Category Archives: Celebrity
NICK ADAMS Live concert in Erie, PENN, May 20th
To purchase tickets email MIAC artistic director Dr. Brett D. Johnson at bjohnson@mercyhurst.edu. Include a phone number, and someone will call you within 24 hours, Monday-Friday.
Nick Adams (born June 10, 1983) is an American actor, singer, and dancer, known for starring as Adam/Felicia in the original Broadway production of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert and starring as Whizzer Brown in the first national tour of the Lincoln Center Theater revival of Falsettos.
DON’T MISS THIS SHOW!
Christmas with the Queens – Lady Bunny and Jackie Beat Holiday Shows
Two of our favorite queens have holiday streaming specials this month!
“What Child Is This?” with Lady Bunny features:
4 WIGS, 7 COSTUMES and 20 SONGS!
45 MINUTES OF LAUGHS!
AND CHEAPER PRODUCTION VALUE THAN 1980s MANHATTAN PUBLIC ACCESS CABLE TV!
WITH CHEAP $9.95 TICKETS, TOO!
Expect new holiday parodies, a dreadful puppet, and a “glamorous” intro video shot all over Manhattan. Laugh and hiss at my scandalous new version of ’Twas The Night Before Christmas—this year, it’s at the White House! And a few other tricks Lady Bunion has up her ba-rum-pa-pa-pum!
“What Child Is This” is adult content for those who love to laugh at twisted shit! Don’t watch with kids, but it is a guaranteed way to horrify prudish or religious relatives. In the show, I also offer an unorthodox solution to those awkward, family political convos around the holidays.
Co-written by Beryl Mendelbaum
Shot & Edited By Mikhail Torich
Special appearance by Chauncey Dandridge as Bitter Gay Sound Man
Not a live event, so you can view it on demand through Jan 4th.
22nd Annual Holiday Show by Drag Icon Jackie Beat
(On Demand this year)
CHRISTMAS IS NOT CANCELED!
Now thru December 26
This year, there are no Rockettes at Radio City, Scrooge can’t hoist
Tiny Tim onto his shoulder for fear of COVID and The Nutcracker has
been hobbled, but drag icon JACKIE BEAT wants you to know that
CHRISTMAS IS NOT CANCELED! The big and bawdy, bold and ballsy queen’s
holiday shows are legendary, and this year (her 22nd annual holiday
show) she’s gone virtual, streaming her festive freak-out right into
your living room.
Whatever you celebrate, watch for Jackie’s holiday
classics and new song parodies aimed at everything you cherish. Plus,
this year some of Jackie’s closest “friends” have popped by to join in
the holiday spirit! Who’s that knocking on the door? It’s Alan
Cumming, Alaska, Alec Mapa, Alison Arngrim, Amanda LePore, Babette
Bombshell, BenDeLaCreme, Bianca del Rio, Boomer Banks, Calpernia
Addams, Christeene, Coco Peru, Conchita Wurst, Daniel Franzese,
Elvira, Heklina, Jackie Hoffman, Jinkx Monsoon, Jun Nakayama, Kate
Flannery, Leslie Jones, Margaret Cho, Michael Urie, Murray Hill, Nina
West, Parker Posey, Peaches Christ, Peppermint, Ross Mathews, Selene
Luna, Sherry Vine, Tammie Brown, The Vivienne, Varla Jean Merman and
Willam!
JACKIE BEAT: CHRISTMAS IS NOT CANCELED! is now available to watch On
Demand through December 26. Tickets are $20 per device, available at
www.SpinCycleNYC.com.
Bianca del Rio and Lady Bunny on Hateful Hags Network
Hateful, sassy and sometimes lewd and crude! Lady Bunny and Bianca Del Rio team up for a Vimeo event called HATEFUL HATES NETWORK.
(From INSTINCT Magazine)- For drag performers, performing during these challenging times has proven to cause performers to be beyond inventive. From shows direct from their living rooms to Brandon Voss’ Drive ‘N Drag nationwide series, queens have managed to keep their art alive and thriving during this time. Sherry Vine & Jackie Beat for example, have continued their famed Battle of the Bitches shows live online, (the most recent was the Halloween themed Battle of the Witches) and another famed duo is about to hit our small screens with their own patented brand of twisted comedy.
