Category Archives: News and Happenings
More News from Fringe Festival – The Boys Upstairs from Jason Mitchell
These three Hell’s Kitchen Boys encounter all of the challenges, thrills, disappointments, tops and bottoms that young adult New York life has to offer.
Seth is falling in love with his older boyfriend while attempting to seek approval from his single best friends.
Ashley feeds on the variety, availability and accessibility of men in Manhattan.
Josh finds inspiration from the antics of his two besties and his own humorously disastrous trials with dating and funnels it all into his newest writing concept.
Just when these three settle into a rhythm of celebrating life and then analyzing it the next morning, they are all thrown for a loop when their incredibly hot neighbor Eric moves in below them. The “is he or isn’t he” question is just one of many that these city boys ponder with style, scandal, and specialty cocktails!
Written by: Jason Mitchell THE BOYS UPSTAIRS will be playing at the The New York International Fringe Festival August 15-28.
Tickets on sale now for $15. For tickets call 866.468.7619 or visit FRINGE NYC.
SoHo Playhouse, 15 Vandam Street
PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE:
SAT 8/15 @ 2:30 – 4:05 SUN 8/16 @ 12:30–2:05
TUE 8/18 @ 7:00–8:35 THUR 8/27 @ 5:00–6:35 FRI 8/28 @ 7:00–8:35
The Best of Gay New York
Jonny “The Gay Pimp” McGovern Debuts One-Man Comedy Show at the 13th Annual New York International Fringe Festival
Comedian Jonny McGovern, star of MTV-LOGO’s Big Gay Sketch Show, debuts a new version of his GLAAD Media Award nominated one-man show, DIRTY STUFF, at the 13th annual New York International Fringe Festival-Fringe NYC. The limited run engagement will take place August 14th through August 30th at The Actors’ Playhouse, 100 Seventh Avenue South, between Bleecker & Christopher Streets.
What do a gay pimp, a blaxploitation movie diva, a spoiled Arab circuit boy, a trailer park superstar wannabe and closeted gay boy have in common? McGovern plays them all in this shockingly un-p.c. tour de farce. DIRTY STUFF sets the lives of these characters into loopy cartoon club crawl through a world where glamour reigns supreme and a fake Chanel bag is worth its weight in gold!
Writer/Performer Jonny McGovern is best known as a cast member on “The Big Gay Sketch Show” produced by Rosie O’Donnell and for his hilarious music videos including “Soccer Practice” and “Somethin’ for the Fellas (That like the Fellas)” which have played on MTV, VH-1 and LOGO. He is also the host of iTunes’ #1 LGBT podcast “Gay Pimpin’ with Jonny McGovern” which reaches 15,000 listeners weekly.
DIRTY STUFF, which will also feature a live DJ, is directed by Courtney Munch who helmed the original production which was nominated for “Best Gay Themed Play” by HX magazine and Best NY Stage Production by The GLAAD Media Awards.
Show times are Friday, August 14th at 10:15pm; Sunday, August 16th at 6:15pm; Wednesday, August 26th at 4:15pm; Thursday, August 27th at 7pm; and Sunday August 30th at 2:45pm.
Tickets are $15. For additional information, please visit FRINGE NYC.
The Best of Gay New York
Janice Dickinson vs. MIMI IMFURST – America’s Next TOP!
I LOVE THIS CITY!
Where else can you go and hang out with hot go-go boys at 4am?
have Sbarro at 5am? Pick up a tranny at 6am?
This city has it all! And creative beyond creative!
OK – so we don’t usaully plug bar nights. I am so OVER $5 pitchers, free well, blah, blah, BLAH! But, when something fun and fabulous comes along, we just have to share in the FUN!
AMERICA’S NEXT TOP! with MIMI IMFURST
Are you a TOP? Are you looking for a top?
will search NYC for AMERICA’S NEXT TOP TOP!
Question/Answer, Best Fake Orgasm, Sexy Strip-Off, & More!
FREE BOOZE, A BIG PRIZE PACKAGE and a secured chance to win $1,000.00!!!!!
Winners from the 8 weeks will be invited back to
compete for the BIG PRIZE: $1,000 IN ACTUAL CASH!!!!
Plus: a photoshoot with WilsonModels.com, a spread in NEXT magazine and VIP LUXURY PRIZE PACKAGE!!!!
will score the contestants based on their performance.
HELLO?!? Why were’nt we invited to judge??
