Oscars Image Courtesy of ABC
The 89th annual Academy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will air live on ABC from the Dolby Theatre at the Hollywood & Highland Center on Sunday, Feb. 26, at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. The awards will honor the year's best achievements in motion pictures, across 24 categories

Hollywood's Biggest Night Benefits AIDS Assistance Program

And what better place to watch all the glamour of this night than the 8th Annual “Hollywood’s Biggest Night” Party benefiting AIDS Assistance Program at TRIO.

The magic begins at 4:30 p.m. with the signature ‘Orange Carpet’ arrivals, complete with ‘paparazzi.’  (Make sure you know who you are wearing!)  Then come inside and enjoy a sumptuous meal and watch the OSCARS® live (the show begins at 5:30 p.m.). Tickets for this fundraising event for AAP –Food Samaritans are priced at $125 (bar seating), $150 (general seating) and $175 (VIP/premium seating).  VIP tickets are advance purchase only. All tickets include a prix-fixe dinner, well drinks, wine and champagne.

Many thanks to Tony Marchese and Mark Van Laanen for once again hosting this spectacular event and fundraiser!  More Info

Another Way to Celebrate the Awards: A Big, Bad, Dishy, Hollywood Event!

On February 26, Celebrate Hollywood’s biggest, baddest, snarkiest awards night hosted by killer comedians at the Mary Pickford Theater, and raise money for The LGBT Center and Desert AIDS Project.

Enjoy a live-hosted, interactive evening of hot Hollywood dish and drama and watch your favorite stars win and lose on a gigantic movie screen! Not a stuffy, hushed awards party! A wild and gossipy gala!
 

Hosted by comedians Shann Carr, Max Mitchell and Jersey Shore, this awards night promises to be packed with interactive fun, glamour, gossip, laughs, contests, prizes, food and drinks.  More Info

Win Tickets to Modernism with a Twist

GayDesertGuide.com is thrilled to sponsor Modernism With A Twist, which has become one of the most popular events during Modernism Week. This year, there are two separate content tracks, each featuring five informative, witty and captivating 10-minute talks presented by leading Modernism luminaries and guest celebrities. These thought-provoking and irreverent presentations cover an amazing range of topics, accompanied by a richly detailed audio and visual presentation.  Each customized presentation directly relates back to the theme of the content track. There's "SEXY" and "CULTURE".  Our friend, Bob Bogard, will be one of the presenters. 

Enter the #ILoveGayPalmSprings Photo Contest

Each month, we award a $50 Gift Card to a local restaurant for the best Palm Springs photo that is posted and tagged on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram.  Simply tag the photo #ILoveGayPalmSprings and mention @GayDesertGuide in your post.  We'll look through the entries and the end of the month and award the prize.

12th Annual Stars Among Us Gala​

You Should Be Dancin’ … to the sounds of The Australian Bee Gees Show and Yvonne Elliman

The 40th anniversary of this iconic film is the theme of the 12th Annual Stars Among Us Gala, presented by Eisenhower Health and Harold Matzner, to benefit Mizell Senior Center and its amazing Meals On Wheels Program. Co-chaired by Cyma and Leo Cohen and Eric Rudolph and Bob Iles, the gala honors the dedication and contributions of Dr. Ron Fragen and Carol Fragen, Elaine Frank, and Frederick Noble. The evening’s emcee will be the lovely Donna Pescow who played a girlfriend and dance partner to Travolta’s dance floor king “Tony Manero.”
Disco attire is optional — just have FUN!!

So, dig out your cocktail attire and get ready to dance. Or get creative with some disco duds — maybe you can find your look at Aunt Betty’s Attic, Mizell’s resale shop — and head over to the Palm Springs Air Museum at 5:30 PM on Saturday, February 25. You’ll walk the neighborhood streets of the film’s 1977 Brooklyn, enjoy cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, and maybe find something you can’t live without in the silent auction.

