Arts & Entertainment
Best of LGBT LA 2019
Your picks for the city’s best in nightlife, food, activism and more
Readers of the Los Angeles Blade began nominating their picks for our 2nd annual Best Of LGBT LA awards in early fall. And after more than 15,000 votes over 40 categories, we can finally reveal the winners, some incredible choices and very special people among them.
The Los Angeles Blade is pleased to salute them and wants to give special thanks for Sean Loeffel of Spoonfed LA and Bar Joe for hosting our winners and helping make our Best Of LGBT LA Awards truly a magnificent honor.
BEST DRAG QUEEN
Shangela (Courtesy of Shangela)
The only contestant to compete on three separate seasons of “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” Los Angeles Blade fan favorite Shangela is eternally enshrined in global pop culture amber, as creator of the versatile interjection, “Halleloo.” In music video and solo stage performance, Shangela continues to impress, and is still earning new fans, for her work alongside Lady Gaga, in “A Star Is Born.” Although her name was unjustly absent from the Best Supporting Actress nods during this week’s Academy Award nominations, it’s comforting to note that Shangela has further cemented her status as an eternal All-Star, by slaying her peers and emerging as the winner in this fiercely competitive category.
Jackie Beat (Photo courtesy of Jackie Beat)
Being the target of an acidic quip from Jackie Beat is like getting a hickey from Kenickie — it leaves a shameful mark, but can also be worn as a badge of honor. Tell that to our Best Drag Queen winner, Shangela, of whom Beat remarked, “The only thing better than actually winning this award is being named Runner-Up to someone half my age, who is most famous for popping out of a box and yelling, ‘Halleloo!’ What a fucking honor. Just kidding! I love you, Shangela… CONDRAGULATIONS!” When not insulting winners, Beat can be found on stage, in “Golden Girlz Live!” and touring with Sherry Vine, in their “Battle of the Bitches” show.
BEST REAL ESTATE FIRM (Tie)
(Photo courtesy of The Collective Realty)
This hip, 100 percent LGBT-owned boutique real estate firm hosts charity events through the year, whose past beneficiaries have included The Trevor Project. At their West Hollywood and Silver Lake/Echo park offices, buyer and seller expectations are exceeded by a team of fierce negotiators, representing everything from estates to condos. Owner Anthony Vulin assures that all of his mortgage brokers and appraisers are vetted as LGBT friendly, so you can invite them into your home with confidence. The Collective Realty also advocates for LGBT home ownership and nondiscrimination, by lobbying statewide, and in D.C.
(Photo courtesy of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties)
Winner: Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties
Taking you through the home buying or selling experience, and being by your side during life’s greatest moments: That’s the mission and the reward, of those who work at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties. “As Realtors, we have the obligation to be culturally competent, to understand the needs of our clients, and to guide them toward wise decisions in their real estate choices,” says president and CEO Mary Lee Blaylock, who also notes, “Working with the LGBT community is a privilege. Our sales associates take pride in their ability to represent the interests of their clients, and to help them navigate the diverse array of communities throughout the Southern California area. We are grateful to have earned your readers’ trust and it is our pleasure to continue to serve all.”
BEST MUSEUM OR ART GALLERY
Modern design, beautiful gardens, open spaces, and spectacular views of Los Angeles make Getty Museum a cherished institution. (Image from Getty Museum website)
Winner: The J. Paul Getty Museum
Cultivating a curiosity about, and enjoyment and understanding of, the visual arts is the J. Paul Getty Museum’s mission, one achieved by collecting, conserving, exhibiting, and interpreting works of outstanding quality and historical importance. The Museum is also continually producing exhibitions, publications, scholarly research, public education, and programming in the visual arts. These elements are enhanced by the uniquely evocative architectural and garden settings at the Getty Villa in Malibu, and the Getty Center in Los Angeles, which houses European paintings, drawings, sculpture, illuminated manuscripts, decorative arts and photography.
Since 1965, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art has been devoted to collecting works of art that span both history and geography, mirroring Los Angeles’s rich cultural heritage and uniquely diverse population. Today, LACMA is the largest art museum in the western United States, with a collection of more than 135,000 objects that illuminate 6,000 years of art history, from new and unexpected points of view.
BEST FITNESS OR WORKOUT SPOT
(Photo courtesy of Equinox West Hollywood)
Winner: Equinox West Hollywood
With a design reminiscent of classic local nightclubs of the 1950s and ’60s, high energy meets high drama, at this 35,000-square-foot fitness club. Offering a full complement of classes, trainers, equipment, and amenities that facilitate high-performance living, the iconic West Hollywood location features one of the largest and most luxurious spas Equinox has to offer, along with a Kids’ Club, and rooftop sundeck. “If it’s not fitness,” they say, “It’s not life.”
(Photo courtesy of Barry’s Bootcamp)
Known for a workout that’s military-level tough, but administered by instructors more likely to inspire cries of victory than tears of regret, Barry’s is a true local success story. Founded in West Hollywood in 1998, its strength and cardio interval fitness experience provides an immersive, high-intensity, one-hour workout that’s fun and effective.
BEST GROCERY STORE
Trader Joe’s (Photo courtesy of Trader Joe’s)
Fast service and friendly faces at the checkout make those long lines at Trader Joe’s well worth the wait — but it’s the tempting free samples and addictive signature products that explain the chain’s loyal following. As for their win in this category, certain elements of the Los Angeles Blade staff wholeheartedly agree with our readers, having succumbed on many occasions to the sweet siren call of those Milk Chocolate Macadamia Nut Laceys Cookies. Not a cookie person? They’ve got a cake or a pie for that.
(Photo courtesty of Gelson’s Market)
Our readers’ love for Gelson’s is real, although it’s worth noting that Martin Sheen, as fictional character Robert, gives a shout out to the superiority of their rotisserie chicken, in the latest season of “Grace and Frankie.” Granted, he shops in San Diego — but whether it’s the meat, seafood, wine, or deli selections, consistency is a hallmark of this national chain. So, Los Angeles, the compliment applies.
BEST LGBT SPORTS LEAGUE
(Photo courtesy of Gay Varsity League)
California’s largest LGBT Recreational Sports league welcomes and unites all, regardless of sexuality, gender identity or athletic ability. There are no try-outs, and attendance at practices, although certainly encouraged, is not mandatory. Even the dress code is casual. Yes, you’ll look good in VGL Apparel, but rocking your favorite comfortable clothes is not a scandal. Just dress to express, park your offensive language on the sidelines, and leave the nudity where it belongs: at home, or in the lobby of your very liberal workplace. Finally, a sports league that not only gets you moving, it totally gets you!
Members of WeHo Dodgeball. (Photo courtesy of WeHo Dodgeball)
Take your gym class trauma and consign it to history. From prom queens to drag queens, you never know who will be on the business end of those soft rubber “no sting” balls that are the humane hallmark of WeHo Dodgeball. Their membership, which numbers in the thousands, is united by a desire to make elimination-based competition fun, party down at GYM Sportsbar after each match-up, and participate in fundraising efforts that benefit local charities.
MOST LGBT-FRIENDLY WORKPLACE
Winner: AIDS Healthcare Foundation
AIDS Healthcare Foundation was started 31 years ago by a handful of friends, who sought to provide AIDS hospice care to predominantly gay men who were being shunned by their employers, landlords, and families. Today, AHF is a $1.5 billion organization serving more than 1 million, 60 thousand patients in 43 countries. “A respect for diversity has been embedded in our DNA since our inception,” says Senior Director of Communications Ged Kenslea, “and that’s reflective in the number of affinity groups we work with, including Impulse United, LOUD, BLACC, FLUX, In The Meantime Men’s Group, and SPARK. In our overseas clinics, we do not import doctors or staff from the U.S. We hire local professionals to manage our sites and facilities, and to treat our patients. So both inside AHF and in our external relations, we listen to, and participate in, the diversity of conversations and life experiences.”
(Photo courtesy of City of West Hollywood)
Runner-Up: City of West Hollywood
BEST HAIR SALON
(Photo courtesy of Shorty’s Barber Shop)
Founded by Chris Bair in 1999, with only four chairs, Shorty’s Barber Shop now boasts 26, along with a staff whose diversity mirrors that of the community they love. “When you walk in,” Bair notes, “there’s always somebody you can connect with, who will make you feel comfortable.” And when you walk out with some merch (the styling putty and soy paste are customer favorites), you can feel good about that, too. All of their products are ethically created, and never tested on animals. Besides the perfect cut, Shorty’s also puts a premium on giving back, by working with the likes of Concrete Hero, AIDS Project Los Angeles, and the Los Angeles LGBT Center.
(Photo courtesy of Chaz Dean Studio)
Chaz Dean Studio prides itself on capturing the essence of its clients, by helping them create a look that feels authentic, yet also reveals a side of them that they have never seen. The stylists, all experts at cut and color, are able to achieve your goal without heat or chemical damage. Best of all, the look you walk out the door with will be easily maintained at home.
BEST DANCE PARTY
Winner: Salvation Saturdays at The Abbey
Whether you’re at The Abbey for a liquid pick-me-up, going there to pick somebody up, or just getting picked up (it’s a massively popular Uber and Lyft drop-off/pick-up point), Salvation Saturdays is a must, for anyone cruising their way through Boystown. Dance floor bottle service, go-go dancers who identify as male, female, or somewhere in-between, and beat-keepers hand-picked by resident DJ Dawna Montell whip the welcoming crowd into a fabulous frenzy. A team dedicated to maintaining the multimillion-dollar lighting and sound system make sure the gyrating guest next to you isn’t the only source of quality stimulation.
(Photo courtesy of DTLA Proud)
DTLA Proud’s mission is to strengthen and empower the local LGBTQ and ally community in Downtown Los Angeles through visibility, volunteerism, partnerships and events — and what better way to be visible than by getting your groove on, at the festival’s popular pop-up water park? Nightlife promoters were part of the team that founded DTLA Proud, and have worked hard to ensure their DJs are drawn from a diverse lineup of musical styles and identity spectrums.
BEST BARTENDER
Tyler Booth (Photo courtesy of Booth)
Winner: Tyler Booth
There’s nothing down low about the moves Tyler Booth busts, when he two-steps from behind the bar to entertain the crowd, in full-on “do-si-do” mode. Self-described, and confirmed by our voters, as “an awesome dude,” Booth is an actor whose charm and skills are definitely not the stuff of some fictional role. Buoyed by Flaming Saddles owners Chris Barnes and Jacqui Squatriglia to up country western’s queer quotient, this buff bartender is a tall drink of water, who knows how to authoritatively snap the cap off a brewsky, or mix a cocktail with tender loving care.
