"I never try anything. I just do it."

One of the great and unique pleasures of the Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend every year is spending time with--and seeing the performances by--our living legends of burlesque. I love that I can call many of these ladies my friends and in six years I've seen more amazing happenings on stage then I can describe here. (One favorite this year: Camille 2000 returning to the stage for the first time after 25 years.)

One of my favorite memories of all of my BHoF Weekends was, in 2008, hanging out in the Ghost Bar at the Palms with Tura Satana and Satan's Angel, while they swapped nostalgia. Tura was lovely and welcoming and I'm glad to have met her.

She's an inspiration to so many of today's performers and we were sad to lose her this year; the Friday night show this year was dedicated to her memory, her children were there to celebrate with us and among other tributes featured the debut of the trailer for a new documentary about her. It looks like it might kick as much ass as Tura did.

Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend 2011 in words and pictures

Finally got my pictures from Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend posted to Flickr, check 'em out! As always, I barely scratched the surface, there's too much and I'm always too busy...but needless to say if you search Flickr and Facebook you'll find tons of fabulous pictures, especially of the amazing action onstage throughout the weekend's four nights of shows.

I'm happy to say that the Weekend was an absolute triumph. The best yet in our 6 years in Vegas. There's tons of press out there too if you missed the action...including about the legal wranglings that I'm not going to go into. (Just look for the Wall Street Journal article if you're curious about that.)

Our triumphant return to the Orleans

For the sixth year in a row I'm a member of the Production Committee for Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend, and I think I say this every year, but I do mean it, this year's is going to be the biggest and best ever. Tickets are still available but are going fast and if you're thinking about it, jump on it now!

Figured since, you know, it's a slow news day, I'd let you know what I've got coming up

It's a big May and you should come out and join me for the fun!

On the 13th, I'm thrilled to be hosting a star-packed benefit show for the Burlesque Hall of Fame, produced by that glittering trifecta, the Rhinestone Follies. It's the NYC portion of a series of national benefit shows, each one dedicated to raising the funds to send one of our burlesque legends to their 54th Annual Reunion at this year's Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend. The New York show is benefitting the lovely April March, and I'm honored to be a part of it.

And then, of course, the very next night it's BOTTOMS UP! The Ultimate Van Halen Burlesque Experience at Joe's Pub!

And on the 19th: it's the return of the Gameshow Speakeasy!

While I was out

Ok, it's been an excessively long time since I've posted anything here. Since I was last here, we made our annual pilgrimage and I was part of the production team for this:

And you can see my pictures from the Weekend here.

We also did this:


And this:


And this:


I think I've finally caught my breath for a second. More to follow.

Back from The Orleans, our new home away from home

This shot is by the terrific photographer Don Spiro; it's the burlesque legend Viva La Fever, returning to the stage in a go-go number with the San Francisco burlesque troupe the Devil-ettes. They kicked off the Friday night show at this year's Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend, and this image captures not only the spirit of that number but of the whole amazing weekend, without a doubt the best yet. Exhausting, emotional, exhilarating as always. For just a taste, here's a link to my pictures of the Weekend on flickr.

Coming back to make Vegas everything Vegas is supposed to be

In just a few days we'll be making our annual pilgrimage to Las Vegas for the Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend! The event is always amazing and this year promises no less, New York is going to represent! Not only are amazing NYC performers gracing the stage every night of the weekend (including Clams on Thursday for the opening night extravaganza), but we've been practicing for the first annual Barecats Bowling Invitational (which reminds me, has anyone been to the Port Authority bowling alley lately? They've made it all swank and shit! It's kind of a drag.) and the fourth annual Texas Tease 'Em Tournament!

Here's a little proof that it's going to be awesome, shot by Luke Littel live on Tropicana:

Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend...

...in pictures.

Note that I have almost no performance pictures and the ones I do have are terrible; I highly recommend seeking good ones out on flickr, there are lots; absolutely the place to start is Mike Albov's page and Jo Weldon's blog.

Exotic World Weekend 2008, not really a wrap-up...

The goal of this blog has never been to become an "inside burlesque" kind of thing, beyond writing about the experiences of being independent producers and creators in New York, and pointing people at shows they should see and support. So, there's plenty of digital ink being spilled about the great and not-so-great things about the just completed Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekend, on yahoo forums, blogs, livejournal groups, you name it, and it's easy enough to seek that out if you're interested! Here's what I'm writing: it was an amazing weekend. And I could not be more proud to report that Miss Clams Casino won not one but two coveted trophies, for Most Comedic and Most Innovative (a tie with the great Trixie Little from Baltimore). Here's a great wrap-up of Saturday night's action, including her performance, in Las Vegas Weekly.

