It’s video trailers like this that make me wish I lived in San Francisco. Check out this trailer for the Thrillpeddlers theater company’s new play – Vice Palace, a modern update of the Cockette’s notorious show “There’s Blood on Your Face” that starred Divine and Mink Stole.

Joshua Devore looks good in just about anything.

Nanook of the north lost her nose from doing too much blow? Hilarious.

Plus the show has the muscular and hunky Joshua Devore, who looks good in just about anything, and as you can see in the trailer, he wears very little in the show, or nothing at all. You can hear him on our podcast earlier this week.

It’s great to see a theater company understand and value the importance of putting great content online, and reaching out to blogs and podcasts about getting their story out there. Pay attention Chicago!

– More info about the Thrillpeddlers.

As icon Cloris Leachman was being honored at the SF Sketch Fest 2011, she suddenly yanked Peaches Christ wig off during her interview on the Castro Theatre stage.

Although some folks were outraged, but Cloris is Wonder Woman’s mom! I would let her do anything to my wig.

Click here to listen to Peaches Christ talk about the incident on the Feast of Fun podcast.

– Thanks to Andy Farriester for the video!

Dot Jones (left) joins the very gay cast of Glee

From looking at Google trends, the public interest in her skyrocketing means she’s going to be popular with audiences.

Maybe they will even hook her character up with Sue Sylvester for a hot lezzie on lezzie high school coach action.

You might remember seeing Dot in the 90s on Married with Children and Roseanne and later on in Hilary Duff’s TV series Lizzie McGuire and Material Girls.

Back in 2007, she did “Dot Jones and Peanut” a hilarious and very gay Christian ventriloquist dummy act with comedian Betsy Salkind, at San Francisco’s Viva Variety Show.

If Murphy is picked, hell if any of them are picked, I think Glee has demonstrated that Lea Michele would be an amazing choice to take over the role of Elphaba the witch of the title adjective whose story the musical is.  She is not only a singer of emormous gifts, and a great actress, but a dead ringer for the now too old to pull off the role Idina Menzel who has been playing Lea’s mother on Glee.  I have no clue who could possibly fill the giant and yet tiny shoes of  Kristen Chenoweth in the role of the delightfully self absorbed good witch Glinda (Galinda), hell can we just let her pretend to be 18?

Wicked’s stage runs have generated over 2 billion (yes I said BILLION) in grosses worldwide so this was inevitable, and the success in the last decade of screen adaptations of Chicago, Hairspray, Dreamgirls and Mama Mia make the journey for Elphaba and Glinda to the big screen a fairly easy bet for studios  (reportedly Universal) and producers.

I can’t wait!

for more on the story visit: http://bit.ly/aPVpyc

This trailer for Fuerza Bruta doesn’t quite capture the excitement of seeing the live show which is like the love child of Burning Man and Blue Man Group. I felt like I was at an over the top rave from the 90s with really cool performances and not so many people people passing out from taking too much ecstasy.

Fuerza Bruta translates into “Brute Force” and the title is appropriate as the performers come up against some pretty aggressive forces – gravity, cardboard boxes, speed, and see-through plastic splash pools.

Warning: You stand and dance the whole time so be prepared and wear comfortable shoes. And if you don’t want to move too much or be involved in the action, stick to the edges of the crowd, but you’ll miss a lot of the fun. If you can, go just off center of the crowd for the best view.

Writer and oral historian E Patrick Johnson spent two years traveling the South to interview almost a hundred men for his extraordinary book Sweet Tea: Black Gay Men of the South.

E. Patrick Johnson put a lot of love into the project and now he’s bringing these men’s stories to life with a theatrical adaptation of the book- Sweet Tea: The Play, produced by About Face Theater now playing in Chicago at the Viaduct Theater until May 29.

Listen as E. Patrick tells us about the responsibility of performing these men’s stories and he weighs in on the unnerving use of slur words in books, films and theater.