Every time a customer buys a drink- they’ll get an official ballot! So bring your friends!
The more they drink- the more votes you can get- and one step further you’ll be to $1,000
in cold hard cash!!!!!!
Start Time: Wednesday, July 22, 2009 at 10:00pm
End Time: Thursday, July 23, 2009 at 1:00am
Location: DTOX 31 Second Avenue, Between 1st and 2nd New York City
For more information – contact mimiimfurst @ gmail.com
Best of Gay New York
Stonewall Riots Remembered
Yesterday in Times Square on the TKTS stairs some folks did a photo “recreation” of the Stonewall Riots, this weekend being the 40th Anniversary. Participants included Gavin Creel and other cast members from HAIR, sexy chorus boys dressed as sailors, and dancers/voguers from the Federation of Ballroom Houses, who will be featured in this Saturday’s LOVE BALL – the official opening night party of NYC’s Gay Pride – at the Nokia Theater, Times Square .
Hippies, drag queens and white boys were all present at the Stonewall Bar the night of the police raid, which ignited the riots. Remembering the continued need to fight for equal civil rights and marriage equality, performers re-staged this protest in Times Square in an effort to draw attention to this ongoing battle.
The Best of Gay New York
Saint at Large LOVEBALL and Stonewall Anniversary Concert
2 exciting events – one night!
Stonewall: 40th Anniversary Commemorative Concert & Benefit
Sat 27 Jun 2009
8pm
Presented By:
The Saint At Large
Run Time: 2 hours
OUTmusic in assocation with The Saint At Large present
STONEWALL: The 40th Anniv. Commemorative Concert & Benefit
Nokia Theatre – 1515 B’way
8 PM Sat., June 27th til 10 PM
Ticket provides access to LOVE BALL ACCESS BEFORE 9:00 PM ONLY
Gay Pride Weekend Saturday, June 27, 2009 10 pm until dawn Nokia Theatre Times Square
Music by: Alyson Calagna and Chris Cox
Opening DJ Vjuan Allure
Commentator: Jack Mizrahi
Lights by: Guy Smith TICKETS ONLINE NOW!
The Best of Gay New York!
Yorkies Take Manhattan! Follow Schmitty and Pudge in NYC!
Two famous Yorkies, Schmitty and Pudge, invite you to tour New York City. Follow the adventures of these delightful dogs as they visit all of New York City’s famous landmarks. Starting at Grant’s Tomb in Harlem, they head south to visit the Seinfeld gang’s favorite restaurant and then rest their tired paws with a carriage ride through Central Park.
After a hot dog at Gray’s Papaya the pooches bump into Regis on their way down to Times Square to meet the Naked Cowboy before catching a matinee on Broadway. Then it’s off to the Empire State Building for a dog’s eye view of Manhattan. A taxi to Tiffany’s for a little retail therapy is the perfect prelude to an afternoon massage. Nothing caps off a day in NYC better than sitting in Battery Park watching the sunset over the Statue of Liberty.
So when you come to visit NYC keep an eye out for Schmitty and Pudge.
WATCH THE VIDEO and Follow the further adventures of Schmitty and Pudge at Gotta Visit NYC!
The Best of Gay New York!
Homo-Harlem: A Film Retrospective June 19 – 27
With arguments often eerily reminiscent of old rationales for black oppression, gays and lesbians remain openly, legally and even, ‘righteously’, discriminated against.
For lgbt people of all races, knowing ourselves, making our extraordinary history known to others, much as with blacks, becomes a key component to liberation. If lgbt heritage remains often obscured and belittled, achievements of African American lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered people, are less well known still.
In celebration of the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Rebellion, the film festival, Homo-Harlem: A Film Retrospective, Friday, June 19th-Saturday, June 27th, cosponsored by the Maysles Cinema at 343 Malcolm X Boulevard with Men of All Colors Together, seeks to help to remedy this lack of recognition.
Through a series of coordinated screenings, critical discussions and walking tours, Homo-Harlem for the first time officially brings Stonewall observations uptown to focus on and honor, figures as diverse as poets Audre Lorde and Langston Hughes, social justice activist Bayard Rustin, composer Billy Strayhorn, photographer Marvin Smith and living legend Storme DeLarverie, whose courageous stand at the Stonewall Bar, 40 years ago, literally helped set in motion the entire Gay Pride Movement.