Kimber Bering (Photo courtesy of Bering)
Runner-Up: Kimber Bering
Known for spiking the drinks she serves at The Abbey with words of encouragement that deliver a sense of intoxication all their own, Kimber Bering created some of the menu’s signature cocktails — including, as a tribute to Prince, The Paisley Peach. As local winner of the Stoli Key West Cocktail Classic, she represented LA in 2016, and has gone on to judge that competition. Bering performs around town, and can be found on Spotify, as “Kimber Chronic.”
BEST STRAIGHT ALLY
Ariadne Getty (Photo courtesy of Getty)
Winner: Ariadne Getty
Ariadne Getty has described herself as an “introvert” — but her public work paints a different picture, one of a determined, tireless, and engaged activist working to make a better world for her two gay adult children and LGBTQ youth all over the globe. As President and Executive Director of the Ariadne Getty Foundation, last year she pledged $15 million to launch the GLAAD Media Institute, which brings advocacy trainings to national and international LGBTQ organizations. She also pledged $2 million to help build the LA LGBT Center’s Anita May Rosenstein Campus, which will host more than 100 new beds and apartments for LGBTQ youth and seniors. Earlier this week, she made sure LGBTQ issues were center stage, during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, an annual meeting of world leaders. The Ariadne Getty Foundation hosted LGBTQ-focused events showcasing global CEOs and LGBTQ activists calling for positive change. She also appeared on several panels, speaking about the urgent need for LGBTQ acceptance. She is a recent addition to the Gay Men’s Chorus of LA board of directors, the recipient of the Los Angeles LGBT Center Vanguard Award, and the namesake of GLAAD’s newly launched Ariadne Getty Ally Award. Getty’s recognition by the Los Angeles Blade as “Best Straight Ally” is proof our readers are anything but reserved, in their appreciation of this introvert’s empowering words and deeds.
Joely Fisher (Photo courtesy of Fisher)
Runner-Up: Joely Fisher
With great comedic timing and a glint in her eye that makes even the most lavender-leaning guy think fondly of the road not taken, LGBTQs, and anyone high up on the human decency spectrum, admire this awesome ally’s longtime labors on behalf of the community, whether through public declarations of support, personal friendships, or the roles she chooses to accept.
BEST NEIGHBORHOOD BAR
(Photo courtesy of Revolver Video Bar)
Gay-owned and operated, Revolver Video Bar has been a West Hollywood staple worth stampeding to for more than 30 years — and not just because of the buzz created by their $2 tequila and vodka drinks, 3-9 p.m., on Saturdays and Sundays, respectively. Karaoke and drag shows cast their spell on customers, while live DJs and go-go dancers turn up the heat on already smoking-hot cruisers and boozers.
(Photo courtesy of Hamburger Mary’s)
There’s no beef to be had with Hamburger Mary’s WeHo, whose generous menu of drag entertainment makes everything between the buns all more fun to gobble up. And you can feel good about losing your shirt at Drag Queen Bingo: Besides basking in the glory of rotating hosts Roxy Wood, Willam, and Calpernia Addams, all proceeds go to charity.
BEST NON-PROFIT
(Photo courtesy of Project Angel Food)
Man cannot live by bread alone — but for those impacted by life-threatening illnesses, the more than 11,000 free meals cooked and delivered every week by Project Angel Food feeds their nutritional needs, while bringing comfort and hope into their homes. In addition to this service, Project Angel Food provides nutritional counseling, to ensure those in Los Angeles County struggling with illness will not be burdened by hunger and malnutrition. “A world where every sick person is fed, nourished, and loved” is their vision, backed by the core values of empathy, integrity, inclusiveness, and joy.
(Photo courtesy of Los Angeles LGBT Center)
Runner-Up: The Los Angeles LGBT Center
Every year, more than half a million people representing the full diversity of the community access their free or low-cost programs, in the areas of Health, Social Services and Housing, Culture and Education, and Leadership and Advocacy. Looking fit and feeling fierce at age 50, the Center is steadfast in its mission to fight against bigotry, while building a better world, and is always ready to welcome new guests and volunteers — or have you help spread their message of love, by scoring some sweet swag from their online store.
BEST DJ
DJ Morningstar (Photo courtesy of DJ Morningstar)
You get back what you give, as demonstrated by the winner in our Best DJ category. Describing the vibe at the LGBT clubs he plays as consistently “fun, freeing, energetic, friendly, and loving,” DJ Morningstar (Kian Amiri) says the gay community “essentially saved my life,” by making him feel valued, and supporting the liberal ideology he embraces. Pride events are among DJ Morningstar’s favorite gigs, and a chance to deliver what the people want: “A big, booming, female voice; powerful soul on top of an energetic dance beat.” The gay community, “is always on the right side of history, no matter the cause,” he says, which allows him to be “unapologetically outspoken” without “worrying about repercussions, as you would at straight, corporate clubs.”
DJ Asha (Photo courtesy of DJ Asha)
“I think these are very special places to DJ,” says DJ Asha, of her work at LGBT venues, including Micky’s and Beaches. “People need a safe space, a place,” she noted, “where they can be free to express themselves, make friends, look for love, hook up, or whatever.” The open-format DJ, who hosted LA Pride six times, is not locked down to a specific genre — so you’ll always hear a variety of sounds, within one set, no matter what crowd she’s playing to.
BEST LGBT RED CARPET EVENT
The world’s largest LGBTQ media advocacy organization, every year at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles holds a dynamic red carpet that draws some of Hollywood’s most iconic celebrities in support of equality. One reader posted, “it rivals the Golden Globes and it’s held in the same room.” J- Lo, Leo, Taylor, Mary J., Britney, Cher, Madonna, just to drop a few names, have posed and mingled with our community, joining with GLAAD to protect all that has been accomplished and to creates a world where everyone can live the life they love.
(Photo courtesy of OUTFEST)
Over the past three decades, OUTFEST has showcased thousands of films from around the world, educated and mentored hundreds of emerging filmmakers and protected more than 20,000 LGBTQ films and videos. The red carpet rocks with glam poses, celebs and future celebs. OUTFEST has become one of Hollywood’s most important film marketplaces.
BEST ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION
(Logo courtesy of Lyft)
We all love a good pick-up app. How about a Lyft? The more politically correct of the two major ride-sharing services, Lyft has 100 percent, 24-hour coverage of Los Angeles and you can be on your way to anywhere in just a few minutes. Just open the app and you’re almost there, whether you need a luxury ride or one to carry the whole gang. Lyft is rated 4.8 out of 5 stars but Los Angeles Blade readers give it 5 stars.
(Logo courtesy of Uber)
Runner-Up: UBER
Uber is everywhere too and when it was first launched it had the feel of a truly luxurious chauffeur service. The shine is still there and many people still prefer it.
BEST PET BUSINESS OR VET
(Photo courtesy of West Hollywood Animal Hospital)
Winner: West Hollywood Animal Hospital
The go-to vet practice of many people in West Hollywood because it offers modern full-service Veterinary services every day. It has a hometown feel; it’s founder Dr. Monica Revel, DVM, was born and raised within one mile of its location and it shows. Pet lovers come from around SOCAL like a return home: “I wouldn’t take Max anywhere else unless it’s an emergency and we live in Laguna where we relocated 4 years ago from Beverly Hills. (9000 N Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069)
(Photo courtesy of VCA-Miller-Robertson Animal Hospital )
Runner-Up: VCA-Miller-Robertson Animal Hospital
Home to Dr. Mark Nunez, last year’s winner in this category. Full disclosure: Dr. Nunez is the primary care doctor for our publisher’s senior dog, Lilly. “Mark is always fully engaged and he listens without judgment and corrects without scorn,” said one commenter. (8807 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90069)
BEST LGBT SOCIAL GROUP (TIE)
Winner: PRIDE RECOVERY LA
Provides addiction treatment for the LGBT community, through LGBT-affirmative therapy, group and individual therapy, and psychiatric care, but it’s their after care and support program that one reader cited as the reason they are a winner: “They are my family,” the reader posted, “I can always go home and know I will be OK.” (8300 Melrose Ave, West Hollywood, CA 90048)
(Photo courtesy of Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce)
Winner: Los Angeles Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce
LAGLCC describes itself as “the premier advocate of the Los Angeles Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender business community, representing hundreds of businesses, advancing common business interests, economic growth, and equality in the workplace and society for its LGBTQ members, businesses, and allies by providing educational, networking, and community building opportunities.” The group’s monthly mixer functions are must-attend features of the local social scene.
(Photo courtesy of AIDS Lifecycle)
Runner-Up: AIDS LIFECYCLE
For many people the fundraising marketing that precedes the 545-mile San Francisco to Los Angeles bike ride is about much more than AIDS; it’s about family and community at its very best. Not only do you get to pedal forward in life, you get to ask people to pay it forward. AIDS Life Cycle represents our community at its very best.
BEST PLACE TO LIVE
There’s just no place like it. What can we say? A lot, actually. The little town of 39,000 residents remains Los Angeles’ hottest destination for the entertainment industry with its boutique hotels, celebrity-owned restaurants, unparalleled nightlife and shopping and world-renowned events like the HBO Emmy Party, Sir Elton John’s Annual Oscar Party, LA PRIDE and the West Hollywood Halloween Carnaval, the largest Halloween street party in the world. West Hollywood continues to set the standard for progressive, creative individuals on the cutting edge of trends and new ideas, working together as a community in one of the most exciting destinations in the country. And it is home to one of the largest concentrations of LGBT people in the world.
At the other end of the rainbow is Beverly Hills, pot of gold included. It’s an aspirational town for sure and there are more Mazarattis, Rolls Royces and Bentleys sold here than anywhere in the world. It’s quiet, sequestered, manicured and intensely beautiful and the perfect place for wealthy LGBT families. And there are many. It’s where West Hollywood gets its water supply as they are always reminding.
