JOIN PENNY ARCADE AT JOE'S PUB! She just added the show and here are the details!
Penny Arcade has been at the forefront of downtown NY's performance scene for two decades. With the non-stop touring of her hit shows Bitch!Dyke!Faghag!Whore!, True Stories, and Love, Sex, and Sanity she has brought the East Village's downtown sensibility kicking and screaming out of the underground to mainstream attention in 22 cities internationally. Hailed as The Queen of Gay Wit and Wisdom, Penny Creates a special Gay Pride, cum Gay Shame Show especially for Joe's Pub fpr Pride 2008.
The Penny Arcade Generic Queer Show! Sunday June 29th 7:30 pm Joe's Pub 425 Lafayette St @ Astor Place 212-260-2400 $20
It's a ballad, but it really takes off around 4 minutes into it.
FROM YOUTUBE:
Written by Nona Hendryx, and performed by LaBelle, this song is said to be about a Mohair suit-wearing 70's Elton John who, after having worked with the group for years, brushed Patti off after becoming successful. Scadalous! An exceptional, breathtaking performance by the first ladies of rock-soul-funk-gospel-and R&B.
Polar scientists reveal dramatic new evidence of climate change By Steve Connor, Science Editor
It seems unthinkable, but for the first time in human history, ice is on course to disappear entirely from the North Pole this year.
The disappearance of the Arctic sea ice, making it possible to reach the Pole sailing in a boat through open water, would be one of the most dramatic – and worrying – examples of the impact of global warming on the planet. Scientists say the ice at 90 degrees north may well have melted away by the summer.
Not only does this motherfucker twirl a mean baton, but the batons are on fire, he mixes in acrobatics, and it's all set to the tune of uber-campy THE DEVIL WENT DOWN TO GEORGIA! Bless his gay heart! That routine was flawless! Even alpha male David Hasselhoff had an enthusiastic review! Of course, I would have loved it more if his mom had said "If you like his baton-twirling, you should see how he can take it up the ass, but you know, baby steps. And I know this is the second "touching" blog I've posted in two days. I guess my Lexapro finally kicked in! And I love each and every one of you! Now fuck me!
JASON CREW, MOI AND JACKSON WILD--DON'T VOMIT YET--I"M IN A NON-SEXUAL ROLE!
So I'm in bed with a trick this afternoon and I get a call from my pal/porn mogul Michael Lucas. He asked me to come and shoot a cameo for his latest porn flick starring Jason Crew and sexy southern new-cummer Jackson Wild--not to be confused with Jack Wild, who played the Artful Dodger in the treasured film OLIVER. Jackson had actually emailed me that morning saying that he was working with Michael. How odd, I thought, that a young stud would be thinking of me while preparing for a porn scene. Always a slut first, I e-fluffed him by insisting that Michael create a scene in which I take one in each emd. The power of suggestion--it works! I still haven't conned Michael to fly me to Czechoslavakia to shoot me in a starring vehicle I've devised for myself called A HOG IN PRAGUE. But I thought I would give him a taste of what I could do in the interest of advancing future projects.
GETTING TO KNOW ONE'S FELLOW ACTORS IS ESSENTIAL FOR ANY ROLE.
One actor had to see a client that evening so the rush was on and I threw together a look with mismatched earrings and no nails and hopped a cab to the studio with Ebony Jett, who is in NYC to perform at Restaurant Florent's closing affair this Sunday. She was kind enough to snap a few pix. I played Aunt Judy--Michael had to get a jew in there somehow--who walks into her home to discover her nephew (Jason Crew) engaged in a steamy session with Jackson and truly vile orgy remnant such as coca cola filled condoms, a shit- and lube-covered Chinaman sculpture and a variety of greased bottles and douches which had decimated my parlor.
AS A CONSUMATE PROFESSIONAL, IN THE INTEREST OF TIME, I KEPT MY ON-SET TEMPER TANTRUMS TO A MINIMUM.
Though one "actor" had stormed off the set earlier when his co-star of a different scene asked him what was on his lip. Wholly in my element surrounded by well-hung young studs, I threw myself into the role with al the vim and vigor which an aging, overweight transvestite could muster.
