Date: Wed, 21 Dec 1994 10:40:38 -0500 From: David B. O'Donnell To: Multiple recipients of list GLB-NEWS Subject: SYNDICATED NEWSPAPER COLUMN/QUEER HOLLYWOOD [ Send all responses to Ttownqueer@AOL.COM only. Any responses to the list or list-owners will be returned to you. ] THIS IS A RE-SUBMISSION TO THE LIST, AS IT WAS NEVER DELIVERED, AND WAS "LOST IN cyberSPACE" with last week's messages. I am respectfully resubmitting it for delivery to all list subscribers. Thank you very much. IF YOU RECEIVED THIS MAILING PREVIOUSLY, AS THE RESULT OF BEING ON ANOTHER LIST, PLEASE NOTE THAT I EDITED MY INITIAL COLUMN, AND THIS IS THE LASTEST VERSION. This is a length E-Mail to avoid multiple messages. Please feel free to DELETE AT ANY TIME if not interested. The contents of this E-Mail includes: 1. The initial offering of my syndicated. 2. Instructions on how to obtain an "exlusive" for your publication. 3. A general press release about the column's launch. 4. HOW TO GET YOUR NAME ON TELEVISION. 5. My Los-Angeles-Area Television Schedule (Revised) Revised 12/20/94 ATTENTION - EDITOR UNSOLICITED OFFERING OF: (I won't send you another fax this long, unless you ask) TINSELTOWN'S QUEER! "News, Commentary and Gossip, with a Political Cutting Edge" An Internationally Syndicated Newspaper Column Editorial Mission of Nicholas Snow, The Tinseltown Queer: "To examine and strengthen the relationship between the entertainment industry and the Queer (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transsexual, transgenderist) Civil Rights Movement, thereby positively impacting the movement itself." Nicholas Snow, The Tinseltown Queer (213) 654-8863: Direct Office Number 7985 Santa Monica Blvd, Suite 450 (213) 654-8864: Fax Number West Hollywood, CA 90046 Ttownqueer@aol.com (America Online) 24-HOUR AUDIO PRESS RELEASE: 818/771-7690 Dear Editor: Thank you for taking the time to review these materials. In 1990, I wrote the internationally syndicated column, "Notes From Hollywood!" I am now launching my new, weekly column (available less frequently, if you do not publish weekly), entitled "Tinseltown's Queer!" I also produce a Los-Angeles-based television show by the same name. If you choose to carry my column, I would prefer to transmit it to you electronically, via an internet or AOL (America Online) address, or if you are not on the information superhighway as of yet, via fax. Details about how to subscribe to my column are included in this fax, along with the first column, and the most recent program guide for my Los Angeles-based television show. I AM ALLOWING YOU TO DECIDE WHAT YOU WANT TO PAY FOR THIS COLUMN. NO REASONABLE (based upon your media market, etc.) OFFER WILL BE TURNED DOWN (Providing one of your competitors hasn't accepted the column and vetoed your publication (see "exclusive" section of this fax). Thank you for your time and consideration. I encourage you to act quickly, if interested. Sincerely, Nicholas Snow The Tinseltown Queer P.S. I will always be receptive of and responsive to editorial feedback. COLUMN #1 - For Publication the first week of January, 1995 Copyright 1994 by Nicholas Snow - All Rights Reserved Nicholas Snow is... TINSELTOWN'S QUEER! "Guess what, my dear, I'm The Tinseltown Queer, and Hollywood will never be the same. Yes, I'm The Tinseltown Queer, but have no fear, I don't even want to name your name, but join with me, we shall proclaim, that gay or straight, we're all alike. Hetero, bi, fag, or dyke! What's the secret all about? It's time to all come out! This industry transcends the globe. So the truth we must disrobe. Join with me, we shall unite, and turn the darkness into light. We'll turn the darkness into light." "Hello, and welcome to 'Tinseltown's Queer!', because it is, and so am I, how about you?" I'm Nicholas Snow, The Tinseltown Queer, and I open my television show with the preceding statement, and the above theme song. I wasn't always The Tinseltown Queer. I used to be a conservative, Republican, teenager in a small, Arizona town, but there we're two mitigating factors that changed all that: 1) I was a young fag (or at least everyone told me so) and 2) I had dreams of making it in Hollywood. So here I am now, making it my business to "examine and strengthen the relationship between the entertainment industry and the Queer Civil Rights Movement," which is the purpose of my television show, this column, and my other pursuits in entertainment and media activism. You'll notice in my theme song that I use the word "disrobe." When I wrote those lyrics, I thought I was using "disrobe" as a metaphor, but I actually ended up taking off all of my clothes on television, displaying my penis to a reach of several hundred thousand households. Believe it or not, I didn't do this for ratings. I did it to draw attention to my "Open Letter to Hollywood and The World," which received little or no attention when I first sent it out. In my "Open Letter", I try to help people see their relationship to homophobia, and I explain why I believe the entertainment industry, for the most part, promotes homophobia. So, as "a performance art metaphor calling upon the entertainment industry to remove its layers of make-believe, and express its naked