BEST HOTEL
(Photo courtesy of W Hollywood)
Winner: W Hollywood
It seems Los Angeles Blade readers know a thing or two when it comes to family and friends from out of town: they all want to experience Hollywood. It’s perfectly located, giving easy access to Universal, DTLA, Pasadena, all points west. And while you’re family is visiting, you and your friends can visit one of the best pools in town as a bonus. (6250 Hollywood Blvd, Hollywood, CA 90028)
(Photo courtesy of Kimpton La Peer)
Runner-Up: Kimpton La Peer
“Imagine a space where art, music, fashion, poetry, film and architecture intertwine to a cacophony of spatial harmony,” says Icelandic-born, Los Angeles-based cutting edge designer Gulla Jónsdóttir, of the new Kimpton La Peer. Consider it for a weekend staycation for you and your honey. (627 N La Peer Dr, West Hollywood, CA 90069)
BEST DOCTOR/MEDICAL PROVIDER
(Photo courtesy of Cedars Sinai)
Winner: Cedars Sinai Urgent Care
One of the world’s best hospitals, not surprisingly, also runs the best Urgent Care locations in the nation. Cedars-Sinai’s urgent care facility in Beverly Hills keeps extended hours seven days a week, providing immediate healthcare needs that are not life-threatening. You’ll walk in and find expedited service from some of the world’s best doctors. (8501 Wilshire Blvd #150, Beverly Hills, CA 90211)
Dr. David Alajajian. (Photo courtesy of Pacific Oaks Medical Group)
Runner-Up: Pacific Oaks Medical Group
One of the earliest responders during the AIDS crisis, Pacific Oaks Medical Group is a leading community provider of medical care to our diverse community. And the group’s recent addition of Dr. David Alajajian is apparently a big hit with our readers. (150 N Robertson Blvd #300, Beverly Hills, CA 90211)
BEST CAR DEALERSHIP
(Photo courtesy of Beverly Hills BMW)
Winner: Beverly Hills BMW
This dealership is located on Wilshire just east of La Brea, displaced from Beverly Hills during construction of the Purple line, but it remains the go-to BMW dealership for many of West Hollywood and Beverly Hills’ BMW owners. The immaculate shop runs like clockwork and there’s never a wait. Last year at SUR, they delivered $200,000 worth of cars and leather jackets to our Best Of awards. Our readers apparently have not forgotten. (5070 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036)
Runner-Up: Mercedes Beverly Hills
Mercedes is the most popular luxury brand in the several zip codes surrounding West Hollywood and 9 out of 10 local owners work with Mercedes of Beverly Hills to keep their cars current and in top condition. (9250 Beverly Blvd, Beverly Hills, CA 90210)
BEST PRO LOCAL ATHLETE
LeBron James. (Photo courtesy of James)
Winner: LeBron James
LeBron and the Lakers are both reader favorites. Our readers were over the moon about his decision to join the ranks of prominent Angeleno sports stars when he moved west from Cleveland. One reader wrote: “LeBron is almost as magic as Magic and I admire him for taking a pioneering stand for people of color and justice.” His solidarity with Colin Kaepernick resonated with our readers as a fitting addition to the ever progressive Lakers, just after the team’s first ever LGBT night.
Gus Kenworthy. (Photo courtesy of Kenworthy)
Runner-Up: Gus Kenworthy
Since the Seoul winter games everyone has been in love with Gus and his sexy Instagram and love of dogs. Who wouldn’t want to be loved by Gus? Sorry Adam, we love you too but, hey.
BEST PUBLIC OFFICIAL
Adam Schiff (Photo courtesy of Schiff)
Winner: Adam Schiff
No congressman has been more consistent in his criticism of Donald Trump than congressman Adam Schiff, the U.S. Representative for California’s 28th congressional district since 2013. With the Dems now in majority control of the House, Shiff wields significant power over the fate of Trump as House Intelligence Committee chairman. On LGBT issues he bats 1,000 and in our estimation he’s a smart man, an avid reader of the Los Angeles Blade’s Karen Ocamb.
(Photo courtesy of West Hollywood City Council)
Runner-Up: West Hollywood City Council
A uniformly progressive city council comprised of longtime gay rights activists, advocates and allies of the LGBT community. Mayor John Duran, Mayor Pro Tempore John D’Amico and Council members Lindsey Horvath, Lauren Meister and John Heilman are known for fast-acting government responsiveness and well attended, well-run meetings. The city ranks among the best-run local governments in America.
BEST HOUSE OF WORSHIP
(Photo by Annie Wells/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images. Courtesy of Kol Ami)
Winner: Congregation Kol Ami
Since its founding in 1992, Kol Ami has become an important leader in the Jewish, LGBTQ and West Hollywood communities. Kol Ami’s commitment to progressive spirituality, diversity, inclusion and social justice is celebrated nationwide. It is known for being innovative while remaining rooted in Jewish tradition and practice. Rabi Denise L. Egers broke barriers to create a more inclusive Reform movement that has resulted in more LGBTQ inclusion at Synagogues worldwide. (1200 N La Brea Ave, West Hollywood, CA 90038)
(Photo courtesy of InVision Church)
Runner-Up: InVision Church
Since MCC left West Hollywood about a decade ago, there has been no LGBT specific Christian Church service in the area but that changed when pastor Josh Johnson brought his spirited Invision Church to WeHo. In services held every Sunday at the Sunset Strip’s famed Viper Room, Invision gives the LGBTQ community its own down home, rollicking and near evangelical place of worship. (8852 Sunset Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069)
BEST LGBT BUSINESS
(Photo courtesy of My 12 Step Store)
Winner: My 12 Step Store
RJ is widely considered to be one of the hardest working people in the sobriety community, not above working the register, helping customers select gifts for their loved ones, or packing items he ships out to customers around the world. My 12 Step Store is an exceptional and rare model of service to the LGBTQ community, part community center and part business, selling inspirational and motivational sobriety themed gifts. My 12 Step Stores sober mixers are one of the most popular events on the mix and mingle calendar. (8730 Santa Monica Blvd B, West Hollywood, CA 90069)
(Photo courtesy of Chi Chi LaRue’s)
From the bright pink exterior to the exclusive state-of-the-art merchandise and apparel inside, Chi Chi LaRue’s stands out, loud and proud, as West Hollywood’s only gay-owned and operated adult boutique. (8861 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069)
BEST COFFEE SHOP
(Photo courtesy of Alfred’s Coffee Melrose Place)
Winner: Alfred’s Coffee Melrose Place
It’s like a very intentional selfie. It’s a little embarrassing how indulgent and fun it is, this coffee shop where everyone is drop dead gorgeous but somehow it’s still all about the coffee. You’ll find it in the heart of LA’s trendiest retail destination, proudly brewing Stumptown Coffee Roasters. (8428 Melrose Place, Los Angeles, CA 90069)
(Photo courtesy of Blue Bottle Coffee)
Runner-Up: Blue Bottle Coffee
They seem to be popping up everywhere, this one part Oakland, one part LA coffee house is not cheap but it is certainly delicious. (8301 Beverly Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90048)
BEST LOCAL BREWERY
(Photo courtesy of Arts District Brewing Company)
Winner: Arts District Brewing Company
One of Los Angeles’ few craft brewpubs, opened December 2015 in Downtown LA’s historic Arts District. With an on-site, 15-barrel brewhouse capable of producing 3,300 barrels of beer each year, Arts District Brewing Company debuted with nine original beers and now offers 30+ all brewed on-site. Enjoy an entertainment area with a photo booth and multiple classic bar games available, including pinball and Skeeball machines. (828 Traction Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90013)
Runner-Up: Santa Monica Brew Works
Just a group of guys who share a mad love for great beer and the City Of Santa Monica. The brewery’s “Beach Brewed” philosophy is said to embody “the spirit of the world-renowned Santa Monica lifestyle. (1920 Colorado Ave C, Santa Monica, CA 90404)
BEST RESTAURANT
(Photo courtesy of Tortilla Republic)
Winner: Tortilla Republic
It’s Viva Mexico at its very finest. Every bite will have you saying “F*uck Trump and his crazy wall” because the best food in the world comes from our neighbor to the south. It’s a Los Angeles Blade favorite. (616 N Robertson Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90069)
(Photo courtesy of Bottega Louie)
Runner-Up: Bottega Louie
Get ready WeHo! The Gourmet Market, Patisserie & Café located in downtown Los Angeles will soon open on Santa Monica Boulevard and life will never be the same. (700 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90017)
BEST CHEF
Susan Feniger (Photo courtesy of Feniger)
Winner: Susan Feniger, Border Grill
Iconic culinarian, author, and entrepreneur Feniger has been helping to define the culinary landscape of Los Angeles since 1981. She’s opened a host of successful restaurants, but Border Grill remains her crowning achievement. Opened with co-chef and business partner Mary Sue Milliken in 1985, its modern, street-food-inspired Mexican cuisine has been defining the city’s culinary landscape ever since. As if having an iconic LA eatery and being a celebrity chef weren’t enough to make us love her, Susan is also an out and proud member of the community, currently sitting on the board of the Los Angeles LGBT Center.
Jon Rollo (Photo courtesy of Rollo)
Runner-up: Jon Rollo, Greenleaf Gourmet Chopshop
Revolutionizing the gourmet fast-casual dining experience the “Commander-in-Leaf” of Greenleaf has always had an appetite for fresh ingredients and living a healthy life – something he embodies with the farm-to-face concept of his restaurant, where he uses local, fresh, natural, organic ingredients to create dishes that are both delicious and wholesome. In his free time, you can find Jon working out at Barry’s Bootcamp, training for a triathlon, and raising his daughter and son with husband, Joey Gonzalez.
BEST LOCAL TV PERSONALITY
James Corden. (Photo courtesy of Corden)
Winner: James Corden
This Tony-winning actor may be from the other side of the Atlantic, but as the host of “The Late, Late Show,” he’s been regularly taking over the streets of Hollywood to film celebrity flash mobs, musical numbers, and the spectacularly popular “Carpool Karaoke” since 2015 – and that makes him as much an Angeleno as anyone. It’s no wonder we’re proud to lay claim to him; smart, funny, and talented, he’s got a pure love of “show business” that makes his late-night talk show a must-see event for millions. He’s also a strong LGBT ally who uses his public platform to promote LGBT equality – for instance, by performing a song in protest of Trump’s intended trans military ban in 2017.
Alexander Rodriguez. (Photo courtesy of Rodriquez)
Runner-up: Alexander Rodriguez
The iHeart radio personality is one-third of the all-gay Latinx panel on “Glitterbomb,” LATV’s explosive pop-culture talk show that offers a queer Latinx perspective on entertainment news. Along with fellow hosts (actor Enrique Sapene and EW senior editor Patrick Gomez), he brings wit, humor, and first-hand experience into the show’s look at Hollywood A-lister life.
