‘We wanted to sing all along’: A new documentary seeks to reframe the Milli Vanilli controversy

Before they became an international punchline, Milli Vanilli was one of the biggest pop acts of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. Their North American debut album, “Girl You Know It’s True,” featured a distinct blend of R&B, rap and dance music, produced three No. 1 singles and sold more than 6 million copies in the US alone. With their striking looks and distinctive style — long braids, Spandex and broad-shouldered blazers — the duo of Fabrice Morvan and Rob Pilatus were telegenic stars tailor-made for the MTV era.

The problem, as the world eventually learned, was that they didn’t sing a single note on the album, and at concerts and live performances — including the Grammy Awards — were lip-synching to music recorded by other singers. The scheme was devised by German producer Frank Farian, who signed Morvan and Pilatus to a recording contract but used session musicians including Brad Howell, Charles Shaw and John Davis on the album. The ruse collapsed in November 1990 when Farian, angered that the duo wanted to sing on their next album, decided to out them as “impostors.” In a subsequent interview with The Times, Pilatus admitted the claims were true.”We are true singers, but that maniac Frank Farian would never allow us to express ourselves,” he said.

While Morvan and Pilatus bore the brunt of the vicious backlash that ensued, Farian and executives at record company Arista, including founder Clive Davis, escaped largely unscathed. The downfall was particularly devastating for the German-born Pilatus, who struggled with drug addiction and died of an overdose in 1998, at the age of 32.

For the last 30-plus years, the Milli Vanilli scandal has been viewed as a semi-farcical cautionary tale about seeking fame at any price. But a new documentary reframes the ordeal as a tragic story about the exploitation of artists — particularly Black artists — in the music industry. “Milli Vanilli,” now streaming on Paramount+, features interviews with Morvan as well as several musicians who performed on the “Girl You Know It’s True” album, including Shaw and Howell, who have moved on from the controversy but still feel they were taken advantage of.

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“It’s what I wanted for a long time — to tell my story. You knew the headlines, but you didn’t know the story,” said Morvan recently in a Zoom conversation from Majorca, Spain.

Clad in a denim vest with his dreadlocks piled atop his head, the singer — yes, he does sing — looked scarcely older than the performer who bumped chests with Pilatus in the “Girl You Know It’s True” video. “What I want people to know is that during this whole process, we wanted to sing all along,” he said. “We just fell into this whirlwind and this dream/nightmare. None of this was premeditated.”

“We remember this story so wrong, I think partially because we want to,” said director Luke Korem. “It seems like we know the sensational headlines. I wanted to tell a very personal journey about Rob and Fab but also the real singers, like Charles Shaw.”

“I hope that people don’t think of these guys as a joke anymore,” he added.

The filmmaker became interested in the subject after watching a video of Morvan performing at the Moth, a storytelling event in New York.

“I could tell he had put this behind him in a way I found really amazing,” he said. “But then at the end, he sang and he had this wonderful voice and I thought, ‘Wait a minute. I thought [Milli Vanilli] was these two guys with no talent who conned everybody. Why would this guy ever agree to lip sync? And that’s what led me down a rabbit hole.”

Fab Morvan sits in front of gray backdrop in a white shirt and black jacket with his dreadlocks over his chest.

Fab Morvan on the set of the documentary “Milli Vanilli.” The singer says: “The reason why I’m still here is because of my love for music and my passion for music. I never let up.”

(Luke Korem / Paramount+)

He spent a year convincing a wary Morvan to participate because, without him, “There was no documentary.” Nearly everyone else involved was reluctant to participate, but Korem eventually won over most of the key players, including Shaw, Howell, backup vocalists Jodie and Linda Rocco, and Ingrid Segieth, Farian’s ex-girlfriend and assistant. “I went to every person involved and said, ‘I want to hear your truth even if it conflicts with someone else.’ ”

Another key element was an audio recording of an interview Pilatus gave during a stay at a rehab clinic a few weeks before his death, which “brought Rob’s spirit alive,” said Korem, and brought his perspective into the story. “He was very clear and his words are very powerful and haunting at times.”

The story begins in 1980s Munich, where Pilatus, who was raised by his adoptive family in Germany, and Morvan, who is originally from France, met, formed a fast friendship and began performing together. Young, broke and eager to make it, they hastily signed a contract with Farian, one of the most successful music producers in Germany at the time, without giving it a second thought — or even reading it. However, they soon learned that he only wanted them to lip-sync songs performed by other people and was more interested in their unique look and dancing skills than whatever musical abilities they may have had. Fearing the financial and legal consequences of breaking the contract, they went along with the scheme.

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The problem was that Milli Vanilli’s debut single, “Girl You Know It’s True” unexpectedly blew up, becoming a top 5 single in 23 countries. Then came the album, which included several other chart-topping hits, including “Don’t Forget My Number” and “Blame It on the Rain,” written by Diane Warren. Morvan and Pilatus became international superstars whose thick accents and halting English aroused suspicion. As their fame grew, so did the pressure to keep the secret — and the inevitability that the truth would come out.

“We embraced the lie because we didn’t know any better,” said Morvan. “It was exciting. Love was not prevalent or even existent in our backgrounds. So when we experienced this love from the audience, it was amazing. The dream was always to become singers, songwriters, producers, performers. People think we were the ones orchestrating everything when in fact we fell into a trap, signed a contract with no attorney, no management, no protection.”

Shaw is an American from Houston who had been working as a musician in Germany for years when Farian hired him to perform the rap vocals on the single “Girl You Know It’s True” and ordered Shaw to keep his mouth shut. “He said, I’ve got two guys that are gonna front it. You just keep your mouth shut,’” recalled Shaw. Farian replaced Shaw before recording the album because he believed the vocalist was telling people the truth about Milli Vanilli.

“The contract that he did was a dirty deal,” Shaw said by phone from Germany, where he continues to perform with his group, the Classic Brothers. “‘Girl You Know It’s True’ sold god knows how many millions. Everybody’s talking about these two guys. What about the voices that was in the back? Right? What about the voices that did the work?”

Shaw was never able to secure a major contract with another label in Germany, and he believes he was blacklisted by the producer. “This is one of the biggest producers in Germany and Europe. You think they’re gonna listen to the little Black guy coming out of Texas?” he said.

The documentary also raises questions about how much Arista knew about Farian’s scheme. The European version of Milli Vanilli’s album — known as “All or Nothing” and released prior to the American version — listed credits for Shaw and other vocalists, but not Morvan or Pilatus. The duo was also allowed to lip sync their performance at the Grammys in 1990, where they won new artist over acts such as the Indigo Girls.

Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus in leather jackets.

Fab Morvan and Rob Pilatus had a unique look and dance moves that German music producer Frank Farian liked.

(Ingrid Segeith / Paramount+ )

“I find it funny how to this day — hopefully this documentary changes things — how people have just given Clive Davis a free ride on this,” said Korem. “There’s a bunch of white people that made the lion’s share of the money. And then the people like Rob, Fab, Charles — they got kicked to the curb.”

“Milli Vanilli” depicts Farian as a Svengali-like figure who treated Black artists as easily replaced cogs in his hit-making machine and also had a track record for recording studio chicanery dating back a decade before Milli Vanilli’s debut. The film revisits his history with the disco group Boney M. — known for their eccentric hit single “Rasputin” — whose Black frontman, Bobby Farrell, did virtually no singing on their records. (Farian sang his parts.)

“Seeing how he repeated [himself] was very disturbing,” said Korem.

“Milli Vanilli” explores the ugly backlash that was largely directed at Morvan and Pilatus, rather than people like Farian. It includes a brief clip of a blackface sketch from “The Howard Stern Show” and footage of a press conference in which the duo was angrily berated by reporters. Many fans also joined a class-action lawsuit against the group.

Korem believes that the controversy — and the vitriol it unleashed — “100% contributed to Rob’s death.” Morvan also thinks that his partner “died of a broken heart because it was rough. The jokes were bad” and the label “threw us to the wolves.”

Morvan suspects he was able to weather the storm better than his partner because he never fully came to believe the lie. “We were different emotionally. He didn’t see it coming. I saw it coming.”

Morvan was slowly able to rebound, working as a French teacher for a time to make ends meet but always focusing on music. Now a father of four, he continues to perform — including songs by Milli Vanilli. He only betrays a hint of anger when talking about the continued use of his image in association with the group. “After 30 years now, my likeness is still being used. I don’t see a cent. They’re still exploiting my image,” he said.

“The reason why I’m still here is because of my love for music and my passion for music. I never let up.”

Likewise, Shaw has gained perspective on the Milli Vanilli debacle over the years, and now feels empathy for Morvan and Pilatus. “I respect them for what they did. And I feel with them for what they went through,” he said.

But he also feels shortchanged — denied the credit, not to mention the money, he was due long ago.

“I’m not asking for a Grammy. I’m not trying to say I’m the best,” said Shaw, “but if it wasn’t for my voice, there would be no Milli Vanilli.”

RankTribe™ Black Business Directory News – Arts & Entertainment

Traveling Exhibit of Black Female Art Visits St. Louis This Week

<a href="https://media1.riverfronttimes.com/riverfronttimes/imager/u/original/41132397/black_girl_art_show.jpg" data-caption="There will be artists painting live in addition to finished works.   Courtesy Black Girl Art Show” class=”uk-display-block uk-position-relative uk-visible-toggle”> Woman paints a canvas.

Courtesy Black Girl Art Show

There will be artists painting live in addition to finished works.

When Joshua Love visited art museums and galleries, he would notice something off: There weren’t many Black female artists featured. Instead of just wondering at the deficit, he decided to do something about it: start his own art show featuring the very artists who are too often neglected.

The result of Love’s efforts is about to be in town. A Spectacular Black Girl Art Show is coming to St. Louis’ Mad Art Gallery (2727 South 12th Street, blackgirlartshow.com) on Sunday, October 29, from 3 to 9 p.m. Attendees can enjoy cocktails and live DJ mixes as they explore a variety of art — paintings, sculptures and digital works — by Black female artists. There will be artists working on site to bring their visions to life as well.

Curator and founder Joshua Love intends the showcases to be “a cornerstone in movements [for] racial equality and social justice [that has] birthed countless Black artists, thinkers, and changemakers.” Since its inception, Black Girl Art Show has shown more than 2,000 Black female artists across almost 30 cities, and every show has a unique hometown flavor.

The St. Louis iteration will include more than 40 local artists and celebrate the rich history and talent that has shaped the character of the city, Love says. The theme for the St. Louis show is “you” and is intended to feel like coming home to a family reunion and a place “where you feel seen and you feel safe, and you feel accepted, to feel and to be who you are.”

Love organized his first group exhibition of about 20 artists in an old church in Atlanta in 2019. In the hours and days that followed, Love realized that there was a widespread hunger for this type of exhibit, which led to him making it a traveling show.

“There was a need for spaces like this to exist,” he says “And so I said, ‘You know what, let’s continue to keep the conversation going.”

An artist himself, Love is passionate about creating opportunities for other artists. “I know the importance of having a space where you are seen and you are celebrated, and also patronized,” he adds.

With that in mind, he deliberately made Black Girl Art Show a space where lesser-known artists can thrive. Love shared the story of one artist who showed an extremely personal piece of work at one of the Atlanta showcases. She’d put a $10,000 price tag on it, believing that people would pass it by. But a few weeks after the show, someone reached out asking where they could send a $10,000 check.

“She had been going through a tough financial time trying to pay her rent,” Love says. “[Selling that piece] catapulted her career. She saw her art differently … and it changed her life.”

Curating a show for each city’s tastes and unique art scene is a challenge, but Love has a clear motivation for the work he is doing. “There are always things that come up,” he says. “The why is what keeps you anchored, and the why is what allows you to keep creating solutions because you care about what you’re doing.” The why, for Love, is inclusivity.

Inclusivity is at the core of Black Girl Art Show. When selecting artists to exhibit, the organizers primarily screen for consistency and dedication, allowing for a broad spectrum of experience levels and mediums. They hope this approach will build connections, inspiration and mentors among the artists shown — something Love sees as “the future of Black art.”

He hopes that those attending will continue the conversation beyond the show itself. So when you visit, arrive knowing you might not leave the same.

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RankTribe™ Black Business Directory News – Arts & Entertainment

Justin Timberlake turns off Instagram comments after backlash over Britney Spears’ memoir

Justin Timberlake has turned off the comments on his Instagram after facing backlash over revelations made in his ex-girlfriend Britney Spears‘ new memoir, “The Woman in Me.” According to a source, Timberlake made this decision because of the “hateful, disgusting things people were saying” on his page.

Spears’ book, which was released on Tuesday, includes bombshells about their three-year relationship, including her admission that she had an abortion while they were dating.

Justin Timberlake answers tough question about Britney from Oprah Winfrey

In her memoir, Spears described Timberlake and his boy band *NSYNC as “white boys” who “loved hip-hop” and “hung out with black artists.” She also claimed that Timberlake had cheated on her with a “very popular” woman, but did not disclose the name to avoid causing any harm. Additionally, Spears alleged that Timberlake had used a blaccent when speaking to black artists.

Timberlake has not publicly responded to the revelations in the book, but according to reports, he is “not at all happy” about it. A source told the Daily Mail that Timberlake has not reached out to Spears because there is nothing he can say to her.

Fans have mixed reactions to Britney’s book

The reactions to Spears‘ memoir have been mixed. Some fans have praised her for speaking her truth and shedding light on her past experiences, while others have criticized her for bringing up old wounds and potentially damaging Timberlake‘s reputation.

The controversy surrounding their relationship and breakup has been a topic of discussion for years, and Spears’ book has only added fuel to the fire.

As fans continue to digest the revelations in “The Woman in Me,” it is clear that the impact of this memoir will be felt for a long time. Whether it leads to a deeper understanding of the complexities of their relationship or further divides their fan bases, only time will tell. In the meantime, it is essential to approach this topic with empathy and respect for both Timberlake and Spears as they navigate the aftermath of their highly publicized romance.

RankTribe™ Black Business Directory News – Arts & Entertainment

Kehinde Wiley’s art, a 19th century courtesan and Halloween movies

S1: It’s time for Midday Edition on Kpbs. Today we’re talking about some of the arts and culture happenings in San Diego this weekend. I’m Andrew Bracken here with conversations that keep you informed , inspired , and make you think. One upcoming event shares the work of artist Kehinde Wiley and what it means to Decolonise art.

S2: And it is about hearing the voice of those who of those whose voices have been stifled or ignored.