What is the best way for writers and artists to handle taboo slur words? Do we avoid them, embrace them or look to them for a deeper understanding of who we are and why people hate?

Hot news:
The Illinois Department of Public Health runs a bizarre ad campaign demonizing gay men as disease ridden Frankenstein monsters in of all places, the back page of a gay newspaper. Who was sleeping on the job when they ran such a hateful ad?

Due to the success of the Betty White Saturday night live Facebook group, new groups are popping up all across the social network begging for their favorite celebrity to become the next host of the show.

Updates on Obama’s Supreme Court Nominee Kagan and more on George Rekers, the boy hungry, anti-gay Baptist preacher.

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Dance performer Todd Kiech, better known as Hot Toddy is throwing a “Xmas Burlesque” show 8pm, December 15 at Scarlet bar in Chicago. The show features The Stagedoor Johnnies, Frenchie Kiss, Fanny Tastic, Vicki Syn, and Hosted by Miss Omicah.

He says he’s “back from Vegas” to show Chicago a good time. Not sure what he was doing in Las Vegas, but I’m sure it had something to do with the movie “Showgirls” if you know what I mean.

According to his MySpace page, Toddy may be 45 years old, but from these photos of him in his satin satan suit, he’s got buns of steel.

It’s World AIDS Day, the international day of remembrance which raises awareness about the AIDS pandemic and honors the struggles and triumphs of people living with HIV.

Today we’re talking to groundbreaking actor and activist Michael Kearns.

In the mid 70s, long before coming out of the closet was considered a career move in Hollywood, Michael Kearns was famous for becoming the out gay model and spokesperson for the popular book, “The Happy Hustler” even though he didn’t write it.

Prompted by the AIDS-related death of “Midnight Express” star Brad Davis in 1991, Michael made history when came forward on television as being HIV positive at a time when so many people were afraid to divulge their status.

He later appeared on the TV shows Life Goes On and Beverly Hills 90210 as a man living with HIV.

Today Michael is re-staging his one man show “Intimacies’” for a 20 year anniversary tour. The show features six characters identified by the placement of a red scarf to tell six diferent monolouges on the AIDS crisis of the early 80s. Never in the history of theater has a red scarf meant so much!

Listen as Michael Kearns talks with us about why he came forward back then, why Hollywood still has a long way to go when embracing gay men and he reveals the juicy details of an affair he had with a major music celebrity.

Who was it? Listen to today’s show and find out. And we mean out.

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Featured Books:
Grant Tracy Saxon- The Happy Hustler: My Own Story: Amazon
Michael Kearns- The Solo Performer’s Journey: From the Page to the Stage: Amazon
Michael Kearns- T-Cells & Sympathy: Monologues in the Age of Aids: Amazon

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You can lie in bed, lay in bed, die and even pray in bed. You can laugh in bed give your heart or break your heart in half in bed. But never ever can you sin in bed!

The lyrics to the song “The Bed” from the 1960s musical Hair ring true in our pal Adam Guerino’s new show Mattress Matters.

From gay to straight and everything in between comedian Adam Guerino’s debut play tells deeply touching stories from the bedroom mixed in with video clips of the characters living in the outside world.

Today, Adam joins us with his cast member Sharriese Hamilton to give us a little taste of the show.

Listen as Adam and Sharriese discuss with us on the news you care about most!

Cher’s child, Chastity Bono announces he’s transitioning to be a man.

Transman Thomas Beatie’s second baby born naturally.

A Virginia women’s prison gets in trouble for segregating the butch and femme prisoners.

Everyone’s up in arms- kinda! Odd arm news including a touching story of a Chinese basketball player who saved a dolphin’s life with his bare hands.

And a Chicago woman’s plea to find her missing puppy- UPDATE: She got her pooch back!

Plus questions from you through our Facebook page!

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Just because it’s snowing outside doesn’t mean you should be staying in!

