"The Pink Room: Twin Peaks Burlesque" Tomorrow Night!

I am SO excited about tomorrow night's "The Pink Room" the Twin Peaks Burlesque show that Franny Fluffer is producing! It's her first show and it's going to be awesome! I can't wait to debut my dress for her show cause I made it in one day while juggling a crazy 15 hour blow-my-brains-out design deadline for my day time job. I am forcing myself not to post pictures of it cause I want you to come to the show tomorrow night to see the amazing line-up! It's at Parkside Lounge at 9:30pm and it's hosted by the one-and-only Bastard Keith as "Agent Keith". I can't think of anyone else more appropriate to host the show other than maybe Abe dressed up as Log Lady. LOL. I WILL post pictures after tomorrow's show, I promise.

Here are some racier pictures from the final "Spreading the Curtains" show at Coco de Mer this last Saturday. I did not post these on Facebook cause they deleted the ones of me and Gal Friday with hats within 24 hours. The show photos were taken by Paul Ferris who was a pleasure to work with and super fast about uploading the images!

I don't know who she was but she is so pretty!

Me and Katie who will be gogo-ing at the Beatles 1 Year Anniversary show on March 14!

The "burlesque baker" The Naughty Housewife and Broadway Brassy. I met them both when I kittened for Brassy at "Last Call at the Starliner Lounge" at Corio way back when. They are both now two of my closest friends.

Room 69 @ Hotel Chantelle

I keep saying I am not going to produce or start a new show but I just couldn't say NO to Hotel Chantelle! This place is absolutely GORGEOUS inside w/a vintage-inspired Parisienne wallpaper that's very Art Nouveau, big tall red leather banquettes (watch out stilettos!), a beautiful curved bar and delicious tasting and sounding cocktails such as "The Bramble" and "The Whiskey Tango." PLUS - the real bonus is that it's close to my house which also makes me happy cause it saves on transportation cost to and from. The flyer is below. As you can see, the line-up is pretty fucking killer. I am stoked to work with these ladies all under one tin-stamped roof. The show is free and there will be specialty $8 cocktails available during the show. Charlie Gunn will be our kitten and I'm excited to work with her. She is new to the scene and it's always great to meet new burlesquers. PS: for those who don't know the term "Blind Tiger Hour" its an old term for "speakeasy". I hate "happy hour" - it makes me think of boring guys in suits from Wall Street.

Room 69: The Hotel Chantelle Way

Someone Please Tell Me Why I Have This Recurring Dream

Waah, Waah

The other morning I woke up crying because I had the same dream again. In the dream, Michael and I got into a fight or something and he moved out. Then I heard through friends that he hooked up with another girl already and I was heartbroken. I felt SO sad in the dream and overwhelmed with this feeling of DOOM, a distinct feeling that "happiness" was over, and I couldn't believe that happiness was over!! And I thought to myself (in the dream) that I couldn't possibly do Beatles Burlesque the next day knowing that he was going to be there and still try to be fun and energetic as the hostess. And I also remembered that we were supposed to go to Paris for a week and I didn't know what I was going to do with the plane ticket and hotel reservation, all already paid for. So I started to call Brassy to tell her about what happened and that I couldn't do the show - that was when I woke up crying and etc.

Here's the rub. I've had this same kind of dream for as long as I can remember with every boyfriend. It's always the same scenario. A betrayal, a truth revealed, or a change in affection towards me. None of the boyfriends I've had cheated on me (that I know of, at least, ha ha), nor are my parents divorced or dysfunctional. Chinese families are typically pretty nuclear, supportive and normal. So I have no idea why I always have this same kind of dreams. Even with the kindest, nicest, most "do-right" boyfriends, I still had the same dream. The only thing I can think of is maybe this is my subconscious mind's way to dealing with my "trust issues" - I say that with quotes because it's so stupid and such a cliche phrase a quick-fix answer to a more interesting analysis. It's almost as bad as saying, "intimacy issues" - it just sounds like something out of Sex in the City! Anyway, when I wake up I always feel enormous relief that none of it was real. And nobody hurt anyone. Maybe my brain is trying to tell me that I shouldn't anticipate for the worst all the time?

Any budding dream psychiatrists out there?

I Showed My Vag

This month marks the one year anniversary of when I decided to stick all of my head (and all my bountiful hair) into the world of burlesque. I mark the date as the day I started kittening and the day I debuted at The Slipper Room in Jo's Beginning burlesque student showcase show. That was April 25th, 2009 - I believe. I had a three-way party after the debut and remember trekking over to Williamsburg immediately afterwards.

