Amy Roloff
Anastacia
Baz Luhrmann
BeBe Winans
Bobby Lee
Bryan Singer
Cassandra “Elvira” Peterson
Constantine Mouralis
Doug E. Fresh
Dustin Nguyen
James Urbaniak
Keith Flint
Kevin Clash
Kyle Chandler
Malik Yoba
Matthew Settle
Nate Berkus
Rita Rudner
Wade Robson
The post September 17: It’s YOUR Birthday, Bitch! appeared first on World of Wonder.
September 17, 1928– I ran into Roddy McDowall twice. The first time was at the 50th Anniversary of MGM Ball at the Beverley Wilshire Hotel in 1973, which I had successfully crashed. He was there as Elizabeth Taylor’s date, or Taylor as his beard. He could not have been more gracious & warm. He was better looking in person than I had ever found him to be in films. The second time was at a coke fueled all-boy party at the home of a famous producer in the Hollywood Hills. He couldn’t have been more gracious & friendly, & from his films I would never have guessed that McDowell was profoundly “gifted”.
McDowall was thought to be one of the nicest people in show biz ever. He was also known as an especially good friend who was known for being able to keep a confidence.
After winning an acting prize in a school play, little Roderick Andrew Anthony Jude McDowall was able to secure film work in England beginning at age 10 with Scruffy (1938). He appeared in 16 movies before his family was evacuated to the USA during the Battle Of Britain in 1940.
McDowall’s arrived in Hollywood just as 20th Century Fox’s Darryl F. Zanuck was looking to create ” the new Freddie Bartholomew.” McDowall screen-tested for the main juvenile role in Fox’s How Green Was My Valley (1941). He was cast in the role & received terrific reviews & a long contract. McDowall was cast with the then unknown Elizabeth Taylor in her first film, Lassie Come Home (1943). Taylor & McDowall became lifelong, very close friends. Taylor’s casting in this film was an absolute fluke. The director simply wanted any young girl who could do an English accent.
McDowall’s first adult role was as Malcolm in Orson Welles‘ 1948 film version of Shakespeare’s Scottish Play. But for the most part, McDowall left films in the 1950s, preferring TV & stage work. Among his Broadway credits were No Time For Sergeants (1955), Compulsion (1957), working with fellow former child star Dean Stockwell, & Lerner & Loewe‘s musical Camelot, as Mordred, a role I played in summer stock a decade later.
McDowall won a 1960 Tony Award for his work in a short run of the play The Fighting Cock, by odd coincidence a chapter title in my memoir Jockstraps & Vicodin. He spent almost all of 1962 portraying Octavius in the mammoth film production of Cleopatra with longtime pal, guess who?
An accomplished & original photographer, McDowall’s photos of Taylor & other celebrities were frequently published in the leading magazines of his era. He was, briefly, the photographic editor of Harper’s Bazaar & published the first of several collections of his rather extraordinary photographs, Double Exposure (1966).
McDowall went ape shit for his acting gigs between 1968 & 1975, in elaborate simian makeup as Cornelius in the Planet Of The Apes films & the TV series. He kept working & did the occasional film role or stage play into the 1990s. McDowall served on the executive boards of the Screen Actors Guild & Academy Of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.
McDowall was a lifelong film collector & historian. In 1974, around the time I met him briefly, the FBI raided his home & seized his collection of films & TV series during an investigation of film piracy & copyright infringement. His collection consisted of nearly 200 16mm prints & more than 1,000 video cassettes. McDowall had purchased Errol Flynn‘s home movies & the prints of his own directorial debut Tam-Lin (1970) starring Ava Gardner, transferring them all to tape for archival storage. McDowall was open about those who dealt with him: Rock Hudson, Dick Martin & Mel Tormé were just a few of the celebrities who gave support in his film reproductions. No charges were brought against McDowall, but he was shaken by the experience.
McDowall’s passion was film preservation & he worked diligently with the National Film Preservation Board. In August, 1998, he was elected president of the Academy Foundation. He had a devotion to the great female stars of the past, whom he idolized. McDowall enjoyed unlikely friendships with some of the most elusive women stars of the silver screen, including Jean Arthur, Great Garbo & Lillian Gish.
McDowall was one of the most loved stars of Hollywood’s Golden Age, noted for his kindness, generosity & loyalty. McDowall’s announcement that he was suffering from terminal cancer a few weeks before he died, rocked the film community & many of his friends came to say good-bye to the gravely ill McDowall at his home in Studio City. Shortly before his cancer diagnosis, he had provided the voice-over for Disney/Pixar’s animated feature A Bug’s Life (1998). A few days before McDowall’s final curtain call in 1999, the Academy Of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences named its photographic archive after him.
McDowall graduated from University High School in Santa Monica. Christopher Isherwood wrote in a volume of his memoir that Tom Maddox had told him, that he was having an affair with the McDowall, then 17 years old.
