Frontiers Vol. 35, Issue 11/12 by Frontiers

SEPT. 15 - OCT. 12, 2016 | VOL. 35, NO. 11/12

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Contents

SEPT. 15 - OCT. 12, 2016

FEATURES

Ready for Home Renovation

Which Local Hood Is Best for Fido?

Dinner Is Served

Hollywood Bowl Hosts the Queerest Show Ever

An Explorer's Guide to the Planet

ON THE COVER Photo by Chapman Baehler SEPTEMBER 28, 2016

Contents

SEPT. 15 - OCT. 12, 2016

NEWSBOX 9

10 10 16 18 19

Clinton Dominates Trump in First TV Debate Equality California Gets Shit Done Flashbulb The Road to Full Equality Watercooler Datebook

9 21

THE GAY AGENDA 21 22 23 23

Finding the Perfect T-Shirt Inside Escape Hotel Hollywood Pop Pillow Quiz Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s New, L.A.?

TRAVEL 25 27

Only in Amsterdam Riding the Napa Valley Wine Train

HEALTH 29 30 31

25 29

CrossFit for LGBTs Fitness Q&A Bad Thoughts, Bad Relationship

CALENDAR 33 36 37 39 37

Metropolitan Fashion Week Gay Days Anaheim 2016 Eating Out: Salazar Tom of Finland Arts & Culture Festival Eating Out: The Guild

ENTERTAINMENT 45 46 47 48 49 50 35

Hugo Weaving Talks The Dressmaker Theater Reviews The Q&A: Goat Director Andrew Neel 5 Questions with Cyndi Lauper The Q&A: Shawn Pelofsky Jai Rodriguez Stars in Buyer and Cellar Set Your DVR

COLUMNS 76

Palm Springs: 5 Reasons to Visit the Desert This Fall Billy Masters

45 76 Frontiers magazine is published by New Frontiers Media Holdings, LLC, 5657 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 470, Los Angeles, CA. 90036, and distributed throughout Southern California. Up to the first three copies of any single issue are free; additional copies are $10 each. Violators caught stealing or destroying issues will be prosecuted under California Penal Code 484. For magazine subscriptions, please call (323) 930- 3220. The contents of Frontiers may not be reproduced in any manner, either in whole or in part, without permission from the publisher. All rights reserved. Letters to the editor, artwork, photography, manuscripts and other correspondence may be submitted to Frontiers at the above address. We cannot acknowledge or return material unless accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Allow at least three months for processing. Publication of the name or photograph of any person or organization in articles or advertising in Frontiers is not to be construed as any indication of the sexual orientation or the HIV/AIDS status of such person or organization. Copyright ÂŠ 2015, New Frontiers Media Holdings, LLC.

PEOPLE INDEX Greg Berlanti Anita Bryant Andy Cohen Bianca Del Rio 4

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Faye Dunaway Jack Falahee Jesse Tyler Ferguson Steve Grand

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Jude Law David Lynch George Michael Mara Wilson

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Michael A. Turner Stephan Horbelt CREATIVE DIRECTOR George Skinner PALM SPRINGS ACCOUNT DIRECTOR Brad Fuhr

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Lorri L. Jean, Jeremy Kinser, Drew Mackie, Billy Masters, Dominic Preston, Eric Rosen, Patrick Rosenquist, Dominik Rothbard, Aaron Savvy, Mark A. Thompson, Ed Walsh CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS AND ILLUSTRATORS

David Ayllon, Chapman Baehler, Imeh Bryant, Roger Erickson, Earl Gibson III, Jason King, Michael Kovac, Alen Lin, Jeremy Lucido, Jamie Pham, Rolling-Blackouts, Alicia J. Rose, Phil Sharp, Rachael Wright

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Frontiers is published biweekly, with 40,000 print copies distributed throughout California. Frontiers is one of five brands owned by the only LGBT publicly traded company Multimedia Platforms, Inc. (stock symbol: MMPW). Collectively, Florida Agenda, Frontiers, FunMaps, Guy and Next magazine represent three of America’s most populous LGBT markets and 40 cities across North America, an estimated 7.5 million readers annually. Visit MultimediaPlatformsInc.com for further information. PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. PROUD TO BE AFFILIATED WITH

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Clinton Dominates Trump in First TV Debate Hillary may have come out on top, but will losing the debate really hurt the Republican candidate in the polls? By Dominic Preston

73.8M The number of likes, posts, comments and shares generated on Facebook by some 18.6 million users in the United States. Facebook spokesman Andy Stone calls the first TV debate the top event of this presidential election season

SPEAK OUT

ept. 26 saw Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton face off in a one-on-one debate for the very first time in the life of this current presidential race, with many agreeing that the Democratic candidate came out on top. A CNN/ORC poll of debate watchers, released shortly after the televised event, found that 62% gave victory to Clinton, 27% to Trump. Another post-debate poll, from Public Policy Polling, found Clinton winning by a narrower margin, 52% to 40%. But even the Mexican peso, which has been moving in the opposite direction of Trump’s poll numbers (and had hit an all-time low against the U.S. dollar before the first debate) received a sudden leap during the debate, soaring more than 2% against the dollar. The pair clashed on temperament, debate preparation and tax returns, as Clinton repeatedly riled up her opponent. In one of the sharpest exchanges, Trump mocked her for preparing for the debate while he was hitting the campaign trail, leaving himself wide open for her comeback: “I think Donald just criticized me for preparing for this debate,” she quickly replied. “And, yes, I did. You know what else I did? I prepared to be president.” Elsewhere Clinton slammed Trump for his record of climate change denial (“a hoax perpetrated by the Chinese”), racism and sexism, highlighting “the birther lie” and the fact that he once called Miss Universe 1996 Alicia Machado “Miss Housekeeping” because she was Latina and “Miss Piggy” because she had gained weight. Fact-checking and truthfulness were high on the agenda, and while many were happy to commend moderator Lester Holt’s performance, he did let a few lies slip past—starting with Clinton’s claim that it was nice to be there with Trump. None of Trump’s statements could match his strangest claim of the night, though: that Clinton has been fighting ISIS “all [her] adult life,” despite the group being less than a decade old. Somehow, though, it wasn’t anything Trump said that generated the most conversation or criticism. Instead it was

the fact that he sniffed his way through the entire night, leaving everyone to wonder whether he was suffering from a cold or whether the problem was attributed to something he’d been putting in his nose before taking to the stage. Former DNC Chairman Howard Dean plainly asked on Twitter, “Notice Trump sniffing all the time. Coke user?” It’s hard to be sure exactly what impact this first debate will have on the election to come, though stats wizard Nate Silver suggested that “Clinton became a more plausible president tonight and Trump became a less plausible one” on his blog, FiveThirtyEight.com. There are still two more presidential debates to come, taking place Oct. 9 and Oct. 19—as well as a vice-presidential debate taking place between Tim Kaine and Mike Pence on Oct. 4—and while Trump will perhaps hope to appear more presidential next time around, will the first debate’s poor performance actually hurt him where it counts, in the polls? “This time, pundits and pollsters seem to agree on the Clinton win,” says Silver, and “the correlation between the instant-reaction polls and the eventual effect on horse-race polls has actually grown stronger in recent election cycles, perhaps because the conventional wisdom formulates itself more quickly.” Silver is quick to note, however, that we must wait five to seven days following a debate before it is fully reflected in presidential election forecasts.

“I didn’t happen to be one of those gay kids who knew definitively by the time I was 13. I was having a weird amalgamation of emotions, and I identified with a lot of outsider characters.” Veteran showrunner Greg Berlanti—the man behind TV’s Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl and Legends of Tomorrow—speaks to Vulture about why superhero comic books spoke to him as a gay teenager

OCTOBER 12, 2016

FLASHBULB

EQUALITY CALIFORNIA GETS S#*T DONE

quality California is in a celebratory mood, and for good reason: before it adjourned earlier this month, the California legislature passed the organization’s 2016 legislative package—eight bills and resolutions that EQCA sponsored this year, all of which should help LGBT Californians. “California has the world’s strongest civil rights protections for LGBT people, but gaps still remain,” says Rick Zbur, Executive Director of Equality California. “This year, each of our sponsored bills helped address an area where LGBT people still suffer discrimination and disparities in health and well-being compared to the general public.” Aug. 31 saw the unanimous passage of Senate Joint Resolution 26—authored by Senate President Pro Tem Kevin de León, D-L.A., and Assembly Republican Leader Chad Mayes—which urged the development of sciencebased guidelines for blood donation instead of policies that stigmatize and discriminate against gay and bisexual men and transgender individuals. That joins Assembly Joint Resolution 45, authored by San Francisco Assemblymember David Chiu, which calls on Congress the enact the federal Equality Act, an update to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 that provides federal protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity in areas of employment, housing, public accommodations, public education, federal funding, credit and the jury system. It also joins the group’s most recent success: AB 26 4 0 —which ensures that high-risk HIV-negative

PALEYFEST FALL TV PREVIEWS, The Paley Center for Media, Sept. 8-15—The 10th annual event brought TV fans up close and personal with stars of the new season’s top series. Top, from left: Ryan Guzman of Notorious, Lethal Weapon’s Damon Wayans Sr., Notorious stars Daniel Sunjata with Piper Perabo, Frequency’s Mekhi Phifer Bottom: Jordana Brewster, Pitch star Mark-Paul Gosselaar with Lethal Weapon’s Clayne Crawford, DGA President Paris Barclay

CELEBRATION OF DANCE GALA, The Novo, Sept. 11—The Dizzy Feet Foundation, which funds and supports dance education programs, held its annual event. Top, from left: Photographer David LaChapelle, Lythgoe with Derek Hough, Julianne Hough and Shankman, dancer Fabrice Calmels Bottom: Actor Christopher Scott, Paula Abdul, Gene Kelly Legacy Award recipient Sir Matthew Bourne, DFF Legend Award recipient Mitzi Gaynor

continued on page 14

SPEAK OUT “All these gay men are mad at me and they’re gonna hate me!” Idina Menzel speaks to PrideSource about her casting in the Lifetime remake of Beaches, in the role Bette Midler originally portrayed. “It was just hard to turn down,” she says. “So I hope they’ll forgive me.”

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ANGEL AWARDS, Project Angel Food, Sept. 17—For this 26th annual event, Project Angel Food was transformed into a chic dining space under the stars. Lisa Rinna and her Housewives friends stepped out for the gala, raising nearly $500,000. Top, from left: Harry Hamlin with Lisa Rinna, Marcellas Reynolds with Andrew Christian, Lawrence Zarian with Rumer Willis and Gregory Zarian. Bottom: L.A. Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell, Carson Kressley, Kyle Richards, Camille Grammer, Jacqueline and Chris Laurita

PALEYFEST: IMEH BRYANT AND MICHAEL KOVAC/GETTY IMAGES; DANCE: EARL GIBSON III; PAF: ARAYA DIAZ/GETTY IMAGES

The organization counts its wins for LGBT equality in the state

OCTOBER 12, 2016

Honoring the LGBT Vanguard At its annual gala, the Center will recognize individuals working to promote queer visibility, including one Olympian who has become an advocate for the gay Speedo set By Stephan Horbelt

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You’ve done a lot of work to promote LGBT visibility in sports. Have you seen a change? What do you think it will take to get to where we need to be? When we live in a world where every person can live their truth and not be discriminated against, that’s when I think we’ll see a lot more LGBT visibility in everything, especially in sports. To be candid and honest as an LGBT athlete in the sporting world, we’ve still got a long way to go. I find solace in knowing that every Olympics from now on will get more and more diverse representations in terms of sexual orientations and gender identities, because it has to—and that is the natural progression of humanity. But let’s not forget that most of the fear of being out is determined by the culture where you live. When I walk around the Olympic Village and see so many people in the closet, I’m reminded there are still more countries out there where you can’t live in your truth compared to countries where you can, and that consequently trickles down into why there are still so few out LGBT athletes. If your country is not kind to LGBT people, the likelihood you’ll come out is low. It’s a global issue, and the fight isn’t over! How does it feel that you’ll be presented your award by American Olympian Greg Louganis? It feels extra special, because Greg Louganis and I share many similarities. Both of us spent the majority of our youth in Speedos, we both attended the Olympics and we both share the same swarthy skin color, which makes sense given that even our racial backgrounds are similar. While I wasn’t adopted like Mr. Louganis, both my parents are of EuroPolynesian descent. I know to some people he’s just American, but

to me he’s just as much an LGBT Asian-American Pacific Island role model as he is an athletic one. Don’t even get me started on his HIV advocacy work, because we’ll be here all day! He encompasses and represents a lot of different communities, and I really admire him. I hold him in the highest regard, to the highest level of respect, and I’m truly humbled he—of all people—is giving me this award. You’ve participated in the Olympics twice now. What can you say about LGBT visibility at the Games on an international scale? It’s gotten better, but it’s still very problematic. As the broadcaster of the Olympics, NBC is still finding its footing on how to talk about LGBT athletes in a respectful way that doesn’t alienate viewership. People need to know some National Olympic Committees don’t want these issues even discussed on air because they feel it distracts from the real reason why we are there in the first place: the sport. It’s also a PR issue, because some athletes are out in their sport and personal lives, but they aren’t necessarily out publicly. Commentators aren’t quite sure how to treat the issue at hand without offending and without alienating, so they end up doing shifty things that just seem awkward, like not calling two dudes “dads” and accidentally calling a lesbian’s wife her “husband” when she’s clearly her wife. They’ve made it all complicated by pussyfooting around the issue, but for me it’s simple. The easiest and simplest thing to do is if you see two husbands on screen, call them two husbands. If you see her spouse is a woman, call the woman her wife. Treat people with dignity and respect. It’s honestly as simple as that. Gala tickets and weekend passes to attend the weekend of events are available at lgbtvanguardawards.org

PHOTO CREDIT

How long have you worked with L.A.’s Center? In 2013, I swam at the Center’s annual Beach Classic at Dockweiler State Beach to help raise funds. I was living in New York at the time and flew in for the swim. It was the first time I’d ever participated in something like that before. It was a really rewarding experience giving back to a community that I love so much. Since then, I wore that swimsuit—with the words “gay and lesbian” on it—to every practice leading up to Rio because there’s not a lot of diversity in swimming. It’s a gentle reminder to everyone—and myself—that I’m out and proud. The Center does amazing things for LGBT youth and seniors, for people living with HIV, for the LGBT

community as a whole. I wish I had something like the Center back home!

ROGER ERICKSON

aturday, Sept. 24, marks another starstudded event in Los Angeles, but instead of awarding film, television or music, this time it’s the L.A. LGBT Center honoring inspirational individuals who create positive change in the world. The Center’s annual gala, the Vanguard Awards—one of the nation’s premier LGBT charity events—has actually been expanded to a full weekend-long celebration this year, with a Friday launch party at Hamilton-Selway Fine Art and a Sunday brunch at The Abbey. But Saturday’s main event, taking place in the heart of West Hollywood at the Pacific Design Center, will see actor Jesse Tyler Ferguson and his husband Justin Mikita, as well as two-time Olympic swimmer Amini Fonua, honored at this 47th benefit. Mo Gaffney and Kathy Najimy are also scheduled to perform. Before the big event, we sat down with the 26-year-old swimmer—who hails from Tonga, where it is illegal to be gay—to discuss his work with the Center, his advocacy for LGBT athletes and what it means to accept his award from a lifelong hero of his.

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individuals receive information about PrEP and PEP during HIV post-test counseling—was signed into law by Gov. Jerry Brown on Sept. 26. There are also three EQCA-sponsored bills that Gov. Brown has signed into law this session: SB 1408, which permits organ and tissue donation between HIV-positive donors and HIV-positive recipients, something that could save hundreds of lives each year; SB 1005, which updates various sections of California code to accurately reflect the law regarding marriage equality; and AB 2246, which requires schools to adopt suicide prevention policies for grades 7-12. There are also three bills that (as of printing this issue) have been passed by the Assembly and Senate but still await Brown’s signature: AB 1887, which prohibits California-funded travel to states with anti-LGBT laws; AB 1732, which would require all public-access singleoccupancy restrooms to be gender-neutral (the most progressive statewide restroom access policy in the nation); and SB 1146, which requires all universities and colleges with Title IX exemption to publicly declare as much. “Our bills this session protect vulnerable LGBT teens, make sure religious colleges give public notice if they discriminate against LGBT students, ensure California tax dollars don’t go to states or cities that adopt new antiLGBT laws, and more,” Zbur says. “We ask Gov. Brown to sign these pieces of legislation so important to LGBT Californians.” Brown has until Sept. 30 to sign the remaining three bills into law. —Dominic Preston

68TH EMMY AWARDS, Microsoft Theater, Sept. 18—This year’s Emmys, honoring the best and brightest in television, placed LGBTs front and center. Clockwise, from top left: Host Jimmy Kimmel, Ellie Kemper, Aziz Ansari, Taraji P. Henson, Game of Thrones’ Emilia Clarke, Fresh Off the Boat’s Constance Wu, Jeffrey Tambor accepts his “Best Actor in a Comedy” award for Transparent, Kerry Washington, Mr. Robot star Rami Malek, Stranger Things’ young cast members Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin and Millie Bobby Brown, Viola Davis, Kit Harrington, Brad Goreski, Tina Fey, Laverne Cox, Fargo’s Kirsten Dunst, “Best Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Movie” winner Sarah Paulson, Tom Hiddleston, Angela Bassett

SPEAK OUT “I’m his father, so I got to be the first one to say, ‘It’s OK and I love you. Now, how can I help you?’” Basketball great Magic Johnson speaks to Good Morning America about coming to terms with his son, EJ, 24, coming out as gay in 2013

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EQUALITY AWARDS, J.W. Marriott at L.A. Live, Sept. 17—Equality California honored LGBT leaders at its annual awards dinner, where Attorney General Kamala Harris delivered the keynote address. Top, from left: West Hollywood Mayor Pro Tempore John Heilman, L.A. City Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell, EQCA Executive Director Rick Zbur, Assemblymember Evan Low, Harris. Bottom: Hosts Rain Valdez and Jai Rodriguez, honoree Amanda Nunes with partner and fellow UFC fighter Nina Ansaroff

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THE ROAD TO FULL EQUALITY: TWO STEPS FORWARD, ONE STEP BACK W

RESTROOM HYSTERIA Bathrooms have become the issue of the day— the hysteria often focusing on transgender kids in schools. One of the most outrageous is North Carolina’s HB2, which not only punishes people who use the bathroom that corresponds with their gender identities but overturns local ordinances that protected LGBT people from discrimination. And the “First in Flight” state isn’t alone. At least 30 states have introduced more than 150 anti-LGBT bills, many of which have bathroom provisions. The good news is that Hollywood, corporate America and even sports leagues have risen to the occasion in unprecedented ways to punish states that pass these discriminatory laws. The Obama Administration issued guidance to protect the rights of students to use school bathrooms that match their gender identities, but late in August a U.S. District Court in Texas issued a preliminary injunction against the federal government’s guidance, protecting schools from legal action if they refuse to protect their transgender students.

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TRANS EQUALITY Transgender people will soon have the freedom to serve openly in the military, and gender-confirming surgery for trans people is now covered by Medicare! PASSINGS The most virulently anti-LGBT Supreme Court justice in history, Antonin Scalia, died. So did Prince. And here in Los Angeles we lost pioneering lesbian activist Jeanne Cordova, as well as Bill Rosendahl, the first openly gay man elected to the L.A. City Council. APOLOGIES Toronto police apologized for their notorious 1981 bathhouse raids that ruined the lives of hundreds of gay men, Britain’s spy chief apologized for prejudice against LGBT people (including World War II codebreaker Alan Turing) and Pope Francis said Christians should apologize to gay people for how they’ve treated us. ORLANDO The loss of 49 souls was devastating. The response by many right-wing politicians and religious leaders was appalling, and the show of support from friends and allies around the world was astounding.

OLYMPICS The 2016 Summer Olympics had more openly LGBT athletes than ever before—a record 53 (more than twice the number in 2012). And after some truly ham-fisted and even offensive reporting by NBC, they actually got their act together by the end of the Games, to include referencing the male fiancé of a medal-contending diver. These examples are just the tip of the iceberg. When it comes to LGBT people and our rights and freedoms, it has been a truly astonishing year of push-and-pull tension. And things don’t promise to settle down any time soon. Don’t forget, the presidential election is only weeks away. Despite our movement’s enormous progress, the Republican Party passed what the Log Cabin Republicans dubbed as the most anti-LGBT platform in the party’s 162-year history. Moreover, one of the many distinguishing facts between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton is their positions and record on LGBT rights. The right-wing backlash we’ve been suffering since marriage became the law of the land isn’t showing any signs of diminishing. The antiLGBT zealots in this country (who really are out of sync with the majority of the population) are using every strategy they can to prevent and even reverse our progress—usually under the guise of religious freedom. While we’ve got much to celebrate and be proud of, many obstacles and enemies remain. We have more rights than we’ve ever had, but we still don’t have equal rights. We’re safer in more places than we’ve ever been, but we’re not yet safe. We have more political support than ever before, but we cannot rest until both major parties support our full and complete equality. Here’s hoping we don’t end the year with an enemy headed to the White House. Lorri L. Jean is the CEO of the Los Angeles LGBT Center

PHOTO CREDIT

MARRIAGE EQUALITY On the first day of the year, Vietnam abolished regulations that prohibited marriage for same-sex couples. Since then, even more countries have legalized marriage (Colombia and Mexico) or civil unions (Italy), while others have been mired in inaction (Australia). Here at home, where we thought the issue was settled, Tennessee introduced legislation to defy the U.S. Supreme Court’s marriage decision. (It did not pass.) Today, by one count at least, there are 1 billion people living on earth in jurisdictions that recognize our freedom to marry.

LGBT LEADERS The U.S. Senate confirmed a gay Secretary of the Army, the first openly gay secretary of a major military branch, and the Navy announced that it will name a ship after Harvey Milk (much to the dismay of the so-called American Family Association). Puerto Rico appointed an open lesbian as the first Chief Justice of its Supreme Court—the first LGBT Chief Justice in the nation. The Methodists approved their first openly gay bishop. But in Bangladesh, one of the most prominent LGBT activists in the country was brutally murdered, as was one of the most visible LGBT activists in Honduras.

DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

e’re still months away from the end of 2016, but domestically and internationally it has already been one of the most tumultuous years for LGBT people that I can remember, with both leaps of progress and frustrating setbacks.

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U.S. Bank’s Inaugural ‘Possibility Index’ Examines Top Challenges Facing LGBTs

The study takes a look at the top concerns of Americans and how far they may be from reaching their goals. It took a deep dive into examining different races, genders and generations, including the LGBT community, exploring three aspects of everyday life: work, home and play. LGBTs reported the two key elements holding them back from being satisfied with work were not making as much as they deserve (48%), followed by extreme stress (44%). The issues preventing them from feeling fully satisfied with home life are difficulty saving for/covering home payments (46%), not enough time with their children (31%) and inability to feel removed from workplace pressures (28%). What the LGBT community wants is vacation, but 44% reported they are dissatisfied with their ability to afford one. They are also more likely to feel pressure to save money (53%). The LGBT community is also much more concerned with finances in general, and 37% say their finances prevent them from making major life decisions, compared to the 27% national average. —S.H.

Freddie Mercury Gets an Asteroid Named After Him

Former Queen bandmate (and astrophysicist) Brian May announced the news on what would have been the frontman’s 70th birthday, Sept. 4.

