Montrose Star June27 2018

Funny Boy An Interview with ‘Buyer and Cellar’ star, Doug Atkins

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MONTROSE STAR .COM

THE GAY-ETY STARTS HERE! WEDNESDAY JUNE 27, 2018 e VOL. IX, 7

ANTONI,

» Houston Rainbow Herald

AT YOUR SERVICE At Your Service

2 » Foodie Diaries

17 » What a World

ANTONI, Star of Netflix’s Queer Eye reboot talks ‘fluid’ sexuality, caring for starstruck fans and the sexy anatomy of a coconut

8 INDEX Editorial Crossword Guide to the Clubs

3 25 27

AT YOUR SERVICE At Your Service

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Star of Netflix’s Queer Eye reboot talks ‘fluid’ sexuality, caring for starstruck fans and the sexy anatomy of a coconut p14

PAGE 2 | MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday June 27, 2018

HRH Report

Morality Wars, Liza and Warhol Johnny Trlica

C

T H E S TA R C O N T R I B U T I N G W R I T E R S JIM AYRES by day is an employee benefits and human resources writer. By night he turns his creativity toward the local food and restaurant scene. Do you know of a restaurant that needs a review? Info@montrose-star.com JOHN BUCHANAN is originally from Florida but now calls Houston home for 20+ years. “Proud to be Gay and part of the Community – Your Gay Realtor of Choice!” johnwb214@aol.com

NANCY FORD has enjoyed a front row seat to the most remarkable and sparkly Cultural Revolution in the history of mankind. “What a world!” She reflects appropriately. After moving to Houston from Ohio in 1981, Ford became a highly visible player in Texas’ LGBT publishing circles as an editor and contributor to myriad other local and statewide LGBT magazines and newspapers.

RANDALL JOBE has been a fixture in the Houston LGBT Community for several decades in marketing and promotions for top nightclubs, as an actor/director/writer for dozens of theatrical productions, and is also known for his whimsical art pieces. He is the author of the 12-part series “This Old Queen”, which summarized his many experiences living in the gay Mecca, Montrose.

MARK KARIEL is from Marshall, Texas, but has called Houston home for almost 40 years. An accounting supervisor by day, he can be found working most Saturday nights at South Beach’s RuPaul’s Drag Race events. His RuPaul obsession began 6 years ago in Palm Springs. It will all be in his book, plus much more. Stay tuned! mark@sobehouston.com FOREST RIGGS is no stranger to the adventures of life, he bills himself as a “raconteur with a gypsy spirit.” A former educator, public speaker, hospital administrator, counselor and gay B&B owner, he was instrumental in the formation of OutSmart Magazine in the early 1990s. He has written for several newspapers, magazines and other publications.

Recently he completed a collection of short stories about his beloved Galveston and is working on a novel. He currently resides on the island where he can be found wasting bait and searching for the meaning of life.

JOHNNY TRLICA has called the Houston area home all of his life. Four years ago he founded and still edits the Houston Rainbow Herald and has worked in the apartment leasing industry for the past two years. His passion is keeping the battle for LGBT rights at the forefront of today’s headlines and fighting omplacency in the LGBT community.

Photo courtesy of Christie’s New York

e By

OMMENTARY: “This is not who we are.”

That line has been uttered thousands of times over the past couple of weeks in response to the Trump administration’s policy to separate immigrant families. Are we really better than ripping infants and toddlers from their mother’s arms and locking them in cages? Is it really beneath us to lock up entire families and isolate them from the rest of us?

History suggests not.

Native American Indians saw their families dismantled routinely as Caucasian migration spread west and African families were divided as they were individually sold off to the highest bidder.

We elected a president who campaigned on a platform of racism, misogyny, openly mocked ‘Liza’ (1978) by Andy Warhol. Liza Minnelli sold this painting, a gift from the artist, in 2011. a disabled person and bragged about sexual assault. A large chunk of America ate it up.

Texas GOP reaffirms its homophobia So no, America, what is happening on the border The GOP is consistent, if nothing else. At the state is not beneath us. It is who we are and who we have GOP’s convention in mid-June, Texas’ Grand Old Party become. reaffirmed that it has not progressed in its antiquated Why should we as LGBTQ people care about illegal stance on LGBTQ rights, reports LGBTQNation.com. immigrant families being separated at the border?

As expected, they were all in favor of “religious Well, one reason is that we are more compassionate liberties,” saying, “We support the removal of laws and than the people in charge. Another reason is it could be regulations that are used to force business owners and us. employees to violate their sincerely held beliefs.”

During the peak of the AIDS crisis, there were The party platform also took aim at trans rights, many who called for all gays to be locked away or sent starting with the acknowledgment that transgender to internment camps together. Fear and ignorance people even exist. “We oppose all efforts to validate towards AIDS was widespread. “God’s punishment!” transgender identity,” the platform reads.

Even today there are radical Christian pastors How about if we just let you read the rest for and right wing politicians who, if they had their way, yourself what they endorsed: “We affirm God’s biblical would send us away or even killed. During remarks design for marriage and sexual behavior between one made at the National Religious Liberties Conference biological man and one biological woman, which has in 2015, Pastor Kevin Swanson said that both the Old proven to be the foundation for all great nations in and New Testament require the death penalty for the Western Civilization. We oppose homosexual marriage, crime of homosexuality, as well as his position that any regardless of state of origin. We urge the Texas Christian who attends a gay wedding can only do so in Legislature to pass religious liberty protections for order to hold up a sign informing the couple that they individuals, businesses, and government officials who ought to be put to death. believe marriage is between one man and one woman.

Martin Niemöller (1892–1984) was a prominent We oppose the granting of special legal entitlements Protestant pastor who emerged as an outspoken or creation of special status for homosexual behavior, public foe of Adolf Hitler and spent the last seven regardless of state of origin. We oppose any criminal or years of Nazi rule in concentration camps. He is best civil penalties against those who oppose homosexuality remembered for the quotation “First They Came For”: out of faith, conviction, or belief in traditional values.”

“First they came for the Socialists, and I did not And we will just leave it right there. speak out — because I was not a Socialist.

Liza selling Warhols Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did Liza Minnelli has not acted in five years or not speak out — because I was not a Trade Unionist. performed in concert in three but she isn’t hurting Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out for money. The Cabaret actress has a large collection — because I was not a Jew. of Andy Warhol paintings that she has been Then they came for me — and there was no one left selling piece by piece, reports PageSix.com. to speak for me.”

Minnelli recently sold a silk screen of her mother Still wondering why we should care about the Judy Garland for $7 million. The 72-year-old Oscar immigrant families at the border? winner reportedly had as many as 22 Warhol paintings The Houston Rainbow Herald Facebook page posts decorating her Manhattan apartment before moving to links to the latest news and stories of interest to the Beverly Hills a few years ago. e Bayou City’s LGBTQ community. Here are a couple of Johnny Trlica is the manager of the Houston Rainbow Herald those stories.

Facebook page, your source for the latest LGBTQ news and information. Contact him at HRHeditor@gmail.com.

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MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday June 27, 2018 | PAGE 3

OP-ED

Creep of the Week: Alliance Defending Freedom e By

D’Anne Witkowski

TOC JUNE 27, 2018 | VOL. IX, 7

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elp, gay people can’t have cake any more, the that one baker. It sets no precedents, changes no laws Supreme Court said so. It is now the law of the land and basically has zero impact on anyone’s rights.” that cake is intended only for one man and one woman But to hear ADF tell it, the Supreme Court just ruled that to eat between just the two of them forever and ever. anyone can discriminate against LGBTQ people for any Heterosexuals — and this is the part not being reported reason at any time, so help them god. That is, well, inaccurate. by the media — are no longer permitted to eat any other “In no way did the Supreme Court grant a license to food. It’s cake only. The catch, however, is that only married discriminate around the country,” Sarah Warbelow, Legal straights can have cake. Everyone else gets no cake.

Director for the Human Rights Campaign, said.

Some are worrying that preventing single men and “Anti-LGBTQ extremists did not win the sweeping ‘license women, not to mention children, from eating cake will lead to discriminate’ they have been hoping for,” Human Rights to fraudulent marriages where Campaign President Chad Griffin told people only say “I do” for the USA Today. “And today’s ruling does Anti-LGBTQ extremists did not change our nation’s longstanding cake, not for the Lord. It is also feared that gays and lesbians will not win the sweeping ‘license civil rights laws.” pose as straight and marry under In fact, HRC pointed out in a tweet to discriminate’ they have false pretenses to obtain cake. that in the Masterpiece Cakeshop Had I realized that I could never been hoping for. And today’s ruling, “SCOTUS acknowledged that have cake again I would have eaten LGBTQ people are equal and have a ruling does not change an entire cake all by myself the day right to be free from the indignity of before this ruling came down. our nation’s longstanding discrimination.” Which is good news.

It is, to be sure, a caketastrophe.

However, what will likely happen now civil rights laws.

Or is it? Well, let’s be clear, it is that other suits challenging the civil would have been nice to get a ruling Human Rights Campaign President Chad Griffin told USA Today rights of LGBTQ people will gain traction. from the Supreme Court that made We’re in for an ugly ride and this clear that discrimination against should worry you. Short of getting LGBTQ people is wrong, full stop, forever and ever amen. yourself appointed to the Supreme Court, an important thing But that’s not what happened. Instead, the court you can do is vote. Donald Trump is reshaping the judiciary issued a narrow ruling in favor of Masterpiece Cake by appointing judges completely hostile to LGBTQ people, Shop owner Jack Phillips, who had been penalized for not to mention to people of color and women. So, basically, refusing to make a cake for a gay couple’s wedding. judges who are hostile to the majority of America. He must It is important to remember that the Alliance for Defending be stopped. The only way to do that is to elect a Democratic Freedom is behind this whole thing to begin with. ADF majority in Congress. may have an innocuous sounding name, but they are Oh, and happy Pride Month. It turns out that the pot at the anything but. They have been named a hate group by the end of the rainbow is filled not with gold coins, but with cake.

