Dorothy Dale Kloss is amazing! 85 and still going strong!

Watch the interview of the oldest “still performing showgirl”.

And read about the Palm Springs Follies:

They have enviably taut bodies, fitness levels that surpass most 20-year-olds and the unmistakable elan that comes only with vast experience.

The 16 ladies and gents possessing those laudable characteristics are the cast of the Fabulous Palm Springs Follies, an energetic troupe of California hoofers and singers who serve up potent three-hour matinee and evening performances as many as nine times a week.

Each of them is between the ages of 55 and 85; 13 are at least 65 years old.

Link: Full article from AARP

Thanks to Satan’s Angel for originally posting this!

BHoF 2009 Poster

Best Debut: Melody Mangler (Vancouver, B.C., )

Best Group: Nanda (Portland, OR and Port Townsend, WA)

Best Variety: Gigi & Pop (Brooklyn, NY)

Best Boylesque: Hot Toddy (Chicago, IL)

Reigning Queen of Burlesque 2009 (formerly Miss Exotic World): Kalani KoKonuts (Las Vegas, NV)

Reigning Queen First Runner Up: Roxy Dlite (Windsor, ON, Canada)

Reigning Queen Second Runner Up: Perle Noire (New Orleans, LA)

Burlesque Hall of Fame Legends Award: Satan’s Angel

Most Innovative: Arabella Trapeze (Brooklyn, NY) (Harvest Moon & Mr. Fantastic)

Most Classic: Knicker Kittens Burlesque Revue (Stockholm, Sweden)

Most Comical; Little Brooklyn (Brooklyn, NY)

Most Dazzling: Kalani KoKonuts (Las Vegas, NV)

Note: A few changes this year, including dropping the use of the “Miss Exotic World” title to now “Reigning Queen of Burlesque”, as well as the addition of a Burlesque Hall of Fame Legends Award. Results via World Famous *BOB*.

Great article on the Las Vegas Weekly about the VLV Rockabilly Weekender last weekend:

Viva las bailout: Rockabilly Weekend brings economic stimulus, real breasts, grease monkeys

The economy may be contracting—and with it Vegas’ convention business and my shoe budget—but interest in all things rockabilly is somehow inexplicably expanding. Funny thing is, it costs a fortune to be this retro!
Viva Burlesque

Word around the Bettie Page store Thursday was that so far, those that had checked in to the Orleans for the 12th annual Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend were quite pleased with the upgrade from the Gold Coast. After 11 years of loyalty to founder Tom Ingram’s wild Vegas weekends of jive lessons, car shows, burlesque competitions and nearly nonstop live performances, the music festival had swelled to about 6,500, beyond the Gold Coast’s capacity. Still, others are staying at the Gold Coast anyway, preferring to take the free shuttle and save their ducats for beaucoup Pabst Blue Ribbon and some fresh pomade. I think I personally funded a car company’s bailout.

But what this blog really cares about, is the burlesque. Right?

Finally, the lights dim. Last year’s burlesque-competition winner, Dizzy Von Damn, doffs her kit to a Tiki-esque ditty, after which the so-called stage kitten, Vegas’ Vi Vacious, and co-producer Renea le Roux (“The Southern Belle from Hell”) pick up the stripping detritus.

There are thin girls, thick girls, tan ones and pale ones, girls who waist-train with corsets and one who simply has no waist. But regardless of their personal style, they share the ability to draw our attentions to the slightest of details, like a wrist or an ankle and maybe—ooh!—a knee! “Subtle is sexy,” says co-producer Victoria Vengeance. For all the time they spent primping in the dressing rooms putting it on, it takes but a second for it all to land in a pile on the floor. Call it art mimicking life.
Burlesque Competition @ Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekend

The audience eats up every second of it. Not surprisingly, they very loudly show their preference for real breasts, real curves. Gals who can get their nipple tassels in a twirl are held up as goddesses among women. And just when Vegas had me thinking fake boobs were the end-all, be-all. Burlesque is a size-acceptance art.

In the end, Lucy Fur, the life-size Tiki doll, takes first place, with Vegas’ own Cha Cha Velour of the Babes in Sin burlesque troupe (and also a registered nurse) taking second.

