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entertainers, and all who made this feat a success.
the "official" dish
Aubrey Synclaire Dazzles in Larry Graham Portrait Shoot
by Rip & Marsha Naquin-Delain Email: marsha@ripandmarsha.com
New Year's Eve Happy Holidays from the entire staff at Ambush Magazine. May you and yours have the best season yet. What better way to ring in the New Year than at your favorite hot spot in the Gulf South. There are big name DJs, shows, prize balloon drops, party favors, champagne and more. You are sure to find the right place for you as you flip through this issue with some 40 pages of only the best action the community has to offer. It's a time to celebrate with old friends and new. After all 2015 is a whole new LGBT+ year!
"I'm History-She's Not!" While watching CBS Sunday Morning, an interview with American Ballet Theatre's only African-American soloist Misty Copeland was an eye-opening look into the world of ballet. This week Copeland appears at the Brooklyn Academy of Music as the lead in "The Nutcracker" Ballet. In the interview, the first African American to dance full-time in Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo during the 1950s, Raven Wilkinson was also featured. In 1961 she left the Misty Copeland country and went Photo: npr.org to Holland after racial threats in the South. What Wilkinson said, really resonated with both of us. In an Amtrak photo shoot with both, Wilkinson said, "‘Why are they getting all those cameras out?’And then I realized it’s a very special moment. So it’s kind of his- Raven Wilkinson toric. We’re history. Well, I’m history — she’s not!'” Raven laughed --www.cbsnews.com/news/mistycopeland-still-proving-herself/. As vintage members of the LGBT+ community, we are our history, and those coming up in the ranks are not. They are our future. Hopefully, the many roads paved by those in the vintage ranks will encourage
Winter Wonderland raises $5,615 for Food For Friends Congratulations are definitely in order for Johnny Passion's 4th Annual Winter Wonderland extravaganza which raised a whopping $5,615 after expenses for NO/ AIDS Task Force Food For Friends program. Ambush Magazine was happy to once again sponsor this fun-filled evening with a VIP dinner, music, auction, raffles, and variety drag show, this year at Cafe Istanbul. Over the past four years $10,653 has been raised for charity. One of the highlights of the evening was when Lesbian of the Year Misti Ates (Johnny Passion) and partner Catherine Gaither presented the 1st ICON Tribute Honor to Lady Magic, Necha Benoit, for her many years of service to the LGBT community. Another highlight was when A*MED Ambulance donated a vehicle in memory of family member Donald Jaeger to Food For Friends to help with their meal deliveries to those in need. The complete financial report follows: $4,850 VIP tickets 97 @ $50 $1,023 Auction $319 Tips $100 Dana Lynn Dufrene $340 Door 34 @ $10 $6,532 Total Collected Food @ $350 Café rental @ $200 Award @ $54 Decorations/favors/dinner supplies @ $413 Expenses: $1,017 $5,615.00 Total Donated Special thanks to all the businesses,
2014 into 2015 issue out Dec. 30 DEADLINE: Tues., Dec. 23
inside moments in gay new orleans history under the gaydar trodding the boards celebrazzi king cake queen xxii-elect snap paparazzi/new orleans commentary/requiem for the louisiana democratic party the legal corner ` wear it out
the younger sect to carry on in our fight for total equality. In 1974, we could have never dreamed of being legally married, and did so on our 40th anniversary in 2013 in NYC. No, we could, and still cannot marry in Louisiana, but now we can in some 35 other states. There is still hope, and we are depending on today's LGBT+ youth to succeed. One of the best ways to change the future is to register and vote in every election. Our future rights are in your hands.
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AD INFO: Call 504.522.8049 ripna@ambushmag.com
Gulf South LGBT Entertainment/Travel Guide Since 1982 828-A Bourbon St. • New Orleans, LA 70116-3137 • 504.522.8049 ripna@ambushmag.com
The Official Photographer of the King Cake Queens of Gay Mardi Gras, Larry Graham did a superb job in a dazzling portrait shoot of King Cake Queen XXIIElect Aubrey Synclaire. Reigning as "Queen of the Opera" in 2015, Graham captured the essence of the Krewe of Queenateenas "Vienna: Beautiful, Gay & Gemuthlich." (www.GrahamStudioOne.com) Graham shot two pre-coronation portraits, and two coronation portraits. The first pre-coronation is featured here, where as the second one is in Celebrazzi on page 18. While both are exquisite, the second one which we refer to as the "Marie Antoinette" pose, is our favorite on the Celebrazzi page.
THE OFFICIAL MAG
Facebook.COM/AmbushMag Gulf South Entertainment/Travel Guide Since 1982 • Texas-Florida Official Gay Easter Parade Guide© Official Gay Mardi Gras Guide© Official Gay New Orleans Guide© Official Pride Guide© Official Southern Decadence Guide© AWARD WINNING:
Louisiana Excellence Award: Media & Internet/2014, New Orleans Print Media Award/ 2014, 25th NO/AIDS Task Force Humanitas Award/2013, New Orleans Print Media Award/ 2013, Krewe of Mwindo Media Honoree/2009, Krewe of Petronius Carnival Spirit of Gay Mardi Gras XLVIII Award/2009, Forum For Equality Acclaim Awards X Media Recipient/2008, NO/AIDS Task Force Prometheus “Torch of Truth” [media] Award/2001 OFFICE/SHIPPING ADDRESS: 828-A Bourbon St., New Orleans, LA 70116-3137 USA OFFICE HOURS: 10am-3pm Monday-Friday [Except Holidays] Email: ripna@ambushmag.com PHONE: 1.504.522.8049 ANNUAL READERSHIP OVER 1 MILLION: 260,000+ in print/780,000+ On-line CIRCULATION: Alabama-Mobile Florida - Pensacola Louisiana - Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Metairie, New Orleans, Slidell Mississippi - Bay St. Louis, Biloxi Texas - Houston
King Cake Queen XXII-Elect Aubrey Synclaire Official Pre-Coronation Portrait by Larry Graham The stunning official coronation portraits will not be unveiled until the evening of the 22nd King Cake Queen of Gay Mardi Gras Coronation at the Ambush Mansion on January 18, 2015 (by invitation only). Carnival season will culminate with the 28th Official Gay Mardi Gras Bead Toss on Fat Tuesday, Feb. 17, 2015 led by King Cake Queen XXII Aubrey Synclaire. (www.GayMardiGras.com/KCQ)
Customer Appreciation Christmas Parties Kickoff the Holidays Nothing says Happy Holidays like the customer appreciation Christmas parties hosted by many of the establishments serving the LGBT+ community. As of press time, we have several big events scheduled. Let's begin on Tuesday, Dec. 16th in New Orleans as GrandPre's celebrates it's 1st Annual Family Christmas Party from 810pm. The staff turn-about show with an all-star showcase is set for 9pm with all proceeds benefiting the 16th Gay Easter Parade. On Wednesday, Dec. 17th the annual Oz Christmas Party kicks off from 8-10pm with complimentary cocktails and delicious food at 800 Bourbon Street. Admittance is an unwrapped toy for an underprivileged child. And at 10:30pm is there always festive Christmas Spectacular starring the Ladies of Oz showing you why they win Show Club of the Year practically every year! Also on Dec. 17th at 7:30pm is the annual Double Play Christmas Party featuring one of their famous holiday buffets at 439 Dauphine Street.
STAFF: PUBLISHER/EDITOR R. Rip Naquin, New Orleans PRODUCTION DIRECTOR M. Marsha Delain, New Orleans GULF SOUTH/NEW ORLEANS AD SALES Rip Naquin • 504.522.8049 Frank Joseph, Paul Melancon THEATRE/PERFORMING ARTS CRITIC Brian Sands AD REPS/JOURNALISTS/PHOTOGRAPHERS Johnny Joseph Delgadillo, Frank Joseph, Charles Jenkins, Tony Leggio, Hubert S Monkey, Frank Perez, Rev. Bill Terry-New Orleans Bob Brunson, MIss Cie & John, Leon WeekleyMobile, AL National Advertising Rep: Rivendell Media 212.242.6863 Ambush Mag is published on alternate Tuesdays of each month by Ambush, Inc., R. Rip NaquinDelain, President. Advertising, Copy & Photo DEADLINE is alternate Tuesdays, 4pm, prior to publication week, accepted via e-mail only: marsha@ripandmarsha.com, except for special holidays. The Publisher assumes no responsibility for the claims of advertisers and has the right to reject any advertising. The inclusion of an individual's name or photograph in this publication implies nothing about that individual's sexual orientation. Letters, stories, etc., appearing herein are not necessarily the opinion of the Publisher or Staff of AMBUSH Mag. Subscription rate is $45 for 1/2 Year; $75 for 1 year. Sample Copy is $3 First Class Mail. ©1982-2014, AMBUSH, INC., ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NOTHING HEREIN MAY BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE PUBLISHER INCLUDING AD LAYOUTS, MAPS and PHOTOS. AMgrant - AMbush Advertising Grant Donation
It's off to Metairie on Thursday, Dec. 18th for the famous Four Seasons Christmas Party at 8pm. And it's a new beginning at the all new Voodoo Lounge bringing you Drew's First Annual Christmas Party on Friday, Dec. 18th at 10pm. Head over to Good Friends Bar on Saturday, Dec. 20th for the Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest at 9pm. Winner gets a $50 bar tab. Also on Dec. 20th is The Golden
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Length: 1,000 to 6,000 words or 2 to 12- pages Deadline: January 15, 2015 Submissions should be formatted in Microsoft Word and sent as an attachment in an email to f.perez@sbcglobal.net by November 30, 2014. Please include “MGNO Submission” in the subject line. The main text of the email should include your name as you want it to appear in the book and your contact information.
Wizard World New Orleans Comic Con January 9-11, 2015
the "official" dish ...from 4 Lantern's annual Xmas Divas "R" Us Show at 10pm. Then on Sunday, Dec. 21st, the Corner Pocket Christmas Party kicks off at 8pm at 940 St. Louis Street. It features a special Christmas Show starring Lisa Beaumann, Barry Bareass, the Corner Pocket Boys, and special guest Klorocks Bleachman. And in Mobile, Alabama, B-Bob's Annual Ho Ho Ho Holiday Party is also on Sunday, Dec. 21st. It's open bar from 6-8pm with fab food and friends, followed by the 9pm Holiday Show. Admission is nonperishable food items, personal hygiene items, cleaning or paper products which will be donated to those living with HIV/AIDS and their families. B-Bob's is located at 213 Conti Street. Back in New Orleans on Christmas, Dec. 25th it's XXX-mas at the Phoenix from 6am-7pm with Happy Hour and $5 call drinks. And don't miss the 3pm Christmas Potluck Dinner at GrandPre's It's also a 9pm Special Xmas Under-
wear Party at Rawhide.
