Happy Chanukah, Everyone!!





From the Hubba Hubba Revue Holiday Show at the DNA Lounge, 12.19.08.



Well, last week was nutz...five shows in four days...and the year is almost over. Guess what I want to so in '09? Nuthin!

Ok, so here's what's left show-wise in '08:

12/26 & 12/27 -- Last two shows of Tenderloin Xmas Hustler!
Tix here: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/45452
Discount tix here: http://www.goldstar.com/events/san-francisco-ca/tenderloin-christmas-hustler.html

Hey!
TONIGHT (that's Monday, 12/15 to YOU), I'll be on Andrew Brewer: Rock and Roll Psychic's interweb radio show! This guy is good...gifted good...knows the insides of your brains good. And an all-around facinating guy too.

Tune in, call in, or listen later on the BlogTalkRadio website.
It will be on live at 8pm West Coast Time:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/rocknrollpsychic

Here's the show discription he wrote:
Actress and Writer Audra Wolfmann joins me for what is sure to be a fun show. We will talk creativity, eccentricity, metaphysics and other assorted isms and schisms and well what can I say--Audra is brilliant AND funny, too! As she says about herself: "There's a fine line between erotic and neurotic...I walk that line." A true Renaissance Woman . . . for more about her work check out www.audrawolfmann.net.




>


ALSO...
Don't miss...


12/17, this Weds!!:
BURLESQUETEER HOLIDAY MADNESS!

Sit back and relax in comfortable theater seating while sipping your wine and enjoying the hilarious and delightful acts from your favorite burlesque troupe, the Burlesqueteers! This month you're in for a special treat: a FULL burlesque lineup PLUS a set with Bombshell Betty's band, Fromagique. That's double the show for the price of just one!

Featuring burlesque performances by:

Bombshell Betty
Red Velvet
Holly Highbeems and Josie Starr
Tiger von Claus
Milkshake
Tinky Sparkles
Penny Paperback
Plus burlesque debuts by 3 brand new Burlesqueteers!

Hosted by Odessa Lil, your *thwack!* Mistress of Ceremonies

Doors at 7pm, Show at 8pm

$15 at the door
$12 in advance (Will Call only).
Order your tickets today!
Presale tickets are available until noon on the day of the show.

Stagewerx Theater
533 Sutter St. @ Powell Street
San Francisco

NOVEMBER: Review in Pictures

Har har...because that's the only way I'll remember any of it!

Starting from most recent...

There was the Amoeba Holiday Party over at Mission Rock! I'm lucky we have such kool "office" parties...I am a proud Amoebite! Heck, look at this Olan Mills-worthy backdrop that Naomi had set up!! Jose took photos for all of us misfit elves who never got to go to winter formal. (Although, I think I did go to a winter formal in High School...we just didn't have a backdrop of a winter wonderland castle in the sky.)



Tough neighborhood in Winter Wonderland?


Olan Mills, Eat Your Heart Out.


Jose and I at Prom.


What else? Ah yes, spending a lot of time getting into character for The Tenderloin Xmas Hustler. That's me as Holly Berry with Raya Light. Photo by Brandon Norris. I always wanted green hair.





Now that the Thrillpeddlers' Shocktoberfest 2008 is over, I really miss having an electromagnetic duel with Pimento (Eric Tyson Wertz) three times a week...but I'm dealing.





And November started off with us limping back from Halloween night...doesn't it always? Here's me and Brett at the Regency Center Ball Room where I was part of the Hubba Hubba Revue stage at Inferno Paradiso. Brett is the one in the eye patch. Thanks for the photo, Mike!

HOT BUTTERED ELVES DEPT.

Well, there's still one weekend left of the Thrillpeddler's Shocktoberfest 2008 at the Hypnodrome, so if you haven't seen me die there...you only have three more opportunities: this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday!

But I'm already in rehearsal for another show...and it runs Dec. 4 - 27!! It's the Tenderloin Christmas Hustler!

Yep, I'm in my first ever xmas musical: singin', dancin'...jazz hands. The works. It's also my debut as a tranny...official debut that is. It's a crazy romp through Rankin & Bass holiday specials, meth addiction, The Grinch, and Tenderloin Hustler culture. Also features awesome performers Raya Light, Michael Turner, Jeremy Estrada, Andy Pettit, Charli Galindo, and of course...me.

Get tix: www.brownpapertickets.com/event/45452

So making this was a ton of fun...

It showed at the last Hubba Hubba over at the DNA last Friday.

My part comes in about three minutes in...as NENA of 99 Luftballoons fame! (I point this out because a lot of folks are getting Lulu and I mixed up in the video.)

njoy

 

Hey hey hey...here's what's going on:

Wednesday, October 29 6:30-9:30 PM

Museum of Performance & Design and Thrillpeddlers Present

RENDEZVOUS MACABRE
A Halloween Celebration at

Museum of Performance & Design

401 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 402

If you haven't RSVP'd yet for our Halloween celebration,

please do so now to take advantage of the advance ticket price.
On the menu for tomorrow night:

Special performance of THRILLPEDDLERS' “blue hour” Halloween burlesque

A guided tour of "Hello, Carol! A Celebration of Carol Channing."

A costume contest judged by the fabulous Trauma Flintstone and Mina Harker

Autumn sangria and other refreshments

Vegan desserts by Patisserie du Monde

And a musical performance from "The Rocky Horror Show"

General Admission, 24 hours in advance: $10.00 ($8.00 MPD member)

At the door: $15.00 ($10 MPD members)

RSVP now to 415 255-4800 or email tonyb@mpdsf.org

21 and over only, please

********************************************************************

Halloween night!!??