We lgbt people have always been busy making Harlem better, as one resident reported in 1928, “Never no wells of loneliness in Harlem…” Space is limited for this exhilarating experience, so be sure to make a reservation in advance and get ready to be enlightened, to be amazed and to party hard!
– Homo-Harlem Curator and Author Michael Henry Adams
$10 Suggested Donation For All Screenings
MORE Information and Complete Schedules at Maysle Institute
The Best of Gay New York
Gay Pride New York City
NEW YORK CITY GAY PRIDE is one the best in the country! And this year is the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots. June 20th – 28th.
THE RALLY
42nd St. & 6th Ave. @ Bryant Park with Marga Gomez
Saturday, June 20th, 2009, 2:00 – 6:00 PM
Garden Party is NYC’s official kick-off to Pride Week, raising much-needed funds that allow the Center to keep its doors open 365 days a year. Started in 1984 with 1,000 donors and friends and one catering company. Nowadays, Garden Party attracts over 2,300 friends and supporters and features 40 food participants. Our celebrity chefs this year include Rebecca Charles (Pearl Oyster Bar), Dave Pasternak (Esca), and Daniel Angerer (Klee Brasserie). And back as the Event Chair this year is Gourmet Editor-in-Chief, Ruth Reichl!
As one of the biggest LGBT tasting festival in the country, Garden Party is definitely a tasty treat you will not want to miss this year. Monday, June 22, 2009 on Pier 54 for delicious food from some of New York’s finest and greatest culinary destinations and food purveyors. 6pm – 10pm. Open Bar. Garden Party Tickets online!
RAPTURE Womens Dance
Pier 54, 13th St @ the West Side Highway – Hudson River Park
Saturday, June 27th, 2009, 6:00 – 11:00 PM
Music by DJ Susan Levine
In its sixth year. Located on Pier 54, this has become a staple Pride event for women in New York City
Peter Rauhofer’s infamous “Work” party has grown significantly over the past several years making its way around the globe with grand-scale events everywhere from Rio to Paris to Miami. On Saturday, June 27, the Grammy Award-winning DJ brings his “Work” party back to where it all started and makes it bigger than ever for New York Pride with “We Can!” at Manhattan’s massive Roseland Ballroom. We Can!” is set to be one of the biggest Saturday Night Pride events New York has ever experienced.
Peter Rauhofer has been playing internationally to packed houses for years but New Yorkers know him best from his legendary Saturday night residency at the now-shuttered Roxy nightclub where he regularly attracted throngs of muscled men, house music devotees and celebrity drop-ins such as Madonna and Beyoncé. “Since Roxy closed it’s doors, the big room experience that New York always had no longer really exists” Rauhofer says. “That’s why I really felt the need to throw this Pride event as it’s the perfect time to bring that experience back to New York”.
No stranger to New York Pride events or spinning alongside Rauhofer, Israeli DJ sensation Offer Nissim will usher in his unique brand of high-energy, fresh tracks. Also debuting new material will be Nissim main Diva Maya, an Israeli star in her own right, who will hit the stage for a late-night powerhouse performance that’s set to leave gay revelers gasping. “This will be a huge production with professional dancers and some surprises,” Maya says of her show.
“This is going to be one of the most impressive events New York has ever seen for Pride,” Rauhofer adds. “There is a lot of production going on behind-the-scenes to ensure this is an experience no one in attendance will forget!”
Picking up the afterhours portion of the party will be veteran disc jock, big-room maestro and longtime production partner of Ralph Falcon, Oscar G. “Ralph and I are releasing solo albums right now, so this was a perfect time for me to step out and deliver a deep, tribal set at the We Can! event to wrap things up in grand style,” Oscar says.
“Since back in the Roxy Days throughout the last ten years I’ve always spun the main Saturday night pride party,” Rauhofer concludes, “It’s the right time to bring that experience back especially since people from all over the world come together for Pride weekend and want to celebrate on a grand scale.”
Peter Rauhofer presents We Can! 10pm-10am Saturday, June 27 at Roseland Ballroom in New York (239 West 52nd Street between Seventh & Eighth Avenues). Advance tickets available at wantickets.com Visit star69records.com for more info.
WANT 2 FREE TICKETS TO PETER RAUHOFER at the ROSELAND?!?!
Leave us a comment on this site in the comments section,
on WHAT GAY PRIDE MEANS TO YOU!
Just a couple sentences is all you need to enter!
ON JUNE 13th, WE’LL PICK A WINNER!!!
PRIDE FEST
Hudson St. between Abingdon Sq. & West 14th St.
