With FIELDWORK, his new exhibition at Jarrow & Goodman, Modlin turns toward colorful forests, rice terraces, tea plantations, canopies, trees, and luscious green worlds. The show is on view at 8825 Beverly Blvd. in Los Angeles, through June 10, 2026. The exhibition catalog includes works such as Green Lung, Rice Terrace, Tea Plantation, and Looking Across Waimea.

For the West Hollywood resident, the exhibition marks a continuation of community-centered practice. In a previous conversation with the Blade, Modlin spoke about the importance of “starting things within our own community.” As an openly queer artist, that means sharing work with members of the community.

“I’m honored to be showing at Jarrow & Goodman, a gallery within this community,” Modlin explains, “Being able to bring these works here first, and to show them to the people I live among, means a great deal to me.”

For Modlin, showing up as an artist is not only about the public moment, such as the gallery opening, the conversations, the wine, or the viewers sharing stories about the places they’ve traveled. It also happens in solitude, in the private space before the work is ever shown. His paintings come from an intense attention to detail, from sitting with a place long enough to feel responsible for how it appears on the canvas.

“For these locations to work, I have to genuinely care about them. I have to feel a responsibility to do them justice and put forward an honest point of view.” 

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The series took more than six months to produce, beginning with the first watercolor study and continuing through the finished canvases. “I couldn’t sustain that kind of attention without a real connection to the places,” Modlin tells the Blade.

That connection is immediately found upon setting eyes upon the vast landscapes within the gallery. The paintings are immersive and dense with color, texture, and motion. The canvas becomes fertile ground for the landscapes Modlin carries back with him.  They do not present nature as a distant view, but as a space the viewer can feel present. 

For Modlin, that immersive quality has changed over the course of his artistic career. “Three years ago, when I first started painting immersive landscapes, they were very much an escape for me,” he tells the Blade. “Now they’ve become something more. This series grew out of watercolors made directly in the field and from photographs; those studies were then composited into larger visual representations of each place.” 

By working from watercolors made directly in the field, Modlin narrows the distance between landscape and image. The paintings do not simply depict nature from afar; they carry the process of being there into the finished work. That is why Modlin describes this series as more “process-driven.” The result is a body of work that feels open and immersive, but never detached from how it was made. 

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For an LGBTQ audience, that process-driven approach carries a particular resonance. Queer community has often been built through chosen spaces: bars, galleries, neighborhoods, homes, and rooms where people can gather, see one another, and feel less alone. Modlin’s paintings offer a version of that refuge on canvas.

At a time when LGBTQ communities continue to face political hostility, Modlin’s commitment to joy feels less like avoidance than insistence.

“We’re living through a genuinely dark moment,” he states. “My work is about joy and beauty, that’s always been its center. I hope people can stand in front of these paintings and simply feel good. That feels more important right now than it ever has.”In FIELDWORK, the gallery becomes its own kind of canvas. The paintings bring the landscapes back, but the community completes them — moving through the room, gathering around them, and finding itself inside the world Modlin has made.

Jarrow & Goodman Present FIELDWORK by Andrew Max Modlin, 8825 Beverly Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90048

If you ask an LGBTQ+ person what Michelle Visage is known for, you’re likely to get a few similar answers. Most people will say that they know her as the co-judge on RuPaul’s Drag Race, with the woman serving looks (and scathing critiques) for more than a decade on this seminal program. Others may bring up her time aweing audiences on the West End, or her initial star turn in the hit girl group Seduction. There are a few answers you may get when asking about Michelle Visage, but there’s one part of the performer’s career that not enough people bring up today: her advocacy. 

Before the record deals and hit TV shows, Michelle Visage was a tough teenager from New Jersey. A girl who knew she was meant for fame but was still figuring out how to get there. Eventually, the search for stardom brought her to 1980s New York, a thriving home of queer nightlife that taught Visage how her voice could be used to fight against hatred. And while she flexes that skill every day as a fierce advocate, she’s excited to be louder than ever through ViiV Healthcare’s new ‘PrEP Wisdom Campaign.’ 

Michelle Visage sat down with the Los Angeles Blade to discuss this campaign and how it feels to speak up about this important issue. But before we could get to the present, she stressed that if people wanted to know about her current work, they first had to understand how it all began.

Visage detailed her youth in New Jersey, her no-nonsense parents, and the many times she snuck into nightclubs hoping to be ‘discovered.’ It was in these clubs that she found the thriving ballroom scene of 1980s New York, saying, “I felt like Dorothy [from the Wizard of Oz] when she clicked her heels! [Except] Dorothy clicked her heels three times, and she ended up in Kansas — I ended up on Christopher Street with 30 or 40 of the weirdest, craziest looking misfits I’d ever seen in my life.” Michelle smiled widely as she remembered those early moments. “I was like, ‘Oh my god…I think I found my people.”

“I met Willie Ninja and Caesar Ninja Valentino, and they took me in as one of their own and started teaching me how to vogue. And that’s how life began for me in the ballroom!” She began to walk as a member of the House of Valentino — specifically Face, Body, and Femme Vogue — and found a second home amidst this thriving subculture of marginalized artists. “When I didn’t have anybody or a group or a clique to speak of, the queer scene in New York City took me in as one of theirs — and I became ‘Michelle Magnifique.’”

Through this community, Visage got to see the birth of our modern LGBTQ+ rights movement — as well as just how much the AIDS crisis would come to terrorize these people she’d begun to call her family. 

“Because I was so deep in this scene, I was affected greatly by the AIDS crisis and the lack of any kind of support from anything around us,“ said Michelle, speaking candidly about her many days spent at the bedsides of those suffering from this disease, acting as a source of comfort for folks whose blood family had abandoned them long ago. “I was standing by their side and holding their hand and being with them…I didn’t know what I was doing. But I knew that I needed to show up, and I knew that I needed to be there.”

