Curious thing happened today: Ricky Martin came out and finally admitted he’s gay. What’s interesting is that in retrospect, would he have been as big a success with “La Vida Loca” and the other string of hits if he had been out all along? We don’t think so.

We’re guessing he had some smart business advisors who guided him to stay in the closet. “Smart?” you say? Well, yeah! If you look at his career, it’s all geared towards women, and the women were the ones falling for his straight act and made him wealthy. (Well, ok, it was the gay men too!) Selling 22 million copies of his self-titled album pretty much is the definition of smashing success. Would that have happened if he had been out? Not so much.

And it was the 2000 interview with Barbara Walters that made the already glaring gay rumor microscope even more sharp and piercing, Walters say,”You know, you could stop these rumors. You could say, as many artists have, ‘Yes I am gay,’ or you could say, ‘No I’m not,’ or you could leave it, as you are, ambiguous. I don’t want to put you on the spot, but it’s in your power to do it.” Walters has said she regrets that single push in all of the interviews she’s ever done, because as people have pointed out, it may have killed his career. After the huge success he had with his first U.S. album, it was 2000 when Sound Loaded was released and it sold a paltry 2 million copies.

What are your thoughts? Does this give credence to the reason a lot of gay pop-stars and actors stay in the closet? If it were you, would you have lived the lie? is wealth really worth it?

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Our nation’s biggest superstar and megawatt ally for the LGBT community is white-hot, and so we give you, “Gaga Watch” – all the Gag news you can handle, and then some! Tickets go on sale at 10am for her Portland show, so get ready! Now – let us put on our poker face and begin:

Gaga Breaks Record with 1 Billion Video Views: Gaga broke a record yesterday with 1 billion video views for three of here videos. Visible Measures, an online analytics company, maintains a list of what it calls the “100 Million Views Club” and Gaga is the first to be in a club all by herself, the “1 Billion Views Club.” From the Huffington Post, the numbers break down like this:

The firm reports that the total number of views for for Gaga’s music videos “Poker Face” (374,606,128 views), “Bad Romance” (360,020,327) and “Just Dance” (272,941,674) make her the “most watched franchise in history.” According to Visible Measures, the “Twilight” series isn’t far behind and boasts 980 million views.

Lady Gaga Compared to Michael Jackson:

The Inquisitr reports that Gaga’s “Telephone” producer, Rodney Jerkins, likens Gaga to the star power and talent of Michael Jackson:

Rodney told People.com, “We haven’t seen an artist like Gaga in a long time – we haven’t seen an artist that really has no fear. I remember Michael Jackson used to tell me he was crucified for doing ‘Thriller’, but he had to do what he felt was needed at that time. I’m just happy to be part of history.

“I’ve always wanted to leave my stamp on music, and to be able to say that I worked with Michael Jackson and now I’m working with Lady Gaga, who’ll probably go down in history as one of the best female entertainers of all time .”

Gaga to Appear on Glee: it has been confirmed that Gaga will appear on Glee in a cameo appearance. From MashCeleb: “We reached out to Lady Gaga and she said, ‘Yes, I’d love to be a part of it’,’ said Glee creator Ryan Murphy. ‘So we will be doing Lady Gaga this season.” Awesome sauce!

Gaga’s Jail-Yard Girlfriend for the Telephone Video: OUT.com published a great interview with the performance artist, actress and fitness trainer who played Gaga’s jail-yard girlfriend: Heather Cassils. One of the best tidbits in this interview is about the kissing scene takes and how she got the part, which was originally for someone else:

“They were blocking the scene, and the woman who was blocking for Gaga disappeared, and Gaga came out, and she just kind of instantly called me over, and it just happened like that. She called me over and asked me to portray her girlfriend and said, “OK, you’re going to be my prison girlfriend, and you’re going to come to me, and I’d like you to touch me inappropriately.” [Laughs] We just kind of went from there.”

