Windy City Times - Chicago, IL, USA
Cayne-Do Attitude
2007-01-03
BY CHARLSIE DEWEY
On Jan. 24, Candis Cayne helps mark an important step for the media industry
as she takes on the portrayal of a trans character on the Prime Time CBS
crime drama CSI: NY. Her portrayal marks an important milestone because
not
only will she be playing a trans part, but because she is a transsexual
actress. ( To her credit, Alexandra Billings has also made advances for
the
trans community, appearing on such shows as Grey's Anatomy. )
Cayne is an actress, dancer,
singer and all-around showwoman who has been
gaining attention since she moved to New York in the early '90s to become
a
performer. Her credits include television, film, print ads, commercials and
videos. Windy City Times spoke with Cayne over the phone to discuss her
growing fame, the importance of positive visibility for the trans community
and why she is so happy in her life and her choices.
Windy City Times: Why
do you think having a trans character on CSI: NY, and
Prime Time television for that matter, is so important?
Candis Cayne: For me personally,
there are hardly ever any trans characters
played by trans actresses. You know lately there have been a lot of trans
characters, but they've been played by men or women; they haven't been
played by trans actresses. So I think that's an important step in the right
direction, because I think we do it best. I think it will open up even more
awareness.they [ members of CSI: NY ] were very accommodating in wanting
to
get it right, the writers, director, producers. If something didn't feel
right for a trans character, I would say 'this wouldn't really happen, in
reality this wouldn't happen'. They were all very accommodating and rewrote
things and everything.
WCT: So, it helps with
the authenticity of the portrayal?
CC: I think it does help
having a person of transsexual orientation on a set
like that because they can tell you their feelings, because they went
through the same process. For me it's an exciting experience because for
so
long I played drag roles and then I transitioned and I hadn't worked for
a
long time because people didn't know where to put me. Finally it's starting
to happen where I'm starting to get calls for roles. It's really an exciting
thing for me.
WCT: Do you think the
industry is becoming more open to using trans actors
and actresses?
CC: I think they are.
It also depends on the actor. I go on set and I am
really comfortable with who I am and what I went through. I'm able to talk
about it and be very open about it. It's not a big secret for me. I think
that makes people who are interacting with me are comfortable enough to talk
about it and be more open to it.
WCT: Did you see Transamerica and, if so, what was your reaction to that
film?
CC: Well, I liked it.
There were parts I liked and parts I didn't like. I
liked Felicity. I thought she was a great actress in it, but there are
certain things, again in the writing, that don't make sense. I think you
can
say a lot more with words than pictures, especially when it comes to
situations that are inappropriate in the trans world. A perfect
example-standing and peeing- [ exemplified ] my big problem with that movie.
No matter who you are and what step of your transition you're at, a trans
woman would never stand to pee, no matter if it's eighty below zero outside.
She's going to squat and she's going to do it the way her mind tells her
she's supposed to do it. It was little inaccuracies like that which made
me
not love the movie, but like it. . This is all groundbreaking, a new thing.
So, of course, people are going to make mistakes, people are going to ask
awkward questions. You just have to be open about it and not defensive, not
take yourself too seriously.
WCT: What about the new
trans character on All My Children?
CC: I haven't seen it
yet, but they actually have contacted me about talking
to the actor who is going through that. In the New Year I am probably going
to be getting together with him and discussing the transition, which doesn't
bug me because they want to portray this character starting the transition.
You can't get a post-operative transsexual or one who's halfway through
the
transition to play the character because they want to start from the
beginning. I think it's a great step, and that they're actually writing
a
character like that into a daytime soap opera. I think that it would be
great if they do it correctly.
WCT: The New York Times
called your one-woman show a "must-see." What was
that like?
CC: That was amazing.
It's like out of left field, on the cover of the Metro
section. It was a really cool experience. It felt really great to be
acknowledged.
WCT: What else do you
have coming up in the near future?
CC: I did a really funny,
silly movie with RuPaul called Star Booty
Reloaded. That's in post-production. I have some other things I'm working
on
that I can't really talk about, but I have projects ahead.
