Those gifted gays in the LGBT chorus OurSong are encouraging everyone to live the fab life this weekend as they present the cabaret “Everyday People Living Fabulously!”

The troupe is putting on a grand spectacle of music, fashion, and food on back-to-back nights at Decatur’s PushPush Theater. It will include some of the best gay chorus talent out of Chicago and Seattle. Veterans of New York’s cabaret and Broadway scene will also be stopping by for some bawdy fun.

OurSong is inviting patrons to get in on the act as well with their “Most Fabulous” contest. If you feel like you’re the most fabulously dressed, enter the contest during the pre-show food and drink hour.

OurSong judges narrow the field to the top three and the finalists are introduced at intermission. Audience members vote with their wallets on their favorite. The contestant with the highest donation total is crowned “Most Fabulous.” A portion of the proceeds benefit The Trevor Project, which helps end suicide among LGBT youth.

So if you want to let loose your inner diva for a night (or two), PushPush is the place!

OurSong presents Everyday People Living Fabulously!

March 4^th and 5^th at PushPush Theater

Tickets available at www.oursongatlanta.com

When Richy Pugh was thinking of ideas for his 40^th birthday party, he knew he wanted to do something that would give back to the community. He came up with the perfect plan by enlisting the help of none other than Mary Edith Pitts to come back to the stage and put on Richy & Mary Edith’s Jerusalem House Fundraiser this Saturday at Jungle.  It will be Pitts’ first live appearance since leaving Burkhart’s last December after an 11-year stint.

Pugh has been a longtime fan of the Fenuxe 50 member. Pitts’ record as an AIDS fundraiser in Atlanta is legendary, with her various events including a celebrated birthday fundraiser of her own. But she’s not the only entertainment on the bill.

Alicia Kelly and Monica Mitchells will be performing as well. There will be a “hunk auction” for all interested bidders who want dinner with one of our city’s studs. And a live auction is also on tap, with prizes including a trip for two to the all gay male Hobarts Resorts in Key West (airfare included), a one-night stay at Hotel Palomar, and gift cards to Outwrite Bookstore and other local restaurants.  Fenuxe is donating a Smirnoff gift basket as well as a one-year subscription to the magazine.

Jerusalem House provides support for homeless or low-income families and individuals affected by HIV/AIDS, so one fun evening could make not only Pugh’s birthday a happy one, but plenty of others too!

Richy & Mary Edith’s Jerusalem House Fundraiser

Saturday, March 5 from 6-9PM at Jungle

$20 suggested donation at the door

Breast cancer doesn’t affect just women, and two local gay men are doing their part to bring the issue to light. Randy Reardon and Frank Smith have formed a team to participate in the Atlanta 2 Day Breast Cancer Walk on September 24-25. Their team name? Bears 4 Boobs.

“For Randy and I this walk is very important because, being male, we know there is not a lot of information about breast cancer and men,” says Smith.

The team’s goal is to raise $2,000, which will go towards breast cancer research, education, and programming. And that money stays in Georgia.

Bears 4 Boobs will be doing several 50/50 raffles at local bars in advance of the September walk to raise the money to reach their goal. The first bar night will be this Saturday, March 5 at 8PM at Woofs.

Visit their Facebook page HERE or make a donation to help the cause at their team page HERE.

Sordid Lives creator Del Shores doesn’t mince words when talking about why he’s giving audiences a glimpse into his past at Jungle this Friday in the one-man-show Del Shores: Sordid Confessions.

“I got on Paxil and now I don’t give a [expletive] what I say, so I just decided I’m not censoring myself anymore.”

We spoke to a lively Shores days after he arrived in Atlanta to shoot his latest film, The Trials & Tribulations of a Trailer Trash Housewife. He’ll be taking a night off from filming for his much-anticipated appearance at Jungle.

As promised, he won’t be holding anything back, including dirt on the people Shores worked with over the years in Hollywood, including a cast member of Queer As Folk. But you’ll have to attend the show to find out who.

Shores will also delve into details of what he calls his “slut years.”

