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Susan Lucci Curse Broken;
Thom "Smurf" Murphy &
Tony Langlinais, SDGMs XXVIII
Outgoing Southern Decadence Grand Marshal [SDGM] XXVII Errol Rizzuto broke the "Decadence Susan Lucci Curse" by naming former Susan Lucci Forever, Thom "Smurf" Murphy, as well as Tony Langlinais to reign as SDGMs XXVIII. This year's choice married old Decadence to new, bringing the past and present together. It's only the second time two grand marshals have been selected to head Decadence festivities since 1978, when Robert King and Kathleen Kavanaugh did the honors.
Rizzuto's selection continues the trend of returning to Decadence tradition by choosing individuals who have actually put in their time, year after year, participating in the annual Southern Decadence Parade. By breaking the Susan Lucci Curse, many others in the wings, have new hope of becoming the now legendary Southern Decadence Grand Marshal.
As Rizzuto made the announcement at the SDGM XXVIII Coronation, the front doors of Footloose swung open bringing the new grand marshals to the stage. Murphy and Langlinais were clad in scarlet red matching suits, complete with matching silver shirts with silver ties, shoes, black top hats, huge silver toasting goblets, and even matching Ray Cole silk scarves. The official whistles were placed over the heads of SDGMs XXVIII, and that was the signal to sound the whistles kicking off the millennium Southern Decadence XXIX celebration.
First on the agenda of Southern Decadence's newest royalty was the announcement of the 2000 official theme, Taboo X 2: The Forbidden Pleasures Tour. Murphy announced that he had not memorized Susan Lucci's acceptance speech, but that this millennium celebration "is not about us, it's about ya'll," much to the pleasure of the huge crowd. Langlinais announced the Official Song, "Man I Feel Like A Woman," by Shania Twain, which brought down the house. The Grand Marshals predict 100,000 to 125,000 revelers this year, bringing in untold millions to the local economy.
Both grand marshals are local French Quarter bartenders; Murphy at the Corner Pocket and Langlinais at Voodoo at Congo Square. Murphy also reigned as King Cake Queen III in 1996 over the Krewe of Queenateenas Mardi Gras festivities. The official colors are red, silver and black. The grand marshals have much more in store which will be announced when they decide to make it public. When asked what Decadence revelers should consider when getting their costumes ready for the parade, Murphy said, "Do everything naughty that you possibly can." Langlinais on the other hand said, "Every time I think of the word forbidden, I think of the color red, and pleasures would be us as grand marshals. Like my mother always says, 'wear red cause it drives the men crazy.'"
This year's coronation brought out the largest number of former Grand Marshals in several years. Those attending included: SDGM IV Robert Laurent 1977, SDGM XII Mumbo 1984, SDGM XIII Michael "Fish" Hickerson 1985, SDGM XV Olive 1987, SDGM XXI Ms. Fly 1993, SDGM XXIV Wayne White 1996, SDGM XXV Miss Love 1997, SDGM XXVI Robin Malta 1998 and SDGM XXVII Errol Rizzuto 1999.
The coronation show was quite the spectacle led by SDGM XXI [1993] Ms. Fly and her abrasive tongue, much to the delight of the audience. Fly went after everyone from Lucille to Marsha, Olive, Fish, Mumbo, Marcy Marcell, Cyril and many more. The show kicked off as Fly did a Cher - imagine that - number, "Miss Subway 1952," dedicated to new has-been Southern Decadence Grand Marshal Errol Rizzuto.
Next, Lantern favorite Trixie Delight hit the stage followed by Corner Pocket dancer Anthony. Then it was on to Oz showgirl Bianca Del Rio who tried to show has been SDGM Errol how "Dark Lady" was actually done! Next up was Footloose's own showgirl extraordinaire Marcy Marcell, Voodoo's Cyril, and has-been SDGM XII Mumbo [1984] doing the Korean version of "Don't Cry For Me Argentina." Corner Pocket dancer Christian signaled the end of entertainment, and then Rizzuto made the big announcement of Murphy and Langlinais as SDGMs XXVIII.
Toni Pizanie & Rhyn Pate
Now Head GAA
The Gay Appreciation Awards [GAA] is pleased to announce new president Toni J.P. Pizanie and new vice president Rhyn Pate. Pizanie succeeds the late Sonny C. Cleveland while Pate succeeds Pizanie. The two well known personalities head up the GAA Board of Directors.