Even when her career took Michelle from New York, she always carried those memories of standing by community members when nobody else would. This, when paired with her massive singing and acting talents, is what made her one of pop culture’s staunchest advocates for LGBTQ+ rights in the 90s and early 2000s. This earned her a massive queer following, and today, it’s what makes her the perfect partner for ViiV’s new PrEP Wisdom Campaign. 

“Viiv Healthcare is the only pharmaceutical company solely focused on preventing, treating, and ultimately curing HIV,” Michelle explained. “Their goal is to help end the HIV epidemic for all — and that, to me, is music to my ears.” 

It’s a goal that’s only become more important since the company was founded back in 2009. The only large-scale pharmaceutical company focused on ending the HIV epidemic, ViiV, not only fights cultural stigma but also saves thousands of lives daily by connecting folks to the treatment and prevention resources they need. Especially as we’re seeing numerous states — including California — begin to slash HIV funding, their work through campaigns like this one is becoming more important than ever.

“The PrEP Wisdom Campaign, first and foremost, is intended to encourage conversations between people who could benefit from PrEP, and [why they should] talk to their doctors to help determine which injectable PrEP might be right for them,” said Visage. She discussed how the campaign is information-oriented, with ViiV developing easy-to-understand pathways for folks to become more aware of injectable PrEP services as well as general HIV/AIDS-related resources. 

“More than 2 million Americans could benefit from PrEP to help prevent HIV [according to the] CDC — yet only 25% of them are currently using it!” She understands that there were many things holding people back from getting PrEP, ranging from cultural stigma to discriminatory doctors to a lack of awareness that these resources even exist. But she emphasizes that people cannot let social judgment hold them back from their health and safety! “If you’re not clicking with your health care provider, please find a new one. You don’t have to settle…there are plenty of people to choose from. Plenty of healthcare providers, plenty of doctors who want to work with you, who want to give you the information about PrEP, who want you to be on PrEP so you are protected.”

“Listen, we have come a long way since I started [back in] 1986], and we’ve got so much further to go,” Visage said, reflecting on her lifelong role as an HIV advocate, first as a teenager, and now as an acclaimed performer. But while she may have grown since then, she still carries the commitment to fighting against injustice that the queer community of 80s New York instilled in her. “I will fight forever on this platform. [Discrimination hasn’t] changed, so I don’t plan on changing.”

Michelle Visage knows that change doesn’t happen by being silent — it happens by staying informed and keeping yourself healthy so that you can speak out for what you know is right. In honor of the many lives she fought for in 1980s New York, Visage wants to help as many people as she can today get the PrEP resources they need. And through her new PrEP Wisdom campaign with ViiV, she’s excited to do exactly that.

Check out www.getprepwisdom.com for more information

Music has always been a key part of every civil rights movement. 

No matter the cause or the community, the songs of the oppressed have always underscored the fight against their oppressors, with these pieces embodying the passions of a movement — and in Saunder Choi’s newest song, the resilience of Los Angeles’ LGBTQ+ community. 

The renowned composer sat down with the Los Angeles Blade to discuss “Credo,” his newest song that he’s putting together for Gay Men’s Chorus of Los Angeles (GMCLA). Debuting at the group’s upcoming Declarations of Independence show, Choi’s goal was to not only create a beautiful piece of music but a literal creed for the many identities this chorus represents. In the man’s own words, “[This song] serves as a way to memorialize, to uplift those stories, and to reflect the resilience and strength of our community.”

“Music has always been used as a tool for advocacy,” Choi explained. “Music has always been used to reflect one’s beliefs, one’s values, and one’s principles…I choose to use my [music] as a platform for that advocacy.” It’s a sentiment the composer has always embodied; after receiving a Master’s Degree in composition from USC, Choi traveled the world singing in professional choirs, sharing his skills through teaching, and writing pieces for numerous LGBTQ+ choirs. He’d dedicated too uplifting communities through music, and he decided to channel that dedication when the GMCLA reached out and requested a new song for a very important concert.  

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The Declarations of Independence show commemorates America’s 250th birthday, with the GMCLA celebrating our country’s queer legacy by performing the many songs that helped build the LGBTQ+ rights movement. Whether it be Broadway classics or universal hits, each of these songs will reflect the queer community’s long history within this country, with Saunders’ new piece “Credo” serving as the show’s defining number. 

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When tasked with composing for such a symbolic event, Choi knew that the GMCLA wasn’t looking for just any song: they needed a creed. “I wanted to build upon that tradition of creeds being set to music, being sung by a community that believes in them…[I want us] to ask ourselves, ‘What is our creed as the LGBTQ+ community? What do we believe in?”

To do this, Choi collaborated with Brian Sonia-Wallace, Poet Laureate of Los Angeles, to devise lyrics that encapsulate the current moment LGBTQ+ Americans are living in. “With all the attacks that’ve been happening in the LGBTQ+ community, what does our community need at this moment? In these times, how can we, as singers, use our songs to protect our community [and] fight for our values?” It was on this point specifically that Choi drew inspiration from, with the artist guiding his creative process by asking himself, “What would it mean for a gay men’s chorus to sing and declare [their] beliefs out loud?”

With all of this in mind, Choi went to work, writing tirelessly to craft a song that embodies the fierce sense of Pride he knows fills this city. It wasn’t always easy — the composer detailed his composing process, a complex combination of musicality and precision that can easily boggle the mind of a non-musician (and many actual musicians). Yet when he was finished, Choi believed that he had created the perfect song for GMCLA’s Declarations of Independence. A true “Credo,” one that could serve as not only an enjoyable piece of music but an anthem for what queer people all across Los Angeles are experiencing right now. 

 “I hope that [with ‘Credo,’] folks hear a powerful anthem that they can use as a weapon to protect themselves in an era where you know our lives, our stories, our communities are being actively threatened and erased,” Choi described. “Sometimes the lyrics get a little raw, a little specific, but as James Joyce said, ‘In the particular is contained the universal.’ These are things that I think a lot of the queer community can believe in…this is our anthem — this is our creed.”

