Sister Dana sez, “Happy St. Patrick’s Day! But on March 17th, if you happen to spy a tiny green leprechaun smoking a wee pipe and carrying a pot of gold – you’ve had way too much green beer and whiskey – so go home and sleep it off!”
By Sister Dana Van Iquity
Hi simply hi from Tinseltown North from your intrepid Oscar reportress Sister Dana! Everyone who knows me knew that I was rooting for the deliciously quirky Birdman as best pic, director, original screenplay, cinematography – and it won all four! Deservedly. Best-adapted screenplay about gay World War II cryptography hero Alan Turing in Imitation Game won – but the biopic failed to have a gay storyline. WRONG! How awesome was Lady Gaga doing a tribute to Julie Andrews and The Sound of Music?! And what better way to view the Oscars but the ACADEMY OF FRIENDS’ 35th annual gala, A CENTURY OF RADIANCE, at the San Francisco Design Center Galleria! Through their annual Academy Awards Night Gala, they have raised over $8,690,000 to support more than 73 HIV/AIDS service organizations in the Bay Area. This year’s beneficiaries were AIDS Legal Referral Panel, HIV/AIDS Nightline, HIV Story Project, Huckleberry Youth Programs, LGBTQ Connection, Project Open Hand, and Positive Resource Center. Guests walked a red carpet and posed with a wax figure of Oscar host, proudly openly gay Neil Patrick Harris, greeted by various rotating, living, bigger than life, gold-painted Oscar statues. My only criticism of the venue was a lack of comfy couches. Three were not enough. What I love about AoF Gala is that we don’t have to watch commercials. Instead we learn important facts about AoF and hear from board members such as Board Chair Gil Padia, Vice Chair Matthew Denckla, Secretary Todd Creel, Treasurer Beth Feingold, Gala Chair Amanda Watson, and Board Member, Past Chair Howard Callejas Edelman. The gala included lively performances of “Santa Fe” and “Carry the Banner” by the cast of Disney’s Newsies and live interpretative dances by choreographer Patrik Gallineaux and others ornately dressed as angels and devils. What a fabulous night!
SF OASIS & EXHIBIT Q presented BALONEY, San Francisco’s Gay All-Male Revue choreographed by Rory Davis and directed by Michael Phillis at Club Oasis. The world premiere show starred Rory Davis, James Arthur M., Adam Roy, Shaun Mullen, Moe Arikat, Alex Steinhaus, Tim Wingert & Aaron Sarazan, hosted by Michael Phillis. Inspired by vintage male erotica, this immersive cabaret-style performance featured sweaty, sexy, scantily-clad men in action. It got so hot, they had to call for the air conditioning man – who only made it hotter, if ya know what I mean. Then an island boy warmed himself in the hot sun by a palm tree, spilling cold beer down his bare chest and rubbing suntan lotion in. Two schoolboys were in Sex Ed to learn about the new changes in their bodies, and were almost late for their wrestling class overseen by their hunky coach. Then we were in ye Old West with a couple of cowpokes poking each other. Giddyup!
Mardi Gras came early this year, but San Francisco’s KREWE DE KINQUE was ready to let the GOOD TIMES ROLL for our annual FAT TUESDAY PARTY BUS/ BAR CRAWL. Members and friends of Krewe de Kinque enjoyed authentic Southern Comfort Hurricanes & Big Easy Cocktails at five fabulous San Francisco bars. Krewe de Kinque King Gary Virginia hosted the bus. Munchies, beads, and booze were on board the Party Bus. Joining us were the newly elected Emperor Kevin Lisle & Empress Khmera Rouge as well as the outgoing Krewe de Kinque King XI Joseph Nunez & Queen XI L’il Kim Chee. We started with the Welcome Party at Lookout in the Castro; boarded the SoCo Party Bus for the Peace, Love & Comfort Party at Trax on Haight Street; then the Fat Tuesday Party with SF Carnaval entertaining at Balançoire in the Mission; Party on Polk Street at the world famous Cinch bar; and lastly the Ashes to Ashes Finale at the Edge in the Castro with a live N’awlins show featuring KdK royalty King X Kippy Marks, King VII John Weber, and Queen VIII Garza. Proceeds benefited our BAL MASQUE XII on March 14th at Balançoire, which benefits Housing Rights Committee of SF. FULL MOON OVER SHANGHAI is the title of the masked ball, Saturday, March 14th, 6pm – 10pm, Balançoire, 2565 Mission & 22nd Street. The event features complimentary New Orleans Original Southern Comfort cocktails & Asian/Cajun buffet and more. For tix and info: sfkinque.com, (415) 867-5004, or just ask KdK Queen VII Sister Dana.