Congratulations to Lucy Fur for winning this year’s competition! (I’ve got to see this Tiki Doll number one of these days.)

And congratulations to all the lovely ladies who competed, produced, and otherwise represented burlesque in a big way this past weekend!

Read the rest of the article, check out photos and video from Las Vegas Weekly.

I’ve been waaaaay behind on my burlesque news reading, and of course, blogging here, but I just had to share these recent articles– if you hadn’t read them yet. I’m especially happy not only because the articles are fairly well-written and approach burlesque as a legitimate topic, but for me it’s still pretty rare (and therefore a breath of fresh air) to read pieces that don’t go for the sensationalistic and ever-so-wrong “burlesque is back!” angle…

1) LAT: Burlesque era remains alive in hall of fame
- A wonderful overview on the history and current state of the Burlesque Hall of Fame (formerly known as the Exotic World Museum). And it’s got a couple of the most adorable photos!

2) North by Northwestern: Michelle L’amour shows that burlesque is more than just a strip tease
- An inspiring article on Michelle L’amour’s fairly new burlesque dance studio.

Michelle L’amour walks gracefully into the studio and begins directing warm-ups for her ‘Beginning/Intermediate Burlesque’ class. The former Miss Exotic World (2005) is Dita-esque in appearance, petite and pale with short, black hair and dark red lips, and she wears an ornate feather clip in her hair, shaped in an apropos heart. She swings her hips to the sultry beat, leading the girls in the “sexy walk” warm-up, and talks all the while, making splits and turns look effortless. The atmosphere in the studio is fun, playful and very comfortable, despite the blatant sex appeal.

3) BroadwayWorld.com: Burlesque Theatre Open[ed] 3/13 At The Denver Civic Theater

For the first time since the 1930′s a theatre is being built specifically to house burlesque, headed up by Reyna Von Vett of last fall’s acclaimed Leadville or Bust– a playful romp through 1880′s burlesque (Reyna played Tanya for 2 years in the Las Vegas company of Mamma Mia!) and Michelle Baldwin, a.k.a. Vivienne VaVoom, the Mother of Neo-Burlesque in Denver and creator of one of the first neo-burlesque troupes in the U.S., Burlesque As It Was. Converting the space recently known as the Black Box Cabaret in the Denver Civic Theatre ( 721 Santa Fe Dr. , Denver ), Von Vett and Baldwin aim to bring burlesque back while playing homage to the great tradition of burlesque that began in the late 1800′s and all but disappeared in the 1960′s.

While it seems ‘crazy’ to start up a theatre in this economy, Von Vett and Baldwin point to the Great Depression and how burlesque was the one form of live entertainment that survived and thrived, even moving into the Times Square theatre district of New York when ‘legitimate’ theatres closed their shows.

… In other (non-)news, I’ve recently been in touch with a couple of local media reps who expressed interest in interviewing me for their own “burlesque is back” news pieces. There was even talk of doing a video segment of a demo Burlesque Boot Camp class. Alas, I think the ball’s been dropped somewhere, as I no longer hear back from them. We’ll see…

1) Dita Von Teese returns to the Crazy Horse in Paris.

From Reuters:

“I feel that Paris is a place that still appreciates its showgirls,” she told Reuters in an interview before a two-week run at the celebrated Crazy Horse theater from February 1.

…
Two years ago she emerged from a rhinestone-encrusted bubblebath as the first guest star at the Crazy Horse but the new show will have more specially designed numbers, including two songs she has recorded herself.

“I feel I have to raise the bar,” she said.

…
“I wanted to do something more elaborate this time,” she said. “Combine the Crazy Horse style with what I do which is classic American burlesque.”

2) Pinups remixed: Folk and Horror

Folk singers bare it all for a pinup calendar aimed at raising funds for health insurance. From Philadelphia Inquirer:

This year, after a year’s hiatus, marks Toohey’s return to making Naked Folk calendars aimed at funding health insurance for self-employed musicians through the Folk Alliance, a Memphis nonprofit.

