Frontiers Vol. 34, Issue 14 by Frontiers

OCT. 29 - NOV. 11, 2015 | VOL. 34, NO. 14

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CLIFTON’S REBORN A TOUR OF THE CITY’S NEW CABINET OF CURIOSITIES

Kathy Griffin Acts Like a Boss

50 Local Bars and Restaurants in 5 of the City’s Most Exciting Foodie Neighborhoods

Behind the Scenes of American Horror Story with Denis O’Hare

Around-the-World Dining Destinations

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Contents

OCT. 29 - NOV. 11, 2015

FEATURES Sweater by Ben Sherman, tee by The Kooples, jeans by ONE BXWD, shoes by Zara (On the cover) Henley by John Varvatos, jacket by Diesel, jeans by ONE BXWD, high tops by All Saints, socks by Happy Socks

Eat & Drink Los Angeles

The Real Queen of AHS: Hotel

The Rebirth of Clifton's Cafeteria

ON THE COVER Jordan Olson photographed at Clifton's Cafeteria by Ryan Forbes, ryanforbesphotography.com, with 100% of his fees donated to the L.A. LGBT Center. Styling by Art Conn. Styling assistance by Myda Noriega. Grooming by Nate Cooper. Photo assistance by Kyle DiFulvio. NOVEMBER 11, 2015

Contents

Download our interactive digital edition with videos, expanded editorial, behind-the-scenes photos and more. Search for Frontiers magazine on

OCT. 29 - NOV. 11, 2015

DEPARTMENTS NEWSBOX 07 08 10 12

12 14

Houston, We Have a Problem Flashbulb Watercooler Gays at the Center of Palm Springs Elections The Fudging of Gay History DateBook

THE GAY AGENDA 19 20 22 22

07 29

Hollywood's Cocktail Obsession Ice Cream Invasion What's For (Last) Supper? 3 New Books on Our Radar

TRAVEL 25 26 27

The World's Best Destination Dining In Search of the World's Best Parks Puerto Vallarta Survives Patricia

CALENDAR 29 30

31 33

Kathy Griffin Acts Like a Boss Arclight Presents Women in Entertainment Prairie-Oke! Returns 7 Halloween Weekend Events

19 35

ENTERTAINMENT 35

36 37 38 38

Michael Urie Talks Season Two of Cocktails and Classics Film Reviews Music Reviews Coming to TV Theater Reviews

COLUMNS 56 57 58 64

Billy Masters Gossip Gay Palm Springs Gaydar

25 58 Frontiers magazine is published by New Frontiers Media Holdings, LLC, 5657 Wilshire Blvd., Ste. 470, Los Angeles, CA. 90036, and distributed throughout Southern California. Up to the first three copies of any single issue are free; additional copies are $10 each. Violators caught stealing or destroying issues will be prosecuted under California Penal Code 484. For magazine subscriptions, please call (323) 930- 3220. The contents of Frontiers may not be reproduced in any manner, either in whole or in part, without permission from the publisher. All rights reserved. Letters to the editor, artwork, photography, manuscripts and other correspondence may be submitted to Frontiers at the above address. We cannot acknowledge or return material unless accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. Allow at least three months for processing. Publication of the name or photograph of any person or organization in articles or advertising in Frontiers is not to be construed as any indication of the sexual orientation or the HIV/AIDS status of such person or organization. Copyright ÂŠ 2015, New Frontiers Media Holdings, LLC.

PEOPLE INDEX Lucille Ball 22 Bruce Campbell 38 Bette Davis 19 Geena Davis 19 2

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Nyle DiMarco 56 Pope Francis 10 Lady Gaga 22 Adam Lambert 33

Juliette Lewis 30 Joel McHale 14 Ian McKellen 7 Sharon Stone 39

NOVEMBER 11, 2015

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Houston, We Have a Problem Will the nation’s fourth largest city vote against equal rights come November?

Houston Mayor Annise Parker with supporters of her proposed nondiscrimination ordinance in 2014

By Karen Ocamb

24 The number of trans individuals who have been murdered in the United States since January 2015

SPEAK OUT

curious disconnect over LGBT rights—especially the rights of transgender individuals—is playing out in cities and states around the country. Despite a reputation for welcoming diversity in Houston, Texas—having twice elected a lesbian mayor, for instance—the city will decide on whether it supports or opposes discrimination when its citizens vote on the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance on Nov. 3. It’s confusing. On one hand, there’s a marked positive increase in the visibility of trans people, thanks to celebrities such as Laverne Cox and Caitlyn Jenner and new governmental protections. But a foul wind is also wafting across the country. An estimated 24 trans individuals have been murdered in America since January 2015, prompting Minnesota Sen. Al Franken to recently send a letter to the Justice Department expressing “serious concern about the alarming number of homicides and violent crimes targeting transgender and gender-nonconforming people.” The Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, or HERO, was originally passed by the City Council in 2014 to add Houston, America’s fourth largest city, to the roster of cities in Texas and nationwide that have a non-discrimination law. Once passed, however, the religious right immediately ensnared the ordinance and the city in litigation, with the Texas Supreme Court eventually ruling that the city either remove HERO or put it on the ballot. The ordinance protects 15 classifications of people, not simply LGBTs. It “prohibits discrimination in city employment and city services, city contracts, public accommodations, private employment and housing based on an individual’s sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age,

familial status, marital status, military status, religion, disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity or pregnancy.” To defeat the equal rights measure, crass opponents have been ginning up fears of transgender women following little girls into restrooms like male sexual predators. An ad by the Campaign for Houston proclaims, “Any man could enter a women’s bathroom at any time simply by claiming to be a woman that day. No one is exempt; even registered sex offenders could follow women or young girls into the bathroom, and if a business tried to stop them, they’d be fined. Protect women’s privacy. Prevent danger. Vote ‘No’ on the Proposition 1 ‘bathroom ordinance.’ It goes too far.” Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick jumped on the perversion bandwagon. “It’s about allowing men into women’s locker rooms and bathrooms,” Patrick said in a broadcast ad. “No woman should have to share a public locker room or restroom with a man.” Rev. Ed Young, pastor of Houston’s 63,000-member

“A closet’s a really nasty place to live, you know? It’s dirty, it’s dusty, it’s full of skeletons. You don’t want it. Open that door—fling it wide and be yourself.” Sir Ian McKellen speaks to The Hollywood Reporter about actors who choose to stay in the closet.

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FLASHBULB continued

Second Baptist Church, agrees, waving the ordinance onstage during a Sunday sermon and declaring that HERO would “open up our city to something I think is absolutely godless,” according to Texas Monthly. “Those of us who believe men should use men’s facilities and women should use women’s facilities—we will be discriminated against.” Nevermind that Houston has had a law on the books since 1972 prohibiting the sexes from using each others’ bathrooms. “In short,” writes gay journalist Jonathan Capehart in the Washington Post, “if you’re in the bathroom for any purpose other than relieving yourself, you’re breaking the law. And if you’re in there to molest children or commit rape, you’re also a monster.” Capehart wrote that if Houston voters reject HERO, they will “create a no-go zone for LGBT people. And they had better be prepared for the backlash that will result.” Talk like that—and threats of a possible boycott against the NFL in 2016— apparently convinced Texans football team owner Bob McNair to demand his $10,000 contribution back from HERO opponents, claiming he was misled. “I do not believe in or tolerate personal or professional discrimination of any kind,” he said in a statement to Outsports. Many were pleased with McNair’s change of heart. “Bob McNair, like many Houstonians, decided to take a second look at HERO, and realized that the values of sportsmanship require treating everyone fairly and equally, on the field and under the law,” said Hudson Taylor, Founder and Executive Director of Athlete Ally. “I hope others in Houston will also take this opportunity to educate themselves on the important protections that HERO provides.” More and more Houston residents seem to be growing aware that if they don’t pass HERO, they face the nation labeling their city anti-equal rights. And Californians must be mindful that if the ugly antitrans messaging works in Houston, the anti-trans forces pushing similar “bathroom initiatives” through our state legislatures and on 2016 ballots will try to replicate the success. An anti-LGBT group called Privacy for All, based in Sacramento, has already tried to repeal the School Success and Opportunities Act for trans kids, despite any evidence of problems in California schools since the law went into effect. In fact, they are now pushing to place a “privacy” initiative on the November 2016 ballot.

HOLLYWOOD TRIBUTE TO AFRICAN-AMERICAN ACHIEVEMENTS IN TELEVISION, Beverly Wilshire Hotel, Oct. 26—The Paley Center for Media highlighted the accomplishments and impact of African-Americans across every genre of television. Top, from left: Regina King, Tommy Davidson, Niecy Nash, Tyra Banks. Bottom: Terrence Howard, S. Epatha Merkerson, Ice-T and Coco Austin, Brandy Norwood, Joe Morton

GLSEN RESPECT AWARDS, Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons Hotel , Oct. 23—The event showcases the work of students, educators, individuals and corporations who serve as exemplary role models for LGBT youth. From left: Dana Delany, honoree Zachary Quinto, Jim Parsons, honorees Justin Timberlake and wife Jessica Biel, Todrick Hall with a GLSEN student ambassador and Gigi Gorgeous

If you would like to help the group pushing for Proposition 1, go to FrontiersMedia.com to learn about remote phone banking and other opportunities.

SPEAK OUT “The majority in our society do not wish to legalize this issue of gay rights.” Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta to CNN’s Fareed Zakaria on the latter’s Oct. 18 Global Public Square program

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STARDUST SOIRÉE, Spice Affair, Oct. 24—Friend Movement’s second annual black-tie VIP dinner and concert fundraiser included a cocktail reception and midnight dance party. Top, from left: Frenchie Davis, The Summit (Brad Barnes, Vincent Edwards, Antoine Coetzee & CJ Natoli), Ronnie Kroell. Bottom: Ryan Boone, David Zimmerman with Ange Rockwood, Frontiers publisher Michael Turner with Friend Movement CEO Jeanie You

NOVEMBER 11, 2015

WATERCOOLER

Your cheat sheet for intelligent conversation — By Peter DelVecchio

Lawsuit Could Overhaul ENDA Failure

Various iterations of the Employment NonDiscrimination Act, ENDA, have been kicking around Congress for years, but none has passed. A new lawsuit filed by a gay former Federal Aviation Administration employee would, if successful, make discrimination against LGBT workers unlawful under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act. David Baldwin claims he was passed over for promotion three times because of his sexual orientation. In July, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission sided with him, ruling his case fell within Title VII. The commission ruled two years ago that discrimination against trans individuals violates that law. Baldwin has now sued the FAA in federal court seeking damages and other relief. “That anyone would lose their job simply because of who they are is a travesty,” Baldwin says.

Male Rape Trauma Center Opens in Sweden

The world’s first trauma center for male victims of rape and sexual assault has opened its doors in Sweden. Sodersjukhuset Hospital, Stockholm’s busiest hospital and Scandinavia’s largest medical facility, previously had only a center for females. Almost 400 men and boys in Sweden reported having been sexually assaulted in 2014, the Swedish National Council for Crime Prevention says, but the problem is thought to be bigger than that due to reluctance in reporting. “We don’t know how many people will use it,” says Rasmus Jonlund, spokesman for Sweden’s Liberal Party, which established the center. “But we know that there are many who experience these kinds of assaults but don’t currently seek care. Our hope now is that many more of these hidden victims will also get help now.”

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4 Pope Francis

U.S. Government Report: End Conversion Therapy

Gay conversion therapy, the notion that a therapist can essentially talk a gay person straight, regarded as quackery by an overwhelming majority of medical professionals, suffers another blow. Already outlawed for minors in several states, it has now been condemned by the U.S. government in a report issued by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. The report, Ending Conversion Therapy: Supporting and Affirming LGBTQ Youth, a comprehensive review of relevant research, says it “is not an appropriate therapeutic approach based on the evidence.” U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., has introduced a bill in Congress to ban the practice as psychological child abuse and fraud.

L.A. LGBT Center Opens New WeHo Health Center

The L.A. LGBT Center has opened a new health center in West Hollywood at 8745 Santa Monica Blvd. The new facility, called “The Center-WeHo,” will offer medical services such as free STD testing, HIV prevention meds and vaccinations. Some view the new center as a sort of gift from the generation ravaged by HIV/AIDS—or “relics,” as long-time WeHo councilmember John Duran put it—to LGBT millennials, and a promise to future generations that the LGBT community has learned the necessity of unity and taking care of its own. Duran said at the opening ceremony, “It is our responsibility to mentor and teach the next generations about our culture, about our history, about where they came from, about how we are all interconnected and related. Because the generation just before us wished they could have, and didn’t have the opportunity to do so.”

LBJ signs the Civil Rights Act of 1964

5 6

Pope Nominated for Nobel Prize Amid Church Tension

In the afterglow of Pope Francis’s American tour, all might seem sweet and light in the Catholic realm. Indeed, U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff and 35 congressional colleagues have nominated the pontiff for the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize. But at Rome headquarters, dissension brewed at a synod on the family as American bishops and others express “anxiety” and “worry” over proposed changes in church policy on divorce and civilly remarried couples. Also, 13 cardinals, led by Australia’s George Pell and including New York’s Timothy Dolan, wrote the pope warning that the church could suffer the fate of “collapsed” Protestant denominations that strayed from tradition. The synod will issue a final report, which the pope can publish either as is or with a document of his own. Meanwhile, Polish Bishop Ryszard Kasyna has forbidden priest Krzytof Charamsa—who recently came out as gay—from celebrating mass.

Calif. Prisons to Allow Gender Reassignment Surgery

On Oct. 20, California became the first state to adopt a policy with medical and mental health care criteria for transgender inmates that includes access to gender-affirming surgery. “By adopting this groundbreaking policy, California has set a model for the rest of the country and ensured transgender people in prison can access life-saving care when they need it,” says Kris Hayashi, Executive Director of Transgender Law Center, who represented two trans women suing the state after being denied necessary medical care. “I suffered for decades as my identity, my medical needs and my very humanity were denied by the people and system responsible for my care,” says inmate Michelle Norsworthy, who won an injunction in April 2014 ordering the state to provide her with “adequate medical care,” including surgery, “as promptly as possible.” —K.O.

NOVEMBER 11, 2015

Gays at the Center of Palm Springs Elections

n open question hanging over the Nov. 3 Palm Springs mayoral election is whether the FBI investigation into gay Mayor Steve Pougnet will hurt lesbian mayoral candidate Ginny Foat. The Desert Sun seems to have based its endorsement of retired gay Navy commander Ron Moon based on the perceived scandal. The city was rocked on Sept. 1 when the FBI closed down City Hall and seized employee cell phones, files and computer electronics. The raid followed a Desert Sun series linking the mayor to more than $200,000 in consulting fees to a business owned by developer Richard Meaney. Pougnet and the City Council had voted to award the sale of city property at a highly questionable price, but later said the vote was a mistake and rescinded the sale. The Fair Political Practices Commission, meanwhile, announced an investigation into Pougnet’s potential conflict of interest over the vote. The FBI raid came three months later. The Desert Sun’s endorsement of Moon seems pegged to the controversy. “Palm Springs has been riding high on waves of great ecoPougnet nomic news,” the Oct. 5 editorial said. “A serious storm has formed over this booming sea of prosperity, however,” going on to describe the “scandal.” The paper cut the highly regarded frontrunner Foat no slack. “Some cynically insist that the die has been cast in this race, crowning Councilwoman Ginny Foat as the hand-selected next in line by highpowered interests that make up the Foat Palm Springs ‘machine’ that decides how the city is run,” the editorial said. “Booming business cannot be the excuse for allowing ‘business as usual’ to continue at Palm Springs City Hall, however.” The Sun concluded that Moon, who served 21 years in the Navy and “spent a year at the White House as a financial analyst during the Reagan Administration,” should lead the city into the future. Moon The paper also underscored that Moon promised to “not have any other job other than being mayor,” in a city where, like West Hollywood, the elected officials are basically low-paid part-timers who need second jobs. Foat’s second job is as the executive director of the Mizell Senior Center. Another gay person receiving a lot of positive attention is Geoff Kors, the highly regarded former executive director of Equality California, who seems on track to win a City Council seat. —K.O.

