Best Gay New York

Barbra Streisand to Play Brooklyns Barclay Center

Best of Gay New York City — Wed, 09 May 2012 12:32:44 GMT

BARBRA STREISAND COMES HOME: Brooklyn's Favorite Daughter to Perform at Barclays Center.

The Brooklyn-born and raised, world-acclaimed superstar will perform a concert on Thursday, October 11th, in Brooklyn at Barclays Center, the new 19,000-seat sports and entertainment venue.

Streisand will be making a triumphant return to her native borough. Raised in the Flatbush neighborhood and a graduate of Erasmus Hall High School, Streisand will perform publicly for the first time in Brooklyn.

Streisand stated, "Brooklyn to me means the Loews Kings, Erasmus, the Yeshiva I went to, the Dodgers, Prospect Park, great Chinese food. I'm so glad I came from Brooklyn‚ down to earth. I guess you CAN come home again."

"When I first thought about building an arena in Brooklyn, I always envisioned Barbra Streisand coming home to take center-stage in her native borough," said Barclays Center majority owner and developer Bruce Ratner. "It's humbling and almost surreal to welcome arguably the greatest entertainer of all-time to Barclays Center. Barbra is Brooklyn and there's nowhere more fitting for her to perform. This will be a night to remember."

"Barbra Streisand in Brooklyn will be a huge moment and a defining experience for Barclays Center," said Barclays Center CEO Brett Yormark. "We are truly honored to bring Barbra full circle, to the borough where it all started for her, just down Flatbush Avenue from her old neighborhood. We are continuing our goal to bring the best of everything to Barclays Center. Brooklyn, after all, deserves nothing less."

Tickets for the Streisand concert will go on sale shortly. You can sign up here for an opportunity to get exclusive access to tickets now. Tickets will also be available through Ticketmaster or by by calling 800-745-3000. NETS All Access ticket holders will have the opportunity to purchase tickets for the concerts before the general public. Tickets will be available to the general public on May 21 at 10am EDT.

http://brooklyn.barbrastreisand.com/

Help Nick Adams Raise $$$ For AIDS Walk NY

Best of Gay New York City — Tue, 08 May 2012 00:12:50 GMT

How can you resist that face???

Every year BEST GAY NEW YORK.com supports the AIDS WALK New York. (May 20, 2012)

AND since we are huge fans of Priscilla, and secretly in love with NICK ADAMS (ok, so it's not a secret) we like to put our support behind Nick for the AIDS WALK.

Nick gives, and gives and gives whenever he can to great causes like Broadway Bares and AIDS WALK NY. (He has even been crowned Broadway Hero by GayLifeNYC.org.) "I enjoy giving my time to great causes, and it makes me feel good to know I can help in some way."

Nick sent us this note, to share with our readers....

Hello!

Last year I participated in AIDS WALK NY and with your help was able to raise over $20,000! This year I want to surpass that total.

I'm offering backstage tours of the Palace theatre at Priscilla Queen of the Desert to donations of $500 or more!

I'll personally take you backstage after a performance and show you behind the scenes of our hit Broadway musical!

Simply make your tax deductible contribution of $500 or more to my personal page here http://t.co/Mc3EExFF

Then send me your confirmation email from AIDS WALK NY once you've received it and I'll

coordinate a date that works for us!

Thank you!

Xoxo

Nick Adams

Nick Adams' Donation Page for AIDS WALK NYC

Broadway Sings for Pride...and Anti-Bullying May 6th

Best of Gay New York City — Sat, 05 May 2012 13:38:00 GMT

TADA! YOUTH THEATER is pleased to present, (in conjunction with the now playing world premiere musical UP TO YOU), ITS UP TO YOU, a open forum event on Sunday, May 6, 2012 at 11am to discuss bullying through leadership, moderated by Miss New York Kaitlin Monte, featuring an special opening number from BROADWAY SINGS FOR PRIDE (http://bwaypride.org). The event is free and parents and kids are especially encouraged to attend. Miss New York Kaitlin Monte has spent the year engaging discussion in schools and working with State Senator Klein to create legislative reform. Reservations can be made at www.tadatheater.com.

