Harold Prince & Robert E. Griffith

Robert E. Griffith (1905 in Methuen, Massachusetts, USA – June 7, 1961 (age 55) in Port Chester, New York, USA) frequently worked with director George Abbott on Broadway.

He was associate producer of The Pajama Game (1957) and of Damn Yankees! (1958), stage producer of the Broadway version of The Pajama Game (1957), Damn Yankees! (1958) and West Side Story (1961).

He was partner of Harold Prince. By age 26, Prince felt ready to try his wings as a producer. In partnership with fellow George Abbott protégé Robert E. Griffith, he acquired the rights to a popular novel, 7 1/2 Cents, a comic depiction of a strike in a pajama factory. The novice producers hired their former boss, George Abbott, to collaborate with the book's author, Richard Bissell, in adapting the novel for the musical stage. Abbott also directed the show, with assistance from Jerome Robbins. The dances were staged by a talented Broadway newcomer, choreographer Bob Fosse. The show's composers, Richard Adler and Jerry Ross, were also making their Broadway debuts. Prince and Griffith collected small contributions from over a hundred small investors, including the cast and crew of Wonderful Town. The resulting show, The Pajama Game, was the surprise hit of the 1954 season; it immediately recouped its investment and won Broadway's Tony Award as Best Musical of the Year.

Prince and Griffith followed their first hit quickly with Damn Yankees, based on another popular novel, about an aging baseball fan who sells his soul to the devil to become a young ball player and lead his beloved Washington Senators to victory. Abbott, Fosse, Adler and Ross all returned for a second hit production, which made a star of dancer and comedienne Gwen Verdon and brought Griffith and Prince their second Tony Award for Best Musical. Griffith and Prince had earned a reputation for bringing their shows in on a tight budget, paying off their investors early, and taking a hands-on approach to every detail of their productions.


The West Side Story Broadway production team in 1957: (l. to r.) lyricist Stephen Sondheim, scriptwriter Arthur Laurents, producers Hal Prince and Robert Griffith (seated), composer Leonard Bernstein and choreographer Jerome Robbins

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Source: http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/printmember/pri0bio-1

The producer Harold Prince was in Boston rehearsing another show with his partner Robert E. Griffith when they heard about the crisis in Manhattan, and the two of them decided to keep West Side Story alive. Their gamble seemed worthwhile when it opened in Washington to fabulous reviews-and Bernstein bumped into a weeping Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter during the intermission. --Charles Kaiser. The Gay Metropolis: The Landmark History of Gay Life in America (Kindle Locations 1370-1372). Kindle Edition.

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Alan Turing (June 23, 1912 – June 7, 1954)

Alan Mathison Turing, OBE, FRS (23 June 1912 – 7 June 1954), was a British mathematician, logician, cryptanalyst, and computer scientist. He was highly influential in the development of computer science, giving a formalisation of the concepts of "algorithm" and "computation" with the Turing machine, which can be considered a model of a general purpose computer. Turing is widely considered to be the father of computer science and artificial intelligence.

During World War II, Turing worked for the Government Code and Cypher School (GC&CS) at Bletchley Park, Britain's codebreaking centre. For a time he was head of Hut 8, the section responsible for German naval cryptanalysis. He devised a number of techniques for breaking German ciphers, including the method of the bombe, an electromechanical machine that could find settings for the Enigma machine.

After the war, he worked at the National Physical Laboratory, where he designed the ACE, one of the first designs for a stored-program computer. In 1948 Turing joined Max Newman's Computing Laboratory at Manchester University, where he assisted in the development of the Manchester computers and became interested in mathematical biology. He wrote a paper on the chemical basis of morphogenesis, and predicted oscillating chemical reactions such as the Belousov–Zhabotinsky reaction, which were first observed in the 1960s.

