For Halloween this year, I finally got around to getting the Darth Vader costume I wanted way back when I was 10. So what did I do with it now that I’m a big old fag in my 40s? I spray-painted the helmet pink and matched it up with a black mesh tank top, a pair of hot-pink metallic spandex pants and black German army boots with pink neon laces.
My inner geek was very upset with me, but it was — cue some Cyndi Lauper music, please — totally awesome.
The costume earned me a lot of nicknames during the night, including Darth Gaydar, Pinkie Tusca-vader and, my favorite, Darth Susan Komen the Dark Lord of the Cure — in honor of October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, of course.
So how did I do in the costume contests? Not good. I didn’t enter a single one. The only purpose of that costume was to make people laugh, most especially my dear friend Ryan. Which he did. And that made me happy. It feels so good to let your hair down and make a fool out of yourself every once in a while!
And that’s what Halloween is all about, Charlie Brown.
U.S. Mr. Gay
For the second year in a row Philadelphia is the host city for the U.S. Mr. Gay competition. Contestants from around the country will be competing for this title and the chance to compete at the International Mr. Gay competition.
The fun starts Nov. 18 with the welcome party and first round of Q&A at Woody’s, 202 S. 13th St. Doors open at 8 p.m., with a Smirnoff open bar and hors d’oeurves from 8-9 p.m. The welcome party will be hosted by TruTV and TV Land’s Scott Nevins, Robear from “NY Ink” and Philly favorite Brittany Lynn, with performances by Brittany and Steve McManus.
But that’s not all! The main event will start at 9 p.m. Nov. 19 at Voyeur Nightclub, 1221 St. James St. Celebrity judges include T.J. Kelly from “The A-List New York,” Miss Pennsylvania 2010 Courtney Thomas, Miss New York 2010 Claire Buffie, Pretty Poison’s Jade Starling, Nevins and Robear. Your host will be Brittany, and performers will include Starling, Brittany and the Dahling Sisters. For more information, check out www.nightlifegay.com.
Pink Pub Crawl
The night before Thanksgiving is famous for being one of the biggest party nights of the year. Which I’ve never really understood because, if you’re not looking forward to spending the day with relatives, why the hell would you want to do it with a hangover? But that’s just me.
If you prefer headaches and cottonmouth to parades and football games, then you’re in luck! The Pink Pub Crawl is back just in time for the holiday.
The fun kicks off at 9 p.m. Nov. 23 at Stir, 1705 Chancellor St. At 10:15 the party moves on down the road to Tabu, 200 S. 12th St. At 11:30, it crawls on over to Woody’s, then finally slides to a halt at 12:30 a.m. at Voyeur.
Tickets for the crawl are available at Stir and Tabu on the night of the event and cost $25 if you’re dressed in pink, $35 if not. And by dressed in pink they mean you have to be wearing something significant, not just a pair of socks. (If anyone wants to borrow a pair of lightly used metallic pink spandex pants, let me know.)
Your ticket gets you one drink ticket good at each of the first three destinations, dance-floor admission to Woody’s and admission to Voyeur. Do the math — that’s a serious bargain by any standards.
For more information, check out www.pinkpubcrawl.com.
Questions, comments or news about upcoming events? Contact Jim at [email protected].