BROADWAY SINGS FOR PRIDE cast members slated to sing in the opening number will include: Ken Alston Jr. (Off Broadway's Three Mo' Tenors), JR Bruno (West Side Story, Book of Mormon National Tour), Michael Cusumano (Chicago), Lauren Elder (Hair Revival), John Edwards (Jersey Boys), Russell Fischer (Jersey Boys), Tony Gonzalez (Mamma Mia), Amy Hamlin (Radio City Christmas Spectacular), Michele Mais (Rock of Ages), Anthony Lee Medina (Spring Awakening National Tour, The Public's The Capeman in the Park), Fred Ross (* Need credit), LaQuet Sharnell (Lysistrata Jones), Allison Siko (Kathleen Stabler on NBC's "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"), Courter Simmons (Jersey Boys), MJ Rodriguez (Off Broadway's Rent Revival). Broadway vocal coach Michael Lavine will serve as musical director. This portion is being produced by NealB.tv (www.NeaB.tv)

Shortly following the forum will be 2pm performance of TADA! Youth Theater's World Premiere of UP TO YOU, with book and music by Eric Rockwell, lyrics by Joanne Bogart and directed by Janine Nina Trevens. Like all TADA! musicals, UP TO YOU is a professionally produced off-Broadway musical performed for kids, by kids; and dealing with topics relevant to kids and their experiences. UP TO YOU takes place in 1977 during elections for the student council at Hamilton High. It examines several relevant issues facing young people today including peer acceptance, verbal bullying, stereotyping based on activities you take part in, and wanting to be popular. Through the course of the musical the narrator, Eric, is bullied because of rumors about his sexuality and because he wont go along with the in crowd. The story, loosely based on some of Mr. Rockwells own high school experiences, emphasizes the idea that each individual can make a difference for themselves and the community at large in a fun, entertaining, age-appropriate and approachable way.

UP TO YOU plays the following schedule through Sunday, May 20:

Saturdays and Sundays at 2pm & 4pm
Added performance on Friday May 18 at 7pm. There is no performance on Sunday May 13.

Tickets for UP TO YOU are only $15 for adults and $8 for children; Premium tickets (also available for every performance) are $25 for adults and $15 for children and feature priority seating and support TADA!s programming. Tickets are now available online at www.tadatheater.com/currentseason.asp. Tickets may also be purchased in-person one hour prior to performance. Non-Profit Group rates start at $6 per child for groups of 20+; birthday party packages are also available. UP TO YOU is recommended for ages 5 and over.

Running Time: approximately 60 minutes

Website: www.tadatheater.com

Big Gay Hudson Valley - Pride in Upstate New York May 25-27

Best of Gay New York City — Wed, 02 May 2012 14:57:00 GMT

Big Gay Hudson Valley (BGHV), the region’s premier source for gay & lesbian information & resources in the Hudson Valley, has unveiled the plans for its fourth annual Pride Preview Weekend. Last year, more than 700 people gathered to kick-off gay pride season with BGHV. For 2012, more than 1,000 guests will celebrate with three days of events that will run from Friday, May 25th to Sunday, May 27th of Memorial Day Weekend.

The weekend’s events are all detailed on BigGayHudsonValley.com, and include:

Friday, May 25th - Pride Preview Kick-Off Party at the Out Bar [Event info on Facebook]
Saturday, May 26th - Pride Preview Cruise on the Hudson onboard Empire Cruise Line’s Mystere [Event info on Facebook]
Sunday, May 27th – Pride Preview Party at the Locust Grove Estate [Event info on Facebook]

The weekend’s capstone event – the Pride Preview Party – has drawn crowds in excess of 650+ in years past. It is a BYO picnic and attendees are encouraged to pack a picnic dinner to share with their friends. Locust Grove’s gorgeous estate grounds and gardens also warmly welcome dogs (on a leash, please) and children. While a bar will not be set up on site, those of the legal drinking age are invited to pack their favorite adult beverage of choice to be enjoyed on the lawn during the event.