Southern Poverty Law Center and have a long history of And by “cake” I mean civil rights, since this whole thing is trying to do really terrible things to hurt LGBTQ people. about much more than cake. It’s about whether LGBTQ people The ruling was 7-2, which has led plenty of people are equal citizens under the law. So vote for people who will to determine that calling the ruling “narrow” was part make laws that protect us all. of a liberal conspiracy to minimize the decision.

And, yeah, feel free to sneak in some bites of illicit cake.

But those people are dumb. As the New Civil You deserve it. e Rights Movement puts it, “The Court’s ruling is being D’Anne Witkowski is a poet, writer and comedian living in Michigan with her wife and son. She has characterized as ‘narrow’ because it applies to only been writing about LGBT politics for over a decade. Follow her on Twitter @MamaDWitkowski.

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COOKING WITH PAULA DREAM Booty-kicking BBQ recipes to set you free

”

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FRIVOLIST

6 ways Miami’s OUTshine is raising the bar on LGBTQ film festivals

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HRH Report........................................................ 2 OP-ED.................................................................. 3 PFLAG Houston News..................................... 5 Out at the Theater............................................ 6 What a World..................................................... 8 Deep Inside Hollywood................................. 12 The Frivolist...................................................... 14 Cooking with Paula Dream.......................... 18 Foodie Diaries.................................................. 19 Across the Causeway..................................... 21 Positive Thoughts.......................................... 22 Star Buds.......................................................... 24 Crossword Queeries....................................... 27 Corrections Amplifications Jan2018_Layout 1 10/9/17 12:50 PM Page 1 ©2018 MONTROSE STAR All Rights Reserved.

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PAGE 4 | MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday June 27, 2018

Funny Boy An Interview with ‘Buyer and Cellar’ star, Doug Atkins e By

Randall Jobe

M

ain Street Theater presents Buyer and Cellar, in which Alex More (Doug Atkins), a struggling L.A. actor takes a job working in the Malibu basement of mega-star Barbra Streisand. One day the lady herself come downstairs to play. Will this be a bonding moment? If so, can it survive in the real world upstairs?

MONTROSE STAR: Thank you for taking time to answer these questions and welcome to Houston! According to your bio, you have performed in this play before. How did you first become introduced to the piece?

DOUG ATKINS: I found a copy of the play when I was scouring the Drama Book Shop in New York City. I knew Michael Urie had done the show in Chicago and Off-Broadway, but as soon as I read it I fell in love and knew this was a piece I needed to do. So, I did what any normal, sane person would do: I made an audition tape of the opening monologue, looked up every theatre in the nation producing the play, and I emailed every single artistic director individually with the hope that one would allow me to go on this journey with them. I was very humbled and grateful that Dana Schultes at Stage West Theatre in Fort Worth, Texas took a chance on me.

STAR: Were you a Streisand fan before? Are you now?

DA: Much like Alex, I was not a huge “Barbra Queen” before I started this piece. I had grown up with my mom’s copy of Barbra: The Concert from 1994, and I had seen her in the films of Funny Girl and Hello, Dolly! Thanks to this show, I was able to go on my own “gay birthright” about Ms. Streisand, and I know things now that I never knew before. I am a true fan now.

STAR: Are there comparisons between you and Alex More, the character you portray?

DA: Alex and I are kindred spirits — our careers in the arts have both seen ups and downs. We’ve both done Gypsy. We’ve both worked day jobs we’ve loved and ones we’ve hated, but we still try to find the humor and optimism in everything. We both use sarcastic wit to mitigate stressful or uncomfortable situations. We both have incredibly smart and insightful partners. We both enjoy listening to Public Radio while we drive places.

STAR: What has been the most challenging part of playing Alex More?

DA: Juggling all the characters! Jonathan Tolins wrote such a wonderful script. The biggest challenge is making sure his message is conveyed while also making sure each and every characters gets what they want in the show — all while coming out of one body, one voice, and one mind!

STAR: The promo for Buyer and Cellar talks about “the lovehate relationship between gay men and divas.” What is your take on that concept?

DA: Gay men and divas have a marvelously colorful past. We as a community have so many divas we look up to, idealize, and emulate — Barbra, Judy, Liza, Madonna, Celine, Janet, Britney, Madonna, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter. The list goes on and on! We also both are perceived to have strong personalities. So this play explores what happens when two people who are opposite ends

WHAT:

Doug Atkins in Buyer and Cellar

WHEN: Previews, July 12 and 13, 7:30 p.m. Runs July 14

through August 12. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 7:30 p.m.

Sunday, 3 p.m.

WHERE: Main Street Theater, 2540 Times Boulevard.

INFO: 713-524-6706

of the same career path — Alex, the struggling actor and Barbra, the pinnacle of success — interact.

STAR: Have there been surprising audience responses to the play?

DA: Reactions that open eyes, hearts, and/or minds — be it learning about the LGBT community, a new fact or two about Barbra, or thinking about the world in a new way — this show has so much to offer.

STAR: What was your theatrical beginning?

DA: My very first role was playing the titular role in A Yankee Doodle Christmas at Roosevelt Elementary in Akron, Ohio. A few years after moving back to Allentown, Pennsylvania, I studied under Diane Wagner at the Lehigh Valley Charter Arts High School. I then went on to study musical theatre at West Chester University, right outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

DA: The Houston theatrical scene is very exciting!

I moved to Houston because its theatre scene is evolving at an exponential rate. In my short time here I’ve been able to witness some amazing things happening in the city, and I am very grateful to be a part of it.

STAR: What are your plans after the Houston run ends?

DA: I have the great excitement of returning to Philadelphia in January 2019 when I perform Buyer and Cellar at the Montgomery Theater! Until then, I will be doing what every other unemployed actor does: audition, audition, audition!

STAR: Is there a role you dream of playing?

DA: Just one?! I’ll give you a Top 5: Larry in Burn This by Lanford Wilson, Prior in Angels in America, Arnold in Torch Song Trilogy, Bobby in Company, and literally anyone in Mamma Mia! Seriously. Anyone.

STAR: Where is your home base?

DA: My home base is right here in Houston, Texas!

I moved down here in 2014 from Philadelphia.

STAR: Do you carry any lessons on life and/or divas from performing in Buyer and Cellar?

DA: Absolutely! I count my blessings that I get

STAR: In the past you have performed with Bayou City to do what I love, I stand up for what I believe in, and Concert Musicals. What are your perceptions of Houston’s I live as truthfully as possible. Oh, and I’m starting to theatrical scene? figure out what to do on Sundays. e + 1 Find us on P vFacebook.com, tTwitter & PGoogle+

PFLAG Houston News

MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday June 27, 2018 | PAGE 5

LGBTQIA immigrants will share experiences and challenges e By

A

Linda Bratsen

panel of LGBTQIA immigrants addresses PFLAG Houston’s monthly public meeting on Sunday, July 8, 2018. Negative attitudes and policies directed at immigrants and LGBTQIA communities are on the rise. Thousands flee their home countries every year, escaping persecution and even threats of the death penalty. The panelists will share experiences that highlight the unique challenges they face.

PFLAG Houston invites everyone to attend and honor their stories, and grow as allies and advocates.

The meeting begins at 2 p.m. in the Jones building at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, 5501 Main Street; doors open at 1:45 p.m. Parking is available between Fannin and San Jacinto. Small groups, where members and visitors can confidentially share their individual journeys, follow the program. A small group is dedicated to families of transgender loved ones.

More PFLAG Houston meetings. PFLAG Houston is committed to supporting families and educating the public about LGBT issues, and invites all to consider the group’s numerous volunteer opportunities. PFLAG Houston is also passionate about advocacy to ensure equal human rights and end discrimination. PFLAG Houston invites all family members, parents and/ or youth who are having problems with coming out issues, and welcomes everyone, regardless of religious affiliation, ethnicity or political persuasion. The

group is proud of its rich history and the continued contributions of members, and invites all to learn more about the organization and join in efforts to create a more diverse, accepting society. Find a home in PFLAG! PFLAG Houston’s Mid-Month Sharing Meeting meets on the third Thursday of each month, beginning at 7 p.m. The meeting is located at Bering United Methodist Church, 1440 Harold Street in Houston. Enter under the teal awning. The meeting is in the first room on the left.

PFLAG Houston’s Clear Lake chapter meets the fourth Sunday of each month at 2 p.m. at Bay Area Unitarian Universalist Church in the fellowship hall. The church is located at 17503 El Camino Real Drive in Clear Lake.

PFLAG Houston’s Katy Sharing Meeting meets the fourth Tuesday of each month, 7 ’til 8 p.m. at First Christian Church, located at 22101 Morton Ranch Road.

Please enter the main building through the front doors and follow the signs. PFLAG Houston is excited to bring support, education and advocacy to the west side!

PFLAG Houston’s Yahoo Group subscription list is confidential, and all members can immediately post messages to all other members of the network.

Subscribers may search PFLAG Houston’s archives to look at all previous listings.

For information about support, upcoming events and meetings, as well as up-to-date news relevant to PFLAG Houston’s family and friends, visit PFLAGHouston. org, email PFLAG Houston’s hotline at helpline @pflaghouston.org or call 713-467-3524.

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PAGE 6 | MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday June 27, 2018

Out at the Theater

The Bard, the Bakery and Barbra e By

Randall Jobe

T

he Alley Theatre presents The Cake. Della’s cakes are the best! She’s going to compete on the “Great American Baking Show” — no big deal. And she is overjoyed to make Jen’s wedding …until she realizes there isn’t just one bride, but two. She can’t really bake a cake for such a wedding, can she? Moral quandaries, reality TV, and loads and loads of butter form this play

by Bekah Brunstetter (NBC’s This Is Us) about three women trying to reach out across a divide that just keeps growing. Final weekend.

Through July 1. Tuesday through Thursday, Sunday, 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 2:30 p.m. 500 Texas Ave, Neuhaus Theatre. Tickets: AlleyTheatre.org or 713-220-5700.

Stages’ The Great Trailer Park Musical, one of the most requested (and repeated!) musicals in Stages’ history, continues celebrating the theater’s 40th anniversary season.

