Come Laugh, Come Dance, Come Be Entertained with FORTITUDE

Fortitude is a new GLBT benefit weekend featuring over 12 events throughout Fort Lauderdale during President’s Day Weekend 2011 (February 17 -21, 2011).  Fortitude includes a film festival, comedy night, live concert, Women’s and Men’s pool parties, sunset cocktails, brunch, and nightclub/bar events. 

Two of the signature events are the comedy night and the live concert. The Saturday, Feb. 19 comedy night will be held at the historic Parker Playhouse featuring Judy Gold, Alec Mapa and Julie Goldman. Judy Gold is a 2-time Emmy Award winner for her work on the Rosie O’Donnell Show, a GLAAD Award winner, and has delighted audiences with her critically acclaimed Off-Broadway hit 25 Questions for a Jewish Mother. Alec Mapa’s hilarious one man show, I Remember Mapa, won the LA Weekly award for Best Solo show; he is better known as the always catty series regular, Suzuki St. Pierre, in Ugly Betty. Julie Goldman is an award winning comedian in her third season on Logo’s Big Gay Sketch Show and appears on Comedy Central with her featured stand-up Live at Gotham.  

Events
	Audience Award and Best Film Winner, Beyond Gay: The Politics of Pride makes its South Florida Premiere during FORTITUDE Weekend at Cinema Paradiso.  “Brilliant, joyful & devastation all in one. It makes you want to watch it twice.”    Thurs. Feb 17 at 7pm Tickets $10 General Admission $25 VIP (includes VIP seating and free sponsored drinks).
	FORTRESS - New Moon Bar pulls out all the stops for three different Women’s Night Out Events with DJ Rae Rae, Bev and Billy, The State of, A Girl Named Chuck and more.   Fri. Sat. Sun. Feb. 18, 19 & 20 from 10pm – 2am FREE EVENT
	FORTHCOMING – Come enjoy the sunset and ocean views at the VIP Sunset Soiree Cocktail Party in the Penthouse Suite of the all-new B Ocean Hotel. Enjoy hors d’oeuvres, free sponsored drinks, and mingle with our celebrity performers.  Limited availability. Fri. Feb. 18 from 5pm – 9pm Tickets $75 VIP Admission
	MANDANCE - Men, men and more men! Get your sexy on with DJ Herbie James for the first official men’s dance of the weekend at Ramrod Bar.   Fri. Feb. 18 from 10pm–3 am FREE EVENT
	FORTLAUGHS - Join us at the Parker Playhouse for a night of laughs with Alec Mapa (Ugly Betty), Julie Goldman (Logo’s Big Gay Sketch Show), Judy Gold (Emmy Award winning actress and comedian), and Joe Posa as Joan Rivers.   Sat. Feb. 19 from 7:30pm – 10pm Tickets from $40 $60 Preferred (includes preferred seating) $85 VIP (includes VIP seating)
	FORTISSIMO - Make a loud splash at our Men’s Pool Party at Exit 66.  DJ DeMarko! is best known for his day-time sound, whether it is rocking Fire Island or the beach as Asbury Park. Put on that new bathing suit, grab a cocktail (or two) and make a loud splash!   Sat. Feb. 19 from 11am – 5pm $20 General Admission VIP Ticket Available (includes free sponsored drinks)
	FORTE - DJ’s Escape and Roland Belmares will bring down the house as you can dance the night away with all the hot guys at the newly remodeled Exit 66 Nightclub with ocean views.   Sat. Feb. 19 from 10pm – 4am Tickets $20 General Admission $75 VIP (includes VIP area and free sponsored drinks).
	FORTROCKS - Join us for an incredible One-Night Only concert featuring Taylor Dayne, Deborah Cox, Martha Wash, Ari Gold, Halcyon, Brian Kent and surprise guest performances at War Memorial Auditorium.   Sun. Feb. 20 from 6:30pm – 9pm Tickets from $35 at Ticketmaster $60 Preferred (includes preferred seating). $125 VIP (includes VIP seating and free sponsored drinks).
	FORTISSIMA – Our Women’s Pool Party will be fun in the sun with DJ Pat Pat bringing her rockin’ dance and old school pool party sounds. It’s a bikini good time with Girls Girls Girls at Exit 66   Sun. Feb. 20 from 11am 4:30pm $10 General Admission VIP Ticket Available (includes free sponsored drinks).
	FORTE2 - World Class DJ Producers Chus & Ceballos make their Fort Lauderdale premiere at the Men’s Closing Dance party at The Manor Complex.  This is a NOT to be missed event in the heart of Wilton Manors.    Sun. Feb 20 from 10pm – 4 am Tickets $20 – General Admission $75 VIP (includes VIP area and free sponsored drinks).
	FORTIFY - Get some Mojo at the official FORTITUDE Brunch with live entertainment from Mary Jane Cunningham, Debra Hampton and DJ Randy Bettis.   Mon. Feb 21 at Mojo Restaurant   Three seatings: 10:30am, 12pm, 1:30pm $25 Ticket - Includes FREE Valet parking and a Complimentary Bloody Mary (gratuity not included).

 “I am so excited to be involved in Fortitude,” says Julie Goldman. “Not just for the balmy Ft. Lauderdale weather and gayness --- :) but to be a part of a great organization working so hard to do good within our community. I am proud to be a part of this year’s event and hope to see it grow and prosper. I hope many, many people benefit from the proceeds. As an OUT LEZBO comedian – my desire is to not just push the envelope and entertain, but to inspire independent thinking and creativity.  I want to empower people who think they have to go with the herd. I love being a part of organizations and events like this where we take our irreverence and fun and fabulousness – alongside our urgency and the fierce attitudes that keep us in action to help ourselves and each other.”

