Chicago dining, nightlife, events and photos for the gay and lesbian community http://www.chicagopride.com en-US http://www.chicagopride.com/graphics/cplogo-sm2.gif http://www.chicagopride.com "I'm such a blatantly honest person," says Holly Williams, "and I love to listen to an album and think the artist is truly sharing their life with me. I like to feel like I'm really getting in and knowing that person." With <i>Here With Me</i>, her debut for Mercury Nashville, Holly has succeeded in creating the type of album that would easily find a place among the works of her favorite artists. Penning the majori... http://www.chicagopride.com/news/interview.cfm/articleid/141529 2009-06-17 Whether she is hosting her Emmy winning daytime talk show, hosting the Academy Awards or swimming the ocean in <i>Finding Nemo</i>, Ellen DeGeneres has become one of the most beloved celebrities of our time and who has broken barriers for generations to come. Ellen will be at the Chicago Theatre on June 17th to tape her third variety special, <i>Ellen s Bigger, Longer and Wider Show</i>, as TBS presents <i>A... http://www.chicagopride.com/news/interview.cfm/articleid/141076 2009-06-16 What is a normal child, anyway? Rakesh Satyal s debut novel <b>Blue Boy</b> (Kensington) compels his audience to search for the answer. Not since the landmark 1997 Belgian film <i>Ma Vie En Rose</i> has there been a story that examines this question with such humor, sincerity, grace, and genuine beauty. In it, his loveable main character, Kiran Sharma, struggles with his identity and sexual confusion while living ... http://www.chicagopride.com/news/interview.cfm/articleid/140625 2009-05-20 The old expression you play like a girl has now become the ultimate compliment thanks to the <b>Chicago Force</b> Women s Tackle Football team. Founded in 2003, the Force is a Midwest Divisional Tier 1 team of the Independent Women s Football League (IWFL) and is currently in season until playoffs begin at the end of June 2009. Expect another exciting season of play after their Eastern Conference Championship win las... http://www.chicagopride.com/news/interview.cfm/articleid/140176 2009-04-29 Sex, Dreams, & Self Control!, a fusion of music, spoken word, and standup comedy by openly gay singer and Midwest native Kevin Thornton, will be performed at the Boho Theater at Heartland Studios on April 23, 24, 25, and 30 and May 1, 2, 7, 8, and 9. This new work, with an original alternative folk rock score in which Thornton croons like a young John Hiatt and a post- Smiths Morrissey, has been called both courageous and darkly funny by the ... http://www.chicagopride.com/news/interview.cfm/articleid/139729 2009-04-22 It takes but a listen to Thriving Ivory s self-titled debut to hear the indelible sound of timeless rock for modern day music lovers. This is a band that effortlessly matches musical grandeur with visceral emotion and cinematic melodies, creating songs that embed themselves into the listener s consciousness. The San Francisco quintet s lyrics enchant with imagery that conjures transcendent spirits of ghosts and angels, ... http://www.chicagopride.com/news/interview.cfm/articleid/139284 2009-04-22 With her latest album <i>New Moon Born</i>, Jana Mashonee is poised to burst onto the mainstream music scene. The album represents a significant departure from her previous endeavors, taking on a decidedly more upbeat rhythm and blues flavor. The album is about rebirth and new beginnings, she says. It reflects a phase in my life that has taken on a different shape and direction from anything I ve done before, she says. In add... http://www.chicagopride.com/news/interview.cfm/articleid/138841 2009-03-04 <strong><h1>Coco's Cooking</h1> The Iconic Coco Peru shares her recipe for a spicy burlesque treat</strong> Ingredients - *Aperitifs, something with nuts (Frangelico or Amaretto recommended); *bulges and breasts; a whole bunch each; *a heaping portion of Miss Coco; *two to several really hot Latinos; and *digestifs, but no Rum and Coke. Coco says, "That's disgusting." Famed female-impersonating performer Miss C... http://www.chicagopride.com/news/interview.cfm/articleid/138400 2009-02-18 Why celebrate Mardi Gras when