Legendary Wigstock creator/DJ/drag legend Lady Bunny and RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 6 winner turned stand up drag sensation Bianca Del Rio are co-anchoring HHN: Hateful Hags Network, a roast/cable news channel hybrid, where they will be delivering everything from filthy jokes to a a musical number, in only the way this duo can. They promise equal opportunity hate for RuPaul’s Drag Race queens from all seasons, tossing in some costume changes and…a surprise guest?
Lady Bunny exclusively tells EW “Enough with COVID and politics. It’s time for something really important… back-stabbing drag queens!” while Bianca Del Rio adds: “Due to COVID, some ‘Drag Race’ queens have opened OnlyFans accounts. Bunny and I would never do that. Not because of any moral objections — because we’re ugly!”
Tune in to ‘HHH: Hateful Hags Network’ on Thursday, November 12th at 8PM EST. Tickets are $9.99 at Vimeo.
WAP? Lady Bunny and Flotilla Debarge DAP NSFW
WARNING NSFW!!! #Raunchy!
By now you have no doubt seen Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s WAP!
If you thought Cardi B’s smash WAP was raunchy, wait until you hear the brand new parody version, DAP. Drag legends Lady Bunny and Flotilla DeBarge make their rap debut, and the result is so smoking hot and dry that even though they live in NYC, this video may have caused the California wildfires.
While their vajayjays may be dry, their humor is not, and fans have been howling over the unrelentlessly filthy lyrics. The video’s gotten thumbs up from Margaret Cho and Bridget Everett, with shares from Drag Race royalty, Detox, Manila Luzon and Jujubee.
Released Friday, already 90,000 views on Instagram and 40,000 on Facebook. So grab some lotion or lube and enjoy this end of summer celebration of wrongness and dry ass pussy!
Please have a therapist on hand after viewing.
LADY BUNNY – With her glitzy outfits, sky-high wigs and false eyelashes long enough to embarrass Tammy Faye Baker, multi-talented drag artist Lady Bunny would turn heads even if looking glamorous was her only talent. But “she” isn’t just another man in a dress: Bunny is a successful comedienne, DJ, actress, singer/songwriter and most famously, the emcee and creator of Wigstock, the outrageous drag festival of drag and music which electrified New Yorkers every Labor Day for over 20 years.
FLOTILLA DEBARGE – is a drag queen based in New York City.
She has appeared in To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar and the miniseries version of Angels in America. She has appeared on Broadway in The Threepenny Opera and performed a one-“woman” show, The Flotilla DeBarge Minstrel Show at Fez Under Time Cafe.
The Boys in the Band on NETFLIX
RYAN MURPHY is bringing
THE BOYS IN THE BAND to NETFLIX!
Queer TV Network Revry Now Available on Samsung TV Plus
Queer TV Network Brings Diverse LGBTQ+ TV to Millions of Samsung Smart TVs in time for Pride Season
Revry, the first global LGBTQ+ streaming network, announced today the launch of its service on Samsung TV Plus, Samsung’s free smart TV video service that delivers instant access to over 120 free channels in news, sports, entertainment and more.
The Revry Channel, featuring hundreds of hours of original and licensed LGBTQ+ movies, shows, music, podcasts, and news, is available on Samsung TV Plus Channel 1226. As Samsung’s only Queer-focused TV channel, The Revry Channel will premiere across millions of Samsung Smart TVs just in time for Pride season, and will be the first and only home for exclusively LGBTQ+ entertainment on Samsung’s Smart TVs.
“We are excited to launch our newest live linear channel on Samsung TV Plus. Given Samsung’s massive reach, we now have the opportunity to touch a broader LGBTQ+ and allied audience through Samsung Smart TVs,” said Damian Pelliccione, CEO and Co-Founder at Revry. “We believe representation saves lives, so partnering with Samsung helps us bring our ‘radically inclusive’ entertainment to an even bigger audience, and gives us the chance to change hearts and minds, both inside and outside of the LGBTQ community.”
