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Must-Watch Music Video OTD: Kallisto D’amore’s QueerCore Club Banger “Bitch Ass Hoe” STARRING ME!

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Underground queercore/hip-hop drag terrorist Kallisto D’amore challenges the gender-phobic tropes of the current rap scene, brilliantly sending them up in his new music video “Bitch Ass Hoe.” Watch him frolic with ME, Miss Vanity Skyy and The Bitch Ass Hoes: Niki Smith, Sophia Jade, Crys, Carmela Habibi, and Annabel Louise. It’s a HOOT, and I love that we’re  bringing that fuzzy bikini/diamond choker chic BACK into vogue.

Kallisto Damore began performing weekly in San Francisco at the SOMA club, Truck, and collaborated with other artists such as Bay Area drag performers Suppository Spelling, VivvyAnne ForeverMORE and Motha Chucka to name a few. In addition to Drag Art, he has also worked with such names as Zebra Katz and Brooke Candy. He joined League of Burnt Children, an art collective promoting local monthly and impromptu performances based various political and social themes. His career continued to grow as his art spread throughout the Queer community with shows at such popular venues such as The Parkside, the Stud, DNA Lounge and Sound Factory. He also performed at large-scale events such as SF Gay Pride and Folsom Street Fair. Kallisto has always been about collaborative efforts and continues to create unique pieces with fellow Queer Artists.

Upon moving to Los Angeles in 2014, he continued to expand his artistic endeavors with a more diverse crowd that he connects with on a broader level. He wrote, performed, and starred in the music video for his Los Angeles debut track “Bitch Ass Hoe”. This video feat. James St. James and includes a unique blend of hip hop, queer art and ghetto trap themes. Performance wise, he jumped straight into the LA Gay Performance Circuit with shows at such clubs as Faultline, Eagle and FuBar and also smaller, well-known underground spots like LAG Vintage. Kallisto’s image evolves with his ever-developing creative stages. This can be seen in his relationship with up and coming designer Olima and the costumes created by the two. Kallisto has also worked with other underground, queer musicians like Rica Shay and is continually seeking collaborations in addition to producing his own songs for mutually furthering the art of alternative rap.

 

 

The post Must-Watch Music Video OTD: Kallisto D’amore’s QueerCore Club Banger “Bitch Ass Hoe” STARRING ME! appeared first on The WOW Report.


Watch Now: Michael Henry’s New Video “Do You Think That You’re Normal?”

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In Michael Henry’s latest totally hilar video, also featuring Pete Zias and Michael Lucid, he celebrates the glorious gay weirdos of the world. You like making Venn diagrams comparing “The Talk” and “The Chew”? Your preferred fashion label is Old Navy? Your favorite drink is pulp? You’re not alone. Watch below, and be sure to subscribe to Michael Henry’s channel for more videos!

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Why Kellyanne and Melania Are Becoming Drag Icons (But No One Wants to Be Ivanka)

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Broadly has an interesting article about how drag queens dressed as Melania Trump, Kellyanne Conway, and even Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos have been popping up lately at protests and across Instagram and YouTube. And it’s not because they want to BE them, necessarily, or even have cocktails with them at Hamburger Mary’s. It’s just that their kitschy optics and over-the-top cartoon villainy make them hard to resist.

Although drag queens are protesting the women in Trump’s administration, they can’t help admiring their camp factor. Conway has been delivering better one-liners than any Real Housewife as of late, and at gay brunches, it has become common to hear someone say, “I can’t help but watch Kellyanne!” Gay men finding camp in conservative women is not a new trend. Both Ann Coulter and Camille Paglia have alienated liberals while attracting strong gay male fan bases for years. When it comes to drag queens, mockery is often somewhat of a compliment.

The one Trumpette not getting any attention from the drag community, though? Poor little Ivanka, who is too vapid, too bland, too put-together, and too wearisome to inspire any sort of drag persona.