On today’s show we’ve got Kevin Thomas, your gay concierge and friend to all bears (and their admirers) to talk about what’s hot on Broadway and in Chicago theater.

A sizzling production of Miss Saigon is now playing at the Drury Lane Theater in the Chicago suburb of Oak Brook until March 8th. Check out Kevin’s blog entry for a full account of the fabulous show and more Broadway business.

Listen as we talk about Miss Saigon and how you can become a understudy for the coveted role of the Vietnamese bar girl with the heart of gold. If you’ve ever seen Showgirls, you know what we are talking about.

Also, check out Saturday Night Live as show characters try to save Broadway. Can you believe Neil Patrick Harris’ impersonation of actor Anthony Rapp who originated the role of Mark in Rent that Harris later took over?

An awkward news story being pushed around about Kyle Mingoue’s hot boyfriend posing nude reveals anxieties about the future of gay print media. Odd phrases such as “world’s most renowned” or “leading gay mag” in the article almost equally touts the the wonder of OUT magazine as much as the nudie pics of Minogoue’s boyfriend.

We wonder what the future of large-scale queer media will be as more and more of the public moves online. Is the recent merger of Regent Media with PlanetOut and Gay.com is good for gay people? Or will it reduce a diversity of viewpoints?

A hot new trend- cute things falling asleep is a website depicting cute animals and babies trying to sleep is intriguing millions. Will our video of Kevin Thomas sleeping be a hit?

American Idol Returns for another exciting seasons of freaks, geeks and shrieks. We can’t wait. We’re interested in to see how the new judge will n=mix with the other judges and contestants.

And a happy ending for a 140 year old lobster who is set free from a New York City restaurant. Did he become shark food or will he live a long happy life?

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Last week over 13 shows on the Great White Way closed, several you thought would be there for a long time – “Hairspray” and “Young Frankenstein.”

Broadway had a nice holiday season with shoppers needing a warm refuge from the snow or people enjoying their Christmas present show tickets. But until there’s the spring thaw, things look awfully icy for Broadway. So I’m going this coming week to check out what might be hot to take us through the winter.

Shows that look very promising include “Shrek, the Musical.” Now, I am not a big fan of the movie, but this musical has a dream cast including Brian Darcy James as Shrek. Mr. James has has one of the strongest, under-appreciated voices on Broadway and received a Tony nomination in for “Sweet Smell of Success” but I also remember loving him in a smaller role in “Titanic, the Musical.” I am glad he’s finally getting the notice he deserves albeit in green face. And his lovely leading lady, Sutton Foster, although under-utilized in “Young Frankenstein,” charmed us in “Thoroughly Modern Millie” and “The Drowsy Chaperone.” Furthermore, it will really be exciting to see how Daniel Breaker does his role as Donkey. Breaker made a triumphant and Tony nominated debut last year in the short-lived musical “Passing Strange” and I expect a lot out of him. I promise to keep you posted on if the shows deserves all of this attention.

Also a strong new Broadway show is “Billy Elliot” which I saw it in London last year. It was a magical experience which totally surpasses the film upon which it was based. It has lots of fun songs, but we’d expect nothing less from Elton John.

This trip to New York will also be bring a repeat viewing of “In the Heights” which is quickly becoming a staple among long-running musicals. “In the Heights” is approaching its one year anniversary on Broadway and most of its original cast remains in tact. It will be exciting to see if it still has the vibrancy as it did when it first opened. In today’s modern musical world of hip hop, rap and dance club remixes, today’s younger music fans might identify “In the Heights” as a musical mash up, combining hip hop with a traditional show tune, making a sound that will appeal to young and old alike.

But I am eager to see what other gems I might find on and off Broadway this winter. Will it be “An American Plan,” “Pal Joey,” or “The Marvellous Wonderettes?” I’ll report back after my New York trip.

If you can’t make it to Broadway, there’s always theater you can find in your own town. One way to seek out shows is through playbill.com, where you’ll find a tab on the left side of the page under tickets, so click on “Regional/Touring” and search by city.