IRENE SODERBERG came up from L.A. to S.F for her SASSY BRASSY BLONDE TOUR at Martuni’s, with Jimmy Strano on sound. Soderberg has been singing off and on in EssEff since 1987. She treated us to many of her hits, including “Gonna Live, Live, Live Until I Die,” the Mama Cass “Dream a Little Dream of Me,” “Ain’t Misbehavin’,” “Can’t Give You Anything But Love;” but when the main show was over, we “family” fans gathered around the piano to hear her sing off-color lyrics to “Hard Hearted Hannah,” “Let’s Talk Dirty to the Animals,” “The Lady Is a Tramp,” “When You’re Good to Mama,” and “Nowadays” – both from Chicago. Delightful! irenesoderberg.com
Cookie Dough (Eddie Bell) lived much too short a life, November 8, 1963-January 29, 2015, but it was a fabulous life, so the community presented her CELEBRATION OF LIFE at Victoria Theater, hosted by Heklina, Peaches Christ, Sister Roma, BeBe Sweetbriar, Fernando Ventura, and Greg Sherrell; with speakers including Roxy-Cotten Candy, Marga Gomez, David Campos, Nancy French, Pollo Del Mar, and Otter Renck; performers included Bay Area Flash Mob, House of Glitter, Katya Smirnoff-Skyy, Erik Batz, Matthew Martin, U-Phoria, Laundra Tyme, Sugah Betes, Sue Casa, Tom Shaw, Joe Wicht, Daft-nee Gesuntheit, Glitterella, Adrian Roberts, Beatrix “Trixie” Carr, Manuel Caneri, Dina Isis, Becky Motorlodge, and Ethel Merman. And we Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence sainted Cookie. We absolutely adore you, Cookie!!!
Defense Secretary Ashton Carter answered a question concerning military service by transgender people, saying, “I don’t think anything but their suitability for service should preclude them.” Right on! The American Military Partner Association, the nation’s largest organization of LGBT military families, responded to the statement with a call to action urging the Secretary to quickly order the long awaited review of outdated regulations that prevent the estimated 15,500 transgender service members currently in uniform from serving openly and honestly. Additionally, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said, “The President agrees with the sentiment that all Americans who are qualified to serve should be able to serve.” Progress!!!
CUMMING UP!
THRILLPEDDLERS presents JEWELS OF PARIS: A Revolutionary New Musical Revue, March 12th – May 2nd, (Thursdays, Fridays, Saturday – 8pm) at The Hypnodrome, 575 10th Street. Original Music and Lyrics by Scrumbly Koldewyn; Additional lyrics by Martin Worman, Rob Keefe and Alex Kinney; Book by Scrumbly Koldewyn, Rob Keefe, Alex Kinney and Andy Wenger; Directed by Russell Blackwood; Choreography by Noah Haydon. This is a celebration of Paris in song and spectacle, inspired by the artistic revolution erupting in Paris nearly a century ago. Jewels of Paris is a tuneful, time-traveling testament that revels in love, life, artistic, social, and sexual change – seen through the eyes and ears of Parisian luminaries including Pierrot, Picasso, Cocteau, Josephine Baker, and even Marie Antoinette. hypnodrome.org
BAY AREA LAWYERS FOR INDIVIDUAL FREEDOM (BALIF) is the nation’s oldest and largest association of LGBT persons in the field of law. Founded in 1980, BALIF represents its members’ interests in the wider San Francisco Bay Area. BALIF members and supporters include San Francisco Bay Area judges, lawyers, law students and legal workers. The ANNUAL GALA: Celebrating 35 Years is on March 13th, 7-11pm, Terra Gallery, 511 Harrison Street. It’s one of the most popular BALIF events of the year. Many public officials attend the gala. Past attendees have included legislators, mayors, district attorneys, labor commissioners, and other public officials, in addition to over 600 members of the community. balif.org
Grand Duke 36 Patrick Noonan, in conjunction with THE FIERY HOUSE OF CHARM, CANDY & COURAGE presents “KISS MY BLARNEY STONE!: A St. Patrick’s Benefit for Tenderloin Tessie holiday dinners for the disadvantaged, Saturday, March 14th, 3-6pm, The Edge bar, 4149 18th Street.
SEX AND THE CITY LIVE is a delightful drag send-up of TV’s SEX AND THE CITY live on stage! Show features Sue Casa (Carrie Bradshaw), D’Arcy Drollinger (Samantha Jones), Lady Bear (Miranda Hobbs), and Steven LeMay (Charlotte York). Directed by D’Arcy Drollinger at Oasis, 298 11th Street @ Folsom, Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, 7pm, March 5th-28th, (415) -795-3180, boxoffice@sfoasis.com
Sister Dana sez, “Beware the Ides of March! The Ides of March is a day on the Roman calendar corresponding to March 15th. It became notorious as the date of the assassination of Julius Caesar in 44 BC, dramatized in Shakespeare’s play ‘Julius Caesar,’ when Caesar is warned by the soothsayer to ‘eware the Ides of March.’ So beware already!”
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