Arts & Entertainment
Calendar: events through next weekend
The Roches, a sister act from New Jersey, play the Birchmere Dec. 17. (Photo courtesy of the Roches)
Friday
Trumpet Grrrl will be live at Baked & Wired (1052 Thomas Jefferson St.) from 7 to 9 p.m. This will be the first time Trumpet Grrrl performs with a full band. This is a free event.
Mautner Project will be hosting a dance and learn fundraiser at the Chevy Chase Ballroom and DanceSport Center (5207 Wisconsin Ave., N.W.) today from 8:30 to 11 p.m. Admission is $15 and will go to Mautner Project for all attendees who say they are there for the organization. Mini-classes in salsa, swing, waltz or fox trot argentine tango, will be offered.
She.Rex will be at Chief Ike’s (1725 Columbia Rd., N.W.) tonight from 9:30 p.m. to 3 a.m. This is a free event.
Apex (1415 22nd St., N.W.) presents Club Christmas, a holiday dance party with DJ Randy White. Attendees can sit on shirtless Santa’s lap and get a free photo. There is a $10 cover.
Secrets and MightyMen.com present “Big Brother” reality TV star and gay rodeo champion-turned-porn star, Steven Daigle, live tonight at 9 p.m. VIP passes will be available for $20 and include access to the VIP lounge, access to a waiter, a complimentary drink, a meet and greet with Daigle and a special performance. Visit secretsdc.com to sign up for a VIP pass. There will be a $5 cover before 10:30 p.m. and $10 after.
The Bethesda Art Walk is tonight from 6 to 9 p.m. and features 10 galleries that will stay open late in downtown Bethesda.
Kandi from “Real Housewives of Atlanta” will be at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) tonight. Town is also having its monthly So You Think You’re a Drag Queen contest tonight. Contestants should arrive at 10 p.m. Cover is $5 before 11 p.m. for those who are 21 and over and $10 after. It’s $10 all night for those 18-20.
Saturday, Dec. 11
AQUA D.C. will be holding its annual holiday party and membership meeting tonight at 1829 Phelps Place, N.W., from 7 to 10 p.m. E-mail [email protected] or call Andrew at 202-294-3456 or DeeJay at 571-292-7966 with questions.
Cosponsored by Domku Bar & Café and CoreHaus D.C., the Upshur Street Arts Fair is today from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the 800 block of Upshur St., N.W.
Girls Rock! D.C. is hosting a cheap art sale today from 1 to 8 p.m. at La Casa (3166 Mt. Pleasant St., N.W.). All art will be $50 or less and 50 percent of the proceeds will be donated to Girls Rock! D.C. For more information, visit girlsrockdc.org or e-mail [email protected]
Pamala Stanley will be performing at Cobalt (1639 R St., N.W.) tonight at 9 p.m. There will be a $7 cover.
Ten LGBT groups are co-hosting a “Mega Skate Night and Social” tonight at 5:45 p.m. at the Ballston Common Mall in Arlington. The event will start with an hour of skating at the Capitals Complex and then move onto Bailey’s Pub in the mall. All beers will be $1 off and the pool tables will be free to use. Skating costs $8 plus $3 for skate rental. For more information, visit DCIceBreakers.org.
The Proud Bookstore (39 Baltimore Ave.) in Rehoboth will be hosting a five-author book signing today from 3 to 5 p.m. The authors scheduled to appear are Renee Bess, Lisa Gitlin, Sheri Reynolds, Stefani Deoul and Fay Jacobs.
DJs Ralphi Rosario and Abel will be at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) tonight for Winter Wonderland. Doors open at 10 p.m. and the drag show starts at 10:30. Cover is $8 before 11 p.m. and $12 after.
Allie Wilson and Jacob Nathaniel Pring present “Cotton Candy” at Green Lantern (1335 Greem Court, N.W.) tonight at 10 p.m. DJs David Merrill and Bryan Yamasaki will be providing music. This is a 18 and older party and admission is $5.
Sunday, Dec. 12
The D.C. Center is partnering with Human Rights Campaign for its National Capital Area holiday party at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) tonight from 7 to 10 p.m.
Pocket Gays is hosting its monthly party, Cake Face Sunday School today from 3 to 9 p.m. on the rooftop of Local 16. This month is in celebration of pocket Devon’s birthday. The roof is enclosed and heated. Music will be provided by DJ Keenan. This is a free event.