S1: And we hear from the playwright of a new play about scandal and blackmail at San Diego Cygnet Theatre. Plus , Midday Movies is back with some frightening flicks for Halloween. That’s ahead on midday edition. Kehinde Wiley is at the forefront of the art world today. He’s the first African American artist to paint a presidential portrait that was of President Barack Obama , and one of his pieces is now on display at the Timken Museum of Art in Balboa Park. The Timken is hosting an event this Sunday , October 29th , called Decolonizing Symbols of Power in the Art of Kehinde Wiley. Denise Rogers is the featured speaker. She’s a professor of art history at San Diego Mesa College. Professor Rogers , welcome to midday edition.

S2: Thank you. Thank you for having me.

S1: So one thing I always find difficult about talking about visual art on the radio is how to communicate that art itself.

S2: Drawing upon the history of equestrian portraits and female as well as male figures , and and redefining the way or adding to the narrative of black masculinity , which makes us step back and think about how it works or how we perceive male bodies. But the striking color and the pattern and the contrast with his images. And , you know , he’s a he’s a portrait painter. And so engaging with the subjects , I mean , they’re the way he paints faces and bodies and all of the other items that are accompanying the figures is so precise.

S1: And Wiley said he likes to quote , play with the language of power.

S2: They are decked out in all of their iconography , their symbolism that communicates their role. There’s a celebratory nature. Viewers are made to feel almost smaller , insignificant in relation to the way that they’re represented. And what Wiley does is he challenges that history. He challenges forms of representation by inserting random , everyday people that he meets by chance , and by placing them in that position. He’s challenging the way that we have elevated the status of certain figures while diminishing others , and it’s a real experience for people to feel underrepresented when they’re going into a museum , not seeing themselves reflected in certain paintings. And so what he does is he places the everyday person walking down the street. I’ll just say New York , because that’s where he was. That’s where he started this , this series. He takes the everyday person who people would just either not pay attention to or categorize stereotype in a certain way , and he elevates them to that status.

S1: He grew up in South Los Angeles in the 80s and 90s.

S2: Some of that , you know , it still exists today , but it was a a time period where his path could have been very different. But he describes his mother made a concerted effort to ensure that he and his his brothers and sisters , his family. I believe there are 5 or 6 , six of them. She made sure , as a single mother that they were introduced to tools or people experiences that would lead them on a different path. And so as early as 11 years old , he was already painting. At 12 years old , his mother , through a grant , was able to send him and his brother to Russia on an exchange program to study painting. And so , I mean to grow up in an environment where he could have been , you know , engulfed by , you know , tragedy and violence. He was able to see art as an avenue to leave that environment , but still come back and recreate that environment. I mean , he never. Laugh the the people. He used his art as a tool to elevate the people from the neighborhood.

S1: Yeah , and one of his portraits is actually on view at the Timken.

S2: It’s a rumors of Rumors of War series , and he chooses a very popular type of image used for leaders going all the way back to the ancient Roman Empire , the equestrian portrait. And so and many people are familiar with seeing a soldier , a leader on a horse , leading the troops. And that’s a symbol of power. It’s symbol of ultimate power. And so he’s looking at that history , and then he’s inserting , as I said , finding these street models , just people he meets by chance , and then he inserts them into those positions of power. And so this painting , the equestrian portrait of Prince Tomaso , which is on view at The Timken , it’s one example from this series where the the young black male is on the horse and the horse is rearing back , and he’s looking out at the viewer and he’s making this statement about , look at me , I am important , I am significant , recognize who I am , recognize my individuality. And the entire series repeats this. And for the viewer , it’s , you know , we’ll have to say it was interesting for me going into the gallery and hearing the responses of of the people coming into the Timken and they some would say , well , this seems out of place. Why is this here ? You know , because it’s a it’s a monumental portrait. And they usually have portraits from 1718 , 19th century , but also it’s a monumental portrait of a black male on a horse. So it seemed kind of out of context , which for me was interesting for a couple of reasons. One , it was because they weren’t accustomed to seeing a black male represented that way. And then the other is that it was it was again , a contemporary artist in a museum that is known for its again going back to medieval modern works of art. And the Timken is , is , you know , they had several contemporary artists in the galleries right now. But this it really made an impact walking into the gallery space and seeing the the pinks and the blues and the greens and then this , this large horse rearing back. And then you see the , the male and him being celebrated in that way. Yeah.

S1: Yeah. And I feel like this really speaks to this decolonization of art.

S2: Black artists , Latino artists , Asian artists are typically not represented in , you know , the art history surveys. And so with that , I see with Kehinde Wiley by decolonizing , he does this in several ways. First , it’s the representation of black men. And he also does this with with black women that is not in a in , in a traditional way , you know , stereotyping or demeaning or a colonized subject or an ethnographic photograph like your a scientific study or a specimen. And so for me , by him inserting the male into these paintings , that is an example of decolonizing because he’s changing the narrative and he’s representing those who are part of communities , they are part of the public to not have them represented , just like the Art history survey. I mean , what contributions did you make ? What mean how what is your history ? What is your story ? And you have to go back to the time when the continent of of the Americas , as well as the continent of Africa and parts of Asia were colonized. And there was this mindset , there was this forced assimilation. There’s this mindset that you are less than because you don’t fit the certain model. And so to decolonize is to remove those stigmas , to remove those stereotypes , to redefine the narrative and represent or a more a truer representation of peoples of color or peoples who are from these , these regions that were colonized by Europeans. And so by decolonizing , it means we hear the term inclusion , we hear the term equity. And , you know , these are terms that are thrown around quite a bit , but it is about representation , and it is about hearing the voice of those who of those whose voices have been stifled or ignored. And so it’s again within the within courses for me specifically. As an instructor , but as well as in museums , it’s having a more universal or a more inclusive representation of peoples across the world as producers of art as well as subjects of art. And so decolonizing because of the history of art , where there’s this absence , it’s it’s this move to include those who have been excluded.

S1: You’ll be speaking at an event this Sunday at the Timken Museum in Balboa Park. The talk is called Decolonizing Symbols of Power in the Art of Kehinde Wiley.

S2: And so there is a cocktail hour and I believe it starts at five. And then the lecture starts at six. So there’s a chance for people to come in and see the painting. There’s just one painting by by Wiley. But it’s it’s an excellent example of his work. You can see his technique , the detail , I mean , the precise way that he , you know , creates these layers of images , these symbols of that have various meaning into the work. And it is an equestrian portrait of the male that’s in the gallery. And then I’ll be speaking from six to about 645 and will be it’s it’s meant to be a conversation. And so we can talk about some of the issues that Wiley addresses , not only in the painting and the Temkin , but I’ll be showing you some examples from this Rumors of War series , as well as some of the examples , some photographs I took of the show in San Francisco. And so as well as a discussion of , you know , monuments. One monument he did for in Richmond , Virginia , replacing one of the Confederate statues. So there are a lot of subjects that we are going to touch upon. But it’s meant to be a time to to look at his work. And I will give the audience some background and some history and some of the interpretations that have been written about his work , but it’s really meant to be a dialogue where the audience gets to respond , because that’s what that’s how I see painting and that’s , you know , for many artists , it’s they are speaking , but they also exhibit their work so that they can hear from the audiences. What is the what is the image saying to you and what this black masculinity means to you ? And so I would like to hear that from the audience as well.

S1: Thank you so much for joining us today.

S2: Thank you so much for having me. And I hope you all can make it on Sunday.

S1: And again , the event is called Decolonizing Symbols of Power in the Art of Kehinde Wiley. It will be this Sunday , October 29th at the Timken Museum of Art in Balboa Park. When Midday Edition returns , we hear about a new play about an IT girl from the 1800s.

S3: This play is loosely based on her life , using her life in a real theatrical exploration of what it means when love becomes transactional.

S1: That’s next on Midday Edition. Welcome back to Kpbs Midday Edition. I’m Andrew Bracken in for Jade Heinemann for our weekend preview. We have contemporary dance , visual art and a new play about the world’s oldest profession. Joining me with all the details is Kpbs arts producer and editor Julia Dixon Evans. Hey , Julia.

S4: Hey , Andrea. Thanks for having me.

S1: Great to have you here. Let’s start with the world premiere of The Little Fellow or the Queen of tarts tells all at Cygnet Theater. Tell us about it.

S4: So this is a play by playwright Kate Hamill , and she started writing it about a decade ago , and then kind of tucked it away in a drawer , moved on. But it was selected as Cygnet Theater’s Bill and Judy Garrett Finish Line commission in 2019 to kind of finish off that playwriting process. And it’s about this real historical person called Harriet Wilson , who earned a reputation as being this kind of girl courtesan among the ranks of England’s ruling class in the 19th century. And we know who she is because she wrote her memoirs. This tell all account partly to tell her story and find her own voice , and partly just as a kind of black male. And this book was wildly popular at the time.

S1: Yeah , it sounds like quite the scandal or , I don’t know , something like from TMZ today , I guess. So she was basically asking for hush money from her former lovers to stay out of this memoir.

S4: Right ? And technically , it was something that some of them had had promised her in the first place , and she was really well taken care of while she was in business. And she lived mostly in luxury , and some of her clients that were the most attached to her promised her that they would set her up with a place to settle down if she ever wanted to get out of that lifestyle and payments to live on. And when that did not happen , she decided to basically go public , and she told the men that if they didn’t want to be revealed in the memoir , they could send her a cheque and she’d leave them out. But apparently the vast majority of the men said no. And I spoke with Kate Hamill , the playwright , this week , and I started out by asking her to tell us what it was about this woman , Harriet Wilson , that made her want to write a play about her. Great.

S1: Great. Let’s take a listen.

S3: This play is loosely based on her life. She was an iconic class. She was. They called her the little fellow because she was quite boyish , vulgar , liked where men’s clothes fat drank. They said she had the manners of a wild schoolboy. But in addition to sort of conquering that world , she was very influential in her day. We could kind of compare her to the Kim Kardashian of her day. She set fashions. She was very , very popular. I thought she was a really interesting character and one that’s been kind of overlooked. So this play is loosely based on her life , using her life in a real theatrical exploration of what it means when love becomes transactional , when it means to put a transaction on human interaction , and exploring gender and social and class roles that still affect us today.

S4: So her memoir is I actually started to read this. It’s available online and I got totally sucked in. What do you know about this book , and what did it mean for a woman to write something like that in the early 1900s was when it was published , if I believe.

S3: Well , what’s interesting about Harriet is she’s not I wouldn’t say she’s a , you know , feminist heroine. She is not she was not particularly a feminist. She was more like a Harriet ist. She was a kind of problematic person. So even though she’s very interesting. So some of her memoirs are in fact exaggerations or not factual , and some of them are very factual. And what’s interesting about her actual memoirs when I read them , is in addition to being quite , you know , fun to read and in their ways , sort of gossipy and joyful , there’s a lot of actual like anger and sadness and grief and rage beneath it. So this play is a loose exploration of all that.

S4: I’d love to hear where you got the idea for writing The Little Fellow. You’ve built this career as a playwright , adapting classic characters into into these feminist stories.

S3: This was in fact the second play. I wrote , the second full length play I ever wrote , because I had been doing research for my adaptation of Vanity Fair , and I ran across the story of Harriet Wilson in a footnote on a book on the sex lives of. Regency and Victorian women. And I was like , who is this woman ? Why don’t we know about her ? I mean , she’s analogous to a lot of stories that we still have that are still covered in a very particular way of quote unquote , mistresses who bring quote unquote , powerful men down. But she was infamous in her day and , again , quite problematic. I was really interested in building a story that was about , you know , what is the cost of winning in an unjust system about a woman who is shaped by the patriarchy that she , you know , starts working very closely within , as indeed which of us can stop , withhold from working the patriarchy , unfortunately. But she starts working in it when she’s very , very young. So it’s about the ways that that can shape and warp you , even against your will , and the way that an exploited person can become an exploiter. But what’s interesting about it is Cygnet Theatre. And in fact , my friend Robbie Levy , who’s directing the piece Robbie brought me in because Cygnet has a commissioning series called the Bill and Judy Garrick Commissioning Series. So in 2019 , I came out here and I was working with Robbie , and I totally rewrote the play. And this play that is being produced at Cygnet is that refurbished work.

S4: So you touched on this a little bit. The little fellow is also the study of how sex workers are treated and portrayed in society. And on a broader level , it’s about class. And I’m wondering if you could speak to that a little bit more.

S3: Well , one of the gifts of the longer process on this particular play was I was really able to educate myself more about sex work and , you know , sex work in the 19th century , in some ways was very different from sex work now , but in some ways it was very analogous. There was a measure of agency that the higher paid sex workers like Harriet Wilson commanded , and in some ways she had much more freedom than other women of her day , and much more agency and much more power. But there are extreme pitfalls and dangers and wounds that are caused by that kind of catering to often these men in particular , that she is working with are not nice guys. So it’s a very interesting juxtaposition. I think the same many of the same issues come up in sex work that come up in the working world writ large , and I think that that is still true. So it was a really interesting way to explore some of those dynamics through a filtered lens , through a period lens , which sometimes lets people absorb it more.

S4: And and what is it about that time period and the British Regency that lends itself to these enduring stories that continue to draw , as in.

S3: Well , I think it speaks a lot to our society today , and particularly American society is a time of great wealth and inequality. It’s a time of great social change. It’s a time when gender roles were quite stratified , but also bending , and those collisions of interests and a sort of new world coming because , you know , like if you look at the 19th century in particular , that is really we’re starting to change into the modern era. It’s analogous to what we’re going through now. No one knows quite what’s going to happen in our world. One of the things I’ve done a lot of is Jane Austen adaptations. I’m almost through her work , and there’s a real conception that people have. These times were very different from ours , and people were very different , and everything was much more polite. But actually , people have never been very different from the way that they were. This world of Harriet Wilson and sex work was all happening at the same time as she announced in and her contemporaries. In fact , Jane Austen wrote , mentions Harriet Wilson in one of her letters and the resulting scandal. So I’m very interested in the sort of underbelly of human nature and exploring it in a really theatrical , sometimes funny , sometimes ridiculous way.

S1: You’re listening to Kpbs Midday Edition , and that was playwright Kate Hamill and her play The Little Fellow. Or the Queen of tarts tells all. And it just opened for previews at Cygnet Theatre. I’m Andrew Bracken here with Kpbs. Producer and editor Julia Dixon Evans , and we’re talking about what’s going on in arts and culture this weekend. So let’s see what’s happening in the visual art world. New exhibits opening at San Diego Museum of Art. It’s called Korea in Color. Tell us about it. Yeah.

