Fetish Press

A Museum Exhibit of Burlesque Costumes

2012-02-11T09:07:00.001-08:00

First, thank you to everyone who has pledged towards the exhibit of
burlesque costumes at The West End Museum. We're all very excited about
it. We're 1/3 of the way to our pledge goal and have 19 days left! If
you'd like to make a pledge, you can visit
http://www.kickstar ter.com/projects /bostonbabydolls /a-museum- exhibit-of- \
burlesque-costumes/ posts
Next, thank you to Angie Pontani <http://www.angiepon tani.com/> , the
perennial Miss Cyclone of Coney Island and the winner for The Burlesque
Hall of Fame Weekend in 2008. Angie has agreed to lend us the beautiful
ballet-inspired costume in which she won her title. Video of the
award-winning performance can be seen at http://youtu. be/4noetKYN5GY
If YOU have a historic burlesque costume -- especially on related to
Boston -- that you think would make a good addition to the exhibit,
please drop us a line. We haven't yet finalized all of the items for
the exhibit!

Embrace The Darkness II

2012-02-09T19:50:00.000-08:00

Marc Silvestri (of Top Cow Comics) New Video Game Came Out called The Darkness II and it is getting Great Reviews!! http://www.embracethedarkness.com/index.html

Tom Leykis Show News

2012-02-08T10:41:00.000-08:00

Tom Leykis Show News

Introducing: New Normal Studios. After looking at over 100 possible locations, New Normal Studios becomes a reality as Tom signs an agreement last Friday which he called "the greatest day of the two years of The New Normal." It will be the home to Gary & Dino, New Normal Rock, New Normal Music and the syndicated New Normal Music: The Radio Show, Pure Pop Hits, The Tom Leykis Show, and whatever else we dream up. It will be, technologically, state-of-the-art. Dry runs for our content will begin at New Normal Studios on or about March 1st. In addition to producing our own content, we will, on an hourly basis, be producing other people's content as well: commercials, voiceovers, infomercial, demos and the like, and we will be undercutting the prices charged by others. If you have production needs, or if local brick & mortar radio stations or production houses are milking you dry, now's the time to let us know by writing info@newnormalnetwork.com.

"In addition to producing our own content, we will, on an hourly basis, be producing other people's content as well: commercials, voiceovers, infomercial, demos and the like, and we will be undercutting the prices charged by others."

First rack signing to christen New Normal Studios. Be a part of history. In March, following the completion of New Normal Studios, one lucky lady of legal age will be chosen to receive the first rack signing at our new home. If you or a delicious friend want your rack to be the first to be signed at New Normal Studios, please send us a delicious photo to tom@blowmeuptom.com. Be sure to include your contact information. Professionals as well as amateurs are encouraged!
Win a free weekend in Monterey. The Tasting Room with Tom Leykis is giving away a free weekend for two at the incredible Monterey Plaza Hotel on historic Cannery Row in Monterey, California.Would you like to take someone for a weekend at an amazing hotel and pay absolutely nothing to do it? All you have to do to enter is to sign up for Tom's free Tasting Room newsletter. Enter your email address here and you are entered. Winner will be chosen this Thursday, February 9th.

Here is a way to support The Tom Leykis Show without having to hear so many commercials! You buy from Amazon anyway. Support The Tom Leykis Show and The New Normal by clicking to buy from Amazon right here.

Stay in touch with us:

Hear The Tom Leykis Show stream: http://tomleykis.newnormalnetwork.com/listen.pls
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Our physical address: 8033 Sunset Boulevard, #824, Los Angeles, CA 90046

ARE YOU READY FOR APRIL 2nd?

Model Has Natural 20-inch Waist

2012-02-06T21:51:00.000-08:00

By Joanna Douglas, Senior Fashion and Beauty Editor | Fashion

Romanian model Ioana Spangenberg says she has natural 20-inch waist. When you see her thin middle in contrast to her 32-inch hips, it's no wonder tabloids like The Sun are referring to Spangenberg as "the human hourglass." The 30-year-old clocks in around 84 pounds, and says she was average size until her teen years. "When I was 13 my waist was around 15 inches. Someone could put their hands around it, their fingers would touch and they would still have extra room," she told the Sun.

See photos of the woman with the world's smallest waist ever

Spangenberg insists she's tried everything and cannot gain weight around her midsection. "No one seems to believe it, but every day I eat three big meals and I snack on chocolate and crisps all the time. I just have a small stomach. It's a bit like having a natural gastric band - if I eat too much, I feel sick," she told the Sun. "In Romania it is better to be overweight, because that means you are from a wealthy family...so while my friends were going out and dating, I was sitting at home with Mars bars wishing I could fatten up," she told the paper.

Read how celebrities maintain their svelte figures

Spangenberg gives new meaning to the termAs women all too familiar with trickery like Photoshop and wearing three pairs of Spanx, It's hard for us to believe Spangenberg isn't wearing a corset under her clothing. The legendary Ethel Granger, whose 13-inch waist was documented as the smallest in history, only attained her size with the help of severely pinching corsets. But Spangenberg insists her size and shape are all-natural, and with the encouragement of her German husband Jan, she's turned to the modeling industry to flaunt her skeletal figure.

"Jan was the first person who saw me as beautiful and encouraged me to celebrate my body. He asked me to pose in some photos for him," she told the Sun. "He was so impressed he put them online and the response was amazing." Spangenberg admits she has struggled with her self-esteem and told the publication she still wishes she could pack on a few pounds. "I would still like to ga

Risk Assessment

2012-02-03T09:01:00.000-08:00

Today I read a salutary reminder that what we do is not risk free in the following post by Midori:

http://www.edenfantasys.com/sexis/sex/suspension-accident-it-finally-happened-0130121/

I’m not qualified to make any comment on the specific incident. I wasn’t there, and I don’t know anyone involved.

The message I take from it is that risk is ever-present in bondage (as in any other physical activity) and that we must do our best to think about those risks, and the potential consequences if something were to go wrong.

So it is a timely reminder to review our safety procedures on Restrained Elegance shoots.

It is also a call to urge other riggers, producers, models, players and participants to take an hour to do a simple risk assessment of their bondage activities.

Although most bondage websites are too small-scale be to legally required to do so, the recommendations of the HSE are a good way to start. Even if we only carry out the steps mentally (which I’ll admit is all I’ve done up until this point).

http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/indg163.pdf

I’m not an expert. But that’s the point, the HSE advice is targeted at non-experts who have to assess everyday risks. I’m going to try doing a risk assessment. I’ll concentrate on risks to the bound model, but of course there are wider issues (trailing cables, lights, walking backwards over a cliff whilst taking a photo...) for other participants too which I should flesh out in a second draft.

I’d like to emphasise strongly that this is me doing a first draft and going through the process, in public. The important thing isn’t to follow we what do, but to think about it.

As the fiancee of a bondage model I’d be so much happier if all producers went through a basic risk assessment procedure for their own shoots. PLEASE DO SO!!!!

The life of the lady I love is in your hands. Quite literally, especially in the case of suspension, but also even in the most ordinary of bondage shoots.

So I’d really appreciate it if we all took the opportunity to go through a basic risk assessment process for our shoots and think if there are things we should do differently. A few incidents I know about have made my hair stand on end, and Midori’s post shows that even a very experienced rigger who has suspended people thousands of times is not immune to risk or to making mistakes.

Please pause to consider what risk you may be placing your model (who might just be my fiancee) in, and whether there are simple ways to reduce the risk and mitigate the potential consequences if something did go wrong.

Thank you.

STEP 1: IDENTIFY THE HAZARDS

Let’s have a go. It’s not exhaustive but the most obvious ones are:

1)Tripping or falling, which is much more likely and possibly more severe when someone is bound.
2)Damage from too-tight bondage on the wrong places (nerve damage, strangulation, cutting off blood supply, rope or metal cutting in).
3)Choking, especially if gagged.
4)Dislocation, an added complication to the falling risk.
5)Suspension, which multiplies all the above risks considerably because of the extra weight, extra height and extra helplessness.
6)The presence of hot lights, heavy lighting rigs, electrical cables especially if suspended above the model or near her.
7)Neck damage. Anything anywhere around the neck, especially if it is attached to something else (like a yoke, or a fiddle, or a collar on a leash) has the potential to get fatal, possibly instantly, if something goes wrong. We should flag that up for especial concern. A trip is bad, a trip with a potential broken neck is something we need to remove as a possibility.
8)Overheating from any sort of mummification.
9)Fainting. This one is rare (has happened twice in over 500 shoots, but that’s often enough to really need to consider what would happen if she were to faint).
10) Getting cold which can increase other risk factors.
11) Poor communication. I also include broader issues like the possibilities of models “not say anything even though it was getting uncomfortable because I don’t want to be a diva” and riggers and photographers not telling the model what to expect.
12) I’ll presuppose existing good practice- safe, sane, sober, consensual. Obviously, allowing someone drunk or intoxicated onto set is a no-no but it isn’t something which happens at our shoots. If you like to play after a glass of wine or two, your risk assessment should probably include some consideration of it.
13) Whipping the model with the rope ends or giving her friction burns as you tie/untie. A relatively minor one, but one which is a possibility with every tie.
14) Not being able to get someone out in a hurry if you do need to.
15) Fire and burn danger especially if using hot wax.
16) Harm caused by nipple clamps (reapplication is bad, clamps sliding off is bad)

STEP 2: DECIDE WHO MIGHT BE HARMED AND HOW

1)The model, who is obviously most at risk from these hazards. It is her risks we’ll focus on for this first draft as the person most likely to be at risk, and most likely to be in a situation where she may be unable to help herself.
2)The photographer, who is also capable of walking backwards into a hot light, or tripping.
3)The rigger, if present.

That’s obvious, so let’s concentrate on the model.

STEP 3: EVALUATE THE RISKS AND DECIDE ON PRECAUTIONS

There’s a misconception about health and safety law. The law recognises that there are risks which cannot be eliminated. Your responsibility is to do everything “reasonably practicable” to protect people from harm. The HSE say:

Can you get rid of the hazard altogether?

If not, how can you control the risks so that harm is unlikely?

A good place to start for your own shoots is “current practice”. Google “Bondage Safety”, or look at the Restrained Elegance basic bondage safety page, follow the links on that page to more comprehensive documents as well:

http://www.restrainedelegance.com/bondagesafety.php

Reading back through that document, which I wrote a couple of years ago, I’m pleased to note that I mention many of the hazards I identified above. Our “safety culture” on RE shoots includes a fair bit more “folk wisdom and current practice” which I ought to get around to writing down more formally to make it easier for us to look through it.

I don’t want to go through all the above risks, this is a long enough blog post already. Let’s just look at a few illustrative ones, starting with a simple one.

Whipping with rope ends and rope burns

We’ve got to tie and untie models, so we can’t eliminate the risk. But we can surely control them.

Good working practice when untying someone greatly reduces the risk of giving someone a rope burn or hitting them in the eye with the rope ends. Put your own fingers behind the rope when you undo it, so you can feel any heat generated and protect their skin. Do it slowly and carefully, and you’ll greatly reduce the risk of whipping with the ends too.

Unrigging in a calm, unhurried manner reduces this risk so we probably don’t need protective goggles for model or rigger. That might have been necessary had ropes flying around at great speed been essential to the procedure. But it isn’t: we can just slow everything down. Maybe get the model to close her eyes or have someone else shield them if the ropes are near her face.

What can we do about some of the others?

Hot lights

Nothing should be so close to the model that she might roll into it or pull it down onto herself. Any light up high should have a wire safety cable to a secure point just in case the mount slides off an inadequately tightened spigot. We can’t eliminate the need for hair-lights, but we can make sure that if they do slip off the spigot, they get held by the safety wire.

Let’s take a look at the serious bondage-specific ones.

Neck Risks

The neck issue is probably the most frightening. That’s the sort of thing that can take a minor incident and turn it into a fatality. So we just plain don’t do ties where there’s ropes up near the neck; anything going either towards the front or back of the neck has to be tensioned down to something like a chest harness or under arms so it can’t ride up.

If there’s anything like a collar attached to a chain, the chain has to be PLENTY long enough to reach all the way to the floor without putting pressure on the neck area, and should be checked for snags or places it could catch. In fact, maybe we should consider bungee or easily-snappable elastic bands or something as the final attachment of such a leash to the wall or ceiling point, so there’s something with lots of give in it should there be a sudden jerk.

It has only recently occurred to me that the yoke is also a neck danger if someone were to trip. I’m not sure what to do about that one yet. So I’d better restrict it to positions on the ground or on a bed until I’ve thought more carefully about it.

Suspension

Given the unfortunate incident which prompted this post, let’s look at suspension. That’s another one with clear danger of death or serious injury. All manner of issues here. You could eliminate the risk by not doing suspensions. But what if you love them and want to continue? How might we control the risks?

1)Make sure the suspension point is really sound. Ours is a very sturdy welded steel U-plate with two large bolts through a floor joist, so the basic point is probably sturdy enough to suspend a mini from. That is a single point of failure, but if it fails, the house is probably falling down. I have some concern about the winch and pulley system, which has a lot of single points of failure, so I’m considering backing them up with a climbing sling around the U-plate with carabiners clipped in to the suspension ropes. It would have to be done once the model is already up in the air, but it does provide backup to the whole winch system, so I should probably do it.
2)Consider crash mats. I should buy one as hitting a mat is definitely better than hitting a hard floor and we could totally buy a white one which will sit nicely in our cove and can be propped up against the wall when not in use.
3)No suspension tie with a single point of failure. It’s just not worth the risk if a rope slips, if that’s the only support. It may be less stylish, but spreading the load between many ropes is just safer.
4)Be extremely careful of anything inverted. In fact, I don’t think I will do inverted suspensions again, I’m not happy with the risk tradeoff. Certainly not until I have crash mats and backup slings in place.
5)Consider whether a tie can just as easily be done with hands in a position where the model can use them to protect herself to some extent, should something go wrong. Falling onto your arms isn’t good, but falling onto your face or neck is a lot worse.
6)Do the tie on the floor and winch up slowly, assessing the safety and comfort when the model is 6 inches rather than 6 feet in the air.
7)Rig anything that can be a semi-suspension as a semi-suspension. If the model can get a foot down, and control it herself, everything is safer.
8)There’s a reason we’re now doing suspensions in a white infinity cove- once you get high enough up that the model’s hair doesn’t touch the floor, it properly looks like she is suspended in infinity space. This can often be done only two or three feet up. Falling three feet could still be serious but falling six feet is far worse. We can make it look maximally dramatic with minimum height.

Trips, Falls, Faints, Dislocations and Face Planting

Just for a moment imagine standing up straight, holding your hands behind your back, and deliberately leaning forward until you fall flat on your face, onto a hard floor. Would you be willing to do that? No? Me neither. So we’d damn well better figure out ways to minimize the chances of our model doing it.

Thankfully, we’ve had very few accidents at shoots in the 11 years we’ve been going. The two or three which have really put the wind up me have been falls.

One was caused by mis-communication: I was going to lower a model on to the floor from kneeling, whilst tied. she let herself go before I was ready to take her weight, and I just couldn’t catch her from the position I was in. She hit the ground with a thump, knocked the wind out herself but fortunately no harm done, but that could have been nasty if she’s properly face-planted.

The second was caused by a pregnant model (who had not told me she was pregnant) who fainted in the bondage. She was wearing a steel collar with a chain the ceiling. Fortunately, she was supported by her wrists, and there was a reasonable amount of slack on the chain but that one still gives me nightmares which is why I am quite so uptight about anything around the neck. I also now decline to shoot with pregnant models. I accept one could possibly do bondage safely with them by being very careful, but I prefer to eliminate that risk completely.