SENSING MY SUPERIOR THEATRICAL INSTINCTS, MICHAEL GLADLY TOOK A "BACK SEAT" TO MY OWN DIRECTION.
The film was shot by porn legend Mr. Pam, who has skyrocketed to the top of her game as an in-demand camera woman. She loves her gay boys, so she relishes her job and is a delight to work with. I couldn't help but notice her "rattoo", a tattoo of a large rat which adorned her arm.
Tickled that I'd noticed, she offered a smaller rattoo near her fist, which she claimed liked to find it's way into dark places.
I honestly am not a porn fan--it puts me in the mood for the real thing!--but I truly count Michael as one of my favorite new friends in the city. He has a completely twisted sense of humor, and though competitors in the porn industry may view him as a driven hard-ass, he makes a charming companion if you aren't competing with him. And he impressed and delighted Ebony, who is an avid porn fan, with an armful of Lucas Entertainment's latest titles.
WorldofWonder.net's Stephen Saban described me in a recent post as "the irrepressible Lady Bunny." I got quite a chuckle out of that, since irrepressible could be interpreted as "It just won't go away!", which could also imply that "It won't go away despite a desire for it to do so"! I certainly can't imagine a caftan-wearing drag queen as anything but a boner-deflater in a gay porn flick. But if these guys are any indication, there's enough steamy sex scenes to allow a little comic relief. So porn fans, keep your eyes out for my cameo in BROTHERS REUNION from LUCASENTERTAINMENT.COM.
JOIN DJ LADY KIER, MISS GUY, AND LILLY OF THE VALLEY FOR "GAY SHAME DAY" AT MARQUEE!
THE DEEE-LITEFUL LADY MISS KIER LOOKING ALIEN AS SHE'S FITTED FOR A LACE FRONT CREATION BY WIG-MEISTER GERARD KELLY. THE WHOLE CITY'S ABUZZ--WILL SHE SPORT IT TONIGHT?
That's the name of Kim Wayans' solo show at PS 122. I'm glad that my friend/singer Xavier told me about the very last show, but I 'm sorry I didn't see it sooner to let people know about it while it was still running. It was sold out and since Mama Wayans was in the audience, it was a very emotional packed house. The program mentions that Kim is seeking funding to put on a different piece she's written on Broadway, but based on the crowd's reaction to A HANDSOME WOMAN RETREATS, she could easily re-mount this hilarious and touching rollercoaster of a performance.
Neurotic Kim, at the suggestion of her yoga teacher, goes on a meditation retreat. Still in her manic mode but sentenced to 10 days of complete silence, she uses voiceovers to indicate her gripes about the retreat--only one meal per day, the uncomfortable meditation positions and the spartan accommodations. (As someone who has never been able to sit still long enough to meditate, I can certainly identify with this.) But she gives it a go all and slowly the silence uncovers issues she's never dealt with, which gives rise to hilarious tales of her childhood (she breaks out of the voiceovers to re-tell these tales). These included a grandmother who instructed her to "train" her wide nose by sleeping with a clothespin on it, a crazy fundamentalist dad who turned her away from religion with his constant, non-sensical tales of Armageddon, and an adorable story about how her very nurturing mom mustered up all their ingenuity to create a very special birthday party luau on a living-in-the-projects-sized budget.
Mom also encouraged Kim's ambitions to become a fashion model, which didn't pan out because she was a handsome, rather than conventionally pretty woman. Kim skipped playing on weekends to watch old movies and TV shows, and was fascinated with screen stars like Doris Day, Audrey Hepburn and Lucille Ball, who could be zany, witty, glamorous, sophisticated and a host of other characteristics. As she embarked on her own acting career, she found that a black actress's spectrum was limited to sassy, and after she'd catapulted to fame on her brother Keenan Ivory's IN LIVING COLOR, sassy roles were all that Hollywood would consider her for. She changes the lyrics of DO THE HOKE-POKEY to something like this:
You stick your finger up and stick your booty out You do the sassy-frassy and you roll your eyes around That's what it's all about.