Sunday, June 28th, 2009, 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM
THE MARCH! With Cleve Jones.
From 5th Ave. & 52nd St. to Christopher & Greenwich St.
Sunday, June 28, 2009, Noon – End
Moment of Silence: 2:00 PM
DANCE ON THE PIER Pier 54, 13th St @ the West Side Highway – Hudson River Park
Sunday, June 28th, 2009, 4:00 – 10:30 PM, Fireworks
Featuring the music of Phillip Kimball, Jack Reina, and Corey Craig.
The Dance on the Pier was born out of a time when LGBT persons could not dance openly and proudly together. It is a protest set to music, a celebration set to the western skyline and a reminder of how far we’ve come.
NEW YORK CITY PRIDE
The Best of Gay New York
FREE Gay Mens Bootcamp June 13 and June 20 @ Christopher Street Pier
Gay in New York ??
and looking to get toned while meeting other like-minded guys?
Come join the gay boot camp at “boy beach” in the west village! Burn about 800 calories on a Saturday morning with a bunch of sweaty guys on the Christopher Street Pier – for free! Space is limited so don’t waste another second and sign up today!
New York just got a little more fabulous- and a little more fit! A brand new workout craze has hit the city and this time its just for men- Gay men! Laura Miranda’s Gay Men’s Boot Camp is a new outdoor weight loss program complete with fitness instruction, nutritional counseling and motivational training.
The First and only boot camp program devoted entirely to gay men. A homo must! Looking for a way to get buff quick and meet other gay men in New York? Gay Men’s Boot Camp is ready to get you ripped and ready for the boys of summer.
These patented, exclusive, gut-busting, muscle moves are guaranteed to get you fit, toned and rock hard, just in time for summer. A few highlights include: Fire Island Abs in Four Weeks: the best five exercises to get your summer abs in check! Tight Asses are Bad: Well they are when it comes to flexibility. Adding a few simple stretches to your daily grind can, over time, really change the shape, look and feel of your musculature. The Boys of summer are coming- Enlist Now! Gay Men’s Boot Camp gives new meaning to the term drill sergeant. Regardless of your fitness level or work out personality you still have the right to bear arms!
Where: Christopher Street Pier West Village, NYC
Dates: Saturdays, 6/13 and 6/20 Time: 8 – 9 AM
What to bring: yourself, a few friends and a water bottle!
Register: send an email to info@gaymensbootcamp.com
For more information, visit: GAY MENS BOOTCAMP
The Best of Gay New York
Barack Obama Declares June Gay Pride Month…What?
It’s now official.
Barack Obama has declared June
Gay Pride Month.
WHAT DOE’S THAT MEAN??
I LOVE Barack, don’t get me wrong.
I am just not sure what all this means….
In a statement released Monday by the Press Secretary of The White House, President Barack Obama declared June 2009 as national LGBT month.
What exactly does that entail?
What we need Mr. Obama is for you to draft a federal non-discrimination policy!
From THE WHITE HOUSE, Office of the Press Secretary:
Forty years ago, patrons and supporters of the Stonewall Inn in New York City resisted police harassment that had become all too common for members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community. Out of this resistance, the LGBT rights movement in America was born. During LGBT Pride Month, we commemorate the events of June 1969 and commit to achieving equal justice under law for LGBT Americans.
LGBT Americans have made, and continue to make, great and lasting contributions that continue to strengthen the fabric of American society. There are many well-respected LGBT leaders in all professional fields, including the arts and business communities. LGBT Americans also mobilized the Nation to respond to the domestic HIV/AIDS epidemic and have played a vital role in broadening this country’s response to the HIV pandemic.
Due in no small part to the determination and dedication of the LGBT rights movement, more LGBT Americans are living their lives openly today than ever before. I am proud to be the first President to appoint openly LGBT candidates to Senate-confirmed positions in the first 100 days of an Administration. These individuals embody the best qualities we seek in public servants, and across my Administration — in both the White House and the Federal agencies — openly LGBT employees are doing their jobs with distinction and professionalism.
The LGBT rights movement has achieved great progress, but there is more work to be done. LGBT youth should feel safe to learn without the fear of harassment, and LGBT families and seniors should be allowed to live their lives with dignity and respect.
