Bring in the New Year with legendary recording artist Paul Anka at Hard Rock Live Hollywood (1 Seminole Way in Hollywood) on December 31. Doors open at 9:30 p.m.; show starts at 10:30 p.m. Ticket prices are $89, $124 and $154.

DISCO NIGHT FEATURING KC & THE SUNSHINE BAND
Disco lives! Disco Night featuring KC and The Sunshine Band and Tavares, on Tuesday, January 3. Doors open at 7 p.m.; show starts at 8 p.m. at Hard Rock Live in the Hard Rock Resort and Casino, 1 Seminole Way in Hollywood. Tickets are $39, $49, $59 and $69. For more information, call 954-797-5531.

GREGG ALLMAN
Greg Allman, the lead singer of Southern rockers the Allman Brothers Band performs at Hard Rock Live Hollywood (1 Seminole Way in Hollywood) on January 18. Doors open at 7 p.m.; show starts at 8 p.m. Tickets are $46, $64 and $79. For more information, call 954-797-5531.

MIAMI BEACH: WINTER PARTY
It may be called the Winter Party but that doesn’t mean you’re in for a chilly time. Dance your heart out at 5 full days of jam packed parties. From club nights to mixers to beach parties, Winter Party is a veritable thrill ride of sight and sound. A multitude of eye candy is a safe assumption, as are thousands of groggy travelers once the music stops. February 29 through March 5, 2012. For more information, a full schedule and tickets, visit www.winterparty.com.

GAY SPRING BREAK
Gay Spring Break in Key West attracts LGBT students and their friends from late February to early April to the beaches and the clubs of the beautiful tropical island. Take a break for spring break in a place that embraces individuality, diversity, and openness all year long.

Want to participate in Gay Spring Break? Contact the offices and pick up your Gay Spring Break ID Card. Call 305-294-4603 or email at info@gaykeywestfl.com for more information.

“THE GIFT GOES ON”
Tickets are on sale for the Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus traditional holiday concert. “The Gift Goes On” will once again help lift your holiday spirits with traditional holiday favorites as well as some fun new songs that are sure to delight. One performance only, December 18 at 8 p.m. at the First Congregational Church of Fort Lauderdale, UCC, 2501 NE 30 Street in Fort Lauderdale. General admission: $25; premium general admission: $40. Tickets are on sale now at 954-832-0060.

“cirque dreams holidaze”
At the Broward Center for the Performing Arts, December 1 through January 1. The New York Daily News said that “Cirque Dream Holidaze” is “so full of energy, it could end our dependence on oil.” “Stuffed with so much holiday cheer and audacious act, Scrooge would exit with a big ‘ol smile on his face,” said the Erie Times News. For more information and tickets, visit www.broadwayacrossamerica.com or call 954-626-7814.

win new year’s eve celebration
Women in Network (WIN) will be holding their third annual New Year’s Eve celebration on Saturday, December 31 from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. at Hugh’s Catering, 4351 NE 12 Terrace in Oakland Park. The evening features a full dinner buffet, open bar, private parking and dancing all night long. Members $100, non-members $120. Reservations are non-refundable but are transferable. For the full menu and to order tickets, visit: womeninnetwork.com.

“JERSEY BOYS”
2006 Tony Award-winning Best Musical about Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, The Four Seasons: Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio, Tommy DeVito and Nick Massi. This is the story of how four blue-collar kids became one of the greatest successes in pop music history. January 11 through 29 at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. For tickets, please call 954-626-7814.

MARGARET CHO LIVE
Two shows: Thursday, December 1 at 9 p.m. and midnight at Parker Playhouse inside Holiday Park. One-night-only benefit concerts for Broward House. Cho, revered for her crass, in-your-face style, is one of the most prolific and critically acclaimed comedians today. Cho tackles organized religion, homophobia, the explosion of child birth, bartering sex for household chores, her loser ex-boyfriends, and her now world-famous mother. Cho has won numerous awards for her humanitarian efforts on the behalf of women, and the Asian and LGBT communities. She is part of cast in the hit TV series “Drop Dead Diva” on Lifetime Television. Ticket are available now at www.browardcenter.org/margaretcho.