BEST MARIJUANA DISPENSARY
(Logo courtesy of MedMen)
Winner: MedMen
Founded in 2010 by Adam Bierman and Andrew Modlin (who are also CEO and president, respectively), this Culver City-based company has grown up to be one of the leaders in the burgeoning legal cannabis industry, dedicated to “writing the book on the modern cannabis industry, from how facilities are designed and constructed to setting the bar on quality and excellence.” They’re also the single largest financial supporter of progressive marijuana laws at local, state, and federal levels. But what’s probably most important to the many satisfied consumers at their elegant boutiques in West Hollywood and Beverly Hills (as well as four other locations in the Los Angeles area) is their philosophy that standards, practices and reputation matter – and the high quality of the product that results from it.
(Photo courtesy of Zen Healing West Hollywood)
Runner-up: Zen Healing West Hollywood
With two locations, this longtime (since 2003) local-fave dispensary scores high Yelp ratings for its outstanding customer service and wide selection. As they say on their website, “Whether you vape, rollup, or use a piece, Zen Healing has a strain for you.”
MOST COMMITTED ACTIVIST
Madonna Cacciatore. (Photo courtesy of Cacciatore)
Winner: Madonna Cacciatore
She moved to LA as an actress, after a regular role on a short-lived TV reboot of “The Fugitive” gave her a taste of Hollywood; but it’s her dedication to another calling that has brought her true prominence in our local community. A longtime LGBT activist, she made a splash in the headlines when the LA Times featured a photo of her holding hands with then-partner (now wife) Robin McWilliams in their cover story on June 26, 2015, when the Obergefell victory made marriage equality the law of the land – but she had already been building her leadership role in the community for years as the director of special events at the Los Angeles LGBT Center. In 2018, she was chosen as the new executive director of Christopher Street West – giving her the opportunity to bring her years of experience to the table as she shepherds the non-profit, which has faced challenges in the last few years, toward the 50th anniversary of LA Pride in 2020.
Ari Gutiérrez Arambula. (Photo courtesy of Arambula)
Runner-up: Ari Gutiérrez Arambula
A tireless community leader, Ari is dedicated to increasing support and quality of life for the LGBTQ and gender non-conforming members of the Latinx community and their families – a community for which she has been an advocate for 30 years. She is the founding Advisory Board President of the Latino Equality Alliance, and the co-founder of HONOR PAC, a non-profit organization providing advocacy, leadership development and public education that honors cultural traditions and is accessible to youth and their parents.
BEST LOCAL PRO SPORTS TEAM
Winner: Los Angeles Dodgers
They may have lost the 2018 World Series to the Boston Red Sox, but LA’s “Boys In Blue” will never lose the hearts of the city they’ve called home since 1958. Part of the reason is the team’s determination to connect with the community by embracing diversity. In the words of Erik Braverman, the Dodgers’ vice president for marketing, communications and broadcasting who spoke to the Los Angeles Blade for a 2017 article, “LGBT people are as important to the organization as any other community.” For six consecutive years, the Dodgers have hosted an official LGBT night, and for the past two have made it an official kickoff party for LA Pride.
(Photo courtesy of the Los Angeles Lakers)
Runner-up: Los Angeles Lakers
Just as it is with the Dodgers, love for the Lakers is part of our city’s DNA. In 2018, the basketball organization hosted its own first-ever LGBTQ Pride night, honoring first active openly gay NBA player Jason Collins with the Laces of Unity Award (recognizing individuals in sports who have significantly contributed to the LGBTQ community) and featuring Amanda Palmer, the first female and first openly lesbian referee in NBA history, as the night’s honorary team captain.
BEST HOME FURNISHINGS
(Photo courtesy of Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams)
Winner: Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams
Started in North Carolina back in 1989, this elegant furniture company began with the simple idea of providing “comfort for all,” and nearly 30 years later, its signature store in Beverly Hills is a must-visit for any Angeleno with an eye toward decorating their home with stylish and modern home furnishings. In addition, its founders are activists and advocates for the LGBT community – Gold is co-founder of Faith in America, a nonprofit that educates people about the harm religious bigotry causes LGBT Americans that recently merged with the Tyler Clementi Foundation, and has served on the board of HRC for the past seven years, and Williams is known for his philanthropic work for equal rights; together, the men received a Groundbreakers Award from NYC’s Housing Works, dedicated to ending AIDS and homelessness.
(Photo courtesy of Josh Johnson Home)
Runner-up: Josh Johnson Home
A Tennessee native who became known as “Sparkle Josh” during his stint in HGTV’s “Design Stars,” this flamboyant celebrity interior designer has a design philosophy of “Livable Luxe,” which he describes as the pairing of affordable elegance with functional practicality, and his status as a celebrity designer has made him a designer to celebrities — or anyone who wants to live like one.
BEST PERFORMING ARTS VENUE
Winner: Walt Disney Concert Hall
This downtown landmark, designed by world-renowned architect Frank Gehry and opened in 2003, is not just part of the Los Angeles Music Center – with its sleek, shining, non-linear design, it’s an icon of urban architecture and a signature LA building, and with its hear-a-pin-drop acoustics, it’s a world-class performance hall. Intended as a gift to the people of Los Angeles by Lillian Disney (widow of Walt), who in 1987 donated $50 million to fund a venue that could serve as a tribute to her late husband’s devotion to the arts and to the city, today it fulfills that purpose by providing a home to the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra and the Los Angeles Master Chorale, as well as by hosting variety of artists and events from around the world.
(Photo courtesy of Geffen Playhouse)
Runner-up: Geffen Playhouse
Founded by Gilbert Cates in 1995, and named for its donor, music executive David Geffen, this not-for-profit theater company is housed within a historic 1929 building – one of the first 12 structures built in Westwood Village – that was once the Masonic Affiliates’ Club for students and alumni of UCLA. In its two venues there, the Geffen mounts eight top-quality theatrical productions per season, showcasing both new works and time-honored classics, often performed by familiar actors from film and television – one of the definite perks of living in a movie town.
BEST DAY TRIP
(Photo courtesy of Palm Springs)
Los Angeles’ relationship with its neighbor in the desert goes back to the 1920s, when the town’s growing status as a getaway spot made it appealing to Hollywood’s rich and famous as a quick and easy escape from the rigors of their glamorous everyday lives. It serves much the same purpose today, but it’s grown into an internationally recognized resort destination – which means world-class entertainment, luxurious hotels, and glittering casinos await any Angeleno ready to make the 90-minute drive (OK, only if there’s no traffic) to get there. It’s not just about pampering yourself, though that’s part of the allure; there is also a thriving cultural scene, lots of nightlife, magnificent restaurants, a weekly street festival, and an annual week-long celebration of the Modernist architecture long embraced as a definitive part of the city’s identity. Of course, Palm Springs is something of an LGBT Mecca, too – but odds are good that, if you’re reading this, you already knew that.
(Photo courtesy of Avalon, Catalina Island)
Runner-up: Avalon, Catalina Island
Located on the southeast end of Santa Catalina Island, Avalon has been a popular destination for visitors since the early 1900s. Like Palm Springs, it has always attracted the glitterati crowd, from film stars to presidents, and is known today for its resorts and casinos – along with the numerous other attractions offered by a picturesque seaside community. Only a short ferry ride away, it’s one of the best opportunities for Angelenos to have a sun-soaked mini-vacation and still be home in time to feed the pets before bedtime.
BEST MOVIE THEATER
Winner: Arclight Hollywood
In a city built by the movies (and those who love them) it’s no surprise that the favorite pick is this landmark multiplex on Sunset, which is home to 15 screens (including the historic Cinerama Dome) that feature state-of-the-art projection and sound technology, and amenities like a gourmet snack bar, no commercials before the show, and – a favorite flourish for convenience-hungry Angelenos – reserved seating that eliminates the need for standing in a long line. On top of all that, Arclight offers an impressive selection of movie offerings, from the biggest entertainment blockbusters to the edgiest indie art films, all in the name of catering to the sophisticated interests of its cinema-loving clientele. As a bonus, moviegoers stand a good chance of seeing some of their favorite stars off the screen as well as on – it’s a popular location for the people who make movies to go and sit in the audience for a change.
(Photo courtesy of Pacific Theaters at the Grove)
Runner-up: Pacific Theaters at the Grove
Offering its own kind of Hollywood appeal, this elegantly designed multiplex in the heart of one of the city’s most popular malls (adjacent to the historic Farmer’s Market). It’s a haven for film lovers, with its own state-of-the-art auditoriums that feature large screens, surround sound, and luxury stadium seating – and if you want to pair your moviegoing experience with a meal, the Grove location ensures a wide selection of nearby eateries that will be perfect for discussing what you’ve just seen over lunch or dinner.
BEST LIVE MUSIC
(Photo courtesy of Hollywood Bowl)
Steeped in history — it’s seen the likes of everyone from Billie Holiday to Billy Joel — the Hollywood Bowl reigns, as Southern California’s premier destination for live music. Its iconic concentric-arched band shell is recognized the world over, just as sure as the venue itself is recognized by our readers as the best of the best.
(Photo courtesy of The Greek Theatre)
Located within Griffith Park, the historic Greek Theatre stands as one of the nation’s most beloved and recognized outdoor entertainment destinations. This iconic venue has also served as a site for numerous high school graduations, community events, and backdrops for television shows and motion pictures.
Music & Concerts
L.A. DJs Heidi Lawden and FLABBERGAST call for resistance in ‘Children of the Revolution’
The new track draws on queer nightlife, anti-fascist politics and a friendship forged on Los Angeles’ underground dance floors
Los Angeles DJs Heidi Lawden and FLABBERGAST teamed up for “Children of the Revolution,” a new track released Sept. 4 on Berlin label DESSERT. Written and produced by Lawden and Hein Hoven, with lead vocals and lyrics by FLABBERGAST, the track appears alongside a darker, stripped-down “Power Bottom Mix,” by Lawden.
Lawden and FLABBERGAST first connected in L.A.’s queer underground party scene. Lawden co-founded Take It Outside, while Zane Pond, who performs as FLABBERGAST, co-founded VICE Underground. On July 4, 2025, amid ICE raids across L.A., they organized an art installation and protest rave on the Arroyo Seco Walkway near Dodger Stadium, where they debuted an early version of the track while local artists covered the bridge with anti-fascist messages.
DESSERT co-founder Tom Peters visited L.A. in April to DJ at VICE. Before the party, FLABBERGAST played him the track, and Peters expressed interest in releasing it. Lawden, Hoven and FLABBERGAST then rebuilt the track and made the “Power Bottom Mix.”