Tab Hunter mentions McDowall in his terrific memoir Tab Hunter Confidential: The Making Of A Movie Star (2005):
“While making shakes at the Rexall drugstore at Hollywood & Highland, I met my first bona fide movie star. It was the night of the big 1948 Christmas parade. Dick Clayton brought along Roddy McDowall. Roddy was only 20, but he’d been in pictures his whole life. We hit it off, gabbing & laughing…”
Hunter & McDowall had posed shirtless for a Photoplay Magazine spread titled Calling All Girls!.
Farley Granger writes about McDowall in his very fun & readable memoir Include Me Out (2008). Granger knew McDowell prior to his joining the Navy at 18 years old. Granger:
“It was 1953. I found an apartment on the Upper East Side in Manhattan… My old pals Roddy McDowall & Monty Clift lived on the same block”.
McDowall & Clift were very close & lived together for a period, & along with Taylor they were often seen out & about as a trio. During this time he also had a short, but intense, affair with Marlon Brando.
Eddie Fisher, in his autobiography Been There, Done That (1999), mentions McDowall & his decades of hatred towards him. Fisher had first met Elizabeth Taylor at a party that Merv Griffin & McDowall had in an apartment they were sharing in one of my favorite NY structures, The Dakota Apartments. Fisher:
“She spent most of the evening in a corner with her close friend Montgomery Clift. She was recently divorced from her first husband Nicky Hilton. But Roddy wouldn’t let me near her.”
Lauren Bacall, in her memoir By Myself (1978):
“He was someone I always looked forward to being with, loved seeing, loved hearing from.”
McDowall was with Bette Davis during the last part of her life, taking care of her & watching out for her best interests. When Julie Andrews asked McDowall why he didn’t write a book about his life, he said:
“I have too many friends. I know too much, I couldn’t.”
McDowall has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6632 Hollywood Boulevard & there is an honorary rose garden on the grounds of the Motion Picture & Television Fund with a statue of him in costume & makeup from the Planet Of The Apes.
McDowall:
“My whole life I’ve been trying to prove I’m not just yesterday.”
Interesting that in his over 260 film & TV roles, none of the characters were gay, but nearly all were gay-coded.
I think that I would really have loved to have been pals with McDowall. True friends are to be treasured.
The post #BornThisDay: Actor, Roddy McDowall appeared first on World of Wonder.
Maybe you knew this… honestly, I kind of forgot. Rosie Perez got her start in the late 80s as a dancer on Soul Train. As a college student in LA (majoring in bio-chemistry, btw) in order to relieve stress she said she would go to nightclubs for Ladies Night. A talent scout from Soul Train “discovered her” and asked her to be on the show. She was not a professional dancer but loved it so much she dropped out of school. A few years later Perez was noticed at a dance club, Funky Reggae, by Spike Lee, who cast her in her first major acting role in Do the Right Thing… and once we heard that voice, as they say, the rest is HerStory. Watch her tear UP the floor!
The post #TBT: Rosie Perez KILLED IT on the “Soul Train” Line! appeared first on World of Wonder.
Yesterday, I reported that the 80s TV show, Hart To Hart, is getting a gay update by NBC. A friend called my attention to this video and I GAGGED. It’s the side-by-side of the original Hart to Hart intro and the PERFECT copy of it by Amy Poehler and Adam Scott (and a some REALLY GREAT art direction, costumes and props) made for the The Greatest Event in Television History on Adult Swim. I also happened onto the Bossom Buddies shot by shot parody into with Adam Scott and Paul Rudd which is equally as good. Watch.
The post #TBT: Watch Amy Poehler & Adam Scott in This PERFECT Shot-By-Shot Parody of “Hart To Hart” appeared first on World of Wonder.
The hit Netflix series Narcos, all about the dealings of drug lord Pablo Escobar, must have inspired somebody to dig up theses none-too-subtle 70s advertisements for cocaine. These ads, from about 1976 to 1981 feature drug paraphernalia, hot chicks and merch with a few marijuana-related items thrown in for kicks. Fun to look back on a time when coke was king, isn’t it?… although I hear it’s making a comeback… although I don’t really travel in THOSE circles.
To coin a phrase,
“Things go better with Coke!”
Drug paraphernalia ads were and are legal in most states in the U.S., but selling coke is NOT. Just yesterday the DEA made a huge bust. 30 people were arrested in a long-running conspiracy to distribute cocaine in north Alabama. $468,250 cash and more than 38 kilograms of cocaine was seized. Some of the people arrested, in fact most, had VERY colorful nicknames like; Jermaine “Main Main” Cunningham, Lamond Frederick “Lemon” Boykin, Andre Lasalle “Put” Cater, Marcus Dwayne “Butch” Trammell, Frederick Eli “Poochie” Brown Jr., Latonya Roshelle “Punkin” Elliott, Leon Tremayne “Ears” Teague, Darion Deonte “Red” McClendon, James Cortez “Punkin” Timmons (How can they have two “Punkins”?!) and Marshall “Tweetie” Hughes Jr.. These names work well in the “joint” too, I guess. “AbsoTOOTly!”
