Newspaper Page Text
Page 6 — The Barb, November, 1977'
Hello out there in tinsel town. Everyone seems
to be throwing the tea these days and my cup is
full. So look out viorld. Tom has the “real” tea. r
Here in Atlanta the battle of the discos rages on.
The Magic Garden has had the crowd since itj
opened, but Encore has remodeled and promises !
some strong competition. In addition, Our Place
has opened their huge disco room and called it the s
Fox Trot. Just who will win the crowd should be(
interesting. The “tea” is, there’s a surprise on the*
horizon.
On October 17, the old Mother’s location off of j
Peachtree will open as Zylites and the owner, Tim
Bradford, told me that his light show and sound
system will put the Magic Garden’s and Encore’s ”
to shame. Although it’s not going to be exclusively
gay, Tim said gays are welcome and he wants a
mixed crowd. Recording star Donna Summers j
will be oni hand for the opening night. So thej
Atlanta disco competition has gotten hot again. I
hope the bar owners will be cool, so there won’t be!
any more fires.
Last week was a big week around town, I heard
the Yves St. Laurent fashion show was flawless, as
expected. I stopped by the Atlanta Tennis Classic
to see Dr. Renee Richards. She told me that she’s
not hoping to win any big tournament, she just
wants to be accepted as a woman. Renee is a big
woman I must say. At six-feet, 2 inches, she is a tall
voman with a deep voice. She really looks like a
middle age man in drag. I do wish the other
woman pros who are supposed to be so liberated
would stop being so redneck about Renee. They
are really hypocrites.
On the show scene there’s lot’s of tea to throw. I
saw Lisa King and Lavita Allen rehearsing their
version of “Rocky” one Monday night at the
Sweet Gum Head, Diamond Lil will crawl out of
Diamond Lil appears Tuesdays at Sweet Gum.
nights. Lisa King Keeps demonstrating her
yersatile talents, like the command performance of
“Two Gun Judy” she did in the Locker Room
parking lot one morning. Jody Paramour has
stopped pirouetting long enough to take over the
shows at the Sweet Gum. His innovative ideas and
choreography have added a lot to the show. Hope
he and the girls keep up the good work.
Dina Jacobs is out in L.A. staying high with an I
old lover. Heather Fontaine and Greg Moore are
headed for Montreal with French Dressing. Vicky
Lawretace has finally settled down with her
husband, Hammond, in Athens, Ga. Will
cosmopolitan Athens be able to handle Vicky’s
attitude?
“Money is Really My Game” is Hot Chocolate’s,
new song out in Houston. Chocolate is making*
$375 a week for two night’s work at the Old
Plantation, She will soon make her first
appearance in Las Vegas. The crowd in Atlanta
really misses Chocolate. Lavita Allen has been
getting encores at the Sweet Gum Head with her
“Cool Vanilla” impression of Chocolate. And
down at the Onyx, Mickey Day is bringing the
house down doing “Disco Butt,” her version of
Chocolate. Of course, the real thing, Hot
Chocolate is tearing up the crowds in Houston, i
Over at the Locker Room Disco, Roskij
Fernandez has been turning out new production!
numbers like an assembly line. Her “African
Queens” and “Star Wars” productions were great,:
but that new fog machine has an odor strong
enough to kill the crabs in Lilly White’s coffin or
even on Roski’s tricks. The cast put a lot of effort
into “Star Wars.” I particularly liked the Sandmen
and Darth, but out of all the girls costumes, only
Does Tom Really Hate Norma?
major Southern city) than any other female
impersonator ever has in one year. Chocolate
has gotten standing ovations and encores
everywhere she has worked and is always asked
to return. She was the only contestant in Miss
Gay America this year to get a standing ovation
in both the sportswear and talent catagories,
which are probably the hardest ones. Jimmie
did not get one standing ovation. It took
Jimmie Dee three weeks (after she got the
crown) to even get a booking.
