On Tuesday March 20^th Club Papi in Miami in conjunction with Granda Entertainment and Score’s Planeta Macho presents the ever popular La India live on stage performing some of her hottest hits. The night will be hosted by the always funny and talented Marytrini. Other highlights include DJ George Ferrero spinning, and Papi Sportswear and CD give-a-ways. They are also offering a limited number of VIP tickets which include, admission, a meet and greet including autograph and picture with La India, and a Club Papi CD. To buy tickets go to wantickets.com

On Wednesday March 21 at 7pm the American Airlines Miami based flight attendants Angel Lopez, Kenny De Alba, Larry Marzan, and Jeffrey Ewing present “Wings”, the 10^th annual Lip Synch Party to benefit the wings foundation (to help employees who have gotten sick). Admission is $15 and show time is at 8pm sharp!!

·         Babylon T and Noche Latina T at Voodoo Lounge presents their  3^rd Anniversary Party where they want to thank the entire South Florida community for helping to make them a Sunday hotspot by featuring NO COVER ALL NIGHT LONG and FREE DRINKS (call brands) from 4-7pm. The night will also feature Legendary DJ Billy Hallquist on the main floor, DJ Miik on the patio and DJ Jarel spinning the hottest sounds n the Noche Latina Room, wth special shows by Vegas Dion, Erika Norell, TP Lords and Daisy Deadpetals.

·         Mike Mazer of PM Parties and Jason Taminini of China White present the grand opening of Simple T at Whyte Noise. This is an indoor/outdoor t dance on the water and they feature NO COVER and FREE DRINKS from 4-6pm on opening night only. In addition they feature DJ Don Bishop, Mizz Cori and free membership cards which will get you reduced admission in the future weeks as well as discounts in stores around town.

·         Jackhammer T presents a Winter Music Conference Showcase featuring Peppper Mashay, Georgie Porgie, Jason Antone, Jacinta, Gioia Bruno, and Ohsha Kai.

Did you know that the House of Representatives will soon be considering a landmark federal hate crimes bill? This bill would give law enforcement the tools they need to protect gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender individuals from hate crimes. I've just contacted my Representative to show my support for this vital legislation -- will you do the same? The Human Rights Campaign is asking all of us to contact our Representative and urge him or her to cosponsor the Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Please take action today. Click here: http://www.hrcactioncenter.org/campaign/hatecrimes?rk=pdqEcpK1uHMWW

Jeff Kiltie is directing a workshop presentation of a new musical entitled "Leftovers" which will be presented at the Hollywood Playhouse on April 28. He is looking for actors; 4 men and 4 women aged 30's to 60's. If you are interested in auditioning or if you know someone who might be interested please pass this information on to them. He is holding auditions on Monday, March 19, from 7:00 - 10:00 PM at the Hollywood Playhouse, 2640 Washington Street, Hollywood. Please prepare at least 16 bars of an up-tempo and a ballad. They will have an accompanist. Kenney Green is the Musical Director. There will not be a dance call at this audition. You may be asked to read from the script. There will be a stipend for your participation if cast in the production. Please email me him with any questions to jeffksm1@aol.com. 

Don't miss a FREE special panel discussion as part of Tigertail Productions’ Marcia Milhazes Dance Company residency in Miami next week! Moving Through the Field of Vision — Wednesday, March 14, 6:30 pm Meet-the-artist panel discussion with Brazilian choreographer Marcia Milhazes and others Join us as our lively and accomplished guests from Miami, New York and Latin America discuss the relationship between dance and the visual arts. How do those who work with movement and those who work in a strictly visual arena collaborate together? How does each art form translate the language and grammar of the other? In what ways do dance and the visual arts tap into similar and dissimilar states of consciousness and ways of seeing the world? How does the range of cultural backgrounds each artist brings to her or his work affect their approach to dance or visual art? Panelists include acclaimed Brazilian choreographer Marcia Milhazes; Miami-based visual artists Robert Chambers, Lina Eichenwald and Bia Wouk (Lina and Bia are both originally from Brazil); Miami-based and Nicaraguan-born dancer/choreographer Helena Thevenot; and moderator Christine Greiner, Brazilian dance writer and current Fulbright scholar based in New York City. Panel takes place at the Dorsch Gallery in Miami's Wynwood Arts District, 151 NW 24th Street. For  more information call 305 324 4337 or visit www.tigertail.org And of course don’t forget to buy tickets for . . . .Marcia Milhazes Dance Company at the Byron Carlyle Theater, 500 71st Street, Miami Beach, on Friday & Saturday, March 16 & 17, 8:30 pm. Dance Magazine says that "Milhazes' work possesses a languorous fluidity and sultry physicality." The company will be performing their newest work, Tempo de Verão (Time of Summer). Inspired by summertime waltzes and family memories, the heat of the day and the breeze of the evening, Milhazes weaves together subtle variations on human relationships and a love of nature. Joyous, wistful and always sensual, the piece combines a lilting musical score with a collage of the sounds of summer itself. The playful sets are created by internationally renowned visual artist Beatriz Milhazes. The company comes to Miami as part of a three-city tour that includes New York and New Orleans. Marcia Milhazes work has been previously presented in France, Germany, England and Portugal. Admission is $50 Patron, Priority Seating,  $25 General Admission and $20 Student/Senior with I.D.  Secure Online Tickets at www.tigertail.org or by phone for regular tickets and group sales 305 545 8546 For more information and Tigertail's full season schedule www.tigertail.org

