IMPORTANT FACTS FOR BIKTARVY®
This is only a brief summary of important information about BIKTARVY and does not replace talking to your healthcare provider about your condition and your treatment.
(bik-TAR-vee)
MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT BIKTARVY
POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF BIKTARVY
BIKTARVY may cause serious side effects, including:
BIKTARVY may cause serious side effects, including: Those in the “Most Important Information About BIKTARVY” section. Changes in your immune system. Your immune system may get stronger and begin to fight infections that may have been hidden in your body. Tell your healthcare provider if you have any new symptoms after you start taking BIKTARVY. Kidney problems, including kidney failure. Your healthcare provider should do blood and urine tests to check your kidneys. If you develop new or worse kidney problems, they may tell you to stop taking BIKTARVY. Too much lactic acid in your blood (lactic acidosis), which is a serious but rare medical emergency that can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: weakness or being more tired than usual, unusual muscle pain, being short of breath or fast breathing, stomach pain with nausea and vomiting, cold or blue hands and feet, feel dizzy or lightheaded, or a fast or abnormal heartbeat. Severe liver problems, which in rare cases can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you get these symptoms: skin or the white part of your eyes turns yellow, dark “tea-colored” urine, light-colored stools, loss of appetite for several days or longer, nausea, or stomach-area pain. The most common side effects of BIKTARVY in clinical studies were diarrhea (6%), nausea (6%), and headache (5%).
Worsening of hepatitis B (HBV) infection. Your
healthcare provider will test you for HBV. If you have both HIV-1 and HBV, your HBV may suddenly get worse if you stop taking BIKTARVY. Do not stop taking BIKTARVY without first talking to your healthcare provider, as they will need to check your health regularly for several months, and may give you HBV medicine.
ABOUT BIKTARVY BIKTARVY is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in adults and children who weigh at least 55 pounds. It can either be used in people who have never taken HIV-1 medicines before, or people who are replacing their current HIV-1 medicines and whose healthcare provider determines they meet certain requirements. BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS. HIV-1 is the virus that causes AIDS. Do NOT take BIKTARVY if you also take a medicine that contains: dofetilide rifampin any other medicines to treat HIV-1
BEFORE TAKING BIKTARVY Tell your healthcare provider if you: Have or have had any kidney or liver problems,
including hepatitis infection. Have any other health problems. Are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if BIKTARVY can harm your unborn baby. Tell your healthcare provider if you become pregnant while taking BIKTARVY. Are breastfeeding (nursing) or plan to breastfeed. Do not breastfeed. HIV-1 can be passed to the baby in breast milk. Tell your healthcare provider about all the medicines you take: Keep a list that includes all prescription and over-the-
counter medicines, antacids, laxatives, vitamins, and herbal supplements, and show it to your healthcare provider and pharmacist.
BIKTARVY and other medicines may affect each other.
Ask your healthcare provider and pharmacist about medicines that interact with BIKTARVY, and ask if it is safe to take BIKTARVY with all your other medicines.
These are not all the possible side effects of BIKTARVY. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have any new symptoms while taking BIKTARVY. You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.FDA.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088. Your healthcare provider will need to do tests to monitor your health before and during treatment with BIKTARVY.
HOW TO TAKE BIKTARVY Take BIKTARVY 1 time each day with or without food.
GET MORE INFORMATION This is only a brief summary of important information
about BIKTARVY. Talk to your healthcare provider or pharmacist to learn more.
Go to BIKTARVY.com or call 1-800-GILEAD-5 If you need help paying for your medicine,
visit BIKTARVY.com for program information.
BIKTARVY, the BIKTARVY Logo, GILEAD, the GILEAD Logo, KEEP CREATING, and LOVE WHAT’S INSIDE are trademarks of Gilead Sciences, Inc., or its related companies. Version date: February 2021 © 2021 Gilead Sciences, Inc. All rights reserved. BVYC0370 04/21
CHAD LIVING WITH HIV SINCE 2018 REAL BIKTARVY PATIENT
KEEP CREATING.
Because HIV doesn’t change who you are.
BIKTARVY® is a complete, 1-pill, once-a-day prescription medicine used to treat HIV-1 in certain adults. BIKTARVY does not cure HIV-1 or AIDS.
Ask your healthcare provider if BIKTARVY is right for you. See Chad’s story at BIKTARVY.com. Featured patient compensated by Gilead.
Please see Important Facts about BIKTARVY, including important warnings, on the previous page and visit BIKTARVY.com.
WELCOME T0 2022
LET’S ALL SPREAD THE LOVE
PUBLISHER Bent Share Entertainment, LLC EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Michael Westman COPY EDITOR James Delyea CREATIVE DIRECTOR Cesar A Reyes
IT’S FEBRUARY AND LOVE IS IN THE AIR. IT’S THE
Some of my most memorable Betty White
SEASON WE TURN TO OUR LOVED ONES AND
moments are listed below. Those of you who share my
EXPRESS OUR ADMIRATION. Whether its romantic
admiration of Betty won’t need much context. If you
love, familial love, or great fondness of our friends,
do, a quick Google search will lead you to these bits:
neighbors, and business colleagues, it’s a perfect time
EDITOR’S LETTER
of year to demonstrate our feelings and let others know just how much they mean to us. It’s easy. Make it happen with a personal visit, phone call or even a text - and yes, Hallmark has a card for it too. But maybe we can take it one step further in 2022. What about those with viewpoints in opposition of our own? Or family members or disagreeable neighbors with whom we’ve experienced a falling-out? During a time in our country when there’s so much division, let’s have the LGBTQ+ community
VIEWS
set an example that our world will be a better place when we lead with love. “You come to love not by finding the perfect person, but by seeing an imperfect person perfectly.” While this quote can’t be attributed to Saint Valentine himself, I’ve always found it to be true. We can’t change others, but we can change our own outlook and actions by approaching all personal interactions with love and compassion. Our world recently lost our beloved Betty White
The Great Herring War Golden Girls • Dusty Muffin Saturday Night Live • Every Elka One-Liner Hot in Cleveland • Sue Ann’s Bedroom Mary Tyler Moore Show • Adam & Eve Tonight Show with Johnny Carson • “I’m Still Hot” Music Video Luciana • Beer Pong with Jimmy Kimmel Jimmy Kimmel Live • Playing herself Ugly Betty What were your favorite Betty White moments? •
at the age of 99. This Golden Girl was the living embodiment of kindness, love, and tolerance. Imag-
In addition to our tribute to Betty White, through
ine the impact on humanity if we all channeled our
the eyes of Stan Zimmerman, someone who knew
inner Betty White this Valentine’s season.
and worked with her, I hope you’ll find love and inspiration from several of our other feature stories
“I just make it my business to get along with people so I can have fun. It’s that simple.” -Betty White
in this issue of Metrosource as well. From love and marriage chronicled in a reality TV show, to finding passion and success in the acting world, to conquering childhood setbacks and serving as a mentor to others, our writers have captured many positive and interesting insights from some high-profile members of our LGBTQ+ community.
Betty White always had the ability to put a smile on so many faces, whether playing one of her mem-
Wishing you love and happiness.
orable on-screen characters or being her genuine
Please pay it forward.
MARKETING DIRECTOR Christopher Jackson FEATURE WRITER Alexander Rodriguez CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ben Rimalower
Jeffrey James Keyes Megan Venzin Michael Westman Paul Zahn
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Los Angeles 6475 E. Pacific Coast Hwy., #438 Long Beach, CA 90803 New York 511 Avenue of the Americas, #901 New York, NY 10011 800.818.0480 info@metrosource.com Subscriptions: One year (6 issues): $24.95; 12 issues: $39.95. Reproduction of any article, listing or advertisement without the written permission of the publisher is strictly prohibited. The people, businesses and organizations appearing in Metrosource are supportive of the gay community. Mention of any person, business or organization is not a reflection of their sexual orientation. ©2021 Bent Share Entertainment, LLC. Advertisers in Metrosource acknowledge that they do business in the spirit of cooperation, fairness and service, maintaining a high level of integrity and responsibility. Providers of products or services are fully and solely responsible for same as advertised. Metrosource assumes no responsibility or liability for improper or negligent business practices by advertisers. The appearance of any person, model, business or organization in this publication, by name, advertisement or photograph is not an indication of sexual orientation. Advertisers and their agencies assume all responsibility and legal liability for the content of their advertisements in Metrosource. Publisher assumes no liability for safe-keeping or return of unsolicited art, manuscripts or other materials. Metrosource reserves the right to edit all material for clarity, length and content. All contents are copyright Bent Share Entertainment, LLC. All rights reserved. Content may only be reproduced with written permission from Bent Share Entertainment, LLC. Metrosource assumes no liability for any claims or representations contained anywhere in this magazine and reserve the right to cancel or refuse advertising at publisher’s discretion.
self on a game show or talk show. I can’t remember a time when she wasn’t on television making me laugh, from my early childhood through now. May she rest in peace knowing she made the world a brighter place.
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@metrosource @MetrosourceMagazine @metrosourcemag
METROSOURCE.COM
February/March 2022 | VOLUME 32, NO. 7
CONTENTS
THIS PAGE: MICHAEL URIE PHOTO BY LEV RADIN • PHOTO COURTESY OF SILVIA VASQUEZ-LAVADO • PHOTO COURTESY OF KENNY & ARMANDO
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14 10
14 SILVIA VASQUEZ-LAVADO QUEEN OF THE SEVEN SUMMITS
20 MICHAEL URIE GOING TOE-TO-TOE WITH THE BEST
38 90 DAY FIANCÉ COVER: Michael Urie Photography: SINEM YAZICI @sinemy Styling: MICHAEL FUSCO @mikeystyles for Exclusive Artists Grooming: CHELSEA GEHR @chelseagehr for Exclusive Artists using Kevin Murphy Photo Assistants: CHRIS CARROLL @chriscarrollphoto & AMY E. SILAHTAR @amysilahtar
GETTING ‘REAL’ WITH KENNY & ARMANDO
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FEBRUARY/MARCH 2022
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DEPARTMENTS
February/March 2022 | VOLUME 32, NO. 7
28
10
CULTURE 7 THE SCOPE
32
Author David Perry Brings You a Suspenseful Thriller in Upon This Rock
TRAVEL 28 The Sunny Side of Life Three Getaways to Beat the Winter Blues
HEALTH ENTERTAINMENT 10 Remembering Betty White with Stan Zimmerman
44 Get Red Carpet Ready Glam Up Your Grooming for that Next Event
VIEWS 32 It’s Game Night! These Board Games Are Your Ticket to Excitement this Season
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4 EDITOR’S LETTER Welcome to 2022 Let’s All Spread the Love
THIS PAGE: BETTY WHITE PHOTO BY BOB RIHA JR. • HAWAII PHOTO COURTESY THE FAIRMONT • PÄRDĒ FULL COLLECTION PHOTO BY KARLA TICAS • BACK TO THE FUTURE™ IS © UNIVERSAL CITY STUDIOS LLC AND AMBLIN ENTERTAINMENT, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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CURATED BY MICHAEL WESTMAN
THESCOPE
READ
UPON THIS ROCK
(PAPERBACK)
BY DAVID EUGENE PERRY $18.95 AUTHOR DAVID PERRY BRINGS YOU THIS SUSPENSEFUL THRILLER FULL OF TWISTS AND
TURNS,
INTRIGUE,
TERRORISM,
HISTORY, ART, AND THE SECRETS OF THE CHURCH.You will be drawn into the story
CULTURE
THESCOPE
from page 1, as a gay American couple become amateur sleuths to investigate a mysterious suicide of a cleric in the scenic Italian town of Orvieto. San Francisco business executive Lee Maury and his husband Adriano come to Orvieto to soak in the city’s beauty and rich history, but Lee becomes fascinated with a local tragedy, the suicide one year earlier of Deacon Andrea, a much-loved candidate for the priesthood. Growing obsessed with learning the truth behind Andrea’s death, Lee and Adriano stumble upon a conspiracy of terrorism, human trafficking, and a plot to destroy one of the Church’s most sacred shrines - all somehow linked across 500 years to Renaissance Pope Clement VII, who escaped to Orvieto after the sack of Rome in 1527. Before they know it, Lee and Adriano’s dream vacation becomes a race to save innocent lives - and not get killed in the process. Armistead Maupin calls Upon This Rock an elegant, twisty thriller in which a gay couple investigates a mysterious suicide in a scenic Italian hill town. It’s not hard to imagine that this book could do for Orvieto what Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil did for Savannah.” Upon This Rock is a wild ride that you should enjoy from beginning to end. Paperback or Kindle available on Amazon or at booksellers nationwide. METROSOURCE.COM
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2022
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LISTEN
RYLAND JAMES
MULTI-PLATINUM ARTIST RYLAND JAMES WELCOMED IN THE NEW YEAR WITH A BRAND NEW SINGLE TITLED, “I GIVE EVERYTHING,” VIA UNIVERSAL MUSIC CANADA AND REPUBLIC RECORDS. The track comes after a year of self-reflection and immense
CULTURE
THESCOPE
personal growth for the Deseronto, ON native who not only came to terms with who he is but embraced himself with pride. James commented,“I’m thrilled to be putting this song out into the world as the first of a new era in my artistry. This is truly the most exciting time I’ve experienced in my career and personal growth thus far. That being said, there’s so much to come in terms of visuals, sounds, stories, and an overall heightened sense of creativity for me.“I Give Everything”is a song I wrote early on in my relationship about falling in love for the first time. I was completely immersed and infatuated with the intensity of the feelings I was experiencing, but I was also fearful of losing myself in the process somehow. The lyrics embody that push-pull between the simultaneous acceptance of and resistance to pure passion.” The critically acclaimed artist continues his rise to stardom and has no plans of slowing down. In his short but impressive career James has garnered two JUNO Awards nominations and high praise from critics including Billboard. His smash hit single “In My Head” from his debut self-titled EP reached platinum certification in Canada, while his catalogue has garnered over 89 million global streams in just a short amount of time. “I’m just a communicator,” he explains.“I try to explain my truth in a way to help you discover your truth. I hope to be a leader. I want to encourage you to be your most honest and powerful self, by doing the same. Those are the core pillars of my existence.” Listen here: https://rylandjames.lnk.tt/IGE.