The Sunday live music concert will be held at the recently renovated War Memorial Auditorium featuring Taylor Dayne, Martha Wash, and special guest appearances for a full night of amazing musical performances. Martha Wash the powerhouse vocalist behind C+C Music Factory's classic Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now), has had many additional # 1 one hits. Three-time Grammy award nominee, Taylor Dayne, has had 17 top ten hits and has sold more than 75 million albums and singles.

“I have always been a huge advocate for equality and gay rights,” says Taylor Dayne. “It is really important to take things from a bigger perspective. We have to reach out past our own internal fears and find the tools and strengths to get through the difficult situations. We just have to work through them.”

The driving force behind Fortitude Weekend is Nick De Biase of Centaur Entertainment, the largest GLBT record label. “The concept arose when both of my parents were dying from cancer at the end of 2009”, says De Biase.  “My mother, Lydia, was a very giving person. Before she passed away, I told her that I would establish a foundation in her name as my last “gift” to her – to carry on her legacy of giving and to honor her memory.”  So Nick incorporated a non-profit called The L Foundation in his mother’s name. The L Foundation decided that their first fund raising venture would be producing a benefit concert.

“After meeting with many of the powers that be in Fort Lauderdale, it became clear the concept should be expanded into an entire weekend of events”, says De Biase. The name Fortitude was chosen for this weekend of events because the word connotes strength, heart, determination, will power, courage, spirit and toughness – all words that also define us as members of the GLBT community in terms of what we have to face and overcome in life – and the “fort” doubles back on the wonderful city Fort Lauderdale.

All of the funds from Fortitude Weekend are being directed to several charities. amfAR, The Foundation for AIDS Research, is the main national beneficiary, while the Pride Center and the Fort Lauderdale-Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festivals are two of the local charities. The Pride Center is also coordinating the large volunteer effort to help produce Fortitude Weekend. "amfAR is pleased to be a part of Fortitude weekend and we gratefully appreciate the generous support of the LGBT community," said amfAR CEO Kevin Robert Frost. "That support will help advance our efforts to find a cure for HIV/AIDS and to bring this devastating epidemic to an end." 

Many local partners have developed along the way thus far including Mark, Mark’s List, Hotspots, Florida Agenda, Centaur Entertainment, Genre Latino, SHE, Miami-Fort Lauderdale Gay & Lesbian Film Festivals, gir(L), SFGN, Gay Days, Purple Party-Dallas, The Out Club, Independence July 4 Provincetown, amfAR, the Pride Center at Equality Park, Manor Complex, Exit 66, and New Moon Bar, with many new partners joining every week.

“We are expecting several thousand people from all over the country to attend the many different events for Fortitude Weekend,” says Cindy Shaw, who is part of the production team for Fortitude Weekend. “Fortitude is about raising money for worthy charities, but is also about coming out as a community to laugh, to play and to be entertained.  The vision has always been one of being a weekend of entertainment for women and men and we’re working to ensure that everyone has a great time.” 

Fortitude Weekend is a great way to start the New Year off by giving back to the community while having a great time. For tickets, how to volunteer, and for more information, please visit www.FORTITUDEweekend.com. Weekend Passes with up to 50% off discounts are available now so buy before prices go up.  Come laugh, come dance, come be entertained with Fortitude!

About The L Foundation

The L Foundation charter is to raise awareness and funds for charitable organizations that promote and protect human rights, including the rights of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgendered, and queer/questioning community, as well as charitable organizations that promote education, health and welfare services in the areas of HIV/AIDS, cancer and other diseases.

About amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research

Founded in 1985, amfAR is dedicated to ending the global AIDS epidemic through innovative research. With the freedom and flexibility to respond quickly to emerging areas of scientific promise, amfAR plays a catalytic role in accelerating the pace of HIV/AIDS research and achieving real breakthroughs. amfAR-funded research has increased our understanding of HIV and has helped lay the groundwork for major advances in the study and treatment of HIV/AIDS. Since 1985, amfAR has invested more than $307 million in its mission and has awarded grants to more than 2,000 research teams worldwide. 

About the Pride Center

The Pride Center at Equality Park’s goal is to provide a Gay and Lesbian Community Center that works hand-in-hand with existing organizations and new groups in need of support to ensure that all facets of the gay and lesbian community are served. In 2008, the GLCC purchased nearly six acres of property with approximately 30,000 square feet of office space in the heart of Wilton Manors. The waterfront property is located at 2040 North Dixie Highway, about four blocks from Wilton Drive and is known as Equality Park.  As a cornerstone in the advancement of LGBTQI communities locally and beyond, Equality Park provides a home for individuals, programs and services.  Increasing demand for programs and services to support the diverse LGBTQI community of Greater Fort Lauderdale and Broward County, has grown from a safe, gathering place to an array of structured and professionally run programs. The GLCC programs include Youth, Lavendar Events for Women, HIV Testing, Seniors, Domestic Violence, SafetyNET, Latinos, Transgender Equality, Switchboard Hotline and Meeting Space.  Sufficient funding is critical to planning, implementing, evaluating and sustaining such programs and services.

About the Fort Lauderdale-Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festivals

Fort Lauderdale-Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festivals foster an interest in and appreciation for films, video, and other visual media by emerging and established filmmakers that raise consciousness and awareness of issues and concerns of the gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transsexual communities.  They offer a venue for filmmakers to exhibit their work and to provide educational opportunities to our community at large through panels, workshops, and lectures.