Free frozen yogurt, smoothies, juice and wheatgrass shots anyone? The lovely team at Planet Living is serving up just such an offer at their official grand opening party this Thursday, April 14 at 5PM.

You might have noticed the new juice and smoothie bar’s entry into Ansley Mall last month among the many other changes to the mall’s facade. Planet Living is all about nutrition without sacrificing taste. We’re talking self-serve frozen yogurt with natural toppings, freshly squeezed juice and no-sugar added smoothies.

They’ll be showing it all off Thursday night at the grand opening party featuring music by DJ Andre Perry. Print this page with the VIP invitation included to get access into the party and enjoy!

Planet Living Grand Opening Party

Thursday, April 14, 2011 at 5PM-9PM

Planet Living at Ansley Mall

“We’re loud, proud and East of the Perimeter!” So goes the tagline of East Side Pride, a non-profit group with eyes on having their own pride festival in June. The Avondale Estates metaphysical store Trilogy hosts the first fundraiser, Cosmic Carnival, this Friday, April 15.

East Side Pride was formed as a social network for LGBT and LGBT-friendly allies on the east side of Atlanta – Avondale Estates, Clarkston, Stone Mountain, Tucker, etc. Their monthly meet-ups focus on local businesses and especially “family” owned businesses.

Friday’s event at Trilogy doubles as the April meet-up and the pride fundraiser. The East Side Pride organizers promise “a 3-ring circus of fun and good vibes.”

It starts with galactic gay yoga and continues with tarot readings, chair massages, astrology readings and a fortune wheel featuring fabulous prizes. A group screening of The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert follows at 9PM. Hors d’oeuvres, beer, wine and other refreshments will be provided.

Visit the Cosmic Carnival event page on Facebook HERE, “Like” East Side Pride on Facebook HERE and visit Trilogy’s website HERE for more information!

East Side Pride’s Cosmic Carnival!

Friday, April 15, 2011 at 6PM-11PM

Trilogy

$20 in advance at Trilogy or $25 at the door

Proceeds benefit East Side Pride

Realtor and Fenuxe 50 member Barb Rowland has called Atlanta home for more than 40 years.  She is an active and passionate supporter of the LGBT community.

What is your favorite thing about Atlanta?

Atlanta is my home and I love it so much – from our beautiful spring weather to the Atlanta landscape/skyline and especially our large and diverse LGBT community.

Who is your personal hero?

Billie Jean King, she was and still is. She has continued to be a class act throught her life and her adversities. She has always been an advocate against sexism in sports and society since the 70s when she played Bobby Riggs, and she continues today to carry the torch for Women In Sport. Women today, especially tennis players, have her to thank for seeing big prize money.

What’s the first thing you would do if you won the lottery?

First thing is first – I should be on a cruise ship or in a hammock on the beach, unwinding for a few weeks! When I come back to Atlanta, I would make a great big donation to start a world-class gay community center.

What would be your ideal night out in Atlanta?

There are too many outstanding restaurants in Atlanta to name – you can bet on the evening starting at one of them. Then, let’s catch what the Atlanta Ballet is performing and dance the night away at disco night (Jungle) or two-steppin’ at Three Legged Cowboy.

Which music artist makes you want to dance?

It doesn’t take much for me to dance… 60s and 70s are my favorite but I love some of the new country music being produced lately. Alicia Bridges’ “I Like the Nightlife” still moves me…

Learn about another member of our community in next Tuesday’s Take 5 With Fenuxe!

Adding to the already star-studded lineup for the Atlanta HRC’s 24th Annual Gala Dinner is the extravagant lineup of items being offered up for the legendary auction.

Headlining the growing list is a weeklong stay at the opulent Camino De La Vida in Puerto Vallarta. Retail value? $10,000. And new to the auction this year will be the option to use BidPal to increase your purchase from the more than $200,000 in merchandise up for grabs. Tiffany’s, Orbitz, Delta Air Lines, Urban Body Studios, Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams and the Alliance Theatre are just some of the notable brands in the mix.

As previously announced, this year’s HRC Dinner will feature Academy Award and Golden Globe-winning actress Mo’Nique, who will receive the Ally for Equality Award. She will be joined by her Precious director Lee Daniels.

Local community honorees include Positive Impact executive director and CEO Paul Plate and Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell repeal champion Jeff Cleghorn.

Atlanta HRC’s 24^th Annual Dinner Gala and Auction

Saturday, May 14 at 6PM

Atlanta Marriott Marquis

Purchase your tickets for Atlanta HRC’s 24th Annual Dinner Gala and Auction HERE

Sunday night’s 22^nd Annual Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) Media Awards brought the star power as Dolly Parton, Ricky Martin, Kirsten Dunst and countless other celebs packed downtown LA’s Westin Bonaventure.

Celebrities made their way down the ROKK Vodka blue carpet before entering the festivities. Emmy and Tony Award-winning actress Kristin Chenowith was honored with the Vanguard Award for her longtime vocal support of the LGBT community.

Other winners included Glee and Modern Family, who tied for Outstanding Comedy Series, Project Runway and I Love You Phillip Morris.

Guests sipped sipped ROKK throughout the evening as they enjoyed the show. $12,500 was raised for GLAAD thanks to the vodka brand’s pledge to give $100 for every time the word “ROKK” was mentioned during the show. Many celebrity attendees also signed a one-of-a-kind ROKK photograph created by photographer Mike Ruiz. The photo will be contributed to GLAAD’s OutAuction next fall.

Stay tuned with Fenuxe for coverage of upcoming GLAAD events locally and throughout the country.