These diverse perspectives have become the hallmarks of Revry’s “unapologetically queer” programming, which includes its slate of originals such as the GLAAD Media Award recipient and Spanish-language docu-series, THE CATEGORY IS, which follows the vibrant underground ballroom scene in Mexico City; the Wes Anderson-style comedy series, SINK SANK SUNK, starring Academy Award nominee Laura Linney; the second season of the reality TV series, PUTTING ON, starring rising Israeli fashion designer, On Mekahel; and THE QUEENS, an insightful documentary film following RuPaul’s Drag Race favorites: Alaska, Katye, Jinkx Monsoon, and Sharon Needles. In addition to these originals, Revry will be releasing over 100 new titles this Pride season.
“Revry continues to have a huge impact on the LGBTQ+ community and we’re really proud to be working with them to optimize the delivery of Revry’s newest channel to the Samsung TV Plus platform, just in time for Pride 2020,” said Blair Harrison, Frequency’s Founder and CEO.
Established in December of 2016 in the U.S., Samsung TV Plus is pre-installed on all 2016-2020 Samsung Smart TVs. Millions of consumers already use Samsung TV Plus, making it one of the top OTT services on Samsung’s Smart TV platform. Users can instantly access their favorite shows, movies, and more with just an internet connection—no download, additional device, or credit card needed. For more information or to view a list of Samsung’s 120+ free, live TV channels, please visit samsungtvplus.com.
To learn more about and experience Revry, please visit www.revry.tv.
Cook One on One with a Top Chef!
Chicago’s Chef Tong is now offering something pretty cool! NO MATTER WHERE YOU LIVE!
Private Virtual Cooking Classes from My Private Chef
I love to attend Chef Tong’s cooking classes when he holds them in Chicago. But now with technology, you can cook alongside this world-renowned, international chef during a private, one-on-one video session!
Cooking is such a satisfying way of getting creative at home. Now, with a personalized class from My Private Chef, you get to expand your skills, or try new foods, or prepare old favorites. How about introducing a young family member to the world of cooking?
Here’s how it works: Chef Christopher Tong will work with you to create your menu, provide an ingredients list, recipes and a demonstration based on your selection. You set up a date and time via video conference. Chef Chris will lead you step by step to perfection.
Cooking at home has never been so fun!
For more details, contact Event Services at 773.370.8131
Become a Facebook Fan: www.facebook.com/ChefChrisTong
Lady Bunny Cuntagious on Demand Special June 5th
Voss Digital Presents the iconic Lady Bunny!
In her all new on demand show “Cunt-Tagious”! Catch this demented diva as she shamelessly interrupts your isolation in an attempt to give what may be your last laugh before the apocalypse!
Masks and mascara make a great combination, along with four giant wigs and twelve costume changes packed into 35 minutes. This floozy offers unhinged Tips to Survive A Pandemic and a visit to a fake newsroom for headlines we’d all like to see.
Bunny’s raucous Laugh-In inspired joke routine will go from deranged to filthy, with Bunny showing off her signature dance moves (well, the ones the old gal didn’t forget decades ago). With an emphasis on COVID-19 humor, expect brand new song parodies from artists as varied as Lizzo, Justin Bieber, and Madonna.
Get ready to laugh your masks off! And for all those dying for a glimpse of Bunny out of drag, this is your moment.
Available Friday June 5th at 12PM EDT.
Save by pre-ordering HERE for just $7.99!
GRABBY Awards Free Live Stream May 30th
The annual GRABBYS Award Show, highlighting top talent and performances in the gay erotic film industry, will take place on Saturday, May 30 at 7:30 p.m. CDT.
This annual event is usually held in Chicago each Spring, to sold-out audiences. Due to current state and local restrictions related to COVID-19, the event will be live-streamed. The event is expected to reach thousands of more fans this year around the world!
