Good and Eva - Southern Voice Atlanta

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Frenchie Davis (left) and Eva Pigford, friends since Davis’s high school days, join for a cabaret performance Sept. 3 during Atlanta's Black Gay Pride.

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MORE INFO:

Black Gay Pride 2006
Aug. 30-Sept. 4
Sheraton Midtown Colony Square
188 14th St.
www.inthelifeatl.com

Black Gay Pride events
*Official In the Life Atlanta events

FRIDAY SEPT. 1
Welcome Social & VIP Cocktail Reception
2 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Renaissance Hotel Downtown
590 West Peachtree St.
www.hobproductions.4t.com
*Black Pride Marketplace
4 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Sheraton Midtown Colony Square
Welcome Reception & Cocktail Party
Backyard Entertainment
6 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Crowne Plaza Hotel Buckhead
3377 Peachtree Road
404-685-8101
*Opening Ceremony & Official Welcome
7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Sheraton Midtown Colony Square
Babylon: Boyz Gone Wild
W/ Remy Ma, DJ Sedrick and DJ Unknown
9 p.m. to 3 a.m.
Club Fever
1789 Cheshire Bridge Road
www.thelionsdenatlanta.com
Manhunt Friday
10 p.m. to 3 a.m.
Tower II
735 Ralph McGill Blvd.
www.wassupnatl.com
404-246-9000
Monica
Live Performance
9 p.m. to 3 a.m.
Earthlink Live
1374 W. Peachtree St.
www.invictusentertainment.com
Bulldogs Bar
W/DJ Andre Brown
Free admission with ITLA VIP All Access Pass
893 Peachtree St.
Suga & Spice Girl Party
DJ Mary Mac, Femme/Stud Performers
11 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Atlanta Live/Dekalb Events Center
3595 Clairmont Road
404-982-0989
www.hobproductions.4t.com
Conceited Frisky Friday
With Traxx Girls & Another Family Affair
Club Miami
3011 Buford Highway
www.friskyfriday.net
*SpeakFire! Spoken Word Open Mic
Midnight
Sheraton Midtown Colony Square
Redemption
2 a.m. to 6 a.m.
The Cabin Room
2678 Buford Highway

SATURDAY SEPT. 2
*Black Pride Marketplace
10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Sheraton Midtown Colony Square
*Community Luncheon
w/Denise Majette
11:30 a.m.
Sheraton Midtown Colony Square
*Taking Pride in Healthy Living
w/Transgender Wellness Conference
12 p.m. to 6:45 p.m.
Sheraton Midtown Colony Square
*See Us in the Life Film Festival
1 pm. To 7 p.m.
Sheraton Midtown Colony Square
Pool Party
w/'America's Top Model' Eva Pigford
6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Twelve Hotel
361 17th St.
www.invictusentertainment.com
*"Walk Like a Man"
Play by Laurinda Brown
7 p.m.
Sheraton Midtown Colony Square
*Poetry Slam Contest
8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Sheraton Midtown Colony Square
*YouthPride Back to School Dance
8 p.m. to 11:45 p.m.
Sheraton Midtown Colony Square
*Peace Out South Homo Hip-Hop Festival
w/Basil Henneley, Anthony Antoine, Tim’m West,
DaLyrical, Aggracyst and host Spirit
9 p.m.
Sheraton Midtown Colony Square
Set it Out Saturday
10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Male Bartenders, Dancers
Club D&A at Phase One
4933 Memorial Drive, Stone Mountain
www.invictusentertainmnet.com
Bulldogs Bar
Family Cookout, 6 p.m.
Mr. Black Pride Contest, 7 p.m.
893 Peachtree St.
Free admission with VIP All Access Pass
Carnivale
Presented by Traxx Atlanta
W/ NYCE, DJ Maestro & DJ M.
9 p.m.
Georgia International Convention Center
2000 Convention Center Concourse
College Park
770-997-3566
Illusions
Female Entertainers
Oohzee, Whiplash, Idallas
10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Club 426
5469 Memorial Drive, Stone Mountain
www.hobproductions.4t.com
Wet Dream Pool Party
W/ Jensen Atwood of ‘Noah’s Arc’
The Sheraton Buckhead Hotel
3405 Lenox Road
www.thelionsden.com
Physical Education
Dance Party w/ DJ and Go-Go boys
11 p.m. to 5 a.m.
Park Tavern
500 10th St.
House Party
12 a.m. to 6 a.m.
Marks Place
3247 Kingston Road
www.invictusentertainment.com

