fredflare.com | madonna reinvention tour contest winners

It seemed simple enough... We asked you if you had two free tickets to see Madonna live in NYC who would you take and why? We received hundreds of entries from around the world, each with its
own amazing story! A million thanks to everyone who entered. And now... meet our winners!

Hey, pretty swell of you guys to give away tickets to Re-Invention!!! Competing for them gives me an opportunity to tell a great story that's real close to my heart... It too sorta follows the Madge theme in that it's a 20-year tale about pursuing dreams, breaking with convention and challenging norms. Ultimately, it's about a lot of Leo pride. Here's the Cliff Notes version (not!)....

October 2003: an email arrives in my Inbox from an unrecognized sender... Usually I'd just hit <delete> but for some reason I opened it. The name at the bottom instantly caught my attention... a flash from my past. It was from a teacher I'd had back in ‘82-’83 who'd approached me at that time with an offer to donate sperm for an "anonymous" couple wanting a child. Ten years since I'd last heard from her, she was wanting to reconnect... Quite frankly, I was amazed that she'd tracked me down!

She wanted to know if I was interested in information about the child I'd fathered, who was now a young woman of 20. A little freaked out, I hesitated at first and then talked it over with my partner, Patrick. He'd known about the biological daughter I had "out there" somewhere and we were both unsure about opening that door. He left the decision up to me and supported whatever I'd decide. But before I could decide, I needed some background details. You see, for the first ten years after I'd donated, this woman kept in touch with me and sent me photos of the child in annual Christmas cards. Scared of the answer, I'd never asked where she got access to those pictures. Then, in 1993 we lost contact.

Now, ten years later, here she was again offering more photos and info. What I was about to learn is what I'd somewhat suspected all along... Turns out she and her partner had singled me out to father their child. (Pretty avant-garde for lesbians in 1982, especially given the fact that her partner, the birth mother, was career Army and this was happening a full decade before "Don't Ask, Don't Tell") The probable fact that I was gay she claimed was a plus since they didn't want some guy trying to interfere with their parenting... But they'd also figured one day I might want to get to know my kid, and vice-versa. Here I was with just that decision to make, albeit one that I'd always thought might come.

Intent on being non-commital, I responded with a simple "photos would be welcome." By this time it was November, and the response that came back floored me... Lauralynne, my daughter, having signed up for the military the previous year, had just been deployed to Iraq! Nan (as my former teacher was known to her) was understandably distraught and said she'd send pictures as soon as she could. A short while later I received a few pictures via email. I was amazed at what I saw... Our resemblance was striking!! It was the most phenomenal experience to look at pictures of this young woman and see so much of me and my family in her... My heart melted. I had to get to know her!

In mid-December, the "rents" (as Lauralynne affectionately refers to her parents) asked if I had any objections to them writing her in Baghdad and telling her about me. She had no idea they knew who her father was since they'd only ever told her she was from a sperm bank. I agreed, and Nan composed a letter and sent it for Patrick and I to review and OK. Lemme tell ya, I bawled my eyes out when I read it... It was so touching, and such a profound moment for me!

But understandably, Lauralynne had quite a different response to the letter, namely shock and overwhelm. I mean, here she was having her first Christmas away from her family, in Baghdad of all places, and now learning about the father she never knew she had!!! Based on her response, I found myself for the first time contemplating the prospect of being rejected by my own kid. Then, the following day, she wrote me. When her email appeared in my Inbox I was really nervous about opening it. That first letter began a 3-month period of correspondence which allowed us to slowly get acquainted.

In late winter she found out she'd be returning to the States in April. Meanwhile, I heard that 'ole Madge was planning a summer tour... I had a brainstorm. I emailed Lauralynne and asked if she'd ever been to a Madonna concert. (She'd grown up in Ft. Lauderdale, so I figured she might have) She hadn't! I suggested we pick the best location to see the show and get tickets for that city... NYC! She was all for it!! She loved the idea of seeing Madonna and exploring NYC together... She's never been! So I told her I'd get tickets for an NYC show as soon as they went on sale... or so I thought.

