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Hot Sheet: If These Sheets Could Talk

Hot Sheet: If These Sheets Could Talk

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Our top 10 entertainment and events highlights this week include Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, the music of Karmin, Cyndi Lauper, Janet Mock, and an Elton John classic reborn.

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10. MUSIC: Karmin, "Pulses"
The debut album from this gorgeous American male-female duo, which takes many cues from Kesha, was released this week. Reviews are mixed, but just sit back and enjoy the lightweight party music, especially singles "Acapella" and "I Want It All." Watch the video for the album's title track, "Pulses," below. -- Neal Broverman



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9. BOOK: Jimmy's Blues and Other Poems
Many are familiar with the prose of gay activist and writer James Baldwin, whose books Giovanni's Room and Go Tell It on the Mountain remain seminal works of American literature. A new book, released on the 90th anniversary of the year of Baldwin's birth, shines a spotlight on another aspect of his writing: his poetry. Published by Beacon Press, Jimmy's Blues and Other Poems is a must-have for Baldwin fans because it revives many poems that were either out of print or previously only available in limited editions. And like his novels, plays, and essays, his poems exemplify his affection for language, while still striking a nerve in issues of race and love. Available in bookstores Tuesday, Jimmy's Blues and Other Poems shows why Baldwin, in Maya Angelou's words, "was a giant." -- Daniel Reynolds


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8. EVENT: An Evening With Janet Mock
The best-selling author kicks off Transgender Visibility Week with this event at 5 p.m. today at the San Francisco LGBT Community Center. She'll read and sign her book Redefining Realness and host a salon-style discussion; seating for the event sold out in eight hours, but there will be a telecast to overflow viewing rooms at the center. Also, you can get a free copy of Redefining Realness if you sign up for HIV testing on-site starting at 4 p.m. The center will also host an event Monday from 5 to 8 p.m. celebrating the Transgender Day of Visibility, with several performers and speakers. Find out more here.- Trudy Ring


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7. THEATER: Songs From an Unmade Bed
The experiences of urban gay men, romantic, sexual, and otherwise, form the focus of this theatrical song cycle, receiving its first Chicago professional production after runs in New York, Los Angeles, and elsewhere. Lyricist Mark Campbell worked with 18 composers (one per song) to create the tunes, on which vocalists will be accompanied by piano and cello. Pride Films and Plays presents the show at the Windy City's intimate Apollo Theatre Studio; previews conclude tonight, and opening night is Saturday, with performances continuing through April 27. Get more info and order tickets here.-- Trudy Ring


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6. EVENT: Gay Men's Chorus of L.A., "God Save the Queens"
The Gay Men's Chorus of Los Angles has prepared a jolly good show fit for royalty with a tribute to the best of British rock music titled "God Save the Queens." Performances are scheduled for Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. Featuring the bloomin' brilliance of rock classics by the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Queen, Bowie, Adele, Seal, Elton, and Sade plus music from the James Bond and Monty Python films, this is a concert worthy of any queen. For more information visit GMCLA.org-- Jase Peeples


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5. MUSIC: Cyndi Lauper, She's So Unusual: A 30th Anninversary Celebration
One of the most defining records of the late 20th century turns 30 this year. In honor of the anniversary of Cyndi Lauper's She's So Unusual, the album is getting remastered and re-released, with a two-CD deluxe edition featuring the original album, rare demos, a live concert recording, and remixes. The debut album of Lauper, a long-time LGBT rights activist, contained time-tested hits like "Girls Just Want to Have Fun," Money Changes Everthing," "She Bop," "Time After Time," and "When You Were Mine," a Prince cover where none of the pronouns were changed, insinuating Lauper's lover left her for a man. It's impossible not to love this reggae-infused girl power collection or the indelible personality who created it. -Neal Broverman


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4. AUCTION: Gogo and Didi Do NYC, starring Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen
After firmly establishing themselves as the world's greatest -- and the Internet's favorite -- best friends, Sirs Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen are putting their adorably photogenic straight-gay alliance to good use. When the pair recently took a classic tourist trip to Coney Island, they impulsively posed for a photo to commemorate the day, then had that shot printed onto three T-shirts by a seaside vendor. And now the besties are auctioning off those three-of-a-kind shirts in a benefit for New York City-based charity City Harvest, which works to feed New Yorkers in need. As Sir Patrick so eloquently explained on the auction's page at eBay's GivingWorks: "In Waiting for Godot, Gogo and Didi are two old tramps, needy indeed. They don't know where they'll sleep that night, they don't know where their next meal will come from, and they hoard their meager resources, sharing whatever they do have. In short, they're hungry. It seemed a natural fit -- Gogo and Didi and City Harvest. City Harvest helps to feed nearly two million New Yorkers facing hunger each year. So bid early, bid often, bid high, and know that you'll be funding a vital and important organization." Make your bid here by Thursday. -- Sunnivie Brydum


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3. MUSIC: Elton John, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Besides She's So Unusual, another seminal album, Elton John's Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, is getting remastered and re-released. GYBR placed Elton solidly on the musical map in 1973, putting him on a high perch he has yet to get off. Written with his partner in music, Bernie Taupin, the album includes classics like the title track, "Candle in the Wind," "Bennie and the Jets," and "Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting." The re-release boxed set features Live at Hammersmith 1973 on CD, a DVD of a '73 doc on Elton, and a 100-page illustrated hardback book. The deluxe edition and boxed set also feature a cover version of GYBR, with artists like Fall Out Boy, Ed Sheeran, and Emeli Sande putting their spin on the songs. Out now. -- Neal Broverman



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2. FILM: Campaign of Hate: Russia and Gay Propaganda
Michael Lucas, the founder of the gay adult film company Lucas Entertainment, returns to his native Russia in his latest documentary, Campaign of Hate: Russia and Gay Propaganda. Set against the backdrop of the Sochi Winter Olympics, the film sets out to capture the increasingly regressive political policies and societal treatment of LGBT Russians, who has experienced violence and maltreatment in the wake of the passage of the nation's "gay propaganda" law. Through the eyes of Lucas, who was born Andrei Lvovich Treivas in Moscow, the viewer gains the unique perspective of a gay man who, after finding prosperity in the West, returns to his homeland to interview LGBTs and those such as antigay politician Vitaly Milonov who seek to further undermine their freedoms. Campaign of Hate is released on DVD Tuesday and VOD this May. It is also available for rent on the streaming service Reelhouse. Watch the trailer below.-- Daniel Reynolds


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1. TV: From Here on Out
From Here on Out zeroes in on aging gay writer Jimmy Randall (Terry Ray), who sells his show Guy Dubai: International Gay Spy to Here TV's 18-year-old president (Austin Robert Miller). Told he must hire an openly gay leading man, Jimmy casts the gorgeous Sam Decker (T.J. Hoban) -- even though Sam's secretly straight. The sitcom is now available on Here TV's YouTube Premium channel and is set to debut on Here TV today as well. -- Jase Peeples

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