S4: Yeah. So what’s exciting to me about this exhibit is that it pairs contemporary Korean artists with Korean works from the 19th century , the turn of the century. And while those older works are significant , there’s just a handful of the traditional works. And the focus then is on these 50 something works made in the last handful of decades. And it’s all about this technique called Jessica , which is a term applied not only to a style of Korean polychrome painting as opposed to monochrome painting , which is also a really popular style of Korean art , but also this more like essential , meaningful definition about the purpose of those paintings. It became sort of this folk art and families would have this art in their homes to bring good luck. And in fact , the exhibit’s actually the full title is Korea in Color A Legacy of Auspicious Images. So it really leans into these concepts of fortune and prosperity and warding off evil. And one of the most striking pieces to me in this exhibit is , is this 2019 to 2020 sculpture by artist Kim Seng Don. It’s called cart. It looks like a traditional Korean ceremonial funeral boat made of painted wood with these little figurines , but it’s set atop a grocery store shopping cart. It’s this big sculpture. And the the little traditional figurines in these prosperous images on On the cart feature representations of capitalism and kind of like an information overload. So very modern , modern problems. And there’s this tiny figure. One of the figures in there is holding a little video camera with tears streaming down their face. It’s really striking. And other than that , there’s also a bunch of video works and performance works and some big murals too , in addition to to wall works. And this opens officially to the public on Saturday , and then it’ll be on view through early March.

S1: Very cool. And just in time for Halloween , local contemporary dance company The Rosin Box Project brings back its annual Ghost Light Masquerade production this weekend.

S4: And the Rosenbach says these beautifully produced shows are very immersive , so you can expect some really gorgeous sets and costumes. And the type of dance they do is contemporary ballet , which is this really nice blend of contemporary movements and styles with the structures and the foot movements of ballet. And these , these dancers are all so gifted and expressive. And it’s also at the Horton Grand Hotel , which is allegedly haunted. So that sets the stage for you right there , their shows every night through Sunday.

S1:

S4: It starts with what they’re calling their Haunted pavilion. You can do a spooky tour of the organ pavilion , and there’s two options. There’s one that’s supposedly very scary and another that’s kid friendly. That all starts at 5 p.m. and then at 630 , they’re going to be live scoring with organ music , some silent movies. And there’s also a dance performance set to Michael Jackson’s Thriller. And then on Sunday , it’s their fall family concert. And the San Diego civic organist Raul Prieto Ramirez will perform alongside the San Diego Youth Symphony. They’re going to play some Halloween themed pieces , and the performers also will be in their Halloween costumes. That’s Sunday at 2 p.m. and these concerts are all free , which is written into the deed from when the Spreckels brothers gifted the organ to the city in 1915. Everything has to be free to the public.

S1: And you can find details on these and more arts events at Kpbs slash Arts. And there you can also sign up for Julia’s weekly arts newsletter. I’ve been speaking with Kpbs Arts producer and editor Julia Dixon Evans. Julia , thanks so much , and happy Halloween.

S4: You too. Andrea.

S1: Coming up , Midday Movies is back with picks for the scariest time of year.

S5: I decided that for my picks , I would only recommend films that actually take place on Halloween. Otherwise the pool of films was just too big.

S1: That’s next on Midday Edition. Welcome back. You’re listening to Kpbs Midday Edition. I’m Andrew Bracken in for Jade Hyneman. Halloween’s almost here. So we decided to call upon our midday movies , film critics for some movie recommendations to get scared to. Once again , Kpbs Cinema Junkie Beth Accomando and movie Wallace Yazdi stopped by to talk about movies. But first , this message from Silver Shamrock.

UU: We have. We still worship.

S5: That’s right. Halloween is just around the corner , and Yazdi and I decided to come up with a list of films for you to watch on Halloween night. As usual , our biggest challenge is narrowing down our selection to just a few titles. I decided that for my picks , I would only recommend films that actually take place on Halloween. Otherwise , the pool of films was just too big.

S6:

S5: To start with. You picked a recent Indian horror film , and before you tell us the title , I wanted you to tell us a little bit about the horror genre in India , because it feels like to me that every country kind of has a unique flavor to their horror. If you think about South Korean films , they make you care deeply about the characters and then do horrific things to them. Italian horror tends to be kind of operatic and very stylish.

S6: And there were the famous Ramsey brothers , which made they had a factory house of horror films. They would churn out very popular because the movie showed a little bit of skin. They were also a little bit of a little bit scary. And , you know , the midnight audience would lap up those films. But I really like the resurgence of horror , which has happened in the last 5 to 10 years in Indian cinema. And these are filmmakers who are really steeping their films completely within Indian folklore and using Indian mythology and , you know , demons and gods and those kinds of things to kind of ground their films. And I really , I think that adds so much more flavor to those films , especially to Western audiences who may not be familiar with a lot of the Indian mythology. When it comes to horror.

S5: All right. I haven’t seen this one , but I did watch the trailer , which looked fabulous. So tell us what this first pick is.

S6: So my first pick is a movie called bad , which is screening on Amazon Prime. And this film takes Indian folklore and blends it with horror so effortlessly to create something entirely unique. The premise of the movie is that there is an evil being which is trapped in the womb of a goddess who watches over an abandoned mansion and protects a treasure that no one can get to for fear of their life. Until a child who has grown up under the terror of that creature grows up to figure out how to get at that treasure. The film is shot in constantly rainy , muddy tones , and it’s frankly a marvel of cinematography. It taps into the theme of the deadly price of human greed , but it does it with remarkable finesse. I mean , this is just a very good looking movie to watch. It’s a visual treat to see and one that effectively manages to scare as well. Is that hauntingly beautiful or is it beautifully haunting ? You decide.

S5: And my first pick also has some haunting beauty and children in it. And it’s the 2016 Australian film called boys in the Trees by Nicholas Verso. And I know there are a lot of popular and well-known films that are set on Halloween , but I did like you want to try and find some titles that are not as commonly recommended for a Halloween viewing. So I love finding something new , and I found this coming of age film dressed up in the tropes of a horror movie. So it’s set on Halloween night with all the trappings of a horror film.

S7: Is the night , the night of the Graves delight and the warlocks are at their play. Did you think that without the wild wind shout ? But no , it is they. It is that.

S5: And what I love about this film is how all the familiar Halloween scares of ghosts and werewolves turn out to be metaphors for much scarier real world horrors like bullying or betrayal , or just someone’s loss of their dreams. So there are no jump scares or gory kills , but there’s lots of Halloween atmosphere and a really beautiful visual style. Sometimes it might be a bit too on the nose with the analogies , but I really love the care and craft of this film.

S6: This reminds me of one of my favorite films , which didn’t make our list here , but Pan’s Labyrinth by Guillermo del Toro , which also deals with the little girl who is kind of trying to deal with the gruesome things happening in the real world by virtue of the imaginary one that she concocts in her head.

S5: And since we’re speaking of craft , your next pick is also one of my favorite movies , and this is Bone Tomahawk.

S6: I love this movie because it pulls off the most deft fusion of genres , it seems , for the most part , to be a sturdy western about a sheriff who enlists a posse of men to go save three people who are abducted by what seems at first a Native American tribe. And it is only when we find out more about the nature of this tribe that we realize the film’s true horror ambitions.

S8: You know , did this.

S9: The only one group that hunts with these. Who.

S8: Who.

S9: Don’t have a name kind of.

S8: Tribe , doesn’t have a name.

S9: One that doesn’t have a language. Cave dwellers.

S8: You know where they are.

S9: I have a general idea.

S8:

S9:

S8: Because you’re an. Indian.

S9: Indian. Because I don’t want to get killed.

S10: You’re afraid of your own kind. They’re not.

S9: My kind. You’re a spoiled bloodline of inbred animals of rape and eat their own mothers.

S6: This is a cannibalistic tribe of troglodytes who will spare no mercy to get what they want. The film is thrillingly paced and gruesome and cruel. I believe this one deserves its place on the list of films with relentless.

S11: Terror , and this.

S5: Is one of those films that is a slow burn. It takes its time getting there , and when it gets to that point , it just like goes off a cliff. It takes a left turn that it does not come back from.

S6: I love that when the film gets in the last 15 to 30 minutes , it gets into this area where everything is dialed up to 11 , and from that point onwards it does not skip a beat. And you as the audience member , forget to breathe as well.

S5: And what’s interesting about this film is I know that as Craig Zoller , the director , was asked to trim it down and was told , well , there seems to be scenes where nothing’s really happening. But as with South Korean films , part of the the trick of this is he really makes you fall in love with these characters so that when horrific things happen , it really rips your heart and gut out.

S6: So Kurt Russell plays the sheriff and Patrick Wilson , all of these characters , you really grow to kind of like them , and you’re invested in them so that when the script turns , it screws or it hurts. It really does hurt.

S5: Yeah , yes it does. And Bone Tomahawk uses kind of social structure , the town and kind of traditional things that you depend on for rescuing you or saving you , and they use it in an interesting way. And so does my next pick. So I picked a brand new film. And I have an author friend of mine , Cody Goodfellow , to thank for this , who just a couple of days ago said , if you haven’t seen Dark Harvest , you need to stream it right away and it’s on Prime right now. It’s from director David Slade , who also made a film called hard Candy and 30 Days of Night.

S9: It Ain’t Over.

S5: So it opens just a few days before Halloween in 1963. It’s kind of a period film , but not 100% realistic. It’s set in a small town that has a horrific annual Halloween ritual.

S12: One of your classmates will certainly die. That thing grows all year long in our fields , only to rise up every Halloween night with a single , solitary purpose to destroy our way of life. Your sacred duty. Is to take down Sawtooth Jack before that church bell rings at midnight. And to get you fat. Little Nancy’s ready. We make you hungry for it. Three days. No food , no mommy , no nothing.

S5: One of the surprises about this film is it looked absolutely gorgeous. The cornfields were amazing. The nighttime shots , the pumpkin headed creature , it all looks spectacular. And it’s really a shame that this went directly to streaming and never got a theatrical release. It has a little bit of kind of this American Gothic vibe to it , which is that everything in the town seems kind of white picket fence and pleasant , but there’s something very dark underneath. It also has a little bit of the Purge vibe to it , but it feels much more cleverly plotted and with much more measured and beautifully shot violence. So I also like how it creates kind of a whole new Halloween folklore to go by. So I highly recommend this. And it’s streaming so you can get to it very easily.

S6: So I didn’t realize that this film that you just recommended is made by David Slade , who also made the film hard Candy. You mentioned about it , and hard Candy itself is certainly a great film to recommend for Halloween. It also stars Patrick Wilson , who is in Bone Tomahawk , and it’s this cat and mouse game that occurs between two individuals. And there’s it’s almost a crime to give away more , but certainly this director knows what he’s doing.

S5: And your final pick is also a favorite of mine. And it’s from one of my favorite directors , David Cronenberg. And this film is proof that a remake can be good.

S6: As you mentioned , David Cronenberg , The Fly. The fly was a remake of a 1958 film and a short before that. And I think Cronenberg just elevates that story. And even now , 40 years later , when you watch it , you realize that the marvel of his craft remains undimmed. More than 40 years later , as we watch with equal parts amazement and queasiness , this is a story of a scientist trying to teleport himself , and he fails to see a fly that flew into the device , and initially he’s quite invigorated by it.

S13: So I asked the computer if it had improved me , and it said it didn’t know what I was talking about , and that’s made me think very carefully about what I’ve been feeling and why. And I’m beginning to think that the sheer process of being taken apart , atom by atom and put back together again , why ? It’s like coffee being put through a filter. It’s somehow a purifying process. It’s purified me , it’s cleansed me. And I’ll tell you , I think it’s going to allow me to realize the personal potential I’ve been neglecting all these years that I’ve been obsessively pursuing goal after goal.

S5: But as we know with Cronenberg , it’s not going to go well.

S6: Yes , it does not. And being a Cronenberg film , the lead character slowly but surely starts to realize that he himself is morphing into a fly at first behaviorally and then very much anatomically. This is a film again with effortless tension , and it’s a very pleasing , glitzy looking movie. But it certainly has far more ambitions , and it certainly survived the test of time.

S5: And also it is strangely , a love story.

S6: Yeah , it’s also a love story , because there’s this tender romance at the heart between the Jeff Goldblum and Geena Davis character. And , you know , you could see it as an allegory about two people who are right for each other until one of them literally changes. And , you know , how much can you change than than a human being becoming a fly ? Okay.

S5: And I am going to close out our picks with a very well known franchise , but I am going to go to a much maligned entry. I am going to suggest Halloween , but it’s going to be Halloween three season of the witch , and this is the only Halloween film that does not feature Michael Myers. It’s almost time , kids.

S14: The clock is ticking. Be in front of your TV sets for the horror thon. And remember the big giveaway at. Don’t miss it.

UU: And don’t forget to wear your masks. The clock is ticking. It’s almost. Happy Halloween. Halloween.

S5: So that song and that commercial from the film is like an earworm that gets stuck in your head. John Carpenter and Debra Hill had the idea that maybe Halloween could be an anthology in which the holiday of Halloween was the anchor and the constant factor , rather than one of the characters. So the film bombed , and many still hate it , but I think it’s a really fun horror flick , perfect for Halloween night. It involves a witchy plot to sell Halloween masks that will kill the wearer on Halloween night , and it has the great Tom Atkins in it. And I will gladly take this Halloween over any of the Rob Zombie or David Gordon Green ones. And plus and just love how that theme song gets stuck in your head. I mean.

S6: The first one is timeless. I mean , I would I could go back and watch that any number of times. It’s it’s really , again , a marvel of how to create a pressure cooker and , you know , 90 short minutes. Yeah. Again , one of those classics which will always be played.

S5: And yes , you can’t go wrong with watching John Carpenter’s original Halloween on Halloween night. But for a change of pace , I do suggest giving season of the Witch Halloween three a try. So , Yazdi , I want to thank you very much for being my partner in crime for midday movies.

S6: Likewise , but always a pleasure.

S1: That was Kpbs Cinema Junkie , Beth Accomando and Movie Wall’s Yazdi with their suggestions for what to watch on Halloween night. That’s our show for this week. To listen to all of our episodes. You can find the Kpbs Midday Edition podcast wherever you listen , and we’d love to hear from you. You can email us at midday at pbs.org , or leave us a message at (619) 452-0228. Jan from Vista had this to say in response to our conversation with Assembly Member David Alvarez , where he made the case for more housing for young people.

S15: And I was just curious. I heard Alvarez talking about the cost of living for young people and for people who are students in the area , and who I think he actually forgot about the lack of housing for seniors.

