Asylum.com Checks In!

'Lucky for us, the classic striptease has experienced a revival in recent years -- leading to the popularity of Ivan Kane's 40 Deuce burlesque clubs in Vegas and Hollywood, Dita von Teese's mainstream popularity and, well, the Pussycat Dolls. And just last week, a flood of tasty tassel twirlers hit NYC for the New York Burlesque Festival, inspiring us to stake our pics for the sexiest gals to ever shake their pasties.'


20 Hottest Modern Burlesque Dancers



When using photos or text you found in this blog, please credit the following:

Posted by Jo Weldon, Headmistress of the New York School of Burlesque, for her Burlesque Scrapbook. Failure to credit properly will mark you forever in my eyes as shady and dishonorable.

Battle of The Burlesque Stars

Battle of The Burlesque Stars
Originally uploaded by Brett Rollins

Join your commentators Clams Casino & Neil O'Fortune as they present two teams in this competition of burlesque’s finest: Albert Cadabra, Jo Boobs, Jonny Porkpie and Peekaboo Pointe! Evoking the classic T‘n’A lunacy of television’s Battle of the Network Stars, the tongue-in-cheek challenges onstage at Public Assembly will pit performers against each other, some based on the classic striptease elements, and some in more…unusual categories as well. These performers will be ready to out-twirl, out-shimmy and out-shock each other--and you!

Onstage Photos

Here are a few photos I took onstage during the finale of the New York Burlesque Festival Saturday Spectacular--teeth! teeth! teeth!










When using photos or text you found in this blog, please credit the following:

Posted by Jo Weldon, Headmistress of the New York School of Burlesque, for her Burlesque Scrapbook. Failure to credit properly will mark you forever in my eyes as shady and dishonorable.

Press Alert

I keep forgetting to post when I'm in the press!


Today there is an article in AM New York with brief descriptions of several performers in the festival, and lots of color photos including one of me by Allen Lee. You can still pick up a copy tonight for free on the street...and isn't that how we like to pick up our press?



When using photos or text you found in this blog, please credit the following:

Posted by Jo Weldon, Headmistress of the New York School of Burlesque, for her Burlesque Scrapbook. Failure to credit properly will mark you forever in my eyes as shady and dishonorable.

Preparing for the Festival

The New York Burlesque Festival begins tonight, and here are some of the visuals from the past few days:




Miss Astrid checking out the smoke machine on the video set



Jo Boobs and Miss Astrid, camera test



The World Famous Pontani Sisters in rehearsal with FIsherman's Famous Burlesque Orchestra



Little Brooklyn at the rehearsal



When using photos or text you found in this blog, please credit the following:

Posted by Jo Weldon, Headmistress of the New York School of Burlesque, for her Burlesque Scrapbook. Failure to credit properly will mark you forever in my eyes as shady and dishonorable.

Coney Island Fashion Moments

At the Miss Coney Island Pageant Bunny Love had the cutest purse and some cute shoes, too, which it turns out that she and Bambi the Mermaid, her BFF, both bought without consulting each other. Since they often deliberately dress to match each other, they were pleased with the coincidence.






On the train on the way back, I saw something.




It turns out this rubber hen is the purse of Heather Holiday, the youngest female sword swallower in the world.




She showed me a note a guy on the train slipped her a few days before.




Although she wouldn't tell me where she got the purse, I found one, and I'll carry it, but not to Coney Island. Heather owns all the rubber chicken purse territory there.



When using photos or text you found in this blog, please credit the following:

Posted by Jo Weldon, Headmistress of the New York School of Burlesque, for her Burlesque Scrapbook. Failure to credit properly will mark you forever in my eyes as shady and dishonorable.

Howl Festival and Arias with a Twist

Howlucination, a cabaret of Luc Sante's Low Life, is absolutely my favorite thing at the Howl Festival. Although I didn't take many pix, here are a few moments:



Backstage with Heather Litteer, with whom I worked in Atlanta.



Amber Ray's Eyes.



Dirty Martini.



Joey Arias/


If you have a chance to see Arias with a Twist, don't miss it. It is one of the most amazing shows I've ever, ever seen!


I went to see it for my birthday with Mickey, Joe, and Whitney.



Whitney and Joe in the lobby at HERE. Joe and Joey were in the film Mondo New York together, an underground classic about NY cabaret and performance art made in 1988.



Joey and Me. Photo by Whitney.




Gorgeous, Gorgeous!




When using photos or text you found in this blog, please credit the following:

Posted by Jo Weldon, Headmistress of the New York School of Burlesque, for her Burlesque Scrapbook. Failure to credit properly will mark you forever in my eyes as shady and dishonorable.

