Named after the popular hangout spot on Beverly Hills 90210, Peach Pit exclusively celebrates the pop music of the 1990s, and the party has been a monthly entity for a full decade of its own. Patrons are encouraged to arrive as close as possible to the 10:30 p.m. start time this Saturday, Dec. 21, if they don’t want to wait in a long line once the intimate DC9 is filled to capacity — thereby risking the chance they’ll miss their favorite jock jam. Admission is $5 before midnight, $8 after. 21 and above. The next day, Sunday, Dec. 22, at the same venue comes the newest decade-spanning monthly venture from Peach Pit’s promoter, DJ Matt Bailer, this one geared to those who wanna dance with somebody who loves them while reminiscing about a time when doves cried and people were hungry like the wolf. Named after the retirement village where the gay-popular TV series The Golden Girls took place, Shady Pines focuses on the ’80s, when pop music was wild and formulaic, eclectic and overproduced. The party is from 3 to 7 p.m and takes place on DC9’s enclosed, heated rooftop. Admission is free. DC9 is at 1940 9th St. NW. Call 202-483-5000 or visit www.dcnine.com.
GAYBORHOOD NIGHT PIANO BAR WITH JOHN FLYNN
John Flynn is a regular presence in Rehoboth Beach, where most nights, you’ll find him tickling the ivories at establishments throughout the beach town. But on the last Sunday of most months, the gay pianist ventures inland to incite to chorus the colorful patrons at a venue that outbeaches ’em all. This “Gayborhood” event at the “straight-friendly” Freddie’s is meant to foster greater community among LGBTQ patrons and allies: “Enjoy happy hour specials and meet your neighbors.” Sunday, Dec. 29, starting at 5 p.m. Freddie’s Beach Bar is at 555 South 23rd St., Arlington. Call 703-685-0555 or visit www.freddiesbeachbar.com.
New Year’s Eve comes on a Tuesday this year, so get ready for some mid-week revelry! Ziegfeld’s/Secrets (202-863-0607, www.ziegfelds.com) features dancing to the music of DJ Steve Henderson, along with a special show, party favors, champagne countdown and a balloon drop with prizes. Shaw’s Tavern (202-518-4092, www.shawstavern.com) starts early, at 11 a.m. on New Year’s Eve with a Bottomless Mimosas Brunch until 3 p.m. The venue kicks things into high gear at 9 p.m. with a party that includes open bar on select alcohol, an hors d’ouevres buffet, champagne at midnight, a breakfast buffet at 12:30 a.m., plus music by a DJ and party favors ($75 per person). You could start your New Year’s Eve at Nellie’s (202-332-6355, www.nelliessportsbar.com) with a round of Drag Bingo at 7 p.m., followed at 9 p.m. by karaoke until close.
In Adams Morgan, both Pitcher’s and A League Of Her Own (202-733-2568, www.pitchersdc.com.) will ring in the new starting at 9 p.m., with a massive party on all floors and no cover. The evening’s fun at Green Lantern (202-347-4533, www.greenlanterndc.com) features music by DJ Darryl Strickland, party favors, a midnight champagne toast, and drink specials. The venue also opens at 4 p.m. with a five-hour-long Happy Hour special. Tthe DC Eagle (202-347-6025, www.dceagle.com) hosts the second annual Leather & Lace New Year’s Eve Ball complete with dinner at 9 p.m., music from DJs Ultra and Popperz, and a full performance lineup of drag queens, porn stars, and go-go boys at $10 per person.
Finally, across the river, Freddie’s Beach Bar (703-685-0555, www.freddiesbeachbar.com) presents a New Year’s Eve Party with a drag show at 10 p.m. followed by karaoke, plus a champagne toast and party favors ($25 cover). Freddie’s re-opens the next day for a rare Wednesday champagne brunch, starting at 10 a.m. and costing $24.99 per person, inclusive of a few rounds of mimosas. For more New Year’s offerings and details, see our Dec. 31 listings on page 50.
The United States is now seeing over 200,000 syphilis cases annually, the highest figure since the 1950s.
Imagine the voice of Golden Girls’ Sophia Petrillo saying, “Picture it, United States 1951, I Love Lucy was kicking off its first season, super glue had just been invented, and there were 140,000 syphilis cases reported across the country.”
By 2000, however, decades of public health advocacy and medical advancements, such as the use of antibiotics in early treatment, had cut down cases to just 32,000 per year.
So, what happened? Why are the numbers worse now than they were 24 years ago?
At around 2 a.m. on March 9, a security camera outside of Precinct, a gay bar in downtown Los Angeles, caught two men dressed in black and carrying cocktail glasses walking around the corner from the bar's main entrance. They entered an exterior hallway leading to the bar's employee entrance.
The men set their glasses on a nearby railing, unzipped their pants, and appeared to urinate in a corner between the door and the entranceway.
In the video, two other men are seen passing by the entranceway but not entering it, just moments as the taller of the two men appears to zip up his fly and looks around furtively. The video cuts out shortly after that.
Police arrested a former Jackson Police Department officer who allegedly killed his ex-boyfriend in a bloody attack at a Jackson, Mississippi apartment complex.
Police mounted a search for 33-year-old Marcus Johnson in connection with the murder of 25-year-old Carlos Collins, a registered nurse who hailed from Yazoo City.
Collins was killed on April 9 at the Tapestry Northridge Apartments, off Parkway Drive near Old Canton Road, in the northeastern part of Jackson.
According to WAPT, members of Collins family said police told them that Collins succumbed to gunshot wounds sustained during the attack, and that an axe was used during the murder.
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