Lindsay Lohan: No One Gets Out Alive

by Rick Dunn

Lindsay Lohan!

Young lady, I need to have a word with you.

Now, I didn’t complain when you and your handlers tried to take the credit for “Freak Friday’s” $100 million dollar gross when it was obvious to everyone that the film’s real star Jamie Lee Curtis stamped, signed and served that motherfucker of a Jodie Foster remake.

I had no problem when the “Lindsay Lohan Congratulation Society” patted itself on the back for the success of “Mean Girls” when the film actually launched the star of one Rachel McAdams. She stole the film right out from under you and you didn’t even notice because you were too preoccupied feuding with that cow Hilary Duff.

“The Parent Trap” remake where you played twins? I have two words: Hayley Mills. I have five more words. Did it better. And first. I didn’t say “I told you so” when every other film you starred in effectively tanked because I don’t like picking on little girls, but little girls don’t fuck Jared Leto, usually it’s little boys, but that’s another rant.

Your first album “Speak” - indicative of the fact that you can’t sing - was mindless and disposable. Your almost hit single “Rumors” was just a self-absorbed vehicle for you to cry and moan about how difficult it is to be young, rich and famous. Here’s where you’ve pissed me off. Your new album “A Little More Personal (Raw)”...track 10?

I couldn’t believe it until my TiVo spit up your performance of “Edge of Seventeen” from last week’s “American Music Awards.” And according to your various collected websites, I can look forward to even more of your TV onslaught that you call a publicity campaign, with scheduled appearances on just about every talk show in creation.

Well, let me begin and it’s for your own good.

How dare you even attempt to put your overly glossed, I’ve-been-sucking-the-right-dick lips to a microphone with the intent of even uttering the first stanza to “Edge of Seventeen,” the classic Stevie Nicks epic from her 1981 landmark solo debut. Fuck the “White Winged Doves,” I’m sending crows to peck your eyes out. And, so shamelessly stealing from Kelly Clarkson’s songbook and hiring former Evanesence guitarist Ben Moody to do the dirty - I mean - production work? Really. I don’t even want to hear that the two you are performing it at a karaoke bar fueled by vodka & Red bull.

Stevie has had enough of you Lindsays - first Lindsey Buckingham, her former romantic partner in Fleetwood Mac, riding her gorgeously decoupaged coattails to rock and roll stardom and now you, a fabricated Hollywood floozy who clearly visited Hollywood’s Breast Fairy and believes that co-opting rock greatness will her earn her some credibility as a musician.

To begin with, you intone the song as if it’s about some “One Tree Hill/Everwood/OC” jack-off who’s caught hanging out at the video arcade puffing on his first cigarette when in fact it’s an incantation about the consecutive deaths of Nicks’ uncle and John Lennon, a double whammy for Nicks that inspired one of her greatest compositions about art and loss.

For you even try to approximate Ms. Nicks’ rock and roll halo is blasphemy. I don’t see any coke donuts around your nose. I don’t see some bony-assed rocker fuck-buddy passed out in the back of your whiskey-soaked tour bus. This is not the sort of material one approaches lightly - it’s not ready for MTV’s TRL anytime soon.

True, Beyonce “borrowed” the song’s hook to use as the basis for “Bootylicious” and Stevie even appeared briefly in the video wearing pants instead of her trademark black dress. But Beyonce, an accomplished thief who has never actually written the meat of song by herself, was smart enough to steer clear of the poetry.

You, Lindsay, have no boundaries. You and your armada of producers and songwriters also offer us a cover of “I Want You To Want Me.” Well, people in Hell want ice water, it don’t mean they get it. You’ve subtitled this disc “Raw,” which I think means that you’re flirting with bareback sex. Since you’re with dirt magnet Jared Leto now, that’s no surprise to anyone whose attended at least one West Coast sex party or mainlined H at some random shooting gallery.

Lindsey, it must be difficult for you - whose every molecule is owned by Disney - to appear dangerous or edgy. But if recent photos of you are any example, well, I think Stevie said it best in her number one rock classic "Dreams": "Now there I go again, I see the crystal visions." I’m sure it’s just stress from those two recent car accidents you blamed on photographers, even though none were in sight.

You’ve mined several Disney classics in an effort to establish yourself as a star, including your last film, a remake of “Herbie The Love Bug,” re-titled “Fully Loaded” to better reflect your “growth spurt.” Now you’re knocking off rock and roll classics in an even vainer effort to gain rock credentials. I hear you and Jared now plan to star in a film about the death of John Lennon, which pretty much has me at my wits end.

Honey, I’ve seen how crazy those Stevie Nicks fans are and I’d suggest that you back off now. It’s 2005 and they’re still wrapping themselves up in lace shawls, teetering dangerously on nine-inch platform boots and they’re angry at anything named Lindsay or Lindsey. They’ll knock you dead with tambourine and smile and you won’t even see it coming. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. But, rest assured, I will help hide the body.

Mariah says Emancipation is a transitive verb and you better believe it!

by Rick Dunn

Comebacks are not always for the best.

I enjoyed Mariah Carey during her crazy days. She was infinitely more interesting and possibly a little bit dangerous, something that pop culture is missing at this particular moment. I adored those post 9-11 photographs of a USO-supporting Mariah, popping out of tanks wearing a camouflage binki-top, breast threatening to explode like over-ripe tomatoes. Of course, I for one had fantasies about Mariah commandeering that tank and doing some real damage, but nothing good happens these days.

Now Mariah is “Emancipated,” even though I’m not quite sure when she was ever enslaved. With four million copies sold - the disc already comes in several versions - Mariah is giving us “The Ultra-Platinum Edition,” just in time for the holidays. She’s tacked on four new tracks, including her current single “Don’t Forget About Us,” since Island Records was unable to mine the first edition for another hit. “Don’t Forget” picks up exactly where her recent smash “We Belong Together” left of. Actually, think it’s the same song, but why quibble. Mariah (and covert agent Kelly Clarkson) is still our best defense against the Ashlees, Lindsays and Britneys from assuming the top spot.

The disc is now 18 tracks strong, including “Mine Again” and “Circles” that prove if Mariah’s lost it, it’s not her voice that’s suffering. The disc also comes packaged with a DVD featuring four videos that look like the build-up segments to hardcore action. The liner notes not only offer a full definition of the word "emancipation" (it's a transitive verb - god, Mariah's smart!), but they reveal that “We Belong Together” is credited to 10 songwriters. Is it Christmas yet?