WCT: How do you feel about
being a spokesperson for the trans community? It
seems that a lot of lesbian and gay performers who are coming out lately
are
stating that they don't want to be gay or lesbian spokespeople. How do you
feel about that role?
CC: Well, you know there
aren't really any-so I have to take on that role if
it lends itself to me. I'm not going to go and be like "I'm the
spokesperson," because I might not be one transsexual's spokesperson but
I
might be another. I just feel like if the community goes that way, I would
definitely step up and [ be in ] that position, because I've always prided
myself on making myself a positive role model, because that's how I was
raised and that's what I know. I would never assume that I am the role
model.
Still Considering
Silicone Injections? STOP!!!
Lethal Aesthetic
Silicone Injections
According to a study conducted
at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, liquid
silicone, which is often used for breast augmentation and other aesthetic
procedures, can cause respiratory failure if not injected properly by a
licensed physician. A study of individuals who underwent illegal silicone
injections revealed a high fatality rate from pulmonary silicone embolism,
or obstruction of the lungs.
"The illegal use of fluid
silicone is a practice that carries life-threatening risks, and the community
should be aware of the complications," says Carlos S. Restrepo, MD, director
of chest radiology at the Health Science Center. Restrepo and his colleagues
compiled the imaging findings of 44 patients with pulmonary embolism that
resulted from illegal silicone injection, constituting the largest case
series to date.
Seven patients who presented
to the hospital with respiratory distress
due to illicit silicone injection were studied, along with an additional
37 cases from the literature. Patients' demographic information, clinical
presentation, imaging findings, and outcome were analyzed.
All patients experienced
respiratory difficulties after receiving the injections, and nearly half
had fevers. One fourth of the patients died from resultant bleeding in the
lungs.
Improperly injected silicone
travels through the blood stream and causes blood to coagulate in the lungs,
creating circulatory obstructions that can be immediately life-threatening
if not identified and treated quickly. The imaging findings of pulmonary
silicone embolism include dark, hazy patches in the lung tissue on x-rays
or computed tomography scans.
"Transsexual males in
particular should be checked closely for signs
of pulmonary embolism when they show symptoms of respiratory distress
and fever," says Restrepo. Male transsexuals often undergo aesthetic
procedures of the breasts, genitalia, and other areas to make them appear
more feminine.
[www.medicalnewstoday.com,
December 01, 2006]
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Hawaiian music
By Michael Tsai
Advertiser Staff Writer
For all of its variants and permutations — traditional chant to lilting
steel guitar, 'ukulele jazz to slick contemporary Hawaiian, smooth slack-key
and falsetto to jouncing Jawaiian, hapa-haole pop ditties to Jack Johnson-style
surf rock — the music of Hawai'i's past and present has always managed to
evoke a sense of place that is unmistakably Hawai'i.
The original music of Hawai'i was as functional as it was expressive, with
chant, or mele, performed solo or in combination with hula (often with additional
instrumentation from ipu heke gourds and other percussive devices) for a
singular performative experience.
As in other cultures, ancient chant served a number of purposes: invocation
of religious or spiritual figures, prayer, genealogical recording, storytelling
and many others.
With the opening of Hawaiian ports came a massive influx of foreign influences,
including a wide variety of musical styles.
Western Europeans brought instruments like piano, flute and accordion.
Missionaries brought religious hymns and European-style choruses. Portuguese
workers brought an early form of what would be known as the 'ukulele. Mexican
cowboys recruited to work on Hawaiian ranches brought the guitar, which Hawaiian
players adapted to their own traditional music by down-tuning the strings
— the origin of slack-key.
The origins of steel guitar have been in perpetual dispute, but its sustained,
doleful tones came to characterize generations of Hawaiian music up to the
present day.
The evolving Hawaiian sound, a curiosity at first, quickly gained favor
in the United States and Europe through the compositions of Queen Lili'uokalani
and through performances by traveling Hawaiian musicians.
The export of Hawaiian music began in earnest after a successful showing
at San Francisco's Panama-Pacific International Exposition in 1915, and performers
like the Tau Moe Family and Jenny Wilson toured extensively.