“I’m happy to be able to announce that the International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center has today designated Asteroid 174731 , discovered in 1991, in Freddie’s name, timed to honor his 70th Birthday,” May said. “Henceforth this object will be known as Asteroid 17473 Freddiemercury.” It is a two-mile-wide asteroid that swings around the sun at 12 miles per second between Mars and Jupiter. The closest it ever gets to Earth is about 200 million miles away. “It’s like a cinder in space as many of these asteroids are,” said May. “You need a pretty decent telescope to see it. It’s just a dot of light, but it’s a very special dot of light and maybe one day we’ll get there.” —D.P.

L.A.’s Dream Hotel Is Being Sued by New York Nightlife Icon Peter Gatien

L.A.’s outpost of the Dream Hotel 2 hasn’t yet opened but has been sued by Peter Gatien, founder of New York’s legendary Limelight nightclub, who accuses the hotel of stealing the name. The hotel chain plans to use the Limelight name for a nightclub at its Hollywood property when it opens later this year. Gatien insists they’re “stealing” the name from his former NYC hotspot, which was one of the city’s most famous nightclubs from its 1983 opening through 2001. The club was infamous in part for its location: a deconsecrated Episcopal church. It helped earn the eye-patchsporting Gatien the nickname ‘King of Clubs,’ and was one of the spots frequented by Michael Alig and other club kids. Complicating matters is that Gatien let his trademark on the Limelight name lapse in 2015, though his lawyer insists that won’t hurt his case. “The source of the right comes from its use,” Bill Carmody says. “It doesn’t matter if the mark is [currently] registered.” —D.P.

Nearly Half of Americans Don’t Want to Date Bisexuals 2 Slated to open

by year’s end on the corner of Selma Avenue and Cahuenga Boulevard, the 179-room hotel is meant to anchor the ongoing revitalization of Hollywood. It will include five dining and nightlife venues and an 11,000-sq. ft. rooftop space.

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Adult toy retailer Adam & Eve surveyed more than 1,000 people as part of its annual sex survey and found that attitudes to bisexual partners were less than welcoming. Many (47%) declared they wouldn’t be willing to date a bisexual person, while 19% were undecided. Just 35% were definitely open to the idea. Women were more willing than men to have a bi partner (39% versus 31%), and also made up more of the unsure camp (23% to 15%). A massive 54% of men refused to date a bisexual at all. “It’s encouraging to see that people are open to the idea of sexuality encompassing more than the traditional male/female

partnership,” says company sexpert Dr. Kat Van Kirk, though it’s unlikely many bisexual people will be encouraged by the findings. The same survey found only 12% of people were open to dating a trans person, with 23% undecided and 65% opposed. —D.P.

APLA Study Issues New PrEP Findings

1 A small rocky body that orbits the sun, asteroids can range in size from dust particles to nearly 600 miles across. The “asteroid belt” is found between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.

A study of PrEP use and awareness among young gay and bisexual men in California has found sharp disparities along race, age and income lines. Nearly 10% of respondents had used PrEP, though those figures varied along race lines: 13.9% of white respondents had used it, compared to 9.8% of black respondents and 6.6% of Latino respondents. There were similar disparities for age and income: 14% of respondents aged 22-25 had used PrEP; 3.9% of those 18-21 had. Meanwhile 13% of those earning $30K or above had taken PrEP; only 9.9% of those earning less than that. Among other findings 3 A 2015 study were that 58.9% of respondone by the Kaiser Permanente dents worried they couldn’t Medical Center afford PrEP. While 45.1% of in San Francisco white respondents admittracked the health ted they didn’t know where of over 600 people to get a PrEP prescription, for nearly three that number shot to 58.9% years as they used Truvada daily to and 68.% for black and prevent HIV. No Latino respondents. one in the study “PrEP has the potential contracted the virus. to help end the HIV epidemic in California3, and yet too few of those most at risk for HIV—especially young gay and bisexual men of color—are accessing it,” Dr. George Lemp, director of CHRP, said of the results. The study’s authors recommend more targeted education and access campaigns, especially in communities of color, to increase uptake across the state, along with encouraging California to use public funds to help pay for PrEP access. —D.P.

Gay Marriage Delay in Australia

Australian media reported on Sept. 26 that a scheduled February vote to legalize same-sex marriage down under may not be happening, thanks to a breakdown in talks between government leaders in the country’s Labor party. According to Australian attorney general George Brandis, that could mean same-sex couples will have to wait until after the next election in 2019. A faint hope of solution is that the attorney

general has offered a second meeting to discuss the issue ahead of the country’s parliament returning on Oct. 10. New research indicates that of Australia’s 150 electorates, there’s only one where a majority of voters actually oppose the sanctioning of same-sex marriage: Maranoa, in rural Queensland, a longtime conservative stronghold. Even there, the percentage of locals who oppose a change in Australian legislation is just over 50%. —Drew Mackie

5 Tim Kaine is a political unicorn, having served as the Mayor of Richmond, Virginia; lieutenant governor of the state; governor; Democratic National Committee chairman; and United States senator.

Investors Call on N.C. Governor to Repeal State’s Anti-LGBT Law

In March, more than 80 CEOs and businesses—a roster that included Tim Cook of Apple and Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook— signed a letter urging Gov. Pat McCrory of Nor th Carolina to overturn HB2, the state’s controversial law that has limited legal protections for its LGBT citizens. Now, 60 investors who represent $2.1 trillion in assets are calling for HB2’s repeal in an organized statement. Matt Patsky, the CEO of Trillium Asset Management, spoke on behalf of the investors at a press conference on Sept. 26, saying the state “appears to be headed for what I would call a state-government-inflicted recession.” Due to some cities’ bans on travel to North Carolina following the law’s passage, it’s been reported that some of the individuals signed onto the statement, like New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, were unable to attend the press conference. —S.H.

Some LGBTs Support Trump Presidency

SPEAK

OUT

A new NBC News poll finds much greater voter support for Donald Trump among LGBTs than could be guessed. According to the poll, 20% of LGBT-identifying voters support Republican candidate Trump, while 72% support Hillary Clinton. Trump has touted himself as the better candidate to fight for LGBT rights, though his decision to

4 Dubbed “the world’s biggest leather event,” the Folsom Street Fair sees 400,000 fetish enthusiasts fill 13 city blocks in San Francisco’s SoMa neighborhood every September.

pick Indiana Gov. Mike Pence as his VP pick was seen by some as contradictory to that claim. Trump has also come out in support of “traditional marriage.” Trump has also appointed Rick Santorum—a notoriously anti-gay politician—to the position of advisor on Catholic issues. The poll also shows LGBT voters to be about as likely to vote for Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson as they would vote for Trump. —D.M.

2 Gay Men Attacked in San Francisco

Two New Yorkers visiting the Bay Area during the weekend of Folsom Street Fair4 were attacked in the city’s Western Addition neighborhood. The men, Neil Frias and Jeff White, have said they did nothing to provoke the attack. According to the tourists, they left a McDonald’s when five men pulled up in a blue minivan and said, “You fags are destroying family values” before dousing them in pepper spray. “The thing that was the most remarkable about the situation is how unprovoked it was,” White said. “I was literally tying my shoe when they came at me. It’s mind-boggling.” The LA Times has reported that the San Francisco Police Department’s Special Investigations Division, which works on hate crimes, will be leading the search for the attackers. —S.H.

Tim Kaine Honors Victims of Pulse Nightclub Attack

On the same day as the first televised presidential debate, Sept. 26, Hillary Clinton’s VP pick Tim Kaine 5 paid his respects to the victims of Orlando’s June 12 massacre with an unannounced visit to the site’s memorial. He was joined by Florida Sen. Bill Nelson, former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, her husband Capt. Mark Kelly and Orlando Police Chief John Mina. “I always hoped that the Virginia Tech one would be the worst one ever,” he said, referring to the 2007 shooting in his home state. “As bad as that was, I hoped that nothing would ever eclipse it but, such as life. We got work to do.” —S.H.

“I think it turned my career in a direction where people would irretrievably have the wrong impression of me—and that’s an awful hard thing to beat.” Iconic Hollywood actress Faye Dunaway opens up to People magazine about how the film Mommie Dearest—now of course a gay-favorite cult film—affected her career in the long term

DATEBOOK SAT. | SEPT. 17

ANGEL AWARDS

Renowned contemporary artist Ed Ruscha will bestow Project Angel Food’s “ Volunteer of the Year” award on attorney Joseph Mannis, joining actress Lisa Rinna and L.A. Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell as honorees at the 26th annual event. NCIS star Pauley Perrette and Carson Kressley will emcee. angelfood.org

SAT. | SEPT. 24

FACE FORWARD GALA

This seventh annual gala is the organization’s most important fundraising and awareness event of the year, with a goal of raising over $500,000 to support those physically affected by domestic violence and human trafficking. Nelly will perform, with Cuban cuisine provided by Neil Fraser at his restaurant Vibiana. faceforward.com

SAT. | OCT. 1

POINT HONORS

Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts will receive this year’s Point Courage Award at Point Foundation’s annual gala, held at the Beverly Hilton. The award will be presented to her by Lisa Vanderpump. Tig Notaro will host the evening, which will also feature Wendi McLendon-Covey and Molly Shannon. pointfoundation.org

WED. | OCT. 5

TASTE OF THE NFL

This inaugural event, held in the Globe Theatre at Universal Studios Hollywood, sees current and alumni Los Angeles Rams players and cheerleaders team up wiht local chefs to raise funds for the L.A. Regional Food Bank. lafoodbank.org

SAT. | OCT. 8

AIDS/LIFECYCLE KICKOFF RIDE

The 2017 event is officially kicked off with this first official training ride, and you can choose a 13- or 40-mile route. There will also be a skills clinic, lunch and a festival with food and music after the ride. tofighthiv.org

OCTOBER 12, 2016

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15–16, 2016 • 11AM – 8 PM • FREE!

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THE

GAY AGENDA

The Perfect Fit One company is determined to improve the menswear game, one pocket tee at a time By Stephan Horbelt

PHOTO: BAIREFINED

he guys behind Bairefined saw something great and set out to make it better. That “something great” was the T-shirt—the staple of many a man’s wardrobe, especially here in Southern California where our “everyday is a beach day” attitude lets us rock one all year long. But how can a simple cotton tee be improved? “Essentially, we gave the regular, run-of-the-mill T-shirt an upgrade,” says founder and creator Rey Sarthou. “We created Bairefined to give guys shirts that not only take regular size into account but height, too. So if a guy is on the shorter end but has a wider chest, he doesn’t have to

worry about buying a shirt that’s too long or buying a shirt that works for his height but is way too tight.” Buying a Bairefined shirt online—they run $35 each—you’ll choose your standard size (2XS-3XL) but also indicate your height, ensuring that what shows up on your doorstep fits, and fits comfortably. They’re made of high-quality cotton and bamboo, meaning they’re durable, soft, won’t shrink and won’t fade. And just in case you’re doubtful, check the return policy: 30-day returns are allowed, even after you’ve washed it. What more could you possibly ask of your closet go-to? OCTOBER 12, 2016

THE

GAY

AGENDA

Hollywood’s Great Escape Experience Halloween horrors all year long with a trip to Escape Hotel Hollywood, presently the largest venue of its kind in the world

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a bit more escape room experience under their belts can opt for the “Zombie,” “Witchcraft” (find the spell that will save you before a mob shows up to burn you alive) and “Mafia” rooms. Strides above the city’s many other local escape rooms, Escape Hotel has created a fully immersive experience from the time you step off the street. The venue itself is a beautifully appointed hotel lobby that recalls the previous season of American Horror Story, while the bellboys and receptionists are decked out in creepy period garb. Upon arrival you’ll be given a passport that acts as your checklist of the many rooms. Solve them and you’ll get a stamp proving as much. Though it’s already the largest by far, Escape Hotel is looking to more-than-double its rooms to 11 functioning experiences by year’s end. In a part of town better known for vintage shopping and wide-eyed tourists, we can’t be more delighted for a reason to visit Hollywood once again. —S.H.

SAVE OUR POLLINATORS! You’re not dumb. You’re well aware of the distress our planet’s bee population is currently facing. So it’s time to step up and do your part! Modern Sprout is here to help with its Pollinator Push Garden ($17, modsprout.com). Each set of three—different blends for butterflies, hummingbirds and bees—includes a curated selection of perennial wild flower seeds, nutrient-rich grow medium and instructions for planting your very own one-square-foot garden patch. Even better, a part of the proceeds from each sale goes to the Pollinator Partnership, which has dedicated itself to protecting important ecosystems and the flying critters that keep us alive. —S.H.

THE BROAD: JAMIE PHAM; BARBERSHOP: ALEN LIN

hat was formerly the bright red home of trendy nightlife spot Geisha House on the corner of Cherokee and Hollywood Boulevard is now something much creepier. Opened on July 19, Escape Hotel Hollywood has capitalized on our city’s love of escape rooms—those physical (but mostly logical) adventure games in which a group must use their wits to solve problems and puzzles in a set amount of time, thereby “escaping” the room—by setting up the largest one in the country, and possibly the world. Presently, E scape Hotel offers five different experiences, each of varying difficulty. Those who are unfamiliar with escape rooms should opt for “Agent,” in which you’re an American spy taken captive in Hitler’s WWII Europe, or “Daycare,” which tasks you with saving the souls of small children who perished in unthinkable ways (guaranteed to be one of the creepiest things you’ve done in a while). Those with

WHAT’S NEW, L.A.?

AN ARTFUL YEAR The Broad knows how to celebrate its first birthday right! L.A.’s new contemporary arts museum turns 1 on Tuesday, Sept. 20, and to commemorate the fact that lines are still down the block, the museum will distribute festive birthday hats and free cupcakes (courtesy of Sprinkles) to visitors, with pop-up art talks held throughout its galleries. 221 S. Grand Ave., thebroad.org

THE BROAD: JAMIE PHAM; BARBERSHOP: ALEN LIN

Pop Pillow Quiz COME SEPT. 22, you’ll be able to grab a cup of coffee and instead of inducing those post-joe jitters, it’ll actually take the edge off life’s daily stressors. Where is this magical place? Crumbs & Whiskers (7924 Melrose Ave., crumbsandwhiskers.com), L.A.’s first-ever cat café, which arrives on the West Coast after seeing success in Washington, D.C. Visits to the café are by appointment only (so as not to people-overload these adoptable kitties), with a standard 75-minute reservation at $22. (You can start booking on Sept. 21.) Taking its inspiration from Asia’s cat cafés, which have played a huge role in reducing feline euthanasia rates, Crumbs & Whiskers is your new go-to when you’re seeking a new furry friend. —S.H.

San Francisco brand Slumbr brings sleep shopping into the 21st century with its uniquely indulgent pillows

ho had any idea that pillow shopping could be ... fun? The San Franciscobased e-commerce company Slumbr has made its mission clear: inspire sleep wellness while at the same time revolutionizing the tedious task of pillow shopping. Gone are the days of squishing your potential pillow through a plastic sleeve in the bedding aisle. And that awkward standing head-rest motion you sometimes do, as if that’ll give you all the info you need about your new longterm sleep partner? Get outta here with that, too. Slumbr recently launched a line of highquality pillows—specially designed and painstakingly curated after evaluating hundreds of pillow types (who knew?) and testing them with real sleepers—that are durable to boot. But how do you know which one is right for you? Take the Pillow Quiz, genius. Heading online to slumbr.com/quiz, you’ll spend 45 seconds uncovering your ideal pillow. The quiz is simple: answer some questions about your sleep style, your sleep environment and your

personal pillow preference. In the end, you’ll be paired up with one of six pillow types, from the Ara, a buckwheat pillow that contours to your head and neck, to the Cassiopeia, a luxe down pillow filled with plush European goose down. Each of Slumbr’s pillows is made of sustainably sourced, high-grade materials, with a guarantee that they won’t clump up or flatten prematurely. They range from $60-$225, and if that seems steep, keep in mind that your pillow is the one fella you sleep with every night. That’s a pretty intimate relationship. —S.H.

LUSH IN AN ELEVATOR Stop into Loews Hollywood Hotel before Oct. 4 to experience the Traveller Bar, a pop-up bar that is actually made out of a vintage elevator car. Enjoy fresh but classic cocktails, like a Mount Gay Black Barrel Daiquiri or a Sombrero (Patron reposado and vermouth), but don’t bring your entire posse. The Traveller Bar only seats four people plus the bartender. 1755 Highland Ave., thetravellerbar.com

GET GROOMED The same guys who brought Les Deux to town have opened Like a Gentleman Barbershop next door to the Whisky on WeHo’s Sunset Strip. The idea is to step inside before a night on the town. You’ll get a trim, maybe a clean shave and entry into one of L.A.’s local hot spots, courtesy of the concierge at the register. 8919 Sunset Blvd., likeagentleman barbershop.com —S.H.

OCTOBER 12, 2016

A DINNER TO SUPPORT THE OUTFEST UCLA LEGACY PROJECT

O CTOBER 23, 2016 Honoring Jill Soloway (creator of "Transparent")

Freeform (home of "The Fosters", "Pretty Little Liars", "Shadowhunters")

For tickets and more information, visit www.outfest.org.

Presented By

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Colombo, the elephants of Sri Lanka, Sri Lankan stilt fishing, the mountaintop fort and pleasure palace of Sigiriya

TRAVEL

REST

Only in Amsterdam Its reputation for canals and freewheeling coffee shops belies a bonafide paradise for gay foodies and luxe-lovers By Mark A. Thompson

IF YOU’RE LIKE ME, your roommate’s Metallica-decibel snoring in the adjoining hotel room bed can be more than enough to keep you from getting quality shut-eye while abroad. And while the only real solution may be a costly deviated-septum surgery, SleepPhones ($40, sleepphones. com) can certainly help. While convenient, earbuds aren’t the most comfortable option for listening to music. In fact, after only a few hours of using them on the plane, your ears are often left screaming for mercy. But SleepPhones have placed flat speakers inside a soft, fleece headband, hence their tagline, “Pajamas for your ears.” You’ll rest more soundly knowing you’re free to shift around in your sleep, and you may have just found a better option for taking in tunes on the plane, too. —Stephan Horbelt

ot unlike Las Vegas, Amsterdam has cultivated its raffish reputation for years—and yet, of late, the city of canals has become as renowned for its restaurants as for its cannabis “coffee shops.” The little fishing village on the River Amstel that was founded around 1250 and soon celebrated for its beer, herring and spices is now a culinary destination befitting the 180 nationalities that call Amsterdam home. With 28 Michelin stars, Amsterdam is a city of savvy gourmands who welcome more than 10 million annual visitors to their table. In keeping with Amsterdam’s love of gastronomy, this year’s presentation of Michelin stars for the Michelin Guide Netherlands was held at the DeLaMar Theatre, where numerous Dutch chefs received their coveted Michelin stars and Bib Gourmands. Celebrated for its small city charms amidst a cosmopolitan pulse, Amsterdam is enjoying a citywide renaissance. Restored museums and new galleries are complemented by several new five-star hotels. And it’s a city of well-defined neighborhoods, each one possessing its own distinct character. Wander like a flaneur and soak up Amsterdam’s pleasures.

LGBT TREATS Amsterdam Pride is justifiably beloved for its riotous Canal Parade and Closing Ceremony party on Rembrandtplein (as well as more than 300 events throughout the city)—but equally fabulous is the cross-dressing medieval modern holiday known as Hartjesdagen, where a carnival atmosphere prevails. For those dreaming of Olympic gold (and other fantasies), there’s naked swimming at Marnixbad and Club Church’s weekly underwear party. Horsemen & Knights offers monthly sex parties, while the notoriously louche Wasteland is considered Europe’s most extreme fetish extravaganza. Each spring brings Pink Film Days, the Netherlands’ largest LGBTQ film festival, with its 11 days of screenings.

SLEEK BARS & SWELL BOITES Founded in 1679 as a liqueur distillery, Wynand Fockink specializes in artisanal liqueurs (with suggestive names such as “Hansel in the Cellar” and “The Longer the Better”) and malt-based genevers, which can be enjoyed in the historic tasting room or the authentic OCTOBER 12, 2016

TRAVEL

IN SEARCH OF THE

WORLD’S

BEST

Clockwise, from top left: Grand Café Krasnapolsky, the bar at Tunes, Conservatorium Hotel’s Brasserie

Concert Venues

SLANE CASTLE

COOL HOTELS Ever since John and Yoko’s “Bed-In” at the Hilton Amsterdam in 1969, Amsterdam’s hotels have exuded character. In keeping with its location next door to de Bijenkorf, Amsterdam’s most prestigious department store, the newly refurbished, five-star Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky exudes luxury from its opulent lobby to its oversized rooms. Amsterdam’s three-star Michelin chef Jacob Jan Boerma is in charge of the kitchen at Grand Café Krasnapolsky, the expansive brasserie with views onto the National Monument on Dam Square. The café’s Cake Room lures guests with a wide array of house-made pastries and truffles infused with Wynand Fockink liqueurs, while the hors d’oeuvres bar features signature dishes prepared ringside. Situated in a landmark 1897 neo-Gothic structure first built

as a bank, which later housed the city’s Conservatory of Music, the Conservatorium opened in 2011 as a contemporary luxury lifestyle hotel in the heart of Amsterdam’s museum district. Redesigned by Milan-based designer Piero Lissoni, whose clean lines and gray palette complement the original structure’s simplicity and functionality, the 129-room hotel is a showcase of contemporary Italian furnishings. The hotel’s Akasha Holistic Wellbeing Centre features a bar lounge and pool area with sound, music and aroma therapies,—as well as a sauna and Hammam—and the hotel’s Van Baerle Shopping Gallery includes some of Amsterdam’s most exclusive boutiques. With its commanding views of the Royal Palace and Dam Square, Mr. Porter atop the brand-new W Amsterdam has quickly become one of the city’s most popular nocturnal aeries. Designed by Yossi Eliyahoo with terrace and rooftop pool, the restaurant exudes the “wow” atmosphere cultivated by W, whose entry into Amsterdam has been as flashy and splashy as the exterior of the Brutalist-era building is understated. A member of Design Hotels, Sir Albert Hotel opened in 2013 in Amsterdam’s lively De Pijp district. The 90-room hotel is housed in an erstwhile 19th century diamond factory with casement windows, and in keeping with its “modern aristocratic” atmosphere, guests are received in a study rather than at a reception desk. Izakaya, the on-site Japanese restaurant created by Eliyahoo, has a private terrace that affords unmatched panoramic city views.

HOT TICKETS

DALHALLA

AMPHITHEATRE RATTVIK, SWEDEN With a stage-front moat that keeps fainting fans at bay, Dalhalla gives new meaning to the term “mosh pit.” Even though it’s open only in the summer months, the forest-enshrouded venue hosts about 20 to 30 events and draws more than 100,000 visitors every year. dalhalla.se

Opening in June 2017, Ivo van Hove’s acclaimed production of Obsession with Jude Law takes over the legendary Royal Theater Carré, which was first built in 1887 as a circus theater and is now the most famous in the Netherlands, having hosted everyone from Josephine Baker to the Folies Bergères.

THE ULTIMATE IN-AIR UPGRADE

“THIS IS A PRODUCT UPGRADE, not a price upgrade,” Delta’s Chief Marketing Officer Tim Mapes told The New York Times last month when the airline unveiled the latest era of posh travel, its new Delta One suite class. As the world’s very first all-suite business class, debuting September 2017, every seat in the hybrid first/business category (on its Airbus A350s and eventually its Boeing 777s) will feature more luxurious accommodations than your friend’s Manhattan shoebox apartment—flat-bed seats, a full-height sliding door, customizable lighting, storage compartments for your shoes and devices, a universal power outlet, memory foam cushions and an 18-inch monitor. (Yep, that’s bigger than your laptop.) You’ll only get to partake in the all-suite class on long-distance flights, of course, and Delta One tickets can cost thousands more than a seat in the main cabin, but what better reason to rack up extra points on your credit card? —S.H.

