10. THEATER: Return to Grey Gardens
Drag sensations Peaches Christ and Jinkx Monsoon star as Big Peachy and Lil' Jinkxy in this original parody of the cult-classic documentary, having its Los Angeles premiere Saturday at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre. Set 40 years in the future, it portrays an aging drag mother and her bitter drag daughter continuing to perform for an empty house at a dilapidated theater. The production, up for one night only, features special guest stars Thomas Dekker (All About Evil and Kaboom) as Jerry and L.A. drag monster-superstar Squeaky Blonde as herself. Audience members are encouraged to dress as the Edie of their choice for the Either Edie Costume Contest, taking place immediately after the show. Get your tickets here. -- Trudy Ring
9. MUSIC: Isle of Klezbos, Live From Brooklyn This all-female klezmer sextet (no, it's not an
SNL sketch) releases its second album,
Isle of Klezbos: Live From Brooklyn, Sunday. Recorded last year at the legendary Joe's Pub, the collection includes klez classic "Uncle Moses Wedding Dance," along with "Weary Sun Tango," "Revery in Hijaz," and two bonus studio numbers. Check it out on iTunes and in stores. For more info, visit the band's
website.
-- Neal Broverman 8. DVD: In the BloodOut today in theaters, on demand, and on iTunes,
In the Blood (Anchor Bay) is an action flick that you might dismiss as just another straight thriller about a newlywed whose husband vanishes, but with star Gina Carano -- the famed MMA fighter who headlined
Haywire, also starred in
Fast and the Furious, and once made headlines canoodling with her lesbian opponent Tonya Evinger -- it's so much more. Sure Carano, as Ava, has just married a man, who disappears on a Caribbean honeymoon, and she must search for him, but there are plenty of clues that Ava is bisexual, not an ordinary straight girl (she's trained to fight by her outlaw father, she dances with another woman and only stops when a man gets involved), and the setup is the reverse of the usual Hollywood fare (the woman fights to save the man, often fighting off gangs of men while literally carrying the husband, played by hunky
Twilight and
O.C. star Cam Gigandet). The best part? She's a major ass-kicker, assaulting dozens of men in the film in a riveting storyline that makes this one of the most feminist action films to date.
-- Diane Anderson-Minshall7. MUSIC: Betty Who, Heartbreak DreamPop performer Betty Who grabbed the attention of many LGBT fans when her song "Sombody Loves You" was used in the viral video "
Spencer's Home Depot Marriage Proposal." Now the singer is back with her second EP,
Heartbreak Dream (released Tuesday), and a 20-city U.S. concert run, The Slow Dancing Tour. Watch her latest video, "Heartbreak Dream," below, and for tickets and tour dates, visit
BettyWhoMusic.com-- Jase Peeples6. BOOK: How to Succeed in Business Without Really CryingLesbian writer and comedian Carol Leifer's latest book,
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Crying: Lessons from a Life in Comedy, features a hilarious collection of essays that highlight her three-decade journey through show business. From stealing a soda from Aaron Spelling and lessons she learned while writing for
Seinfeld to understanding the power of professional camaraderie through the support of stars like Joan Rivers and Frank Sinatra, Leifer's willingness to share her triumphs and missteps makes this collection a must for anyone who's ever dreamed of getting ahead -- and an incredibly funny read.
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Crying is available Tuesday from Quirk Books.
-- Jase Peeples5. DANCE: Antigone Sr./Twenty Looks or Paris Is Burning at the Judson Church There's nothing quite like a mash-up of ancient Greek tragedy, Harlem drag ball culture, and the early-1960s postmodern dance scene of Greenwich Village -- and there probably never has been, until choreographer Trajal Harrell created this work. He was inspired by his discovery that Harlem balls originated in the same era as a groundbreaking dance collective based at the Village's Judson Church. Described as "a genre-bending exploration of race, gender, sexuality, culture, and history," the piece, which has already been a sensation in New York, is having its premiere West Coast engagement at REDCAT in Los Angeles now through Sunday. The (L), by the way, means it's the large-size version of the production. Tickets and more info
here.
-- Trudy Ring4. THEATER: Heathers: The MusicalThe mother of all mean-girls movies, which gave us such lines as "I love my dead gay son" and "Well, fuck me gently with a chainsaw," gets the musical theater treatment in this production, now playing off-Broadway at New World Stages in New York after a smash premiere in Los Angeles. Adapted by Kevin Murphy and Laurence O'Keefe from Daniel Waters's 1989 film, it's directed by Andy Fickman and choreographed by Marguerite Derricks. You can bet it'll be very. For more info visit the production's
website.
-- Trudy Ring3. MUSIC: Neon Trees, "I Love You (But I Hate Your Friends)" It feels good to have a charismatic, sexy, out rock star like Tyler Glenn, the lead singer of Neon Trees. Glenn is in top form for the band's video "I Love You (But I Hate Your Friends)," strutting around, committing acts of food abuse, and looking quite fetching. The song is a catchy, Gossip-like ditty and comes off the group's third album,
Pop Psychology, out April 22.
-- Neal Broverman 2. TV: Game of Thrones, Season 4 Winter is coming, y'all. HBO's popular fantasy series, based on the novels by George R.R. Martin that feature power struggles between warring families in a mythical kingdom, is returning Sunday for its season 4 premiere. Fans are still crowing about last season's "Red Wedding" episode, in which many protagonists and members of the Stark family were butchered to death. And the premiere picks up where these bloody pieces left off, leading to another wedding of a rival clan that, like the nuptials before it, is sure to leave viewers thirsty for more.
Game of Thrones season 4 premieres Sunday. Watch the trailer below.
-- Daniel Reynolds1. FILM: Captain America: The Winter SoldierCritics are raving about
Captain America: The Winter Soldier, the latest chapter in the Marvel film franchise.
Chris Evans, brother of gay actor Scott Evans, reprises his role as the hunky vintage superhero, now thrust into the political intrigue of modern times. Whereas the film's predecessor presented an action flick set in World War II reminiscent of
Indiana Jones,
The Winter Soldier is a solidly 21st-century conspiracy thriller in which the Captain joins forces with the Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) to hunt down an enemy in the nation's capital.
Captain America: The Winter Soldier opens today in wide release. Watch the trailer below.
-- Daniel Reynolds