The Final Push!

Besides all the shows I am and have been doing this busy month, I have quite a few blog posts that have been festering away just waiting for me to have some downtime where I can gather my thoughts. For now I will have to content myself with getting my costumes together to perform in BOSTON for New Year's Eve at the very popular, highly beloved The Beehive in a part of Boston that my Boston-ite friends have unanimously praised from the vibe to the sight line. The owner is also a friend of a friend, and she highly recommended working with him. All these things (hopefully) bode good things because I do believe that whatever you do on New Year's Eve holds a glimpse of things to come in 2012.

For instance last NYE I performed at Macao Trading Company's annual decadent party (do they do anything that's NOT decadent?) where I ended up hosting the event standing on top of the bar while Bird of Paradise dodged the servers while doing her tightrope act and Lil Steph worked with a space that was the circumference of a poodle skirt. No joke. It was a very hectic night as it usually is here in NYC on NYE. Steph and her boy Ray crashed at our place. We were all so hungry that we ordered Domino's, the only place delivering that night, and we watched "Inglorious Bastards" which I never saw before because I have an anti-Tarantino soapbox that I stand on. I didn't even know who Michael Fassbender was when I saw this movie and look what happened in 2011? I got to work with him on one of the most controversial and critically praised film of the year, Shame! And in 2011, I have ordered more Domino's than ever before... Their new chicken nuggets are REALLY good, for real!

Stormy Leather and I will be performing together at The Beehive and staying overnight at a really nice boutique hotel that The Beehive have generously and kindly provided for us along with all transportation coverage. We are each doing 3 acts for the night. I am really excited about going to Boston for NYE and performing for the audience at Beehive. Maybe this means next year I will be traveling and performing out of NYC more or that I will become a conservative Republican.

Here's the flyer for the event in case any of my readers will be there!

Buy tickets online at BeehiveBoston.com!

My 2011 Holiday Card

Photo by Mike Webb Photography

This year I made a very limited edition of holiday postcards that I sent out to the venues I work for and some other VIP people who have helped me in many ways in my burlesque career. I am sentimental this way. I remember every favor, act of kindness or generosity, and opportunity offered to me from others through the year. I thought about making these available for purchase on my web site but I just got too busy to set that up. Perhaps next year!

Another Uncensored Holiday Picture

Since there's only a week left to Christmas, here's another picture from my holiday shoot!

Uncensored Holiday Photo Shoot

Photo by Mike Webb Photography. More to come!

Goin' South!

I'm finally back in NYC after two trips back-to-back to Dallas, TX and to Charlotte, NC. From now til the beginning of February 2012 when I return to Dallas for the 4th Annual Dallas Burlesque Festival (I am in the Saturday night show at the House of Blues), I will be happily here in NYC putting a few things to bed and starting up a few new things for 2012. One of the things going to bed is my monthly Beatles Burlesque show at Public Assembly in Brooklyn. Next Monday, December 12 is our last and final blow out show! Many people have asked why I am stopping the show and I'm just going to put the rumours to rest right now. It had nothing to do with the venue. It was all my decision. A good actor knows when to exit. After almost two years of a riotous good time with the band and ALL the performers who have ever graced the show, it is time to end on a high note and pursue new opportunities without spreading myself too thin.

One of the new things I am going to be focusing on in 2012 is my dream show! I've finally created enough traction to gather the talent I have been wanting to work with and I have finally found the perfect home for this show. It will launch on Chinese New Year on Wednesday, January 25. Details of the show and location will be announced soon.

Now to recap. I went home to Texas for Thanksgiving and my brother Michael took my Michael to the gun range and they did boy things like shoot guns. I didn't go this time, because I went shopping with my mom and my aunt! My bro also took us for a little tour of a little town called Decatur where we stepped in the Wise County Heritage Museum to have a gander. I saw some cool Victorian things like an authentic hearse, a box containing a set of real unidentified human skeleton, and a much of old newspaper clippings in the upstairs Lost Battalion Room - a room dedicated "to those who lost their lives and those who survived as Japan's prisoners of war in World War II."

Victorian hearse donated by one of the local families

A clipping of Ann Miller

An ol' timey pictorial depicting Japanese torturing American G.I.s

When the elderly gentleman, acting as the museum guide, told us about the room and the tribute to the G.I.s who lost their lives to the Japanese, he made me feel suddenly very self-conscious. This is Texas after all. He sees two "orientals" and one whitey (what's the whitey doing with us? Lol) and I doubt he has any idea whether my bro and I were Chinese, Japanese or Korean. Luckily my brother was also on my wavelength and he being a big chatter off-handedly informed our tour guide that our grandfather fought the Japanese during WWII as well, just to ease everyone's unspoken questions.

I really liked the "downtown" of Decatur which was probably the size of two NYC blocks. But it was really quaint and had some old murals from a few decades ago.

I'm jumpin for joy at sun down!

We also went to the Forth Worth Stockyards where I found a fantastic bobcat pelt that I'm going to turn into a stole. I also saw some fucked up racist, anti-Obama shit at one store. Like these!

The sign says, "OBAMA: Fiddlin' around while thousands of small businesses are goin' down"

"Obama: Fishin' for answers and catchin' nothing!"

Oh, Texas.... I don't even know what to say.

Fort Worth Stockyards

I also performed in another one of Vivienne Vermouth's shows in Deep Ellum this time too. This show was called "Rockband Burlesque" where attendees signed up to play Rock Band while a performer danced to it. Again my brother rounded up his colleagues who rounded up their friends and there was a huge table of his friends and acquaintances at the show. Like last time, I made him leave when I performed. Ha!

In Deep Ellum

After Texas I went straight to Charlotte, NC for the 2nd Annual Southern Exposure Festival burlesque pageant. I wrote about my first time in Charlotte and the "pageant" experience  in more depth here. Needless to say, it was interesting. Here are a bunch of photos to give you an idea!

My friend Maggie filming a documentary about burlesque in which I am one of the featured performers and I stayed at an Econo Lodge off the side of a highway. This is the first room before we asked to change rooms.

See? That's the highway to the left! Outside of Upscale Bar & Grill

Damn good curry chicken and rice at Upscale

The Bishop of Burlesque David Bishop & I

Sneaking in a mini pecan pie from Amelie's at sound/tech check at the Visulite Theater

Selia Carmichael performing

Blaze the Red Rose of Texas won Queen!

The madness backstage right before curtain call and title announcement

Last year's King of Southern Exposure, Fonda Lingue from Atlanta. I love her!