CROSBY THEATRE

SANTA FE Reason enough to travel to New Mexico, this openair venue makes our list for its gorgeous roof, which in addition to capturing “the shape of the sound” of live music, collects rainwater for use on-site. It’s also home to the Santa Fe Opera. santafeopera.org

AMSTERDAM: IAMAMSTERDAM

17th century tavern that spills out into the arcade just off the dam. More than 70 products are produced by hand and bottled at this extraordinary gin mill. Dutch chef Schilo van Coevorden brings his admiration for Japanese aesthetics to Tunes, the stylish lounge in the heart of the Conservatorium. This seductive bar, with its transparent walls and separate smoking lounge, offers signature cocktails alongside gourmet tapas, as well as in-house DJs on weekends. Michelin-starred chef Joris Bijdendijk is the culinary mastermind behind RIJKS, the exemplary upscale gourmet restaurant located in the newly transformed Rijksmuseum. Located in a UNESCO-listed 17th century warehouse alongside the Singel Canal near Central Station, the amiable Café Kobalt serves drinks and tapas all day, from morning into the wee hours, while in-house Club Kobalt owns the groove every Friday night. On Sundays, Kobalt Live percolates with a broad range of live music with free admission from September through June.

COUNTY MEATH, IRELAND Head-bang to the best—and take a step back in time, too—at this 300-year-old castle that has played host to such world-class talents as David Bowie, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, Madonna and Bruce Springsteen. slanecastle.ie

GOOD TO GO

BLT Steak Waikiki, one of Oahu’s go-to spots for a chic meal, has announced that its new Chef de Cuisine Guillaume Thivet will offer monthly cooking classes. The $90, 1.5-hour demo comes with a glass of wine upon arrival and a complete three-course lunch. bltsteak.com Just in time for peak travel season, Andaz Scottsdale Resort & Spa announces it will open its doors to Arizona travelers on Nov. 1. With breathtaking views of Camelback Mountain, guest rooms are Mid-Century Modern-inspired, a touch that pays homage to the artists and designers who frequented the desert in the 1950s and ‘60s. scottsdale.andaz.hyatt.com Waldorf Astoria has announced it will expand to the Bay Area with a San Francisco property in 2020 or 2021. The hotel will occupy the first21floorsofamixed-usetower (shopping and office space) in the city’s SoMa neighborhood on Mission Street, only a short walk from the embarcadero. waldorfastoria.hilton.com —S.H.

Riding the Rails

The Napa Valley Wine Train has partnered with local wineries for monthly gourmet dinner excursions

AMSTERDAM: IAMAMSTERDAM

he next time you head north to explore Napa Valley, tick all the boxes: take in the area’s lush scenery, sample some of the country’s most celebrated wines, treat yourself to a gourmet meal fit for a king and recall the glory days of train travel. There’s only one way to enjoy all of these things at once, and we have the Napa Valley Wine Train to thank for that. “We are absolutely thrilled to announce this experience aboard our newest railcar,” Pat Colee says of the Napa Valley Wine Train’s launch of the new Private Reserve train. “With this excursion, guests will experience the beauty of Napa Valley at dusk while enjoying first-class dining with some of Napa Valley’s most distinguished winemakers.” A monthly series of special dinners will take place aboard the Private Reserve train, a 36-seat restyled Pullman railcar—restored with Honduran mahogany paneling, luxe armchairs and brass accents—that transports

you through the valley’s idyllic landscape. It travels along one of the few active historic passenger railroads in the country. While aboard, guests are treated to a multi-course, bespoke paired menu created by Napa Valley Wine Train’s executive chef, Donald Young, in collaboration with one of the area’s premier local wineries. Sample menu items include Porcini Dusted Filet of Beef paired with Raymond’s Generations Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2013 and Pacific Smoked Salmon Carpaccio paired with LVE Chardonnay Napa Valley 2014. The Private Reserve train’s second excursion will take place on Oct. 1, hosted by HALL wines, with vintner Kathryn Walt Hall in attendance. (She’ll also be signing her recently released autobiography, A Perfect Score.) The train will be leaving Napa’s station at 7 p.m., returning at 11. Tickets start at $265 per person. Find more info at winetrain.com. —S.H.

COAST TO COAST

ASPEN FILMFEST 2016 Colorado

Sept. 21-25 This 38th annual noncompetitive festival, the flagship event of an organization that hosts yearlong events, showcases narratives, docs, award-worthy fall previews and acclaimed indies. Among this year’s selections is Outfest favorite Spa Night. aspenfilm.org

FOLSOM STREET FAIR San Francisco

Sept. 25 It’s the world’s largest leather event, now featuring the occasional baby stroller as an added bonus . Sunday’s the day everyone hits the streets of SoMa, but expect a full weekend of debauchery at events like Sunday’s closing party, Deviants. folsomstreetevents.org

BLACK & BLUE FESTIVAL Montréal

Oct. 5-11 Legendary British DJ Danny Howells is the main attraction at the circuit party weekend’s Sunday main event, alongside Tracy Young and Montréal’s own Alain Jackinsky. This year marks the fest’s 26th year, and a crowd of over 30,000 is expected. bbcm.org—S.H. OCTOBER 12, 2016

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Special Special Special thanks thanks thanks to to to Special thanks to

LOS LOS LOS ANGELES ANGELES ANGELES LOS ANGELES OCT. OCT. OCT. 23, 23, 23, 2016 2016 2016 OCT. 23, 2016

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Created Created Created and and produced and produced produced byby MZA by MZA MZA Events. Events. Events. AIDS AIDS AIDS Walk Walk Walk Founder/Senior Founder/Senior Founder/Senior Organizer: Organizer: Organizer: Craig Craig Craig R.R. Miller. R. Miller. Miller. ©© MZA © MZA MZA Events, Events, Events, 2016 2016 2016

Created and produced by MZA Events. AIDS Walk Founder/Senior Organizer: Craig R. Miller. © MZA Events, 2016

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health FOR YOUR

OUTLAST, OUTPLAY, OUTLIFT OutLift co-founders Christian Port, Kevin Wu, Justin Sevakis, Chris Swanson and Samantha Kinne

Think CrossFit is restricted to straight white dudes? OutLift—an all-inclusive group for LGBT athletes—proves it’s a fitness trend for all By Drew Mackie

he average person, gym-goer or not, might imagine a typical CrossFit session to be a lot of grunting, a lot of high-fives and a lot of masculinity on display while men lift heavy things. OutLift, a new group for LGBT CrossFit athletes (OutLift.org), might feature all these things as well, but its founders are striving to do so while shedding the elements that might have prevented some people—gay and straight alike—from trying out the fitness regimen. OutLift launched this spring and currently boasts 150 members. Centered at Nela Athletics in Atwater Village, the group hosts regular events that combine group workouts with cookouts, aiming to draw people from all corners of Los Angeles. Kevin Wu, an OutLift co-founder, said the group allows him to meet people he might not come across otherwise. “I liken it to gay dodgeball or Frontrunners, the gay running group. I always thought those groups were a great way to make friends—to workout with like-minded people and have your own space and enjoy it together,” he says. “But it’s also good just for the sake of visibility, to show people who might have a certain perception of CrossFit that, no, it’s not just that. I’d imagine a lot of people don’t think of gay athletes when they think of CrossFit.” The group began as the result of conversations between athletes

who liked the Northeast L.A. location—because a good handful of LGBT Angelenos worked out there, but also because it drew from a representative cross-section of the city’s population. “It’s a giant melting pot of people,” explains Christian Port, the group’s founder. “People here are more open to talking and collaborating, and our gym has always had strong support for LGBT stuff. But we were also realizing that a lot of our friends who worked out at other gyms had really different experiences.” Grateful for their experience and sensing that others throughout L.A. might want that, too, OutLift hosted its kickoff workout and barbecue in April. As time rolled on, they quickly saw subsequent events drawing people from a greater geographical area that they’d initially anticipated. “We had people coming from all the way out in the 818, from the South Bay, from Pasadena and Covina,” says Port. “It’s been interesting to see that grow, and it’s growing quickly.” At a gym like West Hollywood’s Brick CrossFit, you likely wouldn’t have problems finding gay athletes, but that’s not always the case elsewhere—and all the more so as you move away from the L.A. metropolitan area. As Port sees it, the perception that CrossFit is an activity for straight white dudes stems in part from the fact that the regimen OCTOBER 12, 2016

FOR YOUR

health

'FRONTIERS APPROVED' CROSSFIT LOCALES NELA ATHLETICS 1517 Railroad St., Atwater Village; 4662 Eagle Rock Blvd., Eagle Rock, nelaathletics.com PHOENIX EFFECT 7264 Melrose Ave., L.A. phoenixeffectla.com LOCK BOX L.A. 5925 W. Pico Blvd., L.A. lockboxla.com

has a history rooted in the military and religion. “It’s not a coincidence that when Rich Froning introduced his own branded Reebok CrossFit shoes, they had a Bible verse on them,” Port says, referring to one of the most victorious competitors at the annual CrossFit Games, the most publicfacing aspect of CrossFit culture. Few out athletes compete in those games, and they’ve occasionally gotten flack from the LGBT community. In 2014, trans athlete Chloie Jönsson sued the games for the right to compete as a woman. (That case is still pending.) And this year, the competition offers Glock handguns as prizes—which, just weeks after the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando and amidst the Black Lives Matter protests, dismayed some. Outlift member Garrett Mckechnie says while he hasn’t experienced homophobia in the CrossFit environment, he could imagine how other locations might not be so welcoming. “Yeah, I’m sure that in an atmosphere where men are bashing their egos together, people will encounter that,” he says. “But that’s why it’s good to get the word out that there is this community. For someone doing CrossFit outside L.A., it could be a great way to meet up.” To the group that launched OutLift, Atwater has always felt different. Port and his co-founders credit the owner of Nela Athletics, Paul Austad, with fostering a sense of community and inclusivity, both in Atwater and at his other location in Eagle Rock. “I’m absolutely stoked,” says Austad at having had this group start in his gym. “The biggest thing for me is that our

WITH AARON SAVVY

➸ Send your questions to aaronsavvy@ gmail.com

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When should I incorporate cardio into my workout— at the beginning or end?

CHAIN FITNESS 4127 Cahuenga Blvd., Toluca Lake chainfitness.com THE REC CENTER 588 Mateo St., DTLA thereccentercrossfit.com BRICK LOS ANGELES 7811 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood brickspt.com/los-angeles TROJAN CROSSFIT 431 S. Hewitt St., DTLA trojancrossfit.com CROSSFIT CITY OF ANGELS 4228 Melrose Ave., Silver Lake crossfitcityofangels.com REEBOK CROSSFIT LAB 8466 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood crossfitcityofangels.com

Should I eat during my workout? —Henry, Palm Springs

—Taylor, Hollywood

You want to do cardio last. If you do cardio first, you’ll burn the needed glucose (energy levels) to allow you to lift to your maximum. Performing cardio last is the perfect way to end your workout.

It’s best to workout on an empty stomach, though eating or drinking an easy protein source can be beneficial. I will have either a protein shake or bar during my workout to fuel muscles and prevent glucose levels from dropping, which results in fatigue.

PHOTO CREDIT TK

FITNESS

community is inclusive to anybody. A huge piece of what we are trying to build is that it doesn't matter who you are or what you do, fitness should be a part of your life. And now this group is saying, ‘Come, relax, enjoy a healthy atmosphere, get a good workout in, have some food, meet some people.’ That is what we’re about.” In addition to changing the CrossFit experience for LGBT athletes, OutLift might also change the way CrossFit is perceived by the chunk of the population who has no interest in ever attending a session. (For what it’s worth, this writer attended his first CrossFit event at an OutLift open house. He didn’t throw up and only felt like he was going to die for about 10 minutes.) Port is aware of all the CrossFit stereotypes, hoping to change them and built a better-connected community. “All throughout Southern California, the gyms themselves are really siloed from each other,” he says. “You have a lot of smaller affiliate gyms all over the place, and oftentimes people will just workout at their one gym and never meet people from other gyms. We know there are a lot of LGBT people in L.A. that do CrossFit, but in general we just need more cross-pollination.” And in the spirit of inclusivity, at OutLift it’s often not just gay athletes but people who are happy to exercise alongside each other irrespective of their sexuality or sexual identity. “Everyone at our gym goes to the events,” says Mckechnie. “In an earlier time, it might have been more controversial, but now it’s a community group for everyone. There is a huge amount of people, straight and gay, who go.”

WHEN YOU PICTURE A "gamer," what image comes to mind? Is it an overweight slacker who has permanently set up shop in mom's basement, contributing little to nothing to society? Studies show there may be no basis for such a generalization, as we now know that playing video games comes with a plethora of unexpected health benefits, from helping people overcome dyslexia and improving balance in those suffering from MS to reducing stress, improving vision, curbing overeating and even promoting the ability to multitask. So the next time gaming comes up in conversation, maybe your mind should picture a surgeon instead, for whom studies show that three hours per week of playing video games can reduce the number of errors made in laparoscopic (small incision) procedures. —S.H.

foods

THAT LOWER YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE

BAD THOUGHTS, BAD RELATIONSHIP Quit sabotaging a good thing with demands, criticism, defensiveness and contempt By Dr. Greg Cason

PHOTO CREDIT TK

hat you think about your partner might just harm him. No, you can’t use your mind to bend your partner like a spoon, but your thoughts will lead you to feel and act in ways that will destroy the relationship. It’s like this: First you have the thought, then you react to that thought in the form of feelings and behaviors. Luckily most don’t react to the majority of thoughts they have, otherwise most men would be a combination of porn actor and demolition expert. You react to the thoughts you believe have personal relevance. For example, you can read a post about presidential candidate Gary Johnson asking, “What is Aleppo?” and not care. (Mostly because you have to ask “Who is Gary Johnson?”) But then you see a negative review of Britney Spears’ new album and hit the roof. It’s not that you’re shallow (maybe you are); it’s just that as a human, you focus on information you believe pertains to you (and your partner). There are four types of negative thoughts that can lead you to destroy your relationship: DEMANDS. These are the “shoulds, musts and oughts” you inflict upon yourself (“I deserve to be treated like a king”), your partner (“He should stop acting like a queen”) and your relationship (“Our relationship should be a fairy tale”). The more demands you have, the more miserable you are—and, chances are, the more miserable your partner is. That’s because you set up rigid rules you can barely follow, let alone your clueless partner. Without your partner having a vote, you create a roadmap for him to fail, and he usually will. Remedy: Rather than demands, state clearly what you want and what would make you happy. CRITICISM. Like the Chinese water torture of thoughts, critical thoughts about our partner continually work on us until we feel the need to blurt them out. That’s when we say irrational things like “You’re always late” or “You never want sex.” They’re irrational because things rarely happen “always” or “never,” but the damage is still done. Under the slow drip of criticism, the fabric of the relationship begins to erode and your partner is almost forced to defend himself. Remedy: Rather than criticism, complain about only one

thing (e.g., “You were late to dinner” or “You didn’t want to have sex last night, and I’m disappointed.”). These are complaints and statements of fact. DEFENSIVENESS. When your partner starts hitting you with demands and criticisms, you defend yourself by putting up a shield of virtuosity. For example, in response to the accusations of always being late or never wanting sex, you merely have to pooh-pooh their accusation (“I was only late by five minutes”) or cite one instance when sex did happen (“We had sex yesterday”). Now, instead of being in a dance with each other, you end up in a boxing match. Remedy: Rather than launching into a counter-attack and proving your partner wrong, listen and nod, nothing more. CONTEMPT. The worst thoughts to have, contemptuous thoughts and words become the sulfuric acid of relationships. Contempt is when you look down upon your mate (e.g., “He’s fat!” or “He’s pathetic“). Thinking such thoughts separate you emotionally from your partner because you see him as inferior. If you vocalize your thoughts, it’s like driving a stake into your mate’s heart and may cause irreparable damage to your relationship. If you say those words to your mate in front of others, you’re humiliating your partner, and that’s a form of emotional abuse. Remedy: You need to do some serious self-reflection. You are the problem, not him. If you express these thoughts, you are actively destroying the bond you have together. Get thee to a therapist and clean up your act before you ruin one more thing in your life. It would be nice if we never had a destructive thought about our partners, but let’s face it, we’re not robots and we do make mistakes. The first thing to do is to realize when you are having a destructive thought and treat as just that—a thought. See it like a balloon floating by; just let it go and pop on its own. Instead, grab onto the thought balloons that nurture and restore your relationship.

Add these foods—low in sodium, high in calcium, magnesium and potassium— into your regular diet to naturally lower your blood pressure. It could reduce your risk of stroke and heart attack drastically.

YOGURT

A cup of fat-free plain yogurt has half the calcium you need daily

PEACHES

Throw some frozen, unsweetened peaches into your daily smothie

AVOCADO

Be sure to eat the mineral-rich dark green flesh just under the peel

KIWI

One kiwifruit contains more vitamin C than the same amount of orange slices

FISH

Opt for a mild white fish like tilapia, available year-round

Contact Dr. Cason by going to DrGreg.com, or interact with him on Twitter @DrGregCason

OCTOBER 12, 2016

Voted L.A.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Sexiest Garden Restaurant

BIG GAY WEEKEND BRUNCH

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events

nightlife

theater

exhibits

film

music

■ Thu. | Sept. 15 RETURN OF THE RAMS The Wiltern

It’s a special evening celebrating the legacy of the Rams in L.A., featuring Hall of Fame members, a gallery of classic Rams images and a memorabilia auction. latimes.com/returnoftherams ■ Thu. | Sept. 15 MAY CONTAIN NUTS Skirball Center

A night of comedy starring Ray Romano, Kevin Nealon, Wendy Liebman and lots more, celebrating 15 years of weSPARK Cancer Support Center, and to honor the memory of founder Wendie Jo Sperber. wespark.org ■ Through Oct. 9 A MEXICAN TRILOGY: AN AMERICAN STORY Los Angeles Theatre Center

Evelina Fernández’s awardwinning trilogy—Faith, Hope and Charity—presented in its entirety as the first production in the Latino Theater Company’s fall programming. thelatc.org

■ Fri. | Sept. 16 ANITA BRYANT’S PLAYBOY INTERVIEW Cavern Club Theater

Back by popular demand for six shows, this funny, touching and thoughtprovoking play chronicles Anita Bryant’s campaign to repeal gay rights in Florida in 1977. Through Oct. 11. cavernclubtheater.com ■ Fri. | Sept. 16 ROARING NIGHTS Los Angeles Zoo

The zoo’s summer music series concludes with a night of ’80s music featuring tributes to David Bowie and Prince. In addition to the music, there will be food trucks, full bars, vintage video games, life-size Jenga, a costume contest, pop-up zookeeper talks and more. lazoo.org ■ Fri. | Sept. 16 EVIL DEAD: THE MUSICAL The Garage Theatre

■ Fri. | Sept. 16 HALLOWEEN HORROR NIGHTS Universal Studios Hollywood

It’s the scariest, most intense Halloween event in SoCal, and this year sees seven all-new mazes based on some of the best films and TV shows ever (American Horror Story and The Exorcist among them), plus a new Terror Tram experience. halloweenhorrornights.com

The iconic film gets even greater (and goofier) in this gore-filled musical extravaganza that covers all three movies in under two hours. Through Oct. 15. thegaragetheatre.org ■ Fri. | Sept. 16 AN EVENING WITH SOPHIA LOREN Cerritos Center

Her prolific career spans more than five decades, and now she captivates audiences with an intimate onstage conversation and Q&A. cerritoscenter.com

Ten Days of Fashion

he left, he turned to me and said, ’Welcome to ne of the country’s fastest growing America. I hope you’re treated well. We need fashion events, Metropolitan Fashmore people like you.’“ Inspired, Khawam ion Week, returns to L.A. this month. launched the original iteration of Metro, and at Unique among the fashion weeks populating the the behest of other Seattle designers, decided couture circuit, it’s not aimed at buyers of highto expand into couture and costume. end stores but at celebrity stylists and costume The event formally expanded to Los designers looking for something to bring to their Angeles last year, and tailors itself to our next project. “This is where stylists go to look city’s entertainment industry. “We show a lot for Lady Gaga’s next outfit for a concert,“ says of unique pieces, something a stylist might see executive producer Paul Jaramillo. and match with a client. We also try to hold The 10-day event begins with a free show our events in historic places,“ says Jaramillo. at the Farmers Market. “The opening show is Since its official founding in 2011, Metro has where we highlight up-and-coming designalso expanded to Las Vegas and Palm Springs, ers,“ says Edwardo Khawam, Metro’s founder. with a New York version planned for 2017. Presented by Dylan’s Candy Bar, costume creBetween the opening show and ations made of candy will be showcased. the closing gala, Metro will host The audience will vote for their favorshows from a cadre of interite design, and the top three will national designers, including participate in this year’s big closing METROPOLITAN FASHION WEEK Ricardo Soltero, Erick Bendaña event. “Last year, the runner-up in Sept. 22 - Oct. 1 and Adicora Swimwear. the opening ceremony went on to metropolitan The L.A. offshoot will feature design dresses for Miss Universe,“ fashionweek.net an awards ceremony—the event’s Khawam says. Directly following first—highlighting commentary and the opening night parade of coscreation in fashion, costume design tumes, join us for a Frontiers Night Out and makeup for live events as well as film event at Mixology 101, located above Dylan’s. and TV. The eight categories are judged by a Organizers have also teamed with Autism panel that includes two-time Oscar-nominated Speaks for “La Vie En Blue,“ a French-inflected costume designer Paco Delgado and Makeup fashion show at the Warner Bros lot on Thursday, Artist and Hair Stylist Guild President Susan Sept. 29. “Blue is the charity’s color, and we ran Cabral-Ebert. Tickets to the closing ceremony with that idea,“ says Jaramillo. Following the and awards show start at $95, and will be held show, Cirque du Soleil will even stage a perforat Warner Bros on Oct. 1. mance of Zumanity. Tickets start at $300. Cirque du Soleil will receive this year’s Metropolitan Fashion Week started in Excellence Award, and a runway show honorSeattle, and grew out of a swimwear revue creing the company will mark the first time eleated by Khawam in 2008. The show has stately ments from each of its Vegas performances inspiration—Khawam, who is from Venezuela, will be on one stage. Regarding Cirque’s incluwas on the brink of returning home when he ran sion, Jaramillo says, “We’re unique among into presidential candidate Barack Obama at a fashion weeks, and we’re excited to highlight gym. “We didn’t talk about politics, but what I why that is.“ —Patrick Rosenquist wanted to do while I was here,“ he says. “When OCTOBER 12, 2016

■ ■ ■ ■

■ Sat. | Sept. 17 LEA DELARIA: HOUSE OF DAVID California Plaza, DTLA

■ Sat. | Sept. 17 ART PROJECT LOS ANGELES Bonhams in Hollywood

The final concert of Grand Performances’ 30th season is a benefit featuring the Orange Is the New Black star in the L.A. premiere of her jazz-influenced David Bowie show. grandperformances.org

L.A. artist Todd Squires is the featured artist of this sixth annual event for APLA, which includes silent and live auction components, including works by renowned artists like Salvador Dalí. artprojectlosangeles.com

■ Sat. | Sept. 17 DRENCHED 2016 Private residence

As the summer comes to an end, get wet one last time at this fundraiser pool party to benefit The Life Group L.A., co-hosted by DJ Eur-O-Steve and Stan Smith. New this year, five guys will be on the block for the bachelor auction, and there will be drag water polo. thelifegroupla.org

■ Sat. | Sept. 17 MACBETH Dorothy Chandler Pavilion

Plácido Domingo and James Conlon unite once again in this powerful adaptation of Shakespeare’s classic thriller. Domingo takes on the title role with Ekaterina Semenchuk as the diabolical Lady Macbeth. Through Oct. 16. laopera.org

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HOUSEWIVES & HILARITY Have you ever wanted to see Andy Cohen perform Beyoncé’s ’Formation’ with original choreography?

yan Raftery’s last take on a media titan—the frosty, stylish Anna Wintour—won over audiences in both New York and Los Angeles as he portrayed the Vogue editrix battling with twin demons Kim and Kanye. This month, at Hollywood’s Catalina Bar and Grill, the former Angeleno unleashes his latest show—a comedy-musical based on Andy Cohen and his cohort of Real Housewives. Ryan Raftery’s Watch What Happens Live on Stage showcases the gifted comedian lovingly satirizing the king of reality TV as Cohen tries to win over the heart of another RYAN RAFTERY silver fox, Anderson Cooper. Catalina Bar & Grill Supported by the likenesses of Real Housewives Nene Leakes, Sept. 23 & 24 Teresa Giuduce and Kim Richards, it’s a jukebox musical devoted to catalinajazzclub.com telling the story of a young Cohen, brand-new to New York. He’s moved to the city in order to make it in television—and, of course, find a little love. Written by Raftery himself, the show was already a hit on the East Coast, selling out night after night at its Manhattan home, Joe’s Pub. So what’s next for Raftery after taking on the head of the Housewives clan? He’d like to close out his ’fame trilogy’ by taking on Martha Stewart—perhaps in stunning stripes. —P.R.