Ahead of its release, Lawden and FLABBERGAST spoke separately with the Los Angeles Blade about the track, their friendship and queer nightlife as resistance.
What made you two want to work together?
HEIDI LAWDEN: It was unbelievably organic. We gravitated toward one another politically when the ICE raids were really happening in our city. We were very connected over our shared disgust.
FLABBERGAST: We’re both very punk. We believe in anti-fascism. Those things bonded us as really good friends. I said to her after I DJed a party, “Let’s go to the studio on Tuesday.” She was like, “Let’s do it.” We did it, and we made the track in a day.
What were you trying to say politically?
FLABBERGAST: “Revolution,” in the context of the song, is about freeing all people who are under bondage, specifically trans and queer people. We’re not free, and this song is about reminding people of that. It’s all of our responsibility to make noise and fight.
HEIDI LAWDEN: It was a call-out to inspire people to rally, protest, object, and resist. I really wanted it to feel powerful, like a musical air raid siren.
What did each of you bring to the record?
FLABBERGAST: Heidi brought the sound and the euphoria. Everything about her is joyous. My lyrics are more about the protest. And she also includes some of her lyrics at the end. She sang them, which was so beautiful.
HEIDI LAWDEN: My inspiration was really Zane, the things we talked about and musically bonded over. It was wholly inspired by our friendship and our shared views.
Why two versions, and what distinguishes them?
FLABBERGAST: We realized over time that we didn’t want it to be so dark. We wanted it to be uplifting and full of love.
HEIDI LAWDEN: The “Power Bottom Mix” is down-and-dirty beats. It doesn’t reach any kind of crescendo, whereas the full mix has a euphoric ending. The “Power Bottom Mix” is something you could play for 20 minutes on a loop, and it makes you get down and dirty. That’s why the two tracks work so well together if you want to go between the mixes.
The track connects queer nightlife with resistance. What makes the dance floor political for you?
FLABBERGAST: It’s about being in a place you feel safe and liberated. Some people might be hiding, might not be out, and these places are the only places where they can truly feel free. Especially people of the trans experience, they face challenges every day when they go out in public that cisgender people will never have to deal with.
HEIDI LAWDEN: My earliest experiences of nightlife were dancing and not knowing who was going to be there to dance with me the following week. It’s always been an act of resistance. I saw this amazing quote about being in the fight in the daytime and then being on the dance floors at nighttime to remind ourselves what we were in the fight for.
These interviews have been edited for length and clarity.
EMMYS
The 78th Annual Emmy Awards recapped
What the show lacked in queer representation, it made up for in queer coding
Entertainment has been bittersweet for queer people. We’ve lost Dolly Parton, Bob Mackie, and Tim Curry. We’ve seen a 41% drop in queer characters on television due to TV cancellations. So you likely weren’t expecting the Emmys to be a particularly queer affair. And yet, there were some delicious moments that were queer-coded, and many of our favorites were honored.
Mariska Hargitay, who has played our favorite quasi-butch SVU detective for 27 years, hosted the festivities. She took home two Creative Arts Emmys for directing the documentary My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay, which also took home an award. She started the ceremony with a parody of “I Love Rock-n-Roll” which featured appearances by Jean Smart, Jennifer Coolidge, and gay Emmy winner Jeff Hiller. There were also weird product placement ads for Marriott and United. #recessionindicators
As for LGBTQ representation, Rhea Seehorn won for playing lesbian character Carol Sturka in Pluribus. Alan Cumming took home another Emmy as well for The Traitors, beating out RuPaul and RuPaul’s Drag Race. Drag Race did take home an Emmy for Outstanding Hairstyling For A Variety, Nonfiction, or Reality Program.
DTF: St Louis which followed an infidelity that ended in a muder subplot and featured a unique polyamorous threesome was an Emmy darling and earned Emmys for Linda Cardellini and David Harbour.
There were some historical moments: Matthew Rhys took home two Emmys for Best Lead Actor in an Anthology and Best Lead Actor in a Comedy, making him the first actor to win for two of the main categories in one night. Rob Reiner, who received a posthumous Emmy for his role in The Bear, beat out 2025 darling Connor Storrie. This broke the record for the longest span between acting Emmy wins at 48 years, which was previously set by his father, comedian Carl Reiner.
To honor Dolly Parton, Sally Field (who took home an Emmy) gave a stirring introduction, with Reba McEntire singing a tribute. Macaulay Culkin, Annie Murphy, and Dan Levy paid tribute to Catherine O’Hara, with Culkin pulling heartstrings calling her “mama.”
There was a 50th reunion for Charlie’s Angels with Jaclyn Smith, Kate Jackson, and Cheryl Ladd presenting Outstanding Drama Series. They took a moment to shout out and honor Farrah Fawcett. Sarah Michelle Gellar and David Borenaz had their own reunion, giving out the award for Outstanding Lead Actor and alluded to the sad loss of Nicholas Brendan, Anthony Stewart Head, and Michelle Trachtenberg, who all passed within the last two years. Gellar was also able to make a quick crack about her now-cancelled Buffy reboot.
The ceremony was also very on it and was quick to add Bob Mackie, who passed earlier this week, to their In Memoriam segment.
Here’s the full list of winners as well as notable Creative Arts Emmy recipients.
Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
- Sally Field, Remarkably Bright Creatures
Lead Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
- Matthew Rhys, The Beast in Me
Supporting Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
- Linda Cardellini, DTF St. Louis
Supporting Actor in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
- David Harbour, DTF St. Louis
Directing for a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie
- Steven Conrad, DTF St. Louis
Limited or Anthology Series
- DTF St. Louis
Lead Actor in a Comedy Series
- Matthew Rhys, Widow’s Bay
Lead Actress in a Comedy Series
- Jean Smart, Hacks
Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
- Stephen Root, Widow’s Bay
Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
- Kate O’Flynn, Widow’s Bay
Guest Actor in a Comedy Series
- Rob Reiner, The Bear
Guest Actress in a Comedy Series
- Betty Gilpin, Widow’s Bay
Directing for a Comedy Series
- Hiro Murai, Widow’s Bay
Writing for a Comedy Series
- Katie Dippold, Widow’s Bay
Comedy Series
- Widow’s Bay
Lead Actress in a Drama Series
- Rhea Seehorn, Pluribus
Lead Actor in a Drama Series
- Noah Wyle, The Pitt
Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
- Allison Janney, The Diplomat
Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
- Tom Pelphrey, Task
Guest Actor in a Drama Series
- Ernest Harden Jr., The Pitt
Guest Actress in a Drama Series
- Shailene Woodley, Paradise
Writing for a Drama Series
- Vince Gilligan, Pluribus
Directing for a Drama Series
- Saul Metzstein, Slow Horses
Drama Series
- The Pitt
Structured Reality Program
- Antiques Roadshow
Unstructured Reality Program
- Love on the Spectrum
Host for a Reality or Reality Competition Program
- Alan Cumming, The Traitors
Directing for a Reality Program
- Ben Archard, The Traitors
Reality Competition Program
- The Traitors
Writing for a Variety Series
- The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
Directing for a Variety Series
- Yvonne De Mare, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
Variety Series
- The Late Show With Stephen Colbert
Variety Special (Live)
- The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny
Variety Special (Prerecorded)
- The Muppet Show
Directing for a Variety Special
- Hamish Hamilton, The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show Starring Bad Bunny
Short Form Comedy, Drama or Variety Series
- Colbert Before Air
Short Form Nonfiction or Reality Series
- Inside The Pitt
Performer in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series
- Desi Lydic, The Daily Show: Desi Lydic Foxsplains
Directing for a Documentary/Nonfiction Program
- Mariska Hargitay, My Mom Jayne: A Film By Mariska Hargitay
Documentary or Nonfiction Special
- My Mom Jayne: A Film by Mariska Hargitay
Celebrity News
Fashion icon Bob Mackie dead at 87
Designing legend to all the Divas, gone but not forgotten
To those still reeling from the loss of Dolly Parton and Tim Curry, we have another queer icon to add to the In Memoriam of 2026: Bob Mackie. A designer known for being extra, before that was even a thing, has left us with a legacy of looks and an indelible mark on fashion.
The news broke on his Instagram account Monday, September 14th, with the message:
“It is with a heavy heart that we share the news that Mr. Bob Mackie passed away today. He lived his 87 years to the fullest, fulfilling his dream of being a Fashion and Costume Designer, which is all he ever wanted to do. His genius and extraordinary designs will live on forever, continuing to bring beauty into this world.” According to People magazine, he passed away in Palm Springs due to pneumonia.
At 87, Mackie is the definitive designer for divas. Mackie has literally dressed them all, including Diana Ross, Whitney Houston, Barbara Streisand, Dolly Parton, Tina Turner, Bette Midler, Bernadette Peters, and even RuPaul. He’s dressed film and television icons like Raquel Welch, Lynda Carter, Goldie Hawn, and Jennifer Lopez. It’s not just female divas; he’s also done many of Elton John’s famous costumes as well as David Bowie’s.
His first major mark was drawing the first design of Marilyn Monroe’s famous “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” dress. Next, he was an assistant to costume designer Ray Aghayan on The Judy Garland Show. The two would carry on a professional and romantic partnership for 50 years until Aghayan’s passing in 2011.
Mackie then went on to do all of the costumes for The Carol Burnett Show, creating an estimated 17,000 costumes for her show’s 11-year run. This gave him much critical acclaim and notoriety, making him a permanent fixture in the variety show market.
He became a frequent collaborator of Cher, having made her famous midriff-revealing Oscar gown, her “If I Could Turn Back Time” costume, and being her designer for her various television shows, including The Sonny and Cher Show. He even designed costumes for her Farewell Tour. The two are synonymous with him having lent his artistic sensibilities to give her a distinct look. Cher even said in 2024, “He helped me create a different me.”
Mackie has left his mark on fashion with a distinct style of glamorous, over-the-top looks. He received the monikers the “Sultan of Sequins,” the Rajah of Rhinestones,” and the “Guru of Glitter” for challenging the line between costume and fashion with lots of fringe, flash, and over-the-top eye-catching elements. He’s managed to retain a presence not just in entertainment but in the fashion industry for decades. Most recently, one of his outfits was a major plot point for the final season of Hacks.
Mackie has received his share of awards and acknowledgments. In addition to dressing many people for the Oscars, he received three nominations, including dressing Diana Ross for Lady Sings the Blues. He won a Tony Award for The Cher Show. He won 9 Emmy Awards and received 30 nominations for his prolific television work.