In the show's funniest moments, she runs through a myriad of roles which she was (supposedly) offered: sassy deaf mutes, sassy quadriplegics, etc. The only other type of parts she was offered was the supportive best friend to a white female star. And when she finally gets sufficiently fed up to write her own vehicle, she's ecstatic that 5 studios want to option the property. But it's to star Julia Roberts, not Kim. Hopes dashed again.
Coming to grips with a life in showbiz's ups and downs are apparently what have brought Kim to this ten day retreat, and she finally slows down after getting in touch with bottled-up emotions. During many of her revelations, there was not a dry eye in the house. The audience was filled with some of the most gorgeous black women I've ever seen--besides Xavier--and Kim herself was glowing as she popped outside to greet her fans. Xavier was right behind Mama, we realized, who obviously shares her families humor. She was kinda leaning back on Xavier until she realized their proximity and then said something like "It felt so good I was just leaning on back--I don't get that many tingles anymore." (She looks EXACTLY like Damon.)
This little cutie, who was prissing around as energetically as a young Kim herself might, brought a bouquet for Kim. Maybe it was her daughter. In addition to writing story board's for Damon's hit sitcom, Kim's co-authored a book on interracial kids with her white husband (or boyfriend) Kevin Knotts.
Catch A HANDSOME WOMAN RETREATS if it's ever on again. I'd see Kim in anything after this treat. A really sweet one woman show by a comedic dynamo. And speaking of sweet, thank god the old world italian pasticerria is still right around the corner from PS 122, with it's gilt floor tiles and sumptuous creations like this deluxe basket-weaved floral masterpiece. And thank god that this pig was able to make it past DeRobertis without hogging anything!
OK, so I'm not known for my "sweet" posts and I must admit that I was waiting for the Siegfriend and Roy attack moment. It never came. Maybe it was the climax of the power ballad timed with the reunion, but I did find this touching. At 6:30 AM, on crack.
I don't think this is a joke! PLEASE CHECK OUT THE ORIGINAL COMPOSITION ONE MILLION FRIENDS AND TRY TO ENDURE THE SPOKEN INTRO UNTIL SHE STARTS THE SONG: TINA E
President Bush met with Filipino President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo today at the White House. Arroyo was in Washington while her country tries to recover from a typhoon that devastated coastal areas and flipped a ferry carrying over 800 passengers last week. Before discussing aide for the Philippines, Bush couldn't resist beginning the sober meeting with a quip about a Filipino member of his kitchen staff. Read part of the transcript from the meeting and click here to read more about one of the "Philippine-Americans" Bush is referring to. See the excerpt below:
PRESIDENT BUSH: Madam President, it is a pleasure to welcome you back to the Oval Office. We have just had a very constructive dialogue. First, I want to tell you how proud I am to be the President of a nation that -- in which there's a lot of Philippine-Americans. They love America and they love their heritage. And I reminded the President that I am reminded of the great talent of the -- of our Philippine-Americans when I eat dinner at the White House. (Laughter.)
PRESIDENT ARROYO: Yes.
No wonder the whole world hates us so much! I wish she'd replied, "And every time I see Chuck Norris's ugly face underneath that pitiful wig trying to act I'm reminded of the lack of talent of white trash like you."
Bootlegged from London's Meltdown Festival where she opened her show with it. CORPORATE CANNIBAL! The sound isn't that great so I can barely hear the song, but who cares? It's her!
In England. English gays are demanding a boycott of Heinz products. I mean, if they were lubing up with the stuff, I could understand. But really! And why would the "mum" favor the little girl with an extra, secret piece of ham? Wouldn't both "parents" be favoring the son? The better to molest you with, my boy!
Check out the incredible female nominees back then: Jennifer Holliday, Diana Ross, Donna SUmmer and Deniece Williams and Aretha Franklin. Feel a little cheated by today's stars?
Luckily for her, someone leaked the video of one cop holding her while the other beat her mug--and I don't mean "beat her mug" as in paint it. And the co-workers just sit by and watch it. And they had the nerve to haul her in for prostitution. Incredible! Hookers never wear flats!