“OY VEY IN A MANGER”
America’s favorite Dragapella Quartet, The Kinsey Sicks performs “Oy Vey in a Manger” on Saturday, December 3 at 6 p.m.and 9 p.m. in the Amaturo Theater at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. The show includes such holiday anthems as “Jews Better Watch Out,” “I’m Dreaming of a Vanna White Christmas,” “A Lay in a Manger” and the dreidel-spinning classic, “I Had a Little Facial.” Tickets are $35 and are available through the Broward Center AutoNation box office at 954-462-0222 or www.BrowardCenter.org. The Broward Center for the Performing Arts is located in the Riverwalk Arts and Entertainment District at 201 SW 5 Ave in Fort Lauderdale.

Go-go bears Invade Boardwalk
Sunday, December 4 from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. at the Boardwalk, 1721 N Andrews Ave. in Fort Lauderdale. This is the kick-off party for Beach Bear Weekend. There will be hot bear porn stars such as Trace Michaels, Bronson Gates, and Adam Rouge plus internet sensations Scott Gardner and Francisco Escobar flying in from California. So far, 20 bear strippers have signed up. The sexy Brian and Peter from Tribal Son jewelry will be out front along with a few other vendors along with lots of other surprises.

win new year’s eve celebration
Women in Network (WIN) will be holding their third annual New Year’s Eve celebration on Saturday, December 31 from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. at Hugh’s Catering, 4351 NE 12 Terrace in Oakland Park. The evening features a full dinner buffet, open bar, private parking and dancing all night long. Members $100, non-members $120. Reservations are non-refundable but are transferable. For the full menu and to order tickets, visit: womeninnetwork.com/New_Years_Party.html.

WORLD AIDS DAY RALLY & MARCH
Comedienne Margaret Cho will headline this year’s Broward House’s World AIDS Day Rally and March, which will take place starting at 6:30 p.m. in the parking lot of the Shoppes of Wilton Manors on December 1.

MARGARET CHO LIVE
Two shows: Thursday, December 1 at 9 p.m. and midnight at Parker Playhouse inside Holiday Park. Two one-night- only benefit concerts for Broward House. Cho, is revered for her crass, in-your-face style; she’s one of the most prolific and critically acclaimed comedians today. Cho tackles organized religion, homophobia, the explosion of child birth, bartering sex for household chores, her loser ex-boyfriends, and her now world-famous mother. Cho has won numerous awards for her humanitarian efforts on the behalf of  women Asian and the LGBT communities. She is part of cast in the hit TV series “Drop Dead Diva” on Lifetime Television. Tickets are available now at www.browardcenter.org/margaretcho.

GO-GO BEARS INVADE BOARDWALK
Sunday, December 4 from 8 p.m. to 2 a.m. at the Boardwalk, 1721 N Andrews Ave in Fort Lauderdale.  This is the kick-off party for Beach Bear Weekend. There will be hot bear porn stars such as Trace Michaels, Bronson Gates, and Adam Rouge plus internet sensations Scott Gardner and Francisco Escobar flying in from California. So far, 20 bear strippers have signed up. The sexy Brian and Peter from Tribal Son jewelry will be out front along with a few other vendors along with lots of other surprises.

GEAR UP FASHION SHOW AT BOOM
On Friday, November 18, at 10 p.m., BOOM will host the Gear Up Fashion Show, in association with MyTropixxx and Tropixxx Video, which will benefit Broward House. For more information, call 954-522-5988.

TRANSGENDER DAY OF REMEMBERANCE
US Congressman Alcee Hastings will speak at this year’s local Transgender Remembrance Day candlelight vigil on Saturday, November 19 at 6 p.m. at the Sunshine Cathedral at 1480 SW 9th Ave in Fort Lauderdale. Hastings will speak on the injustice and struggle suffered by transgender individuals and what action Congress must take to protect the most vulnerable and marginalized members of our community. A reception will follow the vigil. This is a free event and all are welcome to participate.

LATE NIGHT SHOPPING
Friday, November 18 from 8 p.m. to midnight at the Pet Project Thrift Store, 1164 E Oakland Park Blvd in Ft. Lauderdale. Fifty percent off everything storewide. Complimentary hors d’oeuvres and cocktails available. Raffles with great prizes.

“SUNSERVE BOULEVARD”
A fundraising dinner and movie to benefit SunServe on Monday, November 21 starting at 6:30 p.m. at The Manor Entertainment Complex, 2345 Wilton Drive in Wilton Manors. The evening includes a 3-course seated dinner, screening of the classic Sunset Boulevard, and a cash bar. Dinner includes a Norma Desmond Caesar Salad, a choice of Cecil B. DeMeatloaf, Mr. DeMille Chicken Parmesan, or Max von Whitefish for your entrée. Dessert choices are Not So Silent N.Y. Style Cheesecake or Suicide by Chocolate Cake. $50 per person. Tickets can be purchased online at www.SunServe.org. All proceeds benefit SunServe.

