Tag Archives: Deborah Cox

This week’s takeaways: Life+Style

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It’s a busy, busy week, what with people fresh back from the Thanksgiving holiday and organizations trying to rush their activities in before the New Year sneaks up. That’s why you can see any of several Christmas-themed stage plays: DTC’s A Christmas Carol, Theatre Britain’s panto of Mother Goose, MBS Productions’ saucy Bur-Less-Q Nutcracker and WaterTower’s staged reading of It’s a Wonderful Life: A Live Radio Play. You can also see the real Nutcracker in Dallas before it moves to Fort Worth, courtesy of Texas Ballet Theater.

If you’re not really in the holiday mood, though, never fear: Friday night get drunk on French wines at the annual Beaujolais Festival: Beaujolais & Beyond, this time in the fresh new Irving Convention Center. It kicks off at 7 p.m. Or stay closer to downtown with Dick’s Night Out at Ku•De•Ta. Museum junkies can go to the Perot Museum — finally — on Saturday, as well as a new exhibit of Frank Lloyd Wright at the Arlington Museum of Art. And the Holocaust Museum debuts a collection of 71 private family photos take of Anne Frank by her dad Otto. And you can stop by Ro2Art Gallery on Sunday at 7 p.m. for a farewell meet-the-artist reception for gay collage artist Gary Farrelly. His show continued through Dec. 8.

For the music-minded, Jekyll & Hyde, with club diva Deborah Cox and American Idol‘s Constantine Maroulis, opens at the Winspear. And it’s a concert-heavy week, with Mary Fagan, Patti Larkin, Duncan Sheik and Amy Cook all performing throughout the week. And Willam Belli, my former roommate at a breakout star of RuPaul’s Drag Race, performs at the Rose Room on Sunday.

And there are still some great movies of there, including Skyfall, Argo, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Life of Pi, The Sessions and Lincoln (skip the dreadful Silver Linings Playbook), but one of the best is this week’s new release, Hitchcock.

And finally, Dec. 1 is World AIDS Day. You can make a difference and still have a little indulgence by stopping by Sprinkles Cupcakes on Saturday. Proceeds from the sale of the special red ribbon cupcake will be donated to the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation.

—  Arnold Wayne Jones

WATCH: Deborah Cox at Station 4 for MetroBall

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Well, if you either missed some of the Razzle Dazzle over the weekend, or just want to relive the highlights, videos have already been posted on YouTube from Deborah Cox’s performance. She headlined the MetroBall on Friday at Station 4.The video here is just a front row clip of the show, but this YouTube poster caught a big chunk of the show in three 10-minute videos.

All I can say is lady can sport the hell out of a micro-mini.

—  Rich Lopez

Best bets • 06.03.11

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Friday 06.03

All the Cox you could want
Could there be any better timing for this year’s 6th Annual MetroBall? The AIDS fundraiser is smack dab in the middle of Razzle Dazzle Dallas. We’d go no matter what since dance diva Deborah Cox is headlining. You know she’ll sing her signature hit “Nobody’s Supposed To Be Here,” to a packed house. Ironic, huh?

DEETS: Station 4, 3911 Cedar Springs Road. 7 p.m. $30. GDMAF.org.

………………………

Saturday 06.04

This ain’t the Pink Floyd version
Musical accompaniment to The Wizard of Oz will not be a classic rock album this night. Instead, the DSO pays homage in Oz with Orchestra by performing the original soundtrack as the movie plays. And extra bonuses to the people who dress up as their favorite character.

DEETS: Meyerson Symphony Center, 2301 Flora St. 7:30 p.m. $30–$70. DallasSymphony.com.

……………………..

Tuesday 06.07

Now these cats can recycle
We wonder if the Stomp people throw anything away. Clearly everything, even trash, can be turned into a musical instrument or noisemaker, but these guys know how to do it the right way.

DEETS: Music Hall at Fair Park, 909 First Ave. Through June 12. $15–$75. Ticketmaster.com.

This article appeared in the Dallas Voice print edition June 3, 2011.