The risk is dislocation if a slip or faint happens is one I feel is often not considered seriously enough. For example, a strappado tied with no chest/waist harness to take the weight were she to slip, fall or faint would turn a minor slip into a potential shoulders-wrenched-out-of-sockets incident.

It probably looks fine, the model will assure you she’s OK, but just consider what would happen if she DID slip or faint, and you’ll see the value of having ropes to take the weight in extremis.

We used to tie unsupported strappados until we did one outdoors on uneven ground and Ariel correctly realised it was a serious accident waiting to happen. Having realised the potential for damage, we now only tie supported strappados. It doesn’t change the look of the tie THAT much, and seems like a very worthwhile trade-off to eliminate the dislocation risk.

I think a lot of people are aware of the dangers of nerve damage, choking and so on- these are discussed at length in bondage safety web pages so all we need to do here is follow good practice and have good communication on set.

Actually, the single biggest improvement for safety probably comes from having an extra person present. This is why I always try to shoot with another person these days. (It also helps productivity and gives me a rest instead of the day being absolutely non-stop). The best way to forestall the “what if the photographer faints/knocks themselves out/has a heart attack” concern is to just make sure another person is present... or at least in earshot.

I know that’s not always possible; if it isn’t, we should consider leaving a phone inside the model’s reach.

In fact, I just asked Ariel to change her current practice when rigging on shoots for me and stay in the room while I’m shooting the set; she usually goes out but stays in earshot. It might feel a bit awkward to have another model on set looking at the girl in bondage but I think the safety advantages of the rigger constantly monitoring the safety without the distraction of looking through the lens outweigh that.

STEP 4: RECORD FINDINGS AND IMPLEMENT THEM

We’re meant to do this in a simple way. We’ve already got a set of working practices for RE which the crew all know. So rather than list everything we do from square one, I’ll list the things in this review that are new for me (and memo myself to do a proper “safety bible” writeup for ourselves sooner rather than later).

1)Existing injuries: make sure to ask at the start of the shoot. We usually do this anyway, but it needs to be done every time, as part of a general introduction for the model into safety at the shoot.
2)Ensure that EVERYONE knows how important it is to communicate, and do so in good time. It is much better to stop and re-rig or rethink than have to cut someone out in a panic. Emphasise how important this is to every model, especially new ones, and make sure to thank and praise them when they do so.
3)Good practice: before you start each rig, pause a moment to evaluate the safety implications, especially the most serious ones: can she fall, what if she faints? Can anything damage neck, head or dislocate anything? If so, change the position, change the rig, add extra supporting ropes or just plain do something else. Needs to be done for metal bondage (eg yoke) as well as rope.
4)I should write up our oral culture “safety practice” so we can update it and review it.
5)I should distill the essentials of the safety practice for the short introductory chat we have with every new model when they arrive.
6)Eyes-on: make sure the rigger stays on set to be a safety monitor during the tie; ask all the riggers to do this.
7)Suspensions: winch failure. Add a backup sling system just in case.
8)Suspensions: buy a crash mat.
9)Suspensions: hands. Rig so hands can be used to partially protect self in case of a fall, just in case.
10) Suspensions: tie anything which could be a semi-suspension as a semi-suspension, so the model can control when she is off the ground.
11) Suspensions: no inverted suspensions until new slings/mats in place, and possibly not even then. Suspensions are risky, but a lying-down one three feet above a crash mat is a lot safer than an upside-down one six feet up over a concrete floor.
12) Yoke: be much more mindful assessing trip/fall risks. Consider limiting to floor/bed positions only until properly thought through.
13) Go over safewords with new models, especially if gagged. Demonstrate “cut” as safeword so we hear it and she knows it.
14) Only rig strappado if there are supporting ropes to take weight just in case she were to slip or faint.
15) Consider use of bungee or low-breaking-point material like elastic band for anything where a neck chain or similar fastening to a wall is used and there’s potential for neck or dislocation damage.
16) Buy anti-trip covers for studio cables on floor.
17) Consider banning drinks from the studio entirely- there’s no reason they can’t be kept in the kitchen out of the way of hot lights and electricity with a bound girl on the floor.
18) As we have done already, have a separate rigger wherever possible.
19) If we must do solo shoots, put a phone inside the models’s reach (as well as the keys)

I hope the above doesn’t come across as preachy, holier-than-thou or “we’re safe, everyone else is dangerous”. The important thing isn’t to blindly follow someone else’s rules. It is to DO THE RISK ASSESSMENT YOURSELF, FOR YOUR SHOOTS. Consider what COULD happen if a rope were to slip, or a model to faint. You might just break out in cold sweats realising what would happen if something did go wrong. So TAKE SENSIBLE PRECAUTIONS by changing the way you shoot, or the way you play, for the better.

Then do:

STEP FIVE: REVIEW YOUR RISK ASSESSMENT AND UPDATE IF NECESSARY

As I hope I’ve shown, it isn’t rocket science. Anyone can do it. Just think about it every so often, and revisit it in light of experience.

Situations change, you do more interesting stuff, or push the limits, or realise something is riskier than you’d thought initially.

Go back and review it every so often.

Just remember- it might be my fiancee who is at your shoot, and I’d really like her to come home safe and sound.

I’ll do my very best to look after people who come to work with me, too.

Thank you.

Hywel

http://www.hywelphillips.com/HywelPhillips.com/Blog/Entries/2012/1/31_Risk_Assessment.html

The Suspension Accident: It Finally Happened... by Midori

2012-02-03T08:57:00.000-08:00

Kinksters talk quite a bit about the inherent risk of bondage and other kinky play. They learn the proper procedure, to mitigate that risk — but rarely do you hear about the stark reality that no matter what precautions you take or how safe you play, people can still get hurt.

I haven’t had a day since the accident that I’ve not thought about it. I could have killed her. The scenarios play in my head over and over. There have been nights of deep darkness. The grief lingers. She’s suffered pain and trauma of flesh and heart, not only in the moment of the accident, but long after as well. Her healing and recovery will take time. The depth of emotional hurt for the person I dropped will be profound and long lasting.

Those of us who play with kink have access to scores of workshops, seminars, and manuals on how to avoid this very sort of thing. But when it actually happens, none of it is enough.

The reality is, I’m simply lucky something like this didn’t happen sooner. One of the things we forget when we get into the play space is no matter how many of those classes you’ve taken (or in my case, taught), no matter how many knots you’ve tied, or how many scenes you’ve negotiated, it never becomes perfectly safe. After twenty years of public and private rope play, I was reminded of a single, brutal truth — a truth of which few dare to speak: if you do kink long enough, you will have a scene go bad, sometimes horrifically bad.

Mountain climbers and motorcyclists alike have their own version of that rule. There are two kinds of bikers; those who’ve crashed their bikes, and those who haven’t crashed their bikes yet. But in the kink milieu, we’re silent about the risk. The workshops and guidebooks become incantations that will protect us from harm with mystical infallibility. Bad things only happen to the newbies and the tourists, not real kinksters who know what they’re doing — so goes the unspoken faith. Because mishaps and accidents reside in the realm of the hypothetical, when it becomes real and personal, we’re often not prepared.

The woman I dropped was my co-performer at a fetish dinner theater; two hundred plus guests in elegant attire were watching us. One minute, she was flying through the air, her graceful arms flowing. The next, she was on the floor. I had a nanosecond of bafflement, and then it hit me:

She fell.

I dropped her.

Even as time slowed and stretched, my old military training came up. Over two hundred people were watching us, and panic would only make things worse. After quickly assessing she was conscious and could move, I decided the best thing for her safety and the audiences would be to get her offstage in as calm a fashion as possible. Staying in character, I “danced” her offstage and to the dressing room where the medically trained staff attended to her.

What draws most of us to kink is that it allows us to access raw, intense emotions that we have to keep locked away on a day-to-day basis. The risk is that while a good scene can send you flying so high you think you’ll break right through the sky, a bad one can be devastating, and the devastation doesn't stop at the end of the evening. The emotional fallout can come at different stages and at different times, like any grief process.

That kind of trauma doesn’t fit easily in how we think about “sex positivity.” So much of our training and community values are based on being positive about sexuality that negative experiences get swept under the rug.

There is too much at stake in a scene for us to pretend that with the proper invocations, everything will go right. If we are not ready for things to go wrong, we can’t be there for our friends and partners when a scene causes physical or emotional injury.

Perhaps the next stage in kink education needs to be training to respond to “Oh, shit!” situations, so that responses to crises in a playspace become as standard as knowing your safeword and packing EMT shears.

But to go beyond even that, to start to discuss failed scenes openly and with compassion, we have to realize that the pain and consequences go deeper than we might first think. The loss of trust in partner and self can be deeper than any wound.

Even the best of responses is never perfect. I did the best I could for my co-performer: I went with her to the hospital and paid her medical bills. Fortunately her physical injuries were not as catastrophic as they could have been. The depth of the emotional pain, however, is likely to be far deeper, but only she will know how deep.

What I do know is that I screwed up. She trusted me with her body and safety, and I quite literally let her fall. I’m not sure when I’ll do another suspension. For now, I have to go back to the drawing board and review my own skills before I’m ready to take flight with another. I’ll be working up towards that.

No matter how much we study or train, know this: we will fail someday. When that day comes, be ready.

http://www.edenfantasys.com/sexis/sex/suspension-accident-it-finally-happened-0130121/

Mesrine and Bronson

2012-01-26T21:02:00.000-08:00

My Movie Reviews that you will LOVE - NO, Not a Chick Flick that you might think, in fact these 3 movies are VERY Manly.....Violent....Gruesome.....but more importantly.....they are based on TRUE stories.....I am not a fan of Fiction....I prefer Movies based on real events......the 3 Movies that are a Must Watch, if you dare are: Mesrine: Part 1 Killer Instinct, Mesrine: Part 2 Public Enemy #1 and Bronson

http://www.mesrinemovie.com/

http://www.bronsonthemovie.com/

Interview with Stacy Burke Cica 2003

2012-01-26T21:01:00.001-08:00

Stacy Burke is a 5'3" 100 pound barbie queen that apparently needs more than a KEN to content her sensual fantasies. Yep, she's a fetish model! With four years of drama and jazz and three years of belly dance under her belt Stacy seems to promote and market herself primarely as a fetish model. What does "Fetish" mean? Well uh? It means she gets alot of her sensual rush off of being bondaged, gagged and yes, even chloroformed {Well, not literally}. According to Fetish-Realm Magazine fetish modeling has been long identified as pornograghy, but while that may seem like the obvious assumption that is just not the case. It's not pornograghy that fetish modeling is trying to depict. It's 90% about experimenting with all of the senses {taste, touch, smell, ect.} to sensationalize arrousing sensual fantasies. It's also about fashion and clothing {despite the lack of at times} and the invigorating games between consenting partners {key word: CONSENT!} Personally I don't think I'd have any senses left after a photo shoot like that, but I think I'd make it through a Stacy Burke foot massage any day. [Image] Though this California fitness KAT dwells in the kingdom of fetish modeling she's done particularly well as an eccentric 'Artist'. She's been featured on such top shows as 'Baywatch', 'The New Love Boat, 'Power Rangers' and Playboy's 'Sex Court'and her stage credits include roles as Frenchie in 'Grease' and Janet in 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show'. Stacy has recently been featured in 'American Virgin' starring Mena Suvari, Bob Hoskins and Robert Loggia. For an entire look at Stacy's credits, photos, ect. refer to her home page at Stacy's Fetish A-Go-Go and KAT-TIM-TATIONS. Stacy has currently been hired on at the World Famous Cathous in Hollywood by Riki Rachtman where I'm sure she will be dressed accordingly and she has just returned home from Las Vegas where she attended the 'Dressed to Thrill' event. She's also feeling pretty damn proud for winning the 2001 Bondagette Award and you can catch her on the cover of the new issue of Fetish Realm Magazine. I recently did a one on one interview with this fetish babe and here's what she had to say: Dallas: What's up Stacy? How's 2001 been treating you so far? Stacy: Pretty good so far. I just can't believe how time flies. Hey stop the world for a bit will ya! I need more time here! {laughs}Dallas: Ya know had it not been for my love for the LA scene and the Cathouse I know I would have never come across you. So do you think by you being affiliated with Riki Rachtman and the Cathouse that it kinda induced your popularity a bit more? Stacy: Ummm? I don't about that. It isn't really public knowledge that we are buds. All I know is Riki is a great friend, really sweet and I support him greatly! I am so proud to be apart of the Grand Re-opening of Riki Rachtman's World Famous Cathouse! [Image] Dallas: Who's idea was it to portray you in bondage photo shoots and what's the concept behind being chloroformed in some of them as well? Stacy: Me {laughs}. I love fetish modeling! I think it's an art form. I love B-movies and campy stuff. I get to really play with my creativity here. Over acting is a bonus. Ya gotta love that! Chloroformed is just the releasing of control. Almost like bondage. However people need to remember 'CONSENT' is the key to everything! If there is no consent then you are breaking the law. Dallas: I can see in your photos you're quite an actress, and aside from modeling, is acting something you have a passion for? Stacy: I love acting! I do some mainstream films {did a bed and lingerie scene with Tom Cruise}, but I hate auditions. So you will only see me in a few mainstream things as well as spokesmodel stuff. In fetish films I get to act as much as I want to with no pressure, no politics, no games and no casting couch. I don't need the fame that mainstream can give me. To me I see myself as a success. I am making a pretty good living at something I love to do. Dallas: Hey tell me about the film "Pretty Cool"? Stacy: How'd ya hear about that film? I don't know when they plan on releasing it, but it's part of the Emanuelle series. One of the stars is, Playboy playmate,Summer Altice. I forget the names of the other stars. I just play a cheerleader. I had a bigger part, but I couldn't shoot the last day due to a prior engagement. It was cool to play a highschool cheerleader though. Dallas: I know I for one am attracted to a woman's hands and sometimes their feet and I've noticed you've touched on that in a few of your photos. Is this something you've noticed in some or all of the men you've known or have been envolved with? Stacy: Yeah, c'mon! Women's feet! Especially in five inch stillittos. They're sexy as shit! Plus I'm a sucker for a three hour foot massage! Yeah baby, that's the way to my heart, yoswa!!! Dallas: Who were the porn models that you looked up to growing up and why? Was Traci Lords on that list at all? Stacy: I've only seen one porn video and don't even own any porn videos at all. I probably should watch one someday, then again I probably won't. I'm not a fan of porn. To me it's like watching open heart surguery, eeewww! However I adore Showtime's new show "Queer as Folk" I never knew that guy on Guy Action could be so hot! I think I've finaly found a form of {soft core} porn that I actually like. Yeah I might buy some Guy-on-Guy porn flicks. Ummm? maybe today. [Image] Dallas: Ya know, Axl Rose is on record as saying, to him, the internet is nothing but a garbage can. Has the internet been more of a positive experience for you than negative or what? What's it been for you? Stacy: For me it's been positive. I'm learning a new feild of work by creating web sites and learning about computers. That way I have something to fall back on when the modeling days start to fade. I've met many cool people via the web. I find out about cool events and i t keeps me up to date on things. I can just type in a word in the search engines and 'Poof' mega-information. Sure there's negative crap out there {varies depending on one's taste}, but information should be un-baised and uncensored. You control the mouse babe. The web's as evil as ya want it to be.! Dallas: So when and how'd you cross paths with Riki Rachtman? And did ya guys hit it off from the get go? Stacy: I was watching an Mtv special about a year and a half ago about past VJ's and what they're doing now. I've been a fan of Riki for years and I absolutely adored his radio show on KLSX and was completely pissed off when he got booted! I think he is an untapped talent, very underated and under appreciated. If I were rich and owned a radio station or a TV channel you bet I would put him in something really big! Who knows? Hopefully that might happen. Anyway in that special on Mtv he gave out his web site addy {POOLSCHOOL.net} and I emailed him. We emailed eachother back and forth for awhile and then we finally met at a coffee shop. Yeah I'd say we hit it off. Riki is the coolest and I support him in all of his adventures! Dallas: What bands get you off and like put you in the mood? Something like Faster Pussycat, Jackyl, Aerosmith? Stacy: Yeah, but to tell you the truth my favorite bands or artists are Cheap Trick, Blondie, Dick Dale, David Bowie, Sex Pistols and Rob Zombie. Of course if I were to list all the bands I dig this would be two miles long! The newest band I like listening to is Linkin Park. They're awesome!< /p> Dallas: You told me once Punk Rock was your thing. Mentality and sexually what sits better with you? Punk or Haibands? Stacy: It's a tie between surf and punk tunes. I just put a surf or punk CD on and Go-Go dance my freggin' ass-ass off!!! [Image] Dallas: Are you into KNAC.com at all? I'm Pure Rock Patrol so becareful! {laughing}Stacy: Yeah of course! I used to go to Sunday nights at Geckos for KNAC nights. I love all music, but I especially love hard music and KNAC gives me that! Dallas: Ya know I can't say how glad I am that Riki has brought back the Cathouse! Do ya see the LA scene rising again as we speak? Stacy: Yeah, but I didn't know that it was a 'scene' until it was over! I just assumed it would always be there. How sad that I was wrong. I hate clubs now. The same old music, different club, same old disco like songs and the same old phoney ass people wearing designer this and that. I'd rather stay at home and wat ch re-runs of 'I Love Lucy'! Dallas: Ya know I was promotoing you in the KNAC chatroom recently and {DJ} Philthyphil says he has heard of you, but he said he just didn't grasp the whole fetish thing. So would ya like to enlighten him and the rest of us on that whole concept of yours? Stacy: Sure. It's quite simple. A fetish is something that you need to turn you on. Whatever it may be. It could be feet, stockings, bondage, wearing latex or a girl in five inch stellettos, ect. As long as it's contentual and the parties involved are both adult then there's nothing bad about it. Dallas: I am personally registered in two of your yahooclubs and I dig being apart of 'em. Did it take off at first or was it more of a slower progress? Stacy: My StacyBurkeDotCom yahoo club took off right away with over 2100 members. The rest of them {about seven of them last count} are taking the slower route.
I love yahoo clubs! I can interact with people, find out about cool events, news, I like the creative abilities with them and you can reach out to many people all over the world! Dallas: Hugh Heffner and Riki Rachtman, wow! Do ya get alot of envy from other chicks by knowing them? Stacy: Well most of my friends are fellow fetish models. They all seem to get their fair share of celebrities. Dita {a fellow fetish model} is dating Marylin Manson, Jonathan Davis of Korn is dating a fetish model and I just found out that Arban {another fetish model} is dating Tommy Lee {former husband of Pamela Anderson}. Most of the envy comes from my friends that are men. Hef and Riki are like their idols. Dallas: Ok Stacy I'm gonna wind on down here with you. What do ya think of 'Rock's Man Behind The Messgage' web site and my support page in it? Stacy: What is this? Some kinda trick question? Of course I dig it dude! I think you should get into broadcasting or into the media. Come on, ya love it and you're good at it! Dallas: So what's next on Stacy Burke's agenda? Stacy: Ummm? Well I will be going to the Renaissance Fair this weekend for my birthday {Mayn 27th} and then I will be attending the 'Dressed to Thrill' event
in Vegas next weekend. Then I will be heavily promoting for the Grand Re-opening of Riki's World Famous Cathouse for June 5th. [Image] Dallas: Cool! Thanx for the interview and here's to ya! Stacy: No problem sweetie, anytime. As long as I got my coffee then it's all good.