“Despite the unfortunate situation with the COVID-19 pandemic, the show must go on — safely,” said show producer Stacy Bridges. “We’re excited the GRABBYS is the first gay erotic award show to be live-streamed, providing more fans the opportunity to join the celebration for FREE! And unlike our live-stage productions, the show this year will feature adult- material, such as X-rated film clips for ‘Best Movie’ nominees!”
Chi Chi LaRue and Honey West
will return for the 21st year as virtual hostesses; Chi Chi LaRue from Minneapolis and Honey West in Chicago.
The show is expected to be approximately 90 minutes.
GayVN Stars is the presenting sponsor. “We are thrilled to be working with our friends at the GRABBYS to stream their highly anticipated ceremony live on our GayVN Stars platform,” said AVN Media Network CEO Tony Rios. “We’re looking forward to seeing all the fans of adult entertainment worldwide come together online for this special interactive broadcast event.”
The nominees this year include;
850Bdt, Aumphreak4, BillySantoroXXX, CadeMaddoxxx,
CodyGunzXXX, CutlerX, DillonAndersonX, DirkCaber, DreGilcrest, Hattrickz91, HossKado, HungerFF, King111_, LeoGiamani3, LevyFoxxXXX, Maxadonisxxx, MichaelLucasNYC, MinoFlexXX, PoppersGod, RCandDigger, RafaelMovies, RayDexterXXX, RealMenFullBush, RhyheimShabazz, RoccoSteeleNYC, RopeTrainKeep, SeanHardingXXX, SeanZevran, TheGrayMerchant, TripleXTransMan, TylerHillXXX, TylerSaintReal, Zackybro101, adamrussoxxx, atxpapi, cagedjock, deepfillernyc,
devinfrancoxxx, eagerbttmxxx, edjidasilvaxx, grgisthewerd, griffinbarrowsx, iammisterbolden, itskravemelanin, jackmackenroth, loganstevensxxx, maxkonnorxxx, nickcapra, phatrabbitkill2, and rastadikk.
Additional sponsors include GRAB Magazine, Swiss Navy Lube, Justfor.fans and Steamworks Baths Chicago. (New issues of GRAB MAGAZINE are available online for free, every other week!)
For more information and updates, visit www.GrabbyAwards.com.
Actors Fund Benefit STARS IN THE HOUSE
Have you heard of this show on YouTube?
Music, community, and education to support The Actors Fund and its services.
Live-streamed daily at 2 PM ET and 8 PM ET/ Listen on SiriusXM VOLUME at 9AM ET, M-F
In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and theatres across the world closing their curtains indefinitely, SiriusXM host Seth Rudetsky and his husband, producer James Wesley have created Stars in the House, a daily live streamed series to support The Actors Fund and its services.
NEW SHOWS DAILY!
With new shows airing daily at 2 PM ET and 8 PM ET, Stars in the House is a combination of music, community, and education (from CBS Chief Medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook) located on the Actors Fund YouTube Channel. With musical performances by stars remotely from their home and conversations with Seth and James between each tune, viewers can also donate to the charity and interact with the guests in real time.
RAISING MONEY!
Stars in the House raised over $50,000 in the first four days of airing. Guests include Andrew Lloyd Webber, John Lithgow, Jason Alexander, Kristen Chenoweth as well as couples confined together like Audra McDonald and Will Swenson, Frozen composers Bobby Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, writers Tina Fey and Jeff Richmond, and many more. Stars in the House plans to stream daily until Broadway re-opens.
LOTS of upcoming shows PLUS 3 months of Archives!
The Actors Fund is a national human services organization that fosters stability and resiliency, and provides a safety net for performing arts and entertainment professionals over their lifespan. Through offices in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, The Fund serves everyone in film, theater, television, music, opera, radio and dance with programs including social services and emergency financial assistance, health care and insurance counseling, housing, and secondary employment and training services.
Stonewall Gives Back Concert
April 23rd, 2020, Troye Sivan, Cyndi Lauper, Kim Petras, Rufus Wainwright and many more got together to raise funds for those in the LGBTQ nightlife industry in need during the COVID-19 crisis.