INFERNO PARADISO

A Devilishly Angelic Soirée@ The Otherworldly Regency Center

1270 Sutter Street @ Van Ness/ SF[Map]

9pm-4am
$30 pre-sale, $40 door

Purchase Tickets Online @ Groovetickets or InTicketing

Tickets also available @ Streetlight Records (3979 24th St. @ Noe) &

Tweekin Records (593 Haight St. @Steiner)

Full Event Info @ http://anonsalon.com/halloween08 & www.paradox-media.com/inferno

Dress to die for, discover paradise, and climb the stairway to sin! Join the Costume Extravaganza, experience the surreal between this world and the afterlife, PARADISO & INFERNO!

•••••••••~ Devils in Heaven ~••••••••• SCARLET SUCCUBUS LOUNGE

Dark Seductions in the Gorgeous Red Room• HUBBA HUBBA REVUE: "The Burlesquorcist" ∞ • ROSIN COVEN: The Horror of The Halloweenie ∞• DAVID STARFIRE: Six Degrees Records ∞• MARK GROWDEN TRIO: Soulful Sounds from the Underground ∞• FOU FOU HA!: Burlesque Ridiculous & Totally Unsuppressed. ∞

•••••••••~ Angels in Hell ~•••••••••PARADISO PARANORMAL PARTYDOME

Wicked crews & evil beats in the Subterranean Sutter Room

********************************************************************

Info on the current run of the Thrillpeddlers...you can see me die three times a week till Nov. 22nd.AND if you want a chance at some realllllly cheap tickets, join Goldstar -- it's free and you can get tix at nearly half the price.

Shocktoberfest!! 2008: Elemental Horror
Ice, Fire and Electro-magnetism
(plus plenty of blood!)
Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 PM
October 16 - November 22
Thrillpeddlers' Hypnodrome, 575 10th Street, San Francisco

Thrillpeddlers, the world's leading purveyor of Grand Guignol terror theatre return to San Francisco for the company's ninth annual Shocktoberfest!! a roller coaster of one-act plays that pitilessly pit our players against the extreme elements of ice, fire and electro-magnetism – and each other.

The theatrical genre of Grand Guignol, famous for it's shockingly naturalistic approach to gore and taboo subject matter, originated at Le Theatre du Grand Guignol at the turn of the Twentieth Century and quickly gained international notoriety for it's flare for offering sensational theatrical fare, alternating steamy sex farces with bone-chilling terror plays – the unmatchable thrill of the "hot and cold shower" theatrical experience. This too is Thrillpeddlers' passion!

It's "Men against the wilderness!" (and it looks like the wilderness is winning) in the premiere production of "A Difficult Passage" by Rob Keefe. A privileged pair of Yale grads, Bush and Prescott, strike out to face the icy perils of the Klondike en route to their fathers' silver mines with an unwilling "whore" in tow. They've fallen in a hole, devoured their sled dogs, and with few resources are now forced to brave sub-zero elements and the questionable machinations of the Canadian Mountie they hope will rescue them. Thrillpeddlers director Russell Blackwood also helms the long awaited revival of Keefe's "A Slight Tingling," an outrageous electro-magnetic comedy (suggested by the 1907 Grand Guignol play Les Operations du professor Verdier) that skewers the hubris of surgeons and scientists alike.

Beijing is burning and "yellow-faced" rebels are poised to storm the French Embassy in Jonathan Horton's "The Kindest Thing," a new adaptation of the 1904 Grand Guignol classic La Derniere Torture. In a premise plucked from the headlines, the final moments of China's anti-imperialist upraising known as the Boxer Rebellion are played out on the Hypnodrome stage in graphic detail and heartrending pathos. Thrillpeddlers' signature "lights out" spookshow finale, also created by Horton, will bring goose bumps to a head in Shocktoberfest!! 2008's hair-raising climax.

Pairs of patrons will surely enjoy Hypnodrome's Shock Box seats for two, which garnered SF Weekly's "Best of San Francisco 2008" for "Best Bonus Theater Experience." These themed seats include sumptuous Turkish Lounges, as well as private boxes including "Heaven and Hell, "The Pharaoh's Tomb," and "Padded Cell," which offer the same opportunity for illicit trysting that was once a feature of the Parisian Théâtre du Grand Guignol—with added special effects as a nod to the 1950's horror movie gimmicks of William Castle.

We happily extended the offer of discounted general admission tickets for just $15 every Thursday night. Come Fridays and Saturdays, the "Blue Hour" is back and audience members are invited stay for this after-glow floor show of fetish and variety acts well into the dark of night!

Buy Tickets

Watch me die three times a week.

It's that time of year again for...
Thrillpeddler's Shocktoberfest Events!!



Starting this week with...

A Musical Seance with Jill Tracy and Paul Mercer
Channeling spirits, science, and seduction...
October 9, 10, 11 at 8 PM
Thrillpeddlers’ Hypnodrome, 575 10th Street, San Francisco

Just awarded the prestigious Best of the Bay 2008, our favorite noir chanteuse Jill Tracy returns home to Thrillpeddlers Hypnodrome for her latest incantation - A Musical Seance, an intimate collaboration with Atlanta cult composer/violinist Paul Mercer, and featuring master percussionist Randy Odell. These three special nights, Oct 9, 10 and 11, officially launch Thrillpeddlers' Shocktoberfest 2008, Elemental Horror and are the only chance Bay Area audiences have to ring in the Halloween season with Miss Tracy, as she is venturing to New Orleans with The Malcontent Orchestra, performing for Anne Rice's official Halloween Masquerade Ball! Audience members are asked to bring small objects of special significance to them, such as a photo, talisman, jewelery or token.

Since joining forces on Halloween 2007, Jill Tracy and Paul Mercer are becoming widely known for their astonishing duets on piano and violin, mostly improvised or channeled. The pair affectionately refer to their duets as spontaneous musical combustion. Their uncanny ability to conjure spirits through unsettlingly lavish compositions has led to spellbinding results, eerily transporting the room and its rapt audience into a musical seance. Legendary scribe V. Vale of RE/Search publications described a Jill Tracy/Paul Mercer seance as "Sheer magic! Perfection. Improvised... If you're lucky enough to be there, you realize you've just had a hint of something extra-mortal, uber-human, transcendent - maybe the concentrated ghosts of Shakespeare's Globe Theater or the Commedia Dell'arte of the past are swirling around the room . . . and you think that THIS is the new avant-garde: live, un-censored, living theater." Thrillpeddlers open the evening's bill with Rob Keefe's electrifying grand guignol comedy "A Slight Tingling!"