Luckily, Mackie’s life was celebrated before his passing, receiving various Lifetime achievement awards including the Geoffrey Beene CFDA Lifetime Achievement Award, being honored by the Television Hall of Fame, and receiving RuPaul’s Drag Race’s Giving Us Life-time Achievement Award. He was the first guest judge on the popular series.
It’s clear that not only was Mackie talented, he was magical. He gave a bit of stardust to countless celebrities, luminaries, and public figures with looks that not only defied expectations but managed to be truly spectacular. He’s part of the glitz we think of when we think of Hollywood, and while often elaborate costumes, the shrewd fashion sense and elegance cannot be denied. Mackie will be missed, but his work lives on in the countless pieces still in circulation and forever captured on film and in media.
Books
Dolly Parton biography puts her hardships into context
‘Ain’t Nobody’s Fool’ a highly researched tome not to be missed
‘Ain’t Nobody’s Fool: The Life and Times of Dolly Parton’
By Martha Ackmann
c.2026, St. Martin’s Press
$30/304 pages
Not too bright.
That’s what people once thought about you. Your language didn’t conform, you had your own sense of style, and you were ignorant about modern things and places and foods. But you were no dummy. You were different, and you had a secret: as in the new biography, “Ain’t Nobody’s Fool: The Life and Times of Dolly Parton” by Martha Ackmann, you knew exactly where you were going.
When Avie Lee Owens and Lee Parton first married, they had the very basics: “two knives, two forks, two spoons, a skillet, a butcher knife, and an old iron kettle.” He was 17; she was 15. Babies came quick. The fourth one was named Dolly, after two great-aunts.
Almost from the time she could walk, Dolly sang. Before she was old enough to attend school, she wrote poetry, and she’d begun to notice rhythms and beats she could make with her fingers. As a schoolchild, she created her own musical instruments out of scraps, and she was eager to perform whenever anyone asked her – and they asked often, because Dolly Parton was a nice girl, and her sense of humor conveyed a warmth that drew people in.
Growing up in the Tennessee mountains, Parton was independent, shunning marriage and child-raising, instead focusing on a dream of being a star. By the time she was in high school, she’d had a regular gig on local television but she recognized that there were few opportunities for fame in the mountains, so she left for Nashville the day after high school graduation, with the snickers of naysayers ringing in her ears.
She stayed with an aunt and uncle there, and she beat the streets, dined on grocery store samples to get by, and missed her family and friends. And they worried about her, but they knew nothing would derail her plans. They knew Dolly would be fine.
As a friend said, “’She had her head on pretty good.’”
Chances are that if you’ve listened to music any time in the last 60 years, you’ve heard Dolly Parton through her words or her music or both. Now you need to learn more about her, and “Ain’t Nobody’s Fool” is where to do it.
Here’s a biography that grabs you on the first page with the tiniest bit of family tree, but not so much that you get bored with it. Author Martha Ackmann writes about Dolly Parton’s early life, putting hardships and experiences in context, both personally and historically. There are name-drops, but not overly so, as Ackmann takes you through Parton’s career, her heartbreaks, her marriage, and her years with Porter Wagoner, in detail but not dramatically embellished or outrageously told. It’s a biography that’s just right, sourced well and written with a fresh take that, like its subject, tells a good story.
Fans, of course, will want this highly researched book but music lovers of any age or type will eat it up. That means you, so use up that Christmas gift certificate. “Ain’t Nobody’s Fool” just shines.
The Blade may receive commissions from qualifying purchases made via this post.
a&e features
Cameron Esposito will make you laugh (and cry) on ‘King of Drag’ season 2
The new host of this historic series breaks down why we need it today
Drag enthusiasts — and fans of LGBTQ+ excellence in general — were thrilled in 2025 when Revry debuted the first-ever drag king competition show, King of Drag.
Joining the pantheon of drag-themed reality series like RuPaul’s Drag Race, this new program finally gave the kings of our community the attention they deserve, introducing viewers to a group of stellar performers who’d been flexing their artistry for years in communities across the country. Filled with a judging panel of queer royalty, complex challenges, and jaw-dropping creations from each contestant, King of Drag ended season one to widespread acclaim and thousands of new fans all over the world.
These watchers were elated when it was announced that the show would be returning in 2026 for a second installment. And they were even more excited to find out who’d be taking over as its illustrious host: historic queer comedienne Cameron Esposito.
This comic has spent the past few decades proving why they’re the perfect person to host a show like King of Drag. Many will know Esposito from their hilarious (and often very twisted) comedy; her many stand-up specials, albums, and guest appearances have earned her numerous accolades. Pair this with her current standing as a vocal LGBTQ+ advocate, and many folks in the queer community regard Cameron as one of our funniest activists today, always ready with a joke and a lesson on why we need to come together and fight against hatred. With that reputation, it was no question that she’d be the best person to fill the shoes of former host Murray Hill, after he stepped away from the program after season one. And in conversation with the LA Blade about the new role, Esposito raved about how excited they were to take on this mantle, saying, “I started [my career] around Kings.”
“They were really socially justice-motivated. They were super fun to watch — very sexy — and funny,” she continued, recounting her early days as a comic in Chicago’s thriving queer nightlife scene. “So having a chance to lift up that community as a host….I’m trying to come up with a lot of sick jokes so that the show is as good as it possibly can be!”
Cameron spoke about what it meant to lead King of Drag season two and how honored she was to guide this whole new batch of Drag Kings. “Any reality competition show is a high-pressure situation, and folks are really putting themselves out there! There’s so much vulnerability in that. So I really hope that I was able to bring some sweet little moments of relief for them. And also for the viewers — I hope the viewers think I’m funny,” she laughed.
Joined by judges Gottmik, Vico Ortiz, and Damian Pelliccione, Esposito worked hard to not only make amazing television, but to finally give these performers the appreciation they’d worked years for. She stressed that beyond the jokes she makes on this season (all of which she assures are hilarious), this was her main reason for joining the series, saying, “One of the biggest things was to focus on the kings. To get these folks the greater recognition that television brings, so that when they go back to their cities or when they’re on tour, people have that extra incentive to get out and see them.”
Because King of Drag understands how these artists have been treated not only by the mainstream media, but by the LGBTQ+ community itself — namely, how many queer people push them aside to focus on more ‘conventional’ images of drag. It’s why so few kings have been allowed on drag-centric shows until now, a glaring erasure that not only undercuts each series as a source of queer culture, but robs these performers of the success that television often entails.
“Trans dudes, queer women, lesbians…we are still, often, at the margins of a larger cultural push,” Esposito explained. “Elevating kings is an opportunity to trust audiences more…[because] I really don’t think that viewers have been given the opportunity to treat us seriously. You know, we might be joking around — but we are not a joke. When you’re talking about our rights, our respect, our safety…knowing people who are actually in this community affects how we’re treated. It affects how people see us, that we’re not just like nameless, faceless nothings.”
“I think it’s time for these kings who deserve recognition, and I also think it’s time to trust and move the needle in a larger context. Because we deserve to feel noticed, because we deserve to be paid. And because we deserve to be safe.”
Cameron Esposito is excited to lead King of Drag with not only the comedy that has defined her career, but the advocacy that guides her every single day. Because this series is not only a competition reality show — it’s a spotlight. A spotlight on a community that faces so many issues yet has never received a platform to openly speak about them. Combine this with a celebration of their astounding art, and King of Drag provides an exploration of drag kings like most queer viewers have ever seen before.
Esposito is proud to play such a huge part in bringing that to audiences today — and she promises to give you some sick, twisted laughs along the way.
King of Drag season 2 drops on Sept. 20th on REVRY.
Movies
‘Thelma and Louise’ remains landmark of unspoken queer rebellion
Celebrating iconic film 35 years after its release
Hard as it is to believe for those who were around when it happened, “Thelma and Louise” celebrates the 35th anniversary of its release this year.
Deeply popular with both critics and audiences at the time, its reputation continues to ride high; it’s a movie that manages to exist within a nexus of intersecting genres – the “buddy picture”, the “crime thriller,” the “action adventure,” the “western,” the “neo-noir” – by blending them seamlessly into a crowd-pleasing wild ride of a story, all while delivering a powerful feminist message of outrage, defiance, and empowerment.
And no, “Thelma and Louise” is not a “queer movie” – but it feels like one.
That’s partly because It exists within another genre, too: “lesbian noir,” which blossomed in its wake with films like “Bound” (1996) and has re-emerged in recent films like “Love Lies Bleeding” (2024) and “Honey, Don’t” (2025) – but that also stretches back across decades into the days of old Hollywood, when coded queer characters were a regular fixture in the seedy film noir classics of their time, never overtly identified as such but obvious to spot for anyone savvy enough to read the subtext. That’s why “Thelma and Louise” resonated (and continues to resonate) with lesbian and bisexual audiences who see themselves reflected in its two lead characters, even if there is nothing queer about their relationship — on the surface at least.
Of course, that can be a sore subject; subtext might seem like a “cop-out” for those who long for more open representation for LGBTQ people on the screen – but it’s everything when it comes to recognizing the queerness of older movies (and a lot of newer ones, too), and just because something is not explicitly stated, that doesn’t mean it’s being hidden. After all, most good stories rely on the transcendent power of nuance, which always relies on subtext to shine through. And if any movie relies upon subtext, “Thelma and Louise” is certainly one of them. In its masterfully crafted narrative of a weekend “girl’s trip” that goes horribly wrong, a lot of the most important information is left unspoken.
Take Thelma (Geena Davis), to start with: a naive young housewife whose husband Darryl (Christopher McDonald) treats her like a possession, she blithely ignores his mediocrity and disregards – or at least, pretends to – his repressive tactics to control her, choosing instead to live in a tenuous illusion of “traditional” marriage dynamics; yet when her bestie Louise (Susan Sarandon) offers her a chance to escape for a weekend, she jumps at it – even if she has to skip the part where she asks his permission.
Louise (Susan Sarandon), a bit older and a lot more worldly, is a waitress who spends her days fending off the insults and advances of her male customers at the diner where she works; she sees Thelma’s situation clearly, and hopes that a temporary respite from Darryl will help her recognize the dead-end reality of her marriage. We understand this immediately, even though a direct word is never said about it, and she’s right, of course. They’ve barely even gotten on the road before Thelma’s longing for attention from someone other than her inadequate husband – a honky-tonk Lothario (Timothy Carhart) she meets in a roadhouse where they stop for drinks on the way out of town – leads to an attempted rape that is only prevented when Louise shoots the predator dead in the parking lot.
