Out in Toronto: May 14–20, 2015

Choice events in the city this week


Clubbin’

Cherry Bomb: Get in on the Action

From backflipping to Hula Hooping, we all have our particular talents. For this edition of Cherry Bomb, a monthly women’s party, ladies are invited to make spectacles of themselves — even if it’s just by showcasing their best dance moves. DJs Cozmic Cat and Denise Benson spin hot beats and Roxanne Luchak generates live visuals.

Saturday, May 16, 10pm. Round, 152 Augusta Ave. facebook.com/cherrybombtoronto

Go Hard: All White Affair

Start looking for the cutest white outfit, because this black-light edition of Go Hard is geared to make you glow. It promises to be a feast for the eyes in more ways than one, with “ol’ skool videos” on the big screen. DJs Black Cat, Pleasure and Craig Dominic spin dance hits all night.

Sunday, May 17, 10:30pm. Club 120, 120 Church St. club120.ca

Film

Miss Congeniality Screening and Junk Food Extravaganza

Welcome to the 75th Annual Miss United States beauty pageant — representing New Jersey is Gracie Lou Freebush (Sandra Bullock), an FBI agent who, with the aid of pageant mentor Victor Melling (Michael Caine), goes undercover to investigate a bomb threat. In celebration of the 15th anniversary of the 2000 comedy Miss Congeniality, folks get on their best crowns, gowns or FBI agent costumes for a junk food potluck and movie screening.

Thursday, May 14, 7 and 9pm. Videofag, 187 Augusta Ave. videofag.com

Gaymers

Bomberman, Anyone?

A Smurfy voice yells, “Bomberman Ultra!” The plucky, old-style videogame music begins. Then, after character customization — this iteration has an impressive selection of outfits — the explosions commence. This edition of The Toronto Gaymers’s monthly video game social features Bomberman Ultra on Playstation 3. It’s an afternoon full of folks lighting their fuses and exploding in each other’s faces.

Saturday, May 16, 1pm. The Marquis of Granby, 418 Church St. facebook.com/torontogaymers

 

Literary

Otter Launch Party

If your lover calls out to you in his sleep, how do you know “you” is you? What good is a fancy headstone? What do you do with a recently conceived comeback for an argument that happened six years ago? Ben Ladouceur’s poetry collection Otter fails — with style — to find answers to these and other questions. The launch party includes a special guest, poet Bardia Sinaee.

Friday, March 15, 7:30pm. Glad Day Bookshop, 598 Yonge St. chbooks.com/catalogue/otter

Stage

Singers Playground Workshop with Micah Barnes

Jazz singer-songwriter Micah Barnes, who recently released the CD New York Stories, leads a workshop about performing on stage. Over the course of this six-hour class, Barnes gives attendees one-on-one coaching and they have the opportunity to perform two songs. This is open to singers in any genre and of any level of experience. To register or for more info, contact micah@singersplayground.com.

Saturday, March 16, noon. Winchester Street Theatre, 80 Winchester St. singersplayground.com

For more event listings, visit dailyxtra.com/lgbt-events

Jeremy Willard is a Toronto-based freelance writer and editor. He's written for Fab Magazine, Daily Xtra and the Torontoist. He generally writes about the arts, local news and queer history (in History Boys, the Daily Xtra column that he shares with Michael Lyons).

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