truth," I took off all of my clothes while reciting my letter. Due to technological (not physiological) short-comings, I cannot present my penis to you in this column, but I can, in putting forth my activist philosophy, set the tone for upcoming columns by presenting to you my Open Letter (I guess you'll have to wait for the CD ROM version if you want to see my penis): TINSELTOWN IS BURNING An Open Letter to Hollywood and The World TINSELTOWN IS BURNING, not to mention flaming, and the fires of ignorance, prejudice and bigotry are ravaging our land, killing many, and endangering us all. Some of us are doing everything we can to fight the fire. Some of us are oblivious to the flames, safe and secure behind fireproof walls in protected communities. Some of us, aware of the fire, have chosen to fuel it with silence, having encased ourselves in closets of tempered glass. The raging fire is homophobia, burning out of control, resulting in very real death and destruction. Case-in-point: The rapid increase of anti-gay violence, including the recent, multiple Mississippi murders, the ongoing harassment of the lesbians of Camp Sister Spirit, the ravages of the AIDS epidemic (promoted by years of Right Wing oppression and government neglect), and the increasing assault on everyone's civil liberties by The Radical Right. The winds of hatred are turning the landscape of humanity into a wasteland. While we may portray ourselves as victims in this firestorm (and indeed, sometimes we are), we are not powerless. WE HAVE CHOICES. We do not have to wait to be burned by increasing legions of Right Wing Arson Brigades, intent on reducing us to ashes with fire and brimstone. We can fight. And if we are already fighting, we can fight harder, together, with greater organization. Think of yourself as someone in an old-fashioned fire-fighting line, where community members have gathered together to pass buckets of water from the well to the inferno. If you choose to step aside from the line, even for very good reasons, the water stops flowing until someone takes your place. If someone doesn't take your place, the fire rages out of control, while at the same time, arsonists, in the name of God, are burning down the next block. In a very real sense, we each have the ability to carry buckets of knowledge to infernos of ignorance by simply choosing to express the truth of our lives to the people whom we influence. Granted, we are not all expert firefighters. I may simply be a good team leader. You may simply have an empty container. But your parents have a faucet. Your next door neighbor has a hose. Your roommate is trained in first aid. The community college down the street teaches a course in fire safety. People living in the houses in the hills can help finance the building of fire stations, and WE CAN ALL BE ON ARSON WATCH. Yes, Tinseltown IS burning, because in Hollywood, perhaps 8 out of 10 people know that homophobia is wrong, yet so few, SO FEW, seek to FULLY express this truth to the people whom they influence. This industry, which so easily commands the global spotlight, is potentially the greatest firefighting force on the planet. Yet, by virtue of our silence--the withholding of our true Selves, out of fear, or for the sake of market share, Q-ratings, and big box office--we are, in fact, the greatest proponents of this firestorm. And WHILE RED RIBBONS MAY CALL ATTENTION TO THE RAGING INFERNO THAT IS AIDS, OUR CHOSEN SILENCE SERVES ONLY TO FUEL THE CONTINUED BURNING OF OUR LIVES. This must stop. We can choose to die of smoke inhalation in seemingly airtight closets, or we can collectively, as a community, become the most powerful firefighting force on the planet. It's time for Hollywood to become the leader in the global battle against homophobia. It's time for all of us--lesbian, gay, bisexual, heterosexual, and asexual alike--to stand up for truth, and defeat the flames of ignorance that threaten our very existence. Take your next step. Make every day National Coming Out Day. And as Madonna says, "Express yourself!" Remember, only we can prevent forest fires, and IF WE'RE NOT FIGHTING THEM, WE'RE ALLOWING THEM TO BURN. Welcome to my column: an ongoing look at Tinseltown from a Queer perspective. Be sure to read next week, and I'll let you know what Melissa Etheridge told me at the Playboy Mansion (and I'll tell you about my Roseanne sighting), and exactly why I have the gall to use the word "Queer" so positively. With Love, TQ Nicholas Snow (The Tinseltown Queer) is an "actor-writer-singer-songwriter- publisher-columnist-activist-diva," who resides in West Hollywood, CA. With questions, comments, breaking news or gossip, E-Mail: Ttownqueer.