My Administration has partnered with the LGBT community to advance a wide range of initiatives. At the international level, I have joined efforts at the United Nations to decriminalize homosexuality around the world. Here at home, I continue to support measures to bring the full spectrum of equal rights to LGBT Americans. These measures include enhancing hate crimes laws, supporting civil unions and Federal rights for LGBT couples, outlawing discrimination in the workplace, ensuring adoption rights, and ending the existing “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy in a way that strengthens our Armed Forces and our national security.
We must also commit ourselves to fighting the HIV/AIDS epidemic by both reducing the number of HIV infections and providing care and support services to people living with HIV/AIDS across the United States.
These issues affect not only the LGBT community, but also our entire Nation. As long as the promise of equality for all remains unfulfilled, all Americans are affected. If we can work together to advance the principles upon which our Nation was founded, every American will benefit. During LGBT Pride Month, I call upon the LGBT community, the Congress, and the American people to work together to promote equal rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 2009 as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month. I call upon the people of the United States to turn back discrimination and prejudice everywhere it exists.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
first day of June, in the year of our Lord two thousand nine,
and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-third.
– Barack Obama
Habitat for Humanity New York City First Unity Build, June 12
Due to popular demand, and in honor of Gay Pride Month, Habitat for Humanity – New York City will host its first annual Unity Build on Friday, June 12, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm at the nonprofit’s South Bronx construction site.
Volunteers from the LGBT community are invited to help build affordable Habitat-NYC homes for families in need. No construction experience is necessary, but participants must be 16 or older and pre-registered. Lunch, tools and training will be provided.
Unity Build participants are asked to raise a minimum of minimum of $250, which helps finance the construction of the homes. Habitat-NYC provides an online fundraising tool and support that makes is easy for individuals to reach their goals.
“Habitat-NYC celebrates the great diversity of New York City, and we are pleased to bring members of the LGBT community together to build affordable, eco-friendly and healthy homes for hardworking New York families,” said Josh Lockwood, Executive Director of Habitat-NYC.
Working on a Habitat-NYC Unity Build construction site is a great way to learn new skills, network, make new friends and work alongside people skilled in construction and some of the families who will own these homes.
To ensure site safety, Habitat-NYC can accommodate only 20 volunteers on site. To learn more about Unity Build, or to register, please go to Habitat NYC, click on Events and follow the links to Unity Build, or contact James Andrews at jandrews@habitatnyc.org or 212-991-4000 x. 330.
Habitat for Humanity – New York City transforms lives and our city by building quality homes for families in need and by uniting all New Yorkers around the cause of affordable housing.
The Best of Gay New York
DRAMA QUEERS by Frank Anthony Polito
In his debut novel, Band Fags!, award-winning playwright, Frank Anthony Polito, introduced readers to Brad Dayton, the foul-mouthed best friend of goody-two-shoes, Jack Paterno.
After meeting in 7th grade Varsity Band, Jack and Brad became fast friends thanks to their mutual appreciation of New Wave music, Days of our Lives, and TV mega-hunk, Jon-Erik Hexum. Together, they went through thick and thin navigating the halls of Webb Junior High as “Band Fags” in the Detroit suburb of “Hazeltucky” during the mid-1980s. But once the boys got to “Hillbilly High,” they discovered that the label held a truth for them both—more so than the average marching band member.
Through sophomore and junior years, Brad did his best to convince Jack to be proud of being gay. But Jack wanted no part of chasing cute boys and hitting the gay bars on Friday nights after football games. Instead, he pursued a life of popularity, giving up his position as 1st chair trumpet-player during senior year—and as Brad’s best friend—leaving Brad to all but disappear from Band Fags!
Now with DRAMA QUEERS!, Polito shows readers exactly how Brad spent the nine months from September 1987-May 1988 when he and Jack were estranged.
“A lot of readers contacted me,” says Polito, “expressing an interest in seeing more of Brad Dayton.” While a sequel to Band Fags! was one way of telling Brad’s story, Polito decided to go back and fill in the blanks. “I wanted to show Brad going it alone during senior year, finding his way without his best friend at his side. Just because Jack was no longer there, Brad wasn’t about to lay down and die—not with the world of the Theatre calling!”
An actor himself for many years, Polito earned his B.F.A. in Acting from Wayne State University in Detroit before moving to New York City to pursue a career as a professional. He has since appeared off-Broadway, and on both TV and in Film, including the soap One Life to Live and the film One True Thing with Meryl Streep and Renee Zellweger.
