By Pollo Del Mar
SF Bay Guardian Celebrity Blogger

"Bear with me tonight," said 21-year-old singing sensation Elly Jackson, lead vocalist for British act La Roux, to introduce the band's set at San Francisco's Great American Music Hall. "I've been really sick, so if you know the words, sing along." With that, the electro-synth act immediately launched into its international hit "Quicksand" with the sold out crowd joining in unison.

"I didn't want to cancel the show," Jackson said after the opening number, "But I didn't want anyone to leave here saying, 'She can't fucking sing!' either. I'm doing my best."

Jackson's best proved more than enough for those in attendance, many of whom were likely waiting for that moment since the group unexpectedly canceled a scheduled appearance at Cafe DuNord some two months before. And while at less-than-100-percent the singer has enough chops to carry a show even in such an intimate venue, I simply couldn't stop staring at her hair.

Watching Jackson dance around the stage serving Ed Grimley realness, I was forced to wonder, "What in the hell is this woman thinking?!"

Continue reading "La Roux Serves SF Ed Grimley Realness" »

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Posted by Pollo Del Mar at 11:30 PM • Comments (5)

Brace Yourselves, America, Here Comes Lolene

"I'm too sexy for this club," declares Lolene before launching into her driving three-and-a-half minute club romp "Sexy People." Debuting on American club music charts in the October 10 issue of Billboard Magazine, the track should prove to be little more than a "warm up" for the multi-talented performer's 2010 debut The Electrick Hotel.

After cutting her teeth in her native England, Lolene set sail for the U.S., landing in Los Angeles. There the 24-year-old aspiring pop starlet was discovered by multi-platinum producer JR Rotem, the same man who discovered and produces chart-topping R&B act Sean Kingston. Initially signed as a songwriter, she worked with the industry's top hit-makers to write music for a who's who of today's biggest pop stars.

Now Lolene is ready to step into the spotlight herself. With her full-length album set for release early next year, and her debut single climbing the charts, she kicks of her Electrick Hotel Tour with back-to-back appearances in the Bay Area. On Thurs., Oct. 15, she performs at The Crib, an 18-and-over gay and lesbian hip-hop club, and follows the next night at Oakland's Bench & Bar.

Here Lolene expounds on her infatuation with Dynasty and The Love Boat, explains her nickname ("Miss Foo Foo") and gives me the skinny on exactly what the the hell a "disco vagina" is. (It's not half as gross as you might think.)

Continue reading "Shine Up Your Disco Vagina!" »

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Posted by Pollo Del Mar at 07:50 PM • Comments (2)

By Pollo Del Mar
Guardian Celebrity Blogger

No disrespect intended, but Loni Love is one funny bitch!

Fans of Chelsea Lately know Love as a regular on the late night talk show’s roundtable. Many television viewers know her as one of the hilarious talking head on VH1 shows like I Love the 70s/80s/90s and Best Week Ever. And, of course, scores more know Love from the stand-up comedy circuit where she got her show business start.

On Friday, Oct. 16, Love joins Real Housewives of Atlanta star NeNe Leakes and Bay Area drag princess Sasha Soprano for Comedy in the Castro. The all-diva line-up kicks off at 7:30 p.m. at the historic Castro Theatre. General admission tickets cost $25-35; $75 VIP tickets include a meet-and-greet.

Continue reading "More to (Loni) Love!" »

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Posted by Pollo Del Mar at 06:43 PM • Comments (3)

By Pollo Del Mar
Queen of San Francisco Media

Little Boots is the hottest thing going in the United Kingdom these days. Two weeks ago, the electro-pop act -- which is simply the stage name chosen by singer/songwriter Victoria Hesketh -- opened atop Great Britain's pop charts with "Remedy," the second release from her Top 5 debut Hands.

Now across The Pond, Little Boots is starting to pique fans' interests as well. After going viral through Facebook and MySpace, Hesketh released an EP (not quite a full album) titled Illuminations on June 9, 2009, the same day her full-length album launched at home.