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SCREWING WITH GAY HISTORY Just when it seemed LGBT issues were settled among the 2016 Democratic candidates, Hillary and Bernie both screw up big time By Karen Ocamb

Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton (pictured at the Oct. 13 Democratic debate) are both running on pro-LGBT platforms, but their stances on marriage equality were not always in our favor

ormer Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had a difficult summer, mired in the email controversy that yielded “untrustworthy” poll ratings. But then she scored on Saturday Night Live, stunningly won the Democratic debate by several accounts and seemed presidential while being grilled by the politicized Benghazi committee during an 11- hour endurance test. Then, on Oct. 23, a jubilant Clinton went on Rachel Maddow’s MSNBC show and blew it, revising history by telling Maddow that DOMA was actually a “defensive” action. “On Defense of Marriage, I think what my husband believed—and there was certainly evidence to support it—is that there was enough political momentum to amend the Constitution of the United States of America, and that there had to be some way to stop that,” Clinton said. “And so, in a lot of ways, DOMA was a line that was drawn that was to prevent going further.” Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, who has never negatively attacked his opponents, jumped on Clinton’s DOMA response at the Jefferson-Jackson dinner in Des Moines, Iowa, on Oct. 24. “That was not a political, easy vote,” said Sanders, one of a small number who voted against DOMA. “Now, today, some are trying to rewrite history by saying they voted for one anti-gay law to stop something worse. That’s not the

67 The number of votes in the House of Representatives opposing the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, of which Bernie Sanders was one; 342 representatives voted to pass the act

case. There was a small minority in the House opposed to discrimination against our gay brothers and sisters, and I am proud that I was one of those members.” Longtime politico and Clinton supporter Hilary Rosen agreed, tweeting, “@BernieSanders is right. Note to my friends Bill and #Hillary: Pls stop saying DOMA was to prevent something worse. It wasn’t, I was there.” LGBT critics note that Clinton had used the same framework in 2007-2008 when she first ran for president against Barack Obama. And Bill Clinton pushed the revisionist history in his 2013 Washington Post op-ed titled “It’s time to overturn DOMA,” which attorney Roberta Kaplan asked him to write. The op-ed, Kaplan told Frontiers, helped her defeat DOMA in the Supreme Court in the Edie Windsor case. 1996 was a “very different time,” the former president wrote on March 7, 2013. “In no state in the union was same-sex marriage recognized, much less available as a legal right, but some were moving in that direction. Washington, as a result, was swirling with all manner of possible responses, some quite draconian. “As a bipartisan group of former senators stated in their March 1 amicus brief to the Supreme Court,” Clinton continued, “many supporters of the bill known as DOMA believed that its passage ‘would defuse a movement to enact a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, which would have ended the debate for a generation or more.’ It was under these circumstances that DOMA came to my desk, opposed by only 81 of the 535 members of Congress.” The problem for the Clintons is that LGBT activists cannot recall such a movement for a constitutional amendment until 2004, when it was ginned up by President George W. Bush after GLAD and Mary Bonauto won marriage equality in Massachusetts. Bush’s brain, Karl Rove, then successfully used the marriage victory as a cynical ploy to get evangelicals out to the polls to re-elect Bush. But even before he formally announced his re-election bid in 1996, Bill Clinton announced that he’d sign such a bill if it came to his desk. He then touted signing DOMA in political radio ads in the South against his Republican opponent, Bob Dole.

ere’s what really happened in the 1990s: A few gay couples in Hawaii pressed for marriage equality in 1991 and scored a state victory by 1996. According to documents uncovered in 2008 during the Prop. 8 fight, that Hawaii victory led to secret meetings between the Mormon and Catholic churches to stop gay marriage in Hawaii and California. But it is doubtful the Clintons knew that. Freedom to Marry founder Evan Wolfson was on the ground in Hawaii in 1996. In 2011, he told Metro Weekly’s Chris Geidner that there was no movement for a constitutional amendment in those days. ‘’That’s complete nonsense,” Wolfson said. “There was no conversation about something ‘worse’ until eight years later. There was no talk of a constitutional amendment, and no one even thought it was possible—and, of course, it turned out it wasn’t really possible to happen. ... That was never an argument made in the ‘90s.” It’s difficult to understand why there would be a need for

NOVEMBER 11, 2015

SPEAK

OUT

such a movement since Congress was filled with anti-gay haters such as Republican Sen. Jesse Helms and Democratic Sen. Robert Byrd, as well as anti-gay enthusiasts Reps. Bob “B-1 Bomber” Dornan and William Dannemeyer from California who successfully pushed numerous anti-gay bills. Bill and Hillary Clinton were publicly opposed to same-sex marriage, anyway. When asked about the position marked “opposed” to gay marriage on the ANGLE questionnaire in 1991, candidate Bill Clinton’s senior advisor and LGBT liaison Marsha Scott told this reporter that the Clintons opposed gay marriage “on religious grounds” and that was just the way it was. Clinton said as much when he signed DOMA: “I have long opposed governmental recognition of same-gender marriages, and this legislation is consistent with that position.” Since the AIDS crisis was in the forefront of gay consciousness, as new medications were becoming available to staunch the steadily dying—and few thought marriage equality was possible anyway—the marriage issue was not heartily pursued. Elizabeth Birch—executive director of the Human Rights Campaign Fund at the time, and at the center of the maelstrom—wrote a piece on Oct. 24 for the Huffington Post defending Hillary Clinton. “It is important that every young person understand that Hillary Clinton is one of the most important global voices on LGBT human rights in our time,” Birch wrote. “Putting aside the fact that the decision on DOMA in 1996 was not Hillary’s to make, the Hillary of 1996 is not the presidential candidate of today. She knows that DOMA was discriminatory and wrong. Her perspective and knowledge on LGBT issues has deepened extensively since those days.” True. However, in her interview with Maddow, today’s progressive Hillary Clinton said she was often part of discussions, so she would know how much of her husband’s action was really based on a supposed movement that gay activists don’t recall happening. And as someone renowned for being wellprepared, there is an uncomfortable question about why didn’t she grasp that her revisionist version of history wouldn’t be challenged.

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nd then there’s Bernie Sanders. While the Democratic socialist may have been one of the 67 in the House who voted against DOMA—which he’s pushing as a politically tough and brave move—he is fudging gay history here, too. Mark Joseph Stern’s title for his Oct. 5 Slate article says it all: “Bernie Sanders Claims He’s a Longtime Champion of Marriage Equality. It’s Just Not True.” “Explaining his vote in 1996, Sanders’ chief of staff declared that it was motivated by a concern for states’ rights, not equality,” Stern writes. “Explaining that he wasn’t ‘legislating values,’ she noted that Sanders believed DOMA violated the Constitution’s Full Faith and Credit Clause by allowing one state to refuse to recognize a same-sex marriage performed in another. ‘You’re opening up Pandora’s Box here,’ she said at the time. ‘You’re saying that any state can refuse to … recognize the laws of another state if they don’t like them.’” Additionally, in 2006, Sanders specifically opposed marriage equality in Vermont, preferring civil unions instead. On Oct. 26, he explained to Maddow that his opposition was to give Vermont some breathing room after the divisiveness caused by being the first state to enact civil unions. “Not right now,” he said then. “The state was torn in a way that I had never seen the state torn,” Sanders told Maddow. “My view was, give us a little bit of time.” Meanwhile, the Clinton campaign issued a statement to the Huffington Post trying to move forward. “Whatever the context that led to the passage of DOMA nearly two decades ago, Hillary Clinton believes the law was discriminatory and both she and President Clinton urged that it be overturned,” spokesperson Brian Fallon said. “As President, Hillary Clinton will continue to fight to secure full and equal rights for LGBT Americans who, despite all our progress, can still get married on a Saturday and fired on a Monday just because of who they are and who they love.” The fudging of LGBT history and lack of apology for the pain positions caused—picking religion and political expediency over equal rights—has left a stain of incredulity. How can LGBT people trust that won’t happen again?

“It took a while to get over the shock and learn to accept, and then I realized the other side of it. The poor guy! I realized what he’d been going through and how much he had suffered, and I had great compassion for him.” Facts of Life star Charlotte Rae speaks to Access Hollywood about her new book, in which she discusses her husband’s ‘coming out’

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DATEBOOK SUN. | NOV. 1

POINT FOUNDATION APPLICATION PERIOD OPENS

LGBTQ students seeking financial assistance for undergraduate or grad school education can apply online for Point Foundation Scholarships through the end of the year. pointfoundation.org/apply

WED. | NOV. 4

CREATIVE CITY AWARDS 2015

In celebration of West Holly wood as the “Creative City,” the Chamber of Commerce recognizes businesses that have shown innovation and creativity in their business model. This fundraiser, held at The London Hotel, helps contribute to programming and promotions for the business community. wehochamber.com

THU. | NOV. 5

OUTFEST LEGACY AWARDS

Outfest will honor two-time Oscar–winning actor, director and producer Tom Hanks and Oscar– nominated writer-director Lisa Cholodenko at its annual awards, held at DTLA venue Vibiana with support by Louis Vuitton. outfest.org

SAT. | NOV. 7

VANGUARD AWARDS

The L.A. LGBT Center holds its 46th anniversary gala at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza, where Lily Tomlin will present Jane Fonda with this year’s National Vanguard Award. The night will also feature sets by DJ Asha and Alex Newell. lgbtvanguardawards.org

SUN. | DEC. 6

2015 TREVORLIVE LOS ANGELES

Hollywood’s LGBTQ community and allies gather to celebrate an irreverent evening of comedy and music benefitting The Trevor Project. Joel McHale hosts the event, held at the Hollywood Palladium, at which HBO’s President of Programming Michael Lombardo will be honored, among others. trevorlive.org

NOVEMBER 11, 2015

A PROUD PARTNER OF THE 2015 GAY SOFTBALL WORLD SERIES, NISSAN SUPPORTS EQUALITY ON EVERY ROAD YOU TRAVEL #SameTeam for Equality This summer, Nissan hit a home run with its partnership with the North American Gay Amateur Athletic Alliance (NAGAAA) and its 39th annual Gay Softball World Series event in Columbus, Ohio. The event made GSWSw history with more than 185 softball teams competing from 43 cities across the United States and Canada. The multi-division tournament was more than just a ball game. The 9-day event also featured opening and closing ceremonies, community events, celebrity performances and more. “Nissan has the most diverse consumer base of any automotive manufacturer and is eager to champion grassroots LGBT events that give consumers a chance to interact with both our vehicles and our LGBT and ally employees,” says Rick Ash, Senior Manager, Nissan Marketing. “It’s an honor for Nissan to bring more visibility to all of the LGBT athletes who competed.” Since 2013, Nissan has scored a perfect 100 in the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index for its LGBT-inclusive policies and 16

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commitment to the community. The company was among the fastest risers in the history of the index. Nissan’s commitment to the LGBT community starts with its own employees. The company strives to ensure that internal policies and benefit packages are inclusive of everyone. The Gay Straight Alliance at Nissan (GSAN) is the driving force behind the company’s LGBT outreach efforts, focusing on its hometown of Nashville as well as on other regional LGBT events. Diversity Inc magazine also named Nissan to its 2015 Top 25 Noteworthy Companies list for the second year in a row. The company is an active member of the Nashville LGBT Chamber of Commerce and a sponsor of the annual National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association convention. Nissan’s Diversity Office—with the help of GSAN—has sponsored several workshops for area business leaders where they can share diversity best practices for creating an inclusive environment for employees and supporting the LGBT community in Middle Tennessee.

“

Nissan has the most diverse consumer base of any automotive manufacturer and is eager to champion grassroots LGBT events that give consumers a chance to interact with both our vehicles and our LGBT and ally employees,” says Rick Ash, Senior Manager, Nissan Marketing. “It’s an honor for Nissan to bring more visibility to all of the LGBT athletes who competed.

”

CONGRATULATIONS TO THREE CALIFORNIA TEAMS THAT PLACED/WON IN THE 2015 GAY SOFTBALL WORLD SERIES:

A Division: 4th Place - L.A. West Coast Swing B Division: 4th Place - San Diego Spikes Masters Division (50 years old and over): Champions - San Diego Marine Layer

NOVEMBER 11, 2015

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THE

GAY AGENDA

Gary Merrill, Bette Davis, Celeste Holm and Hugh Marlowe share a bottle of champagne in All About Eve (1950), a film that set a record with 14 Oscar nominations and took home six

Film & W Firewater A new book combines Hollywood’s love affair with liquor, your favorite on-screen characters and lessons on modern mixology By Lydia Siriprakorn

hether it’s “The Dude” downing a White Russian or Carrie Bradshaw sipping a Cosmopolitan, it’s hard to imagine our favorite film and TV characters without their signature drinks. And while there is certainly no shortage of books about cocktails or Hollywood history, it’s nearly impossible to find a book that combines the two. No one was more surprised to discover this than husbandand-wife team Will Francis and Stacey Marsh. “Stacey and I are both huge movie fans and also big mixology geeks,” says Francis. “I thought, ‘There must be a book about cocktails that appear in films.’ And there wasn’t really, at least not a book which faithfully documents actual cocktails featured in them, so we set about making one.” And the idea for their new book, Cocktails of the Movies: An Illustrated Guide to Cinematic Mixology (160 pp., $20, Prestel), was born. Like most of us, Francis and Marsh share Hollywood’s fascination with cocktail culture. “While watching old movies, NOVEMBER 11, 2015

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OH, BROTHER! Your family drama has nothing on the Dollanganger family, as this new DVD set proves

M we realized there were lots of cocktails, and they play this sort of silent role, a bit like clothes or cars, where they set the scene and say something about a character,” he says. Their book is exactly what it sounds like—a collection of your favorite film and television characters’ signature drinks, with recipes allowing you to create them at home. It’s simple and straightforward, organized alphabetically and hand-illustrated by Marsh in her unique style (bright, bold colors, patterns and fine black lines). To put a face with the drinks, each recipe is accompanied by an illustration of the character. “I wanted them to feel hand-drawn, to feel crafted, so I let the artwork show the imperfections of this process,” Marsh says. “The typography, too, is hand-drawn, to complete the style.” In addition to being a work of art, Cocktails of the Movies explores Hollywood’s love affair with cocktails throughout the history of film, shedding light on the creation of cocktail culture as we know it today. Like any longterm relationship, there have been some bumps in the road, namely prohibition. “Cocktails have been featured on film for the last century. Arguably the most interesting years are those around the time of prohibition,” says Francis. “No American movies were allowed to contain alcohol between 1920 and 1933, yet when the law was repealed, it was as if a pressure

cooker suddenly burst open and cocktails were suddenly everywhere in popular culture. It’s almost as if they needed to be suppressed to triumphantly explode into our lives once again.” Prohibition aside, even the most everyday, classic cocktails come with quite a story. “In researching the origin stories of all the cocktails, I found that the drinks we know and love today have come a long way,” he says. “From colonial ships, battlefields, aristocracy, gin alleys and, of course, master bartenders. Stories of bitter rivalry, survival, celebration and pure genius—every cocktail has a complex past.” With a deeper understanding of Hollywood’s role in the rise of mixologists and recent surge of speakeasy-style bars around the country, Cocktails of the Movies brings us a little closer to our favorite film and television characters. “The beauty of cocktails is that whilst you might not be able to go to New York or afford a pair of Jimmy Choo shoes, you can sip a well-made Cosmopolitan and just for a moment live like Carrie Bradshaw,” says Marsh. And if there’s one thing we love here in Los Angeles, it’s living the dream. Cocktails of the Movies: An Illustrated Guide to Cinematic Mixology is available now where books are sold.

ost of us can relate to h av i n g s o m e l eve l of dysfunctional upbringing, but it’s doubtful the skeletons in your family’s closet compare to V.C. Andrews’ bestselling tales of the lewd and lascivious. And these stories of ultimate domestic m i s c o n d u c t h ave t r a n s l a te d well from bestselling novel to blockbuster cable hits. Distor ted family drama unfolds around every corner when it comes to the Dollanganger family, and on Nov. 10, Lionsgate Home Entertainment releases on DVD the four made-for-TV films in the Flowers in the Attic series (which also includes Petals on the Wind, If There Be Thorns and Seeds of Yesterday). The film series covers a decade of addictive, riveting tales of the dark side of human nature, all wrapped up and tucked neatly away in the family “closet.” It all started when Flowers in the Attic, the highest-rated made-forcable film of 2014, gave new meaning to the term “brotherly love.” Things of course went scandalously downhill, as kinfolk do make for the strangest of bedfellows. —J.L.

ICE CREAM INVASION I SCREAM, YOU SCREAM, WE ALL SCREAM for new twists on our favorite creamy confection. Salt & Straw, a Portland-originating ice cream parlor specializing in such flavor oddities as “arbequina olive oil” and “strawberry honey balsamic with black pepper,” is set to further invade our city with new openings in Venice Beach’s Abbot Kinney this fall and DTLA’s Arts District this winter. (Last year saw its first L.A. foray with a Larchmont shop.) This Halloween season there’s even been something truly creepy and crawly to savor—a light green ice cream with real ants, perfectly camouflaged grasshoppers and other insects. But for the creators of these creative concoctions, cousins Kim and Tyler Malek, it’s about more than just folding unconventional ingredients into frozen sweet-cream. Whether you’re slurping “black olive brittle and goat cheese” or “avocado and strawberry sherbet,” you can be assured that the flavors came from a collective collaboration between food artisans, growers and producers. Crafting the perfect scoop clearly requires a communal effort, all the way from creation to cone. saltandstraw.com —Jim Larkins 20

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Final Bites Comedian Drew Droege guestimates the last suppers of 7 interred persons of interest

s there anything better than vittles ‘n’ hooch? Imagine life without the rich flavors of salt, sweet or Sazerac. That would be death, which leads me to wonder, what were some of our favorite notaries’ last plats du jour before they shrugged off their mortal coil and slipped into the great beyond? While I have no idea what these people actually ate before they kicked it, here’s what I think they chewed at their final dinner table feasts. Isadora Duncan The famed dancer had a health plate with hearty scoops of tuna, egg and chicken salads on lettuce beds. If only she’d left her scarf at home before she got in that convertible. Jason Voorhees A peanut butter-and-grape jelly sandwich, with the edges cut off by his sweet mother, Pamela, the camp cook! Wait an hour before going in the lake, Jason! Lucille Ball Ham soaked in Bushmills. Ronald Reagan Fistfuls of denial-flavored jelly beans, loudly dumped into his gullet to drown out the pesky noise of the truth. Bea Arthur Salted vodka alongside an aspirin-crusted welldone buffalo heart ... with a cheesecake chaser, of course. Alf A bucket of cats! I mean, Alf has to be dead, right? Eat up, everyone, because you never know—it could just be your last meal!