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TOUCH THURSDAY | THE ABBEY Photos by Rolling-Blackouts

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BEAR BUST | PRECINCT Photos by Jeremy Lucido

■ Sat. | Sept. 17 MR. SISTER LEATHER 2017 Eagle L.A.

■ Tue. | Sept. 20 MARA WILSON: WHERE AM I NOW? Barnes and Noble, The Grove

This pageant/fundraiser puts guys who think they have what it takes to wear the crown and sash to the ultimate test, in front of a live audience. Your $8 donation benefits local charities. eaglela.com

You may know her best as the young actress who starred in Matilda and Mrs. Doubtfire, but now she’s reading and signing her first memoir, charting her journey from accidental fame to relative obscurity.

■ Sat. | Sept. 17 PULP FICTION Glassell Park

The Electric Dusk Drive-In is back in a brand-new venue, the parking lot of the Van de Kamp Bakery Building, screening films every Saturday through September. $10 for a lawn ticket, $14 for a car ticket. electricduskdrivein.com ■ Sun. | Sept. 18 THE MAIDS A Noise Within

Jean Genet based his groundbreaking play on the famous case of the Papin sisters, a pair of maids who murdered their employer and her daughter in 1933. The work looks at the searing brutality of class distinctions and the liberation that stems from destruction. Through Nov. 12. anoisewithin.org ■ Sun. | Sept. 18 KRAFTWERK 3-D Hollywood Bowl

Electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk continue their streak of highly acclaimed 3-D concerts by undertaking their first Bowl appearance. L.A.’s Lyris Quartet will open with their ambient adaptations of rare Kraftwerk compositions. hollywoodbowl.com

■ Wed. | Sept. 21 THE SHOUT El Portal Theater

Yusuf Nasir, a former professional dancer (Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, JLo), makes his directorial and choreographic debut with this original full-length dance production. Through Sept. 25. elportaltheatre.com ■ Wed. | Sept. 21 DTLA FILM FEST Regal Cinemas L.A. Live

DLTA’s only major film festival stages its eighth year with opening night film Swing State and centerpiece The Loner, closing with the 40th anniversary edition of the Bowie-starring The Man Who Fell to Earth. Through Sept. 28. dffla.com ■ Wed. | Sept. 21 FOR THE RECORD: SCORSESE The Wallis

This acclaimed series will transform the director’s iconic soundtracks into an immersive theatrical concert, with a set list spanning GoodFellas, Casino, The Wolf of Wall Street and more. Through Oct. 16. thewallis.org

OCTOBER 12, 2016

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■ Thu. | Sept. 22 AMADEUS UCLA’s James Bridges Theater

■ Thu. | Sept. 22 LAX FESTIVAL 2016 Multiple venues

The first show of L.A. Theatre Works’ season is this multiTony (and Oscar) awardwinning work, Peter Shaffer’s story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his nemesis, Antonio Salieri, punctuated with some of Mozart’s most beautiful music. Through Sept. 25. latw.org

This fourth annual festival features eight new local productions, from theater to opera to visual and multimedia design, taking place at Union Station, Bootleg Theater, Automata, Ace Hotel and other spots. liveartsexchange.org

■ Thu. | Sept. 22 LUCKYRICE Milliwick / Alexandria Ballrooms

■ Fri. | Sept. 23 L.A. PODCAST FESTIVAL 2016 Sofitel Los Angeles

Two Asian food festivals, taking place one day apart. L.A. Slurpfest is dedicated to ramen, and L.A. Cocktail Feast is all about cocktails inspired by Asian ingredients. Through Sept. 23. luckyrice.com

Confirmed guests at this fifth annual festival include Aisha Tyler with her Girl on Guy podcast, Todd Glass, Kevin Pollak and a ton of other popular podcasters. Through Sept. 25. lapodfest.com

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Party in the Park

ay Days is returning to the Magic Kingdom, with the unofficial but super popular event taking over Disneyland starting later this month. The organizers have pulled together a long string of events to keep you busy while you’re not at the park, including a kick-off party Friday night hosted by RuPaul’s Drag Race star Trixie Mattel and featuring the song stylings of DJ Ray Rhodes. On Saturday, our favorite pint-sized comedian Leslie Jordan will put on his latest show, Straight Outta Chattanooga, at the Grand Californian. Singer-songwriter Steve Grand will perform in Downtown Disney as part of the weekend’s biggest event, Kingdom, and the weekend will end GAY DAYS with an intimate conversation with out actor Alan Cumming on Sunday ANAHEIM evening. DJ Zach Moos will play at this year’s annual Gay Days pool party, Disneyland Sept. 30 - Oct. 2 Plunge!, Sunday at the Anaheim Majestic Garden Hotel. gaydaysanaheim.com Although the park is not an official sponsor of Gay Days Anaheim (those attending traditionally wear red to stand out from the usual crowds), Disneyland offers discounted park tickets and resort rooms for those attending. The Family Equality Council will also be organizing a slew of family-friendly events during the weekend, and the Majestic Garden has been designated the event’s family-oriented hotel. —P.R.

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CONSENT | REDLINE Photos by Jeremy Lucido

EATINGOUT ■ Fri. | Sept. 23 DIAVOLO The Broad Stage

■ Sat. | Sept. 24 A TASTE OF HONEY Odyssey Theatre

The groundbreaking dance company presents their signature “architecture in motion“ with the new Passengers and audience favorite Trajectoire. Through Sept. 25. thebroadstage.com

This controversial play by Shelagh Delaney rocked the British theater community in May 1958 with its exhilarating and honest depiction of harsh, working-class life in post-war England. Through Nov. 27. odysseytheatre.com

■ Fri. | Sept. 23 QUEEN OF KATWE El Capitan Theatre

Over opening weekend, 20-year-old grand master chess player Daniel Naroditsky of San Mateo, ranked seventh in the nation, will take on two audience members in simultaneous chess matches prior to each movie. Through Sept. 25. elcapitantickets.com ■ Sat. | Sept. 24 NONOBJECT(IVE) The Broad

Taking inspiration from the large-scale photos of Andreas Gursky to the sculpture of Mike Kelley, the celebration of rave and club cultures pulses through the Broad in Shifting Horizon Exploding Star, Underground and Rave Cultures, the fourth installment of Nonobject(ive). thebroad.org

N ■ Sat. | Sept. 24 DINO FEST Natural History Museum

This fall, the NHM brings the world of dinosaurs to life with this new weekend festival celebrating dinos big, small and everything in between. Get an inside look at the work of paleontologists and how artists and filmmakers use science to create these beasts. Through Sept. 25. nhm.org ■ Sat. | Sept. 24 HO HOUSE Hamburger Mary’s WeHo

Raunchy song parody stylist Wendy Ho brings a batch of talented local performers together for a night of music and comedy. This edition stars Drag Race favorite Ongina. hamburgermarys.com/weho

■ Sat. | Sept. 24 THE TRAGEDY OF JFK (AS TOLD BY WM. SHAKESPEARE) Skylight Theatre

It’s the tale of the conspiracy to assassinate the 35th president of the United States and its aftermath. Using Shakespearian text, it illuminates what might have happened surrounding one of the most shocking events in American history. Through Nov. 6. theblank.com

New to Frogtown and handmade in house (with just a touch ever heard of Frogtown? You’re not of lard), so to start, order a couple of the alone. But this formerly industrial signature tacos. Each is small enough to stretch along the L.A. River between be a snack before the main course. Fillings Silver Lake and Atwater Village is fast include carne asada, pollo asado, al pastor becoming one of the city’s most intriguing (marinated pork) and seasonal vegetables. neighborhoods, thanks to a modicum of They come dressed with avocado slices, gentrification and the appearance of this earthy salsa vaquero, cilantro and finely new Mexican restaurant from Mexicali Taco chopped onions. & Co co-founder Edras Ochoa and partner There are currently two salads, one a Billy Silverman. Caesar made with little gem lettuce, the The restaurant takes over a former auto other with heirloom tomatoes, corn, radbody shop that now comprises the indoor ish, watercress and lemon. Or just skip bar, dining room and diminutive kitchen. The straight to the mains. Here, they’re descorner lot, however, has a much larger footignated as “Los Primitivos“ as they’re just print, and the restaurant puts it to good use big pieces of protein grilled over a mesas an expansive patio beautifully landscaped quite fire. There’s a choice of flat-iron, New with desert plants—cacti, bougainvillea, olive York or ribeye steaks, a juicy trees and a line of palms. The pork chop or whatever the overall feeling is somewhere catch of the day may be. Go between a Tijuana beer garfor red meat since it’ll soak den, a backyard barbecue and in all that smoky goodness a Mexican Riviera resort. (and our tip to you: ask for You’ll want to order one it a bit rarer than you want, of barman Aaron Melendrez’s since it tends to come out a (Normandie Room) creative little over-grilled). Each main cocktails. The La Paloma is served on a wooden board is a smoky concoction of with tortillas, salsa vaquero mezcal, ancho chile liqueur, Salazar (with roasted tomatoes, chilgrapefruit juice and dashes 2490 Fletcher Blvd., Los Angeles ies, garlic and pepper), grilled of honey and salt. There’s salazarla.com white onion and bell pepper. also a Michelada with Negra Fo r th e s i d e s , t a ke $$$$$ Modelo beer, a house blend your pick of street corn of spices, salt and lime. For and a few frijole iterations, something fresher, the three Atmosphere including one prepared with Aguas Frescas hit the spot. Modern Mexican pinto beans and pork belly. The Verde even feels healthy, Standout Dishes For something richer, the as a blend of cucumber, green Carne asada taco, mashed potatoes taste as apple, lime and cilantro come grilled NY steak though they’re half cream, spiked with celery gin, pear Drinks and they come with two kinds brandy and fino sherry. There La Paloma, Verde Agua Fresca of chorizo. are also selections of wine by And of course save room the bottle and glass and over Hours a dozen beers including some 5-midnight Tue-Thu, 5-1 a.m. for the signature dessert, a Fri-Sat, noon-5 p.m. Sun corn flan with pistachios, popMexican favorites and a few corn (for a bit of crunch) and American microbrews. Reservations dulce de leche. —Eric Rosen The tortillas are fresh Recommended

★★★★★

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FRESH FRIDAYS | FLAMING SADDLES Photos by Jason King

■ Sun. | Sept. 25 PROMISES PROMISES Alex Theatre

■ Through Oct. 16 BARBECUE Geffen Playhouse

Musical Theatre Guild launches its 21st anniversary season with this rollicking pop Broadway musical (based on the film The Apartment) as a one-night-only concert. musicaltheatreguild.com

The grill is hot, the beer is chilled and the table is set for a typical O’Mallery family barbecue. But when their drug-addicted sister Zippity Boom arrives strung-out, her siblings have finally had enough. geffenplayhouse.org ■ Wed. | Sept. 28 VALLEY FILM FESTIVAL Laemmle NoHo7

The sixteenth annual festival returns for five days of over 50 indie films from around the world. The fest is committed to supporting local indie productions by showcasing 26 films shot in the San Fernando Valley. Through Oct. 2. valleyfilmfest.com ■ Sun. | Sept. 25 THE SOUTH PARK 20 EXPERIENCE The Paley Center for Media

An interactive exhibit to celebrate the 20th season of Comedy Central’s awardwinning series. The exhibit features a gallery of 2-D and 3-D life-sized replicas of fans’ favorite characters and classic moments, daily screenings and fan photo opps. Through Sept. 25. paleycenter.org ■ Tue. | Sept. 27 MICHAEL BUBLÉ: TOUR STOP 148 Select local cinemas

Michael Bublé and his tour crew come to the big screen for one night, with a selection of his greatest hits onstage. Audiences will see a specially filmed intro and Q&A. fathomevents.com

■ Wed. | Sept. 28 BUTTERFLY PAVILION Natural History Museum

NHM has redesigned and rebuilt its popular outdoor Butterfly Pavilion exhibit, which is re-opened to the public. Delight in the more than 25 species of butterflies flitting around in their new digs. nhm.org ■ Wed. | Sept. 28 THE WORLD OF DUMPLINGS Skirball Cultural Center

Through cooking demos and tastings, learn about the history and practice of dumpling making in Chinese, Jewish and Latin American cuisines. Also Oct. 26 and Nov. 30. skirball.org

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DRAGULA | FAULTLINE Photos by Jeremy Lucido

Protecting the Printed Image

o preserve, protect and promote erotic art. What a mission, huh? The Tom of Finland Foundation is a nonprofit that was begun back in 1984 by the artist himself, Touko Laaksonen, and his partner Durk Dehner. Among its many fundraisers and initiatives, one longstanding event stands out as a real treat: the Tom of Finland Arts & Culture Festival, celebrating its 21st year this October. The event has taken place at various venues around the city, but this year's festival takes over the entire landmark property where the foundation has operated since its beginning. TOM House, located at 1421 Laveta Terrace in Echo Park, was the home and workplace of the famed erotic artist, where he spent the most prolific decade of his life. More than TOM OF FINLAND a historic landmark, in recent decades it ARTS & CULTURE has become a community gathering place FESTIVAL TOM House that promotes the message of being free Oct. 1 & 2 and happy, devoid of shame or judgment. tomoffinlandfoundation.org Programming at this year's fest focuses on art and printed matter, showcasing special guests that include local artists and indie printmaking brands within gay culture. "Art books have brought beauty into our lives and introduced audiences to the vast span of the wonders of the creative world," says Dehner. "The Foundation, with its library and archives, celebrates both artist and publisher at our festival this year with a sumptuous representation of both." More than 30 artists and brands—both rising and established—will show their work, including Homo Riot, Jeremy Lucido and Rick Castro (pictured above, clockwise from top), alongside galleries and well-known book publishers Bruno Gmünder, Taschen and Rizzoli. There will be literary readings by WeHo Poet Laureate Steven Reigns, live drawing sessions, reading and smoking lounges and a fashion show. On this weekend, take advantage of a bevy of amazing local art, all while supporting the foundation's mission to preserve, protect and promote the erotica that adds so much character to the LGBT experience. —S.H. OCTOBER 12, 2016

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■ Fri. | Sept. 30 NOMO FOMO: AN ART SHOW ABOUT BROADS IN THE CITY Meltdown Comics

■ Sun. | Oct. 2 EASTSIDE FOOD FESTIVAL Mack Sennett Studios

Broad City may be on hiatus until 2017, but keep the FOMO at bay with this exhibition of nearly 100 pieces of the show’s most impressive fan art, from more than 50 artists. Through Oct. 7. eatmoreartout.com

The third annual event returns to Silver Lake with unlimited delicious food and drinks from L.A.’s favorite east side restaurants, plus panel discussions, food demos and various events. eastsidefoodfest.com ■ Sun. | Oct. 2 SHADOWLAND Valley Performing Arts Center

■ Sat. | Oct. 1 BIANCA DEL RIO The Novo

Created by dance company Pilobolus after experimenting with shadow play, it’s partshadow act, part-dance, part-circus and part-concert, conceived in collaboration with the lead writer of SpongeBob SquarePants. ValleyPerformingArtsCenter.org

Roy Haylock’s demented drag alter ego—the winner of Drag Race season 6, that self-professed “clown in a gown“—brings her “Not Today, Satan“ tour to DTLA. thenovodtla.com

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hat better way is there to help prevent homelessness and hunger for locals living with HIV/AIDS than to spend an evening doubled-over in laughter at a legendary drag beauty pageant spoof? The much-anticipated annual event Best in Drag Show returns to DTLA’s Orpheum Theatre, a fundraiser for Aid for AIDS, during which six gorgeous gals will compete for the crown. Originally called Battle for the Tiara, the event began in 1989 in a West Hollywood living room, raising $400 collected from 20 people. BEST IN DRAG Since then it has moved to larger venues as turnout increased, and to SHOW Orpheum Theatre date the event has raised over $3 million. Oct. 2 Among this year’s contestants are Miss District of Columbia Wanda bestindragshow.org Wumanz, Miss Maryland Hannah Belle Lecter, Miss New Mexico Pokey Hanus, Miss New Jersey Halle Peñe Pappas, Miss New York Sandy Claus and Miss Tennessee Sheena Turner. The celebrity judging panel will be filled with stars as well, including Melanie Griffith, Kathy Kinney (of The Drew Carey Show fame) and True Blood vet Rutina Wesley. Gay-favorite funny lady Kathy Griffin will host. Everyone is encouraged to turn out for this always-delightful event, guaranteed to be one of the LGBT community’s biggest and best social events of the season. —S.H.

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STRIPPER CIRCUS | FLAMING SADDLES Photos by Jason King

BEST IN DRAG SHOW: JPI STUDIOS

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SNATCHIN’ CROWNS

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QUEEN KONG | PRECINCT Photos by Jeremy Lucido

■ Sun. | Oct. 2 SATYRICON Barnsdall Park

Head to the Barnsdall for a late-summer feast en plein air and witness the wildest Roman spectacle of them all while reveling in Fellini’s film that makes no sense! barnsdall.org

■ Tue. | Oct. 4 THE SEARCH FOR SIGNS OF INTELLIGENT LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE Davidson/Valentini Theatre

For the first time in the 35-year history of Jane Wagner’s iconic play, she and partner Lily Tomlin have given their approval for it to be reinvented as a fully staged production performed by a company of 12 actors as opposed to its original solo format. Through Dec. 11. lalgbtcenter.org/theatre ■ Wed. | Oct. 5 GAY D.D. Art Share-LA

■ Sun. | Oct. 2 CITY OF GOLD The Wiltern

Screen the doc City of Gold followed by a Q&A with Pulitzer Prize-winning food critic and LA Times writer Jonathan Gold. The event concludes with a tasting party catered by local food and drink vendors, and partial proceeds benefit Food Forward. wiltern.com ■ Tue. | Oct. 4 MAKE AMERICA GAY AGAIN Cavern Club Theater

NYC’s Paige Turner returns to SoCal, this time with Sutton Lee Seymour and Jackie Cox in tow. The show is a hilarious trip through gay history, with a little bit of politics and a whole lotta pride, featuring numbers from Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, Mamma Mia! and more. Through Oct. 5. cavernclubtheater.com

BEST IN DRAG SHOW: JPI STUDIOS

■ Tue. | Oct. 4 EMO NITE L.A. The Echoplex

It’s the first installment of this LGBT supper club, cabaret and multimedia spectacular, with drag, burlesque, live music, a vegan buffet, hosted by Miss Barbie-Q. No cover, cash bar. gaydd.info ■ Wed. | Oct. 5 DRAGSQUATCH Revolver

A huge drag-like creature has been reported all over Runyon Canyon, and two Busy Beaver girls have gone missing! A motley crew is determined to get to the bottom of the mystery. Written and performed by Billy Francesca, it’s staged Wednesdays through Nov. 19. dragsquatch. brownpapertickets.com ■ Thu. | Oct. 6 COUNTDOWN TO MOANA El Capitan Theater

The Hollywood theater celebrates the films of renowned Disney directors Ron Clements and John Musker by screening their most revered movies— including The Little Mermaid, Hercules and Aladdin—with special guests offering behindthe-scenes insights. Through Oct. 16. elcapitantickets.com

This monthly event brings together people who share a love of emo rock music from the ’90s, ’00s, and today. Sing along to the greatest songs of your teenage years. Past guest DJs have included Mark Hoppus and Marko DeSantis. facebook.com/emonightla

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■ Thu. | Oct. 6 ANDY WARHOL’S RAIN MACHINE Young Projects Gallery, PDC

■ Fri. | Oct. 7 POP FOR THE PEOPLE The Skirball Cultural Center

It’s the first presentation of the legendary installation in L.A. in nearly 50 years. Conceived in 1969, it consists of 80 daisy print 3-D panels and a waterspray system that creates a continual cascade of water, like rain. Through Feb. 10. youngprojectsgallery.com

The exhibit, subtitled Roy Lichtenstein in L.A., explores how that vanguard of the Pop Art movement made fine art accessible to the American public in a way not achieved before. One gallery lets you step into his reimagination of Van Gogh’s bedroom. Through March. skirball.org

■ Fri. | Oct. 7 CUB SCOUT Eagle L.A.

■ Sat. | Oct. 8 SIAMESE SEX SHOW Lounge Theatre

Things get batty in the woods of the East Side, as local heroes Alex Ho and Tahl K provide the party’s soundtrack, with Squeaky Blonde, Monistat and Sarah Problem on hosting duties. eaglela.com

A world premiere hiphop musical that blends Lady Gaga-esque popstar theatricality with Blade Runner’s dark comic vision. Through Nov. 13. siamesesexshow.com

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Disrupt the Patriarchy

ot content to merely take the name of his inaugural festival from his favorite quote by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (“Life is a festival of disruption“), famed filmmaker David Lynch is intent on bringing the quote to literal life, creating a landscape of performances, DJs, discussions, exhibits and film screenings the likes of which has never occurred. Lynch’s Festival of Disruption will take place at DTLA’s Theatre at the Ace Hotel the weekend of Oct. 8 and 9, and the director has clearly called in some favors from some of his more legendary chums. Among the festival’s most anticipated musical performances are Led Zeppelin vet Robert Plant, St. Vincent, XIU XIU with Sky Ferreira and—a Lynch fan’s wet dream—“The Music of Twin Peaks with Angelo Badalamenti.“ Fans of the director’s oeuvre will also get a kick out of talks by Kyle Maclachlan and Laura Dern—both of whom have starred in projects for Lynch—while FESTIVAL OF DISRUPTION Debbie Harry, Chris Stein and Mel Brooks will also speak. Other highTheatre at Ace Hotel lights include screenings of Blue Velvet, The Elephant Man and some of Oct. 8 & 9 Lynch’s rare short films; a show by local dance legend Ryan Heffington festivalof and music by DJ Questlove. disruption.com Tickets for the weekend-long festival range from $200 for a general admission two-day pass to a $350 “directors circle“ pass that comes with seating in the first 10 rows, but David Lynch’s Festival of Disruption has unfortunately been sold-out for weeks. Here’s hoping Lynch continues his path of disruption for years to come. —S.H.