I have not stopped to do all that reflection bullshit on how much I've accomplished. I feel that is way too self-congratulatory right now to do. If I want to feel self-congratulatory, I'll just do a heap of cocaine on a night off. But - having said that - I will take this moment to self congratulate myself on the badass awesomeness that was Beatles Burlesque on Monday night!

To date, this was my best. I mean as a creator, producer, and hostess. I did not perform in the inaugural show because I had my hands and head full of a million other details of getting the band rehearsal time, coordinating who is doing what number, promotion, and running two other shows and a bunch of other secret pursuits I'm on. And of course, the night of the show I had to start a new day time job at a new agency which in hindsight was a blessing in disguise cause I was forced to think about something else all day instead of micromanaging and obsessing. I was really tired having to go straight from work to Public Assembly for sound check, but nothing a shot of whiskey can't fix.

The energy was tremendous from the minute I got there. Honi was setting up her elaborate setup for Blackbird, the boys in the band looked so great in their first set outfits: black suit jacket, white shirt, and skinny black tie. The gogo dancers looked fantastic in their fringey outfits. I love it when the visuals come together and its one big spectacle. My MC outfit was a big fro with a little silver thing with lots of silver fringe and white gogo knee boots with my old raver days white fur bootie covers. Yes, I used to go to raves... glow sticks and mini backpacks and all... sad days.

We started on time and opened the show with 2 songs by Ticket to Ride. I was also really excited for Brassy cause this is the first show I've done with her where she is providing the lead vocals on all the songs. I kept asking her if the sets were too long but she rocked it out. It was fucking amazing to hear her with a live band doing rock versions of Beatles. The performers really brought it - there's something about a live band that changes the experience of burlesque. I booked these girls specifically because they all have had lots of experience working with a live band. They can roll with it, improv, and don't need to adhere to a strict sound cue system. The band improvised on many songs and some songs were shortened and extended or had solo drums for instance. The band, the singer, and the performer - they are an organism on stage all working off of each other. As much as I would love to book new performers, this show is not a beginner showcase. I am consideromg adding one sacrificial lamb to be in the show. (Applications and concept proposals welcome! Send it to calamity@foxfatale.com)

A live band really adds to a show, I have to say. But it can be a delicate balance cause you don't want to feel like the band is competing with the dancers and vice versa. I think this time the format was successful because the band played some songs solo without dancers. Stormy Leather did a reverse strip to Sexy Sadie and she did a pretty fucking awesome piece to Revolution complete with a gas mask and a smoke bomb that was *this close* to lighting the curtain on fire. Gal Friday was absolutely gorgeous and delicate and sublime in this pink gown (that she made herself might I add) to Dear Prudence and then she was a black clad, flame haired VAMP for Helter Skelter. Honi's Drive My Car was so hilarious and the audience loved her stage set ups. Madame Rosebud did two crazy acts both of which ended with her doing something nasty to Brassy. I told her (Rosebud) backstage that her performances always veer on the edge of complete abandonment which is transfixing and why she has a signature mark and is so in demand. We talked some more about performativity as I counted out the tip hat. In the end, Brassy closed with "Let It Be" - so beautiful the way they played it and the way she sang it. Oh yes and I flashed my vag at curtain call. I felt like I teased and provoked all night and didn't perform so that was the least I could contribute to humanity - my vag show. The audience was amazing. The energy was so high. I think we all felt high the next day too. Luma Rouge attended and illustrated the show, prints available for purchase. Juliet Jeske blogged about the show. Stay tuned for Burlesque Magazine's review of the show, and Melody Mudd's slideshow for Cultural Capital!

For next month's show on May 10, I will be doing a "Yoko" spoken word performance piece and close with an act. Plus a projected slideshow! woo! The band and Brassy stays. The performer line up may vary and the song list will vary. But here's the set list from Monday for those who are curious:

Ticket to Ride
I Saw Her Standing There
Sexy Sadie
Dear Prudence
Happiness is a Warm Gun
Mean Mr. Muster
Drive My Car
Daytripper
I Me Mine
Blackbird
Revolution
Eleanor Rigby
Helter Skelter
Why Don't We Do It in the Road
Let It Be

Beatles Burlesque April 12, 2010

My mind is all about the "Beatles Burlesque" show coming up in a couple of weeks! The band, Ticket to Ride, have been rehearsing and holy crap they sound so rock and so amazing. Honi came by yesterday to rehearse her song too. The gogo dancers are planning the costumes, the flyer is done, the web site done, the line up is settled, press has been contacted. It's all coming together so well.