Hosted by
Michelle Visage and Tyler Oakley
Performances and Appearances by
Alan Cumming, Allie X, Betty Who, Carlie Hanson, Cyndi Lauper, Darren Hayes, Dave Mizzoni, Greyson Chance, Issac Dunbar, John Cameron Mitchell, Kim Petras, Kristin Chenoweth, Leland, Lorna Luft, Matt Rogers, MUNA, Nina West, Our Lady J, Pabllo Vittar, Peppermint, Rufus Wainwright, Shoshana Bean, Todrick Hall, Troye Sivan, TUCKER, VINCINT.
The Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative (SIGBI). We are a non-profit charitable organization inspired by the struggles and ideals of the LGBTQ rights movement born from the Stonewall Inn Uprising of 1969. We are committed to eliminating the social intolerance that is profoundly impacting the lives of LGBTQ citizens throughout America and abroad. Through awareness campaigns, educational programming, fundraising and candid public dialogue,we support grassroots organizations scattered across the country and especially those in communities where progress toward equality has been slow and the negative impact of ongoing acts of discrimination and harassment can no longer be tolerated.
Sean Hayes in Lazy Susan Now on Demand
In Lazy Susan, Susan has always been the self-centered oddball in her family, who lazily skated through life with their grudging support until one day she wakes up to realize she’s middle-aged with no job, no relationship, and an increasingly estranged family.
She finally decides to take charge and turn things around, but never having done anything herself before, the struggle is real (and hilarious) as Susan becomes the woman she always wanted to be, all on her own.
“I think a lot of us are lazy Susans — have been or will become. There’s that question we all ask: ‘Who do you want to be?’ It’s not always easy,” Hayes tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue.
Sean explains how Susan came about; “When I was 21, I got a call from my agent in Chicago. She said, “There’s an audition tomorrow to replace the white guy on In Living Color.” Jim Carrey was leaving. I grabbed all my wigs and props and characters of all shapes and sizes. One of the characters was Lazy Susan. A few years ago, someone brought up the character. And it was such a great metaphor for someone spinning out of control. A spinning lazy Susan, for someone who can’t get their life together. I love tragic characters, when you don’t know whether to laugh or not.”
WATCH THE OFFICIAL TRAILER NOW
Wendy Sitti YouTube Channel is a Must!
SHE IS thee Chicago Socialite and a woman of the world!
Laughter is best medicine and Wendy Sitti knows how to serve it up!
It’s true: laughter is strong medicine. It draws people together in ways that trigger healthy physical and emotional changes in the body. Laughter strengthens your immune system, boosts mood, diminishes pain, and protects you from the damaging effects of stress.
Wonderful, witty, wild and wacky, EVERYONE loves Wendy! With her infectious laugh and her wacky ways she will have you forget your troubles in a few short minutes.
Wing it with Wendy! Wendy Sitti now has a channel and a show! “I will have episodes of DIY Do it Yourself Shows, of various domestication from cooking, gardening, home improvement, travel to unique places and landmarks, in Drag Queen style. We will also have guest appearances by celebrities and film episodes from exotic places around the world to also my home!”
Truly entertaining! – BestGayChicago.com
We hope this channel will entertain you and teach you a new trick or two! At press time, 3 episodes are out now!
“I was born in Warsaw, Poland. The apple of my parents eye! I was raised on a farm and later went to work in my dads sausage factory. That is where I met Stanley in high school and where we went to prom. He was nice but I knew I needed something bigger, it must of been from being around all of that sausage. I wanted to go to America.” Wendy tells us.
“After saving enough money, I flew to Chicago and realized I had no place to stay. I called my cousin Rich and moved in with him.”
“I know America is the land of opportunity and I was excited to make it big. I dyed my hair black to fit in and have a different look. But then some woman, Mrs. Richfield told me I was moving in on her scene. I went back to my natural color and started doing all kinds of odd jobs. Cleaning rooms at a hotel on Halsted called Steamworks, to cleaning the rooms at the Elysium Hotel in Mykonos. I kind of became a big thing and I’m not talking about my boobs!”
