Briefs

by Russell Poncik

Fourth of July Fireworks

The City of Palm Springs and the Palm Springs Power Baseball Team invite everyone out to the ballpark for a spectacular "All American Fourth of July" to be held at the Palm Springs Stadium. Fans can watch the Power play the California Mariners at 6:15 p.m. followed by a fantastic fireworks show at 9:15 p.m. The gates open at 5 p.m. for the game. Tickets are $7 for adults, with reduced admission for children. Free admission for the fireworks at 8 p.m.

New Show at Thorny Theater

Performances begin Friday, July 10 for the final show in the “Summer Heat” series at Thorny Theater. Written by Kenneth N. Kurtz and directed by Arch Brown, Chiaroscuro (A Study in Shadow) tells the story of the artist Caravaggio and a beautiful young farmer hired off the streets of Renaissance Rome to pose bound and nude for a special painting. The play stars Rob Denk as Caravaggio, Bryan Kreisinger as Paolo and Peter Mins as a palace porter. The play is for adult audiences and continues through Saturday, August 1. With highlights on bondage as high art, the consequences are surprising as well as sexy and seductive. Tickets are $18. Shows are Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m., and Sundays at 2:00 p.m. The Thorny Theater is an intimate Palm Springs venue that presents prize-winning plays and musicals. The organization is also asking for special assistance to help get by in these economic tough times. Contact the theater to ask how you can help and to purchase tickets to the new show.

July Chamber Mixer

The July Chamber Mixer for the Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce will be on Tuesday, July 28 at Azul Tapas Lounge from 5-7 p.m. Everyone is invited to attend and socialize. It is a great way to learn more about what the organization has to offer the community. Member cost to attend is $5, non-members $10. Opportunity drawings and other surprises are planned in addition to the great food and beverage. Azul is located at 369 N. Palm Canyon Dr.

the details

Palm Springs Chamber of Commerce
190 W. Amado Rd.
pschamber.org

Palm Springs Power Baseball
1901 E. Baristo Rd.
palmspringspowerbaseball.com

The Thorny Theater
2500 N. Palm Canyon Dr.
thornytheater.com

Gay TV Week

The first-ever “Gay TV Week” will be presented July 6-12 by comedian Shann Carr’s The Moxie Project. The company is dedicated to advancing Palm Springs to the forefront of gay television, and the special week will include a TV commercial-making contest, an awards presentation, an afternoon T-dance and nightly industry mixers. Most of the events will be held at Hotel Zoso, while various crews will film at locations all over the Coachella Valley. The centerpiece of the summer project is the week-long commercial-making competition, open to filmmakers from across the country. The Moxie Project is offering three $1,000 prizes for the best 60-second TV spots created by teams of professional and amateur contestants. The cash prizes will be awarded in three categories: the best commercial for a Palm Springs gay business (sponsored by the Santiago Resort), the best PSA for a Palm Springs charity organization (the Desert Pride Center) and the best promo portraying Palm Springs as an exciting, gay entertainment and vacation destination. The registration fee is $25 per entry, and teams may enter up to five projects in the competition in any of the three categories. Contestants can register via the website, where a complete schedule of events can be found as well.

Et cetera

Looking for a cool place to enjoy a cool drink? Hunters Video Bar offers happy hour drink specials daily from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Or grab a $2 well cocktail or $4 large well martini nightly from 5-7 p.m. at Wang’s in the Desert n Saturdays are 2-4-1 “Your Call” cocktails at Confession Nightclub and Lounge from 9 p.m.-4 a.m. DJ Mike V spins afterhours n Huey Lewis and the News will headline a concert at Aqua Caliente Casino on Friday, July 31 at 9 p.m. Ticket prices start at $35 n Continuum Gallery has special summer hours and works on display by James Shilaimon, Dan Pyle and Michael Valencia. New pieces in Shilaimon’s Hummingbird series just arrived and are priced at only $300 each. The gallery is open Saturday 11 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday noon-5 p.m. or by special appointment n The Palm Springs Art Museum is screening the critically acclaimed Global Lens 2009 film series for free on Thursdays in July and August n Also on Thursdays, take a stroll at the downtown Palm Springs Village Fest and enjoy arts, crafts and live entertainment.

the details

Shann Carr’s The Moxie Project
themoxieproject.com