There is a new tenant at Armadillo Acres, and she’s wreaking havoc all over Florida’s most exclusive trailer park. The doublewide divas of this fine housing establishment have survived everything from kidnapping to no-good men to bad perms. But when Pippi, a “stripperon-the-run” comes between agoraphobic housewife Jeanine and her tollbooth collector husband, a storm begins to brew that will shake these manufactured homes to their foundations! Through July 22. Wednesday through Thursday, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 2:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. Sunday, 2:30 p.m. 3201 Allen Parkway. Tickets: StagesTheatre.com or 713-527-0123.

Obsidian Theater presents The Last 5 Years, in special arrangement with Music Theatre International. Written and composed by Jason Robert Brown and directed by Kelsey McMillan, it’s an emotionally powerful and intimate musical about two New Yorkers in their twenties who fall in and out of love over the course of five years.

Through July 14. Thursday through Sunday, 8 p.m. Sunday matinee, 3 p.m. 3522 White Oak Drive. Tickets: ObsidianTheater.org or 832-889-7637.

Bayou City Theatre Company presents Kill Move Paradise, an

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interactive theatrical experience set in Purgatory. Four black men prematurely ripped from Earth by police brutality are imbued with strict instructions from God and must share their stories in order to ascend into Heaven. It is an innovative theatrical love letter for those innocent lives unjustly slain.

Thursday, July 5, 8 p.m. pay-whatyou-wish preview. July 6 through 14. Thursday and Friday, 8 p.m.

Saturday, 3 and 8 p.m. Chelsea Market Theatre, 4617 Montrose Boulevard.

Tickets: BayouCityTheatre. org or 832-513-3626.

Main Street Theater presents Doug Atkins in Jonathan Tolins’s Buyer & Cellar. A struggling actor in Los Angeles, Alex More has a story to tell. He takes a day job working in the Malibu basement of a beloved megastar (a-hem, Barbra Streisand!). One day the lady herself comes downstairs to play. It feels like real bonding in the basement, but will their connection ever make it upstairs in the real world? An outrageous comedy about the price of fame, the love-hate relationship between gay men and divas, and the oddest of odd jobs. Previews July 12 and 13, 7:30 p.m. Runs July 14 through August 12, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, 3 p.m. 2540 Times Boulevard.

Tickets: 713-524-6706.

University of Houston School of Theatre presents Houston Shakespeare Festival. Since 1975, HSF has brought together local and nationally acclaimed artists to deliver free performances of the Bard’s greatest (and occasionally lesser known) plays.

This year, the festival presents quite the difference in tone with arguably literature’s greatest tragedy, Hamlet, and one of Shakespeare’s broadest, yet timeless comedies, The Comedy of Errors featuring not one but two sets of identical twins for the height in hysterical hijinks. July 27 through August 5. Miller Outdoor Theatre, 6000 Hermann Park Drive. Tickets: Free; available for pickup at box office behind theatre, 10:30 a.m. ’til 1 p.m. day of performance, while they last. Maximum four tickets per person (over 16) for covered seating.

HoustonFestivalsCompany.com. e

MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday June 27, 2018 | PAGE 7

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PAGE 8 | MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday June 27, 2018

What a World

Get swept away by ‘Ocean’s 8’ e By

Nancy Ford

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hat a summer, what a summer. Children and babies being ripped from their parents’ arms. Trump disses Trudeau and kisses Kim Jongun. Roseanne goes crazy. Rachel Maddow cries on live television. Melania fritters away all of her kidney surgery sympathy by donning that “I really don’t care” jacket. “Womp womp.” And a bunch of other stuff that’s so hard to bear than I care to talk about in print.

A woman can only take so much, and summer’s not even halfway over. If you feel the same, have I got a distraction for you: Run, don’t walk, to your favorite multiplex, invest in some popcorn, kick back in the rocky, comfy seat and indulge yourself in Ocean’s 8, the best larcenous chick flick since Set It Off. And Queen Latifah doesn’t have to die in this one, so win/win.

It’s like big ol’ pile of my favorite actresses all got together one afternoon, ripped through a case of cheap champagne and said, “Our friend Nancy Ford needs some cheering up. Let’s make a movie for her.”

Sandra Bullock. Cate Blanchett. Sarah Paulson. Anne Hathaway. Helena Bonham Carter. If they would have snagged Meryl Streep and somehow resurrected Katharine Hepburn for this golden cast, I’d still be in the theater, hooked up to a catheter, watching O8 in an endless loop.

Filling out the rest of the eight are Mindy Kaling (loved her in The Office), Rihanna (no scars, even without makeup) and the deliciously hysterical Awkwafina (who will likely be equally hysterical in her upcoming film, Crazy Rich Asians).

O8’s plot is somewhat predictable but not simple, much like its Oceanic predecessors starring George Clooney and Frank Sinatra. This time, Debbie Ocean (Bullock), is freed from prison after serving five or so years for a variety of transgressions.

Her first act after her release is to visit the tomb of her brother, Danny (George Clooney). But

don’t cry too hard. There’s no way any studio would kill off George Clooney — he just won the AFI lifetime achievement award, for crying out loud. I personally think this is a misdirection to gin up interest in another Ocean’s sequel. Maybe Ocean’s 100, in which Danny, Debbie and accomplices take over the Senate.

Debbie’s next act is to round up a posse to steal a six-pound diamond necklace from an insufferable actress (Anne Hathaway) at the Met Gala.

It goes on from there, but here are a few nonspoiler highlights to whet your appetite: • Debbie is compulsive eater, much like Brad Pitt’s character in Ocean’s 11 through 13. In less than two hours we watch her consume Chinese food. And Ukrainian food, sharing a creamy blintz with Lou (Cate Blanchett). Tell the truth — who wouldn’t want to share a creamy blintz with Cate Blanchett? Debbie also downs a hot dog. And a Tootsie Pop — cherry; I know you were wondering. And scrambled eggs.

And a few assorted coffees and teas. And champagne.

Gotta love a woman with a hearty appetite.

• Lou kisses Debbie flat on the mouth.

In a cemetery. In the rain. Yes. • Playing a suburban homemaker/master merch scammer, Sarah Paulson (Tammy) is the ultimate embodiment of a MILF. Mother I’d Like to Friend. Calm down.

• As ditzy fashion designer Rose, Helena Bonham

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Carter trails just a scent of Tim Burton. She earns extra credit by proving that Brits are much more skilled at speaking American than Americans are at speaking English. Yes, we’re looking at you, Don Cheadle.

• Journalists are considered even more despicable than thieves. Ha! • We learn that even in the world of thievery, women are unperceivable. At last, a professional advantage.

• Rihanna’s character of Nine Ball stays true to her real-like penchant for the ganja. Note to smokers: if a turkey and Provolone Subway sandwich is good enough to satisfy RiRi’s munchies, it’s good enough to satisfy yours.

• The women’s two weeks’ worth of work nets each of them a take of many, many millions of dollars. And they don’t even have to become Republicans to do it.

• Within ten years every family will have a 3D optical printer. Then none of us will ever leave the house.

• Don’t blink, especially near the end. If you do, you’ll miss some quick-fire, yummy cameos by some of our favorite elder actresses.

• Any movie that holds the preposterously pretentious Met Gala up to this level of ridicule is cinematic gold.

But don’t take my word for it. There are plenty more reasons to give Ocean’s 8 a look. If nothing else, for an hour and 50 minutes it allows us to escape the shit show that is the summer of 2018.

PS — For a bonus O8 indulgence, Google Cate and Sarah’s goofy, unrestrained, three (or four or five) sheets-to-the-wind early morning appearance on Today with Hoda Kotb. They’re blasted before 8 a.m., and have absolutely no intension of hiding that fact. It’s their best performance together since Carol. Enjoy! e

MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday June 27, 2018 | PAGE 9

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PAGE 10 | MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday June 27, 2018

Photo: Debby Wong.

Deep Inside Hollywood of her career. Netflix will stream My Name Is Barbra (1965), Color Me Barbra (1966), Barbra Streisand: A Happening in Central Park (1968), Barbra Streisand and Other Musical Instruments (1973), Barbra Streisand: The Concert (1994), and Barbra Streisand: Timeless (2001). But it’s the extended version of her 1976 remake of A Star Is Born, tinkered with and re-worked by Streisand herself, that will probably draw the most fascinated attention (and maybe some funny Twitter commentary, too, if we’re being honest). It’ll have new footage, an alternate ending, and who knows what else. No drop dates yet, but we’re hoping it happens this summer while we’re on staycation and perhaps doing some day-drinking. We deserve this.

It girl Sophia Lillis cast as Ellen’s Nancy Drew

Franchise alert! Ellen Degeneres’ A Very Good Production and Warner Bros. are teaming up to produce something that sounds very much like the template for a series of films reviving the character Nancy Drew. Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase, which all but says, “We, too, can be like Harry Potter, and why not?” has begun principal photography, with It breakout star Sophia Lillis as the young lady sleuth. The character was the resourceful protagonist of a long, long, loooonnng series of mystery novels for young readers throughout a good chunk of the 20th century, and the time just feels right for a well-made revival of the once very popular and charmingly vintage take on girl power. Adapted by The Handmaid’s Tale scribe Nina Fiore and directed by Katt Shea (the legendary ’90s Drew Barrymore cult fave Poison Ivy), the film also stars Linda Lavin and a slew of young, up and coming faces. Now, if we can make one small request, let’s not clutter up the scenery with a bunch of boring Hardy Boys, OK? Thanks.

Billy Eichner is a Time Travelin’ Jerk

Barbra Streisand.

Simply Barbra, Barbra and more Barbra coming to Netflix e By

Romeo San Vicente

W

hat becomes a legend most? A Netflix content package deal, of course, and that’s what’s coming soon from Barbra Streisand and the streaming platform.

For the diva’s superfans, this means a bounty of musical riches, including TV specials dating back to the beginning

His TV series Billy on the Street scaled new heights of ironic celebrity obsession and public screaming, but you can’t run around the streets of New York City shouting at strangers forever without someone eventually punching you, so Billy Eichner’s next project will find him safely in the production office and the voice-over booth. Along with co-producers Anna Wenger and Doug Brady, Eichner will bring the animated series Time Travelin’ Jerk to the small screen. Created by Brady and written by Brady, Wenger and Eichner, the series is described as Back to the Future meets Groundhog Day, telling the story of a young girl stuck traveling in time with an accountant (voiced by Eichner) as her main sidekick. We’re hopeful for this, if for no other reason than we’re still deeply upset by Hulu canceling Difficult People and we want Eichner to soothe our pain by any means necessary. We also want cartoons made for adults to be inadvertently watched by unsuspecting children and their families, followed by awkward conversations.

