Arts & Entertainment
Best of Gay D.C. 2017: MEDIA
Winners from the Washington Blade’s annual poll

(Photo of Jim Vance by Robin Fader; Washington Blade photo of DCist reporters by Tom Hausman; photo of a D.C. Metro stop by Peter French courtesy Flickr)
Best Local Website
DCist
News, food, arts and events.
Editor’s choice: Popville

(Washington Blade photo by Tom Hausman)
Best Local Social Media Channel
Editor’s Choice: @alexmorash
@unsuckdcmetro has been chronicling D.C. Metro’s mishaps and disasters since January, 2009.
The anonymous founder, who says he is a journalist and LGBT ally, started using Metro as part of his commute. After experiencing problems he decided to start a blog to complain. He says he didn’t think the blog would get as popular as it did but noticed he wasn’t the only disgruntled one.
“One thing that got me thinking that it might have a chance to become useful was noticing the faces of fellow passengers when a train offloads or whatever problem it might be. Everyone just looks like, “Geez, this Metro is so bad,’” he says.
What started as a blog to vent frustrations about the daily commute evolved into Facebook and Twitter pages with thousands of followers united by their common annoyance of public transportation.
The founder recalls that one of his biggest posts on his now-defunct blog was on the June 22, 2009 metro crash. It was the first time he noticed the power of social media in the news as tweets poured in tracking the tragedy.
Now besides his own posts, other passengers tag @unsuckmetrodc their issues with Metro from offloading to uncleanliness.
While @unsuckmetro is the founder’s passion project, he says he would much rather the Metro be reliable.
“At the very foundation of the problem is the way it’s governed. Nobody is accountable. It’s set up to protect everyone involved from being accountable. People let things slide when they’re not accountable,” he says. (MC)

(Photo by Peter French; courtesy Flickr)
Best Local TV Personality
Jim Vance
Runner up: Chuck Bell, NBC 4
Many Washingtonians can recall growing up seeing Jim Vance report the news from the screens in their living rooms. The NBC4 news anchor became entrenched in D.C. culture just as much as “the Godfather of Go-Go” Chuck Brown, former D.C. Mayor Marion Barry and radio DJ Russ Parr, who all join Vance on Ben’s Chili Bowl mural wall.
Vance, who died from cancer in July at age 75, worked at NBC4 for more than 40 years making him the District’s longest serving TV anchor. Born in Ardmore, Pa., Vance was a reporter for the Philadelphia Independent newspaper and WHAT-AM radio station while also teaching English. He joined WRC-TV (NBC4) in 1969 as a reporter before moving to the anchor desk in 1972.
His coverage spanned some of the most talked about moments in D.C.’s history.
In 1977, he reported on the Hanafi Siege on three D.C. buildings by 12 gunmen which resulted in 149 hostages and the death of radio host Maurice Williams. He also covered the Air Florida Flight 90 crash in the Potomac River, which killed 78 people, in 1982.
More recently, he called out the Washington Redskins over the controversial use of their name despite being a longtime fan.
“Back in the day, if you really wanted to insult a black man, an Italian, a Jew, an Irishman, and probably start a fight, you threw out certain words. They were, and are pejoratives of the first order, the worst order, specifically intended to injure. In my view, ‘Redskin’ was and is in that same category,” Vance said during a 2013 broadcast of “Vance’s View.”
Over the course of his career, Vance received 19 local Emmy awards. In 2007, he earned the honor of being inducted into the National Association of Black Journalists Hall of Fame.
He gained recognition as a news anchor outside of D.C. thanks to a viral video that reached millions of views. In a 2006 segment on Paris Fashion Week, Vance and sports anchor George Michael couldn’t control their laughter over a model who fell twice on the runway. The Foo Fighters even paid tribute to Vance by using the video in a promo for their concert at RFK stadium.
While his professional life was widely praised, his personal life was also colorful. He went to the Betty Ford Clinic in 1984 to recover from a cocaine addiction that he battled throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s. Barry asked Vance for advice when he was dealing with his own addiction to crack cocaine which led to his 1990 arrest.
“Why did he ask me? Because what he, like everyone else who’s been around Washington for a while knows, is that for more than four years I have been in recovery. The mayor thought that I might be able to advise him. I did so,” the Washington Post quotes Vance telling viewers.
He was also candid about his struggles with depression and a suicide attempt at Potomac River at Great Falls in 1987 for which he sought therapy.
Vance died at his Silver Spring, Md. home. He is survived by his wife Kathy McCampbell Vance and three children Dawn, Amani and Brendon. (MC)

Jim Vance (Photo by Robin Fader)
Best Radio Station
WAMU 88.5
Public radio station serving the D.C. metro area.
Editor’s choice: Hot 99.5