Samedi Gras is so much better? (That s Fat Saturday for all of you non-Francophiles.) Entering its twelfth successful year, AIDSCare s largest annual fundraising event <b>Fat Saturday Ball</b> will be held February 21, 2009. Tickets are still available, and this year s Co-Chairs, Wes Walker and Donnie Morey share with ChicagoPride both their thoughts about the rewards of volunte... http://www.chicagopride.com/news/interview.cfm/articleid/137524 2009-02-17 Actress and Chicago native Jennifer Beals graces the high-impact cover of <i><b>Michigan Avenue</b></i> magazine s 2009 Love Issue. ChicagoPride.com has an exclusive preview of the issue hitting shelves in February. In the headline feature, 44-year-old Beals opens up about playing a lesbian on <i>The L Word</i>, and how her views of the GLBT community have changed since taking the role and forever bein... http://www.chicagopride.com/news/interview.cfm/articleid/137089 2009-01-28 <Strong><h1>POP Quiz</h1> Five Questions for Charlie David</strong> He's been in a boy band, opening for the likes of P!NK, Snoop Dogg and Black Eyed Peas and wooing teenage girls on the pages of <em>Boy Crazy Magazine</em>; he's been a television host for E! and NBC, appeared on <em>Ugly Betty</em> and <em>The L Word</em> and served as a gay travel correspondent for the Canada-based pro... http://www.chicagopride.com/news/interview.cfm/articleid/136656 2009-01-20 Gene Dante is the master of the dichotomy. He is both a musician and an actor. He s a songwriter with his mind drawn inward, and a performer with his energy focused outward. The music he creates is both flamboyantly glamorous and strikingly gritty. Dante s new album, <b><i><u>The Romantic Lead</b></u></i> resonates with the sparkle of glitter and the rawness of the gutter. It is both class and... http://www.chicagopride.com/news/interview.cfm/articleid/136225 2009-01-14 <strong>POP Quiz: Five Random <em>Another Gay Movie</em>-franchise Questions for Will Wikle</strong> Those apt to say that nurses from New York-turned reality TV contestants-turned gay TV/radio personalities can't act clearly didn't see Will Wikle in <em>Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild</em>. While Wikle's appearance on the fifth season of "Big Brother" did not result in victory, his role on the sho... http://www.chicagopride.com/news/interview.cfm/articleid/135796 2008-12-17 <Strong>POP Quiz: Five random questions for actor/director Luke Eberl</strong> Lucas "Luke" Eberl was just a little boy from Boulder when his mom started driving him from Colorado to California for pilot season auditions. Yet even then he had stars in his eyesmovie stars. As a child-turned-young adult, Eberl's TV and film acting credits include <em>Boston Public</em>, <em>Judging Amy</em>, <em>P... http://www.chicagopride.com/news/interview.cfm/articleid/135369 2008-11-13 Val Emmich is truly a jack of many trades and has proven himself a master of anything he takes on. A creative soul, he is inspired by the world around him. He takes bits and pieces of life, love and spirit and pours them into his work, be it in his writing, his acting or, most importantly, his music. <i><b><u>Little Daggers</i></b></u>, his first release for bluhammock music, is a warm yet intense ode to human ... http://www.chicagopride.com/news/interview.cfm/articleid/134944 2008-11-12 <strong>POP QUIZ: Five random questions for Joey Arias</strong> Refer to Joey Arias by the gender-assigning title "mister" and the self-described "artist-slash-jazz singer" and cabaret star giggles. Defining his (or her) career and personal life by the "Z chromosome"-an incorporation of the "drag element" that's not quite drag (no lip synching) but not entirely trans-Arias rarely wears men's clo... http://www.chicagopride.com/news/interview.cfm/articleid/134521 2008-10-29 In her hilarious new book, <i>The Last Single Woman in America</i> (Penguin), former Hollywood film executive and 40-something essayist <b>Cindy Guidry</b> hurdles career, family and relationship obstacles like a trained Olympian. Imagine Dorothy Parker in a track suit. With Sedaris-like flair, Guidry discovers among other things why men are the new women, and why you should always remain