Once Tab Hunter and Tony Perkins had a secret love

Back in the bad old days, most ordinary queer people stayed quietly in the closet. The pressure to do so was especially strong among actors and actresses, especially among those considered A-listers. Take Tab Hunter and Tony Perkins, two leading men of their era, both gay, and also very much a very private item. The now 87-yearold Hunter’s first-person account of this moment in his memoir Tab Hunter Confidential: The Making of A Movie Star will form the basis of Tab & Tony, a Paramount project in the works from producers Zachary Quinto and J.J. Abrams. It will tell the story of their affair and their highly manufactured public images in an era when being exposed as gay meant the end of a career. A screenplay is in the works from Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winner Doug Wright (I Am My Own Wife), and directors and cast are still TBA. We vote yes to more historical drama of this sort, the kind that eradicate secret histories and remind hetero culture that we’ve been here the entire time. e

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Romeo San Vicente keeps it loud and proud.

MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday June 27, 2018 | PAGE 11

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PAGE 12 | MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday June 27, 2018

e by

Mikey Rox

T

here are plenty of notable LGBTQ film festivals around the country, but the best and most overlooked by our community (in my opinion) is Miami’s OUTshine, which features two editions – South Beach in the spring and Fort Lauderdale in the fall. I’ve attended the festival in each city over the past couple years, and I have to give props where props are due: The films are carefully selected; they’re representative of LGBTQ life on an encompassing scale; and even though it’s held in densely populated South Florida, the festival manages to retain its micro-community feel. Here are six more reasons to attend this year.

1.

OUTshine’s foreign film selection will blow you away

If I’m completely honest, I’m a bit judgmental (and disappointed) in the LGBTQ films we produce here in the United States. Largely the plots are the same – it’s either two builtlike-a-brick-shithouse dudes meeting spontaneously in (enter any city here, but probably Palm Springs) who spend a weekend exploring each other’s bodies and falling in “love” before vacation is over, or it’s a coming out story we’ve seen time and again – and that’s notwithstanding the quality of the acting and/or filmmaking, which is, more times than not, subpar. I’ve seen excellent homegrown LGBTQ films, of course, but they’re few and far between.

On the other hand, foreigners are producing standard-setting films for the genre, and the folks at OUTshine excel at choosing these well-made, dynamic stories. Countries like Britain, Germany, Iceland, Finland and Japan have all entered films that have surprised and elated the festival’s audiences – and the films have the awards to prove

The Frivolist

6 ways Miami’s OUTshine is raising the bar on LGBTQ film festivals it. If you’re looking to shake up your LGBTQ film queue, I highly recommend French-Canadian film 1:54; the Icelandic drama Heartstone; and Argentina’s sexually curious Mi Mejor Amigo.

2.

Same goes for films about the transgender experience

I can’t say that I seek out transgenderexperience films as part of my regular viewing – we’re all creatures of habit who stick with what we know and like when it comes to being entertained – and perhaps that’s why I’m always looking forward to OUTshine’s transgender film selection. The festival’s presentations of these narratives and documentaries take me out of my comfort zone so I can learn more about gender identity, transgender issues, and the real people living through the transformative process – something I think the LGB community in general struggles to understand, whether we’ll admit it or not.

At OUTshine Miami this past spring, I was informed by the documentary Transformer, which followed Janae Kroc (who, as a male, was worldchampion powerlifter and competitive bodybuilder Matt Kroc) as she navigated resistance to her transition from her parents; competing in a sport rife with homophobia, let alone transphobia; losing sponsorships; and raising three well-adjusted sons, all while trying to figure out where she fits in her new world.

Another recent favorite, which screened at OUTshine Ft. Lauderdale last October, is Japan’s first-ever transgender film Close-Knit, a narrative that skips the transition part of being transgender and dives right into the heart of a blended family that grows closer despite outside prejudice. It’s among the top five LGBTQ films I’ve ever seen.

3.

It’s a small festival that makes a big splash in the community

Compared to New York and Los Angeles, OUTshine Miami (and even more so, Ft. Lauderdale) is smaller in scale, but the festivals span 10 days and nine days each, respectively. Its partnerships run the gamut, from LGBTQ student organizations to the Stonewall National Museum & Archives (a must-visit while in town) to niche health and support groups like Latinos Salud. Sponsors, including Showtime and Regal Entertainment Group, add credibility to the festival (which it does just as well on its own), and its marketing reaches just about everyone in its host cities, especially the LGBT enclaves on South Beach, like Hotel Gaythering, a gay-owned and -operated mini-resort within walking distance of the main theater.

4.

OUTshine board members are present and accessible

If ever you want to learn more about the festival, the film-selection process, how to be involved in behind-thescenes efforts, or just geek out over your favorite festival film, you’ll have plenty of time to strike up a conversation with board members and volunteers.

They attend each and every film, and they’re mingling with guests at all the OUTshine social events.

5.

You’ll have ample time to socialize with fellow cinephiles

From the moment you arrive at OUTshine, it’s party time. Each festival kicks off with an opening night film and party, followed by several other events and parties throughout the week, including mixed and segmented men’s and women’s events if you prefer homogenous mingling. Sponsors in the area also offer deals, like Hotel Gaythering for instance, which offers attendees a free drink with a festival ticket stud. Come for a drink; stay for the sauna and steam room.

6.

Beautiful beaches are a mile away

Whether you’re attending OUTshine Miami or Ft. Lauderdale, the beaches are only a mile or so from the host theaters making it tempting and convenient to relax and catch the rays between films. You can stick with the typical shorts-and-tanks scene of course, but if you’re feeling adventurous, hop on Gaythering’s free shuttle to clothingoptional Haulover where you can spend the afternoon letting it all hang out as nature intended. e

Mikey Rox is an award-winning journalist and LGBT lifestyle expert whose work has been published in more than 100 outlets across the world. He spends his time writing from the beach with his dog Jaxon. Connect with Mikey on Twitter @mikeyrox.

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MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday June 27, 2018 | PAGE 13

Please Please join join us us for for the the 66thth Annual Annual Texas Texas United United Charities: Charities:

“Pay it Forward”

Texas United Charities

EVENT UNDERWRITERS

Dwane Todd Law Firm For additional information, please contact: Melissa A. Flories ● 713.884.6944 ● mflories7@yahoo.com

Saturday, June 30th ● 5 pm - 10 pm ● Neon Boots ♠ Black Jack, Texas Hold ‘Em, and Roulette ♠ $25 Buy-In = $1,000 chips ♠ Live Auction with Casino winnings ♠ Silent Auction ♠ Over $10,000 value of Live and Silent Auction Items ♠ Taco Bar

100%

of funds raised from this event will be distributed to: The Montrose Center-Seniors Preparing for Rainbow Years (SPRY) Program and Lesbians Over the Age of Fifty (LOAF).

Texas United Charities is a 501(c)3 Organization that puts the FUN back in FUNdraising! www.txtuc.org

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PAGE 14 | MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday June 27, 2018 e By

Chris Azzopardi

E

ven though Antoni Porowski is known for his avocados, on a recent afternoon he was contemplating the coconut, every sultry detail of the tropical fruit meticulously combed like that of someone’s body during a first date. The fleshy inside, the milky liquid.

It’s the first day of June when the Polish-Canadian wine-and-dine expert on Netflix’s Queer Eye reboot rings and, oh right, we’re talking about food. But gay America isn’t hungry – it’s thirsty AF. And because real lives are being changed thanks to Porowski, designer Bobby Berk, culture advisor Karamo Brown, stylist Tan France and groomer Jonathan Van Ness, it is also joyfully crying.

Season two of Queer Eye – note the dropping of its qualifier to be more inclusive – doesn’t skimp on giving you opportunities to feel good about this otherwise not-good world, as the Fab Five imparts their best-life insight and general gay wisdom on a diverse group of clients, including the franchise’s first woman and transgender man.

As Porowski continues to process his experience with the sudden upswing in gay male thirst and avocado sex puns (one Facebook commenter claims he was so compelled by Porowski’s hotness, “I’m now cooking my own bloody guacamole”), the 34-year-old subject of culinary controversy talked critics and why variety truly is the spice of life.

After the new Betty Who theme-song video for the show, where you’re cradling avocados and wearing a crop top, the avocado dick puns are out in full force.

and when you’re jet-lagged, you don’t really know what day of the week it is or what city you’re in, which is often the case with me.

When we do go on press, and we discovered we were in London recently and Tan introduced me to the wonders of Nando’s, which is a chain that they don’t have here yet in the States, but it’s this awesome PERi-PERi chicken.

Had that for, like, four meals in a row with a bunch of PERi-PERi mayo, guiltfree with chicken livers, ’cause, I mean, I wanna live my life too. I’m not one to deny myself of the pleasures of, like, a good ripe stinky cheese on a fresh crusty baked bread in Paris.

Oh, I’ve seen you indulge on the show.

It happens.

ANTONI, Star of Netflix’s Queer Eye reboot talks ‘fluid’ sexuality, caring for starstruck fans and the sexy anatomy of a coconut

You’re not afraid of some macaroni salad.

There ya go! Well, but that wasn’t my recipe.

It wasn’t, but you still ate it.

Oh, I ate it. I’ll try anything twice.

Are you still trying to wrap your head around your overnight fame?

Yeah. I mean, it certainly hits in waves. The next level of kind of acceptance of what’s actually going on was when we were just recently in London, and when you experience people who’ve been waiting outside of your hotel with magazines to sign. It’s kind of like, “Wow, you’re a human with a life and a job, presumably, who wanted to wait to have a moment,” and I’m

grateful for it, but it’s not something I want to be too comfortable with. It’s very bizarre and very overwhelming, and it’s a perpetual state of shock.