In the fall of 2008, Polito landed a featured role in the comedy One Angry Man, starring the legendary Jackie Mason. Based on the classic drama Twelve Angry Men, Polito played “Iris,” a transsexual juror trying to keep her true identity a secret. “I’d never done drag before,” Polito admits, “but the experience was a great challenge, and I had a total blast!”
In DRAMA QUEERS! Polito also revisits key scenes between Brad and Jack from Band Fags!—this time told from Brad’s point of view. “When you write in the first person narrative, you can only show one character’s side of the story,” says Polito. “I thought it would be fun for readers to go back and see what Brad was thinking and feeling during those important moments.”
There are also events in Band Fags! pertaining to Brad’s life that readers only get to hear about: his role as “Doody” in the Drama Club production of Grease, his trip to New York City to audition for the Juilliard School of Drama, his time spent working at a local gay bar. “Now, in Drama Queers!, readers will actually get to see Brad doing these things, and with whom!”
Part of the reason for fleshing out Brad’s story stems from Polito’s desire to one day see his tale of two friends told onscreen. Polito received his M.F.A. in Dramatic Writing from the prestigious Carnegie Mellon School of Drama in 2006. The following year, his stage play Another Day on Willow St was named “Outstanding New Play” by Talkin’ Broadway after premiering at the New York International Fringe Festival.
“Fingers crossed,” says Polito, “the story of Jack Paterno and Brad Dayton will soon be coming to a big (or small) screen near you!”
Find out more at Frank Anthony Polito
Connect on FaceBook
BOOK SIGNING – at Barnes & Noble on 82nd/B’way in Manhattan on Monday June 1st @ 7pm…
The Best of Gay New York
Cirque do Soleil Comes to New York City…Permanently!
The New York Times reported that In February 2010 Cirque, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary, plans to bring a new show to the Beacon Theater in Manhattan for a multiple-month run that it hopes will become an annual institution. And in 2011 Cirque is to establish a four-month summer extravaganza in Radio City Music Hall as a warm-weather counterweight to the “Christmas Spectacular” — sans Rockettes, but populated with acrobats and clowns.
These will be in addition to the company’s touring tent productions, which have played New York periodically since 1988; the most recent show, “Kooza,” opened on April 16 at Randalls Island and runs through June 21st.
Also continuing will be “Wintuk,” Cirque’s $20 million annual winter holiday show at the WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden, which will be back in town November 11, 2009 – January 3, 2010.
Cirque has been trying to secure their own permanent space on Pier 40 – but negotiations came to stand still and both parties have walked away.
The Best of Gay New York
Joan Rivers Wins Celebrity Apprentice and $500,000 for Gods Love We Deliver!
“You’re Hired”!
With these two wonderful words from Donald Trump, the audience at the finale of “The Celebrity Apprentice” burst into applause (and some tears) for Joan Rivers, this year’s “Celebrity Apprentice.”
No one could be happier for Joan than God’s Love We Deliver, which will receive the winner’s check in the amount of $250,000! All totaled, Joan won over $500,000 for God’s Love We Deliver. These funds will help God’s Love continue to meet the overwhelming demand for our services, and provide even more nutritious meals to people who are sick and hungry.
Through the course of many grueling weeks of competition, Joan beat out 14 other celebrity contestants, including Clint Black, Herschel Walker, Andrew Dice Clay, Jesse James, Khloe Kardashian, Brande Roderick, and Dennis Rodman, among others, and in the finals, Annie Duke.
Joan Rivers, a God’s Love We Deliver Board Member for over 15 years, has played an enormously important role in helping to guide the agency’s growth and expansion of its life-sustaining mission during her time here. She is an amazing friend to the agency and especially to our less fortunate friends and neighbors.
The funds Joan won on “Celebrity Apprentice” will provide over 56,000 meals and unlimited nutrition counseling for the clients of God’s Love We Deliver. Said Joan, “It was a grueling competition, but anything I can do to strengthen God’s Love We Deliver and help them provide more nutritious meals is well worth it.”
ABOUT GOD’S LOVE WE DELIVER:
God’s Love We Deliver is the New York City metropolitan area’s leading not-for-profit organization dedicated to preparing and delivering over 3,300 nutritious, life-sustaining meals each weekday to men, women and children living with HIV/AIDS, cancer, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s disease and other life altering illnesses. Since its founding in 1986, the agency has delivered nearly 10 million meals and has never had a waiting list. God’s Love We Deliver also provides free unlimited nutrition counseling to each of its meal program clients, family members and other service providers. All of the organization’s services are provided free of charge.