YOUR NEW PAL, RAY NEVER CALLED A TV remote “sexy” before? Check out The Ray, a universal super remote that syncs with your Xbox, Apple TV, Bluray player and more— pretty much anything in your man cave save the lamps. Tap the TV button on the iPhonestyled touchscreen to channel-surf your favorite shows, which you’ve already programmed into its brain. Smarterthan-smartphone technology lets the sports fan search by game name, jump to ESPN on the fly or gather up every game presently running on TV. Not into sports? Bounce between Project Runway, The Walking Dead and beyond. However you use it, The Ray serves the most important purpose of a remote—escaping the endless onslaught of brain-numbing commercials (which almost justifies the $249 price tag). ray.co —J.L.

BY THE BOOK Don’t wait until the holidays to pick up a great read. Here are 3 new books currently on our radar Taschen knows how much we love a trilogy, and with The Bronze Age of DC Comics (400 pp., $60), comic book lovers get tons more comic book history. Like its predecessors that looked at DC’s Golden Age and Silver Age, this third installment packs a punch with new artwork and an interview with Green Lantern/ Green Arrow writer Danny O’Neill, plus it expands on material from the oversized, 700-page Taschen XL book 75 Years of DC Comics. This tome covers the years 1970-1984, an era that gave birth to Superman and saw the integration of social issues into comic book storylines. After more than a year of waiting, eager fans of Jake Biondi’s book series finally have a release date for Boystown: Season Four (268 pp., $4 Kindle pre-order). On Nov. 13, devoted readers will get their fix of juicy storylines carried over from the previous three books, as well as a chance to meet hot new characters. “Season Four picks up with the aftermath of the horrific fire that occurred at the end of Season Three,” says Biondi. “While I won’t reveal who lives and who dies, I will say this—lives will be forever altered.” It sounds like all the drama and intrigue fans have come to expect from the online story-turned-paperback book sensation. Hair is no joke in Hollywood, and when it comes to dreaming big—like, beyond your wildest dreams big—celebrities turn to master weavologist and celebrity hair designer Steven Noss, better known as Weaven Steven. You’ve seen his work on Lady Gaga, America’s Next Top Model and RuPaul’s Drag Race, but now you can peruse his fantasy designs at your leisure with a copy of his new book, Weaven’s World: A Journey with Fantasy Hair (158 pp., $40). This hardcover coffee table book showcases his one-of-a-kind artwork, with photographs ranging from fantasy hair weaves and high-fashion hair clothing to handcrafted accessories and extravagant coiffures. —Lydia Siriprakorn

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NOVEMBER 11, 2015

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TRAVEL

Pierre, the Singapore outpost of international superstar chef Pierre Gagnaire, is housed in the city’s Mandarin Oriental hotel property

Destination Dining PACK IT

The world’s top 7 locales for delectable dinners and luxe lunches are perfect layovers for the jet-setting foodie By Eric Rosen

here are several reasons to traverse the globe, but more popular than ever in recent years is foodie travel. What better way is there to gain insight into a destination or culture than by eating its food? The seven destinations below are really cooking at the moment.

COPENHAGEN Though Los Angeles may be undergoing a record-leng th drought, you never know what monsoonal conditions you’re likely to encounter while venturing abroad. A high-tech answer to fending off weather while feeding your wanderlust is the structurally savvy Blunt Umbrella ($69, bluntumbrellas.eu). Not only is its revolutionary tensioning system strong enough to parachute you through a windy city, but the Tile Bluetooth tracker ensures a rapid recovery when you happen to leave your drizzle shield behind in a taxi, coffee shop, bath house— wherever your rainy day travels may take you. “Structurally, the Blunt falls somewhere between suspension bridge and NASA space probe,” says the Wall Street Journal. —Jim Larkins

It wasn’t so long ago that Nordic cuisine equated to herring and smorrebrød, but these days, cold Scandinavia is hot, and Copenhagen is its foodie fulcrum. The city is home to what is probably the most famous (and often best-ranked in the world) restaurant, Noma (noma.dk), but a cadre of young chefs is livening up the city’s food scene elsewhere as well, with restaurants like the ultracontemporary Uformel (uformel.dk) near the Tivoli Gardens and Almanak at the Standard (thestandardcph.dk), located in the city’s historic customs house, where chef Claus Meyer serves “food that our grandparents would have cooked” but with intriguing modern twists.

HONG KONG Hong Kong has always been a meeting point between east and west, and nowhere is that heritage more evident than in the city’s fastpaced dining scene. Michelin stars (of which

the city boasts 88 at 64 restaurants) go to eateries whose cuisine is as varied as multicourse dim sum, sushi, coastal Italian, fine French and everything in between. There are outposts of international superstar chefs like Alain Ducasse’s Spoon (alain-ducasse.com) and Pierre Gagnaire’s Pierre (mandarinoriental. com). But the city also offers more unique and casual options, like Tim Ho Wan for dum sum (timhowan.com) and Lai Bun Fu for masterful Cantonese fine dining (laibunfu.com).

LIMA Peruvian cuisine has experienced a popularity explosion in recent years thanks to enterprising chefs who have foregrounded its fresh flavors. Chief among them has to be Gastón Acurio, who has built a hemisphere-spanning restaurant empire. Stop by La Mar (lamarcebicheria) to try the country’s signature dish, ceviche, in any number of tantalizing iterations, and book a table at chef Virgilio Martinez’s sophisticated hotspot, Central (centralrestaurante.com.pe/en), where he prepares fresh produce from across the country with a light hand and intricate plating.

MELBOURNE Forget “shrimp on the barbie.” Australia has NOVEMBER 11, 2015

TRAVEL

IN SEARCH OF THE

WORLD’S

BEST Parks

STANLEY PARK

VANCOUVER, CANADA With an outdoor summer theater, seaside swimming pool, lawn bowling and golf, this park has something for everyone in your entourage. Bring a picnic basket and relax between activities in the park’s wild forest of 500,000 cedar, fir and hemlock trees.

Clockwise from above: Copenhagen’s Almanak, housed inside The Standard, a complex of restaurants and a jazz club; Hexagone, the über-modern Paris restaurant of Mathieu Pacaud; New York’s Chelsea Market; an example of the intricate plating at Virgilio Martinez’s Central in Lima

experienced an edible renaissance in recent years, with Melbourne as its mecca. The city boasts two amazing food markets—the enormous landmark Queen Victoria Market (qvm.com.au) and the smaller but still vibrant Prahran Market (prahranmarket.com.au), plus a strong history of immigration from European and Asian countries that plays out in its diverse restaurant community. The chef to know here is Andrew McConnell, whose restaurants are all must-eats, including Cumulus (cumulusinc.com.au), Cutler & Co. (cutlerandco.com.au) and SuperNormal (supernormal.net.au). For a splurge, try the 21-course nouvelle Australian tasting menu at chef Ben Shewry’s Attica (attica.com.au).

PARIS It might have a reputation for a fussy, fusty dining culture, but the French city is still a world capital of cuisine. White tablecloth fine dining has gotten a revamp courtesy of young chefs like Mathieu Pacaud, who honed his craft in his father’s Michelin three-star restaurant, L’Ambroisie (ambroisie-paris. com), and brings those skills to bear in a more informal but still impeccable setting at Hexagone (hexagone-paris.fr). On the other hand, you have the wildly successful bistronomy movement of tiny restaurants serving limited menus showcasing ultra-fresh and seasonal ingredients that change day to day, proving that the French do appreciate the simpler things in life. Must-try spots include Spring (springparis.fr) and Frenchie (frenchie-restaurant.com).

NEW YORK While we have amazing food cities on the West Coast—Los Angeles, San Francisco, Portland, Seattle—when it comes to the East Coast, New York City still reigns supreme, where it feels like you can enjoy any kind of cuisine at any time of day. Rather than delve into restaurants, on your next visit, explore the city’s burgeoning gourmet food hall scene. There’s Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich’s Eataly (eataly.com) for all things Italian, as well as the myriad international and Americana options at Chelsea Market (chelseamarket.com). But upstarts like Gotham West in Hell’s Kitchen (gothamwestmarket.com) and Hudson Eats downtown (brookfieldplaceny.com) are also worth visits for serious grazing sessions.

SINGAPORE Singaporean cuisine is hard to pin down. Like the city-state’s population, it is a mix of Chinese, Malay, Indian, Thai and Indonesian elements that all somehow come together for a delicious result. Singapore must have among the highest number of restaurants per capita in the world, including those from bigname chefs at the Marina Bay Sands complex (marinabaysands. com), which includes a new Spago, but standalones worth a try include the bistro-style Sorrel for casual dishes (sorrel.sg), Izy for inventive izakaya (izy.com.sg), an intoxicating Eurasian vibe in a gorgeous Art Deco building at Black Swan (theblackswan. com.sg) and the fabulous tasting menus at Tippling Club in an old shophouse (tipplingclub.com).

LET THERE BE LIGHT POST-APOCALYPTIC SURVIVORS EKING OUT an existence below ground is nothing new to fictional filmmaking, but in the not too distant future, beneath the streets of New York, the first fully functional underground park will bring this concept a bit closer to reality. Project designer James Ramsey hit the drawing board for his subterranean sanctuary in 2008. Critical to the project’s success was his invention of an optical system that transports life-giving rays of sunlight from above the surface to sun-hungry plants below. The Lowline isn’t expected to come to fruition until 2020, but the creators recently introduced the Lowline Lab, a proof of concept and trial for observing the tech in action. The lab is a bit over 1,200 square feet (about 5% of the actual Lowline space), but it’s enough for a mind’s eye glimpse into the real thing and, more importantly, for letting project designers see how plants and structures survive a harsh New York winter. thelowline.org —J.L. 26

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PARK GÜELL

BARCELONA, SPAIN Wind past gingerbread houses and colorful salamander fountains as you enter one of the most unique parks abroad. Set atop a terraced hill, the park has breathtaking views of the city, and paths that wind through the woods and the historic Casa Museu Gaudí.

CITY PARK

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA History and culture come together at this 1,300acre landmark and popular post-Katrina gathering spot. Ride horses, check out Sculpture Park or sip mint juleps to live music at the Botanical Garden seasonal parties hosted March through October. —J.L.

GOOD TO GO

Puerto Vallarta; (inset) a San Francisco couple proceeds with their destination wedding

Just opened earlier in October, Hotel Ritz, the Mandarin Oriental collection’s new property in Madrid, Spain, offers an Art Experience package through December that includes tickets to the Prado Museum, a three-course dinner at Goya Restaurant and afternoon tea. mandarinoriental.com

!Viva Mexico!

After a year-long $50 million renovation, Lizard Island resort has officially reopened al o n g Au s tralia’s G re a t Barrier Reef. Accessible only by plane, its 40 private rooms provide stunning views and 24 untouched white sand beaches. lizardisland.com.au

Record-breaking Hurricane Patricia did less damage than feared, leaving tourist spots like Puerto Vallarta unharmed

hen Hurricane Patricia set records as the most powerful hurricane ever measured, set on a path right across Mexico, many were worried that a major humanitarian disaster was on the way. It’s been a great relief for many that while the storm did indeed wreak havoc, a combination of good luck and an effective response kept the damage—and death toll—to a minimum. Concerns were first raised when Patricia mutated from a typical tropical storm into the fiercest hurricane on record, with 200 mile-per-hour winds, heading straight for the Mexican coast. By the time Patricia made landfall, the winds had slowed to 165 miles per hour—still enough to make it a Category 5 storm, but below its worst. More importantly, it hit the Mexican coast sandwiched between Puerto Vallarta (pop. 250,000) and Manzanillo (pop. 150,000), missing both towns and instead carving a path through areas of relatively low population density. Combined with the fact that the storm was relatively compact, with the strongest winds extending just 15 miles from the eye of the storm, and quickly mountainous terrain that sapped its strength, and Patricia was back down to a tropical storm within 24 hours, with relatively little damage done. So far six deaths have been officially linked to the hurricane; two when a tree toppled over, and four in an automobile accident. There has been significant damage to local infrastructure, crops and houses, but an effective evacuation plan has been credited with potentially saving hundreds of lives from the storm. The damage has been mostly to rural areas, with local crops and several small towns severely impacted. Coastal tourists spots including Puerto Vallarta escaped with minimal damage. The resort town’s tourist board has already announced that all of its hotels and

restaurants are up and running, with flights and cruises running as scheduled, and tourists enjoying blue skies and sunshine once again. One gay San Francisco couple even went ahead with their destination wedding plans on Saturday, Oct. 24, after spending Friday hunkered down in a local storm shelter. “Everything went off according to plan,” Anthony Chavira told NBC Bay Area after marrying Rodolfo Melgoza at the Now Amber Puerto Vallarta beach resort. “It was an amazing day.” “We gave our guests the wedding they were looking for, and a little bit of drama,” Melgoza added. By the time of their Saturday ceremony, “the weather was perfect.” Puerto Vallarta officials have confirmed there were no fatalities in the town, and that no infrastructure was damaged in the area, which is now back to normal service. The news should be a major relief not only for locals but anyone with vacations to the area planned for the near future. While the damage done was far below many predictions, meteorologists have been quick to criticize reports by some media outlets, including the Associated Press, that the storm was “overblown.” “Are you kidding me?” asked Marshall Shepherd, the director of the Atmospheric Sciences Program at the University of Georgia. “How can you overhype a recordshattering hurricane, packing EF-5 tornado winds and approaching a major country? I have seen this before. It almost seems like some would rather see carnage and destruction to justify the call of alarm or make for a better story. I have often pondered the obsession that we have preparing for a major hazard, and then being critical if the destruction doesn’t meet some level of expectation. The ‘better safe than sorry’ rule works.” —Dominic Preston

When you find yourself in Texas, stay at the recently opened Hyatt Regency Houston Galleria. It’s attached to the state’s largest shopping center, The Galleria, which combines all of Rodeo Drive and the Beverly Center into one destination. An adjacent property, the Hyatt Place hotel, is scheduled to open in early 2016. houstongalleria. regency.hyatt.com

UP IN THE AIR Emirates A380 Business Class Lounge

SFO

TLV

San Francisco is undoubtedly one of the best vacation destinations on the West Coast, but why stop there when you can go to the Bay and beyond? United Airlines announced earlier this month that they have added three nonstop flights per week between San Francisco and Tel Aviv, Israel.

SNA

PVR

DXB

If you’re a fan of Orange County escapes, make your next trip to the OC a stepping stone to even further South. Alaska Airlines now offers nonstop flights from Orange County to Puerta Vallarta, Mexico. Operating three times per week, these new flights will be available year-round.

PTY

Emirates Airlines ups the airborne ante by breaking the previous record for longest nonstop flight. The 17h35m Dubaito - P a n a m a Ci t y route is an exciting thing—unless you’re that claustrophobic flier who gets sandwiched between the screaming baby and the alcoholic white knuckler. —J.L.

