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the "official" dish
Lords of Leather Halloween Party & Contest
by Rip & Marsha Naquin-Delain Email: marsha@ripandmarsha.com
Your Official Halloween Guide© since 1987 Ambush Magazine welcomes you not only to one, but two giant Halloween weekends in New Orleans. The first weekend is Halloween XXXI benefiting Project Lazarus Thursday-Sunday, October 23-26. Halloween New Orleans has now raised almost $5 million for Project Lazarus. Ambush Magazine is a proud corporate sponsor of this event for the past 25 years. It kicks off on Thursday with The Lazarus Ball (black tie preferred) at the US Freedom Pavilion: The Boeing Center at WWII from 7:30-11pm with silent auction, music by Groovy 7, and food. Friday is Neon Underground, the casual dance club night at Republic Nightclub from 9pm-2am featuring DJ Blacklow with Host and Patrons VIP Lounge. Saturday is DESCENT, the main event costume contest and parade, and massive dance party with DJ Tristan Jaxx at Marigny warehouse space, 2121 Chartres Street, from 10pm-4am with Host and Patrons VIP Lounge. Sunday is Paradise Brunch and Second Line at the House of Blues from 1-4pm with Jazz and Gospel entertainment followed by a second line from HOB to Official Bar Sponsor Oz, 800 Bourbon Street at St. Ann. See pages 12, 20 and 22 or visit www.HalloweenNewOrleans.com. The second weekend runs Friday, October 31 through Sunday, November 2. Halloween is always a huge deal in The Big Easy as the streets fill as though we're celebrating Southern Decadence or Mardi Gras. You'll want to check out all the exciting events happening throughout this issue with some 27 pages advertising just the right thing for you to enjoy! Get costumes, services and more!
Tarot Tips: “The Four of Cups” by Frank Perez In the Four of Cups, we see a man sitting under a tree in what appears to be a state of meditation. He is so preoccupied with the three cups before him, he fails to notice the fourth cup being offered to him. Or perhaps he has noticed it and simply refuses to reach out and take it. The Four of Cups is all about missed opportunities. This card invites us to not only recognize the gifts life is offering us, but to also reach out and accept them. To do so requires us to get out of our own heads, to abandon our preoccupations and to shed our self-absorption. Sulking is never productive. The suit of cups represents emotions. Perhaps the young man in the card refuses the fourth cup because of previous emotional pain. We often allow emotional baggage—disappointment, fear, anger, bitterness—to fester within us and as a result we become stagnant and our spiritual growth is stunted. This card challenges us to focus not on what has happened but on what can happen. This card can also sometimes suggest a lack of gratitude. Ingratitude is always a manifestation of selfishness. Solitude can be healthy, but not when it comes at the expense of being totally disengaged from the world around us. The Four of Cups calls us to re-evaluate whatever situations we find ourselves in and reconnect with the world around us.
Leather Masks Accent Costumes @ COK COK is featuring a variety of hand made leather mask, a fabulous accent for your Halloween costume. Also available exclusively at COK is Nasty Pig, Colt, and Cell Block underwear, and assessories for your pleasures inside the Phoenix at 941 Elysian Fields Avenue
inside
Fringe Fest/Pre-Tanksgiving out Nov. 4 DEADLINE: Tues., Oct. 28
celebrazzi under the gaydar, out front moments in gay new orleans history snap paparazzi/new orleans spotlight feature/hno 31 southern decadence halloween new orleans 31 chop chop mobile paparazzi/out & about trodding the boards a community within communities
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the legal corner reviews wear it out classifieds ambush paparazzi/new orleans ambush paparazzi/nola, metairie ambush paparazzi/metairie, nola new orleans biggest...
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Gulf South LGBT Entertainment/Travel Guide Since 1982 828-A Bourbon St. • New Orleans, LA 70116-3137 • 504.522.8049 ripna@ambushmag.com
Halloween is right around the corner. Of course that means costumes and debauchery of all kinds. The Mystic Krewe of Lords of Leather and the Phoenix are hosting a Halloween Costume Contest on Friday, October 31 at the Phoenix. Prizes (bar tabs) will be awarded at midnight for costumes in the following categories : Best Individual, Best Group and Most Risque. An added attraction will be a stand-up comedy routine put on by one of our own krewe members, Jim Tideman, who has been doing comedy shows around town as of late. Since the date falls on a rare fifth Friday of the month, the Lords will also be hosting a $5 Beer Bust on the bar’s patio that night from 9pm until 1am. So dress up (or down) and join the Lords and the Phoenix for some Halloween weekend laughs and fun.
New Orleans Bears Host Halloween Champagne Reception Nov. 2 Come join The New Orleans Bears and Bear Trapper Social Club for a Halloween themed Champagne reception with hors d’oeuvres at Mag’s 940 on Sunday, November 2nd from 1 to4 pm, $5 donation. There is no Saints Game that day. The New Orleans Bears will also be starting their holiday food drive early. Please look for the donation baskets at your favorite emporium of libations. Last year the Bears partnered with The Phoenix, Mag’s 940, Cutter's, Big Daddy’s, The Friendly Bar, Double Play, Michael’s on the Park, and Rawhide to collect food for St. Anna’s Food Bank and Food for Friends. The Bears hope to have additional partners this year.
Floral Design Demo by Prof. Ralph Null/Art, Wine & Cheese Event The Lords of Leather will be hosting a Floral Design Demonstration/Art Show with a silent auction on Thursday evening , November 20 from 6 – 9pm at the Healing Center on St. Claude Avenue. Several local artists will be showing their work and our special guest will be Professor Emeritus Ralph Null. Ralph Null is a native of Mississippi and is well known for his southern garden style of design. For twenty-five years Null directed the Retail Floral Design program at Mississippi State University. In 1992, he retired and was awarded Professor Emeritus. In his career, Mr. Null has received numerous awards and recognition. Mr. Null is an internationally recognized leader in floral arts and retail floriculture. During his floral career, he has presented 850 lecture demonstrations throughout the world. His style creates an excellent learning atmosphere that is both educational and enjoyable. His floral creations have graced White House state dinners, Presidential inaugurals, and the windows of Saks Fifth Avenue and Macy’s, Neiman Marcus catalogues, and have appeared in many national and international publications. He has exhibited and taught design classes in London, Oslo,
THE OFFICIAL MAG
Facebook.COM/AmbushMag Gulf South Entertainment/Travel Guide Since 1982 • Texas-Florida Official Gay Easter Parade Guide© Official Gay Mardi Gras Guide© Official Gay New Orleans Guide© Official Pride Guide© Official Southern Decadence Guide© AWARD WINNING:
New Orleans Print Media Award/2014, 25th NO/AIDS Task Force Humanitas Award/2013, New Orleans Print Media Award/2013, Krewe of Mwindo Media Honoree/2009, Krewe of Petronius Carnival Spirit of Gay Mardi Gras XLVIII Award/2009, Forum For Equality Acclaim Awards X Media Recipient/2008, NO/AIDS Task Force Prometheus “Torch of Truth” [media] Award/2001 OFFICE/SHIPPING ADDRESS: 828-A Bourbon St., New Orleans, LA 70116-3137 USA OFFICE HOURS: 10am-3pm Monday-Friday [Except Holidays] Email: ripna@ambushmag.com PHONE: 1.504.522.8049 ANNUAL READERSHIP OVER 1 MILLION: 260,000+ in print/780,000+ On-line CIRCULATION: Alabama-Mobile Florida - Pensacola Louisiana - Baton Rouge, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Metairie, New Orleans, Slidell Mississippi - Bay St. Louis, Biloxi Texas - Houston
STAFF: PUBLISHER/EDITOR R. Rip Naquin, New Orleans PRODUCTION DIRECTOR M. Marsha Delain, New Orleans GULF SOUTH/NEW ORLEANS AD SALES Rip Naquin • 504.522.8049 Frank Joseph, Paul Melancon THEATRE/PERFORMING ARTS CRITIC Brian Sands AD REPS/JOURNALISTS/PHOTOGRAPHERS Johnny Joseph Delgadillo, Frank Joseph, Charles Jenkins, Tony Leggio, Hubert S Monkey, Frank Perez, Rev. Bill Terry-New Orleans Bob Brunson, MIss Cie & John, Leon WeekleyMobile, AL National Advertising Rep: Rivendell Media 212.242.6863 Ambush Mag is published on alternate Tuesdays of each month by Ambush, Inc., R. Rip NaquinDelain, President. Advertising, Copy & Photo DEADLINE is alternate Tuesdays, 4pm, prior to publication week, accepted via e-mail only: marsha@ripandmarsha.com, except for special holidays. The Publisher assumes no responsibility for the claims of advertisers and has the right to reject any advertising. The inclusion of an individual's name or photograph in this publication implies nothing about that individual's sexual orientation. Letters, stories, etc., appearing herein are not necessarily the opinion of the Publisher or Staff of AMBUSH Mag. Subscription rate is $45 for 1/2 Year; $75 for 1 year. Sample Copy is $3 First Class Mail. ©1982-2014, AMBUSH, INC., ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NOTHING HEREIN MAY BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE PUBLISHER INCLUDING AD LAYOUTS, MAPS and PHOTOS. AMgrant - AMbush Advertising Grant Donation
Cape Town, Sydney, and Tokyo, as well as throughout the United States. His design presentations have been featured at the Smithsonian Institute, the Virginia Museum of Fine Art, the Minneapolis Art Institute, and the New Orleans Museum of Art. He has served as president of the American Institute of Floral Designers (AIFD) and is the immediate past CFO of the AIFD Foundation. So save the date, November 20 for this special event and join the Lords as we
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celebrazzi
“Varla Jean Merman on Bourbon (and half a Xanax)” live @ Oz New Orleans ~ Photos by Adrian Claveria, Bradley Latham
Gary Delaune, aka Tittie Toulouse, and Tip Varnadore, aka Electra City, hosted their wedding reception at The Four Seasons & Patio Stage Bar in Metairie on National Coming Out Day, October 11. The couple were married last month in New York City celebrating their 20th anniversary.
Producer Mark Cortale and Mark Collins were wed at The Columns on St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans with local star Becky Allen as the officiant. The ceremony and reception celebrated the successful Joanna Gleason and Well Strung performance at Le Petit the night before.
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the "official" dish ...from 4 enjoy some wine and cheese, local artwork and welcome our distinguished guest to New Orleans for this informative evening. Tickets are $20 and are available from any krewe member and at the door.
Southern Decadence 2014 Raises $18,931.08 for PFLAG/New Orleans The final moneys have arrived and it's official, the 43rd Southern Decadence/2014 celebration raised a whopping $18,931.08 for PFLAG/New Orleans, the most raised for a charity in the history of Southern Decadence. Total revenues included $30,713.00 minus expenses of $11,781.92, leaving the balance to charity. Additionally, New Orleans Southern Decadence Inc. received a 2013 refund from the New Orleans Sanitation Department of $6,600.00 which will be added to last year's $4,001.88 donation to 2013 charity Belle Reve bringing the 2013 total to $10,601.88. A special show will be hosted on Friday, November 7, 8:30pm, at the Home of Southern Decadence, The Golden Lantern, 1239 Royal Street, to present $18,931.08 to PFLAG/New Orleans, and $6,600.00 to Belle Reve. Join the festivities to celebrate the hard work by Southern Decadence Grand Marshals XL Chad Boutte, Reba Douglas and Aubrey Synclaire; and Southern Decadence Grand Marshals XXXIX Tami Tarmac and Venus Santiago. The non-profit New Orleans Southern Decadence Inc. was formed in 2013 at the request of SDGMs XXXIX Tami Tarmac and Venus Santiago to ensure all funds raised going forward would be handled in a professional and credible manner. In two years, under the direction of Board of Directors James Garner, and Rip and Marsha Naquin-Delain, $29,532.96 has been raised for the grand marshals' chosen charities.