The point system that Norma has established
for Miss Gay America is ridiculously out of
proportion. Out of 600 possible points, 300 go
• to the interview potion. One would think the
most points should go to the talent category
since the winner represents the best in the
“entertainment” community. The interview
portion should be elementary. In the “real”
Miss America, one-third of the points are
awarded to the talent category, one-third to
swimwear, one-sixth to evening wear, and only
one-sixth for the interview portion. This would I
seem much more practical and logical for Miss
Gay America also.
In conclusion, I suggest that Norma Christie
clean up her act. The gay entertainment
community deserves more respect and
consideration in regard to female
impersonation’s most prestigious title. First, i
pick a suitable city for the pageant; then, get an
auditorium with a proper set-up and adequate
facilities; pick qualified judges from different
states (not from any preliminary pageants);
and revise the point system. Finally, try to have
the pageant promote foremost entertainers,
with a good background. If all this could be
done, it would go a long way toward restoring*
the dignity to a tarnished, but prestigious title, *
Then I’ll love ’ya, Norma!
-Tom Oosterhoudt
No, I don’t hate Norma Christie. When I
reviewed the Miss Gay America pageant, I did
something different for a gay critic, I told the
truth. I realize the truth can be painful for some
and a lot to handle,especially for Norma. But
there is no excuse for Miss Gay America to put
together so poorly. Gay contests and
entertainers have made great strides in recent
years and Miss Gay America has fallen way
behind times.
It should set an example for other contests in
the way it’s run and judged. The winner should
represent the foremost in talent in the gay
entertainment community. The fact is,
however, that these past few years it has failed
in all these areas. The contest has lacked
national representation in contestants. The last
three winners were working in Texas.
This year there were five very mediocre
judges. Of the five, three had judged
preliminary pageants in which Jimmie Dee had
done well, or won, specifically the Miss Gay
South pageant and the Miss Gay Texas
pageant. Of course this allowed an unfair bias
on the part of the judges. For Jimmie it meant 3
into 5 = $5,000. The important thing was that
the judges passed over people who had been
much better representatives of the gay
entertainment community. For example,
entertainers like Rachel Wells and Hot
Chocolate jhave brought audiences to their feet
all over the South. Lisa King spoke out at gay
pride rallies this past year. Entertainers like this
are not only top notch, but the bar owners and
gay community like and) respect (them. This
cannot be said about Jimmie Dee. He has
fought with bar owners and entertainers almost
everywhere he has worked.
Hot Chocolate, on the other hand, worked in
more bars and cities this past year (from San
Francisco to Houston and just about every ]
'Tissy’s and Lily’s seemed reaiiy cosmic enough for
Star Wars. Gilda looked like an Yves St. Laurent
model of the future and Roski’s head dress looked
Tike the inside of a solid state television, The
overall effect was really nice though. I also like
their new Dianna Ross production, and it was reall
nice to see Natalie Greer in something besides rag
dresses for a change. Also glad to see that Gina St.
John has rejoined the cast.
Peaches is now a regular at Hollywood Hot Disco. j
I heard they had a break-in at me Onyx recently.
Someone tried to decorate the bar with the girls’
dresses. I would have thought just one of Mickeyj
Day’s would have done it. The Onyx has added
Taisha Wallace, Miss Gay Atlanta, to their ranksi
and have ten people in their cast now with shows
seven nights a week. Their “Oklahoma”'
production proved they’ve come a long way. I hear
they are planning to do “Chicago” next. Did
someone really overhear Jim ask Tina, Chablis,
and Crystal, “Guess Who’s Not Coming to
Dinner?” Someone just asked me recently if
Mickey Day is big in Atlanta?
The Red Dyke Theatre stole the show at thd
Vicki Gabriner Benefit the other evening. The barj
was packed with girls for the event. I wasi
impressed with the girl who sang the pan of Anita
Bryant and the Red Dykes “Their Fault
Insurance” skit. Most of the RDT*s numbers
contain social messages. As well as they go
they should make more appearances.