News from Skin Two

2012-01-12T08:37:00.000-08:00

The new Skin Two Magazine, issue 62 is in the printing factory now and will be delivered next week. The new issue looks fabulous – full of stylish fetish fashion, coverage of all the top international BDSM events, classy photography, an exclusive interview with Dita vonTeese and a big feature on fetish Australia, etc, etc. See a preview and order the new issue at our new online store at www.skintwo.biz

As well as getting Skin Two magazine directly from us, you can now also get digital downloads in PDF form of ALL back issues, right from the very first Skin Two magazine in 1984. Downloads are only £2 each – collect fetish history at www.skintwo.biz !

Fetish Website Hosting – and Online Payment Set-Up If you have a fetish/BDSM website, you won’t need me to tell you what a pain it can be to find hosting that’s fetish-friendly. Even worse than that, try getting a shopping cart set up and online credit card payments. I’ve been deleted by PayPal twice, restricted by two major banks – what a hassle it all is.
So I am happy to recommend a firm I’ve recently discovered, run by fetish people with long experience in hosting and payment systems. They already host sites for a number of fetish businesses worldwide, from small to large operations – and they have been really helpful on our new online shopping cart (see above!). So, wherever in the world you are located, if you want reliable people to help you through all this, I suggest you go here

Skin Two North, Leeds: Shall we do it again? If you are in the North of England, you may have been to the three Skin Two North parties in Leeds in 2008, 2009 and 2010. They were a lot of fun and Leeds is such a cool town. We’ve had a number of emails asking whether we plan to do another in 2012. What do you think? If you would like to come, let me know and maybe we’ll be heading up, North again in 2012. Mail me here

Upcoming Events

Saturday January 14th, London: Master Workshop Club RUB have organised some classes for men to learn how to dominate their women intelligently and give them a really good time. Men - find out how to do it properly! Get guidance on how to realise what will work best with your partner, learn a little of the the psychology. Women – encourage him to thrill you. These are small private classes, taught by an experienced male dom. Details here

Wednesday January 18th, Santa Cruz, CA, USA: How to Please Your Man Join internationally acclaimed sex educator Midori for this in-depth training on orally pleasuring your guy. Learn all about the sucks, licks, swirls, strokes and touch secrets that will blow his mind. She’ll even cover tips on how to reduce discomforts or gag reflexes. Midori, is an acclaimed writer and lecturer on a wide range of sexual topics. She has a degree in Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley, and vast experience as a pioneering San Francisco sex educator. She's the author of bestselling books “The Seductive Art of Japanese Bondage” and “Wild Side Sex”. Check out the other classes and events at Purple Pleasure in Santa Cruz - www.purepleasureshop.com/events.php To discover all Mindori’s classes on kinky sex (including bondage) at locations across the USA, go to www.fhp-inc.com/classes

Thursday 19th January, London: Art Erotica Exhibition Opens Art Erotica is a major new event in the London art calendar that will present a high-profile opportunity to exhibit for artists producing work in the erotic genre. Most media, including painting, photography, digital art, sculpture, drawing/graphic art, mixed media/construction and original prints are eligible for entry. The 2012 Art Erotica benefits the respected sexual health charity FPA. Read more here

Saturday 21st January, Richmond BDSM, West London, UK
Join the West London people of Richmond BDSM at Swish, the local fetish party, held at the Hellfire Club in Sunbury. It’s a great venue and deserves to be better known.
Then, our regular munch at the White Cross pub in Richmond is back on the fourth Monday of each month from Monday 23rd January. Join Richmond BDSM at www.richmondbdsm.org

Saturday January 21st, London: Club RUB Animal Menagerie and Beautiful Beasts - get details here

Friday January 27th, London: Pedestal This is THE club for submissive guys and dominant women. The next event is at Club Collosseum, in Vauxhall, from 10 pm. If your are a submissive man, you need to be here on the 27th - www.clubpedestal.com

Saturday January 28th, London: The Gate Master Keith welcomes you to this strict dresscode night with the emphasis on play. Lots of equipment to use, including tilting bondage table, puppy cage, spanking benches, thrones etc. Entry £10. Resistance Gallery, 265 Poyser St, Bethnal Green. London E2 9RF www.thegateclub.co.uk

Sunday 29th January, Bristol, UK: CBT Workshop Mistress Geo Pinch of Bristol will be conducting a second CBT workshop from 2pm to 6pm at The Cellar, Bristol’s new BDSM venue. Complete beginners are welcome as Mistress Geo will be instructing at all levels in the use of a wide range of CBT techniques and implements. Light refreshments will be provided. Places are limited to 30, allocated on a first-come-first-served basis (up from the first workshop’s 20 places). Please contact Ms Pinch for further information, via www.geopinch.co.uk

Saturday February 4th, Epinal, France: Cheyco Leidmann Exhibition
The great photographer Leidemann has a show from 4th February to 17th March at La Lune et Parachute, in Epical, to the East of Paris. Details at www.laluneenparachute.com/home.html
Leidemann’s website is at www.cheycoleidmann.com

Saturday February 4th, London: Subversion There’s no Subversion in January - but they’re back in February for a Purple Pervery & Pink Passion night at Union, 66 Albert Embankment, London, SE1 7TP, from 10pm. See - www.clubsubversion.com

Thursday February 9th, Milton Keynes, UK: Milton Keynes Fetish Night Every second Thursday of the month at Pink Punters, 2 Watling Street, Fenny Stratford, Milton Keynes MK2 2BS, from 9pm until late. Dress code: Fetish, Kinky, Gothic, Military, all black. No jeans, trainers or street clothes. Cost: £7 before 12, £12 after. There’s a selection of furniture and a suspension beam. There’s no website yet, but you can find them on Fetlife at fetlife.com/events/83962/v2

Thursday February 16th, Bedfordshire, UK: Frocks Frocks is a series of parties for t-girls and their admirers, held at the excellent Vanilla Alternative venue on the A1 near Sandy, Bedfordshire. Frocks is bi-monthly on the third Thursday of the month. www.honest-advice.co.uk/Frocks.html

Saturday February 18th, London: Master Workshop Club RUB have organised these classes for men to learn how to dominate their women intelligently and give them a really good time. Men - find out how to do it properly. Get guidance on how to realise what will work best with your partner, learn a little of the the psychology. Women - encourage him to thrill you. These are small private classes, taught by am experienced male dom. www.club-rub.com/index.php/club-rub/master/ (Then visit Club RUB later that night and try out what you have learned!)

Saturday February 18th, Amsterdam Holland: Boudoir Bizarre XVVIII This big Dutch event is just 15 minutes from Amsterdam and it features performances, two dancefloors, dungeons, absinthe & champagne bar, etc - see the details at www.boudoir-bizarre.nl

Saturday February 25th, Manchester, UK: Manchester Alternative & Burlesque Fair Over 50 stalls to browse and shop, performances, DJs, no dress code, entry only £50 12 noon to 6 pm at: Sound Control, New Wakefield Street (off Oxford Rd), Manchester M1 5WH (Look for a narrow street by the viaduct at Oxford Rd Train Station, Revolution Bar on the corner)
www.thealternativeandburlesquefair.com/index.php/next-event

Monday March 12th - Sunday March 18th: London, ObsessionArt
Skin Two was one of the first magazines to feature them when they launched, so we’re delighted to see ObsessionArt, a champion of fine art nude, erotica and high class fetish art in the mainstream, now celebrating it’s 5th anniversary with a major exhibition in London’s prestigious Mayfair art district. From humble beginnings, the gallery now represents some of the best-known names in the business, selling exclusive art prints for some of our favourite artists and photographers including Sorayama, Michael Manning, Ray Leaning, and Dahmane, to name just a few.
The exhibition will provide a rare opportunity to view and buy previously unreleased limited edition prints and original paintings by more than eight of ObsessionArt’s artists and photographers. Confirmed for the exhibition so far are Hajime Sorayama (Japan), Stephen Perry (UK), Mick Payton (UK), Saturno Butto (Italy), Igor Vasiliadis (Ukraine), Lee Jones (UK), John Wellington (US) and Dahmane (France).
The show is at The Gallery, 28 Cork Street, Mayfair, London W1S 3NG. It will be open each day* from Monday 12th - Saturday 17th inclusive, from 10am – 10pm. *closed Tuesday evening for press viewing. For further information: www.obsessionart.com

Saturday March 17th, Schloss Milkersdorf, Germany: Latextrem Royal This is a latex-only event. No leather or PVC - just rubber! It takes place at a castle in Milkersdorf, near Berlin – and there’s a shuttle service from Berlin, so travel is easy. You can book hotel rooms, dinner and make a weekend of it - info here

Saturday March 24th, New York, USA: Miss Rubber World
The Baroness will be MC at this big New York event, which goes from strength to strength. The affair lasts from the Friday pre-party through a tour of NY fetish shops on Saturday afternoon, to the big party on Saturday night. Host hotel is the Affinia Manhattan Hotel, so you can party with friends in your room all weekend. www.missrubberworld.com

Saturday March 31st, Birmingham, UK: Birmingham Alternative & Burlesque Fair at Vudu, Smallbrook Queensway, Hurst St, from 12 noon until 6 pm. Four themed shopping floors. performances, DJs, lots of confirmed vendors. No strict dress code (but feel free to look fabulous) Entry £5 on the door. Info here

April 13th - 15th, Barcelona, Spain: Barcelona Fetish Weekend
This was a great weekend last year and we’ll be there again for sure in 2012. Check out the full event programme here
This year, they have a dedicated event hotel, so you can stay with fellow fetish people from around the world. It’s a great location, a short walk from the dinner party and the the bus to the main party leaves right from the hotel - see you there! Hotel info is here

June 2nd - 5th, New York, USA: New York Fetish Marathon
New York’s famous fetish fest is back,with four days of parties, including SMack!, Paddles and The Baroness’ Royal Amusements. See the cream of NYC’s fetish clubbing all at one four-day marathon! www.NYFetishMarathon.com

Saturday 16th June, Paris: La Nuit Démonia Tickets are on sale now at - boutique.demonia.com/nuit-demonia-2012-p-5861.html
More info at - www.nuit-demonia.com

Sunday September 23rd San Francisco, USA: Folsom Street Fair 2012 San Francisco leather Week starts on Sunday 16th September and ends with the legendary Folsom St Fair on the 23rd. This is one of the world’s top leather events and, although essentially a gay celebration, all sexualities are welcome and have a great time. Don’t miss it. www.folsomstreetfair.org

September 29, Lyons, France : Bal des Supplices www.baldessupplices.com

Saturday October 27th, Las Vegas, USA: Fetish & Fantasy Halloween Ball The 2012 Fetish & Fantasy Ball is at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas. It’s a great trip and not expensive. If you have never been to Las Vegas, give it a go. (For UK partygoers, we recommend flying Virgin Atlantic out of Gatwick.) www.halloweenball.com

Other Fetish News

Submissive Women and Dominant Men in London
Quite a few people have been asking about a club for sub women and dom men in London. A place where women can go confidently. We have volunteered to pass the word and put people together. Genuine enquiries from sane people to tim@skintwo.com

Do you run a Fetish Business? Want to get your Flyers Distributed? We use and recommend HandJobsMedia to distribute flyers to fetish events across the UK. Contact Michaela at www.handjobsmedia.com

The Only One-y: Scotty The Blue Bunny

2012-01-11T09:06:00.000-08:00

Article from: http://sparklydevil.wordpress.com/2012/01/10/the-only-one-y-scotty-the-blue-bunny/

I first met Scotty the Blue Bunny at New York Burlesque Festival in 2003; the exact incriminating details escape me, but I know we were both loud, drunk and obnoxious. In other words, love at first sight.

