Tassels and Emeralds: becoming a habit

•05/13/2010 • Leave a Comment

The print media blitz continues with the much-anticipated-but-suddenly-done new collection by Seattle’s top set of eyeballs on the burlesque photography scene- Chris Blakely.

I already have a couple of copies of his first book Tassels and Emeralds…which is still available here and features some amazing shots from the Fenix Underground’s heyday (including Georgia Myles and Sydni Deveraux) and some ultra-glamourous behind the scenes photos of Vienna La Rouge and everyone’s heroes, The Von Foxies.

The new one, J’Adore, is in magazine form, and documents January-June of 2009. Fanny N Flames as the Lion Tamer, Through the Looking Glass, Hellfire- a lot of insanely ambitious events happened in just six months alone and Chris Blakely captured it all. (He told me recently for a full length show that strikes his fancy, he might snap anywhere from 900-2400 shots in an evening. Incredible).

He’s got such an eye for it- Chris’s photos always manage to capture that one dazzling moment that makes a burlesque act burn into your brain. From a fanatic’s stance- mine- the photos mirror what I see and what I love when I’m watching. There’s a point of view, a perspective and total admiration, that’s easy to identify and relate to.

Get it! right now, here

who doesn’t love a good glossy?

•05/10/2010 • 2 Comments

I’ve been obsessing all day on Burlesque Magazine Issue 5. It’s a digital magazine run dually from London and New York that’s dedicated to burlesque happenings worldwide, and it’s oh-so-digitally glossy and terrific. For a magazine that launched its first issue just over a year ago, the layout and design have grown pretty slick already- in fact right now I’m fighting off urges to run to Kinko’s and see how much it would set me back to print out the 60 page new issue. Catherine D’Lish ponders burlesque’s present and future, and there’s an interview with the eternally fetching Kitten De Ville. Best of all, I noticed a piece on a NY event featuring Seattle’s own Indigo Blue alongside EIGHT other Miss Exotic World winners. Gravel-throated host Armitage Shanks pops up in several pix from a burlesque fest in Italy. Guess he was telling the truth about how welcoming Europe was when we chatted earlier this spring at Seattle’s Pampas Room after Dark Side Cabaret.

Now I’m off to poke around press materials and gossip on the films Behind the Burly Q (the LA opening sold out on Friday, and had to be moved to a larger theater!) and Tournee, just accepted at Cannes and starring San Diego’s Mimi Le Meaux, Dirty Martini, Roky Roulette, Kitten on the Keys. So many movies, so little strength left for internet cruising…

Hello world!

•04/10/2010 • Leave a Comment

This site will soon document my favorite obsession- Burlesque in Seattle.  Stay tuned!