What my therapist tells me is, “Don’t trust your feelings right now because you’re constantly basically running on adrenaline – your life right now is pure adrenaline.” It’s been like overdrive, so it’s just, take everything very lightly, focus on the next move, make sure you always have a bottle of water in your hand and that you’re not drinking too much coffee, and that you rest whenever you can. And remember not to lean into

I guess I asked for it, right? I’m literally wearing a crop top and unsuccessfully trying to juggle avocados, so I shouldn’t be surprised.

I must say, I do hope the crop top becomes a regular clothing theme of yours in the third season.

(Laughs) Thanks! I do have to give credit where it’s due, and that was 100 percent Tan France.

When it comes to you, the thirst is real.

What is that kind of attention like from the gay community?

I do maintain a certain amount of ignorance to it and a kind of detachment. I learned quite early on, because there’s been a lot of really amazing and positive and nice attention from the show. But with that, there’s also gonna be certain haters and some negative and not-so-nice comments, so I’ve sort of decided that if I’m gonna take the good, I have to take the bad, so I’ve decided to take neither.

I take it all very lightly, with a small pinch of salt. It’s entertaining and it’s funny, but I just try to focus on what my next move is with this show, with press that we’re working on, living out of hotels for the past couple of months, and hoping that people really enjoy (this season) as much as they did the first.

When you’re living out of hotels, how do you maintain a healthy diet?

I don’t! That’s the honest truth of it.

My only thing is, I always love to have a proper gym, because I get up fairly early,

AT YOUR SERVICE

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your workaholic self, which is very alive and well in this new chapter of my life.

What are your gay fan interactions outside of hotels like?

I feel like I’m pretty good at reading people, but with fans it’s very different because the connection, like the energy and the direction of it, is very different.

I always think, “Oh my gosh, I’m so uncomfortable after that interaction and I don’t know why.” Tan will tell me, “No, because they’re experiencing this concept of being starstruck, of seeing someone on TV, and then you meet

MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday June 27, 2018 | PAGE 15 call yourself bisexual. Have you found the best way to explain your sexual orientation to people yet?

them in person and you don’t really know how to behave.”

So my thing is, ask them a question about themselves, try to make this a human interaction, and try to normalize it in the best way that you can, just to make sure that the person kind of has a nice, meaningful experience and they can leave happy. Sometimes I’m left, like, taking care of people. They’ll come up and their mouth opens and they don’t say anything, and you don’t want to be presumptuous and be like, “Yeah! I’m the guy from that show!” But then once it becomes clear what show I’m on and the work that I do, it’s like, I have to kind

of take care of them and be like, “Are you OK? It’s fine. Here, do you want a hug?

Do you want a photo?”

You don’t just go right in for the hug?

No, I’m a little – yeah, I have more of a European sensibility. We like to kiss twice.

Or: I don’t know, healthy boundaries.

Kiss twice, though? Everyone must just enjoy meeting you.

(Laughs)

How has helping other people on this show changed your approach to your own life?

I’ve had many passions: I studied psychology, that’s what my bachelor’s is in; I worked as a gallery director; I photographed vintage furniture; and on the acting side of things, that was something that was always very ego, where it was always how I want to be perceived. I wanted people to look and see and feel my presence, whereas with the show, it actually isn’t that at all. That became very clear with episode one: the energy is directed in the other direction, so it’s really us being of service to this person that we’re helping and figuring out how best we can benefit their lives in such a short amount of time and try to impact them in a meaningful way.

We see that happen in the first episode of season two, with “Mama Tammye.”

Mama Tammye is an example who spun it on us, and doesn’t even taken care of herself and shows up as a teacher and as a member of her church, and for the five of us.

You cried at the end of that episode. Of you five, who cries the most?

You’re talking to him! When you hear somebody’s struggle, or especially when they’ve overcome something or made a choice like Tammye – there was a lot of pain and a lot of fear and borderline hateful feelings toward gays, and she realized that it was her perspective that was wrong, and she’s a beacon of hope for people. It’s possible at any age. If you have people like Tammye who were able to figure it out, there’s no excuse for the rest of us.

Even though you’ve been with men and women, you’ve said that you don’t like to

Not really. And it’s not something that I feel too pressured to figure out.

Sometimes I have very strong opinions about how to cook a filet of salmon so the skin remains crispy and doesn’t stick to the pan, but with a lot of things, I don’t like being the expert. I’d rather go in and be like, “I don’t know.” There’s a power in that for me. It’s sort of like going in with humility and saying, “I’m still trying to figure it out.”

While I don’t think I’m trying to figure out my sexality, I’m just not as concerned with it anymore. My 20s were a really hard time for me of figuring out what the hell I wanted to do with my life.

And being in my 30s, now that I kind of have a point and purpose with what I’m doing in this chapter of my life, it’s just, I’m happy where I’m at and that’s all that really matters.

Look, that (coming out) conversation with AJ in that changing room in season one, that was seriously a byproduct. Tan brought me along because we both had similar experiences. He as a Muslim and me just as the individual that I am.

We’re both so completely different, but we have the same feelings about what it was like to come out, and that it’s this dynamic process, like (out actor) Charlie Carver recently – a fellow Gay Times alum – feels he’s constantly still coming out, that it’s this continued thing, that it doesn’t just happen once and you shoot your proverbial load and it’s done; you have to keep doing it over and over again. Some people don’t, but it’s not like a start, stop. And I don’t need that pressure in my life to try to find myself in any way where I feel like I’m locked into something. I’d just rather keep it open and fluid, because that’s how I am with the books that I read, the music that I listen to. All of my interests are always changing, and it’s a constant dynamic process, and so is my sexuality.

These days, there is obviously less pressure to subscribe to any one label, or stick to the binary.

For people who want to be not binary, go right ahead. If that helps you sleep better at night and you feel more like you’re a better and truer version of yourself, then 100 percent, you should be able to pursue that with freedom and – is today June 1?

Today is June 1.

It has me thinking about Pride and what Pride means: the ability to be the truest version of yourself without any negative consequence or fear of being persecuted or judged or criticized or hurt for it. And whatever that is for a person, however you define yourself or don’t define yourself, you should be able to do that with total freedom. I know that’s utopian and idealistic, but that’s really something to strive for and something the show has reminded me of.

I read that you were a private chef for some highprofile clients. High profile as in celebrities?

So with food, it was something that kind of happened accidentally, cooking for people. There were some I’m not allowed to discuss, but in the sports

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world in New York there was somebody I was working for in particular where we would host these intimate dinner parties. And I remember as a kid when we would have dinner parties at my parents’ house, everyone would always gravitate toward the kitchen; that’s where the heart of the home is.

Where the smells originate.

Exactly. That’s where the slowroasted garlic wafts are emanating from. And for me, I’m not a traditional classically trained chef where I’m in a kitchen and I’m doing my own thing; I am an entertainer, that’s who I am. And I love food and I love playing with it, and I love preparing it for people. It’s how I show my love. So, it sort of became this whole thing. We would make short ribs and I would just talk to people. She’s a close friend who works in the sports world and she was the one who kind of started this whole thing for me, kind of recommended me to other people in the biz, and then afterwards, I met (original Queer Eye foodie and Chopped host) Ted Allen and worked as his personal assistant but also cooked for him and we did dinners, like Chopped barbecues, for some of his cast members and crew on his show. It sort of evolved in this weird, organic way while I had other jobs. It was sort of a side thing I did every now and then. It wasn’t a regularly occurring everyday thing where I showed up and made breakfast, lunch and dinner for someone. I was never one like that for any job. I’ve always had, like, 10 different things going on at the same time.

If you could cook for any celebrity, who would it be and what would you cook?

Dead or alive?

They can be dead.

I would take something off of the menu at Voltaire in Paris and I would prepare it for Oscar Wilde, and I would slap my copy of De Profundis in front of him and be like, “We’re gonna talk about this for five hours and I’m gonna feed your belly and I’m gonna get you drunk, and you’re just gonna tell me everything and answer all of my questions.” And then I would also maybe throw Allen Ginsberg in there, and why not Jack Kerouac? And who else? I’d throw in Virginia Woolf and she’d tell me all about Orlando.

You’re on a desert island and you can survive off one food, what’s the food?

I love a fresh coconut. You crack it and you have the milk, which is so delicious, but the flesh too. There’s that creamy part on the inside that you can scoop with a spoon, and then there’s the really hard shell part that, if you roast it with sugar, it gets caramelized and really nice and crunchy. So, I think coconuts.

I’d get fed up with them after a week, but I don’t know what food I wouldn’t get fed up about, truly. Ask me again tomorrow.

I’ve never thought about the flesh of a coconut until now, and it sounds weirdly sexy.

(Laughs) Oh, think about it. Go buy a fresh coconut and think of me. e

As editor of Q Syndicate, the international LGBTQ wire service, Chris Azzopardi hasinterviewed a multitude of superstars, includingMeryl Streep,Mariah Carey and Beyoncé. Reach him via his website at www.chris-azzopardi.com and on Twitter (@chrisazzopardi).

PAGE 16 | MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday June 27, 2018

Cooking with Paula Dream

Booty-kicking BBQ recipes to set you free e By

Paula Dream (A K A K AL E HAYGO O D)

W

ell guys, another 4th of July holiday is upon us, which means more barbecue.

I am sometimes asked about the best way to make barbecued brisket without a grill. Just rev up your oven! And here’s a booty-kicking recipe for a sauce to go with it, or any other dish that needs to be sauced up.

If you prefer using a rub, here’s a bonus tip for a unique way to make that brisket (or ribs) even tastier.

And what’s brisket without some booty-kicking baked beans?

By the way, as of this writing, Paula is celebrating her 39th birthday. Someone whose name I won’t mention (George W.) brought a cake with the inscription, “Old Woman.” How fitting!

Have a safe holiday, and thanks for remembering our advertisers who help make the MONTROSE STAR available to you.

BOURBON BBQ BAKED BEANS

2 (1 pound and 15 ounces each) cans pork and beans 1 large onion, chopped 1/2 cup green bell pepper, chopped 1/2 cup celery, chopped 1/2 cup ketchup (or substitute BBQ sauce) 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce 1 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup bourbon bacon strips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients, mixing well. Place beans in a 13-inch by 9-inch baking dish. Cover with bacon strips. Bake for one hour and 45 minutes.