“I enjoy fashion, drinking, socializing and hanging out with nice people. If you want your event to Pop, like my cherry then invite me!”
also Wendy on Instagram
and her website
ALL MAN The International Male Story
So excited for this! A new movie is in the works that will take us behind the iconic International Male fashion catalog that transformed the “All-American Boy”, changing fashion, masculinity, and gay rights forever.
More than outrageous fashions, hunky models, and scandalous undies, ALL MAN is a journey across three decades of the International Male catalog’s lasting impact on fashion, masculinity, and gay rights. (I still have many of my old catalogs!)
With revenues at its peak of $120 million and circulation of over 3 million, the catalog successfully appealed to both gay and straight audiences. For gay men, the images of sensually dressed men were a gateway into a fantasy world providing an escape from the AIDS crisis and widespread homophobia. For straight men and their female admirers, the catalog gave permission to take fashion risks and enjoy a more carefree expression of sexuality without threatening their masculinity and sexual appeal.
ALL MAN: The International Male Story is designed as a tribute to the catalog’s unique aesthetic and cultural relevance. The film mixes exclusive never-seen-before photographs and videos, interviews with super fans and celebrities, and creative re-enactments of the infamous photo shoots, and more!
You can DONATE to this project now!
Follow on Instagram and Facebook!
Aj and the Queen with Ru Paul
Broadway’s Carols for a Cure 21
Papi Chulo with Matt Bomer
Matt Bomer is back on the big screen with an interesting new movie, PAPI CHULO.
What happens when you lose the love of your life, either by break up or death?
How do you go cope? How do you go on?
A weatherman on the verge of a mental breakdown after a hard breakup, is struggling with his life. Alejandro Patiño (“The Ballad of Buster Scruggs”) is the day laborer who reluctantly must help put him back together again.
Despite a language barrier and having nothing in common, the two men develop an unexpected but profound (?) friendship.
But at times, the friendship seems uncomfortable and almost stalker-ish.
KPCC FilmWeek called the film “sweet” and Eye for Film praised Butler for his “…delicate touch to both tragedy and comedy and the result is a genuinely heartwarming film.” (Eye for Film).
If Matt Bomer was not starring in it, I would have quit watching it half way through. But Matt can do no wrong, in my eyes! Check out the trailer HERE!
Gay News Flash – New Music from Amanda Lepore
The world’s most famous transsexual and an effervescent fixture on the New York scene, Amanda Lepore has been at the cutting edge of culture since the club kid era, breaking and re-making the rules for music, marketing, and gender.
She has been working in the studio on her latest release, LEPORE. The first single, “Buckle Up”, can be heard HERE!
Just out this week, she does “Jean Genie”
ON ITUNES NOW
Did Lisa Vanderpump talk Nene Leakes out of opening a gay bar?
In a recent interview with Jenny McCarthy for her SiriusXM radio show, NeNe accused Lisa of tricking her out of buying bar/ restaurant space in West Hollywood, California — space that the restauranteur then turned into PUMP.
A source close to PUMP’s landlord told DailyMail.com that the accusations weren’t true, but now an insider tight with NeNe is backing up her story to In Touch. “It all started when Nene expressed interest in opening a bar in an empty space in West Hollywood,” they said. “She called Lisa for advice, who told her, something like, ‘Darling it’s a piece of crap and it’s too expensive,’ and convinced her it was a bad investment deal … According to NeNe, shrewd Lisa swooped in and rented the space which became her hugely successful restaurant and bar called PUMP, which is always packed.”
However, another source close to the entrepreneur denied the allegations against Lisa to In Touch, saying “The same landowner from SUR had brought the space to Lisa’s attention.”
“She knows that we have a little something, something she did to me. I’ve never really addressed it,” Leakes tellsMcCarthy in the clip. “She did some real foul s— to me.”
NeNe reveals that a few years ago, when she and her husband Gregg were living in Los Angeles, she wanted to open a bar in West Hollywood.