Saunder Choi’s latest piece, “Credo,” is a reminder to whoever is listening — whether they’re in Los Angeles or not — that they are not alone. He captures a true chorus of resistance through lyrics that uplift the voices of those community members who are too often silenced. It’s the perfect song for the Gay Men’s Chorus of LA’s Declarations of Independence show, and it may just be exactly what so many people need to hear right now.

Join GMCLA for Declarations of Independence, a bold celebration of Pride and Protest, happening Saturday, June 27, at 7 pm and Sunday, June 28, at 3:30 pm at the Saban Theatre.

There is only one ‘magic’ word to describe The 40th Anniversary of Pee-wee’s Playhouse: fantastic.

Hosted at the Greek Theater as part of Netflix is a Joke, the streaming service’s yearly comedy festival, this event commemorated four decades of this pivotal program influencing modern artists. The evening was a variety show packed with a jaw-dropping lineup of stars; whether it be musical acts like The B-52s and Devo, or comedians like Patton Oswalt and Cheri Oteri, more than a dozen celebrities came out to show how much this series means to them. It featured memorabilia from the original set, clips from unaired episodes, and tributes to the many performers who made the show so unforgettable for millions of children then and now. And, in keeping with Pee-wee’s Playhouse traditions, the 40th Anniversary even got its own magic word for attendees to scream about whenever it was uttered: fantastic. 

Above all else, The 40th Anniversary Of Pee-wee’s Playhouse honored how this show continues to influence artists today. It was a monumental series that encouraged everyone watching to go after what they truly wanted in life, no matter how ‘weird’ those dreams may be. And for LGBTQ+ watchers especially, it gave thousands of young viewers the confidence they needed to be their most authentic, absolutely oddest selves, even after the TV was turned off. 

“Listen, no matter who you are, there was someone in puppet land to make you feel safe,” said Bob the Drag Queen, as the RuPaul’s Drag Race season eight winner stepped onto the 40th Anniversary stage. She was, of course, referring to the setting that Pee-wee’s Playhouse inhabited, a home filled with countless puppets (often personified pieces of furniture, animals, and the occasional dummy) and people who went on wild adventures with Pee-wee. Every watcher had their favorite character, but Bob came onstage ready to honor one beauty in particular: Miss Yvonne. 

A dolled-up queen who always boasted about her looks, the Drag Queen spoke about how uplifting Miss Yvonne was for her young audience. “We often talk about how beautiful Miss Yvonne is, but I feel like we don’t often talk enough about how inspirational Miss Yvonne truly is!” Bob explained. “We live in a world that is constantly telling people to shrink themselves, to doubt themselves, to be humble, to wait for permission — and Miss Yvonne did the opposite of all of that! She decided who she was…and maybe [that’s something to learn from, because sometimes becoming who you are starts with believing it before anyone else does.”

It’s a message of self-acceptance that resonated throughout Pee-wee’s Playhouse; Pee-wee encouraged children to be their strangest, realest selves…by always being his strangest, realest self. He played with gender expression and constantly criticized cultural norms, with many episodes telling children that their voices matter (no matter what the adults around them say). For queer viewers, this was a monumental lesson in ignoring anyone who tells you you’re ‘wrong.’ Through Pee-wee’s Playhouse, they not only got to see someone who shirked cultural norms, but were finally told that it was okay to be different than how society told them to be. 

Pee-wee’s message of self-love is what spurred many artists onto the successful careers they have today. And for Julio Torres and Patti Harrison, this allowed them to create the anarchic artistry that audiences were lucky to see at the 40th Anniversary. 

It’s hard to characterize Julio Torres’ set, largely because the Problemista and Fantasmas star spent most of it desperately reaching for a can of Diet Coke mounted on a pole above his head. Dressed in a bedazzled suit once-worn by Pee-wee himself, the late Paul Reubens, Torres barely spoke about the show this event was commemorating. He instead lamented about the indignity of his situation (being deprived of Diet Coke) and how he yearned for the ease of youth (when he always had Diet Coke). Yet while he barely Pee-wee’s Playhouse, Torres’ irreverent humor — and the way he plays with surrealism and color schemes in every project — illustrates how much Pee-wee’s Playhouse continues to influence his current work. 

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One of the 40th Anniversary’s true highlights was Patti Harrison, who spent her first minutes onstage monologuing about her difficult childhood and the impact Pee-Wee’s Playhouse had on her younger self. “I’m really honored to be here,” she timidly began. “I truly feel like I owe so much of what I get to do now and who I am today to artists like Paul Rubens and Pee Wee’s Playhouse, and getting to have that growing up…I feel very fortunate.” 

Harrison then went on to describe the horrors of her childhood, the abuse she endured from bullies, and the nonstop torture she faced daily…before cleverly using the secret word to make the entire Greek Theater shout with glee at her traumatic storytelling. 

After this, Patti reverted to the hilariously vulgar comedy she’s known for, but the performer never stopped crediting Pee-wee’s Playhouse for inspiring countless queer performers to pursue their art today. Between screaming about her mother’s body and poop jokes she reminded the audience that many LGBTQ+ artists wouldn’t have gone after their dreams if not for the lessons taught by this show. She ended her time onstage with a perfect summary of everything this event represented, shouting at everyone in attendance: “Stay freaky, stay weird, and long live Pee-wee!”

This was the true message of The 40th Anniversary Of Pee-wee’s Playhouse and the series it was created to celebrate. The event not only showcased memorabilia and memories from the show — though that was certainly a wonderful aspect of it — but offered a long list of performers whose careers testify the impact Pee-wee’s Playhouse had on everyone lucky enough to watch it. Through this anniversary, the queer community is reminded of how our culture was shaped by the unbridled, chaotic joy that Pee-wee’s Playhouse embodied in every episode. 

And with over 40 years of inspiring artists, there is only one word that truly describes the legacy of Pee-wee’s Playhouse that LGBTQ+ people can still learn from today: great.  

Just kidding. Fantastic. 