BRISKET IN THE OVEN

2 7 10 Montrose Blvd.

Houston, T X 7 7 006

713.526.0202

4 pounds beef brisket 1 cup bottled barbecue sauce (or see next recipe) 1 cup water

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Sprinkle both sides of brisket with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Place in a large covered roasting pan. Cook covered with no water at 325 degrees, allowing one hour per pound. Before last hour of cooking, remove brisket and slice. Return slices to pan and add barbecue sauce mixed with water.

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Cover meat with sauce, cover roasting pan, and cook one hour longer.

A SHOTTA SAUCE

1 pound butter 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 cup bourbon 1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce 1 tablespoon Pepper 1-1/2 teaspoon dry mustard 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

Melt butter in a saucepan, then add the onion and garlic. Cook on low heat until onion is tender, then add remaining ingredients. With a hand mixer or blender, beat until smooth. Makes about three cups.

BONUS TIP: For those of you who like to use a rub, pour apple cider into a clean spray bottle. Spray your meat with the cider, then sprinkle rub on meat and massage it into meat. If cooking on a grill, occasionally spray the meat while cooking. Trust this old woman, you will see a difference in the quality of the meat. And if you have considered getting a grill, I highly recommend the Treagor. e -

Foodie Diaries

MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday June 27, 2018 | PAGE 17

Lua Viet Shaking Beef

LUA VIET:

Calming Vietnamese flavors in Montrose e By Jim Ayres

I

keep wanting to call this place Dua Lipa. I’m sure it’s the influence of a favorite local club manager whose fondness for the singer is well documented on Facebook.

But the restaurant is Lua Viet Kitchen, newly opened at Alabama Row, just a block east of the overcrowded madhouse known as HEB Montrose Market.

If you’ve been shopping there (and don’t have any refrigerated items) you’ll find Lua Viet a peaceful respite.

And it’s also a nice destination for lunch, dinner or a midafternoon snack.

There’s a real sense of calm inside.

Long, narrow cylinders of light are choreographed beneath a high, industrial ceiling. Ladies flaunt their colorful áo dài and non la (conical bamboo hats) in a painting that anchors the white and blond wood dining area.

Plastic though they are, the white dining chairs are quite comfortable.

You’ll find your seat after ordering from the friendly counter staff. Lua Viet’s partnerships with high quality purveyors (44 Farms Beef, Boomtown Coffee, Banyan Tofu made right here in Houston) are proudly displayed.

It isn’t a long one, but the menu is full of crowd pleasers, such as Crispy Five Spice Hen and Grilled Pork Vermicelli. Of course, Lua Viet offers variations on Lúc Lăc—beef, chicken and a personal favorite from the

dearly departed Mo Mong, tofu. On my visit, though, Bo Lúc Lăc (Shaking Beef) was my choice.

It was deeply satisfying. The dices of meat were sautéed to an ideal tenderness, neither too firm nor too mushy. Tomato, pepper, onion and cilantro were on hand. Flavors might not be as nuanced as you’d taste at Huynh or Old Saigon, but they’re mighty good for a fast casual meal.

And besides, the traditional lime dipping sauce tarted everything up!

Lua Viet’s Summer Spring Rolls are as good as any I’ve had in Houston.

They’re about the circumference of a fat cigar, but they’re longer than most other spring rolls. Pork and shrimp are available, and I chose the latter. A half dozen shrimp curled up inside each roll with mint, cilantro and vermicelli.

Served chilled with hoisin sauce, they’re a great summer appetizer.

A second visit somewhat numbed the joys of my first, but not enough to dissuade anyone from the more conventional Crispy Egg Rolls. The right-from-the-fryer rolls needed a few minutes before they could be eaten comfortably, but once wrapped in butter lettuce and dipped in a classic nuoc cham sauce, they were quite good.

Dry breast meat and faint use of its namesake herb were slight drawbacks from a still delicious Lemongrass Chicken. It was stir-fried, while a traditional Vietnamese preparation might be grilled. However, Lua Viet prides itself on healthier recipes, and I enjoyed every bite of this lighter, less oily dish. Lua Viet offers a small selection of beer and wine, artisan teas and soft drinks, and a Vietnamese Iced Coconut Coffee I can’t wait to try.

I’ll try not to call it Dua Lipa anymore.

But if Houston ever gets a Carly Rae Café, I don’t know what I’ll do. e

Lua Viet Kitchen

1540 West Alabama, Houston, Texas 77006

346-227-7047

FA C E B O O K . C O M / L U A - V I E T- K I T C H E N

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PAGE 18 | MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday June 27, 2018

Please note: Events, dates and times subject to change without notice. More events available at MontroseStar.com

Ġ Wed › JUNE 27

Q Arena Theatre presenta a Paquita La del Barrio

Q Alley Theatre presents Bekah Brunstetter’s The Cake, 7:30p (Thru 7/1) alleytheatre.org

con invitadoCake! Lorenzo de Monteclaro, arenahouston.com

Q Matchbox 3: The Catastrophic Theatre

Q Tony’s Corner Pocket features Houston’s

presents The Tamarie Cooper Show: Field Trip!

(Thru 8/12) catastrophictheatre.com Q Museum of Fine Arts presents Mike+Doug Starn: Big Bambú This Thing Called Lifeˆ (Thru 9/3) mfah.org Q Obsidian Theater presents The Last 5 Years, the musical (Thru 7/14) obsidiantheater.com Q Stages Repertory Theatre presents the hilarious The Great American Trailer Park Musical, 7:30p (Thru 7/22) stagestheatre.com Q Tony’s Corner Pocket features Houston’s Hottest Male Dancers 6 Nights A Week, 10p, facebook.com/tonyscornerpocket

Hottest Male Dancers 6 Nights A Week, 10p, facebook.com/tonyscornerpocket Q University of Houston Moores School of Music presents the Grand Finale of the Immanuel and Helen Olshan Texas Music Festival feat.

Grammy Award-winning conductor Maestro Hans Graf, tmf.uh.edu or 713-743-3388

Ġ Thu › June 28

Q Ensemble Theatre presents Sistas, the Musical (Thru 7/29) ensemblehouston.com

Ġ Sun › July 1

Q Matchbox 4: SX Branch& Co. presents the stage production of Somebody Else’s Husband 2, 6:30p, facebook.com/sxbranchco Q Tony’s Corner Pocket features Houston’s Hottest Male Dancers 6 Nights A Week, 10p, facebook.com/tonyscornerpocket

Q Rumors Beach Bar - Galveston hosts Thirsty Thursdays

Ġ Tue › July 3

with Karaoke and Trivia, 8p, rumorsbeachbar.com Q Tony’s Corner Pocket features Houston’s Hottest Male Dancers 6 Nights A Week, 10p, facebook.com/tonyscornerpocket

Q Rumors Beach Bar - Galveston hosts

Ġ Fri › June 29

Q Music Box Theater presents songs from the 60s & 70s in Feelin’ Groovy 4, 7:30p (Thru 7/28) themusicboxtheater.com

Q Tony’s Corner Pocket features Houston’s Hottest Male Dancers 6 Nights A Week, 10p, facebook.com/tonyscornerpocket Ġ Sat › June 30 Q Neon Boots: Texas United Charities presents the Annual

“Pay it Forward” Casino Party, 5p, mflories7@yahoo.com

Paquita La del Barrio

Tequila Tuesday with Karaoke and Lip Sync Battles, 8p rumorsbeachbar.com Q Tony’s Corner Pocket presents Twisted Tuesdays variety show hosted by Amanda, Ashleey and Alexis Nicole, 9p, followed by Amateur Male Dance Contest, 10p, facebook.com/tonyscornerpocket Ġ Wed › July 4

Q Miller Outdoor Theatre presents Summer Symphony Nights’ Star Spangled Salute, 8:30p, fireworks at 10p milleroutdoortheatre.com

Q Tony’s Corner Pocket invites all to “Shimmer & Skin”, a 4th of July Spectacular Show, 7p, followed by Amateur Dance Contest, 10p, facebook.com/tonyscornerpocket Erykah Badu

Ġ Thu › July 5

Q Rumors Beach Bar - Galveston hosts Thirsty Thursdays with Karaoke and Trivia, 8p, rumorsbeachbar.com Q Tony’s Corner Pocket features Houston’s Hottest Male Dancers 6 Nights A Week, 10p, facebook.com/tonyscornerpocket Ġ Fri › July 6

Q Museum of Fine Arts presents The Gospel According to André, 7:30p (Repeats 6/28) mfah.org

Q Tony’s Corner Pocket features Houston’s Hottest Male Dancers 6 Nights A Week, 10p, facebook.com/tonyscornerpocket Ġ Sat › July 7

Q Arena Theatre presents Erykah Badu | arenahouston.com

Q Matchbox 2: The Phillip Hall Singers present Ain’t Misbehavin’, The Fats Waller Musical,

2p and 7p thephilliphallsingers.net +1 Google+ Find us on P vFacebook.com, tTwitter & P

Q Tony’s Corner Pocket features Houston’s Hottest Male Dancers 6 Nights A Week, 10p, facebook.com/tonyscornerpocket Ġ Sun › July 8

Q Tony’s Corner Pocket features Houston’s Hottest Male Dancers 6 Nights A Week, 10p, facebook.com/tonyscornerpocket Ġ Tue › July 10

Q Tony’s Corner Pocket presents Twisted Tuesdays variety show hosted by Amanda, Ashleey and Alexis Nicole, 9p - PLUS -Tony’s Amateur Male Dance Contest, 10p, facebook.com/tonyscornerpocket Ġ Wed › July 11

Q Smart Financial Centre at Sugar Land presents Alison Krauss with special guest Dee White 8p, smartfinancialcentre.com Q Tony’s Corner Pocket features Houston’s Hottest Male Dancers 6 Nights A Week, 10p, facebook.com/tonyscornerpocket

» positive thoughts ............... 20

Homophobes in the Cabinet MONTROSE STAR .COM

Everybody loves a parade e By

Across the Causeway

D

Forest Riggs

ust off your red, white and blue and get ready to celebrate Independence Day, Galveston style! With a hot summer in full swing, Galveston is preparing for its annual 4th of July parade and spectacular fireworks display over the Gulf of Mexico. Over the years, the annual celebration has grown in size and popularity, making it a summer “must do” on many people’s list.