@aol.com (American Online); call (818) 771-7690; or write 7985 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 450, West Hollywood, CA 90046. HOW TO GET EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS TO "TINSELTOWN'S QUEER!" (The Column) FOR YOUR PUBLICATION... An "Exclusive" means that you can veto any publication with at least a 50% overlap in target audience and distribution outlets. Please note that, even if I do give you an "exclusive", that other publications in your area can also carry the column if they have less than a 50% overlap in target audience and distribution outlets. For example, in the Los Angeles area, the column could be offered exclusively to the L.A. Weekly (a main Metro Alternative Weekly), to Frontiers (a main, gay, bi-weekly), and to the LN (the main, lesbian, bi-weekly). Frontiers could veto Edge (another gay, biweekly), and the L.A. Weekly could veto The Reader (another major, alternative weekly). You will be granted an exclusive if you take the following steps: A. E-Mail Ttownqueer@aol.com (or fax 213/654-8864) your request for "exclusive" publication rights BEFORE you are vetoed by a competitor. Your E-Mail to Ttownqueer@aol.com (or fax to 213/654-8864) should include the following information: 1) Name, Frequency, and Size (pages) of Publication; 2) Target Audience (geographic/ demographic); 3) Frequency of Publication (daily, weekly, bi-weekly, etc.); 4) The names of publications that you are vetoing; and 5) The per-column rate that your publication is willing to pay for "Tinseltown's Queer!" (the column). B. OFFER A COMPETITIVE, PER-COLUMN RATE (based upon your area, circulation, etc.)., and send in payment for the first column. If you do not have E-Mail capability, and will need to receive the column via long-distance (national/international) fax, please factor this into your offer. The columns will be distributed to your electronic mailing address (or fax machine) as follows: Column #1, for publication the week of January 1-7, is INCLUDED IN THIS FAX. Column #2 will be E-Mailed to your Electronic Address (or faxed), on or before Monday, January 2nd, for publication the week of January 8-14. Subsequent columns will be E-mailed (or faxed) each Monday. If you publish less frequently than weekly, you can choose your favorite column(s) from those generated each week (pay only for what you publish). NOTE: You may carry the column if you publish less than weekly, but you must agree to publish the column in every issue in order to be given an "exclusive", as defined above. TO SECURE AN EXCLUSIVE (as defined above) FOR YOUR PUBLICATION, be the first to notifiy me via fax or E-mail, and MAIL A CHECK OR MONEY ORDER, FOR THE FIRST COLUMN, MADE PAYABLE TO "The Tinseltown Queer". Invoices for future columns will be submitted montly, should you subscribe for your publication. Nicholas Snow, The Tinseltown Queer 7985 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 450 West Hollywood, CA 90046--USA AD/TRADE POSSIBILITIES: If there are no publications in your area who are able to purchase the column (budgetary constraints) for publication, a second pitch will be made, offering the column in exchange for advertising or promotional space in your publication. An Ad-Trade will be offered ONLY AFTER exhaustive efforts to find a paying publication in your media market have proven unsuccessful. If you would like to be placed on a list for a possible ad-trade agreement, please E-Mail (or fax) me. Our syndication agreement can be terminated by either party at anytime for any reason. For Immediate Release December 19, 1994 (WEST HOLLYWOOD, CA--USA) Nicholas Snow (aka The Tinseltown Queer), producer of the Los-Angeles-based cable televison show entitled "Tinseltown's Queer!", is launching an international, electronically syndicated, weekly newspaper column to further advance his media activism agenda: "To examine and strengthen the relationship between the entertainment industry and the Queer Civil Rights Movement." "My goal is to help mobilize the entertainment industry into unceasing public advocacy of Queer Civil Rights," explains Snow, "for silence does equal death, and action does equal life. My personal philosophy is explained in detail in my first column, entitled 'Tinseltown is Burning!', which I performed nude, on televison, as a performance art metaphor calling upon the entertainment industry to remove its layers of make-believe and express its naked truth." Having produced over 60 half-hour episodes of Tinseltown's Queer! ("A Queen's Version of Larry King!"), featuring individuals such as Melissa Etheridge, Amanda Bearse, Armistead Maupin, Tony Kushner, and Paul Monette, and topics such as Fighting The Radical Right, the GLAAD Media Awards, The Hollywood Closet, and anti-gay/lesbian violence, Snow sees his syndicated column as a natural next step in his media activism. According to Snow, the column will examine the entertaiment industry from a Queer perspective, focusing on "News, Commentary, and Gossip, with a Political Cutting Edge." The weekly column will be offered "exclusively" to local publications around the world, and since it will be distributed electronically via the information superhighway, it will provide an ongoing, timely look at lesbigay issues in Hollywood. Snow is hoping that, in addition to gay and lesbian publications, newspapers with a general audience will carry the column as well (the column is being offered to at least 80 Alternative Weeklies). "I want to reach people, gay and straight alike, who may never pick up a newspaper tageting a primarily lesbian and gay audience." While the column will be weekly, beginning January, 1995, bi-weekly and monthly publications will be offered the column as well, if there are no