Church of the Holy City (1611 16th St., N.W.) will have a Christmas art concert today at 3:30 p.m. The concert will feature Gilda Kornhauser, Aman Shankardass and teenage musicians and singers. A reception will follow. This is a free event. For more information, visit swedenborgcenter.org.
Georgetown jingle is tonight from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Four Seasons Hotel Washington. There will be a VIP/Sponsor reception from 4 to 5 p.m. There will be a silent auction, a performance by Pamala Stanley and more. Tickets can be purchased at georgetownjingle.com and range from $50 to $350.
Monday, Dec. 13
The Choral Arts Society of Washington presents “Christmas Music: The Treasured Holiday Tradition” at the Kennedy Center concert hall (2700 F St., N.W.) tonight at 7 p.m. This event will be followed by the CASW 30th annual Holiday Gala. Tickets range from $15 to $65 and can be purchased at kennedy-center.org.
The American City Diner (5532 Connecticut Ave., N.W.) will be showing the film “Pretty Woman” starring Julia Roberts and Richard Gere. The movie starts at 8 p.m. The full menu will be available. Admission is free. For more information, visit americancitydiner.com.
Tuesday, Dec. 14
SpeakeasyDC will be hosting an open mic night tonight at 8 p.m. at Town (2009 8th St., N.W.) featuring stories about being a guest, having guests and hospitality. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. This event will be catered by Nellie’s.
Join Burgundy Crescent Volunteers to help pack safer sex kits from 7 to 9 p.m. tonight at FUK!T’s new packing location Green Lantern, 1335 Green Ct., N.W.
Street/Studio 2.0 is an exhibit which showcases artists who work in unconventional sites and media. It will be on display at Irvine Contemporary (1412 14th St., N.W.) The gallery is open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. or by appointment.
Wednesday, Dec. 15
SAGE Metro D.C. is hosting “LGBT and Home for the Holidays: designing and remodeling your home to stay independent for the holidays and beyond,” today at Residences at Thomas Circle from 8 to 9:30 a.m. Bill Millholland, executive vice president of Case Design and Remodeling will be the featured speaker.
The Studio Theatre presents “Superior Donuts” by Tracy Letts and starring Richard Cotovsky and Johnny Ramey, in his Studio Theatre debut, tonight at 8 p.m. Donuts is about a hippie who owns a donut shop and how a new employee changes his life. Tickets range from $35 to $50 and can be purchased at studiotheatre.org.
Thursday, Dec. 16
Penn State LGBTA Alumni Association will be having a holiday happy hour tonight at Nellie’s (900 U St., N.W.) at 6 p.m.
The Philips Collection (1600 21st St., N.W.) will have conservator Dana Hemmenway tonight for “TruthBeauty: Pictorialism and the Photograph as Art, 1845-1945” at 6:30 p.m. The discussion is included in admission to the exhibit. Admission is $12 for adults, $10 for students and visitors 62 and over and free for members and visitors 18 and under.
A John Waters Christmas will be having an encore performance tonight at 7:30 p.m. at the Birchmere in Alexandria. Tickets are $45 and can be purchased at birchmere.com.
Friday, Dec. 17
The Roches will be performing at the Birchmere (3701 Mount Vernon Ave.) in Alexandria tonight at 7:30 p.m. Lucy Wainwright Roche will be opening. Tickets are $35 and can be purchased at birchmere.com.
The Gay Men’s Chorus production “Men in Tights: A Pink Nutcracker” opens tonight at 8 p.m. at Lisner Auditorium at George Washington University.
Saturday, Dec. 18
Dan Noel will be celebrating his 50th birthday and has chosen Mautner Project as a beneficiary for his birthday benefit at Cloud 9 (234 Rehoboth Ave.) in Rehoboth tonight at 9 p.m. There is a suggested donation of $10 and the proceeds will go to Mautner Project and AIDS Delaware.
Sunday, Dec. 19
Eatonville Restaurant (2121 14th St., N.W.) will be holding another installation of its monthly series, Food and Folklore, which intertwines storytelling and food, tonight at 6:30 p.m. This month is Gullah with Charlotte Jenkins, author of “Gullah Cuisine.” To purchase tickets, visit eatonvillerestaurant.com
Lambda Divers will be having its monthly happy hour at Nellie’s (900 U St., N.W.) tonight from 5 to 7 p.m. $1 from every Nellie beer sold goes to Lambda Divers.
Blog #1: I was excited about my trip even though Gate 1 Travel notified me there was a change in the itinerary. France decided to close the Burgundy canal for long overdue repairs, so we would be traveling on the C. du Rhone au Rhin. I boarded my Air France flight arriving in Paris on time. Contrary to what I was told to expect, customs went really smoothly.