WATCH
GETTING CURIOUS WITH JONATHAN VAN NESS
NETFLIX (PREMIERED JAN 28TH) THIS NEW NETFLIX SHOW IS A SPINOFF FROM THE PODCAST OF THE SAME NAME, WHERE THE QUEER EYE STAR EXPLORES A VARIETY OF TOPICS, QUESTIONS, AND LIFE EXPERIENCES. Jonathan tells us in the trailer,“I am going to be embarking on a new
journey of learning more ... of opening my mind, learning new perspectives.”The official synopsis from Netflix provides the following information:“Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness is an unabashedly smart and quirky exploration into topics and questions that make Jonathan curious. From skyscrapers to bugs, or from gender identity to snacks, each episode follows Jonathan as he meets with experts in various fields to uncover complexities in a wide range of subjects.” Labeled ‘the outrageous one’ of Queer Eye’s next gen Fab Five, Van Ness is breathing in the thrill of exploding expectations. He’s put his entire life on display - including bouts with addiction, childhood sexual abuse and his status as HIV-positive. And now he’s doing his level best, with no apparent skeletons left in the closet, to simply enjoy being Jonathan again. In his recent memoir Over the
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Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love makes clear, Van Ness’ path into the limelight has been anything but straight. He writes that from a very early age,“identifying male and female in the same day is something that has always been possible for me.” But don’t ask him to pretend being anything other than himself. “I can’t even do a straight accent - it’s not in my repertoire.” With what seems like several lifetimes of experience under his belt, Van Ness is comfortable in a place of grace: learning about himself and others. Getting Curious brings that experience to light.
WEAR
GRAYSCALE GROOVY STYLES OF THE 1960’S, A DECADE THAT TOOK MEN’S WEAR TO A WHOLE NEW LEVEL, IS BACK! With the popularity
of special agent 007 in the recent blockbuster hit, No Time to Die, men are rediscovering the groovy styles of the original James Bond era and the ability to play with colors, patterns and textures brought on by the British invasion. From tapered “pencil leg” suit pants (that hit ever so right at the ankle) to form-fitting suit jackets that weren’t afraid to showcase the male physique, men are showing they are not afraid to play with bold and bright colors in sherbet and patterns that are out of this world. Enter Grayscale, the ultimate in men’s tailored suiting that offers today’s man an arsenal of dapper and bespoke pieces that will stand the test of time. Pulling from inspirations that incorporates that 60’s and 70’s flare, designer BJ Gray brings to the fore bold and rich solids, contrasting prints and eye-catching patterns that are“far out”taking you to a whole other universe! Transcending time without looking costumey, Grayscale presents sharp retro elegance that will easily have every eye
in the room on you as you walk through the door or even the red carpet. Though the collection is inspired by the 60s, it is clearly every bit modern with clean lines, precision cuts, eye catching silhouettes and prints/patterns that exude a confidence befitting Bond himself. Overcoats and trenches that step away from the safety zones of fashion and incorporate geometric prints, multicolor patch work and color blocking. Jackets offer an array of styles utilizing velvets, Moire, double breasting, shawl collaring and peak lapels. Pant and shirt sets that blend houndstooth patterns with solids giving a never-before-seen contrast from the shirt bottom that continues through to the pants waistline. Not only does this create a “look” but each can be worn separately and still make a statement. So be it a night on the town, date night or walking the red carpet, you will for sure be the sharpest dressed man in the room. Just ask celebrities such as Neo, Daniel Kalua, Simu Liu, Snoop, Maluma and Derek Hough among others. Visit https://grayscaleic.com. ■ METROSOURCE.COM
FEBRUARY/MARCH 2022
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BETTY WHITE WITH STAN ZIMMERMAN BY ALEXANDER RODRIGUEZ STAN ZIMMERMAN’S FIRST BIG GIG AS A FRESH NEWBIE IN THE BIZ, WAS WRITING FOR SEASON 1 OF THE GOLDEN GIRLS. While cutting his teeth on
what would become one of the most iconic televisions show in history, he would have the opportunity to see the Emmy-winning leads work their craft. His memories of the read throughs, the episode tapings, and the styles of Bea Arthur, Estelle Getty, Rue McLanahan, and Betty White are forever etched in his mind. For Stan, losing Betty White wasn’t just about saying goodbye to the Golden Girls legacy, it was about losing a true professional in the industry.
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THIS PAGE: BETTY WHITE PHOTO BY HERB BALL/NBCUNIVERSAL/GETTY IMAGES
REMEMBERING
THIS PAGE: PHOTO COURTESY OF STAN ZIMMERMAN
My first introduction to Betty White was her appearances on her husband, Alan Ludden’s, game show, Password. She was always so funny and quick with a quip. And wickedly smart. Also, you could tell they really enjoyed being around each other. (Much different from my parents’ interactions.) Betty White was a touchstone for audiences worldwide. For eight decades, she would be in our homes - a part of our everyday lives. She became like a member of our families. But luckily without all the baggage. And it is so amazing that at 99 years old, we still wanted more of her. She somehow made us believe she would live forever. No matter the time of day, Golden Girls is playing on one station or another.Young generations are learning the one-liners and bonding with the characters. Older generations who grew up watching Golden Girls are falling in love all over again as fans find a little bit of each “Girl” in them. It has been a wild ride watching new generations discover Golden Girls. It still speaks to audiences because at the end of the day it is flippin’ funny. The producers asked us to create real stories, but not in a “Facts of Life special episode” kind of way. Honest, but never to forget the funny. And when you have (creator) Susan Harris’ brilliant creation of those four characters, played by those four actors, it is comedy gold. Die-hard fans know that Betty White was originally picked for the role of Blanche. A complete departure from any role she’d play in the past, the director wanted to try something different. He asked White to read for Rose. And the rest is comedy history. She may have been a little naïve, but Rose had a unique wisdom and lots of heart. People responded to Rose’s innocence and rooted for Rose. She loves life and is honestly curious about the world. And she is so good natured - just like Betty. Also, audiences wanted to protect her from getting eaten alive by the sharp tongues of Dorothy, Blanche and especially Sophia. When we saw in the pilot that Rose liked to tell long stories, we jumped on that. Then we had the other characters kid her about that. I remember sitting around the writers’ room when we decided we should name her hometown. A lot of suggestions were thrown around. We landed on St. Olaf, which went on to have a life of its own.
If you’ve seen some of the bloopers and outtakes from the Golden Girls vault, you can see Betty White playing with the audience. Her lifelong desire to connect with people (and animals) would become her brand. I have never seen an actor connect with a studio audience more than I did with Betty. In between takes, she would talk to them, joke with them, even flirt. That was so different from Bea Arthur’s style. Bea wanted to stay in character. Betty could turn it on or off more easily. Supposedly, that got under Bea’s skin. Stan’s debut episode would feature Betty heavily. Writers would pitch their ideas quickly, and after a series of “no’s” Stan and his writing partner, James Berg, were leaving the room when Stan threw out the idea of Rose’s mother coming to visit. The producers loved the idea and gave it the green light. “Rose’s Mother” episode is also known as “Blanche & the Younger Man.” We had it changed to for two reasons. One, we got the writing gig by initially pitching a story about Rose’s mother coming to visit. And two, to
be quite honest, we did not think anyone would vote for an Emmy with the title of “Blanche & the Younger Man.” They didn’t vote for either title, so what do I know? Although we did get a WGA nomination for Best Episodic Writing of Comedy. It was our first major Hollywood event and our agents told us to bring a woman as our date. They put us at a table right in front of the presenter’s podium. So naturally, I thought we won. All four Golden Girls presented that evening. But we lost. I was so nervous all evening, I couldn’t eat. I don’t think I could have formed words for an acceptance speech anyway. My favorite line is not a line Betty said but was in a beautifully touching scene with Rose and her mother Alma, played by Jeanette Nolan. Her mom says, “Stopping me from living, isn’t going to stop me from dying.” I love that whole scene, but especially Betty’s poignant response. What was it like hearing Betty White read his script for the first time? METROSOURCE.COM
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Stan learned something different from each of the women. He became remarkably close to Estelle Getty who knew right away that Stan was “family,” to which Stan thought she was talking about Jewish when she was actually talking about being gay. In Hollywood in the ‘80s, in the midst of the AIDS crisis, coming out – even for a gay friendly show like Golden Girls – was career suicide. While not as close with the other women, he still learned plenty while collaborating with Betty. I learned to keep going. And keep smiling. Life will throw you many obstacles, but it’s how you deal with them that shows what kind of person you are. She always had a curiosity about life. At every stage of her life. And not take herself too seriously. Just look at the way she played with Ryan Reynolds. But I mean … who wouldn’t? Newbie actors can learn a lot from Betty. To always be prepared and know your lines. And the minute you walk on a set, or the studio lot for that matter, have a positive attitude. Be nice to everyone. And why wouldn’t you be? She wasn’t doing it to kiss up to people or to get her next job. She genuinely loved humans. And animals, of course. Stan’s favorite Betty White memory? That is the amazing thing about Betty and her career. It is hard to pick one memory. As someone who grew up with her on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, I loved every second she walked on screen as Sue Ann Nivens. Then I was in shock on the sound stage of Golden Girls, standing between Betty and the studio audience and hearing them laugh at her saying words that we wrote. Then years later, to see her still delighting studio audiences between takes on Hot in Cleveland. She made a little gay boy from Detroit’s dreams come true. Betty had that entertainment flair and comedic
Betty Marion White Ludden 1922 - 2021
Writers Note: Stan Zimmerman tours with An Evening on the Lanai, a “Girls” clip and story sharing show with tales that even the most die-hard of fans have never heard before. Stan is also putting all his memories together from his years in the industry for his upcoming book, The Girls: From Golden to Gilmore. In addition, he makes appearances around the nation at conventions and even the sold-out Golden Girls cruises. A passion project Stan has been working on for years is Silver Foxes, a male version of Golden Girls and homage to his first big gig. A reading of his show included Leslie Jordan, Bruce Vilanch, George Takei, and Cheri Oteri. You can follow Stan on Instagram: ZimmermanStan
THIS PAGE: WITH THE CAST OF HOT IN CLEVELAND PHOTO COURTESY OF STAN ZIMMERMAN • BETTY WHITE FROM HULTON ARCHIVE/GETTY IMAGES
It was completely terrifying to be at our first table read. Not just because four comedy icons were going to be reading our first script for the show, but also the producers and staff had worked on so many iconic TV series. Arriving at Sunset/Gower for that reading, you could feel the pressure in the rehearsal room. I later learned that Bea was concerned about the age of the writers. Meaning me and my writing partner, James Berg. We looked even younger than we were. She did not see how we would be able to write for mature characters, especially women characters. The script got a lot of laughs at that table. And there were also some very heartfelt, tender moments as well. Even Bea cracked a smile. We could finally breathe. But not for long, because they wanted us to write another episode, which ended up being “Adult Education.” Years later, his relationship with Betty White and this episode would come full circle. The last time I saw Betty was in 2014. I got to spend two weeks with her as I shadowed the director on Hot in Cleveland for a couple of episodes. The producer of the series, Todd Milliner, was also on the board of Celebration Theatre, the longest running LGBTQ theatre company in the United States. They wanted to have a benefit for the theatre with the cast of HIC reading a Golden Girls script. He asked me if I had any suggestions of which they should use? I snapped back, “Are you nuts?! You have to do one of mine, like ‘Blanche & the Younger Man’.” It was a night I did not want to end. And the weird thing is, Betty refused to read the part of Rose. She insisted that she play Dorothy. I wonder what Bea Arthur would have thought of that!