NOVEMBER 11, 2015

FRONTIERSMEDIA.COM

events ■ Through Nov. 19 ISRAEL FILM FESTIVAL Laemmle Theatres

For nearly three decades, this festival has presented over 900 feature films, documentaries, TV dramas and short films and has brought hundreds of Israeli filmmakers to the U.S. to share their art. This year, Helen Mirren is honored with the Career Achievement Award. israelfilmfestival.com

nightlife

theater

exhibits

■ Sat. | Oct. 31 HOLLYWOOD NETWORKING BREAKFAST Chaplin Theater

Have breakfast and a Q&A session with special guest speaker Rose Catherine Pinkney, a studio and production company exec and current ABC consultant highly regarded for her creativity and business acumen. hollywoodnetworking breakfast.com

Boss Lady Kathy Griffin unleashes her big mouth on L.A. with the new Like a Boss tour By Mike Ciriaco

■ Sun. | Nov. 1 RAIN ROOM LACMA

■ Thu. | Oct. 29 LUCHA VAVOOM Mayan Theatre

BIANCA DEL RIO: MAGNUS HASTINGS

One of L.A.’s best variety shows since 2002, it’s where Mexican masked wrestling, burlesque and comedy collide. This outing is billed as “Mexican Horror Story” and will feature evil doctors vs. Mexican masked maniacs; a special appearance by The Poubelle Twins and more. luchavavoom.com

■ Fri. | Oct. 30 STAN LEE’S COMIKAZE EXPO L.A. Convention Center

Guests at this year’s annual expo include Stan Lee, Carrie Fisher, Todd McFarlane, Rob Liefield and Grant Morrison, with comic, horror, sci-fi, anime, gaming and pop culture attractions. Through Nov. 1. comikazeexpo.com

In this mind-bending installation, step into an indoor storm while a computer tracks your movement and turns off the spigots above your head, keeping you dry during the deluge. Advance tickets are highly recommended. lacma.org ■ Sun. | Nov. 1 BREAKING THROUGH Pasadena Playhouse

Told through the eyes of a young singer/songwriter as she navigates the treacherous music business, the story is a journey to find her true self while discovering that music makes her alive. Through Nov. 22. pasadenaplayhouse.org ■ Sun. | Nov. 1 TASTE OF KOSHER FOOD & WINE FESTIVAL Hotel Sofitel

Check out the diversity of Jewish cuisine at this food and wine festival, sponsored by the American Friends of Meir Panim, taking place from 5-8 p.m., with an additional hour of tastings for those with VIP access. eventbrite.com

Casino in Elizabeth, Indiana. Of the myriad citith the title Like a Boss, the name ies scheduled, Griffin admits that Los Angeles of Kathy Griffin’s current comhas the most challenging audiences. edy tour, which runs at Down“It‘s the hardest city in the world to sell town's Mark Taper Forum for four nights tickets,“ she says. “L.A. people are so jaded. in November, it‘s hard not to compare the They‘re not impressed seeing someone on motormouthed comedian to another assertelevision. You have a lot of people going, ‘Oh, tive, over achieving woman—Hillary Clinton. well, I’ll stay home. I don’t want to deal with Both women are of a certain age (Griffin is traffic.’ Also, there are a lot of industry folks 54, Clinton is 67), both are frequent targets of who come, who are on their phone the whole criticism and neither one wants to see Donald time. I will kick your ass out if I see you on Trump in the Oval Office. your phone. I’m getting very Dave Chappelle “The whole business of Trump taking to in my old age. This is the Mark Taper Forum, Twitter every time his feelings get hurt is hilarigoddammit. Act like it!” ous,” says Griffin during a recent phone converAn additional challenge for the fiery sation. “He basically would be President Gary funny gal is simply explaining to Busey. I know people think it‘s funny Angelenos where the venue is having him as the president, but it located. wouldn’t. He is not down with the “I find it shocking and LGBTQA123 at all. Anyone who KATHY GRIFFIN: appalling that people under thinks it‘s fun to have a guy who LIKE A BOSS 30 are like, ‘Oh my god, tells it like it is—he actually tells Mark Taper Forum wh at ’s th e M a r k Ta p e r it like it isn’t. At this point I think Nov. 4-7 Forum? Is that in Inglewood?’ I’m more qualified to be presicentertheatregroup.com she says. ”And I’m like, ‘No, dent than Donald Trump, for dumbass, that’s the L.A. Forum,’ obvious reasons, but also I think and I have to say it‘s part of the I’m making more campaign stops Dorothy Chandler Pavillion, and they than anyone in the debates.” go, ‘Who’s she?’ and I go, ‘Oh, for fuck’s That latter statement isn’t hyperbole sake! It‘s across from Disney Concert Hall,’ in the slightest. Like a Boss hits 80 cities over and they’re like, ‘What’s that?’ and then I go, the course of seven months, with venues rang‘OK, you know the Staples Center, where you ing from opulent to podunk. After wrapping at go see Taylor Swift?’ And they go, ‘Yaaaas!’ the Mark Taper, which added two additional And so I say, ‘It’s a few blocks from there.’” performances to accommodate audience She may not be running for president in demand for her show, Griffin will fly to New the upcoming election, but we think Kathy York to headline the venerable Carnegie Hall, Griffin could handle herself in the world of immediately followed by a one-night stint at politics—like a boss. the considerably less impressive Horseshoe OCTOBER 28, 2015

■ ■ ■ ■

■ Tue. | Nov. 3 BARNEY FRANK: THE ELECTIONS ONE YEAR OUT Hammer Museum

With the 2016 presidential election one year away, Frank, the first openly gay U.S. Congressman, speaks about politics and the issues facing candidates. Ian Masters moderates. hammer. ucla.edu

■ Tue. | Nov. 3 TOTALLY ‘90S TUESDAYS The Abbey

Head out to West Hollywood to hear all those amazing ‘90s hits you love and miss (as well as some films and TV shows). Local queen Mayhem Miller hosts, with special guest hosts and performances. tomwhitmanpresents.com ■ Tue. | Nov. 3 RHONDA’S KISS El Rey Theatre

■ Thu. | Nov. 5 ART SAN DIEGO Balboa Park Activity Center

Music luminaries gather for a benefit concert and live auction to raise money for cancer patients who can’t afford treatment. Bill Burr of Breaking Bad will host the onenight-only event, with special appearances from Dave Navarro, Juliette Lewis and many others. rhondaskiss.org

The much-anticipated show celebrates 100 years of evolving art. A wall installation measuring 120’ by 8’ illustrates the city’s art past, appropriately named The Timeline Project, gesturing confidently towards its future. Through Nov. 8. art-sandiego.com

SNAP SHOTS ✱

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Girls on Film

ARCLIGHT PRESENTS WOMEN IN ENTERTAINMENT Arclight Cinerama Dome Nov. 5 arclightwomen.com

ArcLight Cinemas hosts the inaugural Women in Entertainment summit HOLLYWOOD IS ABOUT TO EXPERIENCE girl power first-hand. On Nov. 5, ArcLight Cinemas takes its first stab at live programming when it presents the inaugural Women in Entertainment summit. Housed in the iconic Cinemarama Dome, the event assembles forward-thinking females from every facet of the film industry to illuminate issues affecting women working in entertainment, from human rights to leadership to the ability to tell their stories across multiple platforms. “As women, our leadership roles keep expanding, and with them the challenges we face in the entertainment industry. We are thrilled to get involved in changing the face of entertainment by cultivating these discussions,” says Gretchen McCourt, Executive Vice President of Arclight. McCourt will be joined by a number of influential femmes, including WomenIn Film President Cathy Schulman and prominent actress Geena Davis. The Thelma & Louise star is specifically excited for the opportunity for women to positively impact the industry. “The only way to create change is to have key entertainment industry decision-makers take the lead by driving opportunities for women on-screen and behind the scenes,” she says. It’s a move that seems far more effective—and practical—than driving off a cliff. —M.C

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COMMODORE | HENRY'S Photos by Jeremy Lucido

Drew Droege

S N A P SHOTS ✱

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BIG BAD WOLF | FAULTLINE Photos by Jeremy Lucido

PRAIRIE-OKE Cavern Club Theater Nov. 6-22 cavernclubtheater.com

LITTLE HOUSE AND THE FAIRY Pop music mashup Prairie-Oke! returns to the L.A. stage with another dose of Drew Droege

t’s ironic that a gracious, genuine person like Drew Droege is so adept at portraying vile characters, from his hyperpretentious take on Chloë Sevigny to the emotionally abusive windbag Professor Lafrange in Hollywood Acting Studio to acid-tongued drag bitch Ann Ziety in Go-Go Boy Interrupted. Beginning Nov. 6, the hardest working homo in Hollywood reassumes the mantle of yet another venomous alter-ego when he returns as bad girl Mellie in the revival of Prairie-Oke!, a Little House on the Prairie/pop music mashup at Casita del Campo’s Cavern Club Theater. While Droege may be the quintessential nice guy, he’s not as distanced from the character as one might assume. “I’m bossy, I’m horny, I’m a friend of the Devil,” says Droege. “I didn’t have to audition for this one.” Of course, playwright Dane Whitlock is well-acquainted with Droege, who starred in his previous mashup hits I (Totally) Know What You Did Last Donna Summer and Are You There God? Its Me, Karen Carpenter. Both local stage successes exemplify Whitlock’s trademark tempering of film parody with anachronistic music. “It was a blast, so Dane gathered most of the same delicious sickos together to do a follow-up with a more contemporary twist,” says Droege. “The gross wholesomeness of Little House juxtaposed with garish, drunk pop anthems makes for a stupid fun treat.” Fans of Prairie-Oke!’s initial run will be pleased to hear this remount won’t be a carbon copy of the first. The production will introduce a number of new cast members, including Melanie Hutsell (Saturday Night Live), Mitch Silpa (Bridesmaids, Spy), Kevin Berntson (Inside Amy Schumer), Melanie Wildman (So You Think You Can Dance) and Ben Palacios (Steam Room Stories), each one adding a new dimension to this musical comedy. “They are bringing their own hilariously wicked interpretations to the stage,” says Droege. “The show is raunchier and crazier and more dangerous this time. This prairie bites back!” While Droege may be the star of the show, he’s quick to acknowledge Whitlock as the production’s heart. “Dane deeply respects actors,” he says. “He loves when his actors improvise, give suggestions, play. He has no ego about his ideas versus theirs. It’s always about what’s best for the show, and he brings together wonderful people. We just laugh the whole damn time.” It’s refreshing to hear such kind words coming out of Mellie’s foul mouth. —M.C OCTOBER 28, 2015

■ ■ ■ ■ running, continuously operating professional company. Through Nov. 29. theatrewest.org ■ Fri. | Nov. 6 CUB SCOUT Eagle L.A.

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HIGH & TIGHT | REDLINE Photos by Jeremy Lucido

■ Thu. | Nov. 5 THE LITTLE MERMAID El Capitan Theatre

The legendary theatre hosts a limited run of Disney’s Oscar-winning film. On select dates, have breakfast, meet Ariel and receive a commemorative photo before seeing the 10 a.m. movie. Through Nov. 22. elcapitantickets.com

This packed monthly East Side party returns with its regular assortment of hirsute hipsters. DJs Chris Bowen and Victor Rodriguez provide the soundtrack, while San Francisco den mother Lady Bear hosts. eaglela.org

■ Thu. | Nov. 5 TOUCH THURSDAYS The Abbey

As the gay weekend starts on Thursday, Frontiers Media presents a night of dancing, drinking and all-around rabble-rousing before the weekend gets fully underway. Join us as we people-watch some of the city’s sexiest men and women ... and maybe ogle a go-go dancer or two. abbeyfoodandbar.com ■ Fri. | Nov. 6 THE ART OF FALLING Ahmanson Theatre

An example of contemporary dance artistry meeting comedic excellence, two of Chicago’s most creative companies, Hubbard Street Dance Chicago and The Second City tell a hilarious and touching story of life, love and relationships. Through Nov. 8. musiccenter.org ■ Fri. | Nov. 6 ‘THE CHRISTIANS’ AUDITIONS Mark Taper Forum

Center Theatre Group is seeking a diverse group of singers from across the greater L.A. area to perform as members of the church choir in the West Coast premiere of The Christians, written by Lucas Hnath and directed by Les Waters. To schedule an audition, email ctgsubmit@ centertheatregroup.org. ■ Fri. | Nov. 6 WESTFEST Theatre West

West Fest 2015 presents four full weekends of shows, a totally different presentation each week, to entice loyal audiences who have returned for WestFest every year, as well as to introduce new audiences to the richly varied work of the city’s longest32

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■ Sat. | Nov. 7 FESTIVAL OF PHILIPPINE ARTS & CULTURE El Pueblo

Featuring contemporary and traditional Filipino food, music, dance, crafts and culture, this festival is the longest-running Filipino cultural celebration in SoCal. This year’s theme celebrates the rich experiences of being Filipino-American. filmarts.org ■ Sat. | Nov. 7 AN EVENING IN AFRICA Montage Hotel

Celebrate WildAid’s work to fight the illegal wildlife trade in Africa and honor the work of the org’s ambassadors. Guests include Kathryn Bigelow, Chevy Chase, Bo Derek and many others. wildaid.org ■ Mon. | Nov. 9 OVATION AWARDS Ahmanson Theatre

The only peer-judged theater awards in L.A., the Ovation Awards were created to recognize excellence in theatrical performance, production and design in the Greater Los Angeles area. Awards are given out in 35 different categories. lastagealliance.com ■ Through Nov. 14 CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF Lonny Chapman Theatre

Tennessee Williams’ dynamic Pulitzer Prizewinning drama returns to the stage, directed by L.Flint Esquerra. Talk-backs with the cast take place after Sunday matinees. thegrouprep.com

THINGS THAT GO BUMP IN THE NIGHT

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CUB SCOUT | EAGLE L.A. Photos by Rolling-Blackouts

Your gay guide to 7 local events this Halloween weekend

alloween is the perfect holiday for Gay L.A. Our temperate climate is ideal for running through the streets in costumes requiring minimal cover and maximum expose of muscles. But what’s the point of getting half-dressed with nowhere to go? Never fear, boys, because there’s a cavalcade of homo Halloween events where you can flaunt your skimpy styles. 1. Fred and Jason’s Halloweenie X The hottest Halloween party in town (taking place at DTLA’s Majestic Hall the night before on Friday) returns to celebrate a decade of devilish debauchery. Presented by local power couple Fred Arens and Jason Duguay, who started the party in their own home, this annual local tradition involves slutty costumes, open bars and, most importantly, a party with a purpose. Proceeds from the celeb-filled bacchanal (that's Adam Lambert above) benefit the Gay Men’s Chorus Los Angeles.halloweenieLA.com 2. Danny Elfman at the Hollywood Bowl On Halloween night, Hollywood audiences will get two holidays for the price of one when Elfman mounts a live orchestral performance of The Nightmare Before Christmas. Dressing up as characters from the movie is highly encouraged. hollywoodbowl.com 3. WeHo Halloween Carnival Denizens from every corner of SoCal descend upon the gayborhood on Halloween night for the biggest street festival this side of Pride. Half-naked gay dudes mingling with half-naked straight dudes is really what the spirit of Halloween is all about. weho.org 4. Head Downtown With its nascent gay presence, DTLA does double duty on Halloween. At Precinct, the delightfully raunchy Wendy Ho transforms the rock ‘n’ roll gay bar into a horny haunted house. Then you can stumble over to Redline for a chance to win $500 in the bar’s midnight costume contest. precinctdtla.com, redlinedtla.com 5. LASC Live @Halloween Get a bird’s-eye view of the costume cavalcade at the Boystown men’s retailer’s annual rooftop blowout, featuring DJ Casey Alva. shoplasc.com 6. Miss Kitty’s Hollywood Halloween Ball Last issue’s cover queens the Boulet Brothers resurrect famed party Miss Kitty’s for this annual Hollywood horror-fest, with a special appearance by master of the macabre Clive Barker. hollywoodhalloween.bpt.me 7. Resurrection: The Rise of Micky’s WeHo After a month of being closed by the California Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, the WeHo hotspot is raised from the grave to celebrate the year’s sluttiest gay holiday. mickys.com —M.C. OCTOBER 28, 2015

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The best in TV, film, music and more

Hollywood Hilarity As the host of Cocktails and Classics on Logo TV, Michael Urie and friends provide colorful commentary on some of your favorite campy films By Patrick Rosenquist

e live in the great age of “Netflix and Chill,“ and when you’re sticking to the literal meaning of that phrase, taking in a movie at home can feel, well, a little boring. Not to mention that there’s always the problem of streaming paralysis—with so many choices, what in the world will you watch? Something quirky, campy or fun? Michael Urie, the host of Logo’s Cocktails and Classics, hopes to be an antidote for your stale movie nights. Now back for its second season, which began Oct. 25 on Logo, the show has Urie moderate a group of friends and celebrities as they comment, re-enact and pay homage to the classic film canon. “We want this to feel like you’re watching a movie with friends, that you get our jokes and commentary,” says Urie. The first eight-episode season, which aired earlier this spring, covered films as diverse as Steel Magnolias, Sunset Boulevard and Private Benjamin. “When we say ‘classic,‘ we mean new, old and cult films,” he says. “We want to cover movies you should see and those you’ve probably already seen.” The rotating roster of film aficionados on Cocktails and Classics has included RuPaul's Drag Race alum D.J. Pierce (aka Shangela) and Michael Musto re-enacting the

NEW DOC EXAMINES YOUTH HOMELESSNESS

he kids are not alright, according to upcoming documentary Lost in America. Directed by Rotimi Rainwater and featuring interviews with Jon Bon Jovi and Russell Simmons, the new film explores the contemporary epidemic of youth homelessness, specifically among LGBT minors. The subject of gay teens in crisis is a reoccurring theme for producer Mike Manning, whose previous film, the Slamdance award-winning Kidnapped for Christ, dealt with a teenager sent against his will to an abusive reform school because he was openly gay. Much like those behavior modification institutes, homelessness is a problem that affects a disproportionately larger demographic of queer adolescents. “It’s all too common that a youth is kicked out of his or her

home after coming out. We felt that it was important to include those stories in the film, to hopefully promote a dialogue around acceptance,” says Manning. “We want to show America what these kids go through, in hopes that they recognize the need for all of us to rally in a big way and create new tactics to assist the growing populations of youth on the streets, to not only combat the causes of homelessness but also programs to get youth off the streets and on their own two feet.” Kidnapped for Christ literally saved its subject from physical and emotional abuse by sharing his story and helping return him home. Let's hope that Lost in America can also aid its subjects and guide them into homes of their own. Watch the film's trailer at lostinamericafilm.com. —Mike Ciriaco NOVEMBER 11, 2015

film HEART OF A DOG Opens Nov. 6

*****

For those who watch Laurie Anderson’s pensive art film Heart of a Dog and come away thinking it’s not much more than pretentious twaddle , believe me when I say that I understand you. Yet having sat through enough art-house tripe to last me a lifetime (The Tree of Life, anyone?) and having always enjoyed the complexities of Anderson’s performance art meta-narratives, I found her visual collage a meditative, engrossing experience. She uses the remembrance of her beloved rat terrier Lolabelle as a prism through which she ruminates on language, terrorism, resilience, family, surveillance and—most emphatically—death, all of which she dedicates, tellingly, “to the magnificent spirit of my husband Lou Reed.” —Dan Loughry

