NYC DRAG UPDATE

NYC drag legend Flotilla Debarge has been released from jail after serving several months for an assault charge which arose from a tussle with a straight couple in a night-club last year. (Flo won the tussle but lost the case against her.) I was horrified when Miss Thing called me to tell me that she had a new cell #--unfortunately, she didn’t mean a cell-phone! She was given a kind of sentence which enabled her to do her time during the week and then was sent home every weekend, to enable her to work. So she must not have been perceived as too much of a threat. Unfortunately, she’s not perceived as too much of a talent either, so the work hasn’t been overly forthcoming. KIDDING! Certainly not as forthcoming as Flo’s giant shoe into her infortunate victim’s eye! So “keep an eye out” for an upcoming benefit starring Harmonica Sunbeam, Peppermint Gummybear, Emmanuel Xavier, Sade Pendarvis, myself, and many others on Monday, November 12th at X.E.S. So come out and support a convicted straight-basher OR ELSE! She's expecting a "big house" full of supporters!

FLOTILLA—AIN’TCHA TIRED OF THEM STRIPES, YET?



As can be expected from anyone who has completed a stint in prison, Flo is ecstatic to be back on the outside. I spoke with her a length the day of her release and she told me of her upcoming CD release party. “CD?”, I asked. “Yes, girl”, she replied. “My release from the Correctional Department!” She also “let out” that she’d made it through the hard times by watching Martha Stewart and listening to Li’l Kim’s music. And following her recent appearance on Broadway in Threepenny Opera, she’s up for a big new role…PAROLE! Just warming up for the benefit, folks!


CANDIS CAYNE MANIA!



Speaking of acting, everyone is buzzing about gorgeous Candis Cayne’s success as Billy Baldwin’s transsexual lover on the TV show Dirty Sexy Money. Poor Candis actually had to kiss hunky Billy on one steamy episode--that acting stuff can be such a challenge! To cap it off, Candis appeared The View on Friday. I didn’t actually catch it, but was told that Candis, who has always been the sweetheart of the downtown drag community, went over extremely well. I’m just glad that Can-Can was able to talk in her real, feminine voice. For her role on tv, she’s asked to speak in a manlier voice for the benefit of the morons in this country who wouldn’t be able to fathom the existence of a transsexual who looks AND talks like a woman. And hey, at least it’s finally a transsexual playing a transsexual and not Rebecca Romijn. Leave it the TS roles for Felicity Huffman, girl. Rebecca's just too pretty to convincingly portray most tranny roles. Well, except possibly me! KIDDIING!


WATCH CANDIS ON ACCESS HOLLYWOOD!
http://www.accesshollywood.com/news/ah6919.shtml

WATCH CANDIS LIP-SYNCH TO THAT SICK “GOD WARRIOR”!
DARK-SIDED


RUPAUL’S “STARRBOOTY: RELOADED” DROPS ON 10/30



Candis appears in another role: Rupaul’s STARRBOOTY: RELOADED, which also taps other NYC talents like Sweetie as a limping, overweight hooker, porn stars Michael Lucas and Gus Maddox, Ari Gold, myself and Ru even pried Lahoma Van Zandt out of retirement to play her detective partner. There’s also a lovely Latina TS who plays Ru’s niece. Apparently, the young actress disappeared after filming her role and was not to be found for the overdubbing, so DJ Tennessee recorded his best cha-cha tranny voice and did such a good job that I never even clocked it! Oh, and I nabbed a little cameo playing a perverted lesbian “john” who hires Ru, who is working undercover as a hooker, to eat out my crab-infested…just buy the dvd! Or check out the x-rated trailer HERE.

It’s official release date is 10/30 at Virgin Megastore Union Square featuring an in-store with Ru that evening at 8:00, complete with a blaxploitation costume contest. Also look out for a release party at Splash on 11/2, where I’ll be the one shrieking “Hallowe’en was last week!”

Ru made many low budget shorts in Atlanta, when she, Lahoma and Larry “Mr Electroclash” Tee and I were all part of the same wacky scene in Atlanta, Georgia. Though these shorts, including the original STARBOOTY (with 1 “r”) have a small cult following, I never really cared for even the shorts in which I appeared! I was in! But STARRBOOTY: RELOADED takes the whole blaxploitation/ John Waters/hooker/detective theme and gives it the budget it deserves: small! But much bigger than those Atlanta shorts. This new effort is a full-length feature with lotsa sight-gags, zany characters, nudity and plot twists. Ru really steals her own show with her campy acting style and I wholeheartedly welcome this return “back to her roots” in trash! (Anyone else have fond memories of Ru’s liquored-up character Bianca Dinkins, Mayor David Dinkins’ alleged “daughter” at the Palace De Beaute?) You can check out reviews and buy the dvd at Rupaul.com.


JOHN CAMERON MITCHELL'S EXCITING NEW PROJECT



John Cameron Mitchell (aka Hedwig) is working on a new film with Leigh Bowery as it's subject. Sounds genius to me, and I'm sure that John will handle his unusual subject with a little more insight than Rosie O' Donnell and Broadway did in the dreadful TABOO. Naturally, when called for an nterview by the film's writer, I offered that I could still realistically play myself--since I've looked matronly for over a decade! A couple of other interviewees had mentioned that I had influenced Leigh's way of talking. Really? I would attribute any similarities to alcohol-induced slurring.Though Leigh and I spoke often, I have no memory of this. Though how could I possibly count the zillions I've influenced with my speeh patterns, my drink tickets, my syphilis, etc.?