(via Adweek; T/Y Daniel)
The post #TBT: These 70s Cocaine Ads Are Nothing To Snort At! appeared first on World of Wonder.
Delightfully shocking news: Beyond hunky ABC News correspondent Gio Benitez proposed to boyfriend Tommy DiDario near the Eiffel Tower yesterday. LET ME REPEAT THAT: Gio Benitez! Just proposed! To his boyfriend Tommy DiDario! I’m gobsmacked. I mean: Who knew he was in love? Who knew he was in love with a BOY? Benitez posted a photo on Instagram of himself down on one knee popping the question to DiDario whose hand is over his mouth. The photo is accompanied by the caption: ‘Time is what’s left behind in the wake of love.’
Dead. I’m seriously dead. SO ROMANTIC.
Both men shared images of the proposal on social media today. DiDario wrote on his Instagram page: ‘Celebrating a magical day in the city of love! Much thanks for all the kind words and well wishes!’
Benitez, 29, has been THE HOTTEST REPORTER on ABC World News Tonight since 2013. He’s covered a wide range of stories for the network, including the Boston Marathon bombing and nearly every major snow storm that swept the nation during the winter of 2013. His stories appear on Good Morning America, World News Tonight, 20/20, and Nightline.
DiDario describes himself as “a writer and actor who does social media branding and consulting and is also a lifestyle and menswear blogger.” (Which either sounds to me like a trust fund baby or a kept man, but far be it from me to judge… the bitch who stole my man.)
Despite the fact that now I no longer have a shot of becoming Mrs Gio Benitez, myself, I wish them all the joy in the world. Congratulations, guys! (via GayStarNews)
The post ABC News Hunk Gio Benitez Proposes to His Boyfriend In Paris appeared first on World of Wonder.
Naughty Boy (who you might remember all that Zayn drama last month) just released a new single featuring Beyoncé and some dude named Arrow Benjamin. The song begins as a ballad, with Bey singing to a piano track. The beat picks up around the 1:20 mark and becomes more of a dance song with Beyoncé emotionally belting out the chorus “Ain’t running from myself no more.” Then this Arrow character comes in for the second verse and that’s when the Beyhive (and most everybody else) loses interest and turns it off. Listen to it below and decide for yourself
Our resident Beyoncé analyst, Nigel Zeff isn’t quite sold on the track. “It’s weird to hear her voice on music that isn’t her own.” I agree. I think I was expecting more of a foot stomper from Naughty Boy. Maybe (maybey) it will grow on me. I do like the video with everybody sinking into the ocean depths. It’s oddly both relaxing and terrifying.
The post OMG! New Beyoncé! New Beyonce! Well, Kind of… appeared first on World of Wonder.
It’s HALLOWEEN B*TCHES…and the RuPaul’s Drag Race squad are headed to NYC for two nights of frightening fun, produced by superstar promoter Brandon Voss! Hallo-queen weekend starts off on Friday, October 30th with fan favorites Shangela and Willam Belli hosting Night of the Living Drag. The event is set in post-apocalyptic NYC where only the queens have survived. Drag zombies roam a former Broadway theatre, treating survivors to haunting performances by Alyssa Edwards, Gia Gunn, Jujubee, Katya, Latrice Royale, Jinkx Monsoon, Laganja Estranja, Raja, Shangela, Willam, and reigning queen Violet Chachki. Then on Halloween night proper, Bianca Del Rio hosts Hollywood Horror Show- a massive dance and costume party at Madame Tussaud’s, with a full-on Rolodex of Hate-style show by Bianca herself! Get your tix and more info HERE.
“In our eight years of throwing Halloween parties, we have never done anything to this scale,” says Voss. “Halloween is my favorite time of the year, so I love to go all out! There will be massive decor installations, outlandish performers and of course, a whole gaggle of frightfully fabulous celebrity guests.”
The post #HalloweenQueens: RPDR Bianca Del Rio, Shangela, Willam & more Host Halloween In NYC appeared first on World of Wonder.
Jinkx Monsoon
Aisha Tyler
Alison Lohman
Ami Onuki
Anna Deavere Smith
Frankie Avalon
Fred Willard
Holly Robinson Peete
Jada Pinkett Smith
James Marsden
Jason Sudeikis
Jeana Keough
Joanne Catherall
Keeley Hazell
Lance Armstrong
Lori & George Schappell
Patrick Schwarzenegger
Ricky Bell
Robert Blake
Sara Haines
Satan’s Angel
Tara Fitzgerald
Xzibit
The post September 18: It’s YOUR Birthday, Bitch! appeared first on World of Wonder.