What Does "Gay New Orleans" Mean to You My Gay New Orleans is an exciting new book Jeff Palmquist and Frank Perez are editing and will consist of a collection of personal essays from various members of the New Orleans LGBT+ community. Each contributor will answer the same question: What does “gay New Orleans” mean to me? In other words, each contributor will describe his or her gay New Orleans. By sharing your own experience and unique perspective, your story will help illustrate the incredible diversity within New Orleans LGBT+ community. There are no wrong ways to write this essay. All you have to do is describe what gay New Orleans means to you. Do include a working title for your narrative and short bio (one paragraph) for the “About the Contributors” section that will appear at the end of the book. That being stated, here are some writing prompts. You need not answer or respond to all these questions
and prompts; these are simply guidelines. > What brought you to New Orleans? Or if you are a frequent visitor, what keeps bringing you back to New Orleans? > What do you do for a living? > What aspects of the gay community are you involved in? Organizations, Carnival Krewes, clubs, sports leagues, etc. > How do you identify yourself with in the LGBT+ community? Lesbian, Gay, Bear, Transgendered? Bisexual? Drag King / Queen? Leather person? Etc. > Did New Orleans play a role in your coming out? If so, how? > What role has New Orleans played in your growth as a LGBT+ person? > How does your gay experience in New Orleans differ from other cities? > Any special memories or scandalous stories? > Think of (and write about) one specific event that captures your feelings about being gay in New Orleans Tone: Your choice. Humorous, serious, poignant, angry, a combination thereof—you decide Font: Times New Roman, size 12
Humberto Ramos (“Amazing SpiderMan,” “Impulse”), Billy Martin (keyboardist, “Good Charlotte,” artist, Disney), Mark Bagley (“Fantastic Four,” “JLA”), Pasqual Ferry (“Wolverine,” “X-Men”) and David Baldeón (“The Amazing Spider-Man,” “Wolverine”) are among the 100+ comics artists and writers scheduled to appear at Wizard World New Orleans Comic Con, January 911 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. The event is the first on the 2015 schedule for Wizard World, Inc. (OTCBB: WIZD) and fifth annual trip to The Big Easy. Other well-known creators on the Wizard World New Orleans Comic Con roster include Michael Cho (“Batman,” “Black and White”), Phil Ortiz (“The Simpsons,” “Muppet Babies”), Ken Kelly (“KISS Album Covers,” “Micronauts”), Joe Caramagna (“Iron Man & The Iron Wars,” “Marvel Universe Ultimate Spider-Man”), Jim Mahfood (“Miami Vice: Remix,” “Everybody Loves Tank Girl”), Alvaro Martinez (“Cataclysm: Ultimate X-Men,” “Ultimate Comics X-Men”), Tyler Kirkham (“Action Comics,” “Green Lantern”), Ethan Van Sciver (“Green Lantern,” “Justice League”), Rob Guillory (“Chew”), Kody Chamberlain (“Sweets,” “Punks”) and many others. In addition, all full-price Wizard World New Orleans Comic Con attendees (weekend 3-day, VIP and single-day admissions) will receive a limited edition exclusive variant cover “The Walking Dead #1” comic, drawn by Cho (image to be revealed in the coming weeks). Comics will be issued at registration while supplies last and VIP attendees will receive an additional black & white sketch version. Norman Reedus (“The Walking Dead,” Boondock Saints), Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley (“The Vampire Diaries”), Tom Felton (Harry Potter, Rise of the Planet of the Apes), Brett Dalton (“Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,), Kevin Conroy (“Batman, The Animated Series,” “Justice League”), WWE® Divas The Bella Twins™, Michael Cudlitz (“The Walking Dead,” “Southland”) and Sarah Wayne Callies (“The Walking Dead,” “Prison Break”) headline the roster of celebrity guests scheduled to attend the pop culture extravaganza. Wizard World Comic Con events bring together thousands of fans of all ages to celebrate the best in pop-fi, pop culture, movies, graphic novels, cosplay, comics, television, sci-fi, toys, video gaming, gaming, original art, collectibles, contests and more. Wizard World New Orleans Comic Con show hours are Friday, Jan. 9, 3-8pm; Saturday, Jan. 10, 10am-7pm, Sunday, Jan. 11, 11am-5pm. For more on the 2015 Wizard World New Orleans Comic Con, visit http:// wizd.me/NewOrleansPR.
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moments in gay new orleans history by Professor Frank Perez E-mail: f.perez@sbcglobal.net Photo by: Larry Graham, GrahamStudioOne.COM
“The Gay ‘20s and the French Quarter Renaissance” One of the many challenges the gay historian faces is recognizing and recovering the societal contributions gay folk have made throughout history. This is especially true of the pre-Stonewall period when closets were firmly shut and the concept of sexual orientation did not exist. These societal contributions by gay folk may have been philanthropic, political, economic, cultural, literary, or artistic. Because of cultural taboos and criminal laws, many influential gay people never publicly identified as gay. Their contributions may have been significant, and even profound, perhaps even well-known (think Leonardo da Vinci), but historically, they have not been credited as “gay.” This is certainly true in New Orleans, especially in the 1920s. In the 1920s, the French Quarter was the site of a literary and artistic renaissance and at its center were a number of gay men. In 1919, Lyle Saxon convinced the Drawing Room Players to move their little theatre, which had been located in the lower Garden District since 1916, to the lower Pontalba Building. Within a few years the Drawing Room Players grew into Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carre and, in 1922, purchased the corner of St. Peter and Chartres Streets. Architect Richard Koch designed the theatre and Sam Gilmore staged three plays there. Gilmore was also a poet whose work won accolades from the New York Times. Gilmore also served as patron, Associate Editor, and contributor to the Double Dealer, a prominent journal of literary Modernism that published writers such as Ernest
Hemmingway, William Faulkner, Hart Crane, Allen Tate, Robert Penn Warren, and Djuna Barnes, among others. Also contributing to the Double Dealer was William Spratling. Spratling was an artist who had come to New Orleans in 1922 to teach architecture at Tulane University. He lived in the French Quarter and, for a while, shared an apartment with William Faulkner in Pirate’s Alley. Spratling would go on to become a famous silversmith and eventually moved to Taxco, Mexico, where he fathered that city’s silverworking industry. While he was in New Orleans, he and his friend Lyle Saxon served as hosts and organizers of many literary and artistic salons, dinner parties, and cocktail soirees.
Writing for the New Orleans States in 1922, Natalie Scott observed of Spratling’s apartment in the French Quarter, “where he lives with a friend, and performs marvels with tea-pots and tongues, in the role of host.” She further described his apartment as one of the “chosen nuclei of the Quarter.” Spratling was also involved in the very influential Arts and Crafts Club, which was founded in 1919, probably at the urging of Lyle Saxon. The Arts and Crafts Club originally met in Alberta Kinsey’s Toulouse Street apartment until William Ratcliffe Irby donated the use of the slave quarters at his historic home on Royal Street, the Seignouret-Brulatour mansion. The Club operated the New Orleans Art Club, and in so doing, brought Modern Art to New Orleans. Spratling taught sculpting, clay modeling, and sketching at the school. In addition to providing art classes, the Club also offered lectures and hosted exhibitions. On the Board of Directors of the Arts and Crafts Club was Weeks Hall, one of the strangest and most interesting gay men involved in the French Quarter Renaissance. Hall was a painter trained at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia, and also in Paris and London. Weeks also owned the Shadows on the Teche, an 1834 plantation in New Iberia, Louisiana. Hall had acquired the plantation in 1919 and hired his friend Richard Koch to restore it. Hall would often invite the writers and artists in the French Quarter to come to the Shadows on the Teche for weekend excursions. Hall had no patience for nosy tourists and, according to historian John Shelton Reed, would sometimes deal with them “by impersonating a (nonexistent) idiot twin brother. Other times, he just rushed at them in his underwear, shaking his cane and shouting, ‘Get out of here, you goddamn silly women!’.” In addition to artists and writers, the French Quarter Renaissance also included photographers, at least two of which were
gay. Pops Whitesell lived in and had a studio at the slaves’ quarters behind what would eventually become Preservation Hall. Cicero Odiorne had a photography studio in the Upper Pontalba Building before moving to Paris in 1924. Odiorne’s apartment there became a must stop for New Orleanians in Paris. The French Quarter Renaissance of the 1920s was not an exclusively gay phenomenon. It also included notable straight folk such as William Faulkner, Sherwood Anderson, Grace King, Elizabeth Werlein, Natalie Scott, Hamilton Basso, Louise Nixon, Jack McClure, Flo Field, Caroline Durieux, Louise Nixon, Alberta Kinsey, Roark Bradford, and many others. But the presence of gay men such as Lyle Saxon, Richard Koch, Sam Gilmore, William Spratling, W.R. Irby, Weeks Hall, Pops Whitesell, and Cicero Odiorne demonstrates the French Quarter Renaissance was also not an exclusively straight phenomenon. All these people knew each other, some better than others, and they were all part of a special moment in New Orleans history. Each contributed to the bohemian milieu that gave rise to the French Quarter Renaissance, vestiges of which can still be sensed today Fifty years after leaving New Orleans William Spratling, in an interview, recalled the French Quarter of the 1920s, “The Quarter at that time was not known as a chic place to live . . . many writers, painters, musician, European and American, who came and went, formed a stimulating background. It was a world full of new ideas.” For those interested in learning more about the French Quarter Renaissance, I recommend two sources: John Shelton Reed’s Dixie Bohemia: A French Quarter Circle in the 1920s, LSU Press, 2012 and John W. Scott’s “William Spratling and the New Orleans Renaissance,” which appeared in the Summer, 2004, volume of Louisiana History: The Journal of the Louisiana Historical Association, 45.3.
under the gaydar by Tony Leggio Email: ledgemgp@gmail.com Photo by: Larry Graham
Book of the Month My book of the month for December deals with one of the most tragic events that marred the city of New Orleans causing the deaths of 32 people. Clayton DeleryEdwards’ The Up Stairs Lounge Arson is an in-depth glimpse into the deadliest fire in the city’s history. I found the novel compelling on many levels, more specifically it not only focuses on the patrons of the bar, but the investigations afterwards by the police and fire departments. Adding another critical element to the book was the aftermath for the survivors and the deceased bringing into account their religious persecution. Delery-Edwards has meticulously created an interesting and shocking account of the event from hundreds of articles and news stories both past and present, interviews with the former customers of the lounge including survivors of that day, and information from both the police and fire department’s records.
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under the gaydar ...from 8 The first part of the book sets the scene talking about the patrons of the bar, their lives and what brought them to the Up Stairs on that fateful day. Once the fire happens, it switches focus to the plight of the survivors and friends and the on-going investigation afterwards. It also tells of the efforts of the MCC and their out-of-town leadership on conducting a memorial service for victims. In a day where the gay community is going through many uphill battles of equality, it is also astonishing to see how far we have come by reading in painful details what blatant disregard and indignities these poor souls suffered in death in the seventies. The author brilliantly brings the reader to the days before and after June 24, 1973, describing New Orleans and what was happening then from the Rault Center fire to the sniper at the Howard Johnson’s. It examines the responses of government and religious officials to those incidents or better the lack of one on the fire. No arrest was ever made in this case which is disgusting how little regard was placed on the lives of gay people in that time. I wonder if the same approach would have happened if the 32 people were straight. Also focusing on the memorial for the victims, the novel describes the unselfish strides people both locally and nationally made to do the best to lay the dead to rest. The religious persecution faced all away around from the victims, the mourners and the clergy who did step up was another facet completing the timeline of events. Delery-Edwards does go into detail the probable perpetrator of the deadly fire and even though it is still considered an open case, he gives the reader a satisfying conclusion. What is also fascinating is his detail about those in the gay community who knew about the fire, who started it and who never came forward. The Up Stairs Lounge Arson is a book that stirred many emotions within me from anger and frustration to shock. The treatment of this event by all involved - the police and fire departments, state and city officials and the clergy is dismal, not to mention the absurdity that others in the gay community never came forward with details of the crime. But ending with the memorial was the uplifting note and also served as a catalyst for the gay community to stand tall. I highly recommend this novel. To get the book, go to FAB Bookstore located at 600 Frenchman Street.
Hot Happenings Below is a listing of a few of the noteworthy events coming up. Check out all the fun, festive and fabulous picks. There should be something here to make your holidays bright and gay.
Thursday, December 18, 2014 The holidays are upon us once again, and nothing goes better with all the good tidings than great cocktails. The team at Tales of the Cocktail once again brings back the return of Tales of the Toddy for its ninth year to help everyone get into the holiday spirits. Tales of the Cocktail welcomes all cocktail industry members and lovers of a good drink to the House of Blues from 6 – 8:30pm to celebrate the season with yuletide cocktails expertly crafted by renowned local bartenders, excellent cuisine from some of the city’s best restau-
rants and live holiday music by John Lisi and Delta Funk. Tickets for Tales of the Toddy® are $40.00. A portion of the evening’s proceeds will benefit the New Orleans chapter of the United States Bartenders Guild (U.S.B.G.) in their mission to support the local bartending community. This year, bartender teams of two will compete for the Judges’ Choice Best Cocktail, as voted on by a panel of local cocktail experts. Attendees will also have their say, voting for their favorite cocktail and restaurant to receive the People’s Choice Awards for Best Cocktail and Best Dish. All Tales of the Toddy attendees must be 21+ and show a valid form of ID upon entry.
Friday, December 19, 2014 The holidays are all about family and no one knows family better than Johnny Passion who is proud to present the return of the LaFamilia Variety Drag Show. The Four Seasons in Metairie is where all the action takes place starring your host and show director Johnny Passion with special guest stars, Arthur R Severio, Connie Hung and Shane Authement (Alexis Daniels). As a special holiday treat for you, there is no cover. Showtime is 10pm. Reserve your tables now as they go fast. The Four Seasons is located at 3229 North Causeway.
Saturday, December 20, 2014 If you have RuPaul’s Drag Race Fever, you can get your fix early at the Tulane Avenue Bar as they present Sissy That Walk Amateur Drag Show Contest hosted by Felicia Faraday. The show starts at midnight and is sure to be entertaining. The Tulane Avenue Bar is located at 3813 Tulane Avenue.
