EDITORIALEDITOR-IN-CHIEF Randy Shulman JANUARY 14, 2016 Volume 22 / Issue 36 ART DIRECTOR Todd Franson MANAGING EDITOR Rhuaridh Marr SENIOR EDITOR John Riley CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Doug Rule SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHERS Ward Morrison, Julian Vankim NEWS 6 Blood Work 10 Holding Pattern by John Riley by Rhuaridh Marr 12 Community Calendar Puppy Love CONTRIBUTING ILLUSTRATORS Scott G. Brooks, Christopher Cunetto CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Gordon Ashenhurst, Sean Bugg, Connor J. Hogan, Troy Petenbrink, Kate Wingfield WEBMASTER David Uy PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Julian Vankim SALES & MARKETING PUBLISHER Randy Shulman FEATURES 16 From the pups to their handlers and the bonds they share, an inside look at the increasingly popular leather subset. Just call them MAL’s best friends. by John Riley Photography by Todd Franson 22 Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend Events Calendar by Doug Rule OUT ON THE TOWN 24 Center Stage’s As You Like It TECH 31 Tech Appeal NIGHTLIFE 35 Otter Crossing at Green Lantern 46 Last Word NATIONAL ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Rivendell Media Co. 212-242-6863 DISTRIBUTION MANAGER Dennis Havrilla by Doug Rule by Rhuaridh Marr PATRON SAINT Lassie COVER PHOTOGRAPHY Pup Indigo and Pup Gryphn by Todd Franson METRO WEEKLY 1775 I St. NW, Suite 1150 Washington, DC 20006 202-638-6830 MetroWeekly.com All material appearing in Metro Weekly is protected by federal copyright law and may not be reproduced in whole or part without the permission of the publishers. Metro Weekly assumes no responsibility for unsolicited materials submitted for publication. All such submissions are subject to editing and will not be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Metro Weekly is supported by many fine advertisers, but we cannot accept responsibility for claims made by advertisers, nor can we accept responsibility for materials provided by advertisers or their agents. Publication of the name or photograph of any person or organization in articles or advertising in Metro Weekly is not to be construed as any indication of the sexual orientation of such person or organization. © 2016 Jansi LLC. 4 JANUARY 14, 2016 METROWEEKLY.COM photography by Ward Morrison Linda Harvey backs Cruz for president. Qatar banishes Danish Girl for “moral depravity.” MATEJ KASTELIC LGBT News Now online at MetroWeekly.com Blood Work Medical experts react to the FDA’s new policy guidance on allowing gay and bisexual men to donate blood by John Riley P ORTER BROCKWAY AND AL DERUS HAVE BEEN married for two years. The couple, who live in Silver Spring, share everything — even the same blood type. And yet, current FDA guidance would prevent either from donating blood or tissue to save the other’s life. The prohibition affecting Brockway and Derus previously existed as a lifetime deferral for any men who had sex with men (MSM), regardless of whether or not they were monogamous. Enacted at the height of the AIDS epidemic, the indefinite deferral was enforced as a way of keeping the nation’s blood supply as free of HIV antibodies as possible. Even as advances in HIV testing technology advanced, the deferral stayed in place until last month, when the FDA changed the period to one year from the time of last sexual contact. Initially, when the first news reports came out, Brockway 6 JANUARY 14, 2016 METROWEEKLY.COM was pleased to see headlines stating that what essentially constituted a lifetime ban on gay and bisexual men had been lifted. “The first time I read about it, it seemed like, ‘Oh, cool, we can just donate blood,’ and then reading into it, I saw about the one-year waiting period,” says Brockway. “I thought it was progress, but it’s not enough.” Derus understands that the special deferrals for MSM come from good intentions, as blood collectors want to limit the possibility that blood donation could become a vector for HIV, but believes the concept of different guidelines based solely on sexual orientation is outdated. “All of the same risky behaviors can be happening with partners of different sexes,” says Derus. Dan Bruner, senior director of policy at Whitman-Walker Health, says that the change to the new policy guidance was METROWEEKLY.COM JANUARY 14, 2016 7 LGBTNews long overdue, as the FDA was under pressure to do something. But the new one-year deferral period is viewed as insufficient and discriminatory by many in the medical profession — including Whitman-Walker Health. “The reason the FDA gives for one year, rather than some other time period, from what we can tell [is] based on one argument,” he says. “About five or six years ago, Australia went to a one-year ban for gay and bisexual men, and there had been studies of the safety of the blood supply in Australia that say the move from essentially a lifetime ban to one-year ban has not resulted in the blood supply being any less safe.” Bruner adds that blood is routinely tested for HIV after it is collected anyway. As a result, the only risk posed to the blood supply is if someone has contracted the virus during the “window period,” the time when somebody becomes infected and the virus can be detected through blood tests. According to the FDA, that window period is only nine days. “Our argument was that the ban should be no longer than 30 days,” Bruner says of the suggestions Whitman-Walker made during the FDA’s public comment period. “Some groups, just to try to be even more conservative, were suggesting a ban of several months. But certainly not a year.” The fairest solution, says Bruner, would be a deferral period of anywhere from 14 days to a month from the last sexual contact, applied equally to all donors, regardless of sexual orientation or risk behavior. Logistically, however, that solution would likely be unworkable, as blood collection agencies would be worried that most people wouldn’t donate under the more stringent restrictions. Moreover, blood collection agencies, such as the American Red Cross, AABB and America’s Blood Centers, would have to revise their risk questionnaire to reflect the new policy which could take months to carry out. Kara Lusk Dudley, a spokeswoman for the American Red Cross, says her organization will follow the FDA guidance for a one-year deferral, and will also follow FDA guidelines allowing transgender donors to be assessed based on their self-reported gender identity. “The Red Cross is working diligently to determine a process for the reinstatement of eligible donors, and we are working on a detailed plan that will outline all the steps needed to implement this change,” Dudley said in a prepared statement. But she also noted that the change will take several months to “update our computer systems, modify processes and procedures, train staff, and implement these changes.” The most significant change to the policy will be the revi- 8 JANUARY 14, 2016 METROWEEKLY.COM sion of the donor health history questionnaire, which will be amended to reflect the updated guidelines while also reducing the risk of transmission of HIV and other bloodborne diseases. Dr. Oladipo Alao, medical director of Amida Care, a special needs health insurer that deals with people with chronic health conditions such as HIV, acknowledges the criticisms that have been lodged against the FDA’s new guidance, but also notes that blood banks practice “pooled testing,” where they collect blood from six to 16 individuals and test the pooled sample of blood for HIV. Alao says this approach is more practical than testing each individually-collected sample. “The alternative would be to test someone, and then retest them in nine days, asking them to abstain from risky activities between the two testing points,” Alao says. “If you look at what the science is, that would probably be the optimal way of eliminating the risk of HIV from blood transfusions as a whole. But I think what has been said is that, from a viewpoint of being cost-effective, that is not feasible, because the costs associated with it might be too high, and, again, you can’t be sure, during that within that nine-day period, they’ve abstained from risky activities.” But Doug Wirth, the CEO of Amida Care, still hopes to eventually move to a behavior-based risk assessment. Wirth says the current policy is an improvement, but doesn’t go far enough. “I think the fact that it promotes a certain kind of stereotype that all gay and bisexual men are inherently dangerous is not okay,” says Wirth, who worked as a health advisor to former New York City Mayors David Dinkins and Rudy Giuliani. “It’s unacceptable, it’s stigmatizing, it’s stereotyping. It is, in fact, a remnant of the past. I think the LGBT community, and the HIV/ AIDS community must speak out and drive health agencies and organizations at the state and federal level to embrace zero tolerance for stigmatizing policy.” Wirth says the approach to blood donation deferrals should be based on science, taking into account important safeguards, improvements in testing, and the reduced risk of HIV transmission due to improvements in HIV treatment and prevention. He urges the United States adopt a forward-looking policy rather than rely on other nations to set the standard for medical providers around the world. “We believe that the United States, if it wants to assume its rightful position as a world leader, should get out in front of these other countries and demonstrate true leadership, as opposed to getting to ‘as good a place as’ the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia,” he says. “We can do better than that.” l METROWEEKLY.COM JANUARY 14, 2016 9 Holding Pattern Republicans have forced openly gay Army Secretary nominee to step aside until they confirm him by Rhuaridh Marr T HE FIRST OPENLY GAY PERSON TO BE NOMInated to lead a branch of the military has been forced to temporarily step down from his position amid pressure from Congress. Eric Fanning’s nomination as Army Secretary has been in limbo since it was announced in September that he would replace Secretary John McHugh. Fanning took over as Acting Secretary in November, but his nomination has languished since, thanks to Republican members of the Senate. Members of the Armed Services Committee “expressed ‘some concerns’ about Fanning being slotted into the acting position,” Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said in a statement, Defense News reports. The committee is responsible for holding a confirmation hearing prior to Fanning’s nomination being voted on by the Senate, but that hearing has thus far failed to take place. “While the Administration believes the designation of Fanning as Acting Secretary of the Army is consistent with the Vacancies Act, as a show of comity to address these concerns, Fanning has agreed to step out of his acting role to focus on achieving confirmation in the near future,” Cook continued. “He remains one of the most qualified nominees to be a Service Secretary, having served in many senior executive positions in each of the three military departments and as Chief of Staff of the Department.” Chief culprit in forcing Fanning to step down is Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), who placed a hold on his nomination shortly after Fanning assumed the role of Acting Secretary. Roberts 10 JANUARY 14, 2016 METROWEEKLY.COM objected to President Obama’s plans to shut down Guantanamo Bay and transfer any persons detained there to the United States, his office told Stars and Stripes. At the time, military officials were considering locations to transfer any detainees to — one of which included the United States Disciplinary Barracks in Leavenworth, Kansas, according to CNN, something Roberts wasn’t happy with. Roberts will apparently leave his hold in place until President Obama guarantees that Kansas won’t accommodate Guantanamo detainees. While Fanning’s hold is due to politicking, Roberts certainly won’t be eager to see an openly gay man in charge of the Army. He has a perfect zero rating from Human Rights Campaign due to his continued opposition to LGBT equality. He voted against expanding hate crime legislation to include sexual orientation, wants to amend the Constitution to define traditional marriage, and believes that a state’s definition of marriage supersedes the federal definition. Another roadblock to Fanning’s nomination has been Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John McCain (R-Ariz.). McCain’s spokesperson attests that he “is looking to hold a hearing to consider Mr. Fanning’s nomination as soon as possible.” However, McCain has been delaying confirmation hearings for a number of Democrat appointees in 2015. “I told ’em: ‘You jam them through, it’s going to be a long time before I approve of them,’” McCain said, according to Politico, after Democrats changed confirmation rules in 2013 and approved DOD PHOTO BY ERIN A. KIRK-CUOMO Fanning, left, the acting secretary of the U.S. Air Force, briefs reporters on the state of the Air Force as Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh III looks on at the Pentagon in Arlington, Va., Dec. 13, 2013 several appointees without allowing Republican lawmakers to block them. “It’s affected me as chairman of the Armed Services,” he added. The committee has approved several positions, including a new Army chief of staff, Marine Corps commandant, and defense secretary Ash Carter, but Fanning’s nomination remains stuck. President Obama’s nomination for Under Secretary, Patrick Murphy, was confirmed without any impediments and he will assume Fanning’s role as Acting Secretary until Fanning’s nomination is approved. Carter took the committee to task during his confirmation hearing in December, telling them their repeated blocking of nominees was making it harder for the military to do its job. “DoD currently has 16 nominees awaiting [confirmation, and] 12 of the 16 are still awaiting even a hearing, including our nominees to be secretary of the Army, the undersecretaries of each of our three military departments, Army, Navy and Air Force, and the undersecretaries of both intelligence and personnel and readiness,” Carter said. “These positions should be filled by confirmed nominees, especially in a time of conflict.” Should the committee ever decide to hold Fanning’s confirmation hearing, he would make history as the first openly gay civilian Secretary of the Army. With 25 years of experience, including roles on the House Armed Services Committee, Deputy Under Secretary and Deputy Chief Management Officer for the Department of the Navy, and Under Secretary of the Air Force, Fanning is more than qualified for the role. He served as Under Secretary of the Army prior to being nominated. “Eric brings many years of proven experience and exceptional leadership to this new role,” Obama said in a statement at the time of Fanning’s nomination. “I look forward to working with Eric to keep our Army the very best in the world.” “History continues to be written and equality marches forward with the nomination of an openly gay man to serve in this significantly important role,” Ashley Broadway-Mack, president of AMPA, a support organization for LGBT military families, said when Fanning was nominated. “Fanning’s expertise and knowledge within the defense community together with his sensitivity to issues faced by LGBT service members and their families is why we urge the Senate to move quickly to confirm his appointment.” If Fanning is ever allowed to carry out his duties with the approval of the Senate, it will mark a major step for LGBT inclusion in the military, a process that started in September 2011 when Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell finally came to an end. l METROWEEKLY.COM JANUARY 14, 2016 11 LGBTCommunityCalendar Metro Weekly’s Community Calendar highlights important events in the D.C.-area LGBT community, from alternative social events to volunteer opportunities. Event information should be sent by email to
[email protected]. Deadline for inclusion is noon of the Friday before Thursday’s publication. Questions about the calendar may be directed to the Metro Weekly office at 202-638-6830 or the calendar email address. DC SENTINELS basketball team meets at Turkey Thicket Recreation Center, 1100 Michigan Ave. NE, 2-4 p.m. For players of all levels, gay or straight. teamdcbasketball.org. DIGNITYUSA sponsors Mass for LGBT community, family and friends. 6:30 p.m., Immanuel Church-on-the-Hill, 3606 Seminary Road, Alexandria. All welcome. For more info, visit dignitynova.org. GAY LANGUAGE CLUB discusses critical languages and foreign languages. 7 p.m. Nellie’s, 900 U St. NW. RVSP preferred.