WORLD AIDS DAY RALLY AND MARCH
Comedienne Margaret Cho will headline this year’s Broward House’s World AIDS Day Rally and March, which will take place starting at 6:30 p.m. in the parking lot of the Shoppes of Wilton Manors on December 1.

GET AMPED!
Join over 75 swimmers on Saturday, November 12 for the first-ever GET AMPED! South Florida 1.5-mile Swim, helping GLAAD to amplify the voice of the LGBT community. The swim will bring together residents, visitors and local businesses in support of equality. Check in at 7:30 a.m., starting gun goes off at 9 a.m. and the swim should be over at noon for a finish line celebration. The swim begins at Tower 11 (W Hotel) and ends at Tower 3 by the Swimming Hall of Fame on Fort Lauderdale Beach. For more information, www.glaad.org/getamped/florida.

Equality florida recognizes local heroes
Teri Williams and Michael Rajner will be receiving Equality Florida’s “Voices of Equality” Awards on November 13 at the Equality Florida Broward Gala. It will take place at the Museum of Art/Ft. Lauderdale, 1 E Las Olas Blvd. Tickets for this elegant cocktail reception are $125 and sponsorship opportunities begin at just $500. For more information, visit http://eqfl.org/miamigala/ or call Stratton Pollitzer at 954-682-6094.

“our stars” – gifts from CELEBRITIES
On November 14, Stonewall National Library and Archives will open its first-of-its-kind and first-of-many celebrations of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender history and culture with the exhibition, “Our Stars – Gifts from Celebrities.” Personal photographs and artifacts from over 40 featured people including an autographed tennis racquet from Martina Navratilova. The reception for the opening exhibition will be from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and the exhibition will run through December 31. Admission is free.

POVERELLO THANKSGIVING FOOD DRIVE
Women in Network (WIN) and Varsity Club are holding a Thanksgiving Food Drive benefitting The Poverello Center now through November 17. You can drop off your non-perishable canned food at The Pride Center at Equality Park (2040 N Dixie Highway), BankUnited (2723 N Dixie Highway, Wells Fargo (2525 N Dixie Highway), Starbucks (1015 NE 26 Street), Out of the Closet (2097 Wilton Drive or 1785 E Sunrise Blvd.), Pink Submarine (2041 Wilton Drive), American Pain Experts (6333 N Federal Highway), Fast Printz (3528 NE 12 Avenue) or Law GC (707 NE 3 Avenue, Suite 300). H

NOVEMBER T-DANCE
Sunday, November 6 from 1:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. at The Depot Cabana Bar & Grill, 2935 N Federal Highway in Fort Lauderdale with DJ D-Stu. Great drink specials and full menu plus giveaways.

“STAND UP AND RIDE IT”
Six hysterical and critically-acclaimed comedians will take to the stage November 7 for “Stand Up and Ride It: A Night of Comedy to Fight AIDS,” the first of its kind, red carpet event to benefit this year’s SMART Ride 8. The event begins at 8 p.m. and takes place at Lips restaurant, 1421 E Oakland Park Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale. All proceeds from the event will go to SMART Ride, a two-day, 165-mile bike ride from Miami to Key West. The “Stand Up and Ride It” comedy show will feature local and nationally-recognized comedians Lisa Corrao, Forrest Shaw, Jessica Gross, Adrian Mesa, Daniel Reskin and Will Watkins.  An open cash bar and $1,000 in raffle items and giveaways will be available at the show. Tickets are $20 for general admission and $30 for VIP. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.RideItShow.com.

STONEWALL SPIRIT OF PRIDE AWARDS
The Stonewall National Library and Archives will honor Elaine Noble and Joel Burns with their Stonewall Heritage of Pride and Stonewall Spirit of Pride Awards at their Our Stars event on November 11. Library patrons will gather for a private reception with Noble and Burns. Stonewall will present the Stonewall Heritage of Pride Award to Elaine and the Stonewall Spirit of Pride Award to Joel at the reception from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. For more information on how you can join the celebration, please visit www.stonewallnationalmuseum.org and click on the “Our Stars Tickets” link.

