Arts & Entertainment
Calendar for May 21
Friday, May 21
Pandora Boxx from season 2 of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” is making her debut in the nation’s capital at EFN Lounge, 1318 9th St., N.W. Don’t miss this fun event with Universal Gear swimsuit fashion show, your favorite sugar-coated alt-pop music spun by drag DJ Summer Camp (aka Shea Van Horn of MIXTAPE), and a special performance from Pandora and Summer. 9 p.m.- 3 a.m., $5 cover for 21+, $10 cover for 18-20.
The DC Cowboys present Brodeo: Saddle up for a wild night at Remingtons, 639 Pennsylvania Avenue S.E., with your hosts, the DC Cowboys. Featuring country/western and disco/club music, live performances, giveaways, Jell-O shots, an auction and lots of sexy Cowboys. Proceeds benefit the DC Cowboys on their mission to provide free entertainment for HIV/AIDS charity organizations. Starts at 10 p.m.
Peach Pit 90’s Dance Party with DJ Matt Bailer (MIXTAPE) + guest DJ Aaron Riggins (HHHH) from 11-midnite. The party starts at 10 p.m. No cover at the Dahlak Restaurant, 1771 U St., N.W.
The Washington Blade’s 4th annual summer kick-off party at Blue Moon, 35 Baltimore Ave., Rehoboth Beach, DE, 6-8 p.m.
Saturday, May 22
Wicked Jezabel benefit concert sponsored by the John Guggenmos team of McWilliams/Ballard. Featuring all-lesbian party band Wicked Jezabel with performances by Charm City Boys and DC Kings. The concert is being held at Town Danceboutique, 2009 8th St. N.W., from 7-11 p.m., $15 cover (proceeds benefit Mautner Project). Call Jeanie at 202-332-5536 or e-mail [email protected] for more information.
Burgundy Crescent, a gay volunteer organization, goes to the National Zoo today. To participate, visit burgundycrescent.org.
Galeria Artesanos Don Bosco is continuing its Maryland Artists 2010 series with the work of Vincent Hughes. Hughes, whose studio is in Silver Spring, will exhibit his classical male nude figure studies along with Impressionist influenced watercolors and oils, May 22-June 18. A complimentary Italian wine and food tasting will be held at the opening reception May 22, 2-5 p.m. Galeria Artesanos Don Bosco is located in the heart of Federal Hill at 828 S. Charles St., Baltimore. For more information call 410-563-4577 or visit artesanosdonbosco.com
Latin Fusion “Amazon Night” at Cobalt, 1639 R St. N.W., with music by DJ Fantasy upstairs and DJ Stevie P downstairs, with performances by Phoenix Bloomingdale and Afrodita Washington, 9 p.m.-3 a.m., 21+.
Sunday, May 23
Sugarfree Sundays: Reloaded! Sugarfree Sundays at Eyebar, 1716 I St., N.W. (between 17th and 18th/Farragut Square). Doors open at 10 pm with no cover charge all night. Featuring the best hip-hop and house music, multiple DJs on multiple levels plus rooftop.
Monday, May 24
Burgundy Crescent “kicks up our heels” at Remingtons. To participate, visit burgundycrescent.org.
Tuesday, May 25
GLAAD Leadership Council kick-off event. The councils are local groups of volunteer leaders with a commitment and passion for GLAAD’s efforts to amplify the voice of the LGBT community. Sponsored by the Washington Blade, 6-8 p.m. at Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams, 1526 14th St., N.W. Tickets are $25. Enjoy wine, beer and hors d’oeuvres; GLAAD President Jarrett Barrios will attend.
Wednesday, May 26
Men of Mautner celebration honoring gay D.C. Council member David Catania, 7-9 p.m., 701 Pennsylvania Ave., N.W. Sponsored by Ackerman Legal PLLC; tickets $100 at mautnerproject.org.
DC Black Pride 2010: Town Hall, 7-9 p.m. Visit dcblackpride.org/ for more information on topic and location. Full coverage of this year’s Black Pride in the May 28 Washington Blade.
“Sex and the City 2” premiere presented by Fresh of Georgetown. The evening starts with an open Skyy Vodka bar at Mate for general admission or an open Moet and Belvedere bar at Georgetown’s Ritz Carlton for VIP ticketholders. General admission: $60, 6:30 p.m. pre- reception at Mate, 3101 K St., N.W. 8 p.m. pre-screening at AMC Loews, 3111 K St. VIP tickets $110, 6:30 p.m. pre-reception at the Ritz Carlton, 3100 South St., N.W., 8 p.m. Visit boxofficetickets.com/cherry for full information.
Thursday, May 27
DC Black Pride 2010: Volunteer orientation 7- 9 p.m. at the Hamilton Crowne Plaza, 14th & K streets, N.W. Visit dcblackpride.org/ for more information
Fourth annual HIPSXotic Carnival at The Palace of Wonders, 1210 H St., N.E., 6 p.m. Happy hour with special surprises, palm readings, henna, face painting and more benefiting HIPS, a local non-profit organization dedicated to helping individuals engaged in sex work and drug use lead healthy lives. Limited VIP and general admission pre-sale tickets available now at HIPS.org. $10-$20 suggested donation.
Celebrity News
Madonna announces release date for new album
‘Confessions II’ marks return to the dance floor
Pop icon Madonna on Wednesday announced that her 15th studio album will be released on July 3.
Titled “Confessions II,” the new album is a sequel to 2005’s “Confessions on a Dance Floor,” an Abba and disco-infused hit.
The new album reunites Madonna with producer Stuart Price, who also helmed the original “Confessions” album. It’s her first album of new material since 2019’s “Madame X.”
“We must dance, celebrate, and pray with our bodies,” Madonna said in a press release. “These are things that we’ve been doing for thousands of years — they really are spiritual practices. After all, the dance floor is a ritualistic space. It’s a place where you connect — with your wounds, with your fragility. To rave is an art. It’s about pushing your limits and connecting to a community of like-minded people,” continued the statement. “Sound, light, and vibration reshape our perceptions. Pulling us into a trance-like state. The repetition of the bass, we don’t just hear it but we feel it. Altering our consciousness and dissolving ego and time.”
Denali (@denalifoxx) of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” performed at Pitchers DC on April 9 for the Thirst Trap Thursday drag show. Other performers included Cake Pop!, Brooke N Hymen, Stacy Monique-Max and Silver Ware Sidora.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Arts & Entertainment
In an act of artistic defiance, Baltimore Center Stage stays focused on DEI
‘Maybe it’s a triple-down’
By LESLIE GRAY STREETER | I’m always tickled when people complain about artists “going political.” The inherent nature of art, of creation and free expression, is political. This becomes obvious when entire governments try to threaten it out of existence, like in 2025, when the brand-new presidential administration demanded organizations halt so-called diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programming or risk federal funding.
Baltimore Center Stage’s response? A resounding and hearty “Nah.” A year later, they’re still doubling down on diversity.
“Maybe it’s a triple-down,” said Ken-Matt Martin, the theater’s producing director, chuckling.
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
Gay D.C. police lieutenant arrested on child porn charges
Demonstrators disrupt OMB director hearing over PEPFAR
HIV/AIDS group NMAC is ‘destabilized’ and in financial crisis: sources
Madonna announces release date for new album
Senegalese court issues first conviction under new anti-LGBTQ law
An effort to increase the number of psychiatrists of color
Trump budget targets ‘gender extremism’
Comings & Goings
Minimal version of ‘Streetcar Named Desire’ heading to Dupont Underground
