Putting the Awe into Some

They say Tuesday’s Child is full of grace. Well, grace is nice and all. But outside of ballerinas and Audrey Hepburn, I think being full of awesome is a mite more practical. I mean, who doesn’t want to be awesome? Awesome is awesome. OK, now I feel like I’m saying awesome so much that the word is starting to lose its meaning and just become a collection of sounds. Like whenever I say the word “obey,” I drag it out like how I heard this one Southern minister say it at this wedding where the bride and groom still kept the “obey” part of the vows because they mistakenly though this was 1954. Wow. I’ve gotten awesomely off track. I was saying something about being awesome. Oh, I remember. These videos are awesome.

Cyndi Lauper is awesome.

She lifts the mood of some stranded, cranky air travelers in Buenos Aires with the best girl power song ever.

Daniel Craig & Judi Dench are awesome.

Even 007 knows it’s hard out there for a dame. On this International Women’s Day, remember nothing is sexier than equality.

Thumbs-Up Kitty is Awesome.

Also, a little creepy. Like, now what’s to prevent them from taking over the world?

Brittana being on is awesome.

If tonight’s big Brittana moment is even half as awesome as this fanvid, we’re in for a whole lot of awesome tonight.

There, well I hope those helped make your Tuesday a little more awesome. If you’re still looking for grace, you’re on your own.

Reach out and touch...yourself

They say it's impossible to truly love someone else unless you first love yourself. Good thing loving thyself is all the rage lately. Pink's new video “Sober” is a a true masturbatory opus, emphasis on masturbatory. Of course, getting down with your bad self is a lot easier when you have an extra self. OK, so it's a little confusing, but also a lotta hot.

Now, I've always liked Pink, despite her unfortunate decision to name herself after a color (side note: the only two acceptable color names in my book are Violet and Magenta – holla, Rocky Horror!). She is the best kind of rambunctious. She can mix messages into her effervescent pop confections better than most. Sure, I've heard those rumors too. So it's nice to see her tweak them instead of run from them. Plus, it wasn't all just digital trickery. That hand is really on an ass, and it' ain't her own.

So, whose ass is it? Please say hello to 26-year-old Swedish model and Pink doppelganger Petrah. [Hat tip, The Gentleman!]

It's fun trying to tell who is Pink and who is Petrah in the video.

All this good self-loving has me feeling frisky. So, naturally, I sought others of like mind. Some of my favorite, um, Jills who like to, um, off themselves.

“Icicle,” Tori Amos

Who wants a little sex with her religion?

“Oops,” Tweet feat. Missy Elliott

Also, you must hear the Ladytron version?

“All Is Full of Love,” Bjork

Bjork-shaped robots making out? Hell, yeah.

“She Bop,” Cyndi Lauper

The one, the only, the original.

Anyone else need some alone time? Yeah...be right back.

Prideover

Wow, what a weekend. My nose is sunburned. My body aches in muscles I didn’t even know I had. And I think at one point in the night my shoes could have been wrung out to make a cocktail or two. Now that’s what I call a Pride. To round out the two days of debauchery fun I caught Cyndi & Co. at the True Colors Tour, which was fantastic. If you are anywhere near one of the tour’s three remaining shows (that means you Seattle, Vancouver and Denver areas) get thee there. But the best part of Pride, as always, was spending time with wonderful friends and just being so damn gay together. I’m not gonna lie, I still need to rest a bit to get back into full form. So in lieu of tank tops today, please enjoy this musical interlude. Cyndi totally rocked, as did the B-52s (We came late so that’s all we caught. So this video isn’t mine, nor is most of the audio live. But you get a feel for the night’s homotasticness.)

Unless I’m horribly mistaken, I think part of me is actually in this picture somewhere. It’s like Where’s Waldo, but so much gayer.

So, got any of your own pride stories to share from this year? Or is your pride still coming up. Please share, because I’m exhausted. Who else needs a disco nap?

My Weekend Crush

For Pride Weekend I usually like to feature a gay Weekend Crush. But I think this year I’ll make an exception. Because, while she may not be one of us, Cyndi Lauper is totally with us. She has been an ardent and adamant supporter of GLBT rights throughout her career. But it’s more than just that. Cyndi has been a life-long champion for every girl who was ever called “so unusual.” She was different. She was bold. She wrote a song about female masturbation. In short, she fucking rocks.