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OUT ON THE MOUNTAIN | SIX FLAGS MAGIC MOUNTAIN Photos by Kit Karzen

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EATINGOUT ■ Sat. | Oct. 8 JACK CURTIS DUBOWSKY ENSEMBLE HM “Haunted Mansion“ 157

■ Mon. | Oct. 10 BATMAN: RETURN OF THE CAPED CRUSADERS ArcLight Cinemas

The ensemble performs their original score to a screening of the classic Swedish horror film The Phantom Carriage 1921 ’Korkarlen,’ directed by Victor Sjostrom—a film that inspired Ingmar Bergman. hm157.org

For one day only, this animated film—starring the voices of Julie Newmar, Burt Ward and Adam West—will have three showtimes at several ArcLight locations. In it, Batman and Robin must take down Catwoman, The Joker, Penguin and The Riddler. arclightcinemas.com

■ Sat. | Oct. 8 NEXT TO NORMAL The Pico Playhouse

Due to rave reviews, the intimate musical stage production has been extended. One of Broadway’s biggest recent hits, it looks at a seemingly normal modern family struggling with the effects of mental illness. n2nmusicalla.com

■ Tue. | Oct. 11 THE ART OF ALCHEMY The Getty

That mix of science and spirituality known as “The Great Art“ in medieval Europe is examined, with its impact on art and expression from Greco-European antiquity to European enlightenment. Through Feb. 12. getty.edu

A Nosh with a Side of Hollywood History

and quail egg that is just the right mix of hile much of the Sunset Strip firm and runny. For something lighter, the seems devoted to rock clubs, rainbow vegetables are a profusion of color, tourist traps and scenester dinwith purple and white cauliflower (turned a ing destinations, one snug little newcomer golden yellow by a dusting of turmeric), baby feels more like a cozy neighborhood wine bar. carrots, blistered cherry tomatoes and garlic. You might recognize The Guild’s space The black mission figs with whipped ricotta, as home to the once-beloved Il Sole and prosciutto, arugula and aged balsamic are the then the short-lived Il Bacio. Gone are the perfect balance of salty, smoky and sweet. white tablecloths and stuffy Italian menus, Among the mains, the standout is the but you’ll still find some charming features, simple but juicy Game of Thrones lamb rack, like the beautifully preserved pressed-tin so called because of its primeval simplicity. roof, classic black-and-white tile floors and And it’s served with a steak knife sticking a diminutive front patio perfect for peoplestraight up like Jon Snow surprised by the watching as tourists trek by. betrayal of his brothers in black. These, too, The new restaurant plays off the buildare served with the rainbow veggies and a ing’s history, so named because it makes little casserole of whipped Yukon potatoes, its home inside the former Screen Actors served with a tart pomegranGuild headquarters across ate demi-glace. from Sunset Plaza. For something with a little The beverage list lacks more down-home flair, try the cocktails but boasts two dozen octopus and grits, which has wines (mostly Californian with the succulent meat swimming French representation) and a in a bowl of creamy grits, handful of artisanal beers, accented by cherry tomato, including Maudite Belgian wilted kale and parmesan. Strong Dark Ale from Unibroue. For dessert, the big hit is Start with a selection the milk and cookies—dark of cheese and charcuterie chocolate cookies and a side served on a huge wooden The Guild of tangy milk sorbet. On the round. Cheeses include old 8741 W. Sunset Blvd., WeHo, (424) 279-9601 more avant-garde side, the favorites like Taleggio, gouda theguildla.com bread pudding brulée with and Camembert, but also inter$$$$$ graham cracker cream and esting flavors like port-infused candied sesame walnuts Derby and earthy boschetto al comes in three delicious bites, tartufo. The meats, meanwhile, Atmosphere so it’s better for sharing. include the likes of salami di Neighborhood drinking den The Guild also serves tartufo scented with truffle, Standout Dishes paper-thin prosciutto di Parma Game of Thrones lamb chops, brunch on weekends with wild mushroom bruschetta bottomless mimosas ($16 per and spicy soppressata, accomperson) and specialty dishes panied by quince chutney, redDrinks like lobster benedict on a pepper mascarpone, honey and Artisanal beers, Cali wines cheddar-chive biscuit topped cornichons. Hours with caviar, and chicken and The wild mushroom brus11-11 Sun-Thu, 11-midnight waffles served with a fried chetta is heaped with crimini Fri, 10-midnight Sat egg, poblano sauce and maple and oyster mushrooms, parReservations syrup. —Eric Rosen mesan shavings, spicy greens Not required

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■ Sat. | Oct. 8 BONKERZ! Precinct

The latest installment of Mario Diaz’s and Jackie Beat’s “big gay dumb party“ will feature live performances by Katya, Hi Fashion and Murray Hill, with music by DJ Whitney Fierce, puppets and “go-go goonz.“ precinctdtla.com ■ Sun. | Oct. 9 CALIFORNIA CONTINUED The Autry

After the most significant renovation since its 1988 founding, the Autry Museum of the American West opens nearly 20,000 square feet of redesigned indoor and outdoor spaces, and this exhibit shares stories illuminating Native Californian ecological knowledge and present-day environmental dilemmas in the West. theautry.org

■ Tue. | Oct. 11 PALEYLIVE: THE REAL O’NEALS The Paley Center for Media

In conjunction with National Coming Out Day, screen the second season premiere, followed by a panel discussion with the show’s cast and creators, including Martha Plimpton and Noah Galvin. nhm.org ■ Through Oct. 30 BABY DOLL The Fountain Theatre

This enthralling tale of prejudice, sexual politics and passion is the first-ever estate-approved stage adaptation of the Tennessee Williams screenplay. fountaintheatre.com

OCTOBER 12, 2016

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THE DRESSMAKER: BROAD GREEN PICTURES / AMAZON STUDIOS

Hugo Weaving and Kate Winslet in The Dressmaker

A Return to Drag

THE DRESSMAKER: BROAD GREEN PICTURES / AMAZON STUDIOS

NAKED? YES. AFRAID? NO WAY.

hings are about to get a little gusty on the interwebs, as Hurricane Bianca, the film starring none other than RuPaul’s Drag Race season six winner Bianca Del Rio, will be made available to the masses come Sept. 23. Released digitally via iTunes, Amazon, Vimeo and wolfeondemand.com, the film tells the story of a teacher who gets fired from a Texas high school for being gay. But when he returns to the school as Bianca, he gets his revenge on the podunk town. The film co-stars SNL vet Rachel Dratch and features guest stars galore, including cameos from RuPaul, Alan Cumming, Margaret Cho and Drag Race vets Willam, Shangela and Alyssa Edwards. Local Bianca-lovers will be happy to hear that the film’s special L.A. screening event—featuring a live Q&A with the cast and director Matt Kugelman—will take place Wednesday, Sept. 21 at the Center’s Renberg Theatre. Purchase your tickets at hurricanebianca.com. Can’t make the event? Preorder the DVD through WolfeVideo.com now. —Stephan Horbelt

Decades after his on-camera drag debut, Hugo Weaving dons glamorous gowns once more in The Dressmaker By Jeremy Kinser

ergeant Farrat, the character portrayed by Hugo Weaving in The Dressmaker—a new black comedy directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse—has a carefully maintained secret. This cop who keeps the peace in a small one-horse town in the Australian outback in 1951 has a penchant for donning glamorous evening gowns behind closed doors. Liberation comes when Tilly Dunnage (Kate Winslet), a renowned couture dressmaker, returns to the town after decades in France, both to learn the truth behind a scandal that’s plagued her since childhood and to get even with those who wronged her. Eventually she inspires Farrat to honor his true self. The comedy-drama, adapted from the popular novel by Rosalie Ham, also offers colorful supporting roles for gay faves Judy Davis and Liam Hemsworth and opens in U.S. theaters Sept. 23. Initially, Weaving was drawn to the project for the chance to work with Moorhouse again, nearly a quarter-century after the acclaimed Aussie director had helmed the 1991 drama Proof, which established him and costar Russell Crowe as young actors to watch. She sent Weaving a copy of the screenplay she co-wrote with husband P.J. Hogan, best known for Muriel’s Wedding, and piqued his interest by describing the project as a spaghetti western, a subgenre of Italian-made films that launched OCTOBER 12, 2016

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A VIEW FROM THE BRIDGE

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CHARM

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FOR THE RECORD: SCORSESE

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Ahmanson Theatre // Through Oct. 16 // Amsterdam-based Belgian director Ivo von Hove has Olivier and Tony awards on his shelf for directing this stark, courageously stripped-down reimagining of Arthur Miller’s 1955 drama about a Brooklyn longshoreman and his tragically intense attraction to his wife’s 17-year-old niece. Von Hove uproots the play from its setting, placing the actors in nondescript clothing, barefoot in an empty rectangular space lit with intense overhead light. While this highlights the play’s Greek tragedy elements, it also creates a fragile intimacy that cannot survive in the cavernous Ahmanson (the inexpensive onstage seats are probably the best seats in the house). The cast is strong, with Thomas Jay Ryan’s narrator providing power and prophecy, and Andrus Nichols shining as the wife who watches her husband make all the wrong choices. Frederick Weller is excellent as the tragic lead, but his lithe refinement is an uneasy fit for the explosive dock worker. Von Hove’s vision is exciting, and Miller’s devastating drama commands attention, but the production belongs in a smaller room. —Christopher Cappiello Celebration Theatre at The Lex // Through Oct. 23 // The Celebration Theatre underlines the “T” in its LGBT-themed mission with director Michael Matthews’ smart, passionate and ultimately irresistible staging of Philip Dawkins’ comedic drama Charm. Set in a Chicago center for LGBT youth, the play introduces us to Mama Darleena Andrews (Lana Houston), a glamorous senior trans woman aiming to teach manners to a group of wayward and decidedly uncharming young people. With echoes of Stand and Deliver, Dawkins’ sometimes sprawling, episodic script allows Mama to have her moment with each of the wounded souls, drawing out their untapped potential for compassion or self-acceptance. The production’s dramatic and emotional coup is casting Houston, an actress of trans experience, whose careful commitment to the truth of Mama gives the play the priceless gift of authenticity. The rest of the cast is strong, with special mention to Rebekah Walendzak’s longsuffering administrator; Ashley Romans’ heartbreaking, gender-bending Beta; and the gloriously reckless commitment of Armand Fields’ Jonelle. Matthews allows the room to get raucous but never unreal, and Celebration should be commended for bringing this play to Los Angeles. —C.C. The Wallis // Through Oct. 16 // For six years, the “For the Record” concert/theater series has taken L.A. by storm. Since then its theatrical shows based on famous directors’ soundtracks have grown in size and popularity, even expanding to venues in Vegas and Chicago. Now the series returns to L.A. for Scorsese: American Crime Requiem. Combining vignettes from some of the filmmaker’s most popular projects with tracks from their soundtracks, the combination is an electric night of intense, funny scenes and stunningly arranged music that is worked into the narrative like a traditional musical. While knowledge of his films is helpful, audiences will be blown away by the magnificent performances nonetheless. John Lloyd Young (Tony winner for Jersey Boys) and Carmen Cusack (Tony-nominated for 2016’s Bright Star) are just two of the stellar cast that also includes American Idol alumna Pia Toscano, who, along with Cusack, steals the show. —Kevin Taft

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PHOTO CREDIT TK

Curtain Call

Clockwise from top: Scorsese: American Crime Requiem, Celebration’s Charm, A View from the Bridge

THE DRESSMAKER: BROAD GREEN PICTURES / AMAZON STUDIOS; BRIDGE: JAN VERSWEYVELD; CHARM: MATTHEW BRIAN DENMAN

Clint Eastwood’s career in the 1960s. “Really, the film is a revenge fantasy,” Weaving insists. “When Tilly comes to town, she wants to unearth all the secrets and lies. When she leaves, the town is destroyed. It’s all the darkest desires to do in the people who’ve done you in.” Whether Farrat is gay or straight is up to the viewer to decide. The film doesn’t comment on his sexual orientation, nor does Ham’s novel. Weaving says it’s something he thought about while developing the character. “He’s a very sensuous but very private man,” the actor shares. “He loves the feel of these clothes. I’m sure he’ll eventually come out as a very flamboyant dressmaker.” Fans of the 56-year-old actor are aware this isn’t the first time he’s played a man in ladies’ frocks. Although Weaving has starred in a number of hit franchises, including The the Lord of the Rings and Matrix Dressmaker pictures, he is likely best-loved by LGBT fans for his role as Hugo Weaving returns to drag down-on-her-luck drag queen in this story of Mitzi in the 1994 road comrevenge in the edy The Adventures of Priscilla, Outback Queen of the Desert. In some way, Farrat is a throwback to In theaters Sept. 23 that character, as both are fanciful cross-dressers stranded in the remote outback. Otherwise, Weaving sees the two men as being massively different. “In Priscilla you’ve got someone who’s flamboyantly dressing up and doing acts,” he notes. “He’s basically saying, ’Look at me, darling. I’m going to put on a show for you,’ but it’s going to have a lot of tart and it’s going to be quite vicious and you’re going to laugh your head off.’ The characters in Priscilla are making a statement.” Weaving sees Farrat as the opposite. “Farrat is trying not to make a statement,” he says. “He’s able to make his dresses and do all the things he wants to do behind closed doors. He’s a very private man, a very kind man, and he’s got secrets. They’re very different.” Perhaps the characters aren’t identical, but The Dressmaker definitely shares a quirky sensibility with both Priscilla and Muriel’s Wedding, which in the two decades since their release have both achieved rite-of-passage viewing status for gay audiences. “There are grotesque and larger-than-life characters in all of them,” Weaving says. “In all three films there’s a desire to bust out from the restrictions of the particular society. They were sort of looking at stereotypes and criticizing them. They question our culture and ask, Who are we, really? They’re quite acerbic and they can be quite vicious.”

The Q&A:

GETTING OUR TV PROPS

Andrew Neel

The director of new drama Goat (in theaters Sept. 23) sounds off on stars Nick Jonas and James Franco and the homoeroticism of fraternity hazing

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THE DRESSMAKER: BROAD GREEN PICTURES / AMAZON STUDIOS; BRIDGE: JAN VERSWEYVELD; CHARM: MATTHEW BRIAN DENMAN

They like us! They really like us! LGBTs have already won big at the gayest Emmys ever

This year has already proven to be a watershed one for LGBT kudos on the small screen, as evidenced by RuPaul taking home the Emmy for “Oustanding Host for a Reality or Reality-Competition Program“ on Sept. 11. (And just look at that category alone, full of fellow homos Tim Gunn and Jane Lynch!) But here's hoping there's even more props in store at the main event, the 68th annual Primetime Emmy Awards, airing Sept. 18 and hosted by local funnyman Jimmy Kimmel at DTLA’s Microsoft Theater. Other members of our community up for nominations include Sarah Paulson (for both American Crime Story and American Horror Story), Titus Burgess (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) and Lily Tomlin (for Grace and Frankie). LGBT characters are being recognized as well— Jeffrey Tambor as trans woman Maura Pfefferman in Amazon’s Transparent and Andre Braugher as gay police captain Ray Holt in Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Some of today’s gayest shows imaginable—Orange is the New Black, Sense8, Empire, Modern Family, Game of Thrones and Gaycation—are nominated as well, as is our favorite documentary of the past year, HBO’s Mapplethorpe: Look at the Pictures. —S.H. The Emmys air Sunday, Sept. 18, 7 p.m. on ABC

40 Years of Jiggle TV

n the night of Sept. 22, 1976, something angelic happened in the world of television: Jaclyn Smith, Farrah Fawcett and Kate Jackson (pictured above from left) became overnight sensations. Charlie’s Angels hit the ground running and would eventually air for five seasons (albeit with a few cast changes along the way), though it was immediately pegged by a rival network exec as “Jiggle TV“ (along with ABC’s other hit ’70s series, Wonder Woman and Three’s Company). Forty years later, it’s a series that still resonates with international audiences, particularly the gay men whose childhood photos consist mostly of the show’s infamous silhouette pose. This month, Mill Creek Entertainment celebrated the series’ 40th anniversary by re-releasing Charlie’s Angels: The Complete Series on DVD ($70 at Amazon.com). And lest you think love for the show is merely nostalgic, next year will see Sony Pictures reboot Charlie’s Angels in theaters yet again, this time with Elizabeth Banks in the director’s chair. According to Frontiers’ resident Angelologist, Mike Pingel—who has penned two books on the Angels, Channel Surfing: Charlie’s Angels and Angelic Heaven: A Fan’s Guide to Charlie’s Angels—the draw for gay men is simple: “Angel glamour!“ But the show had it all, Pingel says: “Karate chops, bell bottoms and bikins. Crime never stood a chance.“ —S.H.

Q: Goat offers a very different depiction of college life than we’ve seen previously. What was the project’s appeal? A: I realized it was an opportunity to make a contemporary version of Lord of the Flies. I love that book. I think male issues are largely ignored. Also, generally speaking I think we—not just men but all people— are animals. We are animals in a cage of our own making. Things can degenerate very quickly inside our various societal constructs. Under the thin veil of law and order lurk dangerous forces, especially if you are a 20-year-old man. Q: There’s always been an inherent homoeroticism in fraternity hazing. Why do you think this is? A: Figuring this out could be a life’s work. It’s paradoxical. I think to begin with, men are not allowed to show affection in a healthy way. But of course

men, like women, have a great capacity for love and affection. Our desires to hug and hold and show affection are repressed. As a result, it’s expressed with this perverse behavior. Q: Nick Jonas and James Franco have both been criticized for pandering to gay fans. Do you think their interest in the gay community is genuine? A: All public figures have fans they want to encourage. Is it genuine? It depends on the person, I guess. From my limited time with them, they both seem like nice, sensitive people. In part, gay culture has understandably been defined by an antiestablishment “fuck the system” attitude because the system was fucking them for so long. So maybe the gay community bristles a bit when they feel like mainstream media is courting them as a demographic. —Jeremy Kinser

FIVE QUEER ARTISTS DROPPING NEW ALBUMS THIS FALL

AGAINST ME! SHAPE SHIFT WITH ME SEPT. 16

MYKKI BLANCO MYKKI SEPT. 16

REGINA SPEKTOR REMEMBER US TO LIFE SEPT. 30

TYLER GLENN EXCOMMUNICATION OCT. 21

EMPIRE OF THE SUN TWO VINES OCT. 28

Gone But Not Forgotten Still reeling from the death of rock music’s most legendary queer artist? Take an audiovisual walk down memory lane by revisiting the infamous “American“ phase in David Bowie’s career, courtesy of David Bowie: Who Can I Be Now? 1974-1976, the second in a series of box sets that will span his entire career, starting with his humble 1969 beginnings. (The first installment, David Bowie: Five Years, 1969-1973, which won awards and was critically acclaimed—not least of which for its brilliant packaging—saw release last year at this time.) Available as a digital download, as a 12-CD box or as a 13-LP vinyl set, the collection includes Diamond Dogs, Young Americans, Station to Station (both 1976 and 2010 mixes), the unreleased 1974 album The Gouster and other albums, plus a 128-page book of previously unpublished photos. A Bowie fan’s ultimate dream. —S.H. OCTOBER 12, 2016

4 TOURS STOPPING IN L.A. NEXT MONTH

PEACHES

No electronic-based act puts on a live show like Merrill Nisker, who will hit The Wiltern on Oct. 7. She’ll have our favorite Austin-based drag terrorist, Christeene, in tow. The two are like peanut butter and chocolate.

Cyndi Lauper: 5 Questions

3. I was recently listening to your cover of Prince’s “When You Were Mine.” What drew you to cover that track, and what do you remember most about Prince as an artist? I just loved the tune. Such a great song! I think Prince was one of the greatest songwriters of my generation. I mean, look at the body of music he produced and the quality of it. He didn’t let a lot of artists cover his stuff, so I’m very proud he thought enough of me that he wanted me to sing his song. He was a very funny and brilliant guy, and though it’s a stretch to say we were friends, we were friendly. He was a really good businessman, too, and gave me some of the best advice I ever got about music.

5. I know you stay informed of new artists and what’s on the radio. Who are some of your favorites right now? Anything you wish you’d written yourself? There are so many cool new artists. I love Halsey. She’s amazing. Huge fan. Love The Chainsmokers. Twenty One Pilots are so cool. Ro James is also someone I’m excited about. Leon Bridges blows my mind. I did a gig with him in D.C. and there were, like, 20 acts on the bill—mostly acts from my generation—and this kid stole the show. We all said it to each other, too. My son is into hip-hop, and he turns me onto new hip-hop artists. Rae Sremmurd—love those guys—and Travis Scott is great, too. There’s just an abundance of great music across genres right now. —As told to Stephan Horbelt Cyndi Lauper plays L.A.'s Greek Theater in support of the Detour album on Wednesday, Oct. 5. Purchase tickets at lagreektheatre.com.

The Blitzkrieg Bop Hits DTLA They were loud, fast, a little too skinny and probably smelled a bit funky, too, but now we can add “commemorated by DTLA’s Grammy Museum“ to the list of descriptors for punk progenitors The Ramones. On Sept. 16, the traveling exhibit Hey! Ho! Let’s Go: Ramones and the Birth of Punk finds its West Coast home. (It previously debuted at New York’s Queens Museum.) Co-curated by the two museums, the exhibit is timed with the 40th anniversary of the band’s 1976 self-titled debut, sealing their status as luminaries in the annals of rock history. Among the items on display are pieces by Punk magazine founder John Holmstrom, Shepard Fairey and Arturo Vega, who designed the band’s famous logo, plus the guys’ personal memorabilia, clothing and instruments. In addition to the exhibit, the Grammy Museum’s Education Department has planned workshops that explore the roots of punk music and look at how The Ramones’ legacy inspires musicians still today. —S.H. 48

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DIXIE CHICKS

Supported by Elle King, the trio brings their “DCX MMXVI“ world tour to L.A.’s Hollywood Bowl on Oct. 10. This tour marks 13 years since they were boycotted by country radio for their anti-George Bush remarks.

PET SHOP BOYS

The British electronic pop duo hits DTLA’s Microsoft Theater on Oct. 29 in support of their latest (13th) album, this year’s Super. Stuart Price, who produced and mixed the new album, also collaborated on the tour’s live music arrangements. —S.H.

PEVSNER: GABRIEL GOLDBERG

2. Tackling the country genre was possibly the last thing your fans expected. Have you always had a connection to country music? Old country music was very popular when I was a young kid growing up in Queens, but no one labeled it as country music then; it was pop music. My Aunt Gracie listened to the radio while working in the kitchen. There I heard Patsy Cline, Hank Williams, Loretta Lynn and Johnny Cash. So when I started talking about which genre to cover on this record, I gravitated to the “Golden Age” of country—late ’40s, ’50s and ’60s. What a brilliant time for music that era was.

4. Have you given any thought to what’s next, musically speaking? What genre do you think you’ll tackle next? Part of the reason I’ve done covers the last three albums is because I’ve been writing songs for other projects. Songs from Kinky Boots were written between At Last (2003) and Memphis Blues (2010). I’ve been writing songs for another Broadway show and a TV show that are still in the development stage, so I miss being in the studio. My next album will be new songs, but I just released Detour and want to work and tour it before I go back into the studio again. But I am writing now, and I’m in a good space, so in between the other projects I’m writing songs for the next album.

CYNDI LAUPER: CHAPMAN BAEHLER

1. The name of your new album, Detour (out now), seems loaded with meaning. Why did you love it for the name of the album? I actually love detours. I do! I think it’s good to be able to take an unexpected turn, and the fact my fans have supported me and come with me on every twist and turn—wow, I have the world’s greatest fans.