“Hosanna” is the name of the newest play to be
presented at the Sweet Gum Head by the
Peachtree Walk Theatre Project. It follows the
tremendously successful “Fortune and Men’s
Eyes”, which established gay theatre in Atlanta.
“Hosanna” stars Lavita Allen, making her
dramatic debut, and Gideon Fletcher,
remembered by many for his role as Queenie in
“Fortune...” A comic tragedy, the setting for.
“Hosanna” is Halloween night, after the costume
ball, in a gay bar. Lavita plays the part of
Hosanna, an unhappy drag queen who is
;onvinced she is Elizabeth Taylor’s Cleopatra.
Gideon plays her butch lover, Raymond, which i$
quite a role reversal from his previous role asj
Queenie. They are the only two actors in the play
and it all takes place in their one-room dumpy
apartment. In the play, Hosanna is hated by
everyone and the story shows her going through
many changes and coming to grips with herself
and her lover. The play promises to hit home toj 1
gay people. It’s really a big step for Lavita since she
has an eighteen page monologue and a nude scene.
The play is directed by Howard Brunner, who has
a great track record, and is projected to open
November 4th.
Is Dina“pumping iron”or getting pumped in L.A.?
V,- Florida’s Tea
./ I also have some tea from Florida. Monroe
i Midyette plans to open his new Creole bar and
restaurant in Jacksonville about mid-November.
He will keep his French Quarter downtown for the
black queens. The Zodiac in Daytona seems to
. have the crowds for the moment. Heard Miss
Zodiac was a dark affair. Down in Orlando Belle
Kincade’s back on harmones and Ms. P. is out
with hepatitis. You should really watch where you
, put your tongue these days P, There’s some bad ass
around.
El Goya still has the crowd in Tampa, it has the
largest dance floor in Florida and shows five
nights a week featuring Eve Star, Sandy Cher, and
others. Rene has been pulling out all the stops
trying to compete. He still has the pool, Otis
(Tampa’s #1 disc-jockey) and shows three nights a
week featuring such beauties as Chena Black and
Coquina Chel. It seems El Goya has the facilities
and Rene’s has the stars. Down South Jennifer
Raquel won the Miss Miami Beach pageant as the
audience “Watched Closely Now.” Gilda Golden
was the ever-flawless mistress of ceremonies.
Elsewhere in Miami, the Warehouse 8 and the
keep the crowds coming and Keith’s has
closed. The Jewel Box Revue is reported out in Las
Vegas after bombing completely in Atlanta.
The Trivial Tea
or Why Didn’t You Ask
Have you noticed Gilda Golden looking a little
different lately? Since she started the trena with
her little pony tail on top she’s been trying for the
European Look.”
What popular impersonator wears boxer shorts
under her panty hose when she performs? None
other than Rachel Wells.
Who is the highest paid impersonator in
Atlanta? Roski Fernandez is paid $450 a week for
directing, choreographing, sewing, and 1
performing with her show at the Hollywood Hot.
Did you know Kitty Litter baptizes customers
with cocktails for just a few cents? Now there’s a \
deal.
It’s not only disco fever hitting the drags, for a I
certain New York doctor it’s silicone fever. A few
people recently treated were: Chocolate, Gilda,
Lisa King, Tissy, Melanie, and Kitty Litter. Give
them “cheeks” eirls.
Cool VaniIla”...who else?
Things Fd Like to See
Cicely Manchester in a black wig.
Natalie Greer in fashionable dresses.
New bathrooms at the Sweet Gum Head.
Mickey Brewster do a deodorant commercial.
Lisa King bury her yellow feather chubby
jacket; it died and does not go with her green
outfit.
Finally, Linda DeBoard and I had to
postpone our engagement until we decide which
one of us will have a sex change.