The popularity of Hawaiian music grew through the mid-20th century with
the development of so-called hapa-haole Hawaiian music, singable Hawaiian-inflected
songs with English lyrics popularized through the syndicated Hawaii Calls
radio show.
With the 1960s and '70s came a conscious return to traditional Hawaiian
influences, thanks to gifted performers such as Gabby Pahinui and Eddie Kamae,
both of whom honed their skills with American jazz before reconnecting to
their Island roots. Kamae, as much a scholar as a musician, found inspiration
in the compositions of Lili'uokalani and other seminal figures and, with
Pahinui, helped forge a new indigenous sound with the Sons of Hawaii.
The group's tradition-based yet innovative use of slack-key and steel
guitar, Pahinui's elemental falsetto, 'ukulele and Pacific-Western synthesized
structures made them an instant hit in the Islands.
Building on this momentum, a new movement of contemporary Hawaiian musicians
like the Beamer Brothers, Olomana, Kalapana, and Cecilio and Kapono helped
usher Hawaiian music into mainstream local radio in the 1970s and '80s, helping
to establish a local music scene that has flourished ever since.
While the ensuing years have produced scores of talented and influential
acts — Keali'i Reichel, Amy Hanaiali'i Gilliom and Ho'okena, among others
— none has raised Hawaiian music's profile on the world stage higher than
Israel Kamakawiwo'ole, the larger-than-life performer whose disarming stage
presence and riveting, personal recordings made him an international star
that every local community wanted to embrace as its own.
It was only after his death in 1997, an event that saw mourners overflow
the state Capitol where his body lay in state, that "Bruddah Iz" realized
his broadest appeal. The posthumous "Alone in IZ World" cracked the Billboard
200 chart and was No. 1 on the Top World Albums chart. His plaintive medley
of "Somewhere Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World" has been used in several
films and TV shows.
The broad appeal of Hawaiian music was acknowledged in 2005 when the Grammy
Awards introduced a Hawaiian music category. The award went to the recording
"Slack Key Guitar, Vol. 2."
Illicit silicone injections can be lethal
By Megan Rauscher Thu Nov 30, 11:30 AM ET
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20061130/hl_nm/silicone_injections_dc
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Illicit injections of liquid silicone for cosmetic
purposes can be fatal, often leading to pulmonary embolism and severe respiratory
failure, Dr. Carlos S. Restrepo told the Radiology Society of North America's
annual meeting in Chicago where he shared imaging findings from a series
of 44 patients.
In 1992, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned direct injection of
silicone, but the increasing popularity of so-called "pumping parties" --
where black market silicone is injected by untrained "hosts" into paying
clients -- speaks to both the demand and availability of the substance, experts
say.
Male transsexuals often undergo cosmetic procedures of the breasts, genitalia
and other areas to make them appear more feminine. They may seek out liquid
silicone because it is cheaper and easier to get than professional plastic
surgery or hormone therapy and it provides immediate results.
But silicone that is injected improperly can travel through the bloodstream
and cause blood to clump in the lungs, creating blockages that can be immediately
life threatening if not identified and treated promptly.
Of the 44 patients in Restrepo's series -- the largest case series reported
to date -- 25 patients were transsexual males and 19 were females.
All 44 patients experienced respiratory difficulties after receiving illicit
liquid silicone injections and half developed fever. "The mortality rate
was 25 percent," Restrepo, who is director of chest radiology at the University
of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio noted in an interview with
Reuters Health.
Silicone was injected most often in the breast, hips, buttocks, vagina,
chest and arms.
"It is difficult to really quantify how prevalent this practice is," Restrepo
said, "since patients usually do not disclose when they come to the ER with
respiratory symptoms that they have received illicit injections of fluid
silicone."
Restrepo hopes that by making the public and medical community aware of
the symptoms and severe consequences of illegal silicone use, mortality risks
and patient outcomes from this clandestine practice will improve.
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Hanana
Queen Mother House
of Sei
Richard
Aunty Anita
Shelley Quan