Care Resource, South Florida's oldest and largest HIV/AIDS community organization announces the giveaway of a $10,600 10 day cruise for two to the Galapagos Islands aboard the Celebrity Xpedition, complete with airfare for two from Miami to the ship in Ecuador courtesy of Romance Voyages for Men. The sail date is June 15, 2007. Online raffle tickets are only $5 each and there are a limited amount available at Http://www.CareResource.org . Each ticket you buy will be credited to the 19th Annual AIDS Walk on April 22. The drawing date for this cruise will be May 15, 2007.

Flowers Restaurant (2345 Wilton Drive) invites the entire community to come help them make a difference during the months of March and April as they donate 15% of their proceeds on Mondays to Broward House and on Tuesdays to GLCC.

A group of South Florida non profit organizations has prepared a town hall meeting for Sunday, March 25 at 1:30 p.m. to discuss the issue of whether or not gays and lesbians should be allowed to adopt.  The town hall will be held at First Congregational Church of Fort Lauderdale, UCC, at 2501 NE 30th Street.  Anyone interested in this topic is invited to attend.  Broward County Commissioner Sue Gunzburger, chair of Broward County's Children's Services Council, will moderate a panel including gay and lesbian parents, faith community leaders and social scientists. “All are invited to attend to learn the facts about Florida law, its impact on children, especially those in foster care, and the community at large,” says Mark Adler, Executive Director of SunServe, one of the agencies sponsoring the meeting. “This is a chance for the community to come together and have an informed, heart to heart discussion. We want to move the conversation away from stereotypes and into the realities of family life in Florida.” More information and registration for this free event can be found at www.sunserve.org or call 954-764-5150.

Arts at St. Johns & Miami Beach Botanical Garden present "A Girl and A Garden. . . where it all began !" Opening reception: Thurs., March 15th, from 7:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. An art exhibit of works related to everything female. In celebration of National Women’s Awareness Month. Hosted in their very own Garden of Eden in the heart of South Beach -- at the Miami Beach Botanical Garden, 2000 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach. Curated by local artist Jean Villamizar of Downtown Diva Art. The exhibit will continue to be open for viewing from March 19th to 24th, during normal Garden hours, 9:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. ARTS AT ST JOHNS www.stjohnsmiamibeach/arts.com Info: 305-613-2325 or artsatstjohns@bellsouth.net  Also, on March 18, Sunday, 4 pm ~ The Arts at St. Johns presents HARMONIC MOTION concert - "FOUR SUITES" - Music and dance inspired by Armenian, Greek, Arabic, Turkish, Flamenco, and Contemporary styles, at St. Johns on the Lake, 4760 Pinetree Drive, Miami Beach. TIX: $15 ($12 senior/youth/online) Phone: 305-613-2325