Amielynn Abellera grew up with a nurse practitioner mother and a doctor father, so perhaps she was always destined to appear in a show like The Pitt. Looking at popular media as a Filipino child, though, she never saw “authentic representation” when watching shows about healthcare workers.

“If I did have representation, I would have been more curious and more celebratory, and want to investigate more and ask [my parents] questions,” she tells The Blade. “It’s never too late, and now that there is representation, it’s really making waves across the Filipino and Filipino-American community to initiate conversations.”

Acting on HBO Max’s The Pitt, as she has since the very first episode, carries a deeper meaning for Abellera, who plays the steady and empathetic Nurse Perlah. The second season once again follows a full 15-hour shift in the ER, this time taking place on the Fourth of July.

Abellera reflects on Perlah’s journey: “As a nurse, she is really good at her job, she’s really calm and composed and confident. She knows how to protect herself in such a challenging career. That has been part of how she’s able to get through it. In this season, on this particular day, she hits some challenges, and we start to see a little bit of that armor crack — just a tiny bit.”

It’s been a breakthrough role for Abellera, who previously appeared in episodes of The Cleaning Lady, Bosch: Legacy, and NCIS. The unique filming style of The Pitt, where every episode is synchronized with one hour in the hospital, has given Abellera a new experience altogether: “It feels very sporadic, very panicked, and very immediate.”

“It does feel like I’m waking up at five in the morning, starting a shift, and doing a 12-hour day. Sometimes, the reality mixed with the not-reality and the pretend can sort of meld together,” she says, while adding with a laugh, “I’m not a nurse, I’m nowhere near anything being a healthcare worker, of course, but sometimes you end up thinking, ‘I can actually put an IV in!’”

As she looks back on the season at large, one episode that stands out to her is Episode 3 (titled 9:00 A.M.), which incorporated the 2018 Tree of Life synagogue shooting that took place in Pittsburgh, where the show is also located. In a poignant moment, a Jewish patient named Yana (played by Irina Dubova) connects with Perlah, who wears a hijab.

“Quite honestly, I didn’t know so much about the shooting until we started working,” she says. “I really loved how simple the scene was, in terms of it being two people just connecting and caring for each other in that moment, and also acknowledging this bigger thing. It took both Yana and Perlah by surprise — the feelings that came up for them. I remember even filming it; it took both of us by surprise.”

When I ask about bringing both Filipino and queer representation to the show, Abellera says “I know I sound like a broken record. But I’m so proud, and it’s such an honor to be able to represent the Filipino community as healthcare workers. It’s such a big part of Filipino history and my personal history.”

On the show, she’s also found solidarity with Isa Briones and Kristin Villanueva. “Something I like about the three of us is we’re three different dimensions of Filipino,” she says.

Beyond the community she’s cultivated with her cast on-set, The Pitt has been celebrated across the entire industry, most recently winning the ensemble in a drama series prize at the Actor Awards and, of course, the Emmy award for best drama series. The Actor Award recognition was especially notable since it brought the main cast together on stage. With Season 3 already in the works, one can only imagine how many more awards the show will nab.

“I don’t think anybody knew that we were so hungry for this type of going back to how television used to be,” Abellera says, noting the 15-episode order for Season 2. “It’s taken all demographics by surprise.”

As the ever-fashionable Glenn Close walked out in front of the TCL Chinese Theatre sporting a pair of circular shades, sitting down in a chair to block out the sun from her view, she looked a lot like Norma Desmond, the character she brought new dimensions to while starring in Sunset Boulevard on Broadway.

Unlike the famous character she played that lost touch with reality decades after finding success as an actor, Close is one of the rare actors to continue finding success decades after achieving stardom. The eight-time Oscar nominee, who landed her first nomination back in 1983 for The World According to Garp, was surrounded by her family, including her granddaughter, and a very well-behaved white dog that accompanied her on stage. Many of her close collaborators were also in attendance, including Melissa McCarthy and Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping director Frances Lawrence.

The crowd, which included select press and TCM passholders, hung on Close’s words as she reflected on the kind of career most aspiring actors dream of. This was the kind of event the TCM Classic Film Festival does best — not just the yearly Hand & Footprint Ceremony where stars get their hands and feet imprinted by the TCL Chinese Theatre, but the daily programming that connects passionate film fans with the female icons they grew up watching and idolizing. It was a true celebration of both past and present. Where else can classic movie fans not only see an icon like Close receive their dues, but share that moment with the actor’s loved ones?

Close’s ceremony was just the beginning of the action. The festival also gave attendees the chance to hear Carol Burnett and Barbara Hershey speak in dedicated one-hour Q&As; Faye Dunaway, Laura Dern, Sharon Stone, Julia Sweeney, Lorna Luft and Lesley Ann Warren all presented different screenings throughout the four-day festival in Los Angeles (read The Blade’s coverage of Warren’s talk before Victor/Victoria here), while Close herself presented a screening of 1988’s Dangerous Liaisons.

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The line just to get into Burnett’s conversation was the longest I saw at this year’s festival, quite literally spiraling around the lobby of the historic Roosevelt Hotel to the point where people couldn’t locate where it even ended. The crowd immediately took to their knees once Burnett walked into the room. In a conversation with TCM host Ben Mankiewicz, the seven-time Emmy winner looked back on the origins of her TV career and the women who mentored her.

Burnett would go on to make history as the first woman to host a variety show with The Carol Burnett Show, which ran on CBS from 1967 to 1978. One of the most surprising bits of her conversation was her freeing experience working with studio executives.

“When we got our show, [William S. Paley] said to us, ‘You’re the artist, I’m the businessman. You do what I do, I’ll do what I do. Go do your thing. If it’s not working, I’ll be in touch,’” Burnett recalled. “We never had a sponsor bothering us, or the network bothering us,” adding that the writers’ room was free of outside influence. In today’s media landscape, such a story is unheard of.