Southern Decadence 2014 Financial Report By New Orleans Southern Decadence Inc. Revenue 7,000.00 1,091.00 1,000.00 1,400.00 250.00 1,500.00 200.00 625.00 895.00 450.00 3,354.00 802.00 2,500.00 133.00 2,622.00 573.00 750.00 100.00 600.00 310.00 500.00 1,803.00 1,255.00 1,000.00
Event (listed by dates received) Golden Lantern Sponsorship Lucky Pierre's SD Announcement 4 Seasons 4 Seasons Crawfish Boil Phoenix Knights d'Orleans Beer Bust Third Base Bar & Grill 700 Club Poster Signing GrandPre's SD Fundraiser Lucky Pierre's Reba's Blood Bath B-day GrandPre's/Frankie's Boy's in the Shower Oz Boy Auction Always Johnny Passion Fundaiser Tropical Isle Sponsorship Voodoo Freak Show Ambush/Gay Appreciation Awards Gala Main St. Lounge Fundraiser Corner Pocket Fundraiser Helene Berot Donation Four Seasons/Frankie's Toga Party Bourbon Pub & Parade Fundraiser Creole Cuisine Sponsorship House of Blues Kickoff Harrah's New Orleans Kickoff Bud Light Sponsorship
30,713.00
Total Revenue
Expenses 4,000.00 2,912.50 1,640.00 1,000.00 500.00 418.00 410.00 313.20 250.00 205.94 50.25 81.35 .68
SDGM Costumes Parade Insurance Parade Police Detail Checking Account Reserve SD Parade DJ River Parish Disposal/Sanitation SD Poster Design House of Blues Flyers Knights of Decadence Parade Fee SDGM Luncheon Gifts Parade Permit Bank Deposit Stamps Bank Fee
11,781.92
Total Expenses
18,931.08
PFLAG/New Orleans Donation
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under the gaydar by Tony Leggio Email: ledgemgp@gmail.com Photo by: Larry Graham
Book of the Month October is the month of ghosts, goblins and things that go bump in the night. My book choice is the perfect companion to curl up with and give you an excellent scare, "Haunted Places in the American South" by Alan Brown. The South has always been a gold mine of great stories and Brown retells some of the most spine-tingling legends around. From Alabama to Virginia, twelve states are featured. Lighthouse, dormitories, jails, libraries, no place is safe from the spectral anomalies. This novel is a quick read that takes historical facts and weaves a spooky portrait of eyewitness accounts, gossip and innuendo and a good old-fashioned ghost story. Louisiana plays a role in four chilling tales, my favorite being the Myrtles Plantation, dubbed as the haunted place in America. This collection contains everything from cold spots, disembodied eyes floating, slamming doors and mysterious lights. Ghosts take the form of animal, men, women and children and what I find so fascinating is reading more about these people’s lives leading up to their almost always tragic death. This book is just one of many Brown novels focusing on the hauntings of cities in the South. He does a commendable job
capturing the essence and history of the location which is just as important as the story itself. So if you are looking for a supernatural read then pick up Alan Brown’s "Haunted Places" and have an other worldly, creepy time.
Are You Ready To Descend? The best Halloween party in the city is about to take place and I am in a flurry of activity trying to come up with a costume for the big event. I am always a last minute type person, one of my curses. Halloween New Orleans will take place October 23 – 26. This four-day celebration entitled Descent this year is a mind-blowing thrill ride filled with hot men, great parties and spectacular costumes. I am proud to be a host of this weekend which does so much for the community. The mission of the Hosts of Halloween is to provide funding for Project Lazarus, a home in New Orleans for men and women with AIDS, so that they may provide healthcare and support services for their residents. Project Lazarus, which provides direct AIDS services, is the sole beneficiary of all funds which are raised. In the 30 year history, the organization
out front Forum for Equality PAC Endorsements Nov. 4 Forum for Equality PAC members voted to make the following endorsement in the upcoming Nov. 4 senate, congressional, and judicial elections in Orleans Parish. Candidates are evaluated on their past performance and answers regarding issues of importance to our members including the economy, employment discrimination, good government, adoption, education, safe schools, marriage equality, health, and crime. Please support and vote for the following candidates. Louisiana U.S. Senate: Sen. Mary Landrieu U.S. Representative 2nd Congressional District: Rep. Cedric Richmond Orleans Parish Judicial Endorsements: Judge Civil District Court, Domestic Section 1 – Judge Bernadette D’Souza Judge Civil District Court, Domestic Section 2 - Janet Ahern Judge Civil District Court, Division D – Nakisha Ervin-Knott Judge Civil District Court, Division F – Judge Chris Bruno Judge Criminal District Court, Division D - Graham Bosworth Judge Criminal District Court, Division G - Byron Williams Judge Juvenile Court, Section E - Dual Endorsement: Niki Roberts and Cynthia Samuels Forum for Equality PAC was founded in 1989 and is dedicated to good govern-
has raised almost $5M for Project Lazarus. We are one of the only 100% donation/ volunteer event weekends left in the United states. Ambush has also been a corporate sponsor for the past 25 years. Now let’s get to the line-up for the long weekend. On Thursday they host the Lazarus Ball presented by Boomtown Casino New Orleans at the US Freedom Pavilion: The Boeing Center at WWII from 7:30-11:30pm. There is a silent auction, music and food. This is a swanky event so black tie is preferred. Then on Friday there is a Neon Underground dance party at Republic Nightclub from 9pm-2am with DJ Blacklow. There is VIP Lounge for Hosts and Patrons at this event as well as the one on Saturday. The big night is Saturday with Descent: The Inferno, the main event and costume contest parade across the stage (costumes required). This massive dance party has DJ Tristan Jaxx and takes place from 10pm-4am. The weekend ends on Sunday with Paradise Brunch and Second Line at the House of Blues from 1-4pm. There will be Jazz and Gospel Entertainment and ends with a Second Line from HOB to corner of Bourbon and St. Ann at Official Bar Sponsor Oz. All the events are open bar. For more information, go to www.halloweenneworleans.com.
sexploits of a very gorgeous space vixen. This event that is brimming with fabulosity takes place on Saturday, October 25 starting at 7pm at Mags 940 which is at 940 Elysian Fields. The Hair Ball offers a Creative Hair and Make-Up Design competition where some of New Orleans and the South’s most talented hair stylists and make-up artists dual it out on stage in a battle to win the title of being the most artistic at what they do. This event is a charity fundraiser to raise money for hair stylist Jeffrey Guillory, who was involved in a very bad car accident leaving him hospitalized for weeks. His stay as well as his rehab is costing huge sums of money. All the proceeds of the Hair Ball are raised in honor of Jeffrey Guillory to help him through this trying time. I cannot think of a better reason to attend. There will be raffles all night with some great prizes from hair salons, local artists, clothing boutiques, bar tabs, and jewelry designers, as well as a costume contest to see who where’s the best costume dealing with the theme “Barbarella and the SPACE INVADERS.” The winner will get cash and a wonderful prize package. The incomparable Princesse Stephaney will lend her talents for the evening. Showtime is 8pm and tickets are $10.
Enjoy A Hair-Raising Night
Get Your Pre-Party On!
Get ready for the third annual Hair Ball and the theme for this year’s costume contest is “Barbarella and the SPACE INVADERS”. This is so exciting; I absolutely adore the Jane Fonda movie about the
I love attending a soiree for a great cause and one is coming up soon. The National Kidney Foundation of Louisiana is hosting the 24th Annual New Orleans Lib-
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Naquin-Delains Make The New York Times ment and equal rights for all in Louisiana. For more information, www.ForumForEqualithy.org.
Ambush Mag Receives 2014 Louisiana Excellence Award The US Institute for Advancement of Trade & Commerce notified Ambush Mag that it has been recognized as a 2014 Louisiana Excellence Award recipient for Media and Internet. The panel of industry executives and consultants oversees an annual survey commissioned by the USIATC on various industries and determines which companies meet and exceed the industry benchmarks that have been set forth. Ambush Mag was one of those selected this year. (www.USIATC.org)
Writer Rena Silverman wrote "Same-Sex Couples, at Ease at Home" appearing on Spirit Day, October 16, 2014 in The New York Times. It covers author/photographer Sage Sohier's project which culminated with "At Home with Themselves: Same-Sex Couple in 1980s America." The book and exhibition is currently on view at the Blue Sky gallery in Portland, Oregon. According to Silverman, "She (Sohier) had embarked on the project in the summer of 1986, when fear and hysteria over AIDS still had some people wondering if the disease could be spread by casual contact. That prompted her to think about the lives of homosexual men and women, not just those affected by the disease. 'All these men were dying of AIDS and it was heartbreaking,” Ms. Sohier said. “And I was thinking about my gay friends and the gay community, and that provided an extremely poignant backdrop against which to photograph these couples.'" Ambush publishers Rip and Marsha Naquin-Delain appear in photo 9 of 20 in the article available at: http://lens.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/10/16/same-sex-couples-at-easeat-home/. For more on Sage Sohier, visit: www.sagesohier.com.
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under the gaydar ...from 12 erty Mutual Insurance Invitational Party and Auction, locally presented by Bryan Subaru and Harrah’s New Orleans on Saturday, November 1 at Harrah’s New Orleans. The event is from 6-9pm and features entertainment by Gina Brown, Anutha Level with special guest performance by MJ of New Orleans. This event is a huge opportunity to obtain some wonderful silent suction gifts while having an amazing time with some incredible people. Tickets are $25 at the door or you can buy in advance at http:// 2014harrahspreevent.brownpapertickets.com. With your ticket, you get hors d’oeuvres, a gourmet dessert station, open bar (my favorite two words) and a premier auction. Make it a point to come out and celebrate for the National Kidney Foundation.
Enjoy a Bad Habit! Artists David Ford is sending out a special invitation to the LGBT Community to see his upcoming show during P3. His immersive performance installation, now a satellite exhibition of Prospect 3, is seldom open to the public or gallery format and promises to blur the art contact point. David is presenting “La Adoración de MAXIMON,” a passion play dedicated to the patron saint of bad habits. There will be a show on Tuesday, October 28 from 6pm to midnight at Barrister’s Gallery located at 2331 St. Claude Avenue. The 15th year of Ford’s project, MAXIMON - Black Butterfly or SAN SIMON is the guide for this interdisciplinary civic performance held annually on October 28th. MAXIMON sits immobilized in an altar receiving offerings of vice (e.g. tobacco, alcohol, drugs, promiscuity…) from the community, drawing hundreds yearly to expose their weaknesses to a stranger in a cross-cultural spiritual setting. Actors create a framing device for “the saint” blurring the art contact point to activate this performance. Ford seeks to implicate the viewer in a collective search for meaning, initiating collaborations with clergy, exotic dancers, second line bands, and Mayan Indians. MAXIMON highlights the backward days in the Mayan calendar and finds a place for dark activities without judgment. Vices and vocations associated with them are an aspect of the human condition. Through acknowledging the incongruities that this poses in a socially responsible society and placing them within devotional parameters the performance alleviates the ostracization of individuals within such a society.
Celebrate All Saints Day In Style Join Alex and Allyson Grey and ThirdEye Productions in New Orleans this Halloween weekend for New Orleans premier Masquerade Event, The Deities and Demons Ball: A Celestial Circus on Saturday, November 1 from 10:30pm to 4:30am. This all night party will take place at the historic Carver Theater at 2101 Orleans Avenue. There will be live painting and book signing by Alex and Allyson Grey, music by David Starfire, Thriftworks, saQi, MiKHAL, Anna Langley, as well as a host of musical special guests and performers, and The Celestial Circus Side-Show and Gallery. VIP tickets available. For more information, check them out on Facebook.