Although she has reportedly defended LGBTQ rights in the White House, she is the antithesis of gay culture. In her television interviews, she has spoken in a well-polished, PR-trained manner and advocated a tame corporate worldview. Her social mead bio reads, “Wife, mother, sister and daughter. Entrepreneur + passionate advocate for the education and empowerment of women and girls. NYC native, living in DC,” and her Instagram revolves around pictures of her children and lanky husband.

San Francisco-based drag queen Mama Celeste believes the lack of Ivanka drag queens is due to a lack of originality. They are, at their essence, imitators. “SNL hasn’t figured out a regular cast person to impersonate her yet for them to copy,” he says. “They don’t know how to lampoon someone who’s mostly maintained her composure even when her dad says he would fuck her on TV.”

Where Kellyanne and Melania drive themselves into infamy whenever they appear on the news, Ivanka remains composed, and complicit, in even the most ridiculous situations. The more transitive reason, Mama Celeste believes, stems from Ivanka’s lack of aesthetics that have boosted other Trump-associated women but not her: “Ivanka’s only memorable ‘look’ was being wrapped in that $5,000 foil dress, which not even the tackiest drag queen would wear.”

Read the who article here.

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RuPaul Stars In Live-Action Episode of HBO’s ‘Animals’ This Friday

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In a special live-action episode of HBO’s animated series ‘Animals,’ titled “Humans,” RuPaul will star as Dr. Labcoat and his dutiful assistant – played by the hilarious John Early (Wet Hot American Summer, Search Party) – as the evil conglomerate Pesci Co. prepares to roll out the “Green Pill,” a cure for the virus plaguing the city. Entertainment Weekly got the skinny on what’s about to go down Friday on HBO at 11:30PM.

Check it out:

“Humans,” airs Friday, April 14 on HBO. The episode also stars John Early, Judy Greer, Lauren Lapkus and Raven-Symoné.

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“RuPaul’s Drag Race” Has Been Renewed For a 10th Season On VH1!

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Fridays have been getting fiercer and fiercer thanks to RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 9 on VH1 at 8/7C. And with only three episodes in, drastic times DO call for DRAGTASTIC measures hunties because Variety announced today that ‘Drag Race’ has been renewed for a 10th season! Hooray!

Check it out:

VH1 is now billing itself as “the place where pop culture comes to party.” The emphasis is on fun, frothy and pop culture-centric unscripted material.

Chris McCarthy, president of VH1, MTV and Logo, said the party motif has influenced VH1’s development focus with shows revolving around food (“Martha & Snoop’s Potluck Dinner Party”), games (“Hip Hop Squares”) and entertainment from “lively and ambitious friends.” “America’s Next Top Model,” “Love and Hip Hop” and “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” which shifted this year from Logo to VH1, fall into the entertainment category. “Drag Race” has been renewed for a 10th season.

Joining the VH1 rotation in August is “Baller Wives,” a look at a group of Miami-based pro athletes and their wives. “Scared Famous,” to premiere in October, is an effort to tap into the comedy-horror genre with a competition series that promises to send 10 celebrities into a “spooky” mansion to face “chilling challenges” derived from classic horror pics.

Another big priority that bows June 5 is “Daytime Divas,” a scripted behind-the-scenes look at a daytime talk show based on the roman a clef “Satan’s Sisters” by Star Jones, a former panelist on ABC’s “The View.” The Sony Pictures Television show, which has a 10-episode order, is toplined by Vanessa Williams and Tichina Arnold. McCarthy sees it as in keeping with the theme of embracing pop culture.

An all new RuPaul’s Drag Race airs THIS Friday, April 14th at 8/7C on VH1!

Read more here.

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Jaden Smith Cut His Hair and the Internet Is SHOOK

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Did I use that right? I’m old.

Anywhoozen.

Celebuspawn/teen wackadoodle Jaden Smith is filming the movie A Year in the Life with Cara Delevingne

… and has cut off his hair for the role.

It’s a rather dramatic new look for him. Check out the before and after, above and below.

