and drag queen/comedian Pandora Boxx (RuPaul's Drag Race). Admission is FREE, but donations will be accepted to support the Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation, which raises awareness and funding to combat LGBT bullying and homophobia in sports. The GSWS will also have a Closing Street Fair on Saturday, September 3, from 4-10 pm on Waveland Avenue in Boystown between Halsted and Broadway, featuring local band Final Say and DJ Bill Bennett. A $5 suggested donation will benefit the Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation.

For more information, visit the GSWS website at chicagoseries2011.com.

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. Below is a pic of today's GSWS team, San Francisco Treat.

Groovy Music Monday: The Windmills of Barbra Streisand's Mind

Today's music is from Streisand's new album, What Matters Most - Barbra Streisand Sings the Lyrics of Alan and Marilyn Bergman, which will be released tomorrow (August 23). Below you can listen to two songs - "The Windmills of Your Mind" (the Academy Award-winning tune from the 1968 film, The Thomas Crown Affair) and "That Face" (which Fred Astaire introduced in 1957) - and watch Babs and the Bergmans discuss the songs on her album (click here to purchase a copy).

Show Tune Showdown #2: 1965-66 Broadway Season

In the first Show Tune Showdown, Chicago and A Chorus Line each won five showdowns. Songs that will be moving on to a second round in 2012 are Chicago's "All That Jazz", "Cell Block Tango", "We Both Reached for the Gun", "Mr. Cellophane" and "Class" and A Chorus Line's "Nothing", "Dance: Ten, Looks: Three", "The Music and the Mirror", "What I Did for Love" and "One".

PLEASE NOTE: The next Show Tune Showdown will be on Monday, September 12.

Now on to our second Show Tune Showdown, which takes us back to the 1965-66 Broadway season when the following nine musicals opened:

Pickwick
October 4, 1965 - November 18, 1965 (56 performances)

Drat! The Cat!
October 10, 1965 - October 16, 1965 (8 performances)

On a Clear Day You Can See Forever
Original: October 17, 1965 - June 11, 1966 (280 performances)
Revival: December 11, 2011 - ?

Skyscraper
Original: November 13, 1965 - June 11, 1966 (248 performances)

Man of La Mancha
Original: November 22, 1965 - June 26, 1971 (2,328 performances)
Revival #1: June 22, 1972 - October 21, 1972 (140 performances)
Revival #2: September 15, 1977 - December 31, 1977 (124 performances)
Revival #3: April 24, 1992 - July 26, 1992 (108 performances)
Revival #4: December 5, 2002 - August 31, 2003 (304 performances)

The Yearling
December 10, 1965 - December 11, 1965 (3 performances)

Sweet Charity
Original: January 29, 1966 - July 15, 1967 (608 performances)
Revival #1: April 27, 1986 - March 15, 1987 (369 performances)
Revival #2: May 4, 2005 - December 31, 2005 (279 performances)

"It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's Superman"
March 29, 1966 - July 17, 1966 (129 performances)

Mame
Original: May 24, 1966 - January 3, 1970 (1,508 performances)
Revival: July 24, 1983 - August 28, 1983 (41 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?":

Dish of the Day #721: Play Ball!

This week's Dishes are ready to play ball in honor of the 35th annual Gay Softball World Series (GSWS), which will be held in Chicago from August 29 through September 3. The tournament's Opening Ceremonies on Monday, August 29, at Navy Pier will feature an impressive talent line-up that includes actor Leslie Jordan (Will & Grace, Sordid Lives), Rugby World Cup Champion Ben Cohen and drag queen/comedian Pandora Boxx (RuPaul's Drag Race). Admission is FREE, but donations will be accepted to support the Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation, which raises awareness and funding to combat LGBT bullying and homophobia in sports. The GSWS will also have a Closing Street Fair on Saturday, September 3, from 4-10 pm on Waveland Avenue in Boystown between Halsted and Broadway, featuring local band Final Say and DJ Bill Bennett. A $5 suggested donation will benefit the Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation.

For more information, visit the GSWS website at chicagoseries2011.com.

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. Below is a pic of today's GSWS team, Hot Mess from Austin, Texas.

Groovy Mother of the Year (or I've got a crush on Blaine, too)

One of my Grooviest People of 2010 was Nerdy Apple Bottom, a mother who blogged about her five-year-old son dressing up as Scooby-Doo's Daphne for Halloween. Now here is another cool mom, who recently wrote about her six-year-old son's infatuation with Blaine (aka Darren Criss) from Glee. This was her first post on Tumblr, which has received over 38,000 notes in five days. It has also been linked to Out.com, where she's now shared her reaction about the amazing response to her original post (go to getstooobsessed.tumblr.com to read her post and then click here for her Out.com reaction).