(From left) Michelle Collins, Chris Benz, Michael Urie, Drew Droege and Shangela on the set of Cocktails and Classics

barbiturate-soaked dialogue of Valley of the Dolls, Entertainment Weekly writer Jessica Shaw unearthing tidbits about Breakfast at Tiffany’s and Lea Delaria and Michael Ausiello taking on the songs of Cabaret. That last movie, in particular, gave Urie and his team a great learning experience— choose the films carefully. “We were so entranced watching the musical numbers that we got sucked into it and forgot to interact with each other!” Urie, a 35-year-old Dallas native best known for playing loyal personal assistant Marc St. James on Ugly Betty, took a roundabout path to his hosting duties. While best known for his TV work, Urie also directs and produces shorts. One of them sparked the interest of Logo executives, and while the film ultimately didn’t make it to the channel’s lineup, the network was interested in putting Urie on the air. “We were trying to find the perfect project,” he says. When Logo came back to him with an idea to host a revue of classic films, he loved the premise. Both he and his partner, Ryan Spahn—who serves as a consulting producer on the show—are avid film fans. “We watch a lot of the movies we want to screen at home and take notes. It’s like we do the show in our living room,” says Urie. The second season of Cocktails and Classics will expand both the guest list and the types of movies screened. This season’s first episode took on The Witches of Eastwick, the Jack Nicholson and Cher dark comedy of the ’80s. “We’re at this point where there are a lot of movies I grew up with that can now be called classics, and I want to show them,” says Urie. Other new classics—like the cult musical Hedwig and Angry Inch—have also made the cut, along with bona fide camp sensations like disaster epic The Poseidon Adventure. “We had a great time filming that one,” says Urie. “We placed the furniture on the ceiling and had Jessica Shaw pretending she was pregnant while wearing a wedding dress. Shangela spends the

*****

In this intimate, intense drama, the title character (Christopher Abbott) has just lost his estranged father and is caring for his mother, Gail (Cynthia Nixon), who is battling Stage 4 cancer. Yet the restless James can barely take care of himself. Abbott rises to the challenge of making the screw-up (and screwed-up) James sympathetic even when he is behaving badly. Director Josh Mond immerses viewers in the difficult lives of his characters, and he wrenches real emotional pain; a scene in which James envisions a better life for him and his mom in Paris is staggeringly great. In support, rapper Scott Mecudi is ingratiating as James’ gay best friend. —Gary M. Kramer

SPOTLIGHT Opens Nov. 6

*****

This exceptional drama, based on actual events, c o n c e r n s a te a m o f investigative reporters at the Boston Globe writing about abuse in the Catholic Church. The film crackles as it clearly presents all the players and events, but it also raises questions about knowledge and faith, loyalty and justice. If Spotlight takes a cheap shot with a red herring, Tom McCarthy’s film is otherwise gripping as it provides insights into journalism while detailing the power struggles as church victims and villains give testimonies. The entire ensemble cast—including Michael Keaton, Liev Schreiber, Rachel McAdams, Billy Crudup and Jamey Sheridan—is fantastic, but Stanley Tucci and Mark Ruffalo are standouts. —G.M.K. 36

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>> theatres

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October 30

Burnt

Our Brand is Crisis

Jem and the Holograms

Scouts Guide to the Zombie Acpocalypse

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November 6 Spectre

PHOTO CREDIT TK

Opens Nov. 20

PHOTO CREDIT TK

JAMES WHITE

music DAVE GAHAN & SOULSAVERS Angels & Ghosts (Columbia)

*****

As distraught as I am about the past few Depeche Mode albums, Dave Gahan has been quite productive on the solo front lately. His second album with Soulsavers sees him going back to a previously explored Depeche sound. Not sythpop; instead, Angels & Ghosts replicates the gothic gospel template of 1993’s Songs of PRIME CUTS: Faith and Devotion, and it’s all the better “All of This for it. Album opener “Shine” is “I Feel You” and Nothing” on quaaludes. “All of This and Nothing” emulates the “You Owe Me” grandeur of “Walking in My Shoes” without steal“My Sun” ing too literally. Elsewhere on the LP, Gahan positions himself as a sort of grieving prom king to Lana Del Rey’s prom queen corpse. Pushing style aside, this is Gahan’s strongest set of songs as a solo artist. It’s great to see him poke out of the Depeche Mode bubble, and hopefully this diversion will re-energize the band. —Dominik Rothbard episode trying to balance herself on a pair of skates.” The Poseidon Adventure was one of the films on Urie’s wish list for season two, but unfortunately a few of his favorite choices didn’t make the cut. Out of all the films he wishes he could take on, his most unusual choice—and a favorite of his partner as well—is the Jodie Foster-directed comedy Home for the Holidays. “It may not be considered a ‘classic’ yet,” says Urie, “but maybe it will some day.” Urie is embracing the ’80s. “I wanted to do Soap Dish and Clue, which we may do for the third season. We wouldn’t want to do too many similar movies in one go,” he says. Delving into the unique history of each film— and its path to becoming a classic—is part of the appeal. Urie contrasts a film like Mommie Dearest—which wasn’t produced to be a campy riot but was embraced by audiences as such upon its premiere—with other films that have had a more circuitous route to the canon, like Valley of the Dolls, which was met with hostility that slowly turned toward appreciation. “That movie was a blast to do,” says Urie, “It’s just ripe with good quotes.” Of course, Urie wants to highlight films that have, by audiences and critics alike, always been considered great. “When you think ‘classic,‘ you probably think of something like Some Like It Hot, which revolutionized comedy and solidified Marilyn Monroe’s career. We want to show those movies, too, of course.” The goal is to appease casual fans and experts alike. With a mix of sketches and information about the production and release history, Urie hopes a wide array of film-lovers tune in to watch a movie they cherish—or one they may end up embracing as, well, a classic. Cocktails and Classics‘ second season airs Sundays at 8 p.m. on Logo TV.

PHOTO CREDIT TK

NEW RELEASES

>> music

Out Now

October 30

November 6

Carrie Underwood Storyteller

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings It’s a Holiday Soul Party

Björk Vulnicura Strings

Demi Lovato Confident Vanessa Carlton Liberman

Ellie Goulding Delirium Seal 7

RYAN ADAMS 1989 (Blue Note)

*****

Those who think singer-songwriter Ryan Adams’ decision to record, in toto, Taylor Swift’s 1989 is a hipster prank need only give it a listen to hear that he’s not only an honest fan but considers her a peer. When he says he was obsessed with these PRIME CUTS: tunes during an emotional divorce, he’s “Out of the Woods” not genuflecting at Swift’s altar. Her relationship woes “Bad Blood” spoke to Adams with such depth that he transformed “Shake It Off” them into his own vernacular. What the two share is a quality of writing (which detractors of Swift will perceive clearly in these versions) and a directness of approach— hers with catchy pop and his gravitating towards stripped-down melancholy. They will also help you appreciate why she’s our reigning pop queen. —D.L.

THE SPOOK SCHOOL Try to Be Hopeful (Fortuna Pop!)

*****

This buzzy punk quartet from Edinburgh doesn’t waste any time getting to their favorite subjects—gender, sexuality and queer issues—on their sophomore release. “I know I’ll never be as strong as my mother,” sings Anna Cory in the PRIME CUTS: calm-before-the-storm opener “Burn “Speak When Masculinity.” She’ll never be as sensiYou’re Spoken To” tive as her brother, either, she claims, “Burn Masculinity” before her and said sibling Adam Cory as well as “Binary” Niall McCamley and trans member Nye Todd get to catchy indie pop business for 34 minutes over 11 tracks. Their sound is tried-and-true—echoes of The Buzzcocks and Orange Juice prevail—yet their subjects and POV are freshly compelling. I hope they inspire whatever disaffected youth comprises their cult to speak their own truth someday. —D.L. NOVEMBER 11, 2015

By Nathaniel Grey

ASH VS. EVIL DEAD premieres Oct. 31 on Starz

You Just Can’t Keep the Living Dead Down F

GUARDS AT THE TAJ

HIT THE WALL

*****

Geffen Playhouse Through Nov. 15

R ajiv J ose ph , wh os e Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo was a 2010 hit at the Taper, has proven himself one of our most thrillingly imaginative playwrights. With Guards at the Taj he continues to excite and surprise, crafting a provocative two-hander about a pair of lower-level imperial guards charged with standing watch over the 17th century construction of the Taj Mahal. The overly dutiful Humayun (Raffi Barsoumian) abides the slacker tendencies of his lifelong pal Babur (Ramiz Monsef), but when they are commanded to carry out an unspeakable act of brutality, they survive on Beckett-like whimsicality and existential questions about the death of beauty. Both actors are fantastic, and their chemistry—under Giovanna Sardelli’s fearless direction—is divine. Tom Buderwitz’s shockingly versatile set and Vincent Olivieri’s exquisite sound ably serve Joseph’s exploration of power, caprice, friendship and duty in a blood-soaked 90-minute gem that leaves us at once chilled and cleansed. —Christopher Cappiello 38

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Davidson/Valentini Theatre Through Dec. 13

The gay liberation movement started with a bang during the legendar y clash between Greenwich Village police and rioting citizens in June 1969 at the Stonewall Inn on New York’s Christopher Street. Ike Holter’s panoramic play Hit the Wall, an electrifying telling of the event as a feverish dream, becomes a brilliantly evocative and immersive experience under the assured hands of director Ken Sawyer. Imagining the searing tensions that preceded the calamitous battle, Holter introduces several archetypal characters, including a ballsy cross-dresser (Matthew Hancock), a gay kid right off the bus (Jason Caceres), an opportunistic predator (Burt Grinstead), a gutsy butch lesbian (Charlotte Gulezian) and more. Besides the 13 brilliantly etched and fearless performances, the galvanizing production boasts a smashing design effort and evocative original music by Anna Waronker and Charlotte Caffey. This is a bravura effort and a high-water mark for artistic director Jon Imparato’s long-distinguished Lily Tomlin/Jane Wagner Cultural Arts Center. —Les Spindle

TIGERS: JOSH RIMMEY

stage

Ruby and reunites with her former boss Sam Raimi, who acts as the show’s executive producer and pilot director, titles he also held on the very first film. Also new to the ensemble is Sleepy Hollow’s Jill Marie Jones, best known to fans of that show as Cynthia Irving, who has taken on the role of Amanda. Meanwhile, local actor and Raising Hope alum Ray Santiago (pictured above, far left) plays Ash’s Sancho Panza-like sidekick Pablo Simon Bolivar. “It wasn’t even an indie darling,” Campbell tells Rolling Stone of the first film. “It clawed its way from nowhere to where it is today, which is still a mom-and-pop operation. We’re just glad that, after all this hard work, people want more.” On returning to the role of Ash (and the project’s buckets and buckets of horror effects), Campbell says, “The blood is still stickier than hell, and it’s horrible, horrible, horrible.”

GUARDS: MICHAEL LAMONT; HIT THE WALL: KEN SAWYER

ans of the Evil Dead comedy-horror film franchise have waited years for another sequel, a project that many industry insiders considered a surefire hit. That patience is repaid in spades when the Starz network debuts something even better than a film sequel—a 10-episode TV series titled Ash vs. Evil Dead. Perfectly scheduled for a Halloween night debut, Bruce Campbell, 57, returns to the iconic role (and chainsaw arm) of demon fighter Ash Williams. This time, though, we find him having spent the last two decades ignoring life’s responsibilitie, working a boring retail job. But after a Deadite threat (sinister spirits who turn people and inanimate objects into killing machines) crosses over into our world, Ash is forced once more to become mankind’s champion. Former TV royalty, Xena Warrior Princess vet Lucy Lawless, costars as

Agent X Nov. 8, TNT Sharon Stone comes to primetime television with this action drama described as National Treasure meets the Bourne franchise. The series portrays a world in which this country’s founding fathers established a secret position for a highly skilled government agent who was specifically charged to protect the land from special threats. Stone plays the Vice President, who, without the knowledge of POTUS, is the only authority deploying the agent into action. Stone is joined by Gossip Girl’s John Shea, The Vampire Diaries’ Olga Fonda and Chicago Fire’s Jeff Hephner in the title role.

ANGEL FROM HELL Nov. 5, CBS Jane Lynch steps away from hosting her Hollywood Game Night and moves over to CBS to play Amy, a woman who is either a guardian angel or a complete crazy woman. Psych vet Maggie Lawson is Allison, who is bewitched, bothered and bewildered by her newfound friend and suspects she has a seraphim origination. The single-camera comedy was created by Scrubs vet Tad Quill and costars Mom’s Kevin Pollak, Parenthood’s David Denman and Agent Carter’s Kyle Bornheimer. TELEVISION LONG DIVISION

It's a Wonderful Life

Touched By an Angel

The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt

Angel From Hell

WE ARE THE TIGERS Hudson Theatre Backstage Through Nov. 8

TIGERS: JOSH RIMMEY

GUARDS: MICHAEL LAMONT; HIT THE WALL: KEN SAWYER

*****

New musicals can be a tough sell, and Rebekah Allen‘s We Are the Tigers almost makes a sale. Taking place at a cheerleading squad sleepover, a handful of people are murdered, and the group realizes that getting on the team might come with a price. Sort of a mashup of Bring It On and Scream, Tigers has some truly catchy songs and some clever lyric, but problems arise when the story fights with itself. While the concept steers toward pure comedy, the songs tend to be more introspective, which knocks the funny out of the way for something more purposeful. The murders themselves come so late that they feel strange, and the characters’ reactions to the deaths are mild at best. All of that said, there are a lot of pleasures here, and the talent onstage is phenomenal. If there is any order to the universe, Talisa Friedman (in her L.A. stage debut as Farrah) will go on to be a huge star. Her timing and her voice are remarkable, while Gabi Hankins as the school mascot steals every scene she’s in. —Kevin Taft

SET YOUR Sunday, Nov. 8 Flesh and Bone is a new drama set in the world of ballet from Breaking Bad writer Moira Walley-Beckett. In addition to weekly airings, all eight episodes will be available to stream immediately. (8 p.m., Starz) Friday, Oct. 30 Exorcism: Live, billed as the first live exorcism in American TV history, this special finds the cast of Ghost Asylum investigating the original house that inspired The Exorcist. (9 p.m., Destination America) Friday, Nov. 6 Chita Rivera: A Lot of Livin’ to Do, is a one-hour career retrospective on the Broadway legend featuring interviews, archival performance footage and newly filmed songs from Rivera’s repertoire. (9 p.m., PBS) Friday, Nov. 6 Masters of None is a new comedy from Parks and Recreation writer/ producers Aziz Ansari, Alan Yang and Mike Schur. Ansari plays a directionless 30-something actor living in New York, joined by SNL’s Noel Wells and his real-life mother Fatima. (Netflix)

Tuesday, Nov. 10 Chicago Med is the third entry in Dick Wolf’s Chicago creations. The hospital-set drama features Pretty Little Liars‘ Torrey DeVito, Law & Order’s S. Epatha Merkerson and The Wolverine’s Brian Tee. (10 p.m., NBC)

Tuesday, Nov. 10 Adman and TV host Donny Deutsch steps into a new show titled Donny. Playing himself, the comedy uses his real-life New York apartment as a setting but otherwise features fictional characters and semi-scripted dialogue. (10:30 p.m., USA) Wednesday, Nov. 11 Just when you think they’ve run out of ideas comes the new spinoff Project Runway Lifetime, which centers on young aspiring fashion designers aged 13-17. (9 p.m., Lifetime) NOVEMBER 11, 2015

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DYLAN + JENI

Silver Lakeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Alimento is equal parts neighborhood hangout and rustic-but-refined trattoria

They say you are what you eat, but in Los Angeles, where location is everything, you are where you eat. We examine five of the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most exciting foodie neighborhoods, singling out the culinary stars and innovative trends of each BY E RIC ROSE N NOVEMBER 11, 2015

LEONA

GJELINA

THE ALL-DAY BISTRO After stints at other restaurants around Los Angeles and even a spot on Top Chef, chef Nyesha Arrington finally has a restaurant to call her own down by the Washington Boulevard Pier. At LEONA, she fuses Asian-inflected SoCal flavors—like wakame-cured hamachi in a yuzu dashi—with elements of her own Korean heritage, like lamb belly wontons. Be sure to try a flatbread as well, as you people-watch from one of the sidewalk tables out front. 123 Washington Blvd., (310) 822-5379, leonavenice.com

ROOSTERFISH

Having served L.A.’s Westside gays (and those who head west seeking quality beach time) for 36 years, this Gay L.A. mainstay is our favorite Venice watering hole (and not just because it’s the city’s only beachside gay bar). On weekdays you’ll find a crowd of neighborhood locals downing beers at the bar, while weekends are popular among non-beach residents, particularly First Fridays on Abbot Kinney, when throngs hit the street to eat, shop and peruse galleries. 1302 Abbot Kinney Blvd., roosterfishbar.com —Stephan Horbelt