It was my father, of all people, who actually first noticed her. While lazily watching MTV one afternoon, Cyndi’s video for “Time After Time” came on. I wasn’t really paying attention. I think I was too engrossed in my Tiger Beat and preadolescent crush on Michael J. Fox (What? If you squint he looks kind of like a butch girl). My dad was working in the background and stopped to listen. “Who is that? I like that.” And, after I stopped to listen, so did I.

Now all these years later, it’s been a trip to find myself, in some minuscule way, part of her world. That she would take the time to give my silly little site a shout out (two even!) along with countless others is a testament to her dedication to our cause. This weekend, I’m head out to the True Colors Tour to feel beautiful like a rainbow with Cyndi and friends. There probably won’t be a post on Monday as a result. But, I think it’s a worthy excuse. And I have my dad to thank for all of it. He died four years ago today. I think this crush is really for him. Happy pride and happy weekend, all.

Happy Pride

Happy Pride! OK, fine, I realize I’m 10 days late. But I’m running on Q.S.T. here, so if you look at it that way I’m really right on time. Actually, I might even be early. Regardless, Pride Month is the one time of year where it’s not just OK to be gay, it’s fabulous. As a dedicated misanthrope, you’d think I would shun the crowds and hysteria (not to mention tourists and lookie-loos) who always gather for Pride. But I can’t help it. I love it. And I also love the relentless disco beat that takes over the city that weekend.

In honor of Pride celebrations around the country (and the world), how about some tasty beats? DJ, drop the needle.

Cyndi Lauper – “Into the Nightlife”

Annie – “I Know UR Girlfriend Hate Me”

Kelly/Britney – “Gimme More Shoes”

And, what gay old time would be complete without a little ABBA? Courtesy one of the most cathartic scenes ever put on celluloid:

Muriel & Rhonda – “Waterloo”

Happy Pride, ladies and (discerning) gentlemen. What can I say, it’s good to be gay.

And the winner is...

First, thank you all (all 195 of you!) for entering our little True Colors Tour ticket giveaway. Y’all really wanted to go see a show. If I could, I’d give each and every one of you tickets. But, alas, there can only be one winner. And that winner is … drum roll, please …

MissAkilahC, a.k.a. Akilah Crossdale.

Congratulations Miss Akilah! She will be she-bopping at the June 28 Los Angeles show. So if you see her there, be sure to say hi. And, win or lose, I hope everyone tries to make it out to one of the stops on the tour. Why? Well, a) It’s super gay. And I mean gay in the best, most fantabulous way possible. And, b) It supports us super gays. Which means it raises awareness and funds for GLBT issues and causes. And finally, c) All the fucking great music. Duh. But don’t take my word for it. Take the B-52s word.

Seriously, how awesome is this show? Thanks, again, everyone for entering. And, just in case you were wondering how the drawing worked, I numbered everyone off chronologically via entry and then used a random number generator to pick the winner. You can even watch, if you have 30 seconds to kill, just to prove it was all kosher. This also proves that I’m probably crazy. But that’s another story for another day.

Don’t be afraid to … go to a show

So, today marks a historic first here at Dorothy Surrenders. No, I’m not going to shamelessly fish for blogiversary compliments again (though, thank you one and all who posted and emailed with your lovely blogday wishes). No, today is the day when reading this silly little site finally pays off. Today I’m launching a contest to give away a pair of tickets to any show on the 2008 True Colors Tour. Yes, that’s right. Free. Tickets. The friendly folks involved in the tour were nice enough to offer me the tickets to help promote the casuse. If you’re not familiar, the True Colors Tour raises funds and awareness for gay rights. In short, it’s awesome. But don’t take my word for it, take it from its fabulous mastermind Cyndi Lauper.

Cyndi was sweet enough to record a similar shout out for ye olde blog last year. You know, me and Cyn, we’re likethis now. This year’s bill features Cyndi, as well a revolving lineup that include the B-52s, Regina Spektor, Andy Bell of Erasure, Tegan and Sara, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Indigo Girls, Joan Armatrading, Deborah Cox, The Cliks, The Puppini Sisters, Nona Hendryx and Girl in Coma. Comedians Rosie O’Donnell, Wanda Sykes and Kate Clinton plus fashionista Carson Kressley will also appear. The tour begins May 31 in Boston and ends July 5 in Colorado.