After dinner and awards at 7:00, the curtain will go up on the “2001 Odyssey” dance club from the film, complete with that lighted dance floor we all thought was so amazing 40 years ago. Without a doubt, you’re going to be out of your seat and dancing with the first song from The Australian Bee Gees Show: A Tribute to the Bee Gees. In residence at the Excalibur Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas since 2011, while also touring worldwide, this group has become the definitive tribute to the Brothers Gibb musical legacy.  from Barry Dayton

Feb. 25, 2017 – PS Black History Month Parade and Town Fair

Marchers carrying banner "We march with Selma!" on street in Harlem, New York City, New York.  (This image is available from the United States Library of Congress's Prints and Photographs division under the digital ID cph.3c35695.)

This years Parade will take place on Palm Canyon Drive, Palm Springs. Following the Parade our annual Town Fair will be held at Frances Stevens Park. Come join us in the beautiful Downtown Palm Springs.  More Info

"Simply Sondheim" Concerts

With 8 Tony Awards®, 8 Grammy’s®, a Pulitzer Prize® and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Stephen Sondheim, an American composer and lyricist, is known for a half-century of contributions to musical theater.

Enjoy an impressive list of his greatest theatrical achievements: Company, Follies, A Little Night Music, Into the Woods, Sweeney Todd, Anyone Can Whistle and Sunday in the Park With George. Anthony DeMare, one of the world’s foremost champions of contemporary music, will also join PSGMC. His recent CD “Liaisons,” brings the work of Sondheim into the concert hall. This gifted pianist will bring to life the enchantment of Sondheim paired with delightful vocal ensembles and our full chorus..  Saturday at 8 PM.  Sunday at 3 PM.  More Info

There will be bottomless Mimosas, Chorizo Con Huevo and female impersonators dazzling you with comedy and Broadway tunes. And they do it every Sunday. Rio Azul restaurant at 350 S. Indian Canyon Drive presents the “The Desert Divas Drag Brunch” from 11 AM to 1 PM Sundays from Feb. 26 to Aug. 3. The Drag Brunch has thrilled and conquered the desert resulting in weekly sold out performances. The show is perfect for the entire family and audiences love to celebrate birthdays, bachelorette parties, anniversaries, and “Welcome to Palm Springs” events during the show. For $14.95, patrons get brunch and show with bottomless Mimosas for $10.

The world’s largest girl party is so close to kick off that you can almost hear the electronica revving up and raring to go. The Dinah retreat and music festival for lesbians, presented by Club Skirts, runs March 29 to April 2.  There will be music and dancing all over Palm Springs with a Wet & Wild Pool Party at the Hilton Palm Springs, a comedy show at the Palm Springs Convention Center and a concert featuring Tish Hyman, Lady Cultura and Keala Kennelly. Get more details as well as a little history about The Dinah by clicking here…

Happy Hour Finder

The Retro Room Lounge in Palm Springs harkens back to the days when cool was created. We’re talking about a place where the Rat Pack would come to loosen their skinny ties and hang up their stingy-brimmed hats. And Happy Hour specials are mixed just as Sammy, Frankie, Joey and Dino would have liked them. Happy Hour happens every day until 7 PM and from 9 PM to midnight.
 
Happy Hour at Lulu California Bistro is an experience in fine dining in a room that’s a postmodern throwback to the mid-century high life. And it happens from 11 AM to closing every day. At Happy Hour at Lulu, they bring out margaritas with names such as The Skinny, Million Dollar Maggie and Cadillac. You’ll find similar gems on the menu as well.

Visit Our Happy Hour Finder

Hot Deals – Our "Gay Groupon"

Get 50%-off of an array of such massages as Swedish, deep tissue and pre-natal rub downs offered on demand by Sooth. Well-credentialed masseurs will come to your home, office or hotel room when you call and give you’re a relaxing one-hour session worth $99 for $49.50.
 
At every Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar, you'll have the opportunity to enjoy unrivaled hospitality, a carefully curated wine list and experience expertly crafted steak made to order. There’s also seafood and desserts such as cheese cake or walnut turtle pie. That’s delicious news. Better yet, enjoy this meal at 50% off. 

Compiled by Nicholas Snow from a variety of sources.