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THE SEASONAL STANDBY The service may leave something to be desired, but there’s no arguing with chef Travis Lett’s extensive menu of protein and produce drawn from the length and breadth of the Golden State. A taste of what’s on the menu at GJELINA now: spot prawns with tomatillo butter and lime, and sardines with preserved lemon aioli and fennel salad from the waters off Santa Barbara. If you don’t want to deal with hostesses that make getting a table harder than sneaking into Hollywood’s hottest clubs, you can always opt for takeaway instead. 1429 Abbot Kinney Blvd., (310) 450-1429, gjelina.com

THE OUTSTANDING VEGAN OPTION You might not expect a vegan, macrobiotic restaurant to have a menu featuring burgers, panini, tacos, cookies and mousse, but that’s just one of the many surprises awaiting diners at Venice favorite SEED KITCHEN, where the goal is to eat clean and healthy without sacrificing flavor. Among our favorites on the menu are tempeh chorizo tacos, a BBQ seitan burger and a selection of one-dish bowls including the seitan pepper steak with broccoli and carrots served over brown rice. 1604 Pacific Ave., (310) 396-1604; seedkitchen.com

TREND ALERT

GOURMET FOOD HALL Housed in an early 1900s building just off the Venice Boardwalk, new Westside spot Dudley Market features artisanal goodies as well as an eat-in menu of seasonal California dishes courtesy of chef Jesse Barber. Try the wholefried soft-shell crab omelet with piquillo peppers and avocado for something light but filling; or the eggplant pâté on a baguette with watercress, parmesan, avocado and chili paste for a healthy lunch with a kick. 9 Dudley Ave., (424) 744-8060, dudleymarket.com

CERVETECA

Hollywood Hills: GC MARKETPLACE Just over the hill, chef Gary Arabia debuted GC Marketplace (the GC stands for “global cuisine”) with a French-style boulangerie, house-made pizzas, cheese and charcuterie counters selling wares to eat in or take out, an espresso bar and a retail wine space for on-premises drinks or tippling to go. 3315 Cahuenga Blvd. W., (323) 645-5269, gcmarketplace.com

THE BEER & FISH GO-TO While “coastal Californian cuisine” might conjure up images of impeccably plated delicacies procured from artisanal producers, CERVETECA proves it also means fresh fish and a cold beer. That’s when you head to this Rose Avenue mainstay, where dishes like peel-and-eat chipotle beer shrimp, lime-cured ceviche, beer-battered baja fish tacos with aji sauce and crema—and on-tap beers like Allagash White and Estrella Damm Lager—keep tables packed all evening long. 523 Rose Ave., (310) 310-8937, cervetecala.com

GO FISH Malibu: THE REEL INN For fish tacos right off the beach, step into this ramshackle spot on the PCH just past Topanga. It may not have the glitz of Malibu’s other offerings, but last we checked, you can’t find 15 different fish taco options at the Malibu Country Mart. 18661 Pacific Coast Hwy., reelinnmalibu.com

3 more local restaurants serving stellar seafood tacos Los Feliz: BEST FISH TACO IN ENSENADA When you crave a fish taco, you’re in the right place when it’s the only dish on the menu. This place knows what they do best, and that’s golden-fried fish and shrimp tacos, complemented by an assortment of handcrafted salsas and secret recipe “magic cream.” 1650 N. Hillhurst Ave., bestfishtacoinensenada.com

East L.A.: TACOS BAJA You’ll probably wait in line at this kick-ass taco joint on L.A.’s East Side, where the fish tacos are fried ‘til golden brown and topped with cabbage, pico and a dollop of crema. Added bonus: the fish tacos are only a buck on Wednesdays. 5385 Whittier Blvd., tacosbaja.com —S.H.

Mid-City: STIR MARKET Open for nearly a year in the old Buddha’s Belly space, this all-day café/restaurant/ gourmet grocery concept allows you to have different food experiences from morning to night, serving everything from Intelligentsia coffee and pastries to French-style rotisserie chicken and dark rum croissant bread pudding. 7475 Beverly Blvd., (323) 879-8283, stirmarket.com Atwater Village: BON VIVANT A market and café, Bon Vivant offers diners nearly unlimited options (small plates, entrees, soups, salads, burgers), whether you opt for a table in the open-air dining room or are looking to stock up and head out to an event like the Hollywood Bowl. The cheese and meat boards are a dream come true for foodies, customized with fruit, nuts, quince, olives and pickles made on-site. Cheese monger Jason Louis Velasquez recommends the vintage goat cheese and venison pâté. 3155 Glendale Blvd., (323) 284-8013, bonvivantmarketcafe.com —S.H.

NOVEMBER 11, 2015

EP/LP

THE ALFRESCO BRUNCH SPOT You never know which A-listers you’ll spot over brunch in the back garden at Santa Monica Boulevard staple LAUREL HARDWARE, which cleverly makes its home in a former hardware shop. Snag a seat under the shade of one of the olive trees out back. Then settle in with a carafe of white peach bellinis and a plate of fried chicken and biscuits, served slathered in tasso ham gravy on a bed of wilted greens. 7984 Santa Monica Blvd., (323) 656-6070, laurelhardware.com 44

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BELOW THE SURFACE EP/LP has a lock on L.A.’s favorite rooftop view, but these 3 bars invite you underground

DTLA: CONTINENTAL CLUB If you’re not paying attention you might miss the entrance to one of Downtown’s swankiest spots, housed next door to restaurant Bar Amá. The gays recently have a new reason to frequent this basement bar every third Thursday for new party Hit & Run. 116 W. 4th St., circa93.com

Echo Park: ECHOPLEX This concert venue-cum-occasional gay hangout can be found underneath and around the corner from more well-known venue The Echo. Popular mashp dance party Bootie L.A. happens twice per month, packing the low-ceilinged space with throngs of sweaty revelers. 1154 Glendale Blvd., theecho.com

DTLA: MRS. FISH Opened last November, think of Mrs. Fish as the polar opposite of sky-high oasis Perch. It’s a three-level basement bar with an aquarium ceiling, rock ‘n’ roll stage area and a quirky menu that includes a $100 fishbowl drink, finger foods and caviar. 448 S. Hill St., mrsfish.com —S.H.

LUCQUES: ROB STARK PHOTOGRAPHY

THE ROOFTOP BAR One of the most exciting new openings from this past summer, EP/LP is like an all-in-one dining destination. Though you can opt for a table in the second-floor dining room, those in the know head straight up to the expansive rooftop for sweeping views of L.A.—from DTLA to the coast—not to mention hand-shaken cocktails like the Kriss Kross (vodka, kaffir lime, coconut water, cardamom bitters and house-made Indian tonic boba pearls) and small bites like bao with 5-spice roasted duck, hoisin and green shallot. 603 N. La Cienega Blvd., (310) 855-9955, eplosangeles.com

MID-CITY’S BIG JUXTAPOSITION

LAUREL HARDWARE

JON & VINNY'S

LUCQUES

LUCQUES: ROB STARK PHOTOGRAPHY

THE FARM-TO-TABLE FAVE With a half-dozen or so food outlets under her aegis, cookbooks, consulting gigs and more, you might think chef Suzanne Goin would let a few things slide. But the food at LUCQUES is as delicious as ever thanks to carefully selected seasonal ingredients, painstaking preparation and an unmatched eye for quality. Menu items you might find these days include white-bean soup with salsa verde, goat cheese cream and pine nuts, or pan-roasted halibut with shell and string beans, rapini, jamón butter and crushed marcona almonds. They’ll taste even more delicious alfresco at a table on the back patio.8474 Melrose Ave., (323) 655-6277, lucques.com

One, BELCAMPO MEAT CO., is a burger joint that sources its meats from a 100% organic and humanely raised ranch in NorCal (including the mouthwatering Carnivore, a burger made with a patty of blended beef, beef heart and bacon with grilled red onion, roasted garlic, aioli, tomato and lettuce). 8053 W. 3rd St., (323) 937-0170, belcampomeat.com The other, SWEETGREEN, is a design-yourown salad/wrap/grain-bowl place. What do they have in common, besides an address? A commitment to fresh, quality ingredients at a price point that means you can hit both in the same day without denting your wallet. 8055 W. 3rd St., sweetgreen.com

THE NEIGHBORHOOD PIZZA JOINT Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo’s other restaurants, including Animal and Son of a Gun, tend to push the envelope and challenge palates, but JON & VINNY’S on Fairfax, just outside of West Hollywood, is all about making down-home Italian classics using fresh seasonal ingredients. Case in point: a fall pizza starring local crescenza cheese, bright orange nasturtium flowers and a sprinkle of olive oil and sea salt. Be sure to check out the mini wine store at the back, where you can peruse the bottles before settling on your vino for the evening. 412 N. Fairfax Ave., (323) 334-3368, jonandvinnys.com NOVEMBER 11, 2015

BESTIA

Frontiers has been a huge supporter of Downtown’s new gay scene. Here are the 3 bars you need to know.

4th & Broadway: PRECINCT With an expansive patio and performance stage, his huge space has proved to be the hub of the city’s Downtown gay scene, with parties like Queen Kong, BONKERZ! and Pitch Black City—thrown by the city’s most popular nightlife promoters—drawing record crowds on the regular. precinctdtla.com

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7th & Broadway: BAR MATTACHINE The only gay bar in L.A. specializing in craft cocktails, it’s a sophisticated place perfect for pre-dinner drinks or post-dinner revelry. Stop in for Friday party Grecian Guild, featuring music by DJ Aaron Elvis and a skivvies-clad model showing off the week’s reading selection. facebook.com/barmattachine

6th & Los Angeles: REDLINE This clean and modern space brings a cleaned-up crowd Downtown every weekend with its rotating roster of local DJs, stiff drinks and non-attitude. It’s also a hangout for DTLA locals on weeknights. Happy hour features $5 food, well cocktails, draft beers and wine from 5-8 p.m. redlinedtla.com —S.H.

THE FINE-DINING FAVORITE Tucked into a corner of Walt Disney Concert Hall, Jochim Splichal’s flagship restaurant PATINA was long a mainstay of pre- and post-concert fine dining. These days, chef Paul Lee is behind the stove, preparing three-, five- and eight-course tasting menus comprised of signature dishes like butterpoached lobster with bone-marrow mousse, shimeji mushrooms and salsify-lobster nage. This place makes coming downtown a few hours before your next concert more than worth it. 141 S. Grand Ave., (213) 9723331, patinarestaurant.com

THE PLACE FOR OMG OMAKASE Chef Hiroyuki Naruke came to Los Angeles from Tokyo’s Roppongi district at the behest of L.A. diners who couldn’t get enough of his omakase sushi menus. They put up the money to bring him over to the States, setting him up in his own restaurant here, Q SUSHI. Let there be no doubt in your mind that the 20-course dinner tasting menus are amazing, each course just a bite of fresh sushi sourced from the fish market that very day. (You never know what you’ll enjoy each evening, but you do know you’ll enjoy it.) 521 W. 7th St., (213) 261-3479, qsushila.com

ORSA & WINSTON: DYLAN + JENI; BESTIA: SIERRA PRESCOTT

DTLA’S NEW PINK TRIANGLE

TOUR OF ITALY Downtown’s pizza game is strong, as these 5 local pizzerias attest

TERRONI Everything at the beautifully appointed chapter of this Toronto-via-West Hollywood favorite is on-point, and the pizza is perfection. Come for authentic, family-style, cut-yourown Italian, with an extensive menu to choose from. 802 S. Spring St., terroni.com

ORSA & WINSTON

ORSA & WINSTON: DYLAN + JENI; BESTIA: SIERRA PRESCOTT

THE TASTEFUL TASTING MENU Josef Centeno’s restaurant empire includes casual canteens like Baco Mercat and Bar Amá, as well as ORSA & WINSTON, a more sophisticated spot where the tasting menus start at six courses and range up to an ultraindulgent 20-course super menu that might include dishes like dry-aged Pitman duck with cherry-blossom mostarda. We recommend you opt for the wine pairings and make a real meal out of it. 122 W. 4th St., (213) 687-0300, orsaandwinston.com

PATINA

THE COMFORT-ZONE QUASHER Ask anyone their most interesting DTLA dining experience and BESTIA is bound to come up. On a formerly forgotten street on the east side of Downtown, this industrial-chic space (think meathook chandeliers) is now one of the city’s most hopping hotspots thanks to chef Ori Menashe’s creative menu ministrations. Step out of your comfort zone and try dishes like pan-roasted chicken gizzards with roated beets and Belgian endive, or the spaghetti with lobster, sea urchin, squid ink, garlic and Calabrian chiles. 2121 E. 7th Pl., (213) 514-5724, bestiala.com THE CASA OF MODERN MEXICAN It’s appropriate that new restaurant BROKEN SPANISH from chef Ray Garcia took over the old Rivera space on Flower Street, since the restaurateur is taking up the mantle of modern Mexican cuisine downtown. Among the flavors inspired by his own childhood kitchen are green poblano chile relleno with potato-kale stuffing and crema sauce, and finger-licking guajillo pollo prensado served with house-made tortillas. 1050 S. Flower St., (213) 749-1460, brokenspanish.com

PELLICOLA This place scores high for its authenticity and traditional taste. With a crispy, thin style, their Vegetariana is the best around. You’ll also find an awesomely curated movie night every Tuesday, when the restaurant projects a film onto its massive window. 421 W. 8th St., 213nightlife.com PRUFROCK Located next to the recently refurbished Regent Theater, this restaurant is dedicated to woodfired Neapolitan-style pies and has the freshest mozzarella around. When you’re done, head next door to the Love Song Bar and make a night of it. 446 S. Main St., theregent theater.com PIZZANISTA Located in the Arts District, this is New York-style pizza with a heavy dose of laidback California cool. Home of a macaroni and cheese pizza (only on Sundays) and a solid beer list, Pizzanista goes hand-in-hand with it’s ‘too cool for school’ neighbor Tony’s Saloon. 2019 E. 7th St., pizzanista.com 800 DEGREES This place has achieved pizza domination by honoring the Neapolitan traditions and having a build-your-own philosophy, using only the freshest ingredients. How could you possibly go wrong when you can choose your own pizza adventure? 800 Wilshire Blvd., 800degreespizza.com —Mat Jongsma

NOVEMBER 11, 2015

HEAD TO A HOTEL When you’re near the water and craving a drink, opt for the on-site bars of these high-class properties

ESTERS WINE SHOP & BAR FORMA

Wilshire & Ocean: THE BUNGALOW Watch the sun sink into the sea (with a stiff drink in hand) at this low-key 1947 cottage, boasting five distinct spaces to mingle, including main bar The Study, an outside deck and a game room. thebungalowsm.com

BESTIA

Pico & Ocean: VICEROY Start your evening with a cocktail or three in the property’s chic lobby, or head outdoors for a drink and a bite near the pool in one of the hotel’s oversized cabanas. viceroyhotelsandresorts.com

THE SMALL PLATES START-UP The folks behind other Westside spots like Art’s Table and Ashland Hill opened new Montana Avenue spot OX & SON with executive chef Brad Miller behind the stoves earlier this spring. The focus here is on small shared plates with downhome flavors—like Benton’s ham and corn griddle cakes drizzled with maple butter and pickled onion—as well as more sophisticated savors like grilled octopus with BBQ crème, fermented black bean, hearts of palm, fingerling potato and pluots. 1534 Montana Ave, (310) 829-3990, oxandson.com

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THE NEW WINE ROOM What do you get when you take a group of restaurateurs behind classic favorites like Rustic Canyon and Milo & Olive, a 1937 Art Deco building, 250 wines and a stockpile of gourmet foodstuffs? At ESTERS WINE SHOP & BAR you’ll find a couple dozen selections by the glass on any given day, any number of cheese and charcuterie options and small plates such as Koda Farms chickpea hummus with veggie crudo and a softboiled egg. Come early to stake out a sofa on the front patio. 1314 7th St., (310) 899-6900, esterswineshop.com

SMALL WORLD Hollywood: GARDNER JUNCTION Opened in September after years of construction, this traincar inspired restaurant plans to change its small plates menu at least every six weeks. Head here for modern American dishes, like fried chicken with heirloom tomato jam, which was on the opening menu. 1451 N. Gardner St., gardnerjunction.com

Arizona & Ocean: SUITE 700 Located on the roof of the Art Deco Hotel Shangri-La, this half-indoor/half-open-air rooftop bar and lounge offers up a thrilling panoramic view of the Pacific. Hit it up for the workweek happy hour. shangrila-hotel.com —S.H.

3 more restaurants specializing in shared plates

DTLA: BARCITO In the space that formerly housed ChocoChicken, Barcito offers Argentine-inspired shared plates and cocktails. Stop in for a FernetBranca with Mexican Coke and baked-in-house empanadas of the day. (Note: there’s no relation to former Silver Lake gay bar El Barcito.) 403 W. 12th St., barcitola.com

Toluca Lake: CASCABEL Top Chef alum Alex Eusebio’s menu of coastal Mexican cuisine features three-bite taco offerings that pair perfectly with a spicy margarita, from delectable lobster (with dill, crème fraîche and black roe) to pork (with pineapple, tarragon and tomatillo). 10717 Riverside Dr., cascabelrestaurant.com —S.H.