Buy Tickets

and then...

Shocktoberfest!! 2008: Elemental Horror
Ice, Fire and Electro-magnetism
(plus plenty of blood!)
Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 PM
October 16 - November 22
Thrillpeddlers’ Hypnodrome, 575 10th Street, San Francisco

Thrillpeddlers, the world's leading purveyor of Grand Guignol terror theatre return to San Francisco for the company’s ninth annual Shocktoberfest!! a roller coaster of one-act plays that pitilessly pit our players against the extreme elements of ice, fire and electro-magnetism – and each other.

The theatrical genre of Grand Guignol, famous for it’s shockingly naturalistic approach to gore and taboo subject matter, originated at Le Theatre du Grand Guignol at the turn of the Twentieth Century and quickly gained international notoriety for it's flare for offering sensational theatrical fare, alternating steamy sex farces with bone-chilling terror plays – the unmatchable thrill of the “hot and cold shower” theatrical experience. This too is Thrillpeddlers' passion!

It’s “Men against the wilderness!” (and it looks like the wilderness is winning) in the premiere production of "A Difficult Passage" by Rob Keefe. A privileged pair of Yale grads, Bush and Prescott, strike out to face the icy perils of the Klondike en route to their fathers’ silver mines with an unwilling “whore” in tow. They’ve fallen in a hole, devoured their sled dogs, and with few resources are now forced to brave sub-zero elements and the questionable machinations of the Canadian Mountie they hope will rescue them. Thrillpeddlers director Russell Blackwood also helms the long awaited revival of Keefe's "A Slight Tingling," an outrageous electro-magnetic comedy (suggested by the 1907 Grand Guignol play Les Operations du professor Verdier) that skewers the hubris of surgeons and scientists alike.

Beijing is burning and “yellow-faced” rebels are poised to storm the French Embassy in Jonathan Horton’s “The Kindest Thing,” a new adaptation of the 1904 Grand Guignol classic La Derniere Torture. In a premise plucked from the headlines, the final moments of China’s anti-imperialist upraising known as the Boxer Rebellion are played out on the Hypnodrome stage in graphic detail and heartrending pathos. Thrillpeddlers’ signature “lights out” spookshow finale, also created by Horton, will bring goose bumps to a head in Shocktoberfest!! 2008’s hair-raising climax.

Pairs of patrons will surely enjoy Hypnodrome’s Shock Box seats for two, which garnered SF Weekly’s “Best of San Francisco 2008” for “Best Bonus Theater Experience.” These themed seats include sumptuous Turkish Lounges, as well as private boxes including “Heaven and Hell, ”The Pharaoh’s Tomb,” and “Padded Cell,” which offer the same opportunity for illicit trysting that was once a feature of the Parisian Théâtre du Grand Guignol—with added special effects as a nod to the 1950’s horror movie gimmicks of William Castle.

We happily extended the offer of discounted general admission tickets for just $15 every Thursday night. Come Fridays and Saturdays, the "Blue Hour" is back and audience members are invited stay for this after-glow floor show of fetish and variety acts well into the dark of night!

Buy Tickets

Burlesqeteers Go Back to School

9/24: Burlesqeteers Go Back to School

Hot for Teacher?
Or Janitor?

Burlesque performances by:

Bombshell Betty
Red Velvet
Mademoiselle Muerta
Holly Highbeams
Tiger Von Claus
Milkshake
Sweet M'alice
Foxy Chartreuse
Kitchy Coo
Bottoms Up
Lil Eva

With debuts by:
Scarlett Fever
Tramp la Monde
Miss Fist
Trixie


Odessa Lil is your *thwack!* Mistress of Ceremonies!

Sit back and relax in comfortable theater seating while sipping your
wine and enjoying the hilarious and delightful acts from your
favorite burlesque troupe, the Burlesqueteers!

Doors at 7pm, Show at 8pm

$12 in advance (Will call only)
$15 at the door

Order your tickets in advance here:
http://www.bombshellbetty.net/shows.html
Presale ticketing ends at noon on the day of the show!

Stagewerx Theater
533 Sutter St. @ Powell Street
San Francisco

After much anticipation...

ROULETTE
Starring The Flakes, Roky Roulette, Odessa Lil, Hiroshi Hasegawa, Diablo, Honey Cobra, Mentallo, and Batface Dupree

Please click here to go to YouTube and then click the "Watch in High Quality" link on the bottom right of the video...or watch this low res version here.

Welcome to the Jungle, Honey.


Odessa Lil is back in action with those Burlesqueteers
(like the Mousequeteers, but legal).
THIS Wednesday!!
Details belowsville...

Grab your leopard bikini and light up the bonfire, because this month
the Burlesqueteers are traveling to the Jungle Exotica! You'll be
entertained by wild beasts and Wild Women and enthralled as evil land
developers face off with lions and Tigers and Bears, oh my!

Doors at 7pm, Show at 8pm

$12 in advance (Will call only)
$15 at the door

Order your presale tickets here:
http://www.bombshellbetty.net/shows.html
Presale ticketing ends at noon on the day of the show!

Stagewerx Theater
533 Sutter St. @ Powell Street
San Francisco, near Union Square

Burlesque performances by:
Bombshell Betty
Milkshake
Holly Highbeams
Tiger Von Claus
Tinky Sparkle
Bella Cherrie
Kitchy Coo
Lil Eva

With solo debuts by:
Bottoms Up
Red Velvet

And see the Burlesqueteers debut a brand new group number:
A gender bending cancan romp to Marilyn Monroe's "Heat Wave"

Odessa Lil will be our *thwack!* Mistress of Ceremonies!