Shadowood II, Inc., Broward County’s only residential facility exclusively for people living with HIV/AIDS welcomes the addition of Jodi Ihme to their administration staff.  Formerly the fundraising Event Coordinator for Care Resource-Broward, Development and Volunteer Services Coordinator for Community Healthcare/CenterOne and currently South Florida's Chairperson for the AIDS Memorial Quilt, she brings with her a myriad of  knowledge in administration, fundraising and development arenas. “Although the facility has been in existence for over 20 years, Shadowood II has been providing services exclusively to the HIV/AIDS community since 1994.  Shadowood II plays an integral part in this community;  there are still people out there that do not have a clue as to who we are, the role we play, the number of lives we have saved, and people that we serve.  One of my goals will be to acquaint the community regarding the unmet need that Shadowood II offers.  I am looking forward to that challenge” says Ihme. Ken Fountaine, Executive Director for Shadowood II, Inc. stated “We are extremely excited at the addition of Ms. Ihme to the Shadowood II team.  Her knowledge, keen business acumen and love of the HIV client are a great asset to our organization.  She can easily bring to the forefront the oppressing issue of homelessness in our community.” Shadowood II is a 501 C 3 non profit residential facility dedicated to providing a variety of housing and supportive services to low income or indigent people living with HIV/AIDS and various addiction issues.  Since 1994 more than 5,000 lives have been saved because of Shadowood II.

Unique crime-thriller, TEN 'TILL NOON, focuses on discovering the forces at work behind that the last moments of a man’s life. The film, which has received awards including best feature, best director and best screenplay at a variety of film festivals, was written by University of Miami grad Paul Osborne and will be presented April 2 - 9 at Cinema Paradiso, 503 SE 6 St, Fort Lauderdale. Tickets: $8 general admission, $7 seniors/students, $5 FLIFF members.  

For show times visit www.FLIFF.com or call 954-525-3456.

The Flamingo Freedom Band will present a concert titled PRISM at the Amaturo Theater of the Broward Center for the Performing Arts on Sunday, March 25^th at 7:30 pm. This concert will be under the direction of Dan Bassett, the band’s new Artistic Director, and their own instrumental coordinator!!  One lucky audience member will also win a luxury all gay cruise to Scandinavia and Russia, courtesy of TravelPride (www.travelpride.com). PRISM will be an entirely new concert experience for South Florida music lovers.  Just as a prism breaks up light into its individual colors, this concert breaks the band up into smaller ensembles that will excite the audience with familiar music from all genres.  This concert will surround listeners as continuous music emanates from all areas of the auditorium. Of course there will be full ensemble pieces and the Flamingo Jazz Band.  This "One Night Only" event has been made possible by the Community Foundation of Broward County and the Broward County Cultural Division.  Tickets are $20 and are available at the Broward Center website.  www.browardcenter.org.

The world could have a new vaccine designed to kill the AIDS virus in as little as three to four years according to an Atlanta-based group working on the vaccine. It is a scientific advance that could save tens of millions of lives, and it is being developed on the campus of Emory University. The work has been going on quietly for the last 15 years. But now it appears headed for the bell lap in the race to prevent the disease. The GeoVax lab at Emory is smaller than many garages. And yet the small modular building may be where the battle to end the reign of one the world's biggest killers could be won with a vaccine to prevent AIDS. "We're getting results back that indicate we're getting very strong immune responses in these individuals these people who received our vaccine," said Don Hildebrand, the president and CEO of GeoVax Inc., the company spearheading the research in collaboration with Emory, the Centers for Disease Control, and the National Institutes of Health. The vaccine uses a decoy virus with some of the genetic material of the aids virus but not enough for anyone to ever get the disease itself from the shot, according to Dr. Harriet Robinson, Ph. D., of the Emory Vaccine Center. "It exposes your immune system to a pathogen like a virus or bacteria so before you've seen it you set up memory cells,” Dr. Robinson said, “and then these memory cells mobilize should you get the actual infection." The test trials have been so successful that the vaccine is now more than a year ahead of schedule. "Actually another two trials are starting later this year using different combinations of our vaccine and different administration programs,” said GeoVax CEO Hildebrand. “And following that presuming everything goes well we'll be starting a phase two program at the end of the year.” The vaccine works using a one-two pharmaceutical punch to prime the body then kill the virus. “It raises both antibodies that can block the virus and it raises white blood cells called t cells that can kill the virus infected cells,” said Dr. Robinson. “So it really has two methods of controlling an HIV/AIDS infection once it enters the body." The vaccine’s success with the simian AIDS virus has been nothing short of remarkable. Not only did the vaccine prevent the infection, it kept it under control for the monkeys that already had it, putting it in a kind of remission. Researchers believe the same benefits await human subjects.