Baby 😍 #jadensmith

A post shared by [sʏʀᴇ] ᴄᴏᴍɪɴɢ sᴏᴏɴ… (@c.jadensmith) on

I’m crying. 😭 #jadensmith

A post shared by [sʏʀᴇ] ᴄᴏᴍɪɴɢ sᴏᴏɴ… (@c.jadensmith) on

I miss his dreads 😩 #jadensmith

A post shared by [sʏʀᴇ] ᴄᴏᴍɪɴɢ sᴏᴏɴ… (@c.jadensmith) on

A close up. How do you feel about J changin his hair? 🤔 #jadensmith

A post shared by [sʏʀᴇ] ᴄᴏᴍɪɴɢ sᴏᴏɴ… (@c.jadensmith) on

Mood 😩 #jadensmith

A post shared by [sʏʀᴇ] ᴄᴏᴍɪɴɢ sᴏᴏɴ… (@c.jadensmith) on

What do you think?

A step in the right direction? Or has he completely lost his appeal, Samson-like?

One last look at the old Jaden before we move into a new realm of existence. Farewell to our nutty sweet prince.

(Photos: Pacific Coast News)

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Jinkx Monsoon’s ‘Drag Becomes Him’ Documentary Premieres TONIGHT on Logo!

Hot New Beauty Trend OTD: Squirrelfriend Brows!

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These eyebrows are supposed to resemble feathers, but my cubicle cohort Jake took one look at them and called them “squirrel tails.” So Squirrelfriend Brows they are!

Via Bored Panda:

Stella Sironen, a Finnish makeup artist, jokingly shared an image on Instagram declaring that this is the new trend. But the internet took it seriously and the trend spread like wildfire.

Now more and more people are jumping on this trend train and sharing the results. Some people love it, some hate it with all their hearts but hey, it’s something new.

What do you think? Will you be doing it anytime soon? (As we speak, I’m furiously racing around the office with a jar of Vaseline and a little lice comb – yes, both just happened to be on my desk – trying to get someone to do it. I would, but, alas, I am eternally browless).

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#AmandaLeporeWeek: Check Out the Official “Doll Parts” Preview Video!

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In case you’ve been living under a rock, you probably know by now that ReganArts is publishing a gorgeous, poignant, full-colour memoir by trans icon Amanda Lepore, filled with revealing stories and photos by David LaChapelle, Terry Richardson and more. Check out this page-by-page first-look at the gorgeous images you’ll find when you purchase your copy here.

If you happen to be young and transgender, then you’re used to people being hateful toward you when all you want to do is exist. Through all the insanity in my life, there was only one thing I could control: myself. On the outside, obviously, but on the inside, too. I focused on not letting other people’s opinions have any effect on me whatsoever, and that’s how I’ve lived my life ever since.” —Amanda Lepore

Preorder an autographed copy today! Expected ship date: April 2017

Spend an evening getting intimate with Amanda Lepore, the internationally renowned walking work of art and New York City’s reigning queen of nightlife for three decades.

Paving the way for today’s “trans revolution,” Amanda is one of the world’s most famous transsexuals. In this poignant and revealing memoir, Amanda takes off the makeup, peels back the silicone, and reveals to the world the woman she truly is, all with a divine certainty, humor, and charm.

After transitioning at age seventeen, Lepore shed her troubled youth, escaped an abusive marriage, and recreated herself in the image of old Hollywood–glamour. She worked as a dominatrix, performed at the Limelight, and had a close friendship with her one-time boss “Party Monster” Michael Alig. But, it was when pop culture visionary David LaChapelle walked into her life that she again transitioned, this time from a beautiful nightlife denizen with to an icon. LaChapelle’s ingenious photographs made Lepore an international art, music, and fashion star.