“We would ride down that West Hollywood area where all the gay bars are — and I have a large gay fan base — and I kept thinking ‘it would be so cool if I had a bar right in here somewhere.’”
Leakes explains to host Jenney how she stumbled on a space that was “empty and kind of raggedy-looking and torn down,” but thought it would be perfect.
That’s when she made a call to restaurateur Vanderpump for advice.
“She said, ‘Oh darling, darling, it’s a piece of crap and they’re charging so much for it darling,’” Leakes said. “She talked me off of it and then went and got it.”
“That’s so f—ed up,” she added.
Vanderpump’s restaurant SUR is featured on the Bravo series “Vanderpump Rules,” and she opened PUMP in 2014. She also owns Villa Blanca in Beverly Hills.
Nene says she has not addressed Lisa directly about feeling dissed by her power move.
“Now when she sees me, she’s like ‘Hi NeNe,” Leakes explained.
Zakar Twins Book, Tour plus Off Broadway!
I can’t remember exactly how I stumbled upon the Zakar Twins, but I found them on Instagram and have been a loyal follower, watching their careers soar for over 1 year now! Their best-selling book “Pray The Gay Away” came out in the Fall of 2017. That’s probably about the time I first discovered them.
These young gay models, writers, entrepreneurs, leaders in the LGBTQ+ community, and lovable goofballs Michael and Zach Zakar are known not only for their identical good looks but for trailblazing a path forward for queer people who come from Near and Middle Eastern cultures. As smart as they are funny, their memoir last year is a dual-account tragicomedy about growing up with deeply religious Iraqi immigrant parents.
“Mom knows.” A simple text that would change two twin brothers’ lives forever. Coming out is hard. The struggle is ongoing, a daily part of life whether to a new friend, a co-worker, or most importantly yourself. Pray the Gay Away chronicles Michael and Zach as they face awkward sexual encounters, drug-fueled escapades, coming out to each other, and their biggest foe – Mom, a woman who not only gave birth to what she calls one regret – but two.
The memoir hilariously and poignantly explores what it’s like growing up as gay, Iraqi twins in modern America. Pray the Gay Away was inspired the night Mom snuck into their bedroom and force fed them “holy grapes,” determined to “de-gay” them. She threw Holy Water on them as well!
The Zakar Twins are new voices speaking out against generations, particularly within the Iraqi culture, who look down on being gay. This book is not only for the LBGTQ community, but for young adults, looking to achieve normalcy.
“The book started kind of as a hateful thing. We wrote it because we were angry that our Mom reacted in such a demeaning way,” Zach said. “Then, over time, the project, it really resulted in kind of a beautiful thing. We were growing with the book, it was growing with us.”
Currently they are on tour with Drag Queen Christmas – The Naughty Tour! 37 cities now through Dec 29th! Presented by Murray & Peter. They will be heading South and West in the coming weeks. Get specific city and tour info at www.DragFans.com.
Their Mom has come a long way to acceptance and actually attended the show in Detroit! Her first drag show ever!
I am told that the producers, Murray and Peter are helping to bring their book to Off Broadway, hopefully in time for Pride 2019!
Recently the brothers relased a calendar for 2019. Defiance: taking a stance on changing the world’s conservative view on what it means to be gay in the Middle Eastern world. Shot by Dexter Brown.
“Everyone has their own unique story. Fortunately for us, we just wrote ours down,” Zach said with a laugh. “The book is done, but it’s not finished. We’re writing two more books about different things.”
Buy the BOOK and CALENDAR Here.
Get to know Michael and Zach with their great YouTube videos!
ZT on Instagram
ZT on Facebook
ZT on Twitter
ZT My Twin Chat App – a way to communicate with others who might be struggling with coming out or just needing someone to talk to. Many people coming out usually feel like they are the only one. So this app is a support system for those scared to talk to a stranger or a close friend.
“You cannot forget the bigger picture. It feels like life is caving in to a lot of people when it first happens. I think that’s one of the scariest things. Because all I was worried about, was when you grow up, there’s so much involved in the bigger picture,” Michael said. “That’s what I tell people, just realize there is light at the end of the tunnel even if it feels almost impossible.”
