Melanie Nathan, San Francisco, CA, January 26, 2010 ,  - Celebrity stand-up comedian & media personality, Rosie O’Donnell is making her highly anticipated return to stand-up comedy at the much talked about Club Skirts Presents The Dinah® on Friday, April 2 at the Palm Springs Convention Center – the sunny Oasis’ largest concert venue. 

The Dinah and Rosie

“I am beyond thrilled to have Rosie O’Donnell join our stellar entertainment line-up on our 20^th Anniversary,” says Mariah Hanson, founder of Club Skirts Presents The Dinah®, “my customers love Rosie. She’s a role model, a beacon of hope, and a voice of truth.  And at The Dinah, once again, she’ll do what we have missed from her for years: stand up. And no one, and I mean no one, does it better than Rosie!”

While O’Donnell’s stand-up career went on hiatus in 1995, the comedian has since then remained in the spotlight with a slew of highly mediatized projects – from hosting her own syndicated talk show “The Rosie O’Donnell Show”, gracing the Broadway stage in “Grease”, co-hosting the daytime women-oriented talk show “The View”, to now emceeing her own on-air daily two-hour show “Rosie Radio” on Sirius XM Radio.

“This year we are presenting some great party with a cause themes. Rosie headlining our main comedy show is a perfect fit. Not only is she hilariously funny, but she has long been a fervent advocate for not only our own LGBT causes but for children via her ‘Rosie’s Broadway Kids’ and ‘For All Kids’ charity Foundations, and her current philanthropist endeavors to foster Haitian orphans. Her presence at our event is the perfect fit.  Rosie is yet another proven example that it’s possible to have the time of your life at The Dinah, and at the same time make a difference,” adds Hanson.

O’Donnell’s Dinah show will officially mark her long-awaited, and overdue, return to stand-up – a debut which O’Donnell distinctively wanted to offer as an exclusive to Mariah Hanson and Club Skirts Presents The Dinah®.

Commemorating its landmark 20^th Anniversary, The Dinah 2010 will take place March 31 through April 4, 2010 at The Hilton Hotel, The Hyatt Regency and the Palm Springs Convention Center. Despite the current economic climate, ticket sales are up from last year and the Hilton Hotel sold out in record time over the holidays. The newly renovated high-end Hyatt Regency is almost at capacity.

“Leisure diversion becomes a necessity for many who will seek relief of some sort,” explains Hanson,  “especially when it delivers the caliber of entertainment The Dinah has continuously been providing for many years combined with the top of the line selection of social entertainment venues and the financial incentive of all-inclusive package deals.”
 Speaking of The Dinah’s legendary fun-filled weekend of out-of-this-world entertainment, Hanson is premiering many other groundbreaking activities.

A special “No H8″ Sunday Pool Party hosted by award-winning fashion photographer Adam Bouska and Jeff Parshley, co-founders of the iconic N0 H8 campaign, will take place at The Hilton Hotel on Sunday, April 4^th. As a continuous effort to protest against Proposition 8 banning gay marriages, Dinah participants will have a chance to get their faces painted with the symbolic NoH8 black and red logo, have their picture taken and be part of a Dinah group shot that will be added to the ongoing campaign.  Continuing her activist efforts to raise awareness among the LGBT community about marriage and equality rights, Hanson, who sits on the Board of Equality California, is certainly producing THE ultimate Dinah – the party of a lifetime, but nevertheless a party with a cause.   To that end, a unique celebrity fashion show sponsored by “No H8” Campaign will be hosted during the White Diamond Party on Friday, April 2 following Ke$ha’s performance with parts of the proceeds going to Equality California. 

For the first ever since her coming out, “Family Ties” actress Meredith Baxter will make a public appearance joining the prestigious panel of celesbians and entertainment luminaries that will grace the catwalk in support of the LGBT community’s fight for equality.

 “It was important for me to invite Meredith Baxter to participate in this fashion show,” comments Hanson, “it was very courageous of her to come out the way she did and to right off the bat publicly take such an activist stand for same-sex marriage. I have nothing but admiration for her and was thrilled when she said yes.”
 Also new this year is the creative and original battle of the webisodes hosted by OML, and a never-been-done-before astonishing circus in and beer garden.