Monday, December 22, 2014 Come “Home for the Holidays” this year is one of the best musical fundraisers of the year at the House of Blues. Home for the Holidays is an evening of music and art to benefit the Daniel Price Memorial Fund for aspiring artists. The patron party takes place from 6 – 7:30pm and includes open bar, hors d’oeuvres and Foundation Room access. The concert takes place from 7:30pm until and includes complimentary Abita Beer. Tickets are $127 for the patron and $37 for the concert only. This event is presented by the NOCCA Institute, House of Blues, the New Orleans Advocate and the family of Daniel Price. Daniel was an up-and-coming artists and New Orleans native who was tragically killed in San Francisco on December 19, 2003. As a way to create something good from this senseless tragedy they established the memorial fund that provides scholarships for outstanding visual arts and music students at NOCCA. The entertainment is a who’s who in the city’s musical community and includes Irma Thomas (patron party), Trombone Shorty, rebirth Jazz band, Kermit Ruffins and the BBQ Swingers, John Boutte, Eric Lindell, just to name a few. The House of Blues is located at 225 Decatur Street. For more information or tickets, go to hob.com/neworleans or call 504.310.4999.
Party Down Thanksgiving has come and gone and now we are at the height of the Christmas season. There are so many parties this year, it has blurred into a dizzying array of cocktails and mistletoe. During the last two weeks I traded the fun of the Crescent City
for Nashville (which you will read about later). But before I left for the Country Music Capital, I attended the Degas House’s holiday party on Tuesday. The Degas House was once the home to the French Impressionist Master, Edgar Degas. Now a Bed and Breakfast, the place stands as a masterpiece of history and hospitality. It is the only home/studio of Degas anywhere in the world that is open to the public. Besides being a Bed and Breakfast in New Orleans, it also serves as a beautiful venue for Courtyard Weddings, Weddings and Receptions in their Grand Parlors, Special Events, The Edgar Degas House Creole Impressionist Tour, Painting Classes and so much more. They opened the doors to the hospitality community to celebrate the coming holiday season. There were delicious delicacies, open bar and a majestic grand tree. It is easy to see why this quaint place was named by many travel publications as one of the top places to stay in NOLA during the holidays. I left for Nashville the following day and immediately jumped back into the excitement upon my return on Sunday by attending Johnny Passion’s 4th Annual Winter Wonderland at Café Istanbul in the Healing Center. Johnny is a wonderfully talented performer and brought together a diverse group of entertainers to perform that evening as well as a silent auction, raffle and food drive. All the proceeds that night went to the NO/AIDS Task Force Food For Friends program. I was even lucky enough to help her emcee for the raffles. Congrats to Misti (aka Johnny) and her partner Catherine for putting on an incredible event raising $5,615. The following week was one event literally after the next starting on Monday with the always elegant tree lighting ceremony at the Windsor Court Hotel. The holidays are always a special place and the hotels downtown decorate accordingly. The hotel has put together a gorgeous Christmas display that includes a 19 1/2 feet tall, custom cut Colorado Blue Spruce tree in the Grand Lobby complete with working toy train around the base. They hosted a small soiree this evening that included music by Robin Barnes, lovely food and libations. It was a festive way to ring in the month of December. On Tuesday, I was off to the tree lighting at the Roosevelt Hotel and their breathtaking lobby thoroughfare. Stylishly designed lighted bare branch trees which tower overhead creating a semi-covered walkway blends nicely with the flocked trees. All are covered with white lights illuminating the pathway. Guests drank champagne while enjoying the lighting ceremony. The following day, the Royal Sonesta turned on their lights with a fete that included more drinks and food. Their Teddy Bear inspired décor is a child’s wonderland. Also that evening, I attended the holiday party for the National Association for Caterers and Events (NACE) which was held at the newly opened Brennan’s Restaurant. It was an absolute joy to see this fine dining establishment reopen and totally renovated. The refresh in design has brought the restaurant back to life. The food and service was outstanding. Special props to the bars and mixologists behind it, they are serving some inspired cocktails. Definitely make it a point to go to eat there and welcome back an old friend. This brings us to Thursday which was the Gambel Holiday Party at their offices in Old Metairie. The lovely ladies of Gambel
Communications, a premier public relations agency pulled out all the stops for their clientele and friends. They even whisked Marvin, the famous bartender from the Carousel Bar at the Hotel Monteleone, to be their celebrity server for the night making his signature martinis. There was music from Jimmy Maxwell and his band playing holiday tunes. It was an ideal evening to spend under the stars enjoying a party. Friday may seem like the end of the week for some, but for many things just start. I attended Harrah’s Champagne Stroll on Fulton Street which handed out unlimited bubbly to the guests as they walked among the lights shopping at vendor tables and listening to great music. After some friends and I went to dinner at the newly opened French restaurant Chateau du Lac Warehouse Bistro which is the second location for this group, the first is on Metairie Road. The food was delectable especially their escargot and duck dishes. This eatery is another new entry into our dining family. Saturday was a day filled with different types of events and it was fantastic to flow with several completely different crowds. Some friends and I began our night at Laura Plantation in Vacherie for their holiday party which included a bonfire. In all my years in the city, I have never seen the bonfires on the levee and this was a perfect opportunity to experience this time honored tradition. Normally this is done on Christmas Eve, but the hospitable folks at Laura decided to throw an old time holiday Fais Do Do early for their supporters. We had music, drinks, food and were able to tour the plantation home and grounds. But the most memorable thing was the bonfire being lit under the full moon. Sometimes the best memories we have are from the simplest of things. After the lighting, we piled into the car and headed back to town stopping briefly in Metairie at the Four Seasons to say hi to the great people of Petronius at their krewe holiday gathering. There was more food and a wonderful show starring Countess C Alice and Reba Douglas. We finally ended our night by catching the tail end of Art Against AIDS at Club XLIV (44). But we came on the scene just in time for me to win some fabulous auction items. Merry Christmas to me. Sunday we returned to Vacherie for the opening of the Whitney Plantation, just down the road from Laura. Within the boundaries of the “Habitation Haydel”, as the Whitney Plantation was originally known, the story of the Haydel family of German immigrants and the slaves that they held were intertwined. We were lucky to be on hand for the Whitney Plantation opening its doors to the public for the first time in its 262 year history, as the only plantation museum in Louisiana with the focus on slavery. Through museum exhibits, slave narratives, memorial artwork and restored, historic buildings, guests will be immersed in the world of an 1830’s sugar plantation and the world of the people whose labor made it one of the most successful in Louisiana. It was a thought provoking afternoon especially when you look at the slave memorial wall, it was a hard life for so many people and it makes you grateful that no matter what the racial issue still are today, we are evolving in the right direction. No person should ever be owned by another one. There was musical entertainment at the small church on the property. It was a
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under the gaydar ...from 10 gorgeous afternoon to walk around and just take in history. We came back to the city and once again attended another event with a totally diverse group from where we just left, a baby shower for Lance and Shayna. This young couple is welcoming a baby boy and are huge supporters of the Krewe of Armeinius (Lance is Brent, the captain’s brother), so the krewe showed up in force to help them celebrate their special occasion. I have never been to a baby shower before, did you know they play some effed up games at them. Like we had to sniff diapers with chocolate melted in them and guess what type of candy bar it was. WTF, who does that! That aside the party was lovely and the décor, rubber ducks everywhere, was nice. Congratulations to the couple and their new addition to our world. That is it for another Party Down, I would like to wish everyone a safe and very Merry Christmas.
Ambush On The Road: A Country Christmas in Nashville Country music, cowboys, and the Grand Ole’ Opry, Nashville is one city that has it all. My mother Dawn and I started our road trip on Wednesday morning before Thanksgiving and drove eight hours straight up to Nashville only stopping once at our guilty pleasure for lunch, Cracker Barrel. Yes, I know it is very cheesy, but I love their shop. We pulled into Nashville at about 3pm and checked into the Gaylord Opryland Hotel which is a massive hotel complex with numerous restaurants, shops, holiday activities, convention center and is just steps away from the Grand Ole Opry and Opry Mills Mall. I had been here in January for a convention and heard about all the things they did for the holidays so I brought Mama Leggio for our annual kick off the holidays road trip/vacation and it was truly memorable. We got settled in very nice junior suites; thank you for the upgrade and then headed down for a special dinner holiday show in one of the hotel’s ballrooms. For the season, they have the band Restless Star performing a concert that includes all their number one hits as well as holiday favorites. John Dittrich, Greg Jennings, Paul Gregg, Dave Innis, and Larry Stewart make up Restless Heart and have enjoyed one of the most successful careers in Country Music history. They have placed over 25 singles on the charts – with six consecutive #1 hits, four of their albums have been certified Gold by the RIAA, and they have won a wide range of awards from many organizations – including the Academy of Country Music’s Top Vocal Group trophy. This was a splendid way to start off the trip with a well-prepared meal at an authentic country music concert. After dinner we walked along the outside grounds looking at the lights and the life-size manger set up. These lit white statues told the story of the birth of Christ and was an exquisite sight. Thanksgiving was a day for exploring, dining and shopping. After we woke up we walked around the large three indoor atriums of the hotel looking at the suspended holiday décor, huge Christmas tree and lights, as well as their parade of trees. Many of the Nashville country music stars and sports figures sponsored the décor for the trees and packages with them that are
up for auction for their favorite charities. I personally enjoyed Reba McIntire and Dolly Parton’s trees. Now those are two country queens who know how to decorate (or at least hire someone who can). Then we
made a brief stop at the Arts and Crafts market. A large group of vendors have set up an art market selling everything from gift items and ornaments to food products at an indoor market that is open every day through Christmas. After quelling the shopping bug for a moment, we went outside to their ICE area. ICE! is an indoor winter wonderland featuring a walk-through holiday attraction made completely of ice, kept at a chilly 9 degrees, two million pounds of hand-carved ice sculptures, four ice slides, six individual rooms depicting the story of ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas, The Frostbite Factory — a live carving zone and a full Nativity in stunning, crystal clear ice. This was one of the most breathtaking holiday displays I have seen in my life. The classic holiday poem, ’Twas the Night Before Christmas, is brought to life in with meticulously carved ice sculptures, including two-story tall ice slides. But my favorite discovery of the area was the Ice Bar where one might be able to partake in a beverage to help their nerves with all the children running around. An ice skating rink and an Ice Tubing slide is also connected to this area.