Photograph by Beaton
September 18, 1905– Greta Garbo was born Greta Lovisa Gustafson in Stockholm. She was lured to Hollywood by Louis B. Mayer who was impressed with her work in the Swedish film- Gosta Berlings Saga (1924), which was directed by her mentor, the flamboyantly gay, Mauritz Stiller, who came up with the name Greta Garbo.
Garbo knew how to make an exit. After just 20 years in films & a life as one of the world’s biggest stars of all time, she walked away from acting & public life when she was only 36 years old.
She lived in NYC in virtual seclusion for the next 50 years, refusing all interviews & photographs, emerging from her apartment only when protected from public view by big hats & sunglasses. I spent many hours walking in Manhattan, from The Cloisters to The Battery, with time spent in her block on East 52nd Street, but I never had the thrill of a Garbo sighting, even after spotting several smart looking older women wearing large hats & sunglasses, following them & being disappointed when I finally was able to grab a quick glance.
Garbo made 14 silent films, with a face that was perfect for the expressions of the style of acting for those early B&W films. She never made a color film. She made the transition to talkies, a move that ruined many screen careers, with no problem at all. Garbo’s beautiful husky, accented voice was a compliment to her unworldly beauty & she gave more complex performances in her talking films.
Garbo’s first talking film was Anna Christie (1930). MGM’s market campaign used the catch-phrase “Garbo Talks!” At the 16 minute mark, she famously utters her first spoken line on film:
“Gimme a whiskey, ginger ale on the side & don’t be stingy, baby.”
She played a world weary, washed-up ballerina in Grand Hotel (1932) at 26 years old. She gave what I think is her very best performance, charming, funny, electric & full of self-parody, in Ninotchka released in what is probably the greatest single year in film history, 1939. The MGM publicity department marketed the film with: “Garbo Laughs!”
Garbo was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress 3 times, but never won. She received an honorary Oscar in 1954 for her “luminous & unforgettable screen performances.” She, of course, did not show up to accept the statue.
Garbo required very specific conditions for working on the set. She prohibited any visitors, including the studio brass, & she demanded that black flats surround her between takes to prevent extras & crew from looking at her. When asked about these eccentricities, Garbo said:
“If I am by myself, my face will do things I cannot do with it otherwise.”
During her career, Garbo avoided parties & premiers, preferring to spend her time alone or with a select group of close friends. She never signed autographs or answered fan mail & only rarely gave an interview (she only granted 12 in her lifetime).
Her aversion to a public life was undeniably genuine. Garbo claimed:
“As early as I can remember, I have wanted to be alone. I detest crowds, don’t like many people.”
Her standoffish behavior exasperated MGM’s head of production Irving Thalberg, but he eventually capitalized on it & the studio played up her the image of the reluctant & reclusive woman of mystery.
Garbo had a love affair with her frequent co-star John Gilbert, an actor who matched her beauty, but she left him alone at the altar on their wedding day. Garbo had affairs with women also, including well-known liaisons with actors Louise Brooks, writer Mercedes de Acosta (their affair was on again-off again for 3 decades), & with the star who was her equal, Marlene Dietrich. She was very close friends with 2 noted gay men, designer/photographer Cecil Beaton & director George Cukor.
After Garbo’s passing, Swedish actor, Mimi Pollak, her close friend form her school days, released the letters Garbo had written her. In one, Garbo wrote:
“We cannot help our nature, as God has created it. But I have always thought you & I belonged together”.
In retirement, Garbo claimed that she spent her time “drifting”, her word, used frequently. She lived with a lifelong melancholy. On her 60th birthday, she told her friends:
“In a few days, it will be the anniversary of the sorrow that never leaves me, that will never leave me for the rest of my life.”
Tellingly, in Love (1927) her character’s title card reads: “I like to be alone”. In The Single Standard (1929) she says: “I am walking alone because I want to be alone” & her character sails on a boat named the All Alone. In Susan Lenox (1931) she says: “This time I rise & fall… alone”. In Inspiration (1931) she tells her lover: “I just want to be alone for a little while“. For Mata Hari (1931) Garbo’s dialogue includes: “I never look ahead. By next spring I shall probably be quite alone.” The theme becomes a joke in Ninotchka (1939) where screenwriters Charles Brackett & Billy Wilder have the officials from Soviet Russia ask her: “Do you want to be alone, comrade?” She answers bluntly: “No!”
Garbo’s final credits rolled in 1990, leaving after a series of illnesses, but taken by that damn cancer. She was cremated & her ashes are interred in Stockholm. Smart about money, Garbo died rich, with an estate worth more than 50 million, most of it in important art. She left no heir.
Garbo pointed out that her character in Grand Hotel never uttered the famous: “I want to be alone”, but rather: “I want to be let alone”, a big difference & seemingly true of her life.