It’s hard not to be drawn to a guy in a blue spandex bunny suit who’s pushing 7 feet from the tips of his ears down to his size 13 Lucite stripper heels — especially one with such an acerbic and fearless wit. Over the years I’d see him at various festivals and events, and we’d engage in our backstage ritual of hurling good-natured insults at each other while tossing down Jager bombs and spewing glitter and profanity. But it wasn’t until Scotty moved to San Francisco that I really got to know the man behind the bunny suit, and was struck by what a smart, eloquent, introspective and sensitive (yes, really) person he is offstage as well. A gifted yoga and Pilates instructor, Scotty is actually quite down to earth and always refreshingly free of pretense. Whether onstage or off, he lasers in on bullshit and mercilessly mocks it with his trademark brand of utterly outrageous humor and razor-sharp delivery.

In one of his opening bits, Scotty stomps onstage to the Godzilla theme, and it’s a truly apt comparison: he’s the motherfucker who will storm into your burlesque show, stomp all over your preconceived notions of emcee protocol and etiquette, rip your face off in front of everyone, and you’ll only love him even MORE for it.

I asked Scotty to take a few moments to sit down and answer some probing questions about the man, the myth and the bunny. I hope you enjoy this peek behind the ears as much as I did.

Tell me a little about how Scotty the Blue Bunny came into being. When did you first don the suit? How did you come to emceeing?

I date my genesis to my first tour with the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus in 1996. As a lead up to that, I had been doing small shows with them locally in Williamsburg, Brooklyn for about a year prior, as well as late night drag shows and not so late night spoken word slams. The Cirkus gave me room to be interdisciplinary without thinking too much about it. So I experimented with clowning and fantasy and the “female impersonation” naturally faded out. One turn with bunny ears stuck as a trademark forever. And since there is a strong tradition of wearing animal outfits in the circus and sideshow it felt natural. After a few years of touring, variety and burlesque shows were now happening on dedicated earlier evenings instead of late night clubs – and there was a need for hosts. It seemed, and still does, like a perfect niche. I could bring all my little circus tricks and banter to glue a show together.

You’re infamous for saying some utterly outrageous, shocking shit on stage. Do you think you get away with it if you weren’t dressed in a blue bunny suit?

Probably not – but it’s not like I’m hitting the stage in a pair of khakis anytime soon. And I haven’t gotten away with everything just so you know. I made someone so mad once they bit me…

How do you approach hosting a burlesque show, or any show for that matter?

Girl, the spandex helps me get caught up in the excitement of the show. Shows are exciting! Dixie Evans said something to the effect that there was a time before Facebook and DVDs – when people went out. They HAD to go out and it was fun and active to be in the audience. The audience might come to the show to see the performers, but the performers come to see the crowd. I think of the proscenium as a meeting place. I still romanticize performing and doing shows and I remind myself to get caught up in the magic. Also Jo Boobs told me to never ever get tired of being a bunny: “Don’t you dare!” Period. So I keep a mental Rottweiler growling at potential boredom or habituation. I mean, god forbid I was a lucky SOB cast in Cats – I’d have to be a pussy Tuesday through Friday with matinees on Saturday and Sunday. Every time I step on stage it’s fresh; there’s always someone who hasn’t seen me before. PLUS it helps to have new costumes and shoes and stuff – even if the material is old, (girl!) it’s a sweet little trick to play on yourself to have something new to show off.

You’re part of the “old guard” that’s been around since the burlesque revival really exploded. How do you see the old guard meshing with the new guard?

Actually – I think I’m part of some intermediary guard. I’m old enough that for me, burlesque never really disappeared culturally, but young enough that I never really saw contemporary burlesque until I saw my peers do it. I don’t mean to downplay my experience. As we go along it really does seem I witnessed and was part of a pivotal time in the genre, in New York anyway, but it would also seem that it was a pivotal time for Burlesque globally as well.

I think young and old are meshing just fine. Living in San Francisco especially, I catch glimpses of it being an inter-generational scene. Some of the seniors will put high-heels on their walkers and come to see our shows, or be in them! It’s not all about immortalizing them at BHOF. It’s great to have idols, but it’s nice when those idols come down from Olympus to suck on a whiskey sour and yell out at you.

Recently you stated that performers should “strive to suck.” I interpreted that as “strive to take risks” but would you care to expand a bit more on that?

A bit of irreverence would do us all some good, for both the performer and the audience. Yes, we all exist within the confines of a genre and audiences come with expectations built on that, so you gotta knock that shit down. Striving to be good is great, but I also want to be passionate, playful, furious, horny, careless and wild as well - and in burlesque we get to work it out on stage.

Performing can be a transcendent experience (ritual) for the performer, which makes for great theater. It doesn’t have to be written off as therapy, and people should really be open to “sucking” in the name of experiencing their performances differently than their audience. Go ahead, get on your knees, scream and pour blood all over yourself in the name of Satan. This is Burlesque for Christ’s sake – irreverence is built into the definition of the damn thing.

I also appreciate to see a little struggling with the form. Creators struggle with their respective forms in order to transcend raw materials and really make art. All the rhinestones and all the feathers have to add up to something that blows people’s minds and suspends reality – aka entertainment. We come to and perform in shows so we can re-enter our everyday lives with new awareness. We destroy to create.

What are your thoughts on the spectrum of performer quality that we see today, from boring to genius? Can you talk a little about that “grace period of suck” that you mentioned?

Well, maybe 15 years ago, we had more places to experiment, and audiences were not quite sure what they were looking at, so we got a way with some unfinished shit. I mean I was doing drag – and as much as I look like a real rabbit to you now, that’s how successful my female impersonation was. Blech! We were doing shows that grew out of nightlife. I mean, I’ve seen gorgeous go-go girls dancing while licking soft-serve ice-cream cones in front of video monitors playing scenes of people vomiting. When I first met World Famous *BOB* she was eating cheeseburgers on a go-go box at an after-hours club where I showed up in a metallic kilt to eat fire and our boss was a giant lime green drag queen. Now look at us. Honestly – we were werking it out!!! We didn’t have schools with handouts and charts. We were weird and walked the streets when New York was the place for that. Kids today don’t have that – they have to step onto the stage with much more intention and seriousness than we ever did. Bow your head to your own creative process and do your own best work. Foster uniqueness. Everything else will take care itself.

Copping a feel at NYBF ‘03

As someone who makes a living from performing, what do you think of the whole professional vs. hobbyist debate? Is this going to divide us as a community?

The truth is that most people don’t care – they just want good show. We have these beautiful Living Legends and heaps of black and white photos of dancers past – but we don’t know anything about the qualities of their shows or productions. Really, there is far too much glamorizing going on – far too much nostalgia and projecting.

The truth is you can’t be in every show. Performers need to just relax and accept that they don’t fit every bill – and it’s not always about being good, or professional. It’s pretty obvious what you have to do to perform on all the different levels.

Making a living in burlesque is making a living as an artist, and I think that if people thought of themselves in the broader spectrum of performance instead of rhinestoning the shit out of the status quo, they would be better burlesquers. Sparkle is great – but if there’s anything I’ve learned, it’s that audiences want the whole diamond. You have to express yourself through your skills. You have to live on stage.

Originally, this debate was very emotional for me because I found my way into a bunny suit through experimentation and exposure to all kinds of freaks. I don’t have any formal education in the arts besides my abandoned violin career, which ended in highs chool. Joey Ramone never took voice lessons and Rober Mapplethorpe was a drop-out. I don’t think anyone would dispute they are professional world-class artists. I model myself on that.

One of the first times I first met you, the first thing you said to me after I got offstage is that I should close my mouth while I perform. At first I was taken aback, and then I realized you were giving me real constructive criticism instead of a meaningless “oh that was great.” Do you think a lot of burlesque performers aren’t used to receiving real feedback? Or that they just don’t want it and would prefer the “that was great”?

Shit, everyone I know jumps off stage asking “Wasitgoodwasitgoodwasitgooddidyoulikeit?huh?huh?” Everyone I know is interested in refining their art and making it better. I think everyone is talking to everyone about their shows all the time. Critique has a language and timing all its own, and it’s better just to ignore a bad performance and pour enthusiasm all over something you love-love-without-a-doubt love. The majority of performances I see are just fine – the rest, should just be gracefully left alone to figure it out. There is a kind of innocence there you don’t want to fuck with. The joy of being in showbiz for so long is watching people figure it out.

What do you think are the biggest challenges the burlesque community is facing right now?

The biggest challenge is how do you perform for an educated audience, at every ticket price. People know what burlesque is. We need to accept it’s completely cultural now – it’s not neo, or a revival anymore. It’s just Burlesque.

What do you love most about burlesque? And what do you hate?

The thing I love most is watching the nightly transformation from nose-picking fart-smelling scratch-n-sniff reptilian invader into pristine glamour girl (you know who you are). The thing I hate the most is pizza backstage.

Tell me about one of your most memorable moments on stage; something that really resonates and sticks out when you look back at everything you’ve done.

Getting bit.

He’s the only one-y: get more of Scotty the Blue Bunny at http://scottybunny.com

Julie Simone Hits Award Shows As Klawtex Spoke Model

2012-01-09T16:10:00.000-08:00

(New York, NY) Julie Simone will be hitting the XBIZ and AVN award shows red carpets in custom designs from New York Latex House, Klawtex. Julie is up for 3 XBIZ Awards for Best Fetish Studio, Best Fetish Release and Best Specialty Website, along with 6 AVN Awards that include 5 in the BDSM Release category and another for Best Specialty Website. Klawtex’s signature designs can be viewed at http://klawtex.com/.

"These award shows are the Oscars and Golden Globes of our industry", Julie Simone says. "We channeled Old Hollywood glamour for these dresses, and based one on a dress worn by Rita Hayworth. I’m truly honored to be wearing their designs and to be their spokes model.”

While in the Los Angeles area, Julie will be teaching a Femdom Bondage class geared for Pro Dommes at the exclusive Dungeon Servitus in San Diego. The class will focus on how to tie up men effectively and efficiently. This will be Julie Simone’s first time teaching this class and she’s making it affordable so everyone can come out—the class is $10. Info for the class can be found at http://www.blog.dungeonservitus.com/?page_id=445

Julie will be available for individualized domination sessions while she’s in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and San Diego. Information about booked a session can be obtained by visiting http://juliesbitchboys.com/blog/sessions/.

Boulevard Distribution distributes all of Julie Simone’s titles. To purchase DVDs, contact Andy Goode at Andy@boulevarddistribution.com or 818-325-9634. Retail shops carrying her DVDs include Stockroom, Pleasure Chest, Kinematics and many more all over the world. Also, check out her titles on VOD through Hot Movies, Hot Movies for Her, AEBN and Gamelink.

All requests for interviews, appearances, magazine placement and general media inquiries about Julie Simone should be directed to Erika Icon of The Rub PR at erika@therubpr.com.

About Julie Simone
Julie Simone was the first woman to be awarded Best Rigger in the Industry in 2004. She's taught at ShibariCon, FetishCon, DomCon, BondCon NYC, Threshold, German Fetish Ball as well as smaller community based clubs and one-on-one classes. Her talents have been showcased in hundreds of DVDs, as well as on G4TV's "Attack of the Show". Her films have been screened at New England Erotic Arts Festival, Cinekink (Portland, SF, NYC, DC, Chicago, LA, Berlin), Los Angeles and Baltimore Erotic Festivals, Berlin Porn Film Festival, Cinerotic (Atlanta), Kiel Fetisch Film Festival, PopPorn festival in Rio and Uruguay, and MIX Festival, just to name a few. Although she has recently begun painting and showing her work on her site www.DeconstructedBeautyProjekt.com, Julie has received notoriety for her photography for some time. Her work has appeared in Secret Magazine, Bizarre, Fetish Photo Anthology 4 & 5, Bondage and Fetish (France), and has been exhibited in shows including The Dirty Show, Seattle Erotic Arts Festival, Folsom Street Fair Art Exhibit at Femina Potens Gallery and The Traveling Erotic Art Show that exhibited in San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, New York, and Florida. To learn more about Julie Simone, visit her websites JulieSimone.com, JuliesBitchBoys.com, SmokingTV.com, POVDommes.com and the newly launched FootFetishSluts.com. Watch Julie in her Internet sensation YouTube video clip Dominatrix in Williamsburg Brooklyn NYC that has been viewed over 140,000 times—it has also been featured on Tosh.0, Gawker, The Village Voice Blog and VH1, along with BestWeekEver.tv, Buzzfeed and Redux. Most recently, she appeared in the documentary pilot Dominatrix Diaries, which screened at the NYC Television Film Festival—to view a trailer visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dpd8SlYYoBs.

Hugh Hefner's Future Looks Bright

2011-12-31T10:53:00.000-08:00

Hugh Hefner is putting the past year behind him and looking forward to a romantic and successful 2012. Here's what the Playboy icon has to say about his sexy new year.

Some 85-year-olds may spend their days playing bridge at the retirement home -- but they aren't Hugh Hefner. The Playboy mogul says that 2012 is shaping up to be one of his most successful in recent memory -- and he is leaving room for romance, too.

"Retirement is unthinkable to me," Hef told the Associated Press. "The future is bright and very exciting and I'm looking forward to playing a part in it."

Hugh Hefner's ex just wants attention >>

Despite the cancellation of both his TV show, The Playboy Club, and his wedding to Crystal Harris, Hef says business and pleasure still have a lead role in his life.

"I don't know that I would be best served at married (life)," he said. "But I do know that I need an ongoing romantic relationship." Hef is currently healing his broken heart with two new 25-year-old girlfriends, Playboy models Shera Bechard and Anna Berglund.

Hugh Hefner blames failed engagement on Holly Madison >>

Hef is getting some help from his son, Cooper Hefner, in breathing new life into the Playboy brand, including reopening branches of The Playboy Club around the world, sponsoring a short film contest and lighting a fire under a previously shelved biopic of his famous dad.

"Most people's lives, if they are successful, have a peak and then it's a bell-shaped curve, or they have wonderful years and then a slow dissipation. The opposite has been the case here," Hefner noted. "I'm the luckiest guy, from my perspective, the luckiest guy on the planet."

"If you can do that and make some real difference in the world, it's too sweet."

Image courtesy Nikki Nelson/WENN.com

Tease-O-Rama Applications due in 8 days!

2011-12-30T08:56:00.000-08:00

Mark your calendars for the 2012 Tease-O-Rama April 19^th – 22.

Tease-O-Rama is the World’s PREMIERE international weekend-long convention and showcase dedicated to the foxy, fabulous, and over-the-top world of burlesque. Since 2001, Tease-O-Rama set the sequin-spangled standard for presenting the best in eye-popping burlesque entertainment.

Applications are due Sunday January 8^th!!

www.teaseorama.com

Hotel, Tickets and Performer line-up announced in January 2012.