timing. What would Stan say to her if he had the chance? I would thank her for giving so much of her life to making us all laugh. She could have stopped with The Mary Tyler Moore Show, or with Mama’s Family, or then again with The Golden Girls. But she didn’t. She went on to do so much more, including hosting Saturday Night Live. But I suspect Covid was too much for her. Supposedly, the last time she was seen outside of her house was January 2020. Without the ability to make people laugh, which I believe gave her air, she couldn’t go on. But I refuse to be sad, she wouldn’t have wanted that. Why else would she choose New Year’s Eve to leave us? She wanted a time when all were gathering and could be talking about her. And toasting her. I know I did that night. Not as much as Andy Cohen, but I still had a glass of vodka in her honor. Betty White will live in our hearts forever. ■
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QUEEN OF THE SEVEN SUMMITS
SILVIA
VASQUEZ-LAVADO INSPIRES AWE AND CAPTURES HOLLYWOOD’S ATTENTION
BY ALEXANDER RODRIGUEZ SILVIA VASQUEZ-LAVADO BECAME THE FIRST PERUVIAN WOMAN TO SUMMIT MOUNT EVEREST, AND IN 2018 SHE BECAME THE FIRST OPENLY GAY WOMAN TO CLIMB THE SEVEN SUMMITS, THE TALLEST MOUNTAIN ON EACH OF THE SEVEN TRADITIONAL CONTINENTS. As a win for diversity, she has held her own against
all odds in an environment saturated by wealthy, white men who can afford the funds necessary to climb. For Silvia, climbing was bigger than media glory or personal bragging rights. Her childhood in Peru both formed and destroyed her and after fleeing, she spent years searching for her identity, overcoming sexual abuse, alcoholism, and deep loss. Her hot-off-the-press memoir, In the Shadow of the Mountain, (to hit the screens in a film starring and produced by Selena Gomez) is a visceral and intimate retelling of her journey from a lost girl to the accomplished mountaineer who overcame a multitude of life-threatening climbs, both on a mountain and in her life. As she puts it, “Some people are drawn up the mountain for glory; others are pushed up by pain.” As a Peruvian child, she was raised in warfare both from the political tides of Peru as well as in her own home.
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PAGE 14-19: PHOTOS COURTESY OF SILVIA VASQUEZ-LAVADO
SELENA GOMEZ IS ONE OF HOLLYWOOD’S TALENTED, DRIVEN, AND GENEROUS LEADERS. HER OPENNESS AND VULNERABILITY ARE QUALITIES I TRULY ADMIRE, AND I KNOW SHE WILL BRING THEM FORWARD IN THE ROLE.
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It was chaotic. We were in the midst of a civil war caused by the resurgence of a communist terrorist movement called The Shining Path, which created a lot of uncertainty, economic chaos, and fear. And personally, for me, I had to endure many years of sexual abuse by a person whom my parents trusted. All that chaos and lack of safety made growing up not fun at all. As she heartbreakingly details in her book, her father also physically abused her and her mother. Words of love and moments of celebration were often paired with a beating. The beauty of her heritage was marred by machismo sensibility, class system, and the cultural ignoring of violence in the home. Coupled with the years of sexual abuse that went unconfronted filled Silvia’s psyche with self-esteem and emotional issues. Her home was no longer a home. After I was able to tell my mother about my abuse, we went to speak with a psychiatrist who convinced my mother it would be best to send me away from Peru. Hence, I came to the US with an undergraduate Institute of International Education-Fulbright scholarship for molecular biology. Communication was challenging because I came as an 18-year-old, with Spanish engrained as my primary language. It took me a while to translate everything from Spanish to English, it also took me a long time to assimilate into the culture. The amount of independence that exists here was something I was not used to. That independence would be a double-edged sword. She would explore her sexuality by secretly frequenting gay bars, looking for companionship, looking for love, looking for intimacy, in ways that she did not fully understand. It would also be her entry into the world of alcohol.
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My solution for my trauma was always to run away, hoping that it would fade away. In college, drinking without control was a wonderful way to suppress the feelings. However, once I left the protection of college, I was daunted by the memories, the scars, and the fear. It didn’t help that my first job was with Skyy Vodka, where drinking was heavily encouraged. In addition, when I came to terms with my sexuality, the lack of support from my parents, my family, and my lack of acceptance and self-judgment also pushed me to find solace in drinking. She details her sober journey quite candidly. She is not a 12-step activist and does not pretend to be a saint when it comes to alcohol. Her story is often shared by members of the LGBTQ community trying to find their identity in the nightlife or solace from trauma in a glass. Getting sober for me has not been a linear journey. I’ve “fallen off the wagon” too many times to count. Just as I completed the last of the Seven Summits, I went through an excruciating heartbreak due to my drinking (which led to, almost, my 2nd DUI). That was the last straw for me to take full accountability. Per the advice of a dear friend, I started taking a meditation class, Compassion Cultivation Training, and that was indeed the expert healing that allowed me to stay sober,
now three and a half years and counting. I practice the CCT meditations daily, and they have been the most fantastic medicine my soul needed. Silvia’s inspiration to take to the mountains was not typical. It came from her first Ayahuasca experience. Ayahuasca is a South American psychoactive brew that is used as ceremonial spiritual medicine and comes from the indigenous people of the Amazon basin. Fitting that an experience cultivated by her culture would also be the spark for her to overcome the bonds of that same culture. It was my mother’s idea, and it changed my life. It allowed me to connect to the root of the deepest pain inside of me and gave me the inspiration to be on this journey. I followed the strict diet and restrictions to have my body ready, and it truly allowed me to unlock the trauma inside my subconscious. In my memoir, the whole Ayahuasca chapter is so beautifully captured. I cannot wait for you all to read it. At the time she started her Seven Summit journey, fewer than 200 hundred people had successfully accomplished the feat, with very few being women. Her mission began, though her climbing experience left much to be desired. It was nonexistent. Even though I come from a mountainous country, and my parents’ heritage is of the mountains, my exposure to them growing up was minimal. The first time I went to the base of Everest was my first whole hiking experience.
In Silvia’s words, seeing Everest is to experience awe: It is that sense of being both small and a part of something so much bigger than our smallness. Awe is the gateway drug to healing trauma through nature. Awe must be experienced. The first time I went to the base of Everest, I promised that I would return to climb the mountain under two conditions: 1) return as a seasoned mountaineer so that I would not put anyone in jeopardy; and 2) return with a social cause. By climbing the Seven Summits, I figured that I would get the appropriate experience and exposure to become a mountaineer who could attempt Everest. She met those conditions and has used her platform to found Courageous Girls, a non-profit dedicated to healing and empowering survivors of violence and abuse through adventures in nature. Through providing guided treks to the base camp on Mount Everest, they provide young women who are victims of sexual abuse an opportunity to share their stories and prove to the world, and themselves, that nothing can hold them back. Her first climb would provide a life lesson: The most shocking understanding has been to learn how far your legs and feet can take you. My favorite quote and mantra from Lao Tzu claims, “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” That has been the most shocking finding in climbing for me.
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The lesbian vegetarian allergic to gluten, in close quarters and grueling conditions with only men as her companions and her sexuality buzzworthy, made her journey that much more isolating. Her book recounts her moments where she defeatedly gave her will over to the fate of the mountains, just to find strength for the next step. Mountains have taught me that brute strength and ego do not guarantee a summit. Many of the risky situations I had to endure, such as fear and doubt, have led me to ignore the menial things, i.e., the homophobic chatter. When your life is literally hanging by a thread, you learn to ignore what won’t keep you safe. To know that I am climbing for myself has been a fantastic fuel. Once, a homophobic guide derailed my chances of making it to the summit in one of my expeditions. I could not control the outcome, yet I remember feeling this rage because I knew he did it because he was homophobic. It was tough to accept at the time, but it was humbling to learn how it is so important to keep pushing for representation. I also turned all that negative energy as the impetus to return even more prepared, and I was able to summit on my next try. Many of us in the LGBQT+ community, who had little support, have learned to develop a sense of resilience that has helped us survive. I love how we can take this powerful skill and apply it to other areas of our lives!