Catfish Comedy will host “2026 Queer Kickoff Show” on Thursday, Feb. 5 at A League of Her Own (2319 18th Street, N.W.). This show features D.C.’s funniest LGBTQ and femme comedians. The lineup features performers who regularly take the stage at top clubs like DC Improv and Comedy Loft, with comics who tour nationally.
Tickets are $17.85 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.
Arts & Entertainment
Catherine O’Hara, ‘Schitt’s Creek’ star and celebrated queer ally, dies at 71
Actress remembered for memorable comedic roles in ‘Beetlejuice’ and ‘Home Alone’
Catherine O’Hara, the varied comedic actor known for memorable roles in “Beetlejuice,” “Schitt’s Creek,” and “Home Alone,” has died at 71 on Friday, according to multiple reports. No further details about her death were revealed.
O’Hara’s death comes as a shock to Hollywood, as the Emmy award-winning actor has been recently active, with roles in both “The Studio” and “The Last of Us.” For her work in those two shows, she received Emmy nominations for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series and outstanding guest actress in a drama series.
In 2020, O’Hara won the Outstanding Lead Actress in a comedy series award for her work in the celebrated sixth and final season of “Schitt’s Creek.” She was also known as a queer ally and icon for her theatrical and often campy performances over multiple decades. In “Schitt’s Creek,” she played Moira Rose, the wig-loving mother of David Rose (played by series creator Dan Levy). David is pansexual, but the characters around him simply accept him for who he is; the show was embraced by the LGBTQ community with how naturally David’s sexuality was written and portrayed. That show ran from 2015 to 2020 and helped bring O’Hara and her co-stars into a new phase of their careers.
In a 2019 interview with the Gay Times, O’Hara explained why the show got LGBTQ representation right: “Daniel has created a world that he wants to live in, that I want to live in. It’s ridiculous that we live in a world where we don’t know how to respect each other and let each other be. It’s crazy. Other shows should follow suit and present the world and present humans as the best that we can be. It doesn’t mean you can’t laugh, that you can’t be funny in light ways and dark ways. It’s all still possible when you respect and love each other.”
Additional credits include “SCTV Network” (for which O’Hara won a writing Emmy), “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” “Six Feet Under,” “Best in Show,” “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York,” and “Dick Tracy.” O’Hara also lent her voice to “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “Chicken Little,” “Monster House,” and “Elemental.” O’Hara was expected to return for Season 2 of “The Studio,” which started filming earlier this month.
Friday, January 30
Friday Tea Time will be at 12 p.m. at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ+ adults. Bring your beverage of choice. For more information, contact Mac ([email protected]).
Spark Social will host “RuPaul’s Drag Race S18 Watch Party” at 8 p.m. This event will be hosted by local drag queens TrevHER and Grey, who will provide hilarious commentary and make live predictions on who’s staying and who’s going home. Stick around after the show for a live drag performance. This event is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
Saturday, January 31
Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community Brunch” at 11 a.m. at Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant. This fun weekly event brings the DMV area LGBTQ+ community, including allies, together for delicious food and conversation. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
Sunday, February 1
Go Gay DC will host “LGBTQ+ Community and Conversation” at noon at As You Are. This event is for those looking to make more friends and meaningful connections in the LGBTQ+ community. Look for the Go Gay DC sign on the long table near the front window. Attendance is free and more details are available on Eventbrite.
Monday, February 2
“Center Aging: Monday Coffee Klatch” will be at 10 a.m. on Zoom. This is a social hour for older LGBTQ+ adults. Guests are encouraged to bring a beverage of choice. For more information, contact Adam (adamheller@thedccenter.org).
Tuesday, February 3
Universal Pride Meeting will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This group seeks to support, educate, empower, and create change for people with disabilities. For more information, email [email protected].
Wednesday, February 4
Job Club will be at 6 p.m. on Zoom upon request. This is a weekly job support program to help job entrants and seekers, including the long-term unemployed, improve self-confidence, motivation, resilience and productivity for effective job searches and networking — allowing participants to move away from being merely “applicants” toward being “candidates.” For more information, email [email protected] or visit thedccenter.org/careers.
Center Aging Women’s Social and Discussion Group will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This group is a place where older LGBTQ+ women can meet and socialize with one another. There will be discussion, activities, and a chance for guests to share what they want future events to include. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website.
Thursday, February 5
The DC Center’s Fresh Produce Program will be held all day at the DC Center for the LGBT Community. People will be informed on Wednesday at 5:00 pm if they are picked to receive a produce box. No proof of residency or income is required. For more information, email [email protected] or call 202-682-2245.
Virtual Yoga Class will be at 7 p.m. on Zoom. This free weekly class is a combination of yoga, breath work and meditation that allows LGBTQ+ community members to continue their healing journey with somatic and mindfulness practices. For more details, visit the DC Center’s website.
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