Ophelia, Eve & I backstage at San Diego Pride
Well, we made it through July unscathed! Normally one of the hottest months of the year, we San Diegans have endured some rather hazy gray days, a series of tremors (or “earthquake lites”,) the motley mayhem of both Comic Con and Over The Line and some rather atypical D-List Divatude trying to throw a wrench in our city’s Pride festivities with Wiggate. But, now that the days are clearing up, the sun is breaking through, the earth seems a wee steady for a spell, the Jedis, Siths and Stormtroopers have headed off to Naboo, and former reality TV celebutards have packed their egos and hissy fits and boarded the Amtrak back to Never “Ever” Land, we can inhale deep, pop that booty out & drop it like it’s haute all the way through this badass month of August. But, do yourself a favor and go a little easy…we don’t need anymore episodes of Intervention being filmed in America’s Finest City, now do we.
Mon | Aug 2 - He Said’s favorite local Chef and Top Chef alumnus, Rich Sweeney, is teaming with Kiehl’s for ‘Rev Up for Red,’ a week-long motorcycle ride up the California coast to raise $60K for amfAR. The event starts in San Diego at the Kiehl’s Since 1851 store in Fashion Valley and kicks off a full week of fundraising and awareness to help fight HIV and AIDS. Chef Rich has prepared a red-inspired Nosh @ Noon menu of Sips, Bites and Sweets the likes of cherry-chicken salad Red Rider Sliders, red velvet Kiehl’s cookies with cream cheese mousse & fresh strawberries, sesame-crusted Ahi on baby arugula with sesame-ginger vinaigrette & raspberry sauce and a strawberry basil spritzer. The event will also launch Kiehl’s Limited Edition Ultra Facial Moisturizer SPF15 with 100% of net profits benefiting amfAR. And, to top it all off, Kiehl’s will be presenting a $10,000 check to amfAR on behalf of Rich and his commitment to helping fight the disease. Go ahead, take a long lunch…it’s for a good cause. Kiehl’s Fashion Valley, 7007 Friars Road in Mission Valley. 12 to 2PM. FREE event.
Weds | Aug 4 - Due to the pending Proposition 8 decision scheduled for Wednesday, August 4, the monthly Guys, Games & Grub at The Center is CANCELED to accommodate a Community Town Hall regarding the decision that will be held at 7PM in the Center’s auditorium. The Town Hall follows a march along University Avenue (starting at Sixth Avenue) east to the Center. The march begins at 6PM. The Center, 3909 Centre Street at University Ave. in Hillcrest.
Fri | Aug 6 - “Tinnnnn roof – rust’d!” It’s about to get punk pop pink up at the Del Mar Racetrack during their famous 4 o’clock Friday series on August 6 when the always campy and forever glam B-52s take the stage for a free concert following the last race of the day. The 80′s chart toppers will hit the stage and kick up the energy with a little Rock Lobster and Love Shack, among others. Don’t forget your feather boa! Del Mar Racetrack, 2260 Jimmy Duarte Blvd. in Del Mar. Concert starts after the last thoroughbred race at 4PM. FREE with purchase of racetrack admission.
Sat | Aug 7 - Mommies and daddies rejoice…and give a big middle finger to Target while you’re at it. Head over to The Center for the bargain paradise that is Family Matters back-to-school Kids Clothing & Toy Swap. Here’s how it works: bring only items that are clean and in good condition, when you arrive you’ll be given one (1) exchange ticket for every quality item you bring, go shop for other clothes, toys, shoes, etc., when you leave you pay one (1) exchange ticket for every item you take. It’s easy, fun and there’s food, refreshments, arts & crafts, music and games to boot! Everything left over will be sold at Family Matter’s more-often-than-annual Community Yard Sale. The Center, 3909 Centre Street at University Ave. in Hillcrest. 9AM: $5 entry fee per family.
Sun | Aug 8 – The annual Summer Sunday Funday that is CityFest – lovingly referred to as the Gay Pride for Locals – hits a several block stretch of Fifth Avenue in Hillcrest for all the gayborhoodians (and neighbors) to get their eat, drink and dance on! Vendors hawking schwag, arts & crafts, music stages, beer gardens, mechanical bulls, food out the wazoo and even some water sports where you can Dunk-A-Drag Queen to benefit Mama’s Kitchen (…yes, our own Ophelia will be in the hot seat.) CityFest, along Fifth & University Avenues in Hillcrest. 12PM. FREE to enter (drinks, food & stuff extra.)
Tues | Aug 10 – The crew behind those bmx & skateboard shoes that launched a cult movement, Van’s, come round to San Diego for the Warped Tour, a day-long music festival of genre-bending rock ‘n roll raucousness that every backwards cap-wearing, tattooed bad boy & girl will be banging their heads at for a 10+ hour stretch. Bands playing the San Diego leg include: Andrew W.K., Mike Posner, Of Mice & Men, The Voodoo Glow Skulls and Whitechapel, among others. Don’t forget to hydrate, and not just with fermented hops. Cricket Wireless Ampitheatre, 2050 Entertainment Circle in Chula Vista. Bands begin at 11:30AM. General Admission tickets start at $33.
Weds | Aug 11 - iPlay4Charity‘s monthly 1/2 Price Game Night has become a model manager for organized fun with a purpose – giving back. And, participation is easy. Rather than donating money, just show up to Dave & Buster’s in Mission Valley and spend your money playing games with friends. Then, all the tickets you amass playing games you donate to iPlay4Charity who, at the end of the year, uses all tickets collected to purchase toys from the D&B gift shop and give them to local charities including Family Matters and Toys For Tots. Dave & Busters, 2931 Camino del Rio North in Mission Valley. 6:30PM. 1/2-price games all night, so spend as you wish.
