First and best news (though last on the calendar) is the fact that we’re finally debuting FISHNET FOLLIES in the SF Bay Area!

MONDAY, MARCH 22
FISHNET FOLLIES Takes Over Uptown Hubba!

For this special night, we are extremely excited to present our special guests, all the way from Japan!

International burlesque starlet: VIOLET EVA of Murasaki Baby Doll
Jazz/cabaret sensation: MAKI RINKA

Plus:
Vienna La Rouge
Pin Key Lee
Mynx d’ Meanor
The Indra
Flame Cynders

MONDAY, MARCH 22
The Uptown Club
1928 Telegraph Avenue
Oakland, CA
Doors 9PM / $5 / 21+

http://www.fishnetfollies.com

But before THE BIG SHOW, you’ll see me in just about everyone else’s to promote Fishnet Follies and see as many of you as possible!

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 10
Barbary Coast Burlesque at SFSU!
The Depot/Cesar Chavez Student Center, SF
Show at 5PM / Free to students

THURSDAY, MARCH 11
Little Minsky’s
Club Deluxe, SF
Show at 10PM / $5 / 21+

FRIDAY, MARCH 12
Von Gutenberg Fetish & Burlesque Night
DNA Lounge, SF
Doors at 9PM / $35 / 21+
http://www.vongutenbergfetishball.com/

FRIDAY, MARCH 19
Hubba Hubba Revue: AWARDS SHOW!
DNA Lounge, SF
Doors at 9PM / $15 / 21+
http://www.hubbahubbarevue.com/

MONDAY, MARCH 22
FISHNET FOLLIES Takes Over Uptown Hubba!
The Uptown Club
Oakland, CA
Doors 9PM / $5 / 21+

See you from the stage!

WELCOME TO NEW YORK

You Won’t Be a Stranger For Long

By Betsy Holland Gehman

1.  In the beginning

On my second day in New York in late August of 1949 I took my first solo flight on the Subway.   My roommate Jill Kraft, born in New York, put me on the IRT train and left the rest to fate.  She’d already instructed me to get off at the Times Square station and walk north to 43rd Street where I would have my first Broadway interview with Louis Schurr, the famous agent.

If he decided I showed any possibilities, Jill assured me, he’d send me on to meet some producer or casting director…or maybe I’d be sent straight over to audition for one of the many Broadway shows now holding auditions for the upcoming season.  She also thought it important for me to know he was once upon a long time ago the agent of record for huge stars like Ethel Merman, Bert Lahr and Bob Hope — which only made me more nervous about my own qualifications for stardom.  Jill explained all that to me as she rushed to get ready for her acting class with Stella Adler.

My trip from West 72^nd Street down to 42^nd took mere minutes.  I climbed up a couple of flights of stairs and found myself on a traffic island in front of the famous New York Times Tower where the ball was dropped every New Year’s Eve.  Traffic, heading in two directions, roared by while crowds of people waited for the lights to change so they could race across either Seventh Avenue on one side of this traffic island or Broadway on the other side.

With rain threatening and thick clouds overhead, I had no idea which way was east, west, north or south; nor which direction was uptown or downtown.

Then I spotted a policemen – a tall, good-looking young policeman.

“Pardon me, officer,” I said in my rarely-used perky ingenue voice.  “Do you know where 43rd Street is?”

He responded with one of those legendary Irish smiles and looking down at me said with complete confidence, “Yes, I do.”

In the long silence that followed I waited for the man in blue to continue.   My own suddenly less certain smile began to crumple; his smile was as fresh as the moment it was born.   Maybe fresher.

Finally, as the light bulb slowly lit up over my head, I took a deep breath and said, “You’re going to make me ask that second question, aren’t you?”

Looking down at me and still smiling he said, “Yes, I am.”

I took a deep breath, and as slowly and as liltingly Irish I could make it, all but sang the question.  “Sure and in which direction might I find this so-called 43rd Street — if indeed ye’d be so kindly!”

New York’s finest took me by the shoulders, turned me 90 degrees to the left, and pointed me in the right direction.   I just stood there nodding my head, my back still to him.  Behind me, I heard a great guffaw.  This brief encounter had just made his day!

“Welcome to New York!” he said happily.