That killing is the catalyst that turns them into fugitives; as Louise rightly understands, there’s no evidence of sexual assault, just a dead body and a pair of runaway women, and the letter of the law is not on their side. But in truth, that fatal shot is fired not to save Thelma, who has already been freed from her would-be rapist’s clutches when it happens, but because Louise has traumatic memories – and a chip on her shoulder – over something that “happened in Texas,” years before. We never find out what it was that happened, and we don’t need to; our imaginations tell us all we need to know, just as we know that the killing, while it may have been cold-blooded murder, is a justifiable homicide all the same.
There’s more of that subtextual nuance throughout, from the perversely inspiring motivations of hitchhiking hustler J.D. (Brad Pitt, in the sex-on-a-stick performance that launched him on his trajectory to stardom), who takes advantage of Thelma’s gullibility to rob the heroines even as he teaches her the tactics that will soon sustain them on their fateful ride-or-die fugitive adventure; to the self-serving “chivalry” of Louise’s erstwhile boyfriend (Michael Madsen) when he casts himself as the “martyr” for letting her go. And yes, even to the benignly sublimated patriarchal programming that drives police investigator Hal Slocumb (Harvey Keitel in an uncharacteristically empathetic role) to act as would-be savior to these two “fallen” women, though they want no part of his well-meaning attempts to “rescue” them from the consequences of their choices. And when the two fugitives terrorize a piggish trucker (Marco St. John) before blowing up his big-rig tanker, nobody says – or needs to say – why it feels like the right thing to do; it simply IS the right thing, and we, as the audience, know it. What we have seen up to that point has placed us firmly on Thelma and Louise’s side, and we’re as ready to watch the puerile patriarchy burn as they are.
None of this is spoken aloud, nor is it even alluded to, but it comes through, nonetheless. Chalk it up to the power of Callie Khouri’s Oscar-winning screenplay, which expertly lays this inner narrative as the foundation for everything that happens, and leaves director Ridley Scott to supply the stylish, action-packed visuals.
Thelma and Louise may not be “a couple,” but we can’t help notice as their clothing evolves from frilly-femme to “butch” utilitarianism along the way, nor how their connection to the men in their lives easily dissolves without fanfare. And by the time we reach the movie’s thrilling denouement, when all they have left is their commitment to simply stand up against the things that have kept them feeling incomplete, unfulfilled, and unacceptable, it’s an achingly familiar feeling for any queer viewer who has experienced the same – and let’s face it, that’s probably almost all of us.
We all know what happens, so it’s no spoiler to say that, when they drive off into oblivion in the Grand Canyon, they choose freedom over life itself – and when they head over that cliff, fully embracing their fate as a feminist iteration of the Bonnie and Clyde brand of “noble” outlaws, they seal their fate with a kiss.
At that point, any further explanation would feel like an insult. Their love for each other transcends anything they’ve felt with the inadequate men in their lives, it’s as simple as that, and their triumph is perfectly captured in that final freeze-frame moment, when they drive off the cliff and begin their plunge toward certain death and it feels like joy.
Yet still, we like to think that their car – like Danny Zuko’s at the end of “Grease” – simply flies away with them instead, into the bliss of an endless summer, and you can’t get any queerer than that!
Music & Concerts
New voices, new vision: Trans Chorus of Los Angeles names co-artistic directors for 12th season
Two longtime members, Alana Balagot and Corinne Burch, have stepped into the role of co-artistic directors, carrying the organization’s mission forward while shaping a vision of their own.
The Trans Chorus of Los Angeles has always been about more than music. Since its first rehearsal on October 18, 2015, TCLA has built a space where trans, non-binary, intersex, gender non-conforming, and gender-fluid singers can be seen, heard, and celebrated on their own terms. Now, as the chorus enters its 12th season, it does so under new leadership. Two longtime members, Alana Balagot and Corinne Burch, have stepped into the role of co-artistic directors, carrying the organization’s mission forward while shaping a vision of their own.
TCLA’s origin story has an unexpected source. “There was a trans chorus in one of the episodes of Glee,” Alana explained, and the moment stuck with a group of singers who decided to make it real. Alana, a founding member who joined in 2015 after spotting a Facebook ad, had been in choruses her whole life but had not been singing since transitioning. TCLA gave her a space to be both. With support from the Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles, and under the direction of founding artistic director Lindsey Deaton and executive director Lisa Marchbanks, the group held its first rehearsal in a bank conference room. There were no auditions, just people who wanted to sing.
Corinne joined years later, in 2021, in the middle of the pandemic, rehearsing over Zoom before the chorus returned in person. He had moved to Los Angeles in 2020 and started testosterone in 2019, a transition that came with an unexpected fear. “When I started taking testosterone, I was worried I was going to lose that part of myself and lose that mode of expression,” Corinne said. Having studied voice and sung in choirs his whole life, he searched for trans choruses and found TCLA first. Both singers stepped into music director roles together in 2022, after longtime musical director Joe Lawrence stepped down, and last year, when artistic director Abdullah Hall left, they stepped up again, this time as co-artistic directors.
Alana and Corinne describe their partnership as one built on complementary strengths. Corinne brings a background in music therapy and music education, while Alana brings experience in composing and production. Together, their priority is protecting the professional level of musicianship the chorus has cultivated over the past decade. “That’s something that we think really serves our mission of uplifting the trans community, is showing the world how beautiful our trans voices are,” Corinne said. At the same time, they are building something new. Corinne hopes to expand workshops and training resources for people who want to sing but cannot commit to a full rehearsal schedule. “A lot of trans people are turned away from musical spaces in their educational years, and we want to right that wrong,” he said.
The new season will also lean further into original work created from within the chorus itself. Composers, arrangers, studio engineers, and directors, all TCLA members, are already shaping the group’s sound. Alana wrote and helped produce a music video last year with her wife Becca directing, recorded in a member’s home studio, with other choristers handling production design, art direction, and choreography. “We want to be intentional about who we’re platforming as well, and making sure we’ve got diverse voices and doing it respectfully,” Alana said.
When asked what they wish the public understood about TCLA, both directors pointed to something bigger than the songs themselves. “We’re hoping it changes hearts and minds. We want to show that trans people are artists and musicians and like to sing like everyone else,” Alana said. Corinne pointed to the labor behind the scenes: the volunteers who set up and tear down every show, the board running the organization’s business side, and the funding gap that limits how far the chorus can reach. “The number one thing that stops us from reaching more people is funding,” he said. Grants and a loyal base of recurring donors keep TCLA running, but every dollar matters. His ask to the community is simple. Show up.
The chorus has a packed fall ahead. On September 19, TCLA performs as part of a festival with GALA Choruses, the national organization supporting LGBTQ+ choruses. On October 18, the chorus celebrates its anniversary with a birthday concert marking the date of its very first rehearsal in 2015. On November 20, TCLA honors Transgender Day of Remembrance with a full fall show at the Renberg Theater at the Los Angeles LGBT Center.
More than a decade after that first rehearsal in a bank conference room, the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles remains proof of what happens when a community insists on being seen. Under Alana and Corinne’s leadership, that mission is expanding rather than settling, reaching further into music education, original composition, and public visibility for trans artists. As the chorus prepares for a fall full of performances, its message stays consistent even as its sound grows. Trans people are musicians, neighbors, and artists, and this season, Los Angeles will have several more chances to listen.
Books
New book examines fashionista Audrey Smaltz’s fabulous life
‘Every Inch a Lady’ reveals finding true love with another woman
‘Every Inch a Lady’
By Audrey Smaltz with Alina Mitchell
c.2026, Amistad
$27.99/256 pages
Snaps, zippers, buttons, ties.
Toss that garment on, pull it up, wrap it around, you know what you like and how to wear it. The color is perfect for your skin tone, the fabric enhances your form. Yep, you always look your best and, as in the new book “Every Inch a Lady” by Audrey Smaltz (with Alina Mitchell), that best is fabulous.
”Born, bred, toasted, buttered, jellied, and honeyed in Harlem” in 1937, Audrey Smaltz was a force to be reckoned with almost from the time she could walk. Her parents imbued confidence in her, they nurtured her creativity and sent her to charm school, but they never allowed her to create a stir.
“That,” says Smaltz, “is not what ladies did.”
By the time she was a teenager, Smaltz was modeling for New York City designers. Shortly thereafter, she started working for a married man with whom she had an affair, and whom she loved very much. She broke up with him, attended college, worked a series of jobs that taught her about fashion and jobs that didn’t seem to fit her. An ill-fated marriage took her to Chicago where she ultimately landed a position that sent her to work in Ebony magazine’s New York office.
Working at Ebony was a career-changer, in a way. Smaltz was able to travel the world and learn more about fashion, but she didn’t exactly get along with her boss.
Finally, seizing an opportunity, Smaltz decided to launch her own company, Audrey Smaltz, Inc., a “fashion production business,” but she couldn’t get any designers to take a chance on her. Undaunted, she reorganized, re-branded, hit the streets, and knocked on doors until she finally found one client, which led to many others.
Through it all, her personal life was a whirlwind. She dated “more men than you can shake a book at,” settling down occasionally, briefly. Fashion had always been her first love, but she accidentally found real love, “the love of a woman,” at a leadership course.
There’s an old saying that writers need to add lots of “color” into their stories. Read a little of “Every Inch a Lady,” and you’ll notice immediately that author Audrey Smaltz (with Alina Mitchell) quite literally takes that to heart by mentioning nearly every color of the spectrum here. Hmm.
That oddity aside, Smaltz is a wonderfully lively storyteller, speaking with the energy of a woman much younger to the heart of anyone who loves fashion. That glee extends to collectors of vintage clothing, who will be delighted to read about the industry long ago and the way things worked then. Smaltz says she experienced racism, which is not unusual for pre-Civil Rights America, but doors were surprisingly closed for other reasons that will astound anyone who’s savvy about the fashion industry, even today.
There’s quite a bit of name-dropping in this book but most of it belongs in the anecdotes, so you likely won’t mind. If you’re a fashionista, too, find “Every Inch a Lady,” and snap it up.
The Blade may receive commissions from qualifying purchases made via this post.
Music & Concerts
Remembering the life of Ahmaud Arbery with Dr. Alexander Lloyd Blake
The Grammy-winning composer discusses how he’s using music to fight for justice
Across his many years as a singer, a conductor, and an activist, Dr. Alexander Lloyd Blake has been driven by one universal truth: music has power.