PHOTO CREDIT TK

THE PERFECT PLACE FOR PASTA Montana Avenue has long been known as an upscale but sleepy corner of Santa Monica, but with the opening of contemporary Italian restaurant FORMA, whose name is a nod to the Italian word for cheese, things have started to liven up. Opt for any number of pasta dishes finished with a toss in a wheel of cheese for a creamy patina, but be sure to try dishes like the filet of sole with artichokes as well. Brunch recently began here, so you can stop in on the weekend for a mushroomspinach frittata. 1610 Montana Ave. (424) 231-2868, formarestaurant.com

“I’ve been a vegan for almost 30 years, and even though I became vegan because of my love of animals, I’ve also learned that veganism is better for my health, the climate, the environment, water use and slowing the aging process. Overall, I think that people are becoming better educated to the fact that there are huge benefits both individually and collectively to adopting a plant-based diet. In opening the restaurant I’m hoping to present veganism in a very relaxed and casual light, and not as a didactic or harsh or judgmental lifestyle choice.”

ALIMENTO LA MILL

—Moby, pictured below with his Little Pine business partner, chef Anne Thornton

THE EXPECTED HIT It seems like every celebrity wants a stake in a restaurant these days, but LITTLE PINE is at least close to the heart of the celebrity with whom it’s associated. Musician Moby has been vegan for 27 years and counting, and his forthcoming Silver Lake venture is equal parts retail space, gourmet eatery and neighborhood hangout, catering to those with a similar diet and lifestyle. Menu items are hush hush so far, but expect dishes like lemon-mint-pea pâté and roasted cauliflower steak. 2870 Rowena Ave., littlepinerestaurant.com

YOUR CUP RUNNETH OVER

PHOTO CREDIT TK

3 more coffee shops for the caffeine-craving Angeleno Larchmont: GO GET ‘EM TIGER We love this place based on the name alone. The “coffee regular” here is 12 oz. of Colombian coffee (with Straus Family Creamery half and half and house-made simple syrup), but we know you really want the Full Nelson—a shot of espresso, a cappuccino, a macchiato and an espresso shake. 230 N. Larchmont Blvd., ggetla.com

Culver City: COGNOSCENTI COFFEE Located among the burgeoning ar t galler y district of Culver, this indoor/outdoor space was created by a former architect, and it shows. Plus, a bonus: Cognoscenti is adding a second location Downtown at 9th and Olive in the near future. 6114 Washington Blvd., popupcoffee.com

Burbank: COMMISSARY This one is a growing chain of coffee joints that specialize in rotating its roasters, which means you’ll never get bored ordering your daily fix. Word is, though, that this Burbank location is the only spot regularly serving the fried chicken sandwich. 3121 W. Olive Ave., coffeecommissary.com —S.H.

THE ELEMENTARY ITALIAN JOINT You might remember chef Zach Pollack from Sotto, but instead of pizza he brings a lighter hand and chefdriven craft to ALIMENTO, a pared-down Silver Lake storefront that is equal parts neighborhood hangout and rustic-but-refined trattoria. Try the hearty chicken-liver crostone with black-plum mostarda, and the lamb belly with chickpea pancakes, fennel, mint, tomato and fiore sardo. Just leave room for one of the pasta dishes, like the fusilli with clams, fava leaves, serranos and smoked butter. 1710 Silver Lake Blvd., (323) 928-2888, alimentola.com THE CONVERTED CAFÉ Long a fixture on Silver Lake Boulevard (it first opened in 1998 as a coffee roaster and expanded with a gourmet boutique in 2008), LAMILL has remained a coffee cult classic while quietly undergoing a transformation into a gourmet destination under the aegis of consulting chef James Trees. Light bites include avocado toast with radish, pickled red onions and chili-almond gremolata, while heartier mains include dishes like the shrimp with yellow-dent grits, habanero-bacon jam and baby kale. 1636 Silver Lake Blvd., (323) 6634441, lamillcoffee.com

NOVEMBER 11, 2015

Inside the ‘alchemy of design and restoration’ of Clifton’s, DTLA’s recently reopened cabinet of curiosities, and its owner’s commitment to serving the local community Story by Drew Mackie

Jordan wears a sweater by David Beckham for H&M, shirt by H&M, pants by Zara, his own watch

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Photography by Ryan Forbes

t seems like any story about Clifton’s Cafeteria should begin with “once upon a time,” as the events seem so improbable that they verge on fiction. When Clifford Clinton opened the iconic eatery in Downtown Los Angeles in 1935, he not only offered diners a fantastical wonderland in which they could enjoy their meals but also provided a crucial service to those shaken by the Great Depression—a “pay what you wish” promise that seems untenable by modern standards. However, Clifton’s didn’t just endure those times. It thrived for decades, becoming one of Downtown’s most beloved institutions. On Oct. 1, the Clifton’s story entered its latest chapter when its new proprietor, entrepreneur Andrew Meieran, opened the doors to the cafeteria after having closed them in 2011 for an extensive $10 million remodel. Diners who returned to Clifton’s were greeted with a mix of the familiar and the radically new—among other things, a four-story redwood tree centerpiece, two full bars and, yes, a 250-pound meteorite. And that’s not mentioning additions yet to come—the Shadowbox, a basement bar set to open in about six weeks, as well as a top-floor steakhouse and tiki bar. That combination of old and new pervades every facet of Meieran’s restaurant, to the point that it’s difficult even for Meieran himself to succinctly describe the process that occurred during the four years Clifton’s was shuttered. “The best way I’ve found is to call it an alchemy of design and restoration. It’s been this process of finding, discovering, re-creating, retaining and preserving,” Meieran says. Longtime Clifton’s fans, for example, will find that certain elements have been shorn away. There is no more animatronic raccoon, for example. Meieran, who in 2007 opened the Edison bar downtown in the city’s firstever power plant, explained that there was never one singular Clifton’s. Instead, the restaurant evolved during the decades it was under its original ownership. “There were these layers of the space which had strayed from the original design. In some ways, it had almost become a caricature of itself,” says Meieran. “It started with a whimsical kitsch, and I wanted to strip away anything that wasn’t true to the original vision.” Kitsch, of course, is still an important part of Clifton’s, but it’s now an edited kitsch. In an L.A. Times interview about the reopening, Meieran stated, “There is a very thin line between kitsch and lack of style. We don’t cross that line.” Meieran elaborates on the distinction: “I think kitsch can be a positive thing and can create some of the most amazing environments. But when it becomes kitsch in lieu of substance and without vision or direction, it diminishes the final product. If your concept is a redwood forest, it’s kitsch to begin with. But when you start adding everything and its mother that could belong there, you lose something.” s Clifton’s inches toward its first month of business since reopening, Meieran is still spending 10-hour days at the Broadway location. An estimated 4,000-6,000 customers are visiting per day. Recent weeks have brought more diners than lookie-loos. The menu, which Meieran describes as “evolving,” aims to reintroduce items that were popular back in the day. Part of that process has meant combing through Clifton’s vast archive of old menus and recipes—a decades-long printed history of food. “We’ve been looking back at the menus and seeing some really cool, weird stuff. It often prompts the question, ‘Why did this change over time, and how do we get back to it?’” Meieran says. “We’re looking to expand. You know, they used to have Lobster Thermidor. They used to have Baked Alaska.” There remains research yet to be done, too. He explains that some recipes will call for Special Sauce A or Secret Sauce C. “Those are things I don’t have the recipe for yet. They’re the missing ingredient,” he says. Michael Luna, Clifton’s executive pastry chef, says much of his focus has been updating the cafeteria’s traditional pies and cakes to be made from scratch rather than using pre-made ingredients. “It’s more like taking the recipes that inspire me and slightly adjusting them to make them my own,” he says. The greatest instance of food history currently on the Clifton’s menu, however, is one of the most popular—Jell-O. “We have the giant cube of Jell-O that comes on a lettuce leaf, with the fruit inside of it. That’s what people want,” Luna says. “‘Where is the green Jell-O? Where is the green Jell-O?’ That’s the question I’ve been asked again and again.” If Jell-O seems like an unlikely in-demand item, know that it has special significance at Clifton’s. “It has that nostalgic appeal,” Luna explains. “Memories of being a kid and Mom making Jell-O. And everyone has their favorite color.” Katherine Spiers, an L.A. food writer whose work focuses on culinary

Blazer and sweater by H&M, shirt, pants and high tops by Zara, socks by Happy Socks

history, explained that it’s no coincidence Jell-O would loom large—both on the menu and in the memories of the people who grew up eating at Clifton’s. “In the early days of Clifton’s, Jell-O would have been easy and inexpensive. That’s why it was so popular throughout the Great Depression,” she says. As Spiers explains it, Clifton’s is elevating cafeteria food as modern diners have come to know it. “When people think of cafeterias now, they think of things like hospitals—institutional food. But cafeterias themselves were not invented for hospitals. They were invented for restaurants that were meant to serve good food.” She says the appeal of Clifton’s helps people see past modern associations with cafeterias. “People will go there specifically for the nostalgia. Even if they didn’t actually grow up in L.A., they still know it’s from the ’30s and it’s kitschy.” he legacy of Clifton’s Cafeteria has never ended with kitsch and food. Clifford Clinton used the restaurant to literally feed the hungry, regardless of whether they were able to pay. The fact that he was able to do so while sustaining a business means that Clinton still casts a long shadow today. “He did some remarkable things, Meieran says. “I see him as an inspiration and as someone who challenged people to do things that were creative but were also socially active in the community.” The new Clifton’s does not advertise customers to “dine free unless delighted,” but Meieran points out that just as he has done for years at the Edison, he’s working with Midnight Mission to offer jobs to those graduating from the Skid Row organization’s training program. He estimates that he’s so far given jobs to 35 people seeking re-entry into a structured environment. For Brigham Yen, a real estate broker and founder of the blog DTLA Rising, Meieran is providing a social service just by reopening Clifton’s.

NOVEMBER 11, 2015

Shirt and tee by The Kooples, pants by Zara, belt and ring modelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own

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“He took a restaurant that had been popular in the past but become moribund because it just never kept with the times,” says Yen, who compared the refurbishment to one undergone by Downtown’s Grand Central Market—updating but not completely abandoning the institution’s original purpose. Yen refers to the new Clifton’s as change that will bring further revitalization to the area immediately around it. “Along Broadway, we’re planting those seeds. The Ace Hotel was a seed, and look what it spawned,” he says. “Now Clifton’s is a seed. It will grow and attract more attention to that location. It will spawn more development.” Hadley Meares, a writer for Atlas Obscura, says she likes the revamped Clifton’s, even if she jokingly compares it to “if Arcade Fire repurposed a Chuck E. Cheese.” She also notes that some longtime customers may not find the new Clifton’s to be the space they remember, and she likens that to changes happening across Downtown L.A. as a whole. “This kind of gentrification certainly makes Downtown more appealing to visit, both for Angelenos and for tourists,” she says. “But I think we need to remember that this is not always what Downtown was, and in the process of creating

this urban wonderland for the middle and upper classes, we’re also pushing out a lot of people from a place they’ve called home.” Meieran maintains that Clifton’s will continue to offer all customers an escape, though a different one to what Clifford Clinton offered to the Depression-weary back in the ’30s. Today, it’s a reprieve from computer screens and simulated social interaction. “As we’ve become more technologically advanced, we have begun to lose touch with the social, the personal and the physical connections to a given space—one that isn’t virtual and which we can experience in an environment that we’re sharing with others,” he says. As Meiran sees it, the greatest good that Clifton’s can serve is a means to remind people where we’ve been and what we’ve lost by virtue of moving on. “That, to me, is why Clifton’s is so very important. It’s the bricks and mortar of the social network of people wanting to connect with wonder and fantasy—and each other.”

L.A.’s CURIOUS CAFETERIA PHOTOGRAPHY BY RYAN TANAKA

NOVEMBER 11, 2015

Actor Denis Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Hare takes us behind the scenes of American Horror Story: Hotel, and inside a role that has forced him to examine his own sexuality BY NICK ROMANO

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Queen

got a call late one Thursday afternoon. It was Liz Taylor. “I’m in the makeup chair as we speak,” she says. “I’m transforming.” While she normally reserves at least an hour and a half for her routine, she estimated seven costume changes for the day’s shoot—a fiveyear time-lapse sequence in episode 8. “The Blue Parrot Lounge is my kingdom. If it’s in my lounge, I gotta be there.” Of course, this wasn’t Elizabeth Taylor, actress of the silver screen. This was Liz Taylor, Denis O’Hare’s sass-slinging, runway-ready bartender of American Horror Story: Hotel. Having made it a handful of episodes into the fifth season, the character is still somewhat of an enigma, but one that has already won over her audience with funny quips (“This is a no-tell motel”) and spiked heels that put Lady Gaga to shame. We’ll finally learn more about the character in the show’s fifth episode, while episode 6 features Taylor’s big sex scene, and O’Hare thinks “there’s a revenge story” somewhere down the line. Plus, there’s “a lot coming up” involving Taylor and Gaga’s Countess. “Liz is a survivor,” he says. “I think she’s kind of liked by everybody. She’s an oddity, that kind of person who everybody thinks is their special ally, and whether or not she actually is their ally is another matter.” Even now, though, she’s difficult for O’Hare to describe. “I guess she falls under the broad heading of transgender, meaning she’s on a journey of identity,” he says. This journey began as a drag queen, which was how Murphy and company initially described the character to O’Hare. As such, the actor consulted with Alaska Thunderfuck (aka Justin Honard from RuPaul’s Drag Race) for tips on “drag technique.” Taylor’s identity eventually evolved with further conversations, and by the time O’Hare received her backstory in episode 5, he understood that Taylor thought of herself as a woman. “I’ve had several encounters where people want me to label her and put her in a box,” he says, “but I’m not sure I could do that for you, and I’m not sure it matters if I could do that for you.” Taylor is the latest to follow characters like Transparent’s Maura, portrayed by Jeffrey Tambor, in the fight for broader trans visibility, but she also won a much smaller battle—the one O’Hare fought to embrace his own femininity. As a gay man who came out in high school in 1978, O’Hare remembers some of his gay friends embracing female names and identities. Funny enough, his nickname was “Lizzy,” but he felt “incredibly false” in being

overtly feminine. This led to a conundrum: “What is ‘gay’ if it’s not that?” “My life has often been a case where people don’t know that I’m gay, and I have to correct them,” he says. “So I’ve never actually been in the closet, and yet on any given encounter, people will assume I’m straight.” He continues, “As a gay person, I played fast and loose with that ability to pass as straight, and part of that has to do with a form of homophobia that I, myself, haven’t really come to terms with. So, being asked to play Liz Taylor was, in a way, being asked to come face to face with my own homophobia—my own sense of ‘What is wrong with the feminine aspect of anybody? What is wrong with the historically feminine aspect of some gay people? Do I have any of that? Have I been suppressing it?’ And if I had been suppressing it, great! There’s nothing wrong with it. So to even explore it was something I had never actually done. So it’s been a real revelation to really explore that person.” Part of this personal exploration involved going out in public in the character’s attire. O’Hare says he likes to show up to set already with makeup, so one morning he went out for breakfast. “I felt very, very weird about it. My makeup gets pretty extreme. And then I took off my hat and my glasses while I was at breakfast just to be out in public, as it were, in makeup. I felt very exposed, and I felt very looked at and a little bit shunned, but that could also just be my perception.” Buying women’s clothing dressed as Liz Taylor was another important milestone, so O’Hare went to Target to find something “fun and flowy.” He says, “I felt so transgressive and so—I don’t know, I was waiting to get yelled at.” He wasn’t, and later went to Hollywood Boulevard to purchase women’s earrings. “It’s not like I was in, you know, Iowa.” The longterm challenge for O’Hare now seems to be shaving off all his body hair. While he lets it all hang out whenever he’s not shooting—because he’s “just lazy that way”—he had to lather on the Nair for his big sex scene. “It’s really intimidating,” he says. “I’m 53. I’m not 25, and I’m in really, really, really good shape—but I’m also 53. How fair is it, my body next to a 30-year-old? Is that fair to do? Is that right for anybody to see?” Who will be sexing Ms. Taylor, you ask? Well, as they say, a lady doesn’t kiss and tell. American Horror Story: Hotel airs Wednesday nights on FX NOVEMBER 11, 2015

THE WORLD OF BILLY MASTERS

Clockwise from left: Nicole Kidman, Nyle DiMarco, Rosie O’Donnell, Justin Bieber, Raul Castillo, Jonathan Groff, Murray Bartlett

THE TROUBLE WITH SPOILED KIDS, BIEBER’S PENIS PROBLEMS, IT’S A WRAP ON ‘LOOKING’

A View from the Bottom At least Kidman’s kid has the decency to keep the snub private. Rosie O’Donnell’s estranged daughter Chelsea recently gave a tell-all interview to a British newspaper, where she revealed many details about the funny gal. Like that O’Donnell spends most of the day locked in her art studio, in spandex shorts and an oversized T-shirt, constantly smoking pot. Yawn! Chelsea does confirm that Ro is dating Tatum O’Neal, though other sources tell us the couple just broke up. And Chelsea explains why O’Donnell left The View. “She and Whoopi really didn’t get along, and she’d come home every day and talk about how [Whoopi] was stoned on the set and she was being really mean to her. Rosie said, ‘I’ve already had a heart attack. I don’t need this much stress.’” On top of that, a former producer from The View has filed a lawsuit against O’Donnell claiming that their conflicts led to her being fired. Jennifer Shepard-Brookman says that Ro made “false and defamatory statements” that led to her suffering 56