2.     Later the same day

The agent’s office was less than a block away at 1501 Broadway –  otherwise known as The Paramount Building.   The Paramount Theatre dominated the entire front of the building with a five-story marquee in the French rococo style indicating that all who entered got to see a movie and a stage show.  Big stars like Frank Sinatra and Duke Ellington often played there – live – doing five shows a day.  Don’t ask me who was playing that day; I was far too excited to notice.  The entrance to the office portion of the building was inconspicuously tucked away just beyond the garish, glittering marquee.

Inside the surprisingly ordinary lobby, I found a uniformed, white-gloved attendant waiting in a brass-grilled elevator to Otis me up to the floor where the Schurr Agency was located.   Once through the portal that might lead to my future, I proudly announced to the receptionist, “I have an appointment with Louis Schurr.”

Appointed hours for meetings with agents, I would learn, are as elastic as appointments with members of say … royalty…or the medical professions. They all seem to know the trick of over-booking.  I found an empty chair and counted at least a dozen other Broadway hopefuls sitting and waiting — all avoiding eye contact.  I hoped we weren’t all waiting for the same guy.  I was left to ponder this for two hours, while even more supplicants crowded in to the already SRO waiting room.

When at long last I was ushered into the sanctum sanctorum, I found this tiny, ancient personage, with hair dyed a shockingly unlikely jet black, sitting in a huge fancy chair behind a desk the size of Rhode Island.   He was shouting into the phone and didn’t even look up as the secretary announced my name.  She gave me a little shove to start my engine and pointed to a straight-backed chair directly in front of the desk.  As she exited, she slammed the door as a signal to her boss that he had company.  He continued shouting into his phone.  I remained standing midway between him and the door, too timid to sit down without being invited.

Suddenly Little Louis was shouting in his telephone voice, “You’re a singer, right?”

Unsure whether he was talking to me or to the deaf person at the other end of the phone, I just nodded my head.

“So sing!” he ordered, still holding the phone.

“Where’s the piano?” I asked hesitantly.

“No piano!  No piano player!” he hollered.  “Sing!”

At this particular moment, I could not remember the lyrics to a single song in the entire universe.  And since I wasn’t blessed with perfect pitch, I could not possibly find the right key to start singing.   Then I heard Jill’s voice saying this could be my big chance.

So I started singing a capella at full volume, when suddenly the phone rang.   Again!  In total disbelief, I watched the little ferret pick it up while casually waving at me to continue singing while he chatted away relentlessly.

Bravely – no, make that angrily – I kept on singing, pushing the decibel level higher and “sparkling” (which Marge Champion had long ago told me was her foolproof way to keep the audience focusing on her).   It did not work on my audience of one; he just talked louder into the phone.

That’s when I decided to improvise gibberish lyrics, stringing together nonsense syllables that formed wordlike sounds with no meaning whatsoever.   When he simply upped the noise ante and continued to out-shout me, I changed my line of attack and substituted a litany of four-letter words in place of the gibberish.  I was hoping against hope that the shock of hearing “*%#@” “@#!?” and the like, sung in a strident girly voice, might be noticeable enough to catch his attention.  He never stopped barking into the phone.

I kept singing this newly invented x-rated version of my favorite audition song as I inched my way backwards to the door until I felt the doorknob bumping into my backside.  I made my escape just as I reached the last yodel of the refrain.   Banging open his office door, I raced through the jam-packed reception room and out the door leading to the real world.

Once back on street level and the relative sanity of Times Square, I started walking along the sidewalk, trying to avoid collisions with all the people rushing somewhere or other so imperatively.  As I shambled along, trying to quell the residual shaking caused by the recent peak humiliation of my life, I noticed a forty-ish man who was wearing dark glasses, carrying a red-tipped white cane in one hand and a tin cup sprouting two long yellow Ticonderoga pencils in the other, walking directly toward me very slowly, sweeping his cane as he moved.

Instantly I felt a ripple of shame for allowing myself to indulge in such unrestrained self-pity.  If this blind man had the moxie to get up every day and face the callous, hard-bitten denizens of The Great White Way — I could do it, too!  Nothing could stop me now, I thought.

Filled with gratitude, I began foraging for coins in my handbag to offer thanks to this brave man who had unknowingly helped set my priorities straight.  Pedestrians kept rushing by as he and I drew alongside one another. I dropped a quarter and a half-dollar into his tin cup; they hit bottom with a surprisingly sharp clank.

My new mentor’s head snapped up and he said with a broad smile, “Welcome to New York…enjoy your visit!”

I’m flying down tomorrow afternoon to hang out with my wonderful San Diego friends and gear up for a FABULOUS show and pinup spokesmodel contest for Temptress Fashion!