Every year, the Galveston Marine Corp League organizes and coordinates the colorful, patriotic parade along the Seawall. The parade route stretches from 59th Street to 25th Street, offering a few miles of beautiful beaches, Gulf breezes and endless places to gather and watch the eclectic, red, white and blue parade participants. They range from festooned color guards, military equipment, marching bands, patriotic floats, Boy Scout troops and art cars to city and county dignitaries riding the route and waving to the crowds. There are clowns, baton twirlers, fire trucks and all sorts of vehicles decorated in patriotic colors. Along the route, street vendors offer a variety of kitsch and souvenirs that delight the young and old attendees. Perhaps best of all are the beads and trinkets being tossed and thrown from parade entries. Everyone loves to reach for the beads and to build a heavy collection around their necks. Through the years, the Mardi Gras component of tossing and collecting beads has spread over into just about any reason for a parade on Galveston Island. If there is one thing for certain, it is that Galvestonians love to celebrate share the good times with visitors.

This year the parade starts at 7:30 p.m. and slowly wind its way down the Seawall stopping and disbanding once it reaches 25th Street. Along the route are several great places get cool libations (of the adult genre) and watch the parade. Rumors Beach Bar (3102 Seawall Boulevard) is an excellent

» Guide To The Clubs........... 27

My poz heroes

Section

THE GAY-ETY STARTS HERE! WEDNESDAY JUNE 27,

place to start your 4th of July celebrating with Todd Slaughter and staff serving up great drinks along with music and of course, their famous shows.

The Float and The Poop Deck are also great places to cool down, have a drink and enjoy the event.

When the parade is over, don’t leave! Stick around and get ready to view a fantastic fireworks show originating from the 37th Street granite pier.

That’s just down from Rumors; their deck is the best spot to see it all!

Each year the pyrotechnic display gets more and more beautiful. For a little over 20 minutes, colorful explosions fill the night sky and create beautiful reflections on the Gulf waters below. The backdrop of the Pleasure Pier, with its lights and the wildly colored Ferris wheel with gyrating electrical lighting, makes for some fantastic photos to share with family and friends.

After enduring all the stress of politics, Hurricane Harvey and the Santa Fe shooting, you owe it to yourself to get out and celebrate the 4th of July, especially this year. With its 32 miles of beaches, Galveston Island is a great place to catch the holiday spirit, maybe some beads, and always, a good time.

B

2018 e VOL.

IX, 7

Galveston Pride scores big

It is Pride month and the Galveston Pride, celebrated June 8 through 10, was a huge success. The party and vendors on East Beach made the event fantastic and well attended. Not even the intense heat could stop the LGBTQ community from having a gay old time.

The street dance on 23rd Street was packed and overflowing. Kudos to the staff at 23rd Street Station Piano Bar for keeping the drinks flowing; no one had to wait long for their beverage. It is fair to say that everyone had a great time — gays, straights and everyone in between.

The big bangs continue

Lastly, since everyone likes fireworks and can never seems to get enough, the Galveston Park Board has started its “Stay and Play” campaign.

Every Sunday evening at dark, fireworks fly from the 37th Street pier. Island hotel rooms are cheaper from Sunday through Thursday, so why not stay over and enjoy the Island a day or two more! e Forest Riggs, a resident of Galveston, is no stranger to the adventures of life.

A former educator and business owner, he enjoys Island life and all that comes with it. He says he is a “raconteur with a Quixotic, gypsy spirit.” He has written for several newspapers and magazines as well as other writing pursuits, including a novel and collection of short stories.

Photo via Galveston Tx.gov

» Crossword Queeries ..... 25

PAGE 20 | MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday June 27, 2018

Positive Thoughts

My poz heroes How writing about people living with HIV inspired profound change in my own life e By

Desirée Guerrero

A

bout a year and a half ago, I was in a dark place.

After a painful separation from the love of my life, I felt not only completely broken inside but also scared as hell. And I needed a job, pronto. After all, I was a single mom now and I had mouths to feed.

After weeks of job searching and getting turned down for employment by both Target and a local RV dealership, you could say my sense of selfworth wasn’t the greatest. I was on the verge of turning 40, jobless, broke, and very, very sad.

At that point, I lacked the motivation to even try to apply at another crappy job that I didn’t want. But the what the hell was I going to do?

Well, I did the only thing you can do when life has you by the huevos and you’re doing the best you can, despite the overwhelming odds against you at the moment – I left it to the Universe. I very consciously put out this “wish” of sorts; this hope, this prayer: Let me find a job that needs me as much as I need it, and that has the ability to grow into something more.

Another couple weeks passed. Still nothing.

And then one day I saw the ad for an “editorial assistant” with a telecommuting option (basically, single mom heaven). I have always loved writing

and been interested in journalism but never had an opportunity to pursue it – so with zero professional experience and only an old blog to show as examples of my writing – I went for it. And somehow, out of 2,000 some-odd applicants, I got the job.

It certainly seemed that the Universe had answered my call. Within a couple months I was promoted to assistant editor, and a few months after that to an associate editor, now writing and editing for three national publications.

One of these is Plus magazine, a health mag that focuses on all aspects of living with HIV – from the latest treatment breakthroughs to discussing stigma and mental health.

Of course, like most of us, I had known a few people affected by HIV in my life, but sadly – growing up in the ’80s, before the development of today’s very effective antiretroviral therapy – you often found out after it was too late.

The reality is, right up until today, stigma still prevails and many people living with the condition fear “coming out” as poz. And many aren’t truly able to do so safely in their lives.

However, there are still many others who bravely choose to go public with their status as a direct response to this stigma. One of the first people I interviewed for Plus was Eric Leonardos, a Los Angeles-based celebrity hairstylist. On a whim, Leonardos took an opportunity to appear on the Logo reality dating series, Finding Prince Charming. Not only did the handsome and charming Leonardos “win” the show by being chosen by the show’s featured eligible bachelor, Robert Sepulveda Jr., he made history by opening up about being poz on one of the episodes.

Though the relationship didn’t last (but ended on friendly terms), the impact of Leonardos’ coming out on television continues to be felt.

Not only did Leonardos tell the world he was not ashamed to be living with HIV, but the fact that Sepulveda didn’t let his status (or fear of the stigma attached to dating someone who is poz) dissuade him from wanting to pursue a relationship with Leonardos was monumental.

Since coming out poz, Leonardos has not only continued to thrive in his career in the world of beauty and fashion, he has become a quietly fierce activist for people living with HIV and other marginalized people. He is often asked to speak at events and share his story, which – as a gay conversion therapy survivor from BibleBelt Texas – includes much more than just his diagnosis. Leonardos’s brave decision to go public lead to remarkable things in his own life, but it also led to great change in my own.

It was through getting to know Leonardos and his story that the perspective on my own situation began

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to change. Seeing how much he dealt with at an early age, and not only overcame but persevered in spite of, sort of shook me off my “pity pot,” so to speak.

Sure, as a teen parent and abuse survivor, I had been through my share of harsh realities – but perhaps that is why Leonardos’ story inspired me so. I could relate.

As two people from different parts of the country, who had very different cultural upbringings, I was surprised at my connection to him. The shame and rejection he felt as a gay teen sent away to be “cured” wasn’t dissimilar to what I had experienced, at least emotionally, as a frightened pregnant teen from a Catholic family sent away to a continuation school.

And there’s the all-powerful stigma. The paralyzing fear of the world treating you like less. Though I certainly am not claiming I know what it’s like to deal with HIV stigma firsthand, Leonardos’ story is powerful and relatable.

I have now interviewed dozens of other poz folks, some famous, some not. Many just regular folks busting their ass every day in the trenches in the fight against HIV, but each with an inspiring story.

Those people are thriving, not sitting around feeling sorry for themselves. They have demonstrated to me and countless others that no matter what hand life has dealt you, a positive attitude and an open heart and mind – and a caring support team – are all you need to make it through. e Desirée Guerrero is the associate editor of Plus magazine. This column is a project of Plus, Positively Aware, POZ, TheBody.com and Q Syndicate, the LGBT wire service. Visit their websites – http:// hivplusmag.com, http://positivelyaware.com, http://poz.com and http://thebody.com – for the latest updates on HIV/AIDS.

MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday June 27, 2018 | PAGE 21

The Krewe

of Olympus

presents...

TRASH DISCO 2018 Sunday, August 5 4 - 7 PM Rich’s Houston 2401 San Jacinto

$10 donation at the door Cash Bar • Specials on Well Vodka & Domestic Longneck Beer

Randall Jobe’s art for sale with a portion of proceeds to benefit Krewe of Olympus

venue sponsor

Enjoy dancing to THREE HOURS of NON-STOP CLASSIC DISCO from the 70’s & 80’s with performances by members of the Krewe and other Houston Community Organizations Door donations and performer tips will go to support the Krewe’s 2018-2019 fundraising efforts.

kreweofolympus.org The Krewe of Olympus is a 501(c)(3) organization +1 Google+ Find us on P vFacebook.com, tTwitter & P

follow us

media sponsor

PAGE 22 | MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday June 27, 2018

Star Buds

Fun facts about a fun weed e By

Rena McCain

H

appy Weedsday! I hope today finds you doing fine. Since cannabis is pretty much considered mainstream these days, I thought that I would share with all of you beautiful people some known and some not-so-known facts about the cannabis plant and its history. It has been utilized over history for many reasons and through many applications. What an amazing plant!

• There are four people in the US who not only can get legal marijuana, but the federal government sends it to them, free. I would love to be one of these people, wouldn’t you? www.