Book Praise

I hate everyone but Amanda Lepore.
Miley Cyrus

Amanda is pure heaven on earth, a dream come true. I adore her!
Francois Nars

Amanda is truly a living work of art. I’ve never witnessed such devotion to the art of high-glamour. In my book, she is a glambassador of the very highest order, a true fascinatrix!
Dita Von Teese

As an Icon, Amanda is one of a kind because of her unique and singular look in the art of fashion. She has established herself as the most original and glamorous image in the world of transgender.
Patricia Field

A must-have collector’s item for readers eager for a glimpse into the unique world of a fearless chanteuse. A thoroughly enjoyable hybrid of flashy pictorial, artsy production, and outspoken autobiography.
Kirkus

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Amanda Lepore’s New Book ‘Doll Parts’! United’s PR Nightmare! BRAIN HACKING! The Top Ten Things That Make Us Go WOW! for Radio Andy on Sirius XM!

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From Hollywood Boulevard, it’s The WOW Report for Radio Andy on SiriusXM! That’s right WOWers, World of Wonder Co-Founder Fenton Bailey, Executive VP of Development Tom Campbell, and WOW Report Editor James St. James have collaborated with reality TV guru and friend of WOW, Andy Cohen, on a weekly Top Ten Countdown of the things from the past week that make us go…WOW!

It’s a pop-culture obsessed hour complete with colorful diatribes, opposing opinions, and a dissection-like discussion that will make your drive home from work more fabulous!

The WOW Report airs TODAY at 4PM EST on Radio Andy on SiriusXM, and the show airs again at 4PM PST (7PM EST). You can also catch it on the SiriusXM app!

10) Born Rich: Ivanka Trump Has Always Been Oblivious

Born Rich began as Johnson & Johnson heir Jamie Johnson‘s college thesis project, but turned into this documentary of him interviewing several of his very wealthy friends who were also born into enormous wealth. One of these friends is the then-eighteen year old Ivanka Trump who makes it completely obvious she’s alway been an oblivious rich girl.

9) Generation Wealth by Lauren Greenfield

Lauren Greenfield – perhaps best known for her award winning documentary The Queen of Versailles – has a new photography project called Generation Wealth that “examines the influence of affluence over the last 25 years, illustrating the globalization of materialism, celebrity culture and social status. This timely, thought-provoking collection explores how “keeping up with the Joneses” has become Keeping Up with the Kardashians, magnifying the aspirational gap between what we want and what we can afford. The exhibit is not about the rich, but the pervasive desire for more.” Pre-order the coffee table book now!

8) Amanda Lepore’s Doll Parts

It’s Amanda Lepore week on the WOW Report! Amanda Lepore, the trans icon often referred to as having “the most expensive body on Earth,” has an autobiography coming to a bookstore near you! Doll Parts from Regan Arts, written with Thomas Flannery Jr., will be released in April, and covers Amanda’s boyhood in New Jersey with a paranoid schizophrenic mother, her early struggles in the city working as a dominatrix, and her performances at the Limelight for Michael Alig. Doll Parts will be available for purchase on April 18.

7) Janet Jackson is BACK IN CONTROL: Divorcing Wissam Al Mana

Only months after giving birth to their son Eissa Al Mana, Janet Jackson and her billionaire husband of five years Wissam Al Mana have split the sheets. Rumor has it their conscious uncoupling is because he wasn’t as supportive about her mother’s claims of elder abuse as she would have liked. Does this mean there may be a big comeback for Janet Jackson on the horizon?

6) 13 Reasons Why

James St. James calls it “the most important television show of the year,” “the must watch/must binge show,” and “absolutely fantastic.” We’re talking about the Selena Gomez – executive produced Netflix series 13 Reasons Why. It’s Pretty Little Liars meets Veronica Mars with a handful of hotties who look like they jumped off the pages of Tiger Beat magazine! It’s currently streaming on Netflix.