Thankfully, NY state has just passed the GENDA, which outlaws gender-identity based discrimination. It wasn't an easy victory
FROM EMPIRE STATE PRIDE AGENDA:
"The New York State Assembly just voted 102-33 to pass the Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (GENDA) and amend the state’s human rights law to include anti-discrimination protections based on gender identity and expression. This is the first time that GENDA has ever made it to the floor of the Assembly for a vote!
Take pride in this victory! Our community—and specifically the GENDA Coalition—has worked hard to make sure this bill was understood by the New York State Assembly to be necessary in order to end the discrimination that transgender New Yorkers face on a daily basis. The Assembly vote is an important first step towards making GENDA law in New York State."
So if you're a New Yorker who is trans or trans-friendly, please click HERE to thank your Assemblymember for their vote.
Hey! Check out my top ten on dance music download site BEATPORT.COM. And give a listen to the first 3 tracks--they are all smokin'! Also featured: Larry Tee and Princess Superstar.
Our TV news is such a joke that we only get the truth from a comedy. Surely, Jon Stewart has played a large part in getting out the youth vote just by speaking honestly on his show. After you laugh, you can't help but agree with his observations. Could Jon Stewart even have much of a show if our current leaders, political system in general and newscasting weren't such an utter disgrace?
And speaking of classic divas who've gone electro, Candi Staton has taken a break from gospel and recorded a hot new track with Groove Armada called LOVE SWEET SOUND. It is bangin' and available on itunes and beatport.com. Check it out. There is something so reassuring about hearing her voice again. She's the gal behind VICTIM, YOUNG HEARTS RUN FREE, and her 90's YOU GOT THE LOVE. Here's the video for LOVE SWEET SOUND. Too bad Candi's not even in it!
Joey's show is selling out and adding midnight shows for it's limited run. Today the Times ran a glowing review which opens with these words:
"Eat your heart out, Madonna. The chanteuses who play Madison Square Garden and football stadiums have never experienced the imaginative heights of spectacle with which Basil Twist surrounds Joey Arias in “Arias With a Twist,” which opened Wednesday night at the newly renovated Here Arts Center."
And she ain't cheap! OK, so maybe she is, but the tickets aren't!
Don’t miss out on this summer tradition!
Have fun this summer and support the work of the Empire State Pride Agenda Foundation at the Hamptons Tea Dance on Saturday, July 12. Enjoy the sounds of DJ Lady Bunny on the gorgeous polo grounds of the Diamond Ranch for an afternoon of dancing and lots of fun for you and your family! Cocktails will feature V2 Energy Vodka, T2 Tequila and R2 Rum.
Help make a difference while celebrating our community at this special event:
When: Saturday, July 12, 4:00 – 8:00 pm Where: The Diamond Ranch, 600 Mecox Road, Water Mill DJ: Lady Bunny
Tickets are $100. ($125 at the door, if available) Sponsorships begin at $250.
Kids attend for free!
Please visit our website to purchase tickets or sponsorships or call (212) 627-0305 for more information.
The Hamptons Tea Dance is one of the Pride Agenda's most important events helping to fund the work to win equality and justice for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender New Yorkers and our families.
A new coffee table book features highlights from many years of the annual AIDS benefit, which features Broadway's brightest stripping. (Yikes! Is Nathan Lane in it? That's Mr. March and Lypsinka below representing February/Valentines' Day.
Pick up a copy if you like to jerk off to muscled-up show tune queens. Now all the male chorus dancers are so buff. I used to like it (pre-Chelsea clone era) when the guys were swishier than their female counterparts. Remember Ann-Margret's ancient back-up dancers RAW SATIN?
An excerpt from the NY Times review of her NYC Broadway revue in 1991:
Gaudy her show certainly was, but it had no sizzle. Once the star had reached the final stair and launched into "Steppin' Out With My Baby" in a pinched, kittenish voice with a wobbly vibrato whose seams were magnified by metallic amplification, it was evident that Ann-Margret is no longer the brassy siren one remembers from 1960's television shows. Like so many other stars who have become fixtures in the Las Vegas entertainment firmament, she presents herself as a living legend that an audience is supposed to revere simply for showing up, acting chipper and looking good.
