Arts & Entertainment

Can’t get her out of our head

Kylie on her new show, love of Britney and passion for pancakes

Published

15 years ago

April 28, 2011

Kylie Minogue (photo courtesy of EMI)

Some of us have been Kylie Minogue fans for longer than we care to remember, dating back to her days as a soap star on the Australian hit “Neighbours.” Others caught Kylie fever after her first hit single “Locomotion” landed at No. 3 on the U.S. charts in 1988. Still others in the U.S. never heard of her until 2001’s ubiquitous worldwide smash “Can’t Get You Out of My Head.”

There have been movie roles, a cancer scare, 60 million records sold and multiple tours, yet Kylie never quite reached the pop heights of Madonna or Janet in the U.S. But that doesn’t stop her from trying.

On Saturday, Minogue brings her latest show, “Aphrodite — Les Folies Tour,” to the Patriot Center. It’s a scaled back production compared to the over-the-top, Greek-themed, $25 million spectacle complete with “splash zone seating” that she’s delivered to adoring audiences in Europe.

“There are changes for the states,” Minogue said in a recent interview with the Blade. “I would love to bring everything, but that’s not possible so I’m bringing all I can to do a great show.”

Among the props she’s leaving behind are a giant Pegasus statue and fountains designed by the team responsible for the Bellagio’s in Vegas. And even though she’s a much bigger star overseas, Minogue said she enjoys performing in the United States.

“The energy is out of control, the passion of the audience [in the U.S.],” she said, adding that she would make up for the lack of props “with my passion and emotion.”

Of course, Minogue is keenly aware of her gay appeal and fan base and she’s rewarded them by including an entourage of muscled, leather-clad backup dancers in the show.

“Gays are a great influence in my life — I’m surrounded basically,” she said. “There’s a group of supporters who’ve been with me for a long time … but I’m so thrilled to share that history with you. It feels like we’re members of a secret society.”

What does she like best about touring the United States?

“I love really crappy diners in America, bad coffee and a stack of pancakes,” Minogue said. “And I can walk around without being recognized.”

The American artist she’s been listening to lately is Britney Spears. Minogue said she’d welcome the chance to do a duet with her and added that the song she can’t get out of her head right now is Spears’s “He About to Lose Me.”

As for the future, Minogue said she is considering an “anti-tour — no lights, dancers, just music and doing songs that are much loved by super fans but will never be heard anywhere in a live environment. B-sides and covers … it would be really cool to be in a tiny, tiny venue somewhere and just strip everything back and do songs that uber fans would cry for.”

And if that doesn’t pan out, she’d consider something splashier, like a Las Vegas residency.

“A Vegas residency could be out of control,” she said. “Imagine what it would be like if we had the luxury of being in one place … I would be excited to do something like that.”

Minogue will draw from her impressive catalogue of hits for Saturday’s D.C.-area show, including material from 2010’s “Aphrodite.” The show starts at 8 p.m. at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Va. Tickets are still available at centerboxoffice.org.

Related Topics:Aphrodite — Les Folies Tour Arts & Entertainment Kylie Minogue Out & About

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Sports

Jason Collins dies at 47

First openly gay man to actively play for major sports team battled brain cancer

Published

18 hours ago

May 12, 2026

Michael K. Lavers

Jason Collins (Washington Blade file photo by Michael Key)

Jason Collins, the first openly gay man to actively play for a major professional sports team, died on Tuesday after a battle with brain cancer. He was 47.

The California native had briefly played for the Washington Wizards in 2013 before coming out in a Sports Illustrated op-ed.

Collins in 2014 became the first openly gay man to play in a game for a major American professional sports league when he played 11 minutes during a Brooklyn Nets game. He wore jersey number 98 in honor of Matthew Shepard, a gay college student murdered outside of Laramie, Wyo., in 1998.

Collins told the Washington Blade in 2014 that his life was “exponentially better” since he came out. Collins the same year retired from the National Basketball Association after 13 seasons.

Collins married his husband, Brunson Green, in May 2025.

The NBA last September announced Collins had begun treatment for a brain tumor. Collins on Dec. 11, 2025, announced he had Stage 4 glioblastoma.

“We are heartbroken to share that Jason Collins, our beloved husband, son, brother and uncle, has died after a valiant fight with glioblastoma,” said Collins’s family in a statement the NBA released. “Jason changed lives in unexpected ways and was an inspiration to all who knew him and to those who admired him from afar. We are grateful for the outpouring of love and prayers over the past eight months and for the exceptional medical care Jason received from his doctors and nurses. Our family will miss him dearly.”

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Collins’s “impact and influence extended far beyond basketball as he helped make the NBA, WNBA, and larger sports community more inclusive and welcoming for future generations.”

“He exemplified outstanding leadership and professionalism throughout his 13-year NBA career and in his dedicated work as an NBA Cares Ambassador,” said Silver. “Jason will be remembered not only for breaking barriers, but also for the kindness and humanity that defined his life and touched so many others.”

“To call Jason Collins a groundbreaking figure for our community is simply inadequate. We truly lost a giant today,” added Human Rights Campaign President Kelley Robinson in a statement. “He came out as gay — while still playing — at a time when men’s athletes simply did not do that. But as he powerfully demonstrated in his final years in the league and his post-NBA career, stepping forward as he did boldly changed the conversation.”

“He was and will always be a legend for the LGBTQ+ community, and we are heartbroken to hear of his passing at the young age of 47,” she said. “Our hearts go out to his family and loved ones. We will keep fighting on in his honor until the day everyone can be who they are on their terms.”

Photos

PHOTOS: ‘Studio 69’

Glitterati Productions hold party at Bunker

Published

2 days ago

May 11, 2026

Michael Key

'Studio 69' was held at Bunker on Friday. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)

Glitterati Productions held the “Studio 69” party at Bunker on Friday, May 8.

(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)

Arts & Entertainment

Washington Blade’s Pride on the Pier returns June 13 to kick off D.C. Pride week

Pride on the Pier officially launches Pride Week in D.C.

Published

2 days ago

May 11, 2026

Staff reports

The Washington Blade’s annual Pride on the Pier celebration returns to The Wharf on Saturday, June 13, 2026 from 4-9 p.m., bringing thousands of LGBTQ community members and allies together for an unforgettable waterfront celebration to kick off Pride week in Washington, D.C.

Now in its eighth year, Washington Blade Pride on the Pier extends the city’s annual celebration of LGBTQ visibility to the bustling Wharf waterfront with an exciting array of activities and entertainment for all ages. The District Pier will offer DJs, dancing, drag, and other entertainment. Alcoholic beverages will be available for purchase for those 21 and older.

“Pride on the Pier has become one of the signature moments of Pride in D.C.,” said Lynne Brown, publisher of the Washington Blade. “There’s nothing like watching our community come together on the waterfront with live music and incredible energy as we kick off Pride week.”

Pride on the Pier is free and open to the public, with VIP tickets available for exclusive pier access to the Dockmaster Building. To purchase VIP tickets visit www.prideonthepierdc.com/vip.

Additional entertainment announcements, sponsor activations, and event details will be released in the coming weeks.

Event Details:

📍 Location: District Pier at The Wharf (101 District Sq SW, Washington, DC)
📅 Dates: Friday, 13, 2026

⏱️ 4-9PM
🎟️ VIP Tickets: www.PrideOnThePierDC.com/VIP