I’m performing and sitting on the judge’s panel for this one. Oh yeah!

Come one, come all!

“Face of Temptress” Spokesmodel Search and Swing Party with Lady Luck Band!

Come and join us and cast YOUR Vote for The Face of Temptress! The BEST TUESDAY NIGHT EVER will be at WinstonsOB so Bring your Dancin’ shoes!

Giveaways Galore including FREE SWAG from Temptress and VIVA LAS VEGAS TICKETS! You could be a LUCKY WINNER!
An action packed evening of Music, Burlesque, Pinups, Pageantry and Giveaways Galore!

Tuesday, FEB. 9, 2010 @ Winston’s Beach Club in Ocean Beach! for the Winner of “Face of Temptress” too!

All Star Panel of Judges:
Mike “Bossman” Hardin – HODAD’s – America’s Best Burger!
Seth – Seth’s Chop Shop and Tattoo Parlor!
Ophelia Kitty – The Caburlesque Kittens!
Mynx D’Meanor – The (Original) Fishnet Follies!
David Patrone – San Diego’s King of Swing and Crooner Extraordinaire!

“Face of Temptress” Spokesmodel Search and Dance Party
Tuesday, February 9, 2010 at 9:00pm
Winston’s Beach Club
1921 Bacon St
San Diego, CA
21+

OK, it’s not totally me, but I’m happy and flattered that Lar deSouza referenced one of my photos (recently featured on Java’s Bachelor Pad “Christmas Cutie” for December 9th last year) for his latest pinup piece. Yeah!

Lar is the current artist for web comics Least I Could Do and Looking for Group. Lar and I met last summer when he came to Dr. Sketchy’s and COMIC STRIP! during San Diego Comic Con weekend. Now he’s my Twitter buddy.

UPDATE: Less than an hour after I hit the “publish” button, I received another wonderful piece of artwork from Lar.

Sexay!

Visit Lar’s site. He’s an extremely talented artist and all-around nice guy.

Checkit:
Mynx d’Meanor as Classic Leia

Two Leias for the price of one!
Cosplay cutie Trista as Slave Leia

See the full write up on the San Diego Dr. Sketchy’s site.

Hope to see you there!

Wednesday, NOVEMBER 11th
Barbary Coast Burlesque Presents …….
POW!! BANG!!!! SHIMMY!!!
A night of COMIC STRIPS and SUPER HEROES!!!

Starring SUPER UGLY!!

Heroes and Villains of the Night…
Josie Starre
Flame Cynders
Mynx D’ Meanor
Lily Le Rouge
Bunny Pistol
Sparkly Devil
Lady Satan
Dangerous Curves

Wheelin’ and Dealin’ goodies provided by
Atomic Sweeties

Annie’s Social Club
917 Folsom St @ 5th
Doors at 8pm
$5 at the door

—
Thursday, NOVEMBER 12th
Looking for a mischievous mix of showgirls, drag, ukuleles, clownish cavorting, comedic cabaret and stylish striptease? Well then join as at Little Minsky’s where we’ll be sipping cocktails to playful tunes from The Paper Dolls, Wiggy Darlington and McPuzo & Trotksy. Laughing along with humour artists Felicity Hesed & Texas. And basking in the glow of burlesque beauties The Scenic Sisters, Flame Cynders, Mynx d’Meanor and ElectriKat. We have two special guest performers for the night – Sahara Dunes, Portland’s Carribean Sapphic Burlesque Sweetheart, and from New York, the boylesque wonder that is Manchego. Our hostess is the star of countless musical theater productions, drag clubs and piano bars – the notoriously charming Trauma Flintstone. Performances run from 10 ’till midnight, so swing by, settle in with some tasty tonics and enjoy the show…

———————–

LITTLE MINSKY’S

BURLESQUE
The Scenic Sisters
Manchego (New York)
Sahara Dunes (Portland)
Flame Cynders
Mynx d’Meanor
ElectriKat

VARIETY
The Paper Dolls – enchanting trio of ukulele ladies
Felicity Hesed & Texas – mystifying clownish antics
Wiggy Darlington – flamboyant comic chanteuse
McPuzo & Trotsky – 20’s style satirical tunes

MC
Trauma Flintstone – drag cabaret superstar

DJ
Oran – retro cool swing, rock & lounge

Thursday, November 12th
Club Deluxe
1511 Haight St (at Ashbury), San Francisco
9pm — 2am, Show at 10:00pm
$5, 21 and Up

