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by J.D. Norris
LAFAYETTE, LOUISIANA

Throw Me Somethin' Sister!
Memories of Apollo;
R.O.U. Leaves Hundreds Awestruck at 14th Bal Masque;
Carnival Time Hits Acadiana;
Honda Civic Hits Jay...

Okay, I've had it with all the queens begging and pleading and crying at my feet for me to make another entry into the hallowed pages of Ambush, so here I am in all my journalistic glory and with all the tact and style of a Mississippi trailer park palm reader. It's nice to be in print for the first time in 1998 and even more wonderful to have so much to dish. Please stop sending the fan mail; I'm human too.

If John and I had a dime for every tuxedo we've had to rent the last two months, we'd be in the Carribean by now hustling island boys. With the mix of balls, both gay and straight, keeping Acadiana nightlife on its toes, there hasn't been a whole lot of time left for the menial things in life- work, food, things like that. But I'll do my best to translate the goings-on and dish a little dirt in the process. (Please, no beer-bottle-in-the-face thank-yous; a wonderful bouquet of yellow roses is thanks enough for all I do.)

There aren't enough pages in this issue for me to describe the style, elegance and raw carnival majesty that is the Krewe of Apollo de Lafayette and their 22nd Bal Masque. Unless you're Helen Keller, you've probably heard something of one of the most daring and opulent male-only organizations in the nation. This year's theme, Tabloid, played well with many of the krewe members' campy personalities, taking pot shots at an out-of-control media and making fun of the most unbelievable and fantastic stories of 1997. Never mind that John and I found ourselves treated like kings front-row-center with that ever-so-funny little straight man giving us a blow-by-blow account of what was going on. A year's worth of hard work, 22 years of experience, one of the largest venues in Louisiana and the artistic flair of a couple of hundred gay men came harmoniously together and gave us all a taste of what Broadway really is.

Apollo Captain Teddy Viator and krewe members filled the Lafayette CajunDome with earth shattering excitement on Jan. 11. Never mind that this was a Sunday night. A few thousand of the boys' closest friends packed the place to see everything from the krewe's rendition of the Unsinkable Molly Brown to a huge UFO coming out of the ceiling and spitting out three dozen dancing aliens. Magnifique!

Krewe bigwigs Ted Viator, Mikey Doumit, Miss Jimmy Poole, His Majesty Joey Billeaud, Her Royal Highness Queen Apollo, Phillip LeBlanc and all the others whose names I carelessly failed to remember or gather gave Acadiana's gay community something to be proud of again in what's become a yearly cross-mixed gathering of young and old, rich and not-so-rich, male and female, gay, straight and other. I could go on and on and on and on, but I won't. To King Joey, I can't think of anyone with more class and tact to sit as Lafayette's carnival monarch than you. Thank you for a wonderful night and for all the grace and charm that you're known so well for. As for Queen Tim, you were absolutely marvelous darling! Don't give up that crown so easily next year; you wear it well.

The Royal Order of Unicorn Coronates 14th Bal Masque as the Love Ball; Largest Crowds Ever Turn Out For R.O.U.

Ditto all the accolades for the Krewe of the Royal Order of Unicorn who celebrated their 14th ball with the theme of Love-how appropriate. Krewe Captain Kenny Hebert tells me the gang shot for Feb. 14 but couldn't get the MLK Center for that date. That didn't stop them from putting on a talent-studded ball that hosted hundreds and hundreds who packed the center for the huge annual carnival event.

"This was one of the biggest and best balls we've ever had," Kenny told me following the krewe's Sun, Feb. 8th ball.

It was the first time in its 14-year history of the krewe, the area's only gender-mixed carnival club, charged for tickets. But you wouldn't have known it from the size of the crowd. Kenny says the krewe is already looking at alternate venues for next year's ball seeing as the 24-member group has outgrown its current ball home.

Like Apollo, R.O.U.'s bal masque reeked with class and elegance and showed what 12 hard months of planning and rehearsing can do. Martha Stewart, eat your heart out. From the elegant tables to the krewe's personal touches on every piece of beaded costume and decor, R.O.U.'s shindig gave us all yet another reason to celebrate Louisiana's unique season of Mardi Gras. And if that ain't impressive enough, wait til you check out the photos of this one. Cheers to His Royal Majesty, King R.O.U. James Barbosa, who made his grand entrance as renaissance royalty wearing a burgundy and gold brocade tunic.

Reigning as Her Royal Highness, Queen R.O.U., was Stephanie Stevens, a.k.a. Robert Doucet, dressed as the Queen of Love in white and gold brocade for the upper section of her gown and a cream colored bottom accented with aurora borealis-c'est bon! And we mustn't forget krewe Co-Captain Chris George who helped pull it all together and gave Lafayette and revelers from as far away as Mississippi and New Orleans a chance to see R.O.U. at its splendid best!! Accolades to all of you!

R.O.U. big night wasn't just ritzy fun, the krewe raised nearly $500 for one of Acadiana's primary AIDS charities in the process by featuring Candy Heart dancers who gave the infamous valentine heart candies to ball goers who donated-very heartfelt and unselfish in my book.

And On a Personal Note....

To both R.O.U. members and those at Apollo, thank you for two wonderful nights to remember, for giving us all something spectacular to look forward to year to year, for never forgetting the invites to the entire "family"-that is, Acadiana's gay community, for putting on stunning performances in stunning settings with all the class and style of a state dinner, for never forgetting to remember those you've lost in the previous year and reminding us just how diverse, creative and immensely talented our community is. Thank you for giving us a reason to dress up and take classy photos and for giving us all a reason to take a well deserved Monday off from work. We're all counting the days til next year.

As for me, look for the continuation of the carnival scene, from New Orleans to Lafayette, in our next issue. To that awfully nice little girl who keeps calling to apologize for totaling my car with her Honda-it's quite alright dear, I've got a nice new car to help make up for it and a redesigned medicine cabinet with every pain killer, muscle relaxer and nerve pill known to mankind and the Surgeon General to make up for it. Just stay off the damned cell phone while driving to work and the roads will be a lot safer for all of us.

Thank you John for the most memorable Valentine's Day of my 31 years. Really, the diamond thing wasn't necessary, but I'm looking forward to our little Paris trip. You really outdid yourself this time! Happy Mardi Gras Y'all! Stay off the roads if you're cocktailed and wear those raincoats when entertaining the overnight guests. And if you've got something to say or just having a really boring week, E-mail us at: JayDempsey@Worldnet.att.net or check out my very own Shagadelic Web Page at www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Lobby/5651. Happy Carnival!

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