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After the long road to being proud of her sexuality, it was imperative for the world to know that a lesbian did this, a lesbian fought the odds and won, a lesbian outlasted several homophobes who could not even finish the journey. We still live in our world, in which being who we truly are can be deadly. So, for me, to declare that I’m the first openly gay to complete the Seven Summits is about representation. Until we have entirely accepted gayness worldwide, we need to celebrate all our gay brothers and sisters who are trailblazing their way through many barriers. I am incredibly proud to have seen how being an openly gay mountaineer has inspired many people in my country (which is traditionally relatively closedminded) to come forward. It brightens my heart when I get letters from people from all over the world who tell me that my story has inspired them to embrace their true identities. Completing the Seven Summits was a lone journey. Yes, she met people on the way, but clinging to the rocks, buffeted by the icy winds and freezing temperatures, she was alone with her loss, her abuse, her strength, and her passion. What did she learn the most from her climbs? That you are unable to control everything. To embrace the acceptance of delays and setbacks. And to know that you will always have a difficult day, and it’s ok to experience them and continue your journey the next day. To each summit, she took a picture of herself as a young girl, pigtails and all. That picture and what it represented was originally an object of scorn, she wanted to be the farthest from her past as possible. It took climbing the Summits for her to love that little girl and to come to terms with her sexual abuse. A copy of that picture is now on every one of the Summits. Her story is a source of inspiration for the young women she takes to Base Camp of Mount Everest. The women she mentors have survived human trafficking, being sold and brutalized by their families. Her advice to sexual abuse survivors is constant. FIRST, to know that what you have gone through is not your fault. You are whole and beautiful and have your entire life ahead to embrace the light in your heart. When you kickstart the healing
process, self-acceptance and self-love are the first qualities to emerge. By working on our healing, we will also open ourselves to have the capacity to give love. Providing love into the world in all its forms is what heals everything. Being in nature helped me accept and start my healing, nature has always been accepting of who I am, and I know for any survivor, you will see the difference it can make in your life. When asked about the proudest moment of her life, it isn’t even climbing that final summit. I am so proud to bring my memoir In the Shadow of The Mountain into the world. I am incredibly proud of how raw, honest, vulnerable the book is. It is a powerful testament about reclaiming our voice and power, especially when we are willing to surrender and touch on our deepest vulnerabilities. Writing this memoir was the most challenging experience I endured. I think for many of us, sharing something that can be so painful could be the equivalent of trying to boil the ocean. Luckily, I had incredible guidance and mentorship that helped me on every single step. I’m also quite fortunate to work with such a fantastic therapist who specialized in somatic therapy and helped me dive deeper into so much of the pain. As a result, I spent many of my sessions last year analyzing the areas of trauma that were difficult to retrace and find meaning. The book is a page-turner. Starting in the middle of a perilous climb and spreading out like a skillfully woven tapestry, Silvia’s life unfolds in an intoxicating blend of childhood memories, her youth in sexuality, and her climb up the mountain. Included in American Booksellers Association as Independent Booksellers’ Debut Pick of the Season, Elle magazine included Silvia in their Nine Latinx Women Changing the World, and she has been lauded by the LGBTQ media. Of course, Hollywood would come calling. My literary agency has an agreement with WME to share their upcoming book proposals and for them to evaluate the possibility for media development. The head of the book-to-film division fell in love with In The Shadow of The Mountain while it was still on a book proposal format, and that is what kickstarted this incredible “Cinderella mountainous ride!” The Hollywood Reporter and Variety led in the trades with the fact that Selena Gomez was producing as well as starring in the biopic. Selena Gomez is one of Hollywood’s talented, driven, and generous leaders. She is a fierce human rights activist who has taken an enormous risk to take on a story that most traditional publishers and media houses were too scared to touch. Her openness and vulnerability are qualities I truly admire, and I know she will bring them forward in the role. In the current, heated environment where the movement for gay to play gay is fierce, does Silvia have any trepidation in Selena playing her? To me, actors are a master of their craft, and their ability to embody and portray somebody who is not them is part of their science and their craft. With my limited exposure to this world, it would feel quite limiting if we only allow straight actors to play straight roles and gay actors to play gay roles. We will be unfairly boxing them. This is part of a more extensive conversation. My memoir and story are not just about climbing mountains and being gay. It is a story about healing, about self-acceptance, about finding who you are when the world has stripped you of your identity. The heart of my story is healing and is not about healing alone, but healing in the community.
Selena will not be the only person in the film. And my dream is to have a genuinely ultimate diverse cast and team to bring the story forward. For example, it would be amazing to have a gay actor play my mom because our relationship was so fractured during my lifetime. In her own right, my mother was a victim of her circumstance, her own culture, our upbringing, and her belief system - same with my father. It would be something if gay actors could play those characters. By bringing my memoir into a film, we could bring the story out to as many people as possible and not just to represent gay people, but to represent immigrants, to represent the abused, to represent the survivors of some of the most horrific crimes that can be perpetrated against another human being. And if we were to focus on saying that the most important thing here was simply to have a gay person play the role of me, we would be missing a much more significant part of the story. Her book will be translated in German, French, Korean, Japanese, Spanish, Polish and Czech, and possibly more languages. She wants to get her story out there to inspire people to climb their own Everest, whether physically or internally. As if the debut of her book and the film were not enough, she is off to tackle the grueling skiing of the North Pole in April, and the South Pole at the end of the year. For her, there is no summit that cannot be reached. ■
In the Shadow of the Mountain is now available at booksellers and online. METROSOURCE.COM
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MICHAEL
URIE
GOING TOE-TO-TOE WITH THE BEST BY ALEXANDER RODRIGUEZ
From being thrust into a school production of Fiddler on the Roof because there were no other boys around, to being a mainstay in entertainment who has appeared in about every medium - stage, TV, film, web series, viral videos, Michael Urie has seen the evolution of LGBTQ representation in the biz. Making his first splash in Ugly Betty as Marc St. James (in a role that was originally supposed to have a very brief stay) to his most recent film, Netflix’ gay holiday rom-com Single All the Way, he has been at the forefront of making openly gay actors part of mainstream Hollywood – he, himself, coming out during his run on Ugly Betty.
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THIS PAGE: PHOTO BY SINEM YAZICI @SINEMY
ANY TIME JENNIFER COOLIDGE WAS ON SET, EVERYONE WAS LAUGHING. THE ONLY OTHER PERSON I HAVE WORKED WITH WHO MADE THAT MANY PEOPLE ON A SET THAT HAPPY WAS BETTY WHITE.
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THIS PAGE: PHOTO BY LRV RADIN
PLAYING THOSE LONG SCENES WITH MERCEDES RUEHL AS MA EVERY NIGHT WAS LIKE GOING TOE-TO-TOE WITH A PRIZEFIGHTER.
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Vanessa Williams and Michael Urie in Ugly Betty. Courtesy image
Hailing from Texas, entertainment would be part of his blood early on by making feature films with his friends at home, writing reviews for his middle school paper, and seeing the touring big Broadway productions, including an early memory of seeing Cathy Rigby in Peter Pan. His free time was spent, shall we say, eclectically? I played alone with action figures a lot! But I didn’t make my GI Joes battle, I would reenact disaster movies I loved like Jaws or The Poseidon Adventure or The Towering Inferno. I renamed my GI Joes to be actors I liked: Richard Dreyfuss, Dustin Hoffman, Gene Hackman were all in my rep company. I also went through a major Batman phase - at one point I had five Batman posters on the wall and life-size cutouts of Jack Nicholson and Michael Keaton as the Joker/Batman my bedroom looked like a Blockbuster. After attending community college in Texas, he was accepted to Juilliard’s prestigious Drama Division. He was a long way from home, or was he? New York was a culture shock, but it felt that I was suddenly where I was meant to be. The first day I stepped foot in New York on a school theater trip, on a hot smelly summer day a block from the Port Authority, I knew I was home. When we got to the hotel, our teacher announced he was going from theater
to theater to drop letters off confirming talkbacks he had arranged and asked if anyone wanted to tag along. To my astonishment, I was the only one who took him up on it, and we spent the next half hour running from stage door to stage door. Seeing the proximity of theaters in midtown blew my mind. Juilliard would open his eyes to a whole new world of acting and the different methods of teaching that went with it. It was always fascinating which students thrived in which classes - the classic beauties would have a breakthrough when they covered their faces in masks class, a great singer might struggle filling the room with their speaking voice. I waltzed into our clown class thinking I was funny, but it was my classmates who usually opted for drama who excelled. I ended up doing my best work using my imagination to create worlds from nothing, exercises where we’d be given an impossible prompt and be told to go with it “save the children” where we imagined being soldiers in a war-torn land escaping with children in tow; another where we studied a portrait in a museum and created a whole life from it. I’m sure my years alone playing with GI Joe prepped me for that! METROSOURCE.COM
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While at Juilliard, he studied Shakespeare, Jacobean drama, and commedia dell’arte and earned the John Houseman Prize for Excellence in Classical Theatre. He would return to that style in 2018 to play Prince Hamlet in the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s production of Hamlet in D.C. to critical praise. Studying the classics early on gave him the acting fundamentals that we would build his career on. I use the same technique for every role and utilize the various aspects of training as needed. We spent hours on voice and speech and combat in school, which was invaluable playing Hamlet in an 800-seat theater without a microphone, but not so needed in a movie scene whispering in bed like in Single All the Way. But I did have a few scenes all alone without dialogue - which harkened back to our “private moment” exercises from school. In Torch Song, I had emotional monologues with a thick Brooklyn accent in a big space and found my voice needing to project like in Shakespeare. Without the breathing exercises we labored over in movement and voice class, I wouldn’t have had the breath support to talk non-stop and bounce around the stage for 100 minutes in Buyer & Cellar. Temping and odd theatre jobs would keep him barely afloat before Ugly Betty came into the picture. Michael ingratiated himself to the cast and crew during his guest spot and became one of the most recognizable faces of the cast. A true Hollywood story of Michael’s is the time we went to buy his first car in Hollywood and instead of bringing pay stubs and tax returns, he showed the salesperson his picture on the ABC website. His character on the show would evolve from villain to the bestie everyone wanted, that evolution to fan favorite was a team effort. It was organic - impulses and ideas we’d throw out on set would become part of our characters. I remember in Episode 3, Becki Newton and I had a four-line exchange in a scene where we just kept improvising more lines. After that, the writers started giving us runs like that back and forth. Vanessa and I had so many scenes together in her office. We would often come up with different ways to play physically, or variations on how we circled a desk. But the arc of Marc over the four seasons is a testament to the great writers we had - fleshed out relationships with Vanessa, America, Mark Indelicato, and of course Becki - I couldn’t have complained if I’d tried. Urie is among the top names that come to mind when talking about accomplished out actors. Reveling in our current boom of LGBTQ representation in film, it is easy to forget the climate that existed when
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Torch Song. Photo by Matthew Murphy
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Buyer & Cellar
Chicken & Biscuits
Ugly Betty premiered over 15 years ago. Urie’s career almost wasn’t. When we were doing Ugly Betty there were very few out gay actors and now there are lots! I was urged not to come out and not to play any more gay roles, but coming out and playing gay roles has been a huge boost to my career. Imagine if I had turned down every gay role since Marc St. James. I wouldn’t be on your cover! I also think there was a sense among the ‘powers that be’ back then that queer stories could not be mainstream - that straight people just wouldn’t be interested. That seems to have changed. Single All the Way could not have made Netflix’s top ten in so many countries and globally with just queer viewers! Michael’s personality has remained down to earth. Talking with him is like sharing gossip with a bestie at happy hour, with his positive take on life, that’s just a little bit sassy. He knows full well how the business works and that acting jobs are never a constant. After Ugly Betty he went back to his musical theatre roots and made his Broadway debut in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Stealing the spotlight from his co-star Nick Jonas, his performance was charming and electric. He then starred in the brilliant one-man play Buyer & Cellar, for which he won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Solo Performance. (Writer’s note: This is the first time I saw Urie live, immediately after seeing his performance, I went back to the box office and bought a ticket for the next night - it was that brilliant.) In the production, Michael commanded the stage and painted a very real world that was both compelling and a master class in acting. You learn a lot about yourself alone onstage for over 600 performances - especially about how your brain and body work when you are up there. Being able to have so many at-bats taught me volumes about what you can and cannot plan for on stage. Going totally blank, audience disruptions, food poisoning ... I finished Buyer & Cellar ready for anything. His next powerful performance was in Harvey Fierstein’s Torch Song revival on Broadway. An important piece of theatre and LGBTQ history, the original production made headlines and inspired conversations about our community in mainstream media and even gave us future Golden Girls star Estelle Getty. Torch Song was wildly ahead of its time when it first opened. When it premiered, the idea that a gay man would have a foster child was like science fiction and that a mother would say heartbreaking things to her son about being gay was commonplace. In our production, audiences didn’t bat an eye at me METROSOURCE.COM
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Single All The Way. Photo by Everett Collection
being a dad and every night would audibly gasp at what Mercedes Ruehl said to me. Above all the legends, gay icons, and A-listers Michael has co-starred with, sharing the stage with Mercedes Ruehl would leave an indelible mark. Playing those long scenes with Mercedes Ruehl as Ma every night was like going toeto-toe with a prizefighter. I was certainly star-struck when I met her. But, what every diva/icon/superstar I have worked with has in common is - they love the work. I am put at ease knowing that we will gel because of the love of the work. Michael pops up everywhere. From big studio projects to vlogs, podcasts, and friends’ viral social media videos, he is not a snob when it comes to taking a gig and supporting the artistic community. Even COVID couldn’t keep him still. It is much harder for me to say no than to say yes. By the time I am asked, it means someone has gotten excited about me in a role, and that excites me. On the rare occasion I say no, it’s probably because I can’t actually do it due to scheduling or because I think someone else should be doing it. I try to stay busy, so when the pandemic began, I went stir crazy very quickly. I had several projects shelved, some go away completely and with so many people and organizations suddenly struggling, projects in our living room - most of which were benefits or fundraisers were super fulfilling.