SUNDAY SEPT. 3
*Circle of Faith Interfaith Worship Service
11 a.m. to noon
Sheraton Midtown Colony Square
*Jazz Brunch
Ken Trimmins Jazz Quartet
Noon to 2 p.m.
Sheraton Midtown Colony Square
*Black Pride Marketplace
Noon to 6 p.m.
Sheraton Midtown Colony Square
*Taking Pride in Healthy Living with
Second Annual Southeastern
Transgender Wellness Conference
Noon to 6:45 p.m.
Sheraton Midtown Colony Square
*2006 Unity Picnic
Noon to 6 p.m.
Piedmont Park Pavillion
Hot-n-Wet Pool Party
Oohzee, Mz. Goldie B.
Noon to 6 p.m.
The Atrium
5479 Memorial Drive, Stone Mountain
www.hobproductions.4t.com
*See Us in the Life Film Festival
2 pm. To 6 p.m.
Sheraton Midtown Colony Square
*Walk Like a Man
3 p.m.
Sheraton Midtown Colony Square
*Together In Love: Family Feud
Game show with host Spirit
5 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Sheraton Midtown Colony Square
End of Summer Cookout
Backyard Entertainment
5 p.m. to 2 a.m.
D’Jango Gypsy Kitchen and Saloon
495 Peachtree St.
404-685-8101
Blonde Ambition Tour
w/Eva Pigford and Frenchie Davis
6 p.m. to 3 a.m.
Red Chair
550-C Amsterdam Ave.
404-870-0532
www.invictusentertainment.com
*Living in Your Pride Fashion Show
8 p.m. to 10 pm.
Sheraton Midtown Colony Square
*Punany Poets
8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
Sheraton Midtown Colony Square
Egypt Pharaoh’s Playground
W/DJ Sedrick, DJ Ron Pullman,
DJ Ken Terry & DJ Black Cat
9 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Club Europe
4001 Presidential Parkway
1st Annual Platinum Stud-Femme Mini Ball 2K6
Pageant Contest
10 p.m. to 5 a.m.
Club 708
708 Spring St.
www.hobproductions.4t.com
Bulldogs Bar
W/ DJ Andre Brown
Cookout, 5 p.m.
893 Peachtree St.
Free admission with VIP All Access Pass
Garden of Eve Women-Only White Party
Presented by Girls in the Night
9:45 p.m. to 4 a.m.
Park Tavern
500 10th St.
www.girlsinthenight.com
Legendary Sundays
10 p.m. to 4 a.m.
The Chaparral
Rasheeda
Live performance
10 p.m.
The Chaparral

MONDAY SEPT. 4
*Stand Up and Represent Black Pride March
Meet at 10:30 a.m.
Step off at 11 a.m.
Martin Luther King, Jr. Center
www.inthelifeatl.com
Wetdreams Pride 2K6 Appreciation Cookout
1 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Stone Mountain Park
5525 Bermuda Road, Stone Mountain
www.hobproductions.4t.com
Garden of Eden
With DJ Sedrick, DJ Truz and DJ Mary Mac
9 p.m. to 3 a.m.
Compound
1008 Brady Ave.
www.thelionsdenatlanta.com
Fire & Ice
w/Shanice and Eva Pigford
10 p.m. to 3 a.m.
Fever
1785 Cheshire Bridge Road
www.feveratl.com
www.invictusentertainment.com
Stars of the Century
10 p.m. to 3 a.m.
Jungle
2115 Faulkner Road
404-844-8800
www.jungleclub.net

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Good and Eva
'Top Model' tops list of divas hitting ATL for Black Gay Pride

HOME > SOVO SCENE > FEATURE

Sep 01, 2006 | By: BO SHELL | COMMENTS | |

In the true sense of the word, Eva Pigford is an ally.