Party Down October is my favorite month not only because of my birthday and Halloween, but it is also full of great events and parties. Monday kicked the week off with the ribbon cutting of the Southern Food and Beverage Museum located on Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard. The SoFaB Museum is a nonprofit living history organization dedicated to the discovery, understanding and celebration of the food, drink and the related culture of the South. The museum originally opened in 2008 at the Riverwalk Marketplace before moving to its current location. While based in New Orleans, the Museum examines and celebrates all the cultures that have come together through the centuries to create the South’s unique culinary heritage. It brings all races and ethnicities to the table to tell the tale, from the farmer and the homemaker to the line cook and the celebrity chef. The Southern Food and Beverage Museum celebrates, interprets, investigates, entertains and preserves. A collaboration of many, the Museum allows food lovers of all stripes – Southerners and non-Southerners, locals and tourists, academics and food industry insiders — to pull up their chairs and dig into the food and drink of the South. "And although we are based in New Orleans, we are bringing our message about the entire South to the world through exhibits, collection of oral histories and videos, and other research." They examine the food and drink of the South in all its aspects; the many ethnicities – African-American and Caribbean, French and German, etc. — that have combined to create unique Southern food and drink traditions; the farmers, fishermen, and hunters and gatherers who have produced the food; the processors, inventors, chefs and business people who run the restaurants and stock our stores with Southern products, and the home cooks and families who have passed down recipes and food traditions for generations. The place is an amazing new addition to our cultural scene. The weekend came with an abundance of festivities starting on Friday with Armeinius/Amon Ra mixer at Armeinius’ den. These krewe gatherings that Armeinius hosts at their spacious den with an outdoor entertainment space complete with decking, seating areas and bar have become popular ways to start your Friday evening. There was a big crowd who kicked off their weekend. Next some friends and I went to the Foundation Room at the House of Blues for a few cocktails. Recently I became a member of this prestigious private club thanks to a wonderful auction Arthur Sevario had at a private event he did during Southern Decadence. With my new membership, I get access to not only the club in NOLA, but all the Foundation Rooms around the country (Vegas here I come). We ended our night celebrating Tami Tarmac’s triumphant return of the Cougar Cabaret. Tami, you are a wonderful performer. Saturday was all about the art as a group of us went to Art For Arts Sake stroll through Magazine, Royal and Julia Streets. We began our evening on Magazine Street enjoying the parties, shops and galleries. All the places open their doors and serve cocktails as guests meander up and down the thoroughfare. Many of the places have live bands or DJs adding to the festive environment. After dropping a few dollars there, we went to Julia Street to see some
more galleries and the exhibits at the Contemporary Arts Center. We ended our night with a private little fete at Contessa Breaux’s housewarming party. She has left the Avenue (St. Charles that is). Talk about sexy, martinis and munchies in a loft style apartment downtown was the perfect final touch to the night. Sunday was all about me when I hosted an intimate birthday social at the Leggio Estate in the Marigny. Thank you to everyone who came to wish me thirty-five years (give or take 10) young. I especially want to thank my favorite bartender Jake and my sultry doorman Daniel who brought the eye candy to the night. Rose and I thank you for sharing a special day with us. The next week after recuperating on Monday, I went to an astonishing dining experience on Tuesday to Restaurant R’evolution in the Royal Sonesta. If you have not been this eatery is owned by chefs John Folse and Rick Tramonto. The food and atmosphere at this place blends together nicely to make a special event out of your dinner. Their Death By Gumbo is also to die for. On Wednesday I went to a Bizou Wine tasting at this cool venue in the city called Race and Religion (which are the cross streets). This indoor/outdoor space is an ideal location for private events with its rustic charm and unique design. Then a friend took me to dinner at the newly reformatted restaurant The Bistreaux at the Maison Dupuy Hotel in the French Quarter. Their new menu is superb with some old favorites but some delicious new selections. There was also a very sexy singer/ guitarist who was performing that night. The following night, Biz Magazine had a successful launch party at The Little Gem Saloon. The reintroduction of this business publication back to the city after a hiatus following Katrina is a telling sign of the city’s growing prosperity. I work downtown and live in the Marigny and it is of recent that I felt the winds of change blowing in our city. We are slowly turning into a real metropolis with thriving distinct neighborhoods and increasing industry. Congrats to Biz for not only coming back but for hosting a rocking shindig at one of my favorite music/restaurants in the city. Friday night was a celebration of our history when I attended the “Praying for a Miracle” gala at the Ursuline Convent for the opening of their new Battle of New Orleans exhibit. As you may be aware 2015 will mark the 200th anniversary of this famous conflict and the nuns at the convent played a vital role (or so the story goes) in their victory. There was an Andrew Jackson lookalike roaming around taking photos with guests and New Orleans famous son Ronnie Kole tickling the ivories. There was lots of food and tasty beverage during this lovely evening that solidified in my mind, that our city is one founded on miracles and dreams. Saturday night was a very quiet evening with dinner with mom and friends at Austin’s Steakhouse in Metairie. If you have not been to this fine dining establishment in suburbia, you are missing out. The food, service and atmosphere were divine. And was the best way ease into the next day Sunday when I leave for Vegas. So look out next month when Ambush goes on the road to the Ultimate Sin City.
A Special Halloween Treat Since Halloween is the season of the
witch, I discovered a spooky Louisiana legend that I had never heard of before thanks to WGNO meteorologist, Hank Allen who was featured on American Super/Natural on The Weather Channel. Who knew the weather Channel was becoming must see TV. The episode focused on the legend of Julie Brown and featured interviews with local residents, recreations of first-person accounts, and testimonies from experts (that would be cutie Hank). Now I always found our swamps to be beautifully eerie places and the perfect setting for a scary story. According to local folklore, a mysterious woman named Julie Brown, a Creole voodoo priestess, cursed the little town of Frenier in 1915. This woman used to sing strange songs about the day she died. These songs said that when she died, she would take the whole town with her. When she died, many people attended her funeral. A massive hurricane came through that day and triggered a 30 foot tidal wave which killed most of the townspeople many that were attending Ms. Brown’s funeral. Everyone who attended her funeral was buried in a mass grave in the swamp along with Julie Brown. Now to the scary part, it is said that those who were killed this day still haunt the swamp. People hear screams at night supposedly from the hurricane victims and Julie Brown herself. Coincidence or actual haunting, no one will ever know. The show: “American Super/Natural” gives viewers a never-before-seen look into the Earth sciences as seen through the origins of Americana’s most frightening legends. Whether it’s a bad moon rising or a wicked wind blowing, this series peels back the layers of terrifying tales, examining their origins, the fascinating geographic and meteorological elements, and the modern day experiences told by the people who lived through them.
To Quote a Queen In a special nod to the holiday and a very special gay actor who has been in New Orleans filming seasons three and four of "American Horror Story," I thought some quotes by Denis O’ Hare would be appropriate for Halloween. This month he was seen on stage in the "Iliad" at the Contemporary Arts Center. In addition to playing in the "American Horror Story" series, he was the very evil gay vampire Russell Edgington who had some of the show’s finniest and deliciously wicked scenes. Enjoy and Happy Halloween. “I somewhat resist the whole gay rightsvampire rights metaphor because it is fraught with problems. I don’t want to be seen as a gay man as a blood-sucking killer. I don’t think it is the way to win hearts and minds.” “I love monsters, I love creatures, I love beings, I love aliens. That’s more supernatural and more the stuff of fairy tales. Fairy tales are as ancient as we are. I love those stories. I think they’re really interesting because they always have more than simply the fright aspect. There’s something deeply psychological.” The rest are just a few of Denis’ great lines from True Blood: “You are in my house, Mr. Compton. Put your fangs away!” “It’s like Armageddon in here every time someone chips a dessert glass.” “The last time you had any real money, you ended up at the slots in Biloxi, slaughtering a church group of elderly women.”
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moments in gay new orleans history by Frank Perez E-mail: f.perez@sbcglobal.net Photo by: Larry Graham, GrahamStudioOne.COM
“October is LGBT History Month” In 1994, a 29 year old high school social studies teacher in St. Louis, Missouri, named Rodney Wilson did something remarkable. After teaching a lesson about the Holocaust, Wilson came out to his class by telling them the Nazis could have killed him too for being gay. He then did something even more remarkable; he proposed that a month be devoted to Gay and Lesbian history. Wilson recalled his motivation for making the proposal in a 2013 interview with Colin Murphy, “I believe it’s important to know one’s history – personal, family, local, state, national, species – including the history of people like oneself. As an undergraduate and as a budding history teacher at Mehlville High School, I was inspired by Carter G. Woodson, who founded Negro History Week in 1926. When I typed up the proposal that October 1994 be declared the first-ever LGBT History Month, I hoped to do for the LGBT community what Woodson had done for African-Americas, which was make LGBT history more accessible.” The idea for a Gay and Lesbian History Month (now LGBT History Month) was quickly endorsed by a number of national LGBT organizations including GLAAD, the Human Rights Campaign, the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, as well as by the National Education Association. President Bill Clinton declared June 2000 “Gay & Lesbian Pride Month.” Nine years later President Barack Obama declared June 2009 Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month. In 2006, LGBT History Month came under the charge of the Equality Forum, an international LGBT rights advocacy group. The group’s website, http:// www.lgbthistorymonth.com/, features 31 LGBT icons (one for each day of the month) in a short biographical video. The site also contains graphics, posters, and ideas for celebrating LGBT history. Last year Governor Jerry Brown of California signed historic legislation that mandates the teaching of LGBT history in California schools. California is the only state to enact such legislation. Why October? Wilson thought October would be good because October 11 is National Coming Out Day. Also, the 1979 National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights occurred in October. And is LGBT History Month being celebrated in New Orleans? Not really. Some groups and perhaps a few individuals will acknowledge the month on their Facebook pages or other social media outlets. But there is no official Governmental proclamation— certainly not one from our homophobic Governor. I suppose the Mayor might issue a proclamation if someone bothered to ask him. For a city so in love with its history, one would think the LGBT community would be more in touch with its own. It is, after all, a very rich, colorful history. One organization that is trying to preserve and share our collective history is the recently formed LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana. The mission of the Project is to promote and encourage the protection and preservation of materials that chronicle the culture and history of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, & Transgender Community in Louisiana. The Archives Project purposes include: educating the community on the importance of ensuring that LGBT+ historical materials are archived and made available for future generations to access, research, & study; promoting the proper maintenance and preservation of historical LGBT+ materials; providing an informational directory of archival resources where LGBT+ historical materials may be deposited or accessed for research and study; indexing, publishing, and maintaining a current list of locations of archived historical LGBT+ materials; developing financial resources to assist in the preservation and availability of certain LGBT+ collections. To learn more about the LGBT+ Archives Project of Louisiana, please visit http://www.lgbtarchivesla.org/missionpurpose/.
Club New Orleans Closes after 45 Years One of the most enduring gay institutions in New Orleans, Club New Orleans, the gay bathhouse at 515 Toulouse Street in the French Quarter, has closed. In early September, Club New Orleans was sold to Jonathan Weber, son of Jax Brewery developer Earl Weber, for $2 million. Weber plans to convert the building into luxury condominiums. The four story exposed brick Transitional style townhouse dates to circa 1830. For 45 years, Club New Orleans afforded locals and visitors alike a refuge to escape the straight world and explore their sexuality. And a place to work out, too. Early last year, longtime manager Gene Adams retired. His successor, Robbie Martin, gave the Club a makeover by modernizing facility. Adams returned after Martin resigned. Bathhouse culture reached its peak during the glory years of the 1970s only to face potential extinction during the 1980s because of the AIDS epidemic. In the 2000s, many bathhouses closed as gay men discovered the ease of getting laid via the internet. Club New Orleans’ longevity is remarkable considering the declining number of bathhouses nationwide. Over the years, Club New Orleans was not only a fixture in the local gay community, it also gave back to the community in the form of charitable donations, many thousands of dollars over the years.