Sponsorship info: sponsorship@teaseorama.com

Join the Tease-O-Rama Facebook Group!

https://www.facebook.com/groups/teaseorama/

Holiday News from Skin Two

2011-12-18T08:08:00.000-08:00

San Francisco Citadel forced to relocate. Needs help with fundraising effort! San Francisco is not only a beautiful city, it’s the home of BDSM in the USA. The fetish/SM culture in the bay area is something very special and a part of all our heritage. The Citadel is the largest BDSM dungeon/social space in SF, which makes it a vital centre of BDSM culture. The landlords have decided to raise the rent and there’s no way the Citadel can afford to remain – they had to look for a new home. A space has been found, but the club needed to borrow $24,000 - which needs to be paid back very soon... Help is needed. The Citadel is having an auction at their New Year fundraiser. Donate! Make a bid! Businesses and individuals can donate items or gift certificates, clubs can hold fundraisers. (Skin Two is giving a VIP night out in London, with dinner for two and entry to a fetish club.) Join in and help out – it all adds up. Pass the word to everyone you know. Go here to find information on their fund-raising needs, as well as a button to donate - www.sfcitadel.org

Fetish Website Hosting – and Online Payment Set-Up If you have a fetish/BDSM website, you won’t need me to tell you what a pain it can be to find hosting that’s fetish-friendly. Even worse than that, try getting a shopping cart set up and online credit card payments. I’ve been deleted by PayPal twice, restricted by two major banks – what a hassle it all is.
So I am happy to recommend a firm I’ve recently discovered, run by fetish people with long experience in hosting and payment systems. They already host sites for a number of fetish businesses worldwide, from small to large operations – and they have been really helpful on a new online shopping cart. So, wherever in the world you are located, if you want reliable people to help you through all this, I suggest you go here

Art Erotica Exhibition Opens 19th January Art Erotica is a major new event in the London art calendar that will present a high-profile opportunity to exhibit for artists producing work in the erotic genre. Most media, including painting, photography, digital art, sculpture, drawing/graphic art, mixed media/construction and original prints are eligible for entry. The 2012 Art Erotica benefits the respected sexual health charity FPA. Read more here

Submissive Women and Dominant Men in London
Quite a few people have been asking about a club for sub women and dom men in London. A place where women can go confidently. We have volunteered to pass the word and put people together. Genuine enquiries from sane people to tim@skintwo.com

Upcoming Events

Sunday 18th December, New York, USA: Fetish Tribe
Information on Sunday - and on the upcoming events in NYC, is at www.fetishtribe.com

Wednesday 21st December, Richmond BDSM; West London/Middlesex, UK Richmond BDSM members are invited to a private drinks and dungeon party at Lady Samantha’s house. Numbers are limited, so respond promptly - see details at www.richmondbdsm.org

Friday 23rd December, Atlanta GA, USA: SecretRoom
SecretRoom’s pyjama party is at the Jungle Club, 2115 Faulkner Rd NE, Atlanta 30324. Entry is only $5 in Christmas outfits, red and white, pyjamas and lingerie. ($10 everyone else.) Spanking and shibari in the side lounge. Watch their halloween video at www.secretroom.net

Tuesday 27th December, Derby: Club Dominion End of Year Party
This is Dominion’s annual celebration and usually their busiest party of the year when many people are enjoying extended seasonal breaks. Play kit by Nemesis. Venue: Curzons in Derby. Times: 9.00 pm till 2 am. Admission: £10 including mid evening buffet. Dress is fetish in all its forms with a minimum of all black - seasonal festive themes welcome! www.clubdominion.co.uk

Friday 30th December, London: Club AntiChrist NOT New Year Party There are ten themed zones at the AntiChrist event at Club Colosseum in Vauxhall. Just ignore the usual NYE bollox and party. Entertainment includes Satan’s Strip Show, the Theatre of Sin, burlesque star Fifi Fatale, Joe Black, Fist Fuck Deluxe, Generation Graveyard and Parish Circus. There are several different zones of music, a dungeon, a couples’ playroom and free tea in the morning. Full info and tickets at www.clubantichrist.com

Saturday December 31st, Fort Lauderdale, USA: XFP New Years Party Fetish Factory hosts the XFP New Years Party on December 31st at a location only available to XFP Members (Membership is free! Click HERE to Join) The event will be intimate and exclusive. Maximum capacity 250 members. Please visit the official Alter Ego website for info: www.xtremefetishparty.com

Saturday December 31st, London: Torture Garden New Year’s Eve Ball TG’s famous NYE Ball is at Mass, St Mathew Peace Garden, London SW2 1JF. Artists include Empress Stah, Des O’Connor, Syban, Marnie Scarlett, Jodie Harsh, Janette Slack, Jimmy Mofo, Rockit Riyad, Joe Black, David TG, The Secretary. There will be a club arena, ballroom, dungeon boudoir crypt and couples’ playroom. Enforced fantasy dress code, of course. Midnight countdowns, balloon drops, confetti cannons and pyros! www.torturegarden.com

Coming up in 2012

Club RUB Events in 2012, London
* January 21st - Animal Menagerie and Beautiful Beasts
* February 18th - Streampunk, Tarts in Tartan and Kinky in Kilts
* March 17th - Gay Icons - from the Village People to showgirls
* April 21st - Circus Extrodinaire and Freakshow - 15th Birthday
* May 19th - Aliens Abduction Aboard the Starship Enterprise
* June 16th - Clowns, Puppets, Dolls, Harajuku and Manga Cuties
www.club-rub.com

Subversion Events in 2012, London
* February 4th - Purple pervery & pink passion
* April 7th - Uniforms
* June 2nd - Silver queens
* August 4th - Hot as hell
* Friday October 5th - Latex Leather & Lace
* December 1st - Corseted Christmas
www.clubsubversion.com

Saturday 21st January, Richmond BDSM, West London, UK
* Join us at Swish, the local fetish party held at the Hellfire Club in Sunbury.
* Then, our regular munch at the White Cross pub is back on the fourth Monday of each month from Monday 23rd January, see www.richmondbdsm.org

Saturday March 24th, New York, USA: Miss Rubber World
The Baroness will be MC at this big New York event, which goes from strength to strength. The affair lasts from the Friday pre-party through a tour of NY fetish shops on Saturday afternoon, to the big party on Saturday night. Host hotel is the Affinia Manhattan Hotel, so you can party with friends in your room all weekend. www.missrubberworld.com

June 2nd - 5th, New York, USA: New York Fetish Marathon
New York’s famous fetish fest is back,with four days of parties, including SMack!, Paddles and The Baroness’ Royal Amusements. See the cream of NYC’s fetish clubbing all at one four-day marathon! www.NYFetishMarathon.com

Frocks Tranny Parties for 2012 Frocks is a series of parties for t-girls and their admirers, held at the excellent Vanilla Alternative venue on the A1 near Sandy, Bedfordshire. Frocks is organised by Michelle Rust of Honest. Here is the Frocks diary of bi-monthly parties on the third Thursday of the month…
* February 16th - Valentines
* April 19th - Easter Parade
* June 21st - Summer Ball
* August 16th - Prom Queens
* October 18th - Anniversary Kiss
* December 20th - Christmas Bling
Honest is at www.honest-advice.co.uk
The Vanilla Alternative is at www.thevanillaalternative.co.uk

September 29, Lyons, France
Bal des Supplices www.baldessupplices.com

Other Fetish News

Do you run a Fetish Business? Want to get your Flyers Distributed? We use and recommend HandJobsMedia to distribute flyers to fetish events across the UK - www.handjobsmedia.com

Skin Two Halloween Ball - the Photos!
Thanks to everyone who came to the Skin Two Halloween Ball Weekend. We’ve had a lot of positive comments and it seems you all loved the venue. Thanks to everyone who appeared; Alix Fox, our lovely MC – cabaret performers Lottie Kixx and Paisley X, Boudicca Blue Bodyart, Ropeslut and his Muse, Master Cosmic, Lady K’s Burlesque Show, Sidonia, Nina and the Bondage Dolly, photographer Helena Eloise and of course the UKs top dominatrixes; Mistress Rebekka Raynor, Domina Liza, Lady Bellatrix, Nina Birch, Lady Samantha, Miz Behave and Sidonia von Bork. Check out the photos here

Thursday Nights in West London - Promoter Needed
The excellent Hellfire Club in Sunbury, on the West side of London, not far from Heathrow, is easy to reach from London and the Thames Valley area. They have a Thursday slot available for an experienced and capable fetish club promoter. Their dungeon is large and well equipped and the dance and bar area very comfortable. The building is in a business park, so evening parking is easy. If you are a reliable promoter (no fruitcakes, druggies or dreamers please!), check it out - www.theold-hellfireclub.co.uk

Any Questions?
Get back to me at tim@skintwo.com

Tim

Story Behind Fastball - The Way

2011-12-17T14:10:00.000-08:00

Disappearance

The couple left their home on the morning of Saturday, June 28, 1997. They were headed to the Pioneer Days Festival, a festival honoring longtime residents, in nearby Temple, a fifteen mile trip. They stopped at the neighborhood Wal-Mart for coffee, something they often did during the week.

About twelve hours after they initially left home, they were stopped in northern Arkansas near the town of Subiaco by Logan County sheriff's deputy Harold Cole because they were driving with no headlights. Cole radioed Lela's information in, but, unaware that the couple was lost or missing and having no reason to detain them, let them go.

Looking back on the incident, officer Cole later stated that there were warning signs that something might have been wrong. It took several miles of flashing his lights before Lela pulled over, she was fumbling a little when Cole instructed her to turn on her headlights, and though she said she was going to Texas, she was headed the wrong way. However this was not enough to warrant holding them.

"I feel terrible about it. I just wished I'd known more that night to give me a little suspicion. There was just nothing there out of the ordinary... I was impressed by the lady... She was polite. She was kind. She was gentle… I had no probable cause to detain them any longer. And I certainly had no probable cause to think they were wanted," Cole said.

Forty-five minutes later they were stopped again near the town of Plainview by a Yell County sheriff's deputy for driving with their high-beams on. Although by this time the couple had been reported as missing, unfortunately no computer checks were run, and again they were let go. This was the last time they were seen alive.

When the couple did not return home by 4 p.m. that day, Lela's son Hal Copeland called the Bell County sheriff's office to report them missing.^[4]

Several relatives of the Howards spent the July fourth weekend searching for them. They distributed fliers, drove back roads, and questioned law enforcement officials and storekeepers. The Howards' grandson James Stewart offered a $1,000 reward for any information leading to the couple.

Police were flooded with tips about the couple nationwide after a segment was aired on CBS's This Morning, however none of them led anywhere according to officer Wayne Jordan of the Arkansas State Police.^[5]

Death and discovery

Exactly two weeks after they disappeared, two teenagers on a hike through the Ouachita Mountains found the Howards' maroon Oldsmobile Delta 88 and the bodies of Lela and Raymond at the bottom of a 25-foot cliff. The highway they were driving on before the crash was known for being a treacherous, curvy road.^[6]

Although it was initially reported that Raymond was driving the car, when the full investigation's details were released, they showed that Lela had in fact been behind the wheel. Police estimated that Lela was driving about 50 miles per hour when she ran a stop sign and drove off the road and over the cliff, most likely due to a combination of the dark, winding road and mental fatigue. There were no skid marks, indicating Lela was unaware she had run the sign. The report stated that after the crash, Lela put the car in parking gear and removed the keys. She walked around to the passenger side door which she apparently opened, then walked about 20 feet away from the car before collapsing. Raymond never left the passenger seat.^[7] She was 83 years old. He was 88.

Aftermath

Because the disappearance of Lela and Raymond made national headlines, their eventual discovery raised concerns on whether or not the elderly need to undergo driver testing. Texas State Representative Tony Goolsby introduced a bill that would order the Department of Transportation to come up with some way to ensure that drivers 75 years of age and older could "exercise ordinary and reasonable control in the operation of a motor vehicle."

This fueled a national debate on whether or not such a bill would infringe on the rights of senior citizens. The American Association of Retired Persons strongly disapproved of any such legislation stating, "It is discriminatory in all senses of the word."

However others such as Homer Lear of the Silver-Haired Legislature disagreed and said the idea did have merit.^[8]

The Baroness' Annual Holiday Cocktail Party and Lubricated Shopping!

2011-12-08T08:02:00.000-08:00

Happy HOlidays!

'Tis the season and at the boutique my elves are bustling as we prepare for a very shiny, slippery holiday month. It starts with our traditional trip to Macy's Santa Land, where we sit on his lap, tell him our wish list, and entertain the crowd, all decked out in our red and green latex holiday ensembles.

After that...

Thursday, December 15th, from 7-10pm, join us at the boutique for our annual lubricated shopping holiday cocktail party and sale!
Drink champagne, nibble on snacks, socialize, and—to make it easy to shop for yourself and those on your Christmas list—receive 20% off all in-stock latex, and up to 50% off already-discounted sale items, as my gift to you! A perfect latex stocking stuffer is our holiday aprons in red & green with snow flake and Christmas tree appliqués, or our marabou trimmed red latex Mrs. Clause dress! The boutique is located at 530 B East 13th Street between Avenues A & B, New York City.

Saturday, December 17th, NYC, I and my band of latex elves and naughty Santas will be at Stimulate where we will decorate the human Christmas Tree!

December 25th until January 2nd we will be open by appointment only and infrequently checking emails to recover from all the holiday parties and gather strength for more of them!

An upcoming event that you will need to prepare for outfit-wise, be you contestant or attendee, is Miss Rubber World 2012, on Saturday, March 24th, in New York City. Once again I will be the emcee for the evening and will also show a small collection of Baroness latex fashions. This event gets better each year and if you are thinking of entering the prizes are incredible, however the competition is fierce and you will need to dress to really impress in more than one outfit! Remember, custom creations take time, so contact me soon so we can create something astonishing! (Seems like a great time to take advantage of our lubricated shopping cocktail party and sale).

I Remain,

The Baroness
Baroness@Baroness.com
www.Baroness.com
Facebook.Baroness.com
Flickr.Baroness.com
Twitter.Baroness.com
www.myspace.com/TheLatexBaroness
530 B East 13th Street
New York City, NY 10009
Monday-Saturday 2-7 Thursday 2-9

Lindsay Lohan's Nude Playboy Cover Has Leaked

2011-12-07T14:38:00.000-08:00

By Paul Cantor | Dec 7, 2011

Lindsay Lohan's nude Playboy cover, which she was paid $1 million to pose for, made its way onto the internet today.

It's too bad, because she was supposed to unveil the cover on "The Ellen DeGeneres show" on December 15th, in her first televised interview since she violated probation. The issue goes on sale in late December.

Some of her body is noticeably covered up by the Playboy bunny sign, but she's definitely naked. When will the rest of the images leak? That's the question.

[NY Post]

AVN Awards 2012: The Nominees

2011-12-05T19:17:00.000-08:00

CHATSWORTH, Calif.—AVN is pleased to announce the nominees for the 2012 AVN Awards Show, taking place Saturday, January 21 at The Joint inside the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

The complete list of nominees can be found at AVNAwards.com or downloaded as a pdf file by clicking here.

The 2012 AVN Awards will be co-hosted by adult luminaries Bree Olson and Sunny Leone—both up for Crossover Star of the Year—with comedian Dave Attell taking his second turn as the evening's funnyman.

A committee of 10 AVN critics spent close to a month and a half compiling nominations in over 130 categories recognizing companies, talent, technicians and creative professionals across the spectrum of the adult entertainment industry. Several new categories were created to reflect the ever-evolving market trends of the business; these include Best Studio Website, Best Solo Girl Website, Best All-Sex Release - Mixed Format, Best Director - Parody and Best Celebrity Sex Tape.

Vivid Entertainment dominated the latter with six contenders from its Vivid Celeb line, but Dream Zone Entertainment and new imprint Exquisite Celebrity scored nods as well. Vivid founder Steven Hirsch also received special recognition of his own in another brand-new category, the AVN Visionary Award, honoring him for his singular achievement in bringing adult into the mainstream sphere.

