Gays Got Talent Finalists Compete Saturday

By Joseph Erbentraut in Arts & Entertainment on Mar 18, 2010 7:40PM

The finals are arriving a bit early for a different kind of March Madness, as the Gays Got Talent variety show contest culminates with its finals at Sidetrack in Boystown on Saturday.

The finals will showcase the top 16 contestants selected from casting calls held previously this year. Finalists will vie for the audience-selected "best in show" and a prize package consisting of $1000 cash, American Airlines tickets and a host of other bonuses in the contest.

The talent come from a variety of backgrounds, speaking to the diversity of the city's LGBT community, as singers, drag artists, burlesque performers, comedians, poets share the stage in pursuit of the top prize. Among the talent on hand for the finals will be renowned poet CC Carter, who was inducted into the Chicago Gay & Lesbian Hall of Fame in 2002 for her powerful performances and efforts in organizing POW-WOW, a weekly spoken word showcase geared toward increasing visibility of female performers. Special guest performers Michelle L'Amour and 2009 Gays Got Talent winner Lucy Shumpert will also perform.

The second-annual Gays Got Talent contest was organized by the Windy City Media Group with the goal of increasing visibility of queer performers in the America's Got Talent television show, and with that in mind, a DVD of all finalists will be submitted to the show's casting agents.

Gays Got Talent Finals, Saturday, March 20, at Sidetrack, 3349 N. Halsted. Doors at 1 p.m., show at 3 p.m. $10 cover includes a drink ticket and entry into an American Airlines ticket raffle.