… a  jillion things and bundles of fun that will make you go: The Dinah…I wanna!

CLUB SKIRTS PRESENTS THE DINAH® CELEBRATES ITS 20TH MILESTONE ANNIVERSARY  WITH A MUSIC LEGEND: SALT-N-PEPA Headlining Saturday Night’s “Hollywood Party” At the Palm Springs Convention Center .
by Melanie Nathan,  : -  

Palm Springs, CA - Mariah Hanson, founder of Club Skirts Presents The Dinah®, has just announced another HUGE headliner for the 2010 highly anticipated Dinah weekend held March 31 through April 4 (www.TheDinah)  in the sunny Oasis.  Joining the stellar line-up is the legendary Grammy Award-winning American hip-hop trio Salt-N-Pepa who will rock the house during Saturday night’s “Hollywood Party” at the Palm Springs Convention Center. 

As the first all female rap crew, Salt-N-Pepa historically changed the face of the music scene. The groundbreaking cult band has broken many records in the music industry and is, to this day, credited as being one of the first rap artists to cross over into pop mainstream, laying the groundwork for a number of other female artists in the likes of TLC, Destiny’s Child and Beyonce. 
Selling over 15 million albums and singles worldwide, Salt-N-Pepa became the first female rap Grammy winners; the first female rap act to go gold or platinum; and the first female rap act to have a multi-platinum album.

“Much like The Dinah has over the years changed the face of lesbian event production, Salt-N-Pepa have changed the face of women in music. We herald them as the perfect headliner for our signature event,” says Hanson.   

Blending the old with the new, Hanson is commemorating The Dinah’s milestone 20th Anniversary by delivering a never-been-seen before star-studded entertainment program – a sure crowd-pleaser and show stopper event! 

After all who else but Hanson can bring together on the same stage, under one roof for one weekend ONLY, the hottest, sexiest and most talented music divas of yesterday and today – from Ke$ha, the current # 1 Billboard charting artist in the country (who stole Lady Gaga’s “most downloaded song on iTunes” record), Paradiso Girls, Lolene to music legend Salt-N-Pepa? 

This year club Skirts Presents The Dinah® is not just breaking grounds, it is making history!   www.TheDinah.com

Note:       K$sha was announced as anothe scoop  Headliner at http://lezgetreal.com/?p=24549 some weeks ago and now this adds to the extraordinary line-up for the weekedn long series of lesbian entertainment and  events.
Pictures Courtesy The Dinah/ 1. Salt-N-Pepa and 2. Mariah Hanson on stage with Katy Perry at The Dinah.

By Melanie Nathan, nathan@privatecourts.com
www.oblogdeeoblogda.wordpress.com

@oblogdeeoblogda

                                                                    Reported by Melanie Nathan

Following a Press release in LOS ANGELES, CA -  Celebrating its 20th milestone anniversary (March 31- April 4, 2010), Club Skirts The Dinah (www.TheDinah.com) is once again breaking grounds by delivering the creme de la creme of all things entertainment – and  this year again it includes THE Billboard pop artist with the current # 1 hit in the country and two other buzz-heavy breakthrough performers. 

She’s done it again!  Mariah Hanson, the visionary master brain and envelope pushing event producer behind The Dinah, has secured another extraordinarily exceptional entertainment line-up for the 2010 Dinah Shore weekend held at the Hilton Hotel and The Hyatt Regency in Palm Springs, CA!

In the span of two decades, Mariah Hanson, founder of Club Skirts, has turned The Dinah into a MUST SEE, MUST BE SEEN AT event, building a reputation as a trendsetter and the catalyst propelling new young artists to the top of the charts – Lady Gaga and Katy Perry were the breakthrough artist of 2009, Colbie Caillat in 2008 and The Pussy Cat Dolls back in 2006.

If The Dinah 2009 was EPIC not only securing the performances of a Grammy nominee and a Top Ten Billboard artist with the then # 1 Song in the country, but as well making it the most attended Dinah ever despite the economic crisis, The Dinah 2010 will be HISTORIC!