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Beyond these incredible stories shared by beloved actors, the festival was also an opportunity for different generations to connect through their shared love of film. As a young queer person myself, I’ve noticed how TCM can sometimes be unfairly labeled as a network solely for older people. While the festival’s attendees certainly skew older, the wide variety of female stars drew in multiple different generations; from the women who grew up on Burnett’s variety show in the ‘60s and the ‘70s, to today’s young audiences — mainly gay men! — who fell in love with Laura Dern through more recent hits like Big Little Lies and Marriage Story.

That’s part of what makes the festival so wonderful: the opportunity to connect with all different kinds of people while waiting in line for screenings and panels, and reflecting on how everyone came across a piece of media at a different point in their life. As a queer person, many of these actors resonate with me in a completely different way than they might for older women who grew up seeing a female comedian like Burnett pave the way for more representation.

The opportunity to see living legends in person hits even harder after the recent passing of Catherine O’Hara, Diane Keaton, and Rob Reiner. This theme of crossing generations and passing the baton down couldn’t have been made clearer than the way Mankiewicz chose to close his conversation with Burnett, who reminisced on how I Love Lucy star Lucille Ball became a crucial mentor and friend before her death in 1989.

“I’m listening to you with Amy Poehler and the way she talked about you … the way Tina Fey feels about you,” Mankiewicz said. “To that generation of these brilliantly funny women — and plenty of men, too — you’re Lucille.”

It was impossible to leave that room without thinking about Burnett’s signature line: “I’m so glad we had this time together.”

When Lesley Ann Warren first watched a cut of the campy musical comedy Victor/Victoria, in which she plays Norma Cassidy, the extravagant showgirl known for shouting “Pookie!”, she thought she’d never land a part again.

“I was so shocked to see myself that way, and I went home, and I cried, for a long time, I thought my career is over. It’s just over!” Warren said before a packed Saturday, May 2 screening of Victor/Victoria at the TCM Classic Film Festival in Hollywood, California, moderated by TCM’s Dave Karger. “So I never thought about [an Oscar nomination].”

Directed by Blake Edwards (Breakfast at Tiffany’s), the film stars Julie Andrews as Victoria Grant, a down-on-her-luck performer who meets an older gay man (played by Robert Preston) and winds up posing as a man impersonating a woman on stage. As her artistic career takes off, though, so does her romantic one, as the insecure gangster King Marchand (played by James Garner), who starts off in a relationship with Norma, begins wondering if his attraction to Victoria (or Victor, as she’s known to the outside world) makes him gay. Following the 1982 film, Victor/Victoria was adapted into a 1995 Broadway musical; Andrews was the only part of the production to be Tony-nominated (she famously declined the recognition.)

In 1983, Warren would go on to receive an Oscar nomination in the supporting actress category; Andrews and Preston also earned acting nominations, and the film was recognized for adapted screenplay, production design, and costume design, even winning for its music. Warren’s nomination was surprising because the Academy rarely values comedic, over-the-top performances.

“I honestly didn’t even keep track. I knew that MGM was doing this incredible campaign for me, but I wasn’t a part of it because I was working [on A Night in Heaven], and different times,” Warren recalls, explaining she found out about the nomination after producer Joel Silver called her early in the morning. “It was an out-of-body experience. They had to stop filming that day — all these outlets like Entertainment Tonight flew in to see my reaction … It was thrilling.”

Even more so than the Academy’s recognition in 1983, Warren’s status as a queer icon who resonates deeply with LGBTQ+ audiences has stuck with her, mainly for her work in Victor/Victoria, Cinderella, and, of course, cult favorite Clue. When asked about what that status means to her, Warren expressed strong enthusiasm for her queer fans.

“I wouldn’t say it’s a surprise, I’m thrilled because I love them,” Warren said. “Especially Clue and Victor/Victoria, there’s such larger-than-life women in a way, and that’s really part of the appeal. But I was telling you backstage, I have gotten incredible responses from many people, but two specific people who happen to be brilliant directors.”

Warren said she heard this feedback from openly queer filmmakers Rob Marshall, who went on to direct Chicago and Into the Woods, and Lee Daniels, who helmed The Butler and Precious. “The pain that Cinderella went through and the ostracizing, [Daniels] felt as a child,” she recalled. “He said he used to sit in the corner of his bedroom and sing ‘In My Own Little Corner,’ and it gave him comfort.”

It didn’t take Warren nabbing the Oscar nomination, or the queer community’s love and admiration, for her to come around on her performance in Victor/Victoria, though: everything clicked at the film’s premiere. “I heard and saw the reaction of the people in the flesh, in the moment, and I thought, ‘Oh, I’m going to be OK!’”

Based on the contagious, uproarious laughter that could be heard across the entire TCL Chinese Theatre on Saturday night, Warren’s campy-as-hell performance in Victor/Victoria continues to steal the show nearly 45 years later.

Go-go dancers offer a spicy jolt to nightlife. Their hot bodies and high-energy dancing inspire and titillate us, helping to make every night extra special. Steven Dehler has not only done that for the last decade in West Hollywood and Palm Springs, but he’s brought this same energy to the world of dance, fitness, and modeling. 

You may have seen him at The Abbey or Beaches Tropicana, and he was even crowned this year’s Go-Go of the Year at the Los Angeles Blade’s Best of LA awards show.  He’s an accomplished model for various fitness and underwear brands, as well as starring in fashion, editorials, print, runway, and appearing on romance novel covers.

 Beyond the go-go box, he’s an accomplished musician and pianist. He has performed on stage for Voss Events burlesque shows, and you can see him on stage in Beauty of Burlesque at the historic Old Globe Theatre in Downtown LA. He’s worked in film and television, appearing on Ellen, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and Will & Grace.

He also co-hosts the podcast, On the Rocks, with the Blade’s own Alexander Rodriguez. He’s set to formally join the LA Blade family offering his physical prowess and fitness know-how to LA Blade readers in an upcoming Health and Fitness column for the Blade. 