After we worked up an appetite we went to Thanksgiving lunch at the hotel’s premier restaurant Old Hickory Steakhouse. This plantation named after President Andrew Jackson is fashioned after his plantation home. We had dinner in the outdoor courtyard under the climate controlled sky above. The food, service and atmosphere mixed perfectly to make an unforgettable dining experience. After resting from the full day of activity, we were restless, and the Opry Mills Outlet Mall was right next door and opened for 6pm. So having no will power and little to do, we went over there and enjoyed an evening of shopping. There
was a crowd, but it was not unmanageable, in fact it was rather pleasant. We barely waited in any lines and got some fabulous bargains. We even had a late night sup in the food court at this fine establishment called Cajun Café. Knocked off lots of shopping from our list and had a good time; all that matters. I love Black Friday, I know people say you’re crazy to go shopping on that day, but it depends on where you go. If you shop at the right places, you avoid the stupidity and mayhem and still get the deals. We decided to go to the mall at Green Hills to do our early morning Black Friday Shopping, which said it opened at 8am. We arrived there about 7:30am to beat the crowds and found Macy’s open and there was no one there. I mean literally there was more staff than customers. It was awesome, we never waited in one line the entire day of shopping. I guess because many people perceived this shopping complex, located in a very affluent part of the city as being overpriced. But the stores, which were numerous all had the same sales, just no people. It was the best shopping experience ever. It was almost as if my mom and I had the mall to ourselves. And they had the best stores, Macy’s Dillard’s, Nordstrom’s, Z Gallerie, Banana Republic, just to name a few. We literally shopped till our car was filled, then we went back towards the hotel. The Gaylord Opryland is located near Music Valley Drive which has many restaurants, shops, shows and fun things to do. We went there and I saw something that made me stop the car and park. Cooter’s Place is owned by Ben Jones who played Cooter, Luke, Bo and Daisy Duke’s cousin. He owns a Dukes of Hazard Museum filled with memorabilia from the hit TV Show. The General Lee is parked right out front. Good lord, I use to dream about those Duke boys all the time in my prepubescent gay youth. The museum and shop is a fun-filled trip down memory lane. Remember Boss Hog and Daisy Duke, the original wearer of those tight jean shorts. I spent about an hour there looking at all the cool things then walked next door to the Willie Nelson General Store. Talk about immersing yourself in the country lifestyle. My favorite find, Willie Nelson Kitchen Potholders, get it. Then we went back to the hotel for a spot of lunch at Jack Daniel’s, continuing on the Tennessee roll. But what we did that night was the highlight of the entire trip. We went over to the Grand Ole Opry which is literally steps away from the hotel to see the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular. This is another New York production of the famed Music Hall show that has been performing in Nashville for the last few years, this year is the last year. It is the same show as New York with all the bells and whistles from the Story of the Birth of Jesus with live animals to the Rockettes most famous numbers like the Toy Soldiers and the New York Christmas. We had third row seats right in front for an up close and personal view of all the action. Those women can dance. It is an extensive cast. If you have never seen this show, add it to you bucket list, no matter what age you are, it immediately puts you in the holiday spirit. After the show, we went to the hotel and had dinner in their upscale Italian eatery called
Ravello. The Gaylord Opryland has many dining choices and this is one of the best picks. It also has a noteworthy wine bar attached to it. Saturday, we decided to take a little road trip right outside the city to a little town called Franklin, about 30 minutes outside of Nashville. It is a picturesque little place that looks like it was pulled right out of a Norman Rockwell painting with a Main Street lined with antique shops, boutiques, cafes and specialty stores. The Saturday after Black Friday has been dubbed Small Business Saturday so consumers can shop local, non-chair retail outlets and buy local. Which we did in force. After spending a relaxing afternoon shopping we went to lunch at Puckett’s Boat House, which is part of the world famous Puckett Grocery family of restaurants. The only difference is instead of barbecue, they serve seafood delicacies. My favorite was the lobster bites. The food, service, local brews on tap and down home atmosphere made this place a winning choice. After spending the day out of the city, that evening, we decided it was time to go downtown. We chose one of the hottest new restaurants on the Nashville culinary scene, Etch. This restaurant is the latest offering from Chef Deb Paquette. Located in the ground floor of the Encore tower, Etch offers a private dining room, full bar and an open kitchen with bar-style seating, allowing guests to interact with the chef and her kitchen. There menu features an assortment of global flavors and decadent desserts. In her 13 years as Chef/Owner of Zola, Deb received accolades for Nashville’s best chef and Nashville’s best restaurant multiple times. The cuisine at Etch is complemented by a comprehensive wine list and modern takes on classic cocktails, along with a variety of eclectic beers and regional drafts. My favorite was the Maker’s Mark Manhattan, talk about silky smooth. This was the impeccable way to end our last evening in Nashville. We left our Country Christmas celebration on Sunday for home taking a different route back which brought us through Biloxi, so we had to stop at the Beau Rivage. Their holiday décor is the best on the Mississippi Coast Strip consisting of oversized ornaments and animatronic displays. After having lunch at their buffet we gambled for a few hours. I even won $100 which was nice to take back considering all the money we dropped in Nashville. I am expecting a thank you note from the city of Nashville shortly for our help towards their economy. If you do not have Nashville on your list of cities to visit, add it, you will love the place.
To Quote A Queen Looking for that last minute stocking stuffers, fun magnets is always that perfect gift for an out of town friend – slips easily into an envelope. And finding the right quote to say what you want to that special person is just as exhausting. So I located some great magnets with gay quotes which you can order on-line. So get shopping and enjoy. “Keep Calm and Kiss Boys.” “Gay Pride: What Happens Over the Rainbow Stays Over the Rainbow.” “Let’s Get One Thing Straight: I’m Not.” “Don’t Hate Me Because I’m Gay, Hate Me because I Stole Your Man.” “Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are.”
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trodding the boards by Brian Sands
Email: bsnola2@hotmail.com
Twelfth Night at NOMA through Dec. 21 Put aside Christmas preparations or find time during Hanukkah celebrations, just get thee to the New Orleans Museum of Art for The NOLA Project’s captivating Twelfth Night. You may think you’re familiar with one of Shakespeare’s more regularly produced comedies but, even if you are, it’s a rare treat to see it done so well in such a unique and magnificent setting as the Museum’s Great Hall. Director A.J. Allegra has wisely added a prologue that lays out the back-story making it easier to fix in your mind who’s who. Using billowing blue sheets for the sea and a small boat that “sails” upon them, it makes for a beautiful start of this tale. Allegra may not offer any radical new interpretations of Night—there’s no updating or resetting the scene in the bayou or plumbing the script’s darker depths—but who cares when he takes full advantage of the large space, not only sending his cast up and down the grand staircase and all around the balcony, but using the architecture to enhance the story; I have never so highly anticipated seeing Malvolio’s newly cross-gartered legs as when Keith Claverie, as the priggish court steward, descended that long staircase with the marble railing hiding them until the final reveal. But though there be pratfalls and other visual flourishes sprinkled throughout the evening, Allegra maintains a meticulous emotional transparency, even as characters try to hide their feelings or change their looks, that furnishes this production with a richly satisfying foundation. And while this Night brings out the joyousness of love, it doesn’t neglect the play’s minor key of melancholia. The cast embraces this duality. I’ve enjoyed Kristin Witterschein & Cecile Monteyne over the years but never more so than as Viola and Olivia, respectively, in Illyria. Witterschein’s Viola, disguised as the young man Cesario, is utterly ingenuous, resolutely steadfast, and wisely wary of the assorted crazies she’s been cast among. Too often, Viola’s do too much “acting”. Witterschein does the reverse giving us a minimalist Viola to maximum effect; after all, wouldn’t someone who’s trying to hide do as little as possible to call attention to herself? Yet Witterschein always lets Viola’s fundamental decency and tender feelings shine through. As the Countess still grieving for her recently deceased father and brother, Monteyne gives us an Olivia who may be stern, but hasn’t completely lost her sense of humor. Used to getting her way but overcome by unrequited love for Cesario (not realizing he’s a she), she gets a little wacky, as seen in her facial expressions and body language, a more regal Carol Burnett. Vain yet insecure, it’s an affecting portrait and we cheer when she finally finds her love, Viola’s twin brother Sebastian (Joel Derby). Deliciously smug and appearing like a
constipated owl, Claverie’s Malvolio seems trapped by his own officiousness until the possibility of Olivia’s affections unleashes his amorous desires to hilarious effect. Scowling at those around him, Claverie makes Malvolio a fool you love to laugh at yet, at the end, finds pathos as the once tooproper steward is mocked by all. Looking a bit like Katy Perry in boy drag, Sam Dudley’s goony Andrew Aguecheek is the complete opposite of his brilliant turn earlier this year as the reserved Felix Turner in The Normal Heart. Embracing Aguecheek’s frippery, Dudley finds laughs even in a line like “There’s vinegar and pepper in it.” Jared Hood’s Toby Belch is a larger than life rogue, a cousin to that other great knave, Falstaff. As the jester Feste, Jake Bartush seems to be making up witticisms on the spot, and Derby, Kurt Owens (Antonio), and Levi Hood (Fabian) all provide solid support. James Bartelle endows Duke Orsino with dignity and a well-defined nobility. And portraying him as blind was a nice touch, embodying the play’s “love is blind” philosophy and making it more understandable for Orsino not to realize that Cesario is a young woman. Yet whether because of this or Bartelle’s own stately bearing, a certain erotic sexiness was missing from Orsino making Viola’s falling for him in a brief three days somewhat hard to believe. Then again, love’s blindness can go both ways. In her New Orleans debut, Danielle Doyen was not bad as Olivia’s gentlewoman Maria, but it was a standard issue performance lacking an energizing mischievousness. I sensed she was like a new member of a chamber music group, still getting used to her colleague’s style of playing. Julie Winn contributed rich-looking costumes. Joan Long’s lighting was simple but effective. The musical scoring was wellchosen, but while new sound panels helped, there were some challenges with the acoustics especially when the boisterous Toby held forth. It was gratifying to see three NOCCA students (Emily Bagwill, Marion Strauss & Knox Van Horn) doing well in some of the smaller roles. As The NOLA Project concludes its tenth season on a high note, how wonderful that they are readying the next generation of theater artists as they continue on into their next decade.
James Bartelle, Kristin Witterschein, Cecile Monteyne, Joel Derby in Twelfth Night (Photo credit Liz Gore) old miser Ebenezer Scrooge. Which is not to say he’s taking this assignment any less seriously; on the contrary, his is a finely etched portrait of a cold, hard man who gradually thaws from nasty to nice. Spinning countless variations as he delivers the classic “Bah, humbug” line, what a pleasure it is to see Evans’ face light up as he discovers it’s better to give than receive. Evans, though, is hardly the only reason to see this Carol. A large contingent of ABCT kids fill out a variety of roles in wonderfully self-possessed fashion. If Triston James made an adorable Tiny Tim, the charismatic Lance Pike, as his brother Peter, nearly stole the show from him. Among the adults on stage, the reliable TJ Toups elicited pity as a most believable Jacob Marley, suffering in the afterlife. Donna King brought a cheeky pride to Scrooge’s housekeeper Mrs. Dilber. DC Paul’s Fred emanated a sincere affection for his Uncle Ebenezer despite the cold shoulder he’s received in return. And I’d wager that Kelishia King’s Spirit of Christmas Past is the first time that apparition has ever appeared in a spectacular gold and turquoise Mardi Gras Indian suit. On Vic Woodward’s nice, multi-purpose set, Director Anthony Bean has made this, until the final joyful scenes, an appropriately dark’n’rainy, Halloween-ish Christmas Carol with impressive “House of Horror” sound effects of clanking chains and restless thunder. Okay, scene transitions could be a little smoother. And, though set in New Orleans, there are some all too proper British locutions and references to “shillings.” And, yes, there’s a curious mash-up of olden times (horses hooves clomping in the streets) and new (a shiny attache case carried by Cratchit). But these are easily overlooked when Scrooge’s ultimate embrace of love and humanity leaves you with a lump in your throat. At least it did for me.
A Christmas Carol at the Anthony Bean On the road Community Theater A recent visit to Italy in the off-season allowed me to enjoy some of Rome and through Dec. 21 Florence’s top attractions without having to You’d have to be a Scrooge not to enjoy the Anthony Bean Theater’s production of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. That accomplished actor Harold X Evans is taking a break from August Wilson’s “Century Cycle” and the other serious dramas he’s usually found in to play that bitter
in every 2 hours. Still pile-ups occur to see Bernini’s sublime Apollo and Daphne and David, Antonio Canova’s lifelike Pauline Bonaparte (note the creases in the marble pillows), and the many other glorious paintings, sculptures and furnishings. You might thus want to consider going in when the tour groups have left about an hour after your ticket’s time—by then, you’re likely to have most galleries all to yourself. The Castel Sant’Angelo has an interesting history as an Emperor’s mausoleum, a fortress and castle for Popes, and now a museum. But I was most excited to stand on the top terrace and imagine what Tosca was thinking before she threw herself over the side. It’s quite a view she had before she went over. Try to avoid going to the Palazzo Barberini on a Sunday as, due to staff shortages, many of its rooms are shut. But even without getting to see all of it, I enjoyed my visit. How can you not when you’re surrounded by Caravaggio’s, Tintoretto’s (pere et fils), and La Fornarina, Raphael’s seductive portrait of his mistress? I had been warned about long lines in Florence trying to get in to the Uffizi Gallery and Accademia Gallery, but there were none in the early morning nor the late afternoon. Sure you’re gonna go for Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus and Michelangelo’s David, respectively, but give yourself time to see all the other goodies that each holds, even more so if there are any special exhibits going on. And feel free to lie down on the Uffizi’s hallway floors to take in the magnificent ceiling decorations. Whether at the Pitti Palace or the Medici Chapel you will see how money was spent with splendiferous abandon (hey, Michelangelo doesn’t come cheap), but don’t ignore the more subtle pleasures at the Museum of Pietra Dura where inlaid stones create absolutely exquisite images. Though well worth a visit, I suspect this small museum doesn’t get too crowded even during the height of the tourist season so whenever you go, enjoy!