S1: Midday edition is produced by Giuliana Domingo , Brooke Ruth , Laura McCaffrey and Ariana Clay. Technical producers are Adrian Villalobos and Rebecca Chacon. Art segment contributors Beth Accomando and Julia Dixon Evans midday Edition’s theme music is provided by San Diego’s own Surefire Soul Ensemble. I’m Andrew Bracken. Jade Hyneman will be back next week with more conversations. Thanks for listening. I.

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Humanities Afrofutures series concludes with talk on Black feminism

More than 50 University of Michigan students and community members gathered at Rackham Graduate School Wednesday evening to hear a discussion on the future of Black feminist theory with Jennifer Nash and Samantha Pinto, co-editors of the new book series “Black Feminism on the Edge”. The discussion marked the end of the University’s Humanities Afrofutures event series and was moderated by U-M associate professor Aida Levy-Hussen.

Originally set to take place in February, which is Black History Month, the event was rescheduled due to a snowstorm. The Afrofutures series brought scholars, activists and artists on campus to discuss the role of Black art and scholarship in the past, present and future.

In an interview with The Michigan Daily, Levy-Hussen said the event would serve as a valuable resource for both faculty and graduate students who are familiar with Pinto and Nash’s work, as well as for undergraduates and community members who may be unfamiliar with their research.

“I hope the event will provide a welcoming introduction to a smart and timely body of ongoing scholarly conversations about race, gender, culture and politics,” Levy-Hussen said. “My sense is that a lot of people on campus and beyond are drawn to Black art and Black studies scholarship because they are searching for thoughtful and complex models and strategies for grappling with the meanings and effects of race and racism. Literature and art and scholarship can help us to contextualize, make sense of and imagine alternatives to our social and political realities.”

Pinto, director of the Humanities Institute at the University of Texas at Austin, began the conversation by speaking about the role of Black feminism in the classroom and how she sees social media impact her students’ knowledge of the topic.

“It’s interesting to me, in my classroom, how much (of) what my students know about what feminism is comes from Instagram (and) comes from influencers,” Pinto said. “It’s interesting to think about how influencers have become this kind of key way that feminist knowledge circulates which are seen across borders.”

Pinto also spoke about how her students engage in feminism in their everyday lives, such as female empowerment in the Barbie movie.

“(Barbie) gave them permission to engage the normative as a way of being in feminism,” Pinto said. “And even my students who don’t identify as normative on various identity lines found that permission really seductive.”

Nash, chair of gender, sexuality and feminist studies at Duke University, spoke on the perception of feminism as a whole. She emphasized how anxiety often surrounds wokeism, and discussed the perception that there’s only one way to practice feminism.

“(There’s) this desire to get back to some pure form of doing feminism correctly,” Nash said.

Nash also discussed how universities across the country have faced critiques on treatment of gender and ethnic studies. Nash emphasized the importance of gender and ethnic studies programs for university students.

“One of the things that came out of the topics of last year is about abolition … that we need to abolish the university … as a kind of feminist project,” Nash said. “ … We need to investigate universities in this moment where women and gender studies are under attack. Black studies is under attack, critical race theory is under attack, ethnic studies is under attack … We need to fight for those spaces.”

Rackham student Himani Boompally, a student in the joint history and women’s and gender studies program, said she thought Nash and Pinto’s conversation was interesting and related to her own interests.

“I’m in a very tangential field of South Asian feminism, which draws a lot upon Black feminism as a field and the state of affairs,” Boompally said. “I was really coming in here I feel with a very outsider perspective and I was just blown away. “(Nash and Pinto’s) talk was incredible, they were dealing with so many themes and questions that I also had.”

Daily News Contributor Noor Khanafer can be reached at noorkk@umich.edu.

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Michelle Williams fans predict EGOT for Britney Spears audiobook – but she’s still got a way to go

Michelle Williams could be on her way to EGOT status, fans have theorised following her stellar turn narrating the audiobook for Britney Spears’s memoir.

The Dawson’s Creek star, 43, reads Spears’s life story in the audio version of The Woman in Me, which was released on Tuesday (24 October).

While Spears narrates the book’s introduction herself, the singer previously shared that she would not be narrating most of her memoir because she’d found it too painful to “relive” her experiences.

Following the audiobook’s release, fans quickly praised Williams for her depiction of Spears. One particular clip, in which Williams imitates Justin Timberlake adopting a “blaccent” while meeting rapper Ginuwine, swiftly went viral.

In response, fans theorised that The Woman in Me could be the project to secure Williams EGOT status – the acronym given to multi-talented artists who have earned an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony.

“Michelle Williams is gonna EGOT thanks to the Britney memoir and I think that’s beautiful,” one fan wrote, while another wrote: “This is the beginning of Michelle Williams’s journey to the Grammys and eventually EGOT.”

For actors like Williams, the Grammy will be the hardest to achieve. She could, however, pick up an award in the category for Best Audio Book, Narration and Storytelling Recording.

Williams still has a little way to go until she achieves EGOT status. While the actor has an Emmy to her name, picking up the award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited Series or Television Movie for her role in Fosse/Verdon, she has only been nominated at the Oscars and Tony Awards.

Williams could pick up her first Grammy for the audiobook, fans have predicted

(Getty Images)

In 2016, Williams was given a nod at the Tonys for Best Actress in a Play for David Harrower’s Blackbird. At the Academy Awards, she has picked up an impressive five nominations. Her first came in 2006 for Brokeback Mountain, and her most recent was just this year for Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans.

As of 2023, only 23 people have EGOT-ed in competitive categories. The latest to earn the accolade was Viola Davis, who received her Grammy this year for narrating the audiobook of her memoir Finding Me.

One moment from Spears’s memoir to attract attention from readers relates to the singer’s relationship with Timberlake. The musicians dated for three years between 1999 and 2002.

Spears’s audiobook was released this week

(Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images)

In one chapter, Spears recalls how Timberlake and his band NSYNC “loved hip-hop” and “hung out with Black artists”.

“Sometimes, I thought they tried too hard to fit in,” she wrote, recalling how she and Timberlake ran into “Pony” singer Ginuwine in New York City.

“Walking our way was a guy with a huge blinged-out medallion,” Spears recalled. “He was flanked by two giant security guards. J got all excited and said so loud, ‘Oh yeah, fo shiz, fo shiz, Ginuwine. What’s up homey?’”

The clip from the audiobook, in which Williams enthusiastically recreates Timberlake’s accent, went viral on social media as internet users mocked Timberlake.

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Physis Founder, Sailaja Manacha, Opens Calendar for 1:1 Leadership Coaching for Senior Leaders

Physis Founder, Sailaja Manacha, Opens Calendar for 1:1 Leadership Coaching for Senior Leaders – African American News Today – EIN Presswire

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Justin Timberlake turns off Instagram comments amid backlash from Britney Spears’ memoir

Britney Spears‘ latest memoir revealed a lot of new information about boybander Justin Timberlake that has fans truly upset.

Seemingly as a result of the online hate, Justin turned off his Instagram comments which will limit the messages displayed on his photos. The claims from Britney include that Justin got her pregnant, but didn’t want to be a father so they opted for an abortion. Plus, the pop princess claimed that Justin would put on a blaccent around Ginuwine.

Writing about his band *NSYNC, Britney said: “They were white boys, but they loved hip-hop. To me, that’s what separated them from the Backstreet Boys, who seemed very consciously to position themselves as a white group. *NSYNC hung out with black artists. Sometimes I thought they tried too hard to fit in.”

For all the latest on news, politics, sports, and showbiz from the USA, go to The Mirror US.

Read More: Britney Spears’ ex-husband Sam Asghari breaks silence on her explosive tell-all memoir

Britney claims she had an abortion after a pregnancy with Justin
(
zz/Stephen Trupp/STAR MAX/IPx)

She also accused Justin of using a ‘blaccent’
(
zz/Peter Kramer/STAR MAX/IPx)

A source told Page Six that Justin made the decision in an effort to get rid of the “hateful, disgusting things people were saying.” Additionally, an insider told the Daily Mail that he is “not happy” about the claims Britney is making, but hasn’t yet talked to her about it. Other than the silencing move on Instagram, Justin has not publicly addressed the controversies.

It was previously reported that Justin was ‘nervous’ about the book’s release. A source said: “There is some major tea regarding Justin Timberlake that may be shared in her book that happened during their relationship. She may or may not have published it, but if she did, it will definitely paint him a light that isn’t so favourable … again.”

Britney also accused Justin of cheating
(
PA)

Justin turned off his Instagram comments after backlash
(
zz/Russ Einhorn/STAR MAX/IPx)

The insider stressed at the time that Britney doesn’t necessarily “attack” Justin, but rather uses this as an opportunity to tell her truth. Nonetheless, Britney reportedly received a warning prior to the memoir’s publication asking her to remove some information or face potential legal consequences. It is uncertain what that exact information was and if it was actually cut from the book.

An insider told The Sun : “Lawyers demanded to see her book in advance and were adamant that some of the revelations were removed. There are still plenty of gobsmacking tales but Timberlake and Farrell were conscious about what could be said about them.”

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Lauren Halsey, an Activist Artist, Joins Gagosian Gallery

Lauren Halsey, the Los Angeles artist who recently transformed the Metropolitan Museum’s rooftop into a contemporary monument and who created a food bank in her South Central neighborhood during Covid, is joining Gagosian, one of the largest art galleries, with 19 spaces worldwide.

Her first show will open next year at Gagosian’s Paris location and her first institutional exhibition in England will open at Serpentine Galleries, London, in October 2024. Halsey will also maintain representation by David Kordansky in Los Angeles.

“I thought how exciting it could be to partner with another gallery to expand my context to different audiences, platforms and voices,” Halsey, 36, said, adding that Gagosian could show her work in Asia, “places I haven’t even traveled to.”

Larry Gagosian said he first saw Halsey’s work when Antwaun Sargent, one of his directors, included it in his “Social Works” show at the gallery in 2021. Then he saw Halsey’s ambitious iteration of the annual Met rooftop commission, which was something of a contemporary take on the museum’s Temple of Dendur.

“I can’t think of anything on the roof that’s impressed me more,” the dealer said.

Gagosian added, “I happen to have grown up in an area not far from where she grew up. It was familiar territory when Antwaun and I went to her studio. I started recognizing some of the streets. She’s dealing with issues of race and culture and her neighborhood, but it’s not heavy handed. It combines this seriousness with something very elegant and highly imagined.”

Gagosian said he is on board with Halsey’s policy of making sure some of her art sells to collectors of color. “Inclusiveness isn’t just the artists you show, it’s also the people that you show it to,” he said.

Although best known for showing auction darlings like Cy Twombly, Anselm Kiefer and Richard Prince, Gagosian also represents Black artists such as Theaster Gates, Titus Kaphar and Rick Lowe, and Halsey said it was “exciting to be on the roster.”

Sargent said he met Halsey when she was a graduate student at Yale; she then did a residency at the Studio Museum in Harlem in 2014. “She thinks about the idea of funk and using that as a way to expand the possibilities of Black people in space,” he said. “We have to make sure this vision succeeds in the art world because it’s so important for her community.”

Kordansky said he is comfortable having a collaborative relationship with another dealer. “There will be an open line of dialogue between the galleries,” he said. “Lauren’s ambition and her hopes and dreams for what she wants to render within the space of her practice is mighty.”

RankTribe™ Black Business Directory News – Arts & Entertainment

Going Out, Oct. 26-Nov. 3, 2023

Halloween’s on Tuesday, but you know there’ll be plenty of creepy costumed fun through this weekend. We also have plenty of arts and nightclub events that are a bit less scary, including our Besties winners and runners-up, this week in Going Out.

(Click here for listings of LGBTQ movies, TV series, podcasts and community organizations.)

‘Bulrusher’ @ Berkeley Repertory  

DANCE, OPERA, THEATER
Ain’t Too Proud @ San Jose Center for the Performing Arts
‘The Life and Times of The Temptations,’ the hit musical about the R&B vocal group. $39-$89. Oct. 31-Nov. 5. 255 S. Almaden Blvd. https://ainttooproudmusical.com/ https://broadwaysanjose.com/shows/aint-too-proud/

Alex Edelman @ Curran Theater
The Obie Award-winning comic storyteller performs his solo show ‘Just For Us.’ $46 and up. Oct 26-28. 445 Geary St. https://www.broadwaysf.com/ (Read our interview.)

Brava Theatre Center
Plays, dance, comedy and music concerts by BIPOC women at its Theater, 2781 24th St. and at Brava Cabaret: ‘Black to the Future Unmasked,’ Oct. 28 & 29. 2773 24th St. https://www.brava.org (Read our interview with Marga Gomez.)

Bulrusher @ Berkeley Repertory
Eisa Davis’ Pulitzer Prize finalist coming of age drama about a multiracial girl in 1955 Mendocino County. $33-$109. Oct. 27-Dec. 3. 2025 Addison St., Berkeley. https://www.berkeleyrep.org/

Castro Theatre
Live shows and films. ‘Halloween in the Castro,’ a new holiday celebration with multiple movie screenings (‘Death Becomes Her,’ ‘Edward Scissorhands,’ Hocus Pocus,’ and ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show,’ a costume contest hosted by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence; $5 per movie/free in costume. 1pm-12am. 489 Castro St. https://www.castrotheatre.com/

CineMás 15 @
San Francisco Latino Film Festival screens films from the US and representation from Latin America and Spain, with five LGBTQ-themed films. $9-$50; thru Oct. 15; at Roxie Theater, Landmark’s Opera Plaza Cinemas, Mission Cultural Center and streaming online. https://www.cinemassf.org/

CounterPulse
Arts center for experimental innovative performance, dance and art often with a queer focus. Thru Oct. 29: ‘Tiny Fires: Scavengers at the Edge of the World.’ https://counterpulse.org/theshow/

‘Tell’ @ Dance Mission Theater  

Dance Mission Theater
Space for dance lessons, concerts with a modern often political edge. 10th Annual Festival of Latin American Contemporary Choreographers showcase, Oct. 27-29 ($25). ‘Tell,’ Circo Zero’s Keith Hennessy and Sarah Crowell’s group dance-performance about the messiness, beauty, and necessity of multi-racial collaboration. Free/$30. Nov. 3-5. 3316 24th St. https://dancemissiontheater.org/

Dear San Francisco @ Club Fugazi
The ‘high-flying love story’ weaves local history with acrobatic theatrics and live music by The 7 Fingers company, now with new cast members, and a full food and beverage menu, celebrated its one-year residency; extended thru Dec. 31. $35-$99. 678 Green St. https://www.clubfugazisf.com/

Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde @ Grace Cathedral
SF Jazz presents a screening of John S. Robertson’s 1920 adaptation of the Robert Louis Stevenson novella of a doctor wrestling with split identities, starring John Barrymore and featuring a live score performed on Grace’s famous pipe organ by renowned organist and composer Dorothy Papadakos. Oct. 30, 7pm. $25-$35. 1100 California St. www.sfjazz.org/ https://gracecathedral.org

The Emissary @ ODC Theater
Opera Paralléle’s commissioned production of composer Kenji Oh and librettist Kelley Rourke’s stage adaptation of Yoko Tawada’s acclaimed novel about a fractured dystopian future. $10-$50. Oct. 27, 7pm. Oct. 28, 1pm & 4pm. 3153 17th St. https://odc.dance/

The Engine of Our Disruption @ Berkeley City Club
Patricia Milton’s play about artificial intelligence devices that control people’s decisions. $15-$40; thru Nov. 12. 2315 Durant Ave. https://centralworks.org/

Forgetting Tree @ Z Space
Queer Cat Productions’ multimedia bioluminescent garden installation and performance. $25-$45. Nov. 3 & 4, 8pm; Nov. 5 3pm. Online Nov. 12. 18+. 450 Florida St. https://www.queercatproductions.com/jesdeville

Hedwig and the Angry Inch @ Ashby Stage, Berkeley
Shotgun Players’ production of John Cameron Mitchell and Steven Trask’s Tony and Obie-winning musical. $40-$49. Oct. 28-Dec. 17. 1901 Ashby Ave. https://shotgunplayers.org

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow @ Monroe Stage, Santa Rosa
6th Street Playhouse’s production of John Minigan’s stage adaptation of Washington Irving’s short story about Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman. $37; thru Nov. 5. 52 West 6th St.