At one point, the 50-year-old star instructed that a laser beam be directed to a diamond ring she was wearing, while a robot voice intoned, "May the force be with you." A monologue followed in which she told the history of the ring with its "magical healing powers," which cured her pain when her husband and producer Roger Smith presented it to her in the hospital after a stage accident. The story ended with the show's one half-funny remark: "Diamonds are better than Darvon."
The exhibition of jewelry and the boasting of one's wealth (the star excused herself at another point "to slip into something expensive") may be time-honored Las Vegas shtick, but on the Radio City Music Hall's splendid stage, they seemed merely gauche.
For centuries, Hindu women have worn a dot on their foreheads. Most of us have naively thought this was connected with marriage or religion, but the Indian embassy in Washington, D.C. has recently revealed the true story. When a Hindu woman gets married, she brings a dowry into the union. On her wedding night, the husband scratches off the dot to see whether he has won a convenience store, a gas station, a donut shop or a motel in the United States. If nothing is there, he must take a job in India answering telephones to give technical advice.
Yesterday, RuPaul and I shot a video for GETZ WILD, a rap (!) duet that we recorded for ANOTHER GAY SEQUEL: GAYS GONE WILD, which is produced by Ellis Miah. I think it will also be featured on the film's soundtrack and you will probably be able to buy the song and video on itunes. As you can see we are up against a green screen so that clips rom the movie will become our backdrop as we "rap" out such lyrics as:
Now work the latest designer Just like you had a vagina Fake bitches gone try to outshine ya But they knoock-off shit come from China.
Look out Fergie and Gwen! You know how we roll!
And here's a scene from the movie, which opens nationwide in August. (That's me in the terry-cloth turban, just in case you weren't sure.)
IT'S BACK AFTER A SUCCESSFUL DEBUT LAST YEAR. AND IT'S FREE! HERE'S THE TRAILER:
Drag Show Video Vérité Thursday, June 19, 2008 6pm FREE! Dress: You Decide (212) 642-0142 www.nypl.org
New York Public Library for the Performing Arts 40 Lincoln Center Plaza Bruno Walter Auditorium 111 Amsterdam Avenue at 65th Street (best access to auditorium) Wheel Chair Accessible
It’s the ultimate New York City drag show…on video tape.
The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center will premiere an all new edition of Drag Show Video Vérité, Thursday, June 19, 2008 at 6pm in the Bruno Walter Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public with seating on a first come, first served basis.
A short trailer for Drag Show Video Vérité is posted on YouTube and may be found at the following link or searching Drag Show Video Verite on the site. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69jWvI4kuZ4
Drag Show Video Vérité gathers and screens rare film and video that documents the faces and places of New York City’s vibrant drag scene. This year’s edition offers more colorful and never before publicly screened footage from the 1950s to the present and offers a who’s who of NYC’s male and female impersonators.
AGNES DE GARRON
Performers from back in the day to yesterday and tomorrow are featured in a barrage of clips. From Jewel Box Revue performer Dorian and Warhol Superstars Holly Woodlawn and Jackie Curtis to Flawless Sabrina, Rollerena, Lady Bunny, Murray Hill, La JohnJoseph, Justin Bond, Jesse Volt, Joan Jett Blakk, Glenda Orgasm, Agnes de Garron, Clover Honey, Jayne County, Lypsinka, Glenn Marla, Linda Simpson, Flotilla de Barge, Sister Tui, Tabboo!, Sweetie, Sherry Vine, and Rose Wood (plus many more), Drag Show Video Vérité serves a long list of marquee drag names.
TAYLOR MAC
Of special note in this year’s screening is the world premiere of Taylor Mac’s music video “If You See Something Say Something” and a rare 1965 8mm film by Avery Willard documenting the 82 Club’s Adrian performing his scandalous Salome dance.
Concert pianist drag diva Jacqueline Jonée will open the screening again this year with a special live performance of an original arrangement accompanying a slide show of downtown photographer Ande Whyland’s drag portraits 1980-2008.