fight the crowds, indoors or outside in the Piazza San Pietro where I got to see Pope Francis deliver the Angelus prayer. In Rome, at the Galleria Borghese, you theoretically shouldn’t ever have to fight the crowds as only 300 people are let
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celebrazzi Catherine Gaither and partner, Lesbian of the Year Misti Ates present Lady Magic, Necha Beniot the 1st ICON Tribute Honor with the assistance of Samiel Kalin at Johnny Passion's 4th Annual Winter Wonderland hosted at Cafe Istanbul in New Orleans. Sponsored by Ambush Magazine, the event raised a whopping $5,615 for Food For Friends, as well as items for the program's food pantry. It was an amazing evening with a VIP dinner, music, auction, and raffles, concluding with a variety drag show with some of the area's top celebrities and performers. (Photo by Rip Naquin)
Bartender Wayne Hendon hosted his annual Phoenix Toy Drive at the Phoenix New Orleans which was a huge success for St. Anna's Arts Program. Donors enjoyed a great afternoon with food and friends. (Photo by Charles Jenkins, Paul Melancon)
Hubert S Monkeys' life-size monkey helps Captain Gary Vandeventer with his hilarious performance in Lords of Leather's annual American Bandstand as the krewe donned their finest as "Glamazons" raising funds for the krewe's 32nd ball on February 15, 2015. (Photo by Hubert S Monkeys)
Renowned photographer Larry L. Graham of www.GrahamStudioOne.com has done an incredible job on the official portraits of King Cake Queen XXII-Elect of Gay Mardi Gras Aubrey Synclaire. One of the pre-coronation portraits is featured here. The official coronation portraits will be unveiled at the 22nd Annual King Cake Queen Coronation on January 18, 2015. Synclaire will reign as "Queen of the Opera" over the Krewe of Queenateenas "Vienna: Beautiful, Gay & Gemuthlich" culminating with the 28th Official Gay Mardi Gras Bead Toss on Fat Tuesday, February 17, 2015. Graham has been the Official Photographer of the King Cake Queen Royalty Club since 2002. (www.GayMardiGras.com/KCQ)
The Bourbon Pub & Parade hosted their annual Customer Appreciation & Toys for Tots Holiday Extravaganza presenting $2,500 to NO/AIDS Task Force. Funds were raised at the annual Oh What A Drag staff turnabout earlier this year. Guests were asked to bring an unwrapped toy for admittance, all going to Toys for Tots. The party boasted complimentary cocktails, a delicious culinary presentation by Praline Connection, and a special Holiday Lipstixx “Under the Mistletoe” show starring King Cake Queen-Elect Aubrey Synclaire, Nicole Dubois, Paris Manchester and Sarina Styles. (Photo by Rip Naquin: Bourbon Pub & Parade entertainment director Matthew Birkhoff, operations manager Carla Rabasca, proprietor Sandy Sachs, NO/AIDS Task Force’s Rodney Thoulion, Bourbon Pub & Parade tech director Scott Bearden & office manager Chuck Kee) Left: Reigning King Cake Queen XXI Barbara Ella joins special guest star Varla Jean Merman, and King Cake Queen XXII-Elect Aubrey Synclaire at the 28th Annual Art Against AIDS Gala benefiting NO/AIDS Task Force where Varla performed live. Hosted at the swanky Club XLIV adjacent to the Super Dome, the festive evening kicked off the holiday season in style with a spectacular auction, entertainment, and culinary delights from some of New Orleans best restaurants. Ambush Magazine is a proud sponsor of this event for all 28 years. (Photo by Rip Naquin) Right: Corner Pocket dancers Leon and Dylan help hostess and krewe president Opal Masters for a hysterical naughty talent presentation during the Krewe of Amon-Ra's 1st Meat & Greet hosted at The Corner Pocket in New Orleans. Funds raised benefits the krewe's 50th ball on January 24, 2015. (Photo by Rip Naquin)
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28th Art Against AIDS sponsored by Ambush Mag benefiting NO/AIDS Task Force @ Club XLIV ~ New Orleans ~ Photos by Tony Leggio, Rip Naquin, Darwin Reed
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Johnny Passion’s 4th Winter Wonderland sponsored by Ambush Mag raises $5,615 for Food For Friends ~ New Orleans ~ Photos by Tony Leggio, Hubert S Monkeys, Rip Naquin
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commentary by Professor Frank Perez E-mail: f.perez@sbcglobal.net Photo by: Larry Graham, GrahamStudioOne.COM
“Requiem for the Louisiana Democratic Party” Warning: this article may piss you off. If you voted for Bill Cassidy for U.S. Senate and you are not a rich, straight, white, Christian male, you’re an idiot. Harsh? Perhaps. But, honestly, this is how most Mary Landrieu voters feel. The recent defeat of Democratic U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu by Republican Bill Cassidy marks the end of an era. For the first time in nearly 150 years, both Louisiana Senators will be Republican—DoubleDipper Cassidy and Diaper-Fetish Vitter. All state-wide office-holders are Republican (and male). Six of seven Louisiana’s Representatives are Republican. Both houses of the Louisiana Legislature are controlled by Republicans. And now, every U.S. Senator from the Deep South is a Republican. But more than signifying the complete ascendancy of the Republican Party in Louisiana, Landrieu’s defeat was the proverbial nail in the coffin of Democratic Populism (on life support since the 2008 election of Governor Jindal) in the state. The death of populism in Louisiana is ironic because populism, by definition, aims to help people who are politically powerless—the poor, the sick, the disadvantaged, the marginalized, the underprivileged, and working people; i.e.—the vast majority of people of who live in Louisiana. Somehow, the Republican Party has managed to convince these people to vote against their own best interests. For example, as a Congressman: Cassidy voted against raising the minimum wage. Cassidy opposed lowering student loan interest rates. Cassidy voted NO on modifying bankruptcy rules to avoid mortgage foreclosures. Cassidy voted NO on additional $825 billion for economic recovery package. Cassidy voted NO on monitoring TARP funds to ensure more mortgage relief. Cassidy voted to cut Medicare funding. Cassidy voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Cassidy voted to cut Veteran’s benefits. Cassidy voted against the Violence Against Women Act. Cassidy has consistently opposed reproductive rights. Cassidy voted NO on four weeks of paid parental leave for federal employees. Cassidy opposed funding Hurricane Sandy efforts. Cassidy has consistently opposed same-sex marriage equality and LGBT+ rights in general. Cassidy voted to protect homophobic hate speech as free speech. Cassidy voted to reduce the EPA’s regulatory power. Cassidy voted against expanding the Children’s Health Insurance Program. And the Humane Society Legislative Fund (a group that monitors and grades Congress on animal welfare issues) gave Cassidy a score of 0% (ZERO!) on his animal welfare voting record.
Cassidy has consistently voted the straight Republican Party line, which has been on the wrong side of history on every major national issue from the New Deal to today. So, if you are a minimum wage earner, a woman, a person who can’t afford health insurance, a student or have student loans, a hurricane victim, a Veteran, a mortgage holder, gay, lesbian, transgender, in favor of a cleaner environment, a senior citizen, an African-American, a Latino(a), have children or a pet, then you had NO business voting for Bill Cassidy. If you did, you voted against your own best interest. 55.9% of Louisianans voted for Cassidy. Landrieu carried 84.9% of Orleans Parish and also carried Baton Rouge and Shreveport but she was crushed in the vast majority of rural parishes. Landrieu won or came close in every city that hosts a major university, but in the Land of Duck Dynasty, where God and Guns reign supreme over the most uneducated people in the nation, she was swamped. According to the latest Census, Louisiana ranks near the top of the list of states with regard to the number of citizens living below the poverty line (18.7%) and citizens without health insurance (20.8%), and at the bottom of the list of citizens with Bachelor Degrees (21.4%). And yet a majority of these people voted against their own best interests by voting for Cassidy? And why would people do that? Well, to be blunt, most voters in Louisiana are stupid. Savvy political consultants and media gurus hired by completely soul-less politicians have very effectively exploited the Louisiana electorate’s ignorance, especially with regard to race. Race exploitation was obvious in Landrieu’s defeat. Consider that President Obama is overwhelmingly despised by all the states that comprised the Confederacy, and you begin to understand Cassidy’s campaign strategy—”Obama bad, Mary with Obama.” Cassidy flooded the state with ads linking Landrieu with President Obama, often juxtaposing their two faces to where their cheeks were touching (and with Obama’s skin tone touched up to be darker than it actually is), thus conjuring up that age-old Southern fear of a black man with a blonde-haired white girl. The horror! Every Cassidy advertisement drove home the claim that Landrieu voted with Obama 97% of the time, a completely unsubstantiated claim. But the facts didn’t matter. The real message to voters was that Landrieu is a liberal (liberal being a code word for n****r-lover). Never mind the fact that Landrieu opposed President Obama’s moratorium on drilling in the Gulf after the BP oil spill or that, more recently, Landrieu opposed the President on the construction of the Keystone XL pipeline. The non-partisan Congressional Quarterly
rated her as the second-most independent Democrat in the Senate. There was a time when Democrats had a stranglehold on the South. That began to change in 1964 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the historic Civil Rights Act, a landmark piece of legislation that 80% of Republicans in Congress voted against. After signing the historic legislation, LBJ reputedly told an advisor, “There goes the South for a generation.” Talk about prophetic understatement. After 1964, the Democratic monopoly on the South began to unravel and now the Republican takeover is complete. The Deep South, the poorest, most uneducated, illiterate, and unhealthiest region of the country is now unequivocally red, solidly Republican. The old antebellum South has indeed risen. The Confederacy lives again! Can you see him there? In his white linen suit and Plantation hat. Do you see the white bristles of his goatee around his evil grin as the slaves at his feet hand him a whip. That whip is control of the U.S. Senate and the slaves handing it to him are ignorant voters. Blacks, women, gays, lesbians, transgendered people, poor folks, working folks, students, the elderly, the uninsured, Veterans, even pets—anyone who is not a rich, white, straight Christian male—is about to feel the bitter lash-sting of the Republican Party platform. And if you voted for Bill Cassidy, you asked for it. All this is not to say the Democrats are perfect. They most certainly are not. The difference between the two major political parties is not as great as our Corporate Overlords would have us believe. Huey Long, the progenitor of populism in Louisiana, once famously compared Congress to a restaurant with two sets of waiters— Democrats and Republicans. But it didn’t matter, Huey cried, who brought your food because it was all cooked in the same “Wall
Street kitchen.” To invoke a raunchier metaphor, it’s safe to say that if both parties are going to screw the common people, at least the Democrats will give us a reach-around. Senator Landrieu, for example, led the fight to secure Louisiana’s fair share of offshore energy production revenue to rebuild its coast and to make flood insurance affordable. After the BP oil spill, Landrieu also passed the RESTORE Act, a bill that directed 80 percent of the billions of dollars in fines BP had to pay back to the five Gulf Coast states for environmental and economic recovery. After Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Landrieu secured more than $120 billion in recovery aid for the Gulf Coast and worked extensively to jumpstart recovery projects. Landrieu fought to expand Louisiana’s Medicaid system. Landrieu voted to repeal the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Act. Landrieu has consistently supported reproductive rights. Landrieu cosponsored the Violence Against Women Act. The list could go on but the point is that Landrieu has consistently voted on the side of common, everyday working people. In her 18 years in the Senate, she fought tirelessly for the best interests of Louisiana. If Cassidy’s voting record in the House is any indication of how he’ll vote in the Senate, he will continue to vote for the interests of corporate magnates, like the Koch brothers, who financed his campaign. You may not have agreed with Mary Landrieu on all the issues, but compared to Cassidy, she was the far, far lesser of two evils. Unfortunately, Louisiana voters were duped into voting for Cassidy because of their hatred of President Obama and Louisiana voters will be the worse off because of it.
the legal corner by Attorney Troy A. Tureau Email: thelawprofessor@comcast.net
Drinking During the Holidays and DWI When “Ho-Ho-Ho” Turns Into “He-He-HELP!” If you are like me, the time around Christmas and New Year's is one of my favorite times of year. New Orleans is incredibly beautiful during the holidays and truly feels magical. Especially the French Quarter! Along with the beauty of the place we call home is the excitement in the air and the celebratory spirit. Partying in the French Quarter at any time is always a blast, but there is something about having drinks there during the holidays that seems even more enticing. One drink quickly turns into two, two turns into three and before you know it, you are definitely feeling the Christmas cheer! I vividly remember those days in my younger years when I would make that walk of shame back to my apartment in the French Quarter. I was lucky then; I didn’t have to drive to make it back home. Like many of you, I am not so lucky these days. Now, there are only three ways I can make it safely home: a taxi, a non-drinking appointed driver or sleeping it off at a friend’s house or in a hotel room. Unfortunately, not all of us will choose one these safe ways to get home. Some of us, having had a number of drinks during our celebratory festivities, will choose to get behind the wheel and drive home. Now, I am not here to chastise you.
