2007 November
November 27th, 2007
posted by Michael Cole | permalink
After a nice Thanksgiving Break, we were back with a new edition of The Agenda with Joe Solmonese last night on XM Satellite Radio.
Kicking off the show, Producer Michael Cole was in-studio to talk about new text messaging features. Starting last night, if you text the word “Joe” to 30644 you’ll sign up for updates about The Agenda on your mobile phone. You can also text “Joe” followed by a question for any of our guests. Say you wanted to ask Rick Klein of ABC News a political question live on last night’s show… simply use your phone to text “Joe, why is Mike Huckabee surging in Iowa? Steve in New York” to 30644 and your question could have been asked on air.
After that we hosted film historian Ed Sikov to discuss his new book, Dark Victory: The Life of Bette Davis. He gave us some insights on the gay favorite who starred in classics like What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? and Jezebel. Listen in parts one and two.
We took a turn and talked to Tammy Stoner the creator of the first children’s programming for kids in gay and lesbian households. Dottie’s Magic Pockets targets children ages 3 to 8 with the story of Dottie, a wacky stay-at-home mom.
Getting into politics, we talked about the military’s failed “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy with two veterans. Antonio Agnone is a lobbyist at the Human Rights Campaign and he was joined by former Marine Julianne Sohn. They discussed this weekend’s 12,000 flags for 12,000 patriots project that will feature 12,000 flags on the national mall to commemorate the men and women lost from the military because of the ban on gay and lesbian servicemembers. Listen in.
We love a good book on The Agenda – especially when it’s paired with activism. The Open Door Project does just that and Don Weise and Dale Peck were our guests to discuss their effort to open the doors of the publishing world to young, gay writers – particularly those dealing with themes around HIV and AIDS.
Finally, we wrapped with some Presidential politics with returning Agenda guest Rick Klein. He pens the ever-popular The Note – ABC News’ online political tip sheet. Listen in.
November 26th, 2007
posted by Michael Cole | permalink
Interact with The Agenda via text message
Joining our text message network is simple:
* Compose a text message (also known as SMS) to 30644
* In the message, type the word “Joe” and hit send.
…that’s it - you’re signed up. We’ll send you a reminder every week with a preview of our guests.
What’s more, you can ask questions of our guests live during the show on Monday evenings from 6 - 8 p.m. eastern:
* Compose a text message (also known as SMS) to 30644
* In the message, type the word “Joe” followed by your question. You can also add your name and location if you’d like.
Standard text messaging rates apply. You can also unsubscribe anytime by texting “stop” to 30644.
Have questions? Write to us at theagenda@hrc.org
November 20th, 2007
posted by Michael Cole | permalink
We were back last night from a little one week hiatus on The Agenda with Joe Solmonese. Leading off in the news, we discussed today’s Transgender Day of Remembrance, which honors the memories of our transgender sisters and brothers lost to hate violence. The Human Rights Campaign produced two video tributes from transgender ministers Drew Phoenix and Erin Swenson and we played their messages on-air.
Then we turned to television with Pat Hendrickson and Kate Lewis – two lesbian ministers who appeared on The Amazing Race. Last week brought their demise on the show but they’re continuing to get their message of an inclusive faith out into the world.
Then we welcomed famed photographer Allison Shaw. For 25 years, she’s used Martha’s Vineyard as her inspiration and she’ll join us from there to talk about photography and being an out artist.
Back to TV, Desperate Housewives caused a stir on Wisteria Lane this season with the addition of a gay couple. One of the actors, Kevin Rahm, was our guest to talk about playing gay on a gay favorite. Listen in.
Finally, we gave you a little turkey 101 with returning Agenda guest Kim Severson. She’s a food writer for the New York Times and had a number of helpful tips as we go into the holiday eating season. Listen in.
