Category Archives: Celebrity
LYPSINKA Returns! for 8 weeks!
1 STAR! 3 SHOWS! 8 WEEKS!
John Epperson’s
Iconic Creation Returns to the New York Stage
For the First Time in Nine Years
To Celebrate Three Decades of the ‘Goddess of Showbiz’
With Three Glamorous Productions Running in Rotating Repertory
Lypsinka! The Boxed Set, The Passion of the Crawford
And John Epperson: Show Trash
Previews Begin November 5th, 2014
At The Connelly Theater (220 East Fourth Street, NYC)
Strictly-Limited Engagement – Through January 3, 2015 Only
After a 9-year absence, a triple dose of the legendary Lypsinka, John Epperson’s iconic creation, will be doled out this Fall when the ‘Goddess of Showbiz’ deigns to grace New York City with her sweeping presence in LYPSINKA! THE TRILOGY. To celebrate a staggering three decades of glamorous theatrics, three different shows — revivals of the acclaimed LYPSINKA! THE BOXED SET and THE PASSION OF THE CRAWFORD, as well as the New York premiere of JOHN EPPERSON: SHOW TRASH – will run in rotating repertory for a strictly-limited 8-week engagement from November 5th, 2014 – January 3rd, 2015. The trilogy will take place at the ravishing jewel-box Connelly Theater, located at 220 East 4th Street in Manhattan’s way-too-swept-up East Village . . . a stone’s throw from the Pyramid Club and Tompkins Square Park, where Lypsinka was born. Tickets will go on sale on Friday, September 19th at 10am and will be available at www.tweedtheater.org/
LYPSINKA! THE BOXED SET – Directed by Kevin Malony
Not seen in New York since 2001, this full-length ‘traditional Lypsinka’ concert show is the award-winning revue of Lyp’s greatest bits that has toured the world, flabbergasting audiences from Los Angeles to Sydney to Glasgow. Using a soundtrack created from films, musicals, and concert recordings, the supreme archivist of irony showcases the modern woman’s challenge of being over-blessed with femininity and celebrity.
“An artful illusion-spinner!
Lypsinka anatomizes feminine artifice — and its dangers — like no one else.
Finesse is evident in every aspect of the production . . . A fascinating, funny spectacle.”
– The New York Times
THE PASSION OF THE CRAWFORD – Directed by Kevin Malony
The Lyp’s tour de force embodiment of towering screen queen Joan Crawford – featuring a re-enactment of Crawford’s onstage interview from 1973 – is a fantasia of fame and insecurity, grandness and identity. Last presented in New York in 2005, this tribute to Hollywood and ego crisis has since been mounted from San Francisco to Sarasota.
“Raises the act of mouthing words and lyrics to an art form.”
– Oakland Tribune
JOHN EPPERSON: SHOW TRASH – Directed by Barry Kleinbort
An autobiographical multi-media pastiche, starring Epperson – unmasked and in street clothes – tinkling the ivories and spinning yarns of Mississippi, Manhattan, and Hollywood. Now making its New York City theatrical premiere, the anecdotal SHOW TRASH reveals the man behind the madness.
“In discovering Epperson’s roots, you more fully grasp Lypsinka. The fusion is complete.
Lypsinka may have the looks and Epperson the soul, but they’ve both got each other: Epsinka.”
– Washington Post
Sting and Patti LuPone Uprising of Love Sept. 15th
UPRISING OF LOVE!
September 15, 2014.
#UprisingofLove
At this unique moment in history, when we are seeing such rapid progress in the fight for equality in the West, we cannot be blind to appalling violations of human rights elsewhere. Today in Russia, Uganda, Nigeria, and elsewhere, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) people are facing harassment, abuse, and violence. In some countries, recent laws have deemed homosexuality punishable by death and the situation appears to be getting worse, not better.
THE MISSION:
1. To raise awareness among the international community of violence, discrimination, and atrocities committed against LGBTI people.
2. To support LGBTI people and communities in areas where safety and dignity is compromised through funds and solidarity.
3. To support and collaborate with LGBTI and human rights organizations concerned with these issues.
“Uprising of Love: A Benefit Concert for Global Equality.” The concert, headlined by Broadway diva Patti Lupone and international superstar Sting, falls strategically around the UN General Assembly and Clinton Gobal Initiative and aims to raise awareness about the unfortunate state of affairs for many LGBTI-identified communities around the world.