Additionally, Lance Ford has accepted a position on the Board, joining seated Board members: Lisa Beaumann, Teryl-Lynn Foxx, Mickey Gil, as well as Rip & Marsha Naquin-Delain.
The 14th Annual Gay Appreciation Awards will be held in November or December of this year. The awards, selected by public ballot appearing in Ambush Mag and on-line at www.ambushmag.com/gaa, thanks those in the Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgender Community who are not recognized for the outstanding services and efforts they perform.
These individuals and businesses have made the GLBT Community into the viable, successful and powerful community it is today.
Pansies & Dirt
4th of July weekend kicked off for us with a stop at Clifford's Big Meat Brigade Fri., hosted at TT's on the N. Rampart strip. We ran into Golden Lantern's Jay and LA's Doug. The fellas were giving their own USDA approved meat inspections, and what an inspection to behold! The sky's had opened up in earnest bringing an almost entirely new stable of bar top dancers, and voyeurs for the lovely Lady Charles to keep in line, which is nearly an impossible task.
A few steps down brought us in to see the first lady of Wolfendales, Sy'ria Synclaire. Sy'ria filled us in on the latest pageant scoop, and which pageants she was planning on entering. Girls, watch out cause this talented beauty is always a show stopper. And speaking of show stoppers, ya'll must pop in on Sundays around midnight to see Divas R Us. This venue is chockful of talent including Miss Galaxy At Large Allegra White, Miss Gay New Orleans America Jadya Alexander, Miss Diva Louisiana Sha'Nyia Ellis Narcisse, and the diva herself, Sy'ria Synclaire.
Ending an early night brought us to Secret Garden for dinner. Fri. is one of our favorite stops for culinary selections since Patrick began serving Curried Duck [Rip's favorite]. This supple dish is baked until tender with just a hint of Curry and other hidden spices served with salad and potatoes. Marsha, on the other hand, never passes up the restaurant's superior Fettuccine Alfredo. The combo appetizer is a must which includes fried green tomatoes.
Sat. rolled around and it was off to Lance's Pub & Dance Pavilion across the River in Harvey. It was popular Tony D's birthday blowout which brought in a large crowd. Lance and Carl Ford, always dressed to the nines, even served a free buffet for this b-day extravaganza. It was great seeing so many of the fun guys here including two of our favorites, Dewain and Al. Oh yes, and many of you would remember Lance as one of the co-founders of the Official Gay Easter Parade.
Next stop was back across the River, and out to Metairie to 4 Seasons. We learned that owners Chuck and Bill on a 6 week vacation trip had popped into Vermont and tied the knot officially after some 27 years of bliss. However, the big event here was Amon Ra's U.S.O. Show starring some unusual beauties out back on the patio. Amon Ra's Brian was manning the door serving up hot munchies to revelers here. 4 Seasons manager and hit Metairie DJ Bruce Arnold took care of the technical aspects of the show, while Amon Ra diva Lauren Brown provided emcee talent. While there, we saw the talents of Tiffany Holiday, beautiful newcomer Missy Minnelli, Electra City, Cuddles and Lauren Brown herself. A bit of technical difficulty deprived show goers of the live singing talent of Rickey Callias. The event brought in over $300 for one of New Orleans' popular Carnival clubs.
Then it was back to the Quarter, heading on over to Le Roundup and its annual hit Tropical Heat Show. The audience was treated to the talent and beauty of hostess Miss Le Roundup, Miss Gay Louisiana Universe and Miss Gay United States Universe, Felina Colby Shane. This girl has come a long, long way from her days as Felina LeBlanc, performing at the Full Moon across the River. Yes, talent was to be the key word this evening. Felina brought crowd favorites to the stage including her daughter Vivica Devereaux, her mother Jamie Gender and 735's Unladylike hostess Symone Devereaux. Although the crowd was small, these girls worked showcasing the incredible talents that have made them into the stars they are today.
Our final stop would be a visit to legendary Miss Do and her popular Double Play club. Miss Do was entertaining a bar of locals and visitors alike. Of course, your night here would not be complete without Do reading some of her more boisterous clientele. Todd of Footloose fame popped in while on break from his two hit Sat. night shows, the 11pm Footloose Revue and the 2am Open Mic Show. Even Footloose bartender Alex tagged along with Todd. We got to visit with several of our friends here including Monroe Brown, one of the co-founders of the Official Gay Easter Parade.