Plus special surprise guests!

Hell's Kittens on the Big Ass Screen

So we haven't gotten the $50k to make the complete, full-length, ball-busting Hell's Kittens yet, but the trailer is pretty awesome, so come see it THIS FRIDAY at Peaches Christ & Vinsanto's
The SF Underground Short Film Fest.
It's a midnight film fest and loads of fun. Get your tickets NOWs because it always sells out.

Here's the promo they made for the fest...you may recognize some of us...

SFUSFF Trailer


I like how Jose said it best:
I know, you've all seen the trailer a bagillion times, but not in a
HUGE THEATRE FULL OF PEOPLE! It makes a difference, plus there is
always an AWESOME DRAG ROCK SHOW before the movies that should not be
missed!

HG Lewis Video /Interview Up on Amoeba.com!

Yes, this has been the high point of my Amoeba career...meeting Herschell Gordon Lewis and getting Russell Blackwood in there to interview him!
Enjoy the video...HG has got so much to say about the industry and the very essence of entertainment: a must for all film makers and connoisseurs of schlock.

A few weekends ago the usual gang of idiots (with a few new members) and I took the 48 Hour Film Fest challenge.

The basic concept of the contest is: in one weekend (exactly 48 hours), you are given a sealed envelope with the film genre assignment and then expected to write, film, edit, and return a finished product.

Boy, were we surprised with our genre assignment! Below is what we made...guess that genre! (ok, it's not that hard). The envelope also contained several elements that we had to include to prove that we didn't make the film ahead of time. If you can guess what those are, you win a spot in our next harebrained adventure.

Despite technical difficulties, I think we succeeded in making a few minutes of brain-damage inducing webertainment.




AND...if you're still up for more junk from my universe...


Brett's new 30 second magnum opus starring Zsolie and shot entirely on location in Fresno...
Space Dog, Part 1

This Saturday: June 14, 7pm, FREE
RUDOS AND RUBES Publishing presents...
Johnny Strike: "Crazy Carl's Thing" from his collection A Loud Humming Sound Came From Above
Rainy Graves: selection from Gershon Legman's The Guilt of the Templars
Michael Lucas: selection from Devil Born Without Horns
Brontez: selection from Fag School
Shawn Mehrens: selection from Hal Ellson's Duke

and you nvere know who might MC!!! (hint hint...etc.)





EDINBURGH CASTLE PUB
950 GEARY ST
SAN FRANCISCO, USA
415.885.4074

This Month is SHOW Month

This is just your friendly neighborhood MISTRESS OF CEREMONIES, ODESSA LIL (available for weddings, Bar Mitzvahs, funerals, divorce proceedings, difficult labors, séances, and SpeakEasilys) and I'd like to alert you to the many upcoming shows concerning me and, hopefully, YOU.

Let's start with THIS WEEK:


Wednesday, May 28th...
BOMBSHELL BETTY'S BURLESQUETEERS at Stage Werx!!!

Stage Werx Theatre, just off of Union Square!
Sounds German, but it's really friendly! Ha ha…hawwwwwww.

Sit back and relax in cozy theater seats with some tasty beer and/or wine while enjoying the show. Quite a nice alternative to crowded bar shows!

This month's showcase features performances by:
Bootsy la Rue!
Bunny Pistol!
Chi Chis del Fuego!
Ginger Snaps!
Holly Highbeams!
Josie Starre & Sneak-A-Peak Sally!
Kiss Me Kate!
Lida Fire!
Peaches N. Cream!
Ruby Fuerza!
sASSy Hotbuns!
Sweet M'Alice!
and of course,
The Burlesqueteers!
with
Odessa Lil YOUR Mistress of Ceremonies!

Wednesday, May 28th
Doors at 7pm, Show at 8pm
$12 in advance (will call only) @ www.bombshellbetty.net/shows.html
$15 at the door

Stage Werx
533 Sutter St. @ Powell Street
San Francisco
www.stagewerx.org

~~~~

Monday, June 2nd…
Hubba Hubba Review at the Uptown!!
That's in Oakland!

Odessa Lil fills in for Kingfish and Eddie and brings along:
Crackerjack Salteen
Sparkly Devil
Bunny Pistol
Coco Noir
Gretl von BoomBoom
Delilah
Sassy Hotbuns
Comedian Margaret France
Penny Whistle
Isabella Mink

Doors 9PM, Show 10PM
21 & Up w/I.D.
As always, it's just FIVE BUCKS all night!

Uptown Night Club
1928 Telegraph Ave
Oakland, CA
(1 block from 19th Street BART!)

~~~

Wednesday, June 11th…
The official JILL TRACY CD Release party for The Bittersweet Constrain!
DNA Lounge

Featuring The Malcontent Orchestra and a star-studded cast of circus, variety and musical performers including:
Matty Rue (The Holy Kiss)
Bright Brown
DJ Miz Margo
Twilight Vixen Revue
Magician Paul Nathan
Fauxnique
The Indra
Odessa Lil
and SURPRISE guests!

