Arts & Entertainment

Social Agenda

Published

16 years ago

January 7, 2010

friday, jan. 8

Supporters of Virginia Del. Adam Ebbin (D) are having a sendoff party for him tonight at the home of Ingrid Morroy and Jerry Botland in Arlington, Va. (1501 South Pollard St.) from 6 to 8 p.m. Supporters are gathering to wish him well as he heads to Richmond for the new state legislative session. For more information, visit actblue.com/page/ebbinsendoff or contact [email protected] or 585-749-6404. Donations are being accepted.

saturday, jan. 9

Zoom Urban Lesbian Excursions is having a ladies breakdancing 101 class today from noon to 2 p.m. at the Columbia Heights Youth Center located at 1480 Girard St., N.W. It’s designed for beginners and is part of Zoom’s “Get Fit” series. Cost is $15. Visit zoomexcursions.com for more information.

Metropolitan Community Church of Washington, the District’s largest mostly gay church, is having a “welcome home” service today and is encouraging former members, attendees and newcomers to meet its new pastor, Rev. Dwayne Johnson. Traditional worship is held at the 9 a.m. service. The 11 a.m. service features more contemporary and gospel music. The church is located at 474 Ridge St., N.W. Visit mccdc.com for more information.

sunday, jan. 10

Dignity Washington, a local gay Catholic group, celebrates Mass for the LGBT community every Sunday at 6 p.m. at St. Margaret’s, located at 1820 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Call 202-546-2245 for more information or visit dignitywashington.org.

monday, jan. 11

Metropolitan Community Church of Washington has an HIV-positive support group for people of faith every Monday at the church. For more information, contact Matt Senger at 202-546-2159 or e-mail him at [email protected]. MCC-DC is located at 474 Ridge St., N.W. Visit mccdc.com for more information about the church.

Nellie’s Sports Bar, 900 U St., N.W., holds “Pokerface,” a Texas hold ‘em poker night every Monday at 8 p.m. It’s free to play and prizes are awarded. Visit nelliessportsbar.com for more information.

tuesday, jan. 12

D.C.’s HIV Working Group assembles safer sex kits with its “packing parties” every Tuesday at EFN Lounge. Those who volunteer their time get drink discounts. The events are held from 7 to 10:30 p.m. at Motley Bar, located above EFN, which is at 1318 9th St., N.W. Visit fighthivindc.com for more information.

Poz, a bar night for HIV-positive men and men open to dating HIV-positive men regardless of their own HIV status, is held every Tuesday night from 7 p.m. to midnight at Motley Bar, located above EFN Lounge at 1318 19th St., N.W. The event is organized by HIV-positive party promoter Jacob Pring. Visit the group’s Facebook page at facebook.com/pozdc for more information.

wednesday, jan. 13

Split, a gay bowling cocktail event, is tonight from 8 to midnight at Lucky Strike Lanes & Lounge, located at 701 7th St., N.W., on the second floor (Gallery Place/Chinatown Metro stop). Split, a party created by Jason Royce, Brian Lempin and Georgio Takounakis, is not a gay bowling league and isn’t for diehard bowlers. Its creators designed it to be a fun and trendy bar alternative where patrons will mingle over martinis and bowl if the mood strikes. Split is usually held every other Wednesday. It’s for ages 21 and older. There’s a $3 cover and Lucky Strike has a dress code that those attending should read before attending. Drink and food specials are available. For more information, visit splitwednesdays.com.

The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force has weekly volunteer nights every Wednesday from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at its offices located at 1325 Massachusetts Ave., N.W., Suite 600. Volunteers fold and stuff letters for the gay rights organization. Pizza is provided. For more information, contact Ezra Towne at [email protected].

The Big Gay Book Group has its monthly book discussion meeting tonight at 7 p.m. at 1155 F St., N.W., Suite 200. This month’s book is “The Conversion” by Joseph Olshan, which tells of a gay American translator who moves to Paris and is attacked one night in a hotel room where he and his companion, an older poet, are staying. For more information, visit biggaybookgroup.com.

Ladies First night is tonight and every Wednesday at Fab Lounge, located at 1805 Connecticut Ave., N.W. For more information, visit myspace.com/ladiesfirst.

The D.C. Center has career development for LGBT job seekers today from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Trained counselors will offer support for job searching, interviewing skills, resume writing, etc. The program has been adapted to meet the needs of the local gay community and the D.C. job market. The Center recently moved to its new location at 1804/1810 14th St., N.W., previous home of the Lesbian Services Program and Austin Center of Whitman-Walker Clinic. Visit thedccenter.org for more information.