“The story of my life is about back entrances, side doors, secret elevators & other ways of getting in & out of places so that people won’t bother me”
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I’m getting the book…
Well, I should have listened to Susanne. She told me to come early to the opening of her Fashion Underground exhibit at FIT, but my date, Jason Leli, was held up in traffic and we arrived late with the usual organized crush outside. The Museum at FIT is glassed it, so, who do I see through the front window but Dianne Brill (the OTHER legendary Queen of the Night) talking to who…? RUPAUL!. I had to grab THAT picture, kids! So, I squeezed my way in and who else is standing right there? None other than Mr. World of Wonder, Randy Barbato (sans the other Mr. Wonder, Fenton Bailey, who was in town too, but under the weather) OMG! Then the night was off! EVERYBODY came out to see this AMAZING exhibit. You know, I started right in the middle of this thing… maybe you need a little backstory…?
RuPaul and Dianne Brill, both looking BRILL!
Zaldy & Dianne
Susanne & Zaldy on the way to the show…
The woman of the evening with national treasure, photographer Bill Cummingham
Our gal Susanne Bartsch moved from Switzerland to London in her teens and got hooked on British fashion. In ’81, she set out to conquer New York City and opened a SoHo boutique that was one of the first to carry Vivienne Westwood. She staged fashion shows, focusing attention on the legendary Leigh Bowery, Body Map, and the incredible milliner Stephen Jones very early on. She created over-the-top-of-the-top events and raised more than $2.5 million for AIDS research, over the years and in all started with The Love Ball in ’89. So, she is a fashion force, to say the least, and now her life and collection -with more than 80 examples by The Blonds, Alexander McQueen, Pam Hogg, Thierry Mugler, Rachel Auburn, Body Map, John Galliano, Jean Paul Gaultier, Vivienne Westwood, Zaldy and many more, are on display at the Museum of FIT, which opens today.
OK, back to the party. So, who WASN’T there? I was taking a photo of one look outside the main exhibit and noticed a man stepped into my frame so I took my eye away, thinking “Oh, I’ll wait until he moves” and then I looked up and saw, “Oh, that’s Calvin Klein.” (See my out-of-focus pic below…)
Milliner Stephen Jones & Amanda Lepore
Calvin & Co
The Padilha brothers, who just had THE party of NYFW, for the launch of their latest book GLOSS: The Work of Chris von Wagenheim, were there along with the book’s designer, Marc Balet. Photographer Josef Astor was there with filmmaker Charlie Atlas. (Btw, I have a great vintage print by Josef of Susanne wearing the penis bustier by Mr. Pearl. Note the ejaculating “pearls” at the décolletage…) Scott Ewalt was featuring Mr. Pearl to great effect last night, too. The show’s curator, Valerie Steele, said that Mr. Pearl’s were some of her favorite pieces;
“He is the number one luxury corsetier, and Susanne was one of the first people who discovered him. She introduced Mr. Pearl to Thierry Mugler… and then Mr. Pearl went to Paris and started doing corsets for all the couture houses. So that’s a good example of how she helped link the fashion underground people — he was a very freaky person, but he was so talented — with high fashion. Now they’re going to do a whole show with Mr. Pearl in London in two years.”
Mathu Anderson and former partner Zaldy contributed a LOT to this show and Susanne’s wardrobe, but it’s not like they weren’t pragmatic. When Steele interviewed Zaldy, he said;
“I just knew that what she needed was something that she could move in, something she could dance in, something that she could wear for hours and hours, all night.”
The last section, all in lacquered red to evoke her Chelsea Hotel apartment, features pieces that Bartsch has worn recently from designers like The Blonds and Chromat, who both just showed great new collections at fashion week. I bumped into Richard Pandiscio and his photographer partner Todd Eberle in this area, standing in shock at the magnitude of the show, like everyone else…
“Where DOES she keep all this!?”
God knows? Yet another photographer (geez, I know a LOT of photographers) Wouter Derutter, who has shot Susannne in many of the looks, was there shooting them again for a new book project. The double height space is just crammed full of more designer fabulousness than maybe anywhere on earth, except for the Anna Wintour Costume Institute.
I chased Susanne around for a bit trying to get a good outfit shot but I got caught up in too many conversations. I did get a decent shot of Susanne and the legendary Bill Cunningham who was just shooting away, as he’s been doing for 5+ decades. Check The Times this weekend for HIS pics.
Diane Brill said to me as we were walking into the show (I’m paraphrasing),
“Ru just said to me now, ‘I worshipped you back in the day, but we never really talked.’ and I thought, ‘Is that really true?'”
I that I think it really WAS true. I knew Dianne, we all did, but not well. We all knew each other but then we didn’t, and now that it’s all Herstory, we are all lumped together by virtue of the fact that we’re all still here. Susanne is maybe the ultimate example of the glue that holds these misfits and major talents together. In the end, it’s not about going out or dressing up or who you know, it’s about being AT the party, even if you just stand back and watch. Susanne is on her fourth decade of wanting everyone to have a good time –and her third generation too, btw– it wasn’t all the fab dinosaur crowd, there were kids turning it out in MAJOR ways last night. As she says;
“Style is about expressing yourself. You can be whatever you want to be.”