To support the collection, which includes tracks like the U.K. Top 20 hit "New In Town," the Kylie-inspired "Stuck on Repeat" and her cover of Freddie Mercury's "Love Kills," Little Boots launched its first North American tour. After playing to sold-out crowds at smaller venues throughout the U.S., the tour wrapped at San Francisco's The Independent with a packed Sept. 19 show.

Continue reading "These Boots Are Made for Rockin'!" »

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Posted by Pollo Del Mar at 02:47 AM • Comments (0)

By Pollo Del Mar
Queen of San Francisco Media

The first time I interviewed Lynda Carter, I could barely breathe when she called. Using her back-to-back roles in Sky High and the big-screen adaptation of The Dukes of Hazzard as a reason to get my life-long idol on the phone, we spent a very uneventful 15 minutes talking about those films and, of course, her history as every gay man's absolute favorite super-heroine. When Carter proved to not only not be Wonder Woman but also somewhat distant, it was like a tiny piece of my childhood died.

Now some five years later, with the release of her new album At Last as an excuse, I thought I would try my hand again. This time, after impressing Carter with quotes from past interviews and even surprising her with a question she's never been asked, we connected! It felt like the ultimate pay-off for the many long years spent blindly following every news-release, tabloid mention and made-for-TV movie by this iconic actress!

For nearly 40 minutes we engaged in heart-to-heart conversation about her career, new album and very personal struggle with alcohol addiction. Turns out, even 30 years after the last time she slipped into those now-legendary star-spangled satin tights, Carter really is still a wonder!

Continue reading "Lynda Carter Is Still a Wonder!" »

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Posted by Pollo Del Mar at 03:50 AM • Comments (4)

Jer Ber Jones is eating an In & Out Burger when she calls from the long expanse of highway between her home in Los Angeles and San Francisco. With her friend and costar in Telekinesis - Transfixed Calpernia Addams behind the wheel, there is plenty of time for the drag star to chat.

Jones etched a reputation for herself locally over a dozen years ago as the first DJ for Trannyshack, the now-legendary and ground-breaking drag phenomenon led by San Francisco's pre-eminent drag hostess Heklina. In the years since, she has carved a reputation for being an off-beat talent in the L.A. drag scene as well as an accomplished independent recording artist.

Now partnered with Addams, a transsexual showgirl and one-time Tennessee Entertainer of the Year who gained notoriety after the brutal 1999 hate-crime murder of her military boyfriend as chronicled in the feature film A Soldier's Girl, Jones is starring in a new two-woman show Transfixed. After playing to enthusiastic response in her adopted home of L.A., the pair are bringing their show -- described as a bizarre behind-the-scenes look at a twisted, "alternate reality" version of a Sonny & Cher or Donnie & Marie-style musical variety act -- to San Francisco.

Continue reading "Jer Ber Jones Is a Transfixed Tranimal!" »

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Posted by Pollo Del Mar at 12:11 AM • Comments (0)

Shannel is Vegas' New Showgirl

Actually that's far from the truth. After more than 15 years in the business, RuPaul's Drag Race star and third runner-up Shannel is anything but new to the art of "female illusion." Honestly, it's little wonder she entered the search for the "World's Next Drag Superstar" thinking she had the competition in the bag.

As a matter of fact, Shannel has been a staple at such Sin City favorites as La Cage for years. There she honed her mastery of make-up, illusion, and -- as Shannel told us time and again on Season 1 of the hit LOGO reality television series -- 39 characters and impersonations. "I do everything from old Hollywood to Disney," she described when we met.

Of course, on the series Shannel came off about as shallow and cold as her piercing blue eyes. Upon meeting her recently before she performed at San Francisco's Thursday night, 18-and-over LGBT hotspot The Crib, she proved to be much more . . . three-dimensional . . . than her on-screen counterpart.

Witty, engaging and genuinely personable, she not only provided insight about her own experience on the show, she disses the only girl she "absolutely could not stand" on the show, explains why she says "Fuck RuPaul!" at every club gig, and offers insight which could prove invaluable for anyone considering throwing their wig in the ring for future editions of the series. [As 10th in the country of more than 800 hopefuls, vying for spots on Season 2 of the hit series, I'm certainly taking notes!!!]

