ambush paparazzi Southern Decadence Gong Kajun s Pub raises $247 for Southern Decadence ~ New Orleans ~ Photos by Rip Naquin, Solitaire

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1 ambush paparazzi Southern Decadence Gong Kajun s Pub raises $247 for Southern Decadence ~ New Orleans ~ Photos by Rip Naquin, Solitaire Southern Decadence Street Tulane Ave Bar raises $677 for Southern Decadence ~ New Orleans ~ Photos by Hubert S Monkeys 36 The Official Mag : AmbushMag.com September 1-14, 2015 Official ficial Southern n Decadence Guide SouthernDecadence.com

2 GayMardiGras.com GayNewOrleans.com September 1-14, 2015 Facebook.com/AmbushMag The Official Mag : AmbushMag.com 37

3 under the gaydar...from 32 this novel. Otherwise, Truth or Die has all the ingredients in Patterson s trademark storylines that will keep you enthralled till the end. Hot Happenings It is Southern Decadence finally! Have you enjoyed the multitude of fundraisers for the parade? I for one am excited to see what they have in store for us this year. To celebrate the holiday, here are just some of my top picks of things to do for Southern Decadence. Wednesday, September 2, 2015 Everyone let s get wet at the Corner Pocket s Wet Jockey Shorts Contest starting at 10pm. There will be dancers wetted (is that even a real word) down and dancing on the bar. Join in the antics and you can win $150 in cash and prizes. The Corner Pocket is located at 940 St. Louis Street. Thursday, September 3, 2015 There is always time for a drink when Kasha Davis is involved. Kickoff Southern Decadence at the Four Season Bar with Ru Paul s Drag Race standout Mrs. Kasha Davis in a special one night only show with a star studded cast hosted by Persana Shoulders beginning at 9pm. Admission is $10 with a VIP Meet and Greet for $20 (Includes photo and admission). The Four Seasons is located at 3229 North Causeway Boulevard in Metairie. Friday, September 4, 2015 Be careful when entering the water at Bearracuda during Southern Decadence at One Eyed Jacks (615 Toulouse Street). Doors open at 10pm. Entertainment will be provided by DJ Ryan Jones from Los Angeles. Tickets are $8 in advance and $10 at the door, and can be purchased at Bearracuda.com. Bearracuda welcomes hundreds of furry guys to dance the night away in the middle of the French Quarter. Bearracuda is the largest attended bear dance party and most prolific gay dance event in the U.S. They have events in 46 cities across the world, including parties in San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, NYC, London, Austin, Atlanta & Sydney. Saturday, September 5, 2015 Well fiddle dee dee this Decadence at the Magnolia Trail Bar Stroll through the Marigny and Lower Quarter. The Queen of the Magnolia Trail Stroll (Princesse Stephaney) will lead the participants to each of the designated bars. There will be a hoop dress contest that will be judged as Best and Worst, by the bar owners or managers. There is requested a $5 donation to the Big Easy Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence charity fund. The event begins at 3:30pm at Mags 940 located at 940 Elysian Fields Avenue. Get Happy with A House of Blues Foundation Room Decadent Happy Hour with Nicole Lynn Foxx and two of her posse - Madonnathan and Vinsantos. There is no cover with happy hour starting at 6:30pm and a show at 7pm. The House of Blues Foundation Room is located at 225 Decatur Street. Come to Decadence and Flirt your heart out. GrrlSpot Presents: Fleurt: The Premier Event of Dykeadence at the Eiffel Society starting at 9pm. DJ Jenna Jordan opens the night, getting you all warmed up with all your favorite top 40 dance hits then the main event: Bella Blue s Decadent Revue. Bella has all kinds of treats and surprises with special guests, Kitten N Lou all the way from Seattle and a surprise celebrity emcee. After the spectacular show, DJ Gage takes over late night, spinning the hottest hip-hop set in the Big Easy, and keeping you dancing all night long. And, when you re not dancing, watch artist Mellissa create a beautiful art piece, live and in person. Admission is $10. VIP tickets available - send us a message or go to VIP IS LIMITED, so act fast before they sell out. The Eiffel Society is located at 2040 St. Charles Avenue. Become a radical at The New Orleans Radical Faeries at their annual Southern Decadence Prince of Perversion Ball, BABYLON BORDELLO at the Allways Lounge. MPOP Xll Rebecca Rae requests the honor of your presence as she presides over all the decadent festivities. Colors are blooms and gemstones. Also featured for your entertainment is The Ball Pit, a St Andrews cross, a secure clothes check and DJ Prism of The Phoenix. Doors at 9pm with the Collarnation at midnight. Tickets are $10. The POP Ball is a Fundraiser for the Brigid Ball. The Allways Lounge is located at 2240 St. Claude Avenue. Want some candy little boy? Join legendary singer / songwriter and drag sensation Candy Samples as she once again kicks off our high holy day of Southern Decadence with some song, some drink and maybe a prayer or two that you make it through the day and meet the Bear of your dreams at One Eyed Jacks (615 Toulouse Street) for her Sunday Services with Candy Samples. It is free admission with a cash bar and special fundraising opportunities for Food For Friends. Enjoy the greatest free event of Southern Decadence with the 41st Annual Official Southern Decadence Parade led by Southern Decadence Grand Marshals XLI Steven Mora, Rip Naquin, Marsha Delain, Misti Ates and Frankie Fierce celebrating Southern Decadence 44. The parade begins at the Official Home of Southern Decadence: Golden Lantern, 1239 Royal St. There is no fee or registration form to enter the parade. All walkers are welcome. Just join the parade following the grand marshals. The tentative Parade Route: starting 1239 Royal to St. Louis, right on St. Louis to N. Rampart, right on N. Rampart to Toulouse, right on Toulouse to Burgundy, left on Burgundy to St. Peter, left on St. Peter to N. Rampart, right on Rampart to 834 N. Rampart then back to St. Ann, down St. Ann to Bourbon, left on Bourbon to 901 Bourbon ending at Dumaine. It includes stops at Golden Lantern, Double Play, The Corner Pocket, Society Page, 700 Club, GrandPre s, Rawhide, Good Friends, Bourbon Pub, Napoleon s Itch, Oz, & Cafe Lafitte in Exile. I like cream in my coffee and now I can have a double dose of it during decadence. Come top off an already decadent weekend with a hefty spoonful of CREAM!: a rare night of rich and delicious burlesque, drag, and cabaret. Presented by New Orleans own beloved burlesque powerhouse Bella Blue, along with Burlesque Hall of Fame s Most Comedic power couple, Kitten N Lou (NYC/Seattle), this brand