Arts & Entertainment
Santa baby
Ready for romance? Surprise your partner this season with these great gift ideas!
Flowers on 14th offers a wide array of floral options for gifts. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Editor’s note: This is part three of five of our annual gift guide. Next week: techie gifts and toys.
Shopping for your significant other can be the hardest part of holiday shopping. Relax and enjoy the holiday season because these gifts are guaranteed to put a smile on that special someone’s face.
If your sweetheart has a sweet tooth chocolate is the perfect choice. Cork Market (1805 14th St., N.W.) offers Boero ($20), cherries dipped in chocolate and soaked in wine and assortment truffles ($26) with flavors such as coconut, pistachio and caramel.
Assortments of truffles at Cork. (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key
Wine is a timeless romantic gift. Cork Market also provides every type of wine from dessert wines starting at $47 to the Champagne Special Club ($90), champagne chosen by the top champagne tasters in the market.
You can never go wrong with flowers. Flowers on 14th (1712 14th St., N.W.) offers a wide array of floral options. Get in the spirit by giving a Christmas cactus ($29) with your choice of bow to your romantic partner. Or add a personal touch with custom arrangements from $75-$300.
The holidays can be stressful but you can help your partner be stress free with these intimate gifts from Secret Pleasures Boutique (1510 U St., N.W.). Try massage candles ($5-$32) or hot palm massagers ($15) to give your partner an intimate and fun massage.
I Gorman Jewelers (1133 20th St., N.W.) is the place to go for designer jewelry as unique as your special someone. Select the David Heston sterling and leather bracelet for $1,495 or the Carl Dau 18K red, gold and titanium cufflinks for $1,550.
Other classy gifts include the Chris Ploof Damascus steel and 18K white gold band ($2,750) or their Margoni aquamarine ring for $895.
Looking for a dazzling spot for a wedding? Surprise your partner by booking the Potomac View Terrace, which is located between the Lincoln Memorial and the U.S. Department of State and is the only privately owned real estate on the National mall. The original building was designed by renowned architect John Russell Pope, whose work includes the National Archives, the Jefferson Memorial and the National Gallery of Art. The sixth floor rooftop offers unforgettable views of the Mall and beyond. For more information, visit potomacviewterrace.com.
Potomac View Terrace (Photo by Amanda Saunders)
Whether you’re searching for the perfect recipe, setting a warm and inviting table, looking for something a bit out of the ordinary that is really quite extraordinary, plus the perfect card to go with them all, Now and Then (6927 Laurel Ave., Takoma Park, Md.) has an eclectic selection of fun and functional, pretty and practical gifts to fit your every need. Now and Then is proud to work with and showcase area artists including watercolorist Enid Romanek, tile maker John Hume, potter Mary Giammatteo, photographer Jan Morales, mixed media artist Christina Giammichelle and chocolatier Bailey Kasten.
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.
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