[email protected]. THURSDAY, JAN. 14 FRIDAY, JAN. 15 SATURDAY, JAN. 16 The REEL AFFIRMATIONS FILM GAY DISTRICT, a group for GBTQQI CENTER GLOBAL, a group focusing on various issues and anti-gay laws affecting the LGBT community across the globe, holds its monthly meeting at The DC Center. 12-2 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit thedccenter.org. FESTIVAL COORDINATING COMMITTEE holds a planning meet- ing at The DC Center. 7-8 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit reelaffirmations.org. men between the ages of 18-35, meets on the first and third Fridays of each month. 8:30-9:30 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit gaydistrict.org. LGB PSYCHOTHERAPY GROUP for WEEKLY EVENTS DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) practice session at Takoma Aquatic Center, 300 Van Buren St. NW. 7:30-9 p.m. swimdcac.org. DC LAMBDA SQUARES gay and lesbian square-dancing group features mainstream through advanced square dancing at the National City Christian Church, 5 Thomas Circle NW, 7-9:30 p.m. Casual dress. 301-257-0517, dclambdasquares.org. The DULLES TRIANGLES Northern Virginia social group meets for happy hour at Sheraton in Reston, 11810 Sunrise Valley Drive, second-floor bar, 7-9 p.m. All welcome. dullestriangles.com. IDENTITY offers free and confidential HIV testing in Gaithersburg, 414 East Diamond Ave., and in Takoma Park, 7676 New Hampshire Ave., Suite 411. Walk-ins 2-6 p.m. For appointments other hours, call Gaithersburg, 301-3009978, or Takoma Park, 301-422-2398. SMYAL offers free HIV Testing, 3-5 p.m., by appointment and walk-in, for youth 21 and younger. 202-567-3155 or
[email protected]. adults in Montgomery County offers a safe space to explore coming out and issues of identity. 10-11:30 a.m. 16220 S. Frederick Rd., Suite 512, Gaithersburg, Md. For more information, visit thedccenter.org. WEEKLY EVENTS ANDROMEDA TRANSCULTURAL HEALTH offers free HIV testing, 9-5 p.m., and HIV services (by appointment). 202-291-4707, andromedatransculturalhealth.org. DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) practice session at Hains Point, 927 Ohio Dr. SW. 6:30-8 p.m. Visit swimdcac.org. HIV TESTING at Whitman-Walker Health. At the Elizabeth Taylor Medical Center, 1701 14th St. NW, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. At the Max Robinson Center, 2301 MLK Jr. Ave. SE, 9 a.m.4:30 p.m. For an appointment call 202745-7000. Visit whitman-walker.org. METROHEALTH CENTER offers free, rapid HIV testing. Appointment needed. 1012 14th St. NW, Suite 700. 202-638-0750. PROJECT STRIPES hosts LGBT- US HELPING US hosts a Narcotics Anonymous Meeting, 6:30-7:30 p.m., 3636 Georgia Ave. NW. The group is independent of UHU. 202-446-1100. affirming social group for ages 11-24. 4-6 p.m. 1419 Columbia Road NW. Contact Tamara, 202-319-0422, layc-dc.org. WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE social atmosphere for GLBT and questioning youth, featuring dance parties, vogue nights, movies and games. More info,
[email protected]. for young LBTQ women, 13-21, interested in leadership development. 5-6:30 p.m. SMYAL Youth Center, 410 7th St. SE. 202-567-3163, catherine.chu@ smyal.org. 12 JANUARY 14, 2016 SMYAL offers free HIV Testing, 3-6 p.m., by appointment and walk-in, for youth 21 and younger. Youth Center, 410 7th St. SE. 202-567-3155, testing@ smyal.org. METROWEEKLY.COM HIV testing in Takoma Park, 7676 New Hampshire Ave., Suite 411. Walk-ins 12-3 p.m. For appointments other hours, call 301-422-2398. SUNDAY, JAN. 17 ADVENTURING outdoors group hikes CHRYSALIS arts & culture group several easy miles at Second Manassas Battlefield, near Gainesville, Va. Bring beverages, lunch, mud-worthy boots and a few dollars for fees. Carpool at 10 a.m. from the Kiss & Ride lot at East Falls Church Metro station, return well before dark. Craig, 202-462-0535. adventuring.org. The DC Center holds a monthly support meeting and dinner for its WEEKLY EVENTS CENTER ASLYUM SEEKERS/ ASYLEES GROUP. 5-7 p.m. 2000 14th LGBT-inclusive ALL SOULS holds bi-monthly dinner at a Metroaccessible restaurant in Northern Virginia. 7 p.m. All welcome. Plans for late winter museum visits and outof-town excursions will be discussed. Contact Kevin, 571-338-1433. kgiles27@ gmail.com. St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit thedccenter.org. WEEKLY EVENTS ANDROMEDA TRANSCULTURAL HEALTH offers free HIV testing, 9-5 p.m., and HIV services (by appointment). 202-291-4707 or andromedatransculturalhealth.org. BET MISHPACHAH, founded by members of the LGBT community, holds Saturday morning Shabbat services, 10 a.m., followed by Kiddush luncheon. Services in DCJCC Community Room, 1529 16th St. NW. betmish.org. BRAZILIAN GLBT GROUP, including others interested in Brazilian culture, meets. For location/time, email
[email protected]. DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) practice SMYAL’S REC NIGHT provides a IDENTITY offers free and confidential MEMORIAL EPISCOPAL CHURCH celebrates Low Mass at 8:30 a.m., High Mass at 11 a.m. 2300 Cathedral Ave. NW. 202-232-4244, allsoulsdc.org. DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) practice session at Hains Point, 972 Ohio Dr., SW. 9:30-11 a.m. Visit swimdcac.org. FIRST CONGREGATIONAL UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST welcomes all to 10:30 a.m. service, 945 G St. NW. firstuccdc.org or 202-628-4317. HOPE UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST welcomes GLBT community for worship. 10:30 a.m., 6130 Old Telegraph Road, Alexandria. hopeucc.org. HSV-2 SOCIAL AND SUPPORT GROUP for gay men living in the DC metro area. This group will be meeting once a month. For information on location and time, email to not.the.only.one.
[email protected]. session at Hains Point, 972 Ohio Dr., SW. 8:30-10 a.m. Visit swimdcac.org. Join LINCOLN CONGREGATIONAL DC FRONT RUNNERS running/walk- TEMPLE – UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST for an inclusive, loving and ing/social club welcomes all levels for exercise in a fun and supportive environment, socializing afterward. Meet 9:30 a.m., 23rd & P Streets NW, for a walk; or 10 a.m. for fun run. dcfrontrunners.org. progressive faith community every Sunday. 11 a.m. 1701 11th Street NW, near R in Shaw/Logan neighborhood. lincolntemple.org. METROPOLITAN COMMUNITY CHURCH OF NORTHERN VIRGINIA services at 11 a.m., led by Rev. Onetta Brooks. Children’s Sunday School, 11 a.m. 10383 Democracy Lane, Fairfax. 703-691-0930, mccnova.com. NATIONAL CITY CHRISTIAN CHURCH, inclusive church with GLBT fellowship, offers gospel worship, 8:30 a.m., and traditional worship, 11 a.m. 5 Thomas Circle NW. 202-232-0323, nationalcitycc.org. ST. STEPHEN AND THE INCARNATION, an “interracial, multi- ethnic Christian Community” offers services in English, 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., and in Spanish at 5:15 p.m. 1525 Newton St. NW. 202-232-0900, saintstephensdc.org. UNITARIAN UNIVERSALIST CHURCH OF SILVER SPRING invites LGBTQ families and individuals of all creeds and cultures to join the church. Services 9:15 and 11:15 a.m. 10309 New Hampshire Ave. uucss.org. MONDAY, JAN. 18 CENTER FAITH, a group of LGBT people and their allies from various faith traditions, holds a monthly meeting at The DC Center. 7:30-9 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit thedccenter.org. The DC Center joins other local organizations in sending a contingent to march in the 10TH ANNUAL MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. HOLIDAY PARADE. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. St. Elizabeth’s East, 2700 Martin Luther King, Jr. Ave. SE. Near Congress Heights Station on the Green Line. For more information, visit thedccenter.org. WEEKLY EVENTS METROHEALTH CENTER offers free, rapid HIV testing. No appointment needed. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. 1012 14th St. NW, Suite 700. 202-638-0750. NOVASALUD offers free HIV testing. 5-7 p.m. 2049 N. 15th St., Suite 200, Arlington. Appointments: 703-789-4467. SMYAL offers free HIV Testing, 3-5 p.m., by appointment and walk-in, for youth 21 and younger. Youth Center, 410 7th St. SE. 202-567-3155 or testing@ smyal.org. THE DC CENTER hosts Coffee Drop-In for the Senior LGBT Community. 10 a.m.-noon. 2000 14th St. NW. 202-6822245, thedccenter.org. US HELPING US hosts a black gay men’s evening affinity group. 3636 Georgia Ave. NW. 202-446-1100. WASHINGTON WETSKINS WATER POLO TEAM practices 7-9 p.m. Takoma Aquatic Center, 300 Van Buren St. NW. Newcomers with at least basic swimming ability always welcome. Tom, 703-299-0504,
[email protected], wetskins.org. WHITMAN-WALKER HEALTH HIV/AIDS Support Group for newly diagnosed individuals, meets 7 p.m. Registration required. 202-939-7671,
[email protected]. TUESDAY, JAN. 19 CENTER BI, a group of The DC Center, hosts a monthly roundtable discussion around issues of bisexuality. 7-8 p.m. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. For more information, visit thedccenter.org. WEEKLY EVENTS ANDROMEDA TRANSCULTURAL HEALTH offers free HIV testing, 9-5 DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) practice session at Hains Point, 927 Ohio Dr. SW. 7-8:30 p.m. Visit swimdcac.org. p.m., and HIV services (by appointment). 202-291-4707, andromedatransculturalhealth.org. DC SCANDALS RUGBY holds practice, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Garrison Elementary, 1200 S St. NW. dcscandals. wordpress.com. ASIANS AND FRIENDS weekly dinner GETEQUAL meets 6:30-8 p.m. at Quaker House, 2111 Florida Ave. NW.
[email protected]. HIV Testing at WHITMAN-WALKER HEALTH. At the Elizabeth Taylor Medical Center, 1701 14th St. NW, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. At the Max Robinson Center, 2301 MLK Jr. Ave. SE, 9 a.m.4:30 p.m. For an appointment call 202745-7000. Visit whitman-walker.org. KARING WITH INDIVIDUALITY (K.I.) SERVICES, 3333 Duke St., Alexandria, offers free “rapid” HIV testing and counseling, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. 703-823-4401. in Dupont/Logan Circle area, 6:30 p.m.
[email protected], afwashington.net. DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) practice session at Takoma Aquatic Center, 300 Van Buren St. NW. 7:30-9 p.m. swimdcac.org. DC FRONT RUNNERS running/walking/social club serving greater D.C.’s LGBT community and allies hosts an evening run/walk. dcfrontrunners.org. THE GAY MEN’S HEALTH COLLABORATIVE offers free HIV testing and STI screening and treatment every Tuesday. 5-6:30 p.m. Rainbow Tuesday LGBT Clinic, Alexandria Health Department, 4480 King St. 703746-4986 or text 571-214-9617. james.
[email protected]. METROWEEKLY.COM JANUARY 14, 2016 13 THE HIV WORKING GROUP of THE DC CENTER hosts “Packing Party,” where volunteers assemble safe-sex kits of condoms and lube. 7 p.m., Green Lantern, 1335 Green Court NW. thedccenter.org. IDENTITY offers free and confidential HIV testing in Gaithersburg, 414 East Diamond Ave., and in Takoma Park, 7676 New Hampshire Ave., Suite 411. Walk-ins 2-6 p.m. For appointments other hours, call Gaithersburg at 301-300-9978 or Takoma Park at 301422-2398. METROHEALTH CENTER offers free, rapid HIV testing. Appointment needed. 1012 14th St. NW, Suite 700. 202-638-0750. OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS—LGBT focused meeting every Tuesday, 7 p.m. St. George’s Episcopal Church, 915 Oakland Ave., Arlington, just steps from Virginia Square Metro. For more info. call Dick, 703-521-1999. Handicapped accessible. Newcomers welcome.