Who knows if this groovy mom's son will grow up to be a friend of Dorothy's - or if this is just a phase that he's going through. I don't remember having any celebrity crushes back when I was six - but then we didn't have any gorgeous young gay characters on television either. My only queer role model was Paul Lynde on Bewitched and Hollywood Squares, so we've definitely come a long way, baby!

Fall TV Preview: FX's American Horror Story

I'm looking forward to American Horror Story, the new FX drama from the creators of Glee, Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk. Below is an eerie promo video for the show, featuring cast members Dylan McDermott (The Practice), Connie Britton (Friday Night Lights) and Jessica Lange, whom I've been a fan of ever since she was picked up by King Kong back in 1976.

The series, which debuts on October 5, revolves around the Harmon family - psychiatrist Ben (McDermott), his wife Vivien (Britton) and their teenage daughter Violet (Taissa Farmiga) - who move from Boston to Los Angeles in an attempt to rebuild their lives after a miscarriage and an affair. Unfortunately, their new home is haunted with a history of murder and violence. Other characters include Constance (Lange), a nosy neighbor; Constance's daughter (Jamie Brewer); Tate Langdon (Evan Peters), one of Ben's patients; and Larry Harvey "the burn guy" (True Blood's Denis O'Hare). Frances Conroy (Six Feet Under) and Alexandra Breckenridge will play the family's housekeepers, while actor Eric Close - whom I still fondly remember as Cat's boyfriend Billy on TV's Sisters - has been cast in the recurring role of a charming cad named Hugo, who will be seen in some flashbacks to the 1980s. Also, there is a character named "Rubber Man", which only makes me want to see this intriguingly weird show even more.

Three Groovy Gay Years of Deep Dish

Time does fly when you're having fun. Three years ago today I began Deep Dish, and now here I am over 2,400 posts later still enjoying myself. I want to thank all of my fabulous readers for their support and feedback during this blogging adventure of mine, and I hope you will continue to join me for more groovy gay pop culture for many years to come.

A few days ago I received a lovely email from a brand new reader named Bill, who lives in a very small town where there are no gay bars and very few gay men. He ended his message by saying:

"I really appreciate what you provide with Deep Dish. Allows me to get in touch with my 'queenly' side."

So to celebrate this special day, below you can revisit 20 of my dishiest posts from 2008-09 that will definitely help you get in touch with your own "queenly" side (click on the title to go to each post):

Dish of the Day #720: Vote for your Favorite

The Dishes are playing ball this week in honor of the 35th annual Gay Softball World Series (GSWS), which will be held in Chicago from August 29 through September 3. The tournament's Opening Ceremonies on Monday, August 29, at Navy Pier will feature an impressive talent line-up that includes actor Leslie Jordan (Will & Grace, Sordid Lives), Rugby World Cup Champion Ben Cohen, drag queen/comedian Pandora Boxx (RuPaul's Drag Race), Chicago singer Amy Armstrong, and Chicago-based DJ and event producer Matthew Harvart. Admission is FREE, but donations will be accepted to support the Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation, which raises awareness and funding to combat LGBT bullying and homophobia in sports. For more information, visit the GSWS website at chicagoseries2011.com.

Every Monday through Friday a new Dish of the Day is featured, and beginning today you can vote for your favorite Dish this week in the sidebar poll.

Below is a pic of today's GSWS team, Houston's Sons of Pitches.

#711 won last week's contest with 23.7% of the 131 votes cast. #713 came in second with 21.4%, followed by #715 (20.6%), #714 (19.1%) and #712 (15.3%).

Soap Dish: The Top 150 Memorable Moments of All My Children

With All My Children set to air its final network episode on September 23 (before it moves online next year), I thought it would be fun to revisit 150 of Pine Valley's most memorable moments since the daytime soap opera debuted on January 5, 1970. Now here are the first 25 historical highlights in chronological order:

Dish of the Day #719: Gay Softball World Series Week

The Dishes are playing ball this week in honor of the 35th annual Gay Softball World Series (GSWS), which will be held in Chicago from August 29 through September 3. The tournament's Opening Ceremonies on Monday, August 29, at Navy Pier will feature an impressive talent line-up that includes actor Leslie Jordan (Will & Grace, Sordid Lives), Rugby World Cup Champion Ben Cohen, drag queen/comedian Pandora Boxx (RuPaul's Drag Race), Chicago singer Amy Armstrong, and Chicago-based DJ and event producer Matthew Harvart. Admission is FREE, but donations will be accepted to support the Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation, which raises awareness and funding to combat LGBT bullying and homophobia in sports. For more information, visit the GSWS website at chicagoseries2011.com.