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“intense emotional distress, anxiety and lack of sleep, destroyed her professional reputation and led to her termination of employment.” Push came to shove when Rosie accused her of leaking gossip to the press—a charge Brookman vehemently denies. Public Penis Problems That leads us right into Justin Bieber’s beaver. The first shocker is that he actually has a penis. Not only that, but it’s kinda substantial. I mean, I wouldn’t be bragging about it, but I also wouldn’t be ashamed of it. Bieber’s apparently not thrilled about his penis going public. His legal team is trying to squelch the pics and has started sending out cease-and-desist letters. This is exactly what you don’t do if there is an alleged photo of you floating around. I taught this lesson to a notable television host when his ponderous appendage went public (courtesy of moi). If you ask for the photos to be taken down, you are admitting they are legit and just feeding the flame. For the time being, I’ll continue to bring you every inch of Bieber on my site. Barbra’s Casting Couch We hear that John Travolta’s recent dinner with Barbra Streisand was all part of his bid to be cast in her remake of Gypsy. Am I the only one who thinks this is inspired casting? If I close my eyes, I can almost see him as Miss Mazeppa! Alas, he’s angling for the role of Herbie. Riding the ‘Top Model’ Wave America’s Next Top Model was just cancelled. After 22 seasons, people will no longer get to judge models from the privacy of their own home. But the series is still making news. Nyle DiMarco (the show’s first deaf contestant) was answering some Twitter questions when someone asked if he was into guys or girls. “Fluid” was his response. I

presume that means his sexuality is fluid on the Kinsey scale, but perhaps he’s simply into fluids. You can wonder about that while looking at his hot photos on my site. Ask Billy: It’s a Wrap We have a first for this column. Our “Ask Billy” question will be uncredited. Why? Because I was informed that this person submitted this same exact question to two other websites—neither of which answered it satisfactorily. The question is this: “When is the Looking wrap-up movie going to air, and who will be in it?” HBO is filming Looking for an Ending in November, which coincides with Jonathan Groff’s break from the Broadway musical Hamilton. The two-hour movie will air in February. When last we left the show, Groff (Patrick) had walked out on Russell Tovey (Kevin) and showed up at the barber shop of Raúl Castillo (Richie). I suppose I should now say spoiler alert. With that inanity out of the way, Patrick and Kevin do not reconcile. This makes sense, since Tovey is on Broadway in Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge and is only available for a limited shooting schedule. That leaves things wide open for Paddy and Richie to get back together—although it should be noted that Castillo was just cast as Eduardo Flamingo on Gotham and he’ll soon be starring opposite our pal Leslie Jordan in a new indy flick, Finding Albie Finch. When HBO ain’t the only one looking for an ending, it’s time to end yet another column. Since we ran long, we have just a moment to remind you to check out www.BillyMasters.com, where the endings are always happy. If you have a unique question for me, send it along to Billy@BillyMasters.com, and I promise to get back to you before we figure out if being a top is a prerequisite for contestants on “America’s Next Top Model”. So, until next time, remember, one man’s filth is another man’s bible.

PHOTO CREDIT TK

Invite Only 20/20 recently had a story about “affluenza”—a term used to defend the actions of rotten, spoiled rich kids. This made me think of King Lear. For those of you less literary types (and thank god for you), let me explain. King Lear had three daughters. On their own, they had no money, no talent, nothing. They were kinda like the 17th century version of The Kardashians. Then there’s Isabella Cruise, the daughter of Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman, who just got married in London, where Kidman is starring in a play. But Kidman was not invited to the nuptials. Why? Allegedly the couple wanted to keep everything low-key, but we hear it was a Scientology ceremony and, according to the “religion,” Kidman is a nonperson. And how do you invite a non-person? Do they have a non-address?

QUEERSAY

BY GOSSIP GAY

A FLAVORLESS FAVOR

os Angeles is full of personalities and personality disorders. It’s truly a melting pot of the good, bad and superficially ugly. But despite all the drama, there’s a silver lining with living in Tinseltown—knowing celebrities. This week my baby brother was married to the most amazing woman on the planet. As a young breeder couple just starting out in the world, they resolved to do everything they could to cut corners fiscally. Of course, no member of my tribe is going to skimp on a wedding dress or photographer, because looking fabulous behind a vasoline’d lens is far too important, especially for a blushing bride. Luckily, due to my L.A. connections, I was able to bring something borrowed (and discounted) to the joyous wedding table—a nearly free three-tiered cupcake display for the big day’s dessert. (I’d convinced the rather traditional couple that over-priced wedding cakes are totally 2006 and that cupcakes are all today’s rage.) Being friends with one of L.A.’s top chefs—one who specializes in baked goods and who you’ve most likely seen on a reality TV show—I knew I could score the world’s best red velvet at a deep, deep discount. (This rather raucous baker owes me a favor, but that’s another article.) My brother wanted his wedding to be “unique, rustic chic” (aka it was held in a barn just outside Oakland), so said chef offered to have his assistant drive up the cupcakes and set up the dessert display at the reception hall while we were all at the ceremony. I was a bit wary over the last-minute delivery, but everything went off without a hitch—and once we arrived to the hall after said hetero hitching, the display looked breathtaking. All of the Midwest guests were in awe, taking selfies with the celebrity-served one-of-a-kind stack of sweet treats. I had truly outdone my duties as best man—or so I thought. Then I entered the kitchen. In the trash I spied not one, not two, not three but 13 broken-down boxes from an L.A. chain grocery store! Then it hit me—my celebrity friend had not spent his Saturday slaving away on 300 reality TV-worthy red velvet cupcakes for my brother’s wedding. Instead he’d sent his assistant to buy said desserts from a mainstream market—purchased at $5 per dozen, no less! We were serving knockoff cupcakes! I immediately texted my friend, who quickly returned with a grammatically questionable response: “Sorry, bro. im a busy bee! in talks to be on next DANCING WITH THE STARS today! enjoy the knockoffs. i wont tell if u wont tell!!!!! & u best not be gossip gay-ing this!” While I’m not looking a gift horse in the mouth, I do spew forth this column with a bad taste in my jowls. Because it’s one thing to plow through your nuptials with some ironic rain on your wedding day, but it’s another to cap off your meal with a cheaper-by-the-dozen sweet treat. Sugar and spice doesn’t always yield something nice, especially when promised by a reality TV star vying for a spot on next season’s Dancing with the Stars. For more Gossip Gay, go to FrontiersMedia.com. Drop me your dirty little secrets at QueerSay@hotmail.com, and don’t worry, I never give up my deep throat! NOVEMBER 11, 2015

PALM SPRINGS

PRIDE AND JOY

From Friday’s food-and-drink tasting event to a weekend of parties by two L.A. nightlife masters, these 7 events will make your Palm Springs Pride really sizzle By Mike Ciriaco

hile Pride festivities dominate the summer schedules of most American cities, Palm Springs sits out the LGBT holiday until well into autumn. The gay delay is simply a matter of weather, as the desert is too damn hot to suffer through

1. OUT PSP: A Kick-Off to Pride The weekend begins with Friday’s food-and-drink fest featuring tastings from the best restaurants and bars the Coachella Valley has to offer. The event is also an opportunity to recognize Evan Wolfson, Randy Johnson and Paul Campion, the legal mastermind and plaintiffs of the historic Supreme Court marriage equality case. Also being recognized are nightlife threesome Mark Hunter, Jennifer Seymour and Patrick Volkert, co-owners of notorious desert hot spot Hunters. All six will be serving as grand marshals in this year’s parade, and each deserve to have glasses raised in their honor. 5-8 p.m., $75, El Mirador Plaza 2. Broadway in Drag Pageant Head over to the Palm Canyon Theatre for Friday’s annual drag competition. Hosted by local diva Bella da Ball (left), hopefuls will serve their best evening gown, talent and swimsuit skills for a chance to nab the coveted tiara. Sure, all the contestants are queens, but only one will be a winner. 8 p.m., $35-50

Clockwise from top: The Parade, BAAAHS art car, Candis Cayne, Wrabel, Bella da Ball

3. Desert Heat L.A. nightlife maestros Paul Nicholls and Justin David are setting Palm Spring Pride weekend ablaze with a series of events. Festivities begin Friday night with Fourplay at Copa Palm Springs, a four-hour show that stretches into after-hours. Sleep off your hangover the next afternoon at the Heat pool party at the Saguaro Hotel, then pull it together for Saturday night’s Stripper Circus at Hacienda Cantina with DJs Casey Alva and Corey Craig. Round out your weekend with Sunday’s Sunset Tea Dance and BBQ at the Saguaro, followed by a VIP closing party at the Hard Rock Hotel. Presale VIP weekend passes are just $69.

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a June parade. Once the temperature drops, though, the queerfriendly oasis starts to ‘heat up,’ and this year’s Palm Springs Pride festivities take place Nov. 6-8. Make your weekend away really sizzle with some of these anticipated events. 4. Arenas Road Block Party The weekend’s free, highly anticipated annual street fair (amidst the gay bars, restaurants and businesses of the Arenas district) features guest emcee KJ serving fierce Joan Rivers realness from beyond the grave. The 21+ event, featuring live performances all night long, will showcase the talents of Candis Cayne, Frankmusik, Wrabel, Ricky Rebel and more. 6-11 p.m. 5. The Festival The weekend’s annual festival will feature a number of artists, entertainers and vendors, as well as DJs and musicians headling across various stages. Highlights include the Souleil Dance Tent and Beverage Garden, a karaoke stage right on Palm Canyon Drive and a youth zone for the under-18 crowd. Burning Man patrons will recognize the familiar sight of the Big-Ass Amazingly Awesome Homosexual Sheep (BAAAHS) art car. Saturday: 10 a.m.-10 p.m.; Sunday: 10 a.m.-4 p.m. 6. The Parade Palm Springs continues the parade tradition with a procession running uptown to downtown (the new route’s second year). Expect a ton of floats, marchers and performers.Step-off is 10 a.m. at Tachevah and Palm Canyon, with the parade ending around noon at the festival’s opening gates. 7. Hey T! T-Dance Much like the Pride parade, the tea dance is a gay tradition, a comparably more tame social gathering than the previous night’s rager, plus a little ‘hair of the dog’ to cut the edge. Sunday’s party includes all-you-can-drink Budweiser for $10, with your money benefitting next year’s Pride celebration. 4-7 p.m., $5, Alibi Azul

NOVEMBER !!, 2015

PALM SPRINGS Sun. | Nov 1 THE JUDY SHOW! Purple Room

Wed. | Nov 11 THE SOUND OF MUSIC Camelot Theatre

Judy Garland lives when Michael Holmes parodies the singer/actress’s performances from her 1963-64 television variety series, every Sunday at 7 p.m. purpleroompalmsprings.com

The hills are alive as Julie Andrews twirls on the mountaintop in the 1 9 6 5 O s c a r- w i n n i n g m u s i c a l , screening at 8 p.m. as part of the theatre’s Classic Hollywood Series. camelottheatres.com

Fri. | Nov. 6 CLEO KING Copa Room

The actress best known for playing Aunt Lou on HBO’s Deadwood and Grandma on TV’s Mike & Molly can also sing up a storm. Shows through Nov. 7 at 8 p.m. copapalmsprings.com Sat. | Nov. 7 CHOREOGRAPHY FESTIVAL McCallum Theatre

Fri. | Nov. 13 THE B-52S Agua Caliente Casino

With most of its members being openly gay, the new wave sensations that brought us hits like “Private Idaho” and “Rock Lobster” still know how to put on a good show. 9 p.m. hotwatercasino.com

Dancermakers take stage in the 18th annual festival. Ten professional troupes perform on Saturday, starting at 7 p.m., while 10 pre-professional dance companies perform on Sunday at 4 p.m. mccallumtheatre.com Tue. | Nov. 10 A TASTE OF PALM SPRINGS Colony 29

Sample the best dishes of area restaurants as part of this local business expo sponsored by the Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce. Starts at 5 p.m. pschamber.org

SEEKING A DESERT OASIS IN THE 1980s, AN HIV DIAGNOSIS was considered an automatic death sentence. Many gay men moved to the desert to live out what they thought would be their final days, but some 30 years later, many of those men are still alive thanks to advances in HIV medication. A new documentary, Desert Migration, looks at 13 of those HIVpositive gay men who sought oasis in Palm Springs, where their sexuality and status were not only tolerated but understood and welcomed. While some are thriving, others are experiencing health issues due to side effects of the medications. Many struggle with the symptoms of post-traumatic stress, having survived through the “plague years” when so many friends were dying and debilitated. Getting rave reviews on the festival circuit, the film has its Palm Springs premiere during Pride weekend, on Thursday, Nov. 5, 7:30 p.m. at the Camelot Theatre. Proceeds benefit Desert AIDS Project and Palm Springs International Film Festival. psfilmfest.org —James F. Mills 60

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NOVEMBER !!, 2015

MARKETPLACE SERVICES

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Calligaris at Pomp Home

Royal Security Service serves a discerning client list which demands professional and quality protection. Our team of dedicated personnel includes armed and unarmed uniformed officers; plain-clothes officers; current and retired law enforcement officers; executive protection professionals; and private investigators. We can provide just about any protective service that a client could desire.

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8581 Santa Monica Blvd. #416 West Hollywood, CA 90069 (800) 792-5266 royalsecurity.net

In addition to the Calligaris monobrand showroom, Pomp Home features their second showroom, THE ANNEX, with more Calligaris items, as well as Eilersen, Jesse and rugs and lighting from a variety of vendors. THE ANNEX is also a great place to find clearance items and floor samples. The showroom is open 11-6 Monday to Saturday and 12-5 on Sundays. 633 North La Brea Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90036 (323) 592-3058 pomphome.com

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REAL ESTATE

Keller Williams Realty Hollywood Hills Dan Stueve

As a native of Southern California, I understand the culture, diversity and lifestyle of Los Angeles in a very personal way. Having a legal background, it is my optimum accountability and steadfast attention to detail that makes each and every transaction as streamlined and enjoyable as possible. Please allow me the opportunity to show you the highest standard in Real Estate. CalBRE# 01936133 9000 W. Sunset Boulevard, 11th Floor West Hollywood, California 90069 (310) 595-5875 dan.stueve@kw.com danstueveproperties.com

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Massage Therapist Spa packages, salt baths, scrubs and more. I also offer house cleaning services. (323) 460-4071

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Jalfaro Design Studio

Interior Design / Home Store • Unique new and handmade home furnishings • Original art work • Vintage ‘finds’ • Unique lighting • Repurposed artisan creations The studio is inviting, casual and great idea space. Stop by and check it out. Opening Special: 10% off all items with flyer 650 (#R2) S. Spring at 7th Los Angeles, CA, 9014 (213) 840-2895 jalfaro411@yahoo.com

BLADES

Santa Monica & Larrabee corner Free Parking on Palm 801 Larrabee., Suite 1, West Hollywood, CA 90069 (310) 659-6693 SERVICES

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The Beehive of Beverly Hills

ProjectHomeLA

Remove hair and expose your amazing tattoo, tan or glowing skin. Waxing dates back to the ancient Egyptians. It was not only a beauty aid but a necessity. At Beehive, we use a special natural formula that caters to the special needs of our clients. It is suitable for sensitive skin, normal skin and coarse hair. With over 30 years of experience, our welcoming and well-trained staff will meet with you privately and provide a personal consultation for your exact needs. We specialize in the areas of nose, back, shoulders, legs, arms, buttocks and underarms. We invite you to feel the difference. 415 N. Camden Dr., Ste. 108 Beverly Hills, CA 90210 (310) 278-7374 beehive-of-beverly-hills-waxing.com

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#GAYDAR

CHEERS, SWEETIE DARLING From day-drinking lushes to sidewalk-sale staples, we’re judging what you swallow LIKE A VIRGIN (DAIQUIRI)

STRAIGHT TO YOUR HEAD

JUST A NIP

NAVY STRENGTH

BOTTOMS UP

200 PROOF

What a big, purple sack you have!

The only blowjob she approaches with enthusiasm

I’ll have an (insert fruit-of-themoment here)-tini with a shot of shame on the side

Welcome to Long Island, land of a very potent iced tea R.I.P. cosmo, you won’t be missed

Because every Sunday is worth celebrating

This is the only “Fuzzy Navel” that’s getting our seal of approval

What, you were expecting something pink? Rye whiskey, moustache wax, Sazeracs and hot towel shaves—all we need to complete our yesteryear obsession is FDR

Toast your next bromance with Jägerade—the first in an undoubtedly long line of bad decisions

Caught between on-the-rocks and a hard place

Words to the wise: There are no pity parties in Liz Taylor’s bar

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PHOTO CREDIT TK

Don’t believe everything you read

Are you sure that dog is OK to drive?

Blended for his pleasure

Your Adventure Downtown with Your New Honda Family

1540 S. Figueroa St. Los Angeles, CA 90015 844-282-1117 www.HondaOfLosAngeles.com

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