(photo from the Pageant by Mike Albov.)

Busts covered to make busts covered in Bust!

So, Jo Weldon makes an amusing and valid point in her blog this week about the Sunday Times article, comparing it to an article from the Times magazine in 2003 (that I totally remember) about the emerging burlesque scene; I was reminded of something I've written here too along the same lines but regardless, it's a big, colorful full page and a half article in the Times! And a high tide raises all boats.

Anyway, in other fun press news, one miss Clams Casino is also featured in an article in this month's Bust Magazine, about the collaboration between the Burlesque Hall of Fame and Keep A Breast, a breast cancer awareness organization. At last year's Exotic World Weekend, Keep A Breast was making casts, non-stop all weekend, of the busts of the performers, both new and legendary. The casts were painted by top international artists, to be exhibited as part of this year's Exotic World Weekend and then auctioned off! Clams is one of the participants and it was an amazing, emotional and powerful part of last year's event. Definitely check out the Myspace page for Breast Defense: Glamour Girls For Early Detection for more info-and a sneak peak at some of those amazing busts.

Bringin' it, New York style

This is the new poster for this year's Exotic World Weekend, produced by the Burlesque Hall of Fame, rapidly approaching in June. This is our third year as deeply entrenched volunteers with this organization and this event; just in those three years it has grown in mind-boggling ways; 2006 was just the event's first year in Vegas after its beginnings literally in the desert, at the original Exotic World Museum, a converted goat farm off a dusty strip of old Route 66 in Helendale, California. In Vegas, every year the venues have gotten bigger, the crowds bigger, the performers more international...and now we're at the Palms. They're building a stage for us over the pool. Afterparty is at the Playboy Club. It's crazy.

Anyway, I'm very proud to report that this year, Clams Casino has been selected by the judges to perform in the 2008 Miss Exotic World Pageant, as one of just 12 contestants in the Best Debut category! While both of us believe that the competition is far from the most important thing about the weekend experience, it's an honor, she was picked out of a huge international field of contestants and I couldn't be more excited for her to hit that big stage for a crowd in the thousands.

Poster art is by Mitch O'Connell; pictured left to right are the past six winners of Miss Exotic World: Japan's Erochica Bamboo, LA's Kitten DeVille, NYC's Julie Atlas Muz, Chicago's Michelle L'Amour, London's Immodesty Blaize and NYC's Dirty Martini. (click for a larger view)

We Are the Champions

Last night's show was an absolute triumph; amazing crowd, amazing cast, amazing performances, amazing theater. Completely exhausted. Taking our bows on the stage of an Off-Broadway theater to rousing applause, surrounded by my genius friends and loved ones, most of them not wearing any clothes, was a dizzying, surreal moment that I can't stop thinking about today, the sheer joy of that moment that makes the tremendous work of being an independent producer so, so worth whatever it takes to make that moment happen.

I recently looked back at some of the early posts on Pound Sign, from around this time two years ago, and I had a very different trajectory in mind for my creative life here in New York City. I've been thinking about the things that I would have written about then that now I simply haven't had the time or, frankly, the strong inclination to; this year's Whitney Biennial, the opening of the New Museum. Experiences like those, make no mistake, remain a vital part of my cultural life, and that kind of contemporary art still informs how I think and what I do. But I'm not sure if my focus will ever be there again...

Wow, that got serious for a moment. Any reader who doesn't know me personally certainly stopped reading around the part about nudity. So, onward! This summer the adventure continues: in July for the first time Clams and I are co-producing a show with Jonny Porkpie and Nasty Canasta, also known as Pinchbottom Burlesque! And we're bringin' it to the fabulous Asbury Lanes! Stay tuned for The Shore Thing: A Burlesque Road Trip! And then in August, the two of us return to Coney Island's Burlesque at the Beach series for: Clams Casino and Neil O'Fortune present: AM Gold!

Ya Mo Be There!

The Brigadier General of Burlesque

Jo Weldon has written several posts today and yesterday in Burlesque Daily about the passing away this week of her friend Sherry Britton, a burlesque legend, at 89. Jo's posts include links to the New York Times and Daily News obituaries of Sherry, which are definitely worth reading. I had the pleasure of meeting Sherry last year at a Burlesque Hall of Fame benefit show, thanks to Jo, who knew that she would like having plenty of guys sit with her in the front row. Her passing is the latest reminder of how important the work of the Burlesque Hall is, preserving the history of this art form.