Arts & Entertainment
Miley Cyrus to headline Capital Pride Concert
The Pointer Sisters, Tinashe will also appear

(Miley Cyrus. Photo courtesy of Capital Pride. )
Miley Cyrus, Tinashe, the Pointer Sisters and VASSY will headline the 2017 Capital Pride Concert, Capital Pride announced on Tuesday.
The Capital Pride Concert, presented by Hot 99.5, will take place on three stages on Pennsylvania Avenue at Third Street on Sunday, June 11. Performances kick off at 1 p.m.
Cyrus, who identifies as pansexual, is known for her hit singles “We Can’t Stop” and “Wrecking Ball.” The 24-year-old is the founder of Happy Hippie Foundation, a non-profit organization that aids homeless youth and fights for the welfare of LGBT youth and women, among other social justice issues.
Tinashe, 21, came out with her debut album, “Aquarius” in 2014. Her singles “2 On”, “Pretend” and “All Hands on Deck” were on the Billboard Hot 100.
Legendary R&B group the Pointer Sisters began their long career in the 1970s. Known for their hit singles “He’s So Shy,” “Jump (for My Love),” among others, the group has won three Grammy Awards and three American Music Awards.
VASSY is an electronic music artist whose single “We Are Young” reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Dance Chart. She is also an ambassador for the NOH8 campaign.
“We are unapologetically proud to join with Miley Cyrus, Tinashe, and all of the headliners at the 2017 Capital Pride Festival! This is sure to be an awesome weekend full of great music and lots of fun,” Tommy Chuck, Program Director of HOT 99.5, said in a statement.
The Capital Pride Festival presented by Live! Casino & Hotel kicks off at noon. This year more than 300 exhibitors will be on display along with beverage gardens and a family zone.
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.