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 Cory Drouillard, and below is a pic of today's GSWS team, the Montreal Mustangs.

Dish of the Day #718: Gay Softball World Series Week

The Dishes are playing ball this week in honor of the 35th annual Gay Softball World Series (GSWS), which will be held in Chicago from August 29 through September 3. The tournament's Opening Ceremonies on Monday, August 29, at Navy Pier will feature an impressive talent line-up that includes actor Leslie Jordan (Will & Grace, Sordid Lives), Rugby World Cup Champion Ben Cohen, drag queen/comedian Pandora Boxx (RuPaul's Drag Race), Chicago singer Amy Armstrong, and Chicago-based DJ and event producer Matthew Harvart. Admission is FREE, but donations will be accepted to support the Ben Cohen StandUp Foundation, which raises awareness and funding to combat LGBT bullying and homophobia in sports. For more information, visit the GSWS website at chicagoseries2011.com.

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 Daniel Ashton Johnson, and below is a pic of today's GSWS team, the West Hollywood Swingers.

Top 10 Tuesday of Groovy Tunes: Olivia Newton-One!

Each week I feature 10 groovy tunes that reached the Top 10 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart during the last 51 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. This week everyone who votes AND leaves a comment, listing their three favorite songs (as well as their name and email address), will be entered into today's Groovy Gay Giveaway to win a copy of Belo Cipriani's book, Blind: A Memoir (click here for more information).

After three weeks at the top, the Carpenters' "(They Long to Be) Close to You" was knocked out of first place by Olivia Newton-John's "Magic", which received 25 votes out of the 147 cast. But how long will she remain #1 with "Bad Girls" Donna Summer, Diana Ross and Madonna as her competition? Now here is this week's Top 10 Tuesday, and you can vote for your favorites in the poll below.

How 'Desperate' are you to win Tuesday Trivia?

Every Tuesday I post five trivia questions relating to television, film, theatre or famous actors/directors, and the first person who sends me the correct answers wins the highly coveted Auntie Mame Award. This week everyone who answers all the questions correctly will be entered into today's Groovy Gay Giveaway to win a copy of Belo Cipriani's book, Blind: A Memoir (click here for more information).

Please send your answers for this week's questions to deepdishdrama@aol.com or via a private Facebook message (DO NOT post your answers on here where everyone can see them or they will be deleted).

With the recent announcement that the upcoming eighth season of Desperate Housewives will be its final one, this week's theme is the soapy TV series, which began on ABC on October 3, 2004:

1) What was the name of Bree's first husband?

2) Who ran over Gaby's mother-in-law Juanita?

3) Who played Lynette's father-in-law, Rodney Scavo? And on what 1964-69 TV drama did he appear?

4) Who played Bree's uptight stepmother Eleanor?

5) What was Edie Britt's occupation? And who burned down her house in the pilot episode?

Groovy Gay Giveaway: Belo Cipriani's Blind: A Memoir

Today's Groovy Gay Giveaway is two copies of gay author Belo Cipriani's book, Blind: A Memoir, in which he shares his inspiring story of the two years following an assault that robbed him of his sight. He suddenly found himself in a strange new world, where he had to learn how to ride a bus, cook dinner and even go on a date in the dark. I highly recommend Cipriani's book, which had me cheering him on during his most difficult times as well as celebrating his successful triumphs. To learn more about the author and his book, check out his website at blindamemoir.com, and below you can watch a video of Cipriani - with his guide dog Madge - discuss his monthly blog, Near Sighted. You can also follow Belo on Twitter or become a Facebook friend.

To enter to win this Groovy Gay Giveaway, you can either answer the questions correctly in today's Tuesday Trivia contest (via a private Facebook message or email) OR vote and leave a comment on today's Top 10 Tuesday post, listing your three favorite songs (if you leave a comment, please remember to include your name and email address). Entries close at midnight on Thursday (CST).

If you would like to give away something groovy and/or gay (DVDs, CDs, books, theatre or movie tickets) here on Deep Dish, please email Marc at deepdishdrama@aol.com.