‘Loving Still’ @ 336m  

Loving Still @ 336m
RAWdance presents works inspired by vintage photos of affectionate male couples. Free with RSVP; thru Dec. 10. 836 Montgomery St. http://836m.org/show/loving-still/

Mame @ Gateway Theatre
42nd Street Moon’s production of Jerry Herman, Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee’s Tony-winning musical based on the novel by Patrick Dennis and the play “Auntie Mame” by Lawrence and Lee. $30-$78. Nov. 2-19. 215 Jackson St. https://42ndstmoon.org

Naka Dance Theater @ EastSide Arts Alliance, Oakland
‘Y Basta Ya! The Performance of the Performance,’ a visual installation/performance and collaborative project with Indigenous and Latine immigrant women and their explorations of race, gender violence, invisibility, and individual and collective power. $25. Oct. 26-29. 2277 International Boulevard. https://nakadancetheater.com/ www.eventbrite.com

Naka Dance Theater @ EastSide Arts Alliance, Oakland  

Mrs. Christie @ Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts
TheatreWorks Silicon Valley’s production of Heidi Armbruster’s play about famed murder mystery author Agatha Christie’s strange 11-day disappearance in 1926. $30; thru Oct. 29. 500 Castro St. https://theatreworks.org/

Nollywood Dreams @ San Francisco Playhouse
Jocelyn Bioh’s romantic comedy’s set in Nigeria’s 1990s film industry boom. $15-$100; thru Nov. 4. 450 Post St. https://www.sfplayhouse.org/sfph/

Oakland Ballet @ Hammer Theatre Center, San Jose, Paramount Theatre, Oakland
The company performs ‘Luna Mexicana,’ choreographed by Martín Romero of Ballet Folklórico Mexico Danza and OBC Artistic Director Graham Lustig. The program will also include performances of traditional Mexican folkloric dance by Ballet Folklórico Mexico Danza, live mariachi music and OBC’s Luna Mexicana ballet. $21-$70. Oct. 28 & 29, 2:3pm, 101 Paseo de San Antonio, San Jose. Nov. 3 & 4, 7:30pm & 2:30pm, 2025 Broadway, Oakland. https://oaklandballet.org/

Oakland Ballet’s ‘Luna Mexicana’  

ReOrient Festival @ Potrero Stage
Golden Thread’s series of plays by and about Middle Eastern stories, including gay and nonbinary playwrights Adam Elsayigh, Arti Ishak and Hamed Sinno. $20-$100, thru Nov. 4. 1695 18th St. (Read our feature article.)

Rogelio Lopez & Dancers @ Joe Goode Annex
The East Bay company performs Lopez’ ‘Entre Despierto y Dormido (Between Awake and Asleep)’ with themes of dreams, queer sexuality, camp, and folklorico. $20-$50. Nov. 3-5, 10-12. 401 Alabam St. https://www.rogeliodance.com/

Rossum’s Universal Robots @ Exit on Taylor
Cutting Ball Theater’s production of Russian playwright Karel Capek’s prescient 1923 satirical play about robots who’ve taken over the world; translated by Paul Selver. $10-$95; thru Nov. 12. 277 Taylor St. https://cuttingball.com

Rogelio Lopez & Dancers @ Joe Goode Annex  

San Francisco Opera
The company performs new and classic operas. Richard Wagner’s ‘Lohengrin’ (German/English supertitles), thru Nov. 1 (livestream Oct. 21). $26-$246. Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels’ ‘Omar,’ Nov. 5-21. $26-$246. War Memorial Opera House, 301 Van Ness Ave. www.sfopera.com

Silicon Valley Jewish Film Festival
32nd annual in-theatre and online festival of films at several theaters; thru Oct. 29. https://www.svjff.org/

Sketch 13: Lucky
Amy Seiwert’s Imagery screens on-demand dance concerts, with a new program each week through November. Nov. 1-Dec. 5. Pay what you can. https://www.asimagery.org/sketch-on-demand

‘We Are Continuous’ @ New Conservatory Theatre Center (photo: Lois Tema)  

Solo Shows @ The Marsh
New and return engagements with acclaimed local storyteller/performers. Dan Hoyle’s ‘Border People,’ thru Oct. 28; Don Reed’s ‘East 14th’ thru Oct 29, both at 1062 Valencia St., SF. Lynne Kaufman’s ‘Poetic Justice,’ thru Nov. 5; Wayne Harris’ ‘Train Stories’ thru Oct. 26, and Mélia Mills’ ‘The Allure of Thug Life,’ thru Nov. 11; each at 2120 Allston Way, Berkeley. www.themarsh.org

United Nations Association Film Festival
26th annual international festival of films focusing on world problems and solutions; at theaters in Palo Alto, East Palo Alto, San Francisco, and at Stanford University; thru Oct. 29. www.unaff.org

We Are Continuous @ New Conservatory Theatre Center
West Coast premiere of Harrison David Rivers’ semi-autobiographical drama about a family’s life-changing secrets. $25-$38; thru Nov. 26. 25 Van Ness Ave., lower level. https://nctcsf.org

LITERARY, LECTURES, SPECIAL EVENTS
Books Not Bans @ Booksmith
The popular indie bookstore joins forces with Fabulosa Books to send banned LGBTQ books to people and libraries. Donate online or in person. https://www.booksmith.com/BnB

The Booksmith
Upper Haight bookstore hosts many author events. Oct. 30, 7pm: Literary Pop: Back From the Dead with six authors. 1727 Haight St. https://www.booksmith.com

The Caftan Chronicles
Acclaimed author Tim Murphy’s expansive online interviews with gay men ‘of a certain age’ who discuss aspects of life and aging. Subscription, but here’s a sample interview with award-winning actor BD Wong. https://thecaftanchronicles.substack.com/

City Lights Bookstore
Historic North Beach bookstore hosts frequent literary events. 261 Columbus Ave. www.citylights.com

Curtis Chin with Dominic Lim @ Green Apple Books  

Curtis Chin @ Green Apple Books
The gay author of ‘Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant’ discusses his book in conversation with Dominic Lim. Oct. 30, 7pm. 1231 9th Ave. https://www.greenapplebooks.com

Fabulosa Books
Punk musician Barb Morrison (‘Bottoming for God’) Oct. 26, 7pm. In-store and online monthly (4th Saturdays) book club group discussion of literary works, 8:30pm-10pm. Also, donate (online or in-person) to the Books Not Bans campaign. 489 Castro St. https://www.fabulosabooks.com/

Halloween Meet & Greet @ GLBT History Museum
The Castro LGBTQ Cultural District hosts an event with Tom Ammiano and Marga Gomez, and district staff and members of our Advisory Board; costumes encouraged. Free. Oct. 28, 5:30pm-7:30pm. 4127 18th St. https://www.facebook.com/events/6483716895069997/

Keith Ferris, Lia Smith @ McKroskey Mattress Loft  

Keith Ferris, Lia Smith @ McKroskey Mattress Loft
The Green Arcade presents the illustrator and author of ‘Muni Is My Ride: Portraits of Muni in Words and Images.’ Nov. 4, 5:30pm. 1687 Market St. https://thegreenarcade.com/

Literary Speakeasy @ Martuni’s
Host James J. Siegel welcomes writers Baruch Porras-Hernandez and Kevin Dublin in a special Halloween show at the monthly authors and music event. Oct. 26, 7pm. 4 Valencia St. https://www.facebook.com/martunissf/

Manny’s
Cafe and event space hosts engaging talks with prominent authors, activists and politicians; and Rachelle Steele’s art exhibit. 3092 16th St. https://welcometomannys.com/

Pumpkin-Carving Contest @ Noe Valley Courts
Senator Scott Weiner’s annual fun contest includes pre-scooped pumpkins, tools, and celebrity drag queen judges D’Arcy Drollinger and BeBe Sweetbriar. Oct. 28, 12pm-3pm, @4th St. at Douglass. RSVP: lcmspubcontact.lc.ca.gov

Roz Chast @ Sydney Goldstein Theater  

Roz Chast @ Sydney Goldstein Theater
City Arts and Lectures the popular irreverent comic artist, who discusses her new collection, “I Must Be Dreaming” $49. Nov. 2, 7:30pm. 275 Hayes St. www.cityarts.net www.rozchast.com (Read our interview.)

Peter Turnley @ Fairfax Photo Club
The acclaimed photographer discusses and signs copies of his new book, ‘The Other California 1975.’ Oct. 26, 7pm. 142 Bolinas Rd., Fairfax, www.townoffairfax.org https://www.peterturnley.com/

Poetry Center
Literary events through the year. Humanities Bldg., Room 512, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Ave. https://poetry.sfsu.edu/

Christian Cagigal’s San Francisco Ghost Hunt  

San Francisco Ghost Hunt
Magician Christian Cagigal’s 25th anniversary 90-minute walking tour of notoriously spooky places in the city. $30; thru Oct. 31, Tue-Sun 8pm. Meet in front of the Healing Arts Center, 1801 Bush St. https://www.sfghosthunt.com/

SF LGBT Center
Events, talks, film screenings and workshops; New art exhibit, ‘What Remains,’ thru January. Queer & Well, the Center’s wellness program, celebrates its first year with new informative workshops, yoga classes and health clinics. 1800 Market St. 1634 Jerrold Ave. https://www.sfcenter.org/

Queer Words
Listen to online literary chats hosted by author Wayne Goodman, with guests Kelliane Parker, Brian Broome, Michael Nava, Vi Khi Nao, Anne Shade, Brontez Purnell, Christopher Castellani, the late Leslie Cohen and many others. https://queerwords.org/

SF Hiking Club
Weekly hikes with LGBTQ nature lovers. https://www.sfhiking.com/

SF Public Library
Online and in-person author events at The Hormel Center. “AIDS Self-Portraits: Positive Art,” photographs by Jeannie O’Connor, at History Center and the Hormel LGBTQIA+ Center; thru Feb. 29. (Read our news coverage.) Also, check out books and DVDs, see various book-themed exhibits. 100 Larkin St. www.sfpl.org

Cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason at Cal Performances @ UC Berkeley  

MUSIC
924 Gilman, Berkeley
The nonprofit arts and music space hosts rock, punk and other genre bands. 924 Gilman St. https://www.924gilman.org/

Ashkenaz Music & Dance Community Center
International music and dance concerts at the East Bay venue celebrating its 50th anniversary with a special schedule of concerts. Nov. 4 anniversary gala. 1317 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley. https://www.ashkenaz.com/

Cal Performances @ UC Berkeley
Music and dance concerts and more. Cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason, $40-$96. Nov. 1, 7:30pm. John Cameron and Amber Martin’s ‘Cassette Roulette,’ $42-$120. Nov. 4, 8pm. (Read our interview with John Cameron Mitchell.) Zellerbach Hall, Bancroft Way at Dana St., and Herbst Hall, UC Berkeley campus. calperformances.org

Club Dates @ Club Fugazi
New live music series at the North Beach theater. 678 Green St. https://www.clubfugazisf.com/

Alysha Umphress @ Feinstein’s at the Nikko  

Feinstein’s at the Nikko
The upscale nightclub presents cabaret concerts. Broadway Villains Sing-Along with host Joe Wicht, Oct. 26, 7:30pm. The Ghoulishly Groovy ’70s Dance Party with Top Shelf Classics, Oct. 28, 7:30pm. Alysha Umphress performs a jazzy Broadway concert with Jeff Blumenkrantz, Nov. 3, 8pm, $59. Hotel Nikko, 222 Mason St. https://www.feinsteinssf.com/

The Fillmore
Historic venue hosts concerts by new and classic rock, folk and pop musicians. 1805 Geary Blvd. https://www.livenation.com

Freight & Salvage, Berkeley
Music venue presents folk, rock, blues musicians and more. 2020 Addison St, Berkeley. https://thefreight.org/

Grand Opening @ National Queer Arts Center
The new home of the San Francisco Gay Men’s Chorus hosts an open house with tours and presentations. Free. Oct. 30, 4pm-6pm. 170 Valencia St. https://www.sfgmc.org/

Great American Music Hall
Enjoy live music at the classic venue. 859 O’Farrell St. https://gamh.com/

Joshua Henry @ The Venetian Room, Fairmont Hotel  

Joshua Henry @ The Venetian Room, Fairmont Hotel
The Gramnmy-winning three-time Tony nominee (‘Hamilton,’ ‘Scottsboro Boys’) performs Broadway and Soul songs. $30-$85. Oct. 29, 7pm. 950 Mason St. https://bayareacabaret.org/

Kim Petras @ Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
The pop singer performs her Feed the Beast concert tour. $60-$70. Oct. 29, 8pm. 99 Grove St. https://billgrahamcivic.com/events/kim-petras-231029

The Lost Church
Intimate music and theater venue presents local and touring performers in a variety of styles. 988 Columbus Ave. https://thelostchurch.org/