SIA

The bewigged hit-maker, who has written for nearly everyone on the radio, brings her “Nostalgic for the Present“ tour to the Hollywood Bowl on Oct. 8 and 9, with opening acts Miguel and Alunageorge.

S N L.A. NTH

The Q&A:

SEXY AND SWEET

Shawn Pelofsky

Our favorite comedienne is taping her first comedy special on Oct. 1 at DTLA’s East West Players Theater. Tix at hahachick.com

One of our favorite local talents documents his life in honest, witty song "I've been an erotic model for years, but the photos were only used for the photographers' needs, and I was fine with that as I didn't really want to put myself out there and jeopardize my mainstream acting career. But I got so sick and tired of how society demonizes gay sexuality and male physicality that my need to express this and put it out there trumped my concern about my career," says actor David Pevsner, 57—who you may recognize from a slew of indie films, TV and local theater productions—about his (NSFW) blog, Shameless. Pevsner has never shied away from risqué or outrageous subject matter, and that sense of honesty is just as apparent on his latest project, Most Versatile, a new album of funny, dirty, smart and sometimes emotional songs (available for digital download now). More than your standard musical comedy or cabaret fare (Pevsner was a writer of the off-Broadway hit Naked Boys Singing and appeared in Fiddler on the Roof on Broadway), the album is a collection of experiences recognizable to all gay men, with special guest spots by the likes of Maxwell Caulfield and Jim J. Bullock. —S.H.

Freedom at Last

wenty-six years ago, though we didn’t exactly lust after them, gay men became enamored by the supermodel, and we partly have George Michael to thank for it. In 1990, pop music’s biggest sex symbol released his sophomore solo album, Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1, an eloquent, pioneering record (arranged, produced and almost completely written by Michael himself) that went quadruple-platinum and contained the single “Freedom 90.“ In that song’s music video, he had David Fincher recreate Peter Lindbergh’s famed British Vogue photo shoot with Naomi Campbell, Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford, Tatjana Patitz and Linda Evangelista, and pop culture history was made. That history will soon be revisited, as Sony Music has announced the reissue Listen Without Prejudice 25, planned as a deluxe, limited-edition three-CD and DVD set. In cluded in the collection will be a remastered version of Michael’s never-before-released 1996 MTV Unplugged performance of 10 songs, including tracks from his Wham! and Faith eras. Along with the album re-release comes a BBC documentary (set to air on Showtime, for the moment titled Freedom: George Michael) that will feature appearances by Elton John, Mark Ronson, Mary J. Blige, Liam Gallagher, Ricky Gervais and the “Freedom 90“ ladies, with narration by the pop legend himself. —S.H.

which means you can expect quite a few lunges from me while “Stretching It Out!“ Q: I know a ton of your friends are gay men. Why do you think that is? A: Ever since I was a young Jewish girl growing up in Oklahoma (yes, I just said that), I’ve always surrounded myself with gay men. They’re smart, loyal and always get the joke. Not to mention shiny and pretty. Q: Tell me about your October 1st gig. A: I’ll be taping my very first one-hour comedy special at The East West Players Theater in DTLA. There are two shows, 6 and 8:30 p.m. Expect a lot of jokes about my experiences working on gay cruises, entertaining the troops in Afghanistan and my Jewish mother, Ginger. Tickets are available at hahachick.com. You bring your friends and I’ll bring the funny. A good time for all.

FIVE FLICKS HEADING TO THEATERS PRE-HALLOWEEN, SOME SCARIER THAN OTHERS

OUIJA: ORIGIN OF EVIL OCT. 21

ROB ZOMBIE'S 31 OCT. 21

BOO! A MADEA HALLOWEEN OCT. 21

RINGS OCT. 28

INFERNO OCT. 28

Porn’s Unsung Hero PEVSNER: GABRIEL GOLDBERG

CYNDI LAUPER: CHAPMAN BAEHLER

Q: You got married last year. How has getting hitched changed the content of your shows? A: I’m a smart girl. I didn’t just get married, I married a Brazilian. Being someone’s wife hasn’t changed the spicy individual that I am. My material is still edgy and gayer than ever. These new life experiences have helped me develop fun new material. Matter of fact, my husband loves to steal my jokes and retell them to people like they are his own. I call him “The Brazilian Hack.“ Q: What can our readers expect from a Shawn Pelofsky live show? A: It’s more like what can’t they expect. During my live shows, anything goes. I’m a brazen woman who loves to push the envelope. I have an extensive background in improv, so working off the audience is my specialty. Also, I’m super physical onstage,

There’s a tragic story in the life of Chuck Holmes, the pornographer-turned-philanthropist at the center of the doc Seed Money. The founder of Falcon Studios brought gay porn—and, with it, homo culture—into the spotlight, but when he attempted to use his fortune to propel our hunt for rights (we largely have him to thank for the Human Rights Campaign), he realized that while his money was welcome, sometimes he wasn’t. “Director Mike Stabile has crafted a loving homage to the legendary Falcon Studios and the man who created the empire,“ says Richard Ross of Breaking Glass, who sees distribution of the film on DVD and VOD come Oct. 4. Screened at Outfest back in July, it’s already schooled many on this unsung community hero—“a fitting tribute to a bygone era, and the beginning of the most recognizable brand in gay adult films.“ —S.H. OCTOBER 12, 2016

Five TV Series Devoted to Making This Fall Super F*cking Gay

ow more than ever, an increasing amount of television programming features LGBT characters—something that, through visibility, does wonders for our community. As this month marked the start of the Fall 2016 TV season, let’s check in on some of our favorites.

Arrow In 2015, The CW’s popular series cast Echo Kellum as Mr. Terrific, TV’s first gay black superhero. (He’s stated that being gay is the fifth most interesting thing about him.) The network has teased that for the upcoming fifth season (premiering Oct. 5), someone from Arrow’s past will return to threaten his legacy, but who?

Empire

How to Get Away With Murder Annalise Keating covers up crimes alongside her top students, but don’t forget about hot gay student Connor, played by Jack Falahee. We can’t get enough of his steamy sex scenes with his partner Oliver (Conrad Ricamora). Catch up on reruns on Amazon Prime before watching season 3 on ABC.

Transparent Sources tell us that Caitlyn Jenner may have a supporting role in season 3, back on Amazon. (We’ll watch anyway.) The series continues to follow Maura Pfefferman (Jeffrey Tambor), a retired college professor and trans woman who came out to her family and friends two years ago.

The Walking Dead If you aren’t caught up on seasons 1 through 6, head to Netflix to see what fans have been raving about. Among plenty of other reasons to watch, the bloody series features gay couple Aaron (Ross Marquand) and Eric (Jordan Woods-Robinson). So far, both guys remain alive, but who knows how long that’s gonna last with zombies walking around. Season 7 returns to AMC on Oct. 23. — Derrick Hart and Daniel Hart

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The Allure of Babs

Jai Rodriguez, star of the newly revisited Buyer and Cellar, isn’t here to praise Barbra Streisand—or Donald Trump, for that matter By Jeremy Kinser

e wasn’t exactly the world’s biggest Barbra Streisand fan before he accepted the lead role in Buyer and Cellar—the stage comedy about an unemployed actor who takes a job in the shopping mall beneath the superstar’s sprawling Malibu mansion—but that’s not to say former Queer Eye For the Straight Guy culture expert Jai Rodriguez is immune to her appeal. That indifference actually fits his character, Alex, like a glove. “He isn’t that big a Barbra queen,” the 37-year-old tells Frontiers about Alex. “I feel that way. I appreciate Barbra for all the things the gays have completely latched onto for decades. I’ve seen her movies, from Funny Girl to Meet the Fockers, and I always liked her in interviews. I always liked her, but wasn’t a die-hard.” That’s one reason he had some hesitations about playing Alex. Another is he’d seen the show when it premiered in New York in 2013 and knew he had no interest in mimicking Michael Urie’s award-winning performance. “I think we just organically come at things differently,” he says. “I love Michael’s brand of comedy, but I’m glad my brand of comedy works for this role in a completely different way.“ When producers of the upcoming revival at Burbank’s Falcon Theatre—including the late Garry Marshall—informed Rodriguez that the comedy would undergo a complete reimagining, he was sold. “I’ve gone from not wanting to do it to now it’s all I want to do,” Rodriguez says. It could also be that the allure of kvetching about ’the diva of all divas’ proved too strong for any selfrespecting gay to resist. Or maybe he realized he does have something in common with Streisand: a vehement

distrust of Donald Trump. She took numerous shots at the Republican presidential candidate during her recent concert tour, even penning a scathing op-ed about why he’s the wrong person for the job. Rodriguez, who met Trump when he appeared on Queer Eye in 2005, has some equally strong opinions as well. “When I found out Donald Trump was running, I thought it was a joke,” Rodriguez says, his voice rising with passion. “We had him on Queer Eye, and we appeared on The Apprentice and got to be in the boardroom. Donald was very sweet to us and invited us to a couple of parties. Now, as someone standing in the way of everything I’ve fought for, not just with my dollars but with my voice and visibility, I feel like, ‘Are you kidding?’” Rodriguez remarks it’s a no-brainer he will vote for Hillary Clinton in November. “I’ve seen Hillary at gay events for over a decade and have always known her to be gay-friendly,” he adds. “I don’t like the campaign ’Let’s Make America Great Again’ because the time Trump is referencing was not so great for me to have all the opportunities that I needed under the law. I don’t want to live in a society where I can be evicted from my home and be fired from my job.” Rodriguez, who has long been involved with AIDS charities such as Broadway Cares and Project Angel Food, reveals that he’s trying to stay calm and positive since he’ll be performing onstage up until the election. “I’ve never thought of myself as a political person,” he says. ”But this year it’s personal.” Buyer and Cellar plays Burbank's Falcon Theatre Oct. 5 - Nov. 6, falcontheatre.com

RODRIGUEZ: SASHA VENOLA

Jussie Smollett’s Jamal Lyon, is still trying to take over daddy’s empire, with the help of mom, Taraji P. Henson’s Cookie. At the end of last season, Jamal had been shot and his music career seemed over. Will he continue his music career in this new season, back on FOX? Catch up on seasons 1 and 2 on TVOne.

SET YOUR

DVR 1

1. MACGYVER

The army of Alzheimer’s-ridden CBS viewers will be confused into thinking it’s the late ’80s again, as MacGyver is back for some reason. This time he’s Havok from the X-Men movies (Lucas Till). This one has Friday night at 8 p.m. written all over it. (Friday, Sept. 23, CBS)

2. AMANDA KNOX

Netflix has become the go-to destination for compelling true crime stories, and few are as compelling as that of Amanda Knox, who was accused of murdering her roommate while living abroad in Italy. With Brandon Dassey’s release thanks to Making A Murderer, it’ll be interesting to see if Netflix can make headway with this headscratcher. (Friday, Sept. 30, Netflix)

3. SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE

Kate McKinnon, fresh off her Emmy win and Ghostbusters fail, rejoins the rest of the SNL cast for this 42nd premiere, sans Taran Killam, Jay Pharoah and Jon Rudnitsky (who, after his Dirty Dancing bit, deserved more of a shot). Meanwhile, newcomers Mikey Day, Alex Moffat and Melissa Villaseñor join the cast. (Saturday, Oct. 1, NBC)

4. WESTWORLD

RODRIGUEZ: SASHA VENOLA

TELEVISION LONG DIVISION

It’s the latest in J.J. Abrams’ bid to reboot everything. The original 1973 Yul Brenner movie about a futuristic theme park with malfunctioning murderous robots gets a fresh coat of paint with an endless cast of all-stars, including Anthony Hopkins, Evan Rachel Wood, James Marsden and so many more. (Sunday, Oct. 2, HBO)

5. DIVORCE

This new series pits Sarah Jessica Parker against Thomas Haden Church in a messy, never-ending divorce. It seems worthy of a shot, simply because the hilarious Molly Shannon plays the best friend. I’m sure Betthany Frankel already has her DVR set. (Sunday, Oct. 9, HBO)

6. AMERICAN HOUSEWIFE

Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure

Drunk History

Stewie’s Time Travel Machine

Extant

Timeless, premiering Monday, Oct. 3, NBC

Fun fact #1: ABC’s American Housewife used to be called The Second Fattest Housewife In Westport. Fun fact #2: This is far and away the funniest network sitcom to premiere this year, so don’t miss it. (Tuesday, Oct. 11, ABC) —Dominik Rothbard OCTOBER 12, 2016

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DOGTOWN Which is L.A.'s best neighborhood to be your furry, four-legged friend? In addition to examining five local areas by the numbers, we highlight some of our city's finest pet-centric businesses and attractions, from high-end boutiques and beloved dog beaches to dining hot spots where Rover is always welcome By Drew Mackie

SANTAMONICA

1. HEALTHY SPOT

These guys specialize in organic dog food—you get the pun of the name, right?—and the Santa Monica location is one of eight currently dotting SoCal, offering boutique food brands in addition to higher-end toys and accessories. Good news if you refuse to cross the 405: They have free shipping for orders totaling more than $49. 1110 Wilshire Blvd., healthyspot.com

2. WEST L.A. DOGS

Catering to canines living in the greater Santa Monica area (but certainly eager to accept dogs from all parts of L.A.), West L.A. Dogs boasts a staff willing to do all the doggy services you’re unable or unwilling to do yourself: daycare, overnight boarding, bathing and more. All dogs must pass a temperament test to ensure they can hang with the pack, but believe us—it’s for the best. 2251 Federal Ave., westladogs.com

3. LEO CARRILLO DOG BEACH

For off-leash beach fun, you’ll have to drive Fido to Rosie’s Beach in Long Beach, Huntington Dog Beach or Arroyo Burro in Santa Barbara. But Leo Carrillo in Malibu is only a short drive from Santa Monica, and it can offer dogs a very full day of sun, sand and seawater. You’ll have Instagram content for days. 35000 W. Pacific Coast Hwy, parks.ca.gov/leocarillo

4. THE MODERN DOG

TOTAL AREA: WALKSCORE: PUBLIC TREES SCORE: FIRE HYDRANTS: PET-FRIENDLY RESTAURANTS: PET HOSPITALS: PET STORES: DOG PARKS:

8.416 square miles 82 Pretty good (33,000 total) 1,524 31 7 10 4

Maybe it’s not enough to just own fancypants dog products. If that’s the case, we’d point Westside-adjacent owners to Venice’s The Modern Dog. Visiting is an experience in itself. Set up in a restored craftsman in Abbot Kinney, here you’ll wander from room to room, browsing a collection of dog toys and supplies that are designed to integrate nicely with your high-priced home goods. 1611 Abbot Kinney Blvd., come-sit-stay.com

5. KENNEL CLUB LAX

Located very close to LAX, this dog daycare and boarding facility stands apart from others for sheer convenience factor. You can swoop in and drop off your dog—and your cat, too, if you want—on the way out of town, eliminating one hassle in the whole production of getting yourself in the air. Special “cottages” are themed—Paris, Las Vegas, Texas, etc.—if your pet is into that. 5325 W. 102nd St., kennelclublax.com

5 OCTOBER 12, 2016

DOGTOWN

WESTHOLLYWOOD 1. HOTEL ANDAZ

WeHo has dog-friendly hotels aplenty—they clearly know what kind of person is coming to visit—but of all of them, the Andaz has one of the more accommodating policies for visiting canines. You can bring two dogs weighing up to a combined 75 pounds, though neither can weigh more than 50. The $25-per-day dog charge includes a doggie bed, two bowls and a treat bag. 8401 Sunset Blvd., andaz.hyatt.com

2. FIFI & ROMEO

Yes, it’s just ever-so-slightly outside the WeHo city limits, but if you’re talking over-the-top, celebrity-attracting, high-end doggy wear, you have to mention this boutique, which sells clothes, blankets collars and more canine couture that regularly runs at least $100. Doubtlessly, some of you have dogs who know the difference. 7282 Beverly Blvd., fifiandromeo.com

3. THE FAT DOG

This gastropub, spun off from its original North Hollywood location, aims to please both two-legged and four-legged customers alike. You and Scruffles alike can enjoy food on the patio, and a killer list of dog-themed cocktails—A Walk in the Park, the Tailwagger, the Well-Groomed, etc.—lets you both know you’re in good company. 801 N. Fairfax Ave., thefatdogla.com

4. THE EVELEIGH

TOTAL AREA: WALKSCORE: PUBLIC TREES SCORE: FIRE HYDRANTS: PET-FRIENDLY RESTAURANTS: PET HOSPITALS: PET STORES: DOG PARKS:

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1.887 square miles 91 Great (12,500 total) 385 26 9 8 1

The greater L.A. area has too many dog-friendly restaurant patios to list, but The Eveleigh gets a nod for tossing something extra at you and your canine friend. Not only can you request him a bowl of water as you enjoy your dinner, but you can skew fancy and order the sparkling stuff. Bonus points for the dog-friendly (and eco-friendly) fake grass. 8752 Sunset Blvd., theeveleigh.com

5. JUST FOOD FOR DOGS

Let’s be honest: More than a few four-legged Angelenos eat better than L.A. humans. That’s thanks in part to establishments like Just Food For Dogs, one of whose six SoCal locations is in WeHo. The company’s philosophy is simple: Your dog should be eating real food. That means quality meat (plus produce) cooked in a way to preserve the nutrients. 7870 Santa Monica Blvd., justfoodfordogs.com

MIDCITY 1. HOUND DOG + CAT

More than a few L.A. dog people will vouch for this family-owned pet supply shop as being one of the best in the city. They have good stuff of varying price levels, and the owners are well-versed in which products might be best for your finicky or allergy-prone dog. Two paws up. 5450 W. Pico Blvd. #103, hounddogandcat.com

2. ECO DOG WASH

If you’re someone who worries about the effect of chemical cleansers on the environment— and, you know, your dog—this place is for you. Your pooch can get all sudsy with essential oils that will make her smell good, and in some cases even repel fleas and ticks. Eco Dog Wash also works with rescues to clean up potential adoptees, so yay for good karma. 5751 W. Pico Blvd., ecodogcarela.com

3. BARK N’ BITCHES

A genius business model has this shop well-stocked with dog products—but also dogs, all of which are up for adoption. These well-socialized rescues are roaming free, and you can literally say hi and get in a few good pets in while browsing, but be forewarned: You may be leaving with a new best friend. 505 N. Fairfax Ave., barknbitches.com

4. THE URBAN PET

This Mid-City establishment offers the average L.A. dog-owner more than most. In addition to basic food and supply, it also has training (via the wisdom of founder Zack Grey), anesthesiafree teeth cleaning, pet photography, vaccinations and more, with other locations in Silver Lake and South Pasadena. 7515 Beverly Blvd., theurbanpet.net

5. BLACK DOG COFFEE

L.A. has plenty pet-friendly bars and pet-friendly restaurants, but if you’ve got your pet in tow and just want a good cup of joe, we recommend Black Dog Coffee. Furry companions are readily accepted, and best of all, a chunk of this café’s Friday proceeds go to benefit local dog charities. Woof to that. 5657 Wilshire Blvd., blackdogcoffee.com

TOTAL AREA: WALKSCORE: PUBLIC TREES SCORE: FIRE HYDRANTS: VETS: PET STORES: DOG PARKS:

3.47 square miles 71 Fair (12.3% coverage) 528 3 3 0

POT FOR PETS WE’RE LUCKY ENOUGH to live in an age—and a state—in which people can benefit from marijuana for medical purposes. Well, now pets can, too. VETCBD is a animal product that contains nonpsychoactive cannabis that’s purportedly useful in treating pet disorders like pain and anxiety. The active ingredient, cannabidiol, does not cause a high,

so withhold your jokes about getting stoned with your dog. (You should know that some animal rights groups object to VETCBD on grounds that there’s not enough research on the effects of cannabinoids on animals.) The product is sold at dispensaries, and many L.A. establishments carry it. It sells for $40 a bottle. Learn more at vetcbd.com. OCTOBER 12, 2016

DOGTOWN

SILVERLAKE 1. ECHO BARK

The philosophy here is that you want your dog to live the longest and happiest life possible. So if you’re itching to have an in-depth chat with someone about how to pick the best diet regimen for them, the Echo Bark staff will be happy to help. 3724 Sunset Blvd., echobarkinc.com

2. MOON SHINE GROOMING & PET WASH

A major plus to the Silver Lake Urban Pet location? It’s adjacent to Moon Shine, which boasts full-service dog detailing and self-wash pods. They do good work, and it has to be said: You may feel a bit better entrusting your dog’s look to such an aesthetically appealing establishment. 4473 Santa Monica Blvd., theurbanpet.net

TOTAL AREA: WALKSCORE: PUBLIC TREES SCORE: FIRE HYDRANTS: PET-FRIENDLY RESTAURANTS: VETS: PET STORES: DOG PARKS:

2.75 square miles 76 Good (22% coverage) 332 15 4 4 1

3. SILVER LAKE DOG PARK

It’s a classic for a reason, and if you’ve taken your pooch on a reservoir loop but not checked into the sights—and, ahem, smells—of the Silver Lake Dog Park, you owe it to yourself as an L.A. dog owner. Yes, the grassless plot of land can sometimes get muddy, but don’t forget that your dog probably likes being muddy. 1850 W. Silver Lake Dr., silverlakedogpark.com

4. BLUE COLLAR WORKING DOG

Well worth the short trip to Echo Park, Blue Collar strays away from the froufrou fanciness you see at many boutique dog shops. Like the name implies, it wants to hook you up with accessories that keep your dog healthy, active and free of little pink bows. They also have classes in street obedience, aggression, pack leadership and the like. 1320 Glendale Blvd., bluecollarworkingdog.com

5. THE MORRISON

PHOTO CREDIT TK

Yep, it’s another restaurant offering space for dogs, but what sets this Atwater Village eatery apart is the fact that it offers a full dog menu. While you’re enjoying dinner and a drink from the full bar, Sparky can chow down on “Where’s the Beef?” (hamburger and rice), “Cock-a-Doodle-Doo” (chicken and rice) or “Frankenweinie” (hot dogs and rice). 3179 Los Feliz Blvd., themorrisonla.com

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DTLA 1. ANGEL CITY BREWERY

While Fido can’t tour the actual brewing floor, he’s welcomed into the pub, though ill-behaved dogs are discouraged. But if spending an afternoon enjoying some locally brewed beer is something you’d enjoy more in the company of your dog, this is the place for you. 216 S. Alameda St., angelcitybrewery.com

2. UPTOWN PUP

Don’t think of it just as a doggy daycare; maybe instead consider that your dog is a social animal who likely enjoys the company of other dogs. Send him here, where he can run with a pack for the day. Uptown Pup also offers boarding and dog-walking services. 819 Mateo St., uptownpupinc.com

3. PUSSY AND POOCH PETHOUSE & PAWBAR

Those reading this feature will likely care more about the Pooch selection than the Pussy, but this boutique has cool wares for DTLA canines and felines alike. Pussy & Pooch originated in Beverly Hills, and perhaps because of that heritage, it also offers niche services like pet parties and pet styling. 564 S. Main St., pussyandpooch.com

4. MUTTROPOLITAN

Located in Little Tokyo, Muttropolitan bills itself as a “sophisticated, modern salon for chic Downtown pets.” We dig it, and we’re particularly into the fact that grooming services span the gritty—butt-fur trims, anal gland expression—to the glamorous—paw pad-shaving and the “total body makeover.” 408 E. 2nd St., muttropolitanla.com

5. ELYSIAN PARK WILDFLOWERTRAIL

A favorite among DTLA dog-owners wanting to get into the green while exercising their dogs, Elysian Park may be particularly attractive to dog-owners for its Wildflower Trail, which offers great views and a light workout that even the pudgiest pug can perform. Just keep your dogs on their leash. 1025 Elysian Park Dr.