The Best of Gay New York
Miss Fag Hag Pageant to Benefit HETRICK-MARTIN INSTITUTE home of the HARVEY MILK SCHOOL May 17th
The producers of The Miss Fag Hag Pageant announced today that Miss California Carrie Prejean is banned from its competition taking place on Sunday, May 17th at Comix.
In lieu of a contender who only supports “opposite marriage”, Paul Case and Shawn Hollenbach are presenting 10 contestants representing their Gayborhoods fighting for the title of Miss Fag Hag.
The candidates will compete in categories including:
— Evening Wear
— Fabulous Talent
— Presenting Her Gay in a Swimsuit
— And Sassy Question & Answer
“It is our belief that Miss California, Carrie Prejean may not compete in our pageant. The opposites in our contest have supported us samesters since day one. These gals would love to see us walk down any aisle. The only isle we’d like to see Prejean on is Rikers!”
Proceeds from the pageant which features celebrity judges, special performances and guests, will go to THE HETRICK-MARTIN INSTITUTE home of the HARVEY MILK SCHOOL.
JUDGES include Caroline Rhea (NBC’s Biggest Loser & Logo’s Sordid Lives)
Michael Musto (Village Voice, VH1)
Hedda Lettuce (Project Runway)
Katina Corrao (Daddy on HBO)
Special Performances by
Shayna Steele (Bette Midler: Vegas, Orig Rent & Hairspray)
Bridget Everett (Sex & The City, At Least it’s Pink)
Britney Houston (MTV and YouTube Star)
Mel & El (Fagnet) & MORE!
Sunday, May 17th at 8:00 PM
Comix 353 West 14th Street 212.524.2500
.
Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 day-of-show plus a two item minimum in the show room.
A portion of ticket sales will go to the Hetrick-Martin Institute, home of the Harvey Milk School.
The Best of Gay New York
Laurie Krauz Wins 2009 Bistro Award from Back Stage
NEW YORK singing sensation Laurie Krauz and her TAPESTRY REWOVEN show is being honored by the prestigious industry publication, Back Stage, with a 2009 Bistro Award which will be given during the annual gala event in New York City.
More than 30 of cabaret’s brightest stars will be honored at the 24th annual Bistro Awards, which will take place on Tuesday, April 28 at Gotham Comedy Club. International singer-songwriter-actor Charles Aznavour will be honored with the Bob Harrington Lifetime Achievement Award. Liza Minnelli, Tony-, Oscar-, and Emmy-winning performer, will be recognized in the category of Enduring Artistry. Each of these stars will present the Award to the other–a Bistro first.
Tapestry Rewoven, is a jazz re-imagining of the Carole King classic, which has been playing to packed houses and standing ovations with buzz that’s been, literally, off the charts! Her show has been playing at New York City’s fabulous IRIDIUM JAZZ CLUB and the critics rave!
Laurie Krauz thrills audiences with her award-winning, blues-influenced jazz vocals and her powerful emotional range. Blazing new musical territory, Laurie combines improvisational elements with the passion and sensuality found in other forms of music to create a unique, soulful jazz – “she creates a mood and weaves a musical story with every cell of her being.” She was recently named one of the top jazz vocalists of all time by noted jazz critic, Scott Yanow. In 2007 and 2008 Laurie was named best Female Jazz Vocalist by the Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs (MAC).
Laurie explains how the whole idea of re-imagining the classic Tapestry came to be..”About four years ago I was at the gym listening to You’ve Got a Friend from Carole King’s legendary recording, Tapestry. From out of nowhere the phrase “Tapestry Rewoven” came into my head. At first I thought about singing this tune, which I had never done. As I continued my workout I realized that the phrase meant something much more—that I could approach the entire album and re-imagine it from a jazz sensibility.
The idea excited me musically and emotionally. For women of my generation, Tapestry was more than just a great album. It was virtually our religion!”
Laurie is currently doing some shows in Los Angeles and Chicago and will be back at the Iridium May 5th, June 2nd, July 7th and August 4th, with 2 shows each night!
“… a masterwork not unlike her idol’s,” David Finkle, Back Stage
WATCH A CLIP OF LAURIE KRAUZ ON HER SITE
Bistro Awards Gala Tickets
The Best of Gay New York
Same Sex Kiss Day At STARBUCKS
This one-day event coincides with “Tax Day” to highlight the fact that “LGBT couples have yet to be granted the same rights to file our taxes jointly on a Federal level, and we can still be fired for being openly gay in the workplace. That’s why you’re encouraged to be seen on Tax Day, April 15, 2009, spreading your love with a KISS!”