He took some time out to share his history, hot takes, and thoughts from both on and offstage for a look behind the g-string and into his life. 

How long have you been performing?

I’ve been dancing for about thirteen years. 

How did you get into go-go dancing?

I was already working in the clubs doing bottle service and wasn’t making particularly good money. The person I was dating at the time go-go danced,, and I saw how much money he was making and how much fun he was having so I started dancing with him.

What do you do besides dancing?

What don’t I do? Haha, God, I dip my feet in everything I can, and I’m discovering new ponds constantly. I’m a classically trained pianist, so I always try to incorporate that into my life. In the last few years, I’ve gotten into burlesque, which has been so gratifying, especially learning choreography. I’m not a trained dancer, and I’m pushing 40, so I’m getting into something at an age most dancers are retiring. I cohost a popular podcast called On the Rocks. And besides that, I’ve modeled for 20 years and acted as well. 

What do you love about gogo dancing? And nightlife in LA?

I just love to dance. And as someone who’s introverted, I never thought I’d be on stage in my underwear entertaining people. But here I am!

What do you think has changed about nightlife?

That’s a heavy question. So much has changed about nightlife. I’d say the 2010s were really the renaissance of nightlife, and that’s when I appeared on the scene. Since COVID and changes in dynamics with alcohol and Gen Z, nightlife is struggling. Clubs and bars are closing left and right, and many are hemorrhaging money. It’s depressing seeing all the empty businesses in West Hollywood. It’s not good nowadays in LA compared to a decade ago. 

What do you love about Los Angeles?

I love LA. I was born in Simi Valley, so I’ve been LA-adjacent since birth. It’s rare for locals to stick around,, haha. This town is really difficult, but it’s full of such amazing people. If you’re true to yourself you’ll find your people here. I’m always meeting new and beautiful people. 

What brought you to LA, specifically?

I always thought I’d do great things in LA, and I’m not satisfied until I achieve them. 

What is your passion?

Piano is my absolute passion. Music is always evolving, and there are always things for me to learn. I just recently learned a piece from a video game (my other passion) called “Expedition 33.” I’m a big gamer, so I play Super Mario music, Zelda, and Final Fantasy. Y’all do not realize how talented the musicians are who create the soundtracks to these games. 

What’s an interesting thing you learned about life from dancing?

I don’t think I realized how socially awkward the general public is. I’ve had people come up to me and just not speak when they wanted to. I experience so many awkward moments with people, but we make them fun and normal, and I think people appreciate that we dancers make them feel okay about who they are. 

Favorite spot in Los Angeles?

I love Malibu. El Matador is my favorite spot ever. It’s gorgeous and secluded. I’ve done many photo shoots there. 

How has Los Angeles changed you?

Los Angeles has made me more confident. You have to be sure of yourself here. It really can suck you in and spit you out, and if you don’t have a strong sense of self then it can devour you. It’s strengthened me in ways I didn’t think I needed. Never jaded though! Take the lessons and rise above them! ,

What piece of advice would you give to your younger self?

I’d tell my younger self to work out my legs more LOL. I played soccer for 14 years, so when I started dancing, I was really top-heavy. I only worked out my upper body, and I did a disservice to myself by not working on my legs. 

If you could make one wish for Los Angeles what would it be?

My one wish for Los Angeles would be to get rid of the smog! 

What do you want for the queer community? 

I want the queer community to come together more. This whole LGB without the T is so disgusting to me, and becoming more prevalent. There are a lot of people in our community who are just uneducated about the fact that our trans brothers and sisters are being targeted across the globe. We’ve got to be better about protecting them. 

What do you look for in a person?

I look for humor. If we can laugh every day, then I’m happy.

Celebrity crush?

Honestly, I’m not crushing on any celebrities right now. Bored.

What is your favorite thing to do in your downtime?

My favorite thing is playing video games. I’m such a huge gay-mer. My dad introduced me to games when I was like five, playing the original DOOM. 

What are your goals for the future? 

My goal for the future is to continue to do what I love. It’s not easy. What you want to do doesn’t necessarily provide you a living, but you gotta do what you love in some aspect. So as long as I’m still doing what I love, I’ll be happy. 

Are you excited about your new column with the LA Blade? 

Absolutely! I’ve been working out for 20 years, and I’m a certified trainer and bodybuilding specialist, so I’m very excited to share my knowledge and advice with readers.

Keep an eye out for Dehler around town and in the pages of the Blade very soon. Follow him on Instagram and listen to him on the On the Rocks Podcast every week.  

Submit your fitness or health questions to Steven here!

In Quentin Lee’s spirited feature film debut, Shopping for Fangs, viewers are shown shards of stories: pieces of narratives that are spliced and, sometimes, hastily shoved together in a way that inspires whiplash, excitement, and unnerving anticipation. We are thrown into a San Gabriel Valley of the late ‘90s and shown its darker underbelly: an image that betrays its tranquil real-life reputation. 

This is not the San Gabriel Valley I grew up in (but perhaps wish I did). It’s an uncanny, noir version of it that draws inspiration from reality and remixes it with style through Lee’s risque, imaginative lens. 

Shopping for Fangs starts at the scene of a crime, where a man has pinned a woman against a wall in the dark. Suddenly, another figure appears, dressed in a sparkly champagne dress, a curly blonde Marilyn Monroe-esque wig, and sunglasses that, we will soon discover, are permanently fixed onto her face. She draws a gun at the man, threatening to “blow his face off,” and her fragment of the film’s story begins. 

The 1997 feature weaves together the lives of several Asian American characters and explores their queerness, their yearning to belong, and the ways that these angsts transform into physical and mental affliction. Phil, a bored and indifferent office worker, begins to grow hair at a rapid rate and act out in all-consuming aggression. His storyline, written by the film’s co-director, Justin Lin of Fast & Furious fame, is a werewolf tale that digs into stereotypes around Asian American masculinity and rejects them with energetic rebellion.