[email protected]. SMYAL offers free HIV Testing, 3-5 p.m., by appointment and walk-in, for youth 21 and younger. Youth Center, 410 7th St. SE. 202-567-3155, testing@ smyal.org. THE TOM DAVOREN SOCIAL BRIDGE CLUB meets for Social Bridge. 7:30 p.m. Dignity Center, 721 8th St SE (across from Marine Barracks). No reservations and partner needed. All welcome. 301-345-1571 for more information. WOMAN TO WOMAN: A SUPPORT GROUP FOR HIV-POSITIVE WOMEN WHO LOVE WOMEN, meets on the third Wednesday of each month at The Women’s Collective. Light refreshments served. 5:30-7 p.m. 1331 Rhode Island Ave. NE. For more information, 202483-7003. WEEKLY EVENTS AD LIB, a group for freestyle conversation, meets about 6:30-6 p.m., Steam, 17th and R NW. All welcome. For more information, call Fausto Fernandez, 703-732-5174. ANDROMEDA TRANSCULTURAL HEALTH offers free HIV testing, 9-5 p.m., and HIV services (by appointment). 202-291-4707, andromedatransculturalhealth.org. DC AQUATICS CLUB (DCAC) practice session at Hains Point, 927 Ohio Dr. SW. 7-8:30 p.m. Visit swimdcac.org. SUPPORT GROUP FOR LGBTQ YOUTH ages 13-21 meets at SMYAL, 410 DC SCANDALS RUGBY holds practice, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Garrison Elementary, 1200 S St. NW. dcscandals.wordpress. com. US HELPING US hosts a support group for black gay men 40 and older. 7-9 p.m., 3636 Georgia Ave. NW. 202446-1100. HISTORIC CHRIST CHURCH offers Wednesday worship 7:15 a.m. and 12:05 p.m. All welcome. 118 N. Washington St., Alexandria. 703-549-1450, historicchristchurch.org. 7th St. SE, 5-6:30 p.m. Cathy Chu, 202567-3163,
[email protected]. Whitman-Walker Health’s GAY MEN’S HEALTH AND WELLNESS/ STD CLINIC opens at 6 p.m., 1701 14th St. NW. Patients are seen on walk-in basis. No-cost screening for HIV, syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia. Hepatitis and herpes testing available for fee. whitman-walker.org. HIV TESTING at Whitman-Walker Health. At the Elizabeth Taylor Medical Center, 1701 14th St. NW, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. At the Max Robinson Center, 2301 MLK Jr. Ave. SE, 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. For an appointment call 202-745-7000. Visit whitman-walker.org. JOB CLUB, a weekly support program WEDNESDAY, JAN. 20 BOOKMEN DC, an informal men’s gay-literature group, discusses “Gay American Autobiography: Writings from Whitman to Sedaris” (David Bergman, editor). 7:30 p.m. DC Center, 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. All welcome. bookmendc.blogspot.com. METROHEALTH CENTER offers free, rapid HIV testing. No appointment needed. 11 a.m.-7 p.m. 1012 14th St. NW, Suite 700. 202-638-0750. GAY MARRIED MEN’S ASSOCIATION (GAMMA) VA is a a.m.-2 p.m. 2049 N. 15th St., Suite 200, Arlington. Appointments: 703-789-4467. confidential support group for men who are gay, bisexual, questioning and who are married or involved with a woman. The Virginia chapter meets on the third Wednesday of each month. 6:30-8:30 p.m. at a private residence in Sterling, Va. For more information, visit GAMMAinDC.org. 14 JANUARY 14, 2016 METROWEEKLY.COM for job entrants and seekers, meets at The DC Center. 2000 14th St. NW, Suite 105. 6-7:30 p.m. For more info, www. centercareers.org. NOVASALUD offers free HIV testing. 11 PRIME TIMERS OF DC, social club for mature gay men, hosts weekly happy hour/dinner. 6:30 p.m., Windows Bar above Dupont Italian Kitchen, 1637 17th St. NW. Carl, 703-573-8316. l FEATURED PARTNER Fetish Sizing Bite The Fruit aims to help customers get that perfect fetish fit PHOTO COURTESY OF NASTY PIG T HERE ARE DOWNSIDES TO BUYING FETISH GEAR AND sex toys online. You often can’t even see pictures of the products in use on Amazon. “In our store, there’s no censorship,” says Bite The Fruit’s Russwin Francisco. “As long as you’re 18 or older, you can come in and we can talk sex. And we can show you pictures.” A former business instructor, Francisco spent a decade working at The Leather Rack before taking over the Connecticut Avenue store in 2012. He eventually rechristened the venue Bite The Fruit in reference to Adam and Eve, and as a kind of tribute to Eve’s action in expanding carnal knowledge and experience. The name change has helped Francisco expand the store’s customer base from almost exclusively gay leathermen to a 70/30 mix, that also included straight women and straight couples. “Bite The Fruit caters to everyone,” he says. “The idea is that, if you are just curious, or shy, or maybe even conservative, you’ll feel comfortable enough here, because there is absolutely no judgment about who you are and where you are, where you’re from and what you’re looking for.” Bite The Fruit carries a wide variety of sex toys for both men and women. And said toys have come a long way from their clunky, cumbersome, battery-powered, hard rubber days. “We have a new wave of high-end, modern-looking vibrators,” Francisco says. “They’re made with fantastic silicone-type materials that are USB-chargeable and waterproof. They’re very powerful and very discreet, more durable and not that expensive.” Even with the changes in customer makeup and advances in toy technology, the gay male staples of lubes, condoms and video head cleaners are still very much the heart of the business — and that’s true of leather and the leather community, too. “We still participate in silent auctions and fundraisers,” Francisco says, “and are still doing the same exact things in terms of what we used to do as The Leather Rack in the leather community.” And Bite The Fruit will soon revive another Leather Rack tradition: producing original leather goods, from armbands to harnesses. They’re also bringing back the ability to make simple alterations to leather gear — just another way Bite The Fruit is working to get that right fetish fit for its customers. l Bite The Fruit is at 1723 Connecticut Ave. NW. Hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 11 a.m. to midnight, Fridays and Saturdays; and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Sundays. Call 202-299-0440 or visit bitethefruit.com. METROWEEKLY.COM JANUARY 14, 2016 15 puppy ove L From the pups to their handlers and the bonds they share, an inside look at the increasingly popular leather subset. Just call them MAL’s best friends. by John Riley Photographed by Todd Franson at the DC Eagle, Thursday, January 7 I T’S THURSDAY NIGHT AT THE DC EAGLE, AND Pup Gryphn is in his element. He bats a neon green football with his red paws, the glow of the ball in the darkness complementing his lime green and black armbands and harness. He barks, sits, kneels and plays fetch on command, attentive to the directions shouted at him. Playful, affectionate, even a bit rambunctious, Gryphn is fully immersed in what is known as “pup headspace,” a level of consciousness where his actions and behaviors mimic those of a biological dog, whether he’s crawling on the floor, wagging the 13-inch-long silicone tail attached to his belt, or playing an impromptu game of tug of war with his favorite stuffed toy, “Moose on a Noose.” “For me, headspace is letting go of the human condition, everything that’s going on,” he says. “You know, ‘Did I leave the stove on?’ Letting go of all that and adopting this other mindset. For me, it’s a puppy. I get down on all fours, I bark, I act like a dog. You adopt that mindset. ‘Ooh, squirrel!’ And suddenly you’re chasing a squirrel for no reason at all. It’s a lot of fun. It’s good stress relief.” Gryphn, 28, the current Mid-Atlantic Puppy 2016 titleholder and a member of the Mid-Atlantic Kennel Korps, is one of a growing number of people taking part in puppy play. It’s a scene that, while not leather-centric, grew out of the leather and BDSM communities and is often lumped in with other fetishes that may be unfamiliar to the casual observer. It’s a world that, although slowly gaining acceptance, is still misunderstood. Gryphn’s roots in puppy play began slightly over a year ago, but his interest in headspace dates back to the early 2000s, when he was first introduced to the “furry” community, a subset of the fetish and kink community where people dress in costumes that have the anthropomorphic characteristics of an animal. He began chatting with people in online forums, including the virtual roleplay game, Second Life. In 2010, he finally attended his first convention for furries — Midwest FurFest in Chicago. “Someone gave me the unique opportunity to wear the fur suit of a blue fox,” he says. “That’s when I learned what headspace is, adapting that character and moving forward with it.” 16 JANUARY 14, 2016 METROWEEKLY.COM Pup Gryphn He would later apply the same concept to his involvement in puppy play. Reaching the proper headspace needed to participate in puppy play depends on each individual’s ability to achieve mental focus. “Sometimes it’s a process,” he says. “Sometimes it’s just sitting down, and, boom, you’re in headspace. Sometimes it has to be sit down and just meditate and slowly drop everything off until you’re into that space. For me, I have a very weird trigger. Let’s say I’m in a space with mirrors. If I’m in pup headspace and I see myself in a mirror without pup headgear on, I snap right back. Because what I see in the mirror isn’t a puppy, it’s someone on all fours pretending to be a puppy.” While gear, such as a harness, collar and tail enhance the puppy play experience, Gryphn stresses it’s not essential to participate, save a pair of mitts and knee pads. “At a minimum, I would recommend you get a set of mitts, and a pair of knee pads, because your basic position is up on your knuckles and on your knees,” he says. “And if you’re in that position for a while, it causes a lot of stress on your joints. The knee pads and mitts — I use MMA gloves — prevent the impact from reaching your bones and joints so you can do it for longer.” For Pup Domino, a 22-year-old “unowned boy pup” from Sam and Pup Nubi Washington, D.C., headspace is easy to achieve, regardless of whether he is regaled in full gear. “I have an acting background, so that kind of helps me a little bit, in that I can very easily jump into a role,” says Domino. “When I’m on my knees and down, I’m like, ‘This is great. Let’s go. We’re about to have fun. We’re about to pup out all the way. Let’s do it!’” For others, including Pup Nubi, 24, of Falls Church, Va., the right gear — particularly a puppy mask — is the key to helping achieve the right headspace. “The first time I ever got it was from the gear itself,” says Nubi. “The first time I put on my hood, I felt a connection with it. Just sort of exploring the space I was in, exploring my room. When you start to get into headspace, any kind of self-conscious thoughts — thoughts about what you have to do the next day — go away. So when you’re in headspace, you’re very, very focused on what’s in front of you. But it’s easier to get there with someone else, which is why we have handlers.” ENTER THE HANDLER IN THE PUP COMMUNITY, handlers function the same way dog owners do, keeping a watchful eye on their charge and rein- ing in the pups if needed. It’s the handlers who train the pups and teach them discipline, doling out rewards or punishments based on good or bad behavior. “Think of any bio-dog,” Gryphn says. “You can train them. It’s this ‘go do this’ reward system, just like a bio-dog. So let’s say you’re playing fetch, you throw the ball, the pup picks it up, brings it back, and drops it at your feet. You’re going to reward him, whether it’s petting him or anything like that. “Or, let’s go to an extreme,” he continues. “Let’s say you’re doing pup play around the house and the pup decides to pee on the floor. Obviously the pup is going to be punished for that. Typically, when we’re being humans, it’s ‘Why would you correct me in front of so-and-so? That’s wrong, don’t do that. Don’t speak for the next five minutes,’ something like that.” Just like the pups they are tasked with watching over, some handlers need to enter their own headspace when engaging in puppy play. “My headspace is equivalent to the mom who sees her kid in danger, or the dad who wants to teach his son how to play football,” says Nubi’s 27-year-old handler, Sam. “It’s the concept of the teacher and nurturer.... My job is to make sure that while he’s in headspace, I’m keeping him safe.” Of course, close relationships, particularly those in the kink METROWEEKLY.COM JANUARY 14, 2016 17 Sir Haydn and Pup Stitch community, take time to build due to the amount of trust needed. The first time a handler and pup engage in pup play, one or both of the parties may hold back a little. “The first time I met Sam, it was at The Eagle, at a pup night just like this, six or seven months ago,” recalls Nubi. “He was handling me at that pup night, but I didn’t get super deep into headspace because there wasn’t that trust yet. The longer I’ve been his pup, the easier it is for me to get deeper into to that headspace with him, because there’s trust.” A similar foundation was the basis for the mentorship role assumed by Sir Haydn, of Arlington, and his mentee, Pup Stitch, who has another owner but sought out Sir Haydn for advice. “I’m a fairly new pup,” says Stitch. “Someone told me that I should speak with Sir Haydn about his experience, not only as a pup, but also a handler. We developed a friendship and a closeness and from there it was really a natural progression of a relationship, where I was seeking a handler. I felt I needed someone who could train me and teach me some of the intricacies of being a pup.” Part of a handler’s job that ties into that trust is making sure no harm comes to the pup while in that headspace. In that case, a handler’s best tools are his powers of observation and five basic senses. 18 JANUARY 14, 2016 METROWEEKLY.COM “I tell people that if you’re going to be a good handler, you have to listen well,” Sam says. “I can hear when Pup needs something faster, because of the difference in the grunts or the moans.” Sam also says that watching a pup’s eyes, his interactions with people, and his reaction time to certain commands can signal whether a pup needs to take a rest or break for water. “A pup should never get so dry that he has to ask for water,” he says. “A handler should know that even if he’s not whimpering for water, you know this is the time for something that he needs.” Sir Paris, the handler of a female wolf pup known as Pup Horo, agrees that certain behaviors can indicate a pup is in distress, such as a previously playful pup who is becoming more aggressive, sweating profusely, or seems lethargic. He says it is up to handlers to keep a watchful eye on their charges, who are placing their trust in the handlers to watch out for their best interests. “For us, it’s easier maybe than some others,” says Horo. “We’ve been together for 23 years. If I don’t trust him after all this time, it’s not going to happen. I do trust him implicitly to be there and know if I’m getting overheated. I’m an asthmatic, so if I need my inhaler, he can tell the signs, he can read me. He’s able to read my body because of the amount of time we’ve spent playing in BDSM play, so he knows when to stop. He knows when I’ve reached saturation point.” Eli Onyx and Pup Stryker PACKMATES A PUP AND HANDLER’S relationship is more than just a glorified pet-sitter. Each pup and handler have to work out the details of what they’re looking to get out of the experience. “Everyone’s role is different, everyone’s dynamic is different,’ says Gryphn. “With my dynamic right now, we decided very early on in meeting that we were boyfriends first. So before anything ever happens, we’re equal. Then when we’re getting into roleplay or scenes, he becomes above me. But in every other aspect, we’re equal.” Other handlers exert more dominance over their charges, as in the case of Sir Paris and Horo. “We have a sir/girl dynamic normally,” says Horo. “For me to get into the wolf headspace, I usually have to put the gear on. That sort of helps, especially the wolf collar, which I wear only when in pup space. But my girl collar stays on all the time.” Other pups don’t even have handlers, acting as moreor-less free agents who occasionally submit to a temporary handler. Such is the case with Domino and his two friends, Bragi, 23, and Indigo, 25. None of them have official handlers, though Bragi is in talks with someone about establishing such a relationship. All three are members of the Mid-Atlantic Kennel Korps (MAKK), a local organization for people interested in puppy play. “We’re all technically packmates, that’s what we call ourselves,” says Bragi. “It’s like a brotherhood, in a way.” Eli Onyx, Mr. Maryland Leather 2016 and a sir and handler to three different puppies, tries to establish a personal, individualized relationship with each of his pups, in order to gauge what they’re seeking to get out of the pup-handler dynamic. “I need to know the dynamic of the pup, what exactly are they looking for,” he says. “One of the things I ask them all the time is: ‘What are you looking for from a handler?’ And one of the things I find, just as with children or a real pup, is that they’re looking for structure, they want to be obedient, they want discipline. Being a trainer, I like that aspect of it.” The diversity in the pup community is so varied, some pups actually collar each other as part of a pack, rather than having an individualized handler. “It’s just like a pack mentality,” Gryphn says. “You have your alpha beta, omega, gamma. Gamma is, for lack of a better term, a slave. They live to serve and that’s all they do. Your omegas are a little bit higher. Your betas are playful, but they’re subservient. And typically, your alpha will only be subservient to maybe one, two other people, depending on the whole dynamic of the pack.” METROWEEKLY.COM JANUARY 14, 2016 19 DOGGIE STYLE Sir Paris and Pup Horo 20 JANUARY 14, 2016 METROWEEKLY.COM THE DIVERSITY WITHIN the community also extends to opinions about mixing puppy play with sex. For some, puppy play is completely independent of sex. For others, it’s part of the fuller experience. “Typically, my pup is not sexual,” Gryphn says. “My personal preference is usually not to mix pup play and sex.” Pup Horo has a similar view. “It’s not sexual,” she says. “It’s totally about being able to just be, and have fun being in the moment.... Even the humping, it’s not really a sexual thing, it’s just part of the play.” Others have polyamorous or open relationships in their personal lives that allow them to have a kink partner who is separate from their real life spouse or partner. Depending on the spouse, they may either shun pup or other fetish scenes entirely, or slowly be brought into the fold after becoming more comfortable with their significant other’s bedroom preferences. “One of my friends was married to his husband, and had a sir outside of their relationship,” says Gryphn. “That sir eventually decided that ‘My collar would be best served by your husband,’ so now his husband has become his sir.” An alternative arrangement works best for Sam and Pup Nubi. “Pup and I have what I feel is one of the most ideally perfect connections between our personal and kink life,” Sam says. “Both of us have other partners, so we come into this space, and then we come out of it, knowing the boundaries of where your kink and nonkink relationships begin and end.” Of course, even among partners, two individuals will approach sex from different perspectives. Sam needs to mentally distance his sexual activity from the pup scene, but for Nubi, it’s easier to stay in character. “I actually have trouble when we transition from pup play to having sex,” Sam explains. “Like, ‘No, I can’t have you whimper like that when we’re having sex,’ because I don’t want to mix that world. It’s interesting, because he doesn’t have to come out of pup mode to have me fuck him. I personally have to bring him out of pup perception for me. But then I’m still treating him as a submissive to me.” “I get self-conscious very easily,” says Nubi. “So being in pup headspace in the bedroom keeps me very (L-R) Pup Domino, Pup Indigo and Bragi focused on exactly what’s in front of me, so it sort of serves a function in that respect.” DON’T TUG THE TAIL THE BIGGEST HINDRANCE to full acceptance by the larger BDSM and leather communities, even as MAL welcomes pups with open arms, are the misconceptions that some people have about puppy play, the practitioners say. Unfortunately, those misconceptions can lead to potentially embarrassing or uncomfortable situations when a person who knows little about the puppy play scene stumbles upon it. “One of the hardest things about being a handler is that I’ve honestly had people ask, ‘Wait, you have sex with animals?’” Sam says. “They believe it’s abusive, that it’s taking advantage of someone who may not be acting up to a level of human responsibility.... The other misperception is that I have some really messed up background, like, did I have some horrible childhood trauma that made me like to have sex with animals.” Other outsiders may not have a sense of personal space, believing they can touch or grab the puppies as they wish. “I have three separate tails. I have my show tail, which attaches to my belt, and I have two other tails, which are insertables,” Gryphn says. “This is something I feel very strongly about. I have been in the center of a bar, elbow-to-elbow, and someone has grabbed my tail — and it was my show tail — and yanked on it. I stopped everything I was doing in mid-sentence, turned around, and educated the person about it. “I said, ‘Look, I know you don’t know what you just did. I’m not upset with you. I’m not going to yell at you. However, what I have on now is a show tail. It’s on my belt. Typically, it’s inserted. If you were to grab and yank, you would cause damage.’ So the moral of the story is: don’t touch a pup’s tail unless you have permission, whether it be from the pup or the handler.” Other things for people not entrenched in the puppy play scene to remember are that power dynamics are often at play, and can be strictly enforced, particularly at more formal gatherings such as Mid-Atlantic Leather. For instance, Gryphn says, a pup is not expected to step out of his place, either within the hierarchy of a pack or with his handler. If a pup is collared, the protocol is not to try to engage the pup until one has asked for permission from the handler. If the handler is not immediately available, it is the pup’s duty to ask for permission from the handler. “Even though pups are not actual dogs, try to go about it as you would approach someone’s dog,” says Pup Indigo. “You wouldn’t just be mean and pull on a dog’s tail. You’d go up to them and say, ‘Can I pet your dog?’ The same kind of manners that you would afford someone who has a pet, you should afford someone who has a collard human pup. “Ultimately, what I would tell people is this: when you see a puppy, when you see them moshing and everything, it’s not something that should be feared or make you say, ‘I don’t know what to do,’ adds Indigo. “It’s going to sound cliche, but pups don’t bite. If you’re interested in talking to them, go up to them, get down on their level, and try to get their attention. Show them you want to be welcoming to them. Basically, just treat the pups with respect.” The Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend Puppy Park, co-hosted by the New York City Pups and Handlers, is Saturday, Jan. 16, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the Hyatt Regency Ballroom, 400 New Jersey Ave. NW. For MAL weekend pass prices and more information, visit leatherweekend.com. For more information on the Mid-Atlantic Kennel Korps, visit makkorps.org. l METROWEEKLY.COM JANUARY 14, 2016 21 Event Calendar Mid-Atlantic Leather 2016 U By Doug Rule LTRA NATÉ SURPRISED THE CROWD AT a Toronto Pride party last summer. “A lot of people were shocked by my DJ’ing,” she says. “‘We need to rethink everything we thought we knew about you,’” several partygoers told her, describing her set as “fierce.” Nearly two decades after her gay-affirming anthem “Free,” Ultra Naté is mostly known as a house singer/songwriter with a handful of No. 1 club hits. But in recent years the Baltimore native has made a name for herself as a house DJ, through summer residencies at lauded venues in club mecca Ibiza. And there’s also her soulful house party Deep Sugar, which just celebrated 12 years of attracting a mixed, musically oriented crowd every month in Baltimore. Naté will play a live five-hour-set for Mid-Atlantic Leather’s Dark & Twisted closing dance at the 9:30 Club this Sunday, Jan. 17. “I’m so excited and really honored,” she says. “I’m preparing some tracks from a lot of different genres, because I like to be a bit more experimental and go some places that other DJs might not.” Of course, Dark & Twisted is just the culminating event of a long weekend filled with parties, perhaps more this year than ever. The bulk of the action takes place at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill, now in its sixth year as host for MAL — and the Centaur Motorcycle Club, MAL’s presenting organization, has once again booked the entire 800-room complex at 400 New Jersey Avenue NW. More than 3,000 people are expected to attend official and affiliated events in ballrooms in the Hyatt — from the 31st annual Mr. MAL contest to rituals inspired by animals, mainly puppies and pigs. That is, when not crowding, carousing and cruising the lobby and the elevators. Yet most gay and many gay-friendly clubs in D.C. are the site of at least one fetish function this year. Green Lantern continues to be the unofficial off-site meeting ground, certainly for gear-fiends, with the watering hole just off Thomas Circle hosting underwear event after jockstrap party — sometimes even on the same night. But after sitting on the sidelines with its new, not-yet-ready space last year, DC Eagle has put major skin in the game, presenting a few enticing events — and taking extra measures, from scheduling shuttles nightly to alerting car services of heightened demand, to ease getting there and back. Events marked with an asterisk are official, MAL-ticketed events for weekend pass holders, who also have exclusive access to the free shuttles running every night from the hotel to bars such as DC Eagle. Admission to the Exhibit Hall and other events on the host hotel’s lower levels are available for $15 for one-day entry or $30 for all three days. Full registration, with a weekend pass, is $200. All listings subject to change. 22 JANUARY 14, 2016 METROWEEKLY.COM THURSDAY, JANUARY 14 DC Leather Pride: Welcome to MAL 2015 Mr. MAL Titleholders Bar Night with Hot Jock Contest, plus guest host Falcon exclusive Boomer Banks 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. DC Eagle 3700 Benning Rd. NE DCEagle.com Shirtless Men Drink Free & Blackout Underwear Party 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Green Lantern 1335 Green Ct. NW Greenlanterndc.com FRIDAY, JANUARY 15 MAL Registration 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Capitol Rooms A and B Host Hotel Bootblacks on Duty Benefitting Mr. MAL Travel Fund and the Rainbow Railroad 3 p.m. to 12 a.m. Lobby Level 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Lower Level Host Hotel Exhibit Hall 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Lower Level Host Hotel DC Bëar Crüe: Leather Bear Party & Patio Cigar Party DJ Say What? 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. No cover before 9:30 p.m. Town Danceboutique 2009 8th St. NW dcbearcrue.com Gear Night & Atlantic States Gay Rodeo Association Bar Night Happy Hour prices all night for those in fetish gear 5 p.m. to 3 a.m., ASGRA bar night 9:30 p.m. to close DC Eagle SATURDAY, JANUARY 16 MAL Registration 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Capitol A and B Host Hotel Bootblacks on Duty 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Lobby and Lower Levels Host Hotel Exhibit Hall 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Lower Level Host Hotel Puppy Park 8 A puppy mosh co-hosted by NYC-PAH and Tom Buckley 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Regency B, C and D Host Hotel nycpah.org International Mr. Leather 2016 Judges Announcement Noon to 1 p.m. Thornton Room imrl.com S U N DAY, J A N U A RY 17 MAL Brunch* 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Capitol A and B, Congressional A & B Host Hotel MAL Registration 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Capitol Room Foyer Host Hotel Bootblacks on Duty 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Lobby and Lower Level Host Hotel Exhibit Hall 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Lower Level Host Hotel KARL GIANT Ultra Naté Mister International Rubber Meet and Greet Party 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thornton Room Host Hotel mirubber.com NastyKingPigs: United States of Gear DJ Jake Chang, hosts Element Extreme & Cake Moss 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Congressional Room A Host Hotel nastykinkpigs.com Furball DC Dance Party featuring Honcho DJs Aaron Clark, Clark Price and George d’Adhemar 9 p.m. to late Black Cat 1811 14th St. NW blackcatdc.com Grunt DJ Jake Chang, performance by Cake Moss 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. Green Lantern Highwaymen TNT Party: “Impact” DJ TWiN, plus a Dyke Invasion with “female go-go boi(s)” 10 p.m. to 3 a.m. Regency Ballroom B Host Hotel trashandtravel.com SigMa BDSM Demonstrations 2 p.m to 3:30 p.m. Regency B, C and D Host Hotel 495 Bears Presents Bears Can Dance 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. Green Lantern SpankDC Presents Spank! Monthly male/male spanking party 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Green Lantern spankdc.com SigMa Dungeon Play Party 8 p.m. to Midnight 1636 R St. NW, Second Floor Onyx Fetish Cocktail Party with Benefit Gear Auction 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. Congressional A and B Host Hotel onyxmen.com Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather 2016 Contest* 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Non-pass-holder tickets are $25 Regency A, B, C & D Host Hotel MAL Happy Hour and Buffet 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. for happy hour, 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. buffet DC Eagle Leather Cocktails* 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Regency Ballroom Host Hotel Code DC Gear, uniform, leather or naked — strictly enforced DJs Eric Gruber and David Merrill 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. $40 for one night, or $60 for Weekend Pass Glorious Health Club 2120 West Virginia Ave. NE codedc.com Code runs its own shuttle between 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. SigMa Dungeon Play Party D.C.’s only all-male BDSM/kink organization 8 p.m. to Midnight $20 SigMa members, $25 non-members 1636 R St. NW, Second Floor sigmadc.org MAUL (Mid-Atlantic Uniform League) Party 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. Congressional B Host Hotel uniformleague.org Empire City Motorcycle Club Bar Night 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. DC Eagle NastyKinkPigs: Primal FxCK DJ Jack Chang, with performance by Cake Moss 10 p.m to 4 a.m. Regency B, C & D Host Hotel DC Leather Pride: Bluf (Breeches & Leather Uniform Fanclub) DC DJ Say What? 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Cobalt Shuttle offered, with drop-offs also at 9:30 Club and DC Eagle Otter Den DC: Last Chance Tea Dance DJs Scooter McCreight and Kevin O’Connor 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Town Danceboutique towndc.com 495 Bears: Bears Can Party! MAL Edition DJ Jeffrey Eletto 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Green Lantern SigMa Dungeon Play Party 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. 