Amy Ray

The Indigo Girls honored the memory of their biggest fan Saturday night at Gwinnett Center at the emotional but uplifting An Evening of Hope Appreciation Banquet. The Right to Hike benefit was held in honor of Meredith Emerson, who was kidnapped and killed while hiking with her dog in the North Georgia Mountains in January 2008.

After various awards were handed out honoring those who have made outstanding sacrifices to Right to Hike, a spirited live auction was held, where everything from signed music memorabilia to diamond jewelry to tickets to the CMA Awards went fast. The money will go to further the many Right to Hike initiatives, including donating emergency cell phone units to parks, continuing a scholarship fund, helping local humane societies and more.

The Indigo Girls then came out as fans jumped out of their chairs and crowded the stage. “It’s a huge honor to be here,” member Amy Ray told the crowd. “It’s a really amazing community.”

The pair then launched into their hit “Galileo” and followed up with fan favorites “Become You,” “Get Out the Map” and “Shame On You.” A jubilant crowd sang along word-for-word.

The Indigo Girls closed out the five-song set with their biggest hit, “Closer to Fine”—a fitting end to a night which helped friends and loved ones of Emerson’s get a little closer to fine after her tragic loss.

Find out more information about and donate to Right To Hike HERE.

Amy Ray and Emily Saliers

Take a southern tradition south of the border with this unique cocktail laced with the full-bodied flavor of Don Julio Anejo Tequila!

Ingredients:

- 1.5 fl oz Don Julio Anejo Tequila

-1 fl oz Sweet & Sour Mix

- 0.75 fl oz Agave Syrup

- 0.25 fl oz Lime Juice

- 5 Fresh Mint Leaves

- 2 fl oz Club Soda

Get your ice filled shaker and combine the Don Julip Anejo Tequila, sweet & sour mix, agave syrup, lime juice and fresh mint leaves. Shake well! Now pour this winning combo into a well-chilled rocks glass with a salt rim and top with club soda. Garnish with a lime wedge or sugarcane stick and pat yourself on the back. You’re doing drinks your way!

By Eric Chavez

Samantha James – “Wings of Faith” (Om Records)

Samantha James may not be anywhere to be found on the Billboard 100 or mainstream radio, but she is by far the best new artist of the past few years. Mixing electronica, deep house, chill, pop, soul, and lounge music, James has sensually crafted the perfect musical recipe. You may have heard James’ “Rise,” which topped the dance charts a few years ago, or more recently, “Waves of Change” which Kaskade mixed into a dance floor anthem.

Her new song, “Wings of Faith” makes for one of the most infectious charity songs ever, and all proceeds will go towards the aid of Japan. One reason this track is so luscious is because it avoids the cheesy, insincere trap so many charity songs dive down deep into. “Wings of Faith” consists of a blissfully beautiful dance beat that drips over the artist’s smooth vocals.

If you enjoy this track, make sure to check out Rise and Subconscious, two of the best electronica/chill/pop albums ever produced, if only because James, unlike other dance artists, actually has a, gasp, bassline in her music!

LISTEN TO “WINGS OF FAITH” HERE

Note: Kaskade is appearing at Opera tonight at 9:30PM. Tickets available at www.operaatlanta.com.

Eric Chavez is a New Mexican native who is all about some vibeology – the study of rhythms, beats, and everything in between.

DJay McCracken

A diverse crowd of 100 high-spirited revelers showed up at the men’s showroom at Saks Fifth Avenue last night for Cocktails at Saks: A Night of Luxury. The event was a fundraiser for AID Atlanta’s signature event, Atlanta Cotillion.

Last year’s event featured a runway show but this year they switched to a luxury caravan, which created a more relaxed environment says AID Atlanta’s Jon Santos. “It was a casual yet interactive event. We’re very, very pleased,” he told Fenuxe.

Eager Delta flight attendants served up complimentary cocktails from Svedka and scrumptious hors d’oeuvres by Soiree Catering & Events. And Saks never looked better as they graciously offered up their space for A Night of Luxury. “We can’t ever do this stuff without those sponsors,” says Santos. “They’re amazing.”

DJay McCracken provided the beats as raffles and giveaways occured throughout the evening. AID Atlanta is still tallying the total money raised and they expect good news.  [5:28pm UPDATE: The event raised just shy of $2,500, not including the donation from Saks of 10% of all sales made during the event.]  Last night’s event is one of many to follow in the buildup to Atlanta Cotillion X on September, 17, 2011 at the Foundry at Puritan Mills.

“It was an exceptional event!” says Santos.

The Lowe Gallery’s two-year long series “Commence: A Philosophical Detente,” enters Chapter Two with the Of Earth and Air show.  They’re hosting an opening reception at the Midtown gallery on Friday.

The Commence initiative will “explore, expand and disintegrate strained relations that exist in a myriad of arenas – from socio-political to socio-cultural and even psycho-spiritual and psycho-sexual,” Lowe tells Fenuxe.

Friday’s opening features the works of three artists. Israeli artist Ella Benami is presenting her first major body of work to be shown in America. Benami’s influences descend from mid-twentieth century Abstract Expressionism. She addresses the issue of human spirituality through her work.

Hiro Yamagata’s work will be in haunting black and white on handmade rice paper attached to canvas. Yamagata has been a longtime force in contemporary art and the avant garde.

The work of Kathleen Morris features mostly nude women in what The Lowe Gallery calls “the convergence of spirituality and sensuality.”

Future Commence exhibitions will occur at The Lowe Gallery while others will happen online, at art fairs or at auxiliary facilities.

A Philosophical Détente – Chapter 2: Of Earth and Air Opening Reception

Friday, April 8, 2011 at 6-9PM

The Lowe Gallery

www.lowegallery.com