Thursday was the GLBX quarterly luncheon at the very prestigious Tower Club in downtown Fort Lauderdale. There was a wonderful presentation by Jaime Yordan-Frau from Integro Success Unlimited on how everyone can unleash their best potential. On Saturday, Julian Cavazos hosted the 1st annual reverse Quinceanera pageant at the Sanctuary Church which was a benefit for Sunserve. They had some really cute performances and some really interesting drag queens. Let’s just say some men should stay men, although some seemed a bit too comfortable…LOL! This was a fun event for a great cause and at press time we know over $5,000 was raised. Also on Saturday the Sunshine Cathedral presented their annual Casino night to raise money for the church. There were Blackjack, Poker and Roulette tables as well as tons of performances to keep everyone entertained. On Sunday the Get Out The Vote Bar Crawl started at 2 pm at Sidelines and went up and down the drive with pit stops at Bill’s, The Manor Complex, Rosie’s, New Moon, Matty’s Alibi and Boom with special guest appearances by Brandon Hilton, Nicolette and Jersey Dion. GOTV was an effort is to make sure all LGBT voters are registered to vote in time for the upcoming General Election to be held on November 6, 2012, which will elect our next President. The Get Out The Vote Bar Crawl also hoped to educate LGBT voters and make them aware of the differences between the two parties’ agendas. Keep in mind, Voter registration deadline is October 9. Unfortunately, I got exhausted and was not able to make it to 2 events that I intended to go to and heard were both very well attended. They were the 2 year anniversary of the Depot Cabana Bar and Grill at their new location on Federal Highway and the monthly Lady Fancy Gospel Jubilee at Scandals.
Thursday, October 4
The Miami-Dade Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce presents its monthly Business Builders Luncheon networking program at Anacapri Restaurant, 2530 Ponce De Leon Blvd., Coral Gables. Registration is at 11:30am with luncheon/networking from noon to 1:30 pm. The cost is: MDGLCC members ($30), Potential Members ($40, $10 applied to new MDGLCC membership). Includes seated style lunch limited to 25 persons. Please bring a friend. RSVP requested at rsvp@gaybizmiami.com or 305-673-4440.
Friday, October 5
Filthy Gorgeous Fridays at Score presents American Idol finalist Kimberley Locke performing live with a meet and greet after her performance.
There will be a Voters Registration Drive event at the Alibi from 6pm to 9 pm and then at Bill’s from 9 pm until 12 midnight, where they will be: registering voters (deadline is Oct. 9th), updating voter registrations with address changes and enrolling voters in Vote By Mail.
Saturday, October 6
The 2nd annual Celebrate Orgullo, Latin Pride Festival takes place between 11 and 12th street on the beach in beautiful South Beach. For more information see the feature in this week’s magazine or visit CelebrateOrgullo.com
Men’s Night Out presents a Pool Party at Bootleggers from 12 to 6 pm celebrating Michael Papandrea birthday and the 2 year anniversary of Men’s Night Out. The party will feature a special performance by Shawn Palacious, DJ Silvio Carvana, MC Julian Cavazos and hosted by the birthday boy Michael.
The Ramrod presents Pig Dance # 50 with special gust DJ Barry Huffine. Plus they invite everyone to meet and greet all the Mr. Ramrod Contestants.
Bigger Saturdays at Score presents “Factoria” featuring DJ/producer Abel and hosted by Alex Prieto.
The theme tonight at the Lady Fancy show at the Stable is “Flashback to the 70’s.”
Sunday, October 7
The annual Mr. Ramrod contest, a preliminary to International Mr. Leather, takes place at 10pm. Sign up at the bar or e-mail MrRamrod2009@yahoo.com.
The Manor Complex presents a celebrity roast of Jackson Padgett and Reece Darham to benefit the RBC. The night will be hosted by Misty Eyez and celebrity roasters include Victor Zepka, Mark Martin, Miss Kitty, Hutch, Terry DeCarlo, Dame Edna and many more. Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door and are available at Alibi, Bills, Island City Health and Fitness and at the Manor.