Doors 8pm, Show 8:30
Sliding scale donations of $15- $25 support the evening's performers.
Advance tix and info at: http://www.dnalounge.com/

~~~

Friday, June 20th…
Hubba Hubba Revue at The DNA Lounge
It's ROME! GRECO-ROMAN BURLESQUE! OLYMPIAN COMEDY! WONDERS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD!

Join Kingus-Fishus and Eddipus Rex, as they take you on an eye-poppin', heart-stoppin', Greco-Roman Holiday guaranteed to stiffen your short-sword!

Featuring:
The Twilight Vixen Revue!
Flame Cynders!
Tit 4 Tat!
Siren Sapphire!
Penny Lux!
Ariyana LeFay!
Sparkly Devil!
Citty Rich!
Honey LeBang!
Riff Ditties!
Chi Chis del Fuego!
Kiss Me Kate!
Gretl von BoomBoom!
Emporer Fabulous!
Odessa Lil!
The Indra!
Tricksie Treat!
The Flying Fox!
Deshret Dance Company!
Lola Love!
Gorilla Ten!
and The Kingfish & Eddie Dancers!

Live! Full-Throttle Roman Rock & Roll with THREE BAD JACKS!

Free dance lessons upstairs, 9:30 - 10:00PM by Brian from Swing Goth!

BARBARIAN DISCOUNT! From 9PM to 9:30PM, only at the box office night-of-show, tickets are just $10!

OH, AND HEY! LOOK'EE HERE: http://www.howtomakeatoga.info/

Hubba Hubba Revue: ROME!
Friday, June 20th, 9PM
DNA Lounge, 375 Eleventh St. SF

$15, 21 & Up w/valid I.D.
($12 advance tickets at dnalounge.com)
www.hubbahubbarevue.com

Maz Married Us With a Budweiser Ring at the DNA Friday



I don't think it's legal, but you can still send gifts. Haha.
This reminds me of a recent Horoscope for me (LEO) in The Onion:

The stars foresee church bells in your future, though they'll have less to do with an upcoming wedding, and more to do with you being a hunchbacked monster.

Frighteningly true.

Bittersweet Constrain!
Hey! Consider this an early warning!
Get yer ass is gear for some klassy entertainment!
Jill Tracy is a phenomenal performer and super lady. Dig her here!
Her album release party is on 6/11, at which many talented performers will take the stage. Oh, and me too.

It's a Two-Show Week!
Better than a two-week show...

Monday, 4/28:
Shifty Gears visits...
Hubba Hubba @ The Uptown!

Show at 9:30PM(ish)21 & Up w/ID
THE UPTOWN CLUB
1928 Telegraph Avene, Oakland
(just 1 block from 19th Street BART!)

April's winding down and Oakland's winding up!
This Monday, April 28th atthe swank-tabulous UPTOWN CLUB, Hubba Hubba Revue returns with another boom-shakin', tassel-twirlin', booze-filled good time!Burlesque, Comedy & More with...

Penny Lux!
Room For Cream!
Citty Rich!
Delilah!
Margaret France!
Roger That!
Sparkly Devil!
Odessa Lil!
Miss Bella Trix!
Gorilla X!

...and everybody's favorite drunks/MC's, Kingfish & Eddie!

Wednesday, 4/30:
Odessa Lil to MC...
Bombshell Betty’s Burlesqueteers present:
“TOO MANY F*&#ING BUNNIES: A Haute House Burlesque Revue”

Spring is in the air... The weather is getting warmer, birds are singing... and San Francisco is being over-run with naughty bunnies! Comes see the Bunny Burlesqueteers get what they deserve and have a rollicking, hilarious time as Bombshell Betty and Burlesquercise students present their (slightly twisted) version of springtime splendor!

Featuring performances by:
Bombshell Betty
Bunny Pistol
Josie Starre
Holly Highbeams
sASSy Hot Buns
Chi Chi's del Fuego
Kiss Me Kate
Bootsy La Rue
Ruby Fuerza
Tatiana Tiger
With musical interlude by Randy Johnson
plus more Burlesqueteers!

Odessa Lil is our *thwack* Mistress of Ceremonies!

Wednesday, April 30
Doors at 7pm, Show starts at 8pm
$12 in advance, $15 at the door (Will call only)

The venue is a small, independent theater, and seating is limited, so...buy your tickets in advance! Presale ticketing ends at noon on the day of the show!
Stage Werx
533 Sutter St. @ Powell Street
San Francisco
Get directions

Honey Cobra and the Lucha Magnifico Boys

This here be video of the Honey Cobra act at Hubba Hubba Review at the Uptown in Oakland. Warning: contains violence.

Electric Chair Dance

What were we thinking? Oh yeah...it was the Hubba Hubba Review!
Actually, despite the hard hitting subject matter, the act was a ton of fun. Yes, all our burlesque has a social message. Sometimes we just don't know what it is.
Who knew Brett would just happen to have the right props? Actually, this wasn't so much of a surprise.

For pictures of all the other highly entertaining acts, see the DNA Lounge gallery!

TONITE (FRIDAY that is)

See me, The Indra, and Larkin in an electrifying act! heehee...


static

SATURDAY:

Who cares if it's a made-up holiday...we have a lot of neat stuff planned at Amoeba (as you can see below).
AND you can get a $15 gift certificate to Amoeba if you just test drive a Scion across the street that day. I did it last time with Jose. It was awesome. Drive around the block and then get free money. I wouldn't kid you.

Like a Shark...Always Moving and Sort of Greyish in Color.
Just Some Stuff from the pasts two weeks...

1. Perfmormed at Stagewerx for the Burlesquercise 4th Anniversry...



2. Sat for a room full of amazing artists! See the results on Marc Taro Holmes' blog!



3. Worked on the movie...

Heard on Haight Street this week:

"Hey, Red Hair! Marry me already!"
So I’ve been called lots of things by homeless men (including "Little Red Monkey"...not a good memory, really), but Red Hair! How simple and to the point! And the marriage proposal is quite gallant.

"Is that dog doo or man doo?"
It’s surprising that this isn’t heard more often.

Hell's Kittens: Now With More Violence!

Jose has re-edited the trailer...now with more violence!!
I really enjoyed knife fighting a super skilled martial artist who could kill me with one index finger if he wanted to...

The Yiddish Policemen's Other Ball

What a week this is going to be. Of course there are the shows Monday and Wednesday (I refer you to my prior blog entry at this point), two doctors’ appointments (I refer you to my prior hypochondria and procrastination), work (uh...I refer you to...oh never mind), and Thursday is my mother’s back surgery! So I’ll be heading down to Fresno that morning. Yes, I’m worried.