weeklies in their geographic area interested in the column. Snow is no stranger to queer activism. In 1983, he founded the lesbian and gay speaker's bureau in Phoenix, Arizona, as part of an academic internship in public relations at Arizona State University, where he graduated with a BA in communication and marketing. He went on to become the Executive Director of the Arizona AIDS Information Line and Lesbian & Gay Community Switchboard, before moving to Los Angeles in 1988. During 1988, Snow became one of the full-time staff members for the first-ever National Coming Out Day. In 1990, while serving on the Board of the Alliance for Gay and Lesbian Artists in the Entertainment Industry, Snow wrote the internationally syndicated column, "Notes From Hollywood," published throughout the United States and abroad (as far as Australia). While participating in The Experience, a self-empowerment workshop offered throughout the United States to members and friends of the gay, lesbian and bi-seuxal community, Snow became clear that he wanted to combine his pursuit of an entertainment career with a leadership role in the Queer civil rights movement, and thus, The Tinseltown Queer was born. Snow, who playfully describes himself as an "Actor-Writer -Singer-Songwriter-Publisher-Columnist-Activist-Diva," now appears on Los Angeles cable televison up to nine times weekly, with a reach of almost 500,000 possible viewing households. Snow intends to syndicate his television show, as well, in the Spring of 1995. To hear The Tinseltown Queer theme song, or to receive recorded program information, call 818/771-7690. For further information, write 7985 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite 450, West Hollywood, CA 90046; or e-mail Ttownqueer@aol.com (America On-Line), or call 213/654-8863. At the time of this release, Snow is currently available for auditions & interviews; film, television and stage roles; voiceover and print work; recording contracts; book deals; public appearances; and other cosmic adventures (seeking representation as well). ### HOW TO GET YOUR NAME ON TELEVISION: My television show, Tinseltown's Queer!, is non-commercial, meaning that I cannot sell advertising. I can, however, acknowledge PBS-style (Public Broadcasting) support of my show. I am NOT a non-profit organization, so a contribution to my show is not tax-deductible. If you would like to make a contribution to support the production, promotion, and or distribution of my show, I will acknowledge you in the credits of my show for all new shows produced for a period of at least three months (6-9 shows) after receiving your contribution. Donors will be listed based upon the size of their contribution, and then in alphabetical order, under the heading "T.Q. A-List". Any amount contributed would be greatly appreciated. Please send a check payable to TheTinseltowns Queer, and mail it to 7985 Santa Monica Blvd., Suite #450, West Hollywood, CA 90046, and mark it, "ATTN: T.Q. A-List." Include a note listing the name that you wish to appear in the credits. NOTE: It can be the name of an organization or an individual. If it is the name of an individual, it must match the name on the check (to avoid pranks). Contributions of $35.00 or more will be acknowledged with a VHS copy of one of the shows in which they are named. If you've made it this far, you've absorbed a lot of information. Thank you very much. If you want to be on my permanent E-mail list (you were added temporarily for receipt of this mailing), please let me know. Sincerely, Nicholas Snow, T.Q. Here's my L.A.-area T.V. Schedule: Revised: 12/15/94 Century Cable Channel Three (Excluding Beverly Hills): Three Tuedays @ 11:00 p.m. 12/20/94 - Out Power in Hollywood Part I Amada Bearse, Barry Krost, the late Tom Villard 12/27/94 - Out Power in Hollywood Part II Out Magazine Editor Michael Goff & Others 01/03/94 - Playboy Mansion - APLA "Hoppening!" Melissa Etheridge, Roseanne, Caseandra Peterson, Brenda Vacarro, James Caan, Judd Nelson, Cheech Marin, Christina Applegate, Steve Tisch, Hugh Hefner, Playboy Bunnies, Drag Queens, and more! Live Call-In Shows/Selected Saturdays/1995 1/14 @ Noon - Institute of Gay/Lesbian Education 2/11 @ 11:30 a.m. - Black Gay & Lesbian Leadership Forum Conference Preview (Feb. 16-20, '95 in L.A.) 3/18 @ 2:30 p.m. - GLAAD Media Awards Wrap-Up 4/29 @ Noon - Out On The Screen Film Festival Preview 5/6 @ Noon - CA AIDS Ride Closing Ceremony Preview Beverly Hills Channel Three - Thursdays @ 3:30 p.m. West Hollywood Channel 36 - Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. and Wednesdays at 2:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. United Artists Channel 25 - Fridays at 10:00 p.m. (varies each month--call the hotline--818/771-7690) Continental Cable Channel 37 - Most Tuesdays at 10 p.m. (Hollywood and Crenshaw Regions) Continental Cable 37/Hollywood Region--live call-in shows: Wed., Feb. 22nd @ 5 p.m. & Tues., Mar. 7th @ 5 p.m. At the time of this release, Snow is currently available for auditions & interviews; film, television and stage roles; voiceover and print work; recording contracts; book deals; public appearances; and other cosmic adventures (seeking representation as well). ###