I'm a happy camper for sho. Happy everyone is having a good time prepping and enthusiastic and if I can buy pizza to keep the boys fueled, I do. Matt had the idea of shooting the band picture in a Chinese take out restaurant being that this is a "Calamity Chang" production and all - I love it. It's kitschy and very much in the spirit of burlesque. The boys look yummy. I would want to sleep with them if I saw them play especially the one on the left. (I wrote that cause I know you are reading this, you know who you are!)


TICKET TO RIDE!

I'm also very happy to report that Honi Harlow has asked me to be a regular at her monthly show "Harlow's Hideaway" at Fontana's on Eldridge Street! This is my first regular gig outside of my own shows and I'm fuckin thrilled!!! You have no idea how nice it feels sometimes to just go and do an act and enjoy a show, and not be the producer, the MC, the one that has to keep time and keep things together. Now the first Mondays of every month will be my un-manic Mondays! I also love this opportunity because Fontana's is walking distance so that saves me cab fare.

Last Night's Show @ Public Assembly

Was tremendous!!! I was nervous because it was a new venue and a MUCH larger venue with a real stage waaaay up there. Although I've performed many times here on my own and knew the space, it was a whole other monster hosting the entire show and running 12 acts. I really felt grateful having Brassy there because our bantering on stage took some of the pressure off of me during the first set. The lights are quite bright at PA and I couldn't see anyone in the audience. I feed off primarily from the audience, on their body language, their response, and I was thrown off a bit because it was just a dark mass out there except for the table of girls in the front from Georgia who were boisterous and burlesque virgins. Having a real sound booth and Jesus working the sound booth was SUCH a luxury and being able to hear the guitar the way it's SUPPOSED to sound like during Michael's duets with Brassy (House of the Rising Sun, Magic Man) made me so happy. I ran the show in 2 big sets of 6 acts plus a drinking game and a mini-gogo song dance where I poured Bud Light all over myself. I got positive feedback and I can't wait for next month when I do "Beatles Burlesque" with a live band! I am casting and finalizing the songs. I'm happy to announce that so far the line-up includes Honi Harlow, Madame Rosebud, and Broadway Brassy.

Rebecca

The other day I googled an ex-boyfriend from college. I was with him for 4 years, when really it should have just been 2 years. But I was young and didn't know any better and it was college so it dragged on much longer than it should have. I blame my own cowardice for not breaking up sooner and dragging him on. Anyway, so I googled him because boredom at work leads to googling ex-boyfriends. Just kidding. I am generally not curious about exes. I have no interest in the past and what they are up to now. I have self-imposed amnesia.

There wasn't too much about him online. But the one thing that showed up is his very recent wedding registry. And his bride-to-be is a friend of mine from college! I was surprised that they ended up together, but also not surprised. I always thought he liked her or at least thought she was "cute" - believe me, women know these things even if we act like we don't care or know. It all made sense now. Why her Facebook page had so limited information and pictures. Why she un-Facebook friended me. It wasn't like we were best friends or anything, we were closer in college, but I didn't really stay in touch with her so it's not like I'm devastated or anything. It's barely a blip on my radar, perhaps a good story to blog about. Like what I'm doing now.

It did make me feel better that he found someone else. The breakup was a big snotty-covered mess. On his part. Emotionally I had fallen out of love with him years ago but never did anything about it. He thought we were going to spend the rest of our lives together. etc etc. I find it curious that she has cut off connections from me, and didn't tell me that she and him found each other when we first re-connected via Facebook a couple years ago. Did she think I would care or think it was a betrayal of a friendship that was threadbare to begin with? Maybe she felt like she was living under my shadow and rather just ignore the past? (She is also Chinese). Maybe he put a kibosh on any connection or knowledge of my existence which is most likely the case.

Like Rebecca, I linger like a scent. "And then, when one wanted it, the bottle could be uncorked, and it would be like having the moment all over again."

Mwa Ha ha!!!

Tonight, Dim Sum Burlesque is going to Public Assembly!! I am SO excited to work a bigger room on a real proper stage! I have 13 acts that's a hella lot with Gigi Lafemme, Lil Steph, Dame Cuchifrita, Broadway Brassy will do songs with Michael on guitar, and myself. Chow Bar is also selling spicy korean noodles for $5-7. Booze, boobs, and food - how can tonight be the opposite of fun??? Doors at 9 pm, show at 10 pm. $10 cover!