Entertainment for the evening includes live performances by the Hudson Valley’s very-own DJ Ali, Drag Bingo Cabaret with Trixie Starr & Ophelia Nightly of the Hudson Pride Foundation, and our headliner – straight from NYC – acclaimed gay performer and music producer DJ Cazwell.

Metro-North Railroad and Poughkeepsie’s Holiday Inn Express are offering special weekend get-away packages from New York City. For more information about Pride Preview Weekend, booking accommodations, or to purchase tickets for select events in advance, visit BigGayHudsonValley.com.

Sean Stewart from ABT Talks with HIV Hero.org

Best of Gay New York City — Tue, 01 May 2012 16:40:25 GMT

Born in Mt. Holly, New Jersey and raised in California, Sean Stewart joined American Ballet Theatre as a member of the corps de ballet in 1997.

He began dancing at the age of 10 with Lisa Clark, started ballet at 12 with Yanina Cywinska, and went on to study at Joffrey II and the Paris Opera Ballet School. He participated in summer programs for The Joffrey Ballet in San Antonio and the Bolshoi Ballet at Vail.

Stewart left ABT in 2002. But Stewart rejoined American Ballet Theatre in January 2008.

He will perform in the new season starting this month.

He sat down with Michael Cavnaugh of GayLifeNYC.org / HIVHero.org, to chat about growing up, bullying, his alternative diets and his support of HIV organizations.

WATCH SEAN NOW!

Priscilla To hold BIGGEST FAN Party May 10th

Best of Gay New York City — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 19:53:37 GMT

ARE YOU PRISCILLA'S BIGGEST FAN?

Prove it!

for a chance to win one of 50 invitations to the PRISCILLA FAN PARTY with members of the cast!

We couldn't have gotten this far without you!

Here's how to enter: Just e-mail us at
PriscillaBroadway@gmail.com

by May 2nd with why you think you're PRISCILLA's biggest fan, and accompany your e-mail with a photo that proves it. Post them both to our Facebook timeline for a second chance to win! If selected, you and a guest will be invited to glam it up for a special night of celebrating!!

The party will be held at the theatre on Thursday, May 10th, immediately after the performance.

Make sure you're available to attend before you enter!

xo

Priscilla on Facebook
Priscilla on Broadway

Diana Ross - Her Famous Central Park Concert on DVD

Gay Lesbian LGBT Travel — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 17:21:00 GMT

"Now, almost 30 years later, I can still say Central Park was one of the peak experiences of my career, an historical event — RAIN AND SHINE."
- Diana Ross

On July 21, 1983, Diana Ross—already a legendary superstar for more than two decades—arrived in all her radiant glory on the makeshift Central Park stage and began singing her heart out, for 800,000+ fans.

From her first number, Diana had the audience’s love. She wanted to give them her all and she was well on her way, but nature had something else in mind. What started as a hair-whipping wind and bothersome drizzle soon became a threatening torrential downpour.

Diana—soaked through and through but never leaving the open-air stage—braved the rain as long as she could, but ultimately put an end to the show at the halfway mark. Not one to disappoint, Diana promised to return the next day. And she did! Over the two day event it was estimated that over a million fans attended the two concerts.

Now, with the release of Diana Ross—Live In Central Park by Shout! Factory, the entire spectacular concert, and the rain-shortened concert that preceded it, will be made available for the first time on DVD.

Best of New York Deals and Discounts on Shows and Attractions

Best of Gay New York City — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 17:33:03 GMT

Let BestOfNewYork.com be your online guide to seeing the top New York City attractions on your next visit. Whether it’s museums, parks and zoos you want to see, or maybe its theaters, walking tours, architecture and shopping boutiques you have on your New York attractions to-do list, BestOfNewYork.com is the perfect place to find discount tickets to some of New York City’s most popular attractions.

Their comprehensive list of New York City attractions features all the information you’ll need to decide on what sightseeing experiences are best for you. With detailed descriptions of each attraction, plus tour highlights, photos, schedules and special deals, they have the best attractions in New York covered for you to see.

Are you embarking on a vacation to New York City? Maybe with Family or friends? They have a great directory of family-friendly tours – from guided bike rides through Central Park and cruises across New York Harbor to tours of the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building.