Turing's homosexuality resulted in a criminal prosecution in 1952, when homosexual acts were still illegal in the United Kingdom. He accepted treatment with female hormones (chemical castration) as an alternative to prison. Turing died in 1954, just over two weeks before his 42nd birthday, from cyanide poisoning. An inquest determined that his death was suicide; his mother and some others believed his death was accidental. On 10 September 2009, following an Internet campaign, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown made an official public apology on behalf of the British government for "the appalling way he was treated." As of May 2012, a private member's bill was put before the House of Lords which would grant Turing a statutory pardon if enacted.

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Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Turing

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GayRomLit Ebook Giveaway: Lynn Lorenz - The Mercenary's Tale

I asked to all the authors joining the GayRomLit convention in Atlanta in October (http://gayromlit.com/grl-authors) a personal favor, a special Ebook Giveaway: twice a week I will post 1 book from each author, and among those who will leave a comment, I will draw a winner. Very easy and very fast ;-) I will send a PM to the winner, so remember to not leave anonymous comments!

And the ebook giveaway goes to: nagaina

Today author is Lynn Lorenz: Lynn is a multi-published, award winning author of gay romance. She lives in Texas, where she’s a fan of all things Texan, like long horns, big hair, and cowboys in tight jeans. She’s never met a comma she didn’t like, and enjoys editing and brainstorming with other writers. Lynn spends most of her time writing about hot sex with even hotter heroes, plot twists, werewolves, and medieval swashbucklers. She’s currently at work on her latest book, making herself giggle and blush, and avoiding all the housework.
Website: http://www.lynnlorenz.com
Most recent title: Storyville
Publishers: Amber Quill/Amber Allure, Loose Id

The Mercenary's Tale (In the Company of Men) by Lynn Lorenz
Paperback: 218 pages
Publisher: Loose Id, LLC (March 23, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1607376164
ISBN-13: 978-1607376163
Amazon: The Mercenary's Tale (In the Company of Men)
Amazon Kindle: The Mercenary's Tale (In the Company of Men)

When Drake's heart is awakened, he discovers the joy of forbidden love...

Drake found himself breaking his own rules the first time he looked into Ansel's blue eyes. Despite his better judgment, he agreed to let the young mercenary travel with him to the battle at Foray. Their travels become a journey of sexual discovery, love, and, ultimately, on the battlefield at Foray, loss.

Two years later, Drake is called to be Master of Arms at Marden Castle. Drake can handle that, but he can't handle Logan, the Duke of Marden.

Logan's green eyes, long blond hair, and boyish charm make Drake feel things he'd rather keep buried. But if Drake can open his heart again, he'll find everything he's never wanted and always needed: a home, a son, and a man to love and who loves him.

Let It Go by Mercy Celeste

Let It Go was not at all the fluffy cowboys gay romance you could imagine from the cover; at a time gritty and dirty, at a time sweet and romantic, it was an odd mix that worked almost in a perfect way, and the almost is there only since, sometime the gritty parts made me uneasy, but actually that is a bonus for the story and kudos to the author.

Eli and Creed were always competitors, since the time Creed, 17 years old, won the horse competition against Eli, 18, there was a feud between them that is difficult to solve. Eli even moved to the bull competition to avoid to be face to face on the rodeo with Creed, but nevertheless, every time Eli meets Creed on the road, he is the first to start a fight. But this time he made a mistake, since the fight took place in Eli’s hometown, and the judge who is called to fine them, his Eli’s godfather and he wants to teach Eli a lessons: he forces the two men under house arrest together, and or they kill each other, or they learn how to cohabitate.

But Eli and Creed do more than cohabitate, they discover the tension between them had a long-lasting sexual origin, that both Eli and Creed are gays and they are attracted to each other. So far, you classic cowboys romance, isn’t it? But at this point the gritty I was talking about raise its ugly head, and child abuse, violence and rape are few of the hidden secrets you will learn about. For Eli and Creed is not simply a question of falling in love and live happily ever after, they need to trust each other, enough to be able to come clear of their past, and deal with it. It’s not even a question of acceptance, at least of the other past, is more a question of acceptance of their own, understanding that surviving was not a fault but a merit.

