The Year in Culture

It's the year of the "gaybie:" Elton John is the latest proud parent

Congratulations Elton John and David Furnish on the new addition to your family! We're wondering if you're planning to ask good pals Lynn Wyatt and Lady Gaga to be the godmothers?

And we're also wondering, at your age, why did you decide to become parents?

The news that John and Furnish welcomed an infant son, Zachary Jackson Levon Furnish-John, on Christmas Day is the latest example that 2010 is the year of the "gaybie."

Seems like just about every gay man and lesbian is rushing to adopt or have a child via a surrogate. While the repeal of "don't ask, don't tell" and debate over gay marriage have dominated the headlines in 2010, the stealth story of the year has been the rising number of gay and lesbian households with children.

It's the topic of movies (The Kids are All Right), television shows (Brothers & Sisters) and conversation in Houston social circles, where some gay society figures are new parents and Mayor Annise Parker and her longtime partner, Kathy Hubbard, have teenage children.

I have never quite understood why my fellow gays and lesbians would want to have children. I love spending time with nieces, nephews and the children of close friends — and then sending them home to their parents.

But a lot of people obviously feel otherwise. And I say, more power to those willing to take on such a life-changing responsibility .

According to Us Weekly, John and Furnish decided to pursue their dream of becoming parents with the help of a surrogate after their bid to adopt a Ukrainian baby and his HIV-positive brother was rejected by officials in the former Soviet republic earlier this year.

"David always wanted to adopt a child and I always said 'no' because I am 62 and I think because of the traveling I do and the life I have, maybe it wouldn't be fair for the child," John told reporters at the time. "But having seen (the Ukrainian baby) today, I would love to adopt him. I don't know how we do that but he has stolen my heart. And he has stolen David's heart and it would be wonderful if we can have a home [together]."

But will the Rocket Man change diapers?

Editor's note: This is the seventh in a series of articles CultureMap will be running this last week of 2010 on The Year in Culture. The stories in this series will focus on a key point or two, something that struck our reporting team about the year rather than rote Top 10 lists or bests of.

Snacks for Days

Houston movie buffs can fill up on popcorn for $5 on 2 days at Cinemark

Photo courtesy of Cinemark

A large popcorn just won't do on National Popcorn Day at Cinemark - go for the full 400 ounces.

Cinemark is going all out for National Popcorn Day in 2026, offering moviegoers in Houston and around the country the chance to BYOBucket — to bring almost any kind of container to the theater and fill it up for just $5 (plus tax) on two days in January.

And they're not joking when they say "any kind of container" — with a 400-ounce "limit" (the equivalent of two XL popcorns) on the amount you can get with the deal, that means you can bring a cooler, bucket, or other type of large vessel to indulge in popcorn gluttony. Cinemark operates more than a dozen theaters across the Houston area, including Memorial City, Pearland, and The Woodlands.

If that's not enough popcorn, Texas-based Cinemark is teaming up with Lowe’s for the two-day event — yes, National Popcorn Day will take place on both January 18 and 19 — to allow anyone who brings a blue Lowe’s 5-gallon (aka 640 ounces) bucket to fill it completely up.

Food-grade bucket liners will be available upon request, and guests with the Lowe’s buckets will also receive a special coupon for future popcorn cravings valid February 1-26.

If someone forgets to bring their own bucket, Cinemark will still be offering all sizes of popcorn for the same $5 price on both days.

“Last year’s Bring Your Own Bucket event for National Popcorn Day reimagined what this holiday could be for all movie-popcorn lovers, as people showed incredible creativity with their vessels and made the celebration truly unforgettable for both guests and our theater teams,” said Wanda Gierhart Fearing, Cinemark chief marketing and content officer, in a statement. “This year, we are thrilled to build on that fun by teaming up with Lowe’s to make the experience even bigger and better.”

Popcorn fanatics can also participate in an online popcorn bucket fill-up game at Cinemark.com/popcornday for the chance to win free popcorn for a year.

On January 19 only, anyone who follows Cinemark’s official Instagram account (@Cinemark) and tags three friends in the comments of the National Popcorn Day sweepstakes post will be entered to win a free large popcorn.

Additionally, the Popcorn Day bonanza will include a chance for Cinemark Movie Rewards members to enter a sweepstakes to win 10,000 points; a discount of 10 percent for all online gift card orders on both January 18 and 19; and a special offering of Butter Chardonnay throughout the entire month of January.

Full details for all deals are available at Cinemark.com/popcornday.

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