My mom expressed a passing interest in Michael Chabon’s The Yiddish Policemen’s Union, so we picked up a copy for her week-long hospital stay. Brett has been reading The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay and giving me updates that sound so amazing and bizarre that I have to start reading that myself. It’s been on the I-Know-I-Should-Really-Read-This list for me since it came out. As a result of Brett’s immersion in Chabon, he’s coming up with all these Yiddishkeit questions, much to my amusement: "Is there really a Golem in the basement of this synagogue in Prague?!" etc.

So I decided to read a few pages of The Yiddish Policemen’s Union before I hand it off to my mom, but now I’m hooked! Jewish junkies in Alaska!! It’s too good! The question is, can I read 300 more pages by Thursday?

Brett is talking about Chabon constantly, as he is apt to do when he gets excited about some new work of media or say maybe a particular make of guitar or even vintage goggles. After learning that Chabon lives in Berkeley, he announced that he would go over there and he and Chabon would have a Slurpee. Just two guys, talking and drinking Slurpees. That’s all the middle-aged boy wants. SO, Chabon...if you’re out there...

Now on to my obsessions...after reading Candy Girl: A Year in The Life of an Unlikely Stripper by Diablo Cody and then seeing the 29-year-old wonder win an Oscar, I became filled with an odd mixture of adoration, pride for young women writers everywhere, and a pain in my ass that sounds like a wake up call. Ultimately, I think that ass pain is "inspiration" and a reminder that one can be published and succeed within the mainstream even with an outsider’s message. I gave up on all that shortly after grad school...funny how higher education does that to people. But her story is inspiring.

So, taken from Diablo Cody’s MySpace blog...this Jewrific send up of Juno: JEWNO (Hey, imitation is the best form of...something or other.)

Upcoming Events (in which I'll be)

Hey everybody
Here's all the entertainment you should need/want for next week! If that's not enough, I'm perfectly willing to come over to your house and recite my medical history.

Monday, 3/24/08
Hubba Hubba Review at The Uptown in Oakland!
Show at 9pm
$5 -- CHEAP!
And get this...I'm dancing, not talking! Now there's a concept!

Weds, 3/26/08
Bombshell Betty & Haute House Burlesque Revue - 4 Year Anniversary!
at Stage Werx in SF
Show at 8pm
Get Tickets & More Info
I'm MCing this one!

A Haute House Burlesque Revue: "Happy birthday, Burlesquercise!"

Come join Bombshell Betty and the Burlesqueteers as we celebrate the
4-Year Anniversary of the Burlesquercise dance classes with a fun
and frolicking, fabulous good show! You'll laugh, you'll gasp,
you'll be on the edge of your seat in anticipation as both brand new
and seasoned Burlesqueteers present their favorite solo and
burlesque acts from the last 4 years of performing!

Featuring performances by:

Bombshell Betty
Bunny Pistol
Josie Starre
Holly Highbeams
sASSy Hot Buns
Miss Kittie Whip
Chi Chi's del Fuego
Kiss Me Kate
Bootsy La Rue
Charlie Starr
Zelda de Beauvoir
Ruby Fuerza
Tiger

Odessa Lil is our *smack* Mistress of Ceremonies!

You will also be able to win fabulous prizes while helping the
Burlesqueteers raise money for our upcoming trip to Las Vegas! Help
send naked ladies to Sin City!

Wednesday, March 26
Doors at 7pm, Show starts at 8pm

$12 in advance, $15 at the door (Will call only)

Working at Amoeba certainly has its privileges…not only do I have an unobstructed view of all the bum fights out in the McDonalds parking lot from my office window, but I also get to see all the neat new releases as they come into the store. This week's score for me is the remarkable collection "Victrola Favorites: Artifacts from Bygone Days!"

It's a hard-bound book full of images of early album art and 78s with two CDs featuring "Burmese guitars, Chinese Opera, Persian folk songs, Fado, Hillbilly, Jazz, Blues and much, much more!" These recordings span from 1910 – 50's. I'm a nut for early recordings, mostly blues and ethnic (what's now dubiously called "world"). Listening to this last night was the ultimate time-travel experience.

Old-timey fans: Get it! Get it!
More info and sound bytes: http://www.dust-digital.com/victrola-favorites.htm






PS: Lovers and Other Monsters opens tonight!! Certain nights are selling out already!!
BUY TIX: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/26984

The Thrillpeddlers have asked me and The Indra back for another show! And this one is a doozie! When I say that it's BLOODY...when I say that it's FUNNY...when I say that it's OPERATIC...well, you just better believe it, Bucko!

The Thrillpeddlers proudly present the 2008 Hypnodrome Valentine revue "Lovers and Other Monsters" featuring Jill Tracy in concert with violinist Paul Mercer and special guests Mel Gordon, V. Vale, Jello Biafra, and Monte Cazazza!

The line-up includes The Torture of Cavaradossi, featuring Jill Tracy, Audra Wolfmann, The Indra, Russell Blackwood, and Eric Tyson Wertz. Jill Tracy portrays Silvie, a prostitute obsessed with opera singer Maria Callas in this original Thrillpeddlers' piece that dares to show you what the San Francisco Opera will not: the famous off-stage torture from Puccini's Tosca – ON-STAGE. Written by Thrillpeddlers' co-founder Daniel Zilber and directed by A.C.T.'s Dave Maier.

February 12-17, 2008
Tuesday 2/12 - Saturday 2/16 at 8:00 PM,
Sunday 2/17 at 7:00 PM

At THE HYPNODROME
575 10th St.
(between Bryant and Division)
San Francisco, California

Get your tickets now!
Tickets: $20 general admission;
$69 for SHOCK BOX seats (admits two).
Buy Tickets: http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/26984
or call 1-800-838-3006


MORE INFO:
With a diabolical nod to Valentine's (and Presidents) Day, Thrillpeddlers presents a week-long line-up of live music and theatre, exquisite torture and expert testimony that all dare to touch the taboos that haunt these holidays. "Lovers and Other Monsters" celebrates the return of award-winning noir chanteuse Jill Tracy and acclaimed Atlanta violinist Paul Mercer (Faith and the Muse/The Changelings/DP3) back to The Hypnodrome stage, in concert and … each taking a leading role in a new dramatic work from Thrillpeddlers.

The rotating bill of scintillating (and sinister) entertainments also features V. Vale, founder and editor of Re/Search Publications conducting on stage interviews with industrial music maverick Monte Cazazza (on Friday, 2/15) and media prankster and Dead Kennedys founding front man Jello Biafra (on Saturday, 2/16), Thrillpeddlers previews new acts for 2008 and proudly debuts their latest collaboration with Creepshow Camp.

The Erotic World of Paris -- legendary UC Berkeley Professor Mel Gordon will discuss the link between theatre and French sensuality in glorious detail Feb 12, 13, 14, and 17.

The Hypnodrome has got the perfect perch for Valentine couples our private Shock Box seats for two put a spookier spin on the old Parisian perk offering paramours a lodge-grille, the private trysting booths where you can see the show, but the show cant see you!. Our variation takes it to extremes! Each box boasts its own custom built special effects (a nod to the spooky gimmicks of director William Castle and the methods of fake spiritualists) and themed decor worthy of a haunted Madonna Inn.

For more information or to arrange interviews,
Thrillpeddlers producer, Russell Blackwood at 415-377-4202.
Or email: blackwood@thrillpeddlers.com
http://thrillpeddlers.com/

The Thrilling and the Not So...It's All Valid

As we slide right into the second month of the New Year, I can’t help but reflect on 2008 thus far. The verdict: what a freaking long month!

For one thing, I’ve been sick more days than healthy this year! I started off 2008 sick (like most people I know) and on antibiotics after a great time in LA watching The Flakes ring in the New Year at Club Satisfaction at Bordello. There was even a Flakes-operated balloon drop! Klass!


I love me some Yoko.

We stayed in Little Tokyo and Brett and I did much damage to an anime store called Jungle. I highly recommend it to the most discerning of nerds. I met my new husband, Booska! We also saw the HUGE Kamen Rider that the Ramones posed next to in the late 70’s. But they wouldn’t let us touch it.

BOOSKA



As soon as we were back and I was on antibiotics, it was time to start rehearsing with the Thrillpeddlers and The Indra for a couple of numbers for Hubba Hubba’s Creepshow Peepshow at the DNA! Extensive photos HERE. We took the Ball Busting sketch from Mel Gordon’s “Google Fetish” piece and adapted/expanded it to accommodate a backwoods-inbred theme. We Hillbilly-fied it! We also performed Indra’s brilliantly disturbing act, which is now known as “the wheelchair number” by many who quake in its presence. I’m so happy Indra and I have found each other.



Then, just for the hell of it and maybe because I couldn’t get the wig off, Jose, Brett, and I shot this video…the debut of The Llamas!


Friday, Jan 28th was the Amoeba Art Show, which I wrote an article about HERE
Check it out…there’s some really talented artists at Amoeba (no surprise, really). Unfortunately, while I was writing that article on Saturday the 29th, I pretty much collapsed with a fever. I had to get into work that Sunday no matter what because I was working the Au Revoir Simone in-store. They turned out to be the nicest of gals and it was a really great in-store afterall thanks to Kaitlin. Annie from Au Revoir Simone even took my picture standing next to the reserved parking sign I made for them. Those girls are charmers. No wonder David Lynch said they’re his favorite band!

So from there, I went home and pretty much died for a week. The massive fever, chest pain, and loss of voice made it inevitable that I would have to miss Monday night’s SpeakEasily at the Uptown. It was tragic for me…I stayed at home and wrung my hands as Jim and Brett made sure that the show went on as planned. Of course, everyone was great! But the only time I’ve ever had to miss a show is when my mom had a heart attack two years ago.

Luckily, to put it in perspective, RocknPunkDad assembled this list --

Top 10 reasons why Odessa Lil wasn't at SpeakEasily tonight:

10. Forgot where she put her whip.

9. Why go to Oakland? It stopped raining!

8. Didn't set her alarm for 2008.

7. Emergency room removal of Coke bottle. 2 liter.

6. Still mourning Michelangelo Antonioni's death.

5. Planet Of The Apes was on AMC tonight.

4. PMS ASSHOLE!!!

3. Needed to update her MySpace page.

2. She can only go to the liquor store with her house arrest ankle bracelet.

And the #1 reason why Odessa Lil wasn't at SpeakEasily tonight...

1. Explosive diarrhea just ain't funny on stage.


So, despite dizziness and an overwhelming need to fall asleep constantly, I’m back in (limited) action: back at work and back at Thrillpeddler rehearsal.

My last run with the Thrillpeddlers was transformative…not only did I meet the illustrious Russell Blackwood and his crew (and acquire a new home at the Hypnodrome), I also was able to met and work with Weimar expert Mel Gordon, one of my heroes. PLUS, Paramount Pictures came to film us for the Sweeney Todd DVD extras on Grand Guignol!! Can’t wait for that release!

The Thrillpeddler’s next show is a real whopper! The Indra and I will perform in a one act called The Torture of Cavaradossi with the mysterious and beautiful Jill Tracy! It will really shed a whole new light on Opera fans. Hahaha. GO! You’ll dig it. And what else are you going to do with your mid-February anyway?!




"Lovers and Other Monsters"
featuring Jill Tracy in concert with violinist Paul Mercer
plus
Jello Biafra, Monte Cazazza, RE/Search publication's V. Vale, Mel Gordon, Harmon Leon