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Michael appeared in Broadway’s Chicken & Biscuits, a comedic telling of a family’s gathering for a funeral. In Broadway’s mission of representing minority voices, Urie was the only white actor of the cast. The production marked the Broadway debut of playwright Douglas Lyons as well as a large number of the cast. Unfortunately, the production was cut short due to COVID. We were having such an incredible time and the audiences were unbelievable. I loved performing that play with those actors. We played Circle in the Square Theater, which is in the round, so the audience was all round us and at times (during the church service sections) participating. Alive every night, spontaneous, and oh so joyful. Over the past couple of years, we have seen a shift in the beloved TV holiday movie season. Mixed couples, racial diversity, and same-sex stories have become part of the culture. One of the most popular holiday films of this past winter was Netflix’s Single All The Way, starring Urie, Philemon Chambers, Kathy Najimy, Barry Bostwick, and Jennifer Coolidge with Michael starring as a gay man returning home for the holidays with a pretend boyfriend. We’ve all done it, right? I was impressed by Chad Hodge’s script. I had never read a Christmas rom-com about gay people and I couldn’t put it down. A lot of people have reached out to me saying how much it meant to see a movie like that with a gay protagonist finding love. And I had not realized how much playing the gay romantic lead was going to mean to me.
Michael Urie attends the 73rd Annual Tony awards. Photo by Ovidiu Jtubaru
His favorite moment from filming Single All The Way? I mean, any time Jennifer Coolidge was on set, everyone was laughing. The only other person I have worked with who made that many people on a set that happy was Betty White. But my favorite memory was on the last day of shooting. We shot the last moments of the movie where our heroes finally kiss, and shooting this final catharsis on the last day of the shoot was so dreamy! Our crew (mostly straight, entirely French Canadian) burst into applause when we kissed - they were so invested, and we were all so proud of the job we’d done. That was the first moment I realized this movie might appeal to a wider audience. If we could get gruff Québécois gaffers to applaud two guys kissing, we were really on to something! We have seen a lot of gay characters in lead roles as of late. Does Urie think this is a trend that the media is capitalizing on, or does he think mainstream entertainment is truly becoming inclusive of the LGBTQ community? I think the latter! Mainstream Christmas romantic comedies are a wonderful way to show the world they can watch an LGBTQ love story and enjoy themselves, root for the protagonist, and maybe even relate to the characters. Will there be a Single All The Way 2? OMG so many possibilities! I would love to check back in with this family every Christmas, see who is meddling and who is single - maybe a wedding, a baby, another Christmas Pageant with Aunt Sandy … So many possibilities! Michael’s real-life rom-com is with his partner, Ryan. The two have been together for more than
13 years. How did they meet? We met on sort of a blind date. We were set up by a friend, but it didn’t quite materialize until two years later when another friend introduced us. The second time, the timing was right. With Michael’s busy schedule, traveling, studying lines, and doing activist work, how do they maintain a healthy relationship - for 13 years? We are super honest about our feelings every step of the way. We’ve both supported each other’s careers and know the ins and outs. Ryan knows when we are in a public situation I need out of and vice versa, and we can communicate with a look or a gesture. Riding high on the success of Single All The Way, Urie will next be seen on the big screen in a blissful combination of his musical theatre prowess and always enjoyable screen work. I can’t wait for people to see Jersey Boys, which we shot over the summer with Nick Jonas as Frankie Valli. As one of my favorite musicals, it was a dream to be in and see Des and Sergio’s creative process. People are going to flip! Nick was born to play Frankie. And his message to his fans? Oh wow. No one’s ever asked me that! I guess I would say thank you for liking the work - I love making it, and love making you laugh, cry, and feel. ■
You can follow Michael on IG: @MichaelUrieLikesIt
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THE SUNNY SIDE
OF LIFE
THREE GETAWAYS TO BEAT THE WINTER BLUES BY PAUL ZAHN
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Thompson Hotel - photos by Nick Hall
El Arco - photo by Michael Westman
CABO SAN LUCAS, MEXICO For those seeking a respite from the winter weather woes, look no further than Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. Cabo San Lucas offers a delightful combination of warm weather, spectacular seaside scenery and a bustling nightlife scene. Vacationers can enjoy day-long excursions hiking, snorkeling, exploring quaint Los Cabos or simply sipping margaritas on the beach or at the pool. The Cape, a Thompson Hotel, is the perfect sanctuary for that winter rest and relaxation trip. The pristine hotel is situated along the coveted Monuments Beach - a destination beach favored by surfers because of a tricky left-handed break right off the coast. The property also boasts the best views of the famous El Arco, the limestone arch synonymous with Cabo. The Cape features rooms with unobstructed views of the Sea of Cortez, and has one, two and three-bedroom villas, as well as four, two-story penthouse suites with plunge pools and private rooftops. For the extra
high roller, the hotel has a Surfer Villa - a two-story suite perfect for private events or even a beach wedding. Each guest room offers outdoor terraces, many with hanging daybeds which are perfect for lounging with a book during the day and star gazing by night. Copper bathtubs, leather and wood accented by blue tiles blend together for the perfect relaxing atmosphere. The property combines an elevated urban aesthetic with a Baja-meets-Southern California surfer vibe. Guests can enjoy two pools, including a stunning infinity pool with a swim-up bar or wade in the pool built within a natural rock formation. To take the zen getaway one step further, the Cape’s intimate spa has a private outdoor cabana for spa goers to enjoy a calming spa treatment with ocean vistas. There is no shortage of food and beverage options at The Cape. Guests can sip Palomas on the rooftop lounge and garden and enjoy breathtaking views of both the city and sea. Award-winning Chef Enrique Olvera crafted a delectable assortment of culinary delights at the hotels renowned restaurant Manta. A signature dish that earns rave reviews is their Peruvian-style grilled octopus. Following a luscious meal at Manta, guests may enjoy a sunset stroll on the beach as a perfect finale to a relaxing day. No trip to Cabo would be complete without an oceanic adventure. Head down to the marina and for less than $100, you can find several half-day snorkeling tours. Why not plunge into the warm waters off the tip of Baja where the Pacific Ocean meets the Sea of Cortez? You’ll be able to bump fins with angelfish, rays, parrot fish and other colorful sea life. Most include all the snorkeling gear you will need, but the towel. Many offer snacks, open bar, and will stop at several spots along the picturesque coastline including the renowned El Arco. METROSOURCE.COM
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Biking in the Vineyards. Hotel E Exterior Side Aerial View - courtesy photos
SANTA ROSA, CALIFORNIA Nestled in Sonoma County in Northern California, Santa Rosa is a hidden gem known for its wineries and plethora of opportunities for outdoor adventures. Santa Rosa is an ideal spot for the food and beverage aficionado wanting to explore the culinary delights of wine country. The wine lover can venture out to enjoy over 400 vineyards in one of the greatest wine producing regions in the world and sample the flavors of Sonoma Wine Country. One of our favorites is located just a 10-mile drive from Santa Rosa in the quaint town of Graton. Nestled in the rolling hills you will find Marimar Estate Vineyards & Winery. Heralded for their chardonnays and pinot noirs, this Catalan-style wine producer offers elevated tasting experiences complete with Spanish tapas on their sunny patio. However, the city does not stop at just wineries. Santa Rosa is home to its own FeBREWary - a month long celebration of all things beer. The breweries in the town offer exclusive, limited releases of their beers including brews with cult followings like Pliny the Younger. Fans even camp out overnight for a tasting of the coveted Pliny, available at Russian River Brewing Company. The event offers a Beer Passport for the FeBREWary attendees. Once fully stamped at the various locations, beer lovers win a revered FeBREWary Olympic-style medal.
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Outdoor explorers can experience an aweinspiring hike through the stunning Armstrong Redwood Forest, hit the links on lush golf courses, enjoy kayaking the Russian River, bicycling through the rolling hills, and perusing the local goods and produce at Santa Rosa Original Certified Farmer’s Market. Travelers can stay at Hotel E - one of Santa Rosa’s new luxury boutique hotels. Santa Rosa is tucked between the Mayacamas and the Sonoma Mountains, and Hotel E is a stone’s
throw from the quaint downtown Old Courthouse Square. Santa Rosa also plays host to Sonoma County Pride which is the largest Pride festival in Northern California, outside of San Francisco. The main parade and festival takes place in the Old Courthouse Square in downtown Santa Rosa in the late spring. For a schedule of events visit www.SonomaCountyPride.org There is truly something for everyone in this town which makes it a perfect winter getaway.
THE BIG ISLAND, HAWAII Why not venture to Hawaii on a trip inspired by the hit television show, The White Lotus? Hawaii is a perfect escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life with a robust array of options throughout its five main islands. The Big Island is a must-visit spot with plenty of opportunities to enjoy the magic and beauty of Mother Nature and experience the local culinary scene. Located on the majestic Kohala Coast, The Fairmont Orchid Kona Hotel is an ideal spot on the Big Island to have a fabulous getaway. The resort is surrounded by 32 oceanfront acres of pristine exotic gardens, waterfalls and white sand beaches. Guests can enjoy relaxing activities like sunrise canoe voyages, floating yoga, tennis at the 10-court pavilion or golfing on their worldclass golf course. Hawaii is known for its culinary delights and The Fairmont features a variety of dining options on property with six restaurants including the award-winning dining spot, Brown’s Beach House. Try their melt-in-your mouth filet mignon with tempura Maui onions, cheddar ulu mash, grilled broccolini and wasabi crème fraiche! A standout feature of the resort is a Spa Without Walls – the ideal sanctuary to enjoy spa services either in a private oceanfront villa or at a secluded waterfall hut. Guests can channel their inner Jennifer Coolidge and spend the day at the spa to rejuvenate from the stresses of everyday life. The spa treatments integrate ancient Hawaii traditional healing arts with locally made spa products and a relaxing natural therapeutic environment.
Hawaii - photos courtesy The Fairmont
The resort has a sunset torch lighting ceremony to commemorate the success of the day and segue into a peaceful evening. The resort’s Luana Lounge provides the idyllic spot to enjoy live music nightly, delicious Mai Tais, and a space to showcase the work of local artists. No trip to Hawaii is complete without a luau and The Fairmont Orchid Kona Hotel crafts an unforgettable luau steeped in tradition with a menu featuring locally sourced food like their kalbi beef, fresh poke, and kalua pork. After dinner and tropical
drinks, you’ll enjoy hula dancers under the stars. Those with an adventurous spirit can experience snorkeling with manta rays - at night! You read that right. Led by a local guide, you’ll take a short cruise out to the manta site, where you’ll watch the beautiful Hawaiian sunset before dipping into the water to watch the majestic manta rays up close. It’s an incredible encounter with nature, plus an item to mark off your bucket list. Why not say aloha to Hawaii and good-bye to the stresses of everyday life? ■
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IT’S GAME NIGHT! THESE BOARD GAMES ARE YOUR TICKET TO EXCITEMENT THIS SEASON BY JEFFREY JAMES KEYES DURING THE COOLER WINTER MONTHS, THERE IS AN INCREASED NEED FOR
pick up a few board games and have them on hand to create a bit of extra amusement whenever you need it. Games inspired by movies and television are a prominent theme in our current roundup, with titles like Jaws, Back to the Future, and even The Queen’s Gambit becoming popular. And as a nod to nostalgia, order the new Blockbuster game. Tonight is “game night” y’all. Fire up that popcorn, open a bottle of wine, and clear the table, because we have some games to play in 2022.