5) The Kim Kardashian Principle: Why Shameless Sales and How To Do It Right

This “self help” book by Jeetendr Sehdev about the Kardashian principle – S.E.L.F.I.E. – somehow found it’s way to Fenton’s desk. The book “reveals the people, products, and brands that do it best–from YouTube sensations like Jenna Marbles to billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk–and proves why the old strategies aren’t working. After all, in a world where a big booty can break the Internet and the president is a reality TV star, self-obsession is a must-have. No posturing, no apologies, and no shying away from the spotlight.” Hmmmm… Get your copy today!

4) United Airlines: Comply With Me!

We discuss the PR fiasco United Airlines found themselves in after “re-accomadating” Dr. David Dao by dragging him bloody-faced off of their airplane to make way for four United employees.

3) Barbara Bush’s Toes Are Falling Off!

This week, former First Daughter and Today show correspondent Jenna Bush Hager revealed to co-star Kathie Lee Gifford that her grandmother Barbara Bush only has four toes on each foot. And that she lost the other two, “due to old age.” HUH?

2) Knott’s Berry Farm’s Boysenberry Festival

Fenton and his family recently went to the Knott’s Berry Farm 2017 Boysenberry Festival! The boysenberry is a combination of a logan berry, a raspberry, and a blackberry, and was actually invented at Knott’s Berry Farm. Not only that, it’s responsible for keeping Knott’s Berry Farm afloat during the great depression!

1) BRAIN HACKING!

Anderson Cooper recently did a story for 60 Minutes on Brain Hacking – how Silicon Valley is hijacking our minds! Our mobile phones are like slot machines meaning whenever we pick it up to check it, we are pulling the lever to see what we get. A handful of Silicon Valley insiders are using our attachment to our phones to hack our brains!

Listen in at 4:00PM EST and again at 4:00 PST (7 PM EST) on SiriusXM!

And be sure to give your ears the gift of THE WOW REPORT on Radio Andy SiriusXM EVERY Friday.

Do something this weekend that makes YOU go WOW!!!

The post Amanda Lepore’s New Book ‘Doll Parts’! United’s PR Nightmare! BRAIN HACKING! The Top Ten Things That Make Us Go WOW! for Radio Andy on Sirius XM! appeared first on The WOW Report.

#FBF: Monocle’s The Classic Series With WOW’s Randy Barbato & Fenton Bailey

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On this lovely #FBF, Monocle shared their original episode from April 24th, 2016 with WOW’s fearless leaders Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey where they discussed their Emmy-nominated Mapplethorpe: Look At The Pictures.

We listen back to a chat with production duo Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, the minds behind ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’, who a year ago had just made a documentary about photographer and artist Robert Mapplethorpe. They joined Monocle’s Steve Bloomfield and Tom Edwards to discuss how art can push the boundaries. Original air date: 24 April 2016

Listen here!

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15 Days Until RuPaul’s DragCon: RuPaul’s Keynote Speeches

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RuPaul’s DragCon will be here before you know it! We only about TWO WEEKS until the Los Angeles Convention Center becomes the center of the drag universe for a couple of days, so get all jazzed up by watching Mother Ru’s inspirational keynote speeches from 2015 & 2016!

Get your tickets to RuPaul’s DragCon happening April 29 & 30 at the Los Angeles Convention Center!

RuPaul’s Keynote at RuPaul’s DragCon 2015 on May 17, 2015:

RuPaul’s Keynote at RuPaul’s DragCon 2016 on May 8, 2016:

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OH PIT CREW: Your Selfies SUCK! Jason From the Pit Crew Can Help!

Category Is: #MorningBitches! The Queens Compete In Rival Talk Shows On Tonight’s ‘Drag Race’ On VH1

#AmandaLeporeWeek: We Wish We Were Amanda Lepore!

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In case you’ve been living under a rock, you probably know by now that ReganArts is publishing a gorgeous, poignant, full-colour memoir by trans icon Amanda Lepore, filled with revealing stories and photos by David LaChapelle, Terry Richardson and more. Check out this page-by-page first-look at the gorgeous images you’ll find when you purchase your copy here. And today, we’re wrapping up our last day of Amanda Lepore week (although, we celebrate her all year round!) so we decided to share one of our favorite videos by Drag Race Superstar Sharon Needles, because what?! We all wish we were Amanda Lepore!