Sun. ended up being our first barbeque run of the 4th weekend. Voodoo kicked off festivities at 3pm with a massive buffet for bar patrons here. Estelle and crew had barbequed chicken breast and wings, grilled burgers with melted cheese and even grilled hotdogs. And don't forget the homemade potato salad, baked beans, chili, fresh lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles and even potato chips. Miss Cyril, in her trademark wraparound skirt/shawl was sporting her Voodoo REHAB shirt. When you read the small print, you'll realize REHAB stands for "Remember Estelle Has A Bar." Now Estelle, when did you come up with that? Of course, for the Charity High Heel Pool Tourney Estelle came up with their own theme of "In Depends Day." This old girl is just too clever. Manager Rick and Greg were slinging cocktails behind the bar to all the regulars including cute Tony and his gang, usually spotted at the Bourbon Pub.
Heading a few doors down landed us at Footloose's annual barbeque. Todd had fabu barbequed ribs, smoked sausage and chicken thighs done by onsite chef Aaron. There was potato salad and baked beans here, but also cole slaw. The gang here enjoying all the good eats included Glenn & Roger, Christian, Golden Lantern's Lucille and David, LA's Doug, Donnie Jay, Lisa Beaumann, Entertainer of the Year TT, Connie Marcelle and Rusty. But the highlight here was all the gossip about Todd and what bartender Alex had to do for job security. Ambush is a family newspaper you know, so we can't disclose all the juicy, and yes, messy details here.
Then it was off to the pool side barbeque which manager George hosted at Le Roundup on the St. Louis St. strip. Pool side here meant next to blow up kiddy pools plus the mud wrestling pool, all nice and clean. Ray and Pat were busy grilling up fresh burgers and hot dogs, serving them with all the favorite fixin's. It was as though we were revisiting the night before's show cast and audience. They were all back, but not as peachy looking as the glamour night before, but then neither were we. The Petunias day gang piled in a short while later after an exhausting day with Essence Festival revelers. Hoyle and Drew led their group belly up to the bar, and even Miss Paul was there.
Krewe of Mwindo's Sister Sunday Social was up next at Orlando's Society Page. We got there just in time to see a huge Second Line parade tied into the Essence Fest activities. The bar was festive with another holiday buffet here with TT, Connie Marcelle, and our old friend Charles, who some may remember as Sheba Van Dyke, in the house.
The big day finally arrived, and even the heat could not keep in July 4th revelers. First stop was our annual trek to Laz Fest in Cabrini Park benefiting Project Lazarus. The auction was huge this year with lots of goodies to bid on. After submitting ours it was time to visit friends in the park. Right after running into Teryl-Lynn Foxx, she was arrested and put in jail, but we believe Oz's singing sensation, Tommy Elias, came to the rescue and bought her freedom. It was all in fun and every dollar raised went to Project Lazarus. The extreme heat drove us on to our next destination.
A short walk brought us over to the Phoenix's annual Independence Day BBQ, kicking off our BBQ run for the 4th. Chef Mark was doing the honors grilling juicy burgers and hot dogs with all the fixin's. Martini Queen Red was behind the bar, and even though it was not Wednesday Martini Day, she whipped up one of her famous dirty, dirty Sky martinis for us. Phoenix's own Jamie Temple was celebrating with the rest of us Independence revelers and filled us in on all the festivities set for the Phoenix's "18 and In Most States Legal" 18th Anniversary Weekend. By the time this issue hits the streets, the festivities will have come and gone, but we'll have all the details in the next edition.
Heading across Elysian Fields landed us at the Mint where Chef Buddy was busy with this club's giant barbeque. Buddy grilled up several ice chests full of delicious barbequed chicken and giant beef smoked sausage. To go along with the feast, manager Joey LeBlanc prepared, from scratch, barbequed baked beans, dirty rice dressing and cole slaw. The bar had quite a few celebs in the house and we got a surprise visit from one of our best zilla friends, the lovely and talented Toni Pizanie. Oh, zilla is one of our pet adjectives for Toni, short for dykezilla! And speaking of lovely and talented, Miss Negligee was on loan from Big Daddy's to sling 4th of July cocktails at the Mint. Negligee was indeed a vision in her version of the holiday with her skintight, mini, mini red skirt. You had to be there to appreciate it!