Leading the pack for overall nominations, as it frequently does, was distributor Evil Angel, with its stable of directors collectively earning 114 mentions. The newest member of the Evil Angel team, performer/director Bobbi Starr, made a particularly impressive showing, earning a total of 16 noms for her work in front of and behind the camera, including Best Actress (for New Sensations Romance's A Little Part of Me), Best Anal Sex Scene (in her own Shut Up and Fuck), Best Director - Non-Feature (for Shut Up and Fuck), Best Girl/Girl Sex Scene (in Elegant Angel Productions' Prison Girls), Best Oral Sex Scene (in Jessica Drake's Guide to Wicked Sex: Fellatio from Wicked Pictures), Best Supporting Actress (in New Sensations' Scooby-Doo: A XXX Parody) and Female Performer of the Year.

Starr's male counterpart would seem to be comback sensation and her Shut Up and Fuck scene partner Nacho Vidal, who picked up 12 noms encompassing the all-Nacho debauchery fests Nacho Invades America (Jules Jordan Video) and Nacho Vidal vs. Live Gonzo (Cruel Media/Evil Angel), as well as a Male Performer of the Year notice and induction into the AVN Hall of Fame.

Very close on Evil Angel's heels for overall mentions was Jules Jordan Video, with 112 total, including a nomination for Jules Jordan himself as Director of the Year (Body of Work). The reigning victor in that category, parody king Axel Braun, had arguably an even better year this time around, with his Vivid release Spider-Man XXX: A Porn Parody racking up 16 nominations, the Axel Braun Productions title Elvis XXX: A Porn Parody (distributed by Vivid) scoring nine, and his Hustler Video effort This Ain't Ghostbusters XXX 3D landing eight, just to name a few.

Fellow parody-smith Will Ryder didn't do too badly, either, earning 12 nominations for his New Sensations release The Flintstones: A XXX Parody, and another 12 between his X-Play/Adam & Eve Pictures projects Beverly Hillbillies: A XXX Parody and Rocky XXX: A Parody Thriller!.

The most nods for a single title went to Wicked Pictures' The Rocki Whore Picture Show: A Hardcore Parody, earning 18 total, including Best Actor (newcomer Mac Turner), Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography (Jake Jacobs), Best Director - Parody (Brad Armstrong), Best Editing (Scott Allen) and two mentions in Best Original Song (for the ditties "Fuck-a-Fuck-a" and "Oversexed Porn Star").

"I am extremely pleased with the nominations list our committee produced this year," AVN senior editor Peter Warren said. "I've been a part of this process for nine years now, and I can honestly say I think this is the most thorough and rock-solid job we've ever done. I look forward to hearing everybody's response to the nominations, and on behalf of the entire committee, I extend our warmest congratulations to everyone recognized."

For information about tickets to the 2012 AVN Awards, go to AVNAwards.com or contact Bonnie LeBlanc at bonnie.leblanc@avn.com or (818) 718-5788 ext. 101.

Help Save Long Beach Roller Derby

2011-12-04T09:25:00.000-08:00

Beautease! Live Burlesque at the Beach! Dec. 3rd

2011-11-26T07:22:00.000-08:00

Stripper Talk: Burlesque Advice for Newbies

2011-11-11T07:27:00.000-08:00

So you want to join the burlesque ranks of the best and the brightest? Sounds groovy, but you need to work to get some work! Working hard at this art form is what you need to stick out in the community- a community saturated with fledgling as well as established performers all over the world.

In my almost 7 years of experience, this is what I can tell you:

1. Decide if you want to be a “hobbyist” or a “professional”.

I asked Miss Astrid (a pioneer in the “Neo-burlesque”movement. See: Velvet Hammer Burlesque) to help me tell the difference between the two:

“I would say that there are many ways to be a hobbyist, but only one way to be a professional. It has nothing to do with how much money one earns because many excellent and dedicated artists don’t survive off their art. I would define a professional as someone who has trained in their artform and are passionate about entertaining. They posess skills which make them both desirable to work with and a pleasure to watch on stage.”

And I’ll elaborate in my way:

Many of us aspire to be a “professional”, but you really need to ask yourself if you’re willing to do the work, hours upon hours of work rehearsing, taking classes, getting mentorship, researching, costuming, networking, writing emails, applying to festivals, contributing to community, attending shows, etc. This is also a big investment of money. If you don’t invest the funds and/or the investment of time-it is a hard reality that you will most likely stay at the “hobbyist” level. For many professionals, this is a challenging, yet rewarding life. We aren’t doing it for the money, since over-saturation has made it progressively harder and harder to fill our local and international schedule. We do it because there’s no other option for us. This is what we do. We’re entertainers to the core. This is a full-time job for many of us (and some even working more than one job), making ends meet by teaching, costuming, hustling, modeling, performing-because this is all we know how to do.

Hobbyists are a bit different. You might do many of the things above, but you have a full-time job, and it’s easy for you to put performing on the backburner. Perhaps this is something that simply keeps you entertained, and you’re not interested in performing on giant stages for 1,200 people-knowing that every second its up to you to keep a person entertained. Maybe you just like dressing up and going to shows and occasionally performing for your friends in shows that you all produce together-that’s great! There’s space for both of these sides of the community, sides of the same coin.

Also note that just because you want to be a successful pro doesn’t mean that it’s going to happen for you. Every artist isn’t successful-but they still do it because they love it, just at a different level.

2. Go to a class.
In this day and age, resources abound! Go to dance classes that have nothing to do with burlesque. Go to burlesque classes if they’re in your area and taught by seasoned professionals. If you’re really serious, make a pilgrimage. I highly recommend Miss Indigo Blue’s Academy of Burlesque, academyofburlesque.com, Jo Boob’s New York School of Burlesque, schoolofburlesque.com, and Michelle L’amour’s school, studiolamour.com.

Start doing research to see who the best and the brightest are in your community
(maybe check out http://www.21stcenturyburlesque.com)
for leads and then go “down the rabbit hole” of research. Go to shows. Watch YouTube videos. Email people in your community (hello FaceBook) to see if they have suggestions. If there’s no school in your area that you’re interested in, or group classes aren’t your thing (however- dancing around others is valuable), contact a seasoned professional for a private session.

Your learning shouldn’t stop here. One class does not a “burlesque star” make. Keep going to classes, taking private sessions, check out some burlesque DVD’s both new (Jo Boobs and Michelle L’amour have some) and old (try Something Weird Video and dive in!). No matter how long you’ve been performing, the learning and aspiring to be a better stripper shouldn’t stop. If it does, become a hobbyist, and be a supporter of your local community and the Burlesque Hall of Fame in it’s preservation of our history!

3. Research
Learn who the legends of burlesque are. There are a ton of books out there, but the history is still incomplete, especially when it comes to performers of color. And yes, there were a TON of burlesque performers of color, and there are a lot today. Go online, Google names, go to your library, use the bibliography in a burlesque book you just got. Study everything, every style. A lot of performer’s websites have links to books and other performers and resources. Read blogs. For starters, check out the Burlesque Hall of Fame (burlesquehall.com)- they have a lot of links to legends both new and old. My personal library of links, burlesque books and old videos grows all the time. And no, I’m not going to share my list. This is your incentive to go and search!

Research should never stop with reading. Go to shows in your area, and then make special pilgrimages to festivals and conventions. There is one convention that is hosted here in Seattle called BurlyCon- http://burlycon.org/ that has experienced teachers and professional performers from all over. Please see my previous blog post about the convention here: http://www.21stcenturyburlesque.com/burlycon-2008-to-2010-a-retrospective/
For an ultimate burlesque showdown, go to the Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend in Las Vegas. It’s epic, inspiring, exhausting, and lovely. It’s one of the few festivals where you will get to meet those legends that paved the way before us.

Whenever you can, go to shows, talk with your peers, read books and watch videos!

4. Mentorship
When learning a craft- there are always people out there who came before you and are most likely doing it better than you. This means that if you get the chance to have a mentor that you connect with, you should jump at the chance. Here’s my article on mentorship:

http://thegoldenglamazon.wordpress.com/2010/11/16/get-thee-to-a-mentor/

To me, mentorship is more than a dance class. You can work on acts, have interesting conversations, learn skills while helping them out with their projects, watch burlesque videos together, get advice-you’re there to soak it all in. Mentorship is hard to find. It should never be forced-this is a relationship that you hope will be rewarding to both parties in some way. Often you get to learn how to be a better performer, it humbles you, and your mentor often gets help and support in their projects and life. Often you might find yourself assisting them at shows, setting up props, in general being helpful because you want to. Working with a mentor is your anti-diva moment. It’s absolutely wonderful. And I wish you all success in finding that person to you, in burlesque life, or in whatever career you have chosen.

5. Rehearse
For me, rehearsing isn’t just going through my act, but it’s the minutiae of the act. For examples: fan work, body positioning, where my wrists are, facial expressions, floor work, arm placement, removing one particular piece of clothing, rhythm….it goes on and on. There’s always something to work on. Even if you have a stupid busy day, set aside some time to rehearse. Consistently. That way you can feel good knowing that what you just put on stage was rehearsed and that you worked hard. Rehearsing builds confidence. When I don’t get all the time I need to rehearse before a show I don’t feel as happy with my performance as I know I could. And I want to be the best that I can be.

6. Listen to music
There’s a TON of music out there. More than you can ever listen to. Yes, there are burlesque standards out there and yes, they are fun to dance to. You don’t have to stick just to these- check out other genres. Music is such a personal thing, the thing that is the glue for your act. My best advice is to make sure that the piece of music that you are dancing to is interesting, fun and dynamic enough for an audience to hear. You won’t please everyone, but make sure it fits with the act, your mannerisms, and your movement!

Please note that there’s a LOT of overlap of songs and trends in the burlesque community. There are a ton of acts to “Night Train” (for example)- just make sure that you check with the show you’re in to see if someone else is already dancing with the music you’ve picked, and never steal another person’s act. Also, don’t be surprised if someone else is using a song that you use- it happens. Just be you, be unique, make your mark with your personality in your acts, not just your song choice.

7. Get healthy
Yes, get healthy. Drink water. Hit the gym, dance, yoga, whatever. Get stronger. I know I’m not alone in saying that the healthier you are, the better you feel and the more confidence you have. Don’t mistake me, this doesn’t mean losing weight, unless that’s your desire SEPARATE from your burlesque aspirations. Sleep enough, eat good food, maybe even drink a little less. Figure out what is helping you, and what is hurting your path to greatness. And then get to it. It’s exhausting energetically and physically to be entertaining on stage. Take care of your sweet little body and mind. Give them all the love they need.

8. Get over your “issues”- if you have them
The stage is not your therapy session. Therapy is your therapy session. Talking with supportive friends is therapy. The stage is for entertainment. Entertainment is many things, including social and political discussions. But NOT battling your demons. Heal yourself, and then create an act about it, if you like-that can be cathartic and uplifting. We all know what it’s like to see a performer terrified and uncomfortable with being on stage, and only those into train wrecks really want to see it. Find your joy and love of being on stage, being mostly naked and having everyone looking at you. Because they are-they really are looking at you. Yes, all of you. Leave all your issues back stage, and get the job done onstage.

9. Help out
When I was just a fledgling performer, I got into the community the old fashioned way-I asked to help out. I stage kittened, stage managed, sold raffle tickets, etc. Just being around a show, being helpful is some of the best school you can get. Often times, you get to watch the acts and see the process of the performers on the stage. You get to see acts evolve, and performers too. In most of your towns there are shows to help with. Sell tickets at the door, help with seating, dress performers, be a go-go girl, be humble, be helpful. After go-go dancing for a while I was asked to create an act. And I did-but I still helped out at shows for a few years after.

10. Create
Create acts! You don’t need 10 acts to run out of the gates with, just 2 solid, well put together acts to start. Take your time and don’t be impatient! Work on your costume, movement, invest money, and time. Research the best stockings for your reveal, trial and error, etc. Have someone watch your act (a teacher? A mentor?) to give you constructive criticism. Be willing to go back to the drawing board. Be willing to say no to a gig if it’s not ready, or you’re not ready. If you’re not sure if you’re ready-ask a teacher or a mentor. Experiment in workshops held by peers and teachers. Maybe get in on some newbie shows in your area!

11. Be unique
Have a personality. Be different. Learn what your strengths are as a performer (are you a great at emoting? Ballet? Are you funny? Athletic? Flexible? Acrobatic?) and use them. These things become your gimmick; the thing that people can know you by. If you’re gimmick is a physical asset, that’s great too-but remember to round out your show with all of the hard work mentioned above. Copying other people’s ideas and acts isn’t only wrong, it’s bad for business- your business! Why make it harder for people to recognize you? Sell your personality on stage-after all, there can only be one you!

12. Get a bio
A bio is a useful tool to peak a person’s interest to book you. If you are new, never fear- a bio is often a living breathing thing that evolves as you evolve. The more cool stuff you get to do in your career, the more cool stuff you can add. As a producer, I’d recommend that for a newbie you keep your bio short and sweet. What’s your name? Where are you from? Mention if you’re specially trained in anything, or have ongoing stage experience. When did you begin your career?

There’s a lot of fudging the facts in bios these days, people giving themselves queen titles and the “best of” titles. I highly encourage you to wait until something like that is given to you by someone you respect, like a legend, a respectable festival, a high level magazine, etc. Also, don’t forget to quote where it comes from. As a producer, I check. A bio should back you up, not over burden people with grand ideas about who you are.

For a legendary bio example, try my mentor,

Catherine D’Lish:
http://www.catherinedlish.com/about/

You can check out mine:
http://glitterwonderland.com/index.html

Check out Michelle L’amour’s:
http://michellelamour.com/about/

13. Keep a performance resume
Keep track somewhere, on your computer, on a piece of paper, a napkin, whatever. Know what major shows you’ve been in, and be able to reference them. Because I use Google calendars, I also have other shows and appearances documented as well. There’s lot’s of ways to make a performance resume, from a complete list, to only major appearances and something in between. Just make sure to spell check and have pertinent information like venue, producer, if there were any bigger named performers, when it was and the name of it. References are good too! Just like when your searching for any kind of job-ask your references if it’s ok to give out their names and information.

14. Get humble.
You’re trying to make your mark in a community that is already established. Think of it like workplace dynamics. Be kind, ask questions, be honest and come ready to work. There are enough queens in this community, and they were already crowned. So drop any cocky b.s. you might have and show them the real you. People like working with people that are easy to be around, passionate, and work hard.

15. Support
Yes, we all are looking out for ourselves and to get gigs-but you know what? You should supportive too. Refer talented performers to gigs if you’re in the position to. Share knowledge. Be aware of what’s undercutting another performer at your level. You’re never going to get all of the gigs or all of the accolades. Ever. But there’s a lot out there to go around and help create beautiful relations within community. Success is so much more fun if those around you are doing great as well. Also- the backstage is way more fun too!

15. Deal with rejection.
Not everyone is going to book you. Not every gig is for you. Look at auditions you’ve done as learning experiences. If you didn’t win that competition or big gig, just work on your act. Transfer any frustration into better work. Be a friendly competitor.

16. Film yourself
Yes! watch yourself on film, recognizing things that are compelling and things that you want to work on, and then work on them. Who doesn’t want the option of instant re-call? You don’t have to put it on YouTube-it’s not a reliable source of constructive criticism. Show it to a teacher, a peer whose opinion you trust.