Proceeds from the event will go to Fueling the Frontlines, Astraea Lesbian Foundation for Justice’s 3-year, $20 million global LGBTI rights campaign. Find out more and Get Tickets.
David Mixner OH HELL NO! October 27th
TOWELROAD REPORTS:
LGBT and civil rights activist, author, storyteller, and Towleroad contributor David Mixner will debut a new one-night only one-man show on October 27 at 7 pm at New World Stages in New York City to benefit The Point Foundation, an organization which assists LGBTQ students in achieving their academic and leadership potential.
Mixner’s new show, Oh Hell No!, will take as its starting point “personal and public details of his headline-grabbing and history-shaping life” and be accompanied musically by Chris Bolan, Megan Osterhaus, and Tim Jerome.
Event chairs for the evening include Alan Cumming, Robert Desiderio, Herb Hamsher, Judith Light, Ken Mehlman, Rob Smith, Jonathan Stoller, Jorge Valencia, and Edie Windsor. For information on tickets, including Premium Seating with special access to the post-performance VIP reception at Glass House Tavern, please contact Drew Rhodes at (212) 512-5785 or drew@pointfoundation.org.
Photo by Nigel Barker.
Seth Fornea and Jared Bradford Move to New York
Gay supermodels and power couple Seth Fornea and Jared Bradford are moving to New York!
The dancers/entertainers travel the world hosting gay parties but spent the last 2 months in new York City and announced this week they are seeking a permanent residence here.
Seth said, “Jared Bradford and I have been living in NYC for going on two months now and have decided that we want to make it permanent. We are subletting at the moment but are currently on the search for a place we can lease on our own . If you hear of anything, have a friend moving out, etc. Please let us know. We are looking in the village, chelsea, midtown, harlem…pretty much anywhere with convenient connections to major subway lines.”
Mothers and Sons on Broadway Using Technology
MOTHERS AND SONS ( the critically acclaimed new play by Terrance McNally) is using Twitter and YouTube in a new and exciting way.
MOTHERS AND SONS is a timely and provocative new play that explores our evolving understanding of family in today’s world.
At turns funny and powerful, MOTHERS AND SONS portrays a woman who pays an unexpected visit to the New York apartment of her late son’s partner, who is now married to another man and has a young son. Challenged to face how society has changed around her, generations collide as she revisits the past and begins to see the life her son might have led.
This past week – reverse psychology was used on Twitter! On Thursday night, the @MothersSonsBway Twitter handle began to spout off homophobic and angry messages about the LGBT community and modern-day strides toward equality in politics. All of the messages were taken directly from other Twitter handles, and thus echoed the sentiments of real people around the world. The charade went on for an hour before it was explained in this tweet.
The tweets, and fan’s online responses, have been compiled here.
A new video advertisement has also been released starring the show’s lead actress, Tyne Daly. This is “A Show About Now,” it touts.
MOTHERS AND SONS
Bianca Del Rio Insults Hebro!
WATCH Bianca del Rio Do Jew!
Purchase reduced $20 tickets to Hebro Pride event with an open wine and beer bar!
CLICK HERE!
UPDATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bianca is teaming up with director Matt Kugelman for a comedy:
Hurricane Bianca is a feature-length comedy about a New York teacher who moves to a small town in Texas, gets fired for being gay, and returns disguised as a mean “lady” to get revenge on the people who were nasty to him! It’s Tootsie meets Revenge of the Nerds, or Mrs. Doubtfire for the Jackass generation! Topical, touching and really funny, it’s one person’s journey to find himself while pretending to be someone else.
NYC Pride Announces Demi Lovato to Perform at Dance on the Pier 28
In honor of the 45th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, two of the largest Pride events in the world— LA PRIDE and NYC PRIDE—have joined forces to announce the participation of one of the biggest names in Hollywood in this year’s LGBT Pride celebrations, Demi Lovato.
On June 8th, the multi-platinum selling recording artist will join the LA PRIDE Parade as Grand Marshal and her participation will include a special performance. On June 29, Lovato will head east to headline perform at NYC Pride’s legendary Dance on the Pier on Pier 26 in Tribeca.