Despite everything, when Eli and Creed are together, they manage to be almost tender, happy, and probably for the first time, young: while they are together, you realize they are still boys more than men, or better men that have never had the chance to enjoy their young age, and a little piece of that lost youth is reliving in their lovemaking.

Amazon Kindle: Let It Go
Publisher: Liquid Silver Books (September 24, 2012)

Reading List: http://www.librarything.com/catalog_bottom.php?tag=reading list&view=elisa.rolle

2013 Rainbow Awards Submission: Brandon Shire - Cold

Cold by Brandon Shire
Paperback: 226 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (May 28, 2013)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1484156587
ISBN-13: 978-1484156582
Amazon: Cold
Amazon Kindle: Cold

Book 1: Prison is a brutal, heartless, and demeaning environment. No one knows this better than a man sentenced to life in prison for murder. Lem Porter is a high-profile prisoner who had a solid career ahead of him in a field he loved until he killed his brother. He has spent almost eighteen years behind bars and doesn’t have much hope left. Anderson Passero had it all. He built a career, a name, and a relationship with a man he thought he loved. Only after he very publicly landed in prison did he realize his ignorance. He has eight months left on his sentence and he is eager to go home and put prison life behind him. He doesn’t know it yet, but he will always carry these eight months with him, and they may just help him to understand what love really means.

2013 Rainbow Awards Submission: Brandon Shire - Afflicted

Afflicted by Brandon Shire
Paperback: 214 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (November 28, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1480289817
ISBN-13: 978-1480289819
Amazon: Afflicted
Amazon Kindle: Afflicted

A high priced male escort and a blind gay man meet by chance. What ensues is a hot, steamy romance between two men looking for something more than a one night stand. But can they reach beyond their own insecurities to grasp what they really desire? Meet Hunter Stephens. He’s gay, tall, dark haired, and he’s hot. Very hot. But he doesn’t rely on the visual cues when appraising a man because he’s also blind. He listens to the timbre of their voice, trembles at the touch of their skin, and luxuriates in the deep richness of the aroma of man. He’s hard of the hand because he’s a black belt and takes no shit, but soft of the heart because he’s lonely and has been for a while. Until he meets Dillon. Dillon Chambers is straight man candy. He’s a high priced male escort that works with an exclusive agency who handles only the wealthiest of clients. But it wasn’t always like that for him. At sixteen he was thrown out of the house for being gay and struggled to survive, turning tricks on the street and finding food and a place to sleep wherever he could. He met two people that changed his life, but he has never met anyone who could change his heart. Until he bumped into Hunter. And now they are both Afflicted.

Gay Romance Challenge: June 2013

Here is the Bestsellers List on Amazon I'm referring to for the challenge:

Bestsellers in Gay Fiction

And here is the actual situation (in bold the books I read with link to the review and marked as New the books entering the Challenge this month):

1) The Boy Who Came In From the Cold by B.G. Thomas
Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/1623807131/?tag=elimyrevandra-20
Review:
2) A Shot at Forgiveness by Cardeno C.
Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D4KMZHY/?tag=elimyrevandra-20
Review:
3) Heart of the Race by Mary Calmes
Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D4KM6EQ/?tag=elimyrevandra-20
Review:
4) In Search of a Story by Andrew Grey
Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D3VPR38/?tag=elimyrevandra-20
Review:
5) Tranny 911 by Shay Hunter
Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0989084558/?tag=elimyrevandra-20
Review:
6) Virgil [Marius Brothers 8] by Joyee Flynn
Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D3PX0XI/?tag=elimyrevandra-20
Review:
7) Kissing Reno [Brac Village 3] by Lynn Hagen
Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D3PO2US/?tag=elimyrevandra-20
Review:
8) Rio's Fire [Brac Village 4] by Lynn Hagen
Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D7K0000/?tag=elimyrevandra-20
Review:
9) Fear, Hope, and Bread Pudding by Marie Sexton
Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D749D1I/?tag=elimyrevandra-20
Review:
10) Teasing Jonathan (Mercenary Love) by Amber Kell
Link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00D46FFN4/?tag=elimyrevandra-20
Review:

( books from 11 to 100 )