Asked about the kiss: “I think we did several takes — to be honest, it was a little bit of a blur because it happened so quickly. On the first, take her cigarette sunglasses were steaming a little bit, but by the third or fourth take we were both inhaling a lot of secondhand smoke [Laughs]. It was kind of intense. And it just kind of happened naturally because she didn’t really give me explicit instructions to kiss her — it just felt like a natural thing to do. In fact, I sniffed her like a kind of aggressive beast. And as we got closer, she actually put her tongue in my mouth. She just went for it. [Laughs] It was really good.” For the full interview, find it here.

And Last But Not Least -

Rock Band KISS Say Gaga id Better Than Madonna: Viagogo.com UK reports that the rock band KISS have revealed they are big Gaga fans! Even going so far as to say she’s the modern Madonna, but better than Madonna (Ouch!)

In a recent interview, Kiss bassist and frontman Gene Simmons and drummer Eric Singer said Gaga’s use of eye-catching visual effects on stage made her a modern great.

“To me she’s the modern day Madonna,” Singer said.

“I remember when first Madonna came on the scene and really caused, not just a musical phenomenon, but a cultural… fashionable thing.”

Simmons went one better, saying: “I’ll take Gaga over Madonna any day. Anybody that gets visual on stage and is in your face, she’s the most exciting thing I’ve seen in a decade.”

Find the rest of the story here.

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And the economy continues to have it’s effect…Marketwatch.com has reported that Portland’s Pioneer Place anchor store, Saks Fifth Avenue is to be closed by July of this summer. They report:

Steve Sadove, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Saks, noted, “Store closing decisions are never easy but are necessary from time to time. The planned closing of the Portland store is consistent with our strategy of focusing our resources on our most productive stores.”

Sadove added, “We are extremely appreciative of the dedicated Portland team, several of whom have been with Saks for many years. We will make every effort to provide needed assistance to our associates during this period.”

Full story can be found here.

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The Business Courier of Cincinnati, which is owned by American City Business Journals (the parent company of the Portland Business Journal,) compiled an index of several key evaluations and deems Portland, Oregon as the #1 greenest city in the United States. Portland placed first, but it did not place #1 in commute travel time, where it ranked #21.

Looking at data from a variety of government and research agencies, the Business Courier of Cincinnati looked at environment factors, including traffic congestion, LEED-certified projects and buildings, water quality, carbon emissions and the number of green jobs. Portland received high ratings in LEED-certified projects and minimum urban sprawl. We ranked fourth in urban sprawl, and second in LEED-certified building projects.

The city’s lowest ratings came from commute travel time, way behind Wichita, Kansas who placed first. Wichita came in at 43rd in public transportation, Portland ranking 8th. You can see the full story, chart and rankings on the site here.

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Pelu Theater Presents: A Suicide Note from a Cockroach…

About the play:

Pedro, a cockroach from the low-income housing projects in NYC, is about to commit suicide. He has been married seven times, and each of his wives has been killed! He lost his best friend, he lost his job… he has nothing and he hates the world! This is his story, a story of a poor Latino that went from human to a suicidal cockroach…

This debut production of Pelú Theatre presents a circus theatre spectacle exploring the themes of exile and the birth of a new subculture in America, putting a comic twist to the existential dilemma of being an immigrant in the U.S. The show is based on the poem A Suicide Note from a Cockroach in a low-income housing project written by Nuyorican poet Pedro Pietri. In it, the company uses circus as its vocabulary for telling stories: aerialists, tumblers, acrobats, musicians and, of course, clowns form an ensemble of cockroaches trying to live a decent life — but with one antagonist, a human!

The show will be performed in “spanglish”, or the language that defined the puertorican exile in NYC. Both English and Spanish speaking audiences would not find any trouble in understanding or following the action, and at the same time be transported musically to the “barrio”.

Admission: $10 Tickets can be purchased in advance online here, in advance at the PDX Ticket Network box office at the Hollywood Theatre daily 1-9 p.m., or at the door the day of the event.