—  Michael Stephens

MetroBall with Deborah Cox tonight at S4

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A whole lotta Cox

Could there be any better tining for this year’s 6th Annual Metro Ball? The AIDS fundraiser is smack dab in the middle of Razzle Dazzle Dallas. We’d go no matter what since dance diva Deborah Cox is headlining. You know she’ll sing her signature hit, “NObodys Supposed to be Here,” but to a packed house. Ironic, huh?

DEETS: Station 4, 3911 Cedar Springs Road. 7 p.m. $30 GDMAF.org.

—  Rich Lopez

Razzle Dazzle Dallas gets off to a busy start

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Razzle Dazzle Dallas kicked off with a Wine Walk on Wednesday and continues through the weekend.

A 25-year tradition returns to Cedar Springs with the Main Event on Saturday

DAVID TAFFET | StaffWriter
taffet@dallasvoice.com

The five-day Razzle Dazzle Dallas revival began Wednesday, June 1, with a wine walk on Cedar Springs Road.

“I think last night went really well,” Chet Whisenant, owner of Subway at the Crossroads, said Thursday. “Foot traffic was way up. It was a great kickoff for Razzle Dazzle Dallas.”

Thom Dance, owner of the UPS Store on the other end of the strip said: “We had more people in our store than on any similar event. The street was alive.”

Skivvies owner David Richardson said: “Last night was great. For us, I haven’t seen that large a crowd for a wine walk event.”

Richardson, the former owner of TapeLenders and OutLines, has been a Cedar Springs merchant since the early 1980s. Several retailers said that although they stocked double the amount of wine they pour for other wine walks, they still ran out early.

Many people brought their dogs, and most retailers were allowing dogs into their stores throughout the evening.

Party express buses were scheduled to run Thursday night until 1 a.m. Friday, shuttling patrons to four clubs located off the main strip.

Metroball begins at 7 p.m. at Station 4 on Friday, June 3. Raffles and a silent auction as well as admission tickets benefit the Greg Dollinger Memorial AIDS Fund. Deborah Cox performs. VIP ticket holders are invited to a catered reception after the show to meet Cox.

On Saturday, the Cedar Springs Merchants Association will stage a sidewalk sale and classic car show during the day. More than 50 members of Classic Chassis Car Club plan to display their antique and classic cars along Cedar Springs Road.

Sale tents, food booths, an artist pavilion and activities will be set up along the sidewalk. The street will remain open to car traffic during the day.

The Main Event begins Saturday at 7 p.m. Cedar Springs Road will close to traffic at 4 p.m. to set up the stages and booths.

Sales from The Midway, community booths, art vendors and food and beer vendors all benefit Razzle Dazzle’s eight beneficiaries.

Jenna Skyy and Michael Doughman will host the live entertainment stage. Performers include Cazwell, Chaz Marie, Dallas Pride Cheer, Billy Halliday, The Bright, Uptown Players, the Gary Floyd Trio, Anton Shaw and Something Fabulous!!! On the dance stage near Cedar Springs Road and Knight Street, Dallas DJ Mickey Briggs will trade off with DJ Tim Pfleuger from Oz in New Orleans. BJ’s NXS will provide the go-go boys and girls.

For VIP ticket holders there will be two VIP-only areas. At the north area, Axiom and Dish will serve samplings. At the south area, Al Biernat and Doug Boster Catering will host a food tasting.

Free valet parking at ilume will be provided to VIP ticket holders on Saturday night.

Admission to the street party is free.

On Sunday, closing parties begin at TMC: The Mining Company with an afternoon tea dance.

The Mr. and Miss Razzle Dazzle Dallas contest takes pace at the Brick at 10 p.m.

Richardson said he was looking forward to the rest of the Razzle Dazzle weekend.

“It looks like we’re going to see a lot of new faces,” he said, “and a lot of people we haven’t seen around for awhile.”

He offered special recognition to Jimmy Bartlett, the Razzle Dazzle board member who first pulled the idea to revive the event together.

“I greatly appreciate Jimmy and all of his efforts to bring Razzle back,” Richardson said. “I think this is going to be a bigger and more exciting Razzle than any I remember.”

—  John Wright

Razzle Dazzle Dallas returns to Cedar Springs

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Revived event will span 5 days with a variety of new features

DAVID TAFFET | Staff Writer
taffet@dallasvoice.com

When organizers decided to revive Razzle Dazzle Dallas, they made the event bigger than it had ever been. And Scott Whittall, president of the Cedar Springs Merchants Association said that the five-day event just keeps growing.