This "review" originally appeared on http://www.edgeboston.com

TV SMACKDOWN! I Know What You Did Last Monday: "Medium" vs. "The Ghost Whisperer"

by Rick Dunn

When “Bewitched’s” Samantha squared off against “I Dream of Jeannie’s” Jeannie in a Nick at Night sponsored grudge match, fans decided Samantha would plug Jeannie’s bottle with a nose wiggle. No contest.

Now in honor of the Sweeps Month stunt of the year - a 3-D episode of the Emmy-winning hit “Medium” (NBC, Mondays at 10 p.m.) - I give you the grudge match of the week: Patricia Arquette’s “Medium” vs. Jennifer Love Hewitt’s “The Ghost Whisperer” (CBS, Fridays at 8 p.m.) Two TV psychics - one who solves crimes for the D.A.’s office with powers that seem to have no particular parameters (Arquette) and one who simply talks to dead people (Hewitt).

Now, Arquette - who recently picked up an Emmy for her portrayal of medium Alison Dubois, a mother of three whose slightly freaked-out but “with it” husband encourages her to pursue her crime-fighting career - was the first at bat with her Monday night, mid-season smash that debuted in January 2005. Hewitt, who has never won any award of note, introduced her Friday night copycat in September. She stars as Melinda Gordon, a newlywed sought out by the dead to help them move on to the next plane. As if the dead don’t have it tough enough, the last living person they get to talk to is Jennifer Love Hewitt. Chances are, at some point, she’ll solve a crime or two.

Let the Psychic Wars begin!

First, let’s meet our contenders.

The lightweight: Miss Jennifer “Love” Hewitt

Powers: Communicates with the dead; supernatural ability to convince record companies to let her make really bad pop records.

Hewitt is one of those particularly oblivious Hollywood types that has yet to grasp the fact that the average person simply doesn’t like her. Personally, I can’t decide what’s a bigger offense - her forced recording career that has pioneered advancements in vocal filter technology, or the fact that in interviews she has coquettishly informed us that she likes her friends to just call her “Love,” which is not her real middle name. She also signs notes “Love,” Love. Taking her cues from Jewel, as an author, “Love” contributed to both volumes of “Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul.”

Either way, she claims her acting career was really just a means to an end: her hitless music career, which so far has resulted in one musical miscarriage after another. I can’t wait until those poor, dead things start waking her up in the middle of the night. “Jennifffferrr, saaave ussss from the cut-out binnnn!” She has gone as far as to record Janis Joplin’s “Me and Bobby McGee.”

She is the epitome of what is wrong with pop entertainment.

Hewitt, who first rose to attention on “Party of Five,” achieved some sort of big screen notoriety with “I Know What You Did Last Summer,” which was a direct result of “Scream’s” success. Applying that calculation to TV, “The Ghost Whisper” followed “Medium.” Despite the obvious similarities, Hewitt fearlessly introduced the show, as if no one would notice.

In “The Ghost Whisperer,” Hewitt co-owns an antique shop with former “Talk Soup” host Aisha Tyler, who at nine feet tall looks like she was hired to make Hewitt appear more delicate and fragile. Winsome, even. Truth is, Hewitt has a face like Joe Camel - the horseface whisperer. I find it hard to believe that someone who owns an antique store that never really appears to be doing business has the time to run around solving other people’s problems.

In the season premiere “Love” finds herself in an gothic dream sequence where she’s dancing on the ceiling in a diaphanous peignoir. It’s a scene clearly orchestrated to add mystery and allure - but she looks like a Playboy Playmate lost in Mcleans Hospital. It’s "Showtime After Dark" not "Dark Shadows."

It’s not the first time “Love” has encountered the supernatural. In 2001 she starred, and I’m not making this up, as The Devil in a remake of “The Devil and Daniel Webster” alongside heavyweights Anthony Hopkins, Alec Baldwin and Kim Catrall. Hollywood, showing us some mercy for once, has permanently shelved the film.

Oh yeah, and her show: It’s “Touched By an Angel” crap that recalls popular TV psychic John Edward who claimed he could communicate with dead and parlayed that into a syndicated show that exploited the fragile and grieving masses unable to cope with the loss of a loved one. How’s that for an advertising demographic. Yeah, her show is that gross.

The Heavyweight: Recent Emmy-winner Patricia Arquette.

Powers: Reads minds, dreamlike premonitions, communicates with the dead, etc.; survived marriage to Nicholas Cage. Apparent invulnerability to siblings David, Rosanna, and Alexis Arquette.

Now, there’s something gainly about Patricia Arquette, who I’ve grown to adore over the course of “Medium’s” short, but highly-rated run. Sure her voice reaches a supernatural pitch when she’s pressing a point. Sure her asymmetrical haircut isn’t nearly as flattering as the gorgeous blonde extensions she works via wind-machine in the show’s promo spots. And weren’t those teasers just a joy. There she is - on the stairs, wind blowing, back-lit like a gothic Bonnie Tyler video, psychic powers in full bloom while her ratings totally eclipse that of other networks. But Arquette looks like a real person. A real person with amazing psychic powers. Who solves crimes. A few weeks back, the show broke form and began with a strange musical number. Arquette hopped, danced and kicked to a Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” in front of a knock-out white background. She woke up from the technicolor dream only to continue hearing the gay anthem. It’s stuck in her head and she can’t hear anything else. The song - which beings to skip when she takes a wrong turn - eventually leads her to a bloodied I-Pod. Finally, just before the story-telling gimmick becomes too annoying, it stops and The Medium is on the case of a missing woman.

“Medium” is not classic TV, but it’s fun TV. The show plays with format and offers enough twists and turns that the next scene isn’t always telegraphed 10 minutes ahead of time. Very often, we are experiencing Arquette’s various insights right along with her, trying to unlock their clues.

Arquette also has some serious supernatural credentials, including her lead role as a woman possessed in “Stigmata” as well as the lead in “Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors,” where she led a group of misfits kids in a war against Freddy Krueger. In a similar fashion, she survived a marriage to noted freak-show Nicholas Cage and recently landed hot-as-hell actor Thomas Jane.

Now, back to the fight.

Since they don’t actually have any offensive powers, Arquette - who has three kids to feed - puts down her coupon filled purse, walks over to “Love” and backhands her once. The rhinoplasty goes everywhere. “Love” is down - but not out. As Arquette leaves the room, “Love” yells through the geyser of blood, “You’ll hear from me! Next year, that Emmy will be mine!”