friends with your bikini waxer. So... http://www.chicagopride.com/news/interview.cfm/articleid/134100 2008-10-22 From the award-winning author of <i>Leave Myself Behind and The Brothers Bishop</i>, Bart Yates offers <i><b>The Distance Between Us</b></i> (Kensington), his compelling new novel about a gifted yet dysfunctional family of acclaimed musicians torn apart by consuming grief and loss. Despite their tragedy, Yates successfully layers his strong, intelligent characters with elements of humor, compassion and humanity... http://www.chicagopride.com/news/interview.cfm/articleid/133264 2008-10-15 Kathy Griffin s stand-up act has sold out several shows at The Chicago Theatre and added new ones to keep up with the demand. Her Emmy Award-winning reality show is a huge hit, and it was a nice to find out she is just as funny on the phone as on television. WCT: Hi, Kathy. Thanks for taking a few minutes to talk. First off, is Life on the D-List going to be on for a fifth season? KG: The Bravo people have said that I have signed up but... http://www.chicagopride.com/news/interview.cfm/articleid/133681 2008-10-15 Success follows Rufus Wainwright. As a musician, activist and humanitarian, this multi-award-winning singer/songwriter has one of the most interesting careers in show business. On his way from Berlin to London, Wainwright takes a few minutes out of his schedule to talk about his upcoming opera, his newest album, <i>Release The Stars</i>, and his thoughts on the media in both the United States and Europe. MJR: Congratulations on the su... http://www.chicagopride.com/news/interview.cfm/articleid/132849 2008-10-08 Influenced by art rock visionaries of the past, Waves on Waves seeks to create a totally new vision with its self-titled debut album. Incorporating such influences as Morrissey, Tears for Fears, the Police, and Pink Floyd, the band has managed to craft an ambitious pop work that revels in its own singular musicality. <i>Waves on Waves</i> presents out gay singer/guitarist Kevin Thornton, bassist Luke Aaron Jones and drummer Enoch Por... http://www.chicagopride.com/news/interview.cfm/articleid/132436 2008-09-24 The multi-talented Cortés Alexander, who is currently touring with the legendary Liza Minnelli, takes time out of his hectic schedule to talk about life on the road with Liza, his success as one of the Tonics  and his beautiful new solo album entitled Swell. MJR: Thank you for taking some time out of your schedule to talk with me. I can t tell you how much I enjoyed Liza s concert, especially the second act tri... http://www.chicagopride.com/news/interview.cfm/articleid/132025 2008-09-17 Popular celebrity blogger to sexy Ginch Gonch spokesmodel--when ChicagoPride.com first introduced Ethan Reynolds last year, he was one half of the gay power couple-underwear modeling duo comprised of Reynolds and his then-boyfriend and gay porn actor Benjamin Bradley. Since, the Vancouver-based Ginch Gonch declared bankruptcy and the power couple had a bitter public split. Now, with an ongoing role on Season Two of here! Networks  "... http://www.chicagopride.com/news/interview.cfm/articleid/131209 2008-09-10 In 2006, Another Gay Movie hit theaters, entertaining viewers with a combination of over-the-top scenarios, guest appearances and loads of nudity. Two years later, its follow-up, Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild, is hereand it employs the same sucessful formula. Windy City Times spoke with Jimmy Clabots, one of the protagonists in the sequel, about being in his birthday suit, skating with RuPaul and meeting Heath Ledger. WCT: (Windy City Times/... http://www.chicagopride.com/news/interview.cfm/articleid/130401 2008-09-03 Jason Walker's first album, "This Is My Life," produced three consecutive number-one Billboard hits. In doing so, it confirmed the young vocalist as one of only a handful of male artists capable of breaking through to a global dance audience. His songs of life and love, delivered in an octave well above any other male artist in pop music, proved conclusively that the small scale could strike a universal chord. Earlier this year, Jason ... http://www.chicagopride.com/news/interview.cfm/articleid/130804 2008-09-03