“It’s such an honor to be a part of both LA and NYC PRIDE celebrations this year,” says Lovato. “I have been an active advocate of the LGBT community and am wholly committed to supporting individuality and being comfortable in one’s own skin. I am thrilled to be a part of both events as they are a wonderful celebration of independence and self-confidence.”
One of the most exhilarating aspects of LA PRIDE’s weekend celebration is that of its annual parade, which brings out hundreds of thousand of participants, spectators and marchers to the streets of West Hollywood. A focal point in the flamboyantly colorful parade, the Grand Marshal represents a person whom has used their celebrity to be an outspoken supporter of the LGBT community.
“Demi Lovato is an amazing role model for today’s youth, both LGBT and non-LGBT, for her activism in the area of equality, positive messaging on body image, and level of openness with her struggles. As a community, we’re fortunate to have an ally like Demi,” said Patti DiLuigi, Co-President of Christopher Street West, producers of LA PRIDE.
Dance on the Pier is NYC Pride’s largest fundraising and community support initiative. The event’s production committee awards over $45,000 in grants to LGBT and LGBT-friendly nonprofits and community organizations each year. The event also supplies NYC Pride with critical operating revenue and pulls in countless visitors, driving attendance to NYC Pride’s other official events as well as various unofficial Pride events throughout the city. The historic event has played host to world-renowned performers, including Jennifer Hudson, Jennifer Lopez, Janet Jackson, Whitney Houston and most recently Cher.
“We are thrilled to welcome Demi to our stages for this historic celebration. Now in its 28th year, the Dance on the Pier continues a proud tradition of partnering with all-star talent to create a high-quality event that raises funds to support local LGBT non-profits and New York City’s annual Pride festivities,” says Chris Frederick, Managing Director of NYC Pride.
LA PRIDE runs June 6 to 8. Visit lapride.org for more information on LA PRIDE’s Parade and other annual events, including the thrilling Festival, featuring entertainment from Jennifer Hudson, Azealia Banks, The Bangles, Mary Lambert and Betty Who.
NYC Pride runs June 21 to 29. For tickets to Dance on the Pier, visit nycpride.showclix.com. For information on NYC Pride and their full roster of annual Pride events, visit nycpride.org/events.
Neil Patrick Harris – Naked in New York
well…sort of.
Neil Patrick Harris is wearing nothing but a bowtie and a discretely placed top hat on the cover of the next issue of Rolling Stone, which hits newsstands Friday. The biggest openly gay male star in Hollywood history is starring as the titular transsexual German glam rocker in Broadway’s Hedwig and the Angry Inch, a role for which he lost enough weight to give him an eight-pack and a few light-headed afternoons.
“He’s so skinny, and I think that really gives him power,” his fiancé David Burtka tells Rolling Stone. “His body is crazy right now.” (um, yeah, crazy hot and sexy!)
After years emphasizing his masculinity, Harris has had to work to play the effeminate Hedwig.
“I didn’t think he could pull off the femininity of [the role],” Burtka says. “This is such a stretch for him. In his day-to-day, he’s not a very feminine guy.” Harris, too, said that he had always been aware of how he presented himself, especially in his Doogie years. “I have always been highly aware of how I was presenting myself,” Harris admits. “Which, now that I’m playing overtly feminine and loving it, is kind of a stupid concern.”
more at RS
Sneak Peak – Harvey Fierstein’s New Play ‘Casa Valentina’
New Yorks Broadway genius
Harvey Fierstein is back! Casa Valentina!
Nestled in the land of dirty dancing and borscht belt comedy sat an inconspicuous bungalow colony that catered to a very special clientele: heterosexual men whose favorite pastime was dressing and acting as women. It was paradise for these men — white-collar professionals with families — to spend their weekends discreetly and safely inhabiting their chosen female alter egos. But when they got the opportunity to share their secret lives with the world, these ‘self-made women’ had to decide whether the freedom they would gain by emerging from hiding was worth the risk of personal ruin.
WATCH BEHIND THE SCENES
Green Haired Lady – Hedda Lettuce Art Show April 4th
HEDDA LETTUCE – the queen of green!
is having her first solo art show this week, beginning April 4th!
