Christmas In July At Joe's Pub With Three Lizas!

Last night, I got a break from the heat and checked out a new holiday-themed show called WE THREE LIZAS (pictured!) at Joe's Pub. I was there to write about it for Next Magazine's online blog THE NEXUS, which I contribute to sometimes.

The show, written by a former New Yorker Scott Bradley with music by Alan Schmuckler, was originally done by Chicago's About Face Theatre (where my good friend Andrew Volkoff is the Artistic Director) last Christmas and I hope that it will eventually make it here to NYC next Christmas. You can read my write-up for the show and my interview with Scott here. Happy Christmas in July! :)

Rawhide, Chelsea's Original Gay Bar, Closes After 34 Years

New York City is a place of constant change. But some changes are bigger than others. And this is a big one--after 34 years, the leather-n-Levi's gay bar Rawhide on 21st and 8th avenue has closed.

Last weekend was the last call, on Easter Eve, and I was there to write about the end of an era for NEXT magazine. My article is in this week's issue, out tomorrow, and you can read it online at the Nexus on the magazine's site.

Web Series THE OUTS Wraps It's First And Final Season

My favorite web series, Adam Goldman's (pictured center) THE OUTS wrapped up its first and unfortunately final season this week with a Chanukah special, which debuted on Easter Sunday. This super-sized seventh episode of the series is a lovely finishing touch to the show about two ex-boyfriends and their contentious relationship. It doesn't exactly tie things up but proves a very satisfying finale to this show which has more in common with well-made cable shows like GIRLS than the lower-rent feel of most web series.

Also, more than other Internet-based shows, THE OUTS has truly utilized the flexibility of this new format by using a wide-range of running times, from 7 minutes all the way up to the massive final one, clocking in at over 40 minutes.  It also employed some well placed time jumps and jumpbacks which made the story more interesting if it had been told straight through as most shows are.  

The final episode is linked below but if you haven't seen the rest, it might be a bit confusing  To catch up, you can watch all of THE OUTS on their website.

Two Articles This Week In The NY TIMES and NEXT Magazine

In an unusual confluence, two feature articles I've been working on for the past couple of months were published in the last two days. I wrote an article about the emergence and growing popularity of Boylesque for the NY TIMES style section, which appeared in Thursday's paper. And then I have a feature in NEXT magazine's "State of Drag" issue, about the sex and dating lives of drag queens. 

The TIMES piece came about as I've been a bit of a Boylesque fan-boy since attending Tigger's "Man-A-Tease" at the Coney Island Sideshow By The Seashore three summers ago. I think it's a fascinating twist to the whole neo-burlesque revival and really puts an unusual male spin on a traditionally female art form. My story in NEXT came about as they were searching for ideas for the state of drag issue. A friend of mine who has recently been performing in drag told me how it had greatly improved his sex life and that intrigued me.  Not enough to don drag but so much so that it got me to write about the dating lives of drag queens, something I feel is not discussed or heard about even. 

Anyway, hope you enjoy these stories as some weekend reading. And you can look for a couple more stories from me in the TIMES style section in the coming weeks.

A Fun Dance-y Video I Love By Walk The Moon

Last night, I went to check out Ben Lerman's Big Band Hot 100 last night at the Ace Hotel, a fun night of music when Ben and his band cover Billboard's top hits.  Most of them I knew but there was one catchy tune sung by the talented Marcos Sanchez that I didn't; "Anna Sun" by an alt-rock group called Walk The Moon.

Clearly, this band loves the 80s and thus I love them! Everything from the tune itself which is reminiscent of 80s college rock as well as the day-glo fashion....not to mention the hot dance moves.  Then there is also a hopefully intentional homage to Janet Jackson's "When I Think Of You" one shot video.  Anyway, it's a fun song that was apparently the song of summer 2011, according to Esquire magazine.  Somehow I missed that--but I am enjoying it just the same in 2012. Keep on rockin', WTM!

Behind The Scenes At Broadway Bares

Sunday night I got to check out Broadway Bares, the 22nd annual AIDS benefit where chorus boys and girls take the spotlight for one night and put on a bawdy burlesque. I'd seen the show a few times  but this year I had a unique perspective. I got access to cover the event backstage for NEXT magazine's nightlife blog, the Nexus, which I sometimes write for. Here's the link to the story and below are some additional pix that I took too.  It was a fun night and I'm still finding glitter on me! :)

 Splash's Musical Monday host Emily McNamara

Evil Queen Grasan Kingsberry

Pinnochio and Friend

A golden dude

A Short History Of Gay Code Over 100 Plus Years

I got a fun assignment for this year's NEXT magazine Pride Guide issue. I was asked to write about the history of gay signifiers and how they have changed and evolved over the years.  The simple act of wearing an earring in your left ear used to be "code" for identifying publicly but silently as gay. Now these sort of signifiers have little meaning as gay culture has changed so much, especially in the 21st century. So I took a breezy look at the code from Oscar Wilde to Abecrombie....and beyond. Check it out and have a great Pride month! :)

Local Comix Artist Goes On A Bar Scrawl

Bill Roundy is a writer/comix artist who also sometimes writes for NEXT magazine's online nightlife blog, The Nexus (as I do).  He also does a regular feature for the Brooklyn Paper called "Bar Scrawl" where he does a "draw-up" of a neighborhood boit in the BK with his thoughts on what he sees and hears when he checks out the joints. It's one of my favorite local features in the paper as it introduces me to new and noteworthy nightspots while also having having a sly sense of humor.

This weeks Bar Scrawl is great in that he captures a moment of New York realness--the unforutnately timed arrival of a NYC health inspector. Fortunately, it all turns out OK and the bar is not shut down.  But it's still a nice touch of reality in his drawings which I always enjoy. Check it out and maybe you'll be inspired to check out the actual bar! Happy weekend....

My Glam Night At The GLAAD Media Awards

Last weekend, I attended the 23rd Annual GLAAD Media Awards at the Marriott Marquis ballroom in Times Square. It was a very glamorous evening with lots of stars on hand too. I got to chat with Megan Hilty and Bernadette Peters from SMASH as well as Cheyenne Jackson from 30 ROCK and Carson Kressley. Carson, as usual, was hysterical and ended up being a winner too, accepting the award for Best Reality TV Series for his turn on DANCING WITH THE STARS.

Here's my report on the event that posted yesterday on NEXT magazine's nightlife blog, The Nexus. Check it out. And donate to GLAAD too...they are a wonderful group that does a lot to counter discrimination against LGBT people in all forms of the media.

Top 6 Worst Excuses By Gay Politicians

So it's been a pretty big summer for political sex scandals.  It started with DSK and the hotel maid back in May, then Anthony Weiner's weiner blowing up all over Twitter in June.  And now in August, when these sort of things tend to flourish, we have two very juicy gay sex scandals entangling two very conservative Republicans.  Quel surprise!

One is a Congressman from Indiana who hired a teenage male hooker from Craigslist, but then tried to say that this was some sort of political takedown he was trying to expose (?!). The other is a senator in Puerto Rico who was on Grindr with some very explicit photos which he claimed had been taken to document his recent weight loss. Oh Mary please!

I have an article out today about some of these summer '11 sex scandals as part of NEXT magazine's end-of-summer yearbook issue.  (It should post to their site this weekend.)  And over at New York magazine, the scandals have inspired them to compile a brilliant list of the top 6 worst excuses by gay politicians.  To mangle Shakespeare--these ladies doth protest waaaay too much.