There is something for everyone, with enough attractions to keep you coming back again and again! Take a look around BestOfNewYork.com to read about fun attractions and find great ticket specials for sightseeing in New York City.

"Amazing life-like wax figures of more than 200 celebrities and historical figures famed around the world!"

A trip to New York isn't complete without a brush with celebrity. The wax figures at Madame Tussauds NY are world-renowned for their incredible likeness to celebrities and historical figures.

20% off tickets!

BestOfNewYork.com has a detailed guide that highlights all the best Broadway shows. From the latest hits to the classic showstoppers, find the show for you with our show descriptions, videos, photos,
schedules and excellent discount offers.
They make sure you find the best deal for Broadway show tickets.

BestofNewYork.com can get you numerous hotel deals, popular tour discounts and fantastic pricing on the top attractions. Their site is full of all kinds of useful information, whether your planning a trip here for the first time and you live here and just looking for some great discounts.
Boat tours, bike tours, walking tours, it's ALL HERE.
BestofNewYork.com is all you need!

AIDS Walk New York 2012 May 20th

Best of Gay New York City — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 21:53:00 GMT

In it's 27 years, AIDS Walk New York has inspired nearly 845,000 people to walk, and millions more to donate, raising more than $122 million to combat HIV and AIDS.

The funds raised at the event remain a vital lifeline that sustains GMHC's prevention, care, and advocacy programs for the thousands of men, women, and families affected by the disease in the tri-state area.

AIDS Walk New York is the largest single-day AIDS fundraising event in the world.

Visit gmhc.org to learn more about its life-sustaining programs and services.

WALK 2012 takes place May 20th!

There are lots of ways YOU can get involved!

Find out at AIDS WALK New York

Priscilla Fans Speak Out - Best Night on Broadway!

Best of Gay New York City — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 19:00:26 GMT

One year + and going strong!

Priscilla is still Broadways current smash hit musical.

EVERYONE agree's - it is the MUST SEE SHOW!

Fabulous, fun and fantastic, you can't help but love Priscilla and the marvelous cast!

It's the BEST NIGHT ON BROADWAY.

And right now get SPRING SAVINGS
with tickets as low as $43

Go to Priscilla on Broadway
and use code FAB5

Going Down in La La Land Opens Friday April 20th

Best of Gay New York City — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 21:54:41 GMT

"Going Down in LA-LA Land"
opens in New York this Friday

at Cinema Village, 22 East 12th St.

Friday April 20th. 7PM (7.30PM showtime)
This will be our opening night premiere screening. Get your photograph taken on the red carpet outside the theater, join the conversation with writer/director Casper Andreas and stars Matthew Ludwinski and Allison Lane after the screening. Then off to the opening night party at XL Club with open bar from 10 to 11. Get a giftbag stuffed with goodies! Tickets are still available via the Kickstarter campagin, which ends today.

Saturday April 21st. 7.30PM
This screening is presented by New York's premiere gay film festival Newfest. Q&A to follow the screening with Casper, Matthew, and Allison. Then we are off to G Lounge where all ticket-holders will be offered an open bar from 10 to 11.

Sunday April 22nd. 3PM
This screening is presented by The Men Event. It will be followed by a Q&A with Casper, Matthew and Allison. Then we will meet up at Boxers after the screening where your ticketstub will get you a free beer.

www.cinemavillage.com

Glbt Travel Expo in New York May 5

Best of Gay New York City — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 15:08:55 GMT

GLBT TRAVEL EXPO! - FREE Admission!

The 2012 Travel Expo Tour is an exciting event where you can learn about new travel destinations, rediscover old ones, find glbt friendly travel providers and get information to plan your next vacation.

Airlines
Hotels
Trains
Cruise lines
Car Rentals
Resorts
Exotic Destinations
Convention & Visitors Bureaus
Travel Magazines

Attendees will be able to get the latest travel information, get special travel packages and great deals from the very best travel providers as well as win great prizes.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Thursday – May 3, 2012 - The William Way Center.