It’s a fact that has guided the man’s entire life; he grew up in Jacksonville, North Carolina, singing in his church’s gospel choir. “I’ve always loved singing with people from the very beginning, and singing gospel music has always meant singing for a purpose,” said Alexander, reminiscing on his early days as a performer. “I always wanted to be a gospel choir director. But, frankly, I knew I was gay for a very long time, and I was like, ‘This is not going to work out because I do not feel like I can really have a peaceful life trying to sing in the church.’”
Recognizing that he needed a setting where his queerness didn’t have to be hidden, Blake eventually left Jacksonville to pursue vocal studies, earning his doctorate in Musical Arts before becoming one of the entertainment industry’s top composers today. The past few years have seen him contribute to the music of blockbuster films like The Odyssey and Us, but while he’s proud of these and the many other projects he’s worked on over the years, there’s one that truly summarizes his passion for music: Tonality. The Grammy-winning choral ensemble led by Dr. Blake uses music to fight for social justice today.
“Let me think about all the ways I have been made to feel less than, directly or indirectly, in my field, and [how] to combat that,” said Blake, recounting how he initially found the idea of creating an ensemble made solely of marginalized performers. “That was really the beginning. It was a personal question of, ‘Can I create a group where I don’t feel like an outsider?’” Since its formation more than 10 years ago, Tonality has won two Grammys for its work in film and has created numerous albums centered around the social issues faced by its many members. In the group’s own words, they are “dedicated to the power of music as a vehicle for equity, healing, and community.” And while they’ve made a name for themselves by creating jaw-dropping pieces centered around fighting oppression, their latest album, Running From, Running To: A Musical Reflection on Ahmaud Arbery, is proving to be one of Tonality’s most moving works yet.
America still hasn’t recovered from the atrocity that was the murder of Ahmaud Arbery in 2020. At only 25 years old, this young Black man was stalked, attacked, and eventually murdered by three white men in his own neighborhood, all because he decided to go on a jog. The horrendous mishandling of this case by local authorities — with numerous figures having personal relationships with the perpetrators and pushing for lighter sentences — sparked national outrage, as his death highlighted the abuse of Black communities in this country. Ahmaud’s death came only a few months before the murder of George Floyd, with both fueling nationwide protests against the social mechanisms that continue to steal the lives of Black people every single day.
“I remember where I was when I read about the Ahmaud Arbery story in 2020, and at the time, it didn’t really seem like a lot of people were talking about it,” described Alexander. “I remember thinking, ‘Okay, there are so many lessons in this story.’ Thinking about what it would be like to be running — something so many people do — and to be gunned down for being different. So, I [went to] the board of Tonality, and I said, ‘I feel like we should create a piece about Ahmaud Arbery’s story.’”
And so, Running From, Running To: A Musical Reflection on Ahmaud Arbery was made, with the album consisting of eight intricate movements that each center the life and death of this young man.
Alexander credited this album as one of the most difficult projects of his career, emphasizing that before he could even start working on it with Tonality, he had to first get the blessing of the person who loved Ahmaud most: his mother, Wanda Cooper-Jones. “I got in touch with Ahmaud Arbery’s mother because I didn’t want to be another person who just writes about the death of someone,” the composer explained. “I was able to talk with her, and we had many conversations, and she’s been such a supporter.”
With her approval, Blake got to work, and since its release in Feburary, 2026, Alexander has been heartened by the positive response Running From, Running To has received. It serves as a reminder that this was a person robbed of his future and that we must constantly fight racism to ensure others are allowed the long life that Ahmaud deserved. It’s an important message that carries through with each note, and it’s one that Blake and all of Tonality will be bringing to Los Angeles with their upcoming event, ‘Running From, Running To | A Benefit Concert Honoring the Life of Ahmaud Arbery.’
Taking place on Sunday, September 20th, at The Ebell in LA, this pay-what-you-can concert will see Tonality perform the album in an intimate community setting that fosters true understanding for all in attendance. After this, guests will hear a conversation between Dr. Blake, the group’s artists, and Wanda Cooper-Jones herself, as they discuss her son’s story and what we can learn from this lyrical celebration of his life.
“Music becomes like a conduit for people to share empathy and understanding,” stressed Dr. Blake, encouraging interested listeners to attend the event and listen to Running From, Running To: A Musical Reflection on Ahmaud Arbery. “This music, while very specifically inspired by one story, can translate to so many instances of human emotion, how we grieve, how we feel, and how we really come together to think about these difficult things.”
An apt description from a lifelong advocate who has always used music to inspire communities. Dr. Blake urges everyone to attend the upcoming event, to experience this album in person and learn why we must remember Ahmaud Aubery in our ongoing fights for justice. Because it’s through music that we can truly connect as a community, coming together to fight oppression and ensure that what happened to Ahmaud never happens again.
Running From, Running To | A Benefit Concert Honoring the Life of Ahmaud Arbery takes place Sunday, September 20th, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. at The Ebell in Los Angeles. You can get your tickets here.
Movies
‘Here the Whole Time’ delivers queer coming-of-age comedy
A feel-good journey toward self-discovery
There are a lot of queer coming-of-age movies about how hard coming of age can be when you’re queer – and that’s because, for far too many queer young people, coming of age is a very difficult experience.
Yet as difficult as it may be, imagine how much more so it is for queer kids who are also struggling with other factors that make them a potential target for bullying and social stigma. When your awakening sexuality is complicated by fears and self-esteem issues that can cause you to feel ostracized even by the other queer kids, it’s pretty hard to find a place where you fit in. Unfortunately, there are far fewer movies that address that kind of “double whammy” scenario, and even fewer whose leading characters don’t look like model-perfect “influencers,” complete with chiseled abs, perfect hair, and flawless skin – which makes it all the more welcome when a movie like that actually does come along.
That’s why the arrival on Netflix of “Here the Whole Time” – a Brazilian teen romcom from director Daniel Lieff – feels a bit like a surprise gift.
Its central character – Felipe (Miguel Lallo), a teenager who lives with his single mom Rita (Débora Falabella) – is already out as gay, but that’s not the only reason that his life at school is torturous; as he informs us through his own narration, he’s always been the butt of cruel jokes and public bullying because he’s always been (in his own words) “fat.” He’s teased in the classroom, humiliated in the hallways, and victimized at dodgeball in his gym class; so when his eagerly awaited summer break arrives, he’s looking forward to weeks of freedom in which he never has to interact with anyone except his mother.
His blissful dreams of isolating himself in his room are shattered, however, by a rude awakening in the form of Caio (Diego Lira), a neighbor boy and former childhood friend, whose mother and father have left him to stay with Rita while they are away on a trip. Athletic, handsome, and popular, he’s everything Felipe is not, and despite any previous bond of companionship they may have had, Felipe has no intention of playing the gracious host.
Yet as the days go by, the two boys begin to resuscitate their friendship; rather than being the bully Felipe expects, Caio is mostly respectful and exceedingly polite in trying to negotiate their temporary co-habitation. Forced to spend time together, the two gradually warm to each other, opening the door to a renewed friendship; they begin to “hang out” together, expanding the usually isolated Felipe’s social circle to include Caio’s BFF Beca (Mika Soiero) and her girlfriend Melissa (Bel Moreira) — leading to a revelation that turns his newfound friendly feelings for Caio into something more of a crush.
Is the feeling mutual? Can Felipe set aside his insecurities enough to even find out? We did describe the movie as a “romcom, so you can draw your own conclusions from that, but it’s a wild ride of a story, and half the fun is watching it unfold through each new development, so we won’t give any of those surprises away.
It won’t be a spoiler, however, to discuss the way “Here the Whole Time” undercuts the sentiment of its predictably “sweet” formula with its presentation of Felipe as something of an anti-hero, a strident “rebel with a cause” who disdains and distrusts everyone around him except for his mother and sees his therapy (or at least pretends to) as just an extension of school — complete with the unwanted inconvenience of homework.
He’s also, ironically, something of a bully himself, initially responding to the presence of Caio — who is no happier about their temporary living arrangement than he is — with willful and deliberate contempt, and levying his position as host (or as son of the hostess, at least) to assert his circumstantial power and dominance over an unwanted guest. Of course, we can see all along where it comes from, the habitual offense-as-defense tactic that has helped him survive and gain what little self-confidence he has, but that doesn’t make it any less rude.
Still, we don’t dislike him for it; a lifetime of body-shaming can do that to a person. Besides, it makes the transformation that comes in him — after learning to stand up for others like he stands up for himself, and other valuable life lessons he undergoes along the way — feel much more like an uplift. And if his insecurities win out once in a while (as they do, to dramatic effect, in the film’s penultimate chapters), who can blame him?
Caio, too, is portrayed against expectation. His self-assured swagger, like Felipe’s misanthropic hostility, comes from a young lifetime of self-protective compensation, but it’s just as easy for us to see through, and as the tenderness inside is revealed, he’s a far cry from “popular jock” stereotype that Felipe — and the audience — assume him to be,
It’s the dynamic between these two eminently likable characters that makes the film work, granting each of them their own dovetailing journeys toward self-discovery and allowing the feel-good sentiment of the story to emerge as something authentic, rather than just another trope-driven fantasy.
Much of this is thanks to the two young leads, who fully commit to their roles and strike a winning chemistry that makes us want them both to find their way through the amusing — but no less traumatic — growing pains they experience, both together and apart. They succeed in building an onscreen world in which we can believe, with them, in the possibility of rising above the obstacles thrown in their path, and it leaves us feeling not just uplifted, but maybe even a little joyful.
Kudos also go out to Falabella, whose performance as the quintessential “cool mom” makes her stand out as the film’s adult MVP; likewise, director Leiff handles the material with a superb sense of balance between over-the-top absurdity and quietly joyful moments of truth. In the end, though, it’s screenwriters Ray Tavares and Victor Brandt — adapting from a book by Vitor Martins — that’s truly responsible for crafting a charming coming-of-age story that allows itself to reach for the unlikely happy ending instead of sticking with the tried-and-true bittersweetness that usually arrives to provide an extra dash of unrequited yearning.
Of course, more jaded viewers — especially if they’re adults — might find the overall effect of “Here the Whole Time” less of than convincing. But for most of us — and hopefully it’s target audience, especially — it’s a charming reminder that “coming of age” isn’t just about sex or compromising with disillusionment. More than anything else, it’s about learning to let go of our disappointed assumptions to blossom into the life we truly deserve.
As a refreshingly upbeat entry into a genre that somehow holds a key position in our compromised adult lives, it’s definitely a ride worth taking,
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