As it turned out, Lauralynne was sent to Kuwait for 3 weeks prior to her return home, and she didn't have access to email during that time. Of course, the minute the NYC shows were available I was on the internet... and as I'm sure you know, the shows sold out within minutes... with me empty-handed. To say the least, I was MAJORLY BUMMED!!! When she finally arrived back in the States, Lauralynne called me and we got to talk for the first time. During the conversation, she asked about the tickets and I had to break the news to her, which I dreaded. She was great about it, but we were both so disappointed. Then, 'lo and behold, what do I read?... A chance to win tickets, to a NYC show no less!!!!!

It's really kinda freaky for me that I've been such a huge Madonna nut all these years but she’s been a major inspiration in my life and happens to be doing this particular look-back tour as I find myself looking back at what I put into motion 20 years ago... So here it is, 20 years later, Madonna's still going strong and having her career retrospective and I’m now a proud dad with an opportunity to take my kid to her first Madonna concert, not to mention it'll be the first Father's Day we get to share. What a chance to kick it off with a bang!! Oh, and by the way, in case you're wondering where the Leo pride comes in... Lauralynne, her mom, Patrick, and I are ALL Leos, just like Mo... How poetic is that?!!!!

So, what the f*** does George W. Bush know about the American Family in 2004, anyway?!?!? Cheers!

Remember the days when MTV only played music videos and the world was filled with Madonna wannabes? When every girl had a pair of fingerless gloves, borrowed her mother’s pearls, threw leggings under a tiered skirt and would lip-sync for hours to Madonna songs in front of the bedroom mirror? (I'm sure some darling boys did this too!) The most fun was when you had a couple of girlfriends over after school or for a sleepover and meticulously rehearsed elaborate dance routines! This is where my best friends come in.

I met Mari and Margaret when they moved in the dorm next to mine freshman year of college. This was quite a few years back when the mainstream was still involved in the 90’s and hadn’t yet begun to rehash the trends of the 80’s. Mari & Margaret, however, stepped to a different beat! These girls were infatuated with the eighties, especially the music, and above all, MADONNA! So I don’t even need to tell you how fabulous they looked when the showed up at any eighties theme party! You know they ruled it with their awesome outfits, hair and makeup! Many trips were made to scour the local thrift stores and hours were put into crimping and teasing hair.

So by sophomore year, they had their own weekly radio show at our neighboring college, appropriately titled PRIME TIME PARTY TIME. Their first slot was on Friday evenings so, instead of wishing they could go out, they embraced the chance to create their own on-air party. Their show was such a huge success that most people tuned in religiously each week! The music they played was awesome, their banter was hilarious and their trivia was extensive. During every show there was a segment called Mandatory Madonna, devoted to everybody’s favorite pop diva. Girls, at home getting ready for a night out, stopped for a moment. They turned to their mirrors and began to dance like they once had a decade prior... Boys laughed, turned up their car stereos & sang along! Everyone loved Prime Time’s Mandatory Madonna!

Years later these girls graduated with much larger record collections, including some Madonna Japanese imports & every single in print. They moved into a little borough we know as Brooklyn. Over beers on rooftops or cocktails in posh bars we reminisce about our college days! We shared many living situations from dorm life to several different apartments, always adorned with ample “flare” and available space for an instant dance floor! For those four years our lives had been transformed into that feeling of a perpetual sleepover, just with more big-girl conversations and gossip.

When the girls headed to Brooklyn I kept moving. Although I am now 3,000 miles from them, I consider them to be my closest friends! We have gone through tremendous experiences together and continue to share this bond despite our geographical distance. We have each gone through many changes, whether in our choices of careers, loves or lifestyles. As the years go by we adapt to these changes and support one another. We all get together at least once a year and correspond regularly over emails and the phone. Life experiences are much better with the support of close friends.

I don’t know two people who deserve to win this contest more than Mari and Margaret. They are two of the loveliest people, amazing friends and I’m sure they would have some amazing outfits for the show to go along with those killer lip-sinking dance moves they’ve got in their repertoire. I wish them the best
of luck!

06/04/04