She’s not gay, but the 21-year-old “America’s Next Top Model” winner is surrounded by gay men in the fashion and entertainment industry, something she’s embraced whole-heartedly as she makes a trip to Atlanta for several appearances during Labor Day weekend's Black Gay Pride festivities.

“I love the kids, and I can’t wait to come play with you,” says Pigford. “The community has decided to put me on a plateau and with celebrity comes responsibility, so you need to make sure you’re doing what you need to do to make things right.

“It amazes me that there are places where things like what happened to Kevin Aviance still happen,” she says.

Aviance, a black gay drag performer and singer, suffered a broken jaw, fractures and bruises when he was attacked June 10 in New York City's East Village. Four men face assault and hate crime charges in the case.

Pigford says she's made a point to work toward freedom and equality for gay men and lesbians by appearing in New York and the Bahamas at gay- and AIDS-related events.

“The liberty and freedom of being gay should be celebrated,” she adds. “When it comes to sexual orientation, being gay doesn’t make someone less of a friend, neighbor, co-worker or boss and unless we talk about that, people will still be afraid.”

PIGFORD SAYS she needs no excuse to come to Atlanta, as she fell in love with the city while in school at Clark Atlanta University, but her busy schedule makes traveling a challenge.

Since winning UPN's "America's Next Top Model 3" in 2004, Pigford has been seen on several television shows on BET and MTV, in advertising campaigns for Marc Ecko, DKNY and Samsung, and she’ll be seen on the big screen in “Crossover," scheduled to hit theaters Sept. 1.

“I think I'm successful because my fans support me,” says Pigford, one of the most visible post “Top Model” winners. “It doesn’t matter what I do, they're in my corner and they want to see me succeed.”

Fans will no doubt be on hand as Pigford takes the stage at Red Chair Restaurant & Video Lounge on Sept. 3 with "American Idol" alum Frenchie Davis for Invictus Entertainment's "Blonde Ambition Tour." The Sunday night cabaret performance will feature Davis’s vocals.

Coincidently, Davis and Pigford have been friends for years, as Pigford’s cousin, who also does her make-up and hair, was Davis’s best friend in high school.

Davis, the featured singer in the Broadway production of “Rent,” says gay fans have been a part of her career since she was a college student at Howard University in Washington, D.C., and she’ll be performing some of her favorite songs for Black Gay Pride in Atlanta.

“I'm just going sing a few songs that I love, songs that I’ve auditioned with and helped my career, and run through my favorite singers and songs I know what the gay audiences will love,” says Davis, who was rained out of a performance during June's Atlanta Pride festival.

DAVIS ISN'T the only R&B diva to take the stage during the six-day Black Gay Pride that culminates Labor Day weekend, when organizers expect about 40,000 visitors.

Shanice Wilson, known mostly for her 1991 hit song “I Love Your Smile,” is slated to perform with Pigford on Labor Day at Fever.

Unsure why she’s always been popular with gay crowds, Wilson says she looks forward to performing for a gay audience in Atlanta.

“I appreciate [gay fans],” she says. “I love it, and I think they still want to hear what I have to say.”

Her message today is different than it was when she was topping the charts as an 18-year-old signed to a major label. Now an independent artist on a label owned by herself and husband Flex Alexander, Wilson says she’s doing whatever it takes to push her sound and bring back R&B.

“It hurts me that R&B is suffering,” says Wilson, now a mother of two. “It's all about hip-hop now. I’m not downing it because I listen to hip-hop, but if you don’t have a rapper on your song, people don’t want to give it a chance. I hope that when people hear my music they’ll enjoy the R&B in it.”

Also performing during Black Pride is Atlanta-native Monica, the Grammy-winning R&B princess who made it to number one with R&B pop songs like “The Boy is Mine” and “Angel of Mine.”

“It’s so crazy because Monica really is one of those favorites in the black gay community,” says Gregory Douglas, head ...

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