new, neverbefore-seen-in-nola spectacle features a star-studded cast of national superstars and local treasures, including RuPaul s Drag Race s own Miss Congeniality BenDeLaCreme, and boylesque/naughty film sensation Chris Harder. Prepare to be fully satiated by this must-see cavalcade of sizzling striptease, jaw-dropping drag, and queer fabulosity, for one night only! The event is hosted by RuPaul s Drag Race Season 6 Star BenDeLaCreme and stars Kitten N Lou (Seattle/NYC), Bella Blue, Chris Harder (NYC), Vinsantos, Eros Sea, Lady Satine and surprise guests. There are two shows at 8pm and 10:30pm. Tickets are $20-$30. TICKET LINK: tinyurl.com/creamnola, VIP TABLE SEAT- ING AVAILABLE (includes a gift for table and meet and greet with Ben DeLaCreme and cast). Party Down What an incredible two weeks I had which included red dresses, sushi, leather, incestuous shenanigans, parties, cocktails, and even a Southern Cotillion. Now this is what I call a full two weeks. So I kicked everything off on Thursday with the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau Business After Hours at Latrobe s in the French Quarter. Latrobe s is an elegant venue perfect for hosting this networking hospitality event. Rich in history, Latrobe s on Royal is one of New Orleans most architecturally significant buildings Completed in 1822 as the Louisiana State Bank, Latrobe s is named after its Architect: Benjamin Henry Latrobe. Also known as the Father of American Architecture, his contributions include: the US Capital, the Porticos of the White House, and the Baltimore Basilica, as well as the development of the Waterworks System of the United States in an effort to combat Yellow Fever. Signature elements such as the whisper dome, the Bank Vault and original stonework now provide a rich backdrop for some of the most glamorous events in the city. On Friday, I took in the first offering from the Tennessee Williams Theatre Company, Kingdom of Earth. The Tennessee Williams Theatre Company of New Orleans is a year-round theatre company committed to producing captivating, exciting, and moving plays with a major focus on the works of America s greatest playwright, Tennessee Williams in the city which Williams called home and from which he drew abundant inspiration. The show was absolutely mesmerizing and the actors gave powerful performances, especially Sean Richmond who was just riveting as Chicken. And on a more superficial note, he was hot as hell! Now that is someone I can be trapped on a roof with during a raging flood. Saturday was the infamous Red Dress Run. This was a marathon drinking day which turned into amateur drunk night. See the day started so innocently, when a group of us went to Michael Shlenker and Don Schwinn s annual Red Dress party at the Omni Royal Orleans. He has a suite with a great balcony and serves vodka cocktails, champagne and Bloody Mary s. Well after doing that for several hours, we maneuvered our way into the madness of the Quarter stopping at every gay bar we obviously could. Now see this is where things get a little fuzzy and the hours seem to blaze by. In no certain order (mostly because I truly cannot remember every detail) I seemed to have stopped at six bars, changed clothes, hosted a birthday celebration for my friend Albert at Broussard s, attended a pool party (thank god I did not drown), went to dirty linen night, bought art, met a boy, lost a boy, made out with several boys and then ended up at home at the end of the night in my courtyard watching the rain trying to piece together which place I left my dignity. Now that is how you paint the town red! The next week I spent recuperating, obviously painting the town red has a price tag. I did however recover enough on Thursday to attend the world premiere of Flowers in the Attic, the V.C. Andrews international bestseller (and one of my favorite novels of all time) at the Old Marquer Theatre. See Em On Stage: A Production Company produced the show written by the internationally best-selling author Andrew Neiderman. Christopher Bentivegna directed the play working in direct conjunction with Neiderman. Flowers in the Attic is based on the controversial and popular gothic horror novel written by V.C. Andrews in The captivating story of greed, betrayal, and forbidden love has sold over 40 million copies worldwide and has been developed into two movies. The recent movie adaptation produced by Lifetime was the highest-rated original cable TV movie of For over 28 years Andrew Neiderman has been ghostwriting the V.C. Andrews novels, having sold over 106 million copies worldwide in 98 countries. Under both names, he has published over 115 novels and has had eight films adapted from his works. Mr. Neiderman is working directly with this production of Flowers in the Attic as it develops and is readied for its world premiere. I grew up with these novels, the storyline centers at the top of the stairs in one of the grandest, most magnificent mansions in Virginia where there are four hidden secrets; blond, beautiful, innocent, and struggling to stay alive. The Dollangangers were the ideal family; perfect and carefree, until a devastating tragedy shattered their lives. Now, in order for their mother to receive an inheritance that will ensure their future, the children must be hidden away out of sight as if they don t exist. Locked away in an attic in their grandmother s vast mansion, their loving mother assures them it will be just for a little while. But as brutal days swell into agonizingly long months, Cathy, Christopher, and the twins Cory and Carrie, realize their survival is at the mercy of their tyrannical and superstitious grandmother and this cramped and horrifying existence may be the only one they ever know. Kali Russell and Levi Hood electrify the stage as Christopher and Cathy Dollanganger; and Mary Pauley devours her role as the wicked grandmother Olivia Foxworth. But I especially liked Rebecca Elizabeth Hollingsworth chilling performance as Corrine Dollanganger. This is must see theatre, so make sure you check it out. On Friday, it was an easy night with comfort food and great beer. Some friends and I tried out the Big Cheezy which is a fabulous gourmet grilled cheese sandwich restaurant. They have something to tantalize anyone s tastebuds. My recommendation is the Spicy Pie with a tomato basil soup dipper. Amazing! Then we went to Bayou Beer Garden for a few craft brews under the beautiful night sky, the weather even cooperated and it was not so stifling. This city has so much to offer by the way of restaurants and bars, and these are just two of them. [continued on 40] 38 The Official Mag : AmbushMag.com September 1-14, 2015 Official ficial Southern n Decadence Guide SouthernDecadence.com