Amen, sister. Of course, there was an incredible after party, but I went to dinner at Omar’s with a fun group and didn’t have the stamina to run the gauntlet again at the Grammercy Theater. I KNOW it was amazing, but seriously, NO ONE can keep up with Susanne Bartsch.
Fashion Underground: The World of Susanne Bartsch is on view through December 5, 2015 at MFIT (227 W 27th Street). If you find yourself in NYC between now and then, just GO. You can also get the book here.
The post #NYFW: Susanne Bartsch’s “Fashion Underground” Opening at FIT Brought Out New York’s MOST Dressed appeared first on World of Wonder.
Exclusive: Acclaimed French artist and producer The Avener is releasing his full-length debut album, The Wanderings Of The Avener (on Casablanca/Republic Records) via digital retailers today and The Wow Report has this exclusive track, We Go Home that you can listen to below. I love it. I know that you know his hit, Fade Out Lines… it was a worldwide smash and introduced The Avener’s sound. It hit #1 on iTunes in 23 countries and Top 10 in 67 countries and has racked up almost 18 million YouTube/VEVO views. The Wanderings Of The Avener has 15 tracks, including Fade Out Lines and Hate Street Dialogue. To celebrate the album’s release, he’ll embark mini-tour…
9/19 – Austin, TX @ WEC
9/21 – Seattle, WA @ The Crocodile
9/23 – Brooklyn, NY @ Output
9/24 – Montreal, QC @ The Fairmont
Oh, Brooklyn next week! In the meantime, you can get the album here. Listen and watch!
The post #WOWExclusive: The World Premier of The Avener’s “We Go Home” appeared first on World of Wonder.
The ever-fab Beth Ditto closed out the Marc Jacobs show, and NY Fashion Week, with a bang. The newly blonde Gossip singer – who was last seen on the catwalk in 2010 when she walked for Jean Paul Gaultier – wore a to-die-for white gown with a thigh high split, embellished three-quarter length sleeves, and a low cut neckline with her bobbling tatas fairly SPILLING OUT.
She told Elle backstage about being asked to do the show: ‘I got an email, and then I answered it, and then I flew here for a fitting.’ Check out the pics and video below.
Só #marcjacobs para colocar a #bethditto na passarela… Avant & avant! #visionaire . Demais ! @marcjacobs Via @bat_gio A video posted by Christina Pitanguy ® My Diary (@chrispitanguy) on
The amazing Beth Ditto walks Marc Jacobs @marcjacobs #SS16 #NYFW #Bethditto
A video posted by Dazed Fashion (@dazedfashion) on
#wonderful @bethditto #bethditto on the catwalk @themarcjacobs #greatshow #greatwoman ❤️❤️❤️ A photo posted by adafijal (@adafijal) on
Beautiful Beth #marcjacobsmagic
#nyfw #bethditto #marcjacobspremiere
A photo posted by ellestrauss (@ellestrauss) on
#BethDitto walks for #MarcJacobs in the Ziegfeld Theater #marcjacobspremiere #NYFW #TheGossip A photo posted by Devin Pedzwater (@devinpedzwater) on
Simply Beautiful. #bethditto #marcjacobs #nyfw #women
A photo posted by darkenefabiana (@darkenefabiana) on
#마크제이콥스 #베스디토
#marcjacobs #BethDitto #nyfw #newyork A photo posted by seoyoung kim (@cest_a_joe) on
The post Beth Ditto’s Triumphant Return to the Catwalk (and She’s BLONDE!) appeared first on World of Wonder.
As always, NYC’s The Blonds turned out the catwalk show of the season! This year they went with an all gold theme, inspired by ancient Egypt, where gold was believed to be divine and indestructible…which also happens to be the mantra for any hardcore fashionistas and fans of the celebrated design house…including Nicki Minaj, Madonna, Beyonce, Miley Cyrus and Rihanna, and seen celebs Kat Graham, Kelly Osbourne, Kristin Cavallari, Chris Brown’s ex Karrueche Tran, rapper Sharaya J and the truly divine Bette Midler. Check out some of my fave looks below.
SS16 NEW YORK FASHION WEEK FASHION
SS16 NEW YORK FASHION WEEK FASHION
SS16 NEW YORK FASHION WEEK FASHION
SS16 NEW YORK FASHION WEEK FASHION
SS16 NEW YORK FASHION WEEK FASHION
SS16 NEW YORK FASHION WEEK FASHION
SS16 NEW YORK FASHION WEEK FASHION
The post #NYFW: The Blonds Slay The Runway…Servin Glitter, Gold & Body-Ody-Ody!!! appeared first on World of Wonder.