Titled: The Green Haired Lady (of course!) opens April 4th at 6:30pm. MCCNY Gallery 446 w 36th street. It is a series of new works combining camp and spirituality, to create a series of portraits of the magical Green Haired Lady.
Performance by Hedda Lettuce at 8pm. Free wine and cheese!
- 446 West 36th Street, between 9th & 10th Avenues
- New York, New York 10018
Alec Baldwin Produces Barney Frank Doc and will debut at Tribeca Festival
A lot of people call Alec Baldwin homophobic and anti gay.
The former MSNBC host Alec Baldwin who came under fire in June for calling a reporter a “toxic little queen” on Twitter, has been caught on camera threatening the paparazzi and using anti-gay slurs while doing so.
TMZ, where you can watch the clip: The video shows Baldwin — who was with his wife and baby — taking off in angry pursuit after the pap (not ours) … yelling, cursing and calling him a “c**ksucking f*g.”
FAMOUS drag queen Lady Bunny came to his defense last month in Huffington Post. And I have to agree, Should we really be decimating the man’s entire career over a few angry words that flew out of his mouth during an angry exchange at the end of a draining trial? Dan points out, “We often revert to high-school-era insults when we’re deeply upset.”
DEADLINE HOLLYWOOD reports: Alec Baldwin has signed on as executive producer of Compared to What: The Improbable Journey of Barney Frank, a new documentary about the openly gay ex-Massachusetts Congressman which debuts next month at the Tribeca Film Festival.
Baldwin will be conducting a Q&A with Frank at Tribeca after the film’s April 27 festival premiere. “Barney Frank is a personal hero of mine,” he said in a statement. “His legacy in Congress – and his historic importance as the first openly gay and married Congressman – important for our country.”
HEDWIG donates to LGBT Youth
The Producers of Hedwig and the Angry Inch have just announced they will form a charitable partnership with the NYC LGBT youth organization Hetrick-Martin Institute as part of the Broadway show’s run.
The musical will donate a portion from each ticket sale to Hetrick-Martin Institute, home of the Harvey Milk High School, a New York City public transfer school where at-risk youth can learn without fear of physical or emotional attacks. According to a press release, the partnership ”will also utilize the resources of the production, including representatives from the show meeting with young people in an educational and mentoring capacity, and additional fundraising support.”
“Hetrick-Martin Institute has always been a part of Hedwig‘s DNA and I’m thrilled HMI is able to join Hedwig on her journey to Broadway,” writes producer David Binder in a statement. “Our cast, creative team, and my fellow producers have been overwhelming in their support of this initiative benefiting this inspiring and incredibly important organization.”
Hedwig and the Angry Inch, starring Neil Patrick Harris, begins preview performances this Saturday and opens April 22 at the Belasco Theatre. To find out more information about the show’s partnership with HMI and to purchase tickets HERE.
Terrance McNally presents Mothers and Sons with Tyne Daly
The play everyone is talking about this month! MOTHERS AND SONS!
4-time Tony Award winner TERRENCE McNALLY
has a rich history of writing profound and entertaining works that feel uniquely connected to our times.
MOTHERS AND SONS is a timely and provocative new play that explores our evolving understanding of family in today’s world.
At turns funny and powerful, MOTHERS AND SONS portrays a woman who pays an unexpected visit to the New York apartment of her late son’s partner, who is now married to another man and has a young son. Challenged to face how society has changed around her, generations collide as she revisits the past and begins to see the life her son might have led. – I smell another TONY!
MOTHERS AND SONS stars Tony® and six-time Emmy® winner Tyne Daly
TICKETS and INFO
BEHIND THE SCENES
Shery Lee Ralph in Mighty Real This Fall!
This INCREDIBLE Show comes back to New York after SOLD OUT runs in NYC, Miami and Washington, D.C..
MIGHTY REAL: A FABULOUS SYLVESTER MUSICAL®is a Musical, written by Anthony Wayne and Directed by Wayne and Kendrell Bowman. It tells the life story of Sylvester through his music and his point of view.
Beyond all the trials, tribulations, glitz and glamour of his lifestyle, he was a symbol for being FABULOUS, but, also, a symbol for unapologetically being who he was.The words and music of this show will enter your ear, soar through your heart and inspire your soul.