That’s how I found “Miss Saigon,” the Tony award winning musical that was the tenth longest running Broadway musical of all times, playing just outside of Chicago.

The show may not be coming back to New York for now but it is playing an exclusive run through March 8 at the Drury Lane Theatre in Oakbrook Terrace, IL. The greatest appeal for me with “Miss Saigon” has always been the spectacle of its grandiose sets. This show had a helicopter and Cadillac right on stage. If that didn’t make your jaw drop, then nothing in the theater will. But alas, this production is more scaled down and the over-the-top sets are gone so don’t expect to see a helicopter land on this stage.

But your jaw will drop with the shows performances. Melinda Chua Smith and Kevin Vortmann bring their own magic to the story of star-crossed lovers who meet during the Vietnam War. Smith’s Kim is an orphaned young woman who is forced into prostitution and rescued by the sweet GI Chris, played by Vortmann. The modern retelling of the classic “Madame Butterfly” makes its own mark as “Miss Saigon” primarily due to its musical score, filled with many memorable songs.

And while I have seen “Miss Saigon” several times, I was very impressed with both Smith, who has an excellent range and was able to make her songs emotional without being overly dramatic, which is easy to do with the source material. And Vortmann, who has a great rich quality to his voice and was able to sparkle in the quiet moments as well as those times when he needs to truly belt it out. He looks good with his shirt off too. In fact, we met Melinda Chua Smith after the show and I told her I should be her understudy so that I might have the chance to find myself in the arms of the hot men in the show. She seemed a very good sport about it.

Melinda as actually a really nice and sweet woman – and she seemed so fresh, even though she just played the part two times that day. She is quite convincing as the 17 year old Kim, which might be surprising when you consider that Melinda is in her mid 30s and has played various parts in “Miss Saigon” since the early 1990s.

Tickets can be purchased at www.drurylaneoakbrook.com or www.ticketmaster.com. The ticket prices can be as low as $22 but if you want to try to find even a better deal, try www.chicago.oodle.com or www.chicagoplays.com.

On today’s show, Scott Bradley and Jonny Stax, the real-life gay couple behind the Scooty and JoJo show, join us to talk about being one of Chicago’s trashiest, campiest and funniest entertainment companies around.

Listen as Johnny and Scott talk about creating the Carpenter’s Halloween Special, Tran the Atari Musical and Mollywood the Musical. We joke with the duo that they create their shows from 80s mad libs or mixed up piles of Trivial Pursuit.

We met Jonny Stax about four years ago at one of our last pre-podcast shows we did at Schubas, where he haggled with a woman for a purple Feast of Fools t-shirt that we gave away from the stage. The t-shirt didn’t even have the “.net” added to it to refer to the website.

I remember making this t-shirt with Marc and how good we thought the colors looked together. It looked like a little Mardi Gras. It’s so nice to see our baby come home for a visit! These t-shirts do hold up against time, so you know that they will hold up at least four years down the road.

Did you check out Will Smith and David Letterman’s same sex kiss? The hunky actor dazzled the late night talk show host Monday when we went on to promote his new film, when all of a sudden the two men found themselves kissing each other.

Will Smith must be making up for taking the bad advice of homophobe actor Denzel Washington to not do a gay kiss in the film “Six Degrees of Seperation” despite the gay kiss being crucial to the plot. And poor Paul Schaffer will just have to play the keyboards alone tonight.

Also- pink doggie poop, God the Florida black guy who just loves cocaine and bad internet domain names (in the comments section.)

We welcome our new advertiser Big Jones Restaurant into the fold, be sure to check them out for dinner or drinks, you won’t be disappointed. I especially love their strawberry lemonade cocktails made with fresh mint. Yum.

Today’s your lucky day- no matter how you roll the dice, you always get the Feast of Fools.

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Featured Music:
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