San Francisco Remembers Harvey Milk Nov 27th
Source Towleroad
Gay rights icon Harvey Milk and Mayor George Moscone will be remembered on November 27 at 7 pm with a candlelight walk from the plaza named for Milk to City Hall, where they were assassinated by SF Supervisor Dan White 40 years ago.
The walk, which will echo the spontaneous march that took place shortly after the murders, is being organized by the Harvey Milk LBTQ Democratic Club, which writes: “In November of 1978, bookending the Thanksgiving holiday, the city of San Francisco and, it might be said, the world was changed forever. The double horror of the tragedy at Jonestown, followed by the slaying of Harvey Milk and George Moscone was a crushing trauma to the heart and soul of San Francisco, and yet in that darkness we rose together in candlelight not only to remember those we had lost but to strengthen and galvanize ourselves to give them voice to continue their fight and and vision for the future….In honour of that same eloquent response, the Harvey Milk LGBTQ Democratic Club invites all to join us in quiet reflection from those who knew these great advocates of social justice at Harvey Milk Plaza. Following this, we will walk in candlelight to the steps of City Hall where current community leadership will echo their vision, just as those who were there did that warm November night in 1978.
Barbra Streisand Walls CD and Trump
BARBRA chatted with NPR recently;
Scott Simon: Why was it important to you to do this album?
Barbra Streisand: Because I could express my thoughts and feelings at a time when I was feeling sad and heartbroken about what’s happening to our country. And I’m so grateful that I have music in my life that gives me the chance to express my feelings through my work.
I gather the song “Don’t Lie to Me” is not about a busted love affair.
No. I started off trying to create that so that more people could relate to it in a way — lovers who go through this all the time. But it’s like that joke: A woman walks in and her husband is in bed with another woman. She gasps, and he says, “Well, who are you going to believe: me or your lying eyes?” I guess it’s about lies: The lies that are coming out of this administration are very unpleasing, unsettling. Maybe that means so much to me because I was lied to as a child. I’ve based my whole career on telling the truth.
Read the lengthy interview HERE.
Her newest cd Walls finds Barbra exploring both her concerns and hopes for the future in a collection filled with beautiful melodies and thought-provoking lyrics. In addition to the three original tunes which the Oscar-winning songwriter contributed to, the songs on Walls explore topics near to the celebrated artist’s heart. Streisand also brings a fresh perspective to the classic songs “Imagine” and “What A Wonderful World,” and the Bacharach/David pop standard “What The World Needs Now.” The penultimate song that Streisand sings is a timely one called “Take Care Of This House” by the legendary composer Leonard Bernstein and lyricist Alan Jay Lerner.
Of all the reasons there are to love Barbra Streisand – and if you find that proposition contentious, I encourage you to stop reading and do something else – the quickest and easiest can be found in the answer she gives to the first question I ask her. Streisand, speaking on the phone from her home in LA, is about to release Walls, her first album of primarily original songs since 2005 and for which she has written the bulk of material. The lyrics are sharp and political, the arrangements are strong, but it is the vocals that are the most surprising: crisp, forceful, with none of the mellowing one might expect of a 76-year-old artist who on recent albums has seemed muted. I mention this to her – how great she sounds – and she bursts out laughing and says: “I know! I swear to God, I don’t know where my voice came from. I would come out of the studio and [the technicians] would go, ‘How the hell?’ And I don’t know, I don’t know! It just came out of me!” – source Guardian.
Over the course of her astonishing career, Streisand has recorded a number of songs that address the human condition. Recognized as one of the foremost interpreters of contemporary song, “Don’t Lie To Me,” and the other songs on Walls are sure to add to her enduring legacy as an award-winning singer and songwriter. In 1977, she became the first woman to win an Oscar for composing the music to the timeless standard “Evergreen” (Love Theme from A Star Is Born), which also went on to win the Grammy for Best Original Song and the Golden Globe. In addition, she has been duly recognized throughout her career for compositions on film projects emblematic of her songwriting gifts.