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Dillon on the bar @ Corner Pocket
Monique Michaels in Divas R Us @ The Golden Lantern
Tami Tarmac @ The Golden Lantern in Divas R Us
Mercedez L'Oreal on stage @ Oz Ilaynnah Eve on stage @ Tulane Ave Bar Host Barry Bareass joins dancer Caleb @ The Corner Pocket
Klorocks Bleachman, Princesse Stephaney & Regina Adams in the Lantern’s Friday Retro Revue
Monalot Fontaine on stage @ Oz Always exciting @ Tulane Avenue Bar
Corner Pocket dancer Mike
Athena Jewelle in Tami Tarmac’s Cougar Cabaret
Lisa Beaumann on stage @ Oz
Dancer Ben & host Barry Bareass with Zingo winners @ The Corner Pocket Rikki Redd stars in Divas R Us Saturdays @ The Golden Lantern
snap paparazzi
Connie Hung on stage @ Oz
Mikey, one of The Corner Pocket dancers
Tiffany Alexander in Divas R Us @ The Golden Lantern
Tami Tarmac hosts the Cougar Cabaret
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Montre, Montre, Montre (Shows, Shows, Shows) ~ New Orleans ~ Photos by Tony Leggio, Paul Melancon, Hubert S Monkeys, Rip Naquin
Oz Host Persana Shoulders welcomes you to Wednesday night shows @ Oz
Miss Louisiana Leatherette Mona Del Rose & Kurt Hebert @ Tulane Avenue Bar
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spotlight feature (details pages 4, 22)
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chop chop by Rip & Marsha Naquin-Delain Email: marsha@ripandmarsha.com
Dining in The Big Easy for Halloween
Chargrilled Oysters
Fried Green Tomatoes
There are so many wonderful festivities to partake this Halloween in New Orleans. But don't forget the incredible culinary array available to you not only in the French Quarter, but the Marigny and Bywater as well, plus out in Metairie. Ambush recommends fourteen great eateries to curb any hunger desires you may have, and of course, many serve up cocktails, a must have in The Big Easy.
Retrouvailles Bistro, A Culinary Oasis on Bourbon Street You can imagine our surprise when stepping through the doors at Retrouvailles Bistro, 700 Bourbon Street, to find a beautiful bar serving craft cocktails where the kitchen once stood at the former Embers Steak House. Housed in a 2 story historic building on the corner of Bourbon and St. Peter, it definitely sets the tone for a good dining experience. There's a dining room to the rear of the bar on the first floor, and upstairs are dining rooms, and more importantly, a gigantic sweeping balcony overlooking Bourbon Street with the most coveted seats in the house. Imagine having a leisurely dinner with cocktails while experiencing the festive action only World famous Bourbon Street can offer below. And cocktails is where we began with very dirty, very dry Skyy martinis which were perfect, getting our dinner off to a great start. After perusing the extensive menu created by Executive Chef Jason Routzahn, we decided on two appetizers, Chargrilled Oysters and Fried Green Tomatoes. Both were good, but the tomatoes stole the show with Wasabi infused goat cheese honey bur blanc, quite a twist on this popular New Orleans dish. It was hard to choose an entree with such an unusual selection. The Vieux Carre' Ribeye was an impressive 20 oz. bone in ribeye cooked to a perfect medium rare topped with a succulent Cajun butter, and an out of this world balsamic glazed bacon wrapped asparagus, tender crisp. The Blackened Redfish Pontchartrain was quite a surprise topped with an extremely generous portion of a tasty crawfish Creole sauce. The large blackened fillet was one of the best we've had, but that crawfish sauce was an experience in itself, just delicious. On the other hand, The F'sho Flat Iron was another sensation. The tasty steak was served on top of some impeccable crab risotto, and topped with giant well seasoned grilled shrimp. Wow is all we can say! Retrouvailles is definitely a culinary oasis on World famous Bourbon Street. The restaurant also serves pasta, duck and much more. Bar hours Mon.-Sun. 11am-11pm, dinner Mon.-Sun. 5-11pm, lunch Fri.-Sun. 11am-3pm. Phone 504.523.1485. Metairie Restaurant Guide Chef Ron's Gumbo Stop & Pub, 2309 N. Causeway Blvd., 835.2022, GumboStop.com, is a quaint eatery serving five different gumbos, New Orleans favorites, house specials, specialty sandwiches, daily specials, appetizers and desserts all prepared by award winning Chef Ron Iafrate. Open Mon-Sat. 11am-9pm, closed Sunday.
New Orleans Restaurant Guide 801 Royal: NOLA Food & Spirits, 801 Royal St., 581.0801, 801Royal.com, located between Jackson Square and Bourbon Street on the corner of famous Royal Street and St. Ann, 801 Royal serves authentic New Orleans cuisine and cocktails 7 days a week in the heart of the French Quar-
ter! With 2 big screen TVs, a full bar and kitchen, the eatery has whatever you are looking for, whether it’s “drinks to go” or you prefer to dine in! Restaurant hours: Mon.-Fri. 11am-12midnight, Sat. & Sun. 9am-12midnight; bar hours: Mon.-Fri. 11am til, Sat. & Sun. 9am til. Clover Grill, 900 Bourbon St., 598.1010, CloverGrill.COM, is open 7 days. and features breakfast including build your own omelettes. But let’s not forget their fab burgers grilled right under a hub cap and then there’s all those sandwiches, sides, desserts and shakes. Country Club Restaurant, 634 Louisa St., 945.0742, TheCountryClubNewOrleans.COM.
Vieux Carre' Ribeye
Blackened Red Fish Pontchartrain
The F'sho Flat Iron The chef has paid attention to detail and ingredient, and focused on a more contemporary menu at an even more affordable price point. Still the best food, but at even more unbelievable value! Serving 7 days 11am-10pm and Sunday Brunch 11am-3pm. Deanie's Seafood, French Quarter: 841 Iberville, 581.4141; Bucktown: 1713 Lake Ave., Metairie, 831.1316; Deanies.COM. Featured on the Travel
Channel’s “Man v. Food,” Deanie’s signature BBQ Shrimp served the New Orleans way--jumbo head-on Louisiana Shrimp served in our unique blend of seasonings with a crusty baguette. For 50 years Deanie's has been serving huge portions of the best boiled, broiled and fried seafood in New Orleans. [continued on 26]
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chop chop ...from 24
Shrimp & Grits (made with an amber ale served breakfast, lunch & dinner) @ Horn's, 1940 Dauphine St.
Fatoush Mediterranean Grill, Coffee House & Juice Bar, 2372 St. Claude Ave., #130, 504.371.5074, FatoushRestaurantNOLA.COM, is truly a fresh new restaurant with a 23-year history of serving New Orleans and guests from all over the world. Think of Fatoush as a combination coffee house, herbal teahouse, natural juice bar, and organic restaurant offering a unique selection of the richest and healthiest foods from around the world. Handcrafted dishes that contain only the finest natural ingredients and a variety of cuisines and innovative taste offer thrills that are appealing, exciting, and best of all, healthy. Open 7am10pm daily serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. Gene's Po-Boys, 1040 Elysian Fields, 943.3861, is famous for its New Orleans style sandwiches chockful of ingredients.
Hot Appetizer Platter @ Fatoush Mediterranean Grill, Coffee House & Juice Bar, 2372 St. Claude Ave., #130
New Orleans Muffuletta @ Restaurant/Deli of the Year Quartermaster: The Nellie Deli, 1100 Bourbon St.
Horn’s, 1940 Dauphine St., 459.4676, is keeping with the tradition of a neighborhood restaurant with a mixture of classic New Orleans dishes and comfort food to pass the time away in this 160 year old corner cottage with an awning to watch the day and night parades of people passing by with a cocktail or a delicious cup of coffee. Serving dinner Thurs.-Mon., breakfast & lunch Thurs.-Tues., closed Wed. Lil Vic's Rosticceria, 719 Toulouse, 304.1238, is a great stop in the Quarter for homemade gelato, pastries, espresso, Sicilian style small plates, and pizza focaccia. It's the new late night spot open til 2am Fridays and Saturdays. Open Sun. - Thurs. 7am11pm, Fri. & Sat. 7am - 2am.
World Famous Hamburger @ Clover Grill, 900 Bourbon St.
Bayou Scampi (shrimp sauteed in wine, garlic & fresh tomatoes with jazzmen rice) @ Chef Ron's Gumbo Stop, 2309 N. Causeway Blvd., Metairie
extensive wine list with 200 selections, and delicious food including soups, salads, appetizers, entrees and house made desserts that will delight any palate. Open daily at 4pm serving dinner Sun.-Thurs. 5-10:30pm, Fri.-Sat. 5-11pm. Quartermaster: The Nellie Deli, 1100 Bourbon St., 529.1416, QuartermasterDeli.NET, voted Restaurant/Deli of the Year, is open 24 hours 7 days. Serving breakfast, lunch, dinner and late night menu, the deli offers free delivery. Retrouvailles Bistro & Balcony Dining, 700 Bourbon St., 523.1485, is a 2 story historic building on the corner of Bourbon and St. Peter, offering the largest balcony dining on Bourbon with all kinds of entrees from steaks, seafood, pasta, duck and much more. Bar hours Mon.-Sun. 11am-11pm, dinner Mon.-Sun. 5-11pm, lunch Fri.-Sun. 11am-3pm.
Orleans Grapevine Wine & Bar Bistro, 720 Orleans, 523.1930, is located in a beautiful renovated 1809 building offering a pleasant atmosphere,
The Ruby Slipper Cafe, 2001 Burgundy, TheRubySlipperCafe.Net, 525.9355, is a delightful eatery serving breakfast, lunch and brunch. It has an unusual array of breakfast specialties including Eggs Blackstone, Croque Madame, Bananas Foster Pain Perdu; signature sandwiches, and entree salads. The restaurant is rated “Very Good to Excellent” in the Zagat guide as well as Favorite Place to Eat Breakfast or Lunch in New Orleans Magazine Tops of the Town 2012 Awards. Open weekdays 7am–2pm, Saturdays 8am–2pm and Sundays 8am–3pm, closed Wednesday.
Soft Shell Crab BLT (flash fried crab, BLT & Cajun mayo on brioche bread served with red beans & rice) @ Retrouvailles Bisto, 700 Bourbon St.
Oysters Earl (fresh Gulf oysters baked with aged asiago cheese & applewood smoked bacon) @ Orleans Grapevine Wine & Bar Bistro, 720 Orleans
Mona Lisa Restaurant, 1212 Royal St., 522.6746, features Italian specialties including salads, pizzas, sandwiches and both lunch and dinner entrees. Open Mon.-Thurs. 5-10pm, Fri.-Sun. 11am-10pm.
Shrimp, Andouille & Stoneground Grits @ The Country Club, 634 Louisa St.
Arancini (fried rice balls coated with breadcrumbs& filled with ragù-meat sauce, tomato sauce, mozzarella, and peas) @ Lil Vic's Rosticceria, 719 Toulouse
Special Combo Pizza (pepperoni, Italian sausage, ham, onions, mushrooms, green peppers & black olives with jalapenos & anchovies optional) @ Mona Lisa Restaurant, 1212 Royal St.
Laignappe Basket (combination of shrimp, oysters, catfish & crawfish tails served with coleslaw, crawfish fritter & remoulade sauce) @ 801 Royal: NOLA Food & Spirits, 801 Royal
Croque Madame (grilled ham & swiss sandwich on housemade challah bread, topped with a fried egg, finished with a mornay sauce) @ The Ruby Slipper, 2001 Burgundy St.