It doesn’t take to psychic to predict that ain’t never gonna happen.

(This column first appeared on http://www.edgeboston.com)

TV SMACKDOWN!: Lucy Lawless is on the job!

by Rick Dunn

I can only speak for myself, but I would feel a whole lot safer in this increasingly dangerous world if I knew Lucy Lawless was on the job. That's right - if we can elect Conan governor of California, I think we can make Xena the head of FEMA, or even Secretary of Defense.

Just look at her resume. First, six spectacular seasons of "Xena," including the final episode where she sacrificed herself to save everyone. Lucy is willing to die for us and that's the kind of person I want in office.

Now obviously the higher-ups at CBS - and they must know something, they work in TV - see leadership qualities in Lucy. They currently have her starring in the Dr. Maddy Rierdon series of TV movies where Lucy plays a "USDA voracious insect expert." Earlier this year, Lucy helped a small town fight back a plague of bioengineered locusts in "Locusts!" This week, she takes on vampire bats in "Vampire Bats!," which are always a nuisance and a terrible inconvenience if one has long, luxurious hair like Lucy. It’s your civic duty to tune in.

In "Vampire Bats" (airing Sunday, Oct. 30; 9 p.m. Eastern time), Lucy - now a college professor - arrives in another small town after two of her students are framed by sneaky mutant bats for the death of another student. More bodies pile up, but don't worry. Why? Because Lucy Lawless is on the job! Her presence sort wrings the tension out of any thriller because I don't think there is any insect, creature of the night or willful beastie that could really give Lucy a run for her money. Really, she's smart enough to wrap her head with a tasteful plumb-colored scarf that makes her look sort like a gypsy fortune-teller, which makes sense, because we all know what's gonna happen. Lucy - hell or highwater - will save the day.

The question of who could serve as Lucy's second-in-command is easily answered by "Vampire Bats," which really does serve as advertisement for Lucy's future political career. The answer: her "Vampire Bat's" co-star Brett Butler, who has often shown us "grace under fire," even when she was completely smashed and berating her cast and crew. Brett is one tough broad and clearly won't be a yes-man to Lucy.

Now, if we all behave and tune in like good citizens, the nice people at the CBS Network to Elect Lucy Lawless promise to make another Maddy Rierdon movie starring Lucy. She could possibly fight giant horseflies, mutant seahorses, or very cross beavers. Any which way, this country needs someone to believe in, a new hero to shoulder the responsibilities so far ignored by our elected officials and as far as I'm concerned, Lucy Lawless is the woman for the job.

TV SMACKDOWN! Whatever Happened to America's Next Top Model?

by Rick Dunn

My dear, dear friend DJ Richie Ladue - who has been known to professionally emulate the nasally cadence of Maya Angelou’s distinctive howl - should be TV’s Next Big Announcer.

No script or teleprompter necessary - he always knows how to sum up a show in five words or less. And in plenty of instances, he has turned me onto a show I would have otherwise passed
Case in point - Tyra Banks’ "America’s Next Top Model."

I really couldn’t have cared less until a phone call from Richie sold it like free money. "Girl!" he exclaimed, "It’s Every Cunt for Herself!"

Trust me - after catching the first four episodes of Season Five, me and Miss Banks know exactly who that is. Her.

Yes, at the end of each season, some poor, 21-year-old hick from Ohio may walk away with that $100,000 Covergirl contract and a deal with Ford Models, but the real winner is Tyra, not just because she’s the show’s producer and de facto host, but because she’s stacking the deck in her favor - polluting the modeling world with an endless string of less-thans and wanna-bees. Future mail-order brides of the world unite and take over! Amsterdam Red Light district, here we come!

It’s a massive, international conspiracy that is erroding the very vulnerable fashion world on both sides of the Atlantic. Look closely at that video of Kate Moss snorting rails of cocaine fatter than she and you’ll see a mysterious black figure in the background. If that’s not enough, British supermodel Twiggy replaces former "Model" judge and ratings-magnet Janice Dickinson, whose sudden absence from this season is completely suspicious. Janice knew something, but she’s currently being held prisoner on "The Surreal Life." You do the math.

The show is truly genius in its hidden agenda. Tyra’s getting a little older, a little worn-out, run-down. And she knows there’s always another, younger, prettier girl on the way. But not if she has anything to say about it. Yes, Tyra Banks is a criminal mastermind on a par with Lex Luthor and I adore her for it, even though I despise her at the same time.

I mean, have you seen these "Top" models lately gracing anything but a "Where Are They Now" feature in People magazine? Let’s do a rundown, beginning with the most prominent of the girls - season one winner Adrianne Curry, who followed up "AMTP" with "The Surreal Life: Season 4" and now, "My Fair Brady," where she and "Surreal Life" co-star Christopher Knight (aka Peter Brady) make an attempt at romantic bliss despite the 20-year age difference.

"I was supposed to get a Revlon contract, but that fell through. Basically, my whole modeling package fell through," said Curry during an interview with "Steppin’ Out." "Tyra's a smart woman. She knows how to market herself. I don't want any part of Tyra or the show anymore. A lot of the other girls from the show have been fucked over as well. We trusted Tyra, but we've all been screwed over."

In response, Banks put the blame on the show's network UPN for Curry’s supposedly guaranteed contract falling through. Funny, during the Tyra Banks documentary I forced myself to sit through she can’t take enough credit for the show’s success. Every talking head chimes in about how the show’s very existence is due to her “Tyra-less” efforts. She’ll take the credit, but as soon as there is a criticism or scandal she passes the buck faster than you can stay Lil’ Kim.

Winner Eva Pigford (notice the last name...) landed a part on "Kevin Hill." The show was cancelled. The other winners: one modeled for Walmart and the other co-hosted a low-rent make-show for cable. No twirling on the catwalk for Stella McCartney or Comme des Garcons. Did any of these girls REALLY have what it takes.

Really, who decided that Banks and her grotesque cronies get to decide who should be America’s next It Girl?

Never before in reality television has such a loathsome collection of judges been assembled - and this is post Janice Dickinson.

It like watching the Salem Witch Trials, as a collection of beautiful young women are assailed by the village idiots with ridiculous and infuriatingly useless commentary of the "She just didn’t bring it" sort. They start with 13 - the same number in a coven - and then start whittling them down to The One.