Adam West
Alison Sweeney
Carter Oosterhouse
Cheri Oteri
Danielle Panabaker
Freda Payne
James Lipton
Jarvis Cocker
Jeremy Irons
Jimmy Fallon
Joan Lunden
Katrina Bowden
Kevin Zegers
Kim Richards
Lita Ford
Lydia Hearst-Shaw
Mario Batali
Noemie Lenoir
Rex Smith
Rosemary Harris
Sally Potter
Sanaa Lathan
Soledad O’Brien
Stephanie J Block
Tegan & Sara Quin
Trisha Yearwood
Twiggy
Victoria Silvstedt
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September 19, 1934– Brian Epstein. Hey, You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away.
John Lennon:
“I was on holiday with Brian Epstein in Spain, where the rumors went around that he & I were having a love affair. Well, it was almost a love affair, but not quite. It was never consummated. But it was a pretty intense relationship. It was my first experience with a homosexual that I was conscious was homosexual. He had admitted it to me. We had this holiday together because Cynthia was pregnant, & I went to Spain & there were lots of funny stories. We used to sit in a cafe in Torremolinos looking at all the boys & I’d say, ‘Do you like that one, do you like this one?’ I was rather enjoying the experience, thinking like a writer all the time: I am experiencing this, you know. Eppy just kept on & on at me, until one night, I finally just pulled me trousers down & said to him: ‘Oh, for Christ’s sake, Brian, here, just stick it up me fucking arse then.’”
“He said to me, ‘Actually, John, I don’t do that kind of thing. That’s not what I like to do.’ “Well,” I said, ‘what is it you like to do?’ & he said, ‘I’d really just like to touch you, John.’ & so I let him toss me off, & that was it… Yeah, so fucking what! He’s having a fucking hard time anyway. So what harm did it do, for fuck’s sake? No harm at all. The poor fucking bastard, he can’t help the way he is.”
This Spanish holiday was dramatized in the excellent film The Hours & Times (1991), with David Angus as Epstein & Ian Hart as Lennon.
Epstein certainly led an interesting life. Born during the Depression, at 16 years old he started working in his parent’s Liverpool department store & realized he was born to be a salesman. His father promoted him to manager of the record department as the family business expanded.
In December 1961, Epstein started at his most important job: Manager Of The Beatles. After having seen the band play at a Liverpool club in their leather jackets, smoking cigarettes & swearing on stage, he immediately decided the lads needed to change their image.
Reimagining The Beatles’ look & stage personalities, Epstein purchased mod mohair suits for the boys, insisted on their signature haircuts & started to find them new gigs. He fired the drummer, Pete Best, so that he could be replaced by Richie Starkey. He pitched The Beatles to the various record labels, determined to get them signed to a recording contract. After being rejected by Decca, among other labels, he managed to get them signed with EMI & with George Martin as their producer.
Initially, The Beatles weren’t completely confident or trustful of Epstein (they called him- “Eppie”), but with his hard work & devotion he earned their respect & admiration.
It was no secret that Epstein was gay. In school he recalled being “ragged, nagged & bullied”. He dropped out when he turned 16 years old. He was drafted into the British Army, but after 10 months he was discharged for being “mentally unfit”, after being harassed & bullied again. Around this time, Epstein began enjoying the special company of other guys. In 1956 he was arrested for propositioning men in a subway lavatory, the victim of an undercover sting. Epstein pleaded guilty, & was fined & released.
The Beatles always knew that Epstein was gay. Although he was professional & distinguished as a business man, his double life wasn’t always as private as he wanted it to be. There were relentless rumors that Epstein was in love with Lennon. Epstein was very attracted Lennon’s talent, his wit & his good-looks. He was not able to look Lennon in the eye when speaking with him for fear he would reveal his secret. But actually, Lennon was completely aware of Epstein’s feelings & was sometimes teased by his mates about Epstein’s subtle attentions. The gossip began.
Epstein also managed Gerry & The Pacemakers & the late, great Cilla Black. He appeared on TV shows & hosted a regular spot on one of my favorite shows of the 1960s era Hullabaloo.
As Beatlemania reached a fever, Epstein became less involved in the routine daily operations. The Beatles Empire continued growing, but Epstein felt less secure about his future with the band. His contract was due to expire & he feared it would not be renewed (he would remain their manager until his death). He began a downward spiral, becoming depressed & driven by drug addiction. He was drinking, gambling, taking LSD, & popping pills. Epstein’s life became more than he could handle.
When The Beatles went to India to meet the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in August 1967, it was the first time they had gone anywhere without Epstein being in charge. He had seemed interested in what Maharishi had to offer, but it was a bank holiday weekend & he decided to spend it with friends. For The Beatles, the trip was like being kids allowed to play without supervision. Lennon:
“It was like going somewhere without your trousers on!”