1636 R St. NW, Second Floor Strap’d: The GL Jockstrap Party 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. Green Lantern 495 Bears: Leather Growl Party DJ Jeffrey Eletto with all-nude muscle & bear dancers 8 p.m. to 3 a.m. Secrets 1824 Half Street SW secretsdc.com Leather & Skin Dance Party DJs Keenan Orr & MadScience 4 to 9 p.m. Cobalt 1639 R St. NW facebook.com/cobaltdc Lisa Frank & TNX: Horse Meat Disco MAL Weekend British DJ collective makes its D.C. debut 10 p.m. to close U Street Music Hall 1115 U St. NW ustreetmusichall.com Code DC 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. $40 for one night, or $60 for Weekend Pass Glorious Health Club Code shuttle runs 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. Official Closing Dance: Dark & Twisted DJ Ultra Naté, with lighting by Guy Smith 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. Non-pass-holder tickets $35 or $45 day-of 9:30 Club 815 V St. NW 930.com Shuttle runs from 10 p.m. to 3:30 a.m. METROWEEKLY.COM JANUARY 14, 2016 23 JANUARY 14 - 21, 2016 Compiled by Doug Rule SPOTLIGHT A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM Randy Baker of Rorschach Theatre directs the hearty Shakespeare comedy, featuring Indonesian-inspired shadow puppets — designed by Alex Vernon — accompanied by an “actor-generated percussion orchestra.” Daven Ralson is Puck and Zach Brewster-Geisz is Bottom in this wild reimagining of the famous tale of fairies. Opens in previews Thursday, Jan. 14, at 7:30 p.m. To Feb. 7. Gunston Arts Center, 2700 South Lang St. Arlington. Tickets are $20. Call 703418-4808 or visit wscavantbard.org. DEAN ALEXANDER JAZZMEIA HORN WITH ARTISTRY OF JAZZ HORN Gender Neutralized Baltimore’s Center Stage serves up an all-female As You Like It S OMETIMES WHEN YOU’RE ASKED TO GO BACK INSIDE SOMETHING THAT is this old, there’s this fear that it won’t resonate in any way,” says Wendy Goldberg, discussing Shakespeare’s As You Like It. “You don’t want to be gimmicky about your approach. You want to make sure that it’s true to what the play is trying to do.” Goldberg’s approach to The Bard’s cross-dressing, escapist romantic comedy, was to stage it with an all-female ensemble. “This 400-year-old play is the most gender-bending play in Shakespeare’s canon,” she says. “It is an invitation to explore gender and identity, and the fluidity of gender.” In an era of heightened gender and transgender awareness, Center Stage’s production is assured to resonate with modern audiences. It’s an unprecedented move for Goldberg, who couldn’t turn down the opportunity to re-envision a Shakespeare play with a decidedly female perspective. Her all-female approach is the inverse of that from Shakespeare’s day, when all characters, male and female, were played by men and boys. Even today, it’s far more common to see an all-male production of Shakespeare — including this spring’s The Taming of the Shrew at Shakespeare Theatre Company. Goldberg was especially intrigued by putting women in As You Like It’s lead male roles, Jacques and Duke. “In a play where it makes sense, it’s pretty extraordinary to put all of these women together and give them the opportunity to play roles that they would probably never have the chance to play,” Goldberg says. “My ultimate goal is that gender becomes neutralized and you just forget who’s doing what and it’s just about these characters.” —Doug Rule Center Stage’s As You Like It opens in previews Friday, Jan. 15, at 8 p.m., and runs to Feb. 14, at Towson University’s Center for the Arts, 1 Fine Arts Dr., Towson, Md. Tickets are $10 to $59. Call 410-986-4000 or visit centerstage.org. 24 JANUARY 14, 2016 METROWEEKLY.COM Originally from Dallas, this jazz vocalist is quickly emerging as one of the genre’s best new talents, winning prestigious titles in the process, including the 2013 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition and the 2015 Thelonious Monk Institute International Jazz Competition. The Kennedy Center presents a free Millennium Stage concert by Horn and her band the Artistry of Jazz Horn as part of the James A. Johnson Young Artist Series. Wednesday, Jan. 20, at 6 p.m. Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. Free. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org. JULIA SCOTTI, KEVIN MEANEY: BIG PANTS & HOT FLASHES Cool Cow Comedy co-presents a night of “Out-standing comedy” featuring transgender comedian Julia Scotti and Kevin Meaney, a stand-up comic and actor from both TV and Broadway. Rahmein Mostafavi hosts a show that ends with a “no holds barred Q&A.” Friday, Jan. 22, at 8 p.m. Amp by Strathmore, 11810 Grand Park Ave. North Bethesda. Tickets are $20 to $30. Call 301-581-5100 or visit ampbystrathmore.com. KING: A FILMED RECORD… MONTGOMERY TO MEMPHIS Once again the American Film Institute’s Silver Theatre celebrates MLK Day by screening a free documentary featuring footage of the civil rights legend. King: A Filmed Record… Montgomery to Memphis includes his stirring “I Have A Dream” speech at the Lincoln Memorial, and also features narration and commentary from Sidney Poitier, James Earl Jones, Paul Newman, Charlton Heston, Harry Belafonte and Ruby Dee, among oth- ers. Sidney Lumet and Joseph L. Mankiewicz co-directed and produced this 1970 film. Monday, Jan. 18, at 12 p.m. AFI Silver Theatre, 8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. Tickets are free, available at the box office starting one hour before screentime. Call 301-495-6720 or visit afi.com/ Silver. MEDIEVAL STORY LAND Red Knight Productions, another company nurtured by the Capital Fringe Festival, offers a fast-paced comedy adventure that parodies the fantasy genre for adults and children alike. Written by Red Knight’s Scott Courlander, Medieval Story Land is described as a blend of Lord of the Rings, Forrest Gump and Monty Python, and features 12 actors playing over 40 different characters. Expect furious swordplay, a gripping plot and sketch comedy irreverence. Following the show is a free performance of Stephen Mead’s one-man-show Victorian Story Time. Opens Friday, Jan. 15, at 8 p.m. Runs to Jan. 3. Port City Playhouse, 1819 North Quaker Lane. Alexandria. Tickets are $!8 to $20. Call 703-838-2880 or visit redknightproductions.com. STEP AFRIKA! STEP EXPLOSION In honor of Martin Luther King Jr., Strathmore presents the second annual showcase of this professional dance troupe focused on stepping, the high-energy, percussive style of dance that originated with AfricanAmerican fraternities and sororities. The Dem Raider Boyz Step Squad out of Greenbelt, Md., Alpha Phi Alpha’s Beta Chapter at Howard University and the New York-based Delta Sigma Theta-composed Crimson Inferno are among regional ensembles that will be featured. Sunday, Jan. 17, at 4 p.m. Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Tickets are $25 to $40. Call 301-5815100 or visit strathmore.org. THE GREAT INKA ROAD: ENGINEERING AN EMPIRE One of the monumental engineering achievements in history, the Great Inka Road is a network of more than 20,000 miles, crossing mountains and tropical lowlands, rivers and deserts, linking the Inca capital Cusco with the farthest reaches of its empire — and it still serves Andean communities today in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina and Chile. This exhibition explores the legacy of the Inka Empire and technological feat of the road, recognized by the United Nations as a World Heritage site in 2014. Now to April 2018. National Museum of the American Indian, Independence Avenue at 4th Street SW. Call 202633-1000 or visit nmai.si.edu. THE SISTERS ROSENSWEIG Twenty-two years after its Broadway debut and 10 years after its awardwinning playwright’s untimely death, Theater J presents The Sisters Rosensweig by Wendy Wasserstein. 26 JANUARY 14, 2016 Kasi Campbell directs this heartfelt comedy about three very different siblings, reunited for one remarkable, revealing weekend, and portrayed by the sharp team of Susan Lynskey, Susan Rome and Kimberly Schraf. Josh Adams, Edward Christian, Michael Russotto, James Whalen and Caroline Wolfson round out the cast. Now in previews. Opens Friday, Jan. 18, at 7:30 p.m. Runs to Feb. 21. The Aaron and Cecile Goldman Theater, Washington, D.C.’s Jewish Community Center, 1529 16th St. NW. Call 202-777-3210 or visit theaterj.org. FILM CAROL HHHHH Carol, the sixth feature from Todd Haynes, has the feel of a career pinnacle, as though every other film in his canon was building to this masterpiece. Based on the novel The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith, the movie is the lesbian equivalent of Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain. But Carol is arguably more emotionally satisfying than Lee’s film, in part because of the way Highsmith, herself a closeted lesbian, crafted the story of a young shopgirl (Rooney Mara) who falls in love with an older woman (Cate Blanchett) and embarks on a journey of self-discovery. Despite the lack of a suspense-driven narrative, it effortlessly evokes the spirit of Alfred Hitchcock; Carol could be a distant cousin to Vertigo. And, unlike so many films these days, Carol takes its time, with Haynes resolutely refusing to hurry things along. Some in the audience might find the approach dull. It’s not. It’s captivating, absorbing, all-encompassing. It’s the way movies used to be made, an instant-born classic, with Blanchett and Mara giving the kinds of performances that Oscars are made for. Now playing. Area theaters. Visit fandango.com. (Randy Shulman) JERUSALEM 3D Benedict Cumberbatch narrates a film offering the first-ever large format aerial footage of the Old City and throughout the Holy Land — including sites ranging from the Western Wall to the Dome of the Rock to the Sea of Galilee. This 3D film also offers eyeopening personal stories and remarkable historical perspective. Showtimes Saturdays and Sundays to March 31. National Geographic Museum, 1145 17th St. NW. Tickets are $7. Call 202857-7588 or visit ngmuseum.org. STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS HHHHH The seventh film in a series that has spanned four decades and spawned a near limitless number of spin-offs, merchandise and uber fans, The Force Awakens isn’t original — there’s too much history for that to be possible. But it works on several levels. And METROWEEKLY.COM for the most part, the screenplay by Lawrence Kasdan, Michael Arndt and J.J. Abrams, who directs, hits the right notes, with the grand, operatic overtones the series has long been known for. For its various foibles and the awkward transition between old characters and new, there’s something undoubtedly exciting about this new trilogy of films. This is Star Wars returned, reformed, revitalized for a new generation. Every time you laugh at a reference, every time you see a familiar face, every time John Williams’ glorious score swells, you can’t help but get sucked in by it all. Now playing. Area theaters. Visit fandango.com. (Rhuaridh Marr) Tickets are $45 to $55. Call 800-4948497 or visit synetictheater.org. THE DANISH GIRL BETWEEN RIVERSIDE AND CRAZY HHHHH Fashioning the tale of transgender pioneer Lili Elbe into a mainstreamfriendly love story may seem like shrewd packaging by a Hollywood marketing department, but the result is a film that succeeds above all else because that central love story is so well crafted. David Ebershoff’s eponymous novel loosely depicted Elbe’s life, but Tom Hooper’s The Danish Girl sticks closer to the facts. It follows Einar Wegener, a Danish painter, who slowly comes to realize that he is transgender after modeling women’s clothes for his wife Gerda. From there, Lili is born, with the film following the couple as they navigate Lili’s exploration of her new gender identity and Gerda deals with her love for Lili and the loss of her husband. The Danish Girl is a flattering, beautifully captured, captivatingly performed retelling of the marriage between a trans pioneer and her wife — and one sure to do well this awards season. Now playing. Area theaters. Visit fandango. com. (Rhuaridh Marr) STAGE A GENTLEMAN’S GUIDE TO LOVE & MURDER Kennedy Center welcomes the national touring production of the little show that two years ago found Tony fame and fortune. Steven Lutvak and Robert L. Freedman’s musical is about a man who attempts to slay his way to inheritance. To Jan. 30. Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater. Tickets are $64 to $229. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org. AS YOU LIKE IT All the world’s a stage for Synetic Theater’s 12th “silent Shakespeare” adaptation, this time the frothy comedy complete with a girl disguised as a boy. As You Like It is also the source of some of the Bard’s most famous phrases, from “all the world’s a stage” to “too much of a good thing” — though of course you won’t hear those here. Paata Tsikurishvili directs the adaptation featuring Taylor Robinson, Sharisse Taylor and Philip Fletcher as Orlando. To Jan. 17. Theater at Crystal City, 1800 South Bell St., Arlington. BAD JEWS Already the best-selling play in its history after last year’s constantly extended run, Studio Theatre has reprised Joshua Harmon’s acerbic dramedy Bad Jews for another go — and once again, it keeps extending the run due to popular demand. Serge Seiden once again directs, this year featuring a cast including Laura Lapidus, Rowan Vickers, Noah Averbach-Katz and Maggie Wilder. Extended again to Jan. 31. Studio Theatre, 14th & P Streets NW. Tickets are $44 to $88. Call 202332-3300 or visit studiotheatre.org. Yet another boisterous and unflinchingly dark comedy from Stephen Adly Guirgis, whose play The Motherfucker with the Hat received much critical praise at Studio Theatre a few years ago. Between Riverside and Crazy was the winner of the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for Drama and is focused on an ex-cop who is facing eviction, battling City Hall and struggling over the recent death of his wife. To Feb. 28. Studio Theatre, 14th & P Streets NW. Call 202-332-3300 or visit studiotheatre.org. CHOCOLATE COVERED ANTS The Anacostia Playhouse partners with Maryland’s Restoration Stage for the world premiere of Steven A. Butler, Jr.’s intense drama about being black and male in modern-day America. Courtney Baker-Oliver directs the production featuring Suli Myrie, David Lamont Wilson, Clermon Acklin, Tillmon Figgs, Wilma Lynn Horton, Kandace Foreman, Christopher Ezell, Marquis Fair and Charles W. Harris Jr. Opens Friday, Jan. 15, at 8 p.m. Now to Feb. 7. Anacostia Playhouse, 2020 Shannon Place SE. Tickets are $35 to $50. Call 202-714-0646 or visit restorationstageinc.com. GEORGIE: THE LIFE AND DEATH OF GEORGE ROSE Helen Hayes Award-winning actor Ed Dixon (Signature Theatre’s Sunset Boulevard) wrote and stars in this tribute to his friend and mentor, a Tony Award-winning character actor (My Fair Lady) who was a bon vivant with a flair for the dramatic and the eccentric. Eric Schaeffer directs the Signature Theatre production of this human tale about art, personal connections and the struggles of life and death. Now to Feb. 7. Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. Tickets are $25 to $45. Call 703-820-9771 or visit signature-theatre.org. LOVE IN THE TIME OF HIV Denim Theatre presents an original play by Kieyontaye D. Johnson-Carter, a powerful drama set in present-day D.C. and focused on two long-term couples — one straight, one gay — struggling to cope with life and love, secrets and status, in a time when being “safe” just isn’t safe enough. Opens Thursday, Jan. 21, at 8 p.m. Runs to METROWEEKLY.COM JANUARY 14, 2016 27 Jan. 25. Anacostia Arts Center, 1231 Good Hope Road SE. Tickets are $25 to $35. Call 202-631-6291 or visit anacostiaartscenter.com. PICASSO AT THE LAPIN AGILE Now that Bright Star has wrapped its pre-Broadway Kennedy Center run, Keegan Theatre offers a production of another work by comedian/composer Steve Martin which previously ran Off Broadway. Picasso at the Lapin Agile is a slightly absurd look at the famous Spanish painter’s life — and that of Albert Einstein’s too — before they changed the world through their work. Chris Stezin directs a cast including Matthew Keenan, Bradley Foster Smith, Allison Leigh Corke, Kevin Adams, Michael Innocenti, Sherri S. Herren and Jessica Power. Opens in previews Saturday, Jan. 16, at 8 p.m. To Feb. 13. Keegan Theatre, 1742 Church St. NW. Tickets are $40. Call 703-892-0202 or visit keegantheatre.com. STONE TAPE PARTY D.C.-based, female-driven theater company Nu Sass Productions offers Danny Rovin’s play, which won Best Comedy and Best Show Overall at Capital Fringe 2014. Angela Kay Pirko directs an all-female cast in a quick-witted tribute to the postcollege struggles — from hedonism to misanthropy — of the Millennial Generation. Briana Manente leads a cast also including Ariana Almajan, Jill Tighe and Casey Leffue. Opens Thursday, Jan. 21, at 7 p.m. Runs to Feb. 7. Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $20 to $30. Call 202-399-7993 or visit nusass.com. THE CRITIC/THE REAL INSPECTOR HOUND Michael Kahn directs this double bill of one-act comedies about behind-thescenes life in the theater. An ensemble cast takes on multiple characters bringing to life Jeffrey Hatcher’s fresh take on Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s 18th-century romp The Critic and Tom Stoppard’s absurdist tour-defarce The Real Inspector Hound. Now to Feb. 14. Lansburgh Theatre, 450 7th St. NW. Call 202-547-1122 or visit shakespearetheatre.org. WEST SIDE STORY HHHHH Leave it to Signature Theatre to stage a production that reinvigorates this classic musical, giving it more relevance and resonance than ever before. The all-star collaboration between Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, Arthur Laurents and Jerome Robbins is widely considered one of the greatest musicals ever made. Unlike other Signature reinventions of classics, director Matthew Gardiner didn’t pare down the calledfor 30-member cast, which is further bolstered by a standard 17-member orchestra, led by Jon Kalbfleisch. The result is the largest show Signature has ever produced. It’s also one of the most stimulating shows you’ve 28 JANUARY 14, 2016 yet seen in Shirlington, aided by Gardiner’s choice to present it on a thrust stage, with the audience on three sides in the Max Theatre. The production engages you in a way that standard proscenium productions of West Side Story can’t. If this doesn’t become your favorite production of West Side Story, I would love to know where you saw it staged better. Extended to Jan. 31. Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. Tickets are $40 to $95. Call 703-820-9771 or visit signature-theatre.org. (Doug Rule) WRESTLING JERUSALEM Mosaic Theater Company of DC presents a reprise of writer and performer Aaron Davidman’s work first commissioned by Theater J and Mosaic founder Ari Roth in 2007. This personal story of a man trying to comprehend the Israeli-Palestinian conflict coursing through his divided psyche and argumentative community is part of Voices from a Changing Middle East Festival, the provocative series formerly presented by Theater J that Roth has revived with his new company. To Jan. 24. Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. Tickets are $20 to $40. Call 202-399-7993 or visit mosaictheater.org. MUSIC BALTIMORE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA Constantine Kitsopoulos conducts the BSO in the SuperPops program “Pixar in Concert,” featuring a compilation of the stirring music and stunning imagery from the company’s 13 feature films, including Toy Story, A Bug’s Life and Monsters, Inc. Thursday, Jan. 21, at 8 p.m. Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Also Friday, Jan. 22, and Saturday, Jan. 23, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Jan. 24, at 3 p.m. Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, 1212 Cathedral St., Baltimore. Tickets are $35 to $99. Call 410-783-8000 or visit bsomusic.org. BRIDGET EVERETT & THE TENDER MOMENTS A breathy, foul-mouthed cabaret act, whom the New York Times has facilely compared to an early Bette Midler, Bridget Everett performs songs whose crass titles often say it all (also, often all you want to hear): from “What I Got To Do (To Get That Dick In My Mouth)” to ”Titties” to “Coming For You.” Saturday, Jan. 16. Doors at 6 p.m. 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW. Tickets are $30. Call 202-265-0930 or visit 930.com. CHOPTEETH The Washington Post has called this 12-piece band “a storming powerhouse of big-band African funk... smart, tight and relentlessly driving.” Chopteeth has already won a number of Washington Area Music Association Awards — otherwise METROWEEKLY.COM known as Wammies, including the Artist of the Year accolade in 2008. And now the Afrobeat-driven group returns to Strathmore’s cabaret venue after a summer debut. Saturday, Jan. 23, at 8 p.m. Amp by Strathmore, 11810 Grand Park Ave. North Bethesda. Tickets are $20 to $30. Call 301-5815100 or visit ampbystrathmore.com. ELISE TESTONE AND BAND’S AMY WINEHOUSE TRIBUTE American Idol 2012 finalist Elise Testone offers a toast to the goneway-too-soon Amy Winehouse accompanied by an eight-piece funky jazz band also featuring vocalist Sam Stevens. This “Thankful for Amy” tribute reaches the Howard Theatre after hit performances in New York and Philadelphia. Friday, Jan. 15, at 8 p.m. The Howard Theatre, 620 T St. NW. Tickets are $17.50 to $35. Call 202-588-5595 or visit thehowardtheatre.com. FALU’S BOLLYWOOD ORCHESTRA The Village Voice has raved that this Indian group creates “some of the more pleasurable pastiche around.” It’s also some of the most unusual, a “beyond Bollywood” mix of Indian classical music, Punjabi bhangra, even jazz and pop. Singer Falguni “Falu” Shah, considered one of India’s most influential musicians though she now lives in the U.S., leads this septet. Friday, Jan. 15, at 8 p.m. The Barns at Wolf Trap, 1635 Trap Road, Vienna. Tickets are $22 to $27. Call 877-WOLFTRAP or visit wolftrap.org. FOLGER CONSORT “The Wonder of Will: Early and New Music Celebrating Shakespeare” is the name of this year’s concert series at the National Cathedral in the 400th year since the Bard’s death. Instrumentalists Arcadia Viols will join the consort as will the 12-member vocal group Stile Antico, offering the Washington premiere of Gentle Sleep, a commissioned piece based on texts from Henry IV by acclaimed gay contemporary composer Nico Muhly. Friday, Jan. 22, and Saturday, Jan. 23, at 8 p.m. Washington National Cathedral, Massachusetts and Wisconsin Avenues NW. Tickets are $30 to $60. Call 202-544-7077 or visit folger.edu. LEVINE PRESENTS: CELEBRATING 40! Now in its 40th year, the Levine School of Music celebrates by presenting a concert of two monumental piano trios, Beethoven’s “Archduke” Trio and Schumann’s Piano Trio No. 3 in G Minor — both written when the composers were forty. This Levine Presents concert features violinist Fedor Ouspensky, cellist Igor Zubkovsky and pianist Anna Ouspenskaya and is presented in partnership with Stone Room Concerts. Saturday, Jan. 23, at 7 p.m. Falls Church Episcopal, 115 E. Fairfax St. Falls Church. Tickets are $15 online or $20 at the door. Call 703-241-0003 or visit levinemusic.org. NATIONAL PHILHARMONIC Strathmore’s resident orchestra offers a concert focused on Bach’s Violin Concerto No. 2 featuring concertmaster Colin Sorgi. Piotr Gajewski conducts the philharmonic in a program also including Mozart’s virtuosic Divertimento in D Major, Edvard Grieg’s Holberg Suite and Benjamin Britten’s Simple Symphony for Strings. Saturday, Jan. 16, at 8 p.m. Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. Tickets are $29 to $79. Call 301-581-5100 or visit strathmore.org. NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA A few weeks before embarking on a European tour with the NSO and outgoing music director Christoph Eschenbach, young cellist Daniel Muller-Schott takes to the Kennedy Center Concert Hall to perform Dvorak’s beautiful, breathtaking Cello Concerto in B Minor. Led by Eschenbach, this NSO program also including Brahms’s Piano Quartet No. 1 in G Minor plus the first NSO performances of Christopher Rouse’s Phaethon. Thursday, Jan. 21, at 7 p.m., and Friday, Jan. 22, and Saturday, Jan. 23, at 8 p.m. Kennedy Center Concert Hall. Tickets are $15 to $89. Call 202467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org. THE DHOL FOUNDATION, BLACK MASALA Multiflora Productions presents this double-billing dubbed a “Balkan Bhangra Party,” featuring Londonbased bhangra percussion group the Dhol Foundation and D.C.’s own Balkan and funk band consisting of members from Thievery Corporation. The two groups will unite for a drumming and dancing global spectacular. Thursday, Jan. 21, at 8 p.m. Tropicalia, 2001 14th St. NW. Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 day-of show. Call 202629-4535 or visit tropicaliadc.com. THE MOUNT HOLYOKE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA The Mount Holyoke Club of Washington D.C. presents the first Mary Lyon Concert in D.C. of this Massachusetts-based student orchestra, offering an evening of classical works by contemporary female composers. Ng Tian Hui leads a program featuring violinist Linda Laderach performing Roxanna Paufnik’s Abraham, soprano Andrea Chinedu Nwoke and baritone Philip Lima singing excerpts from Mary D. Watkins’s opera Dark River: The Fannie Lou Hamer Story and a new commission by Tawnie Olsen. Saturday, Jan. 16, at 7:30 p.m. Church of the Epiphany, 1317 G St. NW. Tickets are $50. Call 202-3472635 or visit mtholyoke.edu. THE KNOCKS A sharp neo-disco DJ/production duo from New York, the Knocks are a justbubbling-under act who has stirred up the All Things Go Fall Classic at Union Market in each of its first two years. Next weekend the duo of Ben “B-Roc” Ruttner and James “JPatt” Patterson will drop by the 9:30 Club to give a preview of 55 and immerse the crowd in a style of vocal-driven dance music that has been described as “original material that references the golden years of vocal house and credible pop,” or “cred-pop” for short. Saturday, Jan. 16. Doors at 10 p.m. 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW. Tickets are $18. Call 202-2650930 or visit 930.com. VERONNEAU D.C.-based acoustic group offers jazz from around the world, from swing to samba to gypsy. And as it gains in popularity, the group increasingly travels the world, presenting its spin on global grooves perfect to take in while sipping cocktails. Monday, Jan. 25, at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. Blues Alley, 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Tickets are $20, plus $12 minimum purchase. Call 202-337-4141 or visit bluesalley.com. WICKED JEZABEL Pauline Anson-Dross’ popular lesbian all-covers party-rock band Wicked Jezabel has been rocking — as well as raising money for various good causes — all over the region for a decade now, originally under the name The Outskirts of Town. This weekend the women perform at the weekly “Ladies Night in the Loft” event at Baltimore’s gay club Grand Central. Saturday, Jan. 16, at 9 p.m. The Loft at Grand Central, 1001 N. Charles St. Baltimore. Cover is $10. Call 410-752-7133 or visit wickedjezabel.com. YALE’S WHIM ‘N RHYTHM The female version of Yale University’s famous male a cappella group the Whiffenpoofs, the Whim ‘n Rhythm group offers a rare public concert in D.C., courtesy of the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop. Fourteen singers from this year’s senior class perform an eclectic jazz and pop repertoire, including renditions of songs popularized by Ella Fitzgerald, Bonnie Raitt, Demi Lovato, and Justin Timberlake. Friday, Jan. 15, at 7:30 p.m. Capitol Hill Arts Workshop, 545 7th St. SE. Tickets are $10. Call 202547-6839 or visit chaw.org. YOLANDA ADAMS IN LET FREEDOM RING! Grammy-nominated gospel star Yolanda Adams leads this year’s free musical celebration honoring Martin Luther King, Jr’s legacy put on by the Kennedy Center and Georgetown University. Also on the bill as ever is the Let Freedom Ring Choir with music director Rev. Nolan Williams Jr. And the 14th annual John Thompson Legacy of a Dream Award will be presented to Nakeisha Neal Jones, executive director of Public Allies, one of the first AmeriCorps national service programs. Monday, Jan. 18, at 6 p.m. Kennedy Center Concert Hall. Free tickets will be given away two per person on a first-come, first-served basis starting at 4:30 p.m. that day. Call 202467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org. DANCE advance, or $30 at the door. Call 202269-1600 or visit danceplace.org. COMPANY E MARYLAND MASTI 10 Generations: Poland is an elegant, eloquent program celebrating four generations of Polish contemporary choreography and classical music from this local company in a co-presentation with the Embassy of the Republic of Poland. The Washington Performing Arts’ Children of the Gospel Choir will join the heralded eight-member Company E in a special performance of the late Pola Nirenska’s Holocaustthemed Dirge as well as the premiere of a new work set to Henryk Gorecki’s Symphony of Sorrowful Songs by the company’s Paul Gordon Emerson. The Saturday evening performance will celebrate winners of the 2016 Pola Nirenska Award — Deborah Riley, Douglas E. Yeuell and Erica Rebollar — which is administered by Washington Performing Arts. Friday, Jan. 22, and Saturday, Jan. 23, at 7 p.m. Kennedy Center Terrace Theater. Tickets are $25 to $35. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedy-center.org. KANKOURAN WEST AFRICAN DANCE COMPANY Sundiata is a powerful tale of courage and determination, told through West African dance and drumming by this D.C.-based company led by Assane Konte. Saturday, Jan. 16, at 8 p.m., and Sunday, Jan. 17, at 4 p.m. Dance Place, 3225 8th St. NE. Tickets are $25 in An annual intercollegiate competition held at the University of Maryland, Maryland Masti aims to spread awareness of the traditional folk dance cultures of the West Indian state of Gujarat, as well as to provide an outlet for current students to express their passion for such dance. Saturday, Jan. 23, at 7 p.m. The Kay Theatre in the Clarice at the University of Maryland, University Boulevard and Stadium Drive. College Park. Tickets are $18. Call 301-405-ARTS or visit theclarice. umd.edu. THE NATIONAL BALLET OF CANADA A co-production with the U.K.’s Royal Ballet, this national Canadian ensemble presents the U.S. premiere of The Winter’s Tale, another international hit by choreographer Christopher Wheeldon after 2013’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Based on Shakespeare’s play, this production features music by John Talbot, costumes by Rob Crowley and lighting by Natasha Katz. The Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra accompanies. Performances begin Tuesday, Jan. 19, at 7 p.m. To Jan. 24. Kennedy Center Opera House. Tickets are $39 to $149. Call 202-467-4600 or visit kennedycenter.org. METROWEEKLY.COM JANUARY 14, 2016 29 OUT OF THE ASHES COMEDY WASHINGTON IMPROV THEATER: ROAD SHOW! D.C.’s leading company for longform improv — such as that popularized by the Upright Citizens Brigade and Second City — offers a “Wintry Mix,” a series of vignettes featuring different ensembles, with each plot developed on-the-fly, spurred by a single audience suggestion. Opens Thursday, Jan. 14, at 7:30 p.m. Runs to Feb. 13. District of Columbia Arts Center (DCAC), 2438 18th St. NW. Tickets are $12 in advance, or $15 at the door. Call 202-462-7833 or visit washingtonimprov.org. GALLERIES A COLLECTOR’S VISION: WASHINGTONIANA COLLECTION In addition to incorporating the Textile Museum, the recently opened George Washington University Museum also houses the Albert H. Small Washingtoniana Collection. The exhibition A Collector’s Vision serves as a perfect introduction to the collection, featuring maps and prints, rare letters, photographs and drawings documenting the history of Washington, D.C. and donated by Small in 2011. Ongoing. The George Washington University Museum, 701 21st St. NW. Call 202-994-5200 or visit museum. gwu.edu. ART OF THE AIRPORT TOWER The images of Smithsonian photographer Carolyn Russo offer a journey examining contemporary and historic air traffic control towers in this exhibition at the Air and Space Museum. Through November. National Air and Space Museum, Independence Ave at 6th St. SW. Call 202-633-2214 or visit airandspace.si.edu COLBY CALDWELL: HOW TO SURVIVE YOUR OWN DEATH Logan Circle’s Hemphill Fine Arts presents an exhibition by this Asheville, N.C.-based Corcoran Gallery of Art alum, based on a series of accidentally corrupted images that have taken on a new life of their own as a result. Opening reception Saturday, Jan. 16, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Exhibit runs to March 5. Hemphill Fine Arts, 1515 14th St. NW. Call 202-234-5601 or visit hemphillfinearts.com. EYE POP: THE CELEBRITY GAZE Many never publicly displayed portraits of 53 luminaries at the top in their fields is the focus of this exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery. Oprah Winfrey, Brad Pitt, Katy Perry, Sonia Sotomayor, Michelle Obama, Serena Williams and Kobe Bryant are among the works, ranging from drawings to sculpture, paintings to video portraits, and all recent additions to the museum’s collection. Through July 10. National Portrait Gallery, 8th and F Streets. NW. Call 202-633-8300 or visit npg.si.edu. 30 JANUARY 14, 2016 Subtitled New Library for Congress and the Nation, this exhibition marks the 200th anniversary of the acquisition of Jefferson’s library of books, the foundation of the modern Library of Congress. The Jeffersonian concept of a universal library covering all subjects is the basis of the library’s comprehensive collecting policies. Through May. Second Floor of the Library of Congress’s Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. SE. Call 202-707-8000 or visit loc.gov/concerts. PATHMAKERS: WOMEN IN ART, CRAFT AND DESIGN The National Museum of Women in the Arts presents an exhibition illuminating the vital contributions that women made to post-war, mid-20th century visual culture and their use of craft materials to explore concepts of modernism. Although painting, sculpture and architecture were dominated by men a half-century ago, women had considerable impact in the fields of textiles, ceramics and metals. Ruth Asawa, Sheila Hicks and Eva Zeisel are just a few of the women from the era celebrated in this exhibition, organized by New York’s Museum of Arts and Design, which also shines the light on some pathmaking contemporary female artists and designers, including Anne Wilson, Vivian Beer and Hella Jongerius. Now through Feb. 28. National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Ave NW. Admission is $10. Call 202-783-5000 or visit nmwa.org. PEARLS ON A STRING Subtitled “Artists, Patrons and Poets at the Great Islamic Courts,” Baltimore’s Walters Art Museum presents its first major exhibition of Islamic art, with a focus on the cultures of historic India, Iran and Turkey. The result is a sweeping selection of works including manuscripts, paintings, sculpture, textiles, decorated ceramics and metalwork. Through Jan. 31. Walters Art Museum, 600 North Charles St. Baltimore. Call 410-547-9000 or visit thewalters.org. PRISTINE SEAS: THE OCEAN’S LAST WILD PLACES National Geographic’s Pristine Seas project searches for the last truly wild places in the ocean and documents them in powerful footage intended to motivate world leaders to protect the world’s oceans. This exhibition about the project features stunning photography and behind-the-scenes expedition images from the Arctic to the tropics, as well as an immersive underwater video wall. Now to March 27. National Geographic Museum, 1145 17th St. NW. Free. Call 202-857-7588 or visit ngmuseum.org. RENWICK GALLERY: WONDER As part of the immersive exhibition Wonder, nine leading