A Cute, Busy Life

I've never been as busy in my life as I've been the past few weeks!


Here's a cute pic from one of those busy nights:



Me with some of the dancers from Hudson Swing.




When using photos or text you found in this blog, please credit the following:

Posted by Jo Weldon, Headmistress of the New York School of Burlesque, for her Burlesque Scrapbook. Failure to credit properly will mark you forever in my eyes as shady and dishonorable.

Nominate me!!!

So I've been too busy living the burlesque life to blog it, I admit, and now I need a favor. But puhleez, nominate Jo Boobs for Biggest Cougar! The claws are out, ladies...

I can prove I am the biggest cougar. Here I am with my Gal Friday:



She may very well be the littlest cougar, but that's another story.

Golden Pastie Nominations
The New York Burlesque Festival Golden Pastie Nominations are Live!
The categories for the coveted Golden Pasties are ready! Help nominate
your favorite burlesque performers for the cherished Golden Pastie Awards!

To nominate your favorite performers for select categories below, copy
and paste the categories in to an email, fill in your nominees for
individual categories and then email it to goldenpasties@gmail.com

PLEASE ONLY NOMINATE ONE PERFORMER PER CATEGORY
Nominees must be submitted by Friday, August 29, 2008

Biggest Media Whore

Best Booty Shaker

Best Gams

Best Dressed

Best Body

Most Charismatic

Hottest freshmen

Most likely to win on Survivor

Sexiest eyes

Sweetest smile

Classiest Dame

Biggest Diva

Biggest Tease

Biggest Cougar

Most likely to go Gay in 2009

Most likely to turn their name into a unpronounceable symbol

The producers of the NYBF highly recommend this event!

www.gothamgirlsrollerderby.com

www.pontanisisters.com.com
www.thirstygirlproductions.com

VIP & Weekend Package Tickets On Sale Now!
Get them while they last!
Visit www.thenewyorkburlesquefestival.com to get your tickets today!


All content ©2008 Thirsty Girl Productions and The World Famous
Pontani Sisters.
This material may not be reproduced, borrowed, or used for any purpose
except by permission of the copyright holder.

Me Doing Godzilla

This isn't the way this number usually goes, but it's the way the number ended up being on a stage with full band instruments and a long catwalk. It would be fun to actually choreograph it for that stage!




The backup dancers are New York School of Burlesquers Pookie Patootie, Weirdee Girl, and Fleur de Lys. Aren't they awesome?

At World Famous *BOB* Presents at the Bowery Poetry Club

World Famous *BOB* does a monthly show called "World Famous *BOB* Presents" for new performers at the Bowery Poetry Club, which is where I produced my first burlesque show in New York, Hubba Hubba Hey--which I believe was also the first burlesque show at BPC, and the Surf Burlesque show I mentioned in a previous post. She's been doing the show for several years, previously at Galapagos.*BOB* is a grrrreat host, on and off stage.













When using photos or text you found in this blog, please credit the following:

Posted by Jo Weldon, Headmistress of the New York School of Burlesque, for her Burlesque Scrapbook. Failure to credit properly will mark you forever in my eyes as shady and dishonorable.

Backstage At The Slipper Room

These are a few of the pictures that dont' contain full frontal nudity. Those just go into my private stash.



The Zog doing "Live and Let Die"





Me Coming Offstage after my Pirate Act





Veronica Varlow and Legs Malone being adorable





The Audience






When using photos or text you found in this blog, please credit the following:

Posted by Jo Weldon, Headmistress of the New York School of Burlesque, for her Burlesque Scrapbook. Failure to credit properly will mark you forever in my eyes as shady and dishonorable.

A Few Pix From My Birthday Backstage at Starshine Burlesque

On my birthday, I guest lectured in Lukki's class at NYU, taught a bachelorette party, and performed at Starshine Burlesque.













When using photos or text you found in this blog, please credit the following:

Posted by Jo Weldon, Headmistress of the New York School of Burlesque, for her Burlesque Scrapbook. Failure to credit properly will mark you forever in my eyes as shady and dishonorable.

It's My Birthday!

I walked by these mosaic pinups in Soho yesterday.
















They will also make a mosaic from any photo.



If you were thinking about taking up a collection for my birthday, here's a ballpark: the panels start out at about $31K, the standups at $19K. I'd be perfectly content with one of the standups.



For more information, see the company's website. But don't buy me one, honestly, I just wouldn't know where to put it.



When using photos or text you found in this blog, please credit the following:

Posted by Jo Weldon, Headmistress of the New York School of Burlesque, for her Burlesque Scrapbook. Failure to credit properly will mark you forever in my eyes as shady and dishonorable.

Me in the New York Press

Jo Boobs and More at Public Assembly Party



This was a great party. Larissa Fuchs, who produces Swing House, is working with my friend Robert Prichard, with whom I used to co-produce Surf Burlesque at the Bowery Poetry Club (and who played Slug in The Toxic Avenger), to create a new venue in Long Island City that promises to be one of the Next Big Things. I can't wait!



I had a great time at the show, but I was a little lonely, having the whole backstage to myself most of the time. I took some sort of creepy pictures.








I like the color choices this camera makes. Although I'm actually somewhat proficient with a camera, and learned to shoot using a K-1000 and slide film while photographing live bands at Masquerade, I'm crazy about this little point and shoot.


Flashback: Masquerade was also the first place I performed regularly with fire, as an honorary member of the Impotent Sea Snakes.



From which era, of course, I have no freakin photos of myself.




When using photos or text you found in this blog, please credit the following:

Posted by Jo Weldon, Headmistress of the New York School of Burlesque, for her Burlesque Scrapbook. Failure to credit properly will mark you forever in my eyes as shady and dishonorable.

At the Slipper Room with Mel Frye and Matt Musselman

I perform often with live bands, and I have a great time performing with Grandpa Musselman and the Syncopators. Last night we were at the Slipper Room, with Mel Frye (actually Slipper Room owner and my business partner, James) hosting.



Matt Musselman (with redeye) and Mel




The Set List




Violetta Beretta from Hawaii, seen from the dressing room at the side of the stage, as tiki lamp




Amber Ray Backstage




Lady Lucerne




Walking home, Tigger and I ran into Pinkie Special and Melody Sweets, who had just come in from Coney Island, where they performed with a live band as well at Fisherman's Love Luau. I had to take a picture of everyone with all their bags, to document what I call "The Culture of Schlep." One of the influences on the style of New York burlesque is the lack of cars, and therefore car trunks. So we have to be able to tote our numbers around. Yes, it gets old, and we all want sherpas; but what we do is schlep. We are the glamourous bag ladies of millenial New York.


Street Walkers




Now, as someone who frequently walks the street in various versions and stages of drag and costume, I expect to get some looks and comments from people who notice that I'm, uh, colorful, but the past two nights have been exceptional in that regard. A whole new level of people who are just aghast that I (or, in this case, we) go around looking like sideshow freaks and circus characters. A little bit of this is entirely expected, but it was nonstop last night. People, calm down--we KNOW we're eccentric!




When using photos or text you found in this blog, please credit the following:

Posted by Jo Weldon, Headmistress of the New York School of Burlesque, for her Burlesque Scrapbook. Failure to credit properly will mark you forever in my eyes as shady and dishonorable.

The Society of Illustrators and Bunny Love's Little Food Show

Did I have a night off? No I did not.


Pinkie Special and I performed at a hula event at the Society of Illustrators, where Pinkie models on occasion. It was fun and I even got to teach some of the partiers a few Polynesian moves. And it was incredible because yet again I found myself surrounded by spectacular original art. If you haven't seen this place and you are even the tiniest bit of an art lover, for god's sake, go! It's worth it for the Michael Dolas pictures alone, as well as the tiles in the library. It's killing me to not be able to post all the pix I took for myself. Here's one tip of the mind-boggling iceberg:




I'm posting this pic of myself entering the SOI so you can see what I also wore to walk home at the end of the night, after going from the SOI to the Slipper Room. I was on First Avenue and 4th St in this outfit, which includes a huge rhinestone flower and gigantic drag eyelashes, and a guy in his early twenties showed off his wit to his friends by asking me how much. Pitiful attempt at wit, right? ANYBODY knows a hooker wouldn't wear drag lashes, fool!



Here's Pinkie with an image of Josephine Baker:



I can't show the amazing amazing art in detail, which totally tortures me because I want you to see it so you'll go see MORE of it, but I thought it might be ok to post an invitation and an ad.

Check this out--I love the "Black Tie. Stag Only."


I love this Nash ad because I used to actually own a 1959 Nash Metropolitan.


This was my Nash, back in the 80s when I was a groupie:




Then I went to the Slipper Room and performed my revolting Snack Cracker act in Bunny Love's food show, which was a blast. Here, Bunny Love makes a cream pie out of her face:





When using photos or text you found in this blog, please credit the following:

Posted by Jo Weldon, Headmistress of the New York School of Burlesque, for her Burlesque Scrapbook. Failure to credit properly will mark you forever in my eyes as shady and dishonorable.