…
Louis Meyers, executive director of the Folk Alliance, praised the calendars. One of his favorite shots in the 2009 lineup spotlights singer and songwriter Jim Photoglo (March). The veteran performer is usually rather reserved. Yet there he stands, in nothing but an apron and chef’s hat in his kitchen as he croons into a soup ladle.

“It’s the one that makes me laugh the hardest,” Meyers said.

Besides the chuckles, Meyers said the calendar – the latest is replete with notable folk history dates and festival schedules – can help expose the public to the breadth of talent embodied in folk music. It’s not just “old guys with banjos around campfires,” he said. “It is so much more. . . . It’s become the adult alternative.”

GhoulGirls.com puts a sexy, pinup girl twist to favorite horror icons. From an interview at HorrorYearbook:

HYB: What’s the one thing that you feel sets Ghoul Girls apart from other pin-up style sites?

CM: Well we aren’t gore porn or strictly pin-up we are tease and horror. What sets us apart from all others is that the style we shoot has never really been done on a large scale like Ghoul Girls before. Sure you have other sites with hot women dumping blood on each other, but it just seems to repetitive. Ghoul Girls has a theme with the gore and a theme with the classics. I mean, recently we started dumping a lot of blood on our models, but it goes without saying that your looking at the models and not just the blood.

[Ed: Photo from HorrorYearbook]

3) Minsky’s premiered last night at LA’s Ahmanson Theatre, officially running from February 6 to March 1 before it moves on to Broadway. From Playbill News:

Tony Award nominee Christopher Fitzgerald, the original Igor of Young Frankenstein, plays the title role, the proprietor of the famed Manhattan burlesque palace(s) where Gypsy Rose Lee and others tantalized crowds, and where comics told off-color jokes between strip teases. The content of the Jazz Age and Depression-era shows often prompted the cops to raid the theatres.

This new, original musical is not based on the film “The Night They Raided Minsky’s,” though the project began that way years ago. The libretto is by Tony Award winner Bob Martin (co-author of The Drowsy Chaperone), and songs are by Tony-winning composer Charles Strouse and lyricist Susan Birkenhead.

Link: Center Theatre Group

4) Milwaukee dancer Kelly Anderson pays homage to burlesque’s essential costume/prop with a modern dance concert, “The Bra Project”. From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Anderson, 30, a thoroughly modern, independent woman, thinks it’s not only OK but also frequently hilarious to be sexy. “The Bra Project” has its serious moments, including testimony from breast cancer survivors. But mostly it is sketch comedy in dance form.

“I used to be angry – ooh, we’re objects!” she said. “But now I’m ready to embrace and enjoy it. It’s human nature. It’s the beauty in the beast. As dancers, we embrace our bodies, and today in modern dance, that means all types of bodies.

“There is so much intimacy to a bra, and it has so much to do with body image. Costuming is a significant part of dancing, and I love costuming. If you’re going to have a striptease, you just have to have feathers. You have to know how those feathers feel to get the movement right.”

Striptease is a theme in and an influence on “The Bra Project.” Anderson became fascinated with the New Burlesque movement when she lived in New York, where a younger generation of women has brought new techniques, humor and irony to the age-old, titillating art of clothing removal.

1. Jaunted.com and The Press Association report that former Spice Girl Mel B. will be heading her own burlesque show in Vegas in March.

From The Press Association, Mel B says:

“It’s a burlesque, singing, dancing show. I’m scared actually now, come to think of it. A whole show by myself. But it will be fun.”

According to the official press release, starting in March, “PEEPSHOW is a modern burlesque show created specifically for the dynamic, glamorous audience that exists only in the adult playground of Las Vegas. A highly stylized, full-throttle production show that combines sexy striptease and celebrity with high-level production values and a dash of passion, PEEPSHOW is a collaboration between Tony award-winning director/choreographer Jerry Mitchell and Las Vegas entertainment pacesetter BASE Entertainment.”

The show will also feature Kelly Monaco (of “Dancing With the Stars” and “General Hospital” fame), as well as 20 more dancers and an all-female band.

Link

2. Las Vegas Weekly and LAT blog report that porn star Tera Patrick has plans of her own to open a burlesque show in Vegas.