So, how is this contest thingie going to work? Well, it’s really pretty simple. I have one pair of tickets available to any show on the tour, your choice. I will pick the winner from a random drawing of everyone who entered (I’m envisioning a hat with names in it…) The who, what, when and hows of the contest:

Who is eligible: Anyone who can make it to one of the True Colors Tour dates, one entry per person
What will you get: A pair of tickets to the show of your choice.
When to enter: Now until 11:59 p.m. Monday May 5
How to enter: Post your email address in the comments section

I will notify the winner via email Tuesday, May 6. So, who wants to let their true colors show ... at a show?

UPDATE: Dang, folks, y’all really want to go to a show. Given the number of you who have entered already, the hat idea is probably out the window. I’ll probably go with Jess-Nutt’s idea of a random number generator to pick the winner. You’ll be numbered chronologically based on post order. And, of course, feel free to put your email in the spelled-out format. I don’t want to be the cause of an influx of emails in your inboxes with the subject lines like: “Get rock hard,” unless, of course, that’s your thing.

UPDATE II: Submissions are now closed. Thanks for your entries. The winner will be announced Wednesday.

Shining through

The True Colors Tour started this weekend and since Cyndi and I are likethis I thought I’d share a little glimpse of the tour so far. Talk about your fabulous gay fiesta. Cyndi and Rosie and Indigo Girls and Dresden Dolls, oh my! Though, Rosie. Ro. Honey. Darling. Your feet. What is on your feet? A black pantsuit with yellow Crocs? I know they’re comfortable, but seriously. When you walked out all the gay boys in the crowd must have done a collective, “Ooh, girl, no she di’nt!”

Cyndi’s true colors are beautiful like a rainbow

Holy crap. Here I am going about my normal day. Outrage here. Outrage there. Outrage, outrage everywhere. And then, blam, something happens that makes me believe in the wonders of the universe again. Something like, say, Cyndi Lauper taping a personalized shout out for the blog to promote her super cool and why-the-hell-don’t-you-have-your-ticket-yet True Colors Tour, which raises funds and awareness for gay rights. Last night I got an email from a marketing company, which happens every so often and for the most part I just ignore. But this one wasn’t the usual “If you put this banner ad on your site, we’ll send you a calendar”-type offer. Well, see for yourself.

Crazy, right? I mean, she even jokes about Toto! I could not love her more. I’m pretty blown away that, in some tiny way, she know that this site exists (even if a PA was standing in the background with flashcards prompting her what to say as she taped shout out after shout out in some small studio somewhere and then later went out for beers with friends and said, ‘Damn, those promo call days really take it out of you’). Really, it’s amazing that she takes the time to do this kind of outreach. She is truly a wonderful ally, a wonderful singer and a wonderful woman. So seriously, I’m not kidding -- get your tickets now!

Don’t be afraid to let them show

Cyndi Lauper’s song “True Colors” always puts a little catch in my throat. To my ears, it’s one of the clearest, purest declarations of love in all its many forms out there. Each time I hear it, it moves me anew. So I was thrilled to hear that Cyndi, who has been a longtime gay rights activist, is taking her message on the road on the new True Colors Tour. The 15-city tour will raise awareness about gay rights and funds for the Human Rights Campaign.

But wait, there’s more. Not only will the fabulous Ms. Lauper be headlining, along for the ride are a virtual pantheon of gay icons and performers: Debbie Harry, Erasure, The Dresden Dolls, The Gossip and The Misshapes. Popping up at select dates will be Rufus Wainwright, Rosie O’Donnell and the Indigo Girls. And emceeing the whole shebang will be - wait for it, wait for it - Margaret FUCKING Cho! I am doing all I can right now to suppress girlish squeals of glee.The tour coincides with Pride celebrations across the country. It starts its run June 8 in Las Vegas and finished up June 30 in Los Angeles. A portion of the proceeds go to the Human Rights Campaign. The project is also partnered with the Matthew Shepard Foundation, PFLAG and Logo. Hey, I kinda work for them. Yeah, I’m fairly certain that won’t help me score any tickets.

Regardless, it sounds like a fantastic idea (though I’m not sure how many straight audience members they’ll get; that’s a pretty gay lineup). And, just in case you’d forgotten, “True Colors” is an amazing song and Cyndi is a pretty amazing woman.