Then it was off to join our Lantern Trash friends over at the legendary Golden Lantern. LA socialite Dr. Doug was belly up to the bar along with one of our favorite fellow jumbo petits, Ms. Verona. Lucille even popped in, and Mary, appeared to be sober, as opposed to the drunken stupor we were all in. It was dish and trash hour, with one of the highlights concerning Alex and the things he has to do for job security over at Todd's Footloose. And the big question on everyone's mind was who would Errol pick as Southern Decadence Grand Marshal. Some of the girls thought it could be Smurf, Big Rick, Little Tony or Princess Walter.
July 5th arrived with Voodoo At Congo Square's latest wild night, "In Depends Day." The theme party was in honor of the 9th Charity High Heel Pool Tournament, and what these guys and girls could do with Depends is pretty amazing. We did not know that Depends equated into full figured boxes displaying all the right utensils, if you follow our drift. The Another Corner gang was unbelievable and one in particular, unrecognizable. Can you imagine Evil with makeup, teeth smeared, covered in lipstick and big hair? But the Voodoo gang was not to be outdone with their Voodoo wraparound scarves/skirts exposing their authentic Depends, each arrayed in individual fashion statements.
The giant kickoff Dining Out For Life bash was hosted on the Bourbon Street strip at the Parade, above the Bourbon Pub, July 6. NO/AIDS Task Force's own James, Heidi and Ian greeted invited guests at the door handing out welcome bags. We joined the Petunias gang: Peter, Hoyle, Drew and Sammy earlier before heading on up. The Pub/Parade's Blake was our host and kept us in cocktails and vino during our stay. Laura and associates from the House of Blues were amongst the crowd of revelers, as was Miss Clikque National Teryl-Lynn Foxx, and Dean Roussel along with the rest of the Moon Wok gang. Country Club's Ron Clayton was spotted along with NO/AIDS Task Force Executive Director Noel Twilbeck.
Then it was off to Wolfendales and a visit with this club's high energy manager, Rhyn Pate. Hit DJ Dan was doing the honors as Rhyn was readying the place for Talent Search 2000. Hostess Asya Alexander, Miss Gay Louisiana UsofA, brings talent to the stage every Thursday at 11pm. The winner takes home $100 in cash.
It was back to the Bourbon Street strip where Tracy and Sylvia were slinging cocktails at 735. We ran into Symone and Vivica Devereaux who were getting ready for their hit Thursday "Unladylike" show. Hosted in the loft at 735, DJ Bob Slade does the honors. Thursdays is also Gal Pal, a dance party for women with DJ Alyson Calagna, downstairs in the main dance bar.
Following the Southern Decadence Grand Marshals' Coronation on July 8, we headed to the St. Louis St. strip to Le Roundup. It was the big night here kicking off the first of two preliminaries in the coveted 2nd Annual Transgender, Female and Male Mud Wrestling Contest. Hostess Jamie Gender worked the huge crowd into a frenzy as their favorite contenders hit the mud pit. These gals and men pulled out all the stops ripping off everything they could get their hands on. Felina Colby Shane won the Transgender division with Matthew taking tops in the Male division. There were no female participants. Don't miss the next prelim on Sat., Aug. 12, 11pm. It's got to be the only show in town where mud slinging is legal.
We hit the road July 9th aiming our sites on Morgan City. Yes, Rip's sisters Cathy and Cindy, along with husbands and kids, had been on a Redfish run. They caught several over July 4th weekend and had added more to their collection on July 8. It was our chance to get fresh, heads-on Redfish, perfect for an office bake fest. Before we arrived, the gang had run their crab nets providing us a lunch of spicy boiled crabs, potatoes, mushrooms, onions, garlic and smoked sausage. Cathy had also made fresh bread in her new bread machine and Cindy whipped up a batch of chocolate brownies. After loading our ice chest with fresh Redfish, Cindy added catfish, venison and wild boar to our bounty. With bellies and ice chest full, it was time to return to the Crescent City.
Miss Dixie's 90th birthday blowout brought out some hundred or so of the Quarter's celebs and legends. The Krewe of Petronius hosted the annual gala at MRB, preparing scrumptious culinary delights for party goers. Croissant D'or produced the huge strawberry almond b-day cake. Old friends mingled making many new acquaintances. Loads of gifts lined the bar in celebration of this milestone birthday.
Miss Dixie is noted for Dixie's Bar of Music, now Cat's Meow, making her establishment one of the first Gay friendly watering holes in the historic French Quarter during the late 50s and early 60s. Dixie often sang live while playing the cymbal ala Roberta Sherwood ["Cry Me A River"].
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