Meet The Dinah 2010 performers who will grace the stage of the prestigious Convention Center in the Sunny Oasis:

 Pop singer Ke$ha, who only this past few weeks, who came out about her bisexuality a few days ago, just scored her first # 1 hit with her contagiously catchy tune ”Tik Tok”  ending Jay-Z and Alicia Keys‘ five-week reign at the top of the US singles chart-  and bumped Lady Gaga off the number spot in Australia last week ….. number one in New Zealand, too and Canada.

Ke$ha is scheduled to perform at the highly anticipated 20th Anniversary of Club Skirts The Dinah (March 31 thru April 4) during Friday night’s White Diamond Party at the Palm Springs Convention Center.

Ke$ha   gained exposure in the mainstream media after being featured on Flo Rida’s single, “Right Round”.    ”Right Round,” soared to No. 1, selling more than 636,000 downloads its first week out, and shattering the all-time one-week digital single sales record. (Ke$ha also contributes her sassy vocal stylings to “Touch Me,” another track from Flo Rida’s upcoming 2009 album R.O.O.T.S.)

Also Featuring:
PARADISO GIRLS -The “Will I Am” Produced all Girl-Band from the creator of The Pussy Cat Dolls
LOLENE – The Dance Club Billboard Chart-Topper British Sire

  The countdown has started … tik tok … tik tok … it’s Dinah time!    www.TheDinah.com

  Posted by Melanie Nathan
 

 Posted by: Melanie Nathan   
nathan@privatecourts.com

Women’s & Trans’ Poetry Jam & Open Mike
Tuesday Dec 29th 7PM – 9PM

Feature Writers: Penny Arcade & Maria Lisella

A runaway at thirteen, a reform-school graduate at sixteen, a performer in the legendary New York City Play-House of the Ridiculous at seventeen, and an escapee from Andy Warhol’s Factory scene at nineteen, Penny Arcade (aka Susan Ventura) emerged in the 1980’s as a primal force on the New York art scene and an originator of what came to be called performance art. Arcade’s brand of high camp and street-smart, punk-rock cabaret showmanship has been winning over international audiences ever since; one of her plays La Miseria is about growing up Italian American in which different household saints have commentaries.

In a world where people are concerned about traveling with a light footprint, Maria Lisella tries to tread unnoticed — eavesdropping on conversations like a Mata Hari of the spoken word. Crowded subways, ancient temples, ghostly war-torn countries channel others’ voices; have give her a chance to cheat life and slip into someone else’s shadow and shoes for moments at a time.

Bluestockings Bookstore  $5 suggested donation- Hosted by Vittoria Repetto – the hardest working guinea butch dyke poet on the lower east side;   Bluestockings Bookstore
172 Allen St.
(between Staton & Rivington)
1 1/2 blocks south from E.Houston
NYC       -    212-777-6028
info@bluestockings.com     http://www.bluestockings.com/
Open mike – sign-up at 7 pm – 8 minute limit
Bring your poetry, your prose, your songs, and your spoken word.

Take V or F train to 2nd Ave. and exit from the 1st Ave exit and walk south down Allen St. (aka. 1st Ave) 1 ½ blocks to the store

I livE hErE Fundraiser Cocktail Party: Saturday, August 22, 7:00-11:30 PM

This event hosted by actress and I Live Here Founder: Mia Kirshner, Operation USA, Causecast and CODEPINK benefits the launch of the Malawi Prison Project.

Drinks, food, a live and a silent auction, art, music (KCRW DJing the event), and dancing are all included in the $25 ticket price ($30 at the door; save five bucks at http://donate.opusa.org/ilivehere).

The event will take place Saturday, August 22, 7:00-11:30 PM At CAUSECAST Headquarters 969 Colorado Ave. Santa Monica, CA 90401

Please support this incredible labor of love and help us raise the funds necessary to start our first I livE hErE Program. There is limited space to the event, please hurry and purchase Advance Tickets. For any further questions, please contact info@i-live-here.com.