For example, after rain forced the postponement last weekend of a sidewalk sale and antique car show scheduled for Cedar Springs, the events were added to the Razzle Dazzle schedule.

Razzle Dazzle begins on Wednesday, June 1, with the Cedar Springs Wine Walk and Dog Walk. Participating merchants will serve free wine to anyone who has purchased a $5 wine glass. The Humane Society will set up pet stations along the street to make the event dog friendly.

Thursday, June 2, is the Jagermeister Oak Lawn Pub Crawl. A party bus will shuttle partygoers to participating nightclubs off of Cedar Springs. Participants can travel from club to club in their own cars or park in one place and ride the party bus.

Four Oak Lawn bars will offer a variety of entertainment, contests, dancers and more. The party runs from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. and participating clubs include BJ’s NXS, Zippers, the Brick/Joe’s and Kaliente.

Metro Ball begins at 7 p.m. on Friday, June 3, and is the weekend’s major AIDS fundraiser.

The party will be held at Station 4 until midnight and includes dancing, raffles, a silent auction and entertainment by Deborah Cox. Tickets are $25 in advance and available at GDMAF.org or at Skivvies or $30 at the door.

The event benefits the Greg Dollgener Memorial AIDS Fund, which provides financial assistance to people with HIV and AIDS for critical needs when resources are exhausted through other local organizations.

Two additional events have been scheduled for VIP ticket holders. The Melrose Hotel will host a reception from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. featuring Pinnacle flavored vodkas.

The original founders of Razzle Dazzle Dallas will be honored at that reception.

The Round-Up Saloon will hold a late-night private party with hors d’ouevres on the upstairs deck for VIP ticket holders.

VIP tickets are $100 and include five days of free reserved parking at ilume, a $100 merchant coupon book for the Wednesday Wine Walk and more.

Each VIP ticket holder will be entered into a drawing to win dinner, a one-night stay at the Worthington Hotel in Fort Worth and tickets to the musical Chicago at Bass Hall.

Whittall said producers of the show contacted CSMA to offer the giveaway as a promotion for the tour coming because one of the songs in the musical is called Razzle Dazzle.

About 50 autos from Classic Chassis Car Club will be parked along Cedar Springs Road on Saturday until 4 p.m. for an antique and classic car show. Many of the street’s merchants will be offering discounts during the day at a sidewalk sale.

The street closes to vehicular traffic at 4 p.m. for the main event that begins at 7 p.m.

Cazwell will appear on the main stage with Cheer Dallas, Billy Halliday, The Bright, Uptown Players, Chaz Marie, the Gary Floyd Trio, Anton Shaw and the drag-based performance group Something Fabulous!!!

A female impersonator stage will be set up on the deck at Woody’s Sports and Video Bar beginning at 10 p.m.

DJ/VJ Mickey Briggs of Dallas and the dance sounds of DJ Tim Pfleuger from OZ in New Orleans will alternate on a dance stage at Cedar Springs Road at Knight Street.

About 40 community groups will have booths with information and activities. A late addition to the Razzle Dazzle line up is a Midway with carnival games, dunking booths, a mechanical bull and an obstacle course.

Admission to the street is free but Whittall said that this is a fundraiser. Beer sales from booths will go toward the donation to charities. Midway sales and collections from participating vendors and organizations will benefit agencies.

A closing party and tea dance will be held at TMC: The Mining Company on Sunday, June 5. Miss and Mr. Razzle Dazzle Dallas will be crowned at the Brick on Sunday, with the contest beginning at 10 p.m.

Whittall said they are hoping to attract 20,000 to 30,000 people for the street party. He said the last time Razzle Dazzle was staged in 2003, an estimated 35,000 people attended.

The Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau has been promoting the week nationally.

Veronica Torres of the DCVB said, “We’re marketing Razzle Dazzle Dallas as a destination event.”

She said that they’ve been promoting weekend stays in Dallas through Facebook and Twitter and on their GLBT Dallas site. The DCVB featured the event at trade shows nationally including at a recent International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association convention.