Boredom at Work Leads to Buying New Shoes

That's whats been going on today. My co-worker went to the gym and I was tempted to go by H&M, Forever 21, and Sephora. But instead I just went downstairs and "took a look" at the random nameless store next door. Twenty minutes later, I emerged with 2 pairs of new shoes. I justified the purchase by saying to myself that these can be worn with "normal" clothes and not just for burlesque. It's true! I can replace the old silver shoes that I wear with the black fan dance with these new taller ones. The crimson ones I can wear either with the red fan dance or with the new number I'm working on or MC-ing - or I'll just wear those around the house making pasta!

We are finally back at Nurse Bettie. The damn snow has cancelled the show twice! I'm excited about tonight because Hazel Honeysuckle is going to do her 5th Element Lilo number (I saw some photos of this number and goddamn she looks hot in bandages!), my friend Ginger Brown is going to do a pretty nasty number based on the song choice I heard, Runaround Sue is coming as well but I have no idea what act she's doing although I love the song (no spoilers here), I'm going to do my Brett Michaels tribute, and Brassy is going to provide us with some classic rock! I would totally go on Rock of Love if he wasn't looking so plastic-y and I was desperate with children out of wedlock and didn't have a job or a marketable skill - okay basically I would never go on the show is essentially what I'm saying.

Show is at 10 PM at Nurse Bettie, now 3 blocks even closer to my house! No cover. Gonna be so fun!!

Nurse Bettie Tonight!

I am so excited about tonight's show at Nurse Bettie because I have 2 new games to play on the unsuspecting sausage festival. He he. They are really quite brilliant games that I concocted in my depraved and deviant mind. All I told Brassy is to "wear gloves" for tonight. Haha. She will be doing Magic Man with Michael accompanying her on electric guitar. I have Lil Miss Lixx - who I adore - she is a tall blonde drink of brazen fierceness. Bird of Paradise is doing "Last Girl on Earth", Nikkita Lemarcelle is bringing the classy element to this show, Rosabelle Selavy - that hot mess - will be gogo-ing and doing a special bondage act. Lastly, I'm going to do my favorite number (of the month) to close the show. It's going to be great! I love that bar, Stephen the owner who is so playful and silly and make us all feel very appreciated as performers, and last I heard, he's supposed to make a special cocktail named "Calamity Chang" just for me. :)


The show is at 10 PM. No cover (for a few more weeks!). Nurse Bettie is at 106 Norfolk Street.

Best Valentine's Day

The "Eat, Drink, Woman, Tiger" show this Sunday was stupendous. The show ended up feeling like a girls-gone-wild bachelorette party, and nothing mooshy or Valentiney at all! There were 3 big tables of all girls coming out for dinner and a show on Valentine's Day. I talked to many of them afterwards (as I always do after all my shows like a Chinese wedding), and they were the coolest girls and all very pretty and glammed up. There were a few other smaller tables of couples but the single girl tables were where all the interaction was at. Madame Rosebud was clearly the crowd favorite. She did a brand new act as an homage to women who fantasize about women, and she gave flowers away and kissed one of the girls in the front. Bastard Keith was there too hanging out with us downstairs and being a cool guy all around. Jesse Luttrell (who runs the Bawdy Vaudeville off-broadway show at the Triad Theater) was also a fav with the ladies. His song Pour Me a Man is so hysterical that even the straight guys laughed half way through the song. He really is a pleasure to watch and hear. And hello? Who brought down the house? Brassy! She did 2 new songs - Feel Like Making Love and My Funny Valentine - both with Michael on acoustic guitar. It gave me chills down my neck hearing her hold out those 2 really long notes.

So we are full speed ahead for the rest of the month! I will post the line-up in a couple of days. In the meantime, make sure you order tickets in advance!

Tonight & Sunday SuperBowl Shows

You know how sometimes if you drink too much coffee your stomach gets all tight and you feel like you have to take a poop (but you don't really)? That's how I feel right now sitting at work but thinking about tonight's show at Nurse Bettie and about Sunday's show with Runaround Sue's SugarShackBurlesque at Galapagos in DUMBO. I'm doing 2 acts in the pre-game party starting at 3 PM with the Peculiar Gentlemen. Kick-off is at 630 PM projection on the 50ft. screen! I'm NOT a sports fan but given the context of the art space, I can perhaps enjoy it ironically. IF there are chicken wings for me! I also decided that I want to do more metal/hair metal acts with Brassy and Michael (we still have yet to come up with a clever name for the 3 of us. Suggestions welcome!) so I've started working on Metallica's "Enter Sandman".

