MIght as well jump

Even as my partners in Casino O'Fortune Cookie Productions prepare to hit the road today on their Spring tour with the Dangerous Curves Ahead: Burlesque on the Go-Go, here's our latest epic adventure scheduled for Joe's Pub on Saturday, May 14th!

You remember this, right?

Check it:

Don't miss it!

Finally, Michael Myers meets the Breakfast Club

Yeah, remember this?

Well, check it:

Yeah. John Hughes vs. John Carpenter Burlesque. At Joe's Pub on the 26th. Holy shit. I mean, yes, I know, it's my show. And I love all of our shows. But this one...yeah. Just get your tickets now, ok?

Grateful

It's hard to believe that the year is rapidly coming to a close. There have been plenty of ups and downs, but as we fly toward the New Year things have been hitting a lot of high notes. Up there, that's the cast of Material Girls: The Burlesque Tribute to Madonna, backstage at Joe's Pub before the sold-out show. And below is the cast of the All-Star Burlesque Birthday Bash, backstage in the brand-new dressing room before we brought it to the brand-new stage at the Red Palace (the venue formerly known as the Palace of Wonders) in DC for a packed, crazy audience that may have been the most enthusiastic we've ever had anywhere.

Then Casino O'Fortune Cookie launched our new series of shows at another new home, Crash Mansion on the Bowery, with another All-Star Burlesque Birthday Bash, this one doubling as a going-away party for our partner the beloved Anita Cookie as she heads to Los Angeles for a (hopefully!) brief winter sojourn.

I share these shots not just to make you envious of how I spend my time, but because this network of amazing, beautiful, talented, frequently naked performers make our shows as fantastic as they are, and in these dizzyingly busy weeks at the close of the year I've been surrounded by these friends and collaborators, and we all embrace and support each other, and I'm very lucky. Here's to a whole hell of a lot more of that in 2011.

Ok, that's enough heavy shit for now!

Speaking of The Frisky, the Burlesque movie, and our SOLD-OUT show this weekend...

Clams and Anita were invited to watch the flick and provide their commentary.

Update: Jezebel picked it up too.

Blonde Ambition

And there's more! Casino O'Fortune Cookie returns to Joe's Pub on November 27th! This might give you a hint:

Yes, that's right. The second-ever Casino O'Fortune Cookie Production was a Madonna tribute, and this time it's bigger and better, with an all-new cast and a whole lot more! Check it:

Tickets available now!

Tonight!

Summer weather persists, so might as well come out and join the girls for more late night cinematic fun!

Come out to play-eee-ay!!

There's so much more to being a successful independent producer than booking venues and casts, more than even having great concepts and themes, than writing a great press release and building a press list, even more than creating a great, fun, sexy, hilarious show. You have to build an audience, you can't take it for granted. And one of the reasons that Casino O'Fortune Cookie Productions keeps packing houses in NYC and beyond is because we're good at creatively expanding the parameters of how to reach an audience, how to build our brand and how to have fun doing it. Case in point, two fun nights out that you should join your hosts Anita Cookie and Clams Casino for this month! The Sunshine midnight movie gig is a recurring monthly thing now that keeps getting better and better (and of course, don't miss one of the all-time great NYC cult classics), and working with Satellite Lounge is a fun new venture (they have SIX pinball machines! It's like heaven). Oh, and there will be competitions at both to win pairs of free tickets to our next show at Joe's Pub, Man in Black Burlesque, of course!

Come get some.

I may be more excited about this show than any other that we've produced. I know that's bold statement. But on August 5th, Casino O'Fortune Cookie Productions makes its Coney Island USA debut, part of the historic 15th year of Burlesque at the Beach:

I cannot. frickin'. wait. Lot's more to come.

Hop in our Chrysler, it's as big as a whale.

Hey, you've heard of these guys, right?

Check it, the next Casino O'Fortune Cookie Production at Joe's Pub!

We're in one business: selling out venues.

This is me, shouting "die motherfucker" and shooting at Anita and Clams in the opening number of the sold out ROYALE WITH CHEESE: The Burlesque Tribute to Pulp Fiction at Joe's Pub on Saturday night--while Fisherman's trio plays Misirlou. Of course, I missed, and it's a fucking miracle and I want to acknowledge it!

The whole show was a fucking miracle; yup, sold out Joe's Pub, and a tremendous night with a fantastic cast. Some of Clint Hild's excellent shots of the whole show can be seen here on my Flickr page.

2010: the excitement starts now.

A very busy December culminated in our triumphant burlesque tribute to the late, great Patrick Swayze last night at the Kraine Theater: Swayze For You!

There's a whole lot happening to kickstart the new year (including, I don't know, maybe more frequent blog posts. I hate resolutions.) But here's a taste of the next Casino O'Fortune Cookie production, coming in February!


Look familiar? How about this?

Shot by the fabulous Ted D'Ottavio. More to come...this is gonna be good.

December!

The upcoming shows by Casino O'Fortune Cookie Productions:

Sadly, I'm going to be out of town for that one (well, maybe "sadly" is the wrong word, since I'll be in Miami for the Basel art fair...), but you should definitely not miss it! And I will definitely be here for this one:


Be prepared to have...the time of your life!

We'll pull the trigger on your love gun

Well, Clams is on her way up north this weekend for the Toronto Burlesque Festival, and I'm not. But that means I have plenty of time to start getting you excited for our next show at Joe's Pub! KISS THIS: Burlesque Rock City. You can probably guess who this show is dedicated to. We're going to rock and roll all night...and party every day.

Indoor fireworks

So, what's next? Why funny you should ask. We're back to Joe's Pub for the next Casino O'Fortune Cookie Production. Look at that card up there (shot by the fabulous Ted D'Ottavio). Don't you want to see that show? Look, here are the details.

Photos and design by the amazing Ted D'Ottavio

Many more details to come, but the best possible ending to a story about losing a venue for your show is to bring it, on the same date, to Joe's Pub at the Public Theater instead.

March 7th at our new venue, Joe's Pub!

Come on down!

As a co-producer I have many exciting projects coming up in the next two months, and more space here will be devoted to the ins and outs of independent producing, as that was always intended to be part of what this blog is all about! But right now I'm very happy to put something on your calendars for next month that isn't my show, I just get to show up and have fun, and so should you! The second Thursday of every month, the lovely and talented Anita Cookie presents Anita's Underground Game Show, a nudity and booze-spiked version of The Price is Right! Located in the cozy basement environs of the Under St. Mark's Theater (be warned the entrance on St. Mark's is easy to miss, in a speakeasy kind of way), the show includes Anita's homegrown versions of the classic pricing games (even Plinko!), played for alcohol, free tickets to other shows and even her delectable baked goods. And every month, Anita has a special guest, her Drinking Buddy! They help keep the night moving along and display some hidden talent as part of the show (these have ranged in past months from ukelele playing to puppetry to, well, naked hula-hooping.). And in March, the drinking buddy is yours truly! So, for just 10 bucks (email me for the special price code) on March 13th at 10:30, you can see me, my secret talent (I'm not telling) and a really fun show.