“It gets kind of graphic but it’s fun,” he says. “A lot of gay men go through that, especially a lot of us who grew up in the church and were repressed for so long.”

Shores says he’s thankful he made it out of that period of his life and is happily married. “But I’ll always be a slut at heart,” he says.

Del Shores: Sordid Confessions

Friday, March 4 at Jungle

Doors at 7:30PM

Tickets available at www.jungleclubatlanta.com

Think you know your 2011 Oscar trivia? Out on Film is putting your knowledge to the test with their Oscar Pool Contest. It doubles as a way to win fabulous prizes and help the organization raise funds for their fall festival September 29 to October 6.

A $10 tax deductible donation to Out on Film gets you an entry form to test your mettle against the rest of the city’s film buffs. All you need to do is pick the Oscar winners. The 1^st and 2^nd prize contestants with the most correct predictions won’t be going home with a bootleg copy of To Wong Foo and some stale popcorn. Out on Film is offering up a serious stash.

For the Grand Prize Winner:

• Out on Film 2011 pass for two, good for the October festival and any special screenings/events throughout the year.
• Turner Classic Movies (TCM) movie lovers prize – Various DVDs (including a Best Picture Collection, Romantic Comedies Collection, Romantic Dramas Collection, Father of the Bride, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Dr. Strangelove, Coffy, Freaks), Card sets (Bad Girls in Cinema note cards, Hollywood Poolside note cards, Classic Movie Poster post cards, Sincerely Hitchcock note cards), Flash Card sets (Gangster Speak, Famous Pick-Up Lines) and CDs (Gone with the Wind, Singin’ in the Rain, Sounds of TCM).

• Movie swag from many of this year’s Oscar-nominated films, courtesy of Allied Integrated Marketing.

• Theater tickets to “Hair,” “Shrek: The Musical” and “Burn the Floor” on opening night at the Fox Theatre.
• Tickets to see Melinda Doolittle from “American Idol” at the Ferst Center.
• Theater tickets to see “Stomp” at the Fox Theatre.
• Theater tickets to see “Mr. Universe” at 7 Stages.
• “The Times of Harvey Milk” Criterion edition DVD
• Others DVDs, including “The Social Network” and “Family” by Faith Trimel
• “Rabbit Hole” book/script
• Gay film books, courtesy of Brushstrokes
• Original Movie Posters, including “Brokeback Mountain.”

For the Runner-Up:

• Theater tickets to see “Mr. Universe” at 7 Stages.
• “The Times of Harvey Milk” Criterion edition DVD
• “Rabbit Hole” book/script
• Film book, courtesy of Brushstrokes
• Movie Posters

Winners will be announced on Out on Film’s Facebook page and at www.outonfilm.org. Good luck movie buffs!

Out on Film Oscar Pool Contest

Visit www.outonfilm.org to sign up and download your entry form

Deadline to register: Midnight on Saturday, February 26

The 83^rd Annual Academy Awards

Sunday, February 27 at 8PM on ABC

“Unless you live in a trailer, then don’t ever implement fake greenery as part of your taste,” said Robin Barbaree in his seminal book Any Queen Can Decorate.  If any queens out there want tips on keeping it real – and real gorgeous – then the Cobb Galleria Centre is the place as the Southeastern Horticultural Society presents the Southeastern Flower Show.

The festivities kick off with an opening night party Thursday the 24th at the Galleria.  Then the show officially opens Friday morning for three days of demos, a juried competition, and enough floral design and décor tips to make a gay man weep.

Organizers have lined up nearly 30 inspiring horticulturists, designers, chefs, and landscaping experts to reveal the secrets to their success.  You’ll get the dirt on dahlias and daylillies, the do’s and don’ts of landscape design, and the keys to baking the grandest gluten-free cakes.  In other words, you can shut that bitch-of-a-neighbor up about his “perfect” home.  It’s a win-win!

And who is at the helm of this year’s show leading 2,000 volunteers?  None other than former mayoral candidate and honorary gay Mary Norwood, who is co-chairing the event with her husband Felton.  They have a long history with the Flower Show, although one of them is definitely the expert.