The huge number that represents the deaths, injuries and ruined lives caused by drunk driving is well publicized. Groups such as Mothers Against Drunk Drivers have effectively lobbied to obtain stiffer penalties for driving while intoxicated as well as the lowering of the amount of alcohol consumption needed to constitute the crime. These days the threshold is quite low. In all 50 states it is illegal for adults to drive with a 0.08 BAC (blood alcohol content). In Louisiana for those under 21, the BAC is 0.02 and for commercial drivers it is 0.04. Every person is different and many
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wear it out by Johnny Joseph Delgadillo, Johnny Love E-mail: cuttingedgediva@yahoo.com
Hair Ball Winner 2014 Renee Rooney A couple months back I held the third annual Hair Ball. No it wasn’t something my neighbors cat coughed up into my hand. It was a creative hair and make up competition I hold yearly to get those hair stylist and make up artist who wish to show their creative sides a chance to do so. This year although crowd turn out was not what we were used to the competitors were more than we were used to. As special guest the one and only Princess Stephaney and Monalot Fontaine worked the stage adding the show element we always love to have at our New Orleans events. Their numbers were amazing. As far as the competition we had a number of entries for both categories. The winner of the creative hair category was a diva I had never heard about. A lady who was nervous, excited, and who wanted to challenge herself to do something that was on her bucket list and get into print. Well darlin. You did it. LGBT Community meet Renee Rooney. Renee is a hair stylist at the Arthur Hutton Salon in Metairie. Renee’s father was a marine from all over she says. Although she was born in Alabama her family has spent the last 20 years in Louisiana so she calls herself a military brat and a born again YAT! LOL! I loved learning that about her. Renee got her hair training at John Jay in Lakeview. At this point in her hair career she is the manager at the Arthur Hutton Salon. Renee herself loves color. Her exact response to the question what do you love most about doing hair was “I LOVE COLOR!” The way the light affects the pigment in the hair is amazing. Renee has been doing hair for 5 years now and from what I have seen in her styling, she really has a strong hold in the hair industry in Louisiana. She is quickly building a strong name for herself. For the hair Ball, Renee themed her two hair designs after the movie The Hunger Games. AMAZING!!!!!! One model had her real hair shaped into a bow and arrow on the back of her head. It was all her natural hair. No extensions added in. The shape was perfect and the model gorgeous. Then she had a second model who had a very strong editorial look with large waves laying perfectly laid and pulled under almost as if a helmet of finger waved hair. It was amazing to see. She said that the idea for her theme came to her in a friends car because she decided two weeks out that she was going to compete so there was no time to sit and ponder many ideas. I feel she picked the best theme for the night period and the execution was flawless. Renee says she is truly inspired by the hair stylists in the Louisiana area because there is so much talent here. Her long term goal is to make a name for herself. She wants New Orleans to know her as one of their best. Well well well my diva. I honestly believe you are on your way to being one of
the best. I have witnessed you at work and on stage. You better work bitch!!!!! And that is a Debbie Reynold’s wrap. (Thank you for that saying Aletha LOL!) As far as what is pictured here we have two models. Natasha our blonde has a very 60’s inspired long bang with a slight curl to it and some added body up top. Natasha is wearing a Hazel and Florange dress from
the legal corner ...from 27 factors such as age, gender, body type, fat/ muscle content, medications, metabolism, alcohol content, and the amount of time between drinks, can affect a person’s blood alcohol content. Generally speaking, a 160 pound male could be convicted for DWI for drinking as few as 4 alcoholic beverages and a 120 pound female for drinking as few as 2 alcoholic beverages . So, what do you do if you are stopped by a police officer after you have been drinking? Produce your driver’s license, registration and proof of insurance. When asked any questions, politely answer “I would like to speak to an attorney before I answer any questions” and NEVER, EVER say “I just had a couple of drinks.” Do not engage in conversation with the police officer. If the questions continue, remain silent. Remember, anything you say can be used in a case against you. While you do Rooney for being a true hair stylist and a great person period. She does amazing work and if you are looking for a new salon go check out the Arthur Hutton Salon in Metairie located at 4400 Shores Drive. Phone the salon for a appointment at 504.455.4121. Also a huge thank you to our photographer Chet Overall for once again knocking it out of the park with these great photos. Thanks Chet. Happy Holidays to all of you and remember to spread the love people. BAM BAM!
have a right to call an attorney before you answer any questions, you do not have that right before you decide whether to submit to a field sobriety test or breath test. (Nothing prevents you from asking though.)
Field Sobriety Tests A Field Sobriety Test is the test that a police officer asks you to perform once he or she suspects you are intoxicated. It usually consists of a series of physical challenges (like standing on one foot, touching your nose, walking in a straight line, following a penlight with your eyes, etc.) and can be difficult to perform even when you haven’t been drinking. These tests are unreliable and have nothing to do with your ability to drive a vehicle. You are not legally required to take the Field Sobriety Test and you should politely refuse to take one. No penalties are assessed for your refusal.
Chemical Tests A chemical test is a totally different matter. Even if you are not eventually convicted of a DWI, your refusal to undergo a chemical test can result in fines, possible jail sentences and almost always a suspension of your driver’s license for a specific period of time. While the chemical test given is usually a breath test, it could be either a urine or blood test. You should carefully consider the consequences before refusing a chemical test and weigh them against the fact that the chemical test results may be all that is needed for a DWI conviction.
Final Thoughts
designer Andi Nicken’s who I have written about a couple of times. Our second model Lauren is showing a modern look in hair to which is a very achievable look also. Middle part slicked to the ears the long curls added by a curling iron with a styling powder for added texture. Slightly brushed through and separated by hand. Easy easy easy to achieve. Lauren is wearing a vintage inspired cheetah cropped coat made by me for CED Clothing. BM BAM!!!! All in all I would like to thank Renee
The penalties these days for a DWI conviction vary from state to state and increase with recurrence. While a First Offense DWI is a misdemeanor, the maximum penalties include a criminal record, 6 months in jail, a $1,000 fine, court costs and a loss of driving privileges for 90 days or longer. A Third Offense DWI is a felony and the maximum penalties include a felony criminal record, 1-5 years in prison with 30 days mandatory jail time, a $2,000 fine, court costs, loss of privileges for 2 years, automobile seizure, 6 weeks inpatient and 12 months outpatient substance abuse treatment and home incarceration for remainder of sentence. Bottom line: You should do everything possible not to get behind the wheel after you have been drinking. However, if you are arrested for a
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ambush
VJ Kyle & Jared have a moment @ Dance Club of the Year Oz
Patrick, Ralph, Trent & Michael enjoy holiday cheer @ The Golden Lantern
Steven Mora celebrates his 50th b-day with friends @ The Golden Lantern
Bartender Sebastian bids farewell to Four Seasons in Metairie
All smiles @ Four Seasons in Metairie
Daughter celebrates Mom Kimberly's b-day @ Four Seasons
Jeff, Tim, Thomas & Josh cocktailin’ @ Cafe Lafitte in Exile
Urban gives holiday joy @ The Double Play
Steven Mora & partner Chad Boutte @ The Golden Lantern for Steven’s 50th b-day
Renegade Bears' Duaine & Ambush columnist Professor Frank Perez
Lloyd, Tyra & gang @ Avita Pharmacy Joey, Brian & David @ Four Seasons in Metairie
Poncho & Lafitte’s bartender Khryschian @ Cafe Lafitte in Exile
Bartender Joseph welcomes you to Good Friends Bar
Jared & James @ Le Roundup
Divas “R” Us: Rikki Redd, Aubrey Synclaire, Monique Michaels & Imani Black @ The Golden Lantern
Holiday shopping @ Bourbon Pride
Lana O’Day joins Dominique DeLorean’s Cabaret show @ Four Seasons in Metairie
Doug & Cory join bartender Jake @ Four Seasons in Metairie
Vanessa Carr & her fans @ Tulane Avenue Bar
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Tout l’Image (The Whole Picture) ~ New Orleans, Metairie ~ Photos by Frankie Fierce, Charles Jenkins, Paul Melancon, Rip Naquin
paparazzi
a community within communities by The Rev. Bill Terry, Rector St. Anna’s Episcopal Church, New Orleans Email: fr.bill@stannanola.org
Read and re-read these words carefully. Phrases like, “Bid Thou our sad divisions cease” capture the birth of this child in marginal poverty, this child chased from his crib, this child that would say, “I leave you with this commandment, Love one another.” Then Rejoice in your contemplation of vulnerability. Rejoice knowing that you are like the Holy Family. Rejoice and
when you give a gift, practical or otherwise, give it not because you have to. Give it as a sign that says, YOU ARE WORTHY and YOU ARE A BLESSING and YOUR HEART ACHES TO LOVE. That is the “Silent Night” of our lives and hopes. Remember Emmanuel means God among us – ALL OF US.
Christmas Dear Friends and readers, this column is dedicated to the people of the LGBT community and to the friends and supporters of that same community. It is the dawn of The Incarnation. It is a time with mixed emotions, feelings running just a bit on edge, for some joy, for some sadness. This is perfectly consistent with Christmas. The very bases of our traditions, at least in the Christian traditions, are to celebrate the feast of the child Jesus’ birth. The season is for a full twelve days accounting for the coming and arrival of the “Wise men.” This season can be a time of sadness reflecting on things lost or undone. It can be a time of joy reflecting on the generosity of friends and family. Just so, our reflection on the baby Jesus must compel us receive this Feast Day with bitter sweetness. Jesus was born in a stable. We’ve all seen the “crèche” scenes. What we don’t see or experience is that this is a BARN! The animals, flies, smell, it is a BARN! There was nothing lovely about it. According to some accounts even at His birth he was a marked child and sought after for execution by Herod the Great. The adulation of Jesus and pronouncement that he would be great was echoed on in a very limited way to a limited audience: a few farmers and shepherds, and again according to one account, some scientists (Astrologers-Wise men) who were not Jewish and came from far away. That was the triumphal entry of baby Jesus into the world. Cow dung, and farmers, and some odd gifts, which were very impractical, that was it. I mean really what would Joseph and Mary do with some incense, and oil, now the gold had some value for the family but the rest, really ?! What many do not realize is that those gifts were gifts normally accorded to a King in preparation for a royal funeral. They are hints of things to come. Because most of us know at least the bare minimum of the life story of Jesus, the season can be locked on to the birth narrative, or we can step back and ponder the whole span of his life, and thus know the bitter sweetness of this birth. The Angels that are said to have spoken to both Mary and Joseph gave no hint of the tragic circumstances of the baby. They said he would save the world; be a king, establish a kingdom forever. Yet, we celebrate, we
the legal corner ...from 28 DWI, you should contact an attorney as soon as possible. One good note: Even after receiving a DWI, many times this conviction can be expunged (removed) from your record. (These are the personal views of Troy A. Tureau, and nothing therein is intended to be legal advice of any kind. I invite your comments and questions.) Troy A. Tureau, J.D., L.LM., Attorney at Law, Compass & Tureau, LLC, 3801 Canal St., Suite 301, New Orleans, LA 70119, thelawprofessor@comcast.net 504.308.1608.
gather we remember and we share at least the joy of a new birth and the light that would eventually enlighten the world. The song asks, “Mary did you know?” Perhaps during this Christmas Season we, or at least some of us, might ponder our own vulnerability. Not with sorrow or sadness, no, no! But rather with quiet confidence we might seek to become what Jesus becomes – friend, lover, ally, a companion on the journey. You say you are not worthy, or some churches say you are not worthy! BUNK! Our savior was born amongst soiled straw and smelly animals. As an adult for at least one year if not three years, he was homeless. Because of who he was, even as a baby, he was chased out of the neighborhood to live a time in Egypt. Worthy? Who is not worthy before such a God? Over the past few months a “Tranny” has been joining us for Sunday worship. She sits in the front pew, she prays, she seems oh so serious. She joins the community for coffee and conversation after worship. Just this past week she posted her picture on a social media page with the simple caption, “Yes, Jesus loves me.” Worthy? Who cannot be worthy before such a Christ Child? Recently a few toy drives have been hosted by a few bars in the Community: toys for the children of the Treme. Gifts given, like the Magi those wise scientists, some practical some not but all given with love and hope. I walked into one venue to find a pool table stacked, I mean stacked with toys for the little ones. Big burly men wandered about, Queens arrayed in tuxes stood, cocktails in hand, big boys, little boys, bad boys stood around this outward sign and symbol that is a sacramental offering. My wife was chatting away and inviting her listeners to come to the church to pray and to enjoy our worship. God bless her! Afterwards a sweet and wonderful friend, Joseph (ironically), mentioned that the invitation in and of itself meant so much to those bears, cubs, otters and the rest of the zoo. It was enough simply to invite. So once again, I ask you, “Who is not worthy?” While things are changing please remember amongst all that mistletoe, glitter, lights, candy, “season greetings” cards, and hoorah that for much of the LGBT Community there is still a sense of rejection. Tis the Season right?! Even as a baby Jesus was marginalized and so were his adoring parents. “Who is NOT worthy of His love and the love of His Church?” How much more is our Community like the community and the family of baby Jesus? I want you to remember those great old Christmas hymns that you know and remember. One of my favorite is O Come Emmanuel. The closing lines to this classic are: Oh come, Desire of nations, bind In one the hearts of all mankind; Bid Thou our sad divisions cease, And be Thyself our King of peace. Rejoice, rejoice Emmanuel Shall come to thee, Oh Israel.