GET AMPED!
Join over 75 swimmers on Saturday, November 12 for the first-ever GET AMPED! South Florida 1.5-mile Swim, helping GLAAD to amplify the voice of  the LGBT community. The GET AMPED! swim will bring together residents, visitors and local businesses in support of equality. Check in at 7:30 a.m., starting gun goes off at 9 a.m. and the swim should be over at noon for a finish line celebration. The swim begins at Tower 11 (W Hotel) and ends at Tower 3 by the Swimming Hall of Fame on Fort Lauderdale Beach. For more information and to sign up or donate today, visit: www.glaad.org/getamped/florida.

Grab your share of the billion “pink” dollars on Wednesday, November 2 from 10:30 a.m. to 12 noon at The Manor Entertainment Complex, 2345 Wilton Drive in Wilton Manors. Join the RBC for their first business luncheon. Gina Campaz, Senior V.P. of Barcardi will be sharing critical financial and demographic information that directly impacts how all businesses, not only food and beverage establishments should operate in the Greater Fort Lauderdale area. She will be sharing Bacardi research on how social media also plays a critical role in today’s Broward business environment. Email jason@rainbowbusinesscoalition. com for more details. $30 per person.

AN EVENING IN PARADISE

An Evening in Paradise, a benefit for the Pride Center at Equality Park, will be held on Saturday, November 5 from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. at Paradise Point in Fort Lauderdale. Open bar, great food, deejay and other entertainment, valet parking. Tickets are $100 per person (limited to 300 people so get your tickets early). For more information and to purchase tickets, go to www.glccsf.org.. Tickets will not be sold at the event. Special guests include Michael Holtz (Mr. Gay USA 2011) and Logan Voxx (Out 100 for 2011).

“STAND UP AND RIDE IT”

Six hysterical and critically-acclaimed comedians will take to the stage November 7 for “Stand Up and Ride It: A Night of Comedy to Fight AIDS,” the first of its kind, red carpet event to benefit this year’s SMART Ride 8. The event begins at 8 p.m. and takes place at Lips restaurant, 1421 E Oakland Park Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale. All proceeds from the event will go to SMART Ride, a two-day, 165-mile bike ride from Miami to Key West. The “Stand Up and Ride It” comedy show will feature local and nationally-recognized comedians Lisa Corrao, Forrest Shaw, Jessica Gross, Adrian Mesa, Daniel Reskin and Will Watkins. An open cash bar and $1,000 in raffle items and giveaways will be available at the show. Tickets are $20 for general admission and $30 for VIP. For more information or to purchase tickets, visit www.RideItShow.com.

STONEWALL SPIRIT OF PRIDE AWARDS

The Stonewall National Library and Archives will honor Elaine Noble and Joel Burns with their Stonewall Heritage of Pride and Stonewall Spirit of Pride Awards at their Our Stars event on November 11. Library patrons will gather for a private reception with Noble and Burns. Stonewall will present the Stonewall Heritage of Pride Award to Elaine and the Stonewall Spirit of Pride Award to Joel at the reception from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. For more information on how you can join the celebration, please visit www.stonewallnationalmuseum.org and click on the “Our Stars Tickets” link.

The LGBT Senior Expo will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, October 22 at The Pride Center at Equality Park, 2040 N Dixie Highway in Wilton Manors. The event will provide LGBT Seniors with a comprehensive overview of healthcare services available to benefit the elder LGBT community. The event will feature a trade show with various LGBT-friendly medical, professional and financial services providers, who are eager to assist our community. Please RSVP to the Florida Assisted Living Coalition (please provide name and contact telephone number) at 800-939-2650.

For more information, contact Pride Center Deputy Director Kristofer Fegenbush at 954-463-9005 ext. 111.

an evening in paradise

An Evening in Paradise, a benefit for the Pride Center at Equality Park, will be held on Saturday, November 5 from
7 p.m. to 11 p.m. at Paradise Point in  Fort Lauderdale. Open bar, great food, deejay and other entertainment, valet parking. Tickets are $100 per person (limited to 300 people so get your tickets early). For more information and to purchase tickets, go to www.glccsf.org.. Tickets will not be sold at the event. Special guests include Michael Holtz (Mr. Gay USA 2011) and Logan Voxx (Out 100 for 2011).