BBQ Shrimp @ Deanie's Seafood, French Quarter: 841 Iberville; Bucktown: 1713 Lake Ave., Metairie
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out & about/mobile Miss B-Bob's Nov. 2
Birthdays, Stars, Fundraisers ~ Mobile, Alabama ~ Photos by Miss Cie & John
Happy Birthday to B-Bob’s proprietor Jerry Ehlen
The 2014 Miss B-Bob’s Pageant is set for Sunday, November 2 in downtown Mobile. Miss Gay America 2006 Nicole Du Bois is slated to emcee the affair, and Miss B-Bob’s 2013 Obsinity Ity from Nashville, TN, will be on hand to do her final walk and give up the crown. Obsinity Ity is noted for her famous Reba impersonation! Winner takes home a whopping $500, and another $100 on her 2015 return. 1st Runner-up wins $150. There are 4 competitive categories including Presentation, Evening Gown, Question & Answer, and Talent. Entry fee is $125. The Theme for Presentation is emulate your favorite celebrity! Located at 213 Conti, the pageant begins promptly at 10pm.
mobile Hostess @ B-Bob’s, Miss Jawakatema Davenport
paparazzi
NEXT Ambush DEADLINE Wednesday, Feb. 13 504.522.8049 marsha@ripandmarsha.com
Kicking Cancer with Jack Pierre
Reba Douglas performing @ B-Bob’s
Happy Birthday Eugene
Happy Birthday Jayme, with Miss Cie & Corey
“Cancer, you don’t know Jack” Fundraiser @ B-Bob’s
Cory & Amber Douglas @ Flip Side Bar
Hello Weston & Maury
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trodding the boards by Brian Sands
Email: bsnola2@hotmail.com
Oxblood at City Park’s Grow Dat Youth Farm through November 23 A light drizzle was coming down when I arrived in City Park for Oxblood. It evolved into heavier rain before abating and drove off two audience members. But ultimately this small nuisance merely added to the wondrous atmosphere of this new outdoor performance piece. The innovative theater ensemble New Noise has taken up residency in a fallow field to tell the story of Rose (Bonnie Gabel) and Laurel (Kylie Arceneaux), estranged sisters reunited in rural Georgia after their centuries-old family home has burned to the ground. While Rose’s husband Jacob (Phil Cramer) loses himself working on the scarred farmland, the two sisters grapple over its uncertain future. It is a simple tale, one that you’ve probably heard before, of one sibling (Laurel) who has stayed close to ancestral land while the other (Rose) went off to the big city, in this case Memphis. But New Noise’s marvelous melding of dance, theater, music and movement gives it a new immediacy. Working from Cramer and Bear Hebert’s script, Director Joanna Russo has seamlessly blended together Composer Brendan Connelly’s evocative score, a mixture of folk and bluegrass with tinges of both New Age and more traditional church music, and Angelle Hebert’s muscular choreography with its ballet, modern dance and Martha Graham influences. Against the open vista, which includes trees dripping with Spanish moss off in the distance, A. Hebert wonderfully uses the large space, amply filling it with just three people. Hebert, whose work in Macbeth I admired earlier this year, utilizes abstract movements to convey underlying, often subtle, emotions. At times, action occurs simultaneously close to and far from the audience, the shift in focus giving Oxblood a cinematic sweep. Cramer and B. Hebert employ Biblical quotations and themes which bestow a timelessness upon their story. If talk of the land especially resonates in the beautiful vastness of development-free City Park, the authors are nothing if not clear-eyed; “Small town life is not Romantic,” says Laurel. Amidst mostly declarative lines (“Farming is a labor of the Lord.” “This is the place your body belongs.”), the phrase describing the family home before lighting struck it, “A house decorated like a ballad,” was particularly poetic. Connelly’s occasionally eerie and consistently phenomenal score is played and sung to haunting perfection by Renee Anderson, Daron Douglas, and Eli Timm who mostly stand, sheltered, off to the side but are an integral part of Oxblood. Arceneaux, Cramer, and Gabel give fearless, committed performances that fully convey the complexity of their intertwined relationships. I did not envy them having to roll around in the muddy field, but they seemed to hold nothing back. Joan Long’s statuesque hulk of the burned family home, with its fireplace chimney looming, forcefully conveys the monumentality of what was lost. Despite a running time of only an hour, Oxblood might benefit from a little nip-andtucking here and there; a ritualistic section involving all six performers did break up the narrative flow. And observations about slavery and what the Europeans did to Native Americans, while completely valid, come off as somewhat preachy in a way the rest of the text avoids. Such quibbles aside, however, Oxblood is one of the most impressive works to be created in New Orleans since another City Park resident five years ago, Loup Garou. Ducks flew overhead in formation, as rain gave way to a Turneresque sky of grays, whites and blues, and a rainbow appeared above. Can any other theater here offer that? Rain or shine, you’d be wise to make the trip to City Park for Oxblood.
The Mysterious Wisterias (through Nov. 23) and America’s Wartime Sweethearts: A Tribute to The Andrews Sisters (through June 24) at the WWII Museum’s Stage Door Canteen Two new productions recently opened at the WWII Museum’s Stage Door Canteen each of which merit distinguished service medals. For sheer entertainment pleasure, it’s one-two punch that can hardly be beat. The Mysterious Wisterias is a send-up of those classic mid-century mysteries where an assorted bunch of folks are trapped in an old mansion on a dark and stormy night and then bodies start piling up and it looks like one of them may be a murderer. Yikes! You may have been there, done that before (remember Murder by Death?) but Ricky Graham & Sean Patterson, who wrote the script, bring a zingy freshness, along with groaner jokes and terrible puns, that makes for a fun-filled 90 minutes. Add in over a dozen vintage tunes snazzily done and only a grinch could resist Wisterias’ charms. Patterson directs with flare, never letting the momentum flag and insuring that all the members of this krazy krewe have a chance to shine, and shine they all do. Tracey E. Collins, playing a matron with a taste for younger men, gets some of the best lines and bats them all out of the ballpark. Her version of Cole Porter’s Find Me a Primitive Man is a sheer delight. As a society reporter with grander ambitions, Trina Beck proves once again she’s an
A++ triple threat singer/dancer/actress. Matthew Mickal happily fulfills the demands of a vaudeville yukyuk comic and provides even more ridiculous amusement doing a Carmen Miranda number complete with fruit headdress. I tend to think of Brittney M. James as a dramatic actress from her Ambiewinning turn in Little Bit and had forgotten how fine a singer she is until she launched into Sing You Sinners. I won’t forget that again. James also brought a Hannah Rachal, Matthew Mickal, light comic touch to the mansion’s careBrittney M. James, Ricky Graham, taker. Tom Hook and Trina Beck in The Unlike his klutzy Andrews Brother Mysterious Wisterias in a previous Canteen show, Richard Arnold’s tuxedoed Italian gigolo with a secret or two is all suave allure, whether singing, dancing or just standing around looking handsome. With her fantastic voice that’s clear as crystal, Hannah Rachal, a face new to me, was the consummate incarnation of a ditzy blonde Broadway hopeful. I look forward to seeing more of her around town. That Musical Director Tom Hook tickled the ivories with his usual masterly touch came as no surprise, but in Wisterias he demonstrated he could act too. Okay, he may not be the next Olivier, but he certainly held his own among these pros. And then there’s Graham whose bewigged first entrance in a rose-colored and appliqued dress (one of the many delights of Kathleen Van Horn’s costumes) shows that drag—and not just silly drag—has a place at the WWII Museum. I don’t want to give away too much more, but Graham’s performance in toto is one of the best star turns this town has seen in a while. Heidi Malnar’s pert choreography gets laughs and seems just right for the period. As with most such dinner theater shows, The Mysterious Wisterias doesn’t traffic in deep thoughts or precise logic but its silly fun is a welcome antidote to all the recent bad headlines (Ebola, ISIS, etc.). Much the same, I suppose, as those escapist musicals and comedies were during World War II. A trio featured in many of those light-hearted films are spotlighted in America’s Wartime Sweethearts: A Tribute to The Andrews Sisters, a sprightly hour-long introduction to a group that virtually defined the decade. Following other such revues that paid tribute to Frank Sinatra and Louis Prima, the Canteen’s Director of Entertainment Victoria Reed has discovered just the right ratio of words to music for these entertainments. With over 30 numbers, the balance rightly tilts towards the music but along the way we learn that oldest sister Laverne was the only one who could read music; the trio recorded over 600 tunes, sold over 90 million records and was the best selling group during WWII; and that they were inspired by the Boswell Sisters of New Orleans. After covering songs like Alexander’s Ragtime Band, they scored their first hit with Bei Mir Bist Du Schön, the most popular song of 1938. From then on, they performed with some of the top bands in the land; joined Glenn Miller on his radio show; entertained troops all over the country; and appeared in countless movies. Reed’s supple direction unobtrusively keeps Sweethearts moving along fluidly while occasionally getting audience members involved, including yours truly, for a little light dancing with the featured performers, the Canteen’s in-house trio, the Victory Belles. Reed’s inclusion of clips from some of the Sisters’ films is a nice touch though some of them seemed slightly out of focus. Malnar’s choreography here is simple but period-appropriate and inventively enhances the vocals. With their creamy voices and terrific harmonies, the Belles (Shelbie Mac, Cristina Perez, Mandi Ridgdell) gorgeously recreate the sound of that era without slavishly imitating the Andrews Sisters. The three of them lovingly capture the stylistic differences of the Sisters, effortlessly shifting from a polka medley to a Latin one. Canteen veterans Perez and Ridgdell take Maxine’s high and Laverne’s low parts, respectively, leaving Patty’s leads to newcomer Mac, who’s an absolutely adorable blonde. Vocally, they’re all perfect; some missteps in the dancing I’m sure will be corrected once they get a few more performances under their belts. From Rum and Coca Cola to Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree and Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, four generations after these songs sat at the top of the hit Cristina Perez, Shelbie Mac & Mandi parade, they still hold up as archetypal Ridgdell in America's Wartime pop tunes. The Andrews Sisters may Sweethearts A Tribute to The have been “America’s Wartime SweetAndrews Sisters hearts,” but if there’s any justice, the catchy songs they made famous will live able at the Canteen. The wait staff is friendly on forever. and scrupulously professional and the food In addition to the outstanding enter[continued on 31] tainment, pre-show dining options are avail-
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is de-lish! Recent highlights included pumpkin soup, flank steak, seared chicken medallions, and a blood orange creme brulee before Wisterias, and a scrumptious seared red drum with court bouillon sauce that was part of the buffet before Sweethearts.
The Goodnight Show with John Calhoun at Café Istanbul Sure you could try to score tickets to The Tonight Show but for a fraction of the hotel and airfare you’d spend, why not head to Café Istanbul on the first Wednesday of the month to take in The Goodnight Show with John Calhoun, New Orleans’ live version of a late night chat show. Having heard about The Goodnight Show, I finally got to experience it at its third season premiere. I arrived at Café Istanbul to find it packed. Clearly, after two seasons TGS has developed an intensely loyal following. On stage was a coffin which The Goodnight Show Players used in their soap opera take-off skit As the Shrimp Boils. Once done with that and a live ad for Doerr Furniture, the provider of the simple set’s desk and sofa, announcer Benjamin Arthur Ellis introduced Calhoun who bounded onto the stage and into a monolog. Calhoun is an affable, well-prepared host, often starting a question with the phrase “You were telling me...” to draw stories out of his guests. Looking trim in a natty suit and tie, he seems like a throwback to the Mad Men era, a dapper uncle presiding over festivities at a family reunion. I sensed that he hides an inner child waiting to pop out; not sure about that, but for the finale he played a mean ukelele. Calhoun’s guests were an suitably assorted lot. Captain “Doc” Hawley, a river
a community within communities by The Rev. Bill Terry, Rector St. Anna’s Episcopal Church, New Orleans Email: fr.bill@stannanola.org
veteran of 60 years with a dry wit, reminisced about calliopes and the Great American Steamboat Race of 1975. Community activist Ed Buckner, a colorful character and last-minute fill-in for someone who cancelled, spoke about the Red Flame Hunters, the only Mardi Gras Indian Tribe composed of youths. The effervescent Tank and The Bangas was the musical guest (think Erykah Badu but sassier) and comedian J.D. Sledge did a funny set. The Players quartet did more sketches and ads between the guests, and Steve Walkup led the tight Goodnight Show Orchestra. Two hours went by very quickly. As I settled into my seat, unprompted, the lady next to me opined that TGS is the “best entertainment value in town.” I wouldn’t disagree. For a mere $10, you can be part of the studio audience and see for yourself.