And the judges are particularly odious bunch.

Jay Manuel, a make-up artist and "photo director" with badly frosted hair and hint of man-tit, is the constant purveyor of undefined criticism - like a junior high student giving an oral book report when he only read the jacket sleeve. It just seems as though he’s faking it. He loves to dictate orders: "Give me Linda!" (i.e. Evangelista). I’d love to see one of these chicks give him Linda Blair and puke right in his face. If he has actual talent in delivering high-end work, he certainly does not have the ability to convey that to the audience at home. It’s as though the dictionary he uses, doesn’t come with definitions. We are simply left to guess exactly what "It" is with every criticism. Did I mention the man-tit? Coning, I can see definite coning. He probably has gynecomastica, which can be a side effect of anabolic steroids (doubtful) and or the anxiety drug Zoloft, which is what I’d venture to guess.

It’s particularly embarrassing to watch these girls try to win favor with "Miss J" aka J. Alexander, a reprehensible, caftan-wearing "walking" coach who always looks like he’s been sucking on a lemon. Miss J is probably from some House of Whatever in New York, birthed from the Vogue Balls of Harlem and still under the impression she’s bringing some kind of realness to the proceedings. But all he brings is bitterness and jealousy and he appears to secretly hate women. Everything he says or does feels like its been snatched from RuPaul. So, I have one thing to say to Miss J.: "Walk like you’re running, from the police!"

And then there’s photographer Nigel Barker, who has Roman Polanski written all over him. But no need to worry, these girls look about a decade too old for him.

Tyra herself is a particular piece of work that defies description. She claims modeling was a way to get into music. Her CD was supposed to be out last Spring, but so far hasn’t seen the light of day, much like Naomi Campbell’s album "Babywoman," which surfaced overseas like a unmasked terrorist cell.

Tyra recently brought a doctor on her new daytime talk show to prove she had "real" breasts. Honey, you should bring on priest on to prove you have a soul first. Why should we believe that a doctor of her choosing - who’s on her payroll - is going to tell the truth about Tyra’s titties? How self-involved is this? However, it’s equally genius. It’s a campaign of misdirection. Keep directing the audience to your tits and maybe they won’t notice what you’re really up to.

At the end of the day, or season, Tyra Banks will be "America’s Next Top Model," which was the plan all along. While the other girls are retiring, being investigated by London Yard, marrying John Stamos and then divorcing him, Tyra will make sure the next class of beauties are just not quite as beautiful as she, and not quite as employed. When Miss Banks is done, every one will be her fashion victim. And they didn’t even see it coming.

("America's Next Top Model" airs on UPN on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 8 p.m. Eastern time.)

REVIEW: She's got something to be 'Guilty' of

by Rick Dunn

Proving the protections promised by the Patriot Act simply aren’t enough, Public Enemy Number One (aka Barbra Joan Streisand) is holding record stores hostage with the release of "Guilty Pleasures," where she reunites with Bee Gee Barry Gibb in the hopes that they can exhume their hit-making chemistry of 25 years ago. I’ll get to that pipe dream in a moment. Together we survived "The Mirror Has Two Faces" and we can get through this. Until that moment, I have to address the obvious.

Arriving alongside Barbra’s new disc is a horribly misguided effort to market to the gays, better known as a Junior Vasquez remix. The album track in question "The Night of My Life," isn’t even the disc’s single, that would be "Stranger in a Strange Land," which is quite telling considering Barbra doesn’t have a fucking clue about what’s going in clubs in 2005.

Really, Barbra Streisand making a bid for dancefloor credibility? And with a antiquity like Junior? (I can hear her in the studio: "Does this DJ make me look younger?"). By all indications, Barbra’s so time-warped she probably expects to hear reports about how Andy, Bianca and Liza were living for her new track – which sounds like an outtake from “The Main Event” - at Studio 54 in-between fat rails of coke and trading quips with Truman Capote. Barbra appears to be taking her cues from Cher almost out of spite. Let’s get serious, Barbra hasn’t stepped inside a disco since the ’70s and even then it was only to use the bathroom - and God knows there was plenty of tissue between her and that seat. Barbra’s chilly detachment with the common folk reminds us why Cher’s a genius. Christ, even Madonna knows that music makes the people come together. Cher was intuitive enough to haul her ass overseas to orchestrate her dance/pop overhaul, not simply return to the scene of a old crime in the hopes that there was still loot buried there. And Cher, even at 183-years-old, still retains the spirit and sexuality of dance music. It’s probably unfair to judge one iconic Oscar-winning songtress by the accomplishments of another, but why not, I’m feeling dangerous.

"Night of My Life" kicks off with impenetrable lyrics: "Closer/Sight and the sound/Rollecoaster/The merry-go-round/We can’t wait for that show to start/That fire, the feeling, your heartbeat/We have what others can’t tear apart." Barbra continues to the equally overstated chorus - "I’ll fight for the night of my life!" with an earnestness that belongs on the dancefloor as much as a lit cigarette. She tries to sell this probable anthem as if she were leading a revolt - fists raised, flags waving. Barbra – “The Way We Were” was. Let it go.

Now, back to the Crime Scene No. 1. Twenty-five years ago, Barbra and Barry hit Adult Contemporary paydirt with their collaborative "Guilty," which spawned three top 10 singles and sold five million copies. The new disc’s cover artwork suggests its predecessor, positioning a scientifically radiant Barbra and timeworn, sullen Barry as if they’d never said goodbye. Gibb - looking like a grizzled troubadour and still mourning the loss of younger brothers Andy and Maurice - isn’t afraid to let the years show. This is the man who popularized disco on an intergalactic level and then had to sit back and watch as his albums were burned in football fields when "Disco Sucks!" was declared. And there’s Barbra, untouched by time or humility, probably holding a gun to Barry’s back ready to fire if radio doesn’t embrace her again.

Gibb's imprint is all over “Guilty Pleasures,” from his quivery harmony vocals to his production work and songwriting. A few songs are strangely familiar, including “It’s Up to You,” which apes the melody from Michael Jackson’s "I’ll Be There” via Mariah Carey. This time out, he doesn’t recapture his glory, which is too bad. Gibb has crafted more than his share of masterful pop nuggets and he may just have run out of inspiration. For Barbra, well, she hasn’t lost any of her vocal might, but one too many of her marbles. She’s review proof, but even the biggest of fans will probably wince at awkward melodies and forced lyrics. “Meet the Fockers” was obvious enough, but “Guilty Pleasures” has desperation written all over it.