BACK TO THE FUTURE: DICE THROUGH TIME (2020) Ravensburger Players: 2-4 $39.99 Oh no! Biff stole the DeLorean and went on a joyride through time. Navigate through 1955 and 1985, as you team up with Doc and Marty to “repair the space time continuum before time paradoxes unravel the very fabric of the universe.” Get in the hot seat of the time machine in this fun new board game to complete events, return items, and help restore order by getting the DeLorean in the “Ready Zone” at 10:04 p.m. Is the future in your hands? There is only one way to tell. Back to the Future: Dice Through Time was designed by Ken Franklin, Chris Leder, Kevin Rodgers with artwork by Matt Taylor.
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BACK TO THE FUTURE™ IS © UNIVERSAL CITY STUDIOS LLC AND AMBLIN ENTERTAINMENT, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
INDOOR OPPORTUNITIES FOR FUN AND RECREATION. So, what better time to
BLOCKBUSTER (2019) Spin Master Ltd., Big Potato Players: 4+ $19.99 If the 2020, Netflix documentary The Last Blockbuster gave you nostalgia for blue polos, fresh popcorn, and the golden age of video rentals then we have a board game for you! Blockbuster is a new game for anyone that has ever seen a movie. Split up into two teams and go head-to-head in a quick-fire buzzer battle. Round two is basically ‘movie charades with a twist’ in which the player who won round one picks up six movie cards, gives the hardest three to their opponent and keeps the rest for themselves. The game features 200 classic movies and contains 60 category cards, and a replica of a Blockbuster parking lot. Wow! What a difference!
CARDS AGAINST HUMANITY (2009) Cards Against Humanity LLC Players: 3+ $25.00 Known as a party game “for horrible people,” Cards Against Humanity, could be considered a new classic game. Each round, one player asks a question from a black card, and everyone else answers with their funniest white card. Each pack comes with 500 white cards and 100 black cards as well as a booklet with game rules and some preposterous alternate rules. Looking to shake up your “CAH” playing? The Red Box offers a 300-card expansion and there are a wide variety of new expansion packs and decks including the Pride Pack, College Pack, an Ass Pack (you heard that right), and a Nasty Bundle featuring a collection of packs that’s “too nasty to sell in stores.”
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CATAN 3D EDITION (2021) Asmodee Players: 3-4 $300.00 Catan first came out in 1995, and in the game, players are settlers on the island Catan. Each player competes to see who can build up their civilization faster. Your settlements grow up from fertile grain fields and your cities are tucked into the sides of majestic mountains. The Catan 3D Edition is based on terrain tiles hand-sculpted by the game designer Klaus Teuber himself. The terrain is hand-painted, and game pieces intricately designed and then antiqued to give them a historic feel. Catan 3D is a great buy for the Catan player in your life, or if you want to upgrade your worn-out set. Catan is best for 3-4 players, and it can take between 60-90 minutes to complete. If the $300 price tag is too steep, the regular version retails at $55 and it is widely available at local and online retail stores. There is an extension pack so you can play with 5-6 players, as well as the Catan Seafarers and Catan Cities & Knights Game Expansions.
ENCHANTED FOREST (1981) Ravensburger Players: 2-6 $25.99 Ravensburger’s Enchanted Forest is a stunning game in which players go on a treasure hunt in the land of fairy tales. Theater queens might think of Sondheim’s Into the Woods a bit as they search through famous fables and stories for hidden treasure along the way. In 1997, the Wizard of Oz adopted a four-player board game, and this is essentially the same game through a different “enchanted forest.”The game, which won the 1982 Spiel des Jahres award, has been around for a while, but the updated design is just as elegant.
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JAWS (2019) Players: 2-4 Ravensburger $39.99 Relive a cult classic with this suspenseful tabletop strategy game, designed by Prospero Hall. In Jaws, one player menaces the island of Amity as the infamous great white while the other players go on the hunt as Brody, Hooper, and Quint. If the players kill the Orca they win. On the other side, if the shark attack is successful Jaws is victorious. This game is perfect for not only any movie lover, but anyone looking for a fun way to entertain dinner party guests or have the neighbors over for good old-fashioned fun. It is always Shark Week somewhere!
JAWS IS A TRADEMARK AND COPYRIGHT OF UNIVERSAL STUDIOS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
PANDEMIC (2008) Z-Man Games Players: 2-4 $44.99 In Pandemic, players assume the role of skilled members of a disease-fighting team working together to keep the world safe from outbreaks and epidemics. A little on the nose? But here’s one way to proactively work together to find a cure. Matt Leacock designed the game, first published in 2007 with artwork by Josh Cappel, Christian Hanisch, Régis Moulun, Chris Quilliams, and Tom Thiel. Pandemic is the first game in a series, which includes Pandemic: On the Brink, Pandemic: In the Lab, Pandemic: State of Emergency, Pandemic: Hot Zone - North America, Pandemic: Fall of Rome, and more. It is only a matter of time before they launch Pandemic: Coronavirus, isn’t it? The fate of humanity is in all our hands, but why not save the day at game night with your friends?
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THE QUEEN’S GAMBIT (2021) Asmodee Players: 2-4 $29.99 The Queen’s Gambit Netflix miniseries took the world by storm in 2020, and the Asmodee’ s fun board game gives players the opportunity to experience chess like the extraordinary Beth Harmon (without having to set foot in an orphanage). In the game, each player has their own gambit piece they move across the chessboard, with each turn planned three moves ahead. In the series, Beth’s ability to envision chess moves on her ceiling enabled her to clear her opponents’ pieces from the board and defeat them. In the game, you compete with other players to claim pieces and points from the board. Designers Rebecca Bleau and Nicholas Cravotta designed the game where in each turn, you can move your “Gambit” like a different chess piece. Channel Beth to outwit your opponents and win the game!
THE CASTLES OF BURGUNDY (2011) Ravensburger Players: 2-4 $49.99 Looking to go castle hopping? Step into the shoes of an influential 15th century French prince in the Loire Valley of High Medieval France and do whatever it takes to make your empire flourish. Choose your path wisely, and execute strategies for academic progress, agriculture, trading, and city development. If you are someone who likes strategy and are up for a challenge, this game for you! Stefan Feld designed this game, carefully executed by artists Julien Delval and Harald Lieske. It is gorgeous, and good fun to play.
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TELL ME WITHOUT TELLING ME (2021) Spin Master Ltd. Players: 4+ $19.99 If you think Cards Against Humanity is tame, Tell Me Without Telling Me is the perfect option. You’ll need the right (or wrong) group of people to play this NSFW charades party game in which you split into two teams and alternate rolling the die and flipping on the timer to“show not tell”and let your team guess in categories such as people, traits, things, places, and NSFW. Don’t shy from the risqué or taboo in this game which is perfect for a Fire Island or Puerto Vallarta late night on a guy’s trip with your crew. If you know, you know, but do your friends? Break all the rules with #TellMeGame.
TICKET TO RIDE (2004) Days of Wonder Players: 2-5 $54.99 Ticket to Ride is a popular cross-country train adventure game where players collect and play matching train cards connecting cities and claiming railway routes throughout North America. In the game, players gain points for each route, and the longer the routes, the more points earned. Each game contains one board map of North American train routes, 225 colored train cars, 144 illustrated cards, five wooden scoring markers, and a rules booklet. The game, designed by Alan R. Moon, created by artists Cyrille Daujean and Julien Delval, is part of the Days of Wonder portfolio, and takes about 30-60 minutes to play. The game won the 2004 Spiel des Jahres, the Origins Award for Best Board Game of 2004, as well as many other awards.
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90 DAY FIANCÉ GETTING ‘REAL’ WITH
KENNY & ARMANDO BY ALEXANDER RODRIGUEZ
IN THE WORLD OF REALITY TV THAT CELEBRATES DRAMA QUEENS AND STEREOTYPES, TLC’S 90 DAY FIANCÉ: THE OTHER WAY CELEBRATES A REAL-LIFE LOVE STORY, THE FIRST SAME SEX MALE MARRIAGE OF THE SERIES, WHICH IS BUILT ON TRUST, UNDERSTANDING, AND OVERCOMING LIFE’S CHALLENGES.
Kenny and Armando’s emotional journey was captured in Season 2 of the popular TLC show which included an emotional coming out, cultural homophobia, loss, and a storybook wedding. Regardless of an age difference, language barriers, distance, or circumstance, these two fought the odds and have quickly become reality TV’s favorite couple. Both: Although we were at first apprehensive about being the first [male] same-sex couple on the franchise which was a hidden weight on our shoulders, we were so surprised how 95% of feedback was so positive, supportive, and loving for us. Of course, you have the occasional homophobia that plays a part, but we learned to focus on the positive. It was a beautiful thing to see that our love story touched so many people’s hearts. We received multiple messages about how we changed views on same-sex couples and marriage because they saw a true love story between two men. Our reality helped so many parents and families accept their children because they realized they too can have a normal loving relationship, and that love is just love. Kenny and Armando, separated by different countries, found each other in an online, single parent support chat group. Armando had been dealing with the unexpected death of his wife and raising his daughter, Hannah, while having to hide his sexuality from his family and his daily life. Kenny, a single dad from the beginning, had raised three triplet daughters, a son,
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and was actively involved in helping to raise his grandson. Despite the 25-year age gap, the two instantly connected. Kenny: I could feel Armando’s kindness, sweetness, and giving nature almost immediately. Armando: Kenny’s sense of humor really stood out to me. I was going through tough times, and the way Kenny made me laugh was a shining light in my life at the time. Just like a Hollywood movie, the two decided to finally meet and spend some time face to face. The rest, as they say, is history. Both: We were still friends at the time. We had no agenda, and we spent a few days together as friends. But we both knew when we parted ways to go back home that something magical had happened, and this was just the beginning.
I SAW THE WHOLE FILM CREW ARRIVE AT MY HOUSE. IT WAS THEN I ACTUALLY THOUGHT, “WHAT THE HELL DID I GET MYSELF INTO?”
As time went on, the couple’s relationship grew, via Facetime, text messages, and subsequent visits until they hit a fork in the road. Kenny made the difficult decision to leave everything he knew behind, including his family, to be with Armando and Hannah in Mexico. In Kenny’s lifetime, he had never come across someone with whom he had such a connection or felt such an unconditional love. Kenny was a fan of 90 Day Fiancé and after he decided to move, Season 1 of The Other Way premiered. The Other Way is a spin-off of 90 Day Fiancé that features Americans leaving the country to be with their future spouses. Casting for Season 2 was underway, and Kenny brought it to Armando’s attention. The two did their research, applied, and within months were cast on TLC’s global show that has since changed their lives. While never capitalizing or dramatizing Kenny and Armando’s emotional journey, the show did share some intimate moments. The visceral reaction of Armando’s conservative family to his coming out was intense, despite an earlier attempt by Armando to come out years prior. Armando decided that he would no longer be tied down by what others believed was the right way to be or live. To add to his reveal, he also told the family that he was taking Hannah and starting a new life with his partner, hours away. Over 1,000 miles away, Kenny’s goodbye to his family was equally as devasting. As he drove away, sobbing, with his family, looking lost and broken, our hearts broke with them. How can such love come from such pain? But that is what their story was all about, fighting for love and taking the
journey forward, no matter the cost. Not just an inspiration for relationships, their experience is an inspiration to anyone that lacks the courage to live life to the fullest as their own true self. Not yet celebrities, the choice to put their lives and families on camera was a difficult decision. Kenny: It was a lot of back and forth on deciding whether to do it or not, but I concluded that our love and relationship were worth showing to the world. Even with all our differences, the best relationships can come about. Armando: I am a quiet and private person, so there was a lot for me to consider. But I thought this would be a wonderful way for others to see they’re not alone. Coming to terms with one’s self and the coming out process was important for me to show, to hopefully help others. The couple would watch every show as it aired and got to see how the rest of the world was going to witness their story. Where editing and forced situations in reality TV are commonplace, there was nothing faked or performed. You were seeing raw experiences and feelings and, for once, it wasn’t based on stereotypical gay drama. What did the couple learn the most about themselves from watching the show? Kenny: Realizing how this brought out a lot of emotions that I never knew I had. A rollercoaster of feelings that played out on screen. It made me more in touch with my emotions and made me realize even more how I cannot worry about what others think of me. I have realized I have to be true to myself and who I am.
