What a fabulous, glitzy evening at the Big Gay Oscars! Lola may have been shaking in her heels backstage, but she held the show together with great style and a gentle authority. The Old Market looked marvellous, with round tables and gorgeous centre-pieces from Aloe Petal and a capacity crowd that oozed sophistication (with the exception, perhaps, of the rowdy REALBrighton tables at the front!).

So... 2004. What a year! Lola introduced the evening by talking us through some of the highlights which, of course, includes the astounding achievement of the Pride volunteers in creating the country's favourite festival. This kind of event doesn't happen without a huge effort from a great number of people and perhaps, from experience, a bit of heartache as well at times. Congratulations to all at Pride in Brighton & Hove for a great achievement.

And on with the show... Entertainment throughout the evening was provided by some big names and some top local stars. Jennie Castell, Corel and Jacque Plunkett sang for us, Topping & Butch took us through the news with their ever-topical 'Never Mind', Julia Morris had the audience in stitches with her Ozzy take on life in London and Kitty Litter, Arsenic and Old Lace got the crowd on their feet cheering for more. All the acts gave their services for absolutely nothing to ensure that we all coughed up for some tickets, which in turn went to Spectrum! The murmers that £15 a ticket was a bit steep were firmly put to rest... they'd have been cheap at twice the price!

...and so onto the awards themselves. 18 in total... some expected results and some surprises amongst them. Hilda Braid (Nana Moon in Eastenders) kicked us off with the first few awards... I had to fight the giggles to keep the camera steady! There was a lovely moment in the out-of-town nominations where Nana Moon, having been corrected that G-A-Y should be spelt out, proceeded to spell out the next nomination - C-R-A-S-H. She was then given the opportunity to present the award for the best gay sauna! What a star!

The results, then. Lots of fabulous, fabulous businesses and people didn't win... but lots of fabulous ones did of course! Many congratulations to all the nominated businesses and personalities (far too many to list!) and to the runners-up shown below. It was often just a handful of votes between the top entries but a big pat on the back for those that took away their award!

 

category	runners-up	winner
Best Out of Town Venue	G-A-Y CRASH	The Fountain
Best Gay Sauna	The Denmark Oasis The Amsterdam	The Brighton Oasis
Favourite Scene Personality	Toby Bowen Betty Swallocks	Stephanie Starlet
Best Male DJ	Pete Haywood TonyB	DJ Wes
Best Barman	Nick, Storm Ian, Storm	Jamie McDonald , Brighton Tavern
Best Gay Business	Clone Zone Planted	Café22
Best Restaurant	The Saint No Name	The Strand
Best Manager	Andy, Fountain Phil, Charles Street	Andy, Queen's Arms
Best Female DJ	Kate Wildblood Ricky Rocket	Dulcie Danger
Best Bar Girl	Jo, Couch 33 Gemma, Revenge	Claudia, Candy Bar
Best Girls Night Out	Koochy Candy Bar	Wet Pussy
Best Cabaret Bar	Harlequin Queen's Arms	Legends
Favourite Entertainer	Dave Lynn Phil Starr	Lola Lasagne
Best Club Night	Lollipop GBH	Wild Fruit
Best Bar	Queen's Arms Legends	Charles Street
Best Club	Storm Envy	Revenge
Gscene Special Awards		The Marine Tavern Arthur Law

 

A huge thankyou to everyone involved but particularly to Gscene's editor, James Ledwood, to the fabulous host Lola Lasagne and to REALBrighton's James Brooks for all the organisation and skill that ensured the show went so smoothly.

Big thanks also due to the Old Market for providing the venue, to Arena Entertainment Systems for the sound and lighting and to Karis for providing essential sponsorship for the event.