Arts & Entertainment

Calendar through September 5

Gay Softball World Series, The Coolots & Manny Lehman hit D.C.

Published

13 years ago

August 29, 2013

Will Owen

‘Fallen Youth,’ a sculpture by Janathel Shaw, is on display at Touchstone Gallery. (Image courtesy Touchstone)

Friday, August 30

Aqua Bar and Lounge (1818 New York Ave., N.E.) hosts “Club Fuego,” a Latino gay dance party, tonight from 10:30 p.m.-3 a.m. Admission is $10 and limited to guests 21 and over. For details, visit aquadc.com.

Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) hosts Bear Happy Hour tonight from 6-11 p.m. There is no cover charge and admission is limited to guests 21 and over. For details, visit towndc.com.

Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) hosts “Grand Slam with DJ Manny Lehman,” the finale to the Gay Softball World Series, tonight at 10 p.m. The World Series is the largest LGBT sporting event in the country, welcoming more than 170 teams to D.C. this year. Cover is $8 from 10-11 and $12 after 11. For details, visit towndc.com.

The Coolots, a local all-female rock and soul band, perform tonight at Phase 1 of Dupont (1415 22nd St., N.W.). Doors open at 9 p.m. Admission is $10 and limited to guests 21 and over. For more information, visit phase1dc.com.

The Club (5268 Williamsport Pike, Martinsburg, W.Va.) hosts a patio “Foam Party” tonight. Doors open at 6 p.m. Cover is $5 and unlimited bottomless rail drinks are $20. Admission is limited to guests 21 and over. For more details, visit theclubwv.com.

Saturday, August 31

Phase 1 of Dupont (1415 22nd St., N.W.) hosts its weekly “Booty Beach Ladies Dance Party” this evening. The winner of the party’s bikini and board shorts contest will receive cash and prizes. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. and admission is $5. Visit phase1dc.com for more information.

Nellie’s Sports Bar (900 U St., N.W.) hosts its new “Saturday Brunch” at 11 a.m. Guests can enjoy one free mimosa with their meal. For more details, visit nelliessportsbar.com.

Adventuring, a gay outdoors group, hosts a Great North Mountain hike near the Virginia-West Virginia border today. Participants meet at 8:30 a.m. at the East Falls Church Metro Station (2001 N. Sycamore St., Arlington, Va.), and should bring bug spray, lunch, water, sunscreen, sturdy boots and $20 for trip fees. For more information, visit adventuring.org.

Sunday, September 1

Busboys and Poets (2021 14th St., N.W.) hosts “Sparkle,” its monthly LGBT poetry open mic night, from 8-10 p.m. this evening. Admission is $5. For more information and to purchase tickets, visit busboysandpoets.com.

K&C Productions hosts its weekly “Sizzling Hot Sundays,” an LGBT hip-hop and house music dance party, at Club Muse (717 6th St., N.W.) tonight from 11 p.m.-2 a.m. For details, visit clubmuse.com.

Perry’s (1811 Columbia Rd., N.W.) hosts its weekly Sunday Drag Brunch today from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. The cost is $24.95 for an all-you-can-eat buffet. For details, visit perrysadamsmorgan.com.

Black Fox Lounge (1723) hosts “Tula’s Cabaret,” a classic lip-sync drag show, from 8-11 p.m. tonight. Admission is free. For more information, visit blackfoxlounge.com.

The Bachelor’s Mill (1104 8th St., S.E.) hosts karaoke tonight from 9 p.m.-midnight. There will also be pool, video gaming systems and card games. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., and admission is $3 after 9. For more information, visit bachelorsmill.com.

Monday, September 2

The D.C. Center (1318 U St., N.W.) hosts coffee drop-in hours this morning from 10 a.m.-noon. for the senior LGBT community. Older LGBT adults can come and enjoy complimentary coffee and conversation with other community members. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

Adventuring, an LGBT outdoors group, host a Wilson Bridge hike today. The group meets at the King Street Metro Station (1900 King St., Alexandria, Va.) at 11 a.m., and then walks through Old Town Alexandria across the Wilson Bridge to the National Harbor in Maryland. Participants should bring $2 as a trip fee, $8 for a water taxi back to Alexandria, lunch and plenty of water. For more details, visit adventuring.org.

Tuesday, September 3

Green Lantern (1335 Green Ct., N.W.) hosts its weekly FUK!T Packing Party tonight from 7-9 p.m. For more details, visit thedccenter.org or greenlanterndc.com.

Nellie’s Sports Bar (900 U St., N.W.) hosts karaoke tonight at 9 p.m. For details, visit nelliessportsbar.com.

Wednesday, September 4

Midtown (1219 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) hosts “Mix It Up 2.0,” an LGBT dance party, from 8:30-midnight. All groups of six entering together get a free bottle of champagne. For details, visit midtown-dc.com.

Us Helping Us (3636 Georgia Ave., N.W.) hosts a support group for black gay men living with HIV tonight from 7-9 p.m. For more details, visit uhupil.org.

The Tom Davoren Social Bridge Club will be meeting at 7:30 p.m., at the Dignity Center 721 8th St., S.E. (across from Marine Barracks) for social bridge. No partner needed. Call 301-345-1571 for more information.

Black Fox Lounge (1723 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) hosts “Bare!,” a storytelling show of true stories of sex, love and desire, from 8-10 p.m. tonight. The show is based in New York and also has monthly performances in Boston. Admission is $8 and limited to guests 21 and over. For more details, visit blackfoxlounge.com.

Thursday, September 5

Rude Boi Entertainment hosts “Tempted 2 Touch,” a ladies dance party, at the Fab Lounge (2022 Florida Ave., N.W.). Doors open at 5 p.m. for happy hour until 9, and the club closes at 1 a.m. Admission is $5 all night and limited to guests 21 and over. For details, visit rudeboientertainment.wordpress.com.

The D.C. Health Link and the Mayor’s Office of GLBT Affairs host an LGBT Leadership Summit at Busboys and Poets (2021 14th St., N.W.) today from 6:30-7:30 p.m. LGBT community leaders and business owners will meet with health care experts to learn how to find the best and most affordable health insurance. For more information, visit thedccenter.org.

Touchstone Gallery (901 New York Ave., N.W.) hosts a preview from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. today of its new exhibit “ReBirth” by Janathel Shaw. The exhibition features clay sculptures that address racism and sexism through Buddhist influences of rebirth. For more information, visit touchstonegallery.com.

The Gay Softball World Series holds its championship games today from 7:50 a.m.-4 p.m. at Fairland Regional Park (3928 Greencastle Rd., Burtonsville, Md.), and from 7:50 a.m.-2 p.m. at Watkins Regional Park (301 Watkins Park Dr., Upper Marlboro, Md.). There will then be a closing street party and awards ceremony in the Renaissance Hotel courtyard from 5-9 p.m. with food, entertainment and drink specials. For more information, visit dcseries2013.com.

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FUND LGBTQ JOURNALISM

a&e features

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

Iconic hitmaker leaves behind a legacy of telling LGBTQ stories

Published

12 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.