INTERVIEW: The Lady Bunny

by Rick Dunn

What can one say about The Lady Bunny that hasn’t been said – or read off a bathroom wall – before? No one ever said she was polite. And thank God. The Wigstock founder is not just one of the most recognizable drag icons on the planet – you can see that meringue of blonde hair from the moon -, but she’s is also one of the most outspoken. Now that she’s conquered film, TV and music, Bunny has launched www.ladybunny.net home of perhaps the funniest blog I’ve ever read on the net. I checked in with NY’s first lady of drag earlier this week, and with the help of a little smelling salts, she came to long enough to talk about her new site, Donatella, barebacking, crystal meth, Michael Jackson and how she really feels about reality TV.

How did you conceive the Lady Bunny site?
“I lucked out with the designer, who has never met me or seen me perform, isn’t gay or even from this country! But I gave him a few pointers and he whipped it up in a very stylish way. From a convenience angle, it’s fab to just email someone a link to watch my performance or download a press pic, instead of snail-mailing an actual video or photo. And at some point Bunny merchandise will be available like a CD, comedy DVD, used Depends, etc. Also, it’s great to spew on my blog. I started writing around the heated time of the last election and got a good response to my ramblings. So many things disgust me that I try to make sure that I write some positive/humorous entries so that it’s not all fire and brimstone. And as a result, Genre magazine has offered me a monthly column!”

How Internet savvy are you?
Well, I now know enough not to log on to German animal porn sites cuz they’ll pop you on their email lists and embarrass you with constant emails. I just forward them to mom.Have you ever found romance on the Internet?“Yes, Jimmy James showed me how since he has AOL. (Jimmy, that "whale of a talent,” also showed me how to get desserts on the Internet.) The guy was cute and didn’t lie about his "shoe size" but unfortunately his profile could not convey smells, and I assume that garlic is very, very popular in Ecuador. I gagged, and not in the good way, either!”

What is going on with “Wigstock?”
“We are now produced by the HOWL festival (howlfestival.com), whose mission is to celebrate the East Village as the cultural hotbed it has traditionally been, as opposed to the rep it has now: a place for NYU students to get drunk and vomit in doorways. So once a year in August we queens get together and show those clueless young whippersnappers the right way to vomit in doorways! Artfully, with purpose! And not just in any doorway! Sometimes leaving a little in several doorways! We are actually taking Wigstock one year at a time but are probably confirmed for this August. (Updates from http://www.wigstock.nu/) Last year it rained and yet we had a huge turnout. And the new two-hour format is much easier on Lady Bunion’s hooves. So I think we should continue it. Wigstock keeps a little "gritty" in the city, and NYC has become so expensive that the kind of fun freaks/artists who gave birth to Wigstock could now never afford to move here. NYC is overrun with “Sex and the City” wannabes with cell phones, Cosmos and fake Prada.”

What is the status of your recording career?
“I’ve got a song out now called “I Get High,” which is actually DJ Disciple featuring Lady Bunny. He’s a fantastic producer with whom I’ve collaborated on six tracks. I’m also shopping a song called “Let’s Get Jumpin’” (produced by Warren Rigg, who did Deborah Cox’s “Easy as Life” with Tony Moran). There is a free download on ladybunny.net and they have just licensed both “Let’s Get Jumpin’” and “I Get High” to “Big Gay 40” on VH-1, a round-up of gay events in the past year which airs in March. And I love to write for other people. Dee-lite’s Lady Miss Kier and Lonnie Gordon have recorded songs of mine. I’ve written and produced music for a while now (like the track behind my Laugh-In skits) but it’s something new I’ve been focusing on. It’s a rough time to try to break into the ailing music biz, but it’s what I love the most. Time to get dance music back on track and get back to some real songs! Let’s get rid of this pots and pans drugged-out music and keep the drugs!”

What would be the ideal Lady Bunny reality TV show?
“Honey, I am many things, but real ain’t one of ’em. I don’t know. A camera follows me as I fluff at a strip club in Puerto Rico, maybe?”

Do you watch “American Idol?”
“Not regularly, though I have seen some great singers like Ruben Studdard. I can’t understand why everything has to be a competition in reality TV? Like the “Gastineau Girls,” where mom competes with daughter for dick? That’s absurd! I’d share a hot piece with my momma anyday! That’s how I met my dad! Remember, I’m southern! But at least Idol gives some folks (like Ruben) whose looks/size might otherwise prevent a record company from giving them a chance. On the whole though, reality TV disgusts me. The government will not allow images of dead or wounded soldiers to be shown on the new because it unmasks the brutal nature of war. That’s reality TV, not Paris Hilton rolling in a pig sty. Instead of the truth about war casualties, we are shown heart-warming "news" stories about how a soldier makes it home just in time for the birth of his kid. Orwell’s 1984 has arrived, baby! Another example: for weeks we were shown images of the 200,000 deaths from the tsunamis because we are so "caring.” Well, over 100,000 Iraqi civilians, not soldiers, have been killed. Do you recall seeing those images? Nope! We’re not supposed to care about dead Iraqis cuz they’ve got oil we wanna steal. It’s pure propaganda. Face it. Bush is a puppet of corporate greed and big corporations own guess what – The News! My other problem with reality TV is that we are settling for so much less because as a nation we are stupider. TV programmers are attracted to reality TV because they don’t have to pay script writers, set designers, actors, etc - not because it’s good! And we are buying it! I grew up watching genius TV like “All in the Family,” which could make you laugh, cry and address a relevant social issue in one episode. Which isn’t going to happen by turning a camera on Flava Flav, unless the social issue is the US’s poor educational system. How many insects have to be eaten before you people realize how empty this shite is? Obviously, reality TV bugs me.”

If you were one of the judges, what advice would you offer?
“For the other judges to commit suicide. On second thought, let me kill them.”

If you had to sex with one of the “Queer Eye” guys – for money of course – which one would it be and why?
“Hell, just blindfold me - and them - and send ’em all in. But if I had to pick one it would be Jai Rodriguez. He’s hispanic so he’s compatible with the Atkins diet - all meat and cheese!