“He and I have entered the flower show every year as a husband and wife team and he is talented and I’m spectacularly untalented,” Mary Norwood told Fenuxe.  “So I would label the flowers and he would arrange them.”

Norwood is excited about Saturday night’s appearance by the Atlanta Gay Men’s Chorus, as well as the musical theme of this year’s show – In Tune with Blooms.  Musicians will be singing and playing throughout the weekend, emphasizing the pleasure of music in the garden.

So whether you want to beautify your home or just bask in glamourous surroundings for a day, the Flower Show is it.

“You’re going to walk in and it’s going to be ‘wow,’” Norwood says.  “We’ve got gorgeous gardens, wonderful landscapers.  We have great speakers.  I think it’s just going to be a lot of activity and fun and breathtakingly beautiful.”

Southeastern Flower Show

Feb. 25 – Feb. 27

Cobb Galleria Centre

http://www.sehort.org/flower_show

250 people packed Kai Lin Art Gallery on February 12 for Fenuxe Magazine’s Best Bachelor of Atlanta Auction benefiting AID Atlanta. Fenuxe’s event raised over $6,000 for AID Atlanta through the auction of ten of Atlanta’s hottest gay bachelors.

A good time was had by all as they filed into beautiful Kai Lin Art on the brisk Saturday night. Kai Lin Art’s thrilling exhibit Earth (view some of the exhibit HERE) was on display for all as they mingled and sipped on cocktails courtesy of Ketel One and Godiva Vodka. The premium Ketel One was a familiar favorite for all, but Godiva Vodka was a welcome newcomer to the scene. More than one partygoer mentioned the smooth, sweet taste of the unique spirit.

“It was a great night,” said Karla Kreitner of Kardon Events, who coordinated the catering, bartenders, and décor. “Everybody had a great time, they enjoyed the art gallery, they enjoyed bidding on the bachelors, and they certainly enjoyed the signature cocktails.” Kreitner said the delightful food from Varasano’s and desserts from C&C Catering were also a big hit.

It wasn’t all about a party after all, since the night benefited AID Atlanta. The organization has been going strong for nearly 30 years combating the issue of HIV/AIDS in the Atlanta community.

Their mission is to reduce HIV infections and improve the quality of life of those affected by it throughout the city. They’ve grown to now become the largest AIDS Service Organization in the southeast.

Emcee Bubba Dee fired up the crowd as only she can and the bids came flying in on the ten bachelors: Andrew Velez, Broc Martin, Brooks Smith, Chandler Bearden, Davis Petway, Jay Dempsey, Joe Cantona, John-Paul Griffin, Justin Ziegler and Will Rumfelt. These studs were nominated by Fenuxe readers and then were voted at Fenuxe’s website amongst a group of over 50 fine men.

Bill Chiou, M.D. was the top bidder, donating over $1250 for bachelor Broc Martin. In addition to a fabulous date package, Chiou gets 25,000 Sky Miles courtesy of Delta, and Martin gets 10,000 Sky Miles for himself as well.

The $6,000 raised overall was more than people expected and will go a long way towards helping AID Atlanta in their mission.

“We’re delighted with the money raised,” said AID Atlanta executive director Tracy Elliott. “It was more than we anticipated because it was an inaugural event and you just never know how those are going to go. The night was a lot of fun.”

In addition to helping pay bills that AID Atlanta’s federal grants and other given funds don’t cover, it will do so much more, according to the organization’s event manager Jon Santos. “This money could help to pay our rent, power bill, staff, HIV testing kits, prevention education programs – the list goes on and on,” said Santos.

Fenuxe wishes to thank our sponsors Exhale Spa, Piola, Rialto Center for the Arts, Terrace Restaurant, Astroglide, and Hollywood Tans. We also wish to thank Ketel One and Godiva Vodka, Varasano’s, C&C Catering, AID Atlanta (especially Tracy Elliott and Jon Santos), Kai Lin Art, Karla Kreitner and Kardon Events, the best bachelors, and of course all of you, our readers who helped make the night an outstanding success!