contemporary artists, including Gabriel Dawe, Patrick Dougherty and Maya Lin, have each taken over different galleries in the newly renovated Renwick Gallery, the first building in the U.S. designed expressly as an art museum. Through METROWEEKLY.COM July 10. Renwick Gallery, Pennsylvania Avenue at 17th Street NW. Free. Call 202-633-1000 or visit renwick.americanart.si.edu. SHAKESPEARE: LIFE OF AN ICON In honor of the 400th anniversary year of William Shakespeare’s death, the Folger Shakespeare Library offers an exhibition that brings together some of the most important manuscripts and printed books related to his life and career. The intent is to offer a glimpse of the most famous author in the world. Opens Wednesday, Jan. 20. Runs through March 27. The Great Hall in Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 East Capitol St. SE. Call 202-5447077 or visit folger.edu. SOL HILL: SIGNAL FROM NOISE Combining the aesthetics and visual concerns of painting and photography, Sol Hill dubs his work “energy paintings.” Using a digital sensor, Hill transforms images into a kind of hyper-vision, showing aspects of reality not normally seen. Opening reception is Friday, Jan. 22, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Exhibition runs through March 11. Vivid Solutions Gallery in the Anacostia Arts Center, 1231 Good Hope Road SE. Call 202-631-6291 or visit anacostiaartscenter.com. THE BIG HOPE SHOW Baltimore’s American Visionary Art Museum offers its 21st annual exhibition, featuring over 25 artists offering works in various media that champion the radiant and transformative power of hope. It’s an original and unabashedly idealistic exhibition, curated by Rebecca Alban Hoffberger, founder and director of this original and unabashedly unusual 20-year-old museum. Through Sept. 4. American Visionary Art Museum, 800 Key Highway. Baltimore. Tickets are $15.95, or $20 for the preview party. Call 410-244-1900 or visit avam.org. ABOVE AND BEYOND F*CK BRUNCH! DRAG LUNCH You can find drag queens serving and sashaying at brunches around town, but there’s only one place to find drag kings on a Sunday afternoon — and they don’t do “brunch.” (Or they don’t call it brunch, anyway.) Next weekend, drag king entity Pretty Boi Drag, led by Chris Jay and former DC King Pretty Rik E, presents a lunch show at Dupont Circle’s Bier Baron Tavern, which includes exclusive “beermosas” and items from the venue’s new menu, plus tunes from DJ Deedub — and of course an interactive show with performances by kings including Namii and Jasfer. Sunday, Jan. 24, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. Bier Baron Tavern, 1523 22nd St. NW. Tickets are $15 for the show, or $25 for the lunch and show. Call 202-293-1887 or visit prettyboidrag.com. LA-TI-DO Regie Cabico and Don Mike Mendoza’s La-Ti-Do variety show is neither karaoke nor cabaret. The show features higher-quality singing than most karaoke, often from local musical theater actors performing on their night off. Cabico and co-host Mendoza also select storytellers who offer spokenword poetry and comedy. Now held at Bistro Bistro in Dupont Circle, La-Ti-Do celebrates its fourth anniversary with a show and party on Monday, Jan. 25, at 8 p.m. Bistro Bistro, 1727 Connecticut Ave. NW. Tickets are $15, or only $10 if you eat dinner at the restaurant beforehand. Call 202-328-1640 or visit latidodc.wix.com/latidodc. PLAYBACK THE TAPE: THE X-FILES Nostalgic for The X-Files? If so, then plan to hit The Coupe in Columbia Heights next Thursday, Jan. 21, when Playback The Tape will show three classic episodes of the ‘90s television staple, featuring guest stars including Charles Nelson Reilly, Alex Trebek, Giovanni Ribisi and Jack Black. Just don’t expect high-quality visuals: These episodes were recorded from TV during their original broadcast, complete with commercials. Why? Because that’s Playback’s modus operandi. Touted as a “free, all-ages, monthly foray into VHS archaeology,” the unusual outfit curates a new show once a month built around a different theme — but always featuring 100-percent home-recorded video. Thursday, Jan. 21, at 7 p.m. The Coupe, 3415 11th St. NW. Free. Call 202-290-3342 or visit playbackthetape.com. THE DC GURLY SHOW: GURLIES ON BROADWAY Having grown out of local drag king organization the DC Kings, the DC Gurly Show isn’t your grandfather’s burlesque. It’s focused more on playing with gender than teasing with sex. This Friday, Jan. 15, the organization offers a Broadway Burlesque Review featuring Phoenix King, Stellina Nyghtshade, Sindalicious, Sugar Cane, Lyndi Luxe, Dixe Castafiore, James Fondle and Mindi Mimosa. Friday, Jan. 15, at 9:30 p.m. Phase 1, 525 8th St. SE. Tickets are $10. Call 202-544-6831 or visit dcgurlyshow.com. THE PANCAKES AND BOOZE ART SHOW An import from Los Angeles, this unusual “underground art show” features the work of over 90 emerging artists plus live body painting, live music, a live art battle and a free pancake bar, as well as brews on tap at Penn Social — the space briefly known as Riot Act Comedy. Pancakes and Booze is a traveling, Andy Warhol-styled event that former Hollywood cameraman Tom Kirlin started in 2009 and has since brought to over 20 cities, including D.C. twice a year. “When I was in college, the only place that was open after a night of drinking was IHOP,” Kirlin told Metro Weekly last year. “I always had this silly idea to make a pancake restaurant with a full bar. So with the art show, I just merged the two ideas together.” Thursday, Jan. 21, starting at 7 p.m. Penn Social, 801 E St. NW. Cover is $5. Call 202-697-4900 or visit pennsocialdc.com. l tech Chevy Bolt Tech Appeal CES wasn’t full of surprises, but still had its fair share of desirable tech on offer by RHUARIDH MARR T HIS YEAR’S CONSUMER ELECTRONICS SHOW in Las Vegas was a rather conservative affair. Smartphones have largely transitioned to February’s Mobile World Congress in Spain, televisions really haven’t had any revolutionary changes since curves were introduced, and it was expected that cars and virtual reality would be taking over the show floors. That said, there was still plenty to enjoy for tech fans, from modular screens to wearable translators to the return of retro. Let’s dive in. GENERAL MOTORS TELEVISIONS We know what to expect from manufacturers these days: 4K screens with eye-popping colors and deep blacks (be they OLED or LED), maybe a curve, perhaps a severe case of weight loss. However, a certain degree of obviousness in display technologies has meant that this year, manufacturers are focusing on ever more granular features to wow customers — as well as a renewed focus on beautifying their sets to look even better in our living rooms. Samsung knows this better than most, and its new 88-inch KS9500 set is not only incredibly thin, it also has bezels that, given the size of the set, are almost nonexistent. That combination of razor-edges and slim bezels means that Samsung’s set is more art installation than display — and its subtle curve only enhances that fact. Just expect a price tag to match when it goes on sale later this year. An example of Samsung’s dedication to beauty? According to Gizmodo, a Samsung executive boasted at a briefing that the company had managed to eliminate visible screws from the rear of its TV. The future is now, people! Not to be outdone, Sony’s CES booth lauded the “clean look” on the rear of its latest TV. You know, the part most people shove against or mount on a wall and never think about. It makes even less sense when what was happening around front was arguably more newsworthy. Sony was demoing its upcoming Backlight Master Drive tech, which boosts the brightness of its TVs by utilizing HDR (high dynamic range) tech, the same trickery that makes your photos pop, to offer incredible contrast and a brightness level (4,000 nits) up to four times the already bright sets Samsung was promoting elsewhere at CES. LG, meanwhile, trotted out the latest televisions with its dazzling OLED technology. If you’ve never seen an OLED set, go down to Best Buy and get ready to start throwing your credit card at someone. That urge may grow even stronger should you encounter LG’s latest units, which are just millimeters deep (fractions of an inch, in our parlance). How thin? A tenth of an inch, or just over three credit cards. The G6 and E6 series will offer the extremely thin displays, dubbed Picture-on-Glass, which offer an “Ultra HD Premium” image and HDR Pro tech, which should ensure that whatever you’re watching looks magnificent. (Just make sure that credit card has a generous limit....) Oh, and because it’s CES, Samsung also produced a dazzling, modular concept which utilized truly bezel-less displays that could break apart into several smaller displays and then reform in different aspect ratios — such as going from 16:9 to 21:9 for films — or to create unique digital presentations that danced around one another. Don’t expect to buy your own any time soon, but it was a slick concept nonetheless. VIRTUAL REALITY There’s no escaping virtual reality these days. A number of companies are making a big push into the technology, including METROWEEKLY.COM JANUARY 14, 2016 31 Sony with its PlayStation Morpheus headset, Google with its low-cost Cardboard affairs, and Samsung’s Galaxy smartphoneaccommodating Gear VR headsets. However, virtual reality at CES was dominated by Oculus. The $600 Oculus Rift is now available for everyone to preorder, so it’s no surprise that Oculus was at CES pimping the heck out of their headset. They were demonstrating Medium, an app for Oculus that is essentially Microsoft Paint for VR, if Paint worked in VR, let users paint in 3D, and was absolutely nothing like Microsoft Paint. Using the Oculus Touch controllers, users can manipulate virtual sculptures, paintings and other objects to create their own digital artworks. It’s a pretty nifty way of showing the capabilities of Oculus’ hardware. Microsoft was also on hand to demonstrate its augmented reality headset HoloLens. Minecraft, the all-conquering game, was back to show off the headset’s features, overlaying the blocky game into the user’s real world and letting them manipulate and alter the world to their heart’s content. HoloLens is still very much a developer-focused tool, one that won’t reach the market for a while, but its consumer applications are tempting nonetheless, and Microsoft’s take on virtual reality is a nice alternative to the enclosing methods of Oculus, Samsung, HTC and others. AUTOS Automakers have clearly forgotten that the Detroit Motor Show is currently taking place, instead showcasing several vehicles and technologies at CES. Of course, you won’t find traditional gas guzzlers and budget models lining the halls in Vegas — the automotive influences at CES were centered around concepts, electrification, and better integration with our gadgets. Really, if anyone can claim to have “won” the rather niche award for best CES automaker, it was Chevrolet. With the introduction of the Chevy Bolt, GM’s mass market brand not only managed to generate a significant amount of attention for the brand, it also managed to do exactly what Tesla has been promising for years: make a smaller, cheaper electric vehicle that doesn’t skimp on range or quality. The 2017 Bolt is an all-electric hatch that will cost $30,000 after tax incentives, run for 200 miles on a single charge, and a design that manages to be cool, modern and yet also familiar. It’s Chevy Sonic meets BMW i3 — and that’s something that mainstream buyers will love. Volkswagen appeared at CES under the burden of a federal lawsuit and massive outcry over its diesel emissions scandal, but tried its best to ignore such worries by looking to the past. Not too far back, mind — no people’s car here — but rather to the potloving ’60s. Yes, Volkswagen’s iconic Microbus is back. Except there’s no peace symbols, used bongs and dirty pillows here. Instead, the gas engine is gone and the hard plastics are out — in come an electric engine, glossy, high-tech interior, and a name change to BUDD-e. Sadly, it’s just a concept, a demonstration of VW’s modular electric car platform, but if it actually existed, it’d offer 373 miles of electric range, the potential for 80-percent recharging in just fifteen minutes, and gesture control inside What the Tech? 5 bizarre tech items from CES by Rhuaridh Marr C ES IS PERHAPS THE BEST EXAMPLE OF Vegas: it’s massive, glitzy, saturated with consumerism, and has more than its fair share of bizarre eccentricities. It’s those latter parts that really make the annual tech-fest such an amusing, engaging experience — the products that make us wonder who on earth would ever buy them. Here’s five products revealed at CES that make little sense, but delighted us all the same. CleverPet Hub Gaming can be tough when you’ve got a pet. Dogs can’t understand that you’re just one level away from finishing Halo, so they’ll nudge you, eager for more of that wonderful human love they’ve become so accustomed to. Enter CleverPet with a new feeding device that brings gaming to your dog! No, really. The CleverPet Hub is a $269 gadget that forces your pooch to work for their meal. By pawing lights on the surface of the device, dogs can unlock delicious treats and snacks. “The dog has to hit the right button at the right time to get a bit of their food for the day,” the company’s cofounder told VentureBeat. “There are some dogs that take a little longer than others to learn.” If your dog struggles to respond to “sit,” perhaps give this a miss. 32 JANUARY 14, 2016 METROWEEKLY.COM EHang 184 Drone Drones are big business, stepping up in a big way over the past year to delight consumers, filmmakers, emergency services and armed forces alike, but this latest concept from Chinese manufacturer EHang really stretches the term. Offering what is, essentially, a helicopter that’s more likely to slice your knees than your head, EHang believes that its Autonomous Aerial Vehicle (AAV) is the next great thing in personal transport. Capable of carrying a passenger over short distances — flight time is limited to around half an hour — at a pretty reasonable 62 miles per hour. EHang is eager to convince people that the EHang 184 isn’t a helicopter for one terrifying reason: there’s no controls inside. Instead, everything is handled by a smartphone or tablet. Here’s hop- and out to interact with its various functions. Oh, and you can use it like a giant speaker for your guitar, if you’re so inclined. Diesel who? And if you thought manufacturers had slowed down on automation innovations, think again. Instead, CES demonstrated several of the challenges facing the automotive industry, including making cars smart enough to detect human error. Nvidia demonstrated its Nvidia Drive PX 2 automotive supercomputer, which makes use of twelve CPUs and a powerful GPU to provide the power of roughly 150 MacBook Pros, enough to handle the thousands of functions modern, connected cars will need to crunch if we’re aiming for a more autonomous future, including the usual infotainment systems, information from cameras and sensors, driver inputs, and other functions. Sure, it won’t play Grand Theft Auto, but it’ll hopefully have the heft to keep your future car running smoothly. EVERYTHING ELSE Traveling is tough if you’re unfamiliar with the local language, but Logbar’s Ili wearable translator aims to fix that problem. No longer will you be forced to look up a local phrasebook, or ask the Google app to translate your requests on the fly. Instead, Ili is a wearable translator that automatically translates English, Japanese and Chinese without an internet connection, meaning you’ll never struggle to ask someone for directions to the nearest restroom, how much that ramen costs, or where exactly you’ve stumbled into. Ignoring the rather creepy product commercial, which features a man asking Japanese women if he can kiss them, it could be a pretty compelling tool for would-be adventurers when it launches later this year. Perhaps a sign of our retro-loving times, both Panasonic and Sony were eager to highlight their record players at CES. Yes, record players — for records. For Panasonic, it was the reintroduction of the Technics brand to turntable production, with the Technics SL1200-GA bringing the brand back in time for its 50th anniversary — there hasn’t been a new model of the DJ-favorite turntable since the ’00s. Not to be outdone, Sony unveiled the PS-HX500, a turntable that will not only play your favorite records, but also convert them to Sony’s proprietary DSD file format, or high-resolution WAV files. It also features Sony’s typically minimalist styling, so you can be retro cool and ultra modern at the same time. Wireless charging is all the rage at the moment, but it requires dropping your phone onto a pesky charging pad, and that’s so much effort. Enter, then, Ossia’s Cota charger, which launches this year and will charge devices up to ten feet