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AIDS Walk Los Angeles 42nd Anniversary

Thousands will fill West Hollywood Park for the 42nd annual AIDS Walk Los Angeles a fundraising event celebrating life, honoring those who have been lost & taking action against HIV. Presented by APLA Health this year's theme is "Defend Care, Demand Action" a message aimed squarely at closing the gap between what medicine can now do & who can actually get it. Kicking off the event Michaela Jaé Rodriguez (Pose, Loot) will be honored with the Voice of Visibility Award on Sunday October 18th at 10:30A. Rodriguez stated, “There is still a cruel distance between what medicine can do and who actually gets to benefit from it. We know access to testing, treatment & consistent care saves lives, yet our most marginalized communities, especially Black & Brown trans women, continue to bear a disproportionate burden. Our lives cannot become negotiable when the political climate changes or when supporting us becomes inconvenient. If you stand with this community, that commitment has to remain when it is hardest. We are not disposable, & we deserve the same chance to live fully, love freely, dream boldly & grow old.” Craig E. Thompson, CEO of APLA Health concluded, “Michaela Jaé is a powerful voice for the community. Voices like hers keep HIV & equity in the public conversation at a time when it would be easy to look away. HIV is no longer the death sentence it once was, but that progress depends on people being able to afford testing, treatment & ongoing care.” Since 1983 APLA Health formerly AIDS Project Los Angeles has provided comprehensive healthcare & vital support services to more than 23,000 people each year. 
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La Bola Negra Opens Florida Film Fest

The award-winning historical drama La Bola Negra is kicking off the 28th OUTshine Film Festival for its Fall Edition that runs October 15th to 25th in South Florida. La Bola Negra is directed, co-written & produced by Cannes-winning directors Javier Calvo & Javier Ambrossi (Los Javis) that weaves a tale across 3 generations who find their lives linked by love, loss & an unfinished work by Federico García Lorca that echoes through Spain's LGBTQ history. Calvo & Ambrossi’s La Bola Negra stars Spanish music sensation Guitarricadelafuente, Miguel Bernardeau, Carlos González, Milo Quifes, Lola Dueñas, Julio Torres, Penélope Cruz & Glenn Close. This ambitious drama is both a tribute to Lorca's artistic legacy & a powerful celebration of resilience & self-expression. The 2026 edition of this landmark festival is bringing more than 25 new world, international, North American, East Coast & Florida premieres from 20 countries to Broward & Miami-Dade counties. Mark Gilbert, OUTSHINE Executive Director stated, “The joy of OUTshine has always been that we are a comfortable place to experience films together - to join old friends & make new ones. This fall, we’ve filled our OUTshine program with the brightest stars, the most talented international filmmakers & seasonal surprises designed to delight, chill & thrill. When our stories were being pushed off screens, out of libraries & off stages. Telling them wasn't just bold. It was necessary. For 28 years, we have kept the lights on for LGBTQ stories in South Florida & we will continue to stand strong, proud & united. We are not going anywhere.” 
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MBCC 29th Party For Prevention Event

The Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition (MBCC) 29th annual party for prevention “Halloween Bash for a Cause: Celebrating Community & Supporting Prevention” takes place Saturday October 24th at Club Café in Boston, MA from 6P to 11P with costumes optional. This year MBCC is honoring Rev. Irene Monroe the fabulous feminist public theologian, preacher & columnist whose work centers on the intersection of religion, social justice & LGBTQ rights during the VIP Party from 6P to 8P. Cheryl Osimo, MBCC's Executive Director stated, "It’s hard to believe the 29th Annual Lesbians & Friends LGBTQIA+ Dance is almost here. For nearly three decades, this event has brought people together in celebration, solidarity & a shared commitment to prevention during Breast Cancer Prevention Month. We are deeply honored to recognize Rev. Irene Monroe who through her writing & public advocacy has helped shape national & international dialogue on faith, equality & human rights." The VIP Party also features a dance lesson by Liz Nania of OUT to Dance, early access to the night’s festivities & complimentary hors d’oeuvres. Funds raised from the event helps support MBCC’s education programs designed to provide our communities with vital health information on ways to reduce exposure to toxic chemicals in the products they use & in the environments in which they live, learn & work. MBCC’s mission is to prevent breast cancer. OUTTAKE MEDIA is a proud media sponsor of MBCC. The VIP Party from 6P to 8P including general admission is $40 pre-registration & $45 at the door with general admission 8P to 11P $20. Note that to enter Club Café you must be 21 or older. 
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Ann Hampton Callaway To Play Boston

The fabulous Ann Hampton Callaway is bringing her beautiful new show "Here's to Life” to Scullers Jazz Club in Boston on Saturday, October 17th at 7P for one show only. This musical celebration of life's richness, resilience & depth honors the idea that we grow through both our challenges & joys featuring classic songs by Harold Arlen, Cole Porter, Richard Rodgers, Alan & Marilyn Bergman, Irving Berlin & the title song, by Artie Butler & Phyllis Molinari. Ann Hampton Callaway stated, “I’m so happy to be returning to Boston to bring the spirit of celebration to friends & fans I love seeing each visit. This show was inspired by its profoundly beautiful title song which embraces the ups, downs & silver linings of life. I put fresh spins on the classics by songwriting greats & some of the stories I share are quite personal & timely. I enjoy doing this show alone at the piano where I can be my most honest, vulnerable & spontaneous. One of the highlights of the evening will be a gratitude improv, getting words & phrases from the audience to highlight what matters most to my beloved Boston audience.” Nothing is more soothing than music in these challenging times so don’t miss Tony®-nominated singer-songwriter Ann Hampton Callaway’s new show "Here's to Life”. Callaway will dazzle you with a night of gorgeous songs that celebrate life’s richness despite our challenges & because of them. She breathes wisdom & passion into Arlen, Porter, Rodgers & the Bergmans as well as contemporary writers & her own originals. 
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Project Healthy Minds World Festival