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Armando: Reliving everything through the screen has been healing. Seeing the growth I’ve had within myself has been amazing. I am a stronger person, more confident, and sure of who I am from doing the show, and all along with Kenny’s help. Both: The whole experience made us stronger as a couple. From day-to-day life, raising Hannah together, even wanting to expand our family. We realize we are a great team together, and we can accomplish anything we set our minds to. One of the most compelling arcs of their story was the evolution of Armando’s family. Coming from an ultraconservative, machismo cultivated Mexican culture, being gay can leave you abandoned by your family, your friends, and even result in death. The tears, the awkward silences, fear of the unknown, hugs, and ultimate unity showed the world a glimmer of hope for the LGBTQ community in the future. In a culture where feelings are not often talked about and differences in one’s self are not often celebrated, Armando’s journey showed there can be light at the end of the tunnel, no matter how difficult the journey. The cameras being there gave Armando courage, perhaps it was Kenny’s unwavering, if challenging, support, or perhaps it was just time for Armando to live his life.
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Armondo: It did not really hit me, what I was getting myself, into until I saw the whole film crew arrive at my house. It was then I actually thought, “What the hell did I get myself into?” But at that point, it was too late to back out, so I realized I just had to be myself, put it all out there, and live my reality. My family to this day does not fully grasp the reach around the world that 90 Day Fiancé has. They have actually never watched the show. However, the whole experience made my family open up to each other in ways we never had, and as my sister realized, “This whole experience has brought our family closer together.” What is Armando’s advice for others still struggling to come out? Armondo: As Kenny taught me, once you come out (even though everyone might not be there for you), on the other side, the world opens! Coming out is terrifying, but truly being free to be who you are is an indescribable feeling, and you will for sure be a happier person for it. Kenny’s coming out was during a challenging time in gay history. And though his coming out was different than Armando’s, it was no less stressful. Kenny: When I was 19, I moved away from my hometown of Toledo, Ohio, which was very conservative and closed-minded. It was 1982 and I moved to Florida where I found myself, and embraced that I was gay. I started living my authentic life. I was tired of hiding who I was from my family back in Toledo. So two years later, I wrote an eight-page letter to my parents and came out. Luckily for me, they were accepting. At the time, the AIDS epidemic was hitting the gay community hard. They were concerned with how that would affect my life. Thankfully, I personally was not affected by it, as so many of my close friends. It helped me move forward to be my authentic self and to always stay true to myself and live a positive life for those who did not get the chance. One of the most undeniably loving characters in Kenny and Armando’s story is Hannah, Armando’s daughter. Not only is she adorable and so mature for her age, but she also exemplified unconditional love from the perspective of a youth untainted by societal or cultural phobias. She instantly responded to Kenny with open arms and an open heart. Some of the most emotional moments are seeing Hannah’s face light up when she finds out Kenny is coming to
live with them, or her tears of happiness when she finds out that Kenny and Armando could finally marry. Now Kenny and Armando are adjusting to raising Hannah together, captured in an amusing moment when Kenny and Armando first question the other’s style in giving into Hannah’s wants. Armando: I had to get used to co-parenting. Taking someone else’s thoughts into my parenting style. As an only child, I was used to giving in a lot more, so we had to adjust and meet in the middle on how we would move forward as parents together. Kenny: Raising four children very close in age, I had to be stricter and more military-style. It took me time to adjust and ease up on raising an individual child. Kenny’s children also play a big part in their story. Supporting your father’s choice to pack up and leave, to a different country, with someone whom they had never met was not easy, but they did support, they did show up, and they did embrace Armando and his family as their own. What have the couple learned the most from their kids? Both: Seeing through our kids eyes, children and the younger generation are much more accepting and open-minded. Kenny: I learned that even now, living miles
apart, in a different country, the bonds you have with your children never go away, and the love is always there. We are even closer now, and that just shows that parent-child bonds transcend distance. Armando: Seeing firsthand the unconditional and sincere love. Learning and growing from that to be more like our children. A jarring and terrifying moment during the show occurred when Kenny’s daughters came to visit, and they went out to dinner in their new neighborhood. Out of nowhere, homophobic slurs were uttered by other patrons on their way out. In an instant, the bubble of happiness and love was popped as the reality came to reality TV, showing how dangerous being out can be and how much more work there is to do in combating hate. But the two didn’t let that stop them. Armando went from being afraid to showing Kenny public affection to kissing and dancing with Kenny at the wedding in front of his family and the whole community, with fireworks no less! Kenny and Armando’s first attempt at applying for a marriage license was denied, due to them being same sex. They fought the system which resulted in same-sex marriage being approved in their area. Kenny: We have met a lot of great people and surrounded ourselves with open-minded
caring people. We put ourselves out there as a normal loving couple, and most people seem accepting of us. Armando: At first, I was terrified. But I quickly learned I had to be fully proud of who I am. I had a confidence boost that has allowed me to live my life without worry, and that has played a positive role in my life to no longer concern myself with what others think of me. The couple has settled into married life and keep busy. Armando currently works for an architectural design firm, and Kenny started a small property management company. They also created their online Kenny and Armando Shop, www.KennyandArmando.com with a line of Pride and household items that have their distinctive touch. After work, they enjoy family with afternoon park outings and beach walks with their cuter-thanwords new puppy in tow. They continue filming “Pillow Talk”, a fun behind-the-scenes for TLC. Who knows where else the two may pop up on TV. Although Kenny has settled in, there are still growing pains. Finding a barber to maintain his signature coif was an issue, as was becoming accustomed to Mexican life. What has been the hardest adjustment? Kenny: All the conveniences of life in America with everything at your fingertips METROSOURCE.COM
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– whatever one needs is around the corner. The language barrier has been a struggle for me as well as Mexico’s lack of acceptance of our same-sex relationship. Being away from my kids is still an ongoing struggle. I miss them terribly, and in addition to my four children in Florida, I now have two grandkids I wish I could see grow up day-to-day. That has not gotten any easier. But Kenny and Armando are making it work, turning their long-distance fairy tale adventure into the reality of day-to-day living, getting used to each other’s habits and quirks and having to adjust. As the two showed us, change is not always easy, but the result can be rewarding. The biggest keys to a healthy marriage? Both: Always putting the other first, going beyond, and giving 51% more to the other. For us, a sense of humor is key, and enjoying
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even the smallest things in life. Learning how to “fight” right and hashing out differences quickly. Going from single fathers to becoming TLC’s sweethearts came with a lot of press, global exposure, a social media boom, and even an exclusive wedding spread for People magazine. But don’t expect them to turn into Kardashians. Both: We’ve stayed grounded and living our everyday normal lives raising Hannah. It all has been an amazing experience that, more than anything, has been humbling and made us better people to be a light in our families and be positive role models to others. They have used their high-profile status for good, supporting their local community, more specifically the Eunime orphanage in Mexico, a center for the unwanted of Mexico’s youth, those affected by HIV.
of expanding our family, we started doing research on orphanages with the possibility of adoption. Many were opposed to speaking with us because we are a samesex couple. One, in particular, was open to speaking with us and only houses children living with HIV. When we met with the director and children, we instantly fell in love and realized that even if we could not adopt, we knew it was our mission to help these children. They were all so kind and loving, and we decided to raise money for them. With the help of the 90 Day universe, we raised $25,000 via GoFundMe. We were so elated to help these children and it demonstrates what good can come out of the show and proves what kind and generous hearts are out there. With their social media flooded by messages of love and hope, what is their message to their fans? Both: We do not like to call them fans! We refer to them as supporters, because they all have been huge supporters of our relationship, our families, our love story, and Armando’s coming out process. We really want to thank you all for always having an open mind and seeing through a lot of the noise of 90 Day Fiancé to connect with us. For all the showing of love and affection that has brought joy to our lives, we truly thank you. You all have put a smile on our faces. ■ You can stream Season 2 of TLC’s 90 Day Fiancé: The Other Way Follow Armando and Kenny on IG: @Kenneth_90Day and @Armando_90Day
PAGE 38-42: PHOTOS COURTESY OF KENNY & ARMANDO
Both: As we explored the possibilities
GET RED CARPET READY GLAM UP YOUR GROOMING FOR THAT NEXT EVENT BY JEFFREY JAMES KEYES IT’S A VERY 2022 CONUNDRUM, THAT BIG SWANKY EVENT YOU HAVE BEEN PREPARING FOR MAY HAVE MIGRATED TO ZOOM. You have your ring lights
ready but need to groom and pamper so you look camera ready. If you are in a pinch for time you can drive to the nearest MAC or Sephora to pick out some goodies to prep and pamper, but this might be a great opportunity to step up your game and invest in some high-quality products to make sure you look like the star that you are. We found some incredible products for you to be “Red Carpet Ready” either inperson or online. Don’t be afraid of a little makeup for your Zooms blue lights and that big round ring light takes no prisoners. Remember to get enough sleep, drink plenty of water, and moisturize, moisturize, moisturize, to look like the best version of you.
ASEIR CUSTOM AUXANO BROW & LASH SERUM www.aseircustom.com $55 Wish you had more prominent eyelashes? Aseir Custom offers a wonderful line of products designed to reverse the aging process for both men and women to restore youthful skin and promote fuller hair growth. Each product in the line harnesses the true power of peptides to
ARCONA TRIAD PADS
create a modern foundation of youth for all. The Auxano
www.arcona.com $38
ristoyl Pentapeptide-17, Vitis vinifera (grape) cell culture
Founded in Los Angeles in 1989, ARCONA formulates active and
and nourish. Just apply a small amount of the serum to
pure products that work to transform all skin types and concerns.
your eyebrows and top and bottom eyelids and allow it to
ARCONA skin care is infused with powerful ingredients like anti-
dry before moving on to any additional skincare.
oxidants, plant lipids, sea vegetables, essential oils, vitamins, minerals and more. We have featured ARCONA’s Eye Dew Plus, but their Triad Pads are a great quick way to cleanse, tone, and hydrate. Cranberry toner works to infuse the skin with protective antioxidants to leave it glowing and refreshed. If you notice a little shine, do not hesitate to go “off camera” for a moment to soften up your forehead while removing dirt or oil. Cranberry extract in the pads is chock full of vitamins, phyto-nutrients, and essential fatty acids. Think of it as a cranberry facial toner on a little cotton pad.
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Brow & Lash Serum contains a powerful blend of Myextract, glycerin, and panthenol to grow, heal, rejuvenate,
DERMALOGICA DAILY GLYCOLIC CLEANSER www.dermalogica.com $35 Dermalogica revolutionized the skin care industry when it jumped into the marketplace back in 1986. Jane Wurwand developed the products which excluded common irritants, including SD alcohol, lanolin, mineral oil and artificial colors and fragrances. The Daily Glycolic Cleanser, which is a gentle yet effective formula that works to cleanse away brightness blockers that build up on the skin, became available in August 2021. Perfect for getting up close and personal on camera, this cleanser is surely an asset to any makeup artist’s toolkit. Glycolic Acid works with a soothing blend of calendula extract and jojoba seed oil to condition and replenish the skin with each wash.