away. Yes, using a proprietary sensor that detects RF signals from the base and directs them around obstacles, the tech can push one entire Watt of power to a compatible device — enough to charge an iPhone in a compatible case in around four times as long as using the cable. A slightly cooler implementation: Ossia will offer AA batteries with the sensor inside, meaning that devices — such as your TV remote — near the transmitter need never have their batteries replaced. How convenient would that be? l ing your battery is up to the task should the EHang ever make it to market — though don’t expect the FAA to be too eager to approve it. Faraday Future FFZERO1 Faraday Future aims to be the next Tesla, but its electric car — while undoubtedly cool to look at — is strictly conceptual, as none of its more outlandish motifs will ever reach consumers. With design inspiration seemingly borrowed from Le Mans racers and Michael Keaton’s ’90s Batmobile, the FFZERO1 is merely an example of what Faraday’s modular vehicle platform, dubbed VPA, is capable of. It’ll scale from smaller, cheaper vehicles to the outlandish FFZERO1. Faraday’s plans involve a $1 billion manufacturing plant in Nevada intended to break ground this year, but as for a car you can actually buy? The automaker had nothing to offer at CES. LG Styler You know what your home really needs? A closet that will automatically steam and gently shake your clothes to get them fresh, deodorized and crease-free — because apparently no one has time to iron these days. The price for all of this convenience? $2,000. Yes, $2,000. Oh, and it only has enough space for a few items at most. Maybe break out the ironing board instead. Parrot Pot If you really love your plants, perhaps this is something you’ll be interested in. For everyone else, prepare to gasp. The Parrot Pot is just that, a flower pot. But it’s also more than that. It’s a bluetooth connected, batterypowered, self-watering, bluetooth compatible flower pot that can keep plants healthy and nurtured for as long as its half gallon tank can last. The catch? It’s $99. For a flower pot. Just pick up a watering can. l METROWEEKLY.COM JANUARY 14, 2016 33 NIGHT LIFE LISTINGS THURS., 01.14.16 9 1/2 Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • Multiple TVs showing movies, shows, sports • Expanded craft beer selection • Music videos featuring DJ Wess ANNIE’S/ANNIE’S UPSTAIRS 4@4 Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $4 Small Plates, $4 Stella Artois, $4 House Wines, $4 Stolichnaya Cocktails, $4 Manhattans and Vodka Martinis COBALT/30 DEGREES Happy Hour: $6 Call Martini, $3 Miller Lite, $4 Rail, $5 Call, 4-9pm • Open Day for Stonewall Darts, 6-10pm • $3 Rail Drinks, 10pm-midnight, $5 Red Bull, Gatorade and Frozen Virgin Drinks • Locker Room Thursday Nights • DJs Sean Morris and MadScience • Ripped Hot Body Contest at midnight, hosted by Miss Kristina Kelly and Ba’Naka • $200 Cash Prize • Doors open 10pm, 18+ • $5 Cover under 21 and free with college ID DC EAGLE Doors open at 5pm • Happy Hour, 5-8pm • Centaur MC hosts prior Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leathers • Highwaymen TNT host Hot Jock Night • Join DC Leather Pride as they welcome the prior MALs • Free Round-Trip Bus Rides from Hotel and Bar, 9:30pm-1:30am for MAL package holders • $2 Bud t DC9 1940 9th St. NW Happy Hour, 5-8pm • dcnine.com METROWEEKLY.COM 35 36 JANUARY 14, 2016 METROWEEKLY.COM scene Otter Crossing at the Green Lantern Friday, January 1 scan this tag with your smartphone for bonus scene pics online! t Photography by Ward Morrison and Bud Light Draughts, $3 Domestic Bottles, $4 Rail and Import Bottle Beer, $6 Call • Mid-Atlantic Kennel Korps on Club Bar, 9pm2am • No Cover • 21+ FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-7pm • Karaoke, 8pm GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • Shirtless Thursday, 10-11pm • DJs BacK2bACk • Green Lantern’s Blackout Underwear Party, 11pm2am JR.’S All You Can Drink for $15, 5-8pm • $3 Rail Vodka Highballs, $2 JR.’s drafts, 8pm-close • Throwback Thursday featuring rock/ pop retro hits NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Beat the Clock Happy Hour — $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm) • Buckets of Beer $15 • Drag Bingo NUMBER NINE Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • No Cover TRADE 1410 14th St. NW Doors open 5pm • Huge Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $4 ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS All male, nude dancers • Shirtless Thursday • DJ • 9pm • Cover 21+ FRI., 01.15.16 9 1/2 Open at 5pm • Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • Friday Night Videos with resident DJ Shea Van Horn • VJ • Expanded craft beer selection • No Cover ANNIE’S 4@4 Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $4 Small Plates, $4 Stella Artois, $4 House Wines, $4 Stolichnaya Cocktails, $4 Manhattans and Vodka Martinis • Upstairs open, 5-11pm COBALT/30 DEGREES All You Can Drink Happy Hour • $15 Rail and Domestic, $21 Call & Imports, 6-9pm • Guys Night Out • Free Rail Vodka, 11pm-Midnight, $6 Belvedere Vodka Drinks all night • DJ MadScience upstairs • DJ Keenan Orr downstairs • $10 cover 10pm-1am, $5 after 1am • 21+ DC9 1940 9th St. NW Happy Hour, 5-8pm • dcnine.com DC EAGLE Doors open at 5pm • Happy Hour, 5-8pm • $2 Bud and Bud Light Draughts, $3 Domestic Bottles, $4 Rail and Import Bottle Beer, $6 Call • No Cover • 21+ FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-7pm • Karaoke, 8pm GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • $5 Smirnoff, all flavors, all night long • DJ Jack Chang • Grunt, featuring Cake Moss, 10pm-2am JR.’S Happy Hour: 2-for-1, 4-9pm • $2 Skyy Highballs and $2 Drafts, 10pmmidnight • Retro Friday • $5 Coronas, $8 Vodka Red Bulls, 9pm-close NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR DJ Matt Bailer • Videos, Dancing • Beat the Clock Happy Hour — $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm) • Buckets of Beer $15 NUMBER NINE Open 5pm • Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • No Cover TOWN DC Bear Crue Happy Hour, 6-11pm • $3 Rail, $3 Draft, $3 Bud Bottles • Free Pizza, 7pm • No cover before 9:30pm • 21+ • Drag Show starts at 10:30pm • Hosted by Lena Lett and featuring Miss Tatianna, Shi-Queeta-Lee, Riley Knoxx and Ba’Naka • DJ Wess upstairs, DJs BacK2bACk downstairs • GoGo Boys after 11pm • Doors open at 10pm • For those 21 and over, $10 • For those 18-20, $15 • 18+ TOWN PATIO Open 6pm • No Cover before 10pm • Cover after 10pm (entry through Town) TRADE 1410 14th St. NW Doors open 5pm • Huge Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $4 ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS All male, nude dancers, hosted by LaTroya Nicole • Ladies of Ziegfeld’s, 9pm • Rotating Hosts • DJ in Secrets • VJ Tre in Ziegfeld’s • Cover 21+ METROWEEKLY.COM SAT., 01.16.16 9 1/2 Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 3-9pm • $5 Absolut & Tito’s, $3 Miller Lite after 9pm • Expanded craft beer selection • No Cover • Music videos featuring various DJs COBALT/30 DEGREES Drag Yourself to Brunch at Level One, 11am-2pm and 2-4pm • Featuring Kristina Kelly and the Ladies of Illusion • Bottomless Mimosas and Bloody Marys • Happy Hour: $3 Miller Lite, $4 Rail, $5 Call, 4-9pm • Drink specials all night • Doors open 10pm • $7 cover before midnight, $10 cover after • 21+ DC9 1940 9th St. NW Happy Hour, 4-6pm • dcnine.com DC EAGLE Doors open at 8pm • Join Empire City Motorcycle Club from Manhattan for JANUARY 14, 2016 37 their Bar Night celebrating Mid-Atlantic Leather 9, 9pm-2am • 2 $2 Draughts, Jello Shots • Happy Hour, 8-10pm • $2 Bud and Bud Light Draughts, $3 Domestic Bottles, $4 Rail and Import Bottle Beer, $6 Call • No Cover • 21 FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Drag Queen Broadway Brunch, 10am-3pm • Starring Freddie’s Broadway Babes • Crazy Hour, 4-7pm • Freddie’s Follies Drag Show, 8-10pm, hosted by Miss Destiny B. Childs • No Cover GREEN LANTERN Spank DC presents SPANK! upstairs, 2-6pm • Happy Hour, 4-9pm • $5 Bacardi, all flavors, all night long • 495 Bears presents Bears Can Dance: Leather, Boxers & Jocks Party, 9pm-3am JR.’S $4 Coors, $5 Vodka Highballs, $7 Vodka Red Bulls 38 JANUARY 14, 2016 METROWEEKLY.COM NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Guest DJs • Zing Zang Bloody Marys, Nellie Beer, House Rail Drinks and Mimosas, $4, 11am-5pm • Buckets of Beer, $15 NUMBER NINE Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 3-9pm • No Cover TOWN DJ Chord, 10pm-close • Music and video downstairs by DJ Wess • Drag Show starts at 10:30pm • Featuring a special performance by Sasha • Hosted by Lena Lett and featuring Miss Tatianna, ShiQueeta-Lee, Riley Knoxx and Ba’Naka • Doors open 10pm • $12 Cover • 21+ TOWN PATIO Open 10pm (entry through Town) • $12 Cover TRADE 1410 14th St. NW Doors open 2pm • Huge Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge glass for the same price, 2-10pm • Beer and wine only $4 ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS Men of Secrets, 9pm • Guest dancers • Ladies of Illusion with host Ella Fitzgerald • Doors at 9 p.m., first show at 11:30 p.m. % DJs • Doors open 8pm • Cover 21+ SUN., 01.17.16 9 1/2 Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 3-9pm • Multiple TVs showing movies, shows, sports • Expanded craft beer selection • No Cover COBALT/30 DEGREES $4 Stoli, Stoli flavors and Miller Lite all day • DC Leather Pride presents their 2nd Annual BLUF (Breeches and Leather Uniform Fan Club): DC, 4-9pm • Music by DJ Say What!? • Bootblacks Boy Ed, Boy Andersen and Widj • Shuttle Bus from Hyatt provided • BLUF Cardholders Free, BLUF Members $5, All Others in Gear $10, Everyone Else $20 • To reserve your spot, visit blufdc.eventbrite.com • Homowood Karaoke, hosted by Robert Bise, 10pm-close • No Cover for Karaoke • 21+ DC9 1940 9th St. NW Happy Hour, 2-6pm • dcnine.com DC EAGLE Doors open at 12pm • Football on Big Screens • Happy Hour, 12-6pm • $2 Bud and Bud Light Draughts, $3 Domestic Bottles, $4 Rail and Import Bottle Beer, $6 Call • Buffet, 2-7pm — “Like” on Facebook for menu options • $2 Bud and Bud Light Draughts all day and night • No Cover • 21+ FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Champagne Brunch Buffet, 10am-3pm • Crazy Hour, 4-7pm • Karaoke, 8pm1am 40 GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour, 4-9pm • Bears Can Party, featuring DJ Jeff Eletto, 4-9pm • Strap’d: The Green Lantern Jockstrap Party upstairs, 9pm-2am • Mama’s Trailer Park Karaoke downstairs, 9:30pm-close JR.’S Sunday Funday • Liquid Brunch • Doors open at 1pm • $2 Coors Lights and $3 Skyy (all flavors), all day and night NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Drag Brunch, hosted by Shi-Queeta-Lee, 11am3pm • $20 Brunch Buffet • House Rail Drinks, Zing Zang Bloody Marys, Nellie Beer and Mimosas, $4, 11am-close • Buckets of Beer, $15 NUMBER NINE Pop Goes the World with Wes Della Volla at 9:30pm • Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 3-9pm • No Cover JANUARY 14, 2016 METROWEEKLY.COM ROCK HARD SUNDAYS @THE HOUSE NIGHTCLUB 3530 Georgia Ave. NW Diverse group of all male, all nude dancers • Doors open 8pm • Shows all night until close, starting at 8:30pm • $5 Domestic Beer, $6 Imports • $10 cover • For Table Reservations, 202-4876646 • rockharddc.com TOWN Last Chance Tea Dance, 5-10pm • Celebrating Mid-Atlantic Leather Weekend • Featuring DJ Scooter McCreight and Kevin O’Connor • Doors open 5pm • $8 Cover, or half of with gear • WTF: Cruise Ship, 10pm-close • Music by Aaron Riggins and Ed Bailey • Featuring performances by Jaxknife, Salvadora Dali, and Pu$$y Noir • No cover from 10-11 pm, $5 after 11 pm • Free of charge for those who attended Last Chance Tea Dance • 21+ TRADE 1410 14th St. NW Doors open 2pm • Huge Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge glass for the same price, 2-10pm • Beer and wine only $4 COBALT/30 DEGREES Happy Hour: $2 Rail, $3 Miller Lite, $5 Call, 4-9pm • Monday Night’s A Drag, hosted by Kristina Kelly • Doors open at 10pm • $3 Skyy Cocktails, $8 Skyy and Red Bull • $8 Long Islands • No Cover, 18+ FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-7pm • Karaoke, 8pm ZIEGFELD’S/SECRETS All male, nude dancers • Decades of Dance • DJ Tim-e in Secrets • Doors 9pm • Cover 21+ DC9 1940 9th St. NW Happy Hour, 5-8pm • dcnine.com JR.’S Happy Hour: 2-for-1, 4-9pm • Showtunes Songs & Singalongs, 9pm-close • DJ James • $3 Draft Pints, 8pm-midnight MON., 01.18.16 9 1/2 Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • Multiple TVs showing movies, shows, sports • Expanded craft beer selection • No Cover ANNIE’S 4@4 Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $4 Small Plates, $4 Stella Artois, $4 House Wines, $4 Stolichnaya Cocktails, $4 Manhattans and Vodka Martinis DC EAGLE Doors open at 5pm • Happy Hour, 5-8pm • $1 Bud and Bud Light Draughts • Free Pool all day and night • Monday Night Football on Big Screens • Men in DC Eagle T-Shirts get Happy Hour, 8pm-close • $2 Bud and Bud Light Draughts, $3 Domestic Bottles, $4 Rail and Import Bottle Beer, $6 Call • No Cover • 21+ GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour all night long • Michael’s Open Mic Night Karaoke, 9:30pmclose NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Beat the Clock Happy Hour — $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm) • Buckets of Beer $15 • Texas Hold’em Poker, 8pm • Dart Boards NUMBER NINE Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • No Cover METROWEEKLY.COM JANUARY 14, 2016 41 TRADE 1410 14th St. NW Doors open 5pm • Huge Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $4 TUES., 01.19.16 9 1/2 Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • Multiple TVs showing movies, shows, sports • Expanded craft beer selection • No Cover ANNIE’S 4@4 Happy Hour, 4-7pm • $4 Stella Artois, $4 House Wines, $4 Stolichnaya Cocktails, $4 Manhattans and Vodka Martinis 42 JANUARY 14, 2016 METROWEEKLY.COM COBALT/30 DEGREES Happy Hour: $2 Rail, $3 Miller Lite, $5 Call, 4-9pm • SIN Service Industry Night • $1 Rail Drinks all night NELLIE’S SPORTS BAR Beat the Clock Happy Hour — $2 (5-6pm), $3 (6-7pm), $4 (7-8pm) • Buckets of Beer $15 • Karaoke and Drag Bingo DC9 1940 9th St. NW Happy Hour, 5-8pm • dcnine.com NUMBER NINE Happy Hour: 2 for 1 on any drink, 5-9pm • No Cover • Safe Word: A Gay Spelling Bee, 8-11pm • Prizes to the top three spellers • After 9pm, $3 Absolut, Bulleit & Stella FREDDIE’S BEACH BAR Crazy Hour, 4-7pm • Karaoke, 8pm GREEN LANTERN Happy Hour all night long, 4pm-close JR.’S Birdie La Cage Show, 10:30pm • Underground (Indie Pop/Alt/Brit Rock), 9pm-close • DJ Wes Della Volla • 2-for-1, 5pmmidnight TRADE 1410 14th St. NW Doors open 5pm • Huge Happy Hour: Any drink normally served in a cocktail glass served in a huge glass for the same price, 5-10pm • Beer and wine only $4 l 44 SEE PHOTOS FROM THIS EVENT AT WWW.METROWEEKLY.COM/SCENE METROWEEKLY.COM JANUARY 14, 2016 45 “It’s the son who finds the courage to come out as who he is, ” and the father whose love for that son overrides everything he’s been taught. —PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA, during his final State of the Union address on Tuesday. The President also noted, in a thinly veiled nod to the Supreme Court decision this past June, that “we secured the freedom in every state to marry the person we love.” “I can agree to disagree with her position and those who support her, but she has the right to be there.” —JIM OBERGEFELL, speaking to The Hill about Kentucky clerk Kim Davis being invited to the State of the Union by Republican lawmakers. “If jokes caused the easily offended to bleed internally, I’d do more stand up.” —RICKY GERVAIS, on Twitter defending jokes he made during the Golden Globes ceremony about Caitlyn Jenner. Gervais referred to Caitlyn as Bruce and joked about a car crash she was involved in last year which injured seven and killed one person. “She became a role model for trans people everywhere… She didn’t do a lot for women drivers, but you can’t do everything,” he quipped. “Without being a dick about it, I owe it to myself, more than anything, to be who I needed when I was younger.” —Actor CHARLIE CARVER, star of MTV’s Teen Wolf and HBO’s The Leftovers, writing on Instagram in a series of posts revealing his sexuality. Carver was open to his family (including his straight twin, Max), but hid his sexuality once his career started to take off, something he regrets. “I now believe that by omitting this part of myself from the record, I am complicit in perpetuating the suffering, fear, and shame cast upon so many in the world,” he wrote. “I’m just a gay guy from Indiana who doesn’t play basketball. ” —CBS Entertainment Chairman GLENN GELLER, the network’s first openly gay president, speaking with reporters. “There is diversity at CBS,” he said. “It exists in front and and behind the camera. Can we do better? I think we are.” 46 JANUARY 14, 2016 METROWEEKLY.COM