TOTAL AREA: WALKSCORE: PUBLIC TREES SCORE: FIRE HYDRANTS: PET-FRIENDLY RESTAURANTS: VETS: PET STORES: DOG PARKS:

5.84 square miles 94 Poor (3% coverage) 1,303 26 2 13 3

PHOTO CREDIT TK

FLY HIGH WITH FIDO NEXT YEAR, JFK International Airport will open The Ark, a 178,000-square foot, $48 million, state-of-the-art facility to accommodate the 70,000-some dogs, cats, horses, cows and other animals that travel through New York. While there are no plans for a facility on this level at our own LAX, those traveling with dogs

or other animals should know that per new regulations, all airports servicing more than 10,000 people annually must have pet facilities at each terminal. As of August, LAX actually leads the nation in the number of dog relief stations, with 11 scattered around the airport. Ark or no ark, we’re still number one. OCTOBER 12, 2016

This month, the queerest show in recent recorded history will hit the L.A. stage, spanning generations and genre. But before Bob Mould, Ezra Furman and Bloc Party’s Kele Okereke each make their Hollywood Bowl debut, they sound off on what it means to be out onstage

By Drew Mackie 58

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TRAILBLAZERS, HEROES, OUTCASTS, & REBELS

ome Sept. 25, you’ll be able to see three great acts perform at the Hollywood Bowl. That in itself isn’t all that rare, but this show—the latest in KCRW’s World Music Series—stands apart from most because it features three queer rock acts: gay punk icon Bob Mould of Hüsker Dü and Sugar fame, gender-fluid singer-songwriter Ezra Furman and headliner Bloc Party, the indie rock band whose frontman, Kele Okereke, came out in 2010. Each of the three put on stellar live shows, but beyond solid performances, the concert promises to deliver a display of diversity—not just of out, queer musicians, but also of artists who defy what some consider typical “gay music.” Be stoked.

KELE OKEREKE: Of course, the Hollywood Bowl is an iconic venue that not very many bands get asked to play, so it was a no-brainer for us. BOB MOULD: KCRW has been a supporter of mine over the years, and with this show, the timing just worked out perfectly. In all my years of performing, the Hollywood Bowl is one of the few prestigious venues that I haven’t played at before, so I'm grateful for the opportunity.

EZRA FURMAN: Someone who books the Hollywood Bowl, we found out, is a superfan, and she hooked us up because she likes our band. I’m surprised that this ended up happening. I think my younger self would be surprised that I’m out of the closet and onstage, proudly telling thousands of strangers that I’m not heterosexual. That’s a shocker to me. I’m happy it turned out that way, but it didn’t seem possible when I was younger. MOULD: I think very often people and mainstream audiences in particular can have certain ideas about what LGBT music is. Over the past 10 to 20 years, I think a lot of progress has been made—music is music, stories are stories, people are people, and we do what we do. And Los Angeles is a very tolerant place, but, you know, there are places in the U.S. where a show like this would be even more unique. Sexuality always shapes our work in some way, because those are the people we are, but yeah, at the end of

the day, it should be a pretty fricking fun party. OKEREKE: People are always going to want to find out about the artists who have made works that they like. I’m the same way, and I don’t think that’s going to go away. But I don’t go around personally under the banner of thinking that my work is only relevant because of my sexual orientation. That would be quite a depressing banner to put oneself under, I feel. For sure I’m a queer musician, and my gay identity has shaped how I see the world and how I write my songs, but I’m also wary of that heading, because you want people to come to your music without any preconceptions. FURMAN: I’m not into the categories and the labels and all that. I respect them. I say “gender-fluid” for convenience. I also say “gender non-confirming.” It’s not really helpful for me to pick a category and put myself in it and wave the flag for that category. But “queer” is a good catch-all for me. I like to wear dresses. I don’t have a preferred label. OKEREKE: I feel the music that I’ve loved I’ve been able to immerse myself in, and once I fall deep in love with an artist’s work, that’s probably the point at which I want to research and find out more about that. I know headings exist, but they exist really more for the critics than they do for the artists. I don’t think it’s something

OCTOBER 12, 2016

From left: Bob Mould; Ezra Furman; Bloc Party’s Justin Harris, Louise Bartle, Kele Okereke and Russell Lissack

OKEREKE: Lyrically, I’ve been fascinated by relationships—how people and friends and lovers interact with one another. And I think that comes from a place of realizing romantic relationships could be fraught, that that terrain could have a lot going on in it. I guess with some of the first romantic relationships I ever had, I was aware that in fulfilling myself, I was walking a line of transgression against the ways I had been raised, but I knew that there was no option. I needed this. I needed a connection. And for that reason I placed a lot of importance on the minute details of human relationships. I’ve always paid attention to the difference between the things that are said and the things that are meant. FURMAN: I think my sexual identity probably did influence me deeply as a person, and that led me to want to be interested in the outsidery vibe of culture. Discovering punk music at age 12 was the big sea change in my life; I think the reason I loved it so much was that I felt like I was hiding, and a big part of that was being attracted to boys. It was this inner problem I was freaking out about. It created this tension of feeling terrible about myself and feeling more like what people want me to be, but then realizing that you can wear your differentness as a badge of honor and just say “fuck you” to everybody. MOULD: Honestly, I think my sexuality has had very little impact on things. In 1994, Spin magazine asked to come down to Austin and spend a few days with me. The premise of the article was “You’re coming out. Here you come.” At 60

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FURMAN: In a way, it was easier to come out onstage. The first time I was publicly dressing feminine was onstage, and I could do that because it was this different world—this stagey thing, and everyone would just think it was part of the show. OKEREKE: Growing up black and gay, you’re made aware that your perspective is supposed to be different from everybody else’s. There is a world that you’re part of, but there is also a world that you’re supposed to be excluded from. I resist that. I challenge that. As a band, I feel we’ve always tried to push against genre or categorization. MOULD: I think with younger audiences, we’ve reached a point where an artist’s sexuality doesn’t matter as much. It think it’s been there for a while, maybe for the last five or 10 years. These kids, I don’t know if they understand the struggle, though, especially through the ’80s and early ’90s, that the queer community went there, because they’re like, “What’s the big deal about gay marriage? I don’t even think about it. It’s fine.” When I started out in music, Ronald Reagan was in charge, and we were all protesting as loudly as we could with our music. Fast-forwarding to this decade, social media and the internet all all-important, but I wonder if people feel like they’ve done something just by hitting a blue button that says “like.” I know there are young people who are doing the heavy lifting now, and we depend on them to get out and protest— things like Black Lives Matter, where it’s important to be seen and heard and get that message out. Then again, even in the Reagan years, I didn’t feel like we were doing as much as people had done in the ’60s around Vietnam. That was really the nexus of where art and music was able to confront political and social issues. I don’t know if that’s happening now, 50 years later. I’d like to

BLOC PARTY: RACHAEL WRIGHT

MOULD: Having done this my whole life, it’s always been music first and foremost, and my stories are very personal. I’d like to think that the best music is universal, regardless of gender or sexuality. The story can be told from any point of view, but I think there’s room for everybody. The community is enormous. There are so many colors and shades that I don’t think there’s a one-size-fits-all setup that works. Every musician should tell the stories they want to tell and frame themselves how they want to be seen.

that point in my life I was comfortable being gay but not being out, because I wanted to define myself as a musician. The longer I stayed in the public eye, however, I realized I would have to take on that responsibility regardless of whether I’m good at doing that or not. I think my gay audience knew how to read between the lines of my work. But they were happy I was owning it. That love and support helped me feel better about being part of the community, and the last 20 years have been good for everyone involved. But in the broad sense, I think it’s had very little impact.

MOULD: ALICIA J. ROSE; FURMAN: PHIL SHARP

I should be worrying too much about, because once you do that, then your mind can start to play tricks on you, and you can start feeling that everything you say needs to relate to a certain subject, when that’s never been how I’ve approached writing songs.

that shouldn’t blend, are just stupid rules. It’s given me a perspective I don’t think I would have had coming from a different part of the U.K.

FURMAN: Coming out for me has been more of a sloppy, halting flow. I don’t know if coming out is even the right term. There’s the sexuality element of it, and then there’s the gender element of it. I started dressing feminine much later and being more comfortable with that, after I was telling people that I was bisexual. It seems like I want to offer a story that is not neat. In school, I was like, “I’m not going to join up with these gay kids I knew at school,” because they were really flamboyant, and that wasn’t the way I wanted to be out. But I also had all these punk friends who were wearing ripped clothes and safety pins and cutting their hair all weird, and I was like, “Well, I’m not one of you. I’m not going to wear that uniform and insist that I love Anti-Flag.”

MOULD: Every town has its idiosyncrasies. With L.A., it’s an industry town. It’s an entertainment hub. It can be harder to get people’s attention here, just because there’s so much going on. It’s akin to being a really fun casino in Vegas: There are a ton of them, and it can be hard to stand out. Ultimately my particular L.A. audience has always been pretty great, pretty supportive. I’ve been playing music in Los Angeles for 30 years now—the first show was probably in 1982—and there are people who were at those early Hüsker Dü shows who still come today.

MOULD: When I was getting started in music, it was right after disco was starting to recede, and there were artists like Jimmy Sommerville and Tom Robinson—people like that, who did a lot of the filibustering for the community at the time. Some people drew a line and said, “I can’t support that, and I can’t listen to that music,” but I think a major turning point was Nirvana, because Kurt Cobain was so forward about gender issues and sexuality. And Billie Joe Armstrong from Green Day taking Pansy Division on the road with them, confronting the audience with the idea that the misogyny and homophobia that were more prevalent with older audiences just weren’t going to be tolerated anymore. A lot of progress got made very quickly. When that transition happened, it coincided with the Clinton administration, and when you get Clintons and good music, it’s good times. BLOC PARTY: RACHAEL WRIGHT

MOULD: ALICIA J. ROSE; FURMAN: PHIL SHARP

think that maybe it is and I’m just out of touch, but it sure feels like people are a lot more active online and not so active in the streets.

OKEREKE: London in the ’90s was really the best place to be for a young person, I feel. There was a real sense with New Labour that anything could be possible, and certainly in London, where you were constantly coming into contact with other cultures, other parts of the world, and it wasn’t something to be frightened of. We were exposed to lots of different types of music and lots of types of people. Every band and every exhibition comes to London, and it made me less precious about mixing things together, I guess. You realize that these fixed rules everyone has about music, with it being separate subcultures

OKEREKE: My experience of audiences in L.A. is that they’re very music-savvy. I remember we’ve had some great shows playing in L.A. It was one of the first to get us outside of New York, and shows in L.A. were always more fun. Although there were lots of people coming to check us out and be impressed, there were also a lot of people just coming out to have a good time. I remember our L.A. shows being some of the must fun shows we’d ever do. I definitely enjoy playing in certain parts of the States, because I feel they take music seriously, and they certainly do that in L.A. It’s always an honor and a privilege to go out there and play for people, because you get that they get it. FURMAN: It seems that often when I come to L.A. there’s something awful and Hollywood that I end up agreeing to do. I have some of the L.A. dread that people get when they go there. I realize it’s a great place to live, but when you visit, it can be hard to curate your experience. If you just show up and go down to the Sunset Strip, it’s like, “Oh my god. What is mankind?” But I know that people tend to come to our shows in L.A., and that makes me really happy. Also, we’re talking about the Hollywood Bowl, which will be utterly different that any show I’ve ever played before. I’m used to the Satellite in Silver Lake. That’s my comfort zone. But no, I can’t characterize the typical L.A. audience. See, I’m not good at that stuff—characterizing and categories. MOULD: I’m just excited to go the Hollywood Bowl—just into the parking lot, really, let alone the building, let alone the stage. It will be a great show. OCTOBER 12, 2016

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QUINTA: MAURO RODRIGUES; LIGHTNING: XINHUA

CHOUARA TANNERY - GRANT ROONEY PREMIUM, PYRAMIDS OF MEROÃ&#x2039; - HEMIS

CURIOUSER & CURIOUSER

QUINTA DA REGALIERA SINTRA, GRANDE LISBOA | PORTUGAL

QUINTA: MAURO RODRIGUES; LIGHTNING: XINHUA

CHOUARA TANNERY - GRANT ROONEY PREMIUM, PYRAMIDS OF MEROË - HEMIS

Eccentric millionaire António Augusto Carvalho Monteiro designed this palace in 1904 as a monument to his diverse interests and secret affiliations. The five-story hilltop mansion mixes Roman, Gothic, Renaissance, and Manueline styles. Its surrounding gardens are a fantasy land of grottoes, fountains, statues, ponds, underground tunnels, and a deep, moss-covered “Initiation Well,” believed to be the former site of Masonic rituals. The architecture hides shapes and symbols relating to alchemy, Masonry, the Knights Templar, and the Rosicrucians. A Roman Catholic chapel in front of the palace depicts Catholic saints, but also pentagrams, which are often used in occult religions. Avenida Barbosa du Bocage 5, Sintra. Make sure to bring a flashlight. N 38.812878 W 9.369541

Atlas Obscura is an explorer’s guide to the world’s hidden wonders

“I

t’s the kind of book that makes you want to pack in your workaday life and head out to places you’d never have dreamed of going, to see things you could not even have imagined,” says author Neil Gaiman, praising the latest print work by Atlas Obscura, a collaborative project that aims to discover our planet’s most amazing hidden spots and document them for posterity’s sake. The book, available later this month, catalogs the entirety of the people, places and things that inspire wonder in the most seasoned and worldly of travelers. The result is a compendium of more than 600 natural wonders, architectural marvels and eye-opening events—alongside brilliant photography, maps and charts—that prove our world is a cabinet of curiosities. Herein we’ve chosen to highlight seven of the globe’s most intriguing destinations.

THE EVERLASTING LIGHTNING STORM CONGO MIRADOR, ZULIA | VENEZUELA There’s something strange in the air where the Catatumbo River flows into Lake Maracaibo. For 260 nights out of the year, often for up to 10 hours at a time, the sky above the river is pierced by almost constant lightning, producing as many as 280 strikes per hour. Known as the relampago del Catatumbo (“ the Catatumbo lightning” ), this everlasting lightning storm has been raging for as long as people can remember. In 1595, Sir Francis Drake’s attempt to take the city of Maracaibo by night was foiled when

the lightning storm’s flashes gave away his position to the city’s defenders. This happened again during the Venezuelan War of Independence in 1823, when Spanish ships were revealed by the lightning and fell to Simón Bolívar’s upstart navy. In fact, the lightning, visible from 25 miles away, is so regular that it’s been used as a navigation aid by ships and is known among sailors as the Maracaibo Beacon. Interestingly, little to no sound accompanies this fantastic light show, as the lightning moves from cloud to cloud, far

above the ground. It’s still unknown exactly why this area—and this area alone—should produce such regular lightning. One theory holds that ionized methane gas rising from the Catatumbo bogs meets cold air pouring down from the Andes, helping to create the perfect conditions for a lightning storm. The best place to see the storm is from Congo Mirador, a village built on stilts on Lake Maracaibo. Head to Encontrados to make arrangements. N 9.563214 W 71.382437

OCTOBER 12, 2016

GHOST FLEET OF TRUK LAGOON CHUUK | MICRONESIA In February 1944, still reeling from the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the American military targeted a Japanese military base at what was then known as Truk Lagoon. Japan had converted the atoll into a major naval and logistical hub, building roads, trenches, and communications on its islands and stationing battleships, submarines, aircraft carriers, and other giant vessels in the waters. The Project Hailstone mission began at sunrise on Feb. 17. Five hundred aircraft departed from the nearby Marshall Islands, joining submarines and surface ships in the attack on Truk. Though the Japanese, fearing such a raid, had removed many of their larger ships from the area a week earlier, the damage was extensive. Forty-seven ships and 270 aircraft were sent to the bottom of the lagoon. About 1,700 Japanese servicemen went down with them. Truk’s sunken vessels remain at the bottom of the lagoon, comprising the world’s largest ship graveyard. Riddled with torpedo holes, the ships have released some of their contents. Gas masks, rotting shoes, unopened bottles of beer, and phonograph records

drift silently along the coral-covered decks, a sobering reminder of the naval officers’ daily lives. In addition to being the final resting place for warships, Truk Lagoon is a mass war grave for those who perished in the attack. In the 1980s, divers retrieved the remains of approximately 400 Japanese crewmembers. The bones were taken to a Japanese air base and cremated, and the ashes interred at the National Cemetery for the War Dead in Tokyo. The remains of the other 1,300 servicemen are scattered in the lagoon. Truk’s ghost fleet attracts much marine wildlife, including sharks, manta rays, turtles, and scuba divers. The ships continue to rust and deteriorate, causing ecological concerns—the three tankers on the lagoon floor contain about 32,000 tons (29 million kg) of oil, or about three-quarters of the amount spilled during the Exxon-Valdez disaster. Truk Lagoon is also known as Chuuk Lagoon. Flights from Guam arrive at Chuuk airport, on Weno Island in the middle of the lagoon. The trip takes about 90 minutes. N 7.416667 E 151.783333

CHOUARA TANNERY FEZ, FEZ MEKNES | MOROCCO

begins with the raw skins being soaked in a mixture of cow urine, pigeon feces, quicklime, salt, and water. This loosens the hair from the hides and makes them softer. After a few days of steeping in this concoction, the skins are hauled out and hung from balconies to dry. Then comes the dyeing. Tannery workers plunge the skins into the colored wells, leaving them for a few more days to absorb each hue.

Visitors are welcome to observe the tannery in action and are even given a gift upon arrival: a small sprig of mint to hold under the nose when the smell becomes too much. Fes El Bali, Fez. The tannery is in the old, walled part of the city El Medina. Established in the year 859, it is the oldest existing university in the world. N 34.066361 W 4.970973

CHOUARA: GRANT ROONEY PREMIUM; GHOST FLEET: JOE DOVALA / WATERFRA

Wedged among the ancient buildings and serpentine passageways of Fez’s Old Medina is a grid of stone wells, each filled with colored liquid. This is Chouara, an 11th-century tannery that still operates as it did a thousand years ago. Animal hides are brought here to be preserved, dyed, and turned into the handbags, jackets, and wallets sold in the surrounding souks. The process

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OCTOBER 12, 2016

CHOUARA: GRANT ROONEY PREMIUM; GHOST FLEET: JOE DOVALA / WATERFRA

THE CAVE OF SWALLOWS If you fell into the Cave of Swallows, it would be at least 10 seconds before you hit the floor. The limestone sinkhole is 1,093 feet deep. That’s deep enough to fit the Chrysler Building with the Statue of Liberty balancing on top. BASE jumpers used to fling themselves into the abyss regularly, using a mechanical winch to make the long journey back up. Now, however, BASE jumping and motorized winches are no longer allowed. The noise and constant high-speed descents were disrupting the resident birds as well as the nearby humans. To see the bottom of the cave—which, incidentally, is covered with guano and crawling with insects, snakes, and scorpions—you’ll need to throw a rope into the abyss and rappel down. The hard part is climbing back up, which takes 40 minutes if you’re superhumanly fit, and two hours if you’ve been known to skip a few sessions at the gym. If you’d rather not descend into the fathomless chasm, you can tie a safety rope around your waist and peer over the edge. The Cave of the Swallows is named after the thousands of birds who nest in the cave walls, spiral out of the sinkhole every morning, and return every night. They are not actually swallows—they’re a combination of white-collared swifts and green parakeets. The cave is a 30-minute drive west of the small town of Aquismón. N 21.599836 W 99.098964

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SWALLOWS: DAVE BUNNELL; HELL: TIM WHITBY; EREBUS: CARSTEN PETER

AQUISMÓN, SAN LUIS POTOSÍ | MEXICO

MOUNT EREBUS

ROSS ISLAND | ANTARCTICA When British polar explorer James Clark Ross came across this volcano in 1841, he named it after his ship. But Mount Erebus has since proven itself more like the original Erebus of Greek mythology, son of Chaos and god of darkness. The mountain that bears Erebus’s name is a 12,448-foot active volcano brimming with boiling lava. It is an odd conflation of fire and ice: Heat and gas from the 1,700°F (926.6°C) lava lake

filter up to the slopes, melting the packed snow and carving out ice caves. Since 1979, an area on Mount Erebus’s lower slopes has been regarded as a tomb. That year, an Air New Zealand sightseeing flight crashed into the mountain, killing all 257 passengers on board. The plane had been flying in a whiteout, using coordinates that differed from the approved route. Though an extensive recovery effort took place, wreckage from the crash is still

on the mountain. A memorial cross stands nearby, along with a capsule containing messages from relatives of the victims. Although the volcano is always active (sometimes hunks of molten rock shoot through the air), Mount Erebus is open to climbers in the Antarctic summer. Entry into the crash site area is prohibited unless you have a permit issued by the relevant New Zealand authorities. S 77.527423 E 167.156711

DOOR TO HELL DERWEZE, AHAL | TURKMENISTAN

SWALLOWS: DAVE BUNNELL; HELL: TIM WHITBY; EREBUS: CARSTEN PETER

When darkness falls, an orange glow illuminates the dusty plains outside of Derweze, a settlement of 350 in the middle of the Karakum Desert. The source of light is the “Door to Hell,” a 200-foot-wide crater that has been burning for over 45 years. In 1971, Soviet geologists, looking for natural gas, accidentally burrowed into a huge cavern filled with methane, causing the ground to crumble and their drilling rig to collapse into the huge pit. With the pocket of gas punctured, poisonous fumes began leaking from the hole at an alarming rate. To avoid a potential environmental catastrophe, the geologists

set the hole on fire. The crater has been burning ever since. Following a visit to the Door to Hell in April 2010, Turkmen president Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow recommended the hole be closed so the area’s rich gas reserves can be tapped safely. Thus far the crater remains untouched, but with new pipelines and increased international interest in Turkmen gas reserves, the Door to Hell may not be open for much longer. The crater is 160 miles north of the capital city of Ashgabat, where you can hire a guide to drive you to the desert. N 40.252777 E 58.439444

Atlas Obscura By Joshua Foer, Dylan Thuras & Ella Morton 470 pp., $35 (Workman Publishing) Available Sept. 20 Don’t miss the Atlas Obscura Book Tour when it stops at The Last Bookstore, 453 S. Spring St., DTLA, on Oct. 4 OCTOBER 12, 2016

Ready

to Renovate No one wants a humdrum home! Introduce some new energy to your abode—without breaking the bank—by following these five simple steps by

Rufus Ashmount

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CALLIGARIS

“So many people are using neutral tones—grey, taupe, white—as the main color palette in decorating their homes,” says Warren Doke of local design studio Calligaris (633 N. La Brea Ave #101, L.A., calligaris.us). “It’s a design trend that’s here to stay, but the rooms tend to lack energy or pizzazz. Dropping colorful pieces into a neutral background supplies just the right amount of visual interest we all crave.” Bob Williams, co-founder and president of design for Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams (242 N. Beverly Dr., Bev. Hills, mgbwhome.com), echoes the sentiment of adding a new hue. “We’re big fans of keeping a room mostly neutral to make it easier to update with a few well-placed changes,” he says. “One distinctive way to add richness is to inject a note of stunning color with draperies and coordinating accent pillows.”

MITCHELL GOLD + BOB WILLIAMS

1. ADD A NEW POP OF COLOR.

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Question B res suntis Itatatus, in A statement chair, colorful mirrors, lighting, accent pillows and throws in various shades of blue can be brought into any neutral décor to add drama and interest without overwhelming the room.