Check it out:

 

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We’re Long Overdue For Another Kathy Griffin Stand-Up Special!

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Kathy Griffin has successfully been on some type of Celebrity List since the late 1990s. Since then, she’s become a Guinness World Record Breaker for “Most Televised Stand-Up Specials by a Comedian”.

While her sensational, unscripted television show, “My Life on the D-List” still reigns supreme as one of my favorite go-to’s, without question her stand up specials still make me laugh and luckily are so easy to view for nostalgia.

It’s been four years since one of Kathy’s Stand-Up Specials have been on television. I think we are long overdue for another one from the gay icon, herself.

Below are my absolute favorite of her specials.

Kathy Griffin: Hot Cup of Talk, 1998

While we get to hear the hilarity of her encounter with President Bill Clinton, this is the first time that we ever hear Kathy’s impersonation of her mother, Maggie Griffin. Hearing that her mom is furious over “all the god damn pennies we’ve spent at the 99cents store compared to the new, 98cents store” still has me roaring. I could be wrong, but this also may be the first time someone’s publicly called Madonna out for speaking with a British accent. This is Kathy’s second Stand-Up Special, but it is definitely an appropriate introduction that begins to pave the way for her routine.

 

Kathy Griffin: The D-List, 2004

After six years, Kathy has her next Stand-Up Special with “The D-List”. This Special is what segwayed her into landing her own Unscripted Show, “My Life on the D-List”. No one can tell me that listening to Kathy tell about her visit on Hollywood Squares with Anna Nicole Smith and Little Richard isn’t a fairytale come true. On top of that, she gossips about how she received celebrity donations to AmfAR in the name of her wedding.

 

Kathy Griffin: Allegedly, 2004

Kathy began involving more celebrity encounters as her Specials began evolving. Her trip to Iraq, celebrity telethon, and various celebrity shading are hysterical throughout. Kathy closes for the first time telling her experience of The View, which would start her quasi-feud with Barbara Walters. However, the true reason why “Allegedly” is knee-slapping funny is Kathy’s story attending Brooke Shield’s Wedding.

 

Kathy Griffin: Does the Bible Belt, 2010

We laugh along with Kathy as she discusses her celebrity dinners with absolute A-Listers, the Ryan Seacrest War, and unscripted television. The real kicker with the “Does the Bible Belt” is Kathy describing her Law and Order: SVU guest role, including the gorgeous Christopher Meloni’s terrifyingly sexy quote: “Hit. Your. Mark.”

 

Kathy Griffin: Record Breaker, 2013

Hearing about Kathy guest starring on Kirstie Alley’s sitcom, her mother’s take on the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards, and a prison pen pal will keep your attention throughout. You will start to swell with tears listening to Kathy talk about her experience on a gay cruise and how organized the gays are when it comes to sex overseas.

To see Kathy LIVE, feel free to check out her website for tour dates and don’t forget to purchase her new book, Celebrity Run Ins: My A-Z Index!

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QUEER WINDOW: A Celebration of Queer Community & Culture at iO West

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Friend of WOW Zack Colonna has organized Queer Window – “A celebration of QUEER community and culture” – for Monday, April 17 at 8PM at iO West in Hollywood.

From the Facebook event page:

A celebration of QUEER community and culture. From the events that defined our freedoms to the personal moments that shaped our lives, this LGBTQ variety show will take a deep dive into the past to see what makes us who we are today. Through storytelling, stand-up, music, dance, and more, our performers share the moments that shaped and inspired them. So throw open the curtains and experience the extravaganza that is QUEER WINDOW.

Zack Colonna hosts the show that features Bente EMicah James, Jennifer Burns, Dana Angelo, and WOWlebrity Daniel Franzese! Get your tickets!