Drag historian Joe E. Jeffreys serves as the documentary’s producer and director and again teams with independent filmmaker Seth S. Hauer as editor.
LINDA SIMPSON HOSTS THE AFTER-PARTY AT STONEWALL
An after party will be held later that evening at the historic Stonewall Inn (53 Christopher Street at 7th Avenue) where in June of 1969 a group of drag queens led a riot that helped spark the modern Gay Rights movement. Linda Simpson hosts the Miss Stonewall pageant in the upstairs room around 11pm. No cover.
In honor of Judy's b'day (6/10), Darrent Stewart Jones is offering free downloads on myspace of his track JUST LIKE JUDY, the barbiturates remix. Go on, girl! Just in time for pride! And we mustn't forget that Judy's death was a catalyst for the birth of the gay rights movement. I never got the whole Judy fever, but I guess her death affected gays at Stonewall the way that today's moronic fags would view Britney's death as catastrophic. I'm feeling less proud every second. Anyhoo, here's a video of Judy clips set to ALWAYS CHASING RAINBOWS:
In this week's HX with Connie Fleming on the cover! A sample:
HX: Your act can be risqué, so when I heard you’d be collaborating with famed puppeteer/slut Basil Twist—hence the name Arias With A Twist—I assumed Basil would be fisting you while you hit a high note.
Joey Arias: We decided to go another route. I thought I would just go for it and get fucked by some of his creations for one of the numbers. It’s always been my dream to work with him. I saw his early works during Sherry Vine’s Theatre Couture shows, and when I was invited to the HERE space 10 years ago to see his groundbreaking Symphonie Fantastique with sea-creature puppets swirling in a 1,000-gallon tank, I was very impressed! Every time I see one of Basil’s shows I leave with my mouth open.
An Alias of London dj Luke Howard--or Puke Howard as I affectionately call him--has a stunning new drag photo montage with a kicky soundtrack and some fashion-forward looks, some of which reveal his resemblance to Grace Jones--a very odd resemblance, since he's a blond-haired white man. Check it out HER.
The iconic door-person and scenester has launched it's own website, with oodles of great pics and even a single for sale on itunes called Stilletto Kickback! Kenny's looks are some in the most innovative I've seen during my 23+ years on the scene. And his stylee dates way back to the Boybar days when he wore his own hair marcelled. This post surgery bald-in-a-ballgown is another of my favorites. It's probably Balenciaga for all I know, but Cunty Cunty always gives it her own unique twist. Click HERE for more.
Remember, there are certain things nobody wants to hear during sex. These include, but are not limited to:
"Oops, sorry, I had a big lunch’ Water sloshing around inside of him; "Can you not aim your cum onto my 600 thread count sheets?" The whir of a video camera; ’Honey, I’m home!’ Yawning; Giggling coming from behind the closet door; "Mmm, work that pussystick" Policeman tapping on the car window; An egg timer; "That’s not my ring, that’s my watch".
Wow! And I thought NYC's ban of trans fats in restaurants was invasive!
VIA HUFFPO:
AMAGASAKI, Japan — Japan, a country not known for its overweight people, has undertaken one of the most ambitious campaigns ever by a nation to slim down its citizenry.
Ko Sasaki for The New York Times
A poster at a public health clinic in Japan reads, "Goodbye, metabo," a word associated with being overweight. The Japanese government is mounting an ambitious weight-loss campaign. More Photos »
Summoned by the city of Amagasaki one recent morning, Minoru Nogiri, 45, a flower shop owner, found himself lining up to have his waistline measured. With no visible paunch, he seemed to run little risk of being classified as overweight, or metabo, the preferred word in Japan these days.
But because the new state-prescribed limit for male waistlines is a strict 33.5 inches, he had anxiously measured himself at home a couple of days earlier. “I’m on the border,” he said.
Under a national law that came into effect two months ago, companies and local governments must now measure the waistlines of Japanese people between the ages of 40 and 74 as part of their annual checkups. That represents more than 56 million waistlines, or about 44 percent of the entire population.