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In addition to color, focus on texture. This room features Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams’ new all-cotton, U.S.-made Avignon draperies and pillow in Olive

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MITCHELL GOLD + BOB WILLIAMS

2. UPDATE YOUR HARDWARE.

Another easy and relatively easy way to bring new life into your home is to replace factory-issued handles and pulls that came with the cabinets in your kitchen, den and bedroom. Take the time to scour antique shops for unique pieces that reflect your personal taste. In the bathroom, invoke a much-needed spa day by replacing your sink, or if that sounds like too expensive or time-consuming an overhaul, purchase a new faucet. Swapping out the faucet is a couple-hour time commitment, and these days most come with all the components you’ll need. Opt for chrome, nickel or dark iron for a modern look. OCTOBER 12, 2016

3. LIGHTEN UP.

Turn your house—or studio apartment, for that matter— into a home by harnessing the power of good lighting. It can make or break your interior, helping your personality to shine through. “Good lighting sets the tone and creates the atmosphere in a room. The key is to understand the use of that room and apply the relevant lighting to ensure it functions well,” says Lucy Martin, author of The Lighting Bible: Ideas for Every Room in Your Home (256 pp., Apple). A laundry room is best served with compact fluorescent lighting, while your open-plan kitchen/living room is better off with a mix of LED spots, low-level floor washers, under-cupboard task lights and lamp light to create depth and texture. Dimmer switches—rather easy to install—can transform your dining room into something more like a luxe restaurant. Standard incandescent bulbs will do the trick.

A jaw-dropping room is often the result of multiple types of lighting, including fluorescent, LED spots, lamp light and task lights

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4. FINISH THE SPACE WITH MOLDING.

It’s a proven fact of home décor that any common area looks more sophisticated with crown molding. (It may also add value to your place.) When choosing a molding style, just make sure you go with something that complements the architectural style of your space. Lest you get scared into thinking that adding crown molding is a painstaking endeavor, look into Trimroc interior plaster molding from Canamould Extrusions. It’s actually a lightweight foam coated in hard plaster, which means it cuts smoothly (no power saw required) and goes up with joint compound. In one weekend, your space can go from drab to fab.

Hardwood floors are only one option for upgrading your home, and they can come in varying forms, as seen with these two painted wood options

5. UPGRADE YOUR FLOORING.

Brilliantly designed home spaces consider the floor to be much more than ‘that part of the room you walk on.’ Take a step back to consider the form and function of your room, as that will determine your best flooring options—carpet, hardwood, tile, vinyl, etc. Don’t have the money to spend on a full floor replacement? Break out the paint! If you choose paint with a durable finish, your floor can hold up just as long as the paint on your walls. Go contemporary by choosing a natural color for your floor, like beige or off-white, but remember, a glossy floor might show scratches. OCTOBER 12, 2016

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Invite Only The new on-demand service Table + Teaspoon aims to make your dinner parties something special again

By Mikey Rox

f you’ve ever admired the elaborate, often over-the-top tablescapes of boozy chef and Food Network star Sandra Lee—and wished you could recreate them for your own dinner parties without actually having to put in the work—Liz Conklin, owner of the new on-demand tabletop rental service Table + Teaspoon, would like to clink glasses with you. This past August, Conklin went from litigator to home entertaining whiz. Table + Teaspoon evolved over the years from a cooking blog to a catering, events and interior design firm to its current incarnation—an e-commerce platform wherein clients can choose from multiple tabletop styles delivered directly to their doors. She may just be onto something. Conklin’s tablescape-by-delivery is the first of its kind, poised to disrupt two billion-dollar industries simultaneously. “On-demand food is a $4 billion industry, but everything that’s available for delivery— cocktails, chefs, groceries, precooked meals—comes without anything to serve it on,” she explains. “Event rentals are a $5 billion industry, with no tech innovation whatsoever. The

OCTOBER 12, 2016

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Liz Curtis’ 5 Tips for Hosting the Dinner Party of a Lifetime 1. AVOID GOING OVERBOARD WITH YOUR THEME Employing a theme for your dinner party can be as straightforward as a color palette. You may want to up the ante with more specific schemes, but make sure you don’t go so over-the-top that guests feel crowded or your table looks forced. For example, just because it’s Thanksgiving doesn’t mean you’re required to put pumpkins and corncobs all over an orange tablecloth. An elegant mix of tans and browns with fresh greenery can be just as effective. Think outside the box, simplify your vision and don’t forget to use variations of the colors you choose to bring depth to your table. 2. SPRING FOR LUXURY LINENS The foundation of your table is the textiles you choose for your runner or tablecloth and napkins. Everything you set on your table will go over the cloth, and napkins will be in your guests’ hands the entire evening. Resist the temptation to go with basic white linens or paper (eek!) napkins, as they have a large impact on the overall tone and aesthetic. 3. VARY THE HEIGHT OF TABLE ADORNMENTS Guests eat with their eyes as much as their mouths, so give them something to take in by staggering the heights of objects on the table. Candles are the easiest way to vary height, because you can use both votives and taper candlesticks to create a change in visuals. Candles are easier than flowers to employ in achieving this look, because guests can easily see around them. Rather than plain glass votives, use small vintage cups or julep glasses for richness. 4. ADD AN UNEXPECTED TOUCH Sure, you can create a gorgeous table with the standard settings and a beautiful floral arrangement, but why not challenge yourself to make something festive, elegant and slightly unexpected? The best way to do this is to look around your house for objects that you love and use them as centerpieces on your table. Sliced agate, bronze stars, boxwood topiaries—whatever you decorate your home with can double as tablescape fodder. The best part of using this method is that your table reflects your personality, which your guests will instantly recognize and appreciate. 5. BE THOUGHTFUL ABOUT THE TONE Setting the tone of the evening with your selection of music and conversation topics is just as important as your décor. If you don’t want guests dancing on the table, skip EDM tracks in favor of a classic crooner like Otis Redding. Your favorite theater and movie soundtracks are also a great resource here. And don’t forget to plan an ice breaker, especially if not everyone at the table is familiar with one another. My go-to is “Two Truths, One Lie,” which is a quick and lively way to get everyone interacting. Just make sure to start the game before guests have over-imbibed and feel compelled to overshare. Or not. It’s your party, you set the tone!

MISCHA PURCELL

market is clearly ripe for the service Table + Teaspoon has to offer, and no one else is doing it.” It’s true. Rent-a-tablescape services had never been offered until Conklin entered the untapped market—a soon-to-be-blazed path that initially proved difficult to navigate for an entrepreneur who has “zero formal training in anything other than law.” “I used my entire savings and a loan from my family to bootstrap the vision for the ‘rent the table’ business model,” she reveals. “This meant designing flatware and linens; forming relationships with glassware and china manufacturers; finding a suitable space to store, sanitize and ship product; creating elegant boxes that would ship both ways without breakage; and relaunching the Table + Teaspoon site as an e-commerce platform with rental capabilities. As with most startups, everything took at least twice as long as anticipated, with many tears, late nights and seemingly impossible hurdles along the way.” Yet, as we’ve seen time and again in the already enormous but still expanding on-demand economy, being ahead of the curve—and setting the parameters for excellence in a particular category—can pay off big time if you make the right moves, while at the same time establishing your brand as the gold standard among the copycats that are sure to follow. For now, Conklin is hard at work refining her concept as it rolls out in California (plans for expansion to Chicago, Texas and New England are currently underway), which begins with the table settings themselves. What started out in a brainstorming session as 25 full settings and smaller options, like gold flatware, has since been whittled down to a respectable half-dozen options after research suggested that her target market—experience-hungry, convenience-seeking Millennials—were overwhelmed by the abundance of choices. “I decided that six settings would allow me to provide enough aesthetic range without scaring people away,” Conklin says. “I also made each napkin double-sided so that the customer can pick which side they prefer for their particular party. For example, with my Cabot setting, you can be whimsical with the octopus side or classic with the navy-and-white trellis pattern.” From that jump-off, she added five other diverse options, described individually (but all given names on the site for easy identification) as sophisticatedneutral, on-point trendy, patriotic-nautical, colorful-playful, chic black-and-white stripes, and, if you haven’t surmised already, a Thanksgiving/Christmas design to accommodate holiday clients, of which there’s likely to be a cornucopia this season. As such, each place setting arrives with the aforementioned dual-sided napkin plus a bevy of other etiquette-friendly tableware, including salad and dinner plates, wine and drinking glasses, flatware for three courses, a paper straw, menu and place cards, plus two taper candles and candlesticks along with an oversized table runner for cohesiveness. Aesthetics notwithstanding, though it is a major player in Conklin’s concept, the real beating heart at the center of this business is providing access to a more luxurious and beautiful experience to those who seek it through thoughtful dinner-party design—without going into debt to do it. “Table + Teaspoon takes the guesswork out of the equation,” Conklin says. “We curate the table settings, send you exactly what you need with step-bystep instructions, provide an elegant box to send everything back in once you’re finished, do all the dirty dishes, and let you take the credit. No curating, cleaning, storing or paying an arm and a leg for dishware, flatware, glasses and linens you may only use once per year.” In fact, the only thing that could possibly make your party more memorable is that loveable lush Sandra Lee slinging drinks as your guest bartender. If you wait a few months, she may be available for delivery, too.

OCTOBER 12, 2016

PALM SPRINGS Clockwise from top left: East Canyon Hotel; Kristine W; Verner Panton’s Heart Cone Chair, 1958, on view at the Palm Springs Art Museum; Palm Springs Pride; West Elm

5 REASONS TO HIT THE DESERT THIS FALL

From some of Palm Springs’ best local events to new shopping options and bargain rates on amazing gay resorts, now’s the time to hit the highway By Ed Walsh ALL WORLDS RESORT 526 S. Warm Sands Dr. allworldsresorts.com EAST CANYON HOTEL & SPA 288 E. Camino Monte Vista eastcanyonps.com GRAND CENTRAL PALM SPRINGS 160 La Plaza grandcentralpalmsprings.com HALLOWEEN CARNAVALE Oct. 29-31 halloweenpalmsprings.com PALM SPRINGS ART MUSEUM 101 N. Museum Dr. psmuseum.org PALM SPRINGS PRIDE 2016 Nov. 1-6 pspride.org WEST ELM 201 N. Palm Canyon Dr. westelm.com

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s Palm Springs’ blazing-hot summer gives way to more comfortable fall temperatures, in contrast, the scene is heating up. Year-round residents are coming out of air-conditioned hibernation, and visitors—especially Angelenos—are joining in. If you’re looking for a good reason to visit the desert this fall, here are five.

3. Palm Springs Pride. Expect perfect fall weather for this year’s Nov. 1-6 event, highlighted by Friday’s free “Equality Concert” on Arenas Road and a free downtown Pride festival on Saturday and Sunday. As many know, the Pride festival moved from Sunrise Park to Downtown Palm Springs a couple years ago. The parade will continue to take place on Sunday.

1. Downtown. If you can get to Palm Springs this fall, you’ll see the first phase of the city’s $400 million, 15-acre downtown redevelopment project. The work began three years ago with the destruction of the old Desert Fashion Plaza along Palm Canyon Drive. When it’s all done, the project will show off the Palm Springs Art Museum with a shop-lined pedestrian plaza. The first new building on the block is home to housewares and furniture store West Elm, opened just before Labor Day to criticism for its mountain-blocking views. The modern white and glass building is also in sharp contrast to the traditional mountain-brown color of its next-door neighbor, the Hyatt, and most other buildings on the street. Also new this fall, one of Palm Springs’ biggest restaurants, the Grand Central Station, is scheduled to open on La Plaza, a half-block from the downtown project, in a historic building that was lovingly and expensively restored. A grand opening date is yet to be announced, but expect it in early fall.

4. The resorts. The fact that Palm Springs has more gay resorts than anywhere else on the planet is one of the desert’s most redeeming qualities. While gay hotels Helios, Pura Vida and Desert Eclipse closed this year, fear not—there are still 20 left. Many are still offering deals if you can travel in September, but if you can wait until late fall, you’ll score bargain rates after Thanksgiving weekend and before Christmas. Of the resorts for gay men, all but one are clothing-optional, and all but one serve a continental breakfast. If you’d rather sun at resort where tan lines are mandatory, the fab East Canyon Hotel and Spa is the place (eastcanyonps.com). All Worlds doesn’t serve a breakfast, but it is the place to be if you want to be part of the party (allworldsresorts.com).

2. Halloween. If the mega-crowds of WeHo are a little too much, try Halloween in the desert. The city celebrates early with a block party on Arenas Road, Saturday, Oct. 29. Kristine W headlines the Main Stage, with Bella da Ball serving as emcee. Admission is free with a suggested donation of $5, though $60 VIP tickets include a hosted bar, gift bag, meet-and-greet and dedicated restrooms. Proceeds go to local LGBT charities.

5. The art. The Palm Springs Art Museum has a series of new exhibitions beginning this fall. Western Stories: Dreams of the West, opened Sept. 3 and features artwork depicting the adventure, danger and beauty faced by early western settlers. MetaModern opens Oct. 9 and features Modernist design. Appropriately enough, the exhibition is sponsored by Ikea, but don’t worry, no one will ask you to assemble anything. Glass for the new Millennium: Masterworks from the Kaplan-Ostergaard Collection opens Nov. 4, showing off stunning glass art. And Go West! Art of the American Frontier begins Oct. 22 with 90 works by artist-explorers and Plains Indian tribes. psmusem.org

Thu. | Sept. 29 FREE THURSDAY NIGHTS Palm Springs Art Museum

The museum offers complimentary admission to its galleries every Thursday night from 4-8 p.m., a great way to spend your time before the city’s weekly VillageFest. psmuseum.org Fri. | Sept. 30 POZ Desert Rose Playhouse

The Coachella Valley’s LGBTQ stage company presents this West Coast premiere, a gay comedy by Michael Aman that is a thought-provoking, unconventional love story at heart. Through Oct. 23. desertroseplayhouse.org

Sat. | Oct. 8 RETRO T-DANCE Hunters

DJ Chub Jim spins disco and pop hits from the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s every Saturday from 4-9 p.m. hunterspalm springs.com Sun. | Oct. 9 DESERT DIVAS DRAG BRUNCH Rio Azul Mexican Bar & Grill

This comedy, Broadway music and drag show sells out on a regular basis and takes place every Sunday. Maybe it’s the $10 bottomless mimosas. rioazulpalmsprings.com

Mon. | Oct. 3 TRIVIA CONTEST Ace Hotel & Swim Club

Fri. | Oct. 14 BOYS’ NIGHT OUT Wang’s in the Desert

Put all that minutiae cluttering your mind to use as Bella da Ball hosts this weekly contest, starting at 9 p.m. acehotel.com/palm springs

From 3-10 p.m., enjoy happy hour specials ($3 wine, $4 well cocktails, $5 margs) and a DJ out on the patio. wangsinthedesert.com

TRAMPIN’

L.A.’s hedonistic waterpark-cum-nightclub heads to the desert for fun in the sun By Stephan Horbelt

ack up your sexiest swimsuits and a tub of sunscreen and head to the desert, as L.A.’s favorite poolside party is making an eastern trek. SummerTramp, the brainchild of local party people Andrés Rigal, Justin David and Luke Nero, is bringing its “magical brigadoon of decadence and delight” to The Saguaro Palm Springs for the weekend of Oct. 1 and 2. The party, which began six summers ago, has but three demands of its revelers: Roll deep, come hot and get thirsty. “The final SummerTramp of 2016 will have all the best parts of her DTLA dragmother,” says Rigal. “Including two giant inflatable waterslides, copious amounts of inflatable toys, bubble machines and a giant pool full of all the beautiful colors of the rainbow. Mario Diaz will be tramping around alongside a cross-section of the best DJs in the scene.” From 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday, your wet and wild soundtrack won’t stop. On Saturday: DJs Aaron Colbert, Casey Alva, Derek Monteiro, Jonny Drubel (you remember him from E!’s Rich Kids of Beverly Hills) and Josh Peace. On Sunday: DJs Aaron Elvis, James Cerne, Patrick Ryan, Sindri Salad and Whitney Fierce. As always, peacocking is encouraged at SummerTramp, a party where elaborate getups are the norm and people-watching is a sport. Book your weekend-long stay at the host hotel while rooms are available, and use the code SUMMERTRAMP when booking at thesaguaro.com to score a trampy room rate. For more info on the party, and to purchase merch, head to summertramp.com. “Yes, hitting the beach in the summertime is great. There’s no denying that,” Rigal says. “But sometimes when everyone else is heading west, it’s all about driving toward the desert and venturing to a magical pansexual waterpark weekend paradise. Because let’s face it, summer is not over until she says it’s over.”

A FAR OUT FESTIVAL THE SEASON OF THE MUSIC festival isn’t passed just yet, especially in the desert, where temperatures are still at arid highs. At the fifth annual Desert Daze—taking place at the Institute of Mentalphysics in Joshua Tree over the Oct. 14-16 weekend— three outdoor stages will treat audiophiles to live music by more than 75 bands and artists. Headliners throughout the festivities include Primus, Television, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Toro Y Moi and more. A keynote address will be made by Andrew W.K. In addition to the live music, Desert Daze will also include an indoor space for alternative programming—speakers, workshops, Q&A sessions and audiovisual performances—as well as interactive art installations, vendors, bars, food trucks and an indoor diner, making the festival more akin to Burning Man than L.A.’s recent FYF Fest. Attendees have multiple lodging options, from RV, car and tent camping in the Joshua Tree landscape to on-site cottages designed by Frank Lloyd Wright that sleep two to eight. Tickets range from $75-$340. desertdaze.org —S.H. OCTOBER 12, 2016

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OCTOBER 12, 2016

THE WORLD OF BILLY MASTERS From left: Whoopi Goldberg, Mark Ruffalo, Sarah Paulson, Dame Maggie Smith, Billy Gilman, Robert Sepulveda

RECAPPING THE EMMYS, MARK RUFFALO MAY DROP TROU, WHOOPI EXITS STAGE LEFT Emmys Representation Anyone who still thinks our community isn’t visible on TV clearly didn’t watch this year’s Emmy Awards, which kicked off with Louie Anderson’s win for playing the mother on Baskets. “I have not always been a very good man, but I play one helluva woman.” That was followed up by Jeffrey Tambor’s second Emmy for Transparent. And I’m always happy when Holland Taylor is acknowledged. This time, the mention came from partner Sarah Paulson, whose plus-one was the real Marcia Clark. I believe she was wearing a Columbian necklace. As to other Emmys business, one of host Jimmy Kimmel’s running bits was about the much-lauded Dame Maggie Smith, who has never shown up despite having been nominated nine times and winning three. So Kimmel made a vow: to win the award, you had to be present! “If you want an Emmy, you better hop on a plane right now and get your Dowager Count-ass over here.” When Smith did inevitably win, Jimmy stormed the stage, saying, “No, no, no. We’re not mailing this to her. Maggie, if you want this, it will be in lost and found.” Smith tweeted: “I was very astonished and pleased to win the award. I feel the Emmys have been overly generous to me. If Mr. Kimmel could please direct me to the lost and found office I will try and be on the next flight. Love, Old Maggie.” Back From Oblivion I’m a big fan of Billy Gilman. Over the years, I watched him on the annual Jerry Lewis Telethon and saw him develop into a fine young man with a good voice—and he wasn’t so bad to look at. While the perception is that he hasn’t had many opportunities since coming out, that isn’t quite true; the offers dried up long before his queer revelation. He’s now resurfaced on The Voice singing Adele’s “When We Were Young.” He was great, and all of the judges vied for him (he chose Adam Levine as his mentor). While I’m happy for him, aren’t these competitions designed for unknowns to get a break? American Idol didn’t let people compete who previously had a recording contract. So Gilman is in a lull—does that make it fair for him to compete against unknowns? What’s next? Barbara Mandrell wanting to get away from her sisters and the County Fair circuit? Reba 80 FRONTIERSMEDIA.COM

McEntire crying about her dead band again? We all have problems. While I’m rooting for Billy, I’m not completely sure it’s fair. Mark Ruffalo’s Vow Because it’s a presidential election year, many stars are putting themselves on the line, but none more so than Mark Ruffalo. He’s so committed to Hillary Clinton (and so vehemently opposed to Donald Trump), he’s made a vow that if Trump loses, he’ll go full-frontal nude on the big screen. That’s what we call a win/win. Exit Stage Left Whoopi Goldberg dropped a minor bombshell last week. On The Wendy Williams Show she was asked about her future with The View. Goldberg was vague and talked about other things she’d like to do. “So in September, when everyone comes back for the new season, you might not be there?” asked Williams. “No, probably not,” she responded. “I have to move on, baby, because I have to go and grow. I got stuff to do, I got movies I need to direct, I got books I got to finish.” You heard it here first ... er, OK, second. Ask Billy: More Trouble in Paradise Our requisite question about Finding Prince Charming comes from Trey in Laguna Beach: “I just want to know who at Logo Robert Sepulveda blew to get this gig. Someone must have known. I do love watching how when he is alone with each of them, he makes them each feel good about themselves.” You’re certainly onto something. As I’ve said, the hooker mentality is pretty close to the reality star mentality: you’re selling a product, and it’s all about romancing the right people. Does he have something more to offer? It’s getting less and less likely. Aside from the numerous nasty videos of him you can find on my site, we now learn that prior to being cast on Finding Prince Charming, Sepulveda was served with eviction papers for failing to pay at least three months of rent on his one-bedroom apartment. (The rent was $2,200—a good rent for New York.) I guess business was slow, and he didn’t want to ask Marc Jacobs for help. He was forced to vacate once the judge ruled against him. So, he’s not only looking for love; he’s looking for a home!

What’s even ickier is that the contestants had no clue about Sepulveda’s past. So because Logo didn’t do its due dilligence, all of these boys are now in an awkward situation. I’m not surprised that the guys are speaking out now that they’ve learned about the escorting past of their prince, someone who not only escorted but engaged in quite a bit of questionable (and unhygienic) behavior on video. The most prevalent allegation is that Logo knew exactly who Sepulveda was when it cast him, perhaps leaking information about his past in order to gain publicity for the show. One of the contestants came right out and said, “I don’t believe the network was blindsided. I don’t think anyone believes that.” Another reveals that all of the guys “had to go through rigorous background checks for three weeks ... before the show even started taping.” Yet another was sure he’d recognized Sepulveda from porn. “As soon as I left the house and got my phone back, I googled ‘Robert Sepulveda’ and the words ‘sex tape’ and there it was. I didn’t even need to scroll down.” This brings up a crucial point: allegedly each cast member had to sign a contract stating he didn’t appear in sex tapes or have nude photos that show their faces. The guys feel the same rules should have applied to Sepulveda—although I hasten to add that in most of the videos, his face is the least-featured part of his anatomy. Now that the guys have seen the videos, they’re appalled. “There are videos of Robert out there that are quite disgusting. Now I’m associated with him. Try explaining that to your mother.” Another was more to the point: “If I wanted to date a hooker, I’d hire one. I’m beyond livid!” While I’m all for these guys speaking out—they should, and it’s their right—don’t hide behind the moniker of “unnamed contestant.” Say who you are and own it. I suspect they’re contractually unable to speak on the record until the reunion show, which has not yet taped. It’s definitely time to end yet another column. We ran so long this week, I barely have time to remind you to check outBillyMasters.com, the site that always delivers. If you have a question for me, send it along to Billy@BillyMasters.com and I promise to get back to you before Maggie Smith appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live! Until next time, remember, one man’s filth is another man’s bible.

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