 

 

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April 15th: It’s YOUR Birthday, Bitch!

#BornThisDay: Leonardo da Vinci

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Leonardo-Da-Vinci

April 15, 1452Leonardo da Vinci:

“Art is never finished, only abandoned.”

In his childhood, the Husband was so entranced by a book on the life of Leonardo da Vinci that he taught himself to write in “mirror”, script that can only be read by holding it up to a reflection, a skill practiced by the often secretive Leonardo. The Husband can still do the mirror writing to this day and is himself, a bit of a Renaissance Man.

Leonardo da Vinci was denied an education and a profession because he was born out of wedlock in 1452. One of the few professions available for the bastard son of a middle-class notary and a peasant girl was artist. Despite the stigma, Leonardo mastered anatomy, architecture, botany, cartography, engineering, mathematics, music, science, sculpture, sketching, and painting.

When he was 24-years-old, Leonardo and three young companions were arrested on the charge of sodomy. No witnesses appeared against them and eventually the charges were dropped, apparently because the other young men who were charged with him came from powerful and wealthy families.

Although he was not convicted, the accusation tormented Leonardo throughout his lifetime. It seems clear to me that Leonardo was homosexual. He kept his private life very private, but throughout his entire life, Leonardo surrounded himself with attractive men. His relationship with the beautiful curly haired Gian Giacomo de’ Caprotti lasted 20 years. In the last 10 years of Leonardo’s life, his companion was the much younger Francesco Melzi, who would later serve as the executor of Leonardo’s estate.

Renaissance witnesses recorded that he loved to surround himself with beautiful young dudes and that his homosexuality had been an open secret around Florence. Leonardo’s own notebooks confirm that he lived openly with a household of sweet young guys led by Salai, his handsome, thieving apprentice, to whom he left the famed Mona Lisa. It is probably the best known, the most visited, the most written about, the most sung about, the most parodied work of art in the history of Western Civilization. The painting is a half-length portrait of a woman thought to be a portrait of Lisa Gherardini, the wife of a wealthy Florentine silk merchant. It is in oil on a white Lombardy poplar panel, probably painted between 1503 and 1506. Leonardo may have continued working on it as late as 1517. It was eventually acquired by King François I of France and is now the property of the French people, on permanent display at The Louvre since 1797. The painting was stolen in 1911. The thief was caught two years later when he attempted to sell it to The Uffizi Museum in Florence. It visited the USA in spring of 1963 and nearly 2 million people lined up glimpse her for a few seconds. It is currently insured for $782 million, making it by far the most valued painting on the planet.

Leonardo had a theory about art and sex. Of course he did; he had a theory about everything. In his notebooks he included detailed drawings of lovemaking and he argued that painting is the greatest of all the arts because it can set a picture of your lover in your memory. His writings move close to blasphemy. He boasted that he once painted a Madonna so alluring that the man who bought it got a boner whenever he tried to pray. The man returned the painting to Leonardo, who delighted in this pornographic triumph.

Leonardo’s paintings often contain characters that transcend gender, with fantasies of androgynous liaisons between our world and the beyond. His Virgin Of The Rocks depicts an angel whose gender is impossible to determine. No other Renaissance artist was so preoccupied with androgyny. From his earliest works, including an angel he painted in a work by his teacher Verrocchio, androgyny and ambiguity became Leonardo’s trademarks.

Leonardo possessed the greatest mind of the Italian Renaissance. He wanted to know the workings of what he saw in nature. His inventions and scientific studies were centuries ahead of his time. He was the first person to scientifically study the flight of birds.

Leonardo’s contribution to art was even greater than his contribution to science. He had a strong influence on other artists, especially Raphael and Michelangelo. Leonardo’s balanced compositions became the standard for later Renaissance art. Painters tried to imitate Leonardo’s perspective, knowledge of anatomy, and observations of nature. His inventiveness, versatility, and intellectual curiosity show Leonardo to be the epitome of the Renaissance spirit. Six centuries later, the world is still in awe.