Speaking of Metallica, I remember going to the One concert when I lived in Texas. I was a junior in high school and as a part time job I was working with my girl friends in telemarketing (since we talked so much on the phone we thought it would be an easy job - we were wrong. haha.). There was this older guy working there and he was a total metal head with long hair. I thought he was cute cuz of the hair and he was older. HOT! He asked me to go see Metallica and I said yes. We smoked a joint on the lawn and made out like bandits then went back to his house and then things went waa waa waaa... He still lived at home with his parents! I was not going to have sex with an older guy who was still living home with his folks! Standards, people! After making out some more, I put on the brakes and said, "Drive me home." That was that. I never saw him again.

Anyway - so back to my AWESOME life here in NYC. More info on Sunday's pre-game show!
Don't have a TV? Love Chicken Wings & Sliders? Haven't watched Football all year but love to PARTY!?! Then come on down to Galapagos for a Pre-Game Party and watch the Superbowl with theater style projections.

Sunday, February 7th
DOORS: 3:00PM | SHOW: 3:30PM
KICK-OFF: 6:30PM
Tickets: $5.00
Tickets Available at the door.

Sugar Shack Burlesque & Brooklyn's Peculiar Gentlemen will be hosting a Pre-Game get together with superstar DJ jenNYork from Bar 13, Apotheke, Mile High Crew at Piano's

Spend the afternoon with Galapagos for Football, Burlesque, Live Music & Beer Specials!

Poison's "Talk Dirty to Me"

Last weekend at The Floating Kabarett at Galapagos (my favorite place to perform!), I brought back a number that I've been very fond of but have not had the opportunity to do often (stage size). I debuted it last June at Femme Appeal's Kitty Night's to a very positive reception. That was the only act Femme has ever seen me do and based on this act, she recommended me to another producer which led me to develop my Patsy Cline "Your Cheatin Heart" act. I absolutely love doing "Talk Dirty to Me" because it's so high energy and the choreography is very active. Unlike my fan dances which are languorous and melancholic, "Talk Dirty" is ALL ABOUT THE DANCING!

This time I invited Brassy to sing it live and Michael to play electric while I did my dance! The concept, very quickly, involves playing with the stereotype of Asians being really smart at school and general goodie-goodies. I come out dressed in a private school girl outfit (magenta sweater with letters, striped tie, plaid skirt, converse sneakers). In my hand I'm holding 5 composition books that have different messages on them. Since Galapagos has the huge screen that I can use, I made a slide projection of each message to match as I am showing them to the audience. They say, "Straight A Student", "Really Good at Math," "Perfect SAT Score" etc. etc. It's a riff on those chain emails that were popular a while back called, "99 Reasons You Know You Are Asian" and it includes things such as, "Your parents ask you why you didn't bring home a test score of 100 instead of 99" and "Your parents use the dishwasher to store dishes instead of washing dishes" - etc etc. I don't want to give away the whole act cause I want you to come see it, but basically the act is about rebelling against those things.

The act was made even stronger with live music. We all went to Beacon's Closet and found stuff to wear that tied us together visually. Michael had on a similar stripey tie that I wore and Brassy wore the same magenta color in her skirt and flower. We really rocked it out. The way Brassy sang it with all her usual sassy improved commentary and with Michael looking every bit like the rock star, I was INSPIRED. The knee pads helped too. Lucky for me, we get to do it again Monday night at House of Sugar's Monday Night Burlesque at Public Assembly! Come check us out! 10 PM.

This Sunday's 1/17/2010 line-up

Guest Star Broadway Brassy rocks out with guest guitarist Michael Webb with burlesque performances by Dame CuchiFrita, Ruby Valentine, Calamity Chang, and our weekly sacrificial lamb - boylesquer Stanki Sex! No cover or table/drink minimum during this January Customer Appreciation month. Show starts at 9 PM.

Chef Peter has a few weekend specials such as homemade oat bread with a tasty twisted version of a kickin' Monte Cristo - It's spread with green olive tapenade, layered with buffalo mozzarella and holy basil, dipped in egg then panko, panfried with olive oil til crisp and delicious, served with some duck salami and paired with one of our wines by the glass. We are also simmering up a Hot and Sour Miso soup with soba noodles, sesame, tofu and hijiki seaweed. Call Chow Bar to make a seating reservation. 212.633.2212. First come, first dim sum!