Thursday, May 20, 2010

Born On This Day- May 20th... Gay Icon Cheryl Sarkisian LaPiere Bono Allman

Today is a High Holy Day in Gaydom- The birthday of Cher.

Cher & I have something in common, I don't mean sleeping with David Geffen. We have both been on our Living Proof: The Farewell Tour for the past decade. Cher's tour is the 2nd most successful tour by a female solo artist of all time. I felt lucky to book my own back yard.

Cher dropped out of high school at age 16 & moved to L.A.. She had her initial taste of Hollywood stardust when she was involved in a minor car accident with Warren Beatty. He then seduced her. Cher remembers the encounter as "a disappointment".



Cher has won an Academy Award, a Grammy Award, an Emmy Award, & 3 Golden Globe Awards for her work in film, music & television. Cher is the only female solo artist to reach the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 in each of the previous 5 decades. I think she showed serious acting chops as early as the sketches on the Sonny & Cher Show. Cher was absolutely terrific (& Oscar nominated) as a lesbian in Mike Nichol's Silkwood with Meryl Streep. Moonstruck is on of my top 10 movies of all time list (& one of my favorite soundtrack albums).



Cher's career had some ups & downs, but all the downs were followed by another hit record or a first rate acting achievement (Robert Altman's Come Back To The 5 & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean). The longevity of her musical career has given Cher some amazing stats: the oldest female performer to chart a #1 hit, with Believe in 1999, when she was 53 years old. She first hit the Top 100 with I Got You Babe in 1965, & had a hit with Song for the Lonely in 2002, a span of 37 years. She also holds records for the longest gap between #1 songs, from Dark Lady in 1974 to Believe in 1999. With a career lasting 40+ years, Cher has sold over 100 million records. Cher returned to Las Vegas in 2008 where she is currently performing her show Cher at the Colosseum. Cher & Las Vegas are perfect together.




Cher is an active member Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians & Gays (PFLAG), & has admitted to having had lesbian affairs in the 1970s. It is my understanding that Gay people really like her.



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