“GAY RIGHTS AND MORAL PANIC”

Florida Atlantic University LGBTQA Resource Center is holding a special event, “LGBT History at FAU and Beyond: An Evening with Dr. Fred Fejes” on Tuesday, October 25, from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the FAU Student Union, Sugar Palm Room, sponsored by the LGBTQA Resource Center and Lambda United. There will be a lively discussion, presentation, book reading and signing with FAU Professor Fred Fejes, author of “Gay Rights and Moral Panic: The Origins of America’s Debate on Homosexuality” and FAU’s first advisor to Lambda United GLBTQIS Alliance.

MANORS MASQUERADE

Two Halloween events are being held on Sunday, October 30, in Hagen Park in Wilton Manors. From 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m., “HOWL-O-Ween,” a Halloween party for your pets and their best friends. This event includes a pet expo, various pet activities, entertainment, trick or treat bags for people and their pets, food and beverages plus the highlight of the afternoon, a HOWL-o-Ween pet-costume contest starting at 2:30 p.m. Admission and parking in Hagen Park is free for this event. From 7:30 p.m. to 11 p.m., Hagen Park is transformed into “OUTrageous Fantasy,” this year’s Manors Masquerade theme with DJ Roland Belmares. This event includes dancing, a lounge tent with food, beverages, raffle and café seating, and trick or treat bags. The costume contest will be judged by celebrity host and judge, fashion designer Jay Carroll, the winner of the first season of the television series, “Project Runway.” Admission is free, close-in VIP parking in Hagen Park is $10.

Photo: The showgirls of Lips: (top row) Twat, Velvet, Alexis, April, Chocolatta, Jennifer
(middle row) Nicolette, Diva, Misty, (bottom row) Nicole, Charlize, Deja, and Franchesque.

To enter the queendom of Lips, the restaurant, nightclub and show palace, is to enter a place that lavishes enchantment right along with its signature knock-you-on your-ass frozen cosmos. It’s not just the chandeliers shaped like stiletto pumps or the gauzy drapes in fuchsias and limes and the occasional tangerine. Nor is it the stage no larger than a postage stamp decked out with more tinsel than the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center. It’s not even the food, though the menu, heavy on large portions and sauced dishes, is quite good.

No. This queendom is special because of its royalty – the multi-talented assortment of drag stars and their transsexual equivalents who perform Tuesday through Sunday in an ever-changing kaleidoscope of feathers, sequins, push-up bras, and wigs the size of Cincinnati. With names like Velvet, Deja, Franchesque, Charlize, Nicole, April, Chocolatta, Jennifer, Charity, Martina and Champagne, they sweep, wiggle, and saunter their way through numbers that are bawdy, brazen, and cosmically comic mixing generations, genders and polite bodily movements in a ratatouille of wit and wisdom, all girdled in bustiers.

This mélange of crowns, tiaras and rhinestone excess is the responsibility of Yvonne Lamé – the Southern Belle who created the concept over thirteen years ago in New York, where all things are apparently possible, opening the first Lips in Greenwich Village.

Several years later, an off-spring sprouted like a wild orchid in San Diego, to equal critical acclaim. Four years ago next month, Lips Fort Lauderdale was born.

In a city where drag is as common as seashells, the unique collection of talent at Lips brought gays, straights, and other unidentified lifestyles and whipped them into a fricassee of excitement, themed to various nights of the week. Each has a hostess who reigns over their evening, shedding joy like confetti on New Year’s Eve. And it is to these four super-drags, if you will, that we pay homage with a curtsey and bow. After all, royalty they are and royalty they shall always be.

DIVA

The Queen Bee of the bunch reigning supreme on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings is the blonde and bejeweled Diva – no last name necessary.

“I started out as a window dresser at Marshall Field’s in Chicago in the 80s,” Diva remembers. “It was really the dream job for a budding drag queen, having access to every department in this enormous department store that had a little of everything. The drag part came as the result of a dare – when friends coaxed me into entering a talent contest at a Chicago bar called Off Broadway. It wasn’t a drag talent contest per se, but I dolled up in full ensemble, and ended up winning the show!

“I’ve never been good at reading the fine print, but as it turned out, in order to collect my $100 prize money, I had to make a second appearance at the place the following week. For some reason, the hostess for the evening was a no-show. The club’s owner asked me to fill in, and I had such a good time, I stayed on for the next two years – hosting the event every Monday night!