If you were to present a “State of the Nation” address on the current status of drag in the USA, what would be your three biggest points?
“1. Lip-synch queens around the country generally have more polish than NYC style "alternative" queens (myself included), who sing live, do stand-up, act, DJ, etc. So we could take a few tips to polish our looks like the pageant girls, who look sensational and know every trick in the book. But they could also learn from us. Lip-synching to popular hits can be really dull unless you are a great dancer or give the number some sort of twist. And please! Don’t impersonate a celeb you look nothing like--no matter how much you like them!
2. It’s a shame that today’s divas can’t hold a candle to the ones I grew up listening to like Patti Labelle, Streisand, Dolly Parton, Gladys Knight, Jennifer Holliday, Tina Turner, Cher and Bette Midler. So many of todays top "divas" are lip-synching themselves: J-Ho, Janet, Britney, Madonna, Ashlee, so they aren’t the most bombastic stars to emulate onstage and their looks are so casual that they don’t have trademark looks like Joan River’s glasses or Cher’s Bob Mackies. I hate Celine (that spastic choreoraphy!) but at least she’s theatrical and has a diva voice.
3.Let’s take pride in ourselves, girls. It was the courage of drag and transgendered folk which sparked Stonewall and gave birth to the gay rights movement. Don’t ever listen to conservative elements in the gay community who poo poo drag as undesirable. They wouldn’t be as free as they are today if it weren’t for our efforts at Stonewall, so don’t you ever let them look down on us!”

What is the dirtiest joke you’ve ever told?
“You wouldn’t print it but here’s one that’s topical. What was the real reason Michael Jackson was dangling his baby off that ledge? He was shaking the cum off of him!”

The most offensive?
“Again, you might not print the MOST offensive one but this should offend most: Why don’t they have any Kmarts in Iraq? Cuz there’s a Target on every corner!”

What is the most scandalous thing you’ve ever seen backstage?
“Ryan Landry shaving his back--with a lawnmower!

Who is more difficult: Rupaul or Lypsinka?
“Lypstinka.”

You’ve appeared alongside Donatella Versace. Could you tell she had a coke problem?
"No problem at all. She had plenty!”

What do you think is a bigger problem in the gay community, crystal meth or barebacking? “They go together. Crystal fucks you up so bad that you are up for days running on empty with no food or sleep. In that delirious state, you can’t possibly be concerned with safe sex. So I think crystal use leads to barebacking. Got any? The real problem facing gays can be found in Larry Kramer’s address called “The Tragedy of Today’s Gays.” It’s coming out as a book but you can google it and read the entire Transcript - it’s a must read from this ACT-UP pioneer.”

What is your biggest beauty secret?
“Photo-shop!”

For more on Lady Bunny go to www.ladybunny.net

REVIEW: Sheryl Crow's 'Wildflower' should be ripped out by the roots

by Rick Dunn

When I first heard that Sheryl Crow was naming her fifth studio record "Wildflower" I was a little nervous. “Wildflower?” I'm sorry, but a title like that forcasts winsome folk music or a lost track from Mariah Carey's "Charmbraclet." We’re talking about a woman who has Chrissie Hynde and Stevie Nicks on speed-dial. It was bad enough that she stopped dating rockers such as Eric Clapton and Kid Rock to find bliss with yellow wristband spokesmodel Lance Armstrong, but if she was attempting to rebrand herself as Jewel, there was gonna be a throwdown.

Well, I’m sorry to report that “Wildflower” is mostly a collection of subtle ballads, including “Always on Your Side,” a delicate you-can-always-count-on-me prayer that finds Crow’s lilting voice reaching for something and coming back without a Grammy. Nothing here is as grotesquely offensive as Sheryl's Anne Murray prairie haircut of a few years back. Crow is typically in fine voice and the production is uniformly solid. It’s just that the introspective material really doesn’t stick. Crow fans have already agreed to a conspiracy of silence on her real first studio record (for a true total of six) – the one released without her permission after she went multi-platinum with 1993’s “Tuesday Night Music Club.” Burying this one is going to take some serious hush money.

The disc does contains two Crow-ish numbers, lead single “Good is Good,” which is an engaging mid-tempo rocker, and the more single-worthy “Live it Up,” which has a pretty good chance of being licensed to Carnival Cruise Lines at some point. Either way, everyone gets at least one bum disc – Elvis had plenty. We’ll forgive her this time around. But Sheryl, this “Wildflower,” I’m ripping up by the roots.

INTERVIEW: DJ Abel

by Rick Dunn

DJ Abel Aguilera is late.

His record company, Tommy Boy, is waiting for him to deliver the follow-up to last year’s smash double-disc set “Alegria: Live,” which essentially served as the soundtrack to the summer of 2004 as well as a calling card for the New York parties for which it’s named.

The discs boasted hit after hit, from Tony Moran and Ric Sena’s party-branding “Waiting for Alegria” to a winning overhaul of Nightcrawler’s “Push the Feeling On.” Anticipation for the follow-up is high, and nobody knows that better than Abel himself.

“It was supposed to be due last month,” says Abel. “I don’t have enough music that I like. You must be ahead of the game. You have to produce some stuff and get other guys to put their stuff on it - unreleased stuff.”

Still, he expects to see the sequel hit the streets this summer and featuring music no one has heard before. In between touring with the Queer As Folk: Future Ancient Babylon Tour - which rolled in Boston’s Avalon last month with visual stylists RKM in tow - Abel hasn’t left his studio.

He’s barely had time to collaborate with his longtime Rosabel partner, Ralphi Rosario, who assisted Abel in crafting last year’s camp smash “Cha Cha Heels” and he was even late for this interview because he was knee-deep in studio work. The follow-up, "Alegria; Musica," will be in stores in November 2005.

For the moment, the new disc is priority.

“There will probably be a new Abel and a new Rosabel single. A couple of big name producers. Big names. It will be following the same formula as last year’s concept, but I feel like that there will be more vocals. That’s why I did the “Queer as Folk: Club Babylon” disc, because I wanted to do vocals. People never hear my vocals because they always get to Alegria late.”

You have Alegria under your belt and now this “Queer As Folk” tour. How has this tour been and what makes this special?
“This weekend I was in Montreal. It’s a lot fun, very positive. A lot of people that don’t normally go out, come out. Last week was Chicago, my first one. The RKM show is great.”

Have any of the cast shown up?
“Some are supposed to come. They just show up. It is never announced. They will probably show in the bigger cities. They have shown up before.”