Project Healthy Minds will host its 5th annual World Mental Health Day Festival on Saturday October 10th at Spring Studios in NYC. Kicking off the festival Project Healthy Minds hosted the 4th annual World Mental Health Day Gala last night emceed by Project Healthy Minds Board of Directors member Carson Daly. The evening featured a presentation of Project Healthy Minds’ annual honors including Storyteller of the Year Award recipient Bill Lawrence (“Shrinking,” “Ted Lasso,” “Bad Monkey,” “Rooster,” “Scrubs”). Lawrence’s accolade was introduced by a special video tribute from Vince Vaughn, Jason Segel, Brett Goldstein, Charlotte Lawrence, Zach Braff, Donald Faison & Michael Stipe, followed by the presentation from Michael D. Ratner. Bill Lawrence stated, “If a ‘Believe’ sign up on the wall gives people hope, then I’m proud to be a part of it. I’m even prouder to be here supporting Project Healthy Minds because they’re dealing in HOPE every day. So if you take nothing else from this speech, take this. Get involved. My company, Doozer, is going to partner up; we can all be a part of it. Let’s help put some more hope out there.” World Mental Health Day Festival participants will include Becky G, Karl-Anthony Towns, Terry Crews, Jonathan Haidt, Remi Bader, KJ Dillard, FERG, Brandon Marshall, Nina Westbrook, Rich Kleiman, Seth Davis, Case Kenny, Dan Clancy, Natasha Kalimada, Prince Brathwaite, Sydney Miller, Timm Chiusano, Joe Gonzales and Jack Bauer & a stand-up comedy session in partnership with Betches featuring Liza Treyger, Chloe Radcliffe & Marie Faustin. Project Healthy Minds is the leading mental health tech nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to mental health services.
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Celebrate Life Lessons From Legends

Richard Skipper the fabulous entertainer, host, producer, writer & live entertainment historian will bring his show “Richard Skipper Celebrates! Life Lessons From Legends” to Feinstein’s At The Nikko in San Francisco on Friday October 30th at 8P. The Halloween Eve engagement is part of Skipper’s 2026 Autumn Tour following a sold-out NYC performance at The Laurie Beechman Theatre. Joining him in San Francisco will be special guest Matthew Martin as Judy Garland with Tom Shaw on piano. At a time when so much of our entertainment is experienced through a screen Skipper is bringing people together in a room & making them part of the evening. Life Lessons From Legends combines music, storytelling, conversation & audience participation in a show that changes every time Richard steps onstage. Before the show begins the audience is invited to submit questions that are selected at random throughout the evening opening the door to stories, songs, memories, laughter & moments that even he cannot predict. Skipper stated, “This is not a show you simply sit back and watch. The audience helps create the evening. I know where we are beginning, but once those questions start coming out, none of us knows exactly where we are going. That is part of the fun.” Audiences have responded to that connection describing the experience simply as a warm hug of a show while others have evoked the great days of television talk & variety programs like the days of Merv Griffin or Mike Douglas. For Richard those reactions get to the heart of what the show is about creating a room where people feel welcomed, included & part of something that is happening only once. 
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New Documentary “Uncle Roy” (AUDIO)

I talked with filmmaker Keri Pickett about “Uncle Roy” the fabulous new documentary she directed chronicling 9 decades of Roy Blakey’s personal & professional archives. Growing up Keri hardly knew her enigmatic uncle until she followed him to NYC to pursue photography where an unexpected friendship took shape. As their lives intertwined she discovered his groundbreaking legacy of celebrity & gay photos. When Roy’s health declined Keri cared for him while preserving the stories he kept so carefully guarded. “Uncle Roy” follows the extraordinary life of globe-traveling-skater turned photographer Roy Blakey born in Oklahoma in 1930 dreaming of performing on ice. This love of figure skating led Roy to a career in theatrical skating, performing globally with Holiday on Ice. He then began collecting figure skating programs & photographs, a collection that expanded over his lifetime to 44,000 items including posters, costumes & more. After his professional skating career Blakey became a photographer in NYC capturing iconic figures including LGBTQ icons while his work in male nudes pushed boundaries in art & publishing. Roy’s book “HE” (1972) is considered a forefather of gay photography with his portraits of a generation largely lost to AIDS. “Uncle Roy” is currently playing the film festival circuit with upcoming screening including Reel Q the Pittsburgh LGBT Film Festival on October 9th, NewFest: 38th Annual New York LGBTQ Film Festival on October 18th, QDoc October 24th in Portland, OR, SCAD Savannah Film Festival October 30th & Indie Memphis Film Festival on November 8th. I talked to Keri about what she hopes to accomplish with her documentary & her spin on surviving these challenging times. LISTEN  
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AIDS Walk Los Angeles 42nd Anniversary

Thousands will fill West Hollywood Park for the 42nd annual AIDS Walk Los Angeles a fundraising event celebrating life, honoring those who h...

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