Tuesday, October 9
The monthly Fort Lauderdale Mack Mixer takes place from 6:30 to 9pm at American Social (721 East Las Olas Blvd). For more information visit MackPlanet.com
Wednesday, October 10
The Miami-Dade Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce presents its monthly GALLA (Gay & Lesbian Lawyer’s Assn.) Luncheon networking program tailored for attorneys, judges and legal professionals held on the middle Wednesday of each month. Today’s event takes place at Morton’s Steakhouse at 1200 Brickell Avenue. Registration is at 11:30am with luncheon/networking from noon to 1:30 pm. The cost for the luncheon is: MDGLCC members ($35), Potential Members ($50, $10 applied to new MDGLCC membership) and includes seated style lunch limited to 20 persons. RSVP requested at rsvp@gaybizmiami.com or 305-673-4440.
Comedy Campo Bingo at the Stable presents Comedy Campo Bingo where every Wednesday this month you can enter for a chance to win Madonna tickets with the drawing on October 31 for a special Halloween bingo.
Hot Stuff
The presence of openly gay soldiers does not undermine unit cohesion, according to a new statistical analysis of the Israel Defense Force (IDF) sponsored by the Palm Center and authored by Danny Kaplan of Bar Ilan University and Amir Rosenmann of the University of Haifa. “As we reach the one year anniversary of repeal of the United States military’s “don’t ask, don’t tell” (DADT) policy, this new study responds to the central concern that an integrated military would harm cohesion,” said Aaron Belkin, director of the Palm Center. The authors surveyed 417 male Israeli soldiers from 22 military installations. Statistical analysis of responses to the survey indicated that for both combat and non-combat units, the presence of openly gay troops in a unit had no relationship to the cohesiveness of the unit. Israel has allowed gays and lesbians to serve openly in the military since 1993. The new study of the IDF, entitled Unit Social Cohesion in the Israeli Military as a Case Study of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, appears in the current issue of Political Psychology and is available at PalmCenter.org.
MyGayTravelGuide.com is an online blog for gay travelers to share personal and relevant travel tips to likeminded individuals around the globe. The site also publishes regular travel news targeted to the LGBT traveler. Founder Adam Groffman spent most of his early 20s trying to build his career, but it wasn’t until he met people around the same age from all over the world (doing very different things than he was doing) that he was inspired to take some action. “It just seemed unfair to think they had all these amazing stories to tell, and here I was, beginning to feel more and more complacent in my generally comfortable life.” Tired of the traditional 9-5 grind, Groffman embarked on a 15-month expedition around the world and realized many of the things he wanted to know as a twenty-something gay man were hard to find. The life-changing journey took him to places like North Africa, the Middle East, India and Southeast Asia. But it wasn’t until a short weekend getaway to Reykjavik, Iceland that Groffman got the idea for MyGayTravelGuide.com. The blog, which has been featured on popular gay sites Queerty and Unicorn Booty features travel news that is interesting for fellow gay travelers. It includes LGBT tours, events and popular destinations. All the content on the site is self-curated, meaning Groffman hand-picks what readers see. For more information, visit MyGayTravelguide.com
Whether it’s “Mrs. Wiggins, Yes Mr. Tudball,” Carol walking down the grand staircase with the curtain on, the Q&A at the beginning of the show or Harvey Korman and the gang trying to keep their composure the Carol Burnett show burned itself into pop culture and our beloved memories forever!
Time Life released “The Carol Burnett Show: Carol’s Favorites”. The six-disc compilation contains seventeen episodes considered among the “best” of the show’s roughly eleven year run on CBS. The episodes compiled for this new set leave no doubt that Burnett’s show was one of the influences behind NBC’s Saturday Night Live. The sketches from this show clearly hint at the bits that would come from the latter. Among some of the best episodes included in the six-disc “Carol’s Favorites” are the ones that include the hilarious skit, “The Family.” That skit was the precursor to Vicki Lawrence’s hit TV sitcom, “Mama’s Family.” Fans of “Mama’s Family” will be happy to know that on this set is the very first episode of “The Family.” Guest star Roddy McDowall even gets his own role in the skit. McDowall is just one of a bevy of guest stars to make appearances on the show. Also appearing on the show in this compilation are the likes of: Joan Rivers, Johnny Cash, The Jackson 5, Steve Martin, Betty White, Vincent Price and loads more. From the original skits to the guest stars, The Carol Burnett Show offered so much great entertainment for the entire family. Now a whole new generation can experience what is an example of television with real heart. “The Carol Burnett Show: Carol’s Favorites” is available now in stores and online. It can be ordered online direct via Time Life’s website, TimeLife.com.