New York , New York - Saturday May 5, 2012 - The LGBT Center. 12-5pm

We are pleased to announce Carlos as the winner of the GlbtTravel Store's Male Model Contest!

Carlos won a professional travel themed photo shoot, $300 cash and will star in the Arrive in Style presentation at the glbt Travel Expo, NYC, on May 5th, 2012. You'll be seeing and getting to know more about the star model in the near future.

A big round of applause and three cheers for Carlos!

First & Only Museum of Gay & Lesbian Art Launches in New York City

Best of Gay New York City — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 15:07:46 GMT

Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art in New York City Receives Museum Accreditation from

State of New York

Even well after the cultural wars of the mid 1980’s, the representation of sexual difference in art has been aggressively policed. And America's museums, with few notable exceptions, have been silent in the face of what is now the most vocal contemporary civil rights frontier. But there has never been a shortage of gay and lesbian art on display in America's museums; what has been lacking is the courage to articulate that fact and to illustrate how the artist’s sexuality influenced his/her art. Now, for the first time, a new museum in New York will finally show what has been hiding in plain sight. With the recent accreditation by the State of New York as an official Museum, the Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art (MoGLA) has become the first and only museum of gay and lesbian art in the world.

Charles Leslie and his late partner Fritz Lohman – who organized their first small exhibition of gay art the same year as the Stonewall riots in 1969 – founded the new Museum with their multi-million dollar gift. It is now run by a Board of Directors, helmed by Prof. Jonathan David Katz, the co-curator of the recent Hide/Seek - the first major museum exhibit to focus on themes of gender and sexuality in modern American portraiture. The Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art focuses on gender and sexuality, in the still relatively unexplored historical, socio-political and cultural context in which these gay and lesbian artists lived.

“While until recently, queer art exhibitions assumed an audience of mostly queer visitors, a new generation of queer cultural institutions instead seeks to make queer art visible to a mainstream audience. If we learned anything from the record setting attendance of Hide/Seek it was that people of all stripes were hungry for precisely the information the big museums have been censoring for decades now,” said Katz.

The museum has announced an aggressive programming schedule for the Fall of 2012, featuring the first major American retrospective of transgender photographer Del LaGrace Volcano. (http://www.dellagracevolcano.com/index.html). Widely exhibited in European museums, the American- born Volcano has been almost completely ignored in this country, and represents, according to Katz, “exactly the rationale for this new museum.” This fall will also see a major exhibit of legendary American artist Paul Thek’s early work in the context of his gay social circle of the fifties and sixties, and will include many works never exhibited before. While there was an exhibit of Paul Thek’s work at the Whitney Museum in 2010-11, these early works were not shown. “This will be the first exhibition of Thek ever mounted that reveals how powerfully his gayness structured his early work,” said Katz. (There will be a separate announcement about these shows coming later.).

The Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art has a permanent collection of more than 6,000 objects spanning more than three centuries of gay and lesbian art. The new museum will mount historical, thematic, and survey exhibitions drawn not only from its permanent collection but also from museums and private collections around the world. Its programs include 6-8 major exhibitions a year, film screenings, plays, poetry readings, artist and curator talks, panel discussions, THE ARCHIVE (a quarterly newsletter focusing on gay and lesbian art and artists), a membership program, a research library and an archive of the permanent collection.

Though newly accredited as the first dedicated gay and lesbian art museum in the world, the Leslie/Lohman Gay Art Foundation, founded by Charles W. Leslie and Fritz Lohman, has for more than 20 years, persevered in its mission to exhibit, preserve and foster the works of gay and lesbian art and artists. The new museum will now exhibit and analyze a wider range of art and artists, national and international, while staying true to its mission. A non-profit, membership organization, the museum is committed to offering all of its exhibitions with no admission charge.

Leslie-Lohman Museum of Gay and Lesbian Art (MoGLA)

26 Wooster Street

(btwn Canal & Grand)

New, York, NY 10013

212.431.2609

Gallery Hours: Tues – Sat: Noon-6pm

www.leslielohman.org

Ricky Martin Spices Things up in Evita Revival

Best of Gay New York City — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 01:16:32 GMT

Ricky Martin is receiving some positive reviews for his charming turn as Che in the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical.