Whittall said the event has been entirely underwritten so all proceeds will go to the beneficiaries — Youth First Texas, Resource Center Dallas, AIDS Interfaith Network, Cedar Springs Merchants Association Beautification Fund, AIDS Arms, Legacy Counseling/Founders Cottage, Lone Star Ride and Legal Hospice

—  John Wright

Put on your p-p-p-poker face for Lone Star Ride

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OK, we know Lady Gaga’s new CD comes out today (we’ll have a review in Friday’s paper), but the poker face we’re thinking about this week is yours. Starting tomorrow, and continuing for four consecutive Wednesdays, Team Dallas Voice is raising money for the Lone Star Ride Fighting AIDS by holding a P-P-P-Poker Tournament at clubs across town. It kicks off May 25 at 8 p.m. at Sue Ellen’s with the first qualifying round, then moves to the Round-Up Saloon on June 1 at 8:30 p..m, the Brick on June 8 at 7:30 p.m., before the grand prize final at the Brick on June 15 at 7:30 p.m.

Because this is Dallas, not Vegas, the game play is free, so if you want to contribute to the LSR cause, bring cash to bid on auction items or enter the 50/50 raffle. Among the prizes available (pictured, with Team DV organizer Greg Hoover) are tickets to see Dolly Parton (we’ll resist the urge to call this one a “booby prize”), Ke$ha and Chelsea Handler,  tickets to the Texas Rangers and Lone Star Park horse races, Starbucks coffee, passes to the MetroBall with Deborah Cox, a set of poker chips, books, grooming supplies and much more … and the final grand prize: Two tickets on American Airlines anywhere in the contiguous U.S.

Poker, gay bars, prizes — sounds like an ideal way to spend a Wednesday. Or any day of the week, at that.

—  Arnold Wayne Jones

Razzle Dazzle adds some star power to the lineup

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We just received word of the updated events going on for Razzle Dazzle Dallas. You may already know the bash returns as a five-day blowout including a Wine and Pet Walk, the Metro Ball and the Mr. and Miss Razzle Dazzle Pageant just to name a few.

The Cedar Springs Merchant Association just announced the inclusion of two stars to the weekend parties. Deborah Cox, who was here for Carnivale last year, returns to headline the RD Metro Ball Friday, June 3 at Station 4. Then it sounds like they have packed Saturday night’s main event pretty nicely:

SATURDAY JUNE 4TH (7PM-2AM) – THE MAIN EVENT – RAZZLE DAZZLE DALLAS – get ready Merchants Razzle Dazzle is back in it’s back in a Huge Way!!  Cedar Springs Road will be closed from Reagan Street to Knight Street. The evening will include three Fabulous Stages  including The Dance Till You Drop Stage (located at Knight Street) with DJ Tim Pflueger from OZ in New Orleans, spinning the hottest dance music all night. The Diva Stage (located in front of Woody’s)  with live performances from Dallas’s most glamorous Female Impersonators  and a guest performance by The Uptown Players. and…… on THE MAIN STAGE (located at Reagan Street) showcasing Dallas’s most popular Live Bands Including The Bright & Anton Shaw,  with hosts Michael Doughman & Jenna Skyy and a special Headline Performance by CAZWELL!!  If that isn’t enough there will also be two Amazing Liquor Sponsored VIP Pavilions catered by Al Biernat’s, Dish, Fin, and Doug Boster Catering, as well as a Food Court, Artist and Vendor Booths, Carnival Games, and Community Organization Information Booths.

You heard it here. Cazwell returns to Dallas, making his third appearance within a year. The crowds here love the guy, and we’re sure his newest video will only add to the appeal. Plus, we’re still trying to get over that Super Bowl party debacle. This should do it.

For more info on the events of Razzle Dazzle, click on the link.

—  Rich Lopez

Deborah Cox at S4 Saturday night

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R&B/dance diva Deborah Cox turned it on Saturday during Caven’s Carnivale 5 celebration. Thanks to YouTube poster ilovedancemusik for capturing some great video of the gig. He has three others from the show.

Here, Richard Curtin introduces Cox opening with the Phil Collins hit “Something Happened on the Way to Heaven.” By the looks of it, she played that show like she was at Nokia. We like that kind of fierceness.

—  Rich Lopez