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bars Mobile, AL [251] B-Bob's Downtown, 213 Conti St., 433.2262, B-Bobs.COM Flip Side Bar & Patio, 54 S. Conception St., 431.8819, FlipSideBarPatio.COM GABRIEL'S DOWNTOWN, 55 South Joachim St., 432.4900 THE MIDTOWN PUB, 153 Florida St., 450.1555 Pensacola, FL [850] EMERALD CITY, 408 E. Wright St.,
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hair salons New Orleans, LA [504] BOBBY BLUE CONTEMPORARY BARBER & BEAUTY PARLOR, 906 Bourbon St., 527.5100 HEAD QUARTERS HAIR SALON, 900 Rue Dauphine, 522.2666 MICKEY NOLAN'S SALON, 717 Toulouse St., 587.7782
hardware New Orleans, LA [504] MARY'S FRENCH QUARTER HARDWARE, 732 N. Rampart, 529.4465
health New Orleans, LA [504] New Orleans Urgent Care, 201 Decatur St., 700 Magazine St., 552.2433, NewOrleansUrgentCare.com
lodging/accommodations New Orleans [504] AARON INGRAM HAUS, 1012 Elysian Fields, New Orleans, LA 70117, PHONE: 504.949.3110, E-mail us at ingramhaus@yahoo.com. Condos with queensize beds, private entrances; located only six blocks from Bourbon Street and walking distance to most New Orleans attractions. Several favorite bars are within one block. [0714 BURGUNDY BED AND BREAKFAST, 2513 Burgundy St., New Orleans, LA 70117, PHONE/FAX: 504.942.1463, Toll Free (Continental US only): 1.800.970.2153, theburgundy.com, E-mail us at theburgundy@cox.net. Gay owned and operated in newly renovated 1890's double. Four guest rooms with private baths, guests' parlor and "halfkitchen", courtyard and half-open tubhouse with spa (hot tub/whirlpool). Clothing optional in sunbathing and hot tub area. Walking distance to French Quarter. Immediate vicinity of gay and lesbian bars/venues. [0814] CHATEAU LEMOYNE FRENCH QUARTER, 301 Dauphine St., New Orleans, LA 70112, Phone: 504.581.1303, http:// www.hiclneworleanshotelsite.com/gayhotelsnew-orleans. Enjoy a stay enriched with the culture and history of New Orleans at Chateau LeMoyne. Our historic building features all the best of old-time architecture and our prime location allows guests to stay just steps from the French Quarter, while still at enough distance to enjoy a peaceful night’s rest. Versatile guest accommodations include charmingly appointed suites and cottages, while on-site amenities include drinks and dining, a scenic courtyard area and pool, and meeting and event space. When you’re ready to explore, top New Orleans attractions are only moments away. We look forward to welcoming you to the “Big Easy.” THE FRENCH QUARTER GUEST HOUSES, 1005 St. Peter, New Orleans, LA 70116, Phone: 1.800.367.5858, FrenchQuarterGuestHouses.com, email: Info@frenchquarterguesthouses.com. Four meticulously restored boutique inns located in the heart of the French Quarter's most popular LGBT neighborhood. Each building's individual character and charm provides an unforgettable authentic French Quarter experience! FRENCH QUARTER SUITES HOTEL, 1119 North Rampart St, New Orleans, LA 70116, Phone 504.524.7725, Toll Free: 800.457.2253,FrenchQuarterSuites.COM. Email us at Reservations@bpmhotels.com. Official Host Hotel of OZ New Orleans. A locally owned and operated French Quarter hotel that has been beautifully transformed into spacious multi-bedroom suites. Several historical townhouses are
32 • The Official Mag© © : AmbushMag.com • Dec . 16-29, 2014 • Of fic ial Gay Mar di Gras Guide© sinc e 1982 • GayMar diGras.c om
also available to accommodate larger groups of up to 26. Just 3 blocks from Bourbon St., free WiFi, swimming pool, and continental breakfast included. Off street parking is available. MAISON DE MACARTY BED & BREAKFAST, 3820 Burgundy St., New Orleans, LA 70117, PHONE: 504.267.1564, MaisonMacarty.com, email: kurt@maisonmacarty.com. Luxury gay owned and operated bed and breakfast. 8 bedrooms with ensite baths, pool, sun deck and beautiful courtyard. Sleep, eat and play at Maison de Macarty,. Book it now! NEW ORLEANS COURTYARD HOTEL, 1101 North Rampart St, New Orleans, LA 70116, Phone 504.522.7333, Toll Free: 800.457.2253, NOCourtyard.COM. Email us at Reservations@bpmhotels.com, Official Host Hotel of OZ New Orleans. A 19th century home that has been historically restored and transformed into a locally owned and operated hotel. Experience the rich history and hospitality of New Orleans at an affordable price. Just 3 blocks from Bourbon St, free Wi-Fi, swimming pool, and continental breakfast included. Off street parking is available.
marketing & printing New Orleans, LA [504] SIR SPEEDY, 343 Carondelet, 586.9812, 586.9817, offering printing and marketing services including web design and hosting. info@sirspeedyneworleans.com, sirspeedyneworleans.com
massage New Orleans, LA [504] RIGHT TOUCH MASSAGE -- Christopher - Full body therapeutic massage (Swedish/Deep Tissue); heated table; private studio; tropical garden; Faubourg Marigny Area, French Quarter. Upgrade (Salt Scrubs Bodywork & Thai/Sport Stretching massage). Call/text 504.458.5996 / For pictures http://www.christophernola.com. License #LA4553 [is2614]
media New Orleans, LA [504] AMBUSH Mag, Official Gay Easter Parade Guide, Official Gay Mardi Gras Guide, Official Gay New Orleans Guide, Official Gulf South Guide, Official Pride Guide, Official Southern Decadence Guide, 828-A Bourbon St., 70116-3137, 522.8049, AmbushMag.COM; email: marsha@ripandmarsha.com AMBUSHonLINE, 828-A Bourbon St., 70116-3137; 522.8049, ambushonline.com, email: marsha@ripandmarsha.com
museum/arts New Orleans, LA [504] BEAUREGARD-KEYES HOUSE, 1113 Chartres, 523.7257 CABILDO, 701 Chartres, Jackson Square, CAC [Contemporary Arts Center], 900 Camp St., 528.3805, cacno.org EDGAR DEGAS HISTORIC HOME, 2306 Esplanade Avenue, tours by appointment: 504.821.5009, the house tour lasts one hour, is led by a great-grand-niece of Degas, and includes the award-winning documentary video, Degas in New Orleans: A Creole Sojourn 1850 HOUSE, 523 St. Ann GALLIER HOUSE, 1132 Royal, 523.6722 GERMAINE WELLS MARDI GRAS MUSEUM, 2nd Floor Arnaud's, 819 Bienville HERMANN-GRIMA HISTORIC HOUSE, 820 St. Louis, 525.5661 HISTORICAL PHARMACY MUSEUM, 514 Chartres, 524.9077 HISTORIC NEW ORLEANS COLLECTION, 533 Royal, 523.4662 LONGUE VUE HOUSE AND GARDENS, 7 Bamboo Rd, Metairie, 488.5488, MUSEE CONTI HISTORICAL WAX MUSEUM, 917 Conti, 525.2605 NEW ORLEANS MUSEUM OF ART, City Park, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, 488.2631 OGDEN MUSEUM OF SOUTHERN ART, 925 Camp St., 539.9600 OLD U.S. MINT, 400 Esplanade
PRESBYTERE, 751 Chartres, Jackson Square ST. LOUIS CATHEDRAL, Jackson Square WORLD WAR 2 MUSEUM, 945 Magazine, 527.6012, http://nationalww2museum.org
music New Orleans [504] SKULLY'Z RECORDZ, 907 Bourbon St., 592.4666
organizations New Orleans, LA [504] ACLU and ACLU Foundation of Louisiana, P.O. Box 56157, New Orleans, LA 70156, 504.522.0628 x25, Fax: 888.537.0384, laaclu.org AIDS HOTLINE, 821.6050 in New Orleans, 1.800.99.AIDS[2437]-9 toll free statewide AIDSLaw of Louisiana, 3801 Canal St., Suite 331, 568.1631, AIDSLAW.org ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, 838.3399 BIG EASY STOMPERS, Country & Western line dancing. Weekly lessons and monthly Country & Western dance party, www.bigeasystompersneworleans.com, info@bigeasystompersneworleans.com BELLE REVE NEW ORLEANS, AIDS Residence for Families, PO Box 3305, 70177; 945.9455 COMMUNITY ACTION NETWORK, a project of the NO/AIDS Task Force which works with the gay community to implement HIV prevention activities, 507 Frenchmen St., 945.4000, noaidstaskforce.com COPS 8 (Citizens' Organization for Police Support in the 8th District), 840 N. Rampart St., #51, 70116; 588.COPS (2677), cops8.org FOOD FOR FRIENDS, 944.6028 FORUM FOR EQUALITY, 336 Lafayette, Suite 200, 70130; 947.2981, ForumForEquality.COM FRIDAY NIGHT BEFORE MARDI GRAS (FNBMG), PO Box 791376, New Orleans, LA 70179-1376; 733.3311, fridaynightbeforemardigras.com, fnbmg@cox.net GAY APPRECIATION AWARDS, 828-A Bourbon St., 70116-3137; 522.8049; AmbushMag.COM/GAA GAY EASTER PARADE, 828-A Bourbon St., 70116-3137, 504.522.8049, info@gayeasterparade.com, GayEasterParade.COM GAY MARDI GRAS, 828-A Bourbon St., 70116-3137, 504.522.8049, GayMardiGras.COM GAY NEW ORLEANS, 828-A Bourbon St., 70116-3137, 504.522.8049, GayNewOrleans.COM HALLOWEEN IN NEW ORLEANS, INC., PO Box 52171, 70152-2171; halloween neworleans.com/ambush HATE CRIMES NATIONAL HOTLINE, 206.350.HATE (4283), National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800.799.SAFE (7233), Hate Crimes Hotline at the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights 800.552.6843 KREWE OF AMON-RA, PO Box 7033, Metairie, LA 70010, KreweOfAmonRa.COM KREWE OF ARMEINIUS, PO Box 56638, New Orleans, LA 70156-6638, kreweofarmeinius.org KREWE OF MWINDO, PO Box 51031, 70156; 913.5791, KreweOfMwindo.ORG, krewe@kreweofmwindo.org KREWE OF NARCISSUS, PO Box 3832, New Orleans, LA 70177. Contact: 504.228.9441 KREWE OF PETRONIUS, PO Box 1102, Kenner, LA. 70063-1102, petronius1961@cox.net KREWE OF QUEENATEENAS / KING CAKE QUEEN ROYALTY CLUB, 828-A Bourbon St., 70116-3137, 522.8049, GayMardiGras.COM/KCQ KREWE OF URSUS, kreweofursus@aol.com LORDS OF LEATHER, 1631 Elysian Fields, #161, 70117, www.LordsOfLeather.com
Metropolitan Community Church of New Orleans, services at 10am, 6200 St Charles Ave., New Orleans, LA 70118;
504.270.1MCC www.mccneworleans.org MYSTIC KREWE OF SATYRICON, 2443 Halsey Ave., New Orleans, LA 70114, 504.906.7990 Todd J. Blauvelt / Secretary, krewe.of.satyricon@gmail.com, MysticKreweOfSatyricon.COM NEW ORLEANS BEAR AND BEAR TRAPPER SOCIAL CLUB, P.O. Box 57756, New Orleans, LA 70157-7756, 504.298.0061, theneworleansbears.com NEW ORLEANS GAY MEN’S CHORUS, 322.7007, nogmc.com; nogmc@aol.com NEW ORLEANS JAZZ & HERITAGE FESTIVAL, nojazzfest.com NO/AIDS TASK FORCE, 2601 Tulane Ave., Suite 500, 70119; 821.2601; NOAIDSTaskForce.COM PFLAG/NO [Parents & Friends of Lesbians & Gays/ New Orleans], PO Box 15515, 70175; 895.3936, 392.0001, pflagno.org, info@pflagno.org PRIDE CELEBRATION in New Orleans NOLAPride.ORG PROJECT LAZARUS, A Residence for PWAs, PO Box 3906, 70177-3906; 949.3609 REGIONALAIDS INTERFAITH NETWORK [RAIN], 523.3755 RENEGADE BEARS OF LOUISIANA, PO Box 3083, New Orleans, LA 70177; renegadebearsoflouisiana@gmail.com SOUTHERN DECADENCE, 828-A Bourbon St., 70116-3137, 504.522.8049, SouthernDecadence.COM ST. ANNA'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 1313 Esplanade Avenue New Orleans, LA 70116 947.2121, stannanola.org VOLLEYBALL NEW ORLEANS, PO Box 13306, 70185-3306; volleyballneworleans.com, postmaster@volleyballneworleans.com
pets New Orleans, LA [504] DR. MIKE'S ANIMAL HOUSE, 1120 N. Rampart, 523.4455
pharmacy Baton Rouge, LA [225] AVITA PHARMACY, offers personalized, convenient care to those affected by chronic illnesses. Avita offers free delivery, co-pay assistance, benefit coordination, and refill reminder calls as well as access to a pharmacist 24/7. Every prescription filled today helps Avita give back to the community tomorrow. www.avitapharmacy.com New Orleans, LA [504] AVITA PHARMACY, offers personalized, convenient care to those affected by chronic illnesses. Avita offers free delivery, co-pay assistance, benefit coordination, and refill reminder calls as well as access to a pharmacist 24/7. Every prescription filled today helps Avita give back to the community tomorrow. www.avitapharmacy.com MUMFREY'S PHARMACY, 1021 W. Judge Perez Dr., Chalmette, LA 70043, 504.279.6312, www.MumfreysPharmacy.COM. Supporting & serving the LGBT Community for over 20 years. Local pharmacy offering personalized family-like service, automatic refills & free metro wide confidential pickup & delivery. Also offering shipping for out-side our delivery area. When you call us you speak to a person, not a machine. See our ad.