The Jack Quartet with San Francisco Performances @ Herbst Theatre  

San Francisco Performances @ Herbst Theatre
Chamber music, classical, vocal concerts and recitals. Alexander String Quartet Oct. 28, 10am. $55-$75. Violinist Miranda Cuckson with pianist Blair McMillen, Nov. 2, 7:30pm, $50-$70. The Jack Quartet’s program celebrates the 70th birthday of composer John Luther Adams, Oct. 26, 7:30pm. $50-$70. 401 Van Ness Ave. http://sfperformances.org/

San Francisco Symphony @ Davies Symphony Hall
In-person and online concerts. 201 Van Ness Ave. http://www.sfsymphony.org/

SF Jazz
The acclaimed venue presents their concert series. Meshell Ndedocello with special guests Ambrose Akinmusire & Mark Speer of Khruangbin, Oct. 27-29. $30-$115. 201 Franklin St. https://www.sfjazz.org

SF Live Arts @ Cyprian’s
Concerts by acclaimed musicians in a variety of genres. 2097 Turk St. https://sflivearts.org/

Sweetwater Music Hall, Mill Valley
Intimate restaurant, nightclub and music venue presents all kinds of music, in the historic Masonic Lodge. 9 Corte Madera Ave. https://sweetwatermusichall.com/

Yoshi’s
The elegant nightclub-restaurant features jazz and R&B musicians. 510 Embarcadero West, Oakland. https://yoshis.com

im Anno’s ‘Animals’ Reading Room’ @ Angelic/Trimble Gallery  

MUSEUMS & GALLERIES
111 Minna Gallery
Downtown gallery exhibits vibrant contemporary artworks. ’30 Year Anniversary Exhibition’ thru Jan. 12. 111 Minna St. 111minnagallery.com

2358 MRKT
Contemporary art gallery in the Castro. 2358 Market St. https://www.2358mrkt.com/

Acion Latina
Community organization sponsors events, and hosts exhibits in its gallery. 2958 24th St. https://accionlatina.org/en/

African American Art & Culture Complex
Exhibits and events featuring Black artists. ‘Season of Black Art,’ multiple events, Oct. 29, 1pm-5pm. Free. 762 Fulton St. https://aaacc.org/

Angelic/Trimble Gallery
Contemporary works; Kim Anno’s ‘Animals’ Reading Room,’ thru Oct. 28. 1275 Minnesota St. https://www.anglimtrimble.com/

Takashi Murakami: Unfamiliar People – Swelling of Monsterized Human Ego’ @ Asian Art Museum  

Aquarium of the Bay
Aquatic museum of sea life hosts many special events. Daily, 11am-6pm. Pier 39 Embarcadero at Beach St. https://www.aquariumofthebay.org/

Arion Press Gallery
Print and design art exhibits. 1802 Hayes St., The Presidio. https://gershoni.com/culture/dyslexic-dictionary

Asian Art Museum
Historic and contemporary works by Asian artists. ‘Takashi Murakami: Unfamiliar People – Swelling of Monsterized Human Ego,’ vibrantly colorful acclaimed and new works; thru Feb. 12. Cosplay Thursdays, weekly at 6pm. ‘Resilient Traditions: Korean American Stories Told Through Paper.’ Fri-Mon 10am-5pm. Thu. 1pm-8pm. 200 Larkin St. asianart.org

Artists Television Access
Screenings of unusual art films and videos, readings and live music. 992 Valencia St. http://www.othercinema.com/ https://www.atasite.org/

Berkeley Art Center
Contemporary art exhibits; ‘Naming Our Time,’ a four-artist exhibit curated by Qianjin Montoya, Oct. 21-Jan. 13. Opening reception Oct. 27, 5pm-8pm. 1275 Walnut St., Berkeley. https://www.berkeleyartcenter.org

‘Bob Mizer: Chromatic Mannerisms 1962-1992’ @ Bob Mizer Foundation  

Berkeley Art Museum/Pacific Film Archive
Kenneth Tam’s ‘MATRIX 281: The Founding of the World,’ thru Nov. 26. Griselda Rosas’ ‘Yo te cuedo’ thru Nov. 19. ‘What Has Been and What Could Be: The BAMPFA Collection,’ thru June 9, 2024. ‘Amalia Mesa-Bains: Archaeology of Memory.’ ‘Quilts, Blankets, and Tapestry: Contemporary Art and Textiles.’ Ongoing film series, too. 2155 Center St., Berkeley. www.bampfa.org

Bob Mizer Foundation
Exhibits of vintage male physique and erotica prints. ‘Bob Mizer: Chromatic Mannerisms 1962-1992.’ Also, ‘Physique Pictorial: The Manufacture, Craft, and Art of Mizer’s Magazine,’ thru spring 2024. 920 Larkin St. https://www.bobmizer.org

Bounty
New art gallery exhibits works by Charles Trapolin, antiquities, and other artists. 609 Pacific Ave. https://bountysf.com/

Bravo: Celebrating San Francisco Opera, Its Italian Roots and Legacy @ Museo Italo Americano
exhibit about San Francisco Opera’s first century and the early history of the Italian community’s impact on the art form; in partnership with San Francisco Opera and Museum of Performance + Design, with performances through the run; Tuesdays through Fridays 12pm-4pm, Saturdays and Sundays 10am-4pm; thru Oct. 29. Fort Mason Center, 2 Marina Blvd. https://museoitaloamericano.org/

‘The World’s Largest Dinosaurs’ @ California Academy of Sciences  

California Academy of Sciences
The fascinating science museum includes live creatures (aquarium, terrarium) and educational exhibits. ‘The World’s Largest Dinosaurs,’ an exhibit about sauropods Mamenchisaurus and Argentinosaurus. Also; ‘Venom: Fangs, Stingers, and Spines,’ all about venomous creatures. ‘Wander Woods,’ an outdoor kids and families play space, ‘Living Worlds,’ a planetarium show. Mon-Sat 9:30am-5pm. Sun 11am-5pm. Monthly Nightlife Live parties 6pm-10pm. Oct. 26: NightLife on Elm Street Halloween party with cocktails, Oaklash drag acts and more. $29, 6pm-9pm. 55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park. https://www.calacademy.org/

California Institute of Integral Studies
Art and culture center hosts classes, workshops, exhibits. ‘Balikbayan,’ mother and son artists May and Mik Gaspay’s gorgeous fabric tapestries depict Filipino home life; thru Dec. 15. 1453 Mission St. http://www.artsatciis.org/

Cartoon Art Museum
‘The Rocketeer: The Life and Legacy of Dave Stevens,’ thru Feb. 25. Ongoing: ‘The Batman Armory.’ Open daily (except Wed.) 11am-5pm. 781 Beach St. www.cartoonart.org

Castro Art Walk
Tour galleries in the Castro District on a self-guided your. 5pm-8pm; first Fridays. https://www.castroartwalk.com/ (Read our feature article.)

Arleene Correa Valencia’s art @ Catharine Clark Gallery  

Catharine Clark Gallery
Contemporary art exhibits. Josephine Taylor’s ‘Night House’ thru Dec. 23; Arleene Correa Valencia’s works on immigrant struggles thru Nov. 4. Valencia in conversation with SF Chronicle’s Tony Bravo, Oct. 26, 6:30pm; also, Jon Rubin’s whimsical banners. 248 Utah St. https://cclarkgallery.com/

Chabot Space & Science Center
Programs include live science programs each Wed., 10:30am, virtual telescope viewings each Sat. 9pm. Free/$15. Laser After Hours: Fright Night Light, Oct. 13, 7:30pm and 9:30pm. $25. 10000 Skyline Blvd, Oakland. chabotspace.org

Chinese Cultural Center
Exhibition of new work by Bay Area-based contemporary ceramic artist Cathy Lu. 750 Kearny St. https://www.cccsf.us/

Chosen Familias: Familias Por Elección @ Consulado General de México
GLBT Historical Society and the Consulate present a new version of the GLBTHS’s 2019 exhibit about LGBTQ Mexican communities. 532 Folsom St. RSVP: [email protected]

‘RetroBlakesberg: The Music Never Stopped’ @ Contemporary Jewish Museum  

Conservatory of Flowers
Beautiful indoor and outdoor floral exhibits in the classic arboretum; special events and parties, too. See the amazing ‘Scarlett the Corpse Flower.’ 100 JFK Drive, Golden Gate Park. Free/$12. www.conservatoryofflowers.org

Contemporary Jewish Museum
‘RetroBlakesberg: The Music Never Stopped,’ a solo exhibition by Bay Area photographer Jay Blakesberg; thru Jan. 28, 2024. ‘Gillian Laub: Family Matters,’ an exhibit of her family portraits. ‘L’chaim: Celebrating Our Building at 15,’ thru June 9, 2024. Free/$16. 736 Mission St. thecjm.org

David Ireland House
Home converted into an intimate gallery of unusual art projects by the late artist and designer and other invited artists. New: ‘Orquídeas:’ artist and curator Marcel Pardo Ariza turns David Ireland’s historic home into an inviting and inclusive space for the Mission District’s queer and trans community, with installations, drag shows and programs thru Feb. 17. 500 Capp St. https://500cappstreet.org/ (Read our article.)

‘The de Young Open’ @ de Young Museum  

de Young Museum
‘The de Young Open,’ a group exhibition of 800+ works chosen from 1000s of submissions, thru Jan. 7. ‘Crafting Radicality: Bay Area Artists from the Svane Gift,’ thru Dec. 31. ‘Lhola Amira: Facing the Future,’ collections of American, African, Oceanic, costume arts, sculpture and more. Tue-Sun 9:30am-5:15pm. 50 Hagiwara Tea Garden Drive. deyoung.famsf.org

Exploratorium
Talks and demos with a science theme, including comet-cam and more; weekly After Dark nighttime parties (6pm-10pm). Pier 15. www.exploratorium.edu

Foreign Lens
Candid City street photography collective’s debut group exhibit. 513 Green St. https://www.candidcityspc.com/

Fraenkel Gallery
Contemporary art exhibits. 49 Geary St. https://fraenkelgallery.com

Galeria de la Raza
Arts center focuses on Latine art and events. Gallery hours Wed-Fri 12pm-5pm. 2779 Folsom St. http://galeriadelaraza.org/

Gallery 16
Modern art and design exhibits. David Hytone and Nathaniel Parsons exhibits thru Nov. 2. Buy prints by Graham Holoch to Support Maui Direct; $250 each. 501 3rd St. https://gallery16.com/

‘Doris Fish: Ego as Artform’ @ GLBT History Museum  

Gallery Wendi Norris
Contemporary artists’ works. 436 Jackson St. https://www.gallerywendinorris.com

GLBT History Museum
‘Curve Magazine Cartoons: A Dyke Strippers’ Retrospective.’ Also, ‘Doris Fish: Ego as Artform,’ an exhibit of archival material documenting the illustrious Australian/San Franciscan drag artist; curated by Bob Davis. Also: ‘Queer Past Becomes Present,’ the original Rainbow Flag, and ‘The Flag in the Map: Charting Rainbow Flag Stories.’ Online exhibits include ‘Stories of Our Movement: Bay Area Reporter at 50,’ ‘AIDS Treatment Activism,’ ‘Legendary: African American LGBTQ Past Meets Present, Fighting Back,’ and other exhibits. 4127 18th St. www.glbthistory.org

Gregangelo Museum
Take tours at the 27-room mansion filled with eccentric unusual interactive artworks and performances. Special Halloween-themed music performance, ‘Forbidden Secret Parlor,’ Oct. 26, 7pm (each $75). 225 San Leandro Way. www.gregangelomuseum.com

Gray Area
Unusual and contemporary art exhibits and installations. 2665 Mission St. https://grayarea.org/

Haight Street Art Center
Pop and contemporary art exhibits. Thu-Sun 12pm-6pm. 215 Haight St. https://haightstreetart.org/

Kevin Cole @ Jenkins Johnson Gallery  

Harvey Milk Photo Center
View exhibits of masterful photographic art; also online galleries. 50 Scott St. https://www.harveymilkphotocenter.org/

Headlands Center for the Arts
Installations and contemporary exhibits of site-specific art at the historic former military buildings. 944 Simmonds Road, Sausalito. https://www.headlands.org/

Hunters Point Shipyard Artists
Gallery, artists in residence and open studios events throughout the year. 451 Galvez; 1 Rankin St. www.shipyardartists.com

Jenkins Johnson Gallery
Contemporary art exhibits. Kevin Cole, Nov. 4-Dec. 22. Opening reception and artists talk, Nov. 4, 2pm-4pm. 1275 Minnesota St. https://www.jenkinsjohnsongallery.com

Legion of Honor  

Ken Jones @ San Francisco AIDS Foundation
Exhibit of art works by the Black Brothers Esteem member, long-term HIV survivor and prolific mixed-media artist; ongoing. 1035 Market St., 4th floor lobby. https://www.sfaf.org

The Lab
Contemporary and experimental art, music concerts, and installations. Reg. hours Thu-Sun 12pm-5pm. 2948 16th St. https://www.thelab.org/

Legion of Honor
European and ancient art, giant Renaissance landscapes and historic paintings, plus classical sculptures and contemporary works, from Degas, Manet, Caillebotte and Vuillard to Egyptian, Greek and Roman artifacts; also, Wangechi Mutu’s fascinating modern outdoor and indoor sculptures. Tue-Sun, 9:30am-5:15pm. Free/$15. 100 34th Ave, Lincoln Park. legionofhonor.famsf.org

Letterform Archive
‘Subscription to Mischief,’ an exhibit of graffiti zines of the 1990s. 2325 3rd St. https://letterformarchive.org/

Lost Art Salon
Intimate gallery exhibits small and unusual works of note by contemporary and early 20th-century artists, including LGBT artists. Oct. 25, 5:30pm-8pm, art talk and opening reception for ‘Surrealism & The Art of Diana Ferlini. 245 S. Van Ness. #303. https://lostartsalon.com

Elizabeth Sher’s ‘Good Coffee, Bad News’ @ Mercury 20 Gallery  

Louise Lawrence Transgender Archive
Renovated and re-opened archives, sponsored by the GLBT Historical Society; open to students, scholars, and the public by appointment only. 3021 Irwin St., Vallejo. https://lltransarchive.org/

MAG Galleries
Contemporary art exhibits; ‘Portals,’ sculptures by Andrew Dewitt; thru Dec. 3. 3931 18th St. https://www.mag-galleries.com/

Manna Gallery
‘Flux,’ Elaine Maute’s exhibit of paintings. Also, Orlando Smith retrospective. 473 25th St., Oakland. https://www.mannagallery.com/

