This week’s takeaways: Life+Style

For gay music lovers — or lovers of gay musicians — there couldn’t be a better weekend for you. On Saturday, Melissa Etheridge arrives at the Majestic, performing songs off her new highly-acclaimed album 4th Street Feeling. The same night two miles away, Diamond Rings opens for Stars at the Granada. A Sophie’s choice, perhaps, but two very different styles. (If it helps make up your mind, you can enter to win free tickets to see Diamond Rings.) A third style requires less decisionmaking: Rufus Wainwright will perform Live at the Meyerson on Sunday night with his inimitable sound.

This is also a busy weekend for movies, with already-heralded horror movie Sinister likely to be the weekend’s big hit. It will be competing again The Paperboy (with a great gay twist and strong performances) and the studio prestige picture Argo, both of which could be Oscar contenders come January. Atlas Shrugged (not screened for critics — that says a lot) and the action-comedy from Oscar winner Martin McDonaugh, Seven Psychopaths, are also out there.

For theater lovers, there are no major openings this weekend, but Uptown Players continues its run of Hello Again, a dark but unexpectedly funny idyll on sex. Also unexpectedly funny: The Addams Family, featuring a charismatic performance by Douglas Sills as Gomez. Best of all: Freud’s Last Session, a whip-smart and fascinating, quick (75 minute) imagined meeting between atheist Freud and Christian novelist C.S. Lewis, with great performances by Jac Alder and Cameron Cobb.

Finally, in the lead-up to the World Gay Rodeo championship next weekend, Friday and Sunday mark the public events for the titles of Mr., Mrs. Ms. and MsTer TGRA 2013, with the competition Friday at the Rose Room and the sashes passing from last year’s royalty to this year’s winners on Sunday at the Round-Up.

—  Arnold Wayne Jones

The gay interview: Gina Gershon

With Magic Mike still in theaters, there’s been a fair amount of talk lately about Gina Gershon, who starred in the female version, Showgirls, nearly two decades ago. She sat down with our Chris Azzopardi to discuss her crotch close-up in the new Killer Joe (it opens tomorrow at the Angelika Dallas) and how it’s cool to play gay now.

The showgirl must go on

Vagina. That’s the first thing to come up during my recent interview with Gina Gershon, who goes full-frontal as Sharla in the awesomely twisted Killer Joe.

The actress plays a trashy two-timer who gets caught in the middle of a family’s murder plot when they hire a hit man (Matthew McConaughey) to take out their mother to collect the life insurance money. Just minutes into the movie, and there she is — all of her.

We got Gershon on the phone to chat about her crotch coat, the agent that almost stopped her from playing a lesbian in one of her most lady-loved films and why she really wishes she were gay.

—  Arnold Wayne Jones

“Magic Mike” men Channing Tatum and Joe Manganiello (mostly) take it all off

Our intrepid — and damn lucky — contributor Chris Azzopardi got down and dirty with two of the hot men in Magic Mike, the mega-gay-appealing male stripper movie coming out this Friday: Channing Tatum and Joe Mangianello. Here’s the interview:

STRIPPED DOWN

“Wearing a thong is a pain in the ass,” says Joe Manganiello with complete disregard to the glaring innuendo. Beat. “Oh, god. I can’t believe I just said that.”

Who can blame him? Avoiding double entendres about Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh’s unexpected (but completely acceptable) foray into the male-stripper world is hard (see?).

Magic Mike stars Manganiello of True Blood, homo heartthrob Matt Bomer, Matthew McConaughey and Channing Tatum, the latter the movie’s muse, after it was revealed that the gay-loved dreamboat wasn’t just busting a move in 2006’s breakout role Step Up — before acting, he was pocketing dollar bills for his dance moves, too. One of Hollywood’s hottest actors, known for melting hearts in Dear John and The Vow, was suddenly faced with a pole-dancing past. His stripper alias? Chan Crawford.

“That’s so lame,” Tatum says in our recent interview. “I didn’t choose it. But Crawford? What am I: Cindy Crawford’s brother?”

—  Arnold Wayne Jones

GIVEAWAY: Win tickets to see “Magic Mike”

OK, let’s face it: It looks silly, it looks cheesy …. and you so want to see Magic Mike — the movie with Channing Tatum, Matthew McConaughey, Joe Manganiello and their thong-encased junk. It doesn’t open until June 29, but you can see it more than a week early, and for free. Just  go to this website and enter the pass code: DALVOIVGS9 to RSVP for the screening next Wednesday, June 20 at 7:30 p.m., and the AMC NorthPark. There are a limited number of passes, so act soon!

And after the screening, you can stop by JR.’s Bar & Grill for the post screening party with $3.50 u-call-it drinks.

—  Arnold Wayne Jones

Uh, no … this doesn’t really interest me …

This is the intro to a press release I just received. What amazes me is how unamazing this disclosure is… doesn’t everybody?

What do celebrities Kim Kardashian, Matthew McConaughey, Nicolas Cage and Raquel Welch all have in common? They all have either recently purchased or are selling their homes — and each of their homes have wood flooring. If this is something that is of interest to you, the full press release is below.

—  Arnold Wayne Jones