Do you watch “Queer as Folk?”
“Lately, all the time.”

Considering that the gay club scene is in a recession, why is Alegria such a success?
“That’s the one million dollar question. And personally, there’s a lot of love that goes into the event. Besides the money, everyone knows how hard we work for this event. I know that when people know you’re putting all you have into an event, they will support it. [Event producer] Ric Sena is doing this for the love of it. I spin music because that’s my passion. It’s a gift from god. It comes from the heart. The success of those parties is that there is always going to be something different, or a show. I believe that if we do not put on a theme or decor, people will not come out. People will go out because they love to dance, but they want the whole package. They expect a helicopter or a flying saucer.”

Which of your songs do you think will hit this summer? Last year, we couldn’t get away from “Cha Cha Heels.”
“That was our pride and joy. This year, Ralphi’s been busy like dog and I’ve been busy as a dog, so we haven’t collaborated. It’s hard to tell. I personally do not see a particular song. I really don’t see one. Maybe it’s too early.”

What song of yours do you still love to play and which song have you officially retired?
Last year, we couldn’t get away from “Cha Cha Heels.”“That was our pride and joy. This year, Ralphi’s been busy like dog and I’ve been busy as a dog, so we haven’t collaborated. It’s hard to tell. I personally do not see a particular song. I really don’t see one. Maybe it’s too early.”

What song of yours do you still love to play and which song have you officially retired?
"I would have to say that there are very few of those. “Don’t You Want My Love,” that’s a classic. The screams go through the roof when I play that. I don’t even dare play a lot of my other stuff or people won’t respond. But that Debbie Jacobs record was a classic in 1979 and 2000. We are recording new material with her. We are going to bring her back again, since the first one was so successful.”

I read that you turned down a Britney song?
“I just turned down Shakira just a couple weeks ago. Not because I don’t like the artist, the problem is my type of work does not fit with their voices. We work with soul. That’s the old school. Me and Ralphi both grew up with disco, that’s why we can’t work with everyone."

What voices out there do you like?
"Rachel Panay, she’s doing really good and I think her voice is lovely. She’s got it all there. Kim Sozzi, she’s amazing. I love her. Lots of new talent with soul and those are the ones we work with.”

Do you miss Sound Factory?
“Oh yes, dearly. The reason I miss it, it felt more like New York. It felt more intimate. There was an incredible energy in that box. The sound was very powerful. You couldn’t do as much decorwise like you can at Crobar [Alegria’s current home]. Some people like me better there than at Crobar. The new space caters to more people. It brings in a lot of out-of-towners. Real New Yorkers like the intimacy - the more agressive clubs. Roxy is one of the only big clubs left because it caters to everybody. Straight, gay, unknown. It’s a landmark.”

How long of a shelf life do you think Alegria will have?
“We see it going on. We choose New York because it’s the best place. One of the reasons I’m touring Europe is the success of Alegria. Eventually we will take Alegria on the road. Possibly Rio once a year because that’s where Ric is from.”

Alegria did manage to make it to Miami in December 2003.
“I think that it wasn’t a big success. I thought it was a good event. Not as packed as we expected it. I think it had a lot to do with the space and the timing.”

What’s the funniest thing you have seen from the DJ booth?
"I remember when I was at Paragon in South Beach, the owner put a pool in the stage area. It filled the entire club. And then during the show, the funniest thing happened. It was so slippery, and 15 people were working the stage. One of the drag queens was running so fast, she slipped and slid right into the pool. All we saw were wigs floating in the pool.”

What do you think it’s going to take to reinvigorate nightlife?"
"I think people need to start supporting the clubs again. We are losing. Club owners are losing faith. For numerous reasons, it would be good for the clubgoers to speak out and tell club owners what they want. Tell them if the DJs are not good. Let them know if the cover is too high. As gay people we need to support each other. We are on our own. Let’s support it before we lose it. Unless someone like Ric Sena comes along, we don’t get anything. Look at San Francisco, Atlanta - it’s lost its nightlife. Some of us, we think we know what the answers are. We can’t say it’s drugs, we can’t say it’s the Internet. Drink prices. Chicago is still struggling. People want to go out. This weekend at Cherry in D.C., the numbers were down. Cherry used to be the biggest weekend. It was a great party, but the numbers were down. Blue Ball in Philly was down.”

Do we need an organized effort?
"I wish I could say. An organized effort? Sometimes those things don’t work. Most people are in it for the money and they only care about taking the money and running. Event producers, like Ric, puts in all his love. It’s him alone. Everything’s got to be perfect. He won’t hire a DJ unless he knows them. Mark Baker did it for the love of it. He was crazy about it. You get tired of it after awhile. There is a lot gong on with the circuit scene at the moment. Gay Day at Disney is probably will be putting pressure on it.”

The circuit has a dark side - and since the obvious issues are never addressed openly - the problems are self-perpetuating.
“Once in LA, I was spinning at an event - I won’t say where - and at the end of the night the lights went on and we found three bodies and no one even knew they were there.”

Dead bodies?
“Yes. They found the bodies upstairs. All three died - they were left alone. I didn’t sleep for a week. It never made it to the media. It would be a liability for the club. It was never reported. This was years ago when crystal meth was really big in Los Angeles.”

You will be spinning on a boat cruise in Provincetown this summer.
“I’m doing this for the fun it. People were telling [event producer] David Flower that ‘I don’t think, you’ll never get Abel to do a boat cruise.’ I think they are fun to do. When he proposed, I said sure.”

Flower and Kiki Herold’s boat cruises are an experience unlike any circuit event. 1,100 people on a boat off the coast of Provincetown - they have a very positive energy.
“For the last year, it’s been kind of negative. But when people have events like this, they have fun. Last Friday, we had a birthday party for Hilton Wolman at Space and I did Salvation classics. Something different and fun.”

This interview originally ran on www.edgeboston.com and www.edgeptown.com in May 2005.

DJ Abel's "Alegria: Musica" will be in stores in November 2005.

INTERVIEW: DJ Tracy Young

by Rick Dunn

If DJ Tracy Young has her way - dance music will be fun again.

Maybe even uplifting. Her just released disc “Danceculture”(Ferosh) - which Young is supporting with a 15-city tour - finds the Miami-based DJ working hard as a cheerleader to save dance music from falling deeper into the abyss.

