This is the biggest, gayest celebration
since Liza's wedding.

Comment from gay actor Nathan Lane on the final live
Rosie O'Donnell show, 22 May 22

Mardi Gras Saved at the Magnificent
Seven

Sydney's gay and lesbian Mardi Gras has been saved
when members of the public guaranteed the quarter of a
million Australian Dollar bank loan that had been
taken out by the organisation. The event is
traditionally one of the Cities most lucrative
cultural events but the debts had been run up last
year following a 30% drop in attendance which was
blamed on the events of September 11 which occurred
just before the event was due to take place.

Another financial headache that the organisers were
facing was a 300% hike in insurance premiums to hold
the event as well as a fall in numbers at the annual
fund raising event. An emergency meeting held last
Saturday attracted 300 people and seven attendees
stepped forward to act as guarantors for the bank
loan. So the event has been saved and will celebrate
its 25th Anniversary on the 1 March 2003.

Lesbian Queen at Wimbledon

It may be Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's golden
jubilee but she hasn't attended since 1977, the year
the queen of the courts there was defending her first
title. That queen, Martina Navratilova, is back at
Wimbledon this year aged 46 in an attempt to surpass
beyond Billy Jean King's record of 20 titles on the
hallowed grass of London SW19.

She entered both the doubles competitions, after
having a run out in the singles and doubles at her
favourite grass court tournament at Eastbourne the
week before. However she lost out in the womens
doubles partnering Natasha Zvereva. The pair went down
8-6 in the final set of a second round thriller
against Kimberley Po-Messerli and Nathalie Tauziat the
number 5 seeds. This defeat meant she could only equal
the record if she had success in the mixed
doubles.

However at the time of writing she and Todd
Woodbridge, were facing an exit in the second round
when a rain delay saw them trailing 5-2 in the final
set against Anna Kournikova and Jonas Bjorkman. In
both of the second round doubles matches that Martina
has played she and her partner have won the first set
before going down in three. Maybe time is finally
catching up with Queen Martina of Wimbledon, but even
if she should lose once the rain stops I still
wouldn't rule her out of trying for that record again
next year.

Hollywood Paranoia

In an interview in the August edition of Vanity
Fair Michael Ovitz, who was once considered the most
powerful man in Hollywood, is blaming a 'gay mafia' for
the decline in his career.

Ovitz was once head of the CAA talent agency but is
accusing David Geffen, co-founder of Dreamworks SKG of
leading a gay mafia which is forcing him, he claims
into exile in Hollywood. He also lists members of this
so-called mafia; a few other business leaders such as
heterosexual Disney CEO Michael Eisner.

Maybe just maybe, Ovitz's homophobia is finally
catching up with him in an industry historically seen
as a safe haven for its gay members.

We Need You

If you think you can contribute to Somewhere Under
the Rainbow then post details of a suitable story to
the M2M2 News Centre. We
have already used every story that's been posted there
so let us know what is happening under your segment of
the rainbow; after all I can't read the gay press in
every corner of the world.

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