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• LA Observed on KCRW: Lily Burk (laobserved.com)

8th Annual WeHo Awards
The community honors its best!

Thursday, January 22nd, 2009
Avalon Hollywood
1735 Vine St. Hollywood, CA 90028

7pm Sharp! - Awards Dinner Gala
5:30 pm – VIP Red Carpet Pre-show Party

Hosted by Momma & Belvedere Vodka

Benefiting Equality California & The Wall, Las Memorias

Starring Kim Kardashian & Perez Hilton!

Campaign Design – Viktor Paleyo

Click here for more information

Girl Afraid, taken from a Smiths song, is in love with Flickr and obsessed with You Tube.

This past weekend, while gathering signatures for The Open Letter to Obama I was suprised to find that many of the people who came down to participate weren’t aware that our location was open.

Hamburger Mary’s is a popular restaurant in the gay community and the Long Beach, CA location is at a prime spot on Alamitos and Broadway. The parking is a bit tight, but inside Hamburger Mary’s you’ll find a dancefloor, bar, pool table and outside patio with flat screens placed througout; which turn the restaurant into a night-time hotspot for locals in the LGBT community certain nights of the week. Suprisingly, many of the people who participated in the call to action to come down and sign the petition in Long Beach were pleasantly suprised to find the doors open and our team waiting for them.

Some petition signers enjoyed lunch, others had a drink, some played pool, and others mingled.

My wife and I were on the outdoor patio, sprinkled with friends and family who dropped by throughout the day. We made a few new friends, and put up with a few attitudes, but overall it was a pleasant event and the staff at Hamburger Mary’s was friendly and accomodating; making sure to sign our petition as well. (You can see some of those pictures on the LezGetReal MySpace page here.)

Talking with the owner of the Long Beach Hamburger Mary’s I found that he is also the owner of the West Hollywood location, and he recently took over the Long Beach location, bringing some WeHo flair to the LBC.

The previous owners of the Long Beach location had a different vision, and Hamburger Mary’s LB was a thing of the past for a short time. The new owner is bringing a different spin and new vision to the restaurant, introducing weekly events such as Karaoke with the legendary Jackie Beat on Tuesdays, brunch on Saturday and Sunday, and Little Lambs Day on Mondays when kids eat for FREE. The food is fresh, fabulous, and satisfying; and come to find out Hamburger Mary’s is a regular supporter of the HRC. This means that spending your Pink Money at the Long Beach and West Hollywood Hamburger Mary’s supports equality! Of course you know that I am liking that! Plus the bar staff was extra sweet and made sure to card me when I ordered a drink so if you’re looking for an ego-boost here’s your chance, LOL.

Here are some pictures of the staff that I took while I was scoping the place out…

I want to say a big THANK YOU to Dale and Theresa, and everyone else at the Long Beach location of Hamburger Mary’s.

They didn’t hesitate at all to Join the Impact and you can be sure to see me and my family enjoying a meal there on Little Lambs Day plus I hear Wednesday has an awesome Drag Show and I love those too so maybe I’ll see you there!

Julie Phineas is a work at home mom of 2 who lives in Southern California. You can find out more about her by visiting her page on MySpace.

Wednesday, 12/10/2008 was International Human Rights Day and this year was the first DAY WITHOUT A GAY. I wanted to “call in gay” but I was out of sick days and instead I planned ahead and switched my days to make sure I had it off. Does that make me a cheater? The whole concept of the day was amazing and it even made people aware that we had a Human Rights Day. I did my fair share of promoting online and word of mouth. I told my whole family that I wasn’t going to work because I was calling in gay and most of my family knew what it was.

On Wednesday, I stayed home for most of the day until I picked up my nieces from school and took them to the mall, where I did window shopping. I wore my Curve Magazine t-shirt and got several glances =). After the mall, I dropped off my nieces at their house and then headed home to get ready for a NO On H8 Benefit for Equality California.

It was my first time attending The Ian Harvie Show and it was unlike anything I’ve ever been to. It was totally unique and hilarious! My friends and I had such a great time, we literally laughed out loud. Always queer, authentic, funny, and entertaining (show’s motto) was true indeed. There were a couple of stand-up sets (Erin Foley made my heart melt), music performances, monologues, and group discussions. It was like a mini queer comic conference.