According to early reviews, Ricky Martin is all swoon-inducing charm in the Broadway revival of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evita.

Unless you ask the bitter and jaded Rex Reed! Reed describes the production as "sprawling, overproduced, clumsily directed and strangely emotionless." He writes that Andrew Lloyd Webber's music is "derivative" and that Tim Rice's lyrics are "repetitive," reducing the story of Eva Peron to a "second-rate operetta."

The revival, which opened at New York’s Marriot Marquis recently, has already garnered plenty of buzz for its casting of openly gay Martin as the revolutionary Che. But now that early reviews have heaped praise upon Martin (one review called his performance “a supernova of charisma”), the musical will no doubt attract even more ticket-buyers. - Ticket sales have been brisk so far.

ACT UP commemorates 25th Anniversary April 25 with Wall Street protest

Best of Gay New York City — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 00:37:22 GMT

ACT UP COMMEMORATES 25TH ANNIVERSARY
BY RETURNING TO WALL STREET
FOR MASSIVE PROTEST

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 25

To Be Joined by Occupy Wall Street For an End to Financial Crimes
Against People with AIDS and the 99%

To commemorate its 25th anniversary,
the AIDS activist group ACT UP will return to its roots and stage a massive demonstration and march on Wall Street — on Wednesday, April 25 — starting at 11 am at City Hall and ending on Wall Street. Hundreds of protestors are expected to converge for a daylong siege in Lower Manhattan.

ACT UP (The AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) will be joined by Occupy Wall Street (OWS), the organization making history this year and last with its public encampments and series of protests against the global
financial community. The groups are joining forces to pump up the volume on a growing nationwide outcry for a "Financial Speculation Tax" (Fi.S.T.) on Wall Street.

The groups are calling on local, state, and federal legislators to "give Wall Street the FiST," which is needed to fill AIDS funding gaps and — once and for all — provide universal healthcare in the US. It’s time for effective healthcare to be made available to everyone — to the 99%, not just the 1%.

The Fi.S.T. does not target individual investors, and would not affect regular bank transactions. Instead, it would place a small tax — a mere fraction of one percent — on speculative trading by Wall Street investment banks, hedge funds and other large financial institutions.

HIV treatment saves lives — by preventing new infections and keeping those already infected from reaching end-stage AIDS. However, only 44% of people in need worldwide have access to the treatment they need.

More than 8 million people do not. In the United States today, 3,840 people who qualify for federal assistance to pay for HIV treatment are on waiting lists — or in other words, are at risk of dying from AIDS.

"The AIDS crisis is not over," says veteran ACT UP New York member Ann Northrop. "But, we know it could be," she adds. AIDS treatment — when combined with simple prevention interventions — is the key to breaking the back of the epidemic worldwide. In addition to saving lives, early HIV/AIDS treatment reduces the risk of transmission of HIV by 96%. And so, with sufficient funding for treatment and prevention, we can turn the tide on AIDS. Globally, HIV/AIDS has claimed over 30 million lives.

Both ACT UP and OWS suggest the revenue from a Financial Speculation Tax would be significant — potentially in the hundreds of billions of dollars. The revenue from this tax should be used to fund the end of the AIDS pandemic, i.e. to fill in US budget gaps in the fight against HIV/AIDS at home and abroad. It should be used to provide treatment, services and prevention to thousands of Americans and millions around the world. The groups also say the tax could help pay for universal healthcare in the US.

“We are organizing this historic united front to bring our message to governments and to Wall Street financiers who are sitting on the key to ending the AIDS epidemic,” according to Eric Sawyer, a founding member of ACT UP New York.

"There is no excuse. We have the know-how to end AIDS. It is lack of funding and political will that keeps us
from reaching universal access to HIV treatment worldwide."

Additional organizations are expected to join the demonstration in New
York City, including Housing Works, Health GAP, National Nurses
United, OWS Healthcare for the 99% Working Group, Visual AIDS, MIX
NYC, Le Petit Versailles, Queerocracy, Queering OWS and others.

For more info visit www.actupny.com or @actupny on Twitter.