4 GayMardiGras.com GayNewOrleans.com September 1-14, 2015 Facebook.com/AmbushMag The Official Mag : AmbushMag.com 39

5 under the gaydar...from 40 On Saturday it was a leather and lace sort of evening, beginning with the Magnolia Cotillion benefiting Southern Decadence at the Ambush Mansion. It was quite the southern soiree with delectable food, a great gathering of friends in celebration of Rip and Marsha s 42nd anniversary and a wonderful white wedding cake with sugar magnolias on top. After rubbing elbows at the mansion, we sauntered down to the Rawhide for the tail end (no pun intended) of the Mr. Rawhide Leather contest, congrats to Mark Xavier for the win. Next we traipsed to the Friendly Bar in the Marigny to say hello to the winner of the Lords of Leather Miss Louisiana Leatherette contest Vanessa Carr. We finally ended the night at Cutter s for the Unleashed show headed by Jack Inman. It was a very unique and diverse group of entertainers, but very festive. My two weeks ended on Sunday at Sushi Fest, which my company helped manage at the Lakefront Arena. Over twenty restaurants served both sushi and Japanese inspired dishes to the sold out crowd that peaked at 2,500. My favorite dish came from Rock N Sake who also won the People s Choice Award. Many of my friends came out and had some sushi, sake and Sapporo for a festive day at yet another successful festival. Until next issue, have an amazingly exciting Southern Decadence. spotlight features NOLA Leather to Geaux Oct Whether you re into leather, rubber, kink or something else, you ll want to attend this year s New Orleans leather run: NOLA Leather To Geaux. Scheduled for October 16 18, this run weekend offers many opportunities for the indulgences of your desires. You will have the unique experience of wearing your leather or fetish wear while drinking in the streets with a go cup in hand. Check out the playful dark spaces in our bars while celebrating leather and kink in a way possible ONLY in New Orleans. Purchasers of the weekend package will enjoy a welcome party/cocktail reception at the host hotel on Friday evening and a meat and greet late night social at Rawhide afterwards. Happy hour drink prices will be in effect with your NLTG participant wristband. A Saturday mid-day walking tour (led by tour guide extraordinaire Chad Boutte) of the historic French Quarter will be followed by a Cookout/Beer Bust and play party at the Phoenix Bar just outside the Quarter. Then it s on to Bourbon Street for the leather/fetish dress code-enforced NOLA Leather To Geaux Dance Party/Sash Bash at Oz beginning at 10pm. Special guest DJ will be Robbie Leslie, who has worked in NYC, Florida, and The Coast from the 1970s through the 1990s. He began his career at Fire Island s disco The Sandpiper, then onto NYC at Studio [continued on 48] 40 The Official Mag : AmbushMag.com September 1-14, 2015 Official ficial Southern n Decadence Guide SouthernDecadence.com