“When Marshall Field’s got bought out by Macy’s, I got transferred to Florida to do the windows in a new store being built at Broward Mall in Plantation, and ended up supplementing my income by doing drag at the old Boardwalk in North Miami Beach. At the time, I never thought of it as a career. That happened the moment I realized that I was earning more money doing drag on the weekends than I was Monday-Friday at my day job,” Diva reveals.

There were pit stops in Miami, Opa-Locka, and Hialeah, before Diva became a Fort Lauderdale fixture at the original Trannie Shack show at Elements, housed in the building where the current Scandals bar is located.

“The owners of Lips saw me at Elements, offered me a job at their club—then under construction and I’ve been working the room ever since.”

Friday and Saturday nights, birthday and bachelorette parties abound with audiences that get so enthusiastic that the word “wild” becomes a p.s. for the night. A third show on Saturday night called “Taboo” is Diva’s favorite since it allows the girls to reveal a bit more skin and push the envelope to just this side of naughty.

“During the week, we’re the Disney of Drag,” says Diva. “The late show on Saturday night is where we get sexual. We even have a different menu.” And the way she says it, you just know Diva is licking her lips.

MISTY EYEZ
The always upbeat Misty Eyez is a big woman with a big story. She was raised to be a pastor and graduated from Oklahoma’s Oral Roberts University.  But it wasn’t the pulpit that turned out to be her eventual calling. All that changed on one fateful Halloween, when Misty dressed in drag to celebrate the holiday.

“Anything is possible on Halloween, and since I was struggling to come out of the closet while living with my very conservative Christian family, I dressed up as this gorgeous woman for a contest, which I was absolutely convinced I would win. Looking back at the pictures now, I was a hideous mess, but at the time I thought I looked gorgeous. While I didn’t win, it did make me more comfortable with myself and my sexuality, and eventually I just began to dress up more… and well, one thing led to another,” she says, fluttering lashes that seem poised to fly right off of her eyelids and across the room.

“My drag career began in 2003 at a bar called Trixies in Hollywood, but it wasn’t until two years later, when I moved to Elements, that my drag career really exploded. It’s funny, ‘cause I’m really very sweet,” she says, flashing a grin as sly as it is witty. “They called me  the South Florida Sweetheart. I’m just nice by nature,” she says.

Hard to believe that this is the woman chosen to host Lips’ Wednesday night Bitchy Bingo, where cattiness is queen right along with

Misty Eyez. “It’s really funny,” she says, “but sometimes I’m half-way through the show and I have to remind myself to be nastier. It really doesn’t come naturally to me. I’m all about peace and harmony.”

It’s easy to feel the love from this drag star whose chosen career has caused a seeming unmendable rift with her family. “Oh, they think of me as a backsliding homosexual who’s going to burn in hell. Now, I still think of myself as a good Christian. Yet, they won’t even consider talking to me until I return to Jesus.”

And that’s not the only struggle that keeps Misty Eyez busy, separating the personas while hoping to heal what she sees as segregation within the gay and lesbian community itself. “Here we all are fighting for equality, and we can’t get along among ourselves. Gays don’t talk to lesbians who don’t talk to trannies. The circuit boys don’t talk to the bears who don’t talk to the twinks.

The leather queens don’t talk to anyone. We need to respect ourselves, before we can expect the rest of the world to respect who we are. I will never give up my fight to bring us all together. Never,” she says. And she means it.

NICOLETTE

Nicolette is a tiny bundle of talent known for her ability to transform into famous superstars, Reba McEntire among them. Hosting Lips on Thursday nights’ Dinner with the Divas, Nicolette rotates the spotlight between Barbra, Judy, Lisa, Tina, and Marilyn among
others.

“Never in my wildest dreams could I have imagined doing drag for a living,” she says. “The first time I tried it, I was 22-years-old in Monroe, Louisiana, and entered a drag contest in a club called Hot Shots. I had never seen a drag show, so needless to say, I didn’t win. However,” she pauses, hoisting a well-manicured finger into the air, “two months later, I returned with a new look, a new song, and a new attitude about the whole business. This time, I won, I’m happy to say.”

At the time, the bar didn’t have a regular drag night, but the events proved so popular that they turned their Tuesday nights into an all-drag event with Nicolette getting her first regular paid engagement.