17. Have fun!
If it’s not fun-ask “why?”, and then change it. This may mean that you need to stop performing for a while. Maybe you’re not performing with the right people or putting yourself in the right situations. Take a break, take a new class…find the lovely thing that motivates you. Good luck!

*Questions? Or interested in having me dance and or teach at your next event? Email me at GlitterWonderland@gmail.com

WWW.GLITTERWONDERLAND.COM
Follow me: Twitter.com/SydniDeveraux

Paypal Woes - You Pay, but they are NOT your Pal! (another of MANY PayPal Horror Stories)

2011-11-08T08:43:00.000-08:00

Article from Burning Man Website: http://temple2010.org/wordpress/2010/08/09/paypal-woes/

so, it seems that after 5 months of accepting donations via paypal, they have decided to freeze our account. as you may know, we are applying for non-profit status for the Flux Foundation with the intention of building community through art with the Temple of Flux and beyond. As a pending non-profit, it is within our legal right to accept donations as long as donors are informed of that status.

Though we have provided Paypal with all the information they need, they have chosen to keep our account frozen until we hear from the IRS. Let me say that again. Until we hear from the IRS.

For anyone who has ever dealt wit the IRS, you know this is a timeline of total unknown scale. It typically takes at least 9 months to get an answer on non-profit status. We are on month five. You do the math.

This has put us in a very precarious position. Despite our best efforts to answer their questions and act in accordance with the legal gudelines for non-profits, we are left with no access to the funds that so many of you have intended go towards this work. It is incredibly disappointing.

This is particularly challenging as we are literally packing up the trucks to leave for building now. We are, indeed, in a crunch. While this is a frustrating and stressful situation, we know we will prevail. We could use your help, though.

Consider making a donation of cash or check to the Temple today. COME BY American Steel or the Shipyard in Berkeley. We need some Angel funders now!

We have been in awe of the support the community has given to us. Thank you. We will prevail.

http://temple2010.org/wordpress/2010/08/09/paypal-woes/

Trailer of 'Another Happy Day' Opens November 18th - a Film by Sam Levinson

2011-11-07T17:19:00.000-08:00

Another Happy Day - Red Band Trailer [HD] from AnotherHappyDayMovie on Vimeo.

How to do a Pin-up Hair Do: Victory Roll Hair Styling With Red Hot Annie

2011-11-04T08:22:00.000-07:00

Julie Simone Hits Exxxotica NJ…Literally!

2011-11-02T18:47:00.000-07:00

(New York, NY) Julie Simone is hitting Exxxotica New Jersey…literally. During the expo (Friday, November 4^th and Saturday, November 5^th), she will be debuting the first, very limited edition run of her signature paddles. As a special promotion she will be offering spankings for $5 for those wanting to try it out. Julie will be sharing a booth with Nikki Sebastian, Capt. Rob, Sexy Pandora and friends.

“This is something I've been wanting to do for a long time but it needed to be high quality,” says Julie Simone. “I've always been a DIY kind of person and this is no exception. This paddle isn't going to break the 1st time you use it or even the 100th time. There will be different versions based on the thickness & type of wood, with each on rated from novice to pain slut.”

“With all the pirating going on and people downloading content for free, it just makes sense to move into novelties,” continues Simone. “Plus, it helps support stores. You can't download a paddle. If you want one, you have to go into a store and buy it."

Exxxotica takes place November 4^th through 6^th at the New Jersey Convention & Exposition Center. For more information, visit their website nj.exxxoticaexpo.com.

Boulevard Distribution distributes all of Julie Simone’s titles. To purchase DVDs, contact Andy Goode at Andy@boulevarddistribution.com or 818-325-9634. Retail shops carrying her DVDs include Stockroom, Pleasure Chest, Kinematics and many more all over the world. Also, check her titles out on VOD through Hot Movies, Hot Movies for Her, AEBN and Gamelink.

All requests for interviews, appearances, magazine placement and general media inquiries about Julie Simone should be directed to Erika Icon of The Rub PR at erika@therubpr.com.

About Julie Simone
Julie Simone was the first woman to be awarded Best Rigger in the Industry in 2004. She's taught at ShibariCon, FetishCon, DomCon, BondCon NYC, Threshold, German Fetish Ball as well as smaller community based clubs and one-on-one classes. Her talents have been showcased in hundreds of DVDs, as well as on G4TV's "Attack of the Show". Her films have been screened at New England Erotic Arts Festival, Cinekink (Portland, SF, NYC, DC, Chicago, LA, Berlin), Los Angeles and Baltimore Erotic Festivals, Berlin Porn Film Festival, Cinerotic (Atlanta), Kiel Fetisch Film Festival, PopPorn festival in Rio and Uruguay, and MIX Festival, just to name a few. Although she has recently begun painting and showing her work on her site www.DeconstructedBeautyProjekt.com, Julie has received notoriety for her photography for some time. Her work has appeared in Secret Magazine, Bizarre, Fetish Photo Anthology 4 & 5, Bondage and Fetish (France), and has been exhibited in shows including The Dirty Show, Seattle Erotic Arts Festival, Folsom Street Fair Art Exhibit at Femina Potens Gallery and The Traveling Erotic Art Show that exhibited in San Francisco, Seattle, Chicago, New York, and Florida. To learn more about Julie Simone, visit her websites JulieSimone.com, JuliesBitchBoys.com, SmokingTV.com, POVDommes.com and the newly launched FootFetishSluts.com. Watch Julie in her Internet sensation YouTube video clip Dominatrix in Williamsburg Brooklyn NYC—it has also been featured on Tosh.0, Gawker, The Village Voice Blog and VH1, along with BestWeekEver.tv, Buzzfeed and Redux. Most recently, she appeared in the documentary pilot Dominatrix Diaries, which screened at the NYC Television Film Festival—to view a trailer visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dpd8SlYYoBs.

Kurt and Courtney's Daughter Reportedly Engaged... And Her Fiance Looks Like Teen Spirit

2011-10-31T18:51:00.000-07:00

The L.A. band the Rambles is barely known even within the city's club scene, but the group just got a whole lot more interesting to a lot more people. In fact, Yahoo! searches on the band's name, in combination with the name of singer/guitarist Isaiah Silva, surged 543% over the weekend.

There's a reason for that: Word has gotten out that Silva is apparently engaged to Frances Bean Cobain — the most obsessed-about daughter of rock royalty since Lisa Marie Presley.

But while Lisa Marie married a singer arguably as legendary as her pa when she wed Michael Jackson, the 19-year-old daughter of Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love has hooked up with a musician whose band has only a few thousand YouTube views to its name.

That could change, as the reported betrothal thrusts Silva, 26, much more into the spotlight — not least of all because of a much remarked-upon resemblance to Kurt Cobain, at least from a certain floppy-banged angle.

The engagement hasn't been officially announced or confirmed by the couple, who've been photographed together at least as far back as the Coachella Festival of April 2010.

But the OC Weekly gleaned the information from the couple's own loose lips, as found on their respective social-media accounts. (At least, the newspaper is pretty sure that the Facebook pseudonym "Frances Rachel Leigh Cook" belongs to Cobain, and the intimate photos posted on that account's page seemed to prove it. Likewise for "Isaiah David Berkowitz-Cusack," believed to be Silva's account. Neither nom de plume shows up in Facebook search results now, though.) Celebrity weeklies People and In Touch Weekly both chimed in with anonymous sources confirming the engagement.

"Getting to spend the rest of my life loving my best friend makes me the luckiest woman in the world," the Facebooker believed to be Frances Bean posted back in September.

This month, Silva (or "Berkowitz-Cusack,") was more explicit, referring to his "fiance." When a commenter called the rocker "dreamy," he responded, "Haha I do what I can. And by do what I can, I mean not shower and steal cloths (sic) from my fiance and the good will."

Silva won't have to steal from Good Will collection boxes indefinitely, if a wedding comes to pass. Frances Bean inherited a multi-million-dollar trust when she turned 18 last year. Just this month, real estate columnists revealed that she'd spent $1,825,000 buying a home in L.A.'s Runyon Canyon designed in 1930 by architect Carls Jules Weyl.

Naturally, the words "love nest" were not far behind, now that In Touch claims Silva has moved into the vintage house with Cobain.

The falling bangs — and Silva's penchant for changing his hair color to purple and back — have had Nirvana fans rumbling and grumbling about whether Frances Bean gravitated toward a look-alike of her dad, who committed suicide when she was 20 months old. (Yes, that's a factoid guaranteed to make even young people feel old.)

There's certainly not much musical resemblance. The Rambles' YouTube videos and MySpace sound recordings suggest a band that's in touch with its power-pop roots or folk-rock leanings but hasn't spent an inordinate amount of time absorbing the lessons of Nevermind.

Check out their most recently released video, for the song "I Just Wanna Sleep With You." No one will mistake it for a homage to "Smells Like Teen Spirit." If anything, it harks back to the earliest, goofiest MTV videos of the '80s, with the trio dressed in caveman costumes and interacting with a claymation dinosaur as well as some comely cavegirls. It's more Tommy Tutone than Incesticide. And let's hope that "I don't really want to fall in love, 'cause I just want to sleep with you" chorus isn't anything personal

Meanwhile, don't be surprised if you see the Rambles show up eventually on The Late Show. The Rambles' MySpace page lists their label as C.E. Music, an imprint started up by Worldwide Pants, David Letterman's production company.

The unpretentiousness of the Rambles' sound extends to their genre self-description on their Facebook page: "party rock." They also list humble Placentia, California as their hometown, and, as "influences," such decidedly not-ready-for-Sub-Pop groups as Counting Crows and Phantom Planet. A status update on their page this week noted that Silva was "gonna be Scott Bakula again for Halloween."

What does Frances Bean's notoriously persnickety and indie-conscious mom think of her daughter's choice? It's anyone's guess. Courtney Love has been uncharacteristically reticent on the subject on her Twitter account — in stark contrast to last year, when Love was addressing dozens of anguished tweets to her estranged daughter. As you may remember, not only was Frances Bean not talking to her mother following her emancipation, but a restraining order was in place.

On Saturday, Love did extol Frances Bean in a tweet addressed to... Oprah. Answering a Twitter query Winfrey had thrown out asking "What would you like to frame as 'beautiful' in your life?," Courtney answered, "My incredibly gorgeous, talented, brilliant n impelling (sic) daughter, god how I love you so much Bean."

In August, a series of grungy/glam photo shoots Frances Bean did were publicly revealed, with the rock scion showing off her tattoos and letting a cigarette dangle out of her deeply painted lips in luscious black-and-white images.

Reached for comment at the time by the New York Observer, Love said, "I didn't know she had that many tattoos! We don't talk but we email, so I didn't know about the new ones she'd gotten. When she first got that Jeff Buckley thing" — Frances Bean has Grace lyrics tattooed on her forearm — "I was, like, she knows I went out on a date with him, right?... And I didn't know about the smoking — wonder where she gets that from!"

Unless a lot has changed since August, it seems unlikely that Courtney has been offered a chance to meet her possible future son-in-law. But if Frances Bean can work up whatever it would take to introduce her new guy to Mom, this is a feel-good remake of the J.Lo/Jane Fonda vehicle Monster-in-Law just waiting to happen.

Parites—and Baroness`s birthday—this weekend

2011-10-27T16:48:00.000-07:00

The debut of my neo Victorian latex fashions, in"Tales of Latex Time Travel"at Dorian's Parlor was a great success, as you can see from this photo and video. I'll post more photos soon but wanted to give you a tempting tease!

My birthday is coming up soon (Halloween, in case you didn't know) and I'm planning a weekend of festivities. I'm hoping not only for your presence, but also your presents! I do need some time to get my outfit together, so my first night of parties this weekend will be...

Saturday, October 29th: SMack!, NYC's Premiere Multimedia Fetish Play Party's annual Fetish Ball "THE XXXORCIST". This year's debauchery includes a Kreepy Kostume Kontest, Great dance music, performances, a dungeon play space, and myself (The Baroness) conveniently having a wonderful time and available for receiving gifts. Dress code for the evening includes: Latex, Naughty Nuns, Sexxxy Sisters, Perverted Priests, Demoness, DevilGirls, Possessed Popes, Warped & Kinky fetish Leather, PVC/Vinyl, Corsetry, Armor, or any Halloween Costume. 432 6th Ave (between 9th/10 streets) New York City 9pm-4am Advance tickets & more info: http://SMack-Fetish. com

Sunday, October 30th I will be drinking champagne, receiving friends, and opening presents from 8-10pm at Flute Gramercy: 40 East 20th Street, (between Park and Broadway). There may even be cake! I do hope you'll come and raise a glass! If you're unsure as to the perfect gift for a person such as myself, I have a few helpful suggestions: sparkly costume jewelry, growers' champagne, fabulous fashion books (or gift certificates for them), and for the truly well-heeled I'm in love with Louis Vuitton's newest high heeled rubber boots in either white or black in size 9.

Monday, October 31st, Halloween, and my birthday!!!!!!!!!! After the Halloween parade I'll be at Ghost Light! for a seated theatrical event in three acts with a full bar and absinthe lounge ( I'll be there for the 11:00 and midnight sets). The evening's entertainment includes Amber Ray, Jessica Rabbit domination, the Dueling Bankheads, and many more! Music is provided by the fabulous Johnny Dynell and visuals by Rob Roth. Brought to you by legendary Chi Chi Valenti, The Jackie Factory, (Jackie 60. Night of 1000 Stevies) and Editrix Abby (Click + D rag, Burning Man)

All proceeds go to The Howl Emergency Life Project: an actors benefit fund for those whose work challenges the traditional boundaries of dance, theatre, music, multimedia and the spoken word. Tickets are $15 and buying them in advance is highly recommended. Theatre 80 is located at 80 St. Marks place, NYC and the event runs from 9pm-2am. For the full events schedule visit www.mothernyc.com/ghostlight

I Remain,

Shimmy Magazine

2011-10-27T09:20:00.000-07:00

ok!

Shimmy Magazine

2010 Burlesque Annual

By Dale Rio dale_rio

Comments (0)

About the Book

WARNING! Halloween Bondage Ball $20 tickets

2011-10-26T08:57:00.000-07:00

BONDAGE BALL & BAR SINISTER
Present

The 3rd Annual Ghostly Equestrian Ball

Saturday, October 29th
10pm - 3:30am
18+ Welcome

Boardner's
1652 N. Cherokee Ave
Hollywood, CA 90028

Special Burlesque Performance by Masuimi Max!

www.IAMTROUBLE.COM

www.BondageBall.com

Dita Von Teese Is A Better Driver Than You

2011-10-17T14:55:00.000-07:00

If you’ve never seen a beautiful woman in designer clothes and 4-inch heels drive a vintage car through the Hollywood Hills, you’re really missing out.

Dita Von Teese could give lessons on how to do it right. She recently drove me to the top of Griffith Park in her 1931 Packard. It was a sweltering day in L.A. The lady didn’t break a sweat.

“The 1930s were the most elegant years for cars,” Von Teese, 39, told me in her throaty drawl. “The Packard is notoriously the kind of car that gangsters drove: They were fast, they were slick, they were cool.”

The burlesque icon has quite a history with classic cars. She bought her first one decades ago and gradually traded up, accumulating increasingly valuable cars as her knowledge grew. Now she owns three: A 1946 Ford convertible, a 1953 Cadillac, and that French Blue Packard.

Each car has its own personality. The Packard is sleek and powerful, the emerald Cadillac a bit of a bombshell–it was driven by Marilyn Monroe–and the convertible pure glamour. (“It makes you smile,” Von Teese says about the burgundy droptop.)