“Hobgoblins” Puck that fanciful creature in “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” is alive and well in so many of us! One need only peruse YouTube to catch a glimpse of pranksters and tricksters. As the shadows draw longer lines and evening sun diminishes it is the season of hobgoblins! According to that great master work Wikipedia, “Hobgoblins seem to be small, hairy little men….” I suppose that this gives a whole new meaning to Bear Cubs! This same article goes on to explain that these troublesome little sprites
are members of the Seelie Court. The word “hob” comes from a part of the hearth that holds implements for cooking. But above all these wee folk are bound to be pranksters as well as household fixtures. So as the season brings us pranksters, delights at night, little and big hairy men, and all sorts of fairies fly about the darkened streets it is also time for some Autumnal announcements:
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the legal corner by Troy A. Tureau, J.D., L.LM., Attorney at Law Email: thelawprofessor@comcast.net
Michael Brown & Trayvon Martin: Thoughts on How to Prevent Your Name From Being Added to the List The images are everywhere. You turn on your television set and it seems that there is another report of a death of a young African-American male at the hands of the police, the very ones entrusted with the responsibility of protecting him. Or if a not a death, it’s images of an African-American man, Jamal Jones, in Hammond, Indiana being tazed by policemen after they smashed in his passenger window following his refusal to exit the car. All of this happened shortly after his friend Lisa Mahone, the driver, was stopped, for not wearing her seatbelt. (Jones, by the way, was wearing his seatbelt.) This all occurred as Mahone’s minor children watched from the backseat, screaming and crying in horror as shards of glass struck them. Luckily, the children were also videotaping the entire event with their cell phone – which is how we know that this happened. (By the way, federal courts have consistently ruled that under the First Amendment you do have a right to record the police in the course of their public duties, as long as you are not interfering with their job. And the police have no right to confiscate your camera or phone or delete its contents.) Although we don’t yet know (or might not ever know) the real events that transpired in the tragic Brown and Martin deaths, we do know what occurred in the Hammond, Indiana incident thanks to the videotape taken by the Mahone children. This gives us a perfect opportunity to discuss what almost seems like an epidemic lately in the unconstitutional and unimaginable treatment of minorities by police around our country. You might be asking yourself “what could have possibly happened to make a routine seatbelt traffic stop escalate
a community within ...from 31 Free Flu Shots are not just a gesture it is a way in which your community church, St. Anna’s gives back to the community that has so often shown support for the community programs called St. Anna’s Mobile Medical Unit and Anna’s Arts for Kids. Over the past two weeks free or donor based flu shots have been offered at Mag’s Bar and Cutter's Bar. BUT IT ISN’T TOO LATE! Lady nurse Di will be offering free or donation based shots at The Friendly Bar on October 24th from 4:30 until about 6pm. More shots will be offered sponsored by our local Walgreen’s on the big blue medical bus at 1313 Esplanade Ave. on Tuesday October 28th from 3pm til 6pm. Please help us to keep our neighborhoods healthy. YARD SALE!!! Let’s make ourselves a real community within communities and support S.A.M.M. and Anna’s Arts which will be hosting a YARD SALE on October 25th and 26th join us see the work at Dodwell House and pick up a thing or two. The lovely mansion is located at 1519 Esplanade Ave. If you wish to be a donor, drop by St. Anna’s with an item or two or call Darryl Durham at 504.947.2121. Proceeds go to support these vital neighborhood programs. Part of being a community within communities is being honest in what boundaries we cross. It is a two way street. A street has been crossed yet again and for this we are very grateful. The Big Easy Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence have decided to hold meetings at St. Anna’s Church. This is precisely what a community within communities does. The church facilities are for our community: rich or poor, gay or straight, regardless of color “all are welcomed none are shunned.” Such can be the only way in which we change our cityscape, our envi-
into a scene out of a movie?” The answer is a simple one – fear, plain and simple. When the stop occurred in the Hammond incident, after Mahone was issued a citation for not wearing her seatbelt, passenger Jones lowered his window slightly when speaking to the police but refused to step out of the vehicle as instructed. That is when the policemen broke the window with a club and used a Tazer on Jones. Jones has since stated that the reason he refused to leave the vehicle was “because he feared officers would harm him.” Hmmm…. Why in the world would an African-American man fear the police? It’s not as if images of that very same event (some even with hands up in surrender) haven’t become the norm lately. It is common knowledge that African-American males are all too often stereotyped and racially profiled. I think we can all agree that fear is exactly the emotion every single one of us would feel at that moment. Now, a few words about the police…. Every day policemen put their lives on the line in order to protect the public. They face unimaginable dangers and are overworked and underpaid. They deserve our gratitude ronment, and our biases by engagement and crossing the streets. It is long overdue for our communities to interact and to become more familiar with each other. Not at a distance but up close and personal. Not just at the bar but at the altar rail or perhaps the Parish Hall. We must engage in unification of our community with love and growing trust. If we cannot do this for our individual sake we must do so for the sake of the next generation. Finally, All Souls Day is approaching. This is an ancient day of remembering. Please access our litany of loved ones by allowing us to pray for your friends, lovers, and family who have passed away. Join us for this litany at 6pm on Monday, Nov. 3rd. You may send us your list of names via email or simply call the church and give the name to Luigi. Our email address is www.luigi@stannanola.org. It is our honor and privilege to offer prayers of remembrance for you. So, invite your favorite hobgoblin for a flu shot or a gently used piece from a church yard sale. Cross the street and be THE Community within Communities. Be safe this Halloween.
and our respect. While I sincerely want to believe that the majority of them are good people, trying to follow the law and protect the public, as in every profession, there are always the exceptions. Regardless of which you happen to encounter in any given situation, you would be wise to keep their training in the forefront of your mind. With that being said, conversations that I have had recently with former assistant district attorneys and criminal defense attorneys have made a few suggestions: 1. When dealing with the police, try your best to cooperate and follow their instructions; 2. When dealing with the police, make no sudden moves. (These could be misinterpreted as reaching for a weapon.) 3. When dealing with the police, narrate your movements. For example, “I’m getting my wallet out of my pocket” or “I’m opening my glove compartment in order to get my insurance papers.” Be certain to narrate before performing the action. 4. When speaking to the police, try your best to speak in a calm voice with a low tone. As silly as it sounds, be respectful. Answer them with “Yes, sir” or “Yes, ma’am.” 5. Do not be confrontational with the
police in the field. If they treat you improperly, report them to the Public Integrity Division. Unfortunately, suggestions on how to avoid a “Trayvon Martin type” situation where you are not dealing with a policeman are not as simple. The bottom-line is that if you are traveling through unfamiliar territory, remember the “buddy system.” While not fool-proof, there is safety in numbers. Hopefully one day soon, every police officer will have a camera on him or her. And while this will help in many situations, cameras don’t always catch everything. In the meantime, regardless of whether you are an African-American male, a member of the LGBT community or a heterosexual, following the suggestions above may just save your life or the life of someone you love. Stay safe! (These are the personal views of Troy A. Tureau, and nothing therein is intended to be legal advice of any kind. I invite your comments and questions.) Troy A. Tureau, J.D., L.LM., Attorney at Law, Compass & Tureau, LLC, 3801 Canal St., Suite 301, New Orleans, LA 70119, thelawprofessor@comcast.net 504.483.7777.
reviews by Frank Perez E-mail: f.perez@sbcglobal.net Photo by: Larry Graham, GrahamStudioOne.COM
Madame Vieux Carre: The French Quarter in the Twentieth Century Scott S. Ellis. Madame Vieux Carre: The French Quarter in the Twentieth Century. University Press of Mississippi, 2010. ISBN: 978-1-60473-358-7. 316 pages. As a lover of New Orleans and as a bibliophile, I love reading books about New Orleans. I’ve devoured hundreds of them. Many have become a part of me and these I revisit often. Scott Ellis’ Madame Vieux Carre: The French Quarter in the Twentieth Century is one such book. It is simply one of the best books on New Orleans history I have ever read. Ellis, a former long-time Quarter resident, draws upon his wealth of personal experience as well as five years of research to offer an imminently readable and thoroughly comprehensive history of the French Quarter in the Twentieth Century. Ellis is particularly adept at peeling back and exposing the many, many layers of the sacred district: the Sicilian influence at the beginning of the century, the impact of the closing of Storyville, the symbolism of the French Opera House and its destruction, the early preservation efforts in the 1920s and how they led to the creation of the Vieux Carre Commission, the literary salons and the Arts and Crafts Club, the evolution of vices such as gambling and prostitution, the threat of the Riverbank Expressway, the gradual formation of gay zones, the arrival of the big hotels, the transformation of Decatur Street, and the loss of Mardi Gras parades. Through it all, Ellis explains how the Quarter assumed various, and often simultaneous, roles—bastion of the Creoles, immigrant slum, live music enclave, domain of sex workers, political football, residential neighborhood, outdoor shopping mall, and tourist playground. Arranged chronologically in blocks of years, the book also features “Interludes,”
chapters that deal with timeless French Quarter issues—transportation, eccentric characters (such as Banjo Annie and Ruthie the Duck Girl), and tourism. Chapter 12, “Time and Life in the Quarter,” transcends the realm of engaging historical narrative and rises to the level of poetry. On the subject of neighborhood bars, Ellis writes, “Here is the extended family, here is where the gains are celebrated and losses grieved.” Royal Street is “the prime rib of Quarter shopping,” and if we wander around long enough, “The smells of decades of cooking and washing and of old wood, with a faint note of natural gas, surround us, and at some point, we journey to the Quarter of dreams that is always just across the threshold of waking life.” This book should appeal to anyone who loves New Orleans, and especially to anyone who has succumbed to the eternal charms of the Quarter. Carl Sagan famously said that books are “proof that humans are capable of working magic.” If that’s true, Ellis is Master Sorcerer because he has worked some serious magic with Madame Vieux Carre. Read it.
American Horror Story: Freak Show Freak Show, the latest installment in the American Horror Story anthology has arrived just in time for Halloween and Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk are dishing up some serious horror. And that horror has a name—Twisty the Clown. Clowns are inherently creepy and creating a scary clown
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wear it out by Johnny Joseph Delgadillo, Johnny Love E-mail: cuttingedgediva@yahoo.com
Our Big City Gay Wedding As many of us sit here in our city we call home wondering what in the heck is going on with this entire Same Sex Marriage thing there are those who are taking it upon themselves to leave town and “Get’ER Done” elsewhere. Last month two of our city's fabulous divas took it upon themselves to head for the big city of New York and get hitched in Central Park where a group of friends would meet up with them to witness and celebrate the event. I myself was trying to figure out how I would be able to get there but as the cash flow would have it I simply was not able but in one fabulous way I was able to be there. How might you ask. Ummmmm I made the smoking jackets they wore during the ceremony. What a honor that was. It all started one night while I was at a fundraiser in the patio at the Four Seasons Bar. Electra Citty one of the two getting married came up to me and asked me if I would be interested in making them their jackets for their wedding and of course I said yes without thinking a damn thing about it. What I didn’t think about was, HMMMMM! I have never made mens suits and tailoring for men is completely different than making evening gowns
reviews ...from 32 that will haunt audiences long after the show is over is no small feat, but Twisty fits the bill. The murderous Twisty promises to take an honored seat in the pantheon of disturbing clowns.
Part of Twisty’s mystique, in addition to not saying a word (Murphy and Falchuk have a fondness for mute characters, don’t they?), is that we don’t know how he figures into the overall plot of the series. The character, played by John Carroll Lynch, is not even listed on the show’s official website’s cast and crew link. Answers to the many questions Twisty raises is reason enough to keep watching Freak Show. But there are other reasons too. Sarah Paulson’s character(s) Bette (naïve and outgoing) and Dot (reserved and cynical) Tattler are perhaps the show’s most compelling characters. The two-headed Tattler twins share two hands and one vagina, which becomes problematic when Bette wants to pleasure herself. Paulson provides an outstanding performance as the conjoined twins and promises to be the emotional backbone of the show. Paulson is an Emmy winner but not for AHS. This season could change that. Of course Jessica Lange is brilliant as Elsa Mars, the ringleader of the Freak Show, but she is essentially reprising a
for women. But of course I was bound and determined to get this job done. A couple of months had passed and I hit Electra Citty up on Crackbook. Ooooops! Facebook. She responded that yes we were still on and we needed to meet so we set up a meeting at their home, which can I just say is AMAZEBALLZ! Before we got together I did get a message from Tittie Toulouse, the other partner getting married, stating please don’t give in to the idea of rhinestones everywhere. LOL! I just about fell out of my chair knowing that this meant they already had conflicting ideas on what they needed to wear. LOL! So I get to their fabulous queen cave and set my bag down on a chair. We say our hello’s and then Tittie mentions that the chair I set my bag on was Barbara Striesand’s chair that they had purchased at auction. Ummmm! I moved my bag real quick. BAM BAM! Knowing that they already had some idea of where they wanted to go with these jackets I asked , So what is the idea for this look you want for your wedding? Right away Tittie states she wants color but doesn’t want all the bling. Electra had a look like , I am going to get my BLING Miss familiar role—the needy, aging Grand Dame whose glory is fading. And although Lange does it very well, it’s Paulson that steals the show by doing something different. Because of Paulson’s nuanced acting, Dot and Bette are characters we want to know better. Another reason to keep watching. Some frowning critics may point to the extraordinary number of characters already introduced. There is no way to do all of their stories justice, they might say. But fans of AHS don’t tune in for narrative consistency. If that were the case, the plot holes and abandoned storylines for which the franchise is well-known would have sunk the show long ago. It is perhaps best to approach AHS as a series of narrative vignettes, a sequence of loosely connected short stories strung together as a novel, if you will. Freak Show is less campy than last year’s Coven and opts instead for a tone of dream-like, horrific surrealism. Lange’s character for example is like a cartoon caricature of Marlene Dietrich meets Bette Davis. Think of Baby Jane singing David Bowie’s “Life on Mars” in a German accent. Or a two-headed girl covering Fiona Apple’s “Criminal.” Or a very, very butch Kathy Bates with a “Lobster Boy” son who gives double doses of manual pleasure to lonely housewives. Or a little person biting the heads off of small animals. Or Twisty the clown. It’s too early to tell where Freak Show is going but it’s off to a promising start. Considering that AHS’s audience has been steadily growing each year, despite the show’s well-noted tendency to wander off track, it really doesn’t matter where the show ends up. Fans will keep watching. As long as Twisty doesn’t stab them in their sleep.