“I worked there for several years before moving on to Nashville, where I worked for several more years. Then about 10 years ago, I moved to Florida and began working at the old Madame’s Restaurant & Cabaret in Sunny Isles with Franchesque and Nicole. When Lips opened, we all moved here, and each of us developed our own celebrity impressions.”

Diana Ross, Cher, Madonna, Bette Midler – all get their moments on stage most Thursday nights as the lookalikes threaten to outdo the originals with costumes and creativity.

Nicolette returns on Sunday afternoons for Gospel Brunch, leading the always-irreverent Sisters of Sequins to raise their voices in joyful song. It’s the only standing ovation where the audience is on its knees.

“My mother is so supportive of what I do,” Nicolette smiles in appreciation. “My twelve-year-old sister too,” she adds. “My father… well, not so much. He knows what I do, and once he saw  me on television. Never said whether he liked it, but… maybe some day,” she says still smiling. Talent has a way of making the impossible happen.

TWAT LaROUGE

Tuesday nights at Lips is Dragalicious, the new game show evening when strangers become the best of friends in impromptu contests that involve gags, props, and prizes galore. The game show night is the creation of Twat LaRouge, and it’s only fitting that this multi-talented costume and jewelry designer-turned-showgirl should keep the fun rolling with a $16.95 prix fixe menu and $5.00 frozen cosmos.

“I got dressed in drag for the very first time in 1999 in Kansas City Missouri, at a club called Cabaret,” she says. I was getting my BFA from the Kansas City Art Institute and created this character for my senior thesis. She was a mother figure, with no breasts, no hips, a flattened face – downtrodden and emotionally abused by her family.

“During the show, the woman makes a trip to a store and comes out transformed! She went from brunette to blonde, had a huge head, huge eyes, and these giant hips that have since become my signature look. It was like nothing anyone had ever seen… and it’s still unique today,” Twat says.

The following year, on January 2, 2000, Twat, now a regular at the Cabaret, met a kindergarten teacher named Johnny, a graduate of Marymount Manhattan College, a theater and dance school in New York City. It was one of those love-at-first-sight kind of things, and the pair have been together ever since. (They were officially married a few years back.)

Since Johnny moonlighted as an actor in an underground drag show called Late Night Theater, it took only a small leap of networking before Twat was designing their costumes and sets. And when both of these lovebirds lost their jobs unexpectedly, a leap of faith (and Twat’s ailing step-mother) brought the pair to South Florida where fame (and Lips) awaited.

Both Twat and her Johnny, now working in drag as Chocolatta, were hired by Her Majesty Yvonne. And the rest, as they say, is history.  The pair have this remarkable ability to finish each other’s sentences. Such is the stuff of true love. And they can often been seen together on stage in Lips.

For Dragalicious, while Twat runs the show, Game Show Johnny is out of drag and by her side. It’s a one-two punch not to be missed.
“We’re together for the long haul,” says Twat, who Chocolatta happily announces is the “creative one.” “We’ve had so many great times together it more than makes up for the occasional bitchy drag queen we’ve come across.

“We’ve had cigarette holes burned in our costumes, and drinks poured into our suitcases,” says Chocolatta. “But for the most part, drag queens are sweet. That’s how we always try to be, welcoming the scared newcomers and extending a helping hand.”

But that’s hardly the only thing that sets this team apart. “We sew all our own costumes, make our own jewelry, mix our own music,”says Twat. “Nothing in our acts are ever duplicated anywhere. We always give a positive, embracing, creative show.”

As a way of giving back, Twat and Chocolatta volunteer at Drag It  Out, a not-for-profit organization that teaches drag to both men and women. “From ages 19 to over 50, they just want to have fun.” Sign us up for some of that.

Dinner with the Divas A Special Benefit for Neighbors4Neighbors

The Ladies of Lips bring their  special divas to life in support of Neighbors4Neighbors to help South Florida children and families in need. Hosted by Diva and CBS4 News Anchor George Estevez, the evening showcases songs by Madonna, Cher, Diana Ross, Tina Turner and illusions newly created for the show. Michael Goodman and  Jen Klaassens co-chair the event, Wednesday, November 9, starting a 6 p.m. with a VIP reception. Dinner and show follow at 7 p.m. Tickets are $50 per person. VIP tickets are $75, including a champagne reception and premium seating. To purchase tickets, call 305-597-4404 or www.neighbors4neighbors.org.

Lips is located at 1421 E Oakland Park Blvd. in Oakland Park, FL. For information or reservations, please call 954-567-0987.