restaurants Mandeville, LA [985] The Po-Boy Shack, 1703 N. Causeway Blvd., 626.1303 Metairie, LA [504] Chef Ron's Gumbo Stop & Pub, 2309 N. Causeway Blvd., 835.2022, GumboStop.com New Orleans, LA [504] 801 Royal, 801 Royal St., 581.0801, 801Royal.com Clover Grill, 900 Bourbon St., 598.1010, CloverGrill.COM Country Club Restaurant, 634 Louisa St., TheCountryClubNewOrleans.COM, 945.0742 Deanie's Seafood, French Quarter: 841 Iberville, 581.4141; Bucktown: 1713 Lake Ave., Metairie, 831.1316; Deanies.COM Fatoush Mediterranean Grill, Coffee House & Juice Bar, 2372 St. Claude Ave., #130, FatoushRestaurantNOLA.COM, 371.5074 Gene's Po-Boys, 1040 Elysian Fields, 943.3861 Horn's, 1940 Dauphine St., 459.4676 Lil Vic’s Rosticceria, 719 Toulouse, 304.1238 Mona Lisa Restaurant, 1212 Royal St., 522.6746 Orleans Grapevine Wine Bar & Bistro, 720 Orleans, 523.1930, OrleansGrapevine.com Quartermaster: The Nellie Deli, 1100 Bourbon St. , 529.1416, QuartermasterDeli.NET Retrouvailles Bistro & Balcony Dining, 700 Bourbon St., 523.1485 The Ruby Slipper, 2001 Burgundy St., 525.9355
retail/shopping New Orleans, LA [504] BOURBON PRIDE, 909 Bourbon, 566.1570 COK (Clothing or Kinkl), 941 Elysian Fields, 945.9264 HIT PARADE, 741 Bourbon St., Facebook.COM/HitParadeNOLA MARY'S FRENCH QUARTER KITCHEN & BATH, 732 N. Rampart, 529.4465 MR. BINKY'S BOUTIQUE, 107 Chartres St., 302.2095, MrBinkys.com PANDA BEAR, 415 Bourbon St., 529.8064 QT PIE BOUTIQUE - 241 Dauphine St., 581. 6633 RAB DAB CLOTHING AND GIFTS, 918 Royal St., 525.6662
theatres New Orleans, LA [504] CAFE ISTANBUL, 2372 St. Claude Ave., #140, 504.974.0786, CafeIstanbulNOLA.COM JOY THEATER, 1200 Canal St., 208.1180, TheJoyTheater.com MAHALIA JACKSON THEATRE OF PERFORMING ARTS, 801 N. Rampart, Armstrong Park, mahaliajacksontheater.com, 525.1052 MID-CITY THEATRE, 3240 Toulouse, 488.1460, MidCityTheatre.COM NEW ORLEANS FRINGE FESTIVAL, NOFringe.ORG Slidell, LA [985 CUTTING EDGE THEATER, 742 Robert Blvd., 649.3727, CuttingEdgeTheater,COM
photography
tours
New Orleans, LA [504] GRAHAM/STUDIO ONE NEW ORLEANS, by appointment, grahamstudioone.com
New Orleans, LA [504] Gay New Orleans Walking Tour, Crescent City Tour Booking Agency, (LGBT Business of the Year) 638 St. Ann St., 568.0717. follow Gay New Orleans Walking Tour @ Facebook.COM
real estate New Orleans, LA [504] Latter & Blum INC/French Quarter, Steve Richards, LGBT Realtor, 712 Orleans @ Royal, Cell: 504.258.1800, Office: 504.529.8140, Website: www.SteveRichardsProperties.com, Email: SRichards@LatterBlum.com LATTER & BLUM, Agent Brian M. Pawlowski, brianrealtor@aol.com, Agent Stace McDonald, stacerealtor@aol.com, 840 Elysian Fields, 451.2495
Next DEADLINE Tues., Dec. 23
504.522.8049 marsha@ripandmarsha.com
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book review
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The Bears of Winter
Monica Heart from Pensacola performing @ B-Bob’s
B-Bob’s resident DJ Leroey
We Love Dan Hello to the Wright Family
B-Bob’s Hostess & Emcee Jawakatema Davenport
Happy Days with Judson & Weston
Hello Mr. Taylor
The Vogue Sisters Reunited
Matthew looking suspicious!
Jerry’s Thanksgiving Turkey
Queen Michelle & Delta @ Flip Side Bar
Michael & the Holiday Cheer
Marty & Flossie with Gina
Hello Jason & Friends
AMBUSH
MAG.COM 828
Hello Corey & Rick
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Holiday Style ~ Mobile, Alabama ~ Photos by Miss Cie & John
by Professor Frank Perez E-mail: f.perez@sbcglobal.net The Bears of Winter is Jerry Wheeler’s latest anthology of short fiction and consists of sixteen stories from a wide range of authors. The strength of the collection derives from its eclectic variety, not only of authors, but also of setting and genre. Contributors to the anthology include: R.W. Clinger, Jeff Mann, ‘Nathan Burgoine, Frank Muse, Jeffrey Ricker, Max Vos, Jay Neal, Xavier Axelson, Roscoe Hudson, Daniel M. Jaffe, Dale Chase, Lewis DeSimone, Hank Edwards, Philip Williams, Charles Hopwood, and Nathan Sims. R.W. Clinger serves the reader a pack of three very horny foodie bears in “Warning: Don’t Feed the Bears.” Jeff Mann conjures up a Vampire bear into domination in “Snow On Scrabble Creek.” Jay Neal takes us on an adventure to Antarctica in “Miles, Of the Antarctic,” while Jeffrey Ricker takes us across the galaxy in his science fiction piece, “Snowblind.” Max Vos explores gay-bashing in “Mountain Bear.” There is even a horror story in Xavier Axelson’s “Sleeping Bear.” And no Bears of Winter collection would be complete without an erotic Santa story or two—thanks, Frank Muse and Daniel M. Jaffe! Despite the fantastic variety of this collection, the common theme is winter. In the Introduction, Wheeler explains that he met his late partner in October and poignantly describes the first winter they spent together. “It was love at first sight for both of us, and anyone who’s ever been in love remembers the incredible rush of those first few months. No matter what happens later, that time is something you remember for the rest of your life.” The Bears of Winter is a delightful collection of short fiction that should afford readers warm comfort on cold winter nights for years to come. Jerry Wheeler is Editor of the Lambda Literary Award finalist Tented: Gay Erotic Tales from Under the Big Top (Lethe Press 2010), as well as four erotica anthologies for Bold Strokes Books. Jerry L. Wheeler’s collection of short fiction, Strawberries and Other Erotic Fruits was a Lambda Literary Award finalist in 2013. Other anthologies include On the Run (Wilde City Press) and The Bears of Winter (Bear Bones Books). His first novel, The Dead Book, is forthcoming from Lethe Press in 2015. His book reviews are available on the web at Out in Print: Queer Book Reviews (outinprintblog.wordpress.com). And if you’re a writer in the market for his professional editing services, please check out Write and Shine at his website, www.jerrywheeleronline.com. The Bears of Winter. Jerry Wheeler, Editor. Bear Bones Books, 2014. ISBN: 978-1-59021-269-1. 267 pages. $20.00.
Sout hernDec adenc e.c om • Dec . 16-29, 2014 • Facebook.com/ AmbushMag • The Official Mag© © : AmbushMag.com • 35
Wayne’s Annual Phoenix Toy Drive benefiting St. Anna’s Arts Program ~ New Orleans ~ Photos by Charles Jenkins, Paul Melancon
paparazzi
36 • The Official Mag© © : AmbushMag.com • Dec . 16-29, 2014 • Of fic ial Gay Mar di Gras Guide© sinc e 1982 • GayMar diGras.c om
Lords of Leather American Bandstand 2014: “Glamazons” with Host Elizabeth Bouvier ~ New Orleans ~ Photos by Hubert S Monkeys
snap
Sout hernDec adenc e.c om • Dec . 16-29, 2014 • Facebook.com/ AmbushMag • The Official Mag© © : AmbushMag.com • 37
ambush
Miss National Apollo Amanda Rose Andrews, Oz manager Glenn & Miss Louisiana Continental Aubrey Synclaire @ Oz
Amon-Ra’s 1st Meat & Greet @ The Corner Pocket
Friends join proprietor Sandy Sachs for Bourbon Pub & Parade Holiday Extravaganza
George’s Chansley (from Baton Rouge) & Quinton join Bourbon Pub & Parade Toys for Tots Holiday Extravaganza
Pelican Bay staff celebrate @ Oz GrandPre’s Wilhemina, Ken & Jimmy @ Bourbon Pub & Parade Holiday Extravaganza Jim gets a little action from Deja @ Amon-Ra’s 1st Meat & Greet
Miss Essence International Classic Teryl-Lynn Foxx stars @ Oz
John & Errol join Amon-Ra Meat & Greet @ Corner Pocket
DJ Chris Allen, bartender David & DJ Brendan @ Bourbon Pub & Parade Holiday Extravaganza
Sandy Sachs & Martha @ Bourbon Pub & Parade Toys for Tots Holiday Extravaganza
Head on over to Rawhide & greet new manager Derek
The “shot” boys doing the decorations @ Oz Barbara, Misti & Cat in for AmonRa Meat & Greet @ The Corner Pocket
On the bar @ Oz
Double Play’s Will joins function lt. Darwin for Amon-Ra Meat & Greet @ The Corner Pocket
Alex, Scott, Paul & Ethan @ Bourbon Pub & Parade Toys for Tots Holiday Extravaganza
Proprietor Sandy Sachs welcomes Terilyn Moore to Bourbon Pub & Parade Holiday Extravaganza
Bartender Cap invites you to the all new Voodoo Lounge
Country Club security director James, bar baron Jay, VP Sarah, bar manager Drew & GM Bert cocktailin’ @ The Double Play
38 • The Official Mag© © : AmbushMag.com • Dec . 16-29, 2014 • Of fic ial Gay Mar di Gras Guide© sinc e 1982 • GayMar diGras.c om
La Scène Sociale (The Social Scene) ~ New Orleans ~ Photos by Paul Melancon, Rip Naquin
paparazzi
Sout hernDec adenc e.c om • Dec . 16-29, 2014 • Facebook.com/ AmbushMag • The Official Mag© © : AmbushMag.com • 39