Thrillpeddlers preview new productions for 2008 and debut Creepshow Camp.
February 12-16 (Tues-Sat) at 8pm
February 17 (Sunday) at 7 PM

The Hypnodrome
575 10th Street (at Bryant)
San Francisco
general admission: $20.00
Shock Box seats for two: $69.00
Ticket info: http://brownpapertickets.com or 800-838-3006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

With a diabolical nod to Valentine's (and Presidents) Day, Thrillpeddlers present Lovers and Other Monsters, a week-long line-up of live music and theatre, exquisite torture and expert testimony that all dare to touch the taboos that haunt these holidays. Lovers and Other Monsters celebrates the return of award-winning noir chanteuse Jill Tracy and acclaimed Atlanta violinist Paul Mercer (Faith and the Muse/The Changelings/DP3) to The Hypnodrome stage, in concert and each taking a leading role in a new dramatic work from Thrillpeddlers.

Hailed by critics as a "femme fatale for the thinking man," Jill Tracy has developed a highly devoted following for her dark elegant piano stylings, old-word glamour, and curious passion for strange tales.

"This show will be an alluring exploration into the dark side of love, and passions gone awry...it's been an ideal opportunity to mingle my musical work with traditional Grand Guignol theatre," Tracy explains.

In the seductive shocker The Torture of Cavaradossi, Jill Tracy portrays Silvie, a prostitute obsessed with opera singer Maria Callas in this original Thrillpeddlers’ piece that dares to show you what the San Francisco Opera will not: the famous off-stage torture from Puccini’s Tosca – ON-STAGE!

“Jill Tracy has an otherworldly ability to transport audiences;” said Thrillpeddlers' producer (and Cavaradossi co-star) Russell Blackwood. “It makes her a perfect fit for this role, which is dominated by glamour and theatricality, and demands a tour de force transformation of a prostitute into Callas’ Tosca, lip-syncing to the diva’s own 1958 recording no less."

Written by Thrillpeddlers’ co-founder Daniel Zilber, The Torture of Cavaradossi is directed by Dave Maier and also features company members Audra Wolfmann, The Indra and Eric Tyson Wertz.

Paul Mercer, has scored many horror films, (including cult favorite Psychopathia Sexualis.). Hailed an uber-violinist by V.Vale of RE/Search Publications, Paul Mercer joins and actor Eric Tyson Wertz in a new music-theatre adaptation of the famed 1921 H.P. Lovecraft tale The Music of Erich Zann. Thrillpeddlers’ Jonathan Horton provides the adaptation, staging and special F/X direction.

The Hypnodrome has got the perfect perch for Valentine couples – our private Shock Box seats for two put a spookier spin on the old Parisian perk offering paramours a lodge-grille, the private trysting booths where “you can see the show, but the show can’t see you!”. Our variation takes it to extremes! Each box boasts it’s own custom built special effects (a nod to the spooky gimmicks of director William Castle and the methods of fake spiritualists) and themed décor worthy of a haunted Madonna Inn.

The six-night run of Lovers and Other Monsters’ presents a variety of featured acts and guest appearances played in rotating repertory throughout the week.

Feb 12, 13, 14, and 17
Jill Tracy In Concert with Paul Mercer, The Torture of Cavaradossi, The Music of Erich Zann, PLUS! …
The Erotic World of Paris -- legendary UC Berkeley Professor Mel Gordon will discuss the link between theatre and French sensuality in glorious detail.

Feb 15 and 16 - (** Please note on these two nights Paul Mercer will not be performing, but Jill Tracy will contribute several songs and perform The Torture of Cavaradossi.)
Re/Search Publications’ founder V. Vale will host an on-stage interview with Monte Cazazza (on 2/15) and Jello Biafra (on 2/16), about PRANKS -- and will be on hand to sign copies of the Re/Search book Pranks and Pranks 2.
Harmon Leon previews the upcoming Pranks Film Festival at The Roxie.
Creepshow Camp performs Yusef Lambert’s Zombied with Thrillpeddlers’ Will McMichael and A Presidential Pageant a new piece with Harmon Leon.

For more information or to arrange interviews,
Thrillpeddlers producer, Russell Blackwood at 415-377-4202.
Or email: blackwood@thrillpeddlers.com
http://thrillpeddlers.com/

UPTOWN HUBBA HUBBA welcomes
SPEAKEASILY!
Vaudeville perversions at rock-bottom Oakland prices. That's right folks! We're back at The Uptown this Monday night with more comedy and burlesque than is even decent at $5! I mean it. At five bucks we should just hand you a paper bag and some airplane glue...BUT NO! SpeakEasily continues to EXPOSE you to NEW and EXCITING acts. We GUARANTEE that your HEAD will EXPLODE with GLEE.



Monday, January 28th
JUST FIVE BUCKS, 21&Up w/I.D.
Doors 8PM, Show 9PM

The Uptown Club
1928 Telegraph Avenue, Oakland
(Just 1 block from 19th Street BART!)

Getta loada this line-up:
Bonzai Bombshell OPHELIA COEUR DE NOIR
Uke Sensation TIPPY CANOE
Funny Man SEAN MURPHY
Mischievous minx ROSE PISTOLA
Comic infiltrator HARMON LEON
Gothic Burlesque Princess LILY LeROUGE
Minding Manners, MISTRESS KARA & MISS ERIC
Pump and grind with ROOM FOR CREAM
Pickup artist HUDSON H. CANE
and THE MISTRESS OF CEREMONIES: ODESSA LIL – available for weddings, Bar Mitzvahs, funerals, divorce proceedings, difficult labors, séances, and SpeakEasilys.

REMEMBER: It's an early show! The clothes start flying at 9pm!
Today Oakland, tomorrow the world.
~Odessa Lil~

http://www.audrawolfmann.net/SpeakEasily.html
www.uptownnightclub.com/

Shifty Gears and The Llamas

Here's a garage rock band you've all overlooked in your record collecting...

The Llamas present: "I'm not stupid I'm just retarded,"
featuring Shifty Gears, Brett, Jose, Sari, & Christina.



If you haven't noticed, Shifty has really been on a tear latey.
Check out what she was up to at the DNA last Friday
with the Thrillpeddlers at Creepshow Peepshow!!
Shifty & The Indra is kissin kousins.