It’s GUARANTEED to have EVERYONE dancing in the aisles. Broadway Star Anthony Wayne (Broadway’s “PIPPIN”, “PRISCILLA”, “Anything Goes” [2011]) sings, lives and breathes life as the 1970’s Disco Singer SYLVESTER. The show, also, features Broadway’s Anastacia McCleskey (“PRISCILLA”; “HAIR”, “Book Of Mormon”) and Jacqueline B. Arnold (“We Will Rock You”, “PRISCILLA”) as The Two Tons of Fun/Weather Girls.
Taking the reigns as Costume Designer is Celebrity Stylist Kendrell Bowman (Recording Artists K. Michelle, Kanye West, David Banner, Lauriana Mae). Both Wayne & Bowman have stunned the masses with their collaborative Directorial Debut. Together, Wayne and Bowman create a memorable experience that takes the audience through the Essence that is SYLVESTER. They are, also, Lead Producers of the show and make up the team AnthonyKen, LLC.
The entire Creative Team and Additional Cast information will be announced at a later date.
Joining forces with AnthonyKen, LLC. as producing partner is Original Dreamgirl, Sheryl Lee Ralph and The D.I.V.A. Foundation.. With continued success on stage, screen, television and music along with her philanthropic endeavors, Sheryl Lee Ralph has never been one to rest on her laurels. Her award-winning work includes creating the role of Deena Jones in the legendary Broadway musical “Dreamgirls”, and earning Best Actress noms for Tony and Drama Desk Awards. Miss Ralph can currently be seen in Showtimes” Ray Donovaning heats up the screen with Jon Voight and also Nickelodeons new hit “Instant Mom” with Tia Mowry.
The D.I.V.A. Foundation (Divinely Inspired Victoriously AIDS Aware) is a national not-for-profit 501C (3) charitable organization founded by Sheryl Lee Ralph in 1990 as a memorial to the many friends she lost to AIDS as an original company member of Dreamgirls. The organization focuses on generating resources and coordinating artistic activities to create awareness of and combat HIV/AIDS. The D.I.V.A. Foundation utilizes music and entertainment as a vehicle to inform, educate and erase the stigma attached to this deadly disease.
“As we acknowledge National AIDS Awareness Day, I know Sylvester is singing and dancing under that great disco ball in heaven and we prepare to light up Broadway with his music and memory.” Said Ralph
MIGHTY REAL is set to start Previews September 5th, 2014 at the Theatre at St. Clements.
Group Tickets (10+) go on Sale NOW.
Individual Tickets go on Sale June 2nd, 2014.
Call OVATIONTIX at 866.811.4111 or go to www.FABULOUSSYLVESTER.com
Also, follow the show on Instagram and Twitter: @FABSYLVESTER
VIDEO LINKS:
LIVE Exclusive video from Prior Le Poisson Rouge NYC Concert
The “MAKING OF” Video
CHER in Brooklyn May 9th
The tour not to miss in 2014!
CHER Dressed to Kill – with Cyndi Lauper in Brooklyn May 9th. 2014.
More than 40 years of show business success Cher is that rare entertainment industry icon that defies classification. Continually referenced, adored, and examined, she belongs in the exclusive pantheon of performers who have not only outdistanced all of their contemporaries, but have, decade in and decade out, stubbornly navigated the transient whims of public taste and carved a permanent place for themselves in the hearts and minds of cinema, television, music and pop culture enthusiasts everywhere. The new CD is HOT! The show will be HOTTER!
Tickets and info online!
Amanda Lepore talks Transgender with INTO THE GLOSS
“[David LaChapelle] would always tell me that I was ‘the number-one transsexual in the world with a fully functional vagina,'” Lepore told Into The Gloss. (And when you call her cell phone, that is the recoding you get!)
“I became really proud of it. It wasn’t about trying to pass for a woman — I am anti that. I think it’s what set me apart from other transsexuals. It could have gone very wrong but instead it went right.”
Transsexual nightlife icon Amanda Lepore recently sat down with Into The Gloss to discuss her career, transitioning and her rise to prominence as a staple of New York’s downtown club scene.