Mercury 20 Gallery
Elizabeth Sher’s ‘Good Coffee, Bad News,’ Sara Lisch’s ‘Dream Garden’ and Pantea Karimi’s ‘Eulogy,’ each thru Nov. 25. 475 25th St., Oakland. https://mercurytwenty.com/

Minnesota Street Art Project
Multiple galleries – Rena Bransten Gallery, Nancy Toomey Fine Art, Municipal Bonds, Eleanor Harwood Gallery, Hashimoto Gallery, The Jones Institute, Thomas+Projects and more- host different artist exhibits; all with new fall exhibits. 1275 Minnesota St. https://minnesotastreetproject.com/

Dia de los Muertos celebrations @ Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts  

Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts
Exhibits of art by Latino artists, plus performances, films and events. ‘Living Ofrenda Fashion Show’ and VIP benefit, Oct. 28, 5:30pm-9pm, $75 and up. Sia de los Muertos matinee concert with members of the SF Symphony, $5, Oct. 29, 2pm-4pm. Sip & Paint, a painting class with wine, food treats and music; $35, Oct. 31, 6pm-9pm. Day of the Dead community celebration, Nov. 2, 7:30pm. 2869 Mission St. missionculturalcenter.org

Modern Eden Gallery
Contemporary art exhibits. 1100 Sutter St. https://www.moderneden.com

Museum of the African Diaspora
Exhibits include contemporary works by African and Black artists, and about Black culture; also, award-winning films, talks and music performances. ‘JoeSam’ (thru March 3), ‘Spectrum: On Color & Contemporary Art’ (thru March 3), the LGBTQ-focused ‘Salimatu Amabebe: Grass’ (thru Dec. 10) and online: ‘The Only Door I Can Open: Women Exposing Prison Through Art and Poetry’ (thru Oct. 1, 2024). Free-$12. 685 Mission St. www.moadsf.org

Charles Dabo with ArtSpan’s Open Studios  

Museum of Craft & Design
Innovative art and design exhibits. ‘Designing Peace’ features 30 design proposals, initiatives, and interventions from over 20 countries that look at ways to create and sustain more durable peaceful interactions; thru Feb. 4, 2024. 2589 3rd St. www.sfmcd.org

NIAD Art Center, Richmond
The art studio for developmentally disabled adults shares in-person and online exhibits and sells beautiful works of art; window displays and online exhibitions. Online: ‘Los Colores y la Música del Amor.’ 551 23rd St., Richmond. https://niadart.org/

Oakland Museum
‘Black Power’ and ‘Dorothea Lange: Photography as Activism,’ both ongoing. Friday night interactive displays and live music. 1000 Oak St., Oakland. museumca.org

Open Studios
ArtSpan’s annual Bay Area showcase of hundreds of visual artists who welcome visitors to their work spaces. Oct 28 & 29 and weekends through Nov. 19. https://www.artspan.org

The Pink and Purple Church in the Castro
Online multimedia exhibit documenting the history of Metropolitan Community Church, its LGBTQ-inclusive services and outreach through the AIDS pandemic. http://arspgallery.com/mccsf-exhibit-main/

Pride and Progress
The Victory Fund’s online exhibit showcases a timeline of LGBT political history. https://www.prideandprogress.org/

Zana Briski’s ‘Animalograms’ @ Robert Koch Gallery  

Queer Arts Featured
LGBTQ-owned pop-up gallery set in the former site of Harvey Milk’s camera shop. Vocal A.F., a queer open mic, Oct. 27, 7pm-10pm. 575 Castro St. Donate to their emergency rent hike fundraiser. www.queerartsfeatured.com

Queering the Crip, Cripping the Queer
Online version of a new group exhibit at Berlin’s Schedules Museum that explores the multiple historical, cultural, and political intersections of queerness and disability. https://queer-crip.schwulesmuseum.de/en/

Robert Koch Gallery
Contemporary art exhibits. Zana Briski’s ‘Animalograms,’ Oct. 26-Dec. 23; artists talk and opening reception Oct. 28, 2pm-5pm. 49 Geary St. https://kochgallery.com/

Root Division
Gallery hosts exhibits, classes, artist studios and events. ‘Introductions 2023,’ a juried group exhibition. 1131 Mission St. https://rootdivision.org/

Rosie the Riveter Historical Park, Richmond
Museum showcases the real women who built WWII planes, with films, events and talks. 1414 Harbour Way. https://rosietheriveter.org

Ryan Robichaux’s ‘Growing Pains’ @ Schlomer Haus Gallery  

San Francisco Historical Society Museum
Ongoing and new exhibits, and historian talks, of fascinating local history. Thu-Sat 10am-4pm. 608 Commercial St. https://www.sfhistory.org/

San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles
Handmade fabric art exhibits. 520 South 1st Street, San Jose. https://www.sjquiltmuseum.org/

Schlomer Haus Gallery
New Castro/Duboce gay-owned art gallery; Ryan Robichaux’s ‘Growing Pains’ the trans artist’s evocative journey through the complexities of masculinity; thru Dec. 2. 2128 Market St. Tue-Sat 12pm to 6pm and by appointment. https://schlomerhaus.com/

SF Arts Commission Gallery
‘Transcending Physicality: The Essence of Place,’ in the Main Gallery; thru Dec. 16. ‘A Public Voice/Una Voz Pública,’ an exhibition that chronicles the history of political and community activism and cultural events in San Francisco through the posters produced by Mission Gráfica and La Raza Silkscreen Center/La Raza Graphics; thru July 12, 2024. War Memorial Veterans Building, 401 Van Ness Ave. Also, exhibits at City Hall, Ground Floor and North Light Court, 1 Dr Carlton B Goodlett Place. https://www.sfartscommission.org

‘Pacita Abad’ @ SF Museum of Modern Art  

SF Botanical Garden
Beautiful spacious gardens with multiple plants, trees and flowers. Free entry for SF residents; others $3-$10. 1199 9th Ave., Golden Gate Park. https://www.sfbg.org

SF Camerawork
Diverse photography exhibits; The Storehouse at Fort Mason Center for the Arts & Culture, 2 Marina Boulevard, Building D. https://sfcamerawork.org/

SF Museum of Modern Art
‘Pacita Abad’ 40 of the artist’s large trapunto paintings; thru Jan. 28. ‘Yayoi Kusama: Infinite Love’ thru Aug. 2025. ‘Sitting on Chrome: Mario Ayala, rafa esparza, and Guadalupe Rosales,’ an exhibit of art celebrating lowrider culture; thru Feb. 19, 2024. Diego Rivera’s massive 1940 mural ‘Pan American Unity’; ‘Conversation Pieces: Contemporary Furniture in Dialogue;’ ‘Sightlines: Photographs from the Collection;’ and new Infinity Rooms. also, Pop, Abstract, and Figurative art collections. Reg. admission free/$25; reserved, timed ticketing. Mon 10am-5pm. Thu 1pm-8pm. Fri-Sun 10am-5pm. First Thursdays free. 151 Third St. www.sfmoma.org

SF Public Library
Book displays at the James C. Hormel LGBTQIA Center, 3rd floor. Also, book exhibits on the 6th floor. 100 Larkin St. https://sfpl.org/

SOMArts Cultural Center
ArtLaunch, SF Open Studios group exhibition; thru Nov. 19. 934 Brannan St. https://www.artspanart.org/sfos2023 www.somarts.org

Julien Tomasello’s ‘The Secrets of Summer’ @ Strut SF  

Southern Exposure
Unusual art and installations and online projects. Simone Bailey’s ‘Hometraining,’ works in various media; thru Nov. 11. 3030 20th St. https://soex.org

Strut SF
The LGBTQ health and wellness center also hosts art exhibits and talks. Julien Tomasello’s ‘The Secrets of Summer,’ opening reception Nov. 3, 8pm. Free/RSVP at www.eventbrite.com 470 Castro St. https://www.sfaf.org/locations/strut

Telematic
Gallery focusing on innovative experimental works in video and electronic media. 323 10th St. https://www.tttelematiccc.com

Tenderloin Museum
New and permanent exhibits of neighborhood history. ‘Central City 1970-2016’ by Dave Glass in the Tenderloin Museum’s art gallery space. A prolific San Francisco street photographer, Glass documented the Tenderloin’s denizens; thru Dec. 30. 398 Eddy St. http://www.tenderloinmuseum.org/

‘Bay Area Now 9’ @ Yerba Buena Center for the Arts  

Tunnel Tops @ Presidio
New outdoor beautifully landscaped area with scenic views, recreation, ranger talks, murals, and visiting food trucks. www.eventbrite.com www.presidiotunneltops.gov

Vessel Gallery
In-person and online exhibits. 490 Lake Park Ave. #10022, Oakland. www.vessel-gallery.com

Walt Disney Family Museum
Located in The Presidio, the museum dedicated to the art of Disney films hosts online and in-person exhibits, classes and events. ‘Disney Cats & Dogs’ thru June 24. $5-$15. Screenings of Tim Burton’s ‘Frankenweenie’ thru Oct. 28. 104 Montgomery St. www.waltdisney.org

We Were There
Online tours of art museums, showcasing hidden and overlooked LGBT themes, subjects and artists. http://wewerethere.org/

Winchester Mystery House, San Jose
Strange and beautiful mansion with tour exhibits, brunch service, and live performances celebrates 100 years. New spooky live program for Halloween season: ‘Unhinged: Housewarming.’ $20-$42. 525 S. Winchester Blvd. https://winchestermysteryhouse.com/

Worker
Online exhibit showcases photos and historic paintings of sex workers by 19 artists, from the late 19th-Century of Edouard Manet and Henri De Toulouse-Lautrec to modern day contemporaries such as Felix Gonzalez-Torres, David Hockney, Nan Goldin, Bruce LaBruce and Margie Schnibbe. NSFW. www.artreporttoday.com

Yerba Buena Center for the Arts
‘Bay Area Now 9,’ a large group exhibition of works by 30 local artists in diverse media; thru May 5, 2024. ‘Becoming: On Practices of Queer Belonging,’ with BAN9 artists and curators; Nov. 3pm-4pm. Also: unusual modern art exhibits, film screenings, murals, and tours. Sean Fader’s ‘Insufficient Memory,’ ongoing. 701 Mission St. https://ybca.org

Darren Criss at A.C.T.’s All Hallows’ Gala Zombie Ball @ August Hall  

NIGHTLIFE
440 Castro
Friendly neighborhood bar has ample outdoor seating, and indoor drink specials, Monday underwear parties, and two bars. 440 Castro St. http://www.the440.com/

The Academy
LGBTQ social club offers membership, plus public events, art exhibits, music, community talks, wine-tastings and more. 2166 Market St. www.academy-sf.com

After Dark @ Exploratorium
Evening cocktail parties at the interactive science museum, with different themes; Thursdays 6pm-10pm. Pier 15 (Embarcadero at Green St.) https://www.exploratorium.edu/

All Hallows’ Gala Zombie Ball @ August Hall
American Conservatory Theater’s festive Halloween costume gala (zombie cocktail attire recommended) includes a performance by actor-singer Darren Criss, dance band Vinyl Project, food, drinks, and more. $1,500 and up. Oct. 27. 420 Mason St. https://www.act-sf.org

Pan Dulce @ Beaux (photo: Marques Daniels)  

Asia SF
Dining, nightlife and classy drag performers mix at the popular SoMa club that’s celebrating 25 years; dinner shows from $59-$79. 201 9th St. https://asiasf.com/

Aunt Charlie’s Lounge
The intimate bar serves strong drinks and hosts frequent drag shows. DJ Bus Station John’s The Tubesteak Connection Halloween party. $5-$10. Oct. 26, 9pm-2am. 133 Turk St.

Badlands
The historic bar has finally reopened; nightly dancing, and Sunday Tea Dance. 4121 18th St. https://www.sfbadlands.com/ (Read our news article.)

Beaux
Popular Castro club, with drag entertainers, gogo studs, drinks and food, celebrates its tenth anniversary. Ongoing: Shangri-La second Saturdays. Latin Divas Live 4th Saturdays, You/nique 3rd Saturdays. Big Top Sundays and Friday Manimal with cute gogo dancers. Drag brunch Sat & Sun, 2pm & 4pm. Pan Dulce Wednesdays, and weekly ‘Drag Race’ viewings. 2344 Market St. https://www.beauxsf.com/

Blackbird
Classy Duboce area bar known for its artisanal cocktails. 2124 Market St. https://www.blackbirdbar.com/

Bong-O Bingo @ Mission Cannabis Club  

Blush Wine Bar
Popular wine bar also has a tasty food menu, live music events, too. 476 Castro St. https://blushwinebar.com

Bong-O Bingo @ Mission Cannabis Club
The monthly herb-happy party’s hosted by DJ Dank, with Thee Pristine Condition and Brandelicious for a night of bingo, haunted drag, mocktails, getting high and winning cannabis prizes. $15 ($10 min. purchase). Oct. 28, 6pm-9pm. 2442 Mission St. https://missioncannabisclub.com/

Bottom of the Hill
The queer-friendly nightclub hosts concerts by local and touring rock, punk and other-genre indie bands. 1233 17th St. http://www.bottomofthehill.com

The Cafe
Popular Castro nightclub with a dance floor and lounge areas, two bars, drag shows and gogo dancers on select nights; Picante Latin night on Thursdays. 2369 Market St. https://cafesf.com/

Castro Country Club
Sober space with meetings, events, art exhibits and a cafe. 4058 18th St. https://www.castrocountryclub.org/

The Cinch
Historic bar in the Polk district. 1723 Polk St. http://www.cinchsf.com/

Death by Aria @ The Green Room  

Club 1220
Walnut Creek’s gay bar, with drag shows, karaoke and dance nights. 1220 Pine St., Walnut Creek. https://club1220.com/

Club OMG
Intimate mid-Market nightclub includes DJed dancing, drag shows and a karaoke night. 43 6th St. http://www.clubomgsf.com/

Curio
Rexy hosts 12pm & 2pm drag brunch shows with Kylie Minono, Kipper Snacks, Bionka Simone and other talents. 775 Valencia St. https://www.curiobarsf.com/

Danny Pellegrino @ Cobb’s Comedy Club
The gay comic and author does a live podcast and launch of his second memoir, ‘The Jolliest Bunch: Unhinged Holiday Stories.’ $53-$73. Oct. 30, 7:30pm. 915 Columbus Ave. https://www.cobbscomedy.com/

Death by Aria @ The Green Room
3rd annual costume party and concert of spooky classical music. $60-$100. Oct. 26, 7pm-9:30pm. 401 Van Ness Ave. www.eventbrite.com

Decant SF
New lesbian-owned wine bar and shop with tasting and culinary events, local delivery and shipping. 1168 Folsom St. https://decantsf.com/

El Rio fun  

Detour
Castro bar and restaurant with pinball and arcade games; drag bingo Wed. nights. 2200 Market St. https://www.detoursf.com/

Dirty Habit, Hotel Zelos
Hotel’s fifth-floor bar & restaurant hosts themed nights, crafted cocktails and heated rooftop elegant ambiance. New ‘Vibin’ Live’ monthly music night each third Thursday, 6:30pm-9:30pm. Oct. 19, 6:30-9:30pm with Tyler Reese. 12 4th St. https://www.zhotelssf.com/

DNA Lounge
SoMa nightclub hosts many queer-friendly events. 475 11th St. https://www.dnalounge.com/

Driftwood
Mixed cocktail bar hosts occasional queer-specific events. 1225 Folsom St. https://www.driftwoodbarsf.com/

The Edge
Musical Mondays, the weekly Monster Show, Beards & Booze and other events at the popular bar. 4149 18th St. www.edgesf.com

El Rio
The popular bar with a spacious outdoor patio hosts multiple LGBTQ events, including Hard French, Daytime Realness, Mango, live bands, comedy and more. 3158 Mission St. https://www.elriosf.com/

The EndUp
Historic SoMa nightclub hosts straight, gay and whatever late-night dance events. 401 6th St. https://theendupsf.com/

Feelmore Social, Oakland (photo: Heather Cassell)  

Eros
SF’s queer sex club in a new location (site of the historic Bulldog Baths), open daily at 2pm to 10pm-12am; memberships available. 18+ only. $10-$30. 132 Turk St. www.erossf.com

Feelmore Social, Oakland
New LGBTQ cocktail bar. 1542 Broadway. https://feelmoresocial.com/ (Read our feature article.)