Key to owning such particular vehicles is understanding their differences enough to know whether or not they’ll work in a lasting relationship. It’s a little like dating.

“It’s a tricky thing, learning what the right car for you is,” Von Teese says. “When you drive a vintage car it’s very personal. I’ve had a lot of vintage cars that I didn’t get along with very well, and I ended up saying this isn’t the car for me.”

A certain Jaguar that will remain nameless presented a particular challenge a few years back. It didn’t last long.

Sometimes finding the right car is the least of Von Teese’s worries. Los Angeles itself can be difficult for vintage aficionados: Inattentive drivers, endless construction and crippling traffic all pose threats. Also, jerks.

“People don’t understand that these cars don’t stop the same way new cars do,” the Detroit native says. “It’s not that the braking systems are bad, it’s just that it’s a lot heavier than a modern car, so it’s really hard to drive in this city, especially when people are grouchy and in a hurry.”

Von Teese usually sticks to driving her older cars to ballet class and the grocery store. She doesn’t drive in the winter. It also helps that she has the perfect attitude for cruising, which she learned from past boyfriends and lovers who taught her to appreciate the cars.

“You can’t be in a hurry when you drive these cars,” she says. “They’re meant to be driven and enjoyed.” (She does tote scripts on her daily drives, though, just in case she ends up with some rather unexpected free time beside the road.)

In fact, Von Teese is a big proponent of vintage culture in general. She once adhered to the rule that everything she’d wear on a given day–from shoes and hats to stockings and lingerie–had to be from the same year, say, 1947. These days she’s less strict in her sartorial specifications but no less devoted to the idea that vintage goods carry more significance than something brand-new. She doesn’t find herself drawn to any modern cars–they just don’t have the character.

“I like having old things around me because there’s a certain artfulness and craftsmanship that isn’t possible now,” she says. “There was a time when everything was made with a certain aesthetic for beauty and art, and there are a lot of modern things that that’s not important to the people designing them.”

The great thing about her obsession, she says, is it doesn’t cost a lot of money. Of course it can cost a lot–vintage cars require special attention to maintain and drive, and models from Bentley or Duesenberg cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. But it’s also possible to get good deals at auction, as Von Teese has done with her stable.

The key is committing to doing the research and then having the patience to wait until you find the perfect fit. Who knows? It could be the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

Follow me on Twitter: @HannahElliott

Occupy Long Beach, CA - Oct. 15th 2011 - OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE

2011-10-14T15:16:00.000-07:00

OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE:

Occupy Wall Street expands to Occupy Long Beach, CA

October 13, 2011
For Immediate Release
Contact - occupylongbeach@gmail.com; mollymarina@gmail.com, 562-277-6600; lee@leesalazar.com.

LONG BEACH, Oct. 13 // In solidarity with Occupy Wall Street and inspired by the events going on around the world, citizens of Long Beach and surrounding cities are getting together to permanently Occupy Long Beach.

On Saturday, Oct 15, the Occupy Long Beach movement will peacefully assemble, march and begin to occupy Lincoln Park. The first planned event will be a rally at 11:00 AM, immediately followed by a march to The World Trade Center and Long Beach City Hall. Meet us at Lincoln Park, on Pacific Ave. between 1st and Broadway.

About the movement, local organizer Tamarra Phillips says, “We are a grass roots, local movement in solidarity with Occupy Wall Street... we are the 99%.”

Jai Hudson adds, “It is compassion and unity to the fullest... and we’re all coming together. I’m real proud of Strong Beach right now.”

In protest of political and economic injustice, and to promote human rights, civil liberties, and democracy, the group will maintain a significant presence in Long Beach. Everyone is also encouraged to share and exchange ideas with the group. General Assembly starts in the park at 6PM nightly.

For further information visit http://www.facebook.com/OccupyLongBeach , http://www.occupylbc.org/, or http://twitter.com/OccupyLongBeach

Jim Morrison's alleged son facing life in prison

2011-10-09T21:49:00.000-07:00

A man who says he is the son of Jim Morrison, the late front man for the band the Doors, is facing charges of robbery and ramming a police car during a chase last year in Ontario.

Wearing an orange jail jumpsuit and restraints on his wrists and ankles, Clifford Marston Morrison sat in the jury box of a Rancho Cucamonga courtroom on Friday, waiting for his case to be called.

With his shoulder-length hair, strong brow and scruffy red beard and moustache, Clifford Morrison catches attention.

A search of the Internet shows Cliff Morrison has done interviews and made appearances as the late rock star's son. Online talkgroups argue the issue.

Lead prosecutor Deputy District Attorney Dinah Touny has heard the

Clifford Marston Morrison, 42, sits in West Valley Superior Court in Rancho Cucamonga Friday morning as he awaits a mental competency hearing for a robbery he is charged with in Ontario on January 4, 2010 when police reportedly needed to tazer him 27 times. (Will Lester/Staff Photographer)

rumors. But she said her office takes no official position on the matter.

"We have no knowledge as to whether he is, or is not, Jim Morrison's son," Touny said after the court proceedings.

Lennie Lorraine Widen, who identified herself at the courthouse as Morrison's mother, says her son was given a DNA test in 1992. Al Taylor, a former producer and public relations man for Cliff Morrison, claims the estate of Jim Morrison got the results and didn't challenge them.

"The family has never denied it," Taylor said.

Either way, Morrison's purported lineage would likely have little bearing, if any, on his case in West Valley Superior Court.

"He's facing life (in state prison)," Touny said. "He's a third-striker."

Ontario police say Morrison, 42, held up a gas station in the 2200 block of South Haven Avenue on Jan. 4, 2010. He led officers on a car chase that traversed the city, continued onto the 10 Freeway and ended on South Euclid Avenue, according to Sgt. David McBride.

Officers had to conduct two manuevers, which spin the vehicle to get it to stop, say prosecutors. Morrison also tried to ram the vehicle into an officer, Touny said.

While taking him into custody, police used a Taser several times.

Prosecutors charged Morrison with three felony counts - robbery, felony evading and assault with a deadly weapon - and a misdemeanor count of obstructing or resisting arrest.

McBride said Morrison listed his occupation as musician when he was booked into jail.

Morrison's supporters say he's had trouble with alcohol and drugs, but he wouldn't commit the crimes he's accused of.

"He's got a great heart, and he tries to help everybody he can help," Widen said. "Yet, he fights his own demons."

Prosecutors say they want to get Morrison's case moving through the courts.

Defense attorney Angelyn Gates filed two motions to suppress evidence from the vehicle stop and the infield lineup. The court will hear those motions on Oct. 28.

Gates also received court records that she subpoenad from San Antonio Community Hospital. Judge Michael A. Sachs asked the lawyers if a resolution to the case was possible.

"We have had some discussion for a resolution," Gates said. Offers and counter-offers go back and forth, she said.

we have lost another burlesque legend: BABY CANDY CARAMELO

2011-10-09T09:32:00.000-07:00

Lili VonSchtupp wrote:
And Satans Angel feelthe same!!!!
We lost another legend today. The Worlds Biggest Showgirl, Miss Candy Caramelo has passed away. I had the pleasure of taking a class with her at Exotic World. My heart hurts for those of you never had the chance to meet her. Candy was vibrant, funny and so professional. I learned so much in that class. I've said a million times ladies, spend time with these legends while you can. You are walking the shoes they broke in for you!

Candy, the burlesque world has lost a bug feathery bawdy star today and you will be greatly missed!

http://www.candycar amelo.com/ p2.htm
Candy Caramelo
www.candycaramelo. com
The World's Biggest Showgirl

Early Years
Born in Key West, Florida of Spanish and Cuban descent, Dulce Maria Garcia started performing early, starring in green bean radio commercials at age four. At the age of seven she appeared in soap operas, on radio, television and on stage.

At the age of thirteen she danced in the chorus of the Leon Miller production for Royal American Shows which headlined Sally Rand the famous fan dancer.

Candy Caramelo was encouraged to become a burlesque performer herself; however, her Catholic background was an obstacle. Her producer explained to her that the Sistine Chapel and other religious venues around the world contained images of nude angels and that nudity can be artistic if it is done in good taste.

Candy Caramelo performed as a flamenco dancer at the "1965 World's Fair" in New York. She was billed as "The Latin from Manhattan" and followed in the same circuit as Lili St. Cyr.

She starred in "The French Revue" at "Casa Loma" as part of the "1967 World's Fair" in Montreal. In Halifax she appeared at the "Lobster Trap" and in Toronto at the "Victory Burlesque Theatre".

The following year, after the release of the popular movie, she adopted the name "Rosemary's Baby, the girl with the little devil in her". She also starred at the reopening of the "Mayfair", the biggest burlesque theatre in New York after a ban had been lifted on burlesque.

She then became "Candy Baby". Once, when ticket sales were slow for a Nashville show, Candy donned a flesh-colored g-string and breast-brushing wig and rode a horse - as Lady Godiva, of course - through downtown streets. She was arrested, but there wasn't an empty seat in the house for the next show.

Candy Is No Baby Anymore

As "Candy Caramelo", with a cast of forty-five beautiful girls she headlined at "Club Tropigala" in the Fontainebleau Hilton in Miami. She has performed in Montreal at the "El Mocambo" in New York at the "Gaiety Burlesque Theatre" and "Radio City Music Hall" and in Paris at "Les Folies Bergere" and the "Moulin Rouge". She has also performed in Mexico, Venezuela, Spain, China, Japan, Hawaii and Australia.

Other accomplishments include acting in Spanish movies and performing on Radio Caracas, Univision Telemundo, and Mexico Televisa. She appeared as a guest performer on the "Joe E. Brown Show", "Roseanne" with Roseanne Barr and the "Late Show with David Letterman". Candy holds the Guinness Record as the "World's Biggest Showgirl", standing six feet tall and weighing 300 pounds. She has since lost 130 pounds.

See Candy Live Right Here

You are invited to The 7th Annual Bowling For Boobies Los Angeles

2011-09-30T09:43:00.001-07:00

You are invited to...

The 7th Annual Bowling For Boobies Los Angeles!

Bowling for Boobies® is a fundraising event, benefiting Busted Foundation, to help provide financial assistance to local women who are experiencing financial challenges as the result of fighting and living with breast cancer.

You don’t have to be a good bowler in order to participate.
All you really need is a little enthusiasm and the desire to raise money for this important cause!

Date: Sunday, October 23rd, 2011
TIME: 5PM -10PM
PLACE: Jillian's on Universal City Walk, Universal City, CA

Come and meet celebrity bowlers's Jane Wiedlin of The Go-Go’s and Thomas Lennon of Comedy Central's Reno 911 with special event emcee's Rachel Federoff & Destin Pfaff co-stars of Bravo's Millionaire Matchmaker!

Buy your ticket now to attend this inspiring and fun event!

Admission ticket gets you in to enjoy the event and meet women that have benefited from past Bowling for Boobies tournaments. Enjoy raffles, complimentary appetizers, cocktails, wine and beer. Limited VIP bowling tickets are available so make sure you buy your ticket now if you want to guarantee your lane space. Mingle with celebrities and dance to music all night. Plus come meet special guest, John Nikas of Drive Away Cancer with his Grace, the little Aston Henley that drove 7,000 miles and has become a literal moving memorial to people with cancer!

VIP Admission $35

Bowl before the tournament!
Includes one hour of bowling between 5-7pm, photo opportunity on red carpet, complimentary appetizers, Blue Angel vodka cocktails, Estrella Creek Wine and Speakeasy Beer plus 10 free raffle tickets.

General Admission $25

Get your tickets ahead of time & skip the line!
Includes photo opportunity on red carpet, complimentary appetizers, Blue Angel vodka cocktails, Estrella Creek Wine and Speakeasy Beer plus 5 free raffle tickets.

Children under 18 Admission $15

Have fun with your kids for worthy cause!
Includes $10 game Jillian's game card, complimentary appetizers, soda, energy drinks plus 5 free raffle tickets. Bowling between 5-7pm if accompanied by a VIP adult ticket.

Can't make it to the event?

Please donate now to help us continue to financially support women with breast cancer!

"Bad Kids Go to Hell - The Feel Bad Movie"

2011-09-30T09:27:00.000-07:00

In This Issue

Pre-Order BKGTH
from October 2011 Previews Magazine

LIKE
"Bad Kids Go to Hell"
on
Facebook

Quick Links

Pre-Order BKGTH
from October 2011 Previews Magazine

Become a BKGtH Fan on Facebook

BKGtH Official Website

Subscribe to
the BKGtH Newsletter

BKGTH Productions, LLC

BAD KIDS GO TO HELL TPB

now available to pre-order from

October 2011 PREVIEWS Magazine

Pre-Order Here

PREVIEWS

"The Comic Book Industry Bible"

features

The Feel Bad Movie of 2012

Starring

Judd Nelson and Ben Browder

with updated links from:

Yahoo! Movies, Fandango, Ain't It Cool News, Beyond Hollywood, BigFanBoy, IMDB, Cool Video Trailers

...and much more.

SEE IT ALL HERE

And don't forget...

Fans on Facebook Win Prizes Every Week!

BAD KIDS GO TO HELL

http://www.badkidsgotohell.com

Sign Petition to Get the Money Out of Politics - Spread the Word!

2011-09-29T14:53:00.000-07:00

Help us spread the word:

If you have a Twitter account, click here to automatically tweet: I signed a petition to get money out politics, will you sign too? http://www.getmoneyout.com

Share the petition on Facebook

Get Money Out
http://www.getmoneyout.com/

Here's the full petition:

It's Time to Get Money Out of Politics
Sign here: http://www.getmoneyout.com/?recruiter_id=15073

Hugh Hefner to be honored for helping protect Hollywood sign

2011-09-28T09:13:00.000-07:00

A plaque will be mounted on a large boulder alongside the trail linking Cahuenga Peak with the Hollywood sign's Mt. Lee. His $1-million donation helped a public trust acquire the peak from developers.

Hugh Hefner donated the remaining $900,000 needed to to save and purchase the Hollywood sign. Hefner is photographed at the Playboy mansion in Los Angeles. (Kirk McKoy / Los Angeles Times / May 5, 2010)

He came to their rescue when they were between a rock and a hard place.

So it's fitting that Hugh Hefner will be honored with a boulder for helping the Trust for Public Land acquire Cahuenga Peak, the mountaintop next to the Hollywood sign.

Leaders of the trust said Tuesday they plan to place plaques on large boulders to thank the Playboy magazine founder and two others who stepped up at the last moment to donate $1 million each to acquire the peak from its Chicago-based owners.

The donations from Hefner, philanthropist Aileen Getty and the Tiffany & Co. Foundation allowed the trust to meet an April 2010 deadline set by the owners of the 138-acre mountaintop just in time. They had said they would sell it for $11.7 million after purchasing it for $1.7 million in 2002 from the estate of Howard Hughes.

Hefner's donation put the fundraising campaign over the top.

He and Getty will have their boulders placed alongside the trail linking the Cahuenga Peak with the Hollywood sign's Mt. Lee. The Tiffany Foundation will be thanked with a bench on a trail between the Griffith Observatory and Mt. Hollywood at a spot that overlooks the Hollywood sign.

Additional plaques thanking agencies and companies that donated $100,000 or more to the peak purchase will be erected on boulders at trail heads at Wonder View Drive and Mt. Lee Drive, said Carolyn Ramsey, the trust's Los Angeles program director.

The trust was recruited to help run the campaign by Los Angeles City Councilman Tom LaBonge after he learned that the Chicago group had zoning to build five estates on the 1,821-foot peak.