Thang. Then it was stated that they did not want to look like drag queens getting married. LOL! But cha are Blanche. Cha are........LMAO!!!! Anyway we started discussing colors. Now we originally had thought up the idea of using a rich champagne color overlaid in a french lace but then decided that the way they party the lace might get caught on something and ruin the look. Then it hit me. Show them what a Donask fabric or a brocade fabric might have to offer them..Both are fabrics that have varying colors and texture so we could kill two birds with one stone by going this route. They loved the idea. About a week later I get a message from Tittie saying how about this one. The funny thing is I had seen the same exact fabric online and was going to send a photo of it to them to see. I said I loved it and off they went to buy it. From there I asked them if there was a jacket in each ones wardrobe that I could rip apart and use as a pattern. Both Electra and Tittie gave up a jacket and I went to work. First off ripping the jackets apart for the pattern was interesting. All this stuff on the inside like human guts but fabric. I found the job interesting to see the inner construction of a mans coat. Now how to replicate this in their coats. DUHHH! Just use the pieces from their jackets. BAM BAM! That is exactly what I did. So here we go. Ironing out the ripped up pieces, laying the fabric out thinking, How fricken LIBERACE is this! Loving it. I started cutting and sewing and loving what I was seeing. Everything came along and then........ Buttons. What to do for buttons. This was the one chance I had to give Electra the bling she wanted and I was going to do it. Tittie was ok with the idea during our meetings on the style as long as I didn’t over bling them out. So I decided on the single rhinestone cuff buttons and I had some rhinestones at home that I applied to buttons I made using the fabric from their jackets. They both agreed the black lapels should be black. So things went much smoother than I thought. The idea to use their jackets was amazeballz might I say. There was one little dilemma now. Ties and shirts. Not getting into that but Titties idea to wear the shirts open and simply do the fabric piece around the neck like a ascot tie was great.
It was the perfect look for the smoking jacket and both of them would be much more comfortable this way. Might I add it did look amazeballz giving them that vintage super star rich bitch look. Loved it. So happy with their looks I walked away from the drop off feeling great. They however looked stressed and tired. You know that over tired I am shut down look. Well we had our hugs and Jeffrey and I wished them the best and off we went. The days before their wedding they would spend in New York City where they had dinners, cocktails, and saw “Kinky Boots” which is amazing in itself. Ok! Now any show that has fabulous queens tucked for day doing triple pirouettes in heels leaping into the splits and then landing in the same splits all in one movement has my BAM BAM forever. Not to mention Cyndi Lauper and Harvey Fierstein wrote the damn thing. I know Tittie and Electra gagged at what they were seeing live. As time would pass their photos kept popping up on Crackbook of all the fun things they were doing and how they were feeling. Tittie really poured her heart out a few times making me cry in her posts. A side side I had never seen. It was like who is this alien that took Tittie over. LOL! No but really she pulled the tears out of me. Then it was here. The big day. The day they were going to tie the knot. I kept checking Crackbook. I wanted to see the completed look which I had not yet seen. I
was just about as excited as they might have been. Then it happened. The photos started pouring in. Pictures of them walking to the ceremony. Seeing their friends gathered around them. Their photos of them crying while the ceremony was happening. The beautiful photos that Arthur Severio took at the reception. Simply gorgeous. My two divas went from dazzling divas and bar owners to sophisticated, chic men giving us classic vintage inspired elegance. I do have to say the look was soooooo them. Just enough bling but all the color you could imagine. Teal, gold, black, charcaol grey. Smoking jackets, ascot ties, white classic shirts, tuxedo pants, and ohhhh hell yes a big fat rhinestone broach purchased at one of their favorite jewelry stores in New York upon arrival. From New York they took off on their fabulous honeymoon to Europe. What was it Paris, Amsterdam , and some other place that made me jealous. What the hell. Why
[continued on 35]
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wear it out ...from 34 not go to the Congo too while we are at it. LOL! The photos were gorgeous and the heartfelt post from both kept rolling in on Crackbook. Now let’s jump forward to the hometown reception at the Four Seasons. Simple. Effective. Heartfelt. A few words I would use to describe the vibe. All of the old timers and then the new blood all mixed together in one space having a great time with Tittie and Electra smiling the entire time. Yes they also had to rub that trip to Paris in by having a 5' Eiffel Tower on the food table. friends made food, vodka was free, DJ Dom was playing his butt off and a show to boot. All in all I would say they had one heel of a Big City Gay Wedding. Get it? “Heel!” LOL. Meant to say one heel of a great Big City Gay Wedding. Great job to the two of you and may I personally wish you a life of great memories. As my mother said at my commitment ceremony in Los Angeles years ago, “You done good.” Now keep on keepin on. I would also like to say I have known you two for the pass 9 years. You welcomed me when I moved here. I have seen your transformations within those 9 years and who you have both become is amazing. I give Tittie and Electra the largest BAM BAM BABABABABABABABABAM!!!!!! I have ever given. Much love to the both of you. Now don’t we have a photo campaign for ME4All combined with the Sky Vodka Toast to Marriage event coming up on November 7 at your bar. HMMM...... Stay tuned y’all. Peace, Love and Happiness.
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owned and operated bed and breakfast. 8 bedrooms with ensite baths, pool, sun deck and beautiful courtyard. Sleep, eat and play at Maison de Macarty,. Book it now! NEW ORLEANS COURTYARD HOTEL, 1101 North Rampart St, New Orleans, LA 70116, Phone 504.522.7333, Toll Free: 800.457.2253, NOCourtyard.COM. Email us at Reservations@bpmhotels.com, Official Host Hotel of OZ New Orleans. A 19th century home that has been historically restored and transformed into a locally owned and operated hotel. Experience the rich history and hospitality of New Orleans at an affordable price. Just 3 blocks from Bourbon St, free Wi-Fi, swimming pool, and continental breakfast included. Off street parking is available.
marketing & printing New Orleans, LA [504] SIR SPEEDY, 343 Carondelet, 586.9812, 586.9817, offering printing and marketing services including web design and hosting. info@sirspeedyneworleans.com, sirspeedyneworleans.com
massage New Orleans, LA [504] RIGHT TOUCH MASSAGE -- Christopher - Full body therapeutic massage (Swedish/Deep Tissue); heated table; private studio; tropical garden; Faubourg Marigny Area, French Quarter. Upgrade (Salt Scrubs Bodywork & Thai/Sport Stretching massage). Call/text 504.458.5996 / For pictures http://www.christophernola.com. License #LA4553 [is2614]
media New Orleans, LA [504] AMBUSH Mag, Official Gay Easter Parade Guide, Official Gay Mardi Gras Guide, Official Gay New Orleans Guide, Official Gulf South Guide, Official Pride Guide, Official Southern Decadence Guide, 828-A Bourbon St., 70116-3137, 522.8049, AmbushMag.COM; email: marsha@ripandmarsha.com AMBUSHonLINE, 828-A Bourbon St., 70116-3137; 522.8049, ambushonline.com, email: marsha@ripandmarsha.com
museum/arts New Orleans, LA [504] BEAUREGARD-KEYES HOUSE, 1113 Chartres, 523.7257 CABILDO, 701 Chartres, Jackson Square, CAC [Contemporary Arts Center], 900 Camp St., 528.3805, cacno.org EDGAR DEGAS HISTORIC HOME, 2306 Esplanade Avenue, tours by appointment: 504.821.5009, the house tour lasts one hour, is led by a great-grand-niece of Degas, and includes the award-winning documentary video, Degas in New Orleans: A Creole Sojourn 1850 HOUSE, 523 St. Ann GALLIER HOUSE, 1132 Royal, 523.6722 GERMAINE WELLS MARDI GRAS MUSEUM, 2nd Floor Arnaud's, 819 Bienville HERMANN-GRIMA HISTORIC HOUSE, 820 St. Louis, 525.5661 HISTORICAL PHARMACY MUSEUM, 514 Chartres, 524.9077 HISTORIC NEW ORLEANS COLLECTION, 533 Royal, 523.4662 LONGUE VUE HOUSE AND GARDENS, 7 Bamboo Rd, Metairie, 488.5488, MUSEE CONTI HISTORICAL WAX MUSEUM, 917 Conti, 525.2605 NEW ORLEANS MUSEUM OF ART, City Park, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, 488.2631 OGDEN MUSEUM OF SOUTHERN ART, 925 Camp St., 539.9600 OLD U.S. MINT, 400 Esplanade PRESBYTERE, 751 Chartres, Jackson Square ST. LOUIS CATHEDRAL, Jackson Square WORLD WAR 2 MUSEUM, 945 Magazine, 527.6012, http://nationalww2museum.org
music New Orleans [504] SKULLY'Z RECORDZ, 907 Bourbon St., 592.4666