NowIKnow.com/license-to-toke • The Scooby-Doo movie (2002) was originally going to be dark and PG-13, with marijuana jokes and a side relationship between Velma and Daphne. I bet that would have turned out differently! www.en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Scooby-Doo(film)#production • In the United States, a sentence of life in prison without parole was given for trying to sell $10’s worth of marijuana to an undercover officer. There are still people today doing life for cannabis. www.nytimes.com/2013/11/17/opinion/ sunday/sentenced-to-a-slow-death.html • The U.S. government’s “official expert” on Marijuana from 1938 to 1962 once testified in court, under oath, that

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he had smoked marijuana and it turned him into a bat. It puzzles me that we listen to our government when it is this irrational. www.DrugLibrary.org/ schaffer/media/schaffer1.htm • Marijuana seeds are a source of all amino acids. They are one of only a handful of substances that man can sustain off indefinitely with no other food and provide all known amino acids.

Hemp seeds are delicious on so many foods! www.en.wikibooks.org/wiki/ marijuanacultivation/fundamentals/ partsoftheplant#seeds • The first arrest for marijuana possession and selling in the U.S. occurred in Denver, Colorado on October 2, 1937. www.Princeton. edu/~achaney/tmve/wiki100k/docs/ marihuanataxact-of1937.html • There has never been any reported deaths linked to overdosing on marijuana. Amazing and true! www.WebMD.com/smokingcessation/news/20030918/ marijuana-smoking-doesn’t-kill • Although cannabis is illegal in Australia, there’s a town in New South Wales that engages in weed tourism where cannabis is both sold and grown openly. Pretty cool, if you ask me! www. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nimbin,New SouthWales S 26

MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday June 27, 2018 | PAGE 23

Club Houston is accepting applications for ALL SHIFTS Open interviews on Wednesdays from 3-4pm.

Employee benefit package available.

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PAGE 24 | MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday June 27, 2018

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Crossword Queeries

MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday June 27, 2018 | PAGE 25

STEPHANIE CLIFFORD ON TV Across

43 Peter by the piano

12 Pilate’s “Behold!”

1 Hatcher, on Desperate

44 Banana stalk

13 Cabaret opening?

Housewives

45 Aromatic evergreen

21 “The end of

6 Folded fast food

of Nureyev’s land?

22 Star quality and more?

10 Frequent Trump

47 Like a zombie’s stare

25 Storybook elephant

portrayer Baldwin

49 Mary, in Montmartre (abbr.)

26 Discharge

14 Joe Cocker’s “You

50 Tiny bottle

27 Malodorous

51 More of the quote

28 Gus Kenworthy, for one

15 Sandy-colored

57 Lesbian porn star Hartley

29 Be a voyeur, e.g.

16 Caesar’s voice

58 Sounds from the Giant set

30 Silences for Tchaikovsky

17 Sgt. of a ‘90s Steve

59 Scroll at Beth

31 Dr. Weaver portrayer Laura

Martin flick

Chayim Chadashim

32 Favorable forecast

18 West Hollywood pollution

61 Vows for many

35 Jodie Foster’s role

19 Suffix with prefer

gays these days

with the King

20 Start of a quote in a

62 Lube ingredient

38 On account of

skit: “I know you donít

63 Rudely sarcastic

39 It may make you

believe in

64 End of the quote

rub your head

23 YMCA member?

65 Do-overs for Billie Jean

42 Agony opposite in a

24 Drag

66 Written test type

flick about Michelangelo

Down

44 Some pinks

Beautiful”

...”

25 Peter Allen’s “Once I Go”

1 Queen in Romeo and Juliet

28 Meat that you hold

2 Spamalot writer Idle

in your hand

3 “Roll Tide!” e.g.

33 Tools for the Tin Man

4 Nose rubbers

34 Lothario

5 Flat user

36 Gladiator area

6 They come during finals week

37 More of the quote

7 Top

38 Source of the quote and

8 Nile menace

stage name of Ms. Clifford

9 Alanis Morissette’s “You

40 The skit was done

”

46 For skin 48 Sage of the East 50 They hold pansies, perhaps 51 Verdi slave girl 52 Kind of appeal 53 Marilyn Monroe facial feature 54 Residue for Mary Poppins’ pals

Know”

on this TV show

10 Emma Peel was one

41 Word of parting

11 “So

, Farewell”

55 The Bell author Murdoch 56 Frida Kahlo’s zip 57 Writer’s point?

60 “Take your hands off me!”

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PAGE 26 | MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday June 27, 2018

Star Buds S 22 • The Hollywood sign was changed by a prankster in 1976 to read “Hollyweed” after the passage of a state law decriminalizing marijuana. www.articles. latimes.com/2007/jan/27/local/me-finegood27 • Every major study of marijuana policy in the last one hundred years has found that marijuana prohibition is a mistake which does more harm than good. True over and over again. www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/media/ schaffer1.htm • Hemp can be used for many things like rope, clothes and even technology.

One of the oddest uses of a hemp rope was for transporting giant pieces of stone, specifically the ones that make up the humongous Easter Island statues.

Some people theorized that aliens helped out in the creation of these statues due to how big they were and how limited our technology was during that time period. Nope, no aliens, just marijuana. www.livescience.com/24312easter-island-statues-walked.html • Refusing to grow hemp in America during the 17th and 18th centuries was against the law. You could be jailed in Virginia for refusing to grow hemp from 1763 to 1769. (G.M. Herdon. Hemp in Colonial Virginia) • Marijuana has been legal for personal use in Alaska since 1975, and it’s still legal today. www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ CannabisintheUnitedStates#Alaska

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• A pair of scientists at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco found that a compound derived from marijuana could stop metastasis in many kinds of aggressive cancer, potentially altering the fatality of the disease forever. www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/19/ marijuana-and-cancern1898208.html • Marijuana is legal and is not even classified as a drug in North Korea. www. vice.com/enus/article/nn4ywx/north-koreais-stoned-all-the-time-which-explains-a-lot • Ancient China was known as the Land of Hemp and Mulberry. Hemp was known as a symbol of Power over evil and in Emperor Shen Nung’s pharmacopoeia it was known as the “liberator of sin.” www.cannasos.com/ news/education/ancient-china-the-landof-mulberry-and-hemp • Meridy Volz pioneered a booming pot brownie business called “Sticky Fingers” in 1970s San Francisco. www.wunc.org/post/ criminal-original-brownie-lady#stream/0 • The woman who made cannabis brownies famous by baking and distributing them to AIDS patients was actually called Mary Jane. www. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BrownieMary • The first thing ever bought and sold across the Internet was a bag of marijuana, around 1971. www. theguardian.com/science/2013/apr/19/ online-high-net-drugs-deal e Rena McCain is a co-founder of the Cannabis Open Carry Walks. Find her on Facebook at Rena McCain, or via Twitter @ sassikatt24 and Instagram at ganja_grrl420.

MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday June 27, 2018 | PAGE 27

Guide to the Clubs

HOUSTON n MONTROSE - MIDTOWN Moon Tower Inn 3004 Canal St, 77003 (832) 969-1934 • damngoodfoodcoldassbeer.com Hot Dogs | Beer Gardens

Crocker Bar 2312 Crocker St, Houston (713) 529-3355 Large Deck | Karaoke George’s Country Sports Bar 617 Fairview Ave, Houston (713) 528-8102 Sports Bar | Pool & Darts | Patio Guava Lamp 570 Waugh Dr, Houston (713) 524-3359 • guavalamphouston.com Video Lounge | Karaoke | Mixed JR’s Bar and Grill & Santa Fe 808 Pacific St, Houston (713) 521-2519 • jrsbarandgrill.com Videos | Patio | Karaoke | Shows

Tout Suite 2001 Commerce, 77002 713-227-8688 • toutsuitetx.com Bakery | Cafe | Pub Voodoo Queen 322 Milby St, 77003 713-555-5666 • damngoodfoodcoldassbeer.com Casual | Po’ Boys | Games

Michael’s Outpost Piano Bar 1419 Richmond Ave, Houston (713) 520-8446 Neighborhood Bar | Pub | Piano

n DOWNTOWN / WARDS 1-4 Tony’s Corner Pocket 817 West Dallas Street, Houston (713) 571-7870 • tonyscornerpocket.com Neighborhood Bar | Pool | Dancers

Rich's Houston 2401 San Jacinto (281) 846-6685 RichsNightclub.com

n HOUSTON - NORTH SIDE Ranch Hill Saloon 24704 Interstate 45, Spring (281) 298-9035 • ranchhill.com Country | Cowgirl | Neighborhood Bar

Barcode Houston 817 Fairview Ave, Houston (713) 526-2625 • facebook.com/barcode77006

Shows | Neighborhood Bar | CD/Trans The Ripcord 715 Fairview St, Houston (713) 521-2792 • facebook.com/ripcordhouston Leather | Uniform | Fetish | Men n DOWNTOWN / EADO Lucky’s Pub - Downtown 801 St Emanuel St, 77003 (713) 522-2010 • Luckyspub.com Sports Bar | Food

Neil’s Bahr 2006 Walker St, 77003 (281) 352-7456 • NeilsBahr.com Premier Nerd | Gamer | Intellectual hangout

The Room Bar 4915 FM 2920 Rd, Spring (281) 907-6866 • roombarspring.com Neighborhood Bar | Shows | Dance | Mixed n NW HOUSTON Neon Boots Dancehall & Saloon 11410 Hempstead Highway Houston, TX 77092 (713) 677-0828 • neonbootsclub.com

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Viviana’s Night Club 4624 Dacoma St, Houston (713) 681-4101 • vivianasniteclub.com Latino | Tejano | Dance n HOUSTON - SW Crystal Night Club 6684 SW Fwy, Houston (713) 278- 2582 • crystaltheclub.com Latin Dance | Salsa n HEIGHTS / WASHINGTON CORRIDOR Pearl Lounge 4216 Washington, Houston 832-740-4933 • pearlhouston.com Neighborhood Art Bar | Live Music | Women

GALVESTON

23rd Street Station 1706 23rd St, Galveston (409) 443-5678 • 23rdstreetstation.com Neighborhood Bar | Pub | Shows Robert’s Lafitte 2501 Ave Q, Galveston (409) 765-9092 • galveston.com/robertslafitte Neighborhood Bar | Pub | Cruise | Shows Rumors Beach Bar 3102 Seawall Blvd., Galveston (409) 497-4617 • RumorsBeachBar.com Beach bar | Shows

SOLUTION FROM p25

PAGE 28 | MontroseStar.com e | Wednesday June 27, 2018

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