Arts & Entertainment
‘Queer Eye’ cast takes over D.C.
The Fab Four, minus Karamo Brown, visited in support of the Equality Act
The cast of “Queer Eye” took a trip to D.C. this week where they gave a panel discussion on LGBT youth issues at the Library of Congress, advocated for the Equality Act with lawmakers on Capitol Hill and took touristy cherry blossom photos.
Bobby Berk, Tan France, Antoni Porowski
The group also visited the Rayburn House Office Building at the Capitol where they met up with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
The meeting may have been the result of Berk offering on Twitter to redecorate Ocasio-Cortez’s Capitol Hill office. Ocasio-Cortez was quick to accept.
“Swing by our office!” she tweeted. “We’ve barely had time to hang anything up, three of my staffers are expecting babies, and we’ve got a bach pad/warehouse type situation out here. SOS!”
Swing by our office!
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) April 2, 2019
We’ve barely had time to hang anything up, three of my staffers are expecting babies, and we’ve got a bach pad/warehouse type situation out here. ? SOS!
(The good news is that people are leaving a rainbow of positive post-its on our wall so that’s cute) https://t.co/vOHE6tHuMA
Of course, the Fab Four also made time for the touristy sites while visiting D.C. They snapped plenty of photos at the monuments and the cherry blossoms which they posted on social media.
Their visit excited plenty of people including Pete Buttigieg’s husband Chasen who hoped the Fab Four could help him pick an outfit for the HRC gala on Saturday. Berk sadly declined because their schedules were too packed.
Awww! We’d love too, but sadly packed back to back today ?
— Bobby Berk (@bobbyberk) April 4, 2019
Brandi Holtby, the wife of Capitals goalie Braden Holtby, invited the cast to a Capitals game on Thursday night but it appears their schedules didn’t allow them to accept the invitation.
Hey @QueerEye, want to come to the Caps game with me tonight? ??
— Brandi Holtby (@bbholtby) April 4, 2019
It’s unclear why Karamo Brown, the fifth member of the Fab Five, wasn’t on the trip. However, the culture expert did post some tweets that hinted it could be because of a difference in political views.
“The thing I love about the #Fab5 the most is that we all don’t hold the same view but we respect each other and the process,” Brown tweeted. “For me,
The thing I love about the #Fab5 the most is that we all don't hold the same view but we respect each other and the process.
— Karamo Brown (@Karamo) April 4, 2019
For me, its important to champion leaders who understand the importance of speaking the truth and who also understand that our democracy is a bipartisan system & in order to see sustainable change U must find a way to work w/ the other side while not disrespecting your own party
— Karamo Brown (@Karamo) April 4, 2019
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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Comings & Goings
Minimal version of ‘Streetcar Named Desire’ heading to Dupont Underground