Rainbow Response has its monthly meeting tonight at National City Christian Church, located at 5 Thomas Circle, N.W. at 7 p.m. The group is a meeting of individuals and agencies collaborating to discuss intimate partner violence in the local LGBT community. The meeting is typically held on the second Wednesday of each month. Visit rainbowresponse.org for more information.

thursday, jan. 14

Burgundy Crescent Volunteers, a local LGBT volunteer group, is volunteering for Food & Friends, a local group that delivers meals to residents in D.C. and beyond suffering from AIDS and other life-threatening illnesses. Volunteers are needed to help with food preparation tasks such as chopping vegetables and packing groceries. The group will meet at Food & Friends’ new facility near the Fort Totten Metro Station. Group size is limited to 10 per shift. Those interested in volunteering should e-mail [email protected]. Visit burgundycrescent.org for more information about this and other gay volunteering opportunities.

friday, jan. 15

National City Christian Church has organ recitals every Friday at 12:15 p.m. The series, dubbed “Magical, Mystical, Musical Machine,” is led by Charles Miller, the church’s minister of music, who’s gay. Several organists in the series have also been gay. NCC is located at 5 Thomas Circle, N.W. For more information, visit nationalcity.org or call 202-797-0103.

Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend, one of the largest gay leather gatherings in the world, is this weekend in Washington at the Washington Plaza Hotel. The event is sold out but some spillover hotels have rooms available and some events are open to the public. Visit leatherweekend.com for more information.

A new Friday night drag show at Ziegfeld’s has started with a new hostess. The Ladies of Illusion hosted by Kristina Kelly has performances every Friday at 11 p.m. and 1 a.m.

Bet Mishpachah, a gay synagogue located at the D.C. JCC at 16th and Q streets, N.W., holds Ereve Shabbat services every Friday at 8:30 p.m. followed by an Oneg Shabbat social. Morning services are held on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month at 10 a.m. followed by Kiddush luncheon. Visit betmish.org for more information.

saturday, jan. 16

Town has two events tonight. DJ Brett Henrichsen spins upstairs (Town’s regular DJ Wess is downstairs). And monthly party “WTF?” is also tonight with a special Mexican installment called “Que es el fucko?” Doors open at 10 p.m. with a $5 for those 18 and older. Town is located at 2009 Eighth St., N.W. Visit towndc.com for more information.

Blowoff, a monthly party featuring gay DJs/remixers Bob Mould and Rich Morel, is tonight at the 9:30 Club, located at 815 V St., N.W. starting at 11:30 p.m. Visit blowoff.us for more information.

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FUND LGBTQ JOURNALISM

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Television loses a legend, longtime ‘Will & Grace’ director James Burrows

Iconic hitmaker leaves behind a legacy of telling LGBTQ stories

Published

19 hours ago

June 23, 2026

Christian Cintron

James Burrows (Photo by kathclick/Bigstock)

You don’t have to be a pretentious film major to name 10 movie directors. But naming television directors is not that simple. They’re the unsung heroes of your favorite shows, and the late James Burrows was the television director. He passed on June 19, but his DNA runs through television history.

He directed over 1200 episodes of television and over 50 pilots. He co-created “Cheers” and directed many episodes of long-running series like “Friends,” “Taxi,” “Frasier,” “The Big Bang Theory,” and “Two and a Half Men.” You also may remember him from playing a heightened version of himself on the Lisa Kudrow comedy “The Comeback.”

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A post shared by James Burrows (@therealjamesburrows)

He has left an indelible mark on the LGBTQ community. As recently as last year, he directed the series run of “Mid-Century Modern” starring Nathan Lane, Matt Bomer, and Linda Lavin. He was also a longtime director of “Will & Grace” and directed every episode of the series revival. He even directed the unaired “Absolutely Fabulous” pilot with Kathryn Hahn, Kristen Johnston, and Zosia Mamet.

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Not to mention he’s worked with queer icons throughout history, including Betty White and Stockard Channing on their single-season series, and Jennifer Coolidge in “2 Broke Girls.”

He started his career on shows like “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “Rhoda,” “Laverne & Shirley,” and the first four seasons of “Taxi.”

He continued to work steadily and directed successful pilots that went to series for “Roc,” “3rd Rock From the Sun,” “Dharma & Greg,” and “Wings.” He directed multiple episodes of “Friends,” “Caroline in the City,” and “Frasier.”

This magic continued into the 2000s with him directing the pilots for “Two and a Half Men,” “The Big Bang Theory,” and multiple episodes of “Mike & Molly,” and the entire return series of “Will & Grace.”

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What was the secret to his success? He’d enact the “fun clause” in his contract. In his words, “Life is too short to deal with obnoxious leads,” he shared. “So as long as the writing is good and the cast is fun, I’m going to enjoy the experience.”

He had the magic touch, having multiple pilots turned into long-running series. He was nominated for an Emmy 24 times in 26 years and worked consistently until a year before his death.

The secret was the way he brought the cast together. He describes, “it was my job to mold them into an ensemble, and they did round into a group of people who loved each other.”

This earned him 11 Emmy Awards and five Directors Guild of America Awards, including being awarded the inaugural DGA’s Lifetime Achievement Award for Television Direction.

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In a 2003 interview by the Television Academy, he was asked how he wants to be remembered, and he said, “That every night forever you can tune in somewhere, and there’ll be a show I did.”

He’s survived by his wife, Debbie, four daughters, seven grandchildren, and the countless people whose careers he launched and the countless viewers he inspired with his television legacy.