The topic of the discussion was to share a holiday experience, some good holiday cheer, you know? But it was like all the stories came from a John Waters film. This wasn’t your normal decorating the tree/baking cookies story….there was piss…blood….shit…and cock. For some reason cock seemed to be the main topic. No matter how the conversation was flowing, it always ended up back at cock. Erin Foley was so cute throwing little holiday references out to distract everyone from their cock stories.

The set ended with Margaret Cho singing a couple of songs and impressing the audience with her recently learned, 3 weeks, guitar playing. That deserved a standing ovation. She could’ve had me fooled the way she was strumming those chords. When I fist learned how to play, it was always difficult to play and sing at the same time but Margaret honestly performed her songs flawlessly. The Protest Song (Morman) was the shout out for Proposition H8: “SHOVE PROPOSITION 8 UP THEIR ASS!”

After the show, I got to speak with Margaret Cho and she saw that I was wearing a Tegan & Sara button and she told me that she is working on a music album and that T&S were going to record a song with her. That is beyond amazing! I told her that I was looking forward to that and I also mentioned how much I thought she rocked.

JORJA FOX

ANT

STEF, IAN HARVIE, ANGELA, & CLAUDIA

MORE PHOTOS CLICK HERE

Girl Afraid, taken from a Smiths song, is in love with Flickr and obsessed with You Tube.

Girl Afraid, taken from a Smiths song, is in love with Flickr and obsessed with You Tube.

Okay ladies, I am wondering what all the lesbians are doing tonight!

Most of my friends are out partying it up this weekend, but I am home tonight getting ready for a night out with my wife tomorrow. I love to get dressed up and go out dancing after dinner and some drinks. My wife knows all the good spots and usually chooses where we go, and over the years I have developed my favorites.

Since I live in Southern California, there are a few gay clubs and lesbian bars in my area, and the closest spot to me that I like is The Executive Suite in Long Beach (website). This is a longtime favorite spot for a Saturday night, and for the LGBT community to get together and party before and after the Long Beach Gay Pride Festival.

I also like Club Ripples which has two different dance floors and a karaoke area for those that are interested in showing their vocal talents(website). I prefer Friday nights at Club Ripples which is referred to as Debra’s @ The Beach. Check out Debra’s MySpace page here for pics.

If we just want to have a drink and play some pool, then we head on over to Club Broadway (link). We used to like to go to Hamburger Mary’s in Long Beach because it was right next to Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles which is always good at 2am when you’ve had a bit to drink. There is a Hamburger Mary’s in West Hollywood (link) that you could check out, which offers more entertainment and food choices.

Also out in Los Angeles and Hollywood area is The Palms Bar which has a nice size dance floor and friendly bartenders (website). The Palms is also located right near a secure parking garage which is good. We have fun at Girl Bar and have also been over to Circus Disco, but they do play a lot of club music and I am more of a hip hop fan.

My favorite spot is on Tuesdays and whenever my wife and I can get away on a Tuesday this is a guilty pleasure of ours. Michelle’s XXX, also known as Peanuts, is a sexy spot for lesbians to dance, drink, and watch Michelle’s girls put on a great show. If you’ve never been to Michelle’s XXX, you really don’t know what you’re missing. All I can say is that the ladies at Michelle’s XXX leave visions in your mind you will cherish forever. *wink* Michelle’s XXX also hosts the LA Gay Pride After Party so be sure to check out their website if you are heading out to that this weekend. You can also find Michelle’s XXX on MySpace here. Michelle’s XXX does offer Club Sexy on Saturdays every so often, so be sure to add yourself to their mailing list if that is something are interested in.

If you are out here in Los Angeles and you ever see me out and about with my wife at the club, be sure to stop me and say hi and buy me a drink!!! hahaha Always designate a driver ladies, and be sure to buckle up! Thanks for reading and Much Love! ~Julie Phineas~

Julie Phineas is a work at home mom of 2 who lives in Southern California. You can find out more about her by visiting her page on MySpace.