Shopping for Fangs marks the beginning of a 30-year legacy for Lee: one in which he has continually explored what it means to be queer, Asian American, and to navigate stigma, racial identities, and sexual longing in an increasingly tech-centered world through the 90s and early 2000s. His films are beasts of their own: hybridizing person and monster, desire and animosity, reality and fantasy to create poignant stories where his untethered characters break from their molds, transform, and find their own forms of catharsis. 

Beginning on Friday, May 1, Lee’s films will be screened in a special retrospective at the Laemmle Royal in Los Angeles. The opening night features a viewing of Shopping for Fangs and a Q&A with Lee and Lin.

To celebrate and understand Lee’s journey, the Blade sat down with him to discuss his early years making movies and how his art has helped him understand his own identity more. 

What films intrigued you when you were young, before you started making movies?

I grew up as a teenager watching a lot of horror films, and then I became really into Brian De Palma and Hitchcock genre thrillers. I remember I was maybe 15 in Hong Kong, and I picked up this Premiere magazine right before we were leaving for Canada. Brian De Palma had all the storyboards of Casualties of War laid out, and I said, ‘Oh my god, this is the kind of filmmaker I want to become.’ 

I graduated from UC Berkeley, and [there] I started dabbling in experimental filmmaking. So I’d say, as a filmmaker, I really started off with experimental video, video art, and things like that. [Then], I applied to UCLA Film School and didn’t get in. I thought: I’m not going to wait for UCLA before I start making movies. So I made my first short film called “To Ride a Cow.” I did it with my friend, my then-boyfriend, and also with my best girl friend. 

Then, I was traveling to film festivals with my little short film…I think it was ‘93. It was really a fun year that I got to learn a lot more about storytelling, literature, and literary theory at the same time. I remember I was really young. “To Ride a Cow” won the best student film award at the New England Film Festival. I drove from Yale to Boston for that screening. And the programmer was saying something like: ‘Well, all you need to do is just go to the film festivals and talk to some people, and you’ll be making your next film.’ And the next thing, [I’m here] like, 30 years later. [Laughs]

Your first feature, Shopping for Fangs, has been described as the cinematic lovechild of David Lynch and Wong Kar-wai. In the story, every character is fragmented, and the narrative explores their deep isolation, misbelonging, or unfulfilled desire. What was it like for you to create these characters, and did they reflect underlying themes that you wanted to explore as a young filmmaker? 

I realized further down the line, all my films are about someone trying to look for a connection to the world, but they’re not really sure how. And that very much is how, emotionally, I’ve felt most of my life, even till today. I was an immigrant from Hong Kong, moved to Canada, and then moved to America, came out as being queer, and then also found this new kind of Asian American identity. 

In the beginning, I wasn’t even sure I was going to stay in America, so I didn’t completely identify with being Asian American. And then eventually, after I graduated, I thought: You know what? That’s actually a really good identity. Shopping for Fangs is about that. It’s about all these really fragmented characters, whether it’s Phil or Katherine or the husband, and even Clarence, who is this queer Singaporean student trying to get a VISA. That’s kind of me. John Cho didn’t know he was playing me. It’s about them finding a place to belong. That became a throughline for most of my movies.

[Before making Shopping for Fangs], I had put a collection of my short films together, and I premiered them as a feature at the Vancouver International Film Festival. I was coming back in [the winter] of ‘95, and I was really good friends with Justin. I said: ‘Why don’t we make a feature together? You can write a story. I can write [one]. It’s like Chungking Express!’ We spent Christmas writing together. He wrote the story about the werewolf, the Asian American guy. 

I wrote this thing about…I was really obsessed with going to Monterey Park and the Alhambra, San Gabriel Valley area. And I thought: Okay, I want to write something about that. I was also into Hitchcock influences, so, in the end, I came up with the story of Katherine, and we mashed them together. Then, I applied for a Canada Council for the Arts grant, and they wrote: ‘Here’s $50,000. Go make the movie.’ Then, we made it. We started in the summer of ‘96, and I knew that I had to start a company. I started Margin Films to be the entity that produced it. 

I didn’t have a status. I wasn’t American, wasn’t even a resident, so I thought: Well, I guess the only entity I could start is a C-corporation — because I needed to make Shopping for Fangs. 

It was such a moment to watch Shopping for Fangs and be like: Oh, I grew up going to this plaza in the San Gabriel Valley, and now I see it as a centerpiece of a film. You imbue it with mystery, and it, in turn, imbues your film with more mystery as well. About finding connection, how did that ethos evolve in the making of your later films like Ethan Mao and The People I’ve Slept With? Visually, they’re more stripped down. Was that intentional?

Ethan Mao was about this kid who just came out, and he’s trying to figure out where he really belongs. He runs away from home. In “The People I’ve Slept With,” the main character is semi-inspired by the actress in it. At some point, I was listening to David Lynch, [and he said]: ‘Every story has a different way to do it.’ So, there really is no one way to make a movie. Every movie, what I actually do is try to find out: ‘What is this? How should I approach the aesthetics,’ and with Ethan Mao, I’m playing a lot. 

Because of my experimental background, I wanted everything in the house to be like a Greek drama, shot in 35 millimeter film. Everything outside the house, I wanted to be digital video. And the digital video was transferred to film. That became the aesthetics for Ethan Mao and his world. And then with The People I’ve Slept With, it was the beginning of digital film technology, and it was the first time I made a decent-budgeted film with a digital camera. It was very exciting and, at the same time, I was nervous. It’s interesting and reminds me of how technology changes as our culture also changes.

With this upcoming screening series, what do you hope to impart on queer Asian American people who might be seeing your films for the first time?

I hope to have a new generation of audiences take a look at Shopping for Fangs. When it came out, people were like: ‘What is this? It’s not even Asian American. The characters are Asian, but there’s nothing about Asian American identity.’ It was very annoying to hear that, because obviously me and Justin were thinking: ‘We have all this ideology, all these things in it.’ Eventually, years later, more writing on it [has come out], so people started to understand: It actually is about identity.  