Looks like details are still on the hush, but the confident Tera Patrick says:

“I’m moving away from porn and shopping for a new home for the burlesque show we have created. I’m even working with two professional dancers who star with Bette Midler nightly at The Colosseum in Caesars Palace! It’s an extension of what I did when I danced at Ivan Kane’s 40 Deuce club at Mandalay Bay. We’ve done a sexy surprise sneak peek to hint at what I’m bringing to Vegas, and everybody is amazed by it. We know there are other topless cabaret shows in Vegas, and we’re not knocking them. We’re so different. We can’t be accused of being copy-cats, but there will surely be people copying us when they see us.”

Will be interesting, for sure.

3. The Journal News reports that the lawsuit over some “lost” photos from Marilyn Monroe’s final photo session with Bert Stern (“The Last Sitting”) was finally settled.

The litigation started when celebrity photographer Bert Stern, 78, who shot Marilyn Monroe nearly nude in a famous session just weeks before her death in 1962, found out that two northern Westchester photographers, Don Penny and Michael Weiss, were in possession of nine of the photographs and wouldn’t turn them over. He sued them to regain possession, and they countersued. The out-of-court deal announced this week ends the litigation and sets up a deal for all of them to earn profits from the lost photos of the Hollywood icon.

…
The old photos were found on the street in the 1970s not far from Stern’s former studio. The man who discovered them, Robert Bryan, a colleague of Penny and Weiss, kept them in a shoebox for 35 years. Bryan is also a party to the settlement.
…
The pictures were taken at the Bel-Air Hotel in July 1962, six weeks before Monroe’s death of a drug overdose. Two of the photos were marked by Monroe herself as her preferences for publication.

4. OK, in real burlesque news…

Worldwide entertainer and burlesque emcee (and the most adorable pianist EVAR), Kitten on the Keys, is finally putting on her very own one-woman show!

The production, “Does This Piano Make My Ass Look Big?”, is set to premiere in late March at Mama Calizo’s Voice Factory in San Francisco. More details to come soon.

In the meantime, there is a benefit show to raise funds for the production, on February 15th in SF. Living Legend Satan’s Angel is slated to perform, as well as a venerable who’s who of the SF scene.

From the listing:

Save the Date!
Valentine’s Weekend! Set your heart on FIRE!

2/15/09 Legendary Burlesque Queen
SATAN’s Angel LIVE in San Francisco!

Mama Calizo’s Voice Factory
Epi Center for Queer and Activist Performance
11th and Mission

Early Show 6:30-9:30

EVENT
Fundraiser for Artist in Residence avante musical: Does This Piano
Make My Ass Look Big?
by Suzanne Ramsey aka Kitten on the Keys late March 2009 Back Alley
Sally Cabaret theater

Starring:
Satans Angel
Scenic Sisters Sid Scenic herself!
Vinsantos
Lady Monster
Diamond Daggers
Honey Lawless
Dottie Lux
Lady Satan
Very Frightening Mr Tinkler
Kitten on the Keys
and MANY more TBA!

Promised Silent Auctions Items and Donations/Grants:
Holiday O’Hara
Sisters Of Perpetual Indulgence
Tushell Bad Attitude Boutique
Tracy from the Devilettes Soaps and Lip Glosses
Augusta from It’s a Chick

Lily Cat Melinda Stage Goddess and MUCH MORE!
Lily le Rouge

PLEASE note Satan’s Angel will be selling 8 X 10′s and memorabila at
this event!

Go Kitten!

Online voting opened on January 1st for this year’s Viva Las Vegas Burlesque Competition.

This year they’ve begun to require YouTube videos, so we can get a sense of these gorgeous gals in action. Make sure to vote for your favorite! Only the top six will bump n’ grind it out on the VLV stage.

OH-EM-GEE!

Catherine D’Lish, gorgeous queen of burlesque and costumier to Dita Von Teese, is selling some of her uber-fabulous costumes on eBay!

Listed items range from accessories such as rhinestone-studded gloves to full costume sets with all the pieces to 5 foot tall butterfly wings!

Bid now or forever drool, like I’m doing…