(OUTview NW) EXCLUSIVE: Storm Large brings her new band Le Bonheur to Federal Way on Friday, Dec. 1

by MK Scott

Pacific Northwest favorite Storm Large will take the stage on Friday, Dec. 1, at 8pm at the Federal Way Performing Arts and Event Center (31510 Pete von Reichbauer Way S.)

Known as a vocalist for Pink Martini, Large and her new band, Le Bonheur, will deliver a concert rolling with their interpretations of the American Songbook.

Large cartwheeled out of her checkered past across a thousand punk rock stages and into her infamous stint on the CBS rock 'n' roll reality series 'Rock Star: Supernova.' From there, she went on to tour the world, singing in 17 different languages, as vocalist for the joyful little pop orchestra Pink Martini.

Large has performed nationally from Carnegie Hall in New York to the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Large is also an actor, playwright and author. Her award-winning one-woman show, 'Crazy Enough,' broke every box office record at Portland Center Stage in 2010. In 2012, she detailed her wild life in a memoir of the same title published by Simon and Schuster.

NPR's Ari Shapiro, co-host of 'All Things Considered' on occasion, also performs with Large and Pink Martini on occasion and I had a chance to chat with her in-person following Shapiro's one-man show, 'Homeward,' this past weekend in Portland, Oregon.

(OUTview NW) Transgender Day of Remembrance at Seattle City Hall!

by MK Scott -

Seattle's annual Transgender Day of Remembrance took place on Monday, November 20, at the Bertha Knight Landes Room at Seattle City Hall. Seattle City Councilmember Lorena Gonzalez was on hand to greet everyone in attendance. Seattle Trans activist Mac McGregor hosted the somber event that also welcomed Jaime Deer, a Transgender officer at the King County Sheriff's Department. Aleksa Manila was on hand to help read the names and tell stories of people who were murdered in 2017 because they were Transgender. At the end of the evening Diverse Harmony sang Sting's 'Fields of Gold' as the pictures and names were once again featured on the screen:

(OUTview AMERICA) EXCLUSIVE: Screen legend Tippi Hedren on her new memoir, sexual harassment in Hollywood from Alfred Hitchcock, and her involvement with the Roar Foundation and Shambala Preserve!

by MK Scott 

Sexual harassment in Hollywood is nothing new, according to screen legend Tippi Hedren, who has finally written her memoir titled Tippi. In the book she writes about her harrowing experience working with film director Alfred Hitchcock on 1963's The Birds and 1964's Marnie. By the time they shot Marnie, the now 87-year-old actress details that Hitchcock was controlling and threatened to ruin her career. So when I was given the chance to ask her about that time, especially as the #MeToo movement is gaining some steam, I jumped at the opportunity. I also asked her about her passion for Wildlife Conservation when I chatted by phone with her on Friday, November 3rd.

(OUTview NW) COME TOGETHER, a benefit for Country Doctor, featuring keynote speaker Gay icon, Cleve Jones, raised $189,020 for new clinic

MKS

by MK Scott

On Saturday. October 14, Country Doctor Community Health Centers hosted a fundraiser at the Museum of History and Industry (MOHAI) that drew several hundreds of attendees to celebrate and support expansion of services and a new building for their Capitol Hill clinic. They're full steam ahead to 'Bring a Smile to Our Community.' Soon CDCHC will offer dental care, a critical need!

The evening gave a stirring tribute to retiring CDCHC founding executive director, Linda McVeigh, and introduced new CDCHC executive director, Raleigh Watts, to the crowd.

Famed activist and NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt founder, Cleve Jones, gave a remarkable keynote address recounting his life story and history of becoming an activist - his move to San Francisco as a young man, his work and friendship with Harvey Milk, his AIDS activism as co-founder of the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, his founding of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, and his current work as a labor activist - all the while emphasizing the importance of coming together to lift our family, friends and neighbors, our community, up as Country Doctor Community Health Centers continues to do through the Carolyn Downs Family Medical Center, the Country Doctor Community Clinic, and their After-Hours Clinic at Swedish-Cherry Hill.

It was a fun, moving and memorable evening.

Sponsors of the event included - Swedish, Gilead, MarPac, LabCorp, Amerigroup, Coordinated Care, Community Health Plan of Washington, Kaiser Permanente, Environmental Works, Seattle Children's, Henry Schein, USI, Hillis Clark Martin & Peterson, and AHF.

To support the ongoing work of CDCHC, please visit their website at https://countrydoctor.org/

(OUTview NW) Mr. Nude Seattle Contest returns after 7-year hiatus!

 by MK Scott

It is hard to believe that 2009 was the last time Seattle held a Mr. Nude Seattle Contest. Started in the late- 90s, Mr. Nude Seattle was an annual contest held mostly at the Langston Hughes Performing Arts Institute at 17th & E Yesler Way in the Central District.

At long last, under the direction of Martin, Creator and Producer of the Mr. Nude Seattle Contest, Mr. Nude Seattle was back this Wednesday, October 25th, with Latrina Bidet and Mark Mom Finley back as the Co-Hosts and a special burlesque performance by Angel Snowbunny.

With only three contestants, the evening went by quickly beginning with the First Look (clothed), continuing with the Striptease, followed by the Q&A in the nude, and the Final Look (nude).

In the end it was George winning the title and the $500 cash prize with 1st and 2nd runner-ups, Hartley and Shane.

The event was sponsored by Active Delivery Service, Astroglide, Castle Megastore, Changes, Club Z, Diesel, Haircomb, The Olympians, Seattle Gay News and True Love Tattoo and Art Gallery.

Not bad after being away for 7 years. Look for the next contest in February 2019.

(OUTview AMERICA) EXCLUSIVE: Catching up with Broadway, TV star, and musician, Reeve Carney at Steamposium 2017

by MK Scott 

Six years ago, Reeve Carney had just started out on Broadway in title role of the much-talked about Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark musical with the sensational score by Bono with The Edge which was originally directed by Julie Taymor (The Lion King). The show was plagued with a high-budget and the dangerous aerial stunts that even injured a stunt man. In August 2011, I was lucky enough to attend and review Spider-Man and the music and the leading man was what made the show. I met Reeve Carney after the show and he was very gracious. I later learned that his band, Carney, had performed as part of the pit orchestra for the show. I also learned that he is the grand-nephew of TV legend, Art Carney ('The Honeymooners'). In recent years, Carney left Broadway for the starring role of omnisexual, Dorian Gray on Showtime's Penny Dreadful (2014-16) and last year as Riff-Raff in the FOX TV remake of the Rocky Horror Picture Show. So, it was a delight to catch up with Reeve at Steamposium 2017 (also known as Steampunk-Con) at Seattle's Bell Harbor Conference center on October 28.