A message that I want to [tell] new generations of diverse, queer, and all combinations of different audiences, is that they should go out and experiment. Each of my films is very different,  and I think people should just go out and make things, and not have to worry so much about what they should be making. They should be making what they want to make. I started my journey doing exactly that, so I guess I’m pretty happy about it. 

Kristie Song is a California Local News Fellow placed with the Los Angeles Blade. The California Local News Fellowship is a state-funded initiative to support and strengthen local news reporting. Learn more about it at fellowships.journalism.berkeley.edu/cafellows.

If you’re queer and have used social media in recent years, odds are you’ve seen (and cackled at) a clip of the LA-based performer, Catherine McCafferty. 

The comedian first gained attention through clips from her web series, Pretty Gay. A hybrid interview and dating show, it features our host chatting with LGBTQ+ celebrities while running them through the chaotic activities she has planned for their faux-date. It’s the embodiment of the cringe-humor McCafferty has perfected over the years, a humor she recently took international through her comedy special, (Not) That Bad, and that she continues to share online as Pretty Gay enters its fourth season on Patreon. 

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McCafferty perfectly maneuvers the chaos of cringe-comedy while still facilitating intriguing conversations of what queerness looks like for her ‘dates’ today. She sat down with the LA Blade to talk not only about Pretty Gay but how she developed this unique sense of humor, with the host beginning the conversation by explaining, “I was a little bit of a haunted child.”

“I had a deep sadness since I was born, and I still have that. But I do think that goes hand-in-hand with being a silly goose and being a comedian!” Catherine exclaimed, as the jovial host candidly described her lifelong struggles with mental health. She detailed her past with the lightness that fans know her for, speaking about growing up in Chicago and the compulsory heterosexuality that held her back from coming out until adulthood. It’s an issue that many face today; mainstream society dictates that heterosexuality is the only ‘right’ way to live, with girls especially being told that the only path to true happiness is one that ends with marrying a man. “I used to say that I was going to marry a man and watch him die, and then I would have a second life where I dated women!” Said McCafferty, discussing how she struggled to unlearn these toxic beliefs before coming out in her 20s. “When you’re holding on to something [like that] for so long, and then the dam breaks, it’s like… that [freedom] is just so abundant.”

It was through this self-discovery that McCafferty finally gained the confidence to begin her career as a standup in Chicago’s historic comedy scene. This was when she started considering what she wanted her comedy to be, content that would not only carry her trademark sardonic wit, but would have the LGBTQ+ community laughing right along with her.

Finally, she settled on making a series that would address a glaring issue millions of LGBTQ+ people struggle with today: being terrible at dating.

“I didn’t know how to go on gay dates, so [Pretty Gay] is kind of selfish,” joked Catherine as she described the early days of her web series. “We started like two years ago, and it’s really blown up. I feel so grateful!” Each episode follows Catherine as she goes on a date with an LGBTQ+ guest — usually a sapphic, non-male performer — with the subject trying to keep up with the host’s many segments. These range from trying out cheesy pick-up lines, to defending Catherine from imaginary spiders, to even calling the host’s real mother and asking for her blessing on their nonexistent relationship! This has proven to be an endlessly entertaining format, with Pretty Gay releasing on Patreon to a huge community of over 16,000 online fans. 

“I feel so grateful for my Patreon community,” said the host as she raved about how much she loved her many supporters. “We’ve built a community where people are talking [with each other]…[having] a community of people who feel safe with me, it just feels so wild. It’s so cool.”

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But it’s not just the format the has led to Pretty Gay’s widespread popularity. While the series is stacked with impressive guests and comical moments, what really makes it such a stand-out is how it spotlights the parts of our queer community that most programs (including LGBTQ+ ones) won’t. 

“Whenever you are part of a marginalized group, people are going to look at you as a monolith,” McCafferty explained. “It hurts young people who are just watching Heated Rivalry and Hunting Wives — I love that representation, but it’s very specific.” It’s a glaring issue that too many people ignore today; most mainstream queer characters are either cisgender, white, or conventionally attractive, with a majority being a mixture of all three. While these ‘digestible’ instances of queerness may have been vital when the media refused to acknowledge this community existed, modern viewers are long past these early days of inclusion. Yet it’s still rare to see queer people from marginalized backgrounds get the spotlight, meaning members of those intersections still suffer rampant ignorance despite an increased awareness of the LGBTQ+ community. 

It’s an issue that McCafferty and her team are committed to fighting against, with the host explaining, “When we are casting a season, we cast a wide net, because there are really funny people who live in all different kinds of bodies, and they should have a platform!” It’s a representation that has led to stars like Cameron Esposito, Yazmin Monet Watkins, Vivian Wilson, and countless others featuring on Pretty Gay to discuss their experiences of being a queer person today. These are impactful discussions, but also immensely funny ones, with McCafferty emphasizing, “We want to have real conversations, but we also want to laugh! Like, [queer people] get to be dumb too — it’s not all just like crying, coming out, and not being accepted. Some of it is just running around a table, chasing each other, and just being silly.”

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Through humor, Catherine makes her guests and viewers relax, offering a welcoming, all-inclusive respite to everyone watching the shenanigans on display. It’s this happiness-centric approach that allows for both important knowledge and joyful escapism, with McCafferty stressing, “My primary goal with Pretty Gay [is] to really just platform queer joy…that’s the space that I inhabit in my community and also in my comedy.”

And this platform is only growing, with each episode of Pretty Gay bringing more fans into McCafferty’s strange yet heartwarming world of bad first dates. As the show enters its fourth season, the host remains focused on offering the vital representation our community needs while still showing queer people as the full — and often very goofy — humans that we are. 

Through Pretty Gay, Catherine McCafferty creates an online community of acceptance and unabashed joy that viewers can’t help but fall in love with. And if you ever want to join that community, Catherine is ready to welcome you in today — as long as you go on a date with her first, of course. 

Check out Pretty Gay