Same Sex Kiss Day calls for couples to go to a neighborhood Starbucks coffee shop and during one (or all, if you wish) of four designated times throughout the day, exchange a kiss with your same sex partner or friend. The set times are at 7:15 am, 12:15 pm, 5:15 pm, and 8:15 pm.
Why Starbucks? Well according to the Same Sex Kiss Day site, “Starbucks has been committed to LGBT rights since the beginning of time offering domestic partnership insurance, quoting gay artists on their coffee cups, and funding our gay pride parades.”
Gay Marriage Bill Introduced in New York!
BREAKING NEWS –
From New York Daily News!
Gov. Paterson will unveil legislation to legalize gay marriage on Thursday, a legislative source confirmed.
Paterson will introduce the measure – which revives a bill that died in 2007 – despite uncertain prospects for its adoption in the state Senate.
“This means it’s a priority for him,” said Sen. Thomas Duane, a Manhattan Democrat and one of the Senate’s biggest advocates for gay marriage.
Duane said he’s been invited to take part in the bill’s unveiling with the governor at an event Thursday in Manhattan.
Despite a slim Democratic majority in the Senate, the bill faces stiff opposition in the chamber. Senate Majority Leader Malcolm Smith, a Queens Democrat, supports the measure but does not intend to have a vote unless there are enough votes to pass it.
“We don’t want to jeopardize the momentum by putting it up before it has enough votes to pass,” Austin Shafran, a Smith spokesman, said Tuesday.
Paterson, a Democrat, told several upstate radio stations last week that he intended to re-introduce the measure and hoped the Senate would vote on it regardless of whether it had the votes to pass.
The state Assembly has already approved legislation legalizing same sex marriage.
Duane expressed confidence that the measure would ultimately be adopted by the Senate.
“When the governor signs this bill into law, it is going to be a defining moment for him,” Duane said.
Article Glen Blain -NY DAILY NEWS
UPDATE! A majority of New Yorkers support gay marriage and
Gov. Paterson’s attempt to legalize it, a new poll shows.
The Best of Gay New York
USS NEW YORK IS ON IT’S WAY!
While this news piece isn’t really gay, we thought it was still of interest to the city and worth running.
The USS NEW YORK is made from 24 tons of
salvaged steel from the World Trade Center.
I t is the fifth in a new class of warship –
designed for missions that include special
operations against terrorists. It will carry a
crew of 360 sailors and 700 combat-ready Marines
to be delivered ashore by helicopters and
assault craft.
Steel from the World Trade Center was melted
down in a foundry in Amite , LA to cast the ship’s bow section.
When it was poured into the molds on Sept 9, 2003, ‘those big rough steelworkers treated it with total reverence,’ recalled Navy Capt. Kevin Wensing, who was there. ‘It was a spiritual moment for everybody there.’
Junior Chavers, foundry operations manager, said that when the trade center steel first arrived, he touched it with his hand and the ‘hair on my neck stood up.’ ‘It had a big meaning to it for all of us,’ he said. ‘They knocked us down. They can’t keep us down. We’re going to be back.’
The ship’s motto? ‘Never Forget’
She arrives in NY 11/2/09 for the commissioning ceremony on 11/7.
Easter Parade and Easter Bonnet Festival
On Easter Sunday, (April 12, 2009) you have the opportunity to see Easter bonnets to the New York City extreme as “paraders” wander along Fifth Avenue from 49th to 57th Streets.
The area around St. Patrick’s Cathedral is the ideal place to see the parade. The Easter Parade and Easter Bonnet Festival runs from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m.
Unlike most New York City Parades, the Easter Parade is a far less organized event. From 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. the area along Fifth Avenue from 49th to 57th Streets is closed to vehicular traffic, and folks wander the street admiring various Easter Bonnets and Easter outfits.
Visitors in town during Easter will enjoy stopping by the area for a bit during the festivities, but seeing the various Easter bonnets and costumed pets is probably only worth a short visit.
This parade doesn’t have any floats or marching bands but it is a spectacle nonetheless. From around the world people come to New York City to participate.
Outfits range from elegant to outrageous. From outfits accented with live animals to civil war period costumes and the latest high fashions, there is a little bit of everything for the parade viewer.
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