organizations New Orleans, LA [504] ACLU and ACLU Foundation of Louisiana, P.O. Box 56157, New Orleans, LA 70156, 504.522.0628 x25, Fax: 888.537.0384, laaclu.org AIDS HOTLINE, 821.6050 in New Orleans, 1.800.99.AIDS[2437]-9 toll free statewide AIDSLaw of Louisiana, 3801 Canal St., Suite 331, 568.1631, AIDSLAW.org ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS, 838.3399 BIG EASY STOMPERS, Country & Western line dancing. Weekly lessons and monthly Country & Western dance party, www.bigeasystompersneworleans.com, info@bigeasystompersneworleans.com BELLE REVE NEW ORLEANS, AIDS Residence for Families, PO Box 3305, 70177; 945.9455 COMMUNITY ACTION NETWORK, a project of the NO/AIDS Task Force which works with the gay community to implement HIV prevention activities, 507 Frenchmen St., 945.4000, noaidstaskforce.com COPS 8 (Citizens' Organization for Police Support in the 8th District), 840 N. Rampart St., #51, 70116; 588.COPS (2677), cops8.org FOOD FOR FRIENDS, 944.6028 FORUM FOR EQUALITY, 336 Lafayette, Suite 200, 70130; 947.2981, ForumForEquality.COM FRIDAY NIGHT BEFORE MARDI GRAS (FNBMG), PO Box 791376, New Orleans, LA 70179-1376; 733.3311, fridaynightbeforemardigras.com, fnbmg@cox.net GAY APPRECIATION AWARDS, 828-A Bourbon St., 70116-3137; 522.8049; AmbushMag.COM/GAA GAY EASTER PARADE, 828-A Bourbon St., 70116-3137, 504.522.8049, info@gayeasterparade.com, GayEasterParade.COM GAY MARDI GRAS, 828-A Bourbon St., 70116-3137, 504.522.8049, GayMardiGras.COM GAY NEW ORLEANS, 828-A Bourbon St., 70116-3137, 504.522.8049, GayNewOrleans.COM HALLOWEEN IN NEW ORLEANS, INC., PO Box 52171, 70152-2171; halloween neworleans.com/ambush HATE CRIMES NATIONAL HOTLINE, 206.350.HATE (4283), National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800.799.SAFE (7233), Hate Crimes Hotline at the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights 800.552.6843 KREWE OF AMON-RA, PO Box 7033, Metairie, LA 70010, KreweOfAmonRa.COM KREWE OF ARMEINIUS, PO Box 56638, New Orleans, LA 70156-6638, kreweofarmeinius.org KREWE OF MWINDO, PO Box 51031, 70156; 913.5791, KreweOfMwindo.ORG, krewe@kreweofmwindo.org KREWE OF NARCISSUS, PO Box 3832, New Orleans, LA 70177. Contact: 504.228.9441 KREWE OF PETRONIUS, PO Box 1102, Kenner, LA. 70063-1102, petronius1961@cox.net KREWE OF QUEENATEENAS / KING CAKE QUEEN ROYALTY CLUB, 828-A Bourbon St., 70116-3137, 522.8049, GayMardiGras.COM/KCQ KREWE OF URSUS, kreweofursus@aol.com LORDS OF LEATHER, 1631 Elysian Fields, #161, 70117, www.LordsOfLeather.com
Metropolitan Community Church of New Orleans, services at 10am, 6200 St Charles Ave., New Orleans, LA 70118; 504.270.1MCC www.mccneworleans.org MYSTIC KREWE OF SATYRICON, 2443 Halsey Ave., New Orleans, LA 70114, 504.906.7990 Todd J. Blauvelt / Secretary, krewe.of.satyricon@gmail.com,
MysticKreweOfSatyricon.COM NEW ORLEANS BEAR AND BEAR TRAPPER SOCIAL CLUB, P.O. Box 57756, New Orleans, LA 70157-7756, 504.298.0061, theneworleansbears.com NEW ORLEANS GAY MEN’S CHORUS, 322.7007, nogmc.com; nogmc@aol.com NEW ORLEANS JAZZ & HERITAGE FESTIVAL, nojazzfest.com NO/AIDS TASK FORCE, 2601 Tulane Ave., Suite 500, 70119; 821.2601; NOAIDSTaskForce.COM PFLAG/NO [Parents & Friends of Lesbians & Gays/ New Orleans], PO Box 15515, 70175; 895.3936, 392.0001, pflagno.org, info@pflagno.org PRIDE CELEBRATION in New Orleans NOLAPride.ORG PROJECT LAZARUS, A Residence for PWAs, PO Box 3906, 70177-3906; 949.3609 REGIONALAIDS INTERFAITH NETWORK [RAIN], 523.3755 RENEGADE BEARS OF LOUISIANA, PO Box 3083, New Orleans, LA 70177; renegadebearsoflouisiana@gmail.com SOUTHERN DECADENCE, 828-A Bourbon St., 70116-3137, 504.522.8049, SouthernDecadence.COM ST. ANNA'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH, 1313 Esplanade Avenue New Orleans, LA 70116 947.2121, stannanola.org VOLLEYBALL NEW ORLEANS, PO Box 13306, 70185-3306; volleyballneworleans.com, postmaster@volleyballneworleans.com
pets New Orleans, LA [504] DR. MIKE'S ANIMAL HOUSE, 1120 N. Rampart, 523.4455
pharmacy Baton Rouge, LA [225] AVITA DRUGS SPECIALIZED PHARMACY, free discrete delivery serving Louisiana, Mississippi & Texas. Certified pharmacists caring for HIV/AIDS, new-to-market & hard-to-find medications including Serostim. Local pharmacy that supports the LGBT community. www.AvitaPharmacy.COM. New Orleans, LA [504] MUMFREY'S PHARMACY, 1021 W. Judge Perez Dr., Chalmette, LA 70043, 504.279.6312, www.MumfreysPharmacy.COM. Supporting & serving the LGBT Community for over 20 years. Local pharmacy offering personalized family-like service, automatic refills & free metro wide confidential pickup & delivery. Also offering shipping for out-side our delivery area. When you call us you speak to a person, not a machine. See our ad.
Country Club Restaurant, 634 Louisa St., TheCountryClubNewOrleans.COM, 945.0742 Deanie's Seafood, French Quarter: 841 Iberville, 581.4141; Bucktown: 1713 Lake Ave., Metairie, 831.1316; Deanies.COM Fatoush Mediterranean Grill, Coffee House & Juice Bar, 2372 St. Claude Ave., #130, FatoushRestaurantNOLA.COM, 371.5074 Gene's Po-Boys, 1040 Elysian Fields, 943.3861 Horn's, 1940 Dauphine St., 459.4676 Lil Vic’s Rosticceria, 719 Toulouse, 304.1238 Mona Lisa Restaurant, 1212 Royal St., 522.6746 Orleans Grapevine Wine Bar & Bistro, 720 Orleans, 523.1930, OrleansGrapevine.com Quartermaster: The Nellie Deli, 1100 Bourbon St. , 529.1416, QuartermasterDeli.NET Retrouvailles Bistro & Balcony Dining, 700 Bourbon St., 523.1485 The Ruby Slipper, 2001 Burgundy St., 525.9355
retail/shopping New Orleans, LA [504] BOURBON PRIDE, 909 Bourbon, 566.1570 COK (Clothing or Kinkl), 941 Elysian Fields, 945.9264 HIT PARADE, 741 Bourbon St., Facebook.COM/HitParadeNOLA MARY'S FRENCH QUARTER KITCHEN & BATH, 732 N. Rampart, 529.4465 MR. BINKY'S BOUTIQUE, 107 Chartres St., 302.2095, MrBinkys.com PANDA BEAR, 415 Bourbon St., 529.8064 QT PIE BOUTIQUE - 241 Dauphine St., 581. 6633 RAB DAB CLOTHING AND GIFTS, 918 Royal St., 525.6662
theatres New Orleans, LA [504] CAFE ISTANBUL, 2372 St. Claude Ave., #140, 504.974.0786, CafeIstanbulNOLA.COM JOY THEATER, 1200 Canal St., 208.1180, TheJoyTheater.com MAHALIA JACKSON THEATRE OF PERFORMING ARTS, 801 N. Rampart, Armstrong Park, mahaliajacksontheater.com, 525.1052 MID-CITY THEATRE, 3240 Toulouse, 488.1460, MidCityTheatre.COM NEW ORLEANS FRINGE FESTIVAL, NOFringe.ORG Slidell, LA [985 CUTTING EDGE THEATER, 742 Robert Blvd., 649.3727, CuttingEdgeTheater,COM
photography
tours
New Orleans, LA [504] GRAHAM/STUDIO ONE NEW ORLEANS, by appointment, grahamstudioone.com
New Orleans, LA [504] Gay New Orleans Walking Tour, Crescent City Tour Booking Agency, (LGBT Business of the Year) 638 St. Ann St., 568.0717. follow Gay New Orleans Walking Tour @ Facebook.COM
real estate New Orleans, LA [504] Latter & Blum INC/French Quarter, Steve Richards, LGBT Realtor, 712 Orleans @ Royal, Cell: 504.258.1800, Office: 504.529.8140, Website: www.SteveRichardsProperties.com, Email: SRichards@LatterBlum.com LATTER & BLUM, Agent Brian M. Pawlowski, brianrealtor@aol.com, Agent Stace McDonald, stacerealtor@aol.com, 840 Elysian Fields, 451.2495
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restaurants Mandeville, LA [985] The Po-Boy Shack, 1703 N. Causeway Blvd., 626.1303 Metairie, LA [504] Chef Ron's Gumbo Stop & Pub, 2309 N. Causeway Blvd., 835.2022, GumboStop.com New Orleans, LA [504] 801 Royal, 801 Royal St., 581.0801, 801Royal.com Clover Grill, 900 Bourbon St., 598.1010, CloverGrill.COM
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Joanna Gleason & Well Strung @ Le Petit
Marshall Harris, Jeff Tolbird & David Cabrera @ Cast Party
Producer Mark Cortale & his soon to be husband Mark Collins @ Le Petit Rebecca Brown & Peggy Scott Laborde @ Cast Party
Joe Knight, Patrick Read, Richard Cranford & Bryan Camus @ Le Petit
Well Strung’s Trevor Wadleigh joins Cast Party Host Chris Santili & Brick Bishop with Joanna’s Flamenco dancer Michael
Wedon Brown & Joanna Gleason
Wedon Brown & Chris Sarandon (Joanna’s husband & actor)
John Peifer & Scott Spivey @ Cast Party
Ted, Stephen, Jeff & David @ Cast Party
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Tony Leggio’s Saints or Sinners B-Day Bash @ the Leggio Estate ~ New Orleans
Krewe of Satyricon @ Le Petit, Host Cast Party on Esplanade Ave. ~ New Orleans ~ Photos by Wedon Brown
paparazzi
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snap Bartenders Ryan, Tim & Josh welcome you to Bourbon Pub & Parade
Max, Pop, DJ Dom & Mom celebrate Dom’s b-day @ Four Seasons in Metairie
Ready for Halloween @ Oz
Ned & Freddie host Armeinius/ Amon-Ra Mixer @ Armeinius Den
Security! Lucas & Venus @ Bourbon Pub & Parade
Michael, bartender Ray, Matt & Lauren cocktailin’ @ Oz
Lori & Monica celebrate DJ Dom’s b-day @ Four Seasons
Brent, Opal, Darwin & Barry join Armeinius/Amon-Ra Mixer
Kevin slinging cocktails Mondays @ Cutter’s
James joins bar barons Tittie & Electra hosting DJ Dom’s Birthday Bash @ Four Seasons
Wood Enterprises’ GM Tim, Lafitte’s bartender Derek & Rawhide bartender Josh @ Cafe Lafitte in Exile
Damon & Kerry @ GrandPre's
B-day boy DJ Dom joins Chef Jerome @ his Four Seasons’ Birthday Bash Bartender Matthew welcomes you to Tulane Avenue Bar Brent Chauvin celebrates his birthday with Vanessa Carr & Hubert S Monkeys
Hubert S Monkeys, Grant & Chris in for Lafitte’s Trash Disco
Trash Disco brings Dwain & Jerome to Cafe Lafitte in Exile
Razzle Dazzle @ Art for Art’s Sake
Dawn & Marvin @ Ursuline Convent opening party
Welcome to the Knights d'Orleans Beer Bust @ the Phoenix
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La Scène Sociale (The Social Scene) ~ New Orleans, Metairie ~ Photos by Tony Leggio, Hubert S Monkeys, Rip Naquin
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Opal Masters & Darwin Reed with the NYC newly weds Tittie, best man Gordon Propst & Electra
Grooms Mark Cortale & Mark Collins
Well Strung performs
Allen & Ellen Miller flank the happy couple Becky Allen officiates
Mina Hernandez, the happy couple & Nanette Owings
Carolyn, Martin & Cecile
Misti Ates, Kookie Baker & Catherine Gaither Todd & Brooklyn Shaffer Wedding Guests Tulane Avenue Bar’s Bertrand Washington & Pedro Antunes
Cory, Wood Enterprises’ Chris Ward & Michelle
Becky Allen & Wedon Brown Double Play/Billy’s Chuck Turner & Bill Miller Wedding Cake Fred Powell & Eric Wallace
The happy couple with CED Clothing designer Johnny Joseph Delgadillo
Countess C. Alice, with Rhonda & David Roget
Brian Johnston
Joanna Gleason & husband Chris Sarandon second lining
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Mark Cortale & Mark Collins Wedding @ The Columns on St. Charles Ave. ~ New Orleans ~ Photos by Wedon Brown
Tittie Toulouse & Electra City Wedding Reception @ Four Seasons & Patio Stage Bar ~ Metairie ~ Photos by Rip Naquin
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44 • The Official Mag© © : AmbushMag.com • Oc t . 21-Nov 21-Nov.. 3, 2014 • Of fic ial Hallow een Guide© sinc e 1987 • GayNew Orleans.c om