For the May edition of Gaylarious!, their popular monthly gay and gay-friendly comedy show at the new Riot Act Comedy club, Chris Doucette and Zach Toczynski present a "ladies night" with comics Lori Sommer and Emma Willmann. Wednesday, May 2, at 8:30 p.m. Riot Act Comedy Theater, 801 E St. NW. Tickets are $15. Call 202-697-4900 or visit riotactcomedy.com.
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Intended as a "holiday for space," the annual event Countdown to Yuri's Night celebrates the world's first manned space flight by Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin in the most non-scientific of ways: through a zany night of visual art, performance and music. Among the festivities: an art/science exhibit of local contemporary artists at Artisphere's Mezz Gallery focused on "retro-future visions of space"; the stage show "The Wrath of Shock-a-Khan,” featuring drag queen Lucrezia Blozia as Shock-a-Khan, burlesque stars from D.C. and New York, and music by surf-rockers Atomic Mosquitos; and a "lunar" dance party following a performance by the local jazzy-ska band Eastern Standard Time. The atmosphere will be high all night with $5 Stoli drink specials. Saturday, April 14, at 8 p.m. Artisphere, 1101 Wilson Blvd. Arlington. Tickets are $30 at the door. Call 703-875-1100 or visit artisphere.com and c2yn.com.
This month, State Theatre's popular party The Legwarmers, billed as D.C.'s "biggest '80s Retro Dance Party," takes place on New Year's Eve. The party is where guilty-pleasure hits from nearly three decades ago are given the full tribute. Many in the crowd come dressed to the nine: shellacked big hair, lacy ankle socks, stirrup pants, parachute pants or anything else big in the '80s. Saturday, Dec. 31, at 9 p.m. The State Theatre, 220 N. Washington St., Falls Church. Tickets are $50. Call 703-237-0300 or visit thestatetheatre.com.
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Every Saturday night, the Black Cat screens an episode from the popular vampire series that aired a decade ago, before bloodsucking creatures were everywhere: Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The 14th Street venue offers the screening in its downstairs Backstage space and dubs it "Hellmouth Happy Hour," with drink specials -- and best of all, you only pay for the drinks. Every Saturday night from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Black Cat Backstage, 1811 14th St. NW. Free. Call 202-667-4490 or visit blackcatdc.com.
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The Washington Animal Rescue League hosts a special nonstop adoption event this weekend as a way to kick off its participation in the national ASPCA's $100K Challenge. Potential adopters may offer what they wish for available ready-to-adopt cats and dogs; the regular adoption fees -- starting at $50 for cats and $100 for dogs -- have been waived. Event starts Saturday, Aug. 6, at 11 a.m., and runs through Sunday, Aug. 7, at 8 p.m. At the Washington Animal Rescue League, 71 Oglethorpe St. NW. Call 202-726-2556 or visit warl.org.
Team DC's Night Out at the Nationals -- of which Metro Weekly is a major sponsor -- is tonight, Tuesday, June 21. The Nats play the Seattle Mariners. Guests are advised to arrive by 6:15 p.m. to hear the GMCW sing the national anthem. The game is scheduled to begin at 7:05 p.m. (Make sure to buy us some peanuts and Cracker Jacks.) Tickets are still available online by clicking here.
Join more than 200,000 people on historic Pennsylvania Avenue, between 7th and 3rd streets and celebrate Pride 2011 in front our nation's Capitol at the 36th Annual Capital Pride Festival. The festival, a massive event with three entertainment stages, is free and open to all, but you can make a suggested $5 donation at the entryway on Pennsylvania Avenue at 7th Street. The day's entertainers on the Main Stage (at Pennsylvania and 3rd Street) include headliner Jennifer Holliday (who will be joined by DJ Tony Moran for the world premiere of her new dance hit, "Magic"), Lil' Mo, The Lost Bois, Mama's Black Sheep, Jonathan Bascope, Venus D Lite and Bettina Shelker. Festival grounds are open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Convenient to the Archives/Navy Memorial or Gallery Place/Chinatown metros. Visit capitalpride.org for the latest details.
Here's a look at some highlights from last year's festival:
The DC JCC’s Kurlander Program for Gay & Lesbian Outreach and Engagement -- aka GLOE -- presents its fourth annual Masquerade and Mischief Purim Party, featuring performances by the DC Cowboys, a “Purim spiel,” and music by DJ jame’ foks. Purim celebrates the Jews who were spared execution by Persian leader Haman in biblical times. It calls for dressing up -- “especially drag, of every kind!” -- and serious drinking. Which is why tickets include an open bar with beer, wine and champagne cocktails. And then their are the Hamentshen, triangle-shaped pastries stuffed with fruit, generally prunes, or poppy seeds. Saturday, March 19, from 9 p.m. to midnight. Washington, D.C.’s Jewish Community Center, 1529 16th St. NW. Tickets are $25. Call 202-518-9400 or click here.
The Capital Queer Prom, that is. B.O.I. Marketing (headed by Metro Weekly's Outspoken host Ebone Bell) presents this fifth annual event, this year benefiting the Youth Pride Alliance. It kicks off with a “meet and greet” party Friday night at The Reef in Adams Morgan and ends with drag brunch Sunday at Nellie’s. The prom itself happens Saturday night on a Potomac River cruise, where a king and queen, loosely labeled, will be crowned. Guests include famous Mississippi teenager Constance McMillen, Catherine “Cat” Ommanney from Bravo's The Real Housewives of D.C. and local broadcast personality Anji Corley. Saturday, March 19, on the Spirit of Mount Vernon, from 9 p.m. to midnight. Boarding begins at 8:30 p.m. Tickets for the prom are $75, or $95 for prom and brunch. Visit capitalqueerprom.com.
You can still win a pair of tickets to the Prom. The contest is open until tonight at 9 p.m. Enter here.
The popular annual Team DC Fashion Show and Model Search raises funds for the LGBT sports association's College Scholarship Program benefiting LGBT student athletes. The fashion show features 13 models in club wear, swimsuit, underwear and leather/sports/fetish competitions, with a grand prize of $500 cash, a professional photo shoot with Robert Mercer, the cover of the May issue of Compete Magazine and a chance to be in the 2012 Ripped Genes calendar. That's a heckuva lot of exposure. Saturday, March 12, at 8 p.m. Town Danceboutique, 2009 8th NW. Cover is $10. Call 202-234-TOWN or visit teamdc.org.