In India, Paul, John, George & Ringo received word that Epstein had died, disillusioned & alone, from a drug overdose. He was just 32 years old. All 4 Beatles were completely, utterly devastated. He had been their friend, their enabler, their hero. He was seen as irreplaceable. Shortly after Epstein’s passing, The Beatles underlying tensions & resentments began to surface. Lennon said it was the beginning of the end. Lennon:
“He was in love with me. It’s interesting & will make a nice Hollywood Babylon story someday about Brian Epstein’s sex life, but it’s irrelevant, absolutely irrelevant.”
Double Life/Double Fantasy, the secret was not buried with Brian Epstein.
Benedict Cumberbatch is set to portray Epstein in a new biopic, directed by his Sherlock director, Paul McGuigan, & produced by Tom Hanks.
If things had been different & he had been able to be here today, probably having just barely survived the murder of Lennon in 1980, a wealthy & happily openly gay Sir Brian Epstein might be celebrating his 81st birthday with a nice quiet dinner & cake at his home in San Francisco along with his longtime husband (a Lennon lookalike), Sean & Yoko, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr & their children & grandchildren.
A few of my favorite resources:
The Love You Make: An Insider’s Story Of The Beatles (1983) by Peter Brown
The Brian Epstein Story (2000) by Debbie Geller
Many Years From Now (1997) by Barry Miles
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Frito-Lay partnered with the It Gets Better Project and this rainbow bag of Doritos online only. It’s not just the bag that’s colorful, the chips themselves are multi-colored. They’ll set you back $10… BUT Frito-Lay is donating 100% of the proceeds.
Ram Krishnan, chief marketing officer says:
“Time and again, our consumers have shown us, there really is nothing bolder than being true to yourself and living life to the fullest. With Doritos Rainbows chips, we’re bringing an entirely new product experience to our consumers to show our commitment toward equal rights for the LGBT community and celebrate humanity without exception.”
Brett Peters, communications director of, It Gets Better Project, adds;
“We’re honored to partner with the Doritos brand to celebrate the momentous progress that has been made toward equal rights for the LGBT community in this country. By utilizing the incredible reach that Doritos has throughout the world, we can give hope to the LGBT young people who need it the most. There is so much more work to be done, and together, we will inspire the LGBT community and its allies to continue the fight and embrace who they are by living a #BoldandBetter life.”
And Doritos is sponsoring Dallas Pride this year tomorrow on September 20 for the first time.
NOTE: At this writing, due to the popularity of the project, they are out of Doritos! From the website;
Due to the incredible amount of support we have received, we have run out of bags.
You can still show your support by sharing your own words of inspiration using the hashtag #BOLDANDBETTER.
Check back soon for one-of-a-kind bags featuring well-known celebrities. In the meantime, give us your email, and we’ll keep you updated.
Next time, make more guys!
The post #LGBT: Rainbow Doritos Are Not as Queer as They Look… (& You Can’t Have Any) appeared first on World of Wonder.
Yes, New York Fashion Week is over now but this new discovery (on my part) would have been so cool for the front row gang to take selfies with. (For all I know, they got them in gift bags somewhere…) The Polaroid Snap is a digital camera that can instantly print out a pic, without ink. How so, you ask? The trick is in the Zero Ink printing technology developed by a company called ZINK. Instead of using ink, the camera uses special printing paper which contains cyan, yellow and magenta dye crystals under a protective coating. The ZINK-enabled printer inside the camera activates the crystals to create a color photo! The pics are tiny. Just 2 x 3″. How expensive is this fancy paper? You can get a 30 pack of 2 x 3″ ZINK paper for $19.99 at Amazon. It takes a 10-megapixel photo and has memory cards with a 32GB of capacity. It’ll be available in four colors — black, white, red and blue — in time for the holidays for $99.
(via Mashable)
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Vogue captured a bit of the flavor of Givenchy‘s first runway show in NYC. Designer Riccardo Tisci discusses what New York means to him and how this debut in the shadow of the new World Trade Center staged on 9/11 was not only a big moment, but a dream come true.
Vogue‘s Sarah Mower summed it the mood and meaning;
“That calm exposition of skill and taste, which surely grows out of nineties memories, will stay in the minds of everyone who was on Pier 26 tonight. The tragedy of 9/11 can never be overwritten by any fashion show —and nor should it be— but at the same time, anyone who condemns fashion for concerning itself with current feelings is wrong, too.”
Watch.
(Photos, Monica Feudi; via Vogue)
The post #NYFW: Givenchy’s Riccardo Tisci on 9/11 & His “Dream Come True” appeared first on World of Wonder.
The SECOND annual RuPaul’s DragCon will be here before you know it! Want to know how you can be the first to know when tickets go on sale, which of your favorite #Queens and #WOWlebrities will be there, and which vendors will be attending? Sign up for the RuPaul’s DragCon mailing list and NEVER miss a beat! Head over to the RuPaul’s DragCon website for more info and also check out all the fun we had last year! OH! And you can watch many of the panels from the first annual RuPaul’s DragCon on WOWPresents!
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#marcjacobs #BethDitto #nyfw #newyork