DIOR DIOR HOMME DERMO SYSTEM ANTI-FATIGUE FIRMING EYE SERUM www.dior.com $62 Can you get more glam than Dior? Founded on December 16, 1946, in Paris, The House of Dior has gone on to play significant roles both in the fashion and beauty industries. The Dior Innovation Center has launched the first dermatological treatments designed exclusively for men. Created in conjunction with the Harvard Medical Center, Dior Homme Dermo System now offers the latest in skin care technology. Dior Homme Dermo System Anti-fatigue firming eye serum both soothes and tones your “window to the soul” while diminishing dark circles and puffiness. Apply in the morning and evening, and whenever you need a little boost of Dior glam.
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HOUSE OF DEAR COMPLETE CARE KIT www.houseofdear.com $229 The House of Dear line offers some of the best smelling products on the market. Feel like a Rockstar with their complete care kit and let your hydrate from the inside out. The comprehensive kit is gender neutral, clean, and
LA PRAIRIE PURE GOLD RADIANCE CONCENTRATE
like Rose of Jericho, quinoa, aloe vera, cucumber and sun-
www.laprairie.com $850
flower. The kit offers a Resurrecting Wash, Resurrecting
You deserve the best, and La Prairie’s Pure Gold Radiance Concentrate pro-
Rinse, Volumizing Tonic, Resurrecting Balm, Thickening
vides immediate and long-term benefits to the skin for an unprecedented
Cream, & Finishing Salve. Holly Dear, a Dallas born styl-
glow. The formula, infused with the Pure Gold Diffusion System, is de-
ist and owner of the #1 salon in Dallas, Dear Clark Salon
signed to smooth the skin, and refine its texture, to revitalize its appearance
launched this new brand in January 2021.
and help even skin tone. Their website states, “when the sun’s rays sweep
eco-friendly. Indulge in healthy and effective ingredients
across the Swiss mountain faces, it is a moment when beauty imposes itself – undeniable. It is an instant that emits an understated resplendence – a radiance like no other. Fleeting, it is the hour when beauty is elevated to grace – the grace of the golden hour in the crown of the Alps.” Inspired by this fleeting moment, La Prairie seeks to recreate its unique radiance and impart it to the skin. The Pure Gold Collection additionally includes the Revitalizing Eye Cream ($635), and Revitalizing Moisturizing Cream ($850). Together these products enhance the appearance of radiance in the skin instantly and over the long-term. Why not indulge?
ILIA RADIANT TRANSLUCENT POWDER SPF 20 | FLOW-THRU www.Iliabeauty.com $34 Are you taking that Zoom outside by the pool? Remember your SPF. Ilia Beauty’s Radiant Translucent Powder SPF 20 is a talc-free SPF 20 translucent powder formula that nourishes and softens skin, while taking down that unnecessary shine. This should be the last step of your routine, apply some just before you go on your call to set your face into place. Reapply as needed, especially if you are online or on set for a long time. Key ingredients include organic aloe leaf powder, hibiscus flower, and organic rosemary leaf powder.
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NATURA BISSÉ DIAMOND GLYCO EXTREME PEEL www.naturabisse.com $295 The Natura Bissé Diamond Glyco Extreme Peel could be considered a scientific masterpiece. This at-home facial in a bottle that helps promote a glass-like finish to your complexion. Want even-toned, soft, luminous, flawless skin? Look no further. The one-stop-shop prep step before a red-carpet event, in-person, or under the harsh blue lights of your computer screen. The peel includes the 5 AHAs (glycolic, malic, tartaric, citric, and lactic) plus salicylic acid to help eliminate impurities and dead cells from the skin surface. Natura Bissé has been rethinking beauty since 1979 when founder Ricardo Fisas noted that a factory employee who worked with amino acids had strikingly soft hands. This discovery birthed not only the first Natura Bissé formula, but a brand to know and trust.
OSEA UNDARIA ALGAE BODY BUTTER www.oseamalibu.com $48 Need extra hydration? Look to OSEA to get you ready to face the world. Established in 1996, OSEA stands for the core elements of wellness: Ocean, Sun, Earth, Atmosphere. Skincare meets body care in OSEA’s next-level body butter infusing high-performance ingredients to address all signs of aging. This ultra-hydrating formula gets its butter-rich texture from a combination of Undaria seaweed, shea butter, DPHP amino acid, oat kernel extract, and a special skin-identical carbohydrate complex for deep hydration. What is the most important ingredient in OSEA’s body butter? Seaweed, of course. For over 25 years OSEA has created seaweedinfused skincare without any artificial colors, dyes, or synthetic ingredients. Their Undaria Algae Body Oil was a must-have for A-listers like Victoria Beckham and Mandy Moore. This new butter is clinically proven to provide 72 hours of hydration. After all, who wants to have dry, flakey skin on their next Zoom?
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PÄRDĒ THE PÄRDĒ’S HERE! COLLECTION www.pardebeauty.com $150 Beauty brand Pärdē kick started the winter off right with their fun new Y2K-inspired nail polish line. If you are looking to show off a bit of personality and some extra pizazz, turn to The Pärdē’s Here! collection featuring all eight colors including fun colors like Air Rights, Pärdē’s Here!, Pyramid Scheme, Totally Important Designer, Seriously Disturbed, Seggsy, Army Pants & Flip Flops, America’s Next Topcoat with a bonus limited-edition vegan leather goodie bag. The line creative founders are Troy Solomon, aka“Lord Troy,”a musician and body-positivity advocate from West Hollywood, CA, and Shorty
NOBLE PANACEA THE EXCEPTIONAL CHRONOBIOLOGY SLEEP MASK
sively told Metrosource,“Having my own nail polish brand has definitely
www.noblepanacea.com $310
been a decade long dream of mine. I’m someone who longs for commu-
Noble Panacea was founded in 2019, by a Nobel Prize winning chem-
nity, connection, and intimacy and I find parties to be such a connecting
ist. Noble Panacea directly utilizes this Nobel Prize-winning research.
environment. And when Greg [Littley] presented the name, he said to
The Exceptional Chronobiology Sleep Mask is a high-performance
me that when he was thinking of names all he could think about was
treatment sleeping mask, carefully calibrated to work in synergy and
how, even through the tough times, we both celebrate life. The name feels
optimize the skin’s natural overnight biorhythm of regeneration and
authentic and true to who we are and what we believe in - everyone gets
self-repair processes. Ingredients include retinol, peptides, polyhydroxy
an invite to this Pärdē.”Of this collection, Littley adds,“Free and beautiful
acid (PHA), ceramide NP & 2D hyaluronic acid, and a blend of five bo-
- nail color has always represented the fast path to self-expression. The
tanicals: black cumin seed oil, prickly pear oil, argan oil, jojoba seed oil,
color, the art - you have ten canvases to express who you are.”
avocado oil. This new mask, which launches this February, harnesses the
Go ahead and flaunt those nails!
power of Noble Panacea’s unique OSMV Technology delivery system.
Award winning global brand executive Gregory Littley. Solomon exclu-
Each product is packed with a 30-day supply that does the heavy lifting while you count sheep and drift off into a blissful, restorative slumber.
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SMASHBOX PHOTO FINISH CORRECT ANTI-REDNESS PRIMER ALGAE SILKSCREEN COMPLEX www.smashbox.com $39 Smashbox, a Los Angeles photo studio created by photographer Davis Factor in the early ‘90s, quickly became a creative hub for world-class actors, models,
RÉVIVE RÉVIVE SKINCARE PEAU MAGNIFIQUE SERUM
musicians, and photographers. In 1996, Davis cre-
www.reviveskincare.com $750
By 2000, Smashbox Cosmetics was born. This year
In the 1980’s, RéVive founder Dr. Gregory Bays Brown had a ground-
ers with Silkscreen Complex. The four skin-loving
breaking idea and applied a Nobel Prize-winning, bio-engineered
primers create a breathable, silky barrier that perfects
molecule called epidermal growth factor (EGF) to help the damaged
the canvas of your face by smoothing and strengthen-
skin on a burn victim heal more quickly. Dr. Brown later merged
ing skin against damage from environmental aggrega-
beauty and biotechnology by launching RéVive with a Moisturizing
tors like blue light and pollution. The Algae Silkscreen
Renewal Cream at Neiman Marcus in 1997. The retexturizing mois-
Complex is an anti-redness primer, which creates a
turizer became a fast success story. One of their newest products,
breathable, lightweight barrier that soothes stressed
RéVive Skincare Peau Magnifique Serum, the luxurious serum is
skin. The product features a blend of ingredients in-
one of the closest things you can find to the fountain of youth. This
cluding antioxidants, hyaluronic acid, probiotic extract,
advance formula kick-starts skin renewal by reducing fine lines, in-
vitamins, and algae. Ready for your closeup? You will
creasing skin firmness, minimizing the appearance of deep lines, and
be with Smashbox.
ated the cult-favorite Photo Finish, made to withstand any type of light, camera, and continuous movement. Smashbox has launched their new Photo Finish Prim-
restoring facial fullness. Apply the serum to your clean skin nightly and marvel at how great you look (and feel).
TALIKA EYE THERAPY PATCH www.talika.us $60 Talika’s popular Eye Therapy Patches, rich in ceramides and plant oils, including wheat germ and avocado, penetrate the area around the eye gently but deeply, leaving it smoother and less tired looking. This special eye therapy was introduced in 2001, and quickly became a favorite among makeup artists and celebrities like Missy Elliott, Paul Rudd, Eva Longoria, among others. Gentle on the skin, Eye Therapy Patch can be rinsed with water and reused up to three times. This patch is a must before jumping on any Zoom.
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TERRA & CO. AYURVEDIC OIL PULLING BUNDLE www.terraandco.com $69 While oil pulling might not seem like a traditional set in one’s grooming routine, it is an age-old Ayurvedic technique that can moisturize, reduce inflammation, and help you to maintain a healthy mouth and lips. Terra and Co., a certified Women’s Business Enterprise run by two sisters have created two distinct types of oil pulling products: Gentle Green Oil Pulling and Brilliant Black Oil Pulling. These products help to break down plaque, restore healthy bacteria, loosen buildup and toxins trapped in the fatty lining of your oral membrane, and alkalize your body pH with one easy swish. The bundle is a good introduction to oil pulling. The Gentle Green Oil Pulling is charged with non-toxic mineral nano-hydroxyapatite (nHAp) to strengthen enamel and prevent microcavities. Their bestselling Brilliant Black Oil Pulling is known to fight inflammation, dry mouth, and tough stains from coffee, wine, and berries.
TRIPOLLAR TRIPOLLAR STOP VX GOLD www.tripollarbeauty.com $850 The ultimate social distancing beauty product, TriPollar encourages the renewal and regeneration of the skin with warmth from within. TriPollar’s at-home products provide a wide range of solutions for every different skin type and beauty need including the TriPollar STOP Vx Gold. Not only is this indulgent anti-aging device beautifully luxurious with its new sleek gold cover, but it also offers the best treatment with the increased conductivity of 24 carat gold plated electrodes and specially formulated gold treatment gel. This product combines the benefits of multi-radio frequency technology while thermal mapping to reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, stimulating collagen and elastin fibers regeneration, lifting saggy skin, while toning and smoothing out your complexion. Why compromise on anti-aging features when you can have them all in one treatment, and at home. Any health, wellness, medical, or cosmetic claims contained in this feature should be verified with the product provider and your health professional.
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EVENING UNDER THE STARS
FIRST LADIES OF DISCO Saturday, April 30, 2022 The O’Donnell Golf Club, Palm Springs 5:30 Cocktails – 7:30 Dinner & Awards • Festive Cocktails • Dazzling Silent Auction • Heavenly Dinner • Inspiring Awards • Groovy Dancing Festive, elegant attire encouraged. Be creative! Tickets available at aapfoodsamaritans.org or 760-325-8481
Harold Matzner
Presenting Sponsor
Presenting Media Sponsor
Major Sponsors
Media Sponsors
Wade Endowment Fund; Steven Anders, Trustee
Sponsors as of 11/1/21