Fireside Lounge, Alameda
Woman-owned LGBT-friendly bar with live shows, outdoor lounge, cool cocktails. 1453 Webster St. https://www.thefiresidelounge.com/

Fluid510, Oakland
New nightclub from the founders of Port Bar blends LGBTQ, straight and fluid patronage. Weekly Jush Sundays drag cabaret with host Jasmine Masters and guest performers, 9pm. Sunday brunch 10am-2pm. Reg, hours Wed-Fri, 4pm-2am. Sat & Sun 10am-2am. 1544 Broadway. https://www.facebook.com/Fluid510/ (Read our feature article and our coverage of evening Jush Sundays and daytime drag brunch>.)

Safada Halloween @ The Great Northern  

Glow in the Streets @ Noe St. at Market
Comfort & Joy’s annual fun festive block party, with performances with MC Grace Towers, glow decor by Chickpea, a costume contest and DJed grooves from Steve Fabus and others. Glowy costumes encouraged. $15. Oct. 28, 4pm-9:30pm. https://www.cnj.world/events

Golden Bull, Oakland
LGBT-friendly bar presents diverse live music acts; Queeraoke on 2nd and 4th Sundays at 7pm. 412 14th St. https://goldenbullbar.com/

The Great Northern
Safada Halloween, a Brazilian, pop, Latin costume dance night with drag and aerial acts; $20-$40. Oct. 27, 11pm-4am. Haunted Hoedown, Space Cowboys’ Western costume Halloween dance night; $20-$40, Oct. 28, 9pm-3am. A Club Called Rhonda: Juanita MORE!, Dad SF and others DJ a Halloween night dance party. $15-$35. Oct. 31, 9:30pm-3am. 119 Utah St. www.eventbrite.com

Hi Tops
Popular sports bar with multiple TV screens, events, and an irresistible snack menu. 2247 Market St. https://www.hitopsbar.com/hi-tops-sf

The House of Burton @ Storek  

Hole in the Wall Saloon
Local rock DJs like Don Baird play at the SoMa ‘friendly neighborhood gay biker bar.’ 1369 Folsom St. https://blackwolfmetal.com/ Also, listen online: https://www.twitch.tv/donbaird

Horror Story Scream Supreme @ 1015 Folsom
Polyglamorous and Mystopia’s annual Halloween dance night, with DJs Minx, N2N, CarrieOnDisco, Beya, Mark O’Brien and more; costumed attire, please. $40. Oct. 27, 10pm-4am. 1015 Folsom St. wl.seetickets.us

The House of Burton @ Storek
‘Beetlejuice’-themed speakeasy/immersive costumes-welcome event. $15; thru Oct. 31. 148 9th St. https://explorehidden.com

Howl-O-ween Paw-ty @ Hotel Nikko
Dog-friendly ’80s-themed costume party; best canine costumes win prizes. Oct. 26, 7pm-11pm. 222 Mason St. https://www.hotelnikkosf.com/

The Ivy Room, Albany
Nightclub books indie bands and events. Queer Goth Prom and Cabaret, Oct. 26, 8pm. Night of 1,000 Hedwigs, a ‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’ tribute night, Oct. 29, 8pm. 860 San Pablo Avenue, Albany. https://www.ivyroom.com

Rufus Wainwright at ‘A Love Letter to San Francisco’ @ St. Joseph’s Arts Foundation  

Jolene’s
SoMa queer and woman/trans-owned nightclub and restaurant. Ongoing: Coyote Queer, second Saturdays, with DJs Koslov & Livv, and a costume contest. Queer Karaoke Thursdays; UHaul SF on Fridays. Sunday brunch drag show 11am-5pm. 2700 16th St. http://jolenessf.com/index.html

Last Call
Small, neighborhood bar with a fireplace and old school jukebox. 3988 18th St. https://www.thelastcallbar.com/

Lookout
Castro bar with a panoramic view. Bounce (Sat. nights), Lips & Lashes Drag Brunch with host Carnie Asada (Sat. afternoons), Jock (Sunday nights), and frequent themed fundraisers. 3600 16th St. http://www.lookoutsf.com/

Lone Star Saloon
DJed events at the historic bear bar, special events, plus regular nights of rock music and patio hangouts. Joshua Barry’s solo exhibition ‘Dark Seas,’ bear/scruff nightlife icon portraits, thru Oct. 31. 1354 Harrison St. https://www.lonestarsf.com/

A Love Letter to San Francisco @ St. Joseph’s Arts Foundation
Costume ball and concert fundraiser at the renovated former church, with performances by Rufus Wainwright, Lucius and immersive art installations. $150 and up. Oct. 26, 7pm-2am. 1401 Howard St. www.eventbrite.com

Midnight Sun fans (photo: Steven Underhill)  

Martuni’s
The intimate martini bar hosts music cabaret acts. Ongoing: pianist Russell Deason hosts the fun weekly Monday Happy Hour open mic gathering. Katya Presents, Sunday, 7pm, a monthly music series hosted by Katya Smirnoff-Skyy with pianist Joe Wicht. (Read our interview). On last Sundays, 7pm, singer Carly Ozard hosts a monthly concert series (Read our interview), 5:30pm-8:30pm. 4 Valencia St. at Market.

Midnight Sun
The popular bar celebrates 50 years. Timeline Tuesdays, Honeypot Fridays with gogo studs; Nitrix Oxide’s Killer Queen, 3rd Sundays, 9pm; Galaxy Saturday nights with DJ Lu; K-Pop and drag shows like Munro’s at Midnight, 10pm Monday nights. plus Thursday Media Noche, and more. 4067 18th St. https://www.midnightsunsf.com/ (Read our interview with Media Noche host Betty Fresas.)

Milk SF
Queer cafe in the Mission offers coffee, pastries, food, local drag shows. Sober Karaoke on 4th Wednesdays, 6pm-9:30pm. 302 Valencia St. https://www.milk-sf.com/

The Mix
Castro bar with pool table, jukebox, popular patio. 4086 18th St.

Moby Dick
Popular neighborhood bar known for its colorful aquarium and tasty drinks celebrates 40 years. 4049 18th St. https://www.facebook.com/MobyDickBar/

Mother Bar
New women’s bar at the former Esta Noche. 3079 16th St. https://www.instagram.com/motherbarsf/ (Read our feature article.)

‘The Rocky Horror Show’ @ Oasis (photo: Rachel Z Photography)  

Oasis
The multiple award-winning nightclub’s shows include: ‘The Rocky Horror Show’ immersive experience with a stellar cast; $45-$100; thru Nov. 4. (Read our review.) Oct. 27-31: Princess’ Hell Hole.’ Oasis Drag Brunch at the Phoenix Hotel, Halloween edition, Oct. 29, 11:30pm-3pm, $15-$55, 601 Eddy St. SF Night Ministry’s fall fundraiser and masquerade ball, Oct. 29, 5pm-10pm, $30-$300. Iconique drag show, Nov. 3, 10pm. Mattachine, vintage vinyl night with John Cameron Mitchell and Amber Martin, Nov. 5, 4pm-9pm, $20-$60 (VIP meet & greet). Ongoing: Oasis Tea Dance with D’Arcy Drollinger, Yves St. Croissant and Per Sia, 4pm-8pm Sundays. Also, Princess, the weekly Saturday night drag show, 10pm-2am (Nov. 4, Britney tribute night). Reparations, the Fridays all-Black drag show, 10pm-2am; Legacy, a trans women artistry night, Thursdays, 10pm-2am. Karaoke & Cocktails with Emma Peel, Tuesdays, 7pm-11pm. 398 11th St. www.sfoasis.com

Pilsner Inn
Historic neighborhood bar (since 1980) with an easy vibe, pool table, an excellent beer selection, and a spacious back patio. 225 Church St. http://www.pilsnerinn.com/

Port Bar, Oakland
Shake It Up Saturdays and Juicy (also Saturdays); Women’s night Sundays; Wednesdays are a Drag shows at 9pm, 10pm & 11pm; Big Gay Trivia with Jeremy Jones on Tuesdays; Thursdays, Karaoke Star hosted by Amoura Teese, who also hosts the Sunday Drag Brunch, 11:30am and 2pm. 2023 Broadway. www.portbaroakland.com|

Que Rico  

Powerhouse Bar
Popular cruisy SoMa bar; Underwear Thursdays; Juanita MORE’s Powerblouse (fun drag makeovers) 1st Saturdays; Glamamore’s Pillows drag show on Mondays; and Beat Pig, 3rd Saturdays; Lance Holman’s Lick It, 4th Saturdays. Flex, the muscle worship night with big guys, each fifth Friday. 1347 Folsom St. https://www.powerhousebar.com/

Que Rico
LGBT Latinx nightclub features cute gogo guys and fun drag shows, DJed grooves, and gogo studs. $10 and up, 9:30pm-3am. 381 15th St., Oakland. www.quericonightclub.com

R3 Hotel, Guerneville
The hotel hosts parties at its poolside and bar. 16390 4th St. https://ther3hotel.com/

Rainbow Cattle Company, Guerneville
The Russian River’s LGBTQ bar serves up local fun since 1979. 16220 Main St. https://www.queersteer.com/

Rize SF @ Origin
New LGBTQ dance party with K-Pop and other styles, DJ DNZA, drag performer Miss Shu Mai; first and third Saturdays. 1538 Fillmore St. www.simpletix.com

Roller Disco @ Church of 8 Wheels
Roller-skating nights with groovy tunes, plus skate rentals. $5-$15. 554 Fillmore St. http://www.churchof8wheels.com/

SF Eagle guys  

Safeway Holiday Ice Rink in Union Square
The downtown ice rink is back, with a full season of fun events. $15-$20 includes skate rental, with optional locker, gloves rentals. Nov. 1-Jan. 15. 333 Post St. https://unionsquareicerink.com/

SF Eagle
The famed leather bar has numerous events. Karaoke, Mondays 8pm, hosted by Dana Morrigan. BLUF Cigar Buddies 2nd Fridays; monthly Lair with host Suppository Spelling; Sunday beverage bust, 3pm-7pm, $10-$15. Safe Words Comedy hosted by Wonder Dave, 7pm, 4th Wednesdays. 398 12th St. https://thesfeagle.com/

Shanti Gala Dinner @ Palace Hotel
The health service nonprofit’s 49th annual fundraiser dinner and honoring Barbara Rose Brooker, Juan Pablo Gutiérrez and Tom Nolan. $300 and up. Oct. 27, 6pm-9pm. 2 New Montgomery St. https://www.shanti.org/

Steamworks Berkeley
The award-winning bathhouse hosts special events, DJed nights, and a cruisy vibe. $5-$200 (6-month membership). 18+ only. Open 24/7 every day. 2107 4th St., Berkeley. https://www.steamworksbaths.com/berkeleyhome

Peaches Christ hosts Terror Vault’s ‘The Initiation’ @ SF Mint  

Suavecito @ Space 550
Valentino Presents and Club Papi present a weekly Latin dance night with DJs Mike, Mr. Biggs, and Lola; Sonora Tropicana band, drag acts, gogo guys, three dance rooms, outdoor lounge. Saturdays, $15-$25. 9:30pm-3am. 550 Barneveld Ave. www.suavecitosf.com

Sundance Saloon @ Space 550
The (mostly) Country music line-dancing, two-stepping nights (Sundays and Thursdays) has returned. $5, 5pm-10:30pm. 550 Barneveld Ave. www.sundancesaloon.org

Terror Vault’s ‘The Initiation’ @ SF Mint
Peaches Christ and dozens of performers and designers present a new spooky immersive experience of thrills, chills, and horror acts, plus food, drinks and merchandise. $55-$85; thru Oct. 31. Oct. 28, Terror Ball, with even more events from Vau de Vire Society, Bootie Mashup, 30+ performers, costume contest and more. $89-$850. 9:30pm-1am. 88 5th St. https://www.tixr.com/groups/terrorvault

Thee Parkside
Nightclub hosts concerts by rock, punk, folk bands and more. 1600 17th St. https://www.theeparkside.com/

Toad Hall
Spacious Castro bar with a small dance floor and back patio. 4146 18th St.

Town Bar & Lounge, Oakland  

Town Bar & Lounge, Oakland
New intimate Art Deco LGBTQ bar serves up signature cocktails. 2001 Broadway. www.goingtotownoakland.com (Read our feature article.)

Trax
Historic Haight gay bar (since 1940!) serves up cheap and strong drinks. 1437 Haight St. http://traxbarsf.com/

Twin Peaks
Enjoy a great view and strong drinks at the historic tavern, now in its 50th year. 401 Castro St. https://www.twinpeakstavern.com/

Underground SF
Reopened and renovated intimate Lower Haight nightclub hosts varied DJed events, including LGBTQ nights like Hella Tight; also a cafe by day. French Press, first Thursdays. 424 Haight St. https://undergroundsf.com/

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