Continue reading "Move Over Nomi Malone..." »

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Posted by Pollo Del Mar at 11:45 PM • Comments (0)

"Shows in most cities usually feel like a first date, but I love San Francisco. It’s always like a good fuck!”
-- Lady GaGa

By Pollo Del Mar
Queen of San Francisco Media

You've got to love Lady GaGa for loving the gays. Time and time again she's has told anyone who will listen it was the LGBT community who supported her career long before debut single "Just Dance" recently spent four weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100. As she embarks on the "Fame Ball Tour," her first as a headlining act, it seems the New York-born diva is drawing further inspiration from gays or, more specifically, drag queens.

When GaGa played Mezzanine Saturday, March 14, she wisely borrowed a page from the drag queen playbook and incorporated shiny dancers’ tights under fishnets into her oh-so-fabulous, self-designed wardrobe. It's not a moment too soon either. During two of the first four Lady GaGa shows I attended, which included twice hosting her at venues around town (as seen above, taken at The Crib), the budding Pop Princess’ bikiniline was hidden by more bush than Dick Cheney!

Continue reading "Lady GaGa Joins the Obama-Nation: No More Bush!" »

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Posted by Pollo Del Mar at 06:47 AM • Comments (0)

By Pollo Del Mar
SFBG Celebrity Blogger

The first time I saw Elvira, I was maybe ten-years-old. Captivated by her beauty, bulging bosoms and campy responses to some of the worst movies we had ever seen, my sister and I would stay up every week to watch her midnight Movie Macabre, trying not to wake our parents as we giggled like naughty school girls late into the night at Elvira’s Valley girl-inspired commentary and bawdy sense of humor.

As a bona fide fan, I followed Elvira throughout my teen years. When she finally made her absolutely hysterical big-screen debut in Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, I rushed to see its 1988 theatrical debut. Later I owned the laugh-out-loud-funny feature on VHS (that was the video format that came before DVDs, for those too young to remember it first-hand). Throughout high school, I slept with the movie poster above my bed.

It's been 20 years since the release of Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, and I've since interviewed Cassandra Peterson, the pretty redhead behind the gothy make-up and black bouffant. Peterson and I even met once, when her film screened last summer at San Francisco's Bridge Theatre. My first meeting with Elvira, though, came just this past weekend when drag superstar Peaches Christ debuted her Midnight Mass film series to Los Angeles.

Here Elvira shares about her career, role as a gay icon and why discussing Vampira makes her uncomfortable. She also talks about her upcoming star turn in All About Evil, the feature-length debut by Christ. (Find out how you can get cast as an extra in the film, too!)

Continue reading "Elvira Was 'Raised By a Pack of Wild Drag Queens'!" »

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Posted by Pollo Del Mar at 11:49 PM • Comments (2)

By Pollo Del Mar
Guardian Celebrity Blogger

With a MySpace profile that has been viewed nearly 60 million times, the most popular merchandise line available through mall favorite Hot Topic and a summer spent on the Van's Warped Tour already under his jewel-encrusted belt, Jeffree Star has turned internet fame into international success. And to think, the multi-media mogul is barely drinking age!

Most recently, Star unveiled his hot new EP Cupcakes Taste Like Violence to retailers across the country. Days after its Dec. 2 release, the MySpace legend hit San Francisco 18-and-over hot spot The Crib as part of a major tour planned to promote the collection of electronic dance tracks. As the waifer-thin, tattooed (he has 75 and counting, if you must know) performer and his small entourage waited to take the stage by storm, we chatted casually backstage.

Though he doesn't consider himself a drag queen -- "I like to be a question mark," he told me -- we still connected girl to girl, glitter-to-glitter. From telling why he had to prove himself on the Warped Tour and explaining why he doesn't drink, Star shares about success, talks shit about Tila Tequila and explains why he thinks Paris Hilton is a role model for today's youth in this exclusive interview.

Continue reading "MySpace's Brightest Star Is Ready to Shine" »

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Posted by Pollo Del Mar at 02:40 AM • Comments (2)