Day 1: Because customs went quickly, I waited 45 minutes for my pre-arranged driver, to take me to the Gare de Lyon, where I boarded my fast-train to Lyon. A two-hour trip. In Lyon it was a long walk to the hotel, The Radisson Blu, but only because I exited the station on the wrong side. Finally got there, checked into a room on the 36th floor with a spectacular view of Lyon. Then took a stroll around the area, a short nap, and finally it was time for dinner and to meet the rest of the traveling party. There would only be 13 of us in the group. Five of us from D.C./Rehoboth, and eight others. I met our guide Patricia, who is from Portugal, and spoke fluent French and English. She is charming, and clearly very knowledgeable. She worked with Gate 1 for many years. We stayed at the hotel for our welcome dinner. It was a great meal, and over drinks, each of us was asked to introduce ourselves to the group. Aside from the five of us, there were three women traveling alone, one gentleman alone, and two couples. They were from New Jersey, New York, Florida, Houston, and Nebraska. I was sitting across from the woman from Nebraska. Conversation at dinner was pleasant but I quickly realized one person was apparently a MAGA. Wonder if you can guess where she was from, lol. But we also found if we didn’t talk politics, which we agreed not to do, things were fine. After dinner we all headed to our rooms for a good night’s sleep.
DAY 2: We woke to beautiful weather. I headed to the included breakfast at the hotel, which was really very good. After breakfast we boarded a bus for a tour of Lyon. We had a full-size bus for just the 13 of us. Our guide for the half day tour, was Vincent, and he is charming and young, and told us his fiancé lives in Lyon. He was incredibly knowledgeable. We began at the Basilica, which is being repaired on the outside, but the inside is, wow! Incredible stained glass, and there was a service going on in one of the smaller side chapels which I l listened to for a bit. The Basilica is high on the hill and the views of Lyon are spectacular from there. Then we headed to the old city and walked around for an hour, ending up at the smaller cathedral. Directly in front of it they had set up a great market, mostly food, which would be there for a week. Lyon is a foodie paradise, with, we were told, a restaurant, or at least coffee shop, for every 250 people. We then had a choice of staying in town, or going back to the hotel on the bus, which I did. The afternoon and evening were free time to do as we pleased. I headed to the Les Halles du Lyon Paul Bocuse, named after the famous chef, to take a look around. It is a large market with small restaurants connected to most of the stalls. It was charming. I then headed to the huge three-story mall across from our hotel and walked around for an hour. Then caught up on some emails, and writing, and met my friends, Paul and Martin, John and Dan, for dinner at 6. We went to a really nice Bistro, which John had found, two tram stops away from the hotel, and enjoyed some drinks and a relaxed dinner. The owner of the place found us a waitress who spoke great English, which made ordering really easy. After a two-hour great meal, we headed back to the hotel. Riding a tram in Lyon is easy, you just need to use your credit card. It is an honor system. Back at the hotel I headed to my room and packed, our luggage had to be outside the door by 8:00 am the next morning. I set my alarm for 6:30 so I had time to eat at the buffet breakfast. Then it was on the bus to head to our barge.
Baltimore
This John Waters interview has been edited for readability — but perhaps not human decency
Pope of Trash dishes on Trump, plane etiquette, last meal, and more
By WESLEY CASE | At 80 years old, John Waters is still the ideal dinner guest — incisively sharp, quick-witted and funny as hell.
The chic Baltimore native proved it again and again in a recent Zoom interview, calling from his summer home in Provincetown, Mass.
The occasion was the Blu-ray releases of two of his movies — the 1977 dark comedy “Desperate Living” and his enduring 1988 musical “Hairspray” — on June 23 by the Criterion Collection, which publishes restorations of films it deems culturally important. The Criterion stamp of approval has become the gold standard among cinephiles.
“It’s like getting an award,” said Waters, who wrote and directed both films.
The rest of this article can be read on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
The Washington Blade held the seventh annual Pride on the Pier at The Wharf DC on Saturday, June 13.
(Washington Blade photos by Landon Shackelford)
Corporate LGBTQ Pride 2026 on life support
Pride is here!
Dwayne Bensing looks to make history in Delaware AG race
Corporate America caves to Trump, abandons Pride
Traveling by barge through France
PHOTOS: Lost River Pride
PHOTOS: Pride on the Pier
The advantages of owning your home
David Archuleta on Mormon faith, ‘Idol,’ more in new book