Keep an eye out for our next big event – The Fire Party on April 29 celebrating Fenuxe’s 1^st Anniversary!

“Annnd…cue the music!” Nigel Lythgoe’s familiar English accent rings out from one end of The Fox Theatre to another as a dancer springs to life on stage, hoping to make it through to the next round of auditions on Fox’s hit show So You Think You Can Dance.

The show’s crew came through town yesterday to see who they can pluck out of obscurity to make a star. One thing is loud and clear from sitting in on the auditions – Nigel runs the show at the judge’s table. He welcomes each new dancer, handles all the upfront questions before they dance and most of the critiquing after they have finished. He also spars with them a little bit, and it’s clear he enjoys it.

“It’s how we get to know them, it’s how we see what their personality is like – their sense of humor,” Lythgoe told Fenuxe in the Fox lobby during a break from auditions. “Because they’re going to need it on this program. Can they cope and will the public like them?”

You can also tell how edited down the show is after watching the auditions live. Most dancers are onstage for roughly twenty minutes of Q&A and about two minutes of dancing, which is then edited into a tight two or three minutes for broadcast.

Host Cat Deeley caused a stir as she strolled outside The Fox, prompting cheers from hundreds of dancers waiting in line. She greeted the hopefuls as the lunch crowd at The Livingston across the street snapped photos of the popular blond Brit.

“I love the show,” Deeley told us. “I would turn up even if they didn’t give me a paycheck.”

Witnessing all the hot dancers’ bodies strolling throughout The Fox and electric routines on stage, it’s a safe bet gay Atlanta will be loving this season of So You Think You Can Dance as well.

So You Think You Can Dance

Season 8

Premiering this Summer on Fox

Actor’s Express is no stranger to staging plays with gay content, but donations are needed to keep bringing those quality stories to life. And they’ve got one hot night planned to help make it happen as King Plow Arts Center is transformed into Rio de Janeiro for Carnivale.

The cocktails will be flowing as street performers, dancers, burlesque performers, and live music put an electric charge into the night. Three price levels are offered to accommodate all. The Samba ticket gets you in with a pair of drink tickets and booth tickets. Upgrade to Ipanema for unlimited drinks, five booth tickets and access to the VIP Lounge. Or go all out with Bossa Nova which gets you unlimited drinks and booth tickets, access to the VIP Lounge, a raffle ticket, and a ticket to an Actor’s Express production.

All funds raised at Carnivale go directly to Actor’s Express. Led by Fenuxe 50 member Freddie Ashley, Actor’s Express is entering its 23^rd season of introducing new work and emerging artists to Atlanta’s theater scene. They’re looking forward to 23 more as long as they keep producing events like Carnivale.

Carnivale

Friday, February 18, 2011 at 8PM

The Gallery at King Plow

Tickets available at www.actors-express.com

Continuing their spin on “family” dinners, The Big Gay Supper Club will be taking over the Morningside eatery Rosebud on Tuesday, February 22.

Supper Club is going on 10 years of offering an alternative to the gay social scene (see Fenuxe’s November 2010 profile Bigger, Gayer, Different here). A popular local restaurant is chosen (often by a vote on the Supper Club website) and a fixed price, 4-course meal is set.

The menu for this edition at Rosebud should satisfy to the fullest. Calamari, warm mushroom and country ham bruschetta, buttermilk fried Springer Mountain chicken, wild Georgia shrimp and grits with andouille sausage, spicy rigatoni, and ahi tuna are just some of the goodies on the lineup.

Tickets have been selling out quickly though – guests were turned away at last month’s event at Baraonda – so make sure to snatch up a seat now!

Supper at Rosebud with The Big Gay Supper Club

Tuesday, February 22, 2011 (7PM – Cocktails, 8PM – Supper)

$35 per person (excluding tax, alcohol, and gratuity) for a four-course, family-style meal

Tickets available at www.thebiggaysupperclub.com