Sat | Aug 14 - Head out of the gayborhood for just one night and rage it with every mock-worthy guilty pleasure imaginable Downtown at Quality Social for their DouchePop Saturdays. QS is the Gaslamp’s only pretension-free party place and Saturday nights take a turn for the obnoxious (in a good way) with revolving DJs playing bangers, mash-ups and club kid anthems on the only night of the week where fist pumping – and faux hawks – are allowed. Quality Social, 789 Sixth Avenue in the Gaslamp. DJs spin at 9PM. No cover charge.
Sat | Aug 14 - The hotness that is DJ Shane Steil is hittin’ the turntables at SPIN nightclub for their first ever Bear Night. But, this isn’t just for bears, it’s for everyone who loves fur, muscle and masculinity. And, flown in special for all you gawkers are some sex on a stick muscle bears dancing on the go-go box, just incase you need a little entertainment on the side. So, whether you’re a bear or just an admirer, WERQ IT OUT on the dancefloor to Shane’s saucy trance and deep house beats. SPIN, 2028 Hancock St. in Middletown San Diego. FREE before 10PM, $10 before 12AM and $15 after.
Tues | Aug 17 - [POSTPONED UNTIL SEPTEMBER 21] Last month’s Two Cents panel (with moi) was such a hit that I decided to do it again…with a panel. Join me and some stellar athletes from several of San Diego’s LGBT sports leagues including the San Diego American Flag Football League, the San Diego Bulldogs Wrestling Club and America’s Finest City Softball League, among others. Two Cents is a kick-back and enjoy talk show social (think Ellen meets Inside the Actors Studio) in The Center’s auditorium featuring me interviewing the men who move San Diego’s LGBT community. Vino and vittles are provided courtesy of Urban Mo’s Bar & Grill. C’mon, be an athletic supporter and meet the men who truly move gay sports in San Diego’s to a whole new level. The Center, 3909 Center Street at University Ave. in Hillcrest. Talk starts at 7PM sharp. FREE event, but donations are greatly appreciated.
Sat | Aug 21 - Attitude? Check. Leather pants? Check. Entourage? Check. The power to change kids’ lives? Check! Be a star and help San Diego’s school children at Party Animals! The New Children’s Museum 2010 Gala! Every day the New Children’s Museum provides free educational opportunities to children from San Diego’s neediest schools, delivering the enriching experiences many schools can no longer offer. From arts education curriculum to the paint and clay they give away for free, NCM encourages school children to think, play and create in new ways. Last year’s gala allowed NCM to welcome 1 out of every 5 visitors free of charge. For the 2010–2011 school year, NCM hopes to serve 25,000 students. The 2010 Party Animals! Gala begins at 5:30PM with theme cocktails paired to unique artist experiences and games followed by dinner at 7:30PM, a live concert by Third Eye Blind at 8:45PM and an after-party at 10PM with Get Back Loretta at the Hard Rock Hotel. New Childrens Museum, 200 West Island Avenue downtown. 5:30PM. Individual public tickets start at $195
Sun | Aug 22 - Legend, pop icon, reality TV maven, LGBT activist and style-maker extraordinaire Cyndi Lauper heads to San Diego for an intimate one-night-only performance at the House of Blues in the Gaslamp. Snag some friends, buy some tickets and gay up HOB for this rare opportunity to see the diva live, up close and personal, belting out tunes from her latest chart topping release, Memphis Blues, during a show that Rolling Stone magazine calls “Cyndi Lauper going Badass Betty Boop.” House of Blues, 1055 Fifth Avenue in the Gaslamp. Doors open at 7PM. General admission tickets start at $32.50.
Fri | Aug 27 - Grab your belt buckles and beer kozies and head over to Urban Mo’s to board the best party bus this side of the Mississippi for Miss GSGRA Ophelia Later and Mr. IGRA 2nd Runner-up Kelly Gilliland’s not exactly annual Big Ass Bar Crawl to benefit the Greater San Diego chapter of the Golden State Gay Rodeo Association. The double decker party bus (drinks aboard) leaves Urban Mo’s promptly at 6:30PM for a leisurely jaunt to all the gayborhood hot spots. Be careful though, these cowboys and girls like their shots, so make sure you have a ride home when the bus stops. Urban Mo’s, 308 University Avenue in Hillcrest. $20 wristbands to board the bus.
Sun | Aug 29 - It’s that time of year again when our community celebrate’s its own with all the glitz, glamour, sequins and stilettos Hillcrest can handle. That’s right, the Nicky Awards, San Diego’s “Gay Oscars” will be handed out during a star-studded ceremony at the San Diego LGBT Community Center. Our show, He Said / sHe Said on this here website has been nominated for Outstanding GLBT Online Media. The fabulous Ophelia Later is a nominee for Outstanding Impersonator and yours truly (me) is a nominee for Outstanding Community Volunteer. We’re extremely honored to have multiple Nicky Award nominee for the Pride Card Producer Bo on our team, as well as Producer Joey whom without either, our webcasts simply wouldn’t happen. Special Nicky Awards will also be given to Rob Halford, out heavy metal icon and frontman of Judas Priest and John Heilman, the Mayor of West Hollywood. This is definitely a night in the gayborhood not to be missed. Don’t forget to vote and we’ll see you there, dressed to the nines…or maybe three sheets to the wind. The Center, 3909 Centre Street at University Ave. in Hillcrest. 6PM. General admission ticket $50 (proceeds benefit the NMR Scholarship Fund, the Imperial Court Programs and The Center.)
That’s it, the He Said-approved events to be and be seen at in August. If you’d like your future events considered for an upcoming ‘Haute Lot’ shoot me an email. Remember, I make no guarantees about inclusion…but I gotta know about it first, right!
See ya!