“I got into a dark period with all those dark, dark records,” says Young, 34, via cell-phone. “But DJs can only play what is available without sounding dated. In the past six months, I’ve been looking for those high energy peak anthems. It seems like they are a lot more available. The dark stuff, personally, I’m getting away from that.”

And she apparently means it. “Danceculture” is vocal heavy, featuring an exclusive, unavailable elsewhere remix of Madonna’s “Easy Ride,” as well as new tracks from Chaka Kahn and Young’s mix of Cyndi Lauper’s “Walk on By.”

Young wants music to feel pretty again. And for glamour: She’s the gorgeous chick that spun at Madonna’s wedding and Britney’s 21st. So there.

The Madonna connection is a powerful one. Early in Young’s career, she caught the ear of club owner and Madonna confidant Ingrid Casares and the rest is history. A few Madonna re-mixes later - including several from “Music” - and Young had formally arrived in a big way, landing gigs at every major circuit event.

Somehow, she’s kept her wits, manners and class.

The first time I interviewed you was many years ago in Boston at 29 Newbury. David Flower had set it up. You were spinning with a friend at a small club on Lansdowne Street. I think it was The Modern.
“Yes, that was even before I did any of the Madonna remixes. That was along time ago.”

And now look at you, all famous.
“You were one step ahead.”

It’s what I’m here for. Anyway, you’ll be in Provincetown for Labor Day Weekend. How long are you staying for?
“One night only. Because Labor Day is a big weekend for DJs. I’m playing Friday, Saturday and Sunday. I’m playing at the Coliseum in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday and New Orleans on Sunday.”

Last time you were in Provincetown to spin, the power went out.
“I was bummed. I love the Crown and Anchor. I was really like - ‘Damn, I was getting into the groove’ and everything ended. That was short set as well. You’re banging and banging and the power goes out. I haven’t been back since. Actually, I think I did a cruise the same weekend.”

You’ve talked a lot lately about making music lighter, less intense. It seems as though the combination of crystal and steroids made everything so aggressive.
“I’ve definitely seen crystal destroy a lot of nightlife. I’m drug free. I don’t drink - maybe a glass of wine at dinner. It’s not cool to tweak all weekend anymore. It’s worse than heroin. But I’m seeing a change. People are not doing it out in the open. If they do it, it’s hidden. Club life is synonymous with drug use. But, as somebody who is drug free, I’d rather see someone who drinks and does coke or who is rolling than see someone doing crystal. From my perspective looking down from the both, when I look at some-boy just tweaking, you don’t see a person, you see a shell.”

Your new disc “Dance Culture” has been a while in the making.
“Oh my god. It was like two years. Looking back, I pushed it back again and again. It evolved into a true interpretation of what I am playing. For the most part, it’s a vocal record. It was hard. It was a long process. I’m really, really happy. I compiled that track listing for a few years. It started New Year’s Eve two years ago. It would be three years this New Year’s. But, I’m glad. I wanted to get that Madonna record and that Cyndi Lauper record.”People outside the industry are not aware of the delays in obtaining rights and clearances for song usage.“Right. Not many people know that. You compile a track list for too long and it’s old. It’s hard to keep it fresh.”

Okay. Stevie Nicks. I need a story. You re-mixed her song “Planets of the Universe” and it went number one on the Billboard Club Play chart.
“I’m a complete Stevie Nicks junkie. The connection happened through her hairdresser. Stevie told me she did the Stair-master everyday to my mix.”

Have you heard Madonna’s new album yet? Will you be re-mixing something?
“That’s a secret. You’ve obviously aware of what I’ve done in the past.”

Tracy, Madonna just fell off a horse - she’s in the hospital and won’t be reading this.
(Laughs) “I don’t like to talk about things until they happen. Let’s just say I’ve inquired about it.”

What’s next on your itinerary?
“My annual New Year’s at Crobar and a “Live at Crobar” disc - shooting for that.”

This interview originally ran on www.edgeptown.com and www.edgeboston.com in August 2005.

For more on Tracy Young go to www.djtracyyoung.com

REVIEW: Patti Labelle says sit down and listen!

by Rick Dunn

Without a doubt Patti Labelle remains a review-proof artist - you either like her, or you’re deaf.

Her newest CD, "Classic Moments" is a 13-track package of covers produced by Babyface and Darryl Simmons that is one part Home Shopping Channel, one part sheer genius. Patti won’t be wrestling with Coldplay or Norah Jones for next year’s Grammy, but wouldn’t you rather have her over for dinner? God knows, she’d bring something delicious and not even ask for the Tupperware back.

The material on "Classic Moments" is never obvious and the duets (Elton John, Mary J. Blige, and Kristine W.) don’t feel mandated by worn-out, broken down Hip-Hop trends - which is refreshing. Ms. Labelle is just a little too cool to embarrass herself by trying to co-opt all this "hot in da club" crap her juniors are passing off as music.

No, Ms. Labelle will not wear reflective sunglasses in her videos, boast about her material possessions, nor will she tolerate the presence of strippers masquerading as self-empowered women who can’t sing live. She won’t be teaming up Timbaland or Justin Timberlake anytime soon. She will not attempt to pass herself off as a highschool senior in a video (Gwen, really...) or push some pedophilic obsession with Japanese teenagers who’ve been stripped of their identities (Really, Gwen...and we’re worried about Michael?).

In a pop culture moment where even reality TV is scripted and divas no longer work up a real sweat on stage, Patti brings a realness to everything she does.

Patti is strictly old school. She gets her nails done, drives to the studio, sings the shit out of bunch of songs, wipes the smell of church off her brow and then uploads some delicious recipes on her website.

Her song selection is interesting: The Pretender’s "Stand By You," Rose Royce’s "Love Don’t Live Here Anymore," (which Madonna once covered); The Delfonics’ "Didn’t I Blow Your Mind," and Bonnie Raitt’s "I Can’t Make You Love Me." Whatever she sings, she nails it. And those little lyrical touches she adds are hilarious: During Elton John’s "Your Song," she intones: "Yours are the sweetest eyes Miss Patti has ever seen." Who else has the authority to get away with that?

The most curious cover is a duet with gay icon Kristine W on "Land of the Living," which appeared on Kristine’s 1996 debut disc of the same name. Written by Kristine and Dido’s brother Rollo, this gospel-ized survivor's tale could have been reduced to a screaming match by two big-time belters, but both singers find a common ground where they are evenly matched. Drag queens are lining up for this.

This review originally appeared on www.edgeboston.com