Of his 23 authenticated paintings, I have seen 10, including his works at The Uffizi in Florence, The Louvre, and the National Gallery in London and Washington DC.  Plus, I have had a long look at some of his manuscripts and drawings at an exhibit in Venice and again when Bill Gates, the owner of Leonardo’s The Codex Leicester shared his treasure with an exhibit in Seattle in the 1990s.

The small number of surviving paintings is due in part to Leonardo’s frequently disastrous experimentation with new techniques, and his chronic procrastination. Nevertheless, the paintings together with his notebooks of drawings, scientific diagrams, and his thoughts on the nature of painting, comprise a contribution to later generations of artists rivaled only by that of his homosexual contemporary, Michelangelo.

leonardo

Self Portrait

Throughout his life, Leonardo da Vinci avoided the intrigues of worldly ambitions and vanity. He was a reserved man, not concerned with attention, happy to live off the patronage of the rich and powerful, and yet absolutely sure of the value of his talents.

Leonardo left this world at Clos Lucé, France, in spring of 1519. King François I had become his closest friend and held Leonardo’s head in his arms as he died. In accordance to his will, 60 beggars followed his casket to the funeral. Leonardo was 67-years-old when he left this world.

Vitruvian Man c. 1492.

“While I thought that I was learning how to live, I have been learning how to die.”

The post #BornThisDay: Leonardo da Vinci appeared first on The WOW Report.

#LGBTQMustRead: “These Things Happen” by Richard Kramer

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You simply must read Richard Kramer’s sharp, humorous, affecting gay-themed novel These Things Happen (2012). It offers up multiple narrators as 15-year-old Wesley discovers first love and four parents: mother, stepfather, dad, and dad’s longtime partner George, is the novel’s best character. The book’s soul and snap is no surprise to fan of Kramer’s impressive career in television, writing / directing / producing My So-Called Life (1994-95), Thirtysomething (1987-91), and his adaptation of Armistead Maupin’s beloved Tales Of The City (1993).

These Things Happen is a big small book. A big small witty book. Just two days, a small group of characters, a school, a cafe, a cramped Hell’s Kitchen apartment, and a roof, but Kramer opens up an entire world.

Wesley is living with his father and George, to get closer to his dad. Wesley’s mom is happily remarried. Wesley’s best friend, Theo, announces at school he is gay. The opening scenes between Wesley and Theo are astoundingly funny and moving.

In many ways, this book is about parenting teenagers and it asks how much truth are they ready for? And what can a parent do for 16-year-old who is asking for answers, for guidance, but the only person strong enough to provide it isn’t even his parent?

Kramer’s writing is nuanced and his attention is unwavering. With great patience and insight, Kramer points out that the significance of words lies in the gaps between them, in the pauses during which we grapple with how to spell out the truth. And, no one understands this notion better than Wesley and George.

One the things that really struck me most about These Things Happen is the way the novel shows how different coming out of the closet is between the generations. Young Theo, doesn’t see his gayness as a big deal, but Wesley’s father, who was married and had a family before coming out as an adult, still struggles.

I was first attracted to this very New York novel because of the cover art by James McMullan, one of my favorite artists, who has done more than 75 posters for Broadway shows including Anything Goes, Carousel, Ah! Wilderness, A Delicate Balance, and South Pacific. He has also created illustrations for many magazine including New York Magazine for which he did the paintings of the Brooklyn disco which became the visual inspiration for the film Saturday Night Fever (1977). His coffee-table book, The Theatre Posters Of James McMullan (1998) lives in my bookshelves not far from Kramer’s novel.

But, I digress, These Things Happen is smart and sophisticated, and I loved getting lost in reading it. It was one of my favorite books of 2012 and it remains a favorite. You need it as a LGBTQ essential read.

Photo montage by Dick Avery

The post #LGBTQMustRead: “These Things Happen” by Richard Kramer appeared first on The WOW Report.

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