March 18th-21st and 25th-28th, 2010 – Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays @ 8pm – Sundays @ 2pm and 8pm at Imago Theatre, 17 SE 8th Ave, Portland, OR

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The City of Portland, in partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau, today released two locally produced Public Service Announcements to encourage Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) households to fill out their 2010 Census forms. Portland is the only city in the nation to produce a public service announcement in partnership with the U.S. Census Bureau to conduct outreach to the LGBT community about the Census and changes to its format.
 
The project raises awareness of how the 2010 Census will count LGBT households. Concerned that these communities might not be targeted in traditional Census marketing, former Census Bureau Partnership Specialist, Niva Bennett, reached out to the Mayor’s office—the only government office in the region with a liaison to the LGBT community, Clay Neal.
 
“Each year, about 4.5 billion dollars are expended in Oregon based on federal Census data,” said Mayor Sam Adams. “Accurately counting our LGBT community means Portland will receive its fair share of targeted federal funds to support LGBT-related programs and services.”
 
Initially, representatives of the Mayor’s Office and the U.S. Census Bureau collaborated to produce the videos through the Bureau’s Partnership Support Program, which paid for Kurz Design & Productions to produce the two spots (in addition to in-kind donations from Kurz Design & Production.) The PSAs, April Snapshot and Boxed In can currently be viewed by the public and downloaded from YouTube.
 
“I’m proud of our messaging and its effectiveness,” said Niva Bennett. “We were able to produce a campaign for a community that otherwise might have been left out.” The PSAs underscore that the Census is about how the individual identifies, not how other people identify them.
 
A release party will be held at the Q Center (4115 N. Mississippi Ave.) on March 18, 2010 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Attendees will include Mayor Sam Adams, Multnomah County Commissioner Deborah Kafoury, the filmmakers and the PSA cast and crew. All are welcome to attend this free, family-friendly event.
 
“It’s all about ownership,” said Michael Kurz, PSA director. “The Census questionnaire enables people to own their identities.”

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Miracle Theater Group presents, How the García Girls Lost their Accents, showing from May 26-April 27.

About the play:

Uprooted from their home in the Dominican Republic, the four García sisters arrive in New York City in 1960 to find a life far different from the genteel existence of maids, manicures and extended family they left behind. As they plunge headfirst into the freewheeling American mainstream with its dizzying choices and challenges, they remain forever caught between the old world and the new. What they have lost — and gained — is revealed in this provocative story bursting with passion.
 
How the García Girls Lost their Accents was picked by NY Librarians as one of 21 classics for 21st century, including The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank; The Elements of Style by William Strunk and E.B. White; Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison, One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Marquez; Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison; and The Woman Warrior by Maxine Hong Kingston (September 13, 1999).

Admission: $20 – $22 depending on date; $16 for students and seniors any performance. Tickets can be purchased here, 503-236-7253 or the PDX Ticket Network box office at the Hollywood Theatre daily 1-9 p.m.

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Chris Geidner reported for Metro Weekly that the Chief Justice John Roberts declined to issue a stay for opponents, clearing the way for Gay Marriage to take effect in Washington, D.C. tomorrow. Geidner reports:

Roberts wrote: “Without addressing the merits of petitioners’ underlying claim, however, I conclude that a stay is not warranted.” He specifically noted the argument advanced by the District that the Supreme Court generally defers to the local D.C. courts for “matters of exclusively local concern.”

“Roberts paid particular attention in his short, 3-page opinion to the fact that “[a] joint resolution of disapproval by Congress would prevent the Act from going into effect, but Congress has chosen not to act.” He also noted the remaining availability of the initiative process in reaching his decision not to grant the stay.

Roberts considered the matter for the Supreme Court in his role as the circuit justice for the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit. He also could have turned the matter over to the full court for consideration.

The only other action pending that could impact the March 3 anticipated start date for same-sex couples to be able to apply for marriage licenses in the District is an action filed by the same marriage equality opponents before hearing from the Supreme Court. They have filed a civil rights lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, asserting a violation of their due process rights. They are seeking an injunction keeping District officials from moving forward with marriage applications for same-sex couples. It is unclear at this time if the District Court will act on the matter”

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