Arts & Culture

'I Wanna Dance with Somebody' - Whitney Houston biopic's ups and downs

'I Wanna Dance with Somebody' - Whitney Houston biopic's ups and downs

  • MOVIES
  • by Laura Moreno
  • Jan 3, 2023

"I Wanna Dance with Somebody" strives to be a triumphant celebration of the very special person that was Whitney Houston. So many things about the film are wonderful, including a magnificent all-star cast, but ultimately it does not deliver.

Hello, Paper Dolly! - Ennio Marchetto at Club Fugazi

Hello, Paper Dolly! - Ennio Marchetto at Club Fugazi

  • THEATER
  • by Jim Gladstone
  • Jan 3, 2023

For more than 30 years he's transformed huge sheets of blank paper into the cleverly drawn, precisely folded costumes that allow him to metamorphosize into more than 60 celebrity and historical characters over the course of his frantic hour-long show.

Sabrina Imbler's 'How Far the Light Reaches'

Sabrina Imbler's 'How Far the Light Reaches'

  • BOOKS
  • by Tim Pfaff
  • Jan 3, 2023

Sabrina Imbler's new book, "How Far the Light Reaches," has a conventional publisher, Little, Brown. But word has it that a major source of the book's distribution is friends giving it to friends, as something singular and precious.

'Living' - embracing life to its fullest

'Living' - embracing life to its fullest

  • MOVIES
  • by Brian Bromberger
  • Jan 3, 2023

With 'Living,' gay director Oliver Hermanus and screenwriter Nobel Prize-winning novelist Kazuo Ishiguro have met the challenge of creating an English version of Akira Kurosawa's "Ikiru."

Because of a song: Holly Near celebrates Oakland's women's music scene with new online archive

Because of a song: Holly Near celebrates Oakland's women's music scene with new online archive

  • MUSIC
  • by Heather Cassell
  • Jan 3, 2023

Women's music legend Holly Near called the music made by women musicians in the 1970s a lifeline. A new website documents the contributions of hundreds of women artists.

Dustin Brookshire's Dolly Parton poetry anthology

Dustin Brookshire's Dolly Parton poetry anthology

  • BOOKS
  • by Gregg Shapiro
  • Jan 3, 2023

If 54 emerging and established poets found it fit to write about Saint Dolly, the unofficial Patron Saint of Tennessee, there may be no greater seal of approval, other than, say, being a 2022 inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Going Out, Dec. 29, 2022—Jan. 6, 2023

Going Out, Dec. 29, 2022—Jan. 6, 2023

  • CULTURE
  • by Jim Provenzano
  • Dec 29, 2022

Whether you're looking for the wildest New Year's Eve party in town, or a fun flick to stream as you cozy up under a Slanket, we've got you covered in our weekly online arts and nightlife event listings.

Best LGBTQ films of 2022

Best LGBTQ films of 2022

  • MOVIES
  • by Brian Bromberger
  • Dec 27, 2022

2022 will be remembered as the year LGBTQ films went mainstream, meaning Hollywood studios were willing to make and market them at cineplexes. Unfortunately they were box office failures, especially "Bros," despite massive publicity and good press.

Presents and presence: The Lavender Tube on holiday treats and 2022's best in shows

Presents and presence: The Lavender Tube on holiday treats and 2022's best in shows

We love the holidays, so in addition to eight days of Chanukah, we have 12 days of Christmas, which means there's plenty of time left to watch some queer Christmas movies and make the Yuletide gay, right?

Embracing the past: more classic music reissues

Embracing the past: more classic music reissues

  • MUSIC
  • by Gregg Shapiro
  • Dec 27, 2022

Don't be afraid of the past. Yours or anyone else's. It will always be there, and you can pretend it doesn't exist, but it's still there, nevertheless. One way to make peace with the past is to listen to it.

Michael J. Lato's 'Refugee Handbook' - a real-life international love story

Michael J. Lato's 'Refugee Handbook' - a real-life international love story

  • BOOKS
  • by Laura Moreno
  • Dec 27, 2022

Michael J. Lato's first book shares the remarkable love story of a male couple and offers us a window into a world few of us will ever get to see for ourselves.

Going Out, Dec. 22-31, 2022

Going Out, Dec. 22-31, 2022

  • THEATER
  • by Jim Provenzano
  • Dec 22, 2022

While theaters, museums and most concert halls will take a few days off over the holiday weekend, for those staying in town, most bars and nightclubs will offer some friendly entertainments, hopefully with a sprig of mistletoe hanging over your cocktails.

'As You Like It' - SF Playhouse's gender-fluid frolic

'As You Like It' - SF Playhouse's gender-fluid frolic

  • THEATER
  • by Jim Gladstone
  • Dec 20, 2022

Shaina Taub, whose similarly contemporized '12th Night' delighted on this same stage last year, exhibits a topiarist's care in trimming and reshaping Shakespeare's original script.

Singer-songwriter Jim Andralis 'Can't Stop Trying'

Singer-songwriter Jim Andralis 'Can't Stop Trying'

  • MUSIC
  • by Gregg Shapiro
  • Dec 20, 2022

From his debut album "Your Dying Wish Come True" to his just released new full-length "I Can't Stop Trying," Jim Andralis' music features emotive vocals and his effortless gift for a turn of a phrase.