— Every Second Thursday —

Performer Info:
Trauma Flintstone – www.traumaflintstone.com
The Paper Dolls – www.thepaperdollsband.com
Felicity Hesed – flyingheseds.com
Wiggy Darlington – www.wiggydarlington.com
McPuzo & Trotsky – www.myspace.com/mcpuzoandtrotsky
The Scenic Sisters – www.myspace.com/thescenicsisters
Manchego – ambrosemartos.com
Sahara Dunes – www.saharadunes.net
Flame Cynders – www.flamecynders.com
Mynx d’Meanor – www.mynxdmeanor.com

Little Minsky’s is brought to you by Douglas Good (of Cabaret Verdalet) and The Flying Fox (burlesque glamour girl).

I only went to the Hustler Club for the novelty. Free VIP entry, open bar, Ron Jeremy, and to finally meet @dottiebobottie.

Once past the idjits desperately arguing that they were supposed to be on the list (whatever), the scene inside was packed but tame. One might even say courteous.

The Hedgehog was standing in a corner, near the entrance, getting his photo taken with attendees. It was pretty low-key, actually– I walked past the photo area twice before noticing anything was going on.

The “Celebrity Stage” in the center was small, with a single 7-8 foot pole. A string of pretty but indiscernible dancers took turns twirling around and climbing the pole, making their butt cheeks jiggle, and taking off their bikini tops in 7-minute sets. My main thought: Damn, it’s so much cheaper to costume a strip-joint stripper– just get matching bra and tanga panty sets, and you’re pretty much done*.

I walked around a bit, but mostly posted in one corner watching people, wondering if I’d recognize Dottie among them. Made it to the bar just in time to get a free soda pop. Noticed most folks didn’t bother to tip. People: Open bar means the drinks are free, but service should still be appreciated.

Walked back to the photo area just as they were finishing– the line had dissolved, and the dude with the mic began motioning for the crew to start walking. (The crew consisted of him, RJ, a videographer and photog.)

I asked the cute photog chick if there was time to take one more pic, and Ron walked up me, kissed me on the left cheek and told me I looked adorable. I gave him a pat-on-the-shoulder hug, and we took a photo. He complimented me again on my outfit and was on his way. Observation: Ron Jeremy was not sweaty at all. Sad to say, perhaps, but I totally expected him to be oozing grease– in general, but especially in a crowded strip club. Anyway, I chatted with the photog a bit more (her name’s Ah-lee-see-uh, and she’s a cutie pie) until she was called to resume her duty. Someone remind me to look up photos online later– it was a surprisingly cute pic.

… That was it, basically. Was getting ready to head out when I ran into Dottie, whom I’ve been dying to meet since Abby told me she’d moved to SF and we should know each other. I tapped her on the shoulder and introduced myself. Her response: “Abby’s right! You are adorable!” (Wheee!) We chatted for a bit, and I stood with her long enough to watch Ron Jeremy talk on stage and introduce the next three dancers (main act?) work the pole. Another note: While I admire the physicality of flipping around on those things, I was generally unimpressed by the show. I’ve seen much better acts by Gravity Plays Favorites, The Wau Wau Sisters, and several more aerialist and burlesque friends. Not surprised there. But I stayed ‘til that set ended (it’s the polite thing to do) before saying my goodbye and rushing out to catch Bombshell Betty’s Burlesque Bailout show. And then the real entertainment began.

P.S. Kingfish totally has Ron Jeremy’s cooties now, because he kissed me on the same cheek, in effect kissing The ‘Hog by proxy. But hey, these are legendary cooties we’re talking about.

Watch the San Diego Union-Tribune video coverage of the show.
(Sorry, couldn’t embed.)

Interviews with Flame Cynders (SF/LA), me (SF/SD), and Sabrina Bellydancer (SD).
Glimpses of our comic-themed performers this year:
Mynx d’Meanor (SF/SD) – Harley Quinn
Bunny Pistol (SF) – Betty Boop
Sugar from a bit o’ Burlesque (SD) – Madame Mirage
Lady Borgia (SD) – Poison Ivy, Scarlett O’Herring
Josie Starre (SF) – Death from The Sandman Series
Sabrina Bellydancer (SD) – Storm
Flame Cynders (SF/LA) – Blonde Phantom